CHAPTER 86 JAYA

"Jaya, you'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy," I said. 

"What? Yes you will," Robin said. 

"It's a saying, Robin. Stop ruining my moment," I shot back. 

"I can't help talking when you say dumb things," she said. 

I couldn't help but crack a smile. "True. If you tried. You'd never be able to talk."

"Is Jaya bad?" Nami asked. 

"It can be," Robin said. "They don't mind pirates coming here. As you can tell by all of the Jolly Roger's." There were quite a few pirate flags on ships at the docks. 

Jaya wasn't an overly large island. Only one big town on the coast a lot of it was built out toward the ocean to accept boats. As we got closer to the town we heard yelling, fighting, and gunshots. 

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this place," Usopp said. "I think I caught my 'can't get off the boat' bug."

"Me too," Chopper said, shivering as we moved closer. 

"Why are we here again?" Luffy asked. 

"To find help getting to the Sky Island," I said. "Our Log Pose is pointing up. We need to get there to continue on our journey."

"Or, and I'm just throwing it out there, we stay on Jaya until our Log Pose attunes to this island and follow it to the next island," Nami offered. When she finished speaking she looked over to us. The entire crew gave her a disgusted look. Even Robin. "Fine! Stop looking at me like that. It was only an idea."

"That's right. We need to get to Sky Island next. I can't wait. Will there be an ocean up there?" 

"Maybe," I said. "From what I understand there are a few sky islands. Let's stop by Jaya and see if we can get some information."

"Alright, but let's not get crazy here," Nami said. "This island seems insane enough." Another gunshot and scream was let out. Usopp and Chopper shivered in fear. Luffy shivered in excitement. We docked, paying the minor fee to do so, and were splitting up. 

"I'm going," I said. "Anyone else?"

"Yosh," Luffy said. 

"I want to check it out," Zoro nodded. 

"Me-" Sanji tried to say but was interrupted. 

"No Sanji, don't," Chopper said, holding onto his leg. "We need someone to protect us from pirates."

"We are pirates!" Sanji said angrily, trying to kick the reindeer off. 

"Please, Sanji," Usopp said. 

"Fine," he grumbled. 

"I'm sure you'll get plenty of excitement," I said. "What about you two?" I asked the girls. 

"I feel like I need to come with to keep an eye on you three." Nami said. 

"I want to get some supplies," Robin admitted. 

"Well we need information. How do you want to split up?" I asked. 

"Do we have to?" Nami asked with a frown. 

"Yeah, it would be best," I said. "How about you keep these two in line. And Robin can keep me safe."

"Keep you safe?" Nami asked. "No, how about you keep those two in line. And we can have a girl's outing."

"I volunteer to protect the ladies," Sanji said. 

"You already are," I said with a laugh as Usopp and Chopper still clung to him. "That's fine, Nami. Don't let Robin beat up too many people."

"You're not planning to, are you?" Nami asked. 

"Don't believe him. I'm very agreeable," Robin said. "Shall we look for some clothes?" Robin knew just the way to everyone's heart. Nami was forgetting her fear as they walked out into the dock. 

"Alright. Let's have some fun," I said excitedly as Zoro, Luffy, and I followed after them. At the end of the dock we went in a different direction than the girls. I was happy to see the girls talk excitedly to one another. Like I was setting future best friends up or something. 

The town itself was full of life. People yelling about this and that. Gunshots fired into the air at random intervals. A man was puking his guts out in an alley. Another was selling counterfeit marine uniforms. Laughing sounded from every tavern we walked past.

"This is my kind of town," Zoro admitted. 

"I am the champion of all fighters!" A man yelled from a rooftop. He looked like a wrestler. Zoro and Luffy turned to him. Both ready to fight for the title. 

"Ignore him," I said. "If you have to say you're the champion. Then you're not."

A man dropped off a horse in front of us. He tried to talk but I pulled Luffy with me and walked around him. "Any ideas?"

