Arrival in Nanohana
After several days of traveling at sea, the Going Merry finally docked at the port of Nanohana, a harbor city of the Kingdom of Alabasta.
The heat hit us immediately. A dry, suffocating, crushing heat. The sun beat down mercilessly on the white sand that covered everything.
"IT'S TOO HOT!" Usopp groaned, fanning himself with his hat.
"Welcome to Alabasta," Vivi said with a nostalgic smile. "My country…"
Nami stretched and looked at the city. "So, what do we do now?"
Before anyone could answer—
"I'M GOING TO GET FOOD!" Luffy yelled, jumping off the ship.
"LUFFY, WAIT!" Nami shouted.
Too late. He had already disappeared into the lively streets of Nanohana.
"Of course," Zoro sighed.
Heat and Precautions
I looked around. The heat was truly intense.
"Mr. Fish, Walter, SCP-999. You need to return to the Foundation."
Mr. Fish nodded. "That's for the best. This heat is unbearable for me."
Walter was already panting like a dog. SCP-999 seemed to be… slightly melting, its gelatinous body becoming more liquid.
"Come on, let's go."
I opened the door and the three of them went inside. Mr. Fish sighed in relief as he felt the Foundation's air conditioning.
"Much better…"
I closed the door and turned to the crew.
"It's very likely that at least two SCPs live on this island. The problem is that I need to be close enough for the system to detect them."
[DETECTION RADIUS: 50 METERS][RECOMMENDATION: EXPLORE THE CITY]
Nami, Vivi, and Chopper got ready to leave."We're going shopping!" Nami announced, stars in her eyes.
"I need new clothes suited for the desert," Vivi added.
"And I want to see if I can find medicinal herbs!" Chopper said excitedly.
Sanji and Usopp headed off together."I need to buy supplies for the kitchen. And Usopp needs materials for his inventions."
"Ammo. Explosives. Cool stuff!" Usopp confirmed.
Zoro yawned. "I'm sleeping."
"As usual," Sanji muttered.
I looked in the direction Luffy had gone."I'll follow Luffy. He's definitely going to cause trouble."
"Good luck," Nami said with a sly smile.
Destruction and Chase
I walked through the streets of Nanohana. Vendors shouted their prices. Children played in the alleys. Camels carried goods.
It was lively. Animated. Colorful.
Then I heard an explosion.
BOOOOM!
I looked up.The roof of a restaurant was blown away, propelled by smoke and fire.
Debris fell back into the street. People screamed and ran in all directions.
"What the—?"
Then I saw him.
Luffy. Running full speed through the street. Laughing like a maniac.
Behind him, a shirtless young man wearing an orange cowboy hat. Flames danced around his fists.
Ace. Portgas D. Ace. Luffy's brother.
And even farther behind…
Smoker. The White Hunter. Furious. But… unarmed.
He doesn't have his weapon? Where's his jitte?
I looked carefully. Nothing. No seastone. No weapon at all.
Ah. Right. I stole it from him in Loguetown.
A smile stretched across my lips. "Oops."
Smoker chased us in rage, but without his seastone, he was at a disadvantage against Luffy and Ace.
"COME BACK HERE, STRAW HAT!" he roared.
"NO! WE EAT FIRST!" Luffy shouted.
"LITTLE BROTHER, STOP RUNNING!" Ace laughed.
I turned and ran toward the ship."We need to leave. Now."
Hasty Retreat
The entire crew was already back on the Merry when I arrived.
"THE MARINES ARE LOOKING FOR US!" Nami shouted in panic."They've launched a manhunt!"
"Raise the anchor!" Vivi ordered.
Luffy arrived in a blur, Ace right behind him.
"SORRY! SORRY! WE'RE COMING ABOARD!"
They jumped onto the deck as the Merry was already pulling away from the port.
Smoker reached the pier, out of breath. He stared at us with rage.
Then Ace turned around and smiled."Sorry, Marine-san. But we have to go."
He raised his hand. Flames erupted and formed a wall of fire between Smoker and the ship.
"Hiken!"
WHOOOOSH!
The flames exploded. Smoker was thrown backward, unconscious.
"There," Ace said, brushing off his hands."That should buy us some time."
Introducing Ace
The Merry now sailed on calm waters.
Luffy turned toward us with a huge smile."EVERYONE! THIS IS MY BIG BROTHER, ACE!"
Ace bowed politely."Nice to meet you. My name is Portgas D. Ace. Commander of the 2nd Division of the Whitebeard Pirates."
Then he looked around and smiled awkwardly."And… I apologize for all the trouble my little brother may have caused you."
