Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I should have expected something like this to happen. That's the risk you take walking home at night. Sooner or later you get mugged and end up being left bleeding out behind the bodega. I didn't even have time to process what happened. At most the flash of a knife before colliding roughly with the wall. A searing pain in my back, concerningly close to my spine, and a whole lot of yelling. I might have blacked out for a while as I'm not sure how long I was laying there. It took a few attempts to push myself up and even more to shake off the dizziness and drag my happy ass over to where the bastard had dropped my stuff to take inventory of what I lost.

Motherfucker wasn't even competent, just nabbed my wallet and dipped. Didn't even take my satchel or camera case. Don't get me wrong, I don't want any of that stuff to go to some run-of-the-mill bitch ass mugger, there were some pretty expensive items there. I don't think my Dad would forgive me for losing my late grandfather's camera but damn I'd like to think my life is worth more than 13 dollars in ones and an empty bank card.

“Jackass.” I cough out sardonically, leaning back to look up at the night sky. It was a little cloudy and my vision was starting to blur but I could still piece together a few constellations.

“Not the worst way to go” I lament before my breathing gets cut off by a series of painful hacking coughs. Yep, that was blood. Guess I should add a punctured Lung to the list. 

Things started getting fuzzy from there. It was hard to describe. I remember things happening around me. There was something that sounded like an ambulance siren, the flashing lights certainly backed it up. As I slip away I can't help but hope that whichever poor bastard found me called me in doesn't end up too traumatized. Unless the asshole who stole my shit felt guilty, which… yeah no, he can still fuck right the hell off.

------

It's safe to say that I didn't expect too much to happen after joining the Great Majority. I kinda thought it would just be like falling asleep, and for a while, it was. Until it wasn't.

My hearing was the first sense that came back online followed by vision. I was still in a different alleyway from the one before. That was the first clue.

The second was the little girl sitting way too close and much larger than a six year old should be. I bolted up with a yelp, paws scrambling for traction against the stone bricks.

Wait?

PAWS?!

“ What? ” frantically looking around to get my bearings, I decided to ignore the now frightened girl bolting back to her mother. Normally, I'd feel more guilty over scaring a child. Normally I don't WAKE UP AS A FUCKING DOG. Not an average dog either, no, if the stone collar didn't give it away, the unnaturally deep gouges my claws had dug into the stone bricks certainly did. 

Rockruff. A Pokemon. Fuck.

“Okay, okay, This is fine” I whine. It wasn't fine “ I'm sure this is fixable” I continued, like a liar.

“First, priorities,” I start again as my brain finally decides to reboot. “ Where the hell am I?”

There wasn't anything else in the alley aside from my bags, propped neatly against the wall, and a few trash bags. I decided to check my messenger bag again now that I was no longer actively dying. The buckles were a hassle without the use of opposable thumbs as was the task of removing everything from the pockets. Eventually I decided to simply fish out all the fragile items and upend everything else onto the ground. Everything was still there. The camera case’s zipper was much easier to work with and after checking that everything was there and undamaged as well as confirming that the GoPro was still in the extra pocket, I turned back to sorting through the random assortment of items. Sketchbooks in one pile. Phone laptop and other electronics inspected and put right back in the bag. Snacks in another separate pile. Pencils and pen put with the sketchbook. Eventually I was able to sort out and rearrange enough to stuff the camera case into the satchel and sling it over my back. It was bulky and awkward but at the very least nothing was dragging on the ground. This was all done without the use of thumbs mind you. Just puppy paws and the zero standards I have in terms of things I'm willing to hold in my mouth.

I was almost ready to go when I spotted a flash of blue in the pile of discarded papers and other garbage that, on closer inspection, turned out to be eleven Pokemon Cards. One of which was labeled Rockruff with what looked like more of a summary page than an actual pokemon card

“Curious, I thought I removed all of these” I muttered absently, as things started clicking into place. With a shrug I scooped them up and deposited them in the bag with everything else.

------

It was dark by the time I finally left the alleyway. All the better for me, it just meant the streets were empty and I could travel without getting spotted. Eventually I ran into the docks. Deciding to camp out in an old run down little shed nearby, judging by the tarps and bundles of rope, probably an unused supply shed. I tuck my belongings in the corner and cover it with one of the tarps. Just in case someone happened to look in. After a glance at the rest of the tarps, I eventually decided to just pile those on as well, arranging them into a sort of nest. I flop down with a heavy sigh.

Objective 1: find shelter was accomplished.

With all that sorted, I nudged my head into the side pocket I had stashed the cards. As I had originally guessed, there were eleven cards in total: Espeon, Riolu, Alolan Vulpix, Oshawott, Scorbunny, Deerling, Taillow, Alolan Rattata, Zorua, and Grubbin plus the strange Rockruff card. Working on some sort of instinct, I place one paw on the Rattata card. For a moment nothing happened before there was a flash and suddenly I'm several inches shorter and balancing on two legs instead of four. Naturally I immediately face plant onto the wood floor.

I giggle deliriously. It quickly transitioned to hysterical as I finally stopped and let the events of the day catch up with me.

 “Fuck, man.” I died. To put it bluntly, I was murdered. It wasn't quick, it wasn't some easy Isekai car crash or head injury where you get knocked out quickly and wake up somewhere interesting. It wasn't an accident. Someone went out of their way to cause me harm and, yeah, I woke up somewhere new but something went wrong in transit. I'm stuck god knows where and all I have to my name is whatever random shit I had stuffed in a single bag I can barely even carry.

“Fuck This,” I snarl. The grief skips past denial straight to anger as I start pacing around my hut. “Fuck. This. If I get hit with ONE MORE FUCKING CURVEBALL, I'M GOING TO CLAW MY WAY UP THERE AND FIGHT YOU MYSELF! DON'T TEST ME, OLD MAN!”

Does threatening God with violence count as bargaining?

------

“Yep, I'm fighting God.” I concluded the next morning, Blankly staring at the sign in front of me from an adjacent building. Taillow, it turns out, is a great way to explore without looking out of place. Not that it really matters in a place like this.

