Chapter 6: The Grotto

Chapter 6: The Grotto

Things settled down on the Cutty Sark. There had been tears from both Brook and Franky. Loud tears. Sasori was seriously contemplating murder, but he decided to focus on his latest invention, noise-canceling headphones. When Kisame and Halibel returned to the ship, Jinbe gave a grateful nod to the two, before mingling with his newfound crewmate again. Apacci took one look at the socializing, turned around to a nice corner, and tried to take a nap. Tsuyu hopped down from the crow's nest, unphased by the walking skeleton. She was perfectly polite as she introduced herself.

Eventually, as Kisame was descaling some fish he caught for dinner, Brook explained how he got to New Nile, with some prompting.

"So Brook," Jinbe wondered. "Why were you on that island?"

The skeleton paused. "I think it would be better if I show you." To do that, Brook opened up his skull, earning a raised eyebrow from Sasori.

"I'd been on this sea for weeks without any leads to finding the rest of my crew. I didn't know what to do with myself," Brook explained with unusual solemnity. He then unrolled the canvas, revealing an old-fashioned map. It completely covered the makeshift table the crew had. The bottom left corner had been ripped clean off, but the rest was strikingly clear. On the top right corner, was New Nile Island. A dotted trail snaked its way south and west, towards the missing corner.

"I met this crazy old man named Ben. Anywho, he gave me this map, saying it led to the greatest treasure this side of the Sea of Second Chances. Tamatoa's Horde," Brook paused for dramatic effect.

"If the treasure's so great, why is it still there?" Kisame pointedly asked, just waiting for the catch. The smarter crewmembers had similarly disbelieving looks.

Brook cracked a smile…or whatever counted for it on his skull. "Well…the rumor is that the guardian of the treasure is so mighty that none have beaten him." That got a smirk out of Kisame, and Apacci too.

"And why did you decide to go?" Jinbe asked.

"Well, in hindsight it sounds flimsy but…I thought I'd see some sign of Nami if there was any treasure like this nearby. Maybe even Luffy if he heard about this guardian," Brook admitted as his head turned down. "I truly was desperate for anything at that point."

Tsuyu gave a sympathetic look. "Don't worry. You made the right decision. After all, would you have met any of your crew if you just stayed where you were?"

Brook moved with more energy. "Young lady, you're absolutely right. Thank you for that."

"Ribbet."

"So," Halibel brought everyone back on topic. "Does anyone have any other leads on old friends…because I'm not seeing any options aside from this treasure hunt."

"Well, think of it this way," Kisame suggested. "This sounds like something that would attract all the heavy-hitters nearby. And it's more likely that they know something than any of those average Joes at the entrance islands."

"Point taken," Halibel responded before returning her attention to the map. "It looks like there are four islands in between us and this Horde. Grotto City, Samebito Island, Old Nile, and the Land of Lotus Eaters. Do we have any information on them?"

"I've only heard that people never return from Samebito Island, or from the Lotus Eaters," Sasori added ominously. "No specifics, which is incredibly annoying."

"Well, I don't know if this is true," Tsuyu piped in. "But I heard that mermaids live in Grotto City."

"Wait a sec," Apacci muttered. "You're telling me those are real?"

Jinbe, Brook, and Franky gave incredulous looks in unison. "Yeah," the Fishman said. "We have whole islands full of them back in our world." As if this was the most normal thing to him…which it really was.

Tsuyu found herself sitting down. "Well, I certainly need to rethink what's possible, ribbet."

"Regardless of whether we go treasure hunting or not," Sasori stated. "I think it would be best to stock up as much as we can at this Grotto City, considering how little the last island had after that Demon's rampage. I don't see any reliable settlement beyond on this map at least."

Jinbe got up and headed for the helm. "Okay, I'm setting a course for Due West. Judging by the map, we should reach Grotto City within three days."

"Right," Halibel nodded as she leaned back on the railing by Apacci.

"Well," Kisame finished descaling his little school of fish. "I'll be hogging the kitchen for a bit. Y'all are welcome to some of this later." He headed off below.

"I'll take you up on that offer," Halibel followed, her stomach giving a tiny growl.

Frowning, Apacci followed.

"Ooh, I'm so hungry it feels like my belly is empty," Brook chuckled.

"But you don't have a belly," Tsuyu responded.

"YOHOHOHOHO! Skull Joke!" He quickly started leading Tsuyu into the kitchen.

"Count me in!" Franky declared as he followed them.

Jinbe and Sasori sat in an awkward silence, still not comfortable with each other. The Fishman had raised an eyebrow at the virtual party.

"Hmm…I heard Kisame was a decent cook, but I don't think he'll appreciate that many people looking over his shoulder…and in such a confined space," Sasori mumbled. He then started a countdown, much to Jinbe's confusion. "3…2…1"

"BANG!" Brook and Franky came flying out of the door, landing on their rears.

"I SAID I WOULD COOK…NOT HOST A DAMN PARTY!" came the irate Ninja's voice.

Tsuyu and Apacci walked out with a little more urgency to their step. Halibel simply strolled out, before turning back. "Just one fish is enough for me. Let me know if help's needed."

"SURE!"

