Chapter 5

Monsters of the Deep

The two pirate crews sailed side-by-side getting ever closer to the dreaded Raftel Island. Although they were traveling together, the two crews didn't interact much since the seas had become so tumultuous that it took all of their efforts to keep their ships upright. Even for great pirates like them, the end of the New World was unforgiving.

It was a couple of labor-intensive, sleep-deprived, life-threatening weeks before they were getting close to Raftel. Finally, they reached the part of the sea just before the island where the storms seemed to stop for a while, but so did the wind. It was much like the Calm Belt that surrounded the Grand Line itself. Not only did the windless situation make it hard for ships to make any progress, it was also where the most vicious sea monsters made their dwellings. In fact, this was where the Thousand Sunny had almost gotten torn to shreds the last time the Straw Hats were there.

"I hate this part…" Usopp said as tears of fear streamed down his face.

"Me too…" Chopper said as the same kind of tears streamed down his face.

The two slumped against each other immobilized for the moment by a wave of depression.

"Come now," Robin said amazingly cheerfully. "We're much better prepared this time. Don't be so depressed about it."

"Yeah, guys," Franky scoffed. "I've added a few extra surprises to my baby, and you know what? I actually want to be attacked by those freaks of nature so that I can show 'em who's boss!"

"Don't say that out loud!" Usopp said quickly jumping to his feet. "Once you say that, they'll be sure to attack us!"

"Calm down, you wimp," Zoro said. "Nothing's happened yet so there's no reason to get all anxious about it."

"Nami-swan! Robin-chwan!" Sanji called as he happily skipped out of the kitchen with two elegant plates of snacks for the two ladies. "Here are some depression-fighting snacks to help cheer you up!"

"Hey, we need those more than they do!" Usopp and Chopper exclaimed simultaneously.

"You guys can go have some crackers in the kitchen," Sanji said unwaveringly.

"We also have the Red Hair Pirates sailing with us this time as well!" Brook said attempting to encourage his comrades. "I'm sure that there is nothing that we cannot handle together!"

"You mean it?" Chopper asked hopefully.

"Of course, my hooved friend!" Brook declared. "When good unites against evil, which side always wins in the end?"

"Good!" Chopper shouted with confidence.

"That's correct!" Brook said and raised a boney fist in the air.

"But those monsters aren't exactly evil. It's not as simple as how you're making it out to be," Usopp said bursting the poor reindeer's confidence bubble. "In fact, if you go by your own logic, we're kinda the more evil ones! They're just defending their homes and we're the ones intruding! If good always wins against evil, then what you're really saying is that we're going to lose!"

Nami quickly bonked Usopp on the head.

"OW! Hey, what was that for?!" a very angry Usopp shouted at the navigator.

"Stop scaring poor Chopper!" Nami shouted back.

"I'm just being realistic!"

"No, you're being negative!"

"Hey, guys, I think I see it!" Franky interrupted the shouting match. He focused his cyborg eye to zoom in on a tiny speck on the horizon. "Yup. That's Raftel Island."

"Yahoo!" Luffy said happily. "It's about time we got here!"

"So where are those pathetic sea monsters?" Zoro asked looking around. "Ever since we got into this calm part, we haven't run into anything."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Chopper asked.

"It's boring," Zoro replied.

"Sometimes boring can be good," Usopp said with a nervous laugh.

Just as the words left his mouth, the Straw Hats felt the boat rock slightly from side to side. There was no wind so it could only mean one thing.

"They're here…" Chopper said nervously.

"Everyone stay alert," Nami ordered quietly. She glanced over at the Red Force and saw that the Red Hair Pirates were also preparing for a fight.

Suddenly, the soft sound of a whale song was heard. Everyone looked around the ship for any sign of a disturbance in the calm surface of the sea.

"Oh, no. Is that what I think it is?" Nami said out loud.

"What, Nami? What?!" Chopper asked completely freaking out.

"You're an animal! You should know!" Usopp said.