Loguetown. Of course out of all the places to be, out of everything thing I've read, watched and listen to it had to be fucking Loguetown. It had to be One Piece, a manga I had just started reading . Sure, I knew the broad overview of how things play out but nothing concrete and even that stops at the beginning of Sabaody. That said, at least it opens up some options. If the Strawhats haven't already passed through, I could at least hitch a ride to another island. I figured I'd draw a little less attention on the Grand Line. Or I could just find a dream and hype it up enough that they let me come with. That would probably be the ideal option, especially if I can get this Pokemon situation figured out. 

That decided, I start the short flight towards the town square. I figured the best way to check if that lot has been here would be the execution platform. Still standing. That plus a quick check of the town News Board confirmed a handful of semi familiar bounties. It wasn't much information but it was enough to form a plan. 

------

Okay so the plan was, admittedly, a bit monotonous. It primarily consisted of me, as a Rockruff, sitting out of the way but still in full view of the docks for about 6 hours. Usually the ADHD would kick in around noon and I'd wander off to find something else to do. It only took about 3 days before the dock workers noticed my presence. Judging by the conversations I overheard, I'm pretty sure they assumed it was a Hachikō situation. Frankly I'm just glad no one questioned the rocks around my neck.

 I only ever left my shed as either a Rockruff, Rattata or Taillow. Those were the ones that wouldn't raise too many eyebrows. I'd experimented with the other forms too, mainly on days I just didn't feel up to wandering around after my morning vigil. I liked Espeon, as psychic powers were a godsend in terms of making up for the lack of hands. I couldn't pick up much. At most, my bag and that's if I'm willing to deal with the migraine that follows. I had tried to use Zorua’s illusions to help me look more human but my first few attempts were… unsettling. To say the least.

It was midmorning on day 10 when things changed. I had been there for a while and was starting to drift off to the sound of the city and everyone going about their business. Because I this I hadn't noticed the arrival of a new, very familiar, ram-headed ship pull in until-

“Ok, if you see a tall white haired half naked guy smoking a minimum of two cigars at once tell him I think he’s cool,”

My head shot up. I recognized that line it was never said in any canon version of One Piece but I knew that line. I turned my head and, lo and behold, standing there on the deck of the Going Merry was one E. D. Domino. This called for a slight change in plans

Chapter Text

Step 1: Make Contact. Which… Is where we hit the first snag. God damn it. I'm starting to think I'm bad at making plans.

Anyway, that's how I ended up sitting in front of the bank as Espeon. Valiantly ignoring the whispers and strange glances from the passing townspeople.

“Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up.” I chanted mentally, plastering myself up against the brick building. I hate this so much. There's a reason I only went out as the more ‘Normal’ looking Pokemon. You'd think in a place this close to the Grand Line people would learn to mind their own business. Then again, I was a Purple cat creature the size of a German shepherd, so I guess they got a pass.

Finally, after way too long in my opinion, Domino steps outside only to freeze as soon as we make eye contact. After a very long and very awkward silent stare down, I eventually just decide ‘fuck it’. I shift to put all my weight onto my hind legs, pulling one of my front legs into a salute.

“Viva O’Brien, pleased to meet you.” I introduce cheerfully. “I have some things I'd like to discuss with you, Detective.”

“Right…” they replied, voice faint, before managing to compose themselves. “Right, first off, You can just call me Ed. Second, Baby? Sweetheart? Pookums? What the actual festering fuck?”

“Well, you see, I've had this theory for a while that God does, in fact, play favorites, and I am not one of them.” I deadpan in response, dropping back onto all fours. “You have errands to run, right? We can walk and talk.” I adjusted my bag to once again lay across my back, bunching up the strap and using my teeth to hold it in place. It wasn't like I was talking verbally anyways and I sure as hell wasn't going to levitate the damn thing in broad daylight.

“I don't think I need to point out the obvious here but, thankfully, I do have some options.” I pull the cards, passing them over for Ed to flip through as I subtly herd them in the direction of the transponder snail shop. I was suddenly glad I actually took the time to go and memorize Loguetown’s general layout since I woke up.

“Been here a week and a half and didn't have anything to do so I did some experimenting. The cards work on physical contact after a duration of five seconds, though I think I might be able to make it faster or slower if I concentrate. It's something I still need to test.” Ed had been silent until now. Flipping through the cards, the only indication they were listening was the occasional glance in my direction.

“No offense,” They start gently. “But I fail to see how this is a bad thing.”

“Oh, don't get me wrong, I do think this is pretty cool but, well… The species dysphoria hits hard sometimes y’know? That coupled with the fact that my knowledge decreases exponentially after Alabasta? I think I have a right to be a bit unsettled, don't you?”

“Yeah, that is- that’s not great.” they wince sympathetically. I hum distractedly. We walked quietly for a few moments letting that information settle. That silence went from contemplative to awkward very quickly and I started wracking my brain for something to say. Going by the look on their face, so was Ed. And this, ladies, gentlemen, and otherwise unaffiliated, my brain supplied, traitorously. Is what happens when two neurodivergent introverts are forced to interact without the interference of an extravert or the excuse of parallel play. Why did I think this was a good idea again? Ah, yes, that's why. I'm a moron.

“I nearly got the Marines on my ass two days ago,” I blurted out randomly cringing before the last word even left my mouth. That incident was not my proudest moment. Thankfully no one ever suspects a random bird sitting on a nearby building. “In unrelated news, I now know Taillow has Boomburst.” I nearly toppled my shed in the process, but whatever. It's fine. I'm fine. Everything is fine.

“Taillow learns that?”

“Only through breeding. Honestly, I'm still not sure why I have it” 

“Huh.” Their thoughtful expression shifted into something significantly more mischievous. “Can you show me?”

I look around pointedly, then back at my bag before giving them an unimpressed look.

“Fair enough,” This kid is great. They didn't even skip a beat. No change in inflection. A+ comedic timing. “You'll just have to show me on the ship.”