OoOoO

The three days passed without incident, if one didn't consider a pack of 100 Fijis attacking an incident. Tsuyu was the only one who was nervous at the horde, to be perfectly honest. Still, some good came out of those little pests. They would've been torn apart if Jinbe didn't get an idea. After Halibel split them in half with a barrage of Ola Azul, Kisame and a score of Water Clones trapped the remainder in a series of Water Prison Jutsu.

"Now Tsuyu," came Jinbe's voice. "You'll have to feel the water in the creature itself."

"Right," the girl responded at the edge of the starboard side.

"YA READY?" Kisame called out as he stood by a Water Prison.

The Pro-Hero narrowed her eyes, assuming her stance. "Bring it on."

Smirking, Kisame pushed his hand into one Water Prison, getting a chokehold on one Fiji. "Here it comes!" He then chucked it right at the Pro-Hero.

The second the Fiji was close enough, Tsuyu pulled her fist back. "Brick Fist!" She slammed into the Fiji, punching it hard enough to knock it out. Still, she looked unsatisfied. "That just felt like a regular punch."

Jinbe gave a slight nod. "The Brick Fist is not that far off from a regular punch after all. There isn't really much of a difference until the Hundred Brick Fist. Still, you'll feel the water force the opponent back once you've got it down. For now though, I just want you to get used to the stance and movement."

"Yes, Sensei," Tsuyu said as she got back to it. "OKAY KISAME!" she yelled.

"RIGHT!" came the shout back as he tossed another Fiji.

On the port side, there was a bit of an experiment going on. Franky and Sasori were both eager to see how their latest innovation would go, clearly inspired by the multitude of targets. Being incredibly bored, Apacci agreed to help out. Halibel was standing to the side, keeping an eye on the Fijis still stuck in Water Prisons.

"So, Miss Apacci, could you put your hand over the seal? It's right on top of the cannon, where the fuse would normally be," Sasori explained.

Apacci glared at the two inventors. "All that means nothing to me…there is literally nothing like this piece of crap in my world."

Sasori rubbed his forehead. "It's the circle of white ink and kanji."

Apacci blinked. "I knew that," she muttered as she placed her hand down. Halibel settled for rolling her eyes.

"Now…could you channel a bit of Reishi into that hand? Just a little," Sasori instructed.

For a second, red Reishi made itself visible around the Hollow's hand, before it vanished. In an instant, what appeared to be a red cannonball shot out of the artillery piece, completely missing all the Water Prisons. Apacci's eyes lit up in surprise. "The hell was that?"

"SUPER! That's what it was!" came the cyborg's enthusiastic response.

"This is the latest example of what can be accomplished when two worlds' technology is merged. With Franky's expertise on armaments, plus my own with Chakra and seals, we were able to create a cannon that could channel a person's energy with minimal effort," the puppet explained. "Still, could you try the cannon again? I want to make sure that wasn't a fluke."

With a little bit of a smirk, Apacci put her hand down again, with that red Reishi surrounding her hand. Another red cannonball shot out. This time, a Water Prison full of Fijis, plus the Water Clone maintaining it, were blown to smithereens.

At this point, Apacci was straight up grinning. "Hell, that's even easier than a Bala! I'll take it!"

Franky seemed puzzled at that. "What are you…?"

Before he could finish, Apacci ripped the cannon out of its stand, hoisting it over her shoulder. She then aimed it at the rest of the Water Prisons off the port, holding the cannon like a bazooka.

Then, Apacci had the time of her life. She laughed as red balls of Reishi tore apart the Fiji horde, faster than she had ever used Bala or Cero. True, most of the shots were off, but the Hollow was starting to get the hang of it. Eventually, there was only one Water Prison left in sight. The Kisame clone gave Apacci a smirk. "Hey, how about we make things a bit more challenging? Think you can hit a moving target?"

"Hell yeah!"

"All right then," the Clone said before releasing the Water Prison. The Fijis scattered. Most of them were still hell-bent on attacking the ship. Apacci led one Fiji for a bit, and completely missed. Growling, she aimed again. This time, the Red ball obliterated the Fiji.

With a few more 'BOOM's, the rest of the Fijis off the port side had been sent to kingdom come. She eagerly turned her newest toy towards the starboard side.

"Apacci," came Halibel's stern voice. "Not until after Tsuyu finishes her Fishman Karate lesson."

The younger Hollow scowled. "Fishman Karate?"

"Yes…it's how Jinbe is as strong as me," Halibel commented.

That brought Apacci up short, her eyes widening a bit. "You serious?"

"Yes, and he doesn't even need Reishi or Chakra or anything Magical to keep it going," the former Espada noted.

"So…anyone could do it…even humans?" Apacci wondered.

"Well…it seems that it doesn't matter…but those with a proclivity to moving in the water are best suited for this," the older Hollow explained.

"Does that mean you could learn it?" came the question.

Halibel actually seemed to consider it. "Possibly, I'm sure Kisame and I could manage if we felt the need. To be perfectly frank, I think it'd be superfluous to us."

Speaking of which, Tsuyu had finally gotten the Brick Fist down. Just to be sure, she asked the last Kisame clone to toss a Fiji. Once it was close enough…

"BRICK FIST!" This time, Tsuyu could feel the water in the Fiji move before the rest of the creature was sent flying back.

"Very good." Jinbe was clearly proud of his newfound student. "Once you're up for it, we'll talk about making that the Hundred Brick Fist."