"Ah, oh yeah!" Chopper said sheepishly. He listened again.

The same soft song began to cause the water to ripple.

Chopper's face froze in fear. "It…it's them!" he gasped out.

"I guess I'll take my nap later," Zoro said with a menacing smile.

"Yeah, I was getting bored," Luffy nodded as he put a hand on his opposite shoulder getting ready for an attack.

"I'll protect you, Nami-san, Robin-chan," Sanji said chivalrously.

The crew could begin to hear harmonies in the song now, and it was getting louder. The rippling in the water turned into outright waves causing both ships to rock back and forth more violently.

"Here they come," Robin said crossing her arms.

The very earth seemed to shake as suddenly a whole pod of Whale Dragons broke through the surface breathing out fire and smoke from their mouths and blowholes. Each one was twice the size of both the ships combined and those were just the smaller ones.

"Whale Dragons!" Usopp, Chopper, and Nami screamed.

"Don't let them breath fire on my baby!" Franky bellowed.

The sky turned an orange-red as it filled with the Whale Dragons' fire breath, and a rain of seawater splashed down on the decks of the ships from the turbulent waves caused by the pod's surfacing.

"All right," Luffy said with excitement in his voice. "Let's go!"

Although they didn't want to kill any of the Whale Dragons, the animals were very territorial creatures and would never hesitate to smash or burn intruders to bits. The pirates needed to defend themselves or be annihilated. Even if Chopper could talk to animals, they were far too large and angry to hear him.

Luffy knocked out a few of them with his powerful haki, but there were so many, it was impossible for any one man to take them all out.

Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Brook all jumped onto different Whale Dragons and attempted to pacify them while Robin, Franky, Usopp, and Chopper defended the ship. Nami was at the helm trying her best to keep the ship from capsizing from the incredibly high and dangerous waves that the rampaging animals were forming.

"HWWAAARRGGH!" Luffy bellowed as he punched a Whale Dragon in the eye causing it to go flying off.

Zoro sent another flying with his Great Dragon Twister technique while Sanji knocked one out with an incredible kick to its head causing the Whale Dragon to plummet nearly all the way down to the ocean floor.

Brook ran across the water's surface moving from Whale Dragon to Whale Dragon at an amazing speed. With each encounter, he would attack with his sword faster than the massive animals could react.

Franky had set off hundreds of projectiles that would cause their targets to become paralyzed for a period of time rendering them harmless. He even fired off his own fists to punch a Whale Dragon if it got too close to the ship.

Robin used her Mil Fleur technique to pick up a Whale Dragon and throw it away from the ship.

Usopp fired extinguisher bullets to put out the flames that any of the Whale Dragons shot at the ship. He also shot out smoke bombs into the animals' eyes in an attempt to blind them.

Chopper's job was to run around the ship to put out fires that had formed as quickly as possible.

"Oi, Franky!" Usopp shouted to the cyborg. "Why can't we just use a Coup de Burst and get the heck out of here?"

"Are you an idiot?!" Franky shouted back. "If we use the Burst, we'd more likely than not go flying into one of those Whale Dragons. We'd be smashed to bits!"

"Oh. Good point."

"There are so many of them!" Chopper exclaimed. "How are we ever going to get past them?"

Suddenly, an exceptionally large wave crashed against the Thousand Sunny causing the ship to nearly tip over.

"Nami! Watch where you're steering!" Franky shouted at the navigator.

"Shut up!" Nami screamed. "I'm a navigator! Not a helmsman!" Luckily, the ship returned to its upright position. She wasn't nearly as strong as Franky was so it was taking all of her concentration and strength to turn the helm.

All of a sudden, a thunderous sound shook the very air causing everyone to stop what they were doing and cover their ears.

"Here it comes," Zoro said as he landed on the body of a knocked out Whale Dragon.

The pod of Whale Dragons all seemed to stop as well and they began to go back under the surface of the water.

"You kids ok?" Lucky Roo called over from the Red Force.