“What?” I spin around, surprised. “Can- are you even allowed to do that?”

“Well, I'd need to check in with Luffy first, but, I mean, do you really think he'd turn you down? You said it yourself, this is cool as hell.”

“If I'm just going to be there as a novelty I'd rather take my chances here once Smoker leaves.” I pushed out around the spike of annoyance

“That's not what I meant; I'm not going to speak for the others, but for what it's worth, I want you there.”

“And if Luffy doesn't want me there?”

“He will.”

“And if he doesn't?”

“You'll be my partner. I'll admit I probably don't know as much about Pokemon as you do but I grew up with it just as much as you did. I know how sacred that kind of thing is, and if you’ve read as much as you claim, then you know how much Luffy respects that kind of vow.” Their expression was firm, an almost unsettling determination simmering behind their eyes. “If you want to come with us, then I'll make sure you do.”

With the amount of conviction in their voice I could almost believe them, but, for some reason, there was one word I was still stuck on.

“When you say, partner-”

“I mean partner. Equal say. Not a subordinate. Not a novelty. Not a pet. You'll be my partner just as much as I'll be yours.”

“I'm a photographer, Domino. I don't think that’d be much help on a pirate ship.” I don't want to be there if I'm just going to be dead weight. My mind added to my token protest.

“I'm sure an outside perspective would be useful plus having pictures of everything would be nice” We’ll find something. Their eyes said.

“I won't even be able to talk most of the time and my ability to use moves is iffy at best” I'll get in the way.

“The whole point of this is to help learn moves.” I don't care.

“... I want to meet everyone first.” Please don't make me regret this.

Despite my protests, I couldn't find it in me to be upset at the victory in their smile.

I wouldn't dream of it.

------

“Okay, so now that we've got that settled. Do you want me to carry that? It looks like it'll snap your spine if you move wrong.”

“Just be careful.”

“Jesus, what do you have in here? Bricks?”

“Several hundred dollars worth of electronics. Hand me the Rattata card would you? I'm getting tired of the staring. I’ll direct ‘Ratatouille’ style.”

“Please don't pull my hair.”

“...I wasn't going to”

"Doubt."

"Bitch. Just give me the fucking card."

Chapter Text

You're judging. I feel judged.” Ed complained, trying to juggle the bug spray, the snail case, and the Log pose without dislodging me from my perch on their shoulder. I looked pointedly at the canisters before turning my nose up in exaggerated pompous disgust. I'll never understand how people could enjoy the smell of citronella. “Hey, these are necessities. If you have any better ideas, feel free to point them out.”

“I’d rather take my chances with the ticks. I'll be sticking with Scorbunny on Little Garden anyway.” The fire type’s natural body temperature should be high enough to kill any diseases carried by the bugs on the island. Probably. Hopefully… In theory. If not I'll just die. Can't be worse than last time, right?

The only response I received from that logic was my new partner simply dropping their haul on the counter. The cashier didn't say anything about my presence which I found a bit odd. From my experience, Rattata tended to get chased away from basically any storefront I even stood too close to. Much less ones I tried to enter. I’m willing to bet it's because I'm with a person this time. That or the cashier wasn't conscious enough to register my existence. Probably the latter. Homeboy looked like he'd keel over if you blinked at him too hard.

Ed threw a chocolate bar and, at my insistence, a small bag of chips on top of the pile and paid. They held onto the chips as we left, occasionally handing me a couple at my insistence and stashing everything else in various pockets, including a couple of cans of bug spray in the mostly empty front pocket of my bag, AKA the random bullshit pocket. Chances are those cans will never again see the light of day. Or they'll explode. Considering the extreme weather changes that we'll be going through in the next few weeks an explosion is probably inevitable. What's the deal with Drum Island anyway? Isn't the Grand Line in the Equatorial Zone? Why do Equator have tundra? Not to mention those mountains. This place’s topography must be insane. I should talk with Nami about that map of hers. Is this place even an actual version of Earth or another planet entirely? I-I’m not sure how I'd feel about the implications there. The stars are different at least, that much is obvious from my own star-gazing

“We still have about an hour, anything you need to do while we're here?” Ed drew me out of my existential tangent, staring blankly for a moment trying to piece together the question with only the handful of words that my brain managed to process for context.

“Oh! Yeah, no, Not really,” It clicked and I shook my head with a shrug.

“Aight, aimless wandering it is.” 

I settled back a little, back paws resting against a fold in the back of Ed’s shirt for purchase and propping myself up with my front legs on their shoulder. We couldn't do much in terms of conversation, for obvious reasons, but I still appreciated the company. Introvert, though I am, ten days is a long time to spend without human interaction, in my opinion. Or any interaction, really. Stray cats and dogs, pigeons, and gulls weren't exactly good company. Too focused on survival to bother stopping for a quick chat. Not that I could blame them. I reckon I'd be the same way had I not been spending the past ten days living off the bulk bags of jerky and granola that had been shoved onto me by concerned siblings. Say what you will about the nutritional value of having potato chips for lunch. At least they're something that isn't That. 

“These seem kinda limited on moves, don't you think?” I lean forward a bit at Ed’s observation, watching as they flip through the cards again. I scramble up to sit more upright on their shoulder, absentmindedly pulling an ear down to fidget with the tuft of fur at the end, much like how I would play with my hair back when I was still me. Sure, I did have a few theories as to how my situation worked but it's not like I could communicate them the way that I was at the moment. Espeon was out of the question for right now. If the Sun Pokemon was as sensitive to weather changes as its ‘Dex entries tried to imply, then the coming storm would only be distracting, if not downright overstimulating. So yeah, ‘verbal’ communication was out, but, thankfully, more pressing issues came up.

“Look, you just do what I say and we won’t have a problem, aight?” my head shot up, ears twitching. We are running into an unprecedented number of muggings this month. 

 I shared a look with Ed and gave a resolute nod as I positioned myself to jump. On your signal.

