Chapter 7

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It had been a rough day and night for the Straw-Hats, escaping from Loguetown while enduring the storm. They'd almost ended up in the calm belt, a stretch of ocean infested with sea-kings, if it weren't for Jack's clutch course adjustment.

Exhausted when daybreak came, they'd braved the reverse mountain, crossing it relatively safely. But before they were able to relax and catch up on a night's missed sleep, they were confronted with something unbelievable…

"What am I supposed to make of this? I could've sworn we were swallowed up by a whale, but…"

Scratching his head, Zoro took in the sight of an idyllic little island under a baby-blue sky. A small house stood on it. Lived in, judging by the drawn washing lines and smoking chimney.

Nami rubbed her eyes, red from saltwater and sleeplessness.

"Yeah, this has got to be a dream. But what's with the house? And the giant squid…?"

Turning their heads in unison, they saw a tremendous sea creature, easily twice the size of the Going Merry, being pulled toward the island. It was shot full of harpoons, attached to long steel chords.

Sanji gestured toward the island.

"Seems like a person's living there-… Hang on, it looks like someone's coming out."

Under their collective gazes, a scarred, robust-looking old man strolled out of the house, pulling the chords with his bare hands. After he'd drawn the squid close to shore and tied it to a mooring, he took a seat on a lawn chair. He opened a newspaper, staring at them over its edge.

With shivering legs, Usopp pointed at him.

"Hey old man, are you the one who t-trapped us in this weird place? Well, if it's a f-fight you want, you got one!"

The old man grunted.

"Don't do that or someone might end up dead."

Zoro's eyes narrowed, his hand going to the hilt of his sword.

"And who would that be?"

"…me."

"You?!"

Nami sighed, putting her arm in front of Zoro.

"Now, don't get so worked up, you guys. Grampa, can you tell us who you are and where this place is?"

The senior huffed dissatisfiedly.

"Young lady, you know it's common courtesy to introduce yourself before asking questions, right?"

"Oh, sorry about that. My name is-…"

"I'm Crocus, the keeper of the Twin Capes lighthouse. I'm 71 years old. My birth sign is Gemini and I'm blood type AB."

Nami clenched her fist, a vein pulsing near her temple.

"Forget it Zoro, I don't mind if you kill this rude old geezer!"

Crocus took a pair of spectacles from somewhere, wiping them off. Setting them on his nose, he returned his attention to the newspaper.

"First, you trespass into my private resort and then start mouthing off with that kind of attitude? What do you think this is, the stomach of a mouse?"

He pointed toward a tremendous pair of steel doors, off in the distance.

"The exit is right over there. Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

"Why is there a door floating in the sky?!"

Sanji patted Usopp's shoulder.

"Calm down. If you look carefully, the inside of the whale's stomach is painted over."

"…that's right. It's just my way of having a good time."

"What the heck are you doing in here anyways, old man?"

Zoro sighed, waving his hand back and forth.

"Let's forget about him. The mystery has been solved, so we might as well leave. If we hang around longer, the ship will dissolve in the whale's stomach acid."

Sending a few glances toward the lighthouse keeper and finding him disinterested, the crew cast off. To their dismay, there wasn't much wind inside the stomach of a whale, so they were forced to row.

"Darn it, where's Luffy and Jack at a time like this?"

"Well, the captain vanished right before we got swallowed. As for that bastard…"

Quieting for a moment, the four of them listened carefully. Over the sound of rushing water, someone's snores could be heard, coming from below deck.

"No way! I thought I was imagining it, but he's been asleep this whole time!"

Nami growled.

"Slacking off as always! You three, keep the pace. I'll go fetch that good for nothing-…"

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It wasn't long before Nami returned, dragging Jack by the ear. He was blinking blearily, his hair in disarray.

"Oh? We made it across the Red Line. Well done you guys. I knew you had it in you-…"

"I don't want to hear that from you! Is this a cruise ship? Grab an oar and get rowing!"

Jack glanced from one person to the next. Everyone was looking at him angrily.

"Well… sure. But who's going to save the captain?"

Nami frowned.

"What are you talking about? Obviously we're trying to get out of this whale to find him-…!"

"No, that's not what I mean. He can't swim, right?"

Jack pointed at the sky. At some point, a smaller door had opened. Three figures went flying out of a passage there, growing closer by the second.

With their mouths open, the crew watched Luffy soar through the air, waving vigorously in their direction.

"Guys! You're alright! In any case, help me out here-…"

Before he could finish his sentence, he smashed into the water, the impact of his tremendous fall spraying water all over the boat.

"There are two other weirdoes! And that darn old man is running away!"

"Forget about him. Someone save Luffy!"

Jack leapt from the deck. However, instead of plunging into the ocean, he shot toward the sky, catching a stunning blue-haired girl in his arms. Her male companion was left to plunge, smacking painfully against the acid's surface.

Jack and the girl landed deftly on the ship's deck.

"Sorry, but can someone get the captain? My hands are a little… full at the moment."

Dropping his oar, Sanji shook his fist angrily.