"Yeah, we're good!" Franky called back giving him a thumbs up.

Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Brook all made their way back to the Thousand Sunny.

"We need to combine our forces to beat this one," Robin said. "Otherwise we may get separated again."

Luffy nodded. "Hey, Beckman!" he shouted.

The older first mate turned to look at him.

"This time it's a big one," Luffy called. "We need to combine our strength to keep together."

"All right," Beckman said with a nod.

Suddenly, the water began to swirl underneath the ships.

"Zoro, toss the anchors over to the Red Force," Robin ordered.

"Got it," Zoro said and hoisted up both of the anchors one in each hand.

The Red Hair Pirates caught on to what the Straw Hats were doing and they lifted their anchors up. The two pirate crews each tossed their anchors to the other and pulled themselves together. With both ships acting as one, they would be able to put more firepower behind their attack.

"We've only got one shot," Nami said sweat forming on her forehead. "If we can send this one flying, then we should be ok to get to the island. If not, we're gonna need to separate as soon as we can."

A huge tidal wave rose up high into the sky and then crashed down on the two ships. Luckily, Franky had put in reinforcements onto the masts and railings and it seemed that the Red Force had masts strong enough to stay in tact as well.

From behind the tidal wave rose a gigantic Whale Dragon. Its body was so huge it blocked out the sun from view and cast a shadow bigger than a large island over the two comparatively small ships. A deafening roar rumbled throughout the air shaking the very water into smaller tidal waves, but they were still big enough to wash over the ships.

"Well, this should be fun," Yasopp said with a grin.

Usopp looked over at his dad who was standing completely fearless of the gigantic Monster Whale Dragon. "That's not even the half of it," he said trying to sound confident.

"Really? It gets better?" Yasopp asked.

"Uh, yeah. Better…" Usopp laughed nervously.

"Unlike the other smaller ones, this one has wings and can fly," Robin explained.

Yasopp began to laugh. "Woohoo! I haven't had this much fun since we crossed the Calm Belt over the Sea Kings' nest!"

Meanwhile, the Monster Whale Dragon lifted its humongous wings into the air and began to take flight. The flapping caused ridiculously high-speed wind gusts that blew the ships back even though the sails were all tied up. As the Monster Whale Dragon rose out of the water, a giant whirlpool formed and the ships were then jerked forward as they were helplessly pulled into the churning waters.

"All right," Luffy said making a fist. "We've got to hit this thing with everything we've got."

"The Sunny's beam cannon is ready to go," Franky said.

"Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Robin?" Luffy called.

"We're ready when you are," Zoro said.

"Yohoho! I haven't seen this attack in a long time," Brook said clapping his hands together in excitement. "I'm quite excited!"

Nami and Chopper looked at each other slightly less excited than Brook. They both knew what was coming and it was definitely dangerous. The three of them were in charge of rescuing Luffy from hitting the water after the attack. The repercussions from the attack could potentially cause major damage. The three trekked down to the Shiro Mokuba in the Soldier Dock compartment one and the Mini Merry #2 in compartment two. The plan would be for Nami to take the waver in one direction and for Brook and Chopper to take the Mini Merry in the other. They weren't exactly sure where Luffy would land so it was better to have two rescue vehicles rather than one.

"Everyone's in place," Robin said once she had confirmed that Nami, Brook, and Chopper were ready.

Luffy nodded and looked up into the sky. The Monster Whale Dragon had completely flown out of the water now and was hovering in front of the ships. It looked like it was about to send a gigantic fireball their way.

"Luffy," Beckman called over to the Straw Hat captain.

"Hm?"

"We're all set on this end as well."

"Ok," Luffy said with a confident smile. "It's now or never!"

"I sure hope this works," Usopp said to himself.

The last time they were here by themselves, they had tried this same attack against this same Monster Whale Dragon, and it only half worked. The Whale Dragon had been pushed back by the attack but it also managed to send Luffy flying over the ocean to Raftel while simultaneously almost sinking the Thousand Sunny in the process. Now that the Red Hair Pirates were here with them, they could double their power and hopefully send the Whale Dragon flying far enough that its tail or fins wouldn't cause any damage to the ships and keep everyone together.