“Duck,” I set up a Focus Energy before rushing forward and, using the startled Marine’s shoulder as a springboard, directly into a Quick Attack. My attack hit the guy’s chest at the same time as Ed’s swing at the head, sending the green-haired man to the ground. I tried to jump back to my spot on Ed’s shoulder as they gushed about the quality of the briefcase, because priorities I guess, but the momentum was gone, impacting a few inches too low and forcing them to catch me.

“We’ll work on it.” Was the only response as they returned me, sulking, to my spot and turned their attention back to the two men in front of us. I did take some smug satisfaction at the forming bruise on Bartolomeo's chest. I had marginally more information about him compared to some other characters. I know this is where he sets off after seeing Luffy’s upcoming stunt on the execution platform and later becomes an ally, plus something to do with cannibalism which is… mildly concerning seeing as I still have no context on that shit. Well, seeing as Ed doesn't seem overly concerned and I currently do not have the energy to ponder that particular moral dilemma on top of my current existential ones, I just decide to push those thoughts to the side. We can burn that bridge when we get to it. Best to focus on current issues and leave my various crises for insomnia-driven 3 AM rabbit holes. You know, like a normal person.

“Ed, Eddie, Domino, baby” I pat their cheek a few times to draw their attention and point at the Marine being dragged behind us. “I know I'm signing up for crimes here but I didn't think we'd jump straight to kidnapping.”

“Oh, shit. Sorry man, you good?” 

“I've had worse, I'll have worse.” His gaze flickered from me to the satchel and back to Ed. “I can see why you needed to find the bank.”

“Yeah, thanks for those directions, by the way.” The conversation continued largely the same as it did in Aachria's version. I wish I could've actually contributed to the conversation, but currently, my best options were text-based, and, as it turns out, that was difficult when any writing or typing tools you have are almost as tall as you are, if not larger. I knew sign language but, well, that kind of requires the use of five fingers. Something none of my bipedal Pokemon have.

You know Morse code, dumbass. My thoughts oh so helpfully reminded me as Ed said their goodbyes and started heading back towards the plaza. I glanced over, chirping a few times to draw Ed’s attention down from the sky, before slowly and deliberately reaching over to tap their shoulder with a questioning head tilt. “- . ... - .. -. --.”

“Morse code?” They guess. “That's not a bad idea. I'll have to learn that myself.” My ears twitched as I tried to hide my disappointment. Yeah, it was a long shot to assume they'd be able to translate. I nodded anyway. It still has potential, we'll just have to stick to charades and talking to myself for a bit longer.

“I'll write out a cheat sheet,” I murmured, still slightly despondent. That seemingly settled, Ed turned back to their cloud-gazing with me deciding to act as a guide dog, hopping from shoulder to shoulder to indicate each turn or obstacle so that they don't run directly into a wall or something.

It's because of that that I, unlike the detective, saw Zoro’s approach.

“Swordsman incoming.” I tried to warn hoping the chirping would draw their attention like it did last time. It did not. I had to dig my claws into the detective's shoulder to not be knocked off. 

“Oh, Sorry-”

“My Bad-”

“I tried to warn you,” I grumbled, shaking out my fur and repositioning myself.

“How much did you buy?” Zoro gestured incredulously to the admittedly overstuffed bag slung across Ed's chest.

“Huh? Oh, not that much. Most of this is Viva’s” I gave a chipper little wave to the baffled swordsman. He did not wave back.

“That is a rat.” he deadpanned. Which… Yeah, fair enough.

“Pokemon,” Ed corrected distractedly, waving down Nami, Usopp, and Sanji who were rounding the corner.

“Nami! Ed! I've missed you!” Sanji fawned.

“You got a pet?” Nami asked with a raised brow. I gave another small wave before hopping down to stand on top of the bag. With the way it was positioned, I was at the same level as the pocket Ed had stashed my cards in. I had to stick half my body in the pocket to reach it, but eventually, I managed to fish out the Espeon card and hop down just in time for the transformation. As predicted earlier, the dropping air pressure and rising humidity of the coming storm were disorienting but, thankfully, easily shaken off.

“Technically the correct term would be ‘Partner Pokemon’,” I inform the stunned crew. “Anyway, I'm Viva, Ed’s partner from back home.” It wasn't technically a lie. I agreed to be their partner and we did come from the same dimension. Plus, Ed was less likely to get in trouble for recruiting me if everyone thinks we were already part of a pair.

“yeah, that's great and all, but has anyone seen the Captain?” Zoro interrupted. "He was going to the execution platform, right? Isn’t that right here in the plaza?”

Everyone voiced their disagreement. I glanced over to the growing crowd in the plaza.

“Is that him?” I monotone, flicking an ear at the cluster of pirates on top of the platform.

“WHY THE HELL IS HE ON THE EXECUTION STAND” I cringe at the yelling, ears pressed tight against my head but eyes still firmly fixed on the platform.

“It’s the place the Pirate King got executed, what are you gonna do? Not get executed too?” Ed shook their head, reaching out to let their hand brush along my back. They made a pointed gesture to the crowd.

“You four go get him. Me and Usopp will get the ship ready.” I shot off before Nami could finish speaking; I was already well aware of the storm. Being smaller was certainly helpful, allowing me to weave through the crowd with marginally more ease than what Zoro, Sanji and Ed were dealing with. I couldn't hear much around the chatter of the crowd.

“I'M THE MAN WHO’LL BECOME THE KING OF THE PIRATES!”

“Wait!” I heard Zoro yell.

“Sanji! Zoro! Ed! Help me out here!”

“VIVA!” Ed begged 

"I AM WORKING ON IT!” I snarl, finally breaking free from the crowd, dodging the grabbing hands of the various pirates at the base of the platform and starting to scale the support beams.

“You’re too late! Just stay back and watch your Captain get executed!” Buggy taunted sword raised as I tried to claw my way up to the top. 

“Zoro! Sanji! Nami! Usopp! Ed!” I managed to heave myself up and Luffy looked me straight in the eye with a smile “Sorry, looks like I’m dead.” The sabre was already coming down. I can't charge any attack that fast. I looked down at Ed who was looking between me and Luffy as if we were already dead. Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not the one being held at sword point. It registered like the crackle of static starting to run along my fur. 