Panting in exertion, Tsuyu turned and gave the Fishman a thumbs-up. Still, she had reached her limit. So, she took a seat, trying to keep her panting under control.

"So?" asked Kisame. "What do you want to do with the rest…?" BOOM! A red cannonball tore through the final Water Prison, scorching the Ninja.

"WATCH IT!" Kisame shouted.

"hehehe…" Apacci actually sounded sheepish. "Sorry, thought you were a clone!"

"Oh…he was," came a reply from right behind her.

"GAH! Don't do that!" the Hollow railed as she nearly smacked the real Kisame with her new cannon, only for it to be caught.

Halibel just shook her head at the Ninja riling up her companion.

"Well…at least the cannons were a success," Sasori mumbled as he wrote something in a journal he had out. "Still, I should see what happens if a stronger Hollow used it."

"Maybe some other time," Halibel suggests.

Franky just had an unusually pensive expression. "I still don't understand why those won't work for me."

"Well, no one I've met from your world actually has an energy like Chakra or Reishi, at least from what you told me," Sasori responded.

"What about Haki?" Jinbe asked.

"Hmm?" Sasori sounded confused at that. "Franky never brought that up when we were discussing our worlds." All the others were looking on in interest now.

"What is this Haki?" Halibel wondered.

To demonstrate, Jinbe blackened his exposed right arm with Armament Haki. "I'm basically channeling my willpower to act as an enhancer to my Fishman Karate strikes. It's also my best defense against powerful attacks." As he said that, he placed the blackened hand on the cannon, but nothing happened.

"Well…Zoro always was better at channeling Haki out than I was," Jinbe said with a bit of resignation.

"Wait…this Haki can even extend over foreign objects?" Sasori asked as he scribbled away in a journal.

"Yeah, Zoro managed to coat his swords in it, meaning he could cut through anything."

Kisame started chuckling at that. "Oh, you simply must tell me more about this swordsman of yours."

"Of course that's what would catch your attention," Halibel mumbled.

So the rest of the day passed with Jinbe and Franky regaling the crew with tales of the Straw Hats' exploits. Of Devil Fruit Users and Haki Masters. Of Emperors, Warlords, and Marines. Of going up to the sky and beneath the waves. Needless to say, everyone was transfixed, even the normally disinterested Sasori.

OoOoO

A day after the Fiji target practice, they came across what appeared to be a barren mountain in the middle of a mild rainstorm. This prompted Franky to look at the map, then to the mountain, and back to the map. "Well…are the rest of you seeing this?"

"Unfortunately," came Sasori's droll reply.

"Wait a sec. How the hell does that…" Apacci pointed to an opulent-appearing city on the map. "equal that?!" she pointed to the barren mountain.

"It is quite the conundrum," Halibel couldn't help but comment.

"Hold on." Kisame narrowed his eyes towards the easternmost ridge. "Is that an opening?"

"Yeah," Jinbe confirmed. "Looks like the cave is big enough for the ship to go through."

"Ain't that awfully convenient?" Kisame gave a lopsided grin, hand inching towards Samehada.

"If that is actually a trap…wouldn't it be better if they were led into a false sense of security?" Halibel asked her fellow swordsman. That being said, she was visibly making an effort not to draw Tiburon. This prompted Apacci to rub her bracelets apprehensively.

"Come now," came Brook's cheerful voice. "Let us not make assumptions. Plus, we should see what is actually available…or we're going to live off whatever Kisame and Jinbe can catch for a long time."

"I'll just take anything out of the rain," Tsuyu admitted.

Sasori sighed. "Regardless, best be on our guard." As he said that, strings came out of all his right fingers, adjusting the Cutty Sark to sail right through the middle of the upcoming cave. Jinbe was steady at the helm. Just before darkness obscured everything, everyone noticed a light at the other end.

"Okay…this really is too convenient," Kisame muttered. Apacci nodded.

"Calm down." Halibel's soothing voice echoed off the walls. "We're almost there."

Once they were close enough, the contrast was blinding. The Mountain had been hollowed out. While they couldn't be seen from the outside, enough holes had been drilled out to let light in. This was only possible due to the holes being higher than the clouds, near the peak of the mountain.

To Jinbe, it seemed remarkably similar to Fishman Island. Buildings reminiscent of coral stretched out as far as the eye could see, windows reflecting the light to give a glittering impression. Structures resembling seashells served as roofs for most of them. Aside from that, there weren't actually any pathways between the buildings, just streams of water big enough for the Cutty Sark to easily cruise through.

Then, there was a flash of purple. The crew barely noticed in time to realize that it was a fish's tail. A purple Kissing Gourami's to be exact, if the fish was large enough to swallow a human. Even the sharper eyes amongst the crew were barely able to catch the glint of the scales as they moved to what looked like a floating bar. There was actually a decent selection of sakes and rums lining the wall. To the side, the smell of cooking Takoyaki came from a respectable grill.

Jinbe smiled. It was bigger than any he had had ever since waking up. There was just something reassuring at such a familiar setting. The picture was complete when a green-haired mermaid surfaced with an octopus in hand. She seemed to have barely seen the ship out of the corner of her eye, given her lack of reaction.

