Chapter 3.1

- Kolis, what was that? Flour, milk, or...?

"I don't know, okay?!" I snapped irritably, sending a caustic look at Sanji. I am lactose and gluten tolerant, I drink milk and eat bread without any problems! True, I like biscuits, but every time they fall down my throat, all that comes out is..." I shuddered in horror. -Yeah... anyway, the problem is the biscuits, okay? Can't you just forget this already?

Sanji exhaled an irritated cloud of smoke, returning my gaze. -Never. I'm the cook on this ship, so I have to consider everyone's nutritional needs. It's my job to make sure this doesn't happen again!

"This won't happen again as long as I don't eat biscuits!" I raised my hands angrily. -Anyway, don't you have dessert for Nami-suan?

Sanji growled angrily, contemplating his priorities before heading back to his kitchen. -It's not over yet, asshole.

I rolled my eyes in response, getting comfortable and trying to get comfortable with the bag of rice I was sitting on, and returned my focus to my book.

I've been sailing on the Going Merry with the Straw Hat Pirates for about a week now, and my life... has actually been going more smoothly than the previous conversation suggested. Sure, Sanji bugged me from time to time, trying to figure out what was wrong with me, but other than that, he and his food were great. Zoro mostly watched me out of the corner of his eye and didn't bother me as long as I didn't bother him. Nami gave me a crash course on how to help run the ship. Usopp wanted to share any amount of history, real or not, and Luffy... well, Luffy being Luffy, there wasn't much to add to it.

Soundbite seemed to be enjoying himself too, if the genuine laughter compared to the ridiculed one was any indication. Of course, this does not mean that he has softened, not at all. No, at least he felt good and actually enjoyed his expanded range of available targets for his jokes. I've already experienced retribution from half the team for calling very loudly and very early to wake up, although Usopp thankfully limited his revenge to only the snail in my place, albeit with limited results.

At first I had seasickness, but I quickly got over it due to the fact that my grandfather lived on a boat and I spent every summer with him. Overall it was quite a pleasant experience.

- And take your lousy shoes off the food!

Okay, 95% percent pleasant, but everything can't be perfect.

I gave him another annoyed look, but nevertheless complied, removing my feet from the bag. I put headphones on my ears...

"GAH!" I screamed in pain, tearing them off to avoid the crash of the heavy metal riffs that deafened me. I panted heavily in shock before growling and slamming my fist on the shell that was hanging on the side of the adjacent barrel. "I said country, not punk metal!" I hissed irritably.

A small cacophony of giggles came out of Soundbite's shell in response. Luckily, however, he decided to comply, allowing me to relax with relief when a calm strumming sound came from the headset rather than a sharp scream.

Satisfied, I put my headphones back on, sat down, and resumed reading.

I was currently looking through a rather thick volume that contained a summary of the history of the Blue Seas. I borrowed it from Usopp, who apparently brought it on board along with everything he ever owned. I'll be honest: the story generally wasn't my strong point, and of course the content was skewed propagandaally in favor of the World Government and the Marines, which was pretty annoying, but it was definitely interesting. The enormous impact that pirates had on society was... stunning, to say the least. Nations literally rose and fell at the whim of strong individuals flying the banner of the Jolly Roger, and Paradise and the New World were described as if they were a different world entirely.

I was in the process of reading a story about the appearance of the Marines in the West Blue...

- AAAAAH!

"BITCH... SOUNDBITE!" I howled, shaking off my headphones when the music suddenly changed to a loud siren. I glanced furiously at the snail. -What the hell was that...! ... why? - I blinked when I noticed that the snail was missing. -Where...?

- Hm.

I looked around in confusion and quickly deflated under Nami's caustic gaze directed at me. Soundbite chuckled in her palm.

- Mm... hehe... - I chuckled, shyly scratching the back of my head. -How... long did you stand there?

"I've been trying to get your attention for a whole minute," Nami said calmly, throwing Soundbite into my lap. -Be glad that Soundbite was so happy to help, otherwise I would have set Sanji on you.

I swallowed hard, looking at the cook, who, fortunately, was too absorbed in his craft to listen to our conversation. -Noted. Will not happen again.

Soundbite imitated the sound of a whip, laughing.

He would have done more, but I quickly pushed him back into the sink. -Yes, yes, very funny... - I frowned, looking at the navigator. -Anyway, what happened?

