Lara's POV;
Once we were out of sight we massively increased our speed and started a meeting in the dining room. Lia made some quick fruit and vegetable slices to nibble on.
“So what exactly happened?”, asked Jo once everyone was sitting.
“Yeah, I'd like to know that too. Who were those guys and why did we give them these folders?”, nodded Yosaku along.
Lia answered in a casual and everyday tone.“They were minions of the biggest criminal overlord on the first half of the Grand Line and most of the second half as well. He is mostly known as Joker. But those who are a little deeper in also know him as Doflamingo. One of the Seven Warlords.”
Nojiko was the first who found her words but only after gulping fearfully. “So we might have survived a confrontation with one of the Seven, just to piss off another one?”
“Yes and no. While he now knows about us is definitely not the best thing, he is also not our enemy. The money and sea stone are only peanuts for him. Those aren't important. No, these folders, as well as the Devil Fruit, that is what he wants.
He agreed to give us the money because hunting us down would be way more expensive and might even make the information inside the folder useless.” I explained. Most of them breathed out in relieve, only to glare at me when I put the Devil Fruit on the table.
“This is the Devil Fruit I found inside the box. It had no description, so I exchanged it with our own. Now we have an unknown Devil Fruit and only need one of those books to identify it.”
“And what if he knew how the fruit looked like? He will know that we were the ones who switched them,” shrieked Nojiko angrily. She also threw a piece of fruit at me, but it got snatched out of the air by Mrs Chicken Wing.
I waved her off and stroked Mrs Chicken Wing's neck, only for her to duck away when I tried to break it.“Nah, I don't think he will know. He might suspect it, but it could also have been someone else. There is practically no young pirate crew with a Devil Fruit lying around. One that would be able to resist the temptation of stealing another fruit, so that they have two, is even rarer.”
She sighed deeply while holding her head, but let the matter rest.
“Right, then are we now going to tell each other what happened while we were parted?”, asked Jonny after a moment of silence.
“Sure, Lia and I went to Rainbase and confronted Crocodile. We fought briefly, but he fled the moment it got dangerous for him. My initial goal to ransack his casino couldn't be accomplished because he flooded the lower floors. Most of the things I wanted were there.
We then met the Straw Hats and went to Alubarna. Nojiko and Jo were already there, so they can tell you more.”
Jo nodded and coughed once. “Right, we met the king and told him about the traitorous acts of Crocodile. The king ordered his army to defend the royal capital and the rebel army attacked the day after.
Both Noji and I bunkered down in a clock tower. There were already tow Baroque Works agent, whom we defeated without problems. We also found a bomb, Lia took care of it for us. During the short war, we were able to take out some of the inside soldiers that crocodile has placed in both armies. But only the rain and beaten body of Crocodile archived a short cease-fire. It was cemented by the king and his daughter, Vivi.
The Straw Hats had fights of their own and fell into an exhaustion induced coma sleep. Noji wanted to tell her sister farewell, so we stayed for another day and then left quietly. The Marines were already searching the town for the Straw Hats and us. The was no need to risk something.”
Both Jonny and Yosaku grumbled about missed fights and then played a quick game of scissors-stone-paper. Jonny won. “We had it fairly quiet. There was a troop of two dozen goons I think. They attacked us, but we took care of them easily. We took the gold, sea stone and folders from them.
Most royal guards were wounded or killed in the fight, but you've already looked at those.” Jo nodded, he indeed had looked at the bandages and first aid that the surviving soldiers got.
“Then it's my turn”, continued Noa, “I've taken a good look at the ship. Well, whatever Lia does with it isn't good for its keel. I made some repairs, but we will need a new and better ship before we pass Water 7. Normal wood is simply not good enough for such strains.
If she gets stronger,” he looked at a nodding Lia, “okay, when she gets stronger than most wood wouldn't be strong enough. I think only wood from the Treasure Tree Adam is strong enough to bear Lia's rising strength. And then also only when we design the ship in a way that is specially made for her and our fast sailing.
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In short, we will never be a powerhouse with lots of cannons. But at least we will be the fastest ship on the sea. That is if we find someone skilled enough to build it.”
“And you aren't good enough?”, I asked.
“Frankly speaking? No, at least not yet. Let me help in building one and then maybe. I have heard that working with the Adam Tree is extremely hard and the wood needs a special crafting method before it shows its true strength.
With my current skill, I might only be able to build a good ship, not something that is a masterpiece. Or something that can carry the force that Lia starts to show. The old man told me of an old friend he who lives in Water 7. Once we are there I will ask him to help us. Until then we have to either stop using Lia's Devil Fruit on our ship. Or sail directly to Water 7.
Small doses are okay, or the reduction of the frontal water pressure, but pushing it forwards is too strenuous.” Lia clicked her tongue in annoyance. We will have to come up with some other training then. Maybe it is time to change the air pressure and create storms? She was reading in Nojiko's book about weather for some time now.
“So what are we gonna do now?”, asked Jo a moment later, while looking at me.
“Hmm, we will go near the Marine testing facility we have learned about in the folder. Then we will wait a week and train. Noa has to be strong enough to face the common Marine soldier on his own.
Once he is good enough we will take a look at the base and maybe will even be able to take what they are researching. Any other ideas? No, okay. Then let's end this meeting here.” With that done I stood up and went outside for my own training. I am still struggling with sound-based attacks. My goal is it to either blast the eardrums out or scramble the inner ear so much that my opponent can't differ left from right.