To everyone not from the Grand Line, the sight was absolutely transfixing. Even Apacci found herself blushing at such a striking figure. Kisame, honest soul that he was, would later admit that he stared at the mermaid far longer than he had ever stared at any of the girls from home, even Mei Terumi. Tsuyu's mouth had dropped open, in utter disbelief. Halibel tilted her head, clearly fascinated.

On the other hand, the Pirates were smiling in recognition. Before Jinbe could shout a greeting, Franky stopped him. "I'm actually curious how long it'll be before she realizes it's us," he whispered. Brook chuckled at that, while Jinbe shrugged. As the Cutty Sark dropped its anchor, the smiling Fishman beckoned the crew to follow.

Eventually, all of them had taken a seat. Jinbe was smack dab in the middle, with Tsuyu, Franky, and Brook to his left. Kisame, Halibel, and Apacci were to the right. Sasori hadn't even left the ship, having no desire to eat. Still, his head leaned over the railing, meaning he could hear everything. The mermaid hadn't even turned her head, so focused was she on this batch of Takoyaki. "What can I get for you today?" she asked in a friendly, yet professional voice.

"I'll just have one plate of Takoyaki…it does smell delicious," Kisame started.

"The same," echoed Halibel and Apacci.

"Make that five plates for us," Brook and Franky enthusiastically added.

"Six," came Tsuyu's quiet addition.

"I'd like some Honjozo-shu sake please," Jinbe finished out.

The mermaid briefly turned around, small smile on her face. "Coming right up, Boss Jinbe." Then, she went back to it.

After a few seconds, she froze. Her neck creaked as she slowly turned around, finally getting a good look at her customers. That smile had frozen as the girl's brain slowly caught up with her surroundings.

"EH!"

Her jaw had fallen wide open, waggling tongue shooting out of her mouth in shock. Her eyes were bulging out of their sockets. "BOSS JINBE!" she shrieked.

"And us too," Brook responded nonchalantly, with Franky giving a thumbs-up.

"EEHH!" The mermaid defied logic as her tongue and eyes shot out even further.

"It's good to see you, Camie," Jinbe made himself heard through the shriek.

That managed to calm the mermaid down, a more excited smile spreading across Camie's face. "Same to you!" She jumped out of the water and grabbed the best bottle of Honjozo-shu in the stand. "Here, you can have the whole thing on the house, Boss!"

"Boss?" Kisame and Halibel raised their eyebrows in unison as they turned to Jinbe. Even Tsuyu and Apacci looked intrigued.

"Long story," the Fishman deflected.

"Franky, Brook, so good to see you!" Camie continued.

"It's SUPER to see any old friend in these parts," Franky declared.

"Speaking of which, have you seen any of the others?" Brook wondered.

The mermaid frowned at that. "I'm sorry to say that I haven't." Still, she wasn't one to stay down. "Oh, I haven't even introduced myself to the rest of you. My name's Camie, I'm from Fishman Island." She extended an open hand.

"Tsuyu" The girl accepted the shake, her own oversized hands wrapping around the mermaid's dainty ones.

"Hmm…I'd heard there were frog-people…didn't think one would be so cute," Camie said absent-mindedly, earning a blush from Tsuyu.

"I'm Halibel, and this is Apacci." Neither Hollow accepted the handshake, though the latter did give a halfhearted wave when introduced.

Knowing that was the end of the matter, Camie turned to the last stranger. "Kisame Hoshigaki, pleased to make your acquaintance." He gave a firm squeeze to her hand, flashing that grin of his.

Camie wasn't unnerved in the least. "I'm sorry, but I don't recognize you. I never did hang around the Fishman District."

Kisame started laughing at that, confusing the poor girl. "Umm Camie," Jinbe spoke up. "Kisame isn't from Fishman Island."

"Oh," Camie sounded a bit dejected at that. "Must've been hard living on the surface your whole life."

"Eh, I made it work," Kisame managed between laughs.

"Camie," Halibel was starting to sound exasperated. "Kisame isn't a Fishman."

"HUH?!" And there's the face again, Apacci couldn't help but observe.

"Butbutbutbut…" Camie stuttered.

"Someone really should push the poor girl's mouth shut," Halibel said quietly enough so that only Apacci and Kisame could hear. Naturally, the two found that hilarious.

"You're saying that other worlds have Fishmen?!"

"Did she not hear what I just said?" Halibel's head hit the bar, completely giving up on the ditzy girl. Apacci, despite laughing, was giving reassuring pats to the back.

"Um…shouldn't someone be watching the grill?" Tsuyu pointed out.

"SORRY!" Camie's face returned to a normal-looking panic as she resumed cooking. Thankfully, nothing was burnt. In under a minute, the mermaid had prepared six plates of Takoyaki, laying it out like the culinary expert she was. Apacci suspiciously poked one before giving an exploratory taste. Eyes widening in surprise, she started digging in with gusto. The others received their plates just as warmly.

"Everything alright?" the mermaid asked.

Jinbe gave a gentle smile. "Just as good as always. Hachi would be proud."

Camie sighed. "I know he would." She looked back up to the others. "So…are you all new Straw Hats?"

Apacci started choking on her Takoyaki, having heard enough stories of the other Straw Hats to know she wanted no part of that particular brand of insanity if she had a chance. Halibel slapped her back to un-choke her.

"Not necessarily," Tsuyu hesitantly explained. "I wouldn't call us Pirates."

"Well then…how'd you all meet?" Camie asked curiously.

