On the brink of death from the Kestia bite infection she had suffered from, Nami finds herself meeting Sariel of the Four Archangels and made a pact with him to heal her body and become the host of his hibernating form in exchange. Gaining his abilities, Nami intends to make good use of them as a member of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Nami's Grace (One Piece/Nanatsu no Taizai)
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Nami's Grace Chapter 1
Hey there, everyone and Happy Belated Halloween! It's Warmachine375 again and I have made another Nanatsu no Taizai crossover story, this time with One Piece, titled as "Nami's Grace".
Oneshot just in case.
Synopsis: "On the brink of death from the Kestia bite infection she had suffered from, Nami finds herself meeting Sariel of the Four Archangels and made a pact with him to heal her body and become the host of his hibernating form in exchange. Gaining his abilities, Nami intends to make good use of them as a member of the Straw Hat Pirates."
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece and Nanatsu no Taizai. They respectively belong to Eiichiro Oda & Toei Animation, and Nakaba Suzuki & Studio A-1 Pictures.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
"What is this?... Where am I?..."
Nami wondered to herself where she found herself floating in the void of darkness. She looked to see there is nothing around here but herself. It is quite unnerving to be alone in the dark. The navigator/unofficial quartermaster of the Straw Hat Pirates tried to remember what happened and how did she get here. Oh right, I got terribly sick and I was dying. Luffy and Sanji were taking me to a doctor in Drum Kingdom. Some kind of witch the leader of the townsfolk were calling her if I recall..., she realized.
Then it gave her a cold chill down her back, fearing that her friends apparently failed in trying to get her illness treated on time and they were too late to reach the last doctor on time. "Am I dead?...", Nami wondered out loud.
"Not yet. You're on the brink of dying though...", a voice of a young boy called out to her.
Nami turned to the source to see a child whose body is glowing white light. He has light blue hair with bangs covering most of his forehead. He possessed four angelic wings on his back, the second pair smaller than the first. On top of that, he wore a set of coat-like robes with a triskelion symbol in his chest, his hoodie resembled that of a halo along with a pair of shoes and black shorts underneath his clothes.
She also noticed that he looked like he had been completely disintegrated apart into shreds, which he was in the middle of regenerating his body albeit very slowly. It made Nami grimace at the implications behind his current state in the first place. And not only that, he doesn't seem to be concerned about it at all in the slightest, acting like it is more of an inconvenience.
"Wh-who are you? Are you an angel?", Nami asked with curiosity even though she wasn't much of a religious person herself.
Not after she watched her adoptive mother Belle-mere die by Arlong's hand, the entire people of Cocoyashi Village suffering including her surrogate sister Nojiko and her father figure Genzo at the hands of the Fishmen oppressing them, and she had to steal enough 100,000,000 Beris by whatever means necessary in order to pay the Fishman captain for her home town's freedom before she was screwed over by the latter with his accomplice, corrupt Marine Captain Nezumi and his goons confiscating the money she saved up.
Until her salvation came in form of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates who defeated Arlong and his crew of Fishmen, and freed Cocoyashi Village, along with her cathartic payback on Nezumi to make him return the money.
"Goddess Clan member to be exact. But yes, I am one if it reassures you.", the blue haired boy clarified before introduced himself despite incomplete form. "The name is Sariel, one of the Four Archangels and holder of Tornado. And what is your name, milady?"
The Straw Hats navigator replied, "Nami. Uhm, not to be rude but what happened to you?"
Sariel frowned as he raised his right hand in partial regeneration and answered in response, "Oh this? Nothing to worry about, Lady Nami. I recently fell in battle against a... powerful foe. It was one of the hardest fights I had in my life. Not the one that I enjoyed. ... But as long as I possess my Grace, I will eventually revive. Although it takes time..."
"Grace?", Nami wondered out loud while she thought. So there are abilities that aren't Devil Fruits. Then again, if I probably not mention that to his face. Angels and Devils are obviously opposed against each other. I'm not pulling a pin on that grenade.
"The divine power bestowed to us Four Archangels by the Supreme Deity, our esteemed ruler of the Goddess Clan. That's about it. But enough about me, what happened to you?", the Goddess Clan member asked in turn, throwing back the question at her.
Caught off guard of Sariel's bluntness, Nami reluctantly answered. "... Uhm, to tell you the truth, I got sick after catching some kind of fatal disease from Little Garden. It felt like I was burning hot over inside out. My friends were trying to find a doctor to cure me."
"Huh? I see, you're the second person who had a fatal disease I've met.", the Tornado Grace holder remarked with a de ja vu look, which got the orange haired young woman's attention.
"Second? Who was the first?", Nami asked the angelic-looking boy in wonder.
"Solaseed. A bard with a lute. She got caught with a fatal illness before I met her and healed it away. When I left her, she was good as new.", Sariel stated.
She commented, "And you cured her with your Grace?"
Sariel corrected with an amused look, "Yes I did, but it's not Grace to be exact, Lady Nami. I used Ark, the inherent power of the Goddess Clan. Holy light that heals away any sickness and injury."
Knowing that she was on the brink of dying, Nami decided to make a humble request, "... Can you please heal me, Mr. Sariel? I don't want to die...".
After all, she had so many things to do with her life now free from Arlong, including pursuing her dream of drawing her map of the world as a member of the Straw Hat Pirates. And that she doesn't want to leave her friends behind and meet her adoptive mother Belle-mere in the afterlife. Friends who had saved Cocoyashi Village from Arlong and his crew and they had risked their lives to bring her to a doctor in the snowy dangers.
Even though she was unsure if Luffy and Sanji succeeded or not, but still hoped that they did make it on time.
Plus it is not like she could try trick an angelic being without consequences while being on the brink of dying.
After having some contemplative thinking, the member of the Four Archangels responded, "Sure thing, Lady Nami. I'll heal you. I might have to ask your consent though. It gets a little lonely here to be honest. Having to wait for an awfully long time to fully regenerate in this void. It didn't help I couldn't find any sign of Tarmiel and Ludociel here either."
Wait a minute, is that how he healed Miss Solaseed?, Nami thought in realization.
Catching on to what he is intending, she pointed out to Sariel, "Consent? Are you going to possess my body?"
"Yes.", the blue haired angelic being bluntly said. "However, considering my current state, I will have to hibernate within you. Until my body is fully regenerated and I will leave yours behind. On the bright side, you will get to have full access to my abilities while I sleep."
"... And what's the catch if I consent? Because I don't believe in free lunch.", the orange haired young woman asked with narrowed eyes, being on guard as she knew that nothing comes for free at all and there is always a price to pay no matter how benign it was.
She learned it all too well from her upbringing and experience.
Noting that the human girl is smart and cautious, Sariel answered with a somber tone, "... Well, the catch is that human bodies may have difficulty hosting high-ranking Goddesses such as myself, leading their bodies to undergo transformations. The compatibility between the vessel and the Goddess can affect its overall strength though."
"So basically my body will transform every time I use your powers?", Nami questioned with a worried face, wondering if she could mutate to have angelic wings like Sariel. At least I hope so..., she thought.
"You will just age up up to your prime and peak of your life, not into a shriveled up old lady if that's what you're worried about. My previous host Solaseed was a little girl before the overuse of my magic had turned her into an adult.", the Tornado Grace wielder reassured. "Not only that, you will get to have your own Ark power after a long period of possession. You will just have to train and make it your own power though."
That does sound enticing. At least I might get something out of it., the female Straw Hat internally noted.
Weighing her pros and cons before her for a minute, Nami eventually made her decision. "Alright, I consent, Mr. Sariel. So how does this work?"
"A handshake will do.", Sariel simply said before lifting his right hand, which Nami raised her right hand in turn.
The two made a handshake, showing that the pact has been sealed before the two were encased by a glowing bright light that brightened up everything around them.
On the room within Drum Castle
Regaining her consciousness, Nami slowly opened her eyes to find herself lying in bed with thick blankets covering her body that is clad in pajamas and a bag of ice cubes that was being placed on her forehead. Did it work? It was so surreal meeting an angel on the brink of dying. I feel a lot better though. Much better. But was it a dream?..., she wondered in her thoughts.
Then she felt something emanating from her body no longer afflicted by the illness she got from Little Garden. It felt... divine. Almost like she can command the winds and the holy light. The winds she possessed compatibility in sensing them with as part of her profession as a navigator to predict the weather and guide the Going Merry on sailing through the unpredictable seas of the Grand Line with the Straw Hat Pirates.
The power of Ark and Sariel's Grace, Tornado.
She realized that she's now the host of Sariel of the Four Archangels.
Nami corrected herself while remaining perfectly still on bed, Definitely not a dream. Sariel said he is going to hibernate within me and properly reform his body after I accepted the pact with him. I better need to make sure I don't overuse the Ark and Tornado Grace or else I might get the side effects. Oh my God, how am I supposed to tell everyone how I got these powers?
She mentally chided herself for not knowing the most obvious simple solution, Oh right, I can just say Devil Fruit and they will accept it. It's the only logical explanation in the Grand Line. It's not like there are people with angel wings living here. Maybe?...
Then the orange haired young woman overheard several footsteps and got out of the cover sheets to confront the person before her. "Who's there?"
What Nami saw was a brown furred shortstack with a reindeer appearance of antlers, hooves and a blue nose, and he wears a large pale red/pink fuzzy top hat with a sideways medical cross and a maroon pair of shorts. And the little guy was startled by her sudden movement and tried to hide from her in the open door of the room. The problem is that he did it the wrong way though.
"Ummm... I think you're supposed to do it the other way.", she pointed out.
The humanoid creature realized that she was right and changed his position to a proper hiding position as he originally intended. "A little too late for that now... And I can still see like, half your face. Just what are you?...", she commented.
"S-shut up, you darned human! By the way, how's your fever?", the reindeer boy asked in a nervous and concerned manner at the same time.
Nami replied to him with a grateful nod, "I'm fine, I guess. You were the one who nursed me back to health, right? Thank you."
To her surprise, her apparent savior was trying to act mean but only ending up dancing and smiling in a happy manner in between, "S-shut up! I don't need to hear words of thanks from a human! Don't mess with me, ya hear?! But you're welcome! Glad to be of help!"
"Can't hide your emotions that much, huh?", the Straw Hats navigator dryly commented with a sweatdrop.
Being called out by the human girl on bed, the reindeer boy screamed and ran off from the room as fast as his hooves can take him, "GYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Keep it down there, Chopper!", a voice of a granny called out, revealing herself to be indeed an elder woman with a youthful-looking body and dressed up in clothes as if she had never left her teenage phase and yet she still rocks at it better anyway. "Heeheeheeheehee! Huh, looks your fever has gone completely down, missy. Quite a surprise. You happy, pappy?", she commented as she poked on Nami's forehead while drinking her bottle of booze.
"And you are?", Nami asked while she thought in observation at the older woman's face. She really looks like a witch.
Lifting up her pair of cool shades above her other pair of reading glasses, the elderly but youthful appearing person introduced herself with a confident smile, "I'm Doctor Kureha. But you can call me Doctorine."
"Doctor? Then this is...", the female Straw Hat wondered aloud.
"Do you want to know the secret of my youth?", the Doctorine cheekily asked with a mischievous glint on her eyes.
Nami bluntly interjected with disinterest, "No, I didn't ask."
Shrugging off that her running gag moment didn't seem to work, Kureha answered regardless. "Heeheeheehee! This is the Drum Castle on top of the mountain. Our humble abode as to speak."
"Then there should have been two people with me! My friends! Do you know where they are?!", the orange haired young woman shouted with a worried look of concern for Luffy and Sanji.
Chugging down her bottle of booze, the Doctorine reassured, "Yeah, they're sleeping soundly in the room next door. Chopper is currently tending to their injuries, changing out the used up bandages for fresh ones. Those two are real tough boys."
Nami sighed in relief before she got surprised by Kureha sitting next to her in bed and lifted up her shirt to reveal her stomach. The elderly woman with a youthful body remarked with a raised eyebrow upon analyzing it, "Strange that the bite marks disappeared from your belly. Either the cure must have worked too well or your body's recovery must have been kicked into overdrive... Heeheeheehee! But anyway, this here is the cause of your fever. You were bitten by a Kestia, a poisonous tick that lives on the tropics. Its bacteria causes a high fever, severe infection, myocarditis, and arthritis. Not pleasant."
She added, "Given the infection's progression in the affected area, I guess you'd been infected for about three days now. The pain you've been feeling must have been terrible but still, it would have eased up in two more days without any treatment at all."
Mr. Sariel was right. He did heal my illness away after possessing my body... Although Dr. Kureha cured me at the same time. It might be the reason why she said my body's healing went overdrive..., Nami thought in gratefulness, hoping that the dormant Four Archangels member can hear within her. On the other hand, the host of Sariel hypothetically asked Kureha, "So it would have gone away in two days?"
Nodding, Kureha then bluntly revealed to Nami, "Mm-hmm! You wouldn't be feeling any pain whatsoever because you'd be dead."
Nami paled with her eyes widened and cold sweat forming on her face after hearing that from the witch-faced doctor herself. In hindsight, I think I made the right choice of forming a pact with Sariel..., she internally remarked with relief and gratefulness.
"This particular infection is known as the "Five Day Disease". I had heard that Kestia had died out over a hundred years ago but I kept the anti-biotic just in case.", the Doctorine remarked as she got up from the bed before asking Nami with an amused roll of her eyes. "Where did you guys come from that you may have been exposed to this? Were you walking around some ancient jungle with your belly showing? Heeheeheehee! How ridiculous!"
Remembering how she lost her shirt with only her bra left after Luffy freed her, Vivi and Zoro from Mr. 3's Candelabra that almost turned them into wax statues with fire as a weakness of the Wax-Wax Fruit, and it left her vulnerable to the Kestia bite in the first place, Nami looked away with an embarrassed blush on her face. I'm never living this one down..., she lamented.
Astonished that her joking remark turned out to be true from her patient, Kureha commented with a mild jawdrop, "What? Did I actually hit close to the mark? Well, aren't you a hopeless case?"
Then the Doctorine casually pushed Nami down to bed, stating, "Now, stay in bed for now. The treatment for the disease isn't completely finished yet. Even though you may looked and felt a lot better already, it's still important you need your rest."
"Thank you so much. I'll be fine as long as my fever is gone. My body will take care of itself after that.", the Straw Hat navigator expressed her gratitude to the witch-faced doctor while wondering to herself. On the other hand, I will have to try out either Ark or this Tornado Grace from Mr. Sariel and practice using them. It sucks he had to sleep and didn't give me instructions how to wield them. Although I need to find a way to pass my powers off as a Devil Fruit... But how?...
"Don't go underestimating a normally fatal disease now or depend too much on your body's sudden healing speed, you naive little girl. It'd normally take someone ten whole days to recover with the proper treatment.", Kureha warned before adding with a mischievous smirk. "So unless you feel like experiencing world of pain and dying again, I'd suggest you stay put. Heeheeheehee!"
Suddenly, the Doctorine pinned down a shocked Nami with a scalpel brandished on her left hand and aimed down her patient's throat, "Besides, did you really think you can pass yourself off as a normal human when you're actually a Zoan?"
Eeep! Well, looks like I got my opening but still, she's scary! She really is a witch!, Nami internally panicked with cold sweat on her forehead before gulping. "Am I really that obvious?", she chuckled with a nervous smile even with a scalpel at her face.
Pleased of her patient coming out clean than keep playing pretend, Kureha explained as she removed the scalpel and placed back on her pocket, "Heeheeheehee! Girl, I've met Dalton and he ate the Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Bison. I fixed him up after he lost his battle with Wapol upon turning against that stupid piece of shit and got thrown in the dungeon with no medical help for his severe injuries unless he apologized to him for his defiance, which he didn't. Like most Zoans, he possessed great recovery rate but against the likes of Wapol in his "ultimate form", he almost died if I hadn't settled in this abandoned castle and Chopper found him with his nose in time for his treatment."*
"Even when you're a Zoan, you were vulnerable to the Kestia bite and it almost killed you.", she added in a scolding manner.
Dalton? Oh yeah, the man who told us about you to go for medical help on top of the mountain. I didn't realize he was a Devil Fruit user just like Luffy... I wonder if Luffy was a Zoan too* like Dalton or probably something else..., Nami internally noted before she said. "... I see. And that's how you found out my body's rapid healing to be that of a... Zoan, right?"
"Indeed, with my advanced medicine, it would have taken 3 more days for you to recover. But instead, it seemed to have accelerated your Zoan's healing factor instead. How fascinating.", Doctorine commented before asking with narrowed eyes, "So, what kind of Zoan-type Devil Fruit did you ate and what animal form do you turn into?"
Just when Nami was about to try think of a name for her so-called Devil Fruit ability and her Zoan form to Kureha, a huge commotion happened with the wooden door barging open wide and the items flying and crashing everywhere in the room. It had left quite a massive mess as an understatement as a result.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! HEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPP!", the brown furred reindeer boy named Chopper screamed out loud in fear as he was trying to get away from a hungry duo of Straw Hats, who're holding on to him and wouldn't let go, as fast as he can for his life.
Monkey D. Luffy screamed at him by the ear, "STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU PIECE OF MEAT!"
"Hold your horses, Luffy! I'll make sure to season it up first and turn it into venison!", Sanji told his captain, trying to hold down Chopper.
Saved by Luffy and Sanji! Thank you, guys..., Nami gave a small sigh of relief while noticing that Kureha's attention was turned towards Luffy and Sanji pursuing Chopper. The witch-faced lady remarked on the energy and enthusiasm of the captain and cook of the Straw Hats despite their injuries being covered by fresh layers of bandages that were already showing signs of blood.
On the other hand, the Straw Hats navigator wasn't surprised of Luffy and Sanji being stubborn and they have other priorities than getting some rest and not push themselves too hard that would aggravate their wounds. Not after they went through the trouble of bringing her to Kureha and her reindeer assistant.
Still, I will need to think of a name for a Zoan-type Devil Fruit that Dr. Kureha assumed me to have eaten. Mr. Sariel was obviously not an animal and I am pretty sure that holy light and wind are not animals either..., she internally noted.
"QUIT IT, YOU HUMANS! I HATE HUMANS LIKE YOU!", Chopper angrily protested while trying to break free from their grasp.
Undeterred and determined to make the reindeer boy his meal, Luffy declared, "STOP RUNNING AWAY FROM ME, MEAT!"
"Luffy, I told you not to eat him yet!", Sanji yelled at him, still struggling to keep Chopper down.
"You want to know what he is?", Kureha asked Nami who nodded in confirmation, before revealing, "He's Tony Tony Chopper. Just an average blue-nosed reindeer."
"And I assume he is not an ordinary one?", the orange haired host of Sariel commented.
Suddenly, Chopper's muscles bulged and grew as his body turned tall, large and muscular along with his hooves transforming into hands and feet. It surprised Luffy and Sanji who didn't see that one coming, and then Chopper clobbered them with a double cross punch into the ground. The two Straw Hats collided into the floor, cracking the tiles as a result!
"I AM NOT YOUR FOOD!", Chopper in his transformed state yelled out loud.
"Indeed, he ate the Human-Human Fruit, which granted him human abilities. He's also a Zoan too as well.", the Doctorine confirmed as she watched Chopper returned to his small form and continued running off, looking at him with pride akin to a mother being proud of her son. "I poured in all my medical skill and knowledge in him."
Human-Human Fruit?... Wait, that's it! Sariel was human looking enough and he was one of the Four Archangels if I recall. Not to mention, Kureha said about Dalton's Devil Fruit having a Model: Bison of his Ox-Ox Fruit and Chopper being a Zoan in addition. Time to make good use of this!, Nami found a Eureka moment and capitalize on it.
She called out to the mentor of Chopper who turned her attention back at her with a look of interest, "I see. Uhm, Dr. Kureha, about my Devil Fruit you asked me what it is... I ate the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Archangel."
Author's Note: Okay, the first chapter of "Angels of the Grand Line" is done and I hope you like it. Nami made a pact with Sariel which results in the member of the Four Archangels possessing her body and granting Nami access to his Ark and his Grace, Tornado. On the other hand, Kureha, from her perspective, believed that her patient was a Zoan-class Devil Fruit user due to fact Zoans possessing great strength, power, speed, recovery rate, and every other type of physical boost that one can think of, and was calling Nami out on it.
At least, the comical antics of Luffy and Sanji with Chopper came right in time for Nami to have her brief moment of reprieve and then she took opportunity after Kureha explained to her about Chopper's Human-Human Fruit to give her "Devil Fruit" a name for Sariel's abilities she possessed.
*Regarding the history between Dalton and Kureha, it made sense that the Doctorine had fixed him up of his injuries post-defeat at the hands of Wapol after the Blackbeard Pirates led by Marshall D. Teach had attacked the Drum Kingdom and made Wapol and his followers flee from the country in cowardice. Leaving the vacant castle alone for Kureha to settle in with Chopper where they found Dalton on the brink of death despite his Zoan nature due to his refusal to take back his defiance against Wapol and was refused treatment from the Isshi-20 by the spoiled brat of a king's orders.
*I totally didn't make a reference to the true name of Luffy's Gum-Gum Fruit to be Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika. No siree, lol.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
Oneshot just in case.
Synopsis: "On the brink of death from the Kestia bite infection she had suffered from, Nami finds herself meeting Sariel of the Four Archangels and made a pact with him to heal her body and become the host of his hibernating form in exchange. Gaining his abilities, Nami intends to make good use of them as a member of the Straw Hat Pirates."
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece and Nanatsu no Taizai. They respectively belong to Eiichiro Oda & Toei Animation, and Nakaba Suzuki & Studio A-1 Pictures.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
Chapter 1
"What is this?... Where am I?..."
Nami wondered to herself where she found herself floating in the void of darkness. She looked to see there is nothing around here but herself. It is quite unnerving to be alone in the dark. The navigator/unofficial quartermaster of the Straw Hat Pirates tried to remember what happened and how did she get here. Oh right, I got terribly sick and I was dying. Luffy and Sanji were taking me to a doctor in Drum Kingdom. Some kind of witch the leader of the townsfolk were calling her if I recall..., she realized.
Then it gave her a cold chill down her back, fearing that her friends apparently failed in trying to get her illness treated on time and they were too late to reach the last doctor on time. "Am I dead?...", Nami wondered out loud.
"Not yet. You're on the brink of dying though...", a voice of a young boy called out to her.
Nami turned to the source to see a child whose body is glowing white light. He has light blue hair with bangs covering most of his forehead. He possessed four angelic wings on his back, the second pair smaller than the first. On top of that, he wore a set of coat-like robes with a triskelion symbol in his chest, his hoodie resembled that of a halo along with a pair of shoes and black shorts underneath his clothes.
She also noticed that he looked like he had been completely disintegrated apart into shreds, which he was in the middle of regenerating his body albeit very slowly. It made Nami grimace at the implications behind his current state in the first place. And not only that, he doesn't seem to be concerned about it at all in the slightest, acting like it is more of an inconvenience.
"Wh-who are you? Are you an angel?", Nami asked with curiosity even though she wasn't much of a religious person herself.
Not after she watched her adoptive mother Belle-mere die by Arlong's hand, the entire people of Cocoyashi Village suffering including her surrogate sister Nojiko and her father figure Genzo at the hands of the Fishmen oppressing them, and she had to steal enough 100,000,000 Beris by whatever means necessary in order to pay the Fishman captain for her home town's freedom before she was screwed over by the latter with his accomplice, corrupt Marine Captain Nezumi and his goons confiscating the money she saved up.
Until her salvation came in form of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates who defeated Arlong and his crew of Fishmen, and freed Cocoyashi Village, along with her cathartic payback on Nezumi to make him return the money.
"Goddess Clan member to be exact. But yes, I am one if it reassures you.", the blue haired boy clarified before introduced himself despite incomplete form. "The name is Sariel, one of the Four Archangels and holder of Tornado. And what is your name, milady?"
The Straw Hats navigator replied, "Nami. Uhm, not to be rude but what happened to you?"
Sariel frowned as he raised his right hand in partial regeneration and answered in response, "Oh this? Nothing to worry about, Lady Nami. I recently fell in battle against a... powerful foe. It was one of the hardest fights I had in my life. Not the one that I enjoyed. ... But as long as I possess my Grace, I will eventually revive. Although it takes time..."
"Grace?", Nami wondered out loud while she thought. So there are abilities that aren't Devil Fruits. Then again, if I probably not mention that to his face. Angels and Devils are obviously opposed against each other. I'm not pulling a pin on that grenade.
"The divine power bestowed to us Four Archangels by the Supreme Deity, our esteemed ruler of the Goddess Clan. That's about it. But enough about me, what happened to you?", the Goddess Clan member asked in turn, throwing back the question at her.
Caught off guard of Sariel's bluntness, Nami reluctantly answered. "... Uhm, to tell you the truth, I got sick after catching some kind of fatal disease from Little Garden. It felt like I was burning hot over inside out. My friends were trying to find a doctor to cure me."
"Huh? I see, you're the second person who had a fatal disease I've met.", the Tornado Grace holder remarked with a de ja vu look, which got the orange haired young woman's attention.
"Second? Who was the first?", Nami asked the angelic-looking boy in wonder.
"Solaseed. A bard with a lute. She got caught with a fatal illness before I met her and healed it away. When I left her, she was good as new.", Sariel stated.
She commented, "And you cured her with your Grace?"
Sariel corrected with an amused look, "Yes I did, but it's not Grace to be exact, Lady Nami. I used Ark, the inherent power of the Goddess Clan. Holy light that heals away any sickness and injury."
Knowing that she was on the brink of dying, Nami decided to make a humble request, "... Can you please heal me, Mr. Sariel? I don't want to die...".
After all, she had so many things to do with her life now free from Arlong, including pursuing her dream of drawing her map of the world as a member of the Straw Hat Pirates. And that she doesn't want to leave her friends behind and meet her adoptive mother Belle-mere in the afterlife. Friends who had saved Cocoyashi Village from Arlong and his crew and they had risked their lives to bring her to a doctor in the snowy dangers.
Even though she was unsure if Luffy and Sanji succeeded or not, but still hoped that they did make it on time.
Plus it is not like she could try trick an angelic being without consequences while being on the brink of dying.
After having some contemplative thinking, the member of the Four Archangels responded, "Sure thing, Lady Nami. I'll heal you. I might have to ask your consent though. It gets a little lonely here to be honest. Having to wait for an awfully long time to fully regenerate in this void. It didn't help I couldn't find any sign of Tarmiel and Ludociel here either."
Wait a minute, is that how he healed Miss Solaseed?, Nami thought in realization.
Catching on to what he is intending, she pointed out to Sariel, "Consent? Are you going to possess my body?"
"Yes.", the blue haired angelic being bluntly said. "However, considering my current state, I will have to hibernate within you. Until my body is fully regenerated and I will leave yours behind. On the bright side, you will get to have full access to my abilities while I sleep."
