The island was full of surprises, starting from the creatures. I guess it is not something to be surprised about, considering how resilient and massive some of the beasts are in the other islands, it is within expectation that some of them would just adapt to this place.
*GROWLL!!*
"L-Lightning creatures...?" Shirahoshi embraced me from behind upon coming closer to the first one of them. It was a gigantic dire wolf, at least twenty metres in height, his body looked charred but also sparkling with lightning hideously, as if it didn't have blood but instead lightning in its veins.
*BOOOMM!!*
Always one to punch first and ask questions later, Akainu punched him with her magma eruption fist that would have easily destroyed and torn to shreds any other creature, it burst the wolf into flames and sent it flying a few dozen metres away, but just as fast it recomposed as if her fist hadn't done anything, I also noticed the muscle speed of this beasts was very fast, like they were in fast-motion, clearly not as fast as lightning, but their cognitive abilities were enhanced drastically.
Seeing that she didn't do much and trying to show off in front of me, Akainu continued her assault until the wolf took the chance to take a good bite out of her arm. Lucky for her, them getting used to this weather doesn't automatically mean they know Haki.
"The creatures have aclimatised to this weather, don't expect them to be easy to defeat. Having lightning discharges shoot at you every day for years... I can't even imagine how resilient they are" I said, looking at Shirahoshi, who had now fully morphed into her hybrid axolotl, gigantic and giggly as ever, receiving way more discharges from the island now due to her size.
'I think she's far from being able to fight', I sighed to myself, just looking at her. I can tell she thinks the wolf is cute and doesn't want to hit it. In what world is this beast cute!?
"Do you want to fight, Hoshi?".
"I-I don't! Why do we have to fight it? It is doing nothing to us".
'It is trying to eat us, Shirahoshi...'
I materialised a copy of youbi with lightning when I felt several dangerous readings approaching because of the fuss Akainu was making. More wolves.
They charged at us. I sliced several of them in half. At the beginning, it didn't work; the moment they came into contact with my lightning, they grew even more violent, so using just lightning was not going to work. At least, they were able to handle a million volts really well.
*BOOOMM!*
A single strike blew the gigantic wolf into smitereens; the scorching pieces flew everywhere, raining down alongside the strikes, it seems that's their limit. The other wolves, Shirahoshi and Akainu, stared at me in shock. I created two more of those lightning spears and looked at the two other wolves with a smile.
"Just stay behind me, Shirahoshi, these aren't normal beasts–"
Before I could even finish, the wolves ran away, shattering the ground with their running steps. I gasped... thinking they were mindless beasts with no survival instinct.
'What the hell is this place...?' I bit my lips, there so many things I have to do but the curiosity is killing me.
My brows twitched a bit as I smiled at both girls, "Let's keep going~".
"Do you want to go further inside!?" Sakazuki screamed.
"Of course, who knows what interesting things we're going to find in here. This Island is amazing!".
"V-Veyron-sama..." Shirahoshi looked hesitant, and for a second, I faltered.
"I will protect you, and Sakazuki is going to protect you as well, Shirahoshi. Don't worry, if things get too dangerous, I will take us all away from here in a heartbeat, but I want to at least get a hint of what can be behind this island's true nature. In a way... it is like it is calling me".
"I will support you wherever you go", Shirahoshi reassured me and even took me on top of her shoulder to walk inside further.
"Thank you, my dear princess~".
I heard Akainu's exasperated sigh, but she followed nonetheless. As we progressed deeper inside, we noticed the lightning was getting scarcer, and also... no creatures were attacking us now; they were avoiding us.
That doesn't make much sense, even if someone of the wolves would be wary of me, why are all the other beasts also scared of me now?
The clouds got darker, but the beasts, despite giving off a stronger aura closer to the centre, still refused to pounce. In fact, I could see some of them preying on Akainu, but because she was close, they wouldn't attack.
I took this form, which was as big as Shirahoshi, and we walked side by side. Just so she wouldn't get attacked, Shirahoshi then put Akainu on her shoulders. Deeper inside the forest, the trees grew larger and also more statically charged with lightning cracks spreading across them. So huge that they formed a 'tent' in which lightning could no longer fall on earth, but that didn't mean those creatures on the surface were safe, since, now that the trees were electrically charged, merely stepping on the soil was enough to shock you.
'What a crazy and beautiful island this is~'.
I wondered if the straw hats came here at any point in the future of the story, and if so, how did they get across? I mean, Luffy is a rubber man, so he could fend off, but what about the rest?
