Chapter 105: Fishermen and Mountain Women

Chapter 109:

Fishermen and Mountain Women

The Straw Hats of the East Blue split up, each to find their own biomes. Well, except for Luffy. Nami grabbed him when the windmill came down and dragged him off toward the tangerine orchard. Something about a marriage bucket list? The others, minus Amy, weren't sure they wanted to know and decided to avoid the orchard as much as possible.

Coby wandered off toward the coast, all but certain that the people of Mowan Island that were here would build there houses where they could fish easily. It was a short walk, ten minutes at most, before the rosette saw the first signs of small, thatch-roof huts that were common in his home. Each hut had a rack connected to it, most of them holding large fish to fry for preparation. One or two huts boasted an Elephant Blue-Fin Tuna, though they were by far the rarest fish to be seen. Over two dozen men and women of all ages were down by the water either in boats just off shore or shoeless in the sand and surf of the beach, each and every one with a fishing pole in hand and a line in the water.

Though he had not been to his home or practiced its traditions in well over two years, that did not mean he had forgotten them. Alvida had beaten the habits from him and, though he knew Luffy would not have prevented him from practicing his old customs, such things weren't that important away from his home island. Respect and manners were paramount for dealing with the people and fishermen of Mowan Island.

"Hello?" the Zoan called, catching the people's attention as he stopped where the grass met the sand. He bowed toward the oldest person, a woman with long, white hair. "May I have permission to enter?"

The people blinked, surprised that someone outside their number would know to ask permission to enter a beach where others were fishing. The woman eyed the pink-haired young man who remained facing the ground.

"You may enter," the woman responded, allowing Coby to raise his head. "Who are you that knows our customs and asks permission?" Coby did not answer until after slipping off his sandals and placing them on a small wooden platform where over twenty other pairs rested. It was impolite to trudge on the sand of Mowan with shoes lest you separate yourself from nature and ruin a good catch. He marched onto the sand, but kept his distance from the waves.

"I am Tri-Horn Coby of the Straw Hat Pirates," he answered, bowing once more. "I hail from the Island of Mowan within the East Blue, thus I am aware of the necessary customs."

The woman smiled and gestured to a row of poles off toward the side of the beach. "Please, Tri-Horn Coby, grab a rod and join the school collecting the bounties of the sea."

"It would be an honor, Madam, but I must decline."

"Oh? Why so?"

Slowly, Coby shifted into his Hybrid Mode. "As you can tell, I have eaten a Devil Fruit, one from which is derived my epithet. I must be careful around the ocean." He changed back. "I have given you my name, so may I know yours?"

"I am Pramilda Ikan, leader of Little Mowan. It is an honor to have you, Tri-Horn Coby."

"And it is a pleasure to be here, Madam Ikan."

"Tell me," Pramilda ordered. "Do you know the names of your parents? You seem familiar to me."

"No, Madam," Coby answered. "They died in a pirate raid when I was young. I have since forgotten their names."

"I know you," the old woman said, a flash of realization coming to her eyes. "I recognize that pink hair of yours. It belonged to your mother, Margo."

"You knew my parents, Madam Ikan?"

"I should hope so. I was the godmother to your father Roubiar." Coby almost broke posture in his shock. "I'm saddened to hear that they are gone, but it seems like you have grown into a fine young man and that's all they wanted."

"Th-Thank you, Madam Ikan."

"School of Little Mowan!" Pramilda called, pulling the attention of all fishers minus a middle-aged man wrestling with a fish on the end of his line. "Fall in! Today we celebrate the return of a wayward Mowani. Rejoice!"

"Rejoice!" the people echoed. "Rejoice!"

Coby smiled, reining his emotions, as a trio of young children, two boys and a girl, left the surf where they had been learning to fish from their parents to swarm him with questions about his crew and his life.

"Roan!" Pramilda called. "Prepare us a bountiful lunch! I'm sure Mayor Fabre will do the same in the town proper for dinner. We shall join them."

"Yes, Madam!" The man replaced his fishing rod, collected his shoes, and headed toward the small village.

"Until then, we shall celebrate here in Little Mowan and listen to the tales of our guest." She turned to Coby. "I'm sure that you, as a sailor and a pirate, have plenty of stories to share. It would be nice if you would regal us with some while we await our midday meal."