"Damn you! I should be the one holding that lady!"

"…both of you are equally perverted! Can't you forget about girls for one second? Think about Luffy!"

Shaking his head, Zoro put his swords on the deck, taking off his shirt.

"I'll get him."

When he dived head first into the acid, disappearing under its turbid surface, the rest of the crew turned their eyes toward the girl. Realizing she was the center of attention, two spots of color appeared on her cheeks.

"U-uhm, you can put me down now."

"Don't worry. You're not heavy at all."

"That's not what I meant. Your h-hand-…"

Jack adjusted his grip to a proper princess carry.

"Is that better?"

"…Jack, stop taking advantage of the situation! Just put her down! Doesn't she have legs?"

"I'm just being considerate, Nami."

"Considerate of who? Yourself?!"

Looking back and forth between them, the girl smiled. She patted Jack's shoulder.

"Thank you, but I'm really alright."

"Well, if you insist."

"…and why are you thanking him? Can't you see what's happening? And who are you anyway?"

Now with her feet firmly on the deck, the mystery woman looked at each of them in turn.

"I don't mind answering you, but I think it's better to wait until my partner shows up."

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The two arrivals were introduced as Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday, after Luffy and the unknown man climbed on board. At first, the atmosphere was amicable, but when the lighthouse keeper returned, their identity as whalers was exposed.

A back and forth argument ensued, with both sides presenting their reasons for wishing to save or kill the enormous whale. The Straw-Hats helped reach a middle ground, wanting to settle the matter as soon as possible.

The whalers had lost their own vessel, having suffered an accident at some point. They agreed forgo their hunt in exchange for a boat ride to Whiskey Peak, a nearby island. It all seemed a little suspicious, but since it was on the crew's route, they had little reason to refuse.

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A few days later, still on their way to Whiskey Peak, Jack quietly exited the men's cabin.

Making his way above board, he briefly admired the nighttime scenery. With the skies clear, the crescent moon and stars shone brightly, reflecting on the ocean's surface. The weather was unusually calm for the Grand Line, giving the water's surface a mirror-like appearance.

He strolled over to the lone figure on deck.

"It's a nice night, isn't it?"

Having leaned on the railing, Ms. Wednesday turned around, surprise clear on her face. She was especially beautiful under the moonlight, her blue hair and pale skin glowing ethereally.

"Y-yes."

Jack took the spot next to her.

"You know, when I saw you the first time, I thought you were very pretty."

A blush rising up from her neck, the girl waved her hand embarrassedly.

"Uh, thank you, but I'm n-not at all... like that."

"It's the truth. In fact, you almost seemed like a princess to me…"

Glancing at her, Jack smirked. His expression was like a cat with a mouse between its paws.

Ms. Wednesday froze.

"…but that couldn't be, right? It must've just been my imagination. What would a princess be doing out here, in the middle of nowhere?"

The girl's lips moved, but no sound came out. It was obvious to all that the gears were whirring inside her head. Was it just an idle comment, or… did Jack know her true identity? If he indeed suspected her, would denying it outright only make things worse?

To Jack, her thoughts weren't difficult to guess.

"Haha, don't look like that. I was only joking. Even if I did know something, I wouldn't reveal it carelessly. It's not like we're enemies."

Her throat bobbing up and down, Ms. Wednesday glanced at the deck. It was still empty.

"I t-think I'll go back now. It's g-getting a bit late…"

Clearly panicking, she was about to turn around and run, but Jack grabbed her wrist.

"Don't be in a hurry. It's rare to have pleasant scenery like this."

Meeting hers, his eyes glittered with amusement.

"But I'm a little surprised. If my information is correct, you've been 'Ms. Wednesday' for a while, right? I imagined it would've been a bit more difficult to shake your composure."

Gritting her teeth, the girl forcibly turned herself around.

"…who are you? What do you want?"

Jack pulled her closer to him.

"Don't worry about it. This is a rare opportunity for me. I just want to chat a little."

Ms. Wednesday drew a slow breath. Her complexion slowly returned to normal.

"About what?"

Jack's face moved closer to hers. His hand went from her wrist to her waist, circling around to the small of her back.

"Nothing in particular."

Their intimate posture caused her redness to return in full force. Her composure likewise evaporated.

"W-what are you doing…?"

Jack took her other hand in his.

"Do you know how to dance-…? What am I saying, of course you do. Since that's the case, I'll be taking this one. You don't mind, right?"

He took the lead, pulling her along with him. It was a rather basic one, a style almost everyone knew. She certainly wouldn't be unfamiliar with it.

Ms. Wednesday gritted her teeth, trying to suppress her embarrassment.

"I do mind."

Jack smiled.

"As the saying goes, it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission. It's something I live by."

Pausing briefly, he kicked off his shoes, bidding her to do the same.

"Wouldn't want to wake everyone else up, would we?"

After a moment's hesitation, she followed his example.

"You're a very cocky person..."

"Haha, you're talking back. I like it. A girl in your position shouldn't be so meek…"

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