"... And what's the catch if I consent? Because I don't believe in free lunch.", the orange haired young woman asked with narrowed eyes, being on guard as she knew that nothing comes for free at all and there is always a price to pay no matter how benign it was.
She learned it all too well from her upbringing and experience.
Noting that the human girl is smart and cautious, Sariel answered with a somber tone, "... Well, the catch is that human bodies may have difficulty hosting high-ranking Goddesses such as myself, leading their bodies to undergo transformations. The compatibility between the vessel and the Goddess can affect its overall strength though."
"So basically my body will transform every time I use your powers?", Nami questioned with a worried face, wondering if she could mutate to have angelic wings like Sariel. At least I hope so..., she thought.
"You will just age up up to your prime and peak of your life, not into a shriveled up old lady if that's what you're worried about. My previous host Solaseed was a little girl before the overuse of my magic had turned her into an adult.", the Tornado Grace wielder reassured. "Not only that, you will get to have your own Ark power after a long period of possession. You will just have to train and make it your own power though."
That does sound enticing. At least I might get something out of it., the female Straw Hat internally noted.
Weighing her pros and cons before her for a minute, Nami eventually made her decision. "Alright, I consent, Mr. Sariel. So how does this work?"
"A handshake will do.", Sariel simply said before lifting his right hand, which Nami raised her right hand in turn.
The two made a handshake, showing that the pact has been sealed before the two were encased by a glowing bright light that brightened up everything around them.
On the room within Drum Castle
Regaining her consciousness, Nami slowly opened her eyes to find herself lying in bed with thick blankets covering her body that is clad in pajamas and a bag of ice cubes that was being placed on her forehead. Did it work? It was so surreal meeting an angel on the brink of dying. I feel a lot better though. Much better. But was it a dream?..., she wondered in her thoughts.
Then she felt something emanating from her body no longer afflicted by the illness she got from Little Garden. It felt... divine. Almost like she can command the winds and the holy light. The winds she possessed compatibility in sensing them with as part of her profession as a navigator to predict the weather and guide the Going Merry on sailing through the unpredictable seas of the Grand Line with the Straw Hat Pirates.
The power of Ark and Sariel's Grace, Tornado.
She realized that she's now the host of Sariel of the Four Archangels.
Nami corrected herself while remaining perfectly still on bed, Definitely not a dream. Sariel said he is going to hibernate within me and properly reform his body after I accepted the pact with him. I better need to make sure I don't overuse the Ark and Tornado Grace or else I might get the side effects. Oh my God, how am I supposed to tell everyone how I got these powers?
She mentally chided herself for not knowing the most obvious simple solution, Oh right, I can just say Devil Fruit and they will accept it. It's the only logical explanation in the Grand Line. It's not like there are people with angel wings living here. Maybe?...
Then the orange haired young woman overheard several footsteps and got out of the cover sheets to confront the person before her. "Who's there?"
What Nami saw was a brown furred shortstack with a reindeer appearance of antlers, hooves and a blue nose, and he wears a large pale red/pink fuzzy top hat with a sideways medical cross and a maroon pair of shorts. And the little guy was startled by her sudden movement and tried to hide from her in the open door of the room. The problem is that he did it the wrong way though.
"Ummm... I think you're supposed to do it the other way.", she pointed out.
The humanoid creature realized that she was right and changed his position to a proper hiding position as he originally intended. "A little too late for that now... And I can still see like, half your face. Just what are you?...", she commented.
"S-shut up, you darned human! By the way, how's your fever?", the reindeer boy asked in a nervous and concerned manner at the same time.
Nami replied to him with a grateful nod, "I'm fine, I guess. You were the one who nursed me back to health, right? Thank you."
To her surprise, her apparent savior was trying to act mean but only ending up dancing and smiling in a happy manner in between, "S-shut up! I don't need to hear words of thanks from a human! Don't mess with me, ya hear?! But you're welcome! Glad to be of help!"
"Can't hide your emotions that much, huh?", the Straw Hats navigator dryly commented with a sweatdrop.
Being called out by the human girl on bed, the reindeer boy screamed and ran off from the room as fast as his hooves can take him, "GYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Keep it down there, Chopper!", a voice of a granny called out, revealing herself to be indeed an elder woman with a youthful-looking body and dressed up in clothes as if she had never left her teenage phase and yet she still rocks at it better anyway. "Heeheeheeheehee! Huh, looks your fever has gone completely down, missy. Quite a surprise. You happy, pappy?", she commented as she poked on Nami's forehead while drinking her bottle of booze.
"And you are?", Nami asked while she thought in observation at the older woman's face. She really looks like a witch.
Lifting up her pair of cool shades above her other pair of reading glasses, the elderly but youthful appearing person introduced herself with a confident smile, "I'm Doctor Kureha. But you can call me Doctorine."
"Doctor? Then this is...", the female Straw Hat wondered aloud.
"Do you want to know the secret of my youth?", the Doctorine cheekily asked with a mischievous glint on her eyes.
Nami bluntly interjected with disinterest, "No, I didn't ask."
Shrugging off that her running gag moment didn't seem to work, Kureha answered regardless. "Heeheeheehee! This is the Drum Castle on top of the mountain. Our humble abode as to speak."
"Then there should have been two people with me! My friends! Do you know where they are?!", the orange haired young woman shouted with a worried look of concern for Luffy and Sanji.
Chugging down her bottle of booze, the Doctorine reassured, "Yeah, they're sleeping soundly in the room next door. Chopper is currently tending to their injuries, changing out the used up bandages for fresh ones. Those two are real tough boys."
Nami sighed in relief before she got surprised by Kureha sitting next to her in bed and lifted up her shirt to reveal her stomach. The elderly woman with a youthful body remarked with a raised eyebrow upon analyzing it, "Strange that the bite marks disappeared from your belly. Either the cure must have worked too well or your body's recovery must have been kicked into overdrive... Heeheeheehee! But anyway, this here is the cause of your fever. You were bitten by a Kestia, a poisonous tick that lives on the tropics. Its bacteria causes a high fever, severe infection, myocarditis, and arthritis. Not pleasant."
She added, "Given the infection's progression in the affected area, I guess you'd been infected for about three days now. The pain you've been feeling must have been terrible but still, it would have eased up in two more days without any treatment at all."
Mr. Sariel was right. He did heal my illness away after possessing my body... Although Dr. Kureha cured me at the same time. It might be the reason why she said my body's healing went overdrive..., Nami thought in gratefulness, hoping that the dormant Four Archangels member can hear within her. On the other hand, the host of Sariel hypothetically asked Kureha, "So it would have gone away in two days?"
Nodding, Kureha then bluntly revealed to Nami, "Mm-hmm! You wouldn't be feeling any pain whatsoever because you'd be dead."
Nami paled with her eyes widened and cold sweat forming on her face after hearing that from the witch-faced doctor herself. In hindsight, I think I made the right choice of forming a pact with Sariel..., she internally remarked with relief and gratefulness.
"This particular infection is known as the "Five Day Disease". I had heard that Kestia had died out over a hundred years ago but I kept the anti-biotic just in case.", the Doctorine remarked as she got up from the bed before asking Nami with an amused roll of her eyes. "Where did you guys come from that you may have been exposed to this? Were you walking around some ancient jungle with your belly showing? Heeheeheehee! How ridiculous!"
Remembering how she lost her shirt with only her bra left after Luffy freed her, Vivi and Zoro from Mr. 3's Candelabra that almost turned them into wax statues with fire as a weakness of the Wax-Wax Fruit, and it left her vulnerable to the Kestia bite in the first place, Nami looked away with an embarrassed blush on her face. I'm never living this one down..., she lamented.
Astonished that her joking remark turned out to be true from her patient, Kureha commented with a mild jawdrop, "What? Did I actually hit close to the mark? Well, aren't you a hopeless case?"
Then the Doctorine casually pushed Nami down to bed, stating, "Now, stay in bed for now. The treatment for the disease isn't completely finished yet. Even though you may looked and felt a lot better already, it's still important you need your rest."
"Thank you so much. I'll be fine as long as my fever is gone. My body will take care of itself after that.", the Straw Hat navigator expressed her gratitude to the witch-faced doctor while wondering to herself. On the other hand, I will have to try out either Ark or this Tornado Grace from Mr. Sariel and practice using them. It sucks he had to sleep and didn't give me instructions how to wield them. Although I need to find a way to pass my powers off as a Devil Fruit... But how?...
"Don't go underestimating a normally fatal disease now or depend too much on your body's sudden healing speed, you naive little girl. It'd normally take someone ten whole days to recover with the proper treatment.", Kureha warned before adding with a mischievous smirk. "So unless you feel like experiencing world of pain and dying again, I'd suggest you stay put. Heeheeheehee!"
Suddenly, the Doctorine pinned down a shocked Nami with a scalpel brandished on her left hand and aimed down her patient's throat, "Besides, did you really think you can pass yourself off as a normal human when you're actually a Zoan?"
Eeep! Well, looks like I got my opening but still, she's scary! She really is a witch!, Nami internally panicked with cold sweat on her forehead before gulping. "Am I really that obvious?", she chuckled with a nervous smile even with a scalpel at her face.
Pleased of her patient coming out clean than keep playing pretend, Kureha explained as she removed the scalpel and placed back on her pocket, "Heeheeheehee! Girl, I've met Dalton and he ate the Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Bison. I fixed him up after he lost his battle with Wapol upon turning against that stupid piece of shit and got thrown in the dungeon with no medical help for his severe injuries unless he apologized to him for his defiance, which he didn't. Like most Zoans, he possessed great recovery rate but against the likes of Wapol in his "ultimate form", he almost died if I hadn't settled in this abandoned castle and Chopper found him with his nose in time for his treatment."*
"Even when you're a Zoan, you were vulnerable to the Kestia bite and it almost killed you.", she added in a scolding manner.
Dalton? Oh yeah, the man who told us about you to go for medical help on top of the mountain. I didn't realize he was a Devil Fruit user just like Luffy... I wonder if Luffy was a Zoan too* like Dalton or probably something else..., Nami internally noted before she said. "... I see. And that's how you found out my body's rapid healing to be that of a... Zoan, right?"
"Indeed, with my advanced medicine, it would have taken 3 more days for you to recover. But instead, it seemed to have accelerated your Zoan's healing factor instead. How fascinating.", Doctorine commented before asking with narrowed eyes, "So, what kind of Zoan-type Devil Fruit did you ate and what animal form do you turn into?"
Just when Nami was about to try think of a name for her so-called Devil Fruit ability and her Zoan form to Kureha, a huge commotion happened with the wooden door barging open wide and the items flying and crashing everywhere in the room. It had left quite a massive mess as an understatement as a result.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! HEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPP!", the brown furred reindeer boy named Chopper screamed out loud in fear as he was trying to get away from a hungry duo of Straw Hats, who're holding on to him and wouldn't let go, as fast as he can for his life.
Monkey D. Luffy screamed at him by the ear, "STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU PIECE OF MEAT!"
"Hold your horses, Luffy! I'll make sure to season it up first and turn it into venison!", Sanji told his captain, trying to hold down Chopper.
Saved by Luffy and Sanji! Thank you, guys..., Nami gave a small sigh of relief while noticing that Kureha's attention was turned towards Luffy and Sanji pursuing Chopper. The witch-faced lady remarked on the energy and enthusiasm of the captain and cook of the Straw Hats despite their injuries being covered by fresh layers of bandages that were already showing signs of blood.
On the other hand, the Straw Hats navigator wasn't surprised of Luffy and Sanji being stubborn and they have other priorities than getting some rest and not push themselves too hard that would aggravate their wounds. Not after they went through the trouble of bringing her to Kureha and her reindeer assistant.
Still, I will need to think of a name for a Zoan-type Devil Fruit that Dr. Kureha assumed me to have eaten. Mr. Sariel was obviously not an animal and I am pretty sure that holy light and wind are not animals either..., she internally noted.
"QUIT IT, YOU HUMANS! I HATE HUMANS LIKE YOU!", Chopper angrily protested while trying to break free from their grasp.
Undeterred and determined to make the reindeer boy his meal, Luffy declared, "STOP RUNNING AWAY FROM ME, MEAT!"
"Luffy, I told you not to eat him yet!", Sanji yelled at him, still struggling to keep Chopper down.
"You want to know what he is?", Kureha asked Nami who nodded in confirmation, before revealing, "He's Tony Tony Chopper. Just an average blue-nosed reindeer."
"And I assume he is not an ordinary one?", the orange haired host of Sariel commented.
Suddenly, Chopper's muscles bulged and grew as his body turned tall, large and muscular along with his hooves transforming into hands and feet. It surprised Luffy and Sanji who didn't see that one coming, and then Chopper clobbered them with a double cross punch into the ground. The two Straw Hats collided into the floor, cracking the tiles as a result!
"I AM NOT YOUR FOOD!", Chopper in his transformed state yelled out loud.
"Indeed, he ate the Human-Human Fruit, which granted him human abilities. He's also a Zoan too as well.", the Doctorine confirmed as she watched Chopper returned to his small form and continued running off, looking at him with pride akin to a mother being proud of her son. "I poured in all my medical skill and knowledge in him."
Human-Human Fruit?... Wait, that's it! Sariel was human looking enough and he was one of the Four Archangels if I recall. Not to mention, Kureha said about Dalton's Devil Fruit having a Model: Bison of his Ox-Ox Fruit and Chopper being a Zoan in addition. Time to make good use of this!, Nami found a Eureka moment and capitalize on it.
She called out to the mentor of Chopper who turned her attention back at her with a look of interest, "I see. Uhm, Dr. Kureha, about my Devil Fruit you asked me what it is... I ate the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Archangel."
Author's Note: Okay, the first chapter of "Angels of the Grand Line" is done and I hope you like it. Nami made a pact with Sariel which results in the member of the Four Archangels possessing her body and granting Nami access to his Ark and his Grace, Tornado. On the other hand, Kureha, from her perspective, believed that her patient was a Zoan-class Devil Fruit user due to fact Zoans possessing great strength, power, speed, recovery rate, and every other type of physical boost that one can think of, and was calling Nami out on it.
At least, the comical antics of Luffy and Sanji with Chopper came right in time for Nami to have her brief moment of reprieve and then she took opportunity after Kureha explained to her about Chopper's Human-Human Fruit to give her "Devil Fruit" a name for Sariel's abilities she possessed.
*Regarding the history between Dalton and Kureha, it made sense that the Doctorine had fixed him up of his injuries post-defeat at the hands of Wapol after the Blackbeard Pirates led by Marshall D. Teach had attacked the Drum Kingdom and made Wapol and his followers flee from the country in cowardice. Leaving the vacant castle alone for Kureha to settle in with Chopper where they found Dalton on the brink of death despite his Zoan nature due to his refusal to take back his defiance against Wapol and was refused treatment from the Isshi-20 by the spoiled brat of a king's orders.
*I totally didn't make a reference to the true name of Luffy's Gum-Gum Fruit to be Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika. No siree, lol.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
Chapter 2
Alright, I'm back with the second chapter of "Nami's Grace". Thank you everyone for the early reviews and support for this crossover story between One Piece and Nanatsu no Taizai.
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece and Nanatsu no Taizai. They respectively belong to Eiichiro Oda & Toei Animation, and Nakaba Suzuki & Studio A-1 Pictures.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
"I see. Uhm, Dr. Kureha, about my Devil Fruit you asked me what it is... I ate the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Archangel."
Dr. Kureha raised her eyebrow with fascination at Nami's claim before remarking. "Heeheeheeheehee! So, your Zoan form is an Archangel? Quite interesting Model of the Human-Human Fruit you've eaten, girl. Because you must have hit the jackpot with a Mythical Zoan. Those were very rare in the Grand Line. In fact, there was another Model of the Human-Human Fruit that was eaten by Fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha, leader of the Marines."
"His Devil Fruit was even rarer than most Mythical Zoans. Now yours just became the second rare Human-Human Fruit on the list. I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't catalogued in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia by now. Eh, then again, not all Devil Fruits were identified and it's a gamble for anyone who eat them to know whatever abilities they gain from.", she added.
Thank God, she bought it., the orange haired host of Sariel internally sighed in relief while learning some interesting tidbit from the Doctorine. At least it's good to know there's an actual Model of the Human-Human Fruit around here in the Grand Line. I bet that the Fleet Admiral's Zoan form might most likely be a Buddha just like his title.
Then Nami was surprised when Monkey D. Luffy and Sanji were getting themselves back up on their feet after they got clobbered by Tony Tony Chopper's muscular form and called out to her. Quite a testament of their ridiculous amount of durability, willpower and stubbornness they have in a nutshell. Apparently they were able to overhear Nami claiming to have eaten a Devil Fruit nearby.
"Wait a minute, did Nami just say she ate a Human-Human Fruit? Like that reindeer guy?"
"I think so, Luffy. But where and when did she find one to eat it?"
The Straw Hats navigator was quick to address their questions, keeping up the momentum with her cover story behind the magical abilities of Sariel she possessed. She said, "Uh, yeah... About that, I found that Devil Fruit and ate it back when we were at Little Garden... I was hungry and thought it was a nice fruit. Until the taste kicked in... It was horrible."
Nami stuck out her tongue and made retching noises, making a convincing impression of being completely and utterly disgusted.
Luffy tilted his head sideways, commenting. "I see. But why didn't you use it against those Baroque jerks who were attacking us and our Giant friends?"
"Because I didn't know how my Devil Fruit worked firsthand, you dummy! It's not like anyone can just become an instant expert immediately after eating it!", Nami angrily yelled at her captain.
"Okay, then. I know how it feels like when I train with my Gum-Gum Fruit.", the Rubber Human said with a nod, fondly remembering his childhood days with Ace and Sabo.
Kureha chimed in as she looked amused, "Heeheeheehee! On the bright side, your crewmate was able to heal quickly from the Kestia bite infection thanks to her Zoan's recovery rate and my medicine accelerating it. Although, she still needs her bedrest. Either way, like all Devil Fruit users, she won't be able to swim anymore. A hammer to be exact."
"Ugh... Thanks for reminding me...", the orange haired young woman made herself feel glum while internally noting to herself. That means I will have to fake my drowning. Because it would be a dead giveaway that I'm not a Devil Fruit user if I swim.
"It's alright, my sweet Nami! You will always be an angel to me, Devil Fruit or otherwise! And I will be there to rescue you if you fall into the ocean!", Sanji exclaimed with hearts on his eyes.
Even when things had soon calmed down in the room, it didn't take long for Nami to witness another case of shenanigans happening again in form of Luffy begging Kureha to join the Straw Hat Pirates as their doctor after being impressed of her medical skills but the Doctorine steadfastly refused, showing disinterest of becoming a pirate. She then scolded him and also Sanji for calling her an old granny with powerful kicks to their faces. Kureha emphasized that she is still young and hip in her 130s, clearly confident of herself thanks to her "secret of her youth" she told Nami earlier.
Before the captain and chef of the Straw Hats saw Chopper again nearby and both chased after him, followed with an upset Kureha chasing the two by throwing knives toward them.
Kureha was certainly not kidding that she's still very spry for her age and it shows.
"Phew, at least they're away for now...", Nami said to herself as she got up from the bed and stretched out her body a few times. She felt quite energetic and refreshed after possessing Sariel's power within her and wanted to use them, seeing an open door of the room. I'm gonna need to practice and figure out how they work. It'll be a good time to do it.
"Don't move around like that! Stay put and rest!", Chopper ordered her, revealing that he had successfully evaded from Luffy and Sanji once again, and he's back in the room where he looked both left and right in case the two are back. "You still have a fever, you know!"
She reassured him, "No, I don't. It's pretty much all gone now. Because I'm a Zoan, you know."
"Zoan? You mean you're like Dalton?", the reindeer boy asked with widened and wary eyes, remembering the man who turned against Wapol.
"Yup, I ate the Human-Human Fruit just like you did.", the host of Sariel stated with a grin.
"Wait a minute, aren't you human? Wouldn't it be redundant for a human to eat a Human-Human Fruit? You would either get enlightened probably or nothing at all. Other than being unable to swim as Doctorine said.", Chopper questioned with a frown.
Nami explained to the adorable furry shortstack with a top hat, "Well, my Devil Fruit's Model is Archangel. And then there's this Fleet Admiral Sengoku who ate his Human-Human Fruit with his Model being a Buddha I believe. Dr. Kureha said that Human-Human Fruits are quite rare."
"I see. But still, you need to rest. You just recovered from that nasty disease even if you are a Zoan.", Chopper insisted.
"I think I've already rested enough.", she stated, raising up her hands and closed her eyes to concentrate. "Besides, I just got this Devil Fruit and I want to figure out how it works..."
Okay, Nami. You can do this... Mr. Sariel gave me his powers and I'm gonna tap into it... The Straw Hat navigator focused on drawing out the Four Archangels member's magic from her body and visualize herself in forming a ball of light on her palms first. A simple one will do for her as part of taking a small step in learning her new abilities.
She felt the magical energy of a high ranking Goddess Clan member flowing through her arms and gathered them together into one focused area.
"Whoa! That's so cool! Too bright though!", the reindeer boy called out.
Nami opened her eyes to see that she really did make a ball of sparkling white light with her hands. "It looks beautiful... So divine... If only Luffy and Sanji were here to see this.", she said with amazement.
Right on cue, Luffy and Sanji showed up in the room once more after evading Kureha's deadly pursuit and dodging most of her sharp blades being thrown at them. Even though there are some slight clothing damage as close calls. They briefly stop their tracks to see their friend out of bed and she was holding a ball of light she produced in front of her.
"Oooh so that's how your Devil Fruit works, Nami? Mystery sparkles!", Luffy remarked.
"My beautiful angel Nami looked so radiant than ever! So sparkly!", Sanji complimented.
Then Kureha's voice bellowed behind their backs much to their horror, "COME BACK HERE, YOU BRATS! I WILL DINE ON YOUR HIDES FOR DINNER! GRILLED, SAUCED AND TENDERIZED INSIDE AND OUT! NOT SO FUNNY NOW TO BE ON THE RECEIVING END HUH, IS IT?! NO MATTER, YOU WON'T GET AWAY FROM ME! HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!"
The Rubber Human exclaimed in sheer panic, "Oh, no! The old hag's gaining on us! Run away, run awaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!"
"Right behind you, Luffy!", the blonde chef frantically agreed with him.
Her fellow Straw Hats left the room once again with the witch-faced lady still hot in pursuit, leaving Nami alone. Nami then noticed that Chopper is gone and looked around to see where he was hiding. She saw him behind the book shelf. But he's on the wrong position like he did before. Chopper was lucky that Luffy and Sanji didn't see him before running off for their lives from Kureha.
"Uh, I think you can come out now. They're gone.", she called out.
Chopper reluctantly complied as he came out to analyze the sparkling light ball on Nami's hands, "S-so, your Human-Human Fruit's Archangel Model allows you to create light with your hands?"
"It appears so. I might try something else with it...", the host of Sariel said, clasping her hands holding the magical ball. She then focused it to create a three-sectioned bo staff made out of solidified Ark energy before twirling it around expertly like it was second nature to her. "Heh, still got it.", she smiled, seeing that she can make good use of it.
"S-so you're pirates...?", the Reindeer Human asked when he approached with apprehension.
"Yup.", Nami replied as she tried other things with Ark's energy by turning the bo staff she held into a basic sword, swinging it around to test its weight.*
"R-really?!", Chopper widened while watching the Doctorine's patient apparently getting the hang of her Devil Fruit abilities.
"Yes, really.", she said while turning the Ark sword into a small hammer from Usopp, a dagger from Buggy the Clown, a spiked mace from Alvida and then back into a ball of energy once again.
The reindeer boy wondered aloud, "D-does that mean you carry a flag with skull and crossbones?"
"It's right on our ship's sail.", Nami confirmed before dissipating the ball of Ark power and asking him in turn. "Are you interested in pirates?"
"NO, OF COURSE NOT! YOU IDIOT! DON'T BE STUPID! HOW COULD I EVER TRAVEL ALONG WITH HUMANS?!", Chopper denied in an exclaiming manner, backing off quickly to crash into the shelf of books that got shaken and its contents spilled over to the floor.
He's obviously interested in pirates. Guess he's not used to someone asking him of what interests him before. Nami facepalmed with her left hand at Chopper's overreaction, "Riiiight, of course not. My bad."
He somberly said in self-deprecation, "Besides... a-aren't you scared of how I look...? I'm a reindeer but I talk and walk on two legs. And my nose is blue too."
Shaking her head, Nami reassured, "Not really. I've seen monsters before. And they're far scarier and more malicious. But you in comparison to them? You're just adorable."
That made her reminisce with glowering fury about Arlong and his Fishmen thugs who were the reason why Belle-mere's dead and she had suffered under them for a decade before the Straw Hats came to her life and defeated them. They're the real monsters as far as she's concerned. At least the Arlong Pirates were arrested by the Marines and they have been taken to prison somewhere far away from the East Blue, never to return ever again.
Hopefully, she will never see any of those Fishmen bastards anymore.
"Shut up! Calling me adorable doesn't make me happy! Not at all, you jerk!", Chopper claimed as he made another happy dancing, which made Nami giggle of contradiction.
Finding a pair of warm boots and a heavy winter jacket to wear over her pajamas outfit in the room, she told Chopper as she walked towards the door, "Well, if you don't mind, I am gonna go outside and practice more of my Devil Fruit. Don't want to accidentally cause any property damage in here. Because, I ain't gonna be paying the bills for it."
It made her shudder in fear to imagine the costs of having to compensate for the Drum Castle's repairs if she tried using Sariel's Grace in the room. She knew the name "Tornado" to be an equivalent of a natural destructive force of the weather. It would make Luffy's destruction of Arlong Park's main building that took down Arlong look small and tame in comparison. Not to mention that she doesn't want to face the wrath of Kureha upon her for accidentally destroying her residence with her so-called Devil Fruit.
So it's better safe than sorry.
Then, Nami got stopped in her tracks by Chopper who quickly transformed into his large muscular form and grabbed her by the right shoulder with his left hand. "W-wait! Let me come with you! J-just in case if you're in need of medical emergency.", Chopper suggested with concern for the Doctorine's patient and nervousness as if he was still walking on eggshells with her.
"Fine, come on then.", the Straw Hats navigator sighed as she walked out of the door with the Human Reindeer who shrunk back to his smaller form and followed after her.
Meanwhile, Luffy and Sanji were still chased around the castle by Kureha who ran out of knives and grabbed as many weapons as she can from the knight statues at the nearby snowy hallways of the Drum Castle.
Outside Drum Castle
Exiting through the main door of the castle that was left open and occupied by a nest of Snow Birds that made themselves at home there, Nami can see her breath upon setting foot on the snowy ground while Chopper was right behind her to ensure Doctorine's patient didn't fall over all of a sudden and he would have to bring her back to bed if it happened.