Oh.

Luffy’s immune to electricity.

I'm not.

CRACK

BOOM!

Chapter Text

You know, here I thought paralysis was a bitch to deal with in the games. Now, feeling the effects first-hand, I just feel guilty for the number of times I had to make my team fight Wattson. God, even my fucking teeth hurt.

Suffice it to say, my landing wasn't exactly what one would consider graceful. Because, of course, Luffy lands on his feet, completely unscathed, while I had to have help to be dug out of the rubble. I wasn't exaggerating when I said God played favorites.

“I feel like one of us should have remembered the lightning.” I groan, struggling to my feet. I needed help with that, too, having to be held up at first by Ed, who, funnily enough, was still yelling at Luffy even as they fussed over me. “I’m blaming you for that.”

“Are you okay?” They ask quietly and, damn it, that was guilt in their eyes. I bumped my head against their hand reassuringly. I elected to ignore that bitchy voice in my head telling me I was getting attached way too quickly.

“Everything hurts and I'm trembling like a newborn foal,” I report. “But I think I can manage until the adrenaline wears off.”

“Yeah, that's great,” Zoro interrupted, irritated. “Are you two done? We've got trouble.”

Right, the Marines. Forgot about them. I need to get my shit together. They made a break for it. I tried to follow, starting at a stumbling trot before forcing it up to a painful sprint. Fucking Paralysis.

I was doing well enough, all things considered. I was still lagging behind the boys but I was keeping up with Ed. Though they might have been slowing down for my sake. I hope not.

A Marine was reaching to grab my partner. I pivoted to try hitting him with a Take Down… aaaaand failed. My muscles seized before I could launch the attack. FUCKING PARALYSIS! Whatever, it's fine. Ed handled it themself and I doubt I could handle the recoil anyway.

“Fucking shit,” Ed swore, pulling ahead of me. I pushed myself to go a bit faster. “I was not made for this!”

“I'll carry you, Ed” I heard Sanji offer.

“You’re doing better than I am!” I yelled encouragement. I was catching up though, movements evening out as the paralysis started to wear off only slightly.

“Roronoa Zoro” cue obstacle number one: Tashigi. “You were a pirate the whole time! You lied to me!”

“That’s a bit of a given with pirates.” I quip over Sanji’s “What did you do to that lady?!”

“You never asked me my name or profession!”

“I’ll collect that sword, the Wado Ichimonji!”

I didn't pay much attention to the two after that as the paralysis had worn off enough that I could finally trust myself not to completely fumble my attempts to thin out the bottleneck further with Confusion.

“That brute dares to harm a Lady?!” Ed and Luffy had to drag Sanji behind them.

“You can try stopping them but I think she'd just be insulted if you did.” I point out helpfully. That shuts him up but it's obvious that he wasn't happy about it. 

I pulled up to run next to Ed as they stumbled. I felt a pressure behind my eyes as I let the psychic energy build, ready to break the detective’s fall should they trip.

I wasn't the only one concerned as Sanji again offered to carry them.

Enter obstacle number two: Smoker.

“There’s another one?” Sanji groans. 

“But we’re almost at the harbor!” Luffy whines.

“For the love of- if we stop running, I can't guarantee I'll be able to start again,” I informed the group, and I really couldn't. The muscle spasms may have stopped but I was still running entirely on adrenaline and one wrong step from completely collapsing.

“So you’ve come, Strawhat Luffy,” grunts the personification of nominative determinism

“You?!” Luffy shouts while I consider testing the effects of psychic attacks on a Logia

“The name’s Smoker, Marine Captain. Like I said earlier, you can’t make it to the Grand Line without going through me,” isn't he intangible? Things going through him was literally the whole point. 

“I forgot about that! Hey Ed, this is the guy you thought was cool right?”

“Not the fucking time, Luffy”

“This that detective you mentioned then?” Smoker asked, starting to dissolve into smoke.

“Yep!”

“We're stopping?” I pant weakly as we skid to a stop, my limbs immediately started to tremble harder than before. Luffy tried to wave us ahead, and while I considered following Sanji, I decided to stick behind just in case backup was needed. It was, admittedly, partially for my own amusement, watching Ed try to wrangle their captain into running.

“Ed, lemme fight him!”

“No!”

Luffy attempted to slingshot the two of them into the Marine Captain, which would have been a good idea if it had worked.

“Do you need help?” I offered mildly over Ed's yelling.

“Nope!”

“No! Just stay there, we can't fight this guy!”

“You really can't,” Smoker rumbled and I jumped in without thinking, forming a bubble of energy, a form of Protect. The shield shattered, sending all three of us to the ground. He didn't pay me as much attention as he did Ed and Luffy, I was only hit because I decided to jump in. He wasn't even bothering to hold me in place. I stayed down anyway, ready to at least try hitting him with a last-ditch Confusion if need be.

“Looks like your luck’s come to an end.” No, the fuck it hasn't. My eyes narrow.

“Or perhaps not…” Someone interrupted before I tried anything stupid. Instead, I shuffle closer while Smoker is distracted, digging my claws into the back of Ed's shirt and wrapping my tail around Luffy's arm.

“E. The letter.” I reminded them as the wind picked up. They fumbled with their pockets practically throwing the letter at the man before we got swept away. I lost my grip on Ed halfway through the windstorm instead resorting to wrapping practically my entire body around Luffy as we were unceremoniously dumped on the ground.

“What the hell are you guys doing?! Move your asses.” I untangled myself from the Captain, stumbling a few steps before regaining my balance.

“Do you want to get stuck on this island?! The ship was already swept out into the harbor! We gotta get out there!” I could barely hear Sanji over the storm.

“I don't know how you plan to get out there,” I projected back. “There aren't any rowboats in this part of the docks that are both big enough to hold us and strong enough to withstand the storm!”

“Alright,” Luffy cheered, already stretching.

“Is he…” Sanji gaped.