"He fell out of the sky on me," Halibel pointed at Kisame, who shuddered at the memory.

"Fought a giant jellyfish with 'em." "Built a ship and beat a bunch of Fijis." "Saved me from a Demon." "Got pulled out of some Hippos." "Kicked him into those Hippos."

Camie just stared at everyone, and fell into a giggling fit. "You're all so interesting." At this point, she noticed that all the plates had been cleaned, though Tsuyu was still slowly chewing on her bit of Takoyaki. "My, you went through that fast." The mermaid turned back to her grill. "Want some more Takoyaki…or one of my more exotic recipes?"

"Such as?" Kisame raised an eyebrow.

"How about Shark Fin Soup?" Camie asked in a deceptively innocent manner.

Jinbe, Halibel, and Kisame all paled at that. "I'd rather not," the Hollow muttered.

It took a second, but… "OH! I'm so sorry. That was so rude of me." She scrambled to make plates of crab legs. "Here"

In the time it took everyone else to blink, Kisame and Halibel's legs had been picked clean. Camie was gaping at the two. It looked like they hadn't even moved. Hell, there wasn't a single scrap on Halibel's collar. She hadn't seen her meals taken down with such gusto since Luffy.

"So…what brings you to these parts?" she asked.

"Tamatoa's Horde," Kisame informed the mermaid.

"Oh…what's that?" she asked.

Brook took the map out of his skull, laying it out as the others nibbled on their crab legs. "Our next stop is Samebito Island."

Camie looked incredibly troubled at the mention of that. "So…you're actually going to Samebito Island?"

"Yeah…you know anything about it?" Jinbe wondered.

She nodded. "We sent a few people over there some time ago for exploring, and we lost contact. We tried sending a few ships to see what happened, but all of them vanished."

"Sounds inviting," Apacci snarked.

"How about we stick around and get as many essentials as possible before heading off," Tsuyu suggested. "I honestly don't see any other settlements nearby…unless Camie knows about any other towns?"

"Unfortunately," the mermaid answered. "There's not really much aside from some small settlements. As far as I'm aware…this is the last big city to the west. At least, a big city that's lasted."

"How has this place lasted?" Franky absentmindedly wondered. "I mean…how was this even made?" He gazed up at the ceiling of the mountain.

Camie stared off for a bit. "I honestly don't know, although there is a legend. Apparently, someone who wielded the power of a god carved out this mountain to give shelter to those he favored. Other than that, there's nothing to go on."

"Really?" Kisame asked. "Nothing to explain why it's suddenly getting dark?"

True enough, the light was starting to dim. On top of this, rain was starting to come down. Camie's eyes started going wide. "Come on, follow me! There's a shelter this way." She dived out of the bar, surfacing as the Cutty Sark crew returned to their ship.

Camie then started leading them towards another hole leading out of the city itself. Once the Cutty Sark had gotten out of the rain, flashing lights started to appear from behind, the feeling of power creeping up on the crew.

"Camie…is there someone else in here?" Jinbe cautiously asked.

"Oh yeah," belated realization hit the normally ditzy mermaid. "There's a witch here."

"And why the hell did you think this was a good shelter?!" an exasperated Apacci shouted, her patience nearly spent.

"Umm…she's actually just kept to herself. Although, when people around here run out of options, they go to her," Camie recalled. "Just yesterday, this girl came into town, looking for her husband. She asked around the whole day, but no one had seen him. So, this morning, she went to the witch."

"And this girl that came by," Kisame interjected. "Did she have any…special abilities?" he wondered if she was the one responsible for the pulsating power instead of this 'witch'.

"Well," Camie put a finger to her hand. "It was like she had a Water Logia."

All of the Pirates' eyes widened. "Seriously?" Jinbe looked paler as he processed the implications of a Water-Water Fruit, especially in a world like this.

"Hey!" Apacci spoke up. "Could the non-pirates get clued in here?"

"Logia are Devil Fruits that allow someone to create, manipulate, and even become one element," Brook explained. "They're incredibly rare, even by Devil Fruit standards."

"And why would a Water elemental be such cause for concern to you three?" Halibel asked what was on everyone else's mind.

"Because everyone who consumes a Devil Fruit loses the ability to swim. Someone being able to use water like any other Logia would go against all the established rules of Devil Fruits." Brook had a particularly troubled expression. "Anyone who could just merge with and dump the ocean wherever they wanted would be a death sentence to every other Devil Fruit."

Kisame actually looked eager at that. "Is that right?"

"No Kisame," Halibel replied, nearly by reflex at this point. He muttered under his breath after that.

Before they could discuss things any further, the brightest light yet shone from the back of the cave, and it wasn't subsiding like the previous lights.

"A thought occurred to me," Sasori spoke up for the first time in a while.

"Yeah?" his fellow Akatsuki was all ears.

"Camie? When did the raining start?"

The mermaid paused. "The rain came when she did," a look of concern growing on her.

"And did it ever get bad enough to reach in here before?" the puppet questioned.

"Not until after she went to the witch," Camie informed them. Hearing that, everyone on the Cutty Sark reached out with their senses. The power itself was wild and uncontrolled. It was unmistakably a sort of Water ability, given how much it resonated with Kisame, Halibel, and Jinbe. The odd thing was the way the magic's feel was gradually changing. At the start, passion of the sort born of love was the predominant feel of the energy. Still, it had been tainted with despair, probably due to the loss of the 'loved one' Camie mentioned. What was cause for concern was how a sense of malice and mania was seeping into the power. It was a slow but sure process.