Lia also came ten minutes later. She was working on her Armament. Normal Armament training, after unlocking it, is usually only equipping it for as long as possible. Preferably while under stress, like a fight.
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The next day we started with our group training. Jonny and Yosaku were doing their own lifting and flexibility course, while I showed Noa how to work the different weights.
“I have seen you using hammers as your weapons. Do you want to continue with them?”, I asked while keeping an eye on him. He was lifting weights and it's always good to have someone who can take the weight if needed.
“Yeah, whenever I found myself in a fight I had a hammer in my hand. After the fourth bar fight or so I thought why not and then started to carry two of them at all times.” With a grunt, he lifted the weight one more time and then placed it away.
“Do you want me to make two especially for fighting? I don't think your normal ones are designed for combat”, I asked while we walked over to the smaller weights for arm training.
“That would be nice. Didn't know you are a skilled smith.” He took a smaller one while I took one with five times his weight.
He stared at the numbers for a moment, but snapped out when I spoke.“Learned it at home. I even made my own sword and promised Jonny and Yosaku their own. But so far we never had the time for me to make them. I need a real forge for that. At the latest, I will do them in Water 7. So what do you want, spiked ones? One with a dial that gives you the extra Wump?”
“What is a dial?”, he just asked.
“It's something that is commonly found on a sky island. A shell that can do some useful things. There are some for water, fire or cloud production. The one I am speaking about would push something away from it.
Used at the right time and it can drastically increase the power of a swing from your hammer. Used incorrectly and it will break your hand,” I explained with a laugh at the end.
He looked a little pale, but then seemed to have remembered something. “Right, you mean those strange shells in the sink or bath? Jonny showed them to me. So those come from an island that is called sky island? Are they in the sky or what?” He asked more jokingly but looked a little stunned when I nodded with a grin.
“No way! Are we also visiting one of those?” He sounded almost as eager as Nojiko when she first heard of them.
“Maybe, it's fairly hard to reach them. There are two ways, but I only know of one. Say, is the ship good enough to survive a knock upstream?”, I asked in return.
“Knock upstream? Never heard of that.” I frowned but then remembered that there was a chapter about those in the navigation book. There should also be one about the second way to reach those islands.
“Yeah, that are giant oceanic water geysers they can push a ship upwards, often up to 10.000 metres. Nojiko's book has a chapter about them. Could you take a look at their description and tell me if the ship is able to survive one?” He nodded once. We then continued with the muscle training, followed by a spar to see how strong he is and a few stretches.
He is strong enough to fight maybe one or two normal Grand Line Marine soldiers at once. And that for half an hour. If we keep going with the same speed we now have he will be good enough to stay alive against normal soldiers or maybe a Lieutenant.
Jonny and Yosaku should be strong enough to fight the usual Commander. Together maybe even a Captain. Jo can also hold his own against the normal non-Logia Captain. With Nojiko it depends on the situation. In close combat, she is good enough to face the normal common soldier. At a distance most likely a Lieutenant Commander.
Lia is easily able to hold her own against a single Rear Admiral, at a distance even a Vice Admiral.
With me doing the opposite. And Mrs Chicken Wing, well, I don't know. Neither Lia nor I can even touch her. So maybe Admiral, hehehe.
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A day later Jonny came to me. “Hey sis Lara, do you have a carving knife?”
I looked up from my book about Haki for Dummies, the current chapter was about Armament infusion of Devil Fruit power, and thought for a moment. The should be a normal one in my inventory. “Sure, wait a moment,” I then said and went to my cabin to take it out without anyone seeing. “Here you go.” I then said and gave him a normal sharp one. It wasn't anything special, only really sharp.
“Thanks. I thought I might try my hands on sculpting. Yosaku has his art thing, Nojiko is tending to her flowers. Noa is constantly working on the ship. Josef is testing new medications. And you and sis Lia are learning all the time. Only I have nothing to do.”
“I could always increase your training”, I offered. He blanched and choke his head in denial.
“No, that isn't necessary. I already fear for my health with the current one. This is only for taking my mind off of the normal stress, you know.” I nodded in understanding and he walked over to Noa, probably asking him for some wood.
I always sleep with Lia when I want to relax. Nothing is more relaxing than good sex and cuddling.
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Later that day Yosaku asked me for my opinion on a new painting. “I'm working on it for a few weeks now. Ever since you threw Mrs Chicken Wing in the sea and we learned what a good bait she is for sea kings.” He said while showing me the canvas.
It showed a giant sea king right next to our Shadow. The serpentine monster had an alligator face and showed its many teeth. It was also bleeding from lots of small wounds. Clearly, a picture of a fight and its opponent was none other than Mrs Chicken Wing.
Her figure was central, wings wide and claws black from Armament Haki. There was even the sun on her back, making her look like some hero.
“Bough”, clucked Mrs Chicken Wing suddenly from under me in approval. She looked at Yosaku, nodded and flipped the painting up with her wing. A moment later she was balancing the canvas on her back and walked inside the ship.
“I take it it was good?”, chuckled Yosaku. We all were by now already used to the strange hen.
Later that day I found the painting nailed to a wall in her quarter. Where she got the nails, or how she managed to put the painting on the wall weren't things I wasted a thought about. It's better for my already lacking mental health to not gaze into the abyss of horror that might explain this chicken.