Silence fell.
Nami blinked. "Huh?"Usopp rubbed his ears. "Did I hear that right?"Sanji dropped his cigarette. "He… he's polite?"Zoro snorted. "Luffy's brother is polite. Unbelievable."
Chopper stared at Ace with stars in his eyes."YOU'RE SO COOL!"
Vivi smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ace-san."
Ace laughed."My brother may be an idiot, but he has good friends. Thank you for taking care of him."
"We try," Nami sighed.
Toward Yuba
The Going Merry left the port and entered a river leading inland through Alabasta.
Vivi guided us."This river will take us closer to Yuba. That's the rebel base."
"How long?" Zoro asked."A few hours if all goes well."
But of course, things didn't go well.
Baroque Works Ambush
We hadn't been sailing for ten minutes when boats appeared behind us.
Dozens of them. Filled with Baroque Works henchmen. Armed with rifles, sabers, harpoons.
"THEY'RE CHASING US!" Usopp yelled.
"I see them!" Nami scanned the horizon with binoculars."And there are numbered agents with them! Mr. 4, Miss Merry Christmas, Mr. 5, Miss Valentine…"
Ace stood at the stern of the ship. He smiled."Leave it to me."
He raised both hands. Massive flames formed around his fists.
"Hiken!"
WHOOOOOOSH!
A pillar of fire erupted from his hands and rushed toward the enemy boats.
The flames engulfed everything. Boats. Henchmen. Numbered agents.
In seconds, everything was reduced to ashes.
"WOOOAH!" Luffy exclaimed. "ACE IS SO STRONG!"
"He's… incredible…" Chopper murmured, mouth agape.
Nami whistled, impressed."Whitebeard-level, huh?"
Ace turned back and smiled modestly."It's nothing. Just a little cleanup."
The Strange Manatees
We continued sailing upriver peacefully.
Then, suddenly—
SPLASH!
Creatures emerged from the water.
Manatees.
But not normal manatees.
They wore bandanas. Kimonos. Some held wooden staffs.
"WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS?!" Usopp screamed.
"Kung-fu… manatees?" Sanji said incredulously.
Luffy looked at them curiously."THEY'RE CUTE!"
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
[ALERT: ANOMALY DETECTED][DISTANCE: 30 METERS][ANALYSIS IN PROGRESS…]
I froze."An SCP… here?"
The leader of the manatees climbed onto the deck.
A female. Larger than the others. Wearing a flower crown and a pearl necklace.
She stared at us.
Then she opened her mouth.
And sang.
SCP-327: The Cursed Song
"IIIIIIIIYAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
A horrible sound. Grating. Shrill. Like fingernails on a chalkboard mixed with banshee screams.
The entire crew immediately covered their ears.
"WHAT IS THAT?!" Nami screamed, hands pressed to her ears."IT HURTS!" Chopper cried.
Even Ace grimaced."This is… horrible…"
Zoro dropped to his knees."My ears… they're bleeding…"
Sanji collapsed."I… I can't… move…"
Only I remained standing. Unfazed.
[IMMORTALITY: RESISTANCE TO SONIC ATTACKS][MODIFIED NERVOUS SYSTEM: IMMUNITY TO AUDITORY PAIN]
I calmly looked at the female manatee."Interesting."
The song lasted thirty seconds.
Then it stopped.
BEEP.
[CONFIRMATION: SCP-327][CLASS: EUCLID][ABILITY: HYPNOTIC SONG INDUCING PRIMAL FEAR OF WATER AND MARINE CREATURES]
General Panic
The manatees climbed onto the deck.
About ten of them. Brandishing their staffs.
And then—
Luffy screamed."NO! NOT THE WATER! NOT THE SEA MONSTERS!"
He ran into the cabin and locked himself inside.
"LUFFY?!" Ace exclaimed, shocked.
Nami trembled uncontrollably."I… I can't… the water is going to kill me…"
She collapsed, curled into a fetal position.
Usopp cried."MOM! I WANT MY MOM! THE SEA CREATURES ARE GOING TO EAT ME!"
Chopper transformed into Heavy Point and hid behind the mast."I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!"
Zoro and Sanji were frozen. Their pride shattered. Unable to move.
"We… we can't fight…" Zoro murmured in shame."I'm… pathetic…" Sanji added.
Even Ace was shaken."What is… this feeling…?"
Vivi cried silently, holding Karoo, who was trembling as well.
Only I remained perfectly lucid.
"Well. Problem."
Arlong's Intervention
I immediately summoned the door.