Nami looked around with a frown, although luckily her anger wasn't directed at me. -Have you seen Zoro, Usopp and Luffy? I can't find them anywhere and I need to talk to everyone.

My eyebrows quickly rose. "You can't find these three on such a small ship?" I asked in surprise.

"How ironic!" Soundbite chuckled, throwing a cheeky grin at Nami.

I let myself enjoy Nami's annoyed expression for a moment before wincing as I was hit by a particularly angry wave of murderous energy coming from the kitchen. I winced nervously and cowered in front of the navigator, and breathed a sigh of relief when the aura receded.

Soundbite, laughing, once again imitated the sound of the whip.

I glanced at the snail. -Do you want to say something, escargot?- (Escargot is an exquisite French snail dish)

Luckily, the threat of Sanji's frying pan served as an effective deterrent against the transponder snail's sense of humor, prompting him to immediately close his mouth with a horrified expression.

- Yes, that's what I thought.

Meanwhile, Nami sighed and rubbed her forehead irritably. -Trust me, I know Merry is small, but the fact is that these three... are a special case... to say the least. They can find the most ridiculous and secret corners of the ship to hide in... - She shook her head and raised her hands up in defeat. -You know? Forget it. Just... if you see them, tell them to come here and wait for me, okay?

I almost instantly felt acute guilt for my attitude. In the end, I saw firsthand that Nami was working hard: she was constantly scanning the sky and ocean for changes in the weather, she was constantly checking the maps and checking our course, she was fighting tooth and nail to keep Luffy from sinking Merry... it's hard work , believe me ...

"Wait, wait!" I hastily rose to my feet, placing Soundbite on my shoulder. -You don't need to look for them, I can collect them here in an instant.

Sanji and Nami looked at me in surprise. "Seriously?" Nami asked with a skeptical tone in her voice. -How?

I stretched and walked over to the table. -Easy and simple.- I tore Soundbite off my shoulder, put it on the table with one hand and put on my headphones with the other. I then tapped the snail on top of its shell. -Strengthen my voice.

Soundbite looked at me sideways. -Say the magic word...

I rolled my eyes with a sigh. -Please.

Soundbite concentrated slightly before releasing a tinny electric buzz. -You're on the air! he shouted, his voice echoing slightly as if it was coming from a speaker.

I pressed my hands over my headphones. "Luffy, Usopp, Zoro!" I shouted, causing Nami and Sanji to jump in shock as my voice carried over the ship with such volume that it sounded like the voice of God Himself.

"What...!?" Nami muttered.

I covered the microphone of my headphones with my hand and smiled at Nami. "I told you that Soundbite's voice exchange was just a prank." I then lowered my hand and focused on the snail. -Nami wants to tell us something. Now pick up your asses and head to the meeting room. End of connection. - I ran my hand over my neck, and Soundbite sighed with relief.

Not even a few seconds passed before the door to the meeting room exploded as Luffy and Usopp rushed towards me, Zoro following at a calmer pace.

"Hey, Cross, was that you just now?" Luffy asked me impatiently.

"Yeah, and that damn snail?" Usopp snapped, shoving his face as close to Soundbite as possible, but not close enough to get a fresh bite mark on his nose and the danger of Soundbite literally taking a bite out of him.

I sighed and rolled my eyes in a long-suffering groan. -What did he do this time?

- Your voice came from the toilet!

I blinked before grunting and covering my mouth with my hand. -Okay, this is weird, but you have to admit, it sounds damn funny.

- When did I sit on it!?

I quickly cast a frown at my laughing snail. -Soundbite!

"The THIRD ROW needs cleaning!" he barked joyfully.

"You better get out of there!" Nami growled with anger in her eyes, making Usopp shrink in horror.

Soundbite laughed and made a sound like a barrage of whiplashes... until a familiar shaking sound came from behind him, prompting him to slowly turn around, eyes wide in sheer horror.

Sanji smiled sarcastically, holding a salt shaker in his hands. "Oh, don't mind me, just thinking about what to make Nami-suan for lunch." He shook it again to emphasize the point.

Soundbite quickly screamed in horror and slinked back into his shell.

I looked at Sanji, half grateful, half annoyed, placing the trembling gastropod on my shoulder. -Thanks for shutting him up, but again, if you ever fry him, I'll fry you, capish?

