Sunlight peeked through the massive trees of Zou and fell straight onto my face.
"…Ugh."
I opened my eyes slowly.
And the first thing I saw—
Minks.
Too many minks.
"…Bruhhh."
A mink(blue hair and squirrel like tail )doctor leaned closer, checking my bandages.
I recognized him.
Doctor Tristan.
She looked at me calmly and asked,
"Are you feeling any pain or something?"
I blinked.
"Uhh… what happened, demons?"
I suddenly sat up.
"Am I dead or something?! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ASKING LIKE THAT?!"
The minks jumped back slightly.
I looked around.
A treehouse.
Bandages wrapped all over my body.
And then—
Last night hit me.
Gray.
That demon throwing me like a projectile.
The forest.
The fall.
…and the Poneglyph.
"…I read it," I whispered.
I looked down at myself.
"Damn… I'm alive."
A familiar voice came from behind.
"Ready to leave, Captain?"
I froze.
Slowly, I turned my head.
Gray stood there, arms crossed, wearing a wide grin.
I snapped.
"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND, GRAY?!"
I shouted.
"How can you try to KILL ME?!"
He shrugged casually.
"That was the training. The objective was survival."
"BRUHHHH," I groaned.
"You weren't even trying hard, you demon!"
He smirked.
"When are we leaving this place where everyone tries to kill me ALL THE TIME?!" I yelled.
Gray looked up at the sky.
"The sea is more dangerous than this," he said calmly.
"But I know my captain will handle it. We're leaving before evening."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Okkk… then let's go."
I pointed at him.
"I'll get a ship, right?"
He looked me dead in the eyes.
"…No."
"…Bruhh."
Before I could explode, I noticed someone approaching.
Duke Inuarashi.
With his guards.
And Carrot.
I immediately ran toward him.
"My lord!" I said dramatically.
"I wanted to ask if I'll get a ship or not. That demon Gray said no, but I know your heart is big, so…?"
The Duke laughed loudly.
"Yes," he said, pointing toward Carrot.
"She'll guide you. You may choose whatever is available."
YESSS.
Then his expression shifted slightly.
"About last night," he continued,
"I received news that you were found unconscious near Whale Forest… beside that red stone."
My heart skipped.
I looked away quickly.
"Y-Yeahhh," I said.
"It's all Gray's fault. He threw me so far from the sky that I landed there. I saw a cave-like place and entered it to hide."
"BRUHH SAY ANYTHING. "
"JUST SURVIVE. "
"YOU HAVE TO SEE ONE PIECE."
I swallowed and asked,
"Uhmm… Duke Inuarashi, was that room important or something? And that red stone… what was that?"
He smiled.
"That was merely our execution chamber," he said calmly.
"Where traitors and enemies are killed. The stone is red because of blood."
"…Ah."
I nodded slowly, making the most terrified face I could.
"BRUHH I'M NOT A FOOL, DUKE."
"BUT OKAY."
"I-I'm sorry, Dukeee," I said.
"I didn't knowww."
He nodded and turned away.
As he left, I clearly saw him give hand signs to Gray.
I don't know hand signs.
But I'm 200% sure that meant:
"One mistake and kill him."
"…Bruhhhh."
Carrot then guided us forward, toward one of the pillars of Zou.
I looked around.
"Where's the ship?" I asked.
She pointed toward the trees.
I looked.
A dinghy.
A SMALL DINGHY.
"…What."
I screamed.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THIS SMALL DINGHYYYYY?!"
"DO YOU EVEN KNOW TODAY IS A FULL MOON?!"
"IF THIS DEMON SEES THE MOON, HE'LL TURN SULONG AND KILL ME!"
Carrot scratched her head.
"We're not shipwrights," she said.
"And we don't really have ships. This is all we prepared."
"…Fine."
A guard came running with ropes and my clothes.
I took them.
Then Gray arrived with supplies—meat, food, goods.
He looked at the dinghy.
Then at me.
And sat in the best spot.
"Bruhh," I said.
"That's the captain's place."
He ignored me.
"…Fine."
"Let's get this ship into the sea," I said.
The minks tied ropes around the dinghy and began lowering it—
the same place they had thrown me before.
"…Uhh, memories," I muttered.
As we slid down, I shouted,
"IS THIS EVEN STRONGGG?!"
Before we went further, I asked,
"Can I get some lotion or something? My skin is scratched everywhere."
Doctor Tristan ran back and returned with a green-looking lotion.
I applied it and bowed slightly.
"Thank you… for everything."
We continued sliding down.
Zunesha's massive body filled my vision.
"STOP FOR A WHILE!" I shouted upward.
I jumped toward Zunesha's leg and searched.
Found it.
The wound I caused earlier.
I applied the lotion carefully.
"Thank you, Zunesha… for helping me," I said.
A deep voice echoed.
"No worries, Ash."
"…MAKE IT FORMAL," I muttered, panicking.
Finally, after a long time—
We landed in the sea.
The ropes were untied.
Above us, the minks pulled them back.
I looked at Gray.
He was already sleeping.
"…Bruhhh."
Zunesha walked forward.
And just like that—
We were alone at sea.
"…Bruhh," I whispered.
"How am I supposed to survive in this dinghy?"
"Let's hope no Sea King or beast appears…"
We started sailing.
I asked Gray,
"Do you have a map or something? Do you know where we are?"
He opened one eye.
"…Nah."
That word.
That single word.
It hit my heart.
"…ARE YOU SAYING WE'RE STUCK HERE?!"
"…Bruhhhh."
I took a deep breath.
"Okay, Ash. Calm."
"Gray, listen," I said.
"Set up the sail."
"…What's that?"
I almost jumped into the sea.
"…Okay. Calm."
"I've seen the Straw Hats do it," I muttered.
"I can do it too."
I pulled the sail up.
The dinghy suddenly rushed forward.
"GRAYYYYY I CAN'T CONTROL ITTTTT!" I screamed.
He pointed to the left.
"Can we use that creature in the sea? It's looking at us."
I turned.
A sea cat.
I surely made a face like Luffy when he saw Brulee.
"…OI SEA CAT, HELP MEEEEE!"
Gray looked at me like I was stupid.
"How will it hear you, idiot?"
The sea cat looked at me.
Then jumped onto the dinghy.
"…WHAT."
I patted its head.
"Will you be my friend, little one?"
I looked at Gray's meat.
Fed it.
It nodded happily.
I tied a rope around the sea cat and the dinghy.
Then I looked at Gray.
"It's going to be night. Give me a cloth. I'll cover your eyes so you won't transform."
He quickly handed me a black cloth.
I tied it around his eyes.
"Don't transform," I said.
"Or we'll die. Or I'll leave with the sea cat and you'll sink."
I laughed.
Gray sighed.
"Tell the sea cat to move. We've been in the same place for an hour."
"…Oh."
I scratched my head.
"Sun sets in the west… so move right… then east."
The sea cat moved.
Fast.
I jumped onto its head, laughing.
"This feels so goooood, right Gray?!"
"…Yeah," he said, annoyed.
The sun set.
The moon rose.
Gray felt something—but didn't transform.
Night fell.
Too dark.
No light.
Only the sound of water.
Then—
BOOM.
The sea cat hit something.
I was thrown forward.
"BRUHHHH—"