After making a considerable distance away from Drum Castle, the host of Sariel stopped where she stood on spot and began her practice of learning more of her new abilities that were granted to her. On the other hand, Chopper was curious as he wanted to see what this rare model of the Human-Human Fruit can do and watched Nami beginning her concentration.
Alright then, now I know how Ark works. Let's see what Mr. Sariel's Grace can do. I mean how hard can it be?, the orange haired young woman thought before she began to tap into the Four Archangels member's Tornado and then bring it out from her hands. She visualized herself in forming a small concentrated form of wind as she raised her arms forward to aim at the open snowy skies in front of her.
Luffy did once say, "All great fighters call out their finishing moves" or something. Zoro, Sanji and Usopp, and even our enemies do that too as well. I might as well give it a try., Nami thought of what to give a name of her technique for her Grace.
The Straw Hats navigator felt and saw her hands being slowly encompassed by small twirling winds, building up the momentum enough for her to fire her first Tornado technique.
"Alright, here it goes... Cyclone Tempo!", she shouted out loud.
However, Nami had greatly underestimated how extremely powerful and potent the Grace of Tornado really was as she found out the hard way. A massive blast of twisting wind was fired from her hands and she got violently blown back by the recoil, sending her flying. HOLY SHIT! THAT WAS TOO STRONG!, she internally panicked with widened eyes.
Thankfully, Chopper was standing behind Nami and quickly responded by growing to his large muscular form and caught her with his hands.
He tried his best to resist the recoil of the orange haired woman's strong wind technique of her Archangel Model of the Human-Human Fruit but it was futile and he got easily blown off too as well. Realizing that he's going to crash into the Drum Castle, Chopper shielded Nami with his body and collided himself with the wall of the castle. That broke through the structure, reducing the wall to pieces of rubble. It also startled the Snow Birds enough to fly out of their nest that fell apart from the gust.
And Chopper had crashed his back on the stairway of the castle, causing a crater from the heavy impact. But Nami remained relatively unharmed thanks to him protecting her.
"A-are you alright?", Chopper asked as he checked on the Doctorine's patient he held in his arms, whose hands no longer produce such powerful wind, for any sign of damage caused by the recoil. He knew that such recoil would be quite damaging to the human bones and can cause internal injuries.
As for himself, thanks to his Heavy Point, he was durable enough and move around without much worries.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Thanks...", Nami muttered as her face paled in shock of her first use of Tornado and looked at her trembling hands. Oh my God! That's the power of a Grace?! It nearly blew me off! I'm scared to imagine what the other three Graces can do. Just how incredibly dangerous the Devils were that Sariel and his Four Archangels comrades had fought against to use their Graces?!
Such implications were terrifying to comprehend for Nami after she remembered Sariel's regenerating state of his ravaged body and that he informed her that he had ultimately lost to a powerful enemy in battle between angels and demons despite his Grace of Tornado prior to forming a pact with him.
"Chopper, what's going on there?!", the Reindeer Human looked up to see Kureha being shocked that her patient had left the room and the wall and stairway of Drum Castle got shattered. Beside her were Luffy and Sanji, and it seemed that Nami's wind blast had caused the cat-and-mouse chasing shenanigans between them and the Doctorine to cease almost immediately.
"Nami! Are you alright?! What happened?!", the Rubber Human shouted in concern.
"Where did that hurricane come from?!", the blonde chef wondered aloud.
The Reindeer Human hastily explained as he slowly got up from the crater he made, "She went out to practice her Devil Fruit abilities, Doctorine. It looks like she didn't have control of it and would have injured herself if I didn't caught her and took the brunt in time."
Rubbing her forehead with a popping vein, Kureha ordered him with narrowed glare at Nami who's looking at her shaking hands in shock, "Chopper, get her back in bed now. I'll have words with her."
"Yes, Doctorine! Right away!", Chopper complied and carried the host of Sariel back to the room with Luffy and Sanji following him, concerned of their friend. His fear of the Straw Hat captain and chef was overridden as he's more concerned of the well-being of Kureha's patient.
Nami didn't bother resisting or protesting, still too stunned of the Tornado's power she made and witnessed the results.
At Bighorn, Drum Island
As the people of Drum were busy digging out the heavy snow to find and rescue Dalton, who was wounded by arrows and was buried alive underneath it, as fast as they can, they were startled by a sudden appearance of a massive tornado that came from the Drum Peak and fired above them, passing right towards the blue sea and briefly parted the waters. Not only that, it blew away most of the heavy post-avalanche snow that encompassed most of Bighorn and almost knocked over everyone there.
That also includes the local wildlife of Drum Island such as the packs of Lapahns, White Walkies, and reindeers, the flocks of Snow Birds and The Hiking Bear who were almost sent flying. They were confused and disoriented of the surprise gust of wind that came out of nowhere.
Then the massive tornado had dissipated away into nothing, leaving no trace of it behind.
The civilians were quick to recover on their feet as a testament of their stubbornness and will since after Blackbeard and his crew previously rampaged in Drum Kingdom and drove out Wapol and his followers from their nation as they wonder what's going on.
"Holy shit!"
"Was that a tornado?"
"What could have done that?!"
"We only have blizzards here!"
"No time to question that, we must dig out Dalton!"
"No need! All of the snow got blown away!"
"Oh right, let's help Dalton!"
"Thank goodness!"
"It's a miracle!"
"Yeah, said miracle almost blown us off!"
Being disappointed at how weak the rank and file soldiers of Wapol were after he had easily defeated them in droves with only one sword, Roronoa Zoro wondered, "Where did that come from?"
He had managed to stand his ground by stabbing the sword he stole from an enemy soldier into the ground against the surprise tornado gust.
"That tornado... Could it be the Gust-Gust Fruit?...", Nefertari Vivi gasped to herself out loud after being knocked over and got back on her feet.
"Wait what? It's a Devil Fruit?", Usopp asked with Zoro wanting to know as well. He too was almost blown away while in the middle of helping the Drum citizens to dig out Dalton from the deep snow.
Nodding in confirmation, the princess of Alabasta explained to her friends, "Yes, the Gust-Gust Fruit was one of the six Devil Fruits that were used by the Six Royal Guardians who faithfully served the Nefertaris and guarded Alabasta for centuries. It was known as "The Storm".* ... But now, my country only have two Royal Guardians left... Pell and Chaka, "The Falcon" and "The Jackal". While the Gust-Gust Fruit and two other Devil Fruits, the Heat-Heat Fruit and the Garb-Garb Fruit, both known as "The Rage" and "The Grace", were lost to Alabasta."
She finished with a dark frown, "... And the last one was in the hands of Crocodile."
Zoro asked with intrigue, "What kind of Devil Fruit did the Warlord eat?"
"The Sand-Sand Fruit. It was known as "The Desert" and he's using it against my people, Mr. Bushido.", the blue haired young woman glowered in response before shaking off her negative thought. "But still, if that's the Gust-Gust Fruit in Drum Island of all places, that means someone already ate it and became a Devil Fruit user!"
With the revelation of one of the missing Six Royal Guardians' Devil Fruits being found here, Vivi believed that with the Gust-Gust Fruit on their side, it might increase their chances of stopping Crocodile and save Alabasta from him and Baroque Works. The power of a wind Logia would definitely come in handy against the Desert King's sand powers.
"But the bigger question is: who ate it? Was it one of Drum's people here? Or one of our friends?", the long nosed sniper speculated.
"We can obviously rule out Luffy as he already ate the Gum-Gum Fruit and the love cook, because that's not his style at all. As for these folks here, they would have used it against these weakling soldiers already if they had found this Gust-Gust Fruit by now. My bet is that it's Nami who must have found and eaten your country's Gust-Gust Fruit. Creating a tornado is something she would do.", the green haired swordsman stated.
Nefertari Vivi's eyes widened in shock, "You mean to say, Nami is now a Devil Fruit user?!"
"So Nami got cured of her disease by being given a Devil Fruit to eat? Guess this Kureha lady really is a witch!", Usopp exclaimed.
Meanwhile in the background, the Isshi-20 offered their medical services to help Dalton and save his life from the arrow injuries and frostbite he had suffered. When the reluctant citizens of Drum pointed out their allegiance with Wapol and wary of their intentions, the Isshi-20 members took off their medical masks, shades and surgical caps, showing their faces that they were sincere of their intentions.
The doctors had revealed that they hated the tyrannical spoiled brat of a king all along and were inspired by Hiriluk's sacrifice to never give up hope after hearing his moving speech.
Now with Wapol's soldiers out of the way thanks to Zoro dispatching them, the Isshi-20 wanted to make things right. Looking at each other, the townsfolk decided to give the doctors a chance as long as Dalton's life was saved. They owed the former Captain of the Royal Guard for watching over them in the aftermath of the Blackbeard Pirates' attack on Drum Kingdom that freed them from Wapol.
However, one of the Isshi-20 came up to Zoro, Usopp and Vivi after overhearing their conversation. "Forgive my rudeness, but did you just say someone got cured by being given a Devil Fruit?", a female voice from the said doctor called out.
The swordsman and sniper of the Straw Hats, and the princess of Alabasta can see that she had already removed her concealing accessories and revealed to be a young woman with fair skin, short dark-brown hair, and dark-brown eyes.
"Uh, yes! Yes, I did! The Great Captain Usopp is never wrong! Why do you ask?", the son of Yasopp confirmed proudly.
The female Isshi-20 doctor frowned as she sternly lectured, "Because that's not how Devil Fruits work, you imbecile! It doesn't automatically cure you of the disease affecting your body upon eating it. The disease will still remain even as a Devil Fruit user regardless. If it were that easy to heal just by eating a Devil Fruit, we doctors wouldn't have a purpose at all and everyone in the Grand Line would just go find and purchase or steal Devil Fruits by now."
She finished, "That also includes the fact Devil Fruits cannot regenerate from injuries that are inflicted onto the user's "true body", whether they are a Logia, a Paramecia or Zoan. The scars will still be there and a reminder of their mortality."
While Usopp got stunned silent of being called out as wrong, Zoro raised an eyebrow after hearing that tidbit of information. "That means Nami is still sick and yet she managed to create that huge tornado? Heh, I'd almost feel bad for the enemy when they meet her at full health."
On the other hand, Vivi understood the Isshi-20 doctor pointing out the logical facts as the latter was a medical professional. Then she looked up at the Drum Peak whose snowy top got completely blown off by the massive tornado and hoped that Nami got healed of her fatal sickness by Dr. Kureha who was described as a "witch" by Dalton.
So that the princess of Alabasta would want to personally talk to her about the Gust-Gust Fruit that the Straw Hats navigator apparently had consumed it and became its user.
At the cliffs of Drum Peak
Climbing to the top of Drum Peak were two White Walkies. Their passengers they carry on their backs were Wapol, the former king of the defunct Drum Kingdom and his dynamic duo of yes-men subordinates Chess and Kuromarimo, and Musshuru, the older brother of Wapol. And they were on their way to reclaim the Drum Castle above the said peak and re-establish the Drum Kingdom, which they will then re-impose their tyranny and oppression upon the people of the snowy country.
"Maaaaahahahahahahahaha! Climb faster, Robson! Those hippo scum dare think they can defy me! Don't you agree, big brother?", proclaimed the overweight man with dark violet hair and a cylinder-shaped jaw made up of tin plates. He wore a tin-plate armor befitting his epithet of "Tin-Plate", and a hooded cape made from White Walkie skin.
"Mushushushushushushushu! Indeed, little brother! Once Drum Castle is ours, your rightful rulership shall be restored and the hippo-head excuse of the citizens living in this country will bend the knee to you once again, oi! One way or another! Now hurry up, Dobson!", agreed the tall man with mushroom-looking pink hair, a face mask over his eyes and a black beard at his chin. He wore a regal armor with a violet cape.*
Smirking, Wapol nodded, "As promised, you will have your place by my side as Vice-King of Drum Kingdom, Musshuru!"
"As long as you allow me to do as I please compared to our pathetic weak-willed hippo-head excuse of a father who had banished me to the Land of Fire, Kilauea, oi. He saw our Devil Fruits as curses. But these are our gifts bestowed upon us, oi!", Musshuru said with an evil grin.
"Of course! We are royals! We do whatever we like and those pathetic hippos must know their place in the Pecking Order, don't you agree, Chess, Kuromarimo?", Wapol asked his two top subordinates.
"Yes, King Wapol, Prince Musshuru!", Chess and Kuromarimo nodded in unison.
"Still, you should have let me unleash my Spore-Spore Fruit power on that insubordinate Dalton and the rebellious citizens. That hippo-head struck you down and defied you. He needed to be made an example of, oi. For what exactly?...", Musshuru pointed out, being disappointed when his little brother told him not to intervene during the confrontation with the former captain of the Royal Guard back at Bighorn.
The power of the Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Bison was nothing against his spores and Dalton would have easily dropped dead on spot. Such an unceremonious death it would have been for the traitor who had turned against the ruler of Drum Kingdom.
The Tin-Plate explained to him, "It's because, big brother, I want you to lend me your power. To provide the ammunition for the Royal Drum Crown 7-Shot Bliking Cannon! Once we reclaim Drum Castle, we're going to use that cannon and fire it all across Drum Kingdom! Mahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
The former chief magistrate commented in realization, "And with Prince Musshuru's spores spread across Drum Island with the Bliking Cannon's range, the rebellious citizens will be affected and they would have no choice but to come to us for medical help with the Isshi-20 at under our command. They will become dependent on us once more."
"And the Isshi-20 would be able to create an antidote for Prince Musshuru's spores within a short amount of time. King Wapol will have it monopolized. Genius!", the former chief staff officer grinned, fondly remembering the Doctor Hunt that had the Isshi-20 under his king's command and all doctors that refused to join Wapol killed or be exiled.
Especially that quack, Hiriluk, who blew himself up after making that silly speech about truly dying if a person was forgotten or something.
"I see, now that's diabolical plot I can get behind, oi. I approve of this, little brother...", Musshuru liked what Wapol had planned out.
And then, the group saw a massive tornado that was fired from the cliff of Drum Peak and the heavy snow was blown away! Then they frantically panic with widened eyes and jaws dropping when another avalanche fell upon their White Walkies, sending them flying down from the huge height of Drum Peak that their mounts climbed on.
Even when falling to his seeming doom alongside Musshuru, who just looked annoyed as if it was an inconvenience to him, and his two top subordinates Chess and Kuromarimo, who were comically hugging each other in terror, Wapol loudly shrieked as his overweight body was flailing around.
"CURSE YOU, STRAW HAT! HOW DARE YOU CAUSE ANOTHER AVALANCHE?! TWICE IN A ROW! NO MATTER! YOU WILL NOT STOP MY RIGHTFUL RETURN TO THE THRONE OF DRUM KINGDOM! WE WILL BE BACK! MAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Author's Note: Okay, Chapter 2 of "Nami's Grace" is done and I hope you guys like it. Nami managed to pass off Sariel's abilities she possessed as a Devil Fruit, testing them out to figure out Ark and Tornado Grace. On the other hand, Vivi assumed that Nami's tornado blast to be the Gust-Gust Fruit from her perspective. And then Wapol is heading his way to Drum Castle with Chess and Kuromarimo, and his elder brother Musshuru for a sinister purpose aside from plotting to re-instate the corrupt regime of Drum Kingdom. But they got hit by an avalanche caused by Nami's first use of Tornado which Wapol assumed it was Luffy who did it again and blamed him for it.
*A reference to Silk, a character from Romance Dawn Story OVA who wielded a sword, and she's one of the prototype designs for Nami drawn by Oda himself.
*It's a shout-out to This Bites! where Vivi became a wind Logia after she ate the Gust-Gust Fruit, and I am looking forward for Cross-Brain's return in the future after their story went on a long-term hiatus. One of the best One Piece fanfics I've ever read and I recommend you guys to go check it out.
*Musshuru, who's the movie-exclusive character from One Piece: Episode of Chopper Plus – Bloom in the Winter, Miracle Sakura and an older brother of Wapol, both of them are like birds of a feather in a nutshell.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece and Nanatsu no Taizai. They respectively belong to Eiichiro Oda & Toei Animation, and Nakaba Suzuki & Studio A-1 Pictures.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
Chapter 2
"I see. Uhm, Dr. Kureha, about my Devil Fruit you asked me what it is... I ate the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Archangel."
Dr. Kureha raised her eyebrow with fascination at Nami's claim before remarking. "Heeheeheeheehee! So, your Zoan form is an Archangel? Quite interesting Model of the Human-Human Fruit you've eaten, girl. Because you must have hit the jackpot with a Mythical Zoan. Those were very rare in the Grand Line. In fact, there was another Model of the Human-Human Fruit that was eaten by Fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha, leader of the Marines."
"His Devil Fruit was even rarer than most Mythical Zoans. Now yours just became the second rare Human-Human Fruit on the list. I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't catalogued in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia by now. Eh, then again, not all Devil Fruits were identified and it's a gamble for anyone who eat them to know whatever abilities they gain from.", she added.
Thank God, she bought it., the orange haired host of Sariel internally sighed in relief while learning some interesting tidbit from the Doctorine. At least it's good to know there's an actual Model of the Human-Human Fruit around here in the Grand Line. I bet that the Fleet Admiral's Zoan form might most likely be a Buddha just like his title.
Then Nami was surprised when Monkey D. Luffy and Sanji were getting themselves back up on their feet after they got clobbered by Tony Tony Chopper's muscular form and called out to her. Quite a testament of their ridiculous amount of durability, willpower and stubbornness they have in a nutshell. Apparently they were able to overhear Nami claiming to have eaten a Devil Fruit nearby.
"Wait a minute, did Nami just say she ate a Human-Human Fruit? Like that reindeer guy?"
"I think so, Luffy. But where and when did she find one to eat it?"
The Straw Hats navigator was quick to address their questions, keeping up the momentum with her cover story behind the magical abilities of Sariel she possessed. She said, "Uh, yeah... About that, I found that Devil Fruit and ate it back when we were at Little Garden... I was hungry and thought it was a nice fruit. Until the taste kicked in... It was horrible."
Nami stuck out her tongue and made retching noises, making a convincing impression of being completely and utterly disgusted.
Luffy tilted his head sideways, commenting. "I see. But why didn't you use it against those Baroque jerks who were attacking us and our Giant friends?"
"Because I didn't know how my Devil Fruit worked firsthand, you dummy! It's not like anyone can just become an instant expert immediately after eating it!", Nami angrily yelled at her captain.
"Okay, then. I know how it feels like when I train with my Gum-Gum Fruit.", the Rubber Human said with a nod, fondly remembering his childhood days with Ace and Sabo.
Kureha chimed in as she looked amused, "Heeheeheehee! On the bright side, your crewmate was able to heal quickly from the Kestia bite infection thanks to her Zoan's recovery rate and my medicine accelerating it. Although, she still needs her bedrest. Either way, like all Devil Fruit users, she won't be able to swim anymore. A hammer to be exact."
"Ugh... Thanks for reminding me...", the orange haired young woman made herself feel glum while internally noting to herself. That means I will have to fake my drowning. Because it would be a dead giveaway that I'm not a Devil Fruit user if I swim.
"It's alright, my sweet Nami! You will always be an angel to me, Devil Fruit or otherwise! And I will be there to rescue you if you fall into the ocean!", Sanji exclaimed with hearts on his eyes.
Even when things had soon calmed down in the room, it didn't take long for Nami to witness another case of shenanigans happening again in form of Luffy begging Kureha to join the Straw Hat Pirates as their doctor after being impressed of her medical skills but the Doctorine steadfastly refused, showing disinterest of becoming a pirate. She then scolded him and also Sanji for calling her an old granny with powerful kicks to their faces. Kureha emphasized that she is still young and hip in her 130s, clearly confident of herself thanks to her "secret of her youth" she told Nami earlier.
Before the captain and chef of the Straw Hats saw Chopper again nearby and both chased after him, followed with an upset Kureha chasing the two by throwing knives toward them.
Kureha was certainly not kidding that she's still very spry for her age and it shows.
"Phew, at least they're away for now...", Nami said to herself as she got up from the bed and stretched out her body a few times. She felt quite energetic and refreshed after possessing Sariel's power within her and wanted to use them, seeing an open door of the room. I'm gonna need to practice and figure out how they work. It'll be a good time to do it.
"Don't move around like that! Stay put and rest!", Chopper ordered her, revealing that he had successfully evaded from Luffy and Sanji once again, and he's back in the room where he looked both left and right in case the two are back. "You still have a fever, you know!"
She reassured him, "No, I don't. It's pretty much all gone now. Because I'm a Zoan, you know."
"Zoan? You mean you're like Dalton?", the reindeer boy asked with widened and wary eyes, remembering the man who turned against Wapol.
"Yup, I ate the Human-Human Fruit just like you did.", the host of Sariel stated with a grin.
"Wait a minute, aren't you human? Wouldn't it be redundant for a human to eat a Human-Human Fruit? You would either get enlightened probably or nothing at all. Other than being unable to swim as Doctorine said.", Chopper questioned with a frown.
Nami explained to the adorable furry shortstack with a top hat, "Well, my Devil Fruit's Model is Archangel. And then there's this Fleet Admiral Sengoku who ate his Human-Human Fruit with his Model being a Buddha I believe. Dr. Kureha said that Human-Human Fruits are quite rare."
"I see. But still, you need to rest. You just recovered from that nasty disease even if you are a Zoan.", Chopper insisted.
"I think I've already rested enough.", she stated, raising up her hands and closed her eyes to concentrate. "Besides, I just got this Devil Fruit and I want to figure out how it works..."
Okay, Nami. You can do this... Mr. Sariel gave me his powers and I'm gonna tap into it... The Straw Hat navigator focused on drawing out the Four Archangels member's magic from her body and visualize herself in forming a ball of light on her palms first. A simple one will do for her as part of taking a small step in learning her new abilities.
She felt the magical energy of a high ranking Goddess Clan member flowing through her arms and gathered them together into one focused area.
"Whoa! That's so cool! Too bright though!", the reindeer boy called out.
Nami opened her eyes to see that she really did make a ball of sparkling white light with her hands. "It looks beautiful... So divine... If only Luffy and Sanji were here to see this.", she said with amazement.
Right on cue, Luffy and Sanji showed up in the room once more after evading Kureha's deadly pursuit and dodging most of her sharp blades being thrown at them. Even though there are some slight clothing damage as close calls. They briefly stop their tracks to see their friend out of bed and she was holding a ball of light she produced in front of her.
"Oooh so that's how your Devil Fruit works, Nami? Mystery sparkles!", Luffy remarked.
"My beautiful angel Nami looked so radiant than ever! So sparkly!", Sanji complimented.
Then Kureha's voice bellowed behind their backs much to their horror, "COME BACK HERE, YOU BRATS! I WILL DINE ON YOUR HIDES FOR DINNER! GRILLED, SAUCED AND TENDERIZED INSIDE AND OUT! NOT SO FUNNY NOW TO BE ON THE RECEIVING END HUH, IS IT?! NO MATTER, YOU WON'T GET AWAY FROM ME! HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!"
The Rubber Human exclaimed in sheer panic, "Oh, no! The old hag's gaining on us! Run away, run awaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!"
"Right behind you, Luffy!", the blonde chef frantically agreed with him.
Her fellow Straw Hats left the room once again with the witch-faced lady still hot in pursuit, leaving Nami alone. Nami then noticed that Chopper is gone and looked around to see where he was hiding. She saw him behind the book shelf. But he's on the wrong position like he did before. Chopper was lucky that Luffy and Sanji didn't see him before running off for their lives from Kureha.
"Uh, I think you can come out now. They're gone.", she called out.
Chopper reluctantly complied as he came out to analyze the sparkling light ball on Nami's hands, "S-so, your Human-Human Fruit's Archangel Model allows you to create light with your hands?"
"It appears so. I might try something else with it...", the host of Sariel said, clasping her hands holding the magical ball. She then focused it to create a three-sectioned bo staff made out of solidified Ark energy before twirling it around expertly like it was second nature to her. "Heh, still got it.", she smiled, seeing that she can make good use of it.
"S-so you're pirates...?", the Reindeer Human asked when he approached with apprehension.
"Yup.", Nami replied as she tried other things with Ark's energy by turning the bo staff she held into a basic sword, swinging it around to test its weight.*
"R-really?!", Chopper widened while watching the Doctorine's patient apparently getting the hang of her Devil Fruit abilities.
"Yes, really.", she said while turning the Ark sword into a small hammer from Usopp, a dagger from Buggy the Clown, a spiked mace from Alvida and then back into a ball of energy once again.
The reindeer boy wondered aloud, "D-does that mean you carry a flag with skull and crossbones?"
"It's right on our ship's sail.", Nami confirmed before dissipating the ball of Ark power and asking him in turn. "Are you interested in pirates?"
"NO, OF COURSE NOT! YOU IDIOT! DON'T BE STUPID! HOW COULD I EVER TRAVEL ALONG WITH HUMANS?!", Chopper denied in an exclaiming manner, backing off quickly to crash into the shelf of books that got shaken and its contents spilled over to the floor.
He's obviously interested in pirates. Guess he's not used to someone asking him of what interests him before. Nami facepalmed with her left hand at Chopper's overreaction, "Riiiight, of course not. My bad."
He somberly said in self-deprecation, "Besides... a-aren't you scared of how I look...? I'm a reindeer but I talk and walk on two legs. And my nose is blue too."
Shaking her head, Nami reassured, "Not really. I've seen monsters before. And they're far scarier and more malicious. But you in comparison to them? You're just adorable."
That made her reminisce with glowering fury about Arlong and his Fishmen thugs who were the reason why Belle-mere's dead and she had suffered under them for a decade before the Straw Hats came to her life and defeated them. They're the real monsters as far as she's concerned. At least the Arlong Pirates were arrested by the Marines and they have been taken to prison somewhere far away from the East Blue, never to return ever again.
Hopefully, she will never see any of those Fishmen bastards anymore.
"Shut up! Calling me adorable doesn't make me happy! Not at all, you jerk!", Chopper claimed as he made another happy dancing, which made Nami giggle of contradiction.
Finding a pair of warm boots and a heavy winter jacket to wear over her pajamas outfit in the room, she told Chopper as she walked towards the door, "Well, if you don't mind, I am gonna go outside and practice more of my Devil Fruit. Don't want to accidentally cause any property damage in here. Because, I ain't gonna be paying the bills for it."
It made her shudder in fear to imagine the costs of having to compensate for the Drum Castle's repairs if she tried using Sariel's Grace in the room. She knew the name "Tornado" to be an equivalent of a natural destructive force of the weather. It would make Luffy's destruction of Arlong Park's main building that took down Arlong look small and tame in comparison. Not to mention that she doesn't want to face the wrath of Kureha upon her for accidentally destroying her residence with her so-called Devil Fruit.
So it's better safe than sorry.
Then, Nami got stopped in her tracks by Chopper who quickly transformed into his large muscular form and grabbed her by the right shoulder with his left hand. "W-wait! Let me come with you! J-just in case if you're in need of medical emergency.", Chopper suggested with concern for the Doctorine's patient and nervousness as if he was still walking on eggshells with her.
