Chapter 134: A Message Received
Chapter 134: A Message Received
The afternoon after Yamato’s breakthrough had everyone on the crew sleeping in late. In part, that was the island itself messing with their senses of time. The larger reason, however, was the far simpler truth that not a one of them had gone to bed at an even remotely reasonable time. Well, reasonable for normal people, anyway. Given they were pirates, they didn’t feel the need to be bound by anything as silly as the rules of bankers and farmers’ hours. Still, they normally all attempted to keep something approaching a consistent sleep schedule, if for no other reason than to make sure there was reliably always someone on watch.
Multiple revelations the previous evening had done a good job of shattering their typical resolve.
Just Yamato’s breakthrough and the curiosity all of them had about it, given they’d all felt it despite being scattered across the island, would have been enough. For them to return to the ship and discover Dis’s Nymph form happily running around the hidden dock, exploring every nook and cranny, had only added to the chaos. Both revelations had put them in a partying mood, and Sanji had possessed brand new ingredients and recipes to try just for good measure. The resulting revelry had seen all of them up until far passed what would have been sunrise on any other island, and even the typical early risers among them had not arisen before noon as a result.
It had triggered something of a lazy mood in all of them, which caused them to decide to take the day to run through a number of regular bits of business, rather than focus on anything specific. Dis needed very little maintenance, but not none, and they were at a friendly dock. Likewise for stocking up on supplies, inventorying assets, and numerous other chores that needed doing. It was one of these chores, Vivi making a regular pass through various islands like Skypiea, Wind’s Home, Alabasta, Amazon Lily, and Fishman Island, for regular delivers of different kinds, which produced an unexpected situation.
Specifically, a message delivered to Alabasta for one Vinsmoke Sanji, a name that had caused more than one of them to look at their chef in surprise. He’d never used a last name, and his Bounty poster hadn’t listed it either. More to the point, none of them were ignorant of current world events, and certainly recognized the name. Something Sanji himself was obviously angry about…yet when he’d gone to simply rip up the message, he’d frozen in place before even opening it. The entire crew had been together for regular ‘mail call,’ and every one of them grew concerned as their already pale chef paled farther and began to shake, without even opening the letter.
It was Hina that gently broke the awkward silence.
“Sanji? Are you okay? Vivi handled the letter before you and didn’t…”
React in the same way. Which meant poison was unlikely. Luffy alone had a very vague idea why he was reacting so strongly, and bit his lip before putting forth the only bit of information he partially knew for certain.
“It’s from your family, isn’t it?”
Sanji’s eyes snapped to him instantly, shock on his face. The letter dropped from his fingers, landing precariously on the edge of table he was sitting at.
“How…?”
Luffy shrugged awkwardly, trying to figure out how to answer that question without lying outright.
“I...put the pieces together, I suppose you could say. The fact you’re from the North Blue, the characteristic eyebrow, a few other bits and pieces, including the fact your bounty has always stated only ‘Alive.’ Vivi’s is the only other one that is like that, which sets something of a standard. You almost had to be connected to someone important for them to modify the bounty order that way. In the end, it was your business, not mine, so I never said anything even if I had a good guess.”
Sanji looked both appreciative that Luffy hadn’t said anything, and like he’d swallowed a lemon from the knowledge he’d been found out without even knowing. Still, it had shaken him out of his stupor and he looked back down at the letter.
“…It’s from Reiju. The only member of my family that isn’t completely fucking evil. She…helped me escape to the East Blue, when we were much younger.”
There was pain in Sanji’s voice, and he seemed genuinely torn on what to do. At least until Hina and, shockingly, Perona both slid over to him and leaned on an arm each. Everyone knew the trio were together, but Perona in particular normally derided Sanji while half-worshiping Hina. Sanji let out a breath, took the time to unpack and light a cigarette, then picked up the letter. After a long, steadying drag of nicotine, he cracked it open decisively and began to read. His expression shifted repeatedly and wildly as he did so, before finally settling into a sort of uncertain stillness as he reached the end.
