Chapter 7.1

"WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THIS OCEAN!?" Nami screamed furiously, clinging to Merry's railing with all her might.

- I NOTICED! ISN'T IT AMAZING!?" I laughed as I tugged at one of Merry's ropes, trying to keep the sail open so we could catch the summer gale that was blowing towards us from the starboard side. While we maneuvered to sail through a field of icebergs that were approaching us through the fog.

My memories were right that the weather on the Grand Line was absolutely out of this world, and they were right that it would start with snow and icebergs... but obviously nothing could have predicted the true extent of the madness through which we had to go through.

In a nutshell, it was like the weather decided to show everything it could do in a short period of time. The wind rose to a howl, fog swept over us in a mix of blizzards and thunderstorms, icebergs large enough to give the Titanic PTSD were doing their best to reduce us to pieces...

Or, in other words, Poseidon had a nervous breakdown and we were caught in the hot hand of his insane fits.

It was life-threatening, it was maddening, it was completely surreal... but worst of all?

- THE WIND IS CHANGING AGAIN!

I planted my feet on the deck and pulled Merry's rope with all my might as the sail tried to yank my arms from my shoulders. A half-mad smile danced on my lips. -Pfft-HAHAHA!

This. Was. Amazing!

"YOU CAN'T SERIOUSLY LIKE THIS!" Nami screamed desperately, her almost crazed eyes scanning the surrounding weather for any hint of what the hell was going to hit us next.

"I HELL I CAN'T!" I shouted back, drowning out the howl of the wind. -THIS IS THE MOST FUN I'VE HAD IN MY WHOLE LIFE! THIS IS GREAT! RIGHT, SOUNDBITE!?

- OH, THE VESSEL IS FLOATING BY ITSELF, EH, THE VESSEL IS FLOATING BY ITSELF! - my snail roared triumphantly, grabbing me by the shoulder and swaying back and forth to the beat of the melody. (folk song Drunken Sailor)

"Rrrrr, god..." Zoro chuckled, blinking and stretching slightly as he stood up from the part of the wall where he had been sleeping. -Soundbyte, if you're going to sing, could you at least try and not...GRK!

Zoro was interrupted when Nami suddenly appeared in front of him, yanking his collar down to her eye level. "We are here fighting Mother Nature for our lives, and you are sleeping?!" she cursed, sounding completely possessed in her rage.

"Hmm..." Zoro tried to come up with a response in light of the obvious rage the navigator was displaying.

Nami was about to attack the swordsman even harder, but instead she sharply turned her head to the side, staring at the crazy waters with a haunted gaze. -This wind was blowing from the port side, and now it is blowing from the right, like this...OH, SON OF A BITCH!...SET SAILS! WE NEED TO TURN 180 DEGREES! THE CURRENT TURNED US WHEN WE WERE NOT LOOKING!- She pushed Zoro away and rushed back to the upper deck of the Merry. -GET TO WORK!

I tugged hard on the rope I was holding in my hands, trying to reel in Merry's sail a little. -Can someone help me? This wind is serious...

Zoro quickly snatched the rope from my hands and easily set the sail in place.

I blinked in surprise as I watched what was happening. - Um... thank you.

-You really need to pump yourself up.

*Sound of whip cracking* Soundbite laughed.

I shrugged slightly, shifting from foot to foot in an attempt to maintain my balance. -Well, you can't argue with that! Could you help me with this?

"Of course," Zoro grumbled, steering the sail. -When we actually get out of here...

- HOLD ON TO SOMETHING!

Obeying instinct, I grabbed Merry's tackle, and barely made it.

For a brief moment, the ocean turned into the sky, my feet left the deck, and my whole being seemed to float.

Then, just as quickly, everything returned to normal as we all collapsed on the deck, trying to comprehend what the hell had just happened.

"Did... did Merry just do a somersault?!" Usopp muttered weakly.

"Actually, I think it was a barrel..." Mr. 9 groaned.

"PHAHAHAHA!" I was finally able to let out what I had just experienced, and it all came at me suddenly. -Holy crap, it was just a plague!

"What in the name of the blue seas is wrong with you!?" Miss Wednesday squealed at the top of her lungs. -We almost died!

"I know!" I smiled joyfully at her. -It was just awesome!

The undercover mercenary stared at me with her mouth open, unable to believe her ears. -Are you crazy!?

- No! No no no no... - I crawled up to the girl, grabbed her by the shoulders and buried my face in her grinning face. -I live! For the first time in my life I know what it feels like to be truly alive! At home I was never in danger, never feared for my life, never put everything on the line! But here!? - I spread my arms wide, pointing at the crazy, crazy world around us. -This is madness, this incredibleness... this uniqueness! Unprecedented! This... this is simply amazing!

Without warning, Merry jerked again, knocking me off my feet and causing me to tumble headfirst.