"Fine, come on then.", the Straw Hats navigator sighed as she walked out of the door with the Human Reindeer who shrunk back to his smaller form and followed after her.
Meanwhile, Luffy and Sanji were still chased around the castle by Kureha who ran out of knives and grabbed as many weapons as she can from the knight statues at the nearby snowy hallways of the Drum Castle.
Outside Drum Castle
Exiting through the main door of the castle that was left open and occupied by a nest of Snow Birds that made themselves at home there, Nami can see her breath upon setting foot on the snowy ground while Chopper was right behind her to ensure Doctorine's patient didn't fall over all of a sudden and he would have to bring her back to bed if it happened.
After making a considerable distance away from Drum Castle, the host of Sariel stopped where she stood on spot and began her practice of learning more of her new abilities that were granted to her. On the other hand, Chopper was curious as he wanted to see what this rare model of the Human-Human Fruit can do and watched Nami beginning her concentration.
Alright then, now I know how Ark works. Let's see what Mr. Sariel's Grace can do. I mean how hard can it be?, the orange haired young woman thought before she began to tap into the Four Archangels member's Tornado and then bring it out from her hands. She visualized herself in forming a small concentrated form of wind as she raised her arms forward to aim at the open snowy skies in front of her.
Luffy did once say, "All great fighters call out their finishing moves" or something. Zoro, Sanji and Usopp, and even our enemies do that too as well. I might as well give it a try., Nami thought of what to give a name of her technique for her Grace.
The Straw Hats navigator felt and saw her hands being slowly encompassed by small twirling winds, building up the momentum enough for her to fire her first Tornado technique.
"Alright, here it goes... Cyclone Tempo!", she shouted out loud.
However, Nami had greatly underestimated how extremely powerful and potent the Grace of Tornado really was as she found out the hard way. A massive blast of twisting wind was fired from her hands and she got violently blown back by the recoil, sending her flying. HOLY SHIT! THAT WAS TOO STRONG!, she internally panicked with widened eyes.
Thankfully, Chopper was standing behind Nami and quickly responded by growing to his large muscular form and caught her with his hands.
He tried his best to resist the recoil of the orange haired woman's strong wind technique of her Archangel Model of the Human-Human Fruit but it was futile and he got easily blown off too as well. Realizing that he's going to crash into the Drum Castle, Chopper shielded Nami with his body and collided himself with the wall of the castle. That broke through the structure, reducing the wall to pieces of rubble. It also startled the Snow Birds enough to fly out of their nest that fell apart from the gust.
And Chopper had crashed his back on the stairway of the castle, causing a crater from the heavy impact. But Nami remained relatively unharmed thanks to him protecting her.
"A-are you alright?", Chopper asked as he checked on the Doctorine's patient he held in his arms, whose hands no longer produce such powerful wind, for any sign of damage caused by the recoil. He knew that such recoil would be quite damaging to the human bones and can cause internal injuries.
As for himself, thanks to his Heavy Point, he was durable enough and move around without much worries.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Thanks...", Nami muttered as her face paled in shock of her first use of Tornado and looked at her trembling hands. Oh my God! That's the power of a Grace?! It nearly blew me off! I'm scared to imagine what the other three Graces can do. Just how incredibly dangerous the Devils were that Sariel and his Four Archangels comrades had fought against to use their Graces?!
Such implications were terrifying to comprehend for Nami after she remembered Sariel's regenerating state of his ravaged body and that he informed her that he had ultimately lost to a powerful enemy in battle between angels and demons despite his Grace of Tornado prior to forming a pact with him.
"Chopper, what's going on there?!", the Reindeer Human looked up to see Kureha being shocked that her patient had left the room and the wall and stairway of Drum Castle got shattered. Beside her were Luffy and Sanji, and it seemed that Nami's wind blast had caused the cat-and-mouse chasing shenanigans between them and the Doctorine to cease almost immediately.
"Nami! Are you alright?! What happened?!", the Rubber Human shouted in concern.
"Where did that hurricane come from?!", the blonde chef wondered aloud.
The Reindeer Human hastily explained as he slowly got up from the crater he made, "She went out to practice her Devil Fruit abilities, Doctorine. It looks like she didn't have control of it and would have injured herself if I didn't caught her and took the brunt in time."
Rubbing her forehead with a popping vein, Kureha ordered him with narrowed glare at Nami who's looking at her shaking hands in shock, "Chopper, get her back in bed now. I'll have words with her."
"Yes, Doctorine! Right away!", Chopper complied and carried the host of Sariel back to the room with Luffy and Sanji following him, concerned of their friend. His fear of the Straw Hat captain and chef was overridden as he's more concerned of the well-being of Kureha's patient.
Nami didn't bother resisting or protesting, still too stunned of the Tornado's power she made and witnessed the results.
At Bighorn, Drum Island
As the people of Drum were busy digging out the heavy snow to find and rescue Dalton, who was wounded by arrows and was buried alive underneath it, as fast as they can, they were startled by a sudden appearance of a massive tornado that came from the Drum Peak and fired above them, passing right towards the blue sea and briefly parted the waters. Not only that, it blew away most of the heavy post-avalanche snow that encompassed most of Bighorn and almost knocked over everyone there.
That also includes the local wildlife of Drum Island such as the packs of Lapahns, White Walkies, and reindeers, the flocks of Snow Birds and The Hiking Bear who were almost sent flying. They were confused and disoriented of the surprise gust of wind that came out of nowhere.
Then the massive tornado had dissipated away into nothing, leaving no trace of it behind.
The civilians were quick to recover on their feet as a testament of their stubbornness and will since after Blackbeard and his crew previously rampaged in Drum Kingdom and drove out Wapol and his followers from their nation as they wonder what's going on.
"Holy shit!"
"Was that a tornado?"
"What could have done that?!"
"We only have blizzards here!"
"No time to question that, we must dig out Dalton!"
"No need! All of the snow got blown away!"
"Oh right, let's help Dalton!"
"Thank goodness!"
"It's a miracle!"
"Yeah, said miracle almost blown us off!"
Being disappointed at how weak the rank and file soldiers of Wapol were after he had easily defeated them in droves with only one sword, Roronoa Zoro wondered, "Where did that come from?"
He had managed to stand his ground by stabbing the sword he stole from an enemy soldier into the ground against the surprise tornado gust.
"That tornado... Could it be the Gust-Gust Fruit?...", Nefertari Vivi gasped to herself out loud after being knocked over and got back on her feet.
"Wait what? It's a Devil Fruit?", Usopp asked with Zoro wanting to know as well. He too was almost blown away while in the middle of helping the Drum citizens to dig out Dalton from the deep snow.
Nodding in confirmation, the princess of Alabasta explained to her friends, "Yes, the Gust-Gust Fruit was one of the six Devil Fruits that were used by the Six Royal Guardians who faithfully served the Nefertaris and guarded Alabasta for centuries. It was known as "The Storm".* ... But now, my country only have two Royal Guardians left... Pell and Chaka, "The Falcon" and "The Jackal". While the Gust-Gust Fruit and two other Devil Fruits, the Heat-Heat Fruit and the Garb-Garb Fruit, both known as "The Rage" and "The Grace", were lost to Alabasta."
She finished with a dark frown, "... And the last one was in the hands of Crocodile."
Zoro asked with intrigue, "What kind of Devil Fruit did the Warlord eat?"
"The Sand-Sand Fruit. It was known as "The Desert" and he's using it against my people, Mr. Bushido.", the blue haired young woman glowered in response before shaking off her negative thought. "But still, if that's the Gust-Gust Fruit in Drum Island of all places, that means someone already ate it and became a Devil Fruit user!"
With the revelation of one of the missing Six Royal Guardians' Devil Fruits being found here, Vivi believed that with the Gust-Gust Fruit on their side, it might increase their chances of stopping Crocodile and save Alabasta from him and Baroque Works. The power of a wind Logia would definitely come in handy against the Desert King's sand powers.
"But the bigger question is: who ate it? Was it one of Drum's people here? Or one of our friends?", the long nosed sniper speculated.
"We can obviously rule out Luffy as he already ate the Gum-Gum Fruit and the love cook, because that's not his style at all. As for these folks here, they would have used it against these weakling soldiers already if they had found this Gust-Gust Fruit by now. My bet is that it's Nami who must have found and eaten your country's Gust-Gust Fruit. Creating a tornado is something she would do.", the green haired swordsman stated.
Nefertari Vivi's eyes widened in shock, "You mean to say, Nami is now a Devil Fruit user?!"
"So Nami got cured of her disease by being given a Devil Fruit to eat? Guess this Kureha lady really is a witch!", Usopp exclaimed.
Meanwhile in the background, the Isshi-20 offered their medical services to help Dalton and save his life from the arrow injuries and frostbite he had suffered. When the reluctant citizens of Drum pointed out their allegiance with Wapol and wary of their intentions, the Isshi-20 members took off their medical masks, shades and surgical caps, showing their faces that they were sincere of their intentions.
The doctors had revealed that they hated the tyrannical spoiled brat of a king all along and were inspired by Hiriluk's sacrifice to never give up hope after hearing his moving speech.
Now with Wapol's soldiers out of the way thanks to Zoro dispatching them, the Isshi-20 wanted to make things right. Looking at each other, the townsfolk decided to give the doctors a chance as long as Dalton's life was saved. They owed the former Captain of the Royal Guard for watching over them in the aftermath of the Blackbeard Pirates' attack on Drum Kingdom that freed them from Wapol.
However, one of the Isshi-20 came up to Zoro, Usopp and Vivi after overhearing their conversation. "Forgive my rudeness, but did you just say someone got cured by being given a Devil Fruit?", a female voice from the said doctor called out.
The swordsman and sniper of the Straw Hats, and the princess of Alabasta can see that she had already removed her concealing accessories and revealed to be a young woman with fair skin, short dark-brown hair, and dark-brown eyes.
"Uh, yes! Yes, I did! The Great Captain Usopp is never wrong! Why do you ask?", the son of Yasopp confirmed proudly.
The female Isshi-20 doctor frowned as she sternly lectured, "Because that's not how Devil Fruits work, you imbecile! It doesn't automatically cure you of the disease affecting your body upon eating it. The disease will still remain even as a Devil Fruit user regardless. If it were that easy to heal just by eating a Devil Fruit, we doctors wouldn't have a purpose at all and everyone in the Grand Line would just go find and purchase or steal Devil Fruits by now."
She finished, "That also includes the fact Devil Fruits cannot regenerate from injuries that are inflicted onto the user's "true body", whether they are a Logia, a Paramecia or Zoan. The scars will still be there and a reminder of their mortality."
While Usopp got stunned silent of being called out as wrong, Zoro raised an eyebrow after hearing that tidbit of information. "That means Nami is still sick and yet she managed to create that huge tornado? Heh, I'd almost feel bad for the enemy when they meet her at full health."
On the other hand, Vivi understood the Isshi-20 doctor pointing out the logical facts as the latter was a medical professional. Then she looked up at the Drum Peak whose snowy top got completely blown off by the massive tornado and hoped that Nami got healed of her fatal sickness by Dr. Kureha who was described as a "witch" by Dalton.
So that the princess of Alabasta would want to personally talk to her about the Gust-Gust Fruit that the Straw Hats navigator apparently had consumed it and became its user.
At the cliffs of Drum Peak
Climbing to the top of Drum Peak were two White Walkies. Their passengers they carry on their backs were Wapol, the former king of the defunct Drum Kingdom and his dynamic duo of yes-men subordinates Chess and Kuromarimo, and Musshuru, the older brother of Wapol. And they were on their way to reclaim the Drum Castle above the said peak and re-establish the Drum Kingdom, which they will then re-impose their tyranny and oppression upon the people of the snowy country.
"Maaaaahahahahahahahaha! Climb faster, Robson! Those hippo scum dare think they can defy me! Don't you agree, big brother?", proclaimed the overweight man with dark violet hair and a cylinder-shaped jaw made up of tin plates. He wore a tin-plate armor befitting his epithet of "Tin-Plate", and a hooded cape made from White Walkie skin.
"Mushushushushushushushu! Indeed, little brother! Once Drum Castle is ours, your rightful rulership shall be restored and the hippo-head excuse of the citizens living in this country will bend the knee to you once again, oi! One way or another! Now hurry up, Dobson!", agreed the tall man with mushroom-looking pink hair, a face mask over his eyes and a black beard at his chin. He wore a regal armor with a violet cape.*
Smirking, Wapol nodded, "As promised, you will have your place by my side as Vice-King of Drum Kingdom, Musshuru!"
"As long as you allow me to do as I please compared to our pathetic weak-willed hippo-head excuse of a father who had banished me to the Land of Fire, Kilauea, oi. He saw our Devil Fruits as curses. But these are our gifts bestowed upon us, oi!", Musshuru said with an evil grin.
"Of course! We are royals! We do whatever we like and those pathetic hippos must know their place in the Pecking Order, don't you agree, Chess, Kuromarimo?", Wapol asked his two top subordinates.
"Yes, King Wapol, Prince Musshuru!", Chess and Kuromarimo nodded in unison.
"Still, you should have let me unleash my Spore-Spore Fruit power on that insubordinate Dalton and the rebellious citizens. That hippo-head struck you down and defied you. He needed to be made an example of, oi. For what exactly?...", Musshuru pointed out, being disappointed when his little brother told him not to intervene during the confrontation with the former captain of the Royal Guard back at Bighorn.
The power of the Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Bison was nothing against his spores and Dalton would have easily dropped dead on spot. Such an unceremonious death it would have been for the traitor who had turned against the ruler of Drum Kingdom.
The Tin-Plate explained to him, "It's because, big brother, I want you to lend me your power. To provide the ammunition for the Royal Drum Crown 7-Shot Bliking Cannon! Once we reclaim Drum Castle, we're going to use that cannon and fire it all across Drum Kingdom! Mahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
The former chief magistrate commented in realization, "And with Prince Musshuru's spores spread across Drum Island with the Bliking Cannon's range, the rebellious citizens will be affected and they would have no choice but to come to us for medical help with the Isshi-20 at under our command. They will become dependent on us once more."
"And the Isshi-20 would be able to create an antidote for Prince Musshuru's spores within a short amount of time. King Wapol will have it monopolized. Genius!", the former chief staff officer grinned, fondly remembering the Doctor Hunt that had the Isshi-20 under his king's command and all doctors that refused to join Wapol killed or be exiled.
Especially that quack, Hiriluk, who blew himself up after making that silly speech about truly dying if a person was forgotten or something.
"I see, now that's diabolical plot I can get behind, oi. I approve of this, little brother...", Musshuru liked what Wapol had planned out.
And then, the group saw a massive tornado that was fired from the cliff of Drum Peak and the heavy snow was blown away! Then they frantically panic with widened eyes and jaws dropping when another avalanche fell upon their White Walkies, sending them flying down from the huge height of Drum Peak that their mounts climbed on.
Even when falling to his seeming doom alongside Musshuru, who just looked annoyed as if it was an inconvenience to him, and his two top subordinates Chess and Kuromarimo, who were comically hugging each other in terror, Wapol loudly shrieked as his overweight body was flailing around.
"CURSE YOU, STRAW HAT! HOW DARE YOU CAUSE ANOTHER AVALANCHE?! TWICE IN A ROW! NO MATTER! YOU WILL NOT STOP MY RIGHTFUL RETURN TO THE THRONE OF DRUM KINGDOM! WE WILL BE BACK! MAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Author's Note: Okay, Chapter 2 of "Nami's Grace" is done and I hope you guys like it. Nami managed to pass off Sariel's abilities she possessed as a Devil Fruit, testing them out to figure out Ark and Tornado Grace. On the other hand, Vivi assumed that Nami's tornado blast to be the Gust-Gust Fruit from her perspective. And then Wapol is heading his way to Drum Castle with Chess and Kuromarimo, and his elder brother Musshuru for a sinister purpose aside from plotting to re-instate the corrupt regime of Drum Kingdom. But they got hit by an avalanche caused by Nami's first use of Tornado which Wapol assumed it was Luffy who did it again and blamed him for it.
*A reference to Silk, a character from Romance Dawn Story OVA who wielded a sword, and she's one of the prototype designs for Nami drawn by Oda himself.
*It's a shout-out to This Bites! where Vivi became a wind Logia after she ate the Gust-Gust Fruit, and I am looking forward for Cross-Brain's return in the future after their story went on a long-term hiatus. One of the best One Piece fanfics I've ever read and I recommend you guys to go check it out.
*Musshuru, who's the movie-exclusive character from One Piece: Episode of Chopper Plus – Bloom in the Winter, Miracle Sakura and an older brother of Wapol, both of them are like birds of a feather in a nutshell.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
Chapter 3
Hey everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you're doing fine. I'm back with the third chapter of "Nami's Grace".
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece and Nanatsu no Taizai. They respectively belong to Eiichiro Oda & Toei Animation, and Nakaba Suzuki & Studio A-1 Pictures.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
"Owww! What was that for?!"
Nami shouted after she got a harsh flick on the forehead from an absolutely livid Dr. Kureha and it stung a lot. There's definitely some superhuman strength from the 130s lady, most likely from her "secret of her youth" no doubt. As for Nami herself, she had been returned to her bed by Tony Tony Chopper in his Heavy Point form after a recent near-disaster of using Sariel's Tornado Grace for the first time.
And now she's facing the wrath of Doctorine who's absolutely livid.
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, GIRL?! I TOLD YOU TO STAY IN BED AS DOCTOR'S ORDERS! IF CHOPPER HADN'T ACCOMPANIED YOU, YOU WOULD HAVE GOTTEN YOURSELF INJURED FROM THAT RECOIL OF YOUR DEVIL FRUIT'S ABILITIES! AT BEST, YOU'D END UP IN A COMA! OR AT WORST, YOU'D BE HAVING CRANIUM AND SPINAL INJURIES! NEVER TO WALK AGAIN OR MOVE YOUR BODY!", Kureha yelled at the Straw Hats navigator, which Monkey D. Luffy and Sanji winced from the sidelines and they had wisely kept their mouth shut or else the witch-faced lady would turn her attention back to them.
They do not want to be chased with knives and melee weapons thrown at them all over again.
Although Luffy and Sanji did notice Chopper, still in his muscular humanoid form, rubbing his back and feeling some pain after he used his body to protect Nami from crashing through Drum Castle's wall and the staircase. And while the Straw Hat captain and chef would want to go back chasing after Chopper as food and also finding him cool respectively, they had set it aside for now and be there for their friend Nami, who's on the receiving end of Kureha's stern verbal scolding.
"Well, what do you say for yourself?", Kureha demanded her patient, folding her arms and expecting an answer.
"I... I have no excuse... I screwed up.", Nami replied, looking down in shame and even though her hands stopped trembling, she still felt a cold chill. Not after what she had experienced with the Grace of Tornado that blew her off in her first use and it was a truly dangerous power she possessed from the currently hibernating Four Archangels member.
And yet Mr. Sariel fell in battle despite possessing Tornado. He also mentioned his comrades. Tarmiel and Ludociel, was it? He was expecting them to be with him yet there were no sign of the two before I showed up and made the pact. Were they losing against the Devils?..., she thought in horror. Then Nami noticed something else after recalling her previous conversation with Sariel. There were Four Archangels but he never mentioned about the fourth member of his group at all. As if he doesn't want to talk about him.
The Straw Hats navigator realized that she's the vessel of the last member of the Goddess Clan.* She couldn't help but feel empathy for Sariel after it seemed that he had lost everything in that war and he had no home to come back to anymore. The casual nonchalant attitude the wielder of Tornado had when she first met him turned out to be a mask hiding his pain and grief all along.
Much similar like herself when she was under Arlong's thumb after Belle-mere died and acted that way before Luffy came to her life.
And now he's sleeping within me, locking himself away from his sorrow... Probably for a long time until I'm old and dead..., she thought about the possibility of Sariel may never want to come out even after his body had fully regenerated eventually as he stated, and he might have used their pact as an excuse to do it. Leaving her in control of his Ark and Grace of Tornado.
Then Nami was called out by Kureha's remark, "Hey, why are you crying, girl? Don't tell me that you can't handle verbal punishment?"
She blinked in surprise and noticed she had tears streaming down on her face. Wiping them off with her shirt's right sleeve, Nami reassured, "Sorry, Dr. Kureha. I just realized I almost met my mom on the other side if it weren't for Chopper being there to save me. He really was a lifesaver."
"Shut up! Complimenting me won't make me happy! Not at all!", Chopper retorted while doing the happy dancing, even though it looked comical due to being in his Heavy Point form. Despite the fact he was briefly wincing from the back pain.
"You look pretty happy anyway.", Luffy and Sanji deadpan commented together.
"At least you owned up to your mistake.", the witch-faced lady noted before sternly warning the orange haired woman. "Regardless, you may have recovered quickly thanks to your Zoan healing factor and my medicine, but you will have to stay for three more days."
"Why?", Nami asked.
Kureha revealed to her patient with a mischievous smirk, "Because you will have to work on paying your bills, silly girl. For your medical recovery and fixing the castle wall and interior of course. Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!"
Oh crapbaskets! I just jinxed myself. ... Then again, it was my fault. I really didn't expect Mr. Sariel's Grace to be that strong. I will just stick with Ark for now. It seemed more manageable than Tornado., the Straw Hat navigator internally lamented with her face going pale.
Being reminded of his time at the Baratie to pay off his bills for a year for Chef Zeff after accidentally causing property damage, Luffy commented out loud. "So Nami will be staying here until three days are up?"
The Doctorine stated with a serious scary look, "Indeed, there's only two cases in which I let patients leave my sight. When they've healed... or when they've died! So yes, she's not going anywhere, boy!"
"Is there anything we can do? I mean, Luffy and I will be able to do the repairs at least, ma'am.", Sanji asked in a gentlemanly manner, not wanting Nami to do all the work by herself and he wanted to carry the burden for her.
Raising an eyebrow at being called "ma'am", Kureha shrugged in response, "Sure, why not? Since you boys volunteered, follow me. There are some repair tools and supplies in the castle you two can use. Chopper, watch my patient and make sure she doesn't leave the room this time."
"Yes, Doctorine.", the Reindeer Human complied with a nod.
After the witch-faced lady left with the two Straw Hats following her, Nami was alone in the room with Chopper as her guard and he's still in his muscular humanoid form, folding his arms and kept a close eye on her. It seemed that he was taking his task given to him by Kureha seriously. Even though he felt some aches on his back.
"Are you alright?", the orange haired woman asked in concern.
"Nothing to be concerned about, human. You really shouldn't have left bed. Doctorine really doesn't like it if someone disobeys her orders.", Chopper told her as he watched the patient intensely whilst trying to ignore the pain.
His back must have took the brunt after he caught and protected me from being hit by the castle's wall. I wonder..., Nami thought after remembering that Sariel stated his Ark can heal injuries and sickness. She raised her right palm in front of the muscular humanoid reindeer with a top hat and channeled the Ark energy through it, glowing intensely. Since Ark sparkles like stars, I will have to give it an appropriate technique for it., she recalled when she first manifested the dormant Goddess Clan member's inherent magical ability.
"What are you doing?! Stop that!", Chopper warned with widened eyes, moving in to stop her from causing another lack of Devil Fruit power control incident which will result in form of the Doctorine's wrath upon Nami again.
"Just trying something different. Now hold still. Heal Star!", Nami said as her right palm flashed brightly that engulfed Chopper's body with sparkling light. Although it temporarily blinded Chopper in the face unfortunately.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! MY EYES! THAT HURTS! ARE YOU TRYING TO BLIND ME, YOU JERK!?", the Reindeer Human yelled as he reverted back to his small adorable form and rolled around on the floor, rubbing his eyes with his hooves.
Pleased that she didn't actually cause property damage with Ark this time for now, the host of Sariel pointed with a grin, "Sorry about that. How's your back by the way?"
"My back?...", Chopper realized as he got up and learned that he felt no pain anymore, wondering aloud. "How was that possible?"
"Well, it seemed my Archangel Model fruit really did live up to its theme somewhat. I hope that makes us even.", Nami commented.
"Shut up! Fixing my back won't make me happy! Not really! But thank you anyway!", the small reindeer boy retorted with another happy dance, which made Nami giggle.
After things had calmed down in the room, the Straw Hat navigator found herself being interrogated by Chopper who was curious of one of her Devil Fruit's abilities to heal with bright sparkling light. "So you're saying that your Human-Human Fruit model doesn't only make wind attacks? The one you made almost blew you off from your feet.", he noted.
"Apparently, it was a Mythical Zoan that Dr. Kureha called my Devil Fruit to be. Probably, a special kind of Zoan.", Nami noted, recalling what the Doctorine told her.
"I see. Can you make wings if your Devil Fruit model is an Archangel? I did read from a book about angels having wings.", the reindeer boy wondered, wanting to see it for himself.
Contemplating, the orange haired woman said, "It's possible but this was my first time using my Devil Fruit power. You know, that massive wind blast and then the healing light I just did. Hopefully, I will get more opportunity to train."
And get a hang of Mr. Sariel's abilities as soon as possible. I might have to ask Usopp to make a weapon for me when we get to Alabasta. Something of a staff as a focus for Tornado to properly use and aim at the enemy. Can't have myself lose control of that Grace in the middle of a fight., she thought about it, not wanting to cause a repeat.
Shaking his head, Chopper warned her, "Well, maybe you can later. But not now, Doctorine's orders are absolute and you can't convince me to let you out of the room again!"
"Good point.", Nami conceded before asking. "But even so, would you like to come with us?"
"WHAT?!", Chopper exclaimed with his eyes bulged and jaw dropping.
"To the seas I mean. You're interested in pirates, right? I can even give you a free tour at the Going Merry to check it out. It's fair after I've seen this castle.", the Straw Hat navigator offered.
The reindeer boy frowned in response, "But I'm a monster... Won't your other friends on that ship be scared of me?"
Nami reassured him, "Well, we have a giant duck in the ship. He's harmless like you. As for the others, Vivi's gonna like you, and Usopp and Zoro probably wouldn't mind at all."
"Shut up! Calling me harmless won't make me happy! I'm still scary! Don't mess with me, you hear me?!", Chopper interjected while doing the happy dance again.
"Sure thing. But still, can you at least give it a try?", the orange haired woman shrugged.
Just as the Reindeer Human was about to consider, the lady in her 130s called out as she entered the room casually, "Chopper, do you mind if you watch over the brats? They already started the repair work on the wall, and make sure they don't slack off while I'm not looking. I'll take it from here."
"Yes, Doctorine.", Chopper complied and left the room with intention to watch Luffy and Sanji from a safe distance where they can't see him and chase him around the castle again.
"Those two little buggers are very persistent in doing the heavy work, I'd admit.", Kureha remarked upon sitting down on a nearby chair next to the bed. "And you're no better than your rowdy crewmates, girl. Trying to abduct my reindeer while I'm gone, are you now?..."