Several long minutes of silence filled the room as he puffed on his cigarette. Until Hina finally nudged him, albeit gently. Sanji shook himself and frowned at the letter, before looking up at Luffy.
“Reiju is asking for help. Not for the family, but for the innocents of the Germa Kingdom. Apparently, the Marines are building up for a major attack against them, and Reiju is fully expecting Germa to lose. She’s…okay with that. But she doesn’t want the few hundred staff and such that truly haven’t done anything wrong to suffer for our family’s sins. The World Government…”
Everyone in the room grimaced, easily filling in the blanks of what Sanji didn’t say. While Luffy personally thought Admiral Kuzan, who had been in charge of the situation in the North Blue the last he knew, wouldn’t go for a massacre on his own…he might have orders. More to the point, there might be World Government types involved who would order a Buster Call on the Germa Kingdom’s mobile island without a second thought. From a certain point of view, it wouldn’t even be unjustified, as the Germa Kingdom was almost wholly and purely a war machine rather than a traditional culture.
There were always innocents, though.
It was simply the nature of the world, any world really. Rarely were the janitor and cook evil people, and any Kingdom had plenty of logistics needs. Even odd ones built onto the back of giant snails. Unfortunately, everyone on the crew was aware, many of them from their own personal pasts, that the Marines and World Government were often utterly callous in dealing with civilian splash damage. Even if the Admiral in charge didn’t authorize a massacre, any of hundreds of officers below them might well do it without asking permission.
“Vivi, I assume if we can get them out, Alabasta can take them? Either Alabasta itself or one of the other islands in the Alliance?”
Sanji’s face twitched in surprise as Luffy calmly directed that question to Vivi. His reaction amused Luffy slightly. Really, given the desires of half his crew, did Sanji seriously think they weren’t going to help? A few might actually contemplate mutiny if he were to order otherwise, possibly including both Nami and Robin. Vivi was quick to answer, of course, obviously having already been most of the way through the thought process herself.
“Of course. Even if we retrieve Sanji’s family, assuming they won’t cause trouble, I can take them to Skypiea or Wind’s Home, beyond the World Government’s reach.”
Sanji’s hands clenched at that, though as the letter crinkled, he quickly relaxed them again. His voice was still harsh as he responded to Vivi’s comment.
“No. My fathers and brothers are monsters. Maybe Reiju, but not them. They would take advantage of anywhere they were taken.”
Vivi looked pained by that response, as did Kaya and one or two others, but Luffy only nodded. A few among the crew, particularly Yamato, looked just as understanding as others did pained. Family was a complicated topic for quite a few of the crew. Pretty much all of the ones that had any remaining at all, in point of fact. Vivi was the only one really on good terms with hers. At least, unless you counted Nami and Nojiko or Luffy’s adoptive brothers. Even Kuina, while things had gotten better between her and her father, was still…well, as stated, it was complicated.
“Just Reiju and the innocents, then. The question is how to do it. The North Blue is about as far from our current location as it’s possible to get, and it had to have taken time for that letter to reach Alabasta. Even the Discovery likely can’t make it far enough, fast enough. A smaller, stealthier mission might just do the job, though.”
Sanji still looked torn, but from the feel of his slowly firming emotions, he had already decided he was going to do this. Though he voiced a protest anyway.
“It could be a trap, Captain. I should just go alone…”
Luffy snorted.
“Even if we would let you, you can’t possibly get there in time without Vivi. Who you’ll also need to get the people in question out. No, it can be a small team. In fact, it should be a small team, given I take it we aren’t intending to get involved in the fight?”
Sanji shook his head, letting out a disgusted noise at the idea.