Landing flat on my butt and feeling a little pain, I started laughing as I looked up at the sky. -PFHAHAHA! I fucking love it! This is crazy, this is crazy... this is amazing! - I tilted my head slightly to smile at Luffy. -And most of all I love this team because it brought me here! Thank you so much for letting me be the Straw Hats, Luffy! I love you all so damn much!

"Shishishi!" Luffy grinned, balancing on Merry's railing. -Looks like you're having fun, Cross!

"Yeah!" I grinned and began to rise back to my feet. "You see, you guys will have to work long and hard to achieve your dreams, but me!?" I waved my hands. -This is my dream, Luffy! This is what I've been waiting for my whole life! Peace, clear and boundless, close and personal! I'm living my dream every second we're here and it's amazing!

As if in response, a wave washed over the deck, dousing me from head to toe and forcing more than just a little seawater down my throat. This confused me and made me spit for a moment before I grinned happily. -And it's also a little salty!

"Bummer!" Soundbite trembled heavily from laughter in his shell.

"This is really inspiring, Cross!" Nami squeaked, sounding rather annoyed. -Now do me a favor, shut the hell up and get to work BEFORE THE DAMN WHIRLDPOINT ON THE PORT SIDE SWALLOWS US ALL ALIVE!?

"Yes, shut the hell up!" I shouted, jumping to my feet and rushing to help Usopp handle the surprisingly well-patched mizzen mast.

- What's happened? Are you still enjoying your dream?!" Usopp chuckled.

"Nami is not part of this dream, she is a damn mortal danger!" I hissed quietly.

- Take care of your head! DON'T BE SUICIDE! - Soundbite added.

- I HEARD EVERYTHING!

I glanced at my snail sitting on my shoulder. "Now you see the benefits of controlling your volume... HEY!" I screamed as something whistled right above my head. "What...?!" I fell silent, staring at the object that was too close to crushing my head. -What is this, a hailstone the size of a golf ball?

Usopp swallowed hard and glanced nervously at the menacing gray clouds. -I really hope everything calms down soon before your "dream" kills us all!

But the weather did not calm down.

-o-

- FUNNEL, STRAIGHT ON COURSE!

-o-

- WE WERE JUST CUT UP BY AN ICEBERG!

-o-

- Ahh, it's the turn of the summer sun... really hot summer sun... AHH! TOO HOT! THE SAILS ARE BURNING! WATER! WE NEED WATER!

PLOP!

- AAA! Typhoon!

- THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT, DAMMIT!

-o-

"Is it just me, or has everything suddenly gone dark?"

- Nami? Look up.

- What you...!? AAA! SINCE WHEN CAN FLYING STRAININGS CAN REALLY FLY!? OR GROW TO THE SIZE OF A DAMN WHALE!?

-o-

- Wait, haven't we already passed this place? ...Nami, when was the last time you checked your Log Pos?

- A? Just ten seconds ago, wh-? #!$%&^!

- #!$%&^! #!$%&^!

- Thank you for expanding my snail's vocabulary, Nami.

- SHUT UP AND TURN US BACK-- ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

- Maybe turn us around, hmm?

- I SAID SHUT THE DAMN UP!

-o-

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, to say the least.

The sea was calm, the sun was shining, a light breeze was blowing...

But it was still worth checking.

"Are we okay?" I asked Nami tiredly.

"As far as I can tell..." she said tiredly, holding onto the railing of the upper deck.

- Soundbite?

- Boo-beep-beep. Sorry, the number you are trying to call has been disconnected.

- Soundbite! Wake up!

- Ahh-WHAT?

- Listen, maybe someone is hiding under us?

Soundbite cocked his head to the side, concentrating for a moment, and then shook his head decisively. -ALL IS CLEAR!

- Everything is fine!

- Oh... great... in that case...

Nami immediately went limp and collapsed on the deck, quickly followed by the others.

"I can't feel my body..." Usopp whined pitifully.

"You're lucky, I'm burning all over..." I moaned.

"Tch..." Zoro growled, massaging his throbbing limbs. -I can't believe you woke me up for this. Couldn't you handle this yourself?

"No!" the others roared furiously.

"Soundbite, you can imitate all the sounds you hear, right?" Nami demanded.

- Yeah yeah yeah yeah!

"Here's a direct order for you: the next time you hear that Zoro is sleeping and we're going through such hell, unleash the roar of the sea king in his ears." All for it?

"No!" Zoro barked.

A resounding "YES!" sounded in response throughout the ship.

"Fuck you guys..." the swordsman growled.

"Shishishi!" Luffy chuckled from his favorite spot on Merry, looking no worse than usual. Bastard. -Sorry, Zoro! Looks like you're in the minority!

"I think you meant to say 'in the minority'..." Miss Wednesday noted.

It was at this moment that Zoro turned his attention to the two exhausted mercenaries. -Now that I think about it, what are these two doing here?

"YOU JUST NOTICED US NOW!?" the couple squealed indignantly.

"We're sailing to their hometown," Luffy explained cheerfully.