"Oh? Since when does a lady need permission to practice her art of seduction?", Nami responded with an amused smile.
The Doctorine found her patient's cheeky response amusing as she said, "Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee! Well said! You remind me of my foolish great-granddaughter!* Take him away if you want! He can be a part of your pirate crew for all I care."
"... But I'll have you know, it's going to take a lot more than a warm smile and an invitation. His heart's still severely wounded. A wound not even a doctor can fix.", she then solemnly warned Nami and explained about Chopper's life. "From the moment of his birth, Chopper was abandoned by his parents who thought of him as repulsive. All because of that blue nose of his. Despite being a newborn baby, he was forced to tail his herd all alone at the back."
"What?! That's awful...", the orange haired woman gasped in shock at such callousness from Chopper's own kind treating him that way.
Kureha continued, "And one day, Chopper happened to eat a Devil Fruit, the Human-Human Fruit. It singled him out even more as an abomination. His fellow reindeers soon chased him away for good. He couldn't even call himself a reindeer anymore. Even so, he still desired companions... So he tried to find acceptance among humans from a nearby town..."
"It didn't end well?", Nami guessed, having a bad feeling about it.
"Correct, his humanoid form wasn't quite human either. A fact made only too clear by his blue nose. Clueless to what he did wrong, and confused as to what he could blame... All he wanted were friends to live among, yet for what he was called a monster. Neither a reindeer nor a human... He's had to endure a life of loneliness since then...", the Doctorine said.
She finished with a daring challenge, "Can you pirates possibly hope to fix that scar of his heart?..."
Then all of a sudden, Nami and Kureha overheard a loud commotion in form of Monkey D. Luffy chasing after Chopper once again around Drum Castle. Although, they do took notice that they didn't hear Sanji being involved in the pursuit of the Reindeer Human at all as he's most likely busy fixing up the castle's wall for Nami and stayed where he was.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
"WAIT RIGHT THERE, MONSTER! JOIN MY CREW!"
"I REFUSE, YOU JERK!"
"NO, I REFUSE YOUR REFUSAL!"
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"
"BECAUSE YOU'RE COOL AND CAN TRANSFORM FROM REINDEER TO MONSTER! AND YOU SAVED NAMI FROM GETTING HURT HERSELF! NO MATTER, YOU'RE GONNA BE PART OF MY CREW ONE WAY OR ANOTHER! YOU WON'T GET AWAY FROM ME! SHISHISHISHISHISHISHISHISHISHI!"
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Of course, only Luffy would be able to get through Chopper his way. He has a knack for it., the Straw Hat navigator fondly remembered how determined her captain can be when inviting people to be a part of his crew, even when they refuse or try to drive him away, and succeeded, and she's no exception.
"Cheeky brat made his own variation of my threat when I chased after him and the blondie. Oh well, imitation is a form of flattery. Heeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!", Kureha commented, finding it amusing and seeing that the Straw Hat captain was already trying to win Chopper over to be part of the crew.
Changing the subject, the Doctorine demanded, "So tell me, girl. I happen to overhear that your Devil Fruit possess the power to heal with light and fixed up Chopper's back. Can you show me?"
Nami nodded as she raised both hands to form a small ball of Ark energy as a demonstration, "Sure. When I first used my powers, it turns out that the light was easier to handle compared to the wind I had trouble dealing with."
"Intriguing, there are Mythical Zoans that demonstrated some of the most varied properties of any Devil Fruit such as controlling and projecting the elements that are Paramecia-like in nature. Your Archangel Model of the Human-Human Fruit has the power over wind and light. Quite similar with the Gust-Gust Fruit that was lost to Alabasta centuries ago and the Glint-Glint Fruit that was eaten by Admiral Kizaru from the Marines. Both of those Devil Fruits are Logias.", Kureha stated as she analyzed at the sparkling light sphere from her patient.
Huh, the Gust-Gust Fruit came from Alabasta? Oh no, Vivi is gonna think I ate that Devil Fruit after I made a giant wind blast for everyone outside to see., the host of Sariel internally realized with a sweatdrop. She can imagine the princess of Alabasta's reaction when they see each other again after leaving Drum Castle and return to the Going Merry, and she will have to continue with her cover story of the Four Archangel's powers being a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit.
Dissipating away the ball of Ark energy, Nami cheekily wondered, "Since I was able to fix Chopper's back, does that make me a doctor material?"
"Heeheeheeheeheeheehee! Girl, just because you can make those sparkly lights to heal with a blast to the face, it doesn't make you a doctor. Not by a long shot! There's a reason why we professional doctors exist.", Kureha retorted with an amused grin.
At Bighorn, Drum Island
Several minutes after they had learned that apparently their friend Nami became a wind-using Devil Fruit user and caused a huge tornado despite her sick state, the swordsman and sniper of the Straw Hats and the princess of Alabasta overheard a commotion. The three turned their heads to see Dalton getting out of the nearby house where the Isshi-20 used as a place to begin their operation to save his life from arrow injuries and frostbite he had suffered, and the citizens of Drum were trying to convince him to not be too reckless and pushing himself even with his Zoan recovery.
"Anybody mind filling me in on who is that anyway?", Roronoa Zoro wondered aloud as he really didn't know due to being busy training shirtless in the snowy environment of Drum at the time.
Nefertari Vivi replied, "Dalton, he was the former Captain of Drum Kingdom's Royal Guard and he ate the Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Bison. I met him before at the Reverie, Mr. Bushido."
"I see. He's quite a tough guy to still move around despite his wounds.", the green haired swordsman noted.
"FROM THE TRAGIC DESTRUCTION OF OUR COUNTRY BY THE BLACKBEARD PIRATES, WE MIRACULOUSLY REGAINED OUR FREEDOM FROM WAPOL! IF WE LET THIS CHANCE SLIP BY, THIS COUNTRY WILL CONTINUE TO ROT AWAY FOR ETERNITY!", Dalton angrily yelled, refusing to let the likes of Wapol and his older brother Musshuru get away and reclaim Drum Castle.
"But you're still haven't fully recovered from your injuries. And we townsfolk alone aren't strong enough to beat them.", one citizen of Drum pointed out.
The Bison Human stubbornly persisted as he used his spade weapon as a cane in attempt to slowly make his way toward Drum Castle above the Drum Peak, "I'll settle things personally! I'll resort to any method possible... even if it means sacrificing mys-Gurk!"
Then Dalton got knocked out from behind and fell down on the snowy ground unconscious much to the shock of Drum citizens, Usopp and Vivi. While Zoro raised an eyebrow in surprise. They saw the perpetrator with a Buck hammer to be the same female Isshi-20 member, who had informed the princess and Zoro and Usopp that Devil Fruits are not used to heal a person from injury or disease at all.
And she looked absolutely livid at the former Royal Guard captain about to strain himself to death, reopening his wounds and rendering the efforts of saving his life pointless.
"Take him back inside and continue the medical procedure. Strap him down if you have to. Doctor's orders are not to be ignored!", she sternly ordered.
"Right away, Dr. Maddie.", her fellow Isshi-20 comrades who nodded and brought Dalton inside the house to resume their operation and keep him there.
"Why did you do that?! You didn't have to hit him!", Usopp protested with pale shock.
"It's for his own good, you imbecile! Even if we got Dalton back in full health and combat ready as quickly as possible to take down Chess and Kuromarimo, he's no match for Wapol and his older brother Musshuru!", the female Isshi-20 doctor stated, threateningly pointing her hammer at him.
The long nosed sniper comically backed away in fear, not wanting to be on the receiving end of the hammer. Like what he had done to his enemies like Chew with his Usopp Hammer attack.
"Who the hell is Musshuru?", Zoro asked as he remembered only Wapol when the Straw Hats encountered the man with an ugly chin who can eat anything with his Munch-Munch Fruit and tried to board and seize the Going Merry with his henchmen in the middle of a sea.
"He's the older brother of that bastard Wapol and the former first prince of Drum before he was banished to the Land of Fire, Kilauea. He ate the Spore-Spore Fruit and he was behind the Spore Outbreak Incident because he was bored and wanted to see what happens to people affected by the spores he unleashed!", Maddie explained with a vein popping on her forehead.
Vivi gasped in horror, "And Wapol brought him out from exile to retake the country?!"
"Aye, Wapol intended to use his brother's spore power to load up the Royal Drum Crown 7-Shot Bliking Cannon as ammunition and then fire it across the Drum Island. ... So that everyone will get infected by the spores and we, the Isshi-20, will make an antidote for the spores that only he will have it in possession. All to repeat the same policy of making everyone here dependent on him.", Maddie explained much to the horror and disgust of the Drum citizens.
She added, "Knowing those bastards, the avalanche caused by the massive tornado from your friend won't deter them one bit and they will resume climbing up all the way to Drum Peak. To capture the castle and seize the cannon along with the armory that only Wapol had the key to access it."
That freaked out the Drum citizens upon hearing it while other members of Isshi-20 remembered the tyrannical bastard of a king's "ultimate form" after consuming the contents of the armory and easily took down Dalton when he rebelled against him. It was gruesome and horrific curbstomp as an understatement.
Usopp tried to retort, "Then you shouldn't have knocked out Dalton! He would have helped Luffy and the others in trying to stop them!"
The dark-brown haired doctor stated with a serious glare right into his soul, "In my line of work as a doctor before I joined the Isshi-20, there's only two cases in which I let patients leave my sight. When they've healed... or when they've died! He's not going anywhere!"
"So scary, she's like a witch!", the long nosed sniper whimpered in fear with his legs shaking.
Zoro commented with a scoff, "Not as scary as that old lady I ran into."
"Witch? Could she be...?", Vivi wondered to herself after remembering Dalton's remark about Kureha being a witch.
Looking at the Drum Peak where the castle is located on top, Maddie smirked in vindictive amusement, "Besides, if one of your friends up there is a wind-using Logia as you said, then victory against those two royal bastards is already assured. It would have been funny if it wasn't completely one-sided... Well, what the hell? I'll laugh anyway! Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!"
Author's Note: Okay, Chapter 3 of "Nami's Grace" is done and I hope you like it. Nami got chewed out by Kureha after the fiasco with her first use of Tornado and decided to stick with Ark for now by testing out its healing capability on Chopper from his back problem. Kureha explaining Chopper's backstory to Nami while Luffy does what he does best when it comes to trying to convince someone who caught his eye into joining the Straw Hats.
On the other hand, Dalton got knocked out due to disobeying Doctor's Orders by the great-granddaughter of Kureha and was brought back to the operating table of the Isshi-20.
*From Nami's perspective, she believed that Sariel was the last of his people after assuming they were on the losing side of the war against the demons. Of course, in Nanatsu no Taizai, the Goddess Clan are still active with its several members having recovered their physical forms and they follow Mael in his new mission of protecting the Celestial Realm, their home.
It didn't help that with Sariel currently hibernating, he wasn't there to correct Nami.
*When I checked that not much of Kureha's past was known other than living long during Roger's era, I decided to expand some of it. Besides, it wouldn't be farfetched for Kureha to have a family at some point during her 130 years of life before her children grew up and made their own lives while she lived her own as she pleases.
Before she took in Chopper as his mentor and mother figure post-Hiriluk's death.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece and Nanatsu no Taizai. They respectively belong to Eiichiro Oda & Toei Animation, and Nakaba Suzuki & Studio A-1 Pictures.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
Chapter 3
"Owww! What was that for?!"
Nami shouted after she got a harsh flick on the forehead from an absolutely livid Dr. Kureha and it stung a lot. There's definitely some superhuman strength from the 130s lady, most likely from her "secret of her youth" no doubt. As for Nami herself, she had been returned to her bed by Tony Tony Chopper in his Heavy Point form after a recent near-disaster of using Sariel's Tornado Grace for the first time.
And now she's facing the wrath of Doctorine who's absolutely livid.
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, GIRL?! I TOLD YOU TO STAY IN BED AS DOCTOR'S ORDERS! IF CHOPPER HADN'T ACCOMPANIED YOU, YOU WOULD HAVE GOTTEN YOURSELF INJURED FROM THAT RECOIL OF YOUR DEVIL FRUIT'S ABILITIES! AT BEST, YOU'D END UP IN A COMA! OR AT WORST, YOU'D BE HAVING CRANIUM AND SPINAL INJURIES! NEVER TO WALK AGAIN OR MOVE YOUR BODY!", Kureha yelled at the Straw Hats navigator, which Monkey D. Luffy and Sanji winced from the sidelines and they had wisely kept their mouth shut or else the witch-faced lady would turn her attention back to them.
They do not want to be chased with knives and melee weapons thrown at them all over again.
Although Luffy and Sanji did notice Chopper, still in his muscular humanoid form, rubbing his back and feeling some pain after he used his body to protect Nami from crashing through Drum Castle's wall and the staircase. And while the Straw Hat captain and chef would want to go back chasing after Chopper as food and also finding him cool respectively, they had set it aside for now and be there for their friend Nami, who's on the receiving end of Kureha's stern verbal scolding.
"Well, what do you say for yourself?", Kureha demanded her patient, folding her arms and expecting an answer.
"I... I have no excuse... I screwed up.", Nami replied, looking down in shame and even though her hands stopped trembling, she still felt a cold chill. Not after what she had experienced with the Grace of Tornado that blew her off in her first use and it was a truly dangerous power she possessed from the currently hibernating Four Archangels member.
And yet Mr. Sariel fell in battle despite possessing Tornado. He also mentioned his comrades. Tarmiel and Ludociel, was it? He was expecting them to be with him yet there were no sign of the two before I showed up and made the pact. Were they losing against the Devils?..., she thought in horror. Then Nami noticed something else after recalling her previous conversation with Sariel. There were Four Archangels but he never mentioned about the fourth member of his group at all. As if he doesn't want to talk about him.
The Straw Hats navigator realized that she's the vessel of the last member of the Goddess Clan.* She couldn't help but feel empathy for Sariel after it seemed that he had lost everything in that war and he had no home to come back to anymore. The casual nonchalant attitude the wielder of Tornado had when she first met him turned out to be a mask hiding his pain and grief all along.
Much similar like herself when she was under Arlong's thumb after Belle-mere died and acted that way before Luffy came to her life.
And now he's sleeping within me, locking himself away from his sorrow... Probably for a long time until I'm old and dead..., she thought about the possibility of Sariel may never want to come out even after his body had fully regenerated eventually as he stated, and he might have used their pact as an excuse to do it. Leaving her in control of his Ark and Grace of Tornado.
Then Nami was called out by Kureha's remark, "Hey, why are you crying, girl? Don't tell me that you can't handle verbal punishment?"
She blinked in surprise and noticed she had tears streaming down on her face. Wiping them off with her shirt's right sleeve, Nami reassured, "Sorry, Dr. Kureha. I just realized I almost met my mom on the other side if it weren't for Chopper being there to save me. He really was a lifesaver."
"Shut up! Complimenting me won't make me happy! Not at all!", Chopper retorted while doing the happy dancing, even though it looked comical due to being in his Heavy Point form. Despite the fact he was briefly wincing from the back pain.
"You look pretty happy anyway.", Luffy and Sanji deadpan commented together.
"At least you owned up to your mistake.", the witch-faced lady noted before sternly warning the orange haired woman. "Regardless, you may have recovered quickly thanks to your Zoan healing factor and my medicine, but you will have to stay for three more days."
"Why?", Nami asked.
Kureha revealed to her patient with a mischievous smirk, "Because you will have to work on paying your bills, silly girl. For your medical recovery and fixing the castle wall and interior of course. Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!"
Oh crapbaskets! I just jinxed myself. ... Then again, it was my fault. I really didn't expect Mr. Sariel's Grace to be that strong. I will just stick with Ark for now. It seemed more manageable than Tornado., the Straw Hat navigator internally lamented with her face going pale.
Being reminded of his time at the Baratie to pay off his bills for a year for Chef Zeff after accidentally causing property damage, Luffy commented out loud. "So Nami will be staying here until three days are up?"
The Doctorine stated with a serious scary look, "Indeed, there's only two cases in which I let patients leave my sight. When they've healed... or when they've died! So yes, she's not going anywhere, boy!"
"Is there anything we can do? I mean, Luffy and I will be able to do the repairs at least, ma'am.", Sanji asked in a gentlemanly manner, not wanting Nami to do all the work by herself and he wanted to carry the burden for her.
Raising an eyebrow at being called "ma'am", Kureha shrugged in response, "Sure, why not? Since you boys volunteered, follow me. There are some repair tools and supplies in the castle you two can use. Chopper, watch my patient and make sure she doesn't leave the room this time."
"Yes, Doctorine.", the Reindeer Human complied with a nod.
After the witch-faced lady left with the two Straw Hats following her, Nami was alone in the room with Chopper as her guard and he's still in his muscular humanoid form, folding his arms and kept a close eye on her. It seemed that he was taking his task given to him by Kureha seriously. Even though he felt some aches on his back.
"Are you alright?", the orange haired woman asked in concern.
"Nothing to be concerned about, human. You really shouldn't have left bed. Doctorine really doesn't like it if someone disobeys her orders.", Chopper told her as he watched the patient intensely whilst trying to ignore the pain.
His back must have took the brunt after he caught and protected me from being hit by the castle's wall. I wonder..., Nami thought after remembering that Sariel stated his Ark can heal injuries and sickness. She raised her right palm in front of the muscular humanoid reindeer with a top hat and channeled the Ark energy through it, glowing intensely. Since Ark sparkles like stars, I will have to give it an appropriate technique for it., she recalled when she first manifested the dormant Goddess Clan member's inherent magical ability.
"What are you doing?! Stop that!", Chopper warned with widened eyes, moving in to stop her from causing another lack of Devil Fruit power control incident which will result in form of the Doctorine's wrath upon Nami again.
"Just trying something different. Now hold still. Heal Star!", Nami said as her right palm flashed brightly that engulfed Chopper's body with sparkling light. Although it temporarily blinded Chopper in the face unfortunately.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! MY EYES! THAT HURTS! ARE YOU TRYING TO BLIND ME, YOU JERK!?", the Reindeer Human yelled as he reverted back to his small adorable form and rolled around on the floor, rubbing his eyes with his hooves.
Pleased that she didn't actually cause property damage with Ark this time for now, the host of Sariel pointed with a grin, "Sorry about that. How's your back by the way?"
"My back?...", Chopper realized as he got up and learned that he felt no pain anymore, wondering aloud. "How was that possible?"
"Well, it seemed my Archangel Model fruit really did live up to its theme somewhat. I hope that makes us even.", Nami commented.
"Shut up! Fixing my back won't make me happy! Not really! But thank you anyway!", the small reindeer boy retorted with another happy dance, which made Nami giggle.
After things had calmed down in the room, the Straw Hat navigator found herself being interrogated by Chopper who was curious of one of her Devil Fruit's abilities to heal with bright sparkling light. "So you're saying that your Human-Human Fruit model doesn't only make wind attacks? The one you made almost blew you off from your feet.", he noted.
"Apparently, it was a Mythical Zoan that Dr. Kureha called my Devil Fruit to be. Probably, a special kind of Zoan.", Nami noted, recalling what the Doctorine told her.
"I see. Can you make wings if your Devil Fruit model is an Archangel? I did read from a book about angels having wings.", the reindeer boy wondered, wanting to see it for himself.
Contemplating, the orange haired woman said, "It's possible but this was my first time using my Devil Fruit power. You know, that massive wind blast and then the healing light I just did. Hopefully, I will get more opportunity to train."
And get a hang of Mr. Sariel's abilities as soon as possible. I might have to ask Usopp to make a weapon for me when we get to Alabasta. Something of a staff as a focus for Tornado to properly use and aim at the enemy. Can't have myself lose control of that Grace in the middle of a fight., she thought about it, not wanting to cause a repeat.
Shaking his head, Chopper warned her, "Well, maybe you can later. But not now, Doctorine's orders are absolute and you can't convince me to let you out of the room again!"
"Good point.", Nami conceded before asking. "But even so, would you like to come with us?"
"WHAT?!", Chopper exclaimed with his eyes bulged and jaw dropping.
"To the seas I mean. You're interested in pirates, right? I can even give you a free tour at the Going Merry to check it out. It's fair after I've seen this castle.", the Straw Hat navigator offered.
The reindeer boy frowned in response, "But I'm a monster... Won't your other friends on that ship be scared of me?"
Nami reassured him, "Well, we have a giant duck in the ship. He's harmless like you. As for the others, Vivi's gonna like you, and Usopp and Zoro probably wouldn't mind at all."
"Shut up! Calling me harmless won't make me happy! I'm still scary! Don't mess with me, you hear me?!", Chopper interjected while doing the happy dance again.
"Sure thing. But still, can you at least give it a try?", the orange haired woman shrugged.
Just as the Reindeer Human was about to consider, the lady in her 130s called out as she entered the room casually, "Chopper, do you mind if you watch over the brats? They already started the repair work on the wall, and make sure they don't slack off while I'm not looking. I'll take it from here."
"Yes, Doctorine.", Chopper complied and left the room with intention to watch Luffy and Sanji from a safe distance where they can't see him and chase him around the castle again.
"Those two little buggers are very persistent in doing the heavy work, I'd admit.", Kureha remarked upon sitting down on a nearby chair next to the bed. "And you're no better than your rowdy crewmates, girl. Trying to abduct my reindeer while I'm gone, are you now?..."
"Oh? Since when does a lady need permission to practice her art of seduction?", Nami responded with an amused smile.
The Doctorine found her patient's cheeky response amusing as she said, "Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee! Well said! You remind me of my foolish great-granddaughter!* Take him away if you want! He can be a part of your pirate crew for all I care."
"... But I'll have you know, it's going to take a lot more than a warm smile and an invitation. His heart's still severely wounded. A wound not even a doctor can fix.", she then solemnly warned Nami and explained about Chopper's life. "From the moment of his birth, Chopper was abandoned by his parents who thought of him as repulsive. All because of that blue nose of his. Despite being a newborn baby, he was forced to tail his herd all alone at the back."
"What?! That's awful...", the orange haired woman gasped in shock at such callousness from Chopper's own kind treating him that way.
Kureha continued, "And one day, Chopper happened to eat a Devil Fruit, the Human-Human Fruit. It singled him out even more as an abomination. His fellow reindeers soon chased him away for good. He couldn't even call himself a reindeer anymore. Even so, he still desired companions... So he tried to find acceptance among humans from a nearby town..."
"It didn't end well?", Nami guessed, having a bad feeling about it.
"Correct, his humanoid form wasn't quite human either. A fact made only too clear by his blue nose. Clueless to what he did wrong, and confused as to what he could blame... All he wanted were friends to live among, yet for what he was called a monster. Neither a reindeer nor a human... He's had to endure a life of loneliness since then...", the Doctorine said.
She finished with a daring challenge, "Can you pirates possibly hope to fix that scar of his heart?..."
Then all of a sudden, Nami and Kureha overheard a loud commotion in form of Monkey D. Luffy chasing after Chopper once again around Drum Castle. Although, they do took notice that they didn't hear Sanji being involved in the pursuit of the Reindeer Human at all as he's most likely busy fixing up the castle's wall for Nami and stayed where he was.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
"WAIT RIGHT THERE, MONSTER! JOIN MY CREW!"
"I REFUSE, YOU JERK!"
"NO, I REFUSE YOUR REFUSAL!"
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"
"BECAUSE YOU'RE COOL AND CAN TRANSFORM FROM REINDEER TO MONSTER! AND YOU SAVED NAMI FROM GETTING HURT HERSELF! NO MATTER, YOU'RE GONNA BE PART OF MY CREW ONE WAY OR ANOTHER! YOU WON'T GET AWAY FROM ME! SHISHISHISHISHISHISHISHISHISHI!"
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Of course, only Luffy would be able to get through Chopper his way. He has a knack for it., the Straw Hat navigator fondly remembered how determined her captain can be when inviting people to be a part of his crew, even when they refuse or try to drive him away, and succeeded, and she's no exception.
"Cheeky brat made his own variation of my threat when I chased after him and the blondie. Oh well, imitation is a form of flattery. Heeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!", Kureha commented, finding it amusing and seeing that the Straw Hat captain was already trying to win Chopper over to be part of the crew.
Changing the subject, the Doctorine demanded, "So tell me, girl. I happen to overhear that your Devil Fruit possess the power to heal with light and fixed up Chopper's back. Can you show me?"
Nami nodded as she raised both hands to form a small ball of Ark energy as a demonstration, "Sure. When I first used my powers, it turns out that the light was easier to handle compared to the wind I had trouble dealing with."
"Intriguing, there are Mythical Zoans that demonstrated some of the most varied properties of any Devil Fruit such as controlling and projecting the elements that are Paramecia-like in nature. Your Archangel Model of the Human-Human Fruit has the power over wind and light. Quite similar with the Gust-Gust Fruit that was lost to Alabasta centuries ago and the Glint-Glint Fruit that was eaten by Admiral Kizaru from the Marines. Both of those Devil Fruits are Logias.", Kureha stated as she analyzed at the sparkling light sphere from her patient.
Huh, the Gust-Gust Fruit came from Alabasta? Oh no, Vivi is gonna think I ate that Devil Fruit after I made a giant wind blast for everyone outside to see., the host of Sariel internally realized with a sweatdrop. She can imagine the princess of Alabasta's reaction when they see each other again after leaving Drum Castle and return to the Going Merry, and she will have to continue with her cover story of the Four Archangel's powers being a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit.
Dissipating away the ball of Ark energy, Nami cheekily wondered, "Since I was able to fix Chopper's back, does that make me a doctor material?"
"Heeheeheeheeheeheehee! Girl, just because you can make those sparkly lights to heal with a blast to the face, it doesn't make you a doctor. Not by a long shot! There's a reason why we professional doctors exist.", Kureha retorted with an amused grin.
At Bighorn, Drum Island
Several minutes after they had learned that apparently their friend Nami became a wind-using Devil Fruit user and caused a huge tornado despite her sick state, the swordsman and sniper of the Straw Hats and the princess of Alabasta overheard a commotion. The three turned their heads to see Dalton getting out of the nearby house where the Isshi-20 used as a place to begin their operation to save his life from arrow injuries and frostbite he had suffered, and the citizens of Drum were trying to convince him to not be too reckless and pushing himself even with his Zoan recovery.
"Anybody mind filling me in on who is that anyway?", Roronoa Zoro wondered aloud as he really didn't know due to being busy training shirtless in the snowy environment of Drum at the time.
Nefertari Vivi replied, "Dalton, he was the former Captain of Drum Kingdom's Royal Guard and he ate the Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Bison. I met him before at the Reverie, Mr. Bushido."
"I see. He's quite a tough guy to still move around despite his wounds.", the green haired swordsman noted.