“Right. Then the only way to get there fast enough is to take a few steps. First, pick who is going with you. Second, Vivi takes the team who is going to the Conomi Islands, via Nami’s home village. That will get you close to the Red Line that separates the East and North Blue. Take the Expedition with you, and use Vivi’s Air Doors to get over the Red Line using line-of-sight jump and possibly a few Milky Road Dials. That will get you into the North Blue, and the Expedition is quite fast on its own, if not quite so much as the Discovery. Finding Germa from there will be up to you.”
Several people were blinking at Luffy’s logic, obviously piecing everything together and realizing that yes, they technically had the ability to bypass the Red Line even without the Discovery’s ability to fly. It just took a few extra steps. Using an Air Door to the Conami Islands would cut out the bulk of the trip, too, possibly allowing them to actually reach the Germa Kingdom in time, depending just where it was in the North Blue at the moment. Sanji, smoothing out the letter again, looked down at it and visibly calculated.
“It…might work. Rejiu said that the fighting was going to take place to the Southeast of the North Blue. That won’t be too far off where we’ll come over the Red Line. Assuming it’s not already too late…”
Luffy nodded sharply.
“Right. No time to waste then. I wish I could come with you, but the Expedition can only take a handful, six at most. I’m responsible for the whole crew, not to mention possible calls from our allies, so I can’t go. I’d suggest you take Yamato, though, along with Vivi and Nojiko. That leaves just two aside from yourself.”
As Luffy had honestly predicted, Hina spoke up immediately, firmly squeezing Sanji’s shoulder.
“If you think you are going without Hina, you are sorely mistaken. Hina and Perona will both go with you.”
Perona, surprisingly, nodded almost as firmly as Hina. Though if that was because she wanted to support Sanji, or because Hina was going, was anyone’s guess. Luffy smirked and channeled Lord Elrond.
“Six companions it shall be, then. A fellowship to launch a rescue and undo the works of evil men. Come now, no time to waste, we shall make sure you are properly supplied!”
Sanji looked a bit befuddled as he was swept up in preparations to lead a rescue operation on behalf of his sister. He didn’t resist or, after a token protest which ended when Hina whispered something in his ear that made him perk up and his eyes sweep who was going, fight it. Luffy snickered to himself, not actually having meant to send Sanji off with an all-female crew. Oh well, Yamato and Vivi would shut him down fast if he tried anything. Though, on the point of Vivi, Luffy made another pointed comment as they all scurried to organize what the trip would need.
“Vivi, you’re going to have to make sure and check in frequently. Without you, we’ll be a bit cut off. Thankfully, you’ve practiced traveling to the Expedition before, so it should be easy enough for you to come and go…including retrieving the rest of us if it does come down to a fight. No stupid heroics if you end up out of your depth, right?”
He addressed that directly to Vivi, with only a moment of side-eye to Nojiko and Hina. Those three were the ones most likely to actually call for aid if it ended up needed. Sanji was likely to try being macho about it, Perona was likely to just run unless Hina was being threatened, and Yamato was enough of a battle junky that she likely wouldn’t think to summon help. Doubly so since she would want to test her newly Awakened Devil Fruit. Still, three out of six would hopefully level the sanity level out. Somewhat, at least.
Reassuringly, he got both a confirmation from Vivi, and a head nod showing that Hina had been paying attention. Given that Sanji was the most likely to do something stupid, and Hina was fairly good at controlling him, that would have to do. Which honestly brought up a point he hadn’t actually addressed, come to think of it. Something he made sure to do twenty minutes later after all the scrambling was done and the group which was leaving was about to set off.
“Sanji. While this is personal to you, and I fully expect you to give all relevant advice regarding Germa…Hina is in charge of the overall mission. Out of all of you, she is the only one going with experience leading a mission like this. I expect you to listen to her.”
That visibly took everyone aback for a moment. Like most pirate crews, theirs wasn’t overly big on structure. They did all have formal positions and duties on the ship, and the dangers of the Grand Line required a watch schedule to be drawn up and adhered to. But aside from those basics, they mostly didn’t bother much with who was in charge on the day-to-day basis. Not outside their specific areas of natural expertise, such as Nami with navigation, Chopper and Kaya with medical, or Sanji himself with the kitchen.