It is very curious; it almost feels like only someone like Luffy with the Gomu Gomu no Mi or me with the Goro Goro no Mi would be able to step onto this island unscathed. After releasing this form, if before they'd be lurking around us cautiously, now they just fled the scene and we had an easier time going in.
We even found fruits.
Something looked like an apple, but it was shining and had lightning sparks in it. Akainu plucked one and then tossed it into Shirahoshi's mouth since now way in hell she was going to eat that herself.
"It is very tasty, I can feel the energy inside me~".
"This island developed into a whole ecosystem for lightning to thrive. It is amazing. It is also not surprising that creatures would be very smart, considering the brain works with and produces electricity. They're not the mindless beasts we thought... don't be surprised if some of them are just as intelligent as humans, only... they don't communicate like humans".
"Why do you think that?" Akainu asked.
"Although I did display some strength, that's not a reason for every single one of these creatures to be so cautious around us; the only explanation is that they're communicating with each other in unknown ways".
As we walked, I came to an abrupt stop, stopping Shirahoshi as well. My brows twitched, I felt a surge of aura come forth from within me in alertness. I just felt something that I hadn't felt. Moreover, this individual's aura just manifested out of thin air, as if it had been camouflaging all along!
*CHAAA!*
A huge thunder strike crashed between us, revealing a humanoid silhouette standing in front, covered in lightning just like me.
"There are more humans in here?".
"That's not a human..." I frowned, stepping forward to tower over the figure of the humanoid lightning. We stared at each other until two hollow cavities formed in that person's face, looking at me.
"Yasharte".
!!!
And then it said that name, how could I not remember her?
*CHAAA!!*
*BOOOMMMM!!*
Before Akainu and Shirahoshi even knew what happened, an explosion of lightning shook them away. I clashed against the silhouette a hundred times!
It moved faster than even Kizaru, flickering across and delivering punches and kicks in very ital spots of my body, aiming to pierce through. I countered and added my own Conqueror Haki on top of it, but it didn't seem to face this creature!
Each impact of our fists produced a shockwave of blue lightning that shocked the world like waves of plasma. In the blink of an eye, sparks travelled across the forest until we materialised at the opposite end of the island, dozens of miles away in a second.
*CHAA!*
It could hold against my lightning, as stupid as it was, it could hold against my Armament and Conqueror Haki, but... it couldn't hold against the 4th Will.
I pulled it to me and took him by the neck. I tried to retaliate, but I compressed everything in one spot, rendering the individual powerless. Youbi materialised again, and I had no qualms in stabbing it in the person's body, sucking out the energy.
"How do you know Yasharte...?" I asked with a frown. No wonder this place looked like it was asking for me to go in deeper. It is related to her!
"Are you the king of this place?" I asked again.
He heard some shrieking from the creature, as if refusing to answer, rather than erasing it, I let it go.
*FLASH*
It disappeared into the forest the next moment, whereabouts unknown, leaving my questions unanswered. I returned to where Shirahoshi and Sakazuki were. The Admiral was protecting Shirahoshi from a swarm of wolves that had taken the chance of my absence to howl and pounce on them, silly beasts.
I threw lightning bolts in their direction, shattered two in the process as the rest fled the scene, and I took both Shirahoshi and Sakazuki by the waist and flew off.
"Oi! Let me go, brat!"
"Shut up" I said coldly, not in the mood.
"..."
"Veyron...?" Shirahoshi asked, wondering if I had already sated my curiosity. I hadn't... but I had just left Shirahoshi by herself, I can't risk that again... not when there is some lightning dude as strong as Shanks lurking around and camouflaging without me being able to sense them using Haki.
"We're going away from here, this island is too dangerous, I will come next time, alone".
"Only now you realise this place is dangerous? No wonder we don't have any intel, any marine that threads this island just disappears".
"I am not surprised. That guy I fought... he's no joke".
We flew to the shore and met Kasa. Now, the granny looked way more suspicious to me. Nothing in this place is normal, so she can't be normal either.
"How was your stay? I hope you had a good time~".
"I will come back later, Kasa".
I put us all in the boat and sailed from this hellhole of lightning, lucky that whoever that person was, they didn't decide to attack Shirahoshi first. Because I don't know if I would have even been able to see that strike coming.
Before going away, I met Kasa's gaze one last time as we fled, watching the lightning strikes falling in the background.
"We will be expecting you eagerly once more, Thunder God~" I heard her voice in my mind, and once my eyes blinked, she wasn't there anymore.
**
**
[3rd POV]
"That was so scary!" Shirahoshi wanted to be optimistic; of all things, she didn't want to be afraid of lightning, considering her fiancé was precisely just that. But she couldn't deny the island was scary.
