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Mammoths

Just wanted to say thank you all for reading! I really hope you enjoy it! I am actually starting to write another fanfiction tonight!  It is going to be with another OC but it will not be a one piece fanfiction.  It is going to be a My Hero Academia one, as that is my new obsession.  If you end up reading that one as well I really hope you like it!

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They had spent twenty minutes in the storm already, which Thatch considered twenty minutes too long. The storm had died down to a large degree since the search party had landed, but it didn't make the environment any less irritating.

"I don't know why you're all grumbling." Ian stated looking honest and confused, "What's so bad about a winter island?"

"Your kidding right?" Thatch scoffed back.

"I don't think the poor boy is..." Rakuyo whispered in Thatch's ear, glancing back humorously towards the boy."

Well..." Thatch sighed, "Everything! The snow, the cold, the harsh air, the clothes, and shoes that the snow makes wet, winter storms; the list could go on and on. Your telling me that this weather doesn't bother you?"

"Not really," Ian shrugged his shoulders as the group trudged on, "I grew up on a winter island though so that might be why."

"Well aren't you just something special." Thatch rolled his eyes.

"You're all fucking special," Izo muttered, tired of the bickering, "If you keep it up you'll be demoted to just plain dumbasses."

They spent the next hour in silence, only the wind around them making any noise. The longer they walked, the stronger the feeling of someone watching them grew on the group.

"Am I losing my mind, or do you guys feel it too?" Rakuyo spoke lowly.

 "I feel it too," Haruta mumbled, "I can't see anybody so far, I think we should keep going for now until whoever they are decides to show themselves."

The ground around them began to lightly shake, and they watched with wide eyes as massive white mounds seemed to rise from the ground several yards away from them.

"Well speak of the devil..." Haruta spun around, noticing they were surrounded.

"They decided to show themselves pretty damn fast." Thatch agreed.

The Whitebeard pirates found themselves back to back as the white masses moved in on them. Their jaws dropped as the figures became more visible.

"Oh my god they're MAMMOTHS!" Ian exclaimed, "I must be drugged, please tell me your seeing this!"

"If we're drugged, this is a screwed-up hallucination." Haruta agreed.

"If we're hallucinating, why are you all in my hallucination?" Thatch grumbled; eyes still wide in confusion.

"Mammoths are supposed to be dead..." Ian walked forward towards the fuzzy beast in front of him, awestruck. His hand reached out to touch the trunk of the beast, as if to reassure himself that it was indeed real; when an arrow whistled past his ear and landed into the snow-covered ground next to him with a soft thud.Ian backed into the group again as their eyes began scanning the beasts and surrounding landscape for signs of where the arrow came from. A human figure emerged, sliding down the side of the large wooly animal. The person came stalking towards the group, every inch of their body posture showed an authoritative demeaner.

"Who do you think you are to be able to touch one of our royal carriers?!" The very husky female voice snapped at Ian.

The woman in front of them was very muscular, donning animal furs, heavy leathers and basic metal armor plating on her shoulders and chest. Her thick black hair braided back, and her bow ready to shoot at any of them in a heartbeat. Her face was painted in white and light blue war paint.

"R-r-royal carrier?" Ian stuttered, taken aback at the brash tone of the woman.

"Who are you? Why are you on our island? How long have you been here?" She continued, ignoring Ian.

  Several more people appeared from the creatures, sliding off and approaching to surround the group on foot. The majority of the group appeared female, all wearing the same clothing and face paint.

"We're Whitebeard pirates girlie," Thatch put his hands up in a reassuring manor, "Two of our crew landed on your island two days ago and got lost in the storm. We're here to find them."

"Like I believe that. Your pirates, you're not believable."

"Then I'm not sure what else your wanting sweetheart, you asked. It's not up to us if you believe it or not." Izo glared back at her, "I think we should be asking who you are."

"As if you don't know!" She sneered at them.

"I mean... obviously not?" Ian replied, very confused.

 "We are the royal guards of Illymus," Another woman next to the first spoke up, walking even closer. "Forgive Jenex for her blunt attitude but given the circumstances we aren't really in the mood for friendly conversation."

"Circumstances?"

"Two days ago, right before the storm hit; our young princess was taken. Our village has been placed on lock down until we find her. No offense but you're the first outsiders we have seen since we began our search, so your very first on our list of suspects."

"Are you sure she was taken? Maybe she ran away, found true love or nonsense like that." Izo raised an eyebrow.

"She's a three-year-old child you piece of..." Jenex growled stalking forward, the second woman putting an arm out to stop her.

"So as you can see it's almost impossible for her to have ran away."

"So if we are the first non-islanders you have run into then you haven't seen the two from our crew." Rakuyo asked pointedly.

"No, but the fact they arrived two days ago... that can't be coincidence." Jenex growled out yet again.

"Absolutely because you know our first division commander and his girlfriend kidnapping a child in a winter storm sounds like a brilliant idea." Izo scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"We aren't saying they did... but for the sake of our search your going to have to come with us. If we find your crew during our search and find you had nothing to do with our princess's disappearance, then you are free to go." The other female stated.

The group looked at each other with weary eyes, knowing that unless they wanted to fight their way out of it; they didn't have many options."