“He is.” I sigh, resigning myself to my third crash landing in the past hour.

“I'm not gonna like this,” Zoro says horrified.

“DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE!” Ed’s threats went ignored, and I once again wrapped myself around the nearest person- Zoro, I think- as we were all sent flying into the ship’s sail.

Pulling myself out from the middle of the pile, I flopped onto my side as everyone else got up.

“Look! See that lighthouse?” Nami pointed off the side of the ship. I lifted my head to follow her gaze, postponing my plans to go find some random corner to die in for a few hours.

Sure enough, even through the downpour and Espeon’s naturally shitty night vision, you could see the flash of a lighthouse. “That's the Light of Guidance. It marks the entrance to the Grand Line. So, what shall we do?” She asks Luffy with a smile.

“Do we have to go there in this weather?” Usopp asked, a death grip on the mast.

“Entering on the tailwind of a monsoon, it's fitting for the absolute shitstrom we’ll be bringing with us!” Ed cackled

“I'm always down for a Thematic Moment.” I agree.

“This calls for a celebration,” Sanji announced, dragging out The Barrel and resting a foot on top. “To find the All Blue!”

“To become King of the Pirates!” 

“To be the world's greatest swordsman!” 

“To draw a map of the world!” 

“T- To be a Brave Warrior of the Sea!”

“To solve the world's greatest mystery!” 

I stared wide-eyed as everyone's attention turned to me. “What? Me?! But I haven't even intro-”

“I gave Luffy a rundown when you were knocked out by the lightning strike.” Ed interrupted. The lightning knocked me out? “Now come on.” 

They gestured to a spot they had left open beside them. I hesitantly rested my two front paws against the rim of the barrel, struggling to find something to say. My eyes drifted to the bag resting against Ed's hip. The bag containing my equipment, every important memory. Every family trip, every milestone, every dumb childhood decision. The bag holding the only possessions I had that were worth owning.

“To capture sights unseen.”

“OFF TO THE GRAND LINE!” CRACK

And to think, I was sure this wouldn't work.

Chapter Text

"Fuck yeah, I call the couch” I hop up and faceplant into the cushions, towel draped over my head and trailing along behind me like a cloak. Comfortable furniture, oh how I've missed you.

Ed just chuckled, moving to the other side of the room. “You feeling better?”

“I’m doing alright,” I grunt, the small vocalization lost in the couch cushions. “Y’know for someone who got struck by lightning and fell almost two stories.”

“That's good…” Ed’s tone prompted me to push the towel out of my eyes to allow me to look at them over my shoulder. They were refusing to look at me, focusing instead on drying their hair. 

“You wanna talk about it?” I ask, sitting back up and turning to face them properly. I got no response. “You know, if this is going to work you're gonna need to talk to me. Even if it's just to tell me to fuck off.”

“You got struck by lightning.” The detective dropped onto the couch next to me.

“I did”

“I let you get struck by lightning.”

“I think it's more like me being prone to making dumb decisions but continue.”

"You almost died."

"And I'm glad I didn't."

“And you're okay with that?”

“Not in the slightest.” 

“What?”

“I don't think I've had much of a chance to process everything yet to be honest but I do know that I have no plans on dying again anytime soon.”

“Well,” they rubbed their eyes tiredly. “I guess that's comforting,”

"Good enough," I huff a little and lay back down resting my head against their leg. We sit there for a while in comfortable silence before I decide to ask a question I've had in the back of my mind all day.

“Hey so… it didn't hurt did it?”

“Did what?”

“Your death. It didn't- You didn't suffer or anything?” Their face fell as they realize what I was asking.

“Nah,” they answer softly. “it was over pretty quick. Did you…”

“Yeah… I don't like thinking about it."

We were startled out of our weird little therapy/bonding session by our captain getting thrown into the room followed by Zoro’s yelling.

“...Do I want to know?” Ed asked as I shake my head fondly 

Luffy laughed and I had just enough warning to throw up a Protect before he shook the water off like a dog.

“Alright well, I'm gonna head back out. I'm sure you two have some things to talk about ,” I announced, leveling my partner with a pointed look and retrieving the camera case from where I had stored my stuff under the couch. The strap of the case was significantly shorter, so after only a bit of adjusting, it hung much closer to my body than the bag would have. “I'll be in the kitchen if you need me.”

------

“The entrance to the Grand Line,” Nami announces, rattling the table with the force of her slamming the map onto it. “Is a mountain.”

“A mountain?!” one of them squawked, and I tried. I tried so hard not to laugh at their faces, shoving a spoonful of soup into my mouth to muffle myself. Sanji had thrown a fit when I mentioned what exactly my diet had been for the past week and a half, throwing together a potato soup at a speed previously thought impossible by mortal men. Don't soups have very specific cooking times? Nope, not important. Focus.

“That was my first thought too. But look, this is where the Light of Guidance was pointing.” she tapped a spot on the map. “That's Reverse Mountain, on the Red Line.”

“So what, are we just going to crash through?” Nami shook her head, moving her hand to point at the line indicating one of the canals. “There's a waterway right here.”

“How does that even work,” Usopp asked. “Surely we can't expect water to just push us up a mountain. There has to be a tunnel or something.”

“it’s not entirely outside the realm of possibility I suppose.” I ponder, absentmindedly swatting Luffy's hand away from my bowl with one paw. “Especially with some of the shit I've heard that the Grand Line does with the laws of physics.”

“Oh? You some kinda expert like our first mate?” Zoro asked, looking between the two of us.

“Well, we learned from the same source,” I point out over Ed’s protest over being called an expert. “But aside from that, no. Just been hearing a lot of rumors as of late”

“So?” the swordsman prompted. “Does one of you know the answer or not?”

I nod as Ed crossed their arms

“Yep, we're going up the mountain.”

“How?!” We shrug at Usopp in unison.

“Physics? Converging polarities? Magnetism?” Ed listed.

“I reckon there's a level of volcanic activity involved. But that's just me.”