"FROM THE TRAGIC DESTRUCTION OF OUR COUNTRY BY THE BLACKBEARD PIRATES, WE MIRACULOUSLY REGAINED OUR FREEDOM FROM WAPOL! IF WE LET THIS CHANCE SLIP BY, THIS COUNTRY WILL CONTINUE TO ROT AWAY FOR ETERNITY!", Dalton angrily yelled, refusing to let the likes of Wapol and his older brother Musshuru get away and reclaim Drum Castle.
"But you're still haven't fully recovered from your injuries. And we townsfolk alone aren't strong enough to beat them.", one citizen of Drum pointed out.
The Bison Human stubbornly persisted as he used his spade weapon as a cane in attempt to slowly make his way toward Drum Castle above the Drum Peak, "I'll settle things personally! I'll resort to any method possible... even if it means sacrificing mys-Gurk!"
Then Dalton got knocked out from behind and fell down on the snowy ground unconscious much to the shock of Drum citizens, Usopp and Vivi. While Zoro raised an eyebrow in surprise. They saw the perpetrator with a Buck hammer to be the same female Isshi-20 member, who had informed the princess and Zoro and Usopp that Devil Fruits are not used to heal a person from injury or disease at all.
And she looked absolutely livid at the former Royal Guard captain about to strain himself to death, reopening his wounds and rendering the efforts of saving his life pointless.
"Take him back inside and continue the medical procedure. Strap him down if you have to. Doctor's orders are not to be ignored!", she sternly ordered.
"Right away, Dr. Maddie.", her fellow Isshi-20 comrades who nodded and brought Dalton inside the house to resume their operation and keep him there.
"Why did you do that?! You didn't have to hit him!", Usopp protested with pale shock.
"It's for his own good, you imbecile! Even if we got Dalton back in full health and combat ready as quickly as possible to take down Chess and Kuromarimo, he's no match for Wapol and his older brother Musshuru!", the female Isshi-20 doctor stated, threateningly pointing her hammer at him.
The long nosed sniper comically backed away in fear, not wanting to be on the receiving end of the hammer. Like what he had done to his enemies like Chew with his Usopp Hammer attack.
"Who the hell is Musshuru?", Zoro asked as he remembered only Wapol when the Straw Hats encountered the man with an ugly chin who can eat anything with his Munch-Munch Fruit and tried to board and seize the Going Merry with his henchmen in the middle of a sea.
"He's the older brother of that bastard Wapol and the former first prince of Drum before he was banished to the Land of Fire, Kilauea. He ate the Spore-Spore Fruit and he was behind the Spore Outbreak Incident because he was bored and wanted to see what happens to people affected by the spores he unleashed!", Maddie explained with a vein popping on her forehead.
Vivi gasped in horror, "And Wapol brought him out from exile to retake the country?!"
"Aye, Wapol intended to use his brother's spore power to load up the Royal Drum Crown 7-Shot Bliking Cannon as ammunition and then fire it across the Drum Island. ... So that everyone will get infected by the spores and we, the Isshi-20, will make an antidote for the spores that only he will have it in possession. All to repeat the same policy of making everyone here dependent on him.", Maddie explained much to the horror and disgust of the Drum citizens.
She added, "Knowing those bastards, the avalanche caused by the massive tornado from your friend won't deter them one bit and they will resume climbing up all the way to Drum Peak. To capture the castle and seize the cannon along with the armory that only Wapol had the key to access it."
That freaked out the Drum citizens upon hearing it while other members of Isshi-20 remembered the tyrannical bastard of a king's "ultimate form" after consuming the contents of the armory and easily took down Dalton when he rebelled against him. It was gruesome and horrific curbstomp as an understatement.
Usopp tried to retort, "Then you shouldn't have knocked out Dalton! He would have helped Luffy and the others in trying to stop them!"
The dark-brown haired doctor stated with a serious glare right into his soul, "In my line of work as a doctor before I joined the Isshi-20, there's only two cases in which I let patients leave my sight. When they've healed... or when they've died! He's not going anywhere!"
"So scary, she's like a witch!", the long nosed sniper whimpered in fear with his legs shaking.
Zoro commented with a scoff, "Not as scary as that old lady I ran into."
"Witch? Could she be...?", Vivi wondered to herself after remembering Dalton's remark about Kureha being a witch.
Looking at the Drum Peak where the castle is located on top, Maddie smirked in vindictive amusement, "Besides, if one of your friends up there is a wind-using Logia as you said, then victory against those two royal bastards is already assured. It would have been funny if it wasn't completely one-sided... Well, what the hell? I'll laugh anyway! Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!"
Author's Note: Okay, Chapter 3 of "Nami's Grace" is done and I hope you like it. Nami got chewed out by Kureha after the fiasco with her first use of Tornado and decided to stick with Ark for now by testing out its healing capability on Chopper from his back problem. Kureha explaining Chopper's backstory to Nami while Luffy does what he does best when it comes to trying to convince someone who caught his eye into joining the Straw Hats.
On the other hand, Dalton got knocked out due to disobeying Doctor's Orders by the great-granddaughter of Kureha and was brought back to the operating table of the Isshi-20.
*From Nami's perspective, she believed that Sariel was the last of his people after assuming they were on the losing side of the war against the demons. Of course, in Nanatsu no Taizai, the Goddess Clan are still active with its several members having recovered their physical forms and they follow Mael in his new mission of protecting the Celestial Realm, their home.
It didn't help that with Sariel currently hibernating, he wasn't there to correct Nami.
*When I checked that not much of Kureha's past was known other than living long during Roger's era, I decided to expand some of it. Besides, it wouldn't be farfetched for Kureha to have a family at some point during her 130 years of life before her children grew up and made their own lives while she lived her own as she pleases.
Before she took in Chopper as his mentor and mother figure post-Hiriluk's death.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
Chapter 4
Hello there, everyone. Happy December and I have returned with the fourth chapter of "Nami's Grace".
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece and Nanatsu no Taizai. They respectively belong to Eiichiro Oda & Toei Animation, and Nakaba Suzuki & Studio A-1 Pictures.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
At the infirmary, Drum Castle
After showing Kureha about the sparkling lights of her so-called "Devil Fruit" and that she can't go exactly anywhere with the latter keeping an eye on her, Nami listened to the Doctorine explaining more about Tony Tony Chopper's past. Such as the reindeer boy meeting the quack doctor named Dr. Hiruluk who not only gave him a name but also called him his son, showing great bond between them. Kureha had also revealed about the Doctor Hunt enacted by former king of Drum, Wapol where the doctors were given an ultimatum: either join him, or be exiled or executed.
"Only you and Dr. Hiruluk managed to escape?", the Straw Hats navigator asked, wondering where the man was after learning that he was like a father to Chopper. Not even Chopper seemed to talk about him other than Kureha in the Drum Castle during her interaction with the adorable Human-Human Fruit user.
The Doctorine revealed with a somber frown, "Yes and No. Even the quack doctor was eventually cornered and met his end. And yet he died on his own terms with a blast than let Wapol's men execute him by firing squad. ... As for me, I was the only survivor of the Doctor Hunt. Those who joined Wapol became the Isshi-20, my foolish great-granddaughter Maddie included among them. Anyone who was sick and dying had to beg at his feet and be indebted to him after being healed by the Isshi-20. However, the people of Drum refused to do so and any little respect they had for Wapol vanished along with any hope of being like his late father, King Ivan."*
She added with scathing criticism at the predecessor of Drum Kingdom, "King Ivan may have been a kind and caring king who looked after the well-being of Drum's citizens and ensured they lived healthy and happily... But he was a shitty parent. More so after the death of his wife by cancer. He had spoiled Wapol too much like he did with Musshuru. Refusing to discipline Wapol and Musshuru of their reckless use of their Devil Fruits they found and ate were among his many mistakes in raising them. He hoped that Wapol will follow his footsteps upon ascending to the throne. ... But instead Wapol displayed only cruelty, entitlement and stupidity during his reign. It's almost a good thing that Blackbeard and his crew of 4 men showed up in their raid and scared off Wapol into fleeing without even putting up a fight, freeing Drum from his stupidity."
I don't know who Blackbeard is but he sounds like a terrifying guy who should be avoided at all costs., Nami thought after hearing about that ominous name. It also worried her that it only took 5 pirates to take down an entire country in comparison to Crocodile who needed an entire organization to threaten Alabasta, Viv's home.
Continuing, the great-grandmother of Maddie stated, "And his first son Musshuru was behind the Spore Outbreak Incident that had taken hundreds of Drum citizens' lives. Many doctors and I worked together to stop it before it took a thousand more. Even Hiruluk contributed with his bombs that destroyed the spores that are weak to fire. ... But King Ivan chose to banish Musshuru to the Land of Fire, Kilauea instead of turning him over to the Marines, hoping that the brat will reflect on his actions and change his ways. As he and Wapol share the same stupid braincell, it won't even be a surprise that Musshuru remained the same as ever and probably became more dangerous than he was after using his exile to train there."
"Now we're paying the price of dealing with the mess left behind by his sons. Long live King Ivan, a beloved ruler but a terrible father.", Kureha finished before drinking down her bottle of wine.
Nami winced at the Doctorine being very disappointed at the previous king of Drum for his poor parenting skills that brought forth the two worst royals of the country. Vivi would definitely hate Wapol with a passion after hearing that from Dr. Kureha and most likely horrified that Wapol and his brother had a good father yet they chose to act selfish and cruel instead., she thought about her friend.
She knew that the blue haired princess of Alabasta was definitely nothing like Wapol at all. Vivi cared for the well-being of her people and wanted to stop Crocodile from destroying her nation she loved. Going as far as to infiltrate Baroque Works as Miss Wednesday with Igaram being Mr. 8 by her side before being found out and aligned herself with Straw Hats. Pressing on despite Miss All Sunday had bombed her retainer for trying to play decoy. Even then, Vivi chose to fight than run away from danger compared to Wapol who did run away without any hesitation despite both of them had faced threats that got them outmatched respectively.
Changing the subject, the wielder of Sariel's powers asked in curiosity. "So, what kind of Devil Fruits did the two ate?"
The lady in her 130s answered, "Well, Wapol ate the Munch-Munch Fruit, allowing him to eat otherwise-inedible or toxic to normal people such as weapons and living beings, then later manifesting them from his body. He is the Chomping Human. And as for Musshuru, it's the Shroom-Shroom Fruit that gave him the power to create and control poisonous mushroom spores as the Spore Human. Both of those Devil Fruits are Paramecia-types just like your captain's that can stretch like rubber."
"That would be the Gum-Gum Fruit, Dr. Kureha. Luffy ate it and became the Rubber Human.", Nami explained to the Doctorine.
Kureha mused with a grin, "I see. Quite fitting as the brat always seemed to back back on his feet literally from anything. Heeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!"
Talk about the literal phrase of "You are what you eat" for Wapol. He might be dangerous if he had eaten weapons and transform into using them., the orange haired young woman internally noted about such Devil Fruit abilities the two former royals of Drum Kingdom possessed on the other hand. As for his brother though, I wonder if his poisonous spores can be neutralized with the healing power of Ark. He might even be a bigger threat than Wapol.
Suddenly, Chopper barged through the door and he was in his actual reindeer form than his small adorable self, apparently succeeded in evading Monkey D. Luffy. "Doctorine, it's an emergency! Wapol's back! There are three more scents! Two of them are his henchmen, Chess and Kuromarimo! But I don't know who's the last one! He smells like a really poisonous mushroom though! And he attacked one of our patients outside!", he informed with a worried face as his reindeer nose picked up something bad.
Sanji?!, Nami widened her eyes in surprise that her fellow Straw Hat got assaulted outside Drum Castle. She knew that Sanji is strong like Luffy and Zoro as if they're a Monster Trio together. But the injuries that he had sustained would get in his way, hampering his combat capabilities and that would be bad.
"I see. Musshuru has been brought back from exile and is working together with Wapol, huh?", Kureha remarked with a frown before getting up from her chair while putting on her jacket. The Doctorine went to her personal laboratory where she grabbed a small belt with pouched that held several vials containing antidotes for the spores, and several bottles with pieces of cloth attached to them as fuses.
Before leaving through the door of the infirmary with Chopper, the witch-faced lady pointed at Nami with a scary glare, "You better stay put here, girl. Because if I catch you leaving again, I will have you fully strapped down on the bed until you're cleared to go after 3 days are up. Am I clear?"
Nami hastily nodded in response, "Yes, ma'am!"
Kureha left with Chopper, although the door remained open in front of Nami instead of being locked down to prevent her from escaping and she knew what that meant. "... Dammit, this is such an obvious Catch-22 ultimatum! If I leave the door and help out, the Doctorine is gonna carry out her threat she warned me. But if I don't help, Wapol and his men are going to take over the castle even with Luffy, Sanji and also Chopper getting in their way, forcing me to leave the door and drive them off, which results in getting me strapped back to bed. There is no way out of this...", she groaned with a uncomfortable look on her face.
For a few seconds, the orange haired young woman then threw her hands out in resignation as she got off from the bed and headed out with her yellow jacket draped on her shoulders to take part of the defense of Drum Castle. She even took the red jacket which belonged to Luffy, already knew that her captain had definitely forgot about wearing it outside the cold snow and can be oblivious until pointed out to his face.
"You know what, screw it! I'm gonna help!"
She thought with determination, Either way, I'll take this as opportunity to know how to fight with Ark. Sariel's Tornado Grace will have to be put on hold for now. I'll use it only as a last resort.
Outside Drum Castle
"Mahahahahahahahahahahaha! At last! We finally made it back up thanks to big brother! And the castle is just exactly as I left! Now let us commence the revival of the Drum Kingdom!"
Wapol proclaimed with a gleeful face after he, his brother and their two top subordinates had recovered from the avalanche thrown upon them and had reached at the top of Drum Peak where the castle is situated on the top of it. But their White Walkers, Robson and Dobson had remained below of the mountains and were left behind by their masters.
It helped that the deep snow surrounding the Drum Castle had been blown away for easier movement on the ground they stand on. Because it would have been a hassle to trek through the snow and enter the castle otherwise.
Stretching out his back and shoulders after having to personally carry three people with his superhuman strength and speed that his body belied of, Musshuru simply said, "You're welcome, little brother. While you restore the throne of Drum, I will go prepare loading the Bliking Cannon for your plan, oi."
Being held by the enemy's right hand, Sanji struggled to not choke under the former first prince's strong grip as his arms tried their best to break free from Musshuru with his own strength. It didn't help that his bandaged wounds had been reopened and bloodied all over his body after being attacked all of a sudden. The chef of the Straw Hat Pirates was caught off guard that an enemy blitzed out of nowhere and ambushed him in the middle of repairing the castle's wall outside as part of his gentlemanly duty to help Nami and pay the bills for being healed by the witch-faced lady doctor.
To his annoyance, Sanji had also lost hold to his burning cigarette after Musshuru's kick made him spit it out.
If he were at his full health and uninjured, he would have been able to evade the Spore Human and hold his ground against him with his Black Leg fighting style taught to him by his one true father, Zeff. But sadly, luck is not on his side and it had grated Sanji's nerves about it.
"How... is that lanky bastard... this fast?... And strong?...", Sanji muttered incredulously, getting de ja vu of having done a similar thing to Fullbody, that Marine lieutenant who pretended to be a cultured gentleman in an attempt to impress his date back at the Baratie.
Musshuru smirked with amusement after overhearing the blonde chef, "Mushushushushushushushu! So this is one of the hippo-headed Straw Hats you were talking about, Wapol? Lying that they didn't have an Eternal Pose to Drum yet they came here to this country, oi."
"That's right, Musshuru! They're the same ones who dare cause an avalanche on us twice in their failed attempts to stop us from reclaiming what's ours by birthright! No matter, we shall use him as a hostage so that Straw Hat will have no choice but to bend the knee and grovel when we have his crew mate at our mercy! Mahahahahahahahahaha!", Wapol confirmed with a sick smile.
That somewhat triggered Sanji upon remembering Judge, that mad scientist bastard who was obsessed of wanting to reclaim the North Blue which he believed that they were his by birthright. By using his older sister Reiju and his three other brothers Ichiji, Niji and Yonji being literally born as powerful unfeeling human weapons by his twisted science at the expense of his beloved mother Sora's life. Not to mention, the brothers' smug attitudes reminded him too much of the terrible trio who tormented him and had him at their mercy.
The blonde chef was so glad that he left Germa 66 behind and end up meeting people who actually care for him, the Straw Hats and his true father, Zeff.
"Your Majesties, there appears to be a strange flag on top of the tower!", Kuromarimo informed in alarm, which Wapol and Musshuru took notice of it themselves.
It was a black flag with a Jolly Roger that has several Sakura petals around it.
The Chomping Human demanded with a look of outrage at such blasphemous sight in front of him, "What's that weird flag with a skull doing there? What happened to Drum Kingdom's proud flag?!"
Kureha answered, confronting the former royals and their retainers with Chopper in his actual reindeer form by her side at the main entrance of Drum Castle, "Heeheeheeheeheeheehee! I burned that useless thing!"
Recognizing the familiar-looking older woman, Wapol commented with a sneer on his tin-plated face, "Ahh! So you're here, Dr. Kureha! The witch herself and the only remaining survivor of my Doctor Hunt! Still haven't learned how to die, I see!"
"I've already decided to make this castle Hiruluk's grave. It ain't a place for rotten brats like yourselves to loiter around.", the Doctorine declared with a grin of audacity at the former royals. "Now get the hell out of this country! Drum Kingdom is now just a thing of a past!"
"A GRAVE?! MY MAGNIFICENT CASTLE IS TO BE A GRAVE FOR THAT QUACK DOCTOR! MAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!", the former ruler of Drum sneered at such notion, which angered Chopper for mocking his late surrogate father.
The former first prince commented in observation whilst still holding a struggling Sanji by his grip, "Calm down, little brother. Dr. Kureha must have been the new ruler of this country, albeit an illegitimate one, after claiming the castle as her own and lived in it, oi."
Wapol realized in surprise that his older brother was right about it, "I see, that makes sense, big brother. ... That would mean those hippo citizens of Drum were dependent on this witch's medical services and accepted her illegal reign similarly like my policy. No matter, the Isshi-20 will do a much better job at it under my restored rule! Mahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
"Me, a ruler? Hah! Don't make me laugh, brat! Dalton is the one who's been leading the people after you cowardly fled from Drum! Not even putting up any effort of a fight when the Blackbeard Pirates attacked the country. Besides, I prefer to live my life as I please! Heeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!", Kureha retorted with an eye roll of being compared to the spoiled second-born son of deceased King Ivan.
"In that case, the traitor Dalton is already dead and buried alive at Bighorn by the avalanche caused by Straw Hat! Mahahahahahahahahahaha! It's a shame that you will have to die. Your great-granddaughter made the right decision to join me as one of the Isshi-20 unlike you, old hag.", the large-sized man with a tin-plate jaw jeered at the Doctorine as he motioned for Chess and Kuromarimo to execute her on spot.
Despite being at Musshuru's grip, Sanji tried to retort but was unfortunately ignored, "... That... was... the Lapahns... who did the avalanche..."
Defiant, Kureha shot back in turn, "Maddie is free to make her own choices and can live with the consequences herself. At least I don't coddle my own family and they came out better for it. You and Musshuru are the prime examples of spoiled children. King Ivan must have been so disappointed in you two if he were here now."
"Well, you can tell him in Hell!", Wapol yelled, which his two top subordinates were about to attack.
Suddenly, Monkey D. Luffy showed up, running past Kureha and Chopper. "Ahhh! It's him! It's payback time for what you did earlier!", he yelled after recognizing the same jerk who had taken a huge bite out of the Going Merry and threatened his crew in the previous encounter at the sea before sailing to Drum Island where they have to find a doctor for Nami's fatal illness to be treated.
Chess warned in surprise of a familiar interloper, "Your Majesty! It's Straw Hat boy!"
"He's fast!", Kuromarimo shouted as he and his fellow former minister of defense would be too slow to get in the way and protect their king.
Stretching out his right arm literally, far behind him while running at full speed, Luffy charged in, "Gum-Gum..."
With his jaw dropping and eyes bulging, the Chomping Human was too shocked to dodge out of the way when the insolent Rubber Human is right up close to him in his personal space. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"... Bullet!", he snapped it back to deliver a short-distance one-fisted powerful blow at Wapol's face.
Or it would have landed if it weren't for Musshuru getting in the way and blocked the physical attack with his left palm, resulting in a small shockwave from the impact and blew away whatever remains of the deep snow around them. The captain of the Straw Hats was shocked that someone got between him and Wapol he was supposed to deck in the schnoz.
"What the?!", Luffy said in shock of someone getting in his way. Then he noticed his friend held by the neck from the same guy who stopped him from punching Wapol, shocked as a result. "Sanji?!"
"Don't lay your filthy hand on my little brother, you hippo-head. Spin Drill!", the pink haired former first prince said before he imbued his right foot with the power of his Shroom-Shroom Fruit and roundhouse kicked away Luffy, striking him in the face that sent him flying hard.
However, Kureha casually caught Luffy by the head with her left hand even when his neck stretched out with his body. And then snapped back into place again. It shocked Chopper with a jawdrop to witness the young man with a straw hat, who had chased him all around Drum Castle to be a part of his crew, stretching unnaturally.
"Owww! My nose! That hurts!", Luffy complained as he suffered a bloody nose and tried to use his hands to hold back the bleeding. He really hates it that cutting attacks and bladed weapons are a pain in the ass for him to deal with even he was made of rubber. Not to mention, he felt affected from the said injury and realized that the tall pink haired enemy must have used a poison weapon.
Reminding the grandson of Garp that it's similarly like that blowhard jerk Don Krieg's MH5, which had greatly harmed Gin after he gave the gasmask to him to survive the poisonous attack. He hoped that the former Krieg Pirates member was okay after he left Baratie post-defeat of his captain at the East Blue.
"Hold still, kid and remove your hands. You will infect the wound with the germs from your skin. Take a whiff from this antidote.", Kureha told him as she administered the anti-spore cure to the Rubber Human by pouring it into the handkerchief and pressed it into his injured nose.
"Hey, why am I still bleeding?", Luffy wondered as while feeling a lot better after being given immediate medical treatment.
The 130s year old lady replied to him, "It's because I cured you of the poisonous spore infection. You've been struck by Musshuru's Shroom-Shroom Fruit's power. You might have to hold that to your face to stop the bleeding for a while"
Holding the antidote-laced handkerchief, Luffy wiped his nose dry of the blood. "Oh ok, thanks granny.", he said, which Kureha let it slide before remembering something. "Aaaah! Sanji! Are you okay?!"
"Grk... I'm fine, Luffy... Just, er, hanging around!", Sanji tried to reassure his captain despite losing some air on his neck and his face turning blue.
"Be careful not to choke on your aspirations, you hippo head.", Musshuru warned, tightening the grip further.
Having the advantage over the insolent young man, Wapol gleefully threatened, "That's right! If you lay try hit me again, big brother will snap your hippo crew mate's neck this instant, Straw Hat! Shame that my Isshi-20 isn't here with me to fix his neck on time should I command them to. His death will be on your hands! Mahahahahahahaha!"
If only looks could literally kill, Luffy's glare alone would have caused the former Drum Kingdom's ruler to be shocked and drop dead on spot by now.
"Star Blast!"
All of a sudden, a big white light beam fired from the entrance of Drum Castle, passing by Kureha, Luffy and Chopper, surprising the three, before it struck on the right shoulder of Musshuru, sending him flying. The pink haired Spore Human cried out in pain and crashed into the ground, inadvertently letting go of Sanji from his grasp. The Straw Hat captain immediately stretched out his rubbery arms to grab his chef back to him by his side.
"Prince Musshuru!", Chess and Kuromarimo screamed in horror.
"Who did that?!", Wapol yelled in anger after watching his older brother getting hurt by an enemy attack and it was obvious that Straw Hat and Kureha weren't behind it at all.
"Me.", is what he got in response.
Everyone turned to see Nami revealing herself as she held out two fingers of her left hand that have the small glowing orb of Ark at the tips and walked through the main entrance of Drum Castle. Thank God, Luffy got Sanji back after I shot that tall bastard Musshuru., she thought in relief as she tossed the red jacket towards Luffy who thanked her and put it on quickly after realizing that it's really cold and he wore only his red sleeveless vest.
"Girl, you do know you're going to be strapped back into bed when this is over, right?", Kureha sternly warned her patient, looking displeased that her doctor's orders were ignored again even though she left the door open for Nami to choose between leaving or staying out.
Definitely a Catch-22 indeed. Nami thought with an internal eye roll as she acknowledged while dissipating away her Ark orb on her hand, "Save it. Do whatever you want with me after we deal with these jerks."
Conceding after seeing her patient being willing to face the music than try weasel her way out of it, Doctorine said with a casual wave off, "Fine. Hope you're ready for the consequences after that, girl."
Observing that the orange haired young woman was Kureha's patient and also a Devil Fruit user just like himself and Musshuru and the Straw Hat brat too as well, the ex-king of Drum demanded with a leering face, "So, you must be one of Straw Hat's crew mates, am I right?"
"Yes, I'm just a navigator.", the host of Sariel bluntly answered as she took a look at the large man with a tin plate chin who was the reason why Chopper's surrogate father died and the country had suffered terribly under his horrible rule in the first place. "And you must be Wapol, huh? You and your brother are really so damn ugly not even your mother would love."
"Considering Queen Peach* was pretty in her time, those brats sure didn't inherit any of her looks either. They're like rotten apples from a healthy tree. Heeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!", the witch-faced lady snarked, agreeing with her patient.
"YOU LEAVE OUR MOTHER OUT OF THIS, YOU HIPPOS/HIPPO-HEADS!", the brothers of the former Drum Royal family screamed out loud as the elder brother had already gotten back on his feet and standing by his little brother's side. That surprised the orange haired young woman that Wapol and Musshuru seemed to have a better relationship with their mother somehow than their father who had spoiled them and was too lenient with them of their behavior.
Guess even bad men really do love their mamas., Nami sweatdropped at the scene before interjecting herself. Then again, they still chose to become jerks despite having parents who care and provide for them and tried to teach them to be better. Dr. Kureha was right about King Ivan and also Queen Peach being disappointed in their sons if they were here right now.
Meanwhile, Kureha doesn't give a damn what Wapol and Musshuru said because it was true as they take more from their father than their mother. And even then, King Ivan was not as ugly as his two sons and it shows how despicable they are, by personality and appearance.
Kuromarimo angrily shouted at Nami and Kureha in defense of his superiors, "How dare you mock King Wapol and Prince Musshuru with such disrespect and brutality! You even dare use the name of their mother, Queen Peach in vain!"
"That's right! Don't you realize you're in the presence of royalty?! This island and the lives of its inhabitants are subject to the very whims of their regal selves!", an upset Chess warned in addition.
"Royalty? So what?! All I know you guys annoy the hell out of me and tried to hurt my friends!", Luffy retorted with a big stretch of his rubbery face's cheeks he pulled and his tongue to mock them. Even though it's somewhat undermined by his still bleeding nose thanks to Musshuru kicking him in the face with a bladed attack of his Devil Fruit.