"I do and I will, Madam," Coby responded with the utmost respect that was expected when speaking to the Balena, the head of the village and typically the oldest member who could still reliably fish. "I have many stories, tales as true as I who stands before you today, though they may sound as if they were nothing but fantasy."

"We have lived here in the Grand Line for many years," Pramilda responded. "Some among us were born here on the island. There is little we would not believe."

"May I have permission to speak candidly for the purposes of storytelling?"

"It would not be a good pirate story if you removed important details for manners' sake," the Balena responded. Coby grinned.

"Then let me start with how I met the man who will become the King of the Pirates, my captain Monkey D. Luffy."

While Coby took off toward the coast, Gin and Amy headed toward the mountains, the Logia insisting that the people of his home island, if there were any, would be near there. Amy remained suspicious but, with nothing better to do, followed. They wandered through a path in the trees for ten minutes or so before the woods spit them out on a hill over what seemed like a massive camp site.

The ground, which had many patches of grassless land that was far too flat to be natural, was littered with tents the size of small houses. On average, the large tents were colored white or tan which faded to black around the entrances and at the bottom edges. Most tents were painted with various colors and designs over their doorways, but only one or two for each tent. People in grey jumpsuits walked through the tents with the ease of familiarity, waving and calling out to each other. Part of the mountain loomed on the other edge of the tented village, an entrance carved into it spitting out a single pair of train tracks.

"It feels like home," Gin muttered with a sad smile, his dark eyes roving over the numerous tents.

"I don't understand," Amy muttered. "You... People from your home island live in tents?"

"Usually," Gin shrugged, beginning his way down the hillside and into the village. "They're easier to escape and remake if an accident happens."

"What sort of accident? Hey, wait!" Amy jumped off the hill, her umbrella carrying her weightless form over the distance Gin had made between them. A group of four people; an elderly woman, two adult brunette women, and a little boy stopped their conversation at the sight of the duo entering their part of the island. The women had this gaunt palor to their skin that reminded Amy of Gin, like they were perpetually sleepy, and all of them, including the boy, had tanned skin.

"Evenin'," the old woman greeted with a heavy accent and a wave. She had greying hair on her head and wrinkles along her cheeks, but she stood with an air of confidence and wiry muscle. "Who're y'all?"

"Oh, no one, really," Gin waved off. "Just a couple of travelers looking to stay for a few hours before we have to leave."

"Oh-ho?" one of the younger women chuckled. "A couple o' trav'lers or a trav'lin' couple?" She and the other woman giggled. The little boy looked up at the woman Gin and Amy presumed to be his mother with a confused stare.

"A couple of travelers," Gin coughed through a blush. He a sent a quick glance at Amy to see that she too was red in the face.

"Stop teasin' tha poor dears," the old woman chastised the younger, causing Gin to send her a thankful smile. "Now what brings you folks 'round here? Most trav'lers stick ta the main part o' the island."

"Wanted ta see the sights," Gin began, his childhood accent starting to come back without his notice. "I've been gone a long time, years actually, an' I though it'd be a fine day ta catch up with the homefolks... I mean... Uh." He trailed off, Amy giggling from somewhere shortly behind him.

"Yer a native o' Virgio Island," the old woman deduced. "Don' try ta hide it, son. Yer speakin's comin' back. Nothin' ta be ashamed a."

"I guess," Gin coughed. "Sorry. When I left, several o' my crewmembers tried ta give me crap fer my accent, so I tried to suppress it."

"Aww," Amy cooed. "I think it sounds kind of cute in a country-bumpkin sort of way." The Electric Devil straightened, eyes wide. If he hadn't been wearing his rubber-lined headband, he would have sworn a bolt of lightning had run down his spine. The two young, native women shared a glance and giggled again. Gin cleared his throat.

"I'm Gin," he introduced, trying to keep his accent in check, "and this is Amy."

"Gin?" the boy's mother questioned. "As in tha 'Lectric Devil o' tha East Blue?"

"That's this loyal puppy dog here," Amy laughed, knocking on the side of Gin's head and ignoring his indignant "Ah'm not a puppy!". "I'm Amy Palant, the Weightless Woman."

"Ooh!" the boy gasped in wonder, hiding behind the old woman's legs.