“Why can’t we just go directly south? Avoid that whole mess?” That suggestion was quickly and vehemently vetoed by our captain which then got overshadowed by a more pressing concern.

“Ed,” I nudged at their arm, suppressing a shudder as the humidity and air pressure shifted. It was an interesting feeling, like stepping out from under a damp weighted blanket. “The storm.”

Ed snapped to attention and whipped around to look out the window. “Fuck,” they hissed. “The Calm Belt.”

“Yes, exactly!” Nami exclaimed, still distracted by yelling at Luffy. “We can't- wait. Shit!” The navigator finally caught sight of the window and bolted through the door with the rest of us trailing behind. I pulled up the rear and opted to stay in the doorway for the time being. Close enough to contribute to the conversation but out of the way of the people who actually know what the fuck they're doing.

“Clam Belt?” Usopp questioned, obviously mishearing. Luffy also made a questioning sound but Nami wasn't listening

“Shut up and grab the oars! We’ve gotta get the hell out of here!” I slinked hesitantly to glance over the side of the ship, ears perked as I picked up the whispers of the creatures below us. I hadn't noticed at first, the chatter nearly subsonic and muffled further by the waves.

“Chill out, what do you have against clams?” Luffy complains. 

“Calm, not clam! The Grand Line is sandwiched by two ocean belts. The Calm Belt is a strip of the ocean where nothing moves, like no wind or currents! It’s a total dead zone!” Nami explains as the quaking began.

“More than that, it’s also a nest of Sea Kings,” Ed explained as said creatures started to breach the surface, and, oh, hello, newfound Megalophobia. Merry was lifted out of the water as one sea king emerged from under us. And Acrophobia. Welcome back, you persistent bitch.

“I hate this,” I flop down onto the deck, tucking my head under my paws with a whine. “I hate everything about this fucking day.”

“We’re dead,” Nami agreed, dropping to her knees. I couldn't even find it in me to be amused by everyone's reaction.

“Nobody fucking move.” Ed orders. I cover my eyes and brace myself for what's next. There was a sniffle, and my stomach lurched as, with a deafening sneeze, we were sent flying.

“I'm spending a lot of time in the air today, for someone who isn't currently a bird!” I complain. Everyone ignored me, too busy with their own screaming. Understandable.

Luffy had to stretch to prevent Usopp from getting eaten by a frog before we were dumped back in the middle of the storm.

“Rain’s back,” I note miserably, shivering as my thin fur was immediately soaked through. I'm starting to wonder what the point of drying off was.

See why we have to use the entrance?” Nami mumbles into the deck. 

“Yeah. I get it,” Zoro mutters through his arms. 

“Hey, guy?” I look up at Ed's voice coming from where they were tangled in the rigging. Everyone else just groans questioningly. “Can someone please get me down from here?” 

“I don't think I can help you with this one, Chief” I chuckle, psychically tugging at one of the ropes before being shooed away by Zoro. I shrugged it off and decided to sit by everyone else

“So basically it’s a mystery mountain, right?” Luffy announced as I jumped up to perch on the railing, looking a bit like he just solved the mysteries of the universe.

“No…” the sigh Nami let out almost made me feel bad for what I was about to say. Almost. Unfortunately for Nami, I'm an asshole.

“I mean… Technically, he's not wrong…”

Nami’s shriek of “Don't encourage him!” Was accompanied by incredulous stares from all sides.

“Don't look at me like that! We know Jack Shit about how this place works.” I continue defensively. “What? You think scientist out there are scrambling to research the fucking gravity-defying death mountain?!”

“I've heard a bit about it.” Sanji pipes up. “The Grand Line, I mean. They say half of the people die just trying to get in.”

“I'm not surprised,” I nod, gesturing in his direction. “Even if you don't get pulled under the water slamming you into the side of the mountain would certainly finish the job."

“I can see the mystery mountain!” I turned as Luffy ran to point over the railing behind me.

The red line really was imposing as all hell. Like I'm used to feeling small, my actual body is five foot nothing and I study astronomy for fun, but the Red Line was something else entirely.

“It’s huge.” Usopp marveled, as if that wasn't the biggest understatement in History. He and Sanji were quickly ordered to control the rudder.

“Viva! Can you do that bubble thing again on Merry?” Luffy yells over the storm.

“Protect can't cover an area that large,” I protest. “It’d shatter instantly!”

“Use it to reinforce the rudder then,” Ed commands looking through a pair of binoculars. “Take some of the pressure off. Hard to starboard!”

Now, that I could do. The rudder was already starting to creak ominously before I managed to cover it in the move’s geometric patterns “Too much, turn back to port!” 

The boys struggled to push it back and even when I tried to shove my whole weight into it the rudder stubbornly refused to move.

“It's stuck!” Usopp reported. There was more yelling from outside that I could barely distinguish over the sound of my own heartbeat 

I could, however, hear what sounded like an inflating balloon as Luffy threw himself over the side of the ship and, with a lurch, we were suddenly back on course. Well, minus the minor hiccup of our captain having thrown himself overboard!

“Luffy you numbskull! Grab the fuck on!” I bolted over snagging the back of Ed's shirt with my teeth at the same time as Zoro grabbed them by the middle. Between the three of us were able to reel Luffy back to the ship without anyone else being pulled off the side.

Shit. It's now my job to keep this dumbass alive, isn't it?

Chapter Text

The peak of Reverse Mountain was a marvel. The geyser at the top turned the water into a fine mist which froze into iridescent crystals. I had pulled out a camera on the way up. At the speed we were going, I didn't have much hope of getting anything good but I still snapped a few before having to tuck it against my chest as gravity took back over.

“Girl, those are going to be blurry as fuck,” Ed commented.

“Oh definitely,” I agreed with a shrug. “Doesn't hurt to try though. If they're bad I'll delete ‘em.”

“True-” they were cut off by a low bellow from below. “Ah, shit. Guys, prepare for an abrupt stop,” Ed called over their shoulder.

“Why?” I heard as the whale came into view.