"You know those three, kid?", the Doctorine inquired.
The Straw Hats captain explained as he pointed his hand at Wapol and his retinue, "Oh I know them alright. Except that Mushroom Jerk who just kicked me in the face. They're the pesky pirate wannabes! Nothing but fakes, the lot of them! That ugly metal mug even tried to eat my ship! Well, I'm not taking their crap anymore!"
"This has to be my lucky day! Dalton's corpse is below and here we have that rebel witch hag, as well as the Straw Hat Pirates! Mahahahahahaha! What a perfect chance this is, to remove all the thorns on our side with one fell swoop!", the Chomping Human proclaimed.
"Don't forget the plan, little brother. We will be victorious once we acquire the cannon inside the castle and use it for the plan, oi.", the Spore Human reminded.
The former minister of defense agreed, "Indeed, Your Majesties. It'll make a perfect rebirth of Drum Kingdom. Allow us quickly to dispose of these nuisances."
"I don't know what you're thinking, but you sure got some guts appropriating His Majesty's castle for your own use even if you denied being the country's illegitimate ruler through the citizens' sole dependence on your medical services, Dr. Kureha.", the former magistrate commented as he assumed a boxing fighting stance with his afro-looking boxing gloves.
Kureha shot back with a look of amusement, "Heeheeheeheeheeheehee! In my honest opinion, I couldn't care less about this piece of heap you call a castle..."
"Then why did you want Nami pay the bills for fixing the castle's wall and interior then?...", Sanji incredulously wondered with a sweatdrop after overhearing the witch-faced lady's explanation and felt that his effort of helping Nami may have been for nothing.
She then revealed, "But my stubborn little friend here was insistent on making a proper grave for Hiruluk, you see."
Taking his cue, Chopper transformed from actual reindeer form to his Heavy Point form and stood upright, surprising Chess and Kuromarimo who recognized the reindeer boy as "the monster" that followed the deceased quack doctor Hiruluk and tried to go on a rampage before Dalton stopped him and sent him away. "Doctor Hiruluk just wanted to save this country! I won't let any of you set one foot into this castle!", he said with his fists clenched.
"AND I WON'T LET YOU TAKE DOWN HIS BANNER OF FAITH!", he finished with the flag of Hiruluk standing tall and proud on top of Drum Castle's spire.
Nami mused after hearing Chopper's strong conviction, So that explains a lot. The castle was the resting place for his father. Dr. Kureha did mention he died on his own terms earlier. ... And I almost trashed it by accident when testing out the Tornado Grace.
"Mahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Excellent! All the people I want them dead right here in one place! No need for mercy, Chess and Kuromarimo! Slaughter them all! Big brother, you know what to do!", Wapol ordered, which his top subordinates and Musshuru were more than eager to do so upon their enemies.
As Luffy and Chopper are ready to fight, Sanji asked Kureha if she's joining too as well. Only to get whacked in the head that she will only fight when it seemed the youngsters had some serious trouble trouble, giving him a comical bump on the head which aggravates his reopened injuries. Sanji just took her answer with stride, ignoring the pain as best as he can and prepare to do his part in the confrontation.
However, Kureha was prepared to use several of her bottles with white pieces of cloth and she held a lighter on her left hand, intending to play combat support and ensure the enemy don't get past her into Drum Castle.
That won't do on Nami's watch after seeing Luffy and Sanji are not in their best shape and she will have to rectify it as quick as possible.
Here it goes, time to use Sariel's Goddess Clan power! You can do this. Just imagine his wings manifesting on my back and then let it out!..., Nami closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she focused on bringing out the magical power of the Four Archangels member who inhabited her body. Opening them, her eyes glowed with the intense energy of Ark and only her right eye turned orange with a triskelion symbol shining.*
"My turn.", she spoke with a grin as since Chopper had transformed to reveal himself, she will do the same.
Her body then glowed brightly, surprising everyone to cover themselves from being blinded. After the intensifying light went down a bit, they saw Nami with four angelic wings appearing on her back, the second pair smaller than the first. Surrounding her body is a large aura of the same wings that towered above the Drum Castle.
"WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT KIND OF DEVIL FRUIT IS THAT?!", Wapol demanded, having a strange feeling that the power of Kureha's patient was something different and out of this world.
"Oh, I ate the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Archangel. A Mythical Zoan. You can say I am the Archangel Human...", Nami explained as the large aura she made shrunk down before she raised her hands and aimed at Luffy and Sanji, both had their eyes widened in surprise. "Heal Star!"
The captain and chef of the Straw Hats were engulfed by the spheres of sparkling white light from Nami. They felt their wounds disappearing from their bodies and they felt really good as new as if they never had been injured at all in the first place.
Kureha observed the healing process of her patient's Archangel Model abilities, "So that's how she did it... Fascinating. Still, not a doctor material though."
"Aaaah! Still too bright!", Chopper complained as he remembered how Nami blasted him in the face with the light power of her Devil Fruit to fix his back.
"That's so cool! Thanks Nami! Now I'm fired up!", Luffy complimented as he slammed his fists together and ready to pound some faces in.
"You're truly an angel, my sweet Nami!", Sanji proclaimed with a grin that he's back to full health and ready to get some payback.
"What the hell?! She healed her friends from their wounds so quickly! Is there a Devil Fruit that can do that?!", Kuromarimo commented in shock.
Chess noted with confusion as he brought out his small pocketbook edition of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia to check the pages, "Well, there was one called the Heal-Heal Fruit. But it had no offensive capabilities at all compared to that woman and Admiral Kizaru of the Marines, both using light elements!"
"How interesting...", Musshuru smiled with a bloodthirsty grin, eager to fight the Straw Hats navigator who seemed to be quite a lot stronger than her rubbery captain and their comrade who can use kicks. He now saw her as a bigger threat that must be neutralized before seizing the Bliking Cannon and use it to infect the entire population of Drum with his spores.
Manifesting a large ball of Ark energy with both of her palms, Nami warned her enemies with a snarl. "May God have mercy on you bastards... Because I won't. Star Bomb!"
With a mighty push, the holder of Sariel's Goddess Clan powers was the first to strike and fired the orb of white sparkling light directly at a panicking Wapol who hastily transformed into his Wapol House form with his Munch-Munch Fruit and ate Chess and Kuromarimo to be inside of him. Then he crossed his cannon arms in front of his face to protect himself when Nami's attack engulfed him in an explosion.
On the other hand, Musshuru quickly jumped good to move backward away from Wapol, immediately getting out of the way with his speed. And that he knew his little brother would be able to tank the attack in his transformed state.
KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!
Meanwhile, Luffy, Sanji, Chopper and Kureha had braced themselves from the shockwave of the explosion caused by Nami's Archangel abilities, doing their best not to get sent flying.
At Bighorn, Drum Island
"Whoa! What is that?! There is something glowing brightly on top of Drum Peak!"
A Drum citizen cried out in surprise, which got the surprise of his fellow people who were waiting for Dalton's complete and proper recovery under the care of the Isshi-20 as they look up to see Drum Peak where the royal castle was situated above was glowing white light with large ethereal wings before it shrunk down and it was followed by a huge explosion of light that shook the entire island and startled most of the inhabitants once again.
First, a massive tornado had appeared out of nowhere that blew away most of the snow from the island and now there was a big glowing aura that seemed to feel quite heavenly and destructive.
As she had stationed herself outside to make sure that the former Captain of the Royal Guard did not somehow escape from the operation and stubbornly go after Wapol and Musshuru in his still severely injured state, Maddie commented with a mild surprise as her right eyebrow raised up, "I was completely mistaken. Your friend must have eaten a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit. Those royal bastards are even more screwed now than ever."
"I guess the Gust-Gust Fruit still remains lost to Alabasta...", Nefertari Vivi said with her face looking disappointed after seeing the majestic scene. But it still doesn't change the princess' mind about the fact their chances of stopping Crocodile and saving her country from the Sand Human had increased with Nami eating a Devil Fruit, this time a Mythical Zoan instead of a Logia.
"I'm sure that your country's missing Devil Fruit is still out there somewhere to be eventually found. It's a huge world after all and we're like little frogs croaking in a well in comparison.", Roronoa Zoro reassured as he observed the aftermath of Nami's attack that shook the island of Drum.
"Hear, hear.", Usopp solemnly nodded in agreement with the green haired swordsman, remembering the crew's meeting with Dorry and Broggy, the great warriors of Elbaf at Little Garden and how they made humans like him feel really small in comparison with their larger than life appearances and strength.
Zoro then rolled his eyes at his fellow crew mate because he had noticed Usopp's legs getting wibbly-wobbly, obviously intimidated by the destructive light show made from Nami's Devil Fruit ability.
"So what's a Mythical Zoan?", he asked the female Isshi-20 member, turning away from the scaredy long nosed sniper.
"Like Zoans, they can transform into animals. But the Mythical Zoans are special for they're based off from mythical creatures with access to a variety of abilities at their disposal. Whatever kind of Mythical Zoan form your friend transformed into with the powers of wind and light, Wapol and Musshuru are truly done for.", Maddie explained.
Narrowing his eyes, Zoro remarked, "For a doctor, you sure know a lot about Devil Fruits."
"Eh, it's all part of my training from my great granny. To know how to treat patients who have Devil Fruit abilities and identify what they've possessed. Along with the important fact that Devil Fruits cannot be used to heal anyone of their sickness or injury at all.", the dark-brown haired young woman said before feeling disgusted, remembering the time when she and her fellow Isshi-20 had to put back the Chomping Human together again under the watchful eyes of Chess and Kuromarimo after Dalton cut him down. "... Doing it on Wapol whenever he gets hurt makes me want to puke."
"At least you and your fellow doctors are helping Dalton heal from his wounds.", Vivi complimented before she added with a sweatdrop. "Even though you knocked him out earlier."
"Let the professionals do their work, Princess Nefertari Vivi. He will back on his feet good as new when the operation is complete and done. Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!", Maddie casually said, shocking the blue haired young woman who jawdropped that her name was spoken out loud for all to hear.
Overhearing from the great-granddaughter of Dr. Kureha, the citizens of Drum were shocked that one of Straw Hats was apparently a royalty from Alabasta all along and some of the militia men had realized in horror that they fired a shot at the princess from another nation back when they gave Luffy's crew a hostile reception in their ship's arrival on their shores.
That would certainly have triggered a war between Drum and Alabasta. Other Drum people remembered back when some of Wapol's soldiers gossipped in their drunk moments at the bar about their ruler smacking down the daughter of King Nefertari Cobra out of spite yet failed to cause an international scandal at the Reverie.
"Wee-woo, wee-woo,, wee-woo, wee-woo! Code Blue! I repeat! Code Blue! The princess has been compromised! I repeat! The princess has been compromised!", Usopp yelled in an overdramatic expression whilst hiding behind his swordsman crew mate.
Zoro nonchalantly stated, "Looks like the cat's out of the bag."
"How?...", Vivi gulped in apprehension.
Maddie shrugged, "There's no one else in the Grand Line who share a strong resemblance to your departed mother, Queen Nefertari Titi. And that your worries about Alabasta in danger from Crocodile and finding the missing Devil Fruits of your kingdom weren't very subtle when you had a conversation with your friends for anyone nearby to overhear, princess."
That made Vivi nervous as she tended to open her mouth out loud like how she accidentally told the Straw Hats about Crocodile, getting her friends on the hit list of Baroque Works back at Whiskey Peak. Meanwhile, the citizens of Drum were surprised to learn that Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea affiliated with the World Government, was the cause of the rebellion they read from newspaper delivered by the the News Coo.
It just proved to them that pirates are really scum and up to no good.
Of course, the Straw Hats were an obvious outlier to the Drum people after seeing they're not like the Blackbeard Pirates who had attacked their home island and made Wapol cowardly flee to the seas than fight.
"No need to worry about hiding your identity, Your Highness. You're nothing like that bastard Wapol.", she then reassured after seeing the princess's distress.
That's one thing the people of Drum can agree on as some remember that Vivi convinced the Straw Hats captain Luffy to not retaliate and sincerely beg for help instead of fighting back even when the princess of Alabasta got shot. In contrast to Wapol who ruthlessly attacked the militia group standing guard at the shores of Drum and intended to reclaim his throne by force.
The princess of Alabasta relaxed a little before she asked, "I see. So what are you going to do when this is over?"
"I dunno... Maybe take part of rebuilding this country after the royal bastards are defeated, have a reunion with my Great Granny Kureha even though we don't usually see eye-to-eye, or even re-open my own medical clinic. I had to close it down after having no choice but to accept Wapol's ultimatum to join as one of the Isshi-20 or be exiled or killed on spot...", the great-granddaughter of Kureha replied with a melancholic face.
Maddie added, "Unlike Great Granny who was able to evade Wapol for so long, I wouldn't be able to escape from his troops that led a crackdown on any doctor spotted for doing their jobs of helping people. I feel like I'm just a disappointment to her..."
"Well, maybe if you apologize to the old hag upfront, perhaps she will forgive you.", Zoro called out in a blunt manner.
"Mr. Bushido!", Vivi scolded him, looking scandalized that he called Maddie's great-grandmother such a rude way.
The female Isshi-20 member agreed with Zoro, "Nah, he's right. Great Granny likes honesty and not mince words anyway. That's what she passed down in the family for 130 years."
Changing the subject, Maddie informed, "Your Highness, did you know when Wapol learned about the rebellion happening there, he wasted no time mocking your father about it after receiving the newspaper by the News Coo back to remain updated during his drifting around the sea to play pirate. He wasn't very subtle about it."
That made Vivi's normal calm to be compromised after hearing the bastard with a tin-plate jaw making fun of her country embroiled in a crisis yet he had no problem abandoning Drum to the Blackbeard Pirates' attack. Usopp share the same boat with her as he had listened to Dalton's explanation of what really happened on Drum, and Zoro, even though he was locked out of the loop, understood that Wapol is a coward.
"I know. That's why I intended to stop Crocodile and save my people!", the blue-haired princess said in response with her eyes filled with resolve.
Hearing another light explosive shockwave that shook the Drum Island for everyone to feel and worry if it will cause another avalanche upon them again, the great-granddaughter of Kureha smiled. "Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee! Good thing that you hit the jackpot, princess. You've got friends who are a Paramecia* and a Mythical Zoan by your side."
She then wondered out loud, watching as the raging battle on the top of Drum Peak continued there.
"But... would it be enough?..."
Author's Note: Okay, Chapter 4 of "Nami's Grace" is finished and I hope you guys like it. Nami used Sariel's power and wings to show off her "Devil Fruit" while healing up Luffy and Sanji back to full health as the Straw Hats are going to fight Wapol, Musshuru and their two henchmen, Chess and Kuromarimo who had been eaten by their king's Munch-Munch form of Wapol House and are gonna be fused into Chessmarimo.
*Ivan is the name I gave to Wapol's unnamed father who appeared in One Piece Film: Strong World Episode 0 OVA where he was worried about his son's behavior in his conversation with Dalton who pointed out that he spoiled Wapol too much. Which it would also apply to Musshuru as well since he and Wapol are alike when being royal pains in the ass they are.
A good king but a terrible parent, totally not a pun to Ivan the Terrible, a real life Tsar of Russia.
*Since there isn't much of a backstory about the Drum Kingdom's royal family in canon, I added Peach as the queen and mother of Wapol and Musshuru. Even bad men love their mamas after all. And that she is also a shout-out to Princess Peach who was ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom from Super Mario Bros.
Plus, Musshuru literally means "mushroom" befitting his name and the Shroom-Shroom Fruit he possessed.
*Nami's right eye being colored orange with a triskelion symbol iris is a reference to Elizabeth Liones' manifesting her partial Goddess awakening. As the vessel of Sariel, she has access to his Goddess Clan powers with only her right eye turning orange. Totally almost coincidentally with her favorite fruit, tangerines, lol.
The sign of Sariel being in charge would be if Nami's both eyes are gold with triskelions like Solaseed who was under Sariel's control as shown in Wrath of the Gods season of Nanatsu no Taizai anime. As of now, the holder of Tornado Grace is currently hibernating with Nami using his abilities in his place.
*I know the irony of Luffy's Devil Fruit to be a Mythical Zoan albeit un-Awakened as a Paramecia.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece and Nanatsu no Taizai. They respectively belong to Eiichiro Oda & Toei Animation, and Nakaba Suzuki & Studio A-1 Pictures.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
Chapter 4
At the infirmary, Drum Castle
After showing Kureha about the sparkling lights of her so-called "Devil Fruit" and that she can't go exactly anywhere with the latter keeping an eye on her, Nami listened to the Doctorine explaining more about Tony Tony Chopper's past. Such as the reindeer boy meeting the quack doctor named Dr. Hiruluk who not only gave him a name but also called him his son, showing great bond between them. Kureha had also revealed about the Doctor Hunt enacted by former king of Drum, Wapol where the doctors were given an ultimatum: either join him, or be exiled or executed.
"Only you and Dr. Hiruluk managed to escape?", the Straw Hats navigator asked, wondering where the man was after learning that he was like a father to Chopper. Not even Chopper seemed to talk about him other than Kureha in the Drum Castle during her interaction with the adorable Human-Human Fruit user.
The Doctorine revealed with a somber frown, "Yes and No. Even the quack doctor was eventually cornered and met his end. And yet he died on his own terms with a blast than let Wapol's men execute him by firing squad. ... As for me, I was the only survivor of the Doctor Hunt. Those who joined Wapol became the Isshi-20, my foolish great-granddaughter Maddie included among them. Anyone who was sick and dying had to beg at his feet and be indebted to him after being healed by the Isshi-20. However, the people of Drum refused to do so and any little respect they had for Wapol vanished along with any hope of being like his late father, King Ivan."*
She added with scathing criticism at the predecessor of Drum Kingdom, "King Ivan may have been a kind and caring king who looked after the well-being of Drum's citizens and ensured they lived healthy and happily... But he was a shitty parent. More so after the death of his wife by cancer. He had spoiled Wapol too much like he did with Musshuru. Refusing to discipline Wapol and Musshuru of their reckless use of their Devil Fruits they found and ate were among his many mistakes in raising them. He hoped that Wapol will follow his footsteps upon ascending to the throne. ... But instead Wapol displayed only cruelty, entitlement and stupidity during his reign. It's almost a good thing that Blackbeard and his crew of 4 men showed up in their raid and scared off Wapol into fleeing without even putting up a fight, freeing Drum from his stupidity."
I don't know who Blackbeard is but he sounds like a terrifying guy who should be avoided at all costs., Nami thought after hearing about that ominous name. It also worried her that it only took 5 pirates to take down an entire country in comparison to Crocodile who needed an entire organization to threaten Alabasta, Viv's home.
Continuing, the great-grandmother of Maddie stated, "And his first son Musshuru was behind the Spore Outbreak Incident that had taken hundreds of Drum citizens' lives. Many doctors and I worked together to stop it before it took a thousand more. Even Hiruluk contributed with his bombs that destroyed the spores that are weak to fire. ... But King Ivan chose to banish Musshuru to the Land of Fire, Kilauea instead of turning him over to the Marines, hoping that the brat will reflect on his actions and change his ways. As he and Wapol share the same stupid braincell, it won't even be a surprise that Musshuru remained the same as ever and probably became more dangerous than he was after using his exile to train there."
"Now we're paying the price of dealing with the mess left behind by his sons. Long live King Ivan, a beloved ruler but a terrible father.", Kureha finished before drinking down her bottle of wine.
Nami winced at the Doctorine being very disappointed at the previous king of Drum for his poor parenting skills that brought forth the two worst royals of the country. Vivi would definitely hate Wapol with a passion after hearing that from Dr. Kureha and most likely horrified that Wapol and his brother had a good father yet they chose to act selfish and cruel instead., she thought about her friend.
She knew that the blue haired princess of Alabasta was definitely nothing like Wapol at all. Vivi cared for the well-being of her people and wanted to stop Crocodile from destroying her nation she loved. Going as far as to infiltrate Baroque Works as Miss Wednesday with Igaram being Mr. 8 by her side before being found out and aligned herself with Straw Hats. Pressing on despite Miss All Sunday had bombed her retainer for trying to play decoy. Even then, Vivi chose to fight than run away from danger compared to Wapol who did run away without any hesitation despite both of them had faced threats that got them outmatched respectively.
Changing the subject, the wielder of Sariel's powers asked in curiosity. "So, what kind of Devil Fruits did the two ate?"
The lady in her 130s answered, "Well, Wapol ate the Munch-Munch Fruit, allowing him to eat otherwise-inedible or toxic to normal people such as weapons and living beings, then later manifesting them from his body. He is the Chomping Human. And as for Musshuru, it's the Shroom-Shroom Fruit that gave him the power to create and control poisonous mushroom spores as the Spore Human. Both of those Devil Fruits are Paramecia-types just like your captain's that can stretch like rubber."
"That would be the Gum-Gum Fruit, Dr. Kureha. Luffy ate it and became the Rubber Human.", Nami explained to the Doctorine.
Kureha mused with a grin, "I see. Quite fitting as the brat always seemed to back back on his feet literally from anything. Heeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!"
Talk about the literal phrase of "You are what you eat" for Wapol. He might be dangerous if he had eaten weapons and transform into using them., the orange haired young woman internally noted about such Devil Fruit abilities the two former royals of Drum Kingdom possessed on the other hand. As for his brother though, I wonder if his poisonous spores can be neutralized with the healing power of Ark. He might even be a bigger threat than Wapol.
Suddenly, Chopper barged through the door and he was in his actual reindeer form than his small adorable self, apparently succeeded in evading Monkey D. Luffy. "Doctorine, it's an emergency! Wapol's back! There are three more scents! Two of them are his henchmen, Chess and Kuromarimo! But I don't know who's the last one! He smells like a really poisonous mushroom though! And he attacked one of our patients outside!", he informed with a worried face as his reindeer nose picked up something bad.
Sanji?!, Nami widened her eyes in surprise that her fellow Straw Hat got assaulted outside Drum Castle. She knew that Sanji is strong like Luffy and Zoro as if they're a Monster Trio together. But the injuries that he had sustained would get in his way, hampering his combat capabilities and that would be bad.
"I see. Musshuru has been brought back from exile and is working together with Wapol, huh?", Kureha remarked with a frown before getting up from her chair while putting on her jacket. The Doctorine went to her personal laboratory where she grabbed a small belt with pouched that held several vials containing antidotes for the spores, and several bottles with pieces of cloth attached to them as fuses.
Before leaving through the door of the infirmary with Chopper, the witch-faced lady pointed at Nami with a scary glare, "You better stay put here, girl. Because if I catch you leaving again, I will have you fully strapped down on the bed until you're cleared to go after 3 days are up. Am I clear?"
Nami hastily nodded in response, "Yes, ma'am!"
Kureha left with Chopper, although the door remained open in front of Nami instead of being locked down to prevent her from escaping and she knew what that meant. "... Dammit, this is such an obvious Catch-22 ultimatum! If I leave the door and help out, the Doctorine is gonna carry out her threat she warned me. But if I don't help, Wapol and his men are going to take over the castle even with Luffy, Sanji and also Chopper getting in their way, forcing me to leave the door and drive them off, which results in getting me strapped back to bed. There is no way out of this...", she groaned with a uncomfortable look on her face.
For a few seconds, the orange haired young woman then threw her hands out in resignation as she got off from the bed and headed out with her yellow jacket draped on her shoulders to take part of the defense of Drum Castle. She even took the red jacket which belonged to Luffy, already knew that her captain had definitely forgot about wearing it outside the cold snow and can be oblivious until pointed out to his face.
"You know what, screw it! I'm gonna help!"
She thought with determination, Either way, I'll take this as opportunity to know how to fight with Ark. Sariel's Tornado Grace will have to be put on hold for now. I'll use it only as a last resort.
Outside Drum Castle
"Mahahahahahahahahahahaha! At last! We finally made it back up thanks to big brother! And the castle is just exactly as I left! Now let us commence the revival of the Drum Kingdom!"
Wapol proclaimed with a gleeful face after he, his brother and their two top subordinates had recovered from the avalanche thrown upon them and had reached at the top of Drum Peak where the castle is situated on the top of it. But their White Walkers, Robson and Dobson had remained below of the mountains and were left behind by their masters.
It helped that the deep snow surrounding the Drum Castle had been blown away for easier movement on the ground they stand on. Because it would have been a hassle to trek through the snow and enter the castle otherwise.
Stretching out his back and shoulders after having to personally carry three people with his superhuman strength and speed that his body belied of, Musshuru simply said, "You're welcome, little brother. While you restore the throne of Drum, I will go prepare loading the Bliking Cannon for your plan, oi."
Being held by the enemy's right hand, Sanji struggled to not choke under the former first prince's strong grip as his arms tried their best to break free from Musshuru with his own strength. It didn't help that his bandaged wounds had been reopened and bloodied all over his body after being attacked all of a sudden. The chef of the Straw Hat Pirates was caught off guard that an enemy blitzed out of nowhere and ambushed him in the middle of repairing the castle's wall outside as part of his gentlemanly duty to help Nami and pay the bills for being healed by the witch-faced lady doctor.
To his annoyance, Sanji had also lost hold to his burning cigarette after Musshuru's kick made him spit it out.
If he were at his full health and uninjured, he would have been able to evade the Spore Human and hold his ground against him with his Black Leg fighting style taught to him by his one true father, Zeff. But sadly, luck is not on his side and it had grated Sanji's nerves about it.
"How... is that lanky bastard... this fast?... And strong?...", Sanji muttered incredulously, getting de ja vu of having done a similar thing to Fullbody, that Marine lieutenant who pretended to be a cultured gentleman in an attempt to impress his date back at the Baratie.
Musshuru smirked with amusement after overhearing the blonde chef, "Mushushushushushushushu! So this is one of the hippo-headed Straw Hats you were talking about, Wapol? Lying that they didn't have an Eternal Pose to Drum yet they came here to this country, oi."
"That's right, Musshuru! They're the same ones who dare cause an avalanche on us twice in their failed attempts to stop us from reclaiming what's ours by birthright! No matter, we shall use him as a hostage so that Straw Hat will have no choice but to bend the knee and grovel when we have his crew mate at our mercy! Mahahahahahahahahaha!", Wapol confirmed with a sick smile.
That somewhat triggered Sanji upon remembering Judge, that mad scientist bastard who was obsessed of wanting to reclaim the North Blue which he believed that they were his by birthright. By using his older sister Reiju and his three other brothers Ichiji, Niji and Yonji being literally born as powerful unfeeling human weapons by his twisted science at the expense of his beloved mother Sora's life. Not to mention, the brothers' smug attitudes reminded him too much of the terrible trio who tormented him and had him at their mercy.
The blonde chef was so glad that he left Germa 66 behind and end up meeting people who actually care for him, the Straw Hats and his true father, Zeff.