"MARINE INTERVENTION UNIT! DEPLOY IMMEDIATELY!"
Arlong and his team rushed out.
They stopped when they saw the crew cowering in terror.
"What the—?" Arlong began.
"No time to explain. Defeat those manatees. Capture their leader alive."
"Understood."
Arlong charged.
The manatees tried to fight back. But against trained fish-men?
WHAM! BAM! CRASH!
Within minutes, all the manatees were on the ground.
Arlong lifted the female leader by the tail."We won."
She whimpered weakly.
Then something strange happened.
The other manatees bowed before Arlong.
"Coooi… coooi…"
"They… they're following us?" Kuroobi said, confused.
[ANALYSIS: THE MANATEES FOLLOW THE STRONGEST][THEY HAVE RECOGNIZED ARLONG AS THEIR NEW LEADER]
"They want to become stronger," I said."They will follow the one who defeated them."
Arlong looked at the manatees. Then at me."What do we do with them?"
"They join the Foundation. All of them."
[RECRUITMENT: 1 SCP + 12 MANATEES][NEW UNIT: MANATEE SQUAD]
Slow Recovery
Over time—about thirty minutes—the effects of SCP-327 gradually faded.
Luffy came out of the cabin, confused."What… what happened…?"
"You were afraid of water, idiot," Zoro grumbled.
"WHAT?! I'M NEVER AFRAID!"
Nami slowly stood up, trembling."I… I was so scared… of sea creatures…"
Usopp was still crying."That was… horrible…"
Chopper curled up."I'm a doctor… I shouldn't be afraid like that…"
Sanji and Zoro wore expressions of deep shame. Their pride had been crushed.
"We were… pathetic…" Sanji murmured."We let fear control us…" Zoro added, clenching his fists.
Ace stared at his hands, disturbed."Even I… felt something…"
Explanation
I sat on a barrel and explained calmly.
"The leader of the manatees is SCP-327. Her song induces a primal fear of water and marine creatures. It directly affects the brain, bypassing logic."
"It's… an anomaly?" Nami asked.
"Yes. A Euclid anomaly. Mentally dangerous, but physically harmless."
Luffy clenched his fists."I want to train! I want to resist that!"
Zoro nodded. "Me too.""Same," Sanji added.
Ace smiled."I'll train with you. That feeling… I want to overcome it."
"Perfect," I said."When you have free time, we'll organize mental training sessions."
Arrival in Yuba
We continued upriver.
By the end of the day, we reached the end of the river. A desert area.
"We continue on foot," Vivi announced.
We disembarked and walked through the desert. The sand crunched beneath our feet. The heat was crushing.
After several hours, we arrived in Yuba.
But the city was… deserted.
Abandoned buildings. Doors creaking in the wind. No one in the streets.
"Where are the rebels?" Usopp asked.
Then we saw a man.
Alone. Digging in the sand with a shovel.
"Toto-san!" Vivi cried, running toward him.
The man looked up. Old. Tired. But he smiled when he saw Vivi.
"Princess… you've returned…"
"Where is the rebel army?"
"They moved. To Katorea. They couldn't stay here without water."
Vivi lowered her head, disappointed.
"Then we go to Rainbase," Luffy decided."That's where Crocodile is, right?"
"Yes," Vivi confirmed.
Ace's Farewell
Before leaving, Ace approached Luffy.
"Little brother. I have to go."
"Huh? Already?"
Ace pulled out a piece of white paper."Here. This is a Vivre Card. It always points toward me. If you need me, you'll find me."
Luffy took the card with a smile."Thanks, Ace!"
"And…" Ace grew serious."I'm going after Blackbeard. He killed a crewmate. I have to make him pay."
"Be careful," Luffy said."You too."
They hugged.
Then Ace turned and walked into the desert, leaving a trail of flames behind him.
"Goodbye, Ace…" Luffy murmured.
We set off toward Rainbase.
The adventure continued.
[END OF CHAPTER 36][ANOMALIES CAPTURED: 14][SCP-327: SINGING MANATEE (EUCLID)][ABILITY: SONG INDUCING PRIMAL FEAR][NEW UNIT: MANATEE SQUAD (12 MEMBERS)][ACE: DEPARTURE TOWARD BLACKBEARD][SMOKER: NEUTRALIZED][DESTINATION: RAINBASE → CROCODILE][CREW: TRAUMATIZED BY SCP-327][OBJECTIVE: MENTAL TRAINING REQUIRED][NEXT STEP: CONFRONTATION WITH BAROQUE WORKS]