"So the Straw Hats're really on tha island," the other young woman blinked. "Ya ain't plannin' ta rob us none, Ah hope."

"Not at all," Gin waved off. "We're here because a huge beetle attacked us an' Don Luffy wanted to recruit it. It was spoken for, though."

"Ya met Boss!" the boy exclaimed with stars in his eyes.

"Boss?" Amy asked. "You mean that beetle?" The boy nodded quickly.

"Ah haven't introduced mahself, have I?" the old lady cut in. "Ah'm Mafoulda Hopkins an' these two're mah lovely daughters Sammie an' Dannie." The women waved while Mafoulda picked up the boy. "An' this boy is mah beautiful gran'son Jason, Dannie's boy. Say hi, Jason."

"Hi, Jason!" the little boy laughed.

"So what's your specialty?" Amy asked. She jabbed a thumb at Gin. "This one hadn't said anything about his home until a couple nights ago."

"Coal an' other min'rals, mostly," Mafoulda answered. "Ya can get a whole lot from tha land iffen ya know how ta. Most o' tha men're down there now, minin' fer cookin' coal."

"Wait," Amy muttered. "You cook with direct coal?"

"Sure do!" Mafoulda chuckled at Amy's surprised face. "Gives tha food this smokey taste."

"But that's incredibly unsafe!" the blonde cried.

"Tha's why we live in tents," one of the women, Dannie, shrugged. "Virgio Island did't have tha money er means ta get other stuff, so we made do with what we got. Tents catch fire sometimes. They're easy ta remake."

"But overexposure to smoke and heat can cause your skin to..." She trailed off, finally noticing the similar skin types between Gin and the women and linking their gaunt appearances to smoke damage from escaping burning tents. "Oh."

"Ah'm gettin' tired o' standin' 'round here," Mafoulda yawned. "Come join me in mah tent. Ah'll make us some lunch."

"That sounds great," Gin agreed quickly. "Sanji's cookin' is good an' all, but I haven't had coal-smoked food in years. It'll be good ta taste it again and compare it ta dinosaur an' tha Water-Water meat from Water 7."

"Dinosaur?" Jason gasped. "Ah wanna hear 'bout that!"

"Ya can have yer storytime while Sammie an' Ah 're makin' lunch," Mafoulda urged, gesturing toward a two-story-tall tent nearby. "Come!"

"And so, with the tyrant defeated and the war over, the angels of Godland Skypia celebrated for over three days!" Coby finished his seventh story with a flourish. "We found the Devil Fruit of Eneru in Nami's tangerine orchard during the party and held onto it, but not for long. For you see, we left Skypia after grabbing all the gold we could and Conis, the angel I mentioned before, summoned a Sky Octopus for us to float down on. Little did we know that we would soon find ourselves inside the impenetrable fortress of Marine Base G-8: Navarone!" The crowd around the rosette gasped as the boy moved into his next story seamlessly.

"Did you die?" the trio of children asked, an edge of worry in their voices. The really couldn't tell if he was going to live!

"We survived the fall," Coby answered ominously, "but we soon had to abandon our ship to avoid capture. Now, Gin was still injured and we had forgotten about him in our panic, but guess what?"

"What?!" the children parroted.

"He wasn't alone on our ship." The children ooh'ed, entranced. "The marines were coming. They boarded the Merry and covered her in tape, but they didn't find Gin. See, we didn't know it at the time, but our little caravel had come to life beneath our feet!"

The children, as well as some of the adults, gasped.

"It's true, I promise you," Coby insisted to the people with doubtful looks. "The Going Merry had developed what's called a Klabautermann, a Wood Fairy born out of the bonds of love and camaraderie between its crew. Apparently, us stopping two wars together formed enough bonds that she could manifest herself into a physical, ghost-like body."

"Not quite!" a new, female voice interrupted, causing a group of adult men to screech and fall out of their chairs. "Baaahahaha!"

"Speak of the fairy and she shall appear," the Zoan chuckled, said fairy using Sanji's leg strength to flip over the food-laden table Coby had been telling the story around. She swiped a salad bowl after landing and plopped down on the edge of Coby's seat. "You were correcting me?"