"Your Majesties, there appears to be a strange flag on top of the tower!", Kuromarimo informed in alarm, which Wapol and Musshuru took notice of it themselves.
It was a black flag with a Jolly Roger that has several Sakura petals around it.
The Chomping Human demanded with a look of outrage at such blasphemous sight in front of him, "What's that weird flag with a skull doing there? What happened to Drum Kingdom's proud flag?!"
Kureha answered, confronting the former royals and their retainers with Chopper in his actual reindeer form by her side at the main entrance of Drum Castle, "Heeheeheeheeheeheehee! I burned that useless thing!"
Recognizing the familiar-looking older woman, Wapol commented with a sneer on his tin-plated face, "Ahh! So you're here, Dr. Kureha! The witch herself and the only remaining survivor of my Doctor Hunt! Still haven't learned how to die, I see!"
"I've already decided to make this castle Hiruluk's grave. It ain't a place for rotten brats like yourselves to loiter around.", the Doctorine declared with a grin of audacity at the former royals. "Now get the hell out of this country! Drum Kingdom is now just a thing of a past!"
"A GRAVE?! MY MAGNIFICENT CASTLE IS TO BE A GRAVE FOR THAT QUACK DOCTOR! MAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!", the former ruler of Drum sneered at such notion, which angered Chopper for mocking his late surrogate father.
The former first prince commented in observation whilst still holding a struggling Sanji by his grip, "Calm down, little brother. Dr. Kureha must have been the new ruler of this country, albeit an illegitimate one, after claiming the castle as her own and lived in it, oi."
Wapol realized in surprise that his older brother was right about it, "I see, that makes sense, big brother. ... That would mean those hippo citizens of Drum were dependent on this witch's medical services and accepted her illegal reign similarly like my policy. No matter, the Isshi-20 will do a much better job at it under my restored rule! Mahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
"Me, a ruler? Hah! Don't make me laugh, brat! Dalton is the one who's been leading the people after you cowardly fled from Drum! Not even putting up any effort of a fight when the Blackbeard Pirates attacked the country. Besides, I prefer to live my life as I please! Heeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!", Kureha retorted with an eye roll of being compared to the spoiled second-born son of deceased King Ivan.
"In that case, the traitor Dalton is already dead and buried alive at Bighorn by the avalanche caused by Straw Hat! Mahahahahahahahahahaha! It's a shame that you will have to die. Your great-granddaughter made the right decision to join me as one of the Isshi-20 unlike you, old hag.", the large-sized man with a tin-plate jaw jeered at the Doctorine as he motioned for Chess and Kuromarimo to execute her on spot.
Despite being at Musshuru's grip, Sanji tried to retort but was unfortunately ignored, "... That... was... the Lapahns... who did the avalanche..."
Defiant, Kureha shot back in turn, "Maddie is free to make her own choices and can live with the consequences herself. At least I don't coddle my own family and they came out better for it. You and Musshuru are the prime examples of spoiled children. King Ivan must have been so disappointed in you two if he were here now."
"Well, you can tell him in Hell!", Wapol yelled, which his two top subordinates were about to attack.
Suddenly, Monkey D. Luffy showed up, running past Kureha and Chopper. "Ahhh! It's him! It's payback time for what you did earlier!", he yelled after recognizing the same jerk who had taken a huge bite out of the Going Merry and threatened his crew in the previous encounter at the sea before sailing to Drum Island where they have to find a doctor for Nami's fatal illness to be treated.
Chess warned in surprise of a familiar interloper, "Your Majesty! It's Straw Hat boy!"
"He's fast!", Kuromarimo shouted as he and his fellow former minister of defense would be too slow to get in the way and protect their king.
Stretching out his right arm literally, far behind him while running at full speed, Luffy charged in, "Gum-Gum..."
With his jaw dropping and eyes bulging, the Chomping Human was too shocked to dodge out of the way when the insolent Rubber Human is right up close to him in his personal space. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"... Bullet!", he snapped it back to deliver a short-distance one-fisted powerful blow at Wapol's face.
Or it would have landed if it weren't for Musshuru getting in the way and blocked the physical attack with his left palm, resulting in a small shockwave from the impact and blew away whatever remains of the deep snow around them. The captain of the Straw Hats was shocked that someone got between him and Wapol he was supposed to deck in the schnoz.
"What the?!", Luffy said in shock of someone getting in his way. Then he noticed his friend held by the neck from the same guy who stopped him from punching Wapol, shocked as a result. "Sanji?!"
"Don't lay your filthy hand on my little brother, you hippo-head. Spin Drill!", the pink haired former first prince said before he imbued his right foot with the power of his Shroom-Shroom Fruit and roundhouse kicked away Luffy, striking him in the face that sent him flying hard.
However, Kureha casually caught Luffy by the head with her left hand even when his neck stretched out with his body. And then snapped back into place again. It shocked Chopper with a jawdrop to witness the young man with a straw hat, who had chased him all around Drum Castle to be a part of his crew, stretching unnaturally.
"Owww! My nose! That hurts!", Luffy complained as he suffered a bloody nose and tried to use his hands to hold back the bleeding. He really hates it that cutting attacks and bladed weapons are a pain in the ass for him to deal with even he was made of rubber. Not to mention, he felt affected from the said injury and realized that the tall pink haired enemy must have used a poison weapon.
Reminding the grandson of Garp that it's similarly like that blowhard jerk Don Krieg's MH5, which had greatly harmed Gin after he gave the gasmask to him to survive the poisonous attack. He hoped that the former Krieg Pirates member was okay after he left Baratie post-defeat of his captain at the East Blue.
"Hold still, kid and remove your hands. You will infect the wound with the germs from your skin. Take a whiff from this antidote.", Kureha told him as she administered the anti-spore cure to the Rubber Human by pouring it into the handkerchief and pressed it into his injured nose.
"Hey, why am I still bleeding?", Luffy wondered as while feeling a lot better after being given immediate medical treatment.
The 130s year old lady replied to him, "It's because I cured you of the poisonous spore infection. You've been struck by Musshuru's Shroom-Shroom Fruit's power. You might have to hold that to your face to stop the bleeding for a while"
Holding the antidote-laced handkerchief, Luffy wiped his nose dry of the blood. "Oh ok, thanks granny.", he said, which Kureha let it slide before remembering something. "Aaaah! Sanji! Are you okay?!"
"Grk... I'm fine, Luffy... Just, er, hanging around!", Sanji tried to reassure his captain despite losing some air on his neck and his face turning blue.
"Be careful not to choke on your aspirations, you hippo head.", Musshuru warned, tightening the grip further.
Having the advantage over the insolent young man, Wapol gleefully threatened, "That's right! If you lay try hit me again, big brother will snap your hippo crew mate's neck this instant, Straw Hat! Shame that my Isshi-20 isn't here with me to fix his neck on time should I command them to. His death will be on your hands! Mahahahahahahaha!"
If only looks could literally kill, Luffy's glare alone would have caused the former Drum Kingdom's ruler to be shocked and drop dead on spot by now.
"Star Blast!"
All of a sudden, a big white light beam fired from the entrance of Drum Castle, passing by Kureha, Luffy and Chopper, surprising the three, before it struck on the right shoulder of Musshuru, sending him flying. The pink haired Spore Human cried out in pain and crashed into the ground, inadvertently letting go of Sanji from his grasp. The Straw Hat captain immediately stretched out his rubbery arms to grab his chef back to him by his side.
"Prince Musshuru!", Chess and Kuromarimo screamed in horror.
"Who did that?!", Wapol yelled in anger after watching his older brother getting hurt by an enemy attack and it was obvious that Straw Hat and Kureha weren't behind it at all.
"Me.", is what he got in response.
Everyone turned to see Nami revealing herself as she held out two fingers of her left hand that have the small glowing orb of Ark at the tips and walked through the main entrance of Drum Castle. Thank God, Luffy got Sanji back after I shot that tall bastard Musshuru., she thought in relief as she tossed the red jacket towards Luffy who thanked her and put it on quickly after realizing that it's really cold and he wore only his red sleeveless vest.
"Girl, you do know you're going to be strapped back into bed when this is over, right?", Kureha sternly warned her patient, looking displeased that her doctor's orders were ignored again even though she left the door open for Nami to choose between leaving or staying out.
Definitely a Catch-22 indeed. Nami thought with an internal eye roll as she acknowledged while dissipating away her Ark orb on her hand, "Save it. Do whatever you want with me after we deal with these jerks."
Conceding after seeing her patient being willing to face the music than try weasel her way out of it, Doctorine said with a casual wave off, "Fine. Hope you're ready for the consequences after that, girl."
Observing that the orange haired young woman was Kureha's patient and also a Devil Fruit user just like himself and Musshuru and the Straw Hat brat too as well, the ex-king of Drum demanded with a leering face, "So, you must be one of Straw Hat's crew mates, am I right?"
"Yes, I'm just a navigator.", the host of Sariel bluntly answered as she took a look at the large man with a tin plate chin who was the reason why Chopper's surrogate father died and the country had suffered terribly under his horrible rule in the first place. "And you must be Wapol, huh? You and your brother are really so damn ugly not even your mother would love."
"Considering Queen Peach* was pretty in her time, those brats sure didn't inherit any of her looks either. They're like rotten apples from a healthy tree. Heeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!", the witch-faced lady snarked, agreeing with her patient.
"YOU LEAVE OUR MOTHER OUT OF THIS, YOU HIPPOS/HIPPO-HEADS!", the brothers of the former Drum Royal family screamed out loud as the elder brother had already gotten back on his feet and standing by his little brother's side. That surprised the orange haired young woman that Wapol and Musshuru seemed to have a better relationship with their mother somehow than their father who had spoiled them and was too lenient with them of their behavior.
Guess even bad men really do love their mamas., Nami sweatdropped at the scene before interjecting herself. Then again, they still chose to become jerks despite having parents who care and provide for them and tried to teach them to be better. Dr. Kureha was right about King Ivan and also Queen Peach being disappointed in their sons if they were here right now.
Meanwhile, Kureha doesn't give a damn what Wapol and Musshuru said because it was true as they take more from their father than their mother. And even then, King Ivan was not as ugly as his two sons and it shows how despicable they are, by personality and appearance.
Kuromarimo angrily shouted at Nami and Kureha in defense of his superiors, "How dare you mock King Wapol and Prince Musshuru with such disrespect and brutality! You even dare use the name of their mother, Queen Peach in vain!"
"That's right! Don't you realize you're in the presence of royalty?! This island and the lives of its inhabitants are subject to the very whims of their regal selves!", an upset Chess warned in addition.
"Royalty? So what?! All I know you guys annoy the hell out of me and tried to hurt my friends!", Luffy retorted with a big stretch of his rubbery face's cheeks he pulled and his tongue to mock them. Even though it's somewhat undermined by his still bleeding nose thanks to Musshuru kicking him in the face with a bladed attack of his Devil Fruit.
"You know those three, kid?", the Doctorine inquired.
The Straw Hats captain explained as he pointed his hand at Wapol and his retinue, "Oh I know them alright. Except that Mushroom Jerk who just kicked me in the face. They're the pesky pirate wannabes! Nothing but fakes, the lot of them! That ugly metal mug even tried to eat my ship! Well, I'm not taking their crap anymore!"
"This has to be my lucky day! Dalton's corpse is below and here we have that rebel witch hag, as well as the Straw Hat Pirates! Mahahahahahaha! What a perfect chance this is, to remove all the thorns on our side with one fell swoop!", the Chomping Human proclaimed.
"Don't forget the plan, little brother. We will be victorious once we acquire the cannon inside the castle and use it for the plan, oi.", the Spore Human reminded.
The former minister of defense agreed, "Indeed, Your Majesties. It'll make a perfect rebirth of Drum Kingdom. Allow us quickly to dispose of these nuisances."
"I don't know what you're thinking, but you sure got some guts appropriating His Majesty's castle for your own use even if you denied being the country's illegitimate ruler through the citizens' sole dependence on your medical services, Dr. Kureha.", the former magistrate commented as he assumed a boxing fighting stance with his afro-looking boxing gloves.
Kureha shot back with a look of amusement, "Heeheeheeheeheeheehee! In my honest opinion, I couldn't care less about this piece of heap you call a castle..."
"Then why did you want Nami pay the bills for fixing the castle's wall and interior then?...", Sanji incredulously wondered with a sweatdrop after overhearing the witch-faced lady's explanation and felt that his effort of helping Nami may have been for nothing.
She then revealed, "But my stubborn little friend here was insistent on making a proper grave for Hiruluk, you see."
Taking his cue, Chopper transformed from actual reindeer form to his Heavy Point form and stood upright, surprising Chess and Kuromarimo who recognized the reindeer boy as "the monster" that followed the deceased quack doctor Hiruluk and tried to go on a rampage before Dalton stopped him and sent him away. "Doctor Hiruluk just wanted to save this country! I won't let any of you set one foot into this castle!", he said with his fists clenched.
"AND I WON'T LET YOU TAKE DOWN HIS BANNER OF FAITH!", he finished with the flag of Hiruluk standing tall and proud on top of Drum Castle's spire.
Nami mused after hearing Chopper's strong conviction, So that explains a lot. The castle was the resting place for his father. Dr. Kureha did mention he died on his own terms earlier. ... And I almost trashed it by accident when testing out the Tornado Grace.
"Mahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Excellent! All the people I want them dead right here in one place! No need for mercy, Chess and Kuromarimo! Slaughter them all! Big brother, you know what to do!", Wapol ordered, which his top subordinates and Musshuru were more than eager to do so upon their enemies.
As Luffy and Chopper are ready to fight, Sanji asked Kureha if she's joining too as well. Only to get whacked in the head that she will only fight when it seemed the youngsters had some serious trouble trouble, giving him a comical bump on the head which aggravates his reopened injuries. Sanji just took her answer with stride, ignoring the pain as best as he can and prepare to do his part in the confrontation.
However, Kureha was prepared to use several of her bottles with white pieces of cloth and she held a lighter on her left hand, intending to play combat support and ensure the enemy don't get past her into Drum Castle.
That won't do on Nami's watch after seeing Luffy and Sanji are not in their best shape and she will have to rectify it as quick as possible.
Here it goes, time to use Sariel's Goddess Clan power! You can do this. Just imagine his wings manifesting on my back and then let it out!..., Nami closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she focused on bringing out the magical power of the Four Archangels member who inhabited her body. Opening them, her eyes glowed with the intense energy of Ark and only her right eye turned orange with a triskelion symbol shining.*
"My turn.", she spoke with a grin as since Chopper had transformed to reveal himself, she will do the same.
Her body then glowed brightly, surprising everyone to cover themselves from being blinded. After the intensifying light went down a bit, they saw Nami with four angelic wings appearing on her back, the second pair smaller than the first. Surrounding her body is a large aura of the same wings that towered above the Drum Castle.
"WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT KIND OF DEVIL FRUIT IS THAT?!", Wapol demanded, having a strange feeling that the power of Kureha's patient was something different and out of this world.
"Oh, I ate the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Archangel. A Mythical Zoan. You can say I am the Archangel Human...", Nami explained as the large aura she made shrunk down before she raised her hands and aimed at Luffy and Sanji, both had their eyes widened in surprise. "Heal Star!"
The captain and chef of the Straw Hats were engulfed by the spheres of sparkling white light from Nami. They felt their wounds disappearing from their bodies and they felt really good as new as if they never had been injured at all in the first place.
Kureha observed the healing process of her patient's Archangel Model abilities, "So that's how she did it... Fascinating. Still, not a doctor material though."
"Aaaah! Still too bright!", Chopper complained as he remembered how Nami blasted him in the face with the light power of her Devil Fruit to fix his back.
"That's so cool! Thanks Nami! Now I'm fired up!", Luffy complimented as he slammed his fists together and ready to pound some faces in.
"You're truly an angel, my sweet Nami!", Sanji proclaimed with a grin that he's back to full health and ready to get some payback.
"What the hell?! She healed her friends from their wounds so quickly! Is there a Devil Fruit that can do that?!", Kuromarimo commented in shock.
Chess noted with confusion as he brought out his small pocketbook edition of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia to check the pages, "Well, there was one called the Heal-Heal Fruit. But it had no offensive capabilities at all compared to that woman and Admiral Kizaru of the Marines, both using light elements!"
"How interesting...", Musshuru smiled with a bloodthirsty grin, eager to fight the Straw Hats navigator who seemed to be quite a lot stronger than her rubbery captain and their comrade who can use kicks. He now saw her as a bigger threat that must be neutralized before seizing the Bliking Cannon and use it to infect the entire population of Drum with his spores.
Manifesting a large ball of Ark energy with both of her palms, Nami warned her enemies with a snarl. "May God have mercy on you bastards... Because I won't. Star Bomb!"
With a mighty push, the holder of Sariel's Goddess Clan powers was the first to strike and fired the orb of white sparkling light directly at a panicking Wapol who hastily transformed into his Wapol House form with his Munch-Munch Fruit and ate Chess and Kuromarimo to be inside of him. Then he crossed his cannon arms in front of his face to protect himself when Nami's attack engulfed him in an explosion.
On the other hand, Musshuru quickly jumped good to move backward away from Wapol, immediately getting out of the way with his speed. And that he knew his little brother would be able to tank the attack in his transformed state.
KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!
Meanwhile, Luffy, Sanji, Chopper and Kureha had braced themselves from the shockwave of the explosion caused by Nami's Archangel abilities, doing their best not to get sent flying.
At Bighorn, Drum Island
"Whoa! What is that?! There is something glowing brightly on top of Drum Peak!"
A Drum citizen cried out in surprise, which got the surprise of his fellow people who were waiting for Dalton's complete and proper recovery under the care of the Isshi-20 as they look up to see Drum Peak where the royal castle was situated above was glowing white light with large ethereal wings before it shrunk down and it was followed by a huge explosion of light that shook the entire island and startled most of the inhabitants once again.
First, a massive tornado had appeared out of nowhere that blew away most of the snow from the island and now there was a big glowing aura that seemed to feel quite heavenly and destructive.
As she had stationed herself outside to make sure that the former Captain of the Royal Guard did not somehow escape from the operation and stubbornly go after Wapol and Musshuru in his still severely injured state, Maddie commented with a mild surprise as her right eyebrow raised up, "I was completely mistaken. Your friend must have eaten a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit. Those royal bastards are even more screwed now than ever."
"I guess the Gust-Gust Fruit still remains lost to Alabasta...", Nefertari Vivi said with her face looking disappointed after seeing the majestic scene. But it still doesn't change the princess' mind about the fact their chances of stopping Crocodile and saving her country from the Sand Human had increased with Nami eating a Devil Fruit, this time a Mythical Zoan instead of a Logia.
"I'm sure that your country's missing Devil Fruit is still out there somewhere to be eventually found. It's a huge world after all and we're like little frogs croaking in a well in comparison.", Roronoa Zoro reassured as he observed the aftermath of Nami's attack that shook the island of Drum.
"Hear, hear.", Usopp solemnly nodded in agreement with the green haired swordsman, remembering the crew's meeting with Dorry and Broggy, the great warriors of Elbaf at Little Garden and how they made humans like him feel really small in comparison with their larger than life appearances and strength.
Zoro then rolled his eyes at his fellow crew mate because he had noticed Usopp's legs getting wibbly-wobbly, obviously intimidated by the destructive light show made from Nami's Devil Fruit ability.
"So what's a Mythical Zoan?", he asked the female Isshi-20 member, turning away from the scaredy long nosed sniper.
"Like Zoans, they can transform into animals. But the Mythical Zoans are special for they're based off from mythical creatures with access to a variety of abilities at their disposal. Whatever kind of Mythical Zoan form your friend transformed into with the powers of wind and light, Wapol and Musshuru are truly done for.", Maddie explained.
Narrowing his eyes, Zoro remarked, "For a doctor, you sure know a lot about Devil Fruits."
"Eh, it's all part of my training from my great granny. To know how to treat patients who have Devil Fruit abilities and identify what they've possessed. Along with the important fact that Devil Fruits cannot be used to heal anyone of their sickness or injury at all.", the dark-brown haired young woman said before feeling disgusted, remembering the time when she and her fellow Isshi-20 had to put back the Chomping Human together again under the watchful eyes of Chess and Kuromarimo after Dalton cut him down. "... Doing it on Wapol whenever he gets hurt makes me want to puke."
"At least you and your fellow doctors are helping Dalton heal from his wounds.", Vivi complimented before she added with a sweatdrop. "Even though you knocked him out earlier."
"Let the professionals do their work, Princess Nefertari Vivi. He will back on his feet good as new when the operation is complete and done. Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!", Maddie casually said, shocking the blue haired young woman who jawdropped that her name was spoken out loud for all to hear.
Overhearing from the great-granddaughter of Dr. Kureha, the citizens of Drum were shocked that one of Straw Hats was apparently a royalty from Alabasta all along and some of the militia men had realized in horror that they fired a shot at the princess from another nation back when they gave Luffy's crew a hostile reception in their ship's arrival on their shores.
That would certainly have triggered a war between Drum and Alabasta. Other Drum people remembered back when some of Wapol's soldiers gossipped in their drunk moments at the bar about their ruler smacking down the daughter of King Nefertari Cobra out of spite yet failed to cause an international scandal at the Reverie.
"Wee-woo, wee-woo,, wee-woo, wee-woo! Code Blue! I repeat! Code Blue! The princess has been compromised! I repeat! The princess has been compromised!", Usopp yelled in an overdramatic expression whilst hiding behind his swordsman crew mate.
Zoro nonchalantly stated, "Looks like the cat's out of the bag."
"How?...", Vivi gulped in apprehension.
Maddie shrugged, "There's no one else in the Grand Line who share a strong resemblance to your departed mother, Queen Nefertari Titi. And that your worries about Alabasta in danger from Crocodile and finding the missing Devil Fruits of your kingdom weren't very subtle when you had a conversation with your friends for anyone nearby to overhear, princess."
That made Vivi nervous as she tended to open her mouth out loud like how she accidentally told the Straw Hats about Crocodile, getting her friends on the hit list of Baroque Works back at Whiskey Peak. Meanwhile, the citizens of Drum were surprised to learn that Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea affiliated with the World Government, was the cause of the rebellion they read from newspaper delivered by the the News Coo.
It just proved to them that pirates are really scum and up to no good.
Of course, the Straw Hats were an obvious outlier to the Drum people after seeing they're not like the Blackbeard Pirates who had attacked their home island and made Wapol cowardly flee to the seas than fight.
"No need to worry about hiding your identity, Your Highness. You're nothing like that bastard Wapol.", she then reassured after seeing the princess's distress.
That's one thing the people of Drum can agree on as some remember that Vivi convinced the Straw Hats captain Luffy to not retaliate and sincerely beg for help instead of fighting back even when the princess of Alabasta got shot. In contrast to Wapol who ruthlessly attacked the militia group standing guard at the shores of Drum and intended to reclaim his throne by force.
The princess of Alabasta relaxed a little before she asked, "I see. So what are you going to do when this is over?"
"I dunno... Maybe take part of rebuilding this country after the royal bastards are defeated, have a reunion with my Great Granny Kureha even though we don't usually see eye-to-eye, or even re-open my own medical clinic. I had to close it down after having no choice but to accept Wapol's ultimatum to join as one of the Isshi-20 or be exiled or killed on spot...", the great-granddaughter of Kureha replied with a melancholic face.
Maddie added, "Unlike Great Granny who was able to evade Wapol for so long, I wouldn't be able to escape from his troops that led a crackdown on any doctor spotted for doing their jobs of helping people. I feel like I'm just a disappointment to her..."
"Well, maybe if you apologize to the old hag upfront, perhaps she will forgive you.", Zoro called out in a blunt manner.
"Mr. Bushido!", Vivi scolded him, looking scandalized that he called Maddie's great-grandmother such a rude way.
The female Isshi-20 member agreed with Zoro, "Nah, he's right. Great Granny likes honesty and not mince words anyway. That's what she passed down in the family for 130 years."
Changing the subject, Maddie informed, "Your Highness, did you know when Wapol learned about the rebellion happening there, he wasted no time mocking your father about it after receiving the newspaper by the News Coo back to remain updated during his drifting around the sea to play pirate. He wasn't very subtle about it."
That made Vivi's normal calm to be compromised after hearing the bastard with a tin-plate jaw making fun of her country embroiled in a crisis yet he had no problem abandoning Drum to the Blackbeard Pirates' attack. Usopp share the same boat with her as he had listened to Dalton's explanation of what really happened on Drum, and Zoro, even though he was locked out of the loop, understood that Wapol is a coward.
"I know. That's why I intended to stop Crocodile and save my people!", the blue-haired princess said in response with her eyes filled with resolve.
Hearing another light explosive shockwave that shook the Drum Island for everyone to feel and worry if it will cause another avalanche upon them again, the great-granddaughter of Kureha smiled. "Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee! Good thing that you hit the jackpot, princess. You've got friends who are a Paramecia* and a Mythical Zoan by your side."
She then wondered out loud, watching as the raging battle on the top of Drum Peak continued there.
"But... would it be enough?..."
Author's Note: Okay, Chapter 4 of "Nami's Grace" is finished and I hope you guys like it. Nami used Sariel's power and wings to show off her "Devil Fruit" while healing up Luffy and Sanji back to full health as the Straw Hats are going to fight Wapol, Musshuru and their two henchmen, Chess and Kuromarimo who had been eaten by their king's Munch-Munch form of Wapol House and are gonna be fused into Chessmarimo.
*Ivan is the name I gave to Wapol's unnamed father who appeared in One Piece Film: Strong World Episode 0 OVA where he was worried about his son's behavior in his conversation with Dalton who pointed out that he spoiled Wapol too much. Which it would also apply to Musshuru as well since he and Wapol are alike when being royal pains in the ass they are.
A good king but a terrible parent, totally not a pun to Ivan the Terrible, a real life Tsar of Russia.
*Since there isn't much of a backstory about the Drum Kingdom's royal family in canon, I added Peach as the queen and mother of Wapol and Musshuru. Even bad men love their mamas after all. And that she is also a shout-out to Princess Peach who was ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom from Super Mario Bros.
Plus, Musshuru literally means "mushroom" befitting his name and the Shroom-Shroom Fruit he possessed.
*Nami's right eye being colored orange with a triskelion symbol iris is a reference to Elizabeth Liones' manifesting her partial Goddess awakening. As the vessel of Sariel, she has access to his Goddess Clan powers with only her right eye turning orange. Totally almost coincidentally with her favorite fruit, tangerines, lol.
The sign of Sariel being in charge would be if Nami's both eyes are gold with triskelions like Solaseed who was under Sariel's control as shown in Wrath of the Gods season of Nanatsu no Taizai anime. As of now, the holder of Tornado Grace is currently hibernating with Nami using his abilities in his place.
*I know the irony of Luffy's Devil Fruit to be a Mythical Zoan albeit un-Awakened as a Paramecia.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
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