"Ready!"

The Monster Whale Dragon began gathering its internal fire into a concentrated mass, and the Straw Hats made their initial preparations as well.

"Mil Fleur," Robin said and crossed her arms. Her millions of hands formed into one gigantic hand that lifted Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji up toward the Whale Dragon.

"Aim!"

Both pirate ships hoisted their main guns upward at the colossal beast, and Usopp also aimed his Helmet slingshot up at the sky. Luffy grabbed onto two fingers of Robin's giant devil hand and pulled back readying his Gum Gum Rocket.

"FIRE!" Luffy shouted as he shot himself forward.

Zoro jumped onto Sanji's leg and with a powerful kick, Sanji sent Zoro flying up after Luffy.

"FIRE!" Franky also shouted as he pushed the firing button for the Thousand Sunny's beam cannon.

Usopp let a Heavenly Dragon Star fly up into the sky and an electric storm erupted in the heavens.

"Great Dragon Twister!" Zoro yelled and he created a whirlwind with his swords that sent Luffy flying even more rapidly toward the Monstrous Whale Dragon.

"Third Gear!" Luffy shouted as his right arm blew up to an enormous size. The lightening from Usopp's Heavenly Dragon Star circled around his arm. "GUM GUM GIANT PISTOL!"

Luffy's arm shot out toward the Monstrous Whale Dragon hitting it at the exact same time the Thousand Sunny's beam cannon hit. Another powerful explosion from the Red Force was also timed to hit at exactly the same moment and the combined power of all three forces hit the Monstrous Whale Dragon hard.

A deafening roar echoed throughout the seas as the Monstrous Whale Dragon took the hit. Although it wasn't enough to kill him, the force was enough to send the beast flying through the sky. This time, it flew fast and far enough so that even it's long tail and fins couldn't slice the ships in two.

"It worked!" Usopp shouted in half-disbelief.

"Let's go!" Nami yelled at Brook and Chopper.

"Right!" Chopper said and the three were off.

It was hard to see where Luffy would land since the sky was filled with smoke from the two ships' cannon blasts. Nami only hoped that they would find him in time. Suddenly she saw something fall out of the sky and land in the ocean with a huge splash.

"Luffy!" she shouted and raced the waver over to the sinking captain.

Even though the waver was fast, it wasn't fast enough and Luffy began to sink below the surface.

Nami scooted the waver to a halt and then dove into the ocean. She could only hope that the other Whale Dragons had gone off to find their leader instead of sticking around to keep attacking.

The smoke in the sky was still blocking out most of the sun's rays so it was hard to see underwater, but Nami knew exactly where Luffy had fallen and how fast he sunk so she could calculate where he would be. She reached out her hand and caught ahold of Luffy's shirt. She immediately began to swim up.

As their heads broke through the surface, Luffy took in a huge breath and began to sputter and cough up seawater. "N-Nami?" he managed to say.

"Don't talk!" Nami ordered as she tried to swim back toward the waver. The waves from the whirlpool were still present and were threatening to pull the two back down below the surface. In the distance she could see the waver. "Just hang on and don't you dare let go!"

Luffy nodded and held on the best he could in his weakened state. The seawater was affecting him greatly and it took all he had to keep his arms around Nami's body to prevent himself from sinking.

As Nami fought the vicious waves, she couldn't help but think of the last time she and Luffy were in a giant whirlpool on the brink of drowning. She had thrown herself off the cliff in order to save Luffy and the rest of her crew from Nagi who had threatened to kill them if she didn't jump, but Luffy, who knew he couldn't swim because he had eaten the devil fruit, had jumped in after her without regard for his own life and tried to save her. For those few minutes, Luffy had miraculously been able to swim and saved her from drowning.