"Yeah," the girl nodded. Her bouncy hair, which had the same volume and consistency of Nami and Robin's hair, drew the Mowan people's attention to the horns that curled out from her head. "I could make a body before the end of the Skypian war. It was actually the shared trauma of taking the Knock-up Stream that let me manifest." She chomped down on a celery stick from the bowl. "Though I guesh Ah'd be ahble ta do that wi' a smaller crew 'cause it wash so shcary."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Coby chastised, nudging her off the chair. "You're as bad as Captain Luffy."

"I'll take that as a compliment!"

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, Merry," Coby began, a wheezing Usopp finally wandering into the little sub-village, "but why are you here in Little Mowan?"

"Uncle Usopp and I got tired of talking to the old woman with the fake mansion, so Captain Luffy and Mrs. Nami sent us to check in with everyone. They said the townspeople are going to have a big dinner for all of us and wanted everyone to be there!"

"That it?"

"Yeah, that's it. Now I have to track down Gin by the mountains. See ya!" Merry scarfed down the rest of the vegetables before dashing off in a white-and-red blur.

"Merry!" Usopp called, trying to run after her. "She's going to be the death of me, I swear!"

Gin and Amy sat in the tent of Mafoulda Hopkins with her daughters Dannie and Sammie Hopkins and Dannie's son Jason. The pirates had, in overlapping stories that sometimes finished each other's sentences, told their stories as members of the Straw Hat Pirates. This method of storytelling, however, had not convinced the daughters that Gin and Amy were only "a couple o' trav'lers". Nevertheless, the talking had switched to covering the traditions of Virgio Island, a place that seemed fanciful for the West Blue native.

"Woah, woah, woah," Amy muttered, her hands emphasizing her need for the others to slow down. "Let me get this straight. Women dominate your society?"

"Typ'cally," Mafoulda answered with a shrug before taking a bite out of her coal-roasted fish. "Ya see, Virgio sees it tha' tha fam'ly runs through tha women, we 'ave tha babies, ya know, so women run tha 'ouses an' 'ave tha fam'ly names."

"Tha men, on tha other 'and," Sammie put in, "'re phys'cally stronger, so they do tha liftin' an' mine work."

"That's why you never told us your last name?" the blonde demanded, rounding on Gin. "You never had one?"

"Ah never saw tha need," Gin defended, his accent thick. "Ah was a pirate. Iffin Ah got some woman pregnant, Ah'd prob'ly never meet tha kid anyway, so wha'd be tha need fer a fam'ly name?"

"You're a damn moron, you know that?"

"Ah don' see wha' that 'as ta do with anythin'. 'Sides, Ah'm not tha only one on our crew tha' don' got a fam'ly name. There's Coby an' Franky an' Brook an' the Donna did't 'ave one when she joined."

"Still," Amy huffed. "If you wanted one, I would have been willing to give you one."

"Ooh!" the young women squeed.

"What just happened?" Amy questioned nervously, turning to see a floundering and red-faced Logia.

"You 'ave no idea wha' ya jus' did, do ya?" Mafoulda asked with an amused smirk. "Off'rin' a fam'ly name is tha same as a proposal 'round here."

"What?" Amy cried, causing Dannie, Sammie, and Jason to cover their ears. "I didn't know that, so it doesn't count, right?"

"'Fraid not, dear," Mafoulda smirked. "We see it tha' it takes lots o' respect ta offer a fam'ly name, respect tha'll turn ta love. It'll stay out until this one" -she gestured to the still-shocked Gin- "accepts or denies." As she finished her declaration, Gin's eyes rolled into the back of his head and the shock knocked him out. Jason peaked out from around the table, crept up to the pirate who had fallen out of his chair, and poked him in the cheek several times. There was no reaction.

"GIIIIINNN!" a familiar voice called from outside. "AAAAAAMMMYY!"

"Dammit," the blonde hissed, Dannie covering her son's ears. "With her ears-"

"I heard that!" Merry laughed, sticking her head in the flap of the tent. "Ooh, I can't wait for Mrs. Nami and Robin to hear about this!"

"You little rat!" Amy yelled, throwing her umbrella in embarrassment. The fairy nimbly dodged. With a laugh, Merry ducked out of the tent. "Get back here!" Amy rushed out the flap, leaving the unconscious Gin with the Hopkins family.

