Monkey D. Luffy laughed loudly as he crashed into Bonney, the two rolling through the sand. Luffy landed on top of Bonney, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly. "Bonney!" he shouted with a happy smile. "Torao! Bonney's here!" Luffy shouted behind him and Trafalgar Law sighed heavily as he walked out from the darkness onto the beach.
"Ugh, get off!" Bonney yelled, shoving Luffy's face away with her hands. She wriggled free from his grip and kicked him in the face. She groaned and tried to shake off all the sand. She took off her hat and shook it violently, sending death glares toward Luffy and Law. "Let me guess, you don't know how you got here?" she drawled sarcastically.
Law opened his mouth and sighed, looking down in anger. "We were hoping to find someone else who'd know where we are and how we got here." He looked back up, eyes widening slightly when he saw Shanks standing farther back. Before Law had the chance to say something, LUffy caught sight of Shanks.
"SHANKS!" Luffy cheered, smiling as bright as the sun. Unbeknownst to them, the middle of the island lit up for just a moment. Then he frowned. "Wait, we're not supposed to...I haven't fulfilled my promise yet." Promise? Both Law and Bonney shared a confused look. Luffy subconsciously reached for the straw hat on his head.
Shanks couldn't help but smile and laugh at Luffy. "I appreciate the dedication, Anchor, but I think we have to put that promise aside for the moment." He frowned, brows furrowing as it took in seeing Law with Luffy. Three supernovas and a yonko on the same island with no memories of how they got there or where they were. "You two were in there?" he nodded his head toward the darkness.
"Uh huh!" Luffy nodded eagerly, accepting the terms that his promise would be put to the wayside until everything was figured out. "It's strange in there. It's not completely dark. Past the border it's just very dim. The plants glow!"
"What?" Bonney blinked. "Plants don't glow."
"Here they do," Law spoke up, putting a hand in his jean pocket. "There are bioluminescent plants here. The streams and running water is bioluminescent when it moves. I've never seen anything like it." He looked up, eyes narrowed. "But something is wrong. I can't quite explain it but something felt...off. Everything worked too perfectly." He couldn't suppress his shudder. "Something is going on here."
"Too perfectly?" Shanks tilted his head. "What do you mean by that?"
"It's better to show you than to explain," Luffy spoke up for Law. "Besides! I wanna explore some more! Imagine what cool things are in there." Luffy grinned and pumped his fist. "What kind of things we can fight!"
Shanks rolled his eyes. "Haven't changed a bit, Anchor."
"Just wait a minute!" Bonney snapped angrily, storming up to Luffy. "We can't go in there without a plan! We don't know what we are up against! And how the hell are you buddy buddy with an Emperor!?" She grabbed the front of Luffy's shirt.
Unphased by Bonney's sudden hostility, Luffy laughed again. "Shanks is my family!" Bonney's jaw dropped and Law's eyes widened. Shanks felt warmth blossom in his chest. He smiled softly to himself. Luffy still considered him family and that made him happy. "This hat? It came from him! I promised him I'd return it when I became King of the Pirates!"
Bonney's eyes widened slightly. "Family? But you don't look related."
"Relation has nothing to do with it!" Luffy exclaimed happily. "Shanks saved my life, he helped me find my dream! He's family to me." Something flashed in Bonney's eyes and she let Luffy go, a wistful smile on her face.
"Oh, that's good," Bonney nodded, eyes distant for a moment before she shook her head and looked back at the darkness. "You said it wasn't completely dark in there?"
"Right," Law confirmed with a nod, shifting his weight. "It's dark, but you can see well enough to not completely walk around blindly. I think it would be better than staying out here to be sitting ducks for any attacks." Bonney swallowed thickly, looking at the sunset to the dark void barrier. Law saw fear in her eyes before she schooled her expression to one of determination. The surgeon turned his head to watch Shanks and Luffy. "What do you think?" he asked Shanks.
Shanks put his hand on his chin. "I think we should go in. It might be safer, depending on if there are any enemies out here. The beach is a prime target. At least the dark barrier hides the island from ranged attacks." He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword Gryphon. "If we encounter any enemies or beasts in the island, I'm sure we can handle it," he smirked proudly. "I've heard of what you two did, defeating Big Mom and Kaido. And you, I've heard about you as well," Shanks turned to Bonney. "With the four of us, we will be able to overpower any enemies," he said confidently.
"Let's go!" Luffy shouted and ran back through the barrier. Law bit back a sigh and followed Luffy. Bonney hesitated but when Shanks gave her a little nod, she closed her eyes and ran through the barrier. When she opened her eyes she was amazed. Looking up, the clouds covering the island were full of shining stars, casting a dim glow. The floral life glowed different colors ranging from green to purple to every color in the rainbow. Bonney's jaw dropped. The stream's waves were glowing a light blue. She could see the current.
"Woah..." she breathed, eyes lighting up. The rocks had different gems and jewels embedded in them, and the gems cast a soft glow as well. Her jaw dropped slightly, but she clenched her jaw at seeing a sapphire glowing. "Not so woah," she mumbled to herself.
Shanks had seen many things while sailing with Roger and on his own, but he had never seen anything like this island before. His eyes lit up in wonder and awe of the beauty of the island. The woodland creatures' eyes glowed in the dark, adding to the beauty as well as the creepiness factor. He didn't like the idea of seeing eyes in the distance watching him or the others. It didn't sit right with him.
Luffy's laughter echoed throughout the area, and Shanks smiled. He tried to reach out with his observation haki, but all he got was a black wall. Something was blocking his observation haki. He swallowed and remained impassive. Shanks wouldn't let the others find out his haki was being blocked. At least, not right now. Panic was not needed at the moment. Shanks tried to shake the creeping feeling that they were being watched from all angles.
"Run. Please, don't fall into their trap. Run while you still can!"