"We have to investigate," Jinbe commanded, clearly concerned. With no arguments, Sasori adjusted the ship to go deeper into the cave. After a few minutes, the crew saw what lay at the end. It was an absolutely massive skeleton of what looked like a barracuda. That is, if barracudas could swallow ships. It was half-submerged, with purple coral growing through the ribcage, obscuring the inside from view. Only the emanating light could be seen.

Then, a voice was heard.

"Beluga Sevruga

Come Winds of the Caspian Sea

Larengix glaucitis. Et max laryngitis.

LA AGUA TO ME!"

The voice was that of a woman's. A deep and resonating voice filled with magic power. The more perceptive members of the crew could tell that she was the source of the manic malice they had felt earlier. The voice cried out again. "Now, Scream with all your power!" she commanded.

A second, higher-pitched voice did so. Her scream was so intense that the walls of the cavern started to rumble. Magic Power was shooting out all over the place. Currents of water were in complete disarray, sending the ship this way and that. The whole crew struggled to keep their footing.

As quick as it happened, the Magic shot back into the skeleton. And then, there was laughter from the deeper-sounding voice. It was such an evil-sounding laugh that Tsuyu actually found herself afraid, before she quickly composed herself. Taking advantage of the calm waters, Jinbe, Halibel, and Kisame all leaped out of the ship. They dashed towards the mouth of the barracuda.

In the distance, they saw a girl with long, wavy blue hair, on her knees at the edge of the rock. She was panting from the effort of that last burst of magic. She wore a blue dress coat with fur trimmings, and was completely soaked.

Then, another figure revealed themselves. She was far larger than the other girl. She had a faint lavender skin. At least, the top half of her did. Her bottom half was that of an octopus, black tentacles covered in violet suckers that treaded the water. The woman's plump face had twisted into a psychotic smile as she laughed in a deep, booming voice. Her arms shot into the air, the water current following the movement.

"Ursula! We had a deal!" the younger girl exclaimed.

By this point, Jinbe, Halibel, and Kisame had stopped, making sure to stay out of sight. All three were listening intently, and were particularly focused on this Ursula. They had all realized who the greater threat was.

"Ah yes," the witch recalled as she pulled out a golden, glowing contract. "In return for telling you where your 'Darling Gray' was, I shall receive your powers for a day." Ursula pretended to give it some thought, before smirking. "Your 'darling Gray' is nowhere in this Sea of Second Chances, never has been."

The girl's eyes widened, starting to glisten. "No," was all she could manage.

Then, Ursula started to laugh again as she vanished the contract. "True Love," she scoffed in the middle of her maniacal guffaw. "Such a useful thing to take advantage of." She managed to calm down. "Still, we've both fulfilled our end of the bargain. Enjoy living with the fact that all your searching has been for nothing." Ursula turned to leave. "Flotsam, Jetsam, we have what we need."

Two massive eels slithered out of the shadows, two golden eyes glowing. "What of the girl?" one asked. Ursula shrugged "It doesn't matter to me, I'll still have her powers even if she dies."

The eels bared their teeth. "Well, it's been a long time since we've had human."

"Yes, indeed."

Just as the two eels got close to the girl, a massive figure jumped in front of her.

"Arabesque Brick Fist!"

"YAAHH!" Both eels screamed in pain, before righting themselves, glaring at the Fishman.

Before Ursula could intervene, Kisame leaped at her, Samehada raised. The witch swam back with a burst from her tentacles, right into Halibel. She cleaved through Ursula with Tiburon. At least, she would've if Ursula hadn't turned into water right before the blade hit.

The witch smirked as she looked at her uninjured body. She then raised an arm. "Water Slicer!" Blades of water came hurtling at Halibel and Kisame. The two managed to block with their blades, but were still pushed back by the sheer force.

As this was going on, Jinbe stared down the two eels. Then, Camie and Tsuyu surfaced from the water. The Fishman picked up the girl, handing her off to the two swimmers. "Get her back to the ship," he commanded. Just as quick as when they arrived, the two left with the girl in tow.

Flotsam and Jetsam charged. Jinbe quickly went to the left, nailing Jetsam with a Thousand Brick Fist. As the eel staggered from the blow, its twin made a sharp turn to take a bite from the Fishman. He managed to briefly sink his teeth into Jinbe's arm, before getting a Thousand Brick Roundhouse Kick to the face.

Ursula noticed her eels struggling, before returning her attention to the swordsmen charging at her. Before he got close again, Kisame went through Hand Signs. "Water Style: Water Shark Bomb!"

The witch had assumed that since it was an attack made of water, it wouldn't hurt her, so she just stood in place. She was wrong. It was still a tremendous amount of force that sent her crashing into a wall, earning a shout of pain. Halibel quickly followed up with an Ola Azul that blasted Ursula into a shower of water drops. In a few seconds, all the water was converging.

"Just like the Hōzuki," Kisame muttered. Halibel, who had fallen back to his side, gave a quizzical look. "What?"

"There was a clan back in my world that could turn into water. Slippery bastards the lot of them," the Ninja explained.