Still, they also normally didn’t split up into ‘away missions’ like this where serious combat was expected. At least not without Luffy himself going along. In retrospect, ideally, Luffy would have wanted to send Kuina along as well. As a First Mate who took her job seriously, she was the next and natural authority. Unfortunately, the Expedition really wasn’t meant for a large crew, not over any sort of sustained distance anyway. Sanji had a personal investment, and Hina and Perona both had personal investments in Sanji. Vivi was required for their method to work, and not taking Nojiko along when the Expedition relied on her powers heavily would be flat out dumb.
That meant the only person he could have swapped out for Kuina was Yamato…and he wasn’t willing to do that. If the Marines were positioned to make a major push against Germa, it meant that Kuzan had been reinforced with at least some additional Vice Admirals. More likely, at least one additional full Admiral had been sent to the North Blue. Aside from himself, Yamato was the only one on the crew Luffy trusted to be able to one on one a full Admiral if it came down to it. Particularly since they’d confirmed that, contrary to the High Priestess’s expectations, Yamato had been able to call on her Awakened state on her own without additional sessions. She was, apparently, extremely compatible with the Nika Fruit. All of which meant sending her along was something he considered vital if they were doing to send the rescue operation at all. At least if he wasn’t going to give in and go himself.
Thankfully, after a visible war of expressions passed over his face Sanji finally, with visible reluctance, nodded.
“Aye, aye, Captain. Hina-swchan will do well in command!”
Yeah. That was pretty much the only reason he’d expected that command to work. Sanji might have a strong streak of machoism, but he was also a complete simp for Hina. As for Hina herself, she looked both surprised and…pleased. Likely that Luffy was willing to trust her with leading members of the crew, despite the fact she was a former Marine. She was quick to stiffen to attention and looked nearly like she was going to snap a salute. She didn’t, thankfully, but her voice was still serious as she spoke up as well.
“Hina will keep them as safe as possible while getting the job done, Captain! You can count on it.”
Luffy nodded just as seriously, then addressed them all.
“Good. Remember, saving the people is important, but keeping your fellows alive is important too. Stay sharp and sail well. Vivi, if you would?”
A moment later, the Air Door to their hidden sanctuary on the Conami Islands snapped open, and the members who were going on the rescue mission began to depart with their supplies. Hopefully, they could manage a clean rescue. More realistically, given the way this particular reality worked, Luffy hoped they remembered to call for help when something inevitably went horribly wrong…
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A/N 1: I'm a little less happy with this chapter. I always intended for the message to arrive and rescue mission to kick off like this, but struggled over when exactly to have it happen. I nearly stuck a mini-adventure here, so that Yamato could spend more time mastering her new state on Starfall. But with the setup I'd already done with Garp's scene, it felt like dragging out how long it would take before the Germa Kingdom was attacked didn't match up very well. A couple of weeks, for travel to happen to Starfall, and for Sanji and Co to reach Germa. More than that felt wrong, but I don't like how it logically took Yamato away right after Awakening. On the flip side, her displaying Gear 5 in the NORTH Blue, within a relatively short span of awakening, is also likely to protect Starfall from Imu's suspicions...so it was a bit of a toss up.
A/N 2: Hey everyone! Most of you should know that I have Early Access chapters over on P-atreon (find the link for it in my profile, or just search 'Novus's Fanfiction Works' in your browser of choice). I'm currently updating four stories a month, with 20,000 words each, plus at least one 10,000 word extra. One Piece: Halfway Broken is updated twice every month, so there are always 20,000 words of content in Early Access (currently chapters 135-139). That said, none of my fanfiction work is permanently paywalled. Support is appreciated, but it will make its way here and elsewhere eventuall0y, if you're patient :-)