"Thanks for protecting Shirahoshi", Veyron said to Akainu, who merely huffed at the compliment.
"I am just doing what you have no balls to do".
"You always have to have the upper hand in the conversation, don't you?".
"I am better than you in everything, kiddo".
"Want me to beat your sweet ass again?"
"Bring it!".
"Both of you, please calm down! Don't fight in this small boat!" Shirahoshi separated them, leaning towards Veyron slightly and puffing her cheeks, "Please don't antagonise this old weak lady".
"I am not weak, dammit!" Akainu wasn't having it
"Oh, so you're old~".
"I am not old either!".
"I had my perfect date here with my fiancé, and you have to come and ruin it all" Veyron hissed with a smirk, enjoying how she was losing her mind.
"I can still go on my way and leave you both alone", She played her cards, but she wasn't clever enough to play them well.
"You wish... you're my prisoner, Sakazuki... I will drag you with me all the way to Wano and back, if you behave, we will see. And don't even think about escaping".
"Tch".
**
**
East Blue, The Baratie.
In the East Blue, there was a famous restaurant floating in the middle of the sea, it was the Baratie. Pirates, marines and merchants from all over the sea would come over to enjoy a meal amidst their journey. It was even said that the food was so nice that nobles would come from the other seas just to enjoy a delicacy. Its existence was clear, not mythical, but finding it was another matter.
At this very restaurant, a group of quirky young men sat with their legs on the table, totally uncaring about etiquette. They were in the middle of enjoying their meal that consisted mostly of... meat.
"Bring more meat over!" The young man with the straw hat screamed.
"Luffy, you can't be making a fuss like that. There are other customers," the blonde young man with a coat said to him, looking troubled.
"It wouldn't be him if he stays quiet, never met someone so troublesome" The green-haired man with three swords sitting next to them drank his sake and paid no heed to the scandal.
"We're just going to eat as much as we can and head straight for the grand line! There is no time to lose; if we delay any further, Ace is going to become the Pirate King before me!"
"I don't think he will manage that in less than a year, though. There is no need to rush so much," Sabo sighed. "Besides, more than becoming the Pirate King, I think he just wants to defeat that guy".
"And how do you even plan to reach the Grand Line? We don't even have a navigator," Zoro asked.
"We will find one!"
"How?!" Sabo interjected.
"Trust me, bro, that's how. This captain of ours has no plan" Zoro drank the whole bottle and cleaned his mouth in irritation; he didn't know if he made the right choice or not joining this crew, but at least, this pair of siblings was strong, even if they were a little dumb with no sense of direction whatsoever.
Just as they were eating, screaming, and making a lot of noise, someone came through the door. It was a beautiful woman holding a small backpack and a book in her hand; she was dressed in dark robes with a very revealing cleavage and hair tied in a bun. Nevertheless, despite the darkness of her persona, her smile shone like the sun. The blonde cook who had been cleaning cups behind the counter immediately looked at her with hearts in his eyes.
"W-What can I do for you, my lady!? My name is Sanji, by the way, in case you were asking" He flung his hair aside, giving her his best smile. The lady giggled but paid no attention to him; rather, she pointed her finger at the noisy table.
"I want to order a ration of meat for that gentleman, it is in my name".
"Eh?"
"Regardless of what happens next, keep cooking, okay? I will take responsibility~".
Having made her order, she walked up to the table and, before even asking for permission, pulled a chair and sat down. Sabo, Zoro and Luffy stopped their screaming and annoyance to look at the sudden newcomer who didn't know what the word 'respect' meant.
Zoro was the first to look at her, and as he did, he gasped.
"You are..."
"Your name is Monkey D. Luffy, right?" She asked the strawhat boy, examining him, the smile never leaving her beautiful countenance.
"And you are...?" Luffy asked back, curious.
The lady sat down with a smile, placing her hand on her cheek.
"I am Nico Robin, your sister~".
There was a moment of silence in which Sabo and Zoro looked between the two of them, trying to see some resemblance. And, surprisingly... There was!
Luffy laughed, "Hahahaha, nice try! But I don't have a sister! I only have two brothers and that's it!"
Robin giggled, "It is okay, it doesn't matter if you believe it or not".
She pointed her hand at him, and before they even knew, Luffy's straw hat was sucked into his shadow, popping up in Robin's hand.
!!!!
"You may not believe me, it doesn't matter... let me test you for a bit. If you pass, I will help you reach the Grand line, if you don't... you stay in the East Blue forever, how about that?~".