103 The weeping forest

(A/N: I'll try to see if I can update another chapter tomorrow. If not, it may be the day after, if I got the time. Chapters will still be irregular, as I don't have a lot of free time anymore and I try to rest on my few days off. Enjoy the chapter.)

They had been on the ship for a few weeks now. Ever since Akane and her crew departed from Paradis island, the sea had been rather mild compared to the more extreme weather they had encountered so far. It was as if they had returned to the paradise side of the grand line.

Dazai had been brought up to speed so far on the what, when, how and why's from the world he was currently in, only making him more excited of the many possibilities. He was especially excited about going to Zou, as he might meet a wonderful young lady he might be 'zapped' to heaven with.

If you ask her, Dazai was a troublemaker of his own. Luckily he was within reason, otherwise she might have to rethink taking him into her crew.

Akane was watching out from the crows nest, leaning her head on her arms as she stared into the distance. In all the time she had been at sea, she had never wanted to find an island more than now. There had been no excitement at all the last few weeks. All she had done was train her devil fruit, train her swordmanship, train her haki and explaining things to Dazai. Now that they had a rather clear path, the days had become a bit dull.

"Little fox~ Lunch is ready"

Ban yelled, returning back to the dinning room soon after. Jumping down on the deck, she followed after. The table was all set, with most of the crew having already gathered. Only Soren wasn't present, as he was watching the sea for any changes.

They ate in silence, as everyone was rather hungry after a day of exercise, till Lafitte spoke up and broke the silence.

"I believe we are rather close to the island. Ever since the weather calmed down, there have been slight changes. Since it has been a day or two now since there was 'any' change, that means we are already in the magnetic field of an island. Expect to see it today or tomorrow."

His words were followed by a short silence, only for Ban to whistle a happy tune.

"Thank god we can get off the ship. Don't get me wrong, the ship is damn fine and all. It just gets a bit stuffy once you're stuck on it for more than a week."

Ban muttered, stuffing another bite into his mouth.

"Then we should try to speed things up a bit. I believe Paulie had built the ship with oars, didn't he? Time to figure out how his automatic rowing system works."

Akane commented as she left the room after finishing her food.

Ending up at the helm of the ship, Soren already being present, she looked at the many levers that were present there. Leafing through the manual Paulie had kindly put together and added to the ship, she soon pulled the right lever, as oars extended from the side.

A few tweaks here and there made them move forward in a steady pace, increasing the speed of the ship tremendously.

"There, that should do it. Now we just need to look out for that island."

Climbing back up the mast, Akane overlooked the sea from the crows nest, ready to shout at the slightest sign of land.

***

At last the island had come in sight. It took till evening for it to be seen, a few hours more for them to dock at the port.

On the deck, the crew sat in a circle, staring intently at a single item in the middle. A cup with paper slips inside of it.

"Alright. The ones who pull the paper slip with a red dot need to stay on the ship. The rest can go and explore the island. Ready?"

Akane held the end of one paper slip, looking at the rest and asking if they were ready. Everyone chose a slip, pulling out simultaneously.

Looking at the slips, Akane smiled triumphantly, as hers was blank. The ones who had pulled the red dot this time were Ban and Dazai.

They both looked aghast at the slips in their hands, but didn't complain.

"Me and Shinobu will visit the village. Lafitte and Soren should look for supplies. We'll rendezvous at the ship in two hours."

Akane said as she nimbly jumped down from the ship. Shinobu followed closely after, leaving the boys behind to figure out how to do their own jobs.

Going towards the town, which was quite a distance away from the ship, the surroundings had taken a weird turn. The sound of animals and insects had faded away, leaving a deafening silence in its place.

Soft creaking and groaning sounds were heard, coming from all around them.

As they got closer to the town, the sound increased in multitudes, but there weren't any human presences that could be the cause, as the town itself was scarily empty. There were no signs at all of human activity, as weeds had grown on the roads.

The groaning sound became more audible, their very tone carrying the pitch of a crying child, an injured man or a sobbing woman.

The always present smile on Shinobu's face had all but disappeared, as her eyes stared intently at the direction of the nearest sound. That of a crying child.

"Akane-chan..."

Shinobu started, only to wander to the sound without another word.

Akane followed quietly behind Shinobu, the place around her filling her with dread. Thriller Bark had been odd, but this place gave her the creeps, more than the zombies ever could.

Pinpointing the origin, they arrived in front of a forest of trees, all positioned far or distant from the other.

Shinobu let her hand trail over the bark, her hand slightly trembling.

The sight in front of her horrified her more than what she had ever experienced in this world. It almost made her remember the sheer atrocities demon had comitted in her own world.

Her fingertips were moistened by a dark red liquid, sticky in texture and coppery of scent.

The tree in front of her swung its branches furiously, as the crying sound increased.

Looking over Shinobu's shoulder to see what terrified her so, Akane couldn't help but gasp.

The tree in front of her was as if a human body had been torn apart. Limbs were torn far from its torso, transformed into the thick branches of the tree. The face of a despairing child was carved into the tree, blood streaming down the cheeks as the wailing sound reverberated through the crack that was the childs mouth.

Looking around her, Akane saw a forest made from humans, all distorted and maimed. Each were crying tears of blood as the very soil beneath their feet was colored in the coppery liquid.

It was that she had seen dismembered humans before, having caused some of it herself. Otherwise she might have expelled her stomach content right then and there.

"At least we know where the inhabitants went."

Akane muttered, wondering if these people were all the inhabitants of this town or if there were any survivors at all.