Zoro blinked at Luffy before casting an unimpressed glance at the others. -And none of you tried to stop him?

"Do you really think we didn't try?" Sanji responded.

- ...fair point. In any case..." Zoro crushed Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday with an overly bloodthirsty grin. -I was thinking...what did you say your name was?

-...I-I'm Mr. 9...

- M-Miss Wednesday.

"Yes, that's what I thought..." Zoro's grin grew even wider, causing both of them to break out in a cold sweat. -These names of yours are very familiar to me. They stuck in my head for a while. It's like I've heard them before...

The two looked like they were ready to run away...

"Or maybe not," Zoro shrugged, his grin definitely turning malevolent.

The duo collapsed onto their backs with double sobs. -Daemon...

I smiled cheekily and patted Zoro on the shoulder. -Stop it, buddy, leave them alone.

- Thank you... - Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday breathed a sigh of relief.

"After all, it's cruel and wrong to torture poor, defenseless pests like them!" Save them for the poor, defenseless Sea Kings.

- FUCK YOU!

"Anyway, let's go." Turning, I walked away and motioned for him to follow me. "I'm pretty sure this madness has scattered our supplies all over the hold, and I can't handle it alone."

"Why don't you ask Luffy or that shit-cook to do it?"

"Listen here, you damned hairy head...!" Sanji started to growl, but was stopped by Nami, who put her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Sanji, I can handle it." Our navigator pinned Zoro with an icy gaze. -You help him, or I will increase your debt fivefold. To start.

Zoro jerked violently for a moment before walking past me with a growl. -Go ahead, brat. Let's get to work.

I gave Nami a grateful smile before following the swordsman into the storeroom. As I expected, numerous boxes, barrels and bags in which we stored food and supplies were everywhere, although, fortunately, they were all intact.

Once inside, I closed the door as quickly and calmly as I could before glancing at Zoro. -Okay, they can't hear us anymore, lay it out.

Zoro stared at me with bored curiosity. -What the hell are you talking about, Cross?

I kept a straight face as I looked at the first mate. -Zoro, one could say about you that you sleep too much, you focus on swords to an unhealthy degree, you are moody...

"I'm not gloomy at all..." Zoro grumbled gloomily, crossing his arms over his chest in irritation.

"Is THIS the only thing that bothered you?" Soundbite asked, squinting his eyes.

"But you're not being overly sadistic," I finished firmly, ignoring Soundbite's comment. -If you psychologically tortured these two because of their names, it's because you definitely know something about them. And if you know something about them, then I want to know it too.

"Really?" Zoro's gaze hardened. -And why do you want to know this?

"Because I want to know if this has anything to do with the future well-being of our team!" I threw my hands wide in irritation. -Zoro, if you know something important, you should tell us! None of us can afford to keep information to ourselves, or we risk putting the team in danger!

"Li~tse~mer!" Soundbite sang to me in a low voice.

"Saunb...!" I began to hiss out of the corner of my mouth before quickly biting my own tongue. Fool me once, shame on the little shit. Fool me twice... well, I see where I'm going with this.

However, my words did the trick: Zoro's stern expression wavered slightly for a moment before he relaxed and sighed. -Okay, okay, no need to be dramatic... For the record, I didn't tell anyone because I wanted to deal with this on my own, okay?

I raised my hands, shrugging. -Noble impulse, Zoro, but that's not how the team works. We are on this crazy journey together, for better or for worse.

"ONE FOR ALL!" Soundbite shouted.

"And all for one, yes, yes..." Zoro shook his head with a chuckle before taking on a deadly serious expression. -Okay, I'll explain everything to everyone. Just make sure no henchmen are in the dining room during the meal, okay?

"No problem, boss!" I saluted firmly.

- In the meantime...

"Ugh!" I winced as a damn heavy bag of rice slammed into my stomach.

"Get to work," Zoro grinned, picking up the box and placing it in its original place, tying it with rope for good measure. -You signed us up for this job, so let's do everything right.

"Yes, sir..." I grumbled dissatisfied, hobbling away under the weight of the bag.

- One-two, they took it, One-two, they took it, One-two, they took it...!

-Shut up!

Luckily, after about an hour, Zoro and I managed to complete our task, just in time for the long-awaited call.

- Nami-suan, it's time for dinner! HEY IDIOTS, GET YOUR ASSES IN!

As soon as we heard him, we raced to the upper deck as fast as we could to beat Luffy to the mess hall before he could shove a hefty portion of our food supplies down his throat.

Luckily, since they weren't used to our ship yet, Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 fell behind, giving me enough time to grab the two plates Sanji had prepared and shove them into their hands before they entered the mess hall.

"Sorry!" I grinned like a wolf. -This dining area is for crew members and paying customers only. Free hares eat in the hold, no exceptions. Enjoy!

And after these words, I quickly slammed the door in their faces, laughing at the double screams. "HEY!" they shouted in protest.