"I'm hungry," Luffy said. 

"We just had- nevermind," I said. "Let's get some food then. Does your nose tell you where to go?"

Luffy sniffed the air and began walking through the town. Eventually we came to a large tavern. Inside I recognized a couple of people. It was the same place that they went in canon. Some Doflamingo pirate lackeys were inside. Laughing uproariously at something as they played cards or drank. 

We walked up to the bar. A large man with a thick mustache polished a glass while the crowd became louder. He took our food and drink orders, acting like it was any other day as all the pirates made more noise. 

"Old man. We are new in town. How long for a Log Pose to attune to the island?" I asked. 

"Four days," the bartender said, as if he had said those words a thousand times. 

"Good, we have four days to find a way to Sky Island," I said.

"Ha! Did you hear that?" A guy behind me said. "Sky island?" I turned to see some lackey laughing. 

"What about it?" I asked. 

"Only kids believe in stuff like that!" Another person yelled. The loud crowd quieted as they listened.

"Let it go," the bartender said as he set my drink down. I began to sip it as I turned back to the talkative extras. Luffy wasn't really caring as he munched on some food. Zoro eyed everyone. Ready to strike at the slightest provocation. 

"Guess I'm a kid then," I said. "Our log pose is pointing up. So that's where we will be going."

"That's rich. Log poses malfunction all the time," someone else interjected. "Next you're gonna tell me it's pointing down." People guffawed. Slapping backs, throwing out their own jabs.

"Are you a fucking idiot?" I asked bluntly. The room became quiet again. The man I said it to stood up from his card game. He had a scar along his temple. Blonde hair. Ship captains coat hanging from his shoulders. He looked familiar. But I couldn't place him. 

"What did you say?" He asked. 

"Dumb and deaf," I said. "I asked if you were an idiot." The man walked up. Stopping a few paces away. "This is the Grand Line!" I announced to the bar. "Logic goes out the window. The Log Pose points any which way it wants. Why do you think it's in an orb instead of flat like a normal compass? When you get to where it leads. You'll find an island. Of course there's an island at the bottom of the ocean. It's called Fishman Island. Of course there are islands in the sky. Which means there's a way to get them."

The room was deathly quiet as I spoke. "What? Just because you haven't seen it, means it doesn't exist? Don't make me laugh. You type of pirates give our type a bad name."

"What type?" The man asked angrily. 

"The scared ones," I said. The other captain gritted his teeth. "The ones happy to sit on an island and act like you own the place because you're comfortable. Too scared to go to the next island. Because it might be the one the marines catch you at. Or another pirate crew takes you down." I could tell my guess was a little too close to the mark. The supposed captain became angrier. 

"We will go to Sky Island," I said. "Then we will go to the next island and the next. Until what, captain?"

"We get to One Piece," Luffy said between bites as he munched on a piece of cake. No one laughed. Luffy turned around to eye the other captain. "Anyone know anything about Sky Island?" He asked. 

No one answered. "On to the next place," Luffy said. I threw berries on the bartop. Luffy walked by the other captain. Not hardly acknowledging he was there. Zoro did the same. 

As I walked by I couldn't help but whisper, "give Doflamingo our regards."

The other captain stiffened hearing the name. He didn't attack though. Didn't move a muscle. Called out on his own cowardice he didn't have a reply worth voicing. We walked out to the main road but were stopped by a deep booming voice. 

"That was well said, boys," the large man said. I turned slowly to see who I feared. Blackbeard. 

He was a good 7 feet tall. No shirt on he had a thick hairy chest. No beard, but a mustache. Long black hair tied back in a bandana. 

"I've seen a Sky Island too. These fools don't know the half of what the Grand Line could dish out," he said. "Tell me, how much is your bounty?"

"30 million," Luffy said without hesitation. 