"The live o' a pirate sure is int'restin'," Mafoulda laughed. "Sammie, why don' ya help tha' feller wake up? 'e's gonna need it. Fact, why don' we start headin' in? The Mayor's prob'ly gon throw a party or some'thin'."

Gin gurgled in his sleep.

"Baaahahaha!" Merry taunted, her speed easily faster than Amy's natural speed. The blonde, however, was not out of the race, using her powers to jump great distances toward the klabautermann. Each time she did, Merry would deftly hop out of the way and keep going, chanting. "Aaaamy and Giiiin sittin' in a treeee!"

"Get back here, boat bitch!"

"Baaaahahaha!"

The two rushed out of Little Virgio, leaving the massive tents and Gin behind as they raced into the trees. The foliage gave the Wood Fairy another advantage, the plants impairing Amy's sight and weightless abilities. Through the leaves, Amy saw Merry shoot rope from her sleeves and rocket forward out of sight. Growling, Amy lowered her body into a running position and increased her mass before shooting forward. With Amy's new density, the trees in the way between her and Merry stood no chance. Merry exited the forest just before Amy did, two trees bouncing away from her as Merry used Sanji's leg strength to jump away from the blonde's grip.

"There they are!" a voice laughed, forcing Amy's attention from the annoyance of a fairy to the rotund mayor of the island. He and the majority of the islanders, as well as most of the crew, were scattered around a buffet of all different kinds of East Blue food. "Uh, weren't you with Electric Devil Gin?"

Amy blinked.

"Crap!" she yelled, turning back toward her trail of destruction. "I'll go get him!"

"Maybe I should go," Merry offered with a smirk. "Who knows what you and Gin might get up to without supervision."

"Shut up!" Amy demanded, lunging for the girl. Merry rolled out of the way and dashed back into the forest. "Damn it!"

"Come join dah partee!" Luffy's voice ordered through a mouthful of food. Amy sighed, resigning herself to her fate of endless teasing, before turning toward the buffet. She noted the captain and Usopp sitting on a table, stuffing their mouths, while a Nami with somewhat-tousled hair talked avidly with a purple-haired woman nearby. Sanji was a couple tables down, deep in conversation with a thin, black-haired man with an extra-tall chef hat. Zoro, as usual, was as close to the beer as he could be, laughing with a thick man with a long, square chin in a karate gi. They were watching the field where children were climbing over a triceratops who was playfully throwing them off.

"Wow," the blonde muttered, walking over toward Zoro to grab a mug of booze. "Pinky's good with kids? Who knew?"

"Not that big of a surprise," Zoro chuckled. "I might have turned him into a swordsman, but he's still soft and squishy on the inside."

"If I remember right," the long-chinned man interjected, "doesn't he have a 65 million Beri bounty?"

"Sure does, and I haven't had him for even a year."

"You're teaching skills are incredible!"

"Are you going to ask for an autograph?" Amy questioned, blank-faced.

The man shook his head, a dopey, starstruck grin on his face. "I already got one!"

While the party went on below, one person on the island watched the proceedings through a handheld telescope with contempt. A notebook was splayed open beside her, the girl writing in it while talking out her reasoning to herself. She growled as she observed the people of her island laughing and dancing with the Straw Hat Pirates. So what if they were from the same sea? She'd done her research; there were members of that crew who were murderers. The Electric Devil and Nico Robin primarily, but the Pirate Hunter had killed plenty as a bounty hunter, even if his victims were wanted. The blonde had been an assassin for Goda's sake! And she wasn't even from the East Blue!

"They must have some hypnotist in their group," Yoko muttered angrily. "It's the only explanation for the old mayor and everyone else welcoming them." Her telescope roved over each pirate until settling on the orange-haired navigator. "It must be her. She's married to the captain- How do pirate marriages even work?- and the Pirate Hunter referred to her as a witch! Grrr, if Boss weren't molting, then we could take them easily!" Her scope turned on the forest as the girl with the horns appeared with a family from the tents of Little Virgio, the Electric Devil being dragged behind them from his shirt balled in one of her fists. The old woman of the group had a yellow parasol in her hands.

"I saw her before," Yoko muttered to herself. "She's a pirate, too? But she's just a girl like me! Who cares if she has a wanted poster, they must have kidnapped her! She must be so scared, having to act so happy when they've threatened her. I'll save her myself and use her testimony to proof that the Straw Hats are bad!"