Sanji rolled his eyes and threw the salt shaker away. -It depends on him.

Soundbite poked his eyes out. Both stared at the cook. -Fuck you.

I rolled my eyes and was about to comment on the little confrontation when Nami raised her hand and spoke. "Um, sorry, but..." she pointed at Soundbite. -This topic has not been raised before... but what is the range of Soundbyte's powers?

I shrugged helplessly. -I've never been good with distances, and we weren't able to take accurate measurements while on the island, but... I'd say maybe somewhere around four hundred meters? He can easily hear everything in this range, and he can also make sounds somewhere at the same distance without much effort. The worst he gets from it is a sore throat, and considering he's a transponder snail, even if he's just a kid, I doubt it does him any harm.

"NO NO NO!" Soundbite boasted impatiently.

Nami blinked, staring at Soundbite in shock before she finally managed to speak. -This... is actually incredibly useful. I mean, you just got the whole team together in seconds without even moving. I can name a dozen different pirate crews that would kill for something like that. Not to mention...!

"About the possibility of eavesdropping?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. -Yes, I already thought about it. In fact, I'm planning on getting him the official transponder snail outfit as soon as the opportunity arises. With any luck, this might actually help him with his powers.

- We can rebuild it. We have technology!" Soundbyte readily agreed. (phrase from the film "The Six Million Dollar Man")

Nami pondered this for a second before looking at our captain. -Hey Luffy... why not make Cross and Soundbite our liaison officers?

Luffy blinked and tilted his head in confusion. -A? What is this?

"This is the person responsible for the ability of the entire team to communicate with each other, right?" I suggested.

Nami nodded in agreement. - Exactly.

Zoro chuckled slightly. -It seems a little redundant, considering that there are only six of us.

- Hey.

- Okay, seven, shish. My argument still stands.

- Yes, maybe there are seven of us now. But, as our captain recently demonstrated... - Nami pointed her finger at me and Luffy. -We may select more crew members in the future. Plus, thanks to Soundbite's volume, he could convey a message to everyone despite the noise. Like, say, during a battle or a storm. It's easier than trying to shout into the wind, at least. And of course, snail transponders are really useful for keeping in touch with everyone... hmm... now that I think about it... Nami tilted her head thoughtfully for a second before returning to the present. . -In short, a liaison officer would be really helpful.

I thought about her reasoning for a second before shrugging in agreement. -I'm all for it, if you don't mind, captain.

Luffy bowed his head thoughtfully for a few seconds, then smiled enthusiastically. -Great! Sounds good! - He gave me a thumbs up. -From now on, Cross will be our ship's Communist!

I barely caught myself dropping my jaw in pure, naked horror. Soundbite, on the other hand, had no such problems, laughing as loudly and as hard as he could.

Usopp stared at Soundbite in confusion. "Uh... does he have a reason to laugh like an idiot?" His expression instantly darkened. -I mean, other than the fact that he's a slimy little shit.

Soundbite responded by spitting a raspberry at the sniper.

"A joke for my own people, which I will take with me to the grave," I breathed.

- Shishishishi! Luffy chuckled, scratching the back of his head. -Well, you will do well what a Communist should do, okay, Cross?

I grumbled darkly as Soundbite's laughter doubled. -Yes, captain...

"As important as this is," Zoro drawled, drawing attention. -Was there a reason why you called us all?

Nami jerked as her train of thought returned to normal. -Oh, that's right! I wanted to talk to you guys about the next island we're sailing to.

I instantly perked up when I realized what she was talking about. "I think I can guess," I whispered in awe. -This is one of the main reasons why I decided to go down to the East Blue.

The navigator smiled and nodded in agreement. -Not surprising. It's a popular city, known all over the world." She met the gaze of each crew member in turn. -This is the last island we will set foot on in the East Blue. Loguetown. City of the Beginning and the End.

Sanji, Usopp, and Zoro immediately tensed up, probably from the same excitement that ran through me a few seconds before, while Luffy looked a little confused.

Unsurprised by her captain's reaction, Nami easily moved on to explain. -He is called that because in this city he was born... and was executed - Gold Roger, the Pirate King.

This prompted Luffy to sit up, his expression frozen for a second before becoming serious.

Nami smiled back. -This will be our last chance to resupply before entering the Grand Line. So... what do you say, captain? Shall we go there?

The fire that lit in Luffy's eyes was answer enough.