Opavia

12.

"Who?" He whispered as she slammed his head on the ground.

"Kierra! She was sold to Missy-Where are they?!" She roared. The man shook in fear, Vitani gritting her teeth to reveal the fangs in her mouth. "Do not play dumb."

"In the Grand Line." He stammered. "On Watashi Island." Vitani slammed her hand on his neck, her nails sinking into his skin as he suffocated. She gritted her teeth and drew out her long nails, looking back. Luffy had already dealt with Eric, looking up at the cliff she was on.

"Vitani?" He called. She wiped her nails in the grass and climbed down.

"Sorry." She hummed. The Straw Hats returned to the ship to set sail once again, Vitani sitting in her room.

She looked up as the boat shook, immediately rising and attempting to step out as she rocked into the wall. Vitani stumbled out and looked around at the thick storm clouds and raging waters around the summit. The Red Wall was close just before them, Vitani looking to Luffy who was proudly smiling. Usopp and Sanji were pulling the rudder desperately, Vitani staring forward.

The rudder snapped in half and the men yelled, Luffy leaping forward as the boat began to veer into the wall. He puffed his body out, the boat grinding against it to make it into the narrow entrance way of the giant summit.

"Luffy!" Zoro called, his hand extended. "Grab on!"

Luffy's hand stretched and grabbed Zoro's so he flew onto the ship. Vitani laughed as the boat traveled up and mist hit her face, turning at footsteps. Eric stood on the railing, surrounded by the Straw Hats who stared in confusion.

"How'd he get onto our ship?" Usopp whispered as Vitani lurched forward, Zoro throwing his hands out.

"we can't attack him, who knows what will happen if he uses Sickle Sickle on here." Zoro noted.

"Oh, dragonite!" Nami laughed as he turned.

"What-" she knocked his legs from below him so he fell off the ship and into the water of the summit. The crew stared after him blankly, Vitani scratching her head.

"Oh, good thinking!" The men nodded. Vitani looked up as they reached the peak of the summit, gasping. As they plummeted and the straw hats yelled out in joy, Vitani sneezed softly and looked at her hand, purple blood covering it. She gasped, feeling her knees buckle.

"Vitani!" Nami screamed, kneeling beside her on the ground. There was a whale at the end of the summit, blocking their way out to the sea.

"We've got to stop or we'll crash into it!" Nami yelled as Zoro stepped forward, arms crossed.

"Fire."

"Fire?! Are you crazy?!" Sanji yelled as Usopp loaded the cannon. He fired at the whale, the power slowing the ship down to a hault, the edge of the ship bumping into the whale to knock off the front of Merry's head.

"Hey!" Luffy cried as he stepped forward, glaring at the whale.

"Stop it Luffy." Vitani panted hoarsely from the ground as he glared up at the whale. "That was my favorite seat!" He drew his fist back, punching the whale's eye.

It seemed to blink before roaring, inhaling the water around the ship as Luffy grabbed onto the whale.

"Woah!" He yelled, Usopp knocking his head as Luffy stretched and clung onto the whale's tooth.

"You idiot!" Usopp cried as the ship traveled through the whale's stomach, Luffy managing to crawl out the whale's mouth.

Vitani lay, panting on the deck hoarsely. Blood slowly pooled from her nose, Zoro squatting beside her. They had drifted into the belly which was decorated and painted to look like the outside world. The old man, Croccus, who sat on a small "island" in the stomach looked up at their arrival.

"Hey! Who are you?" He yelled, Nami looking up.

"Is this the whale's stomach?" She whispered, the man narrowing his eyes as he adjusted his newspaper.

"This is Laboon. He's an old whale that's been waiting here at the entrance of the grand line for his friends for a long time."

"His friend?" Usopp asked, Croccus nodding.

"I'm Croccus, I was the medic for an old pirate crew a long time ago. When I first came across Laboon here, He was crying out to the sea. I think he's waiting on someone to come back, but..."

"That's mean, how come someone abandon their friend?" Nami scowled, Croccus rising. "Maybe it wasn't abandonment and his friends simply could not sur-" He was interrupted by a faint yell, looking up as Luffy ran into the stomach, followed by a man and woman.

"Hey!" He laughed, waving to the Straw Hats excitedly.

"Oh great, he's back." Usopp scowled as Sanji looked over the man and woman with them.

"Who are they?" He muttered, the woman raising her cannon. She fired at the top of the stomach, the blow causing Laboon to shake as he bellowed.

"Hey, stop it!" Luffy yelled. Her companion attempted to fire although Luffy jumped infront of him and expanded.

"What kind of freak are you?!"

"One time I ate the gum gum fruit and now I'm a rubber man!" He explained as the man's cannon bounced off his stomach. The pair leapt out the way to dodge it, Sanji picking up their cannon's.

"I'll take these." He hummed, Luffy following him onto the Going Merry.

"Vitani?" Luffy whispered as he spotted her on the ground, Zoro kicking him back.

"Stay away!" He yelled, Luffy rolling backwards.

"Vitani?" Croccus hummed. "She's aboard your ship?"

"Yeah, you know her?" Sanji asked, Zoro picking Vitani up.

"Her father and I are great friends." He explained. "She seems to be ill."

"Ill?!" Usopp fretted. "She's dying! If you're a doctor than save her!" Zoro picked her up and carried her to Croccus, setting her down on the ground as Croccus knelt beside her.

"This is just a little bug common amongst the Opavian. This won't kill her." He laughed, opening her mouth. Below her tongue sat a purple bug, inserting something that caused her tongue to grow green. He pulled it off, the green liquid and her blood spilling out.

"She just needs to rest." He assured as Zoro picked her up and returned her to the ship. The Straw Hats were able to escape Laboon's stomach, Luffy stepping off the ship as he watched him his head head against the wall desperately.

"He really is waiting for his friends..."Nami whispered, Luffy watching in silence.

"Hey!" He yelled. "Laboon!" The whale paused. "I still don't forgive you for what you did to my ship, bastard!"

"Luffy, quit it!" Usopp whispered, pulling his arm.

"Why don't we fight someday?!" He yelled. "I'm not strong enough to beat you now, but one day when i become the King of Pirates, I'll come back here and I'll fight you!" Laboon looked down at him as Luffy pulled paint buckets from the Merry. He painted a sloppy Straw Hat jolly roger on his head, stepping back once he was finished.

"This is how I can know it's you when I come back! But you can't hit your head anymore or else it'll rub off." Luffy leapt onto his ship as Laboon bellowed in joy, Zoro drawing his sword as the pair approached the ship.

"Wait!" The man yelled, panting. "Please give us a ride home!"

"What?!" Sanji scoffed, the girl nodding desperately.

"I'm Miss Wednesday and this is Mr.9. Our home is right down there!" She pointed forward. "And your new logpose will lead you there!"

"Is that what this is?" Nami asked, taking it from Luffy.

"The magnetism is what pulls you from island to island. Sometimes you have to stay at an island for a certain amount of time before the log pose resets and points to the next. It could be a day, a week, a few minutes. But taking those two with you is nothing but trouble." Croccus advised.

"Eh" Luffy smiled, beaming down at Mr.9 and Miss Wednesday. Come on."

They boarded the ship, Vitani wrapped in Zoro's bed carefully. He sat on the deck before the room, sighing softly.