Having decided on a course of action, the young girl collapsed her telescope and worked her way down the side of the cliff she had been crouched on. She had to be careful; one misstep could give her away and provoke the pirates' attack early. Planting herself behind a bush, Yoko carefully planned her route.

She couldn't let the pirates see her, especially not the captain, first mate, or the hypnotist, but she needed to get the girl away and convince her to admit what those vile pirates had done. The captain and long-nosed pirate were still stuffing their faces- an attempt to destroy the island's food stores, no doubt- but they were sure to still be on the lookout for her. The captain's wife was covering her husband's back, pretending to laugh with a purple-haired woman who lived near the Cocoyashi Tangerine Orchards. The witch was weedling information out of her judging by the map the pirate was drawing. Between her line of sight and the captain's, they really limited her chances, but the odds didn't matter!

The Pirate Hunter, the blonde, the Electric Devil- he had to be faking his unconsciousness- and their hostage were by the beer kegs with the dojo's owner and the Virgio family, but it looked like the girl was making an attempt to leave. Yoko had to admit that the white-haired girl was an amazing actor, she punched the Electric Devil, saying something that made the Pirate Hunter laugh and the blonde woman grab the parasol and swing at her. She ducked under it, the umbrella hitting the Pirate Hunter and forcing him to spill his beer all over himself. The girl faked a laugh and started making her way through the taller adults to the buffet where the captain was.

This was the chance Yoko had been waiting for. The pirates' views of their hostage would be obscured by the islanders. A quick glance told her that Tri-Horn Coby had turned away briefly, prompting Yoko to dart out from her hiding place and race toward the horned girl. A hand covered her surprised gasp- Yoko couldn't blame her for her shock at the sudden rescue- and the native began dragging her off.

"Shh," Yoko hissed in her ear, thankful for the indistinct chatter the adults were providing around them. "I'm here to rescue you."

The pirates' hostage's wide eyes sent her a look of confusion. The poor thing must have been hypnotized so much, she'd started to forget her capture. Still, she became silent like Yoko had wanted, but the brief exchange had caused her to lose sight of where she was going. The two girls bumped into someone and Yoko bit back a curse when she looked up into the eye of the pirates' cook, the only one who didn't have a wanted poster. She'd written him off as a non-combatant and forgotten all about him!

"Oh, Merry," he said with a blink... wink? "It's good to see you're making friends your age. A proper young lady like you shouldn't be spending so much time with people like Moss Head. Such things are sure to ruin your mind."

"What was that, Shit Chef?!" the Pirate Hunter yelled from across the party. "It's better Merry's spending time with me over you! You'd try to turn her into a perverted lump like you!"

"What!" the long-nosed man jumped in.

This was far too much attention for her plan. Yoko needed to get out with her rescued victim now. She carefully inched her way toward the caves while the three men argued, pulling the girl, Merry, along. The two had just excited the party, Yoko tucking them behind a tree, when a blast of fire exploded from farther down the open field. Worried, Yoko relaxed when she saw that none of the islanders were anywhere close to where the chef, first mate, and Long-Nose were fighting.

"Step right up and place your bets, folks!" the witch's voice called. She must be a witch for her voice to have that much power and reverberation. "Who's going to win this showdown? We've got 2-1 odds for both 'Black-Leg' Sanji and 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro as well as 100-1 odds for the sniper 'Long-Nose' Usopp!"

"Why are my odds 100-1?!"

Yoko turned her attention away from the fight and removed her hand from the mouth of the other girl. She was shaking, probably out of relief from finally being away from those murderous pirates.

"You're safe," Yoko began. "You're under mine and Boss' protection now. Those villains can't hurt you any more. Are you alright?" Merry opened her mouth to answer, but Yoko forged ahead before she could get a word out. "I know you're probably still shaken up from the fear and that woman's hypnosis, but you don't have to be afraid of me, alright? Now tell me what those pirates have done to you so I, we, can expose them for who they are and drive them off the island!"

Merry stared at her for a second, her eyes blinking slowly, and Yoko wondered if the broken hypnosis had made her miss what she'd said. The native opened her mouth to repeat her request, but the girl threw her head back and started laughing, catching her off guard.