"30? Damn," the pirate said. "Well at least it's good to see fellow pirates that won't let the dream die." I shivered as he talked. I didn't know for sure. But I guessed the man in front of us was the final boss in One Piece, Blackbeard. I considered fighting him. Trying to save Luffy's brother from being captured by Blackbeard and the marines. But he had a strong crew. Blackbeard had spent time on Whitebeard's ship, one of the pirate warlords. Blackbeard was probably much stronger than us. 

Luffy simply nodded and began to walk down the street again. As if on a leisurely stroll. 

"This town isn't as fun as I thought it would be," Luffy grumbled.

"I hear you," Zoro said. "It's like they're all sitting here waiting for something."

"Yeah. Maybe the girls will have more luck," I said as a man was thrown out of a bar next to us. Intrigued, the three of us looked to see Robin and Nami inside. 

Nami was quickly running out of the bar. "I was wrong, you escort her," Nami said quickly. "She beat up everyone in the bar."

"For information," Robin said as she walked out. She had a piece of paper rolled up in her hand. "I think we have found our source of knowledge about Sky Island."

"Neat," I said. "Let's check it out."

—-

We soon left the main port and went around the island. On the other side of the island was a small hut by the shore. Throwing the anchor took the long boat to shore. Well the others were. I had Nami on my back while walking on water. 

We got to the shore, excited to learn about Sky Island. "Hello!" I yelled out. The hut was right against the cliff-like shore. No sandy transition to water. Simply grassy land then a straight drop into water. 

"Who is this guy supposed to be?" Nami asked Robin as I pulled her off the small boat. 

"I was told that a man who talks about a sky island is here," Robin admitted. 

"Before or after you beat those poor bar patrons up?"

"Before," she admitted. 

"They really did have it coming," Nami said as I pulled Chopper up to the land. "How'd you keep Zoro and Luffy from fighting?"

"I didn't," I said. "It's only when you say they can't do something that they want to. Heck I tried to start a fight. But the guy didn't know how to respond to someone not being scared of him."

"He wasn't worth our time," Zoro said, jumping off the longboat.

"Well let's hope this place is worth our time. We have less than four days before Sky Island is out of our grasp. Any idea what the guy's name is?" I knew it was Cricket or something from the manga. But I thought it best to stay dumb. 

"I don't know," Robin admitted. "They simply knew of him."

"Hello!" "Ollie ollie oxenfree!" "Do you have any food?!" The crew yelled. I opened the hut door but inside was only a bed, small kitchen and bookcase. 

I didn't find much. Not much for looking through stranger's stuff without their permission I stepped out to find a large man attacking Luffy by the shore. The man was covered in water as if he had been swimming. He had Luffy in a chokehold. 

"Oy put our captain down!" Zoro said as he ran up. Hands on his blades. 

"What are you doing in my home?" The large man asked angrily. He was well over six feet tall. Tan skin. Muscular with his shirt off he only wore black pants that dripped water. 

"We are looking for the man that lives here," I said walking up. "We had questions about Sky Island."

The stranger sneered at us. "Here to make fun of me too?" He asked. "I don't have ti-" the man's eyes rolled to the back of his head. Dropping to the earth he still had Luffy's neck gripped in his hand. The rubber man continued to try to pry open the death grip. 

"You killed him, Zoro," I said, walking over to them. 

"I did not," Zoro spat. 

I bent down trying to pry open the man's fingers. He had a way stronger grip than I thought he would. "Zoro can you cut this off?"

"The neck or hand?" Zoro asked, pulling out his sword. Luffy's eyes bulged. 

"Either or," I said with a shrug. Luffy got serious. Prying harder he was out of the stranger's grip and cursing at us. 

"You psychos. I almost died!" Luffy groaned as he caught his breath. 

"Did you kill the guy, Luffy?"

"I don't think so," Luffy said. Poking the man. 

"We should get a doctor," Chopper said. We all slowly turned to him. His eyes became as big as saucers as he ran over. "Oh right. I'm the doctor."