"I assume you learned how to get the better of them."

"Oh yeah," Kisame gave a bloodthirsty smirk. "They were still human at the end of the day, and they still needed Chakra."

"Okay," Halibel turned back to Ursula, who had almost reformed. "Let's switch out, I'll give you an opening for Samehada."

The instant Ursula had completely reformed, Halibel zoomed forward with Sonido.

"Water Jigsaw!" Ursula charged forward at the Hollow, a swirling cone propelling her at comparable speeds. It was enough to match Halibel, stopping her forward momentum. The witch punched the Hollow in the face, with enough force to actually give Halibel a nosebleed.

After jumping back for some distance, she pointed at Ursula. "Bala!" unleashing a flurry of golden Reishi balls. Still, the witch was able to easily evade them, the spiraling cone still going strong. Kisame got right in front of her using Body Flicker.

"You think such a basic strategy will work on ME?!" Ursula boomed as she gathered water around her hands. "Water Claw!" A deluge of water shot out towards the Ninja.

Kisame simply grinned, and slashed Samehada right through the attack. Ursula's eyes widened as she realized how easily he tore through that. The Ninja scoffed as he zoomed towards the stunned witch. "She's clearly never been in a real fight, if it's so easy to catch her off-guard."

Ursula regained composure, transforming back into Water, sure that she couldn't be harmed. However, at the last second, she started moving to the right, sensing danger.

Sure enough, Samehada tore through Ursula's left arm. It reformed, but the witch felt something off. Her Magic was dropping. She turned to the sword, which had already shed some of its bandages. Its blue scales were starting to peek out.

The Ninja laughed. "You're not used to that Magic. It's showing. You don't know its drawbacks."

As the enraged Ursula started to aim another attack at Kisame, Halibel appeared at her side. "Cero." The witch was absolutely obliterated, along with the entire barracuda's ribcage.

At this point, the swordsmen turned to Jinbe, seeing that he had the eels well in-hand. Flotsam and Jetsam were still managing to hold their own, being agile enough to avoid most blows. They had even slapped the Fishman a few times, but the resulting damage was negligible.

By now, Ursula had reformed, though it took visible effort this time around. "I can't beat these three…at least not yet." She came to a decision. "Flotsam, Jetsam! We're leaving!" The eels immediately returned to her side.

"Oh no, you don't!" Kisame yelled as he leapt towards her. Ursula had dived towards the bottom of the cave, her two eels around her arms. Then, a cloud of black ink completely obscured the witch. The Ninja slashed. There was a cry of pain, but only a single tentacle had been cut off. Kisame tried to follow up, but he hit nothing.

When the three focused, they sensed Ursula high-tailing it out of the cave, right towards Grotto City. "Come on!" Halibel shouted as she pursued with Sonido. Kisame kept up with Body Flicker. Jinbe brought up the rear.

Unfortunately, none of the three were the best sensors from their worlds, so they could never quite zero in on the witch. Plus, none of them wanted to use their stronger techniques in the middle of Grotto City. As time went on, Ursula's Magic faded. She was clearly out of the city, long gone. In another few minutes, the ink had vanished. Having no other option, the three returned to the Cutty Sark.

By now, the girl was back on her feet, thanks to Tsuyu and Camie. She turned to the three.

"Thank you," she managed to get out to them.

"You're welcome," Halibel gently replied. "What's your name?"

"Juvia Lockser," the young girl answered.

Jinbe kneeled down to her eye-level. "Juvia. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask what happened."

"I understand. There's something you all should know." Everyone else on the Cutty Sark paused. "Ursula was after a trident."

Camie's eyes widened at that. "Do you mean Poseidon's Trident?"

Juvia gave it some thought. "She didn't say anything about Poseidon. Just that it was a trident."

"And why would she need your powers?" Kisame pointedly asked.

"When she thought I wasn't listening, she said something about a 'defense' that she couldn't get past," Juvia informed them.

"Camie, what can you tell us about Poseidon's Trident?" Halibel turned to the mermaid.

"Well…some people think it was what made Grotto City. After that, the legend says that the ocean claimed its own."

The crew thought about how much of the mountain had been gutted, and were understandably concerned about 'that witch' getting such power.

"There's no way it isn't the same thing," Apacci realized. "And who the hell is this Poseidon person?"

"Well," Tsuyu interjected. "I heard some people say Poseidon was the God of the Sea back in their world. Beyond that, I didn't find out much."

"Camie?" Jinbe quickly got the mermaid's attention. "Have you heard anything about where the trident is?"

"Nothing specific." She paused as she recalled something. "But if it is nearby, there's only one place."

"And?" Sasori asked, rather impatiently.

"It's called the Devil's Wall," Camie explained. "The currents there are so strong that even I can't get past them. Every other mermaid I know couldn't make any progress when they tried."

"So that's why your Magic was needed," Kisame concluded. "If she could turn into water, she'd be able to actually get on the other side of that current."

Juvia had a dawning look of horror. "What have I done?" she quietly asked of herself.

Halibel put on a hand on the trembling girl's shoulder. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to find your friends." That actually got Juvia to stop shaking.

"Unless it gives an utter psychopath a chance at more power," Sasori hissed under his breath.

"Dude," Franky hissed back, exasperated by the puppet's sheer disregard of the girl's state.