This time it was Nami who was the one saving Luffy, but as hard as she tried, she couldn't seem to make any progress towards the waver. Maybe she should've come up with a better rescue plan…but it was too late now. She had to make it. It was either sink or swim.

With pure determination and resolve, Nami managed to make it to the waver. She grabbed onto it in relief, but needed to catch her breath before she could hoist Luffy on it. Just then, an especially strong current from the whirlpool pushed the small waver back with incredible force.

"AHHHH!" Nami screamed as she tried to hold onto both the waver and her captain as they were thrashed about in the sea. The waves crashed over her and Luffy again and again almost as if they were purposefully trying to separate them from the waver. She was beginning to lose her grip. The waves were winning.

"No!" she said through clenched teeth. Just as the last of her strength was leaving her, she vaguely heard the sound of someone calling her name.

"Nami!"

She looked around, but another wave crashed on top of her and she was momentarily blinded.

Suddenly, she felt a strong hand grab her and she was lifted clear out of the water. Nami coughed up some seawater and rubbed her eyes. "Chopper!" she gasped.

"Don't worry, Nami!" the man-sized reindeer said with a smile. "We've got you now!"

"Yohoho!" Brook laughed as he roped the waver and pulled it closer to the Mini Merry #2. "That was quite close, was it not?"

"But it looks like we did it," Nami said as Chopper put her down.

"Yeah!" Chopper said and returned to his normal small form.

Then Nami saw Luffy lying on the boat floor. He wasn't moving. "Oh no!" she screamed in horror and immediately knelt down next to him.

"AHHH!" Chopper screamed as well and waved his arms in the air. "Is he dead?!"

"You're the doctor! You should check him!" Nami yelled at him.

"Oh, yeah!" Chopper said and then put a hoof on Luffy's neck. "No, he's still alive!"

"Thank goodness!" Brook said with a laugh.

"But we need to do CPR right now!" Chopper said and then tilted Luffy's head up.

"R-right!" Nami said. She knew she was blushing. Even though they were in a pretty desperate situation, the thought of touching Luffy's lips was something that she couldn't help but be slightly embarrassed about.

"Yohohohoho!" Brook laughed upon noticing Nami's reaction. "Doctor, I think we have a volunteer as to who will do the CPR for our unconscious captain!"

"What? No!" Nami yelled at the skeleton.

"This is no time for jokes!" Chopper said. "I'm going to perform the CPR!"

Nami sighed in relief making Brook laugh all the more.

After a minute or so of CPR, Luffy sputtered back to life and he coughed up a ton of seawater. He then opened his eyes and saw a skeleton, a reindeer, and a beautiful red-haired girl staring down at him.

"Luffy!" Nami cried in happiness. Before she knew it, she had flung her arms around him and was crying into his chest.

Luffy, although slightly shocked at her reaction, put a hand on her back. "Nami?" he said in confusion.

"Luffy!" Chopper also cried. "Thank goodness!"

Brook only laughed again. "You nearly died on us, my friend," the skeleton said putting a boney hand on Luffy's shoulder. "But thanks to some CPR, you have come back!"

"CPR?" Luffy asked. He looked from Brook to Chopper and then to Nami who was still crying into his shoulder. Suddenly he felt himself get hot. If Nami had given him CPR, then that would mean…

Amazingly, Nami knew exactly what Luffy was thinking. She pulled back and quicker than lightning slapped him across the face. "Don't get any bright ideas, Luffy!" she shouted. "Chopper gave you the CPR. Not me!"

"Ow ow ow!" Luffy whined as he rubbed the red handprint on his cheek. "That hurt, Nami!"

"You deserve it!" Nami huffed and turned her back on him, but Brook and Chopper could see that her eyes were still teary with joy.

"What did I do?" Luffy asked.

"Yohohoho!" Brook laughed at the two lovebirds.

"We should get back to the Sunny before we capsize," Chopper said worriedly.

Nami nodded and made her way to the driver's seat. "Yeah," she said. "Hold on tight, guys. It's going to be a bumpy ride."