"BAAAHAHAHA! BAAAAAAAHAHAHA!"

"What are-?" Yoko muttered before she had a flash of understanding. "Oh, I get it. You're laughing so you don't cry from hysteria, right? Just let it out." She patted the girl on the shoulder. Merry didn't react for half a minute, her hysterical laughter dying away to leave tears in her eyes. The white-haired girl wiped them away with the back of her hand, prompting Yoko to push ahead.

"Your name is Merry, right? Or was that a name those pirates gave you?"

"No." She shook her head. "My father gave me my name."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Yoko, but I think you knew that. How old are you, Merry?"

"I don't really know."

"Where are you from?"

"Syrup Village on Gecko Island."

"Just like the Old Lady from the mansion," Yoko nodded along.

"That's... not a mansion," Merry offered hesitantly. "It's not the mansion from Syrup, either. My aunt owns that and my dad works for her."

Yoko looked down at that information and started scribbling in her notebook, muttering to herself. "Kidnapped from Syrup Village for ransom. Probably was not paid." She turned back to her interviewee. "How long have you been with the Straw Hats?" she bit out.

"Almost a year now." Merry froze as Yoko hugged her out of the blue.

"I'm so sorry, but I promise you, their time has come and with you as a witness, we can drive them off of Little East Blue and get you back to your dad!"

"Why?" Yoko's enthusiasm ground to a halt at the simple question. Was Merry still under hypnosis? She released the hug and stared Merry in the eye.

"Because those bastards kidnapped you! We have to show the island what they've done!"

"They didn't kidnap me. Dad gave me to them."

"What?!" Yoko began writing as quickly as she could. "Witch's hypnosis is strong enough to break familial ties." She looked up. "Don't worry, Merry. I'll save you from this Hell."

"Uh, thanks? ...You do know I'm with them of my own free will, right?"

"Impossible! No child would want to be on a pirate ship!"

"Captain Luffy did. All his life for the most part. Uncle Usopp, too, though that's because his father is a pirate."

"Did you just call one of the pirates 'uncle'?"

"Uh, yeah?"

Yoko turned back to her notes. "Brainwashing apparent. Has been forced to play in one of the pirate's twisted fantasies."

"I can hear you," Merry deadpanned. "Yoko, you need to know something. There's a reason I'm traveling with the Straw Hat Pirates."

"I know. They kidnapped you!"

"Not at all!" Merry laughed. "See, I'm not human. These horns?" She gestured to the ram-like horns poking out from her hair, knocking on one. "Totally real. I'm a klabautermann, the spirit of a ship."

"Impossible!" Yoko denied. "Plenty of weird things exist on the Grand Line: Giants, Long-Arms, Long-Legs, and Devil Fruits. But ships coming to life? I don't believe it. Besides, the figurehead on their ship is a sunflower!" Yoko stood triumphant, as if that argument had disproved everything Merry claimed.

"I'm not Sunny," Merry chuckled. "She's way bigger than I was. I'm the spirit of their first ship, the Going Merry. That's me, the East Blue caravel that survived on the Grand Line... until Water 7, that is." Merry shrugged, pulling a small, wooden heart out from under her dress. "This is what's left of my original body."

"Then what are you?" Yoko demanded. This girl couldn't be telling the truth, but for a story like that to come from hypnotism of any kind...

"Mmm," the Wood Fairy hummed, tucking the heart back where it came from. "Good question. I've been talking to Chopper about that. So far we think I'm like a poltergeist. You know, a ghost that can touch stuff?"

"Aren't those supposed to be evil?" Yoko questioned.

"More mischievous," Merry answered with a so-so hand gesture. "I guess it works. I did scare the piss out of some marines that second time I manifested." She chuckled at the memory of Navarone. "Anyway, I'm like a mixture of the whole crew from back then. Mostly the first seven since I started waking up after Reverse Mountain, but still. Trust me when I say this: the Straw Hats aren't bad people. We just... don't like rules."

"So... you're not a hostage?"

Merry laughed again, her tone almost mocking as she took amusement from Yoko's confusion. She moved to answer, to say that she was the personification of the Straw Hats themselves, but a different kind of explosion sounded from the field.

"¡Hola, Hijos de Putas! Bring out ze beetle and no one will die!"

End of Chapter 109

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-SwordOfTheGods