“Y'all remember those sea kings from earlier?” I asked, tucking the camera away and propping myself up on two legs to see over the railing. “That whale down there is about the same size.” I looked back down at Laboon. “Well maybe a little smaller. Still an absolute unit though.”

“What?!” I shuffled to the side so as not to be trampled as everyone rushed to look over the edge and otherwise ignored the collective freakout session. Listen. I got struck by lightning less than two hours ago. Under normal circumstances I'd be in a hospital by now and, as it stands, the only thing keeping me from going to take a nap is personal experience reminding me exactly how bad of an idea it is to leave a gaggle of teenagers alone in high stress situations. Honestly, I think by that point I had reached a level of ‘This Might As Well Be Happening’ only matched by that time Julien, my 13 year old brother, tried to super glue himself to the roof of the car and set his shirt on fire in the process. It's not like I had much I could do anyway.

Well, no, thinking about it, there was one thing I could try, stupid and borderline suicidal as it was. 

I turned my gaze to where Ed still had my deck in their pocket (should probably ask for those back at some point), shuffling through and pulling out the Riolu card. I read through the move list one more time as the transformation happened. 

If the need arises, and I really fucking hoped it didn't, Endure and Counter used in rapid succession should, in theory, stop the ship without immediately killing me in the process.

“Uh, Vi?” I turned to look at Ed. “Is there a reason we decided to go full fursuit? Not that I'm judging, you do you babes but like..?” They trailed off gesturing vaguely at… everything.

‘I'm plan B’ I signed with an innocent smile.

“What does that mean?!” Nami bursts out once Ed translates.

My smile widened and I turned back to face the rapidly approaching whale.

“Viva! What does that mean?!”

“Don't worry ‘bout it.” I bark quietly, climbing to balance precariously on the figurehead’s nose.

One ear swiveled as I caught the flash of red and yellow out of the corner of my eye, Luffy, headed inside in the direction of the cannon. I let my posture loosen in relief. Thank fuck, throwing myself between a whale the size of Manhattan and a caravel moving at terminal velocity was not high on my bucket list. I'd do it if I needed to of course, I’d already died once, but frankly I wasn't in the mood for a katabasis right now.

I readjusted my stance as we continued to approach. Building up the energy needed for an Endure. If we're lucky we should get out of this with the figurehead still attached.

The orange energy coated my body when the cannon fired and I braced my feet against one of Merry’s horns to keep from being pushed back with the force of the impact.

Merry collided with an ominous groaning crack and a sharp lancing pain running up my left arm that had me stumbling. I landed back on the deck with a sound somewhere between a grunt and a yelp and had to lay there for a few seconds to catch my breath.

“HELL YES! LET'S FUCKING GO!” I tilted my head backwards to look upside down at Ed cheering like the professional hypeman they are. I smiled a little, rolling over to push myself up…

and immediately collapsed. 

“Oh shit!” Ed scrambled over to me, fluttering around me like a hummingbird on crack. “You good? You're not dying right? I swear to God if you're dying.”

“Don’t bother, that bitch can suck it.” I grumbled, lightly batting at their hands with my good paw. “I'm fine.”

“MY SPECIAL SEAT!” Luffy came screeching from below deck. I bolted upright, turning to inspect the figurehead and I winced. She was attached but barely. A crack cut across the neck like a slit throat spanning halfway through with other, smaller fractures spreading from there. Nowhere near stable enough to hold someone's weight and in dire need of reinforcement.

“Son of a bitch,” My grumbling was, unfortunately, overpowered by Laboon’s bellowing.

“Now's our chance, Let's get the fuck out of here.” Zoro's yell was barely audible over the noise as he passed out the oars. I struggled shakily to my feet moving to help but paused looking down at my injured arm. While a few test flexes proved it wasn't broken, sprained at worst, I concluded I'd probably done enough for a while. Instead I just decided to pull out my phone and find a spot to sit and watch the chaos unfold.

“The cannonball did nothing?” Usopp lamented. I laughed quietly, already typing on the text to speech app that I still had from before we could afford an actual AAC device for Sophia's 8th birthday.

“It stopped the ship” I had to max out my phone’s volume for the robotic voice to be heard. Usopp took one hand off the oar to gesture incredulously.

“But not the whale!” 

“He’s not hurting anyone.”

“He broke my special seat!” Luffy argued angrily. I flinched slightly as he stormed past me, phone case creaking under the force of my grip. Luffy, to his credit, didn't acknowledge the reaction, simply moving away from me a few paces with a sidelong glance before continuing to yell. He's the only one who noticed.

I huffed at my overreaction. 

This is Luffy, I reminded myself, watching Ed trying desperately to convince said Luffy not to antagonize a whale the size of a city. You're part of the crew now. He's one of the last people who'd try to hurt you.

Ah but that's what you thought last time. That traitorous part of my brain reminded me. And look how well that turned out for you.

One hand (Paw, It's a paw. Only humans have hands) drifted to brush against the small pendant hanging from the strap of my camera case.

“YOU IDIOT!” The collective yell distracted me from my reverie. Right. More important things to deal with. I stood and turned to face Laboon who was now looking directly at us.

“Hello,” I greeted politely, ignoring everyone else yelling at Luffy and hoping I was loud enough for him to hear. “So sorry about our dumbass.”

“Had worse,” Laboon responded, voice sounding exactly how I thought it would. Very loud, slightly echo-y and just really sad. His eyes shifted downwards slightly. “You have a Sea King”

Now that he mentioned it, I could actually sense another presence creeping closer towards us. I think I was starting to get a good idea of why he swallowed us in canon “I can see that. Don't suppose you could help us out with that.”

“You won't like it.”

“Probably not,” I admit taking a few steps away from the side of the ship. “But we're good at improvising. I'm sure we'll manage.”

The ship lurched, dragged in with the water as Laboon opened his mouth. Everyone was screaming and despite being the only one who knew what was happening, I was tempted to join them.

“Fuck!” Ed yelled nearby.

Apparently losing Luffy while the rest of us get Geppetto-ed is just a Canon Event.