"Alright," Jinbe called out, getting everyone's attention. "We're going to have to put our hunt for Tamatoa's Horde on hold." He and Halibel were pissed off, to say the least, after seeing the tail end of Ursula working her magic on Juvia. It was sickening to them. Plus, there was the trident to consider.

"Which way is the Devil's Wall?" Halibel asked Camie.

"Half-a-day's swim due north."

"Well, if we don't want that witch to get the trident, I suggest we get moving," Kisame threw in his two cents.

"Okay," Sasori gave a begrudging nod as he took his position beneath the main mast. "Franky, once we're out to sea and pointing due north, you know what to do."

"Hell yeah!" The cyborg gave a thumbs-up before heading below.

After heading back out the way they came, the ship was met with rays of sunshine. "The storm's gone?" Halibel was admittedly taken aback.

Juvia looked morose at that. "I'm sorry. I was the one that brought it," she revealed.

Kisame turned. "You were actually strong enough to affect the weather?"

"When particularly down," the Wizard put it simply. "In my world, everyone's Magic is fueled by emotions, hence the rain you saw."

The Ninja quickly patted Juvia on the back. "Try to look on the bright side. At least, you'll get to see that liar torn limb from limb."

While the Wizard blanched at that, Halibel lightly smacked Kisame on the head. "Not helping," she muttered.

Wanting to change the topic, Juvia looked back at the two. "What did Mr. Sasori mean when he sent Mr. Franky below?"

Almost as if on cue, the puppet's voice echoed throughout the ship. "Find something to hold onto, we lift off in 10 seconds."

Both Kisame and Halibel wrapped their arms around Juvia and the railing, on top of rooting their feet as much as possible. "I think it's something you should see for yourself," he decided. Halibel simply shrugged; content to let Juvia be surprised.

"COUP DE BURST!"

The Cutty Sark unleashed a burst of energy from its stern, sending it flying. If it wasn't for Kisame and Halibel holding onto her, Juvia would've been sent hurtling back to the sea.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

In the blink of an eye, the Cutty Sark had departed Grotto City.

OoOoO

Omake 1: Tests.

Halibel walked up to Kisame, who had decided not to wear a shirt as he walked on the water. "I want to summon sharks."

The Ninja paused, and then gave a lopsided grin. "All right, give me a sec."

One Summoning later, a wrinkled Saw Shark appeared. "Do my old eyes deceive me? Did you bring us a contender?"

"Yes, Master Noko. She's as strong as I am."

"That remains to be seen," Noko the Saw Shark argued as he lifted his elongated snout. On the bottom, three names could be seen, written in blood. While the first was faded to the point of illegibility, the second could be read as 'Byakuren' with a little '1st Mizukage' underneath. Lastly, Kisame's own signature and fingerprints were in the middle of the snout.

"Give me a head start," Noko said before diving straight down.

"What now?" the Hollow wondered.

"Now, you need to find and catch him," Kisame put it simply. "Give him a few more seconds. Then get down there."

Halibel threw off her shirt and pants, leaving just the bare minimum of coverage. Kisame had to make an effort to hide his nosebleed. With Tiburon in hand, she dived in.

Apacci walked on up. "Hey…how quick do you think she'll…" SPLOOSH!

Noko was hanging by his tail, struggling futilely before realizing how far up he was. She had sheathed her sword, holding a few crabs in her other hand.

"YOU CAN FLY WITHOUT JUTSU?!"

"More or less," the Hollow shrugged before squeezing the tail. "Now, let's get this over with."

"Fine," Noko conceded. "Just get me back in the water. Losing my breath here."

As Halibel let the shark back to the water, he held his snout up. She bit her finger, wrote her name, and put all her fingertips on Noko.

"Hmph, I promise the other tests won't be nearly as easy. Give me a couple of weeks to get word out to all the tribes. After that, you'll be reverse summoned when they're ready. You may bring Kisame with you, since he already knows our ways, but no one else." he grumbled as he vanished into smoke.

"That's it?" Apacci asked.

"Yep." Kisame nodded.

"Oh, by the way," Halibel was now holding up her crabs. "Lunch?

"Thought you'd never ask," the Ninja cheered as he opened the door for her. In a bit, the two closed the door behind them.

Apacci looked at the closed door for a while. And she thought about the two sitting there…alone…without any shirts.

"HELL NO!" She opened the door to below, slamming it behind her.

A.N. HAPPY SHARK WEEK! Omake may or may not be canon. Alrighty…lot of little things and set-ups in this chapter.

First, I wanted to show that in the SoSC, it is possible for characters to get powers from the other worlds. Granted, Ursula only got it because Juvia agreed to it, but my point still stands. Also, with enough training, and if the correct conditions are met, abilities can be learned. At least, Tsuyu is hoping it can be. Speaking of which, I decided that I needed a chapter focused a little more on the crew itself, in day-to-day terms at least. That was why I included that little 'training' scene.

Also, I've realized that most of my previous chapters were more-or-less self-contained. This will be my first time writing a multi-chapter arc, so let's see how it works. Also really excited to include Ursula, she's my personal favorite Disney villainess. Granted, we needed a serious power-boost to make this work, but it'll be fun. After this though, Tamatoa's Horde is our first end-goal. Kudos to you if you get the reference. If you do, you probably know what the 'guardian' is.

Til Next Time…Have Fun!