Chapter 77 - 77: A Coco town in distress...

...

Edam's battleship-class vessel was sailing the sea rapidly to reach its destination as quick as possible.

On board inside a certain room, Hina, Edam and his other comrades were all around a table on which a large map was layed on.

"Ah right Hina forgot to tell you but our current ship was modified by our scientists Head. This new models of vessels have a line of seastones underneat it, making it completely undetectable by Sea Kings. We can now traverse Calm Belt safely."

"Oh yeah the seastone theory... that's convenient then, the Conomi Archipelago is far away from our position..." Edam said with a nod of his head.

"And this new ship was also equipped with paddle-wheels to propel the ship even without wind... We should reach the intended destination in two days at most." Hina continued.

"A spy of ours informed us that the sacrifice will take place near the Cocoyasi village in three days at most." Hina said to Edam.

"The spy ?"

"Apparently, the worshippers settled there three month ago... when the spy who was a former marine ensign and originate from Cocoyasi hear of them she decided to go undercover one more time. Sure enough her mission was a success and we now know their current position right now. They have built up an altar and hid the hostages in a cave... However since then we didn't received any news..."

"But aren't there any Navy branch there ?" Edam asked Hina.

"In fact there is one but according to the spy they didn't lift a single finger at all, that's also why the Vice-admiral Momonga is accompanying us right now, this is maybe a matter of corruption." A bit of anger was seen on her face as she mentionned the word corruption.

"Oh... Alright..."

"So how will you proceed ? Do you want Hina's help ?" With her stoic face she asked.

"Hum..." Edam looked at the map and reflected before speaking "...Since you're lending me your help then, I would like your unit to surround the other side of the island, my team and myself should have no problem to capture them all, but in the doubt... I want you to capture the leftover of those Devil's worshipper should there be any left..." He point at some places on the map with his finger.

"Hm...Alright Hina understand." Hina nodded at his words.

Edam then turned toward Zaz. "What do you think ? You're my second, you can have your word too."

"Good enough for me." Zaz smiled relaxingly.

"Alright."

...

The next day at dawn, Edam was already awake and was meditating at the top of the highest mast large enough for him to sat on crossed-legs.

Downstairs, the entire crew was awake too, the lower ranked soldiers were relaxing and admiring the view while the others were sitting around a table as they spoke about anything and everything while some were eating their breakfast.

Mickey was still sleeping in his room, while Raffe was training too somewhere in the ship.

"Hey what is Edam doing up there ?" Inue asked Leo who was the closest to him.

"Uh... I think it's a mental training or something like that..." Leo said glancing at Edam up there.

"No it's more like meditation to relax." Donny said as he read a book.

"Is something troubling Sir Edam ?" Shion who was near asked.

Zaz who just got out of his room sat near them, glanced at Edam and said. "Nope it's just his routine training, Edam practice a certain kind of martial art that enable him to use a certain kind of power. However a strict balance between his mind and his body is needed." He said as he took a bite of a biscuit.

"O-Ohhh... I don't why but it sounded kind of incredible..." Shion was completely surprise by this.

"...Crunch, crunch...Yeah it is in fact... that's why he's called "An anomaly in the equation" or some sh*t like that, because this ability is broken..."

"Ohhh... how cool..."

"Oh... it looks our training fo our Sulong form..." Inue said as he scratched his head with a bone in his mouth.

"Inue, give me the milk." Nekoe who was eating asked.

"Ah... here..."

"Thanks." Nekoe thanked him and ȧssault her food.

Zaz then spoke with Hina who was not far away drinking a hot coffe beside them.

"Oh right, the Seastones are really working well, we weren't attacked by a single sea monsters throughout the night."

"Hum, Hina is relieved, if not we would have had to take Grand line's way." Hina nodded at his words.

"Ah an attack..." And at his words, the ship seemed to bumped on something making it completely stopped in its track as from under the sea, a giant monster of an absurd size looking like a squid surged out right in front of the ship.

Raffe who was training at the back of the ship saw the monster but couldn't careless about it.

"What-... the f*ck, the Seastones aren't working anymore...!?" Zaz shouted with wide eyes.

"What ?!"

"Whoa it's huge..." Some low ranked soldiers said frightened but still brave enough to point their gun at it.

"..." Hina was speechless for a moment but regain composure and prepare to fight.

Edam stood up and jumped downward to landed right beside everyone, looking at the Sea-beast cooly.

"Well perfect timing, Hina-nee don't interfere please... Shion, Inue, Nekoe, this one is for you to handle, show me what you got..." Edam said as he glanced at them.

"Eh ?" The three exclaimed softly but then replied in unisson. "Yes captain !"

A bow for Nekoe, a spear for Inue, and his devil fruit power for Shion.

And...

The first to move was surprisingly the small dwarf Shion who ran and jumped in the air.

Swish !

[Great Horn !] As he shouted his body expanded like a balloon while two long and thick swirling horns grew out on his head as he pierced through the air to tear apart the giant squid.

But of course the monster wouldn't just looked at this dwarf without doing anything of course.

It lashed out five of its tentacles out to crush him for sure but...

"Hey we are here too you know !"

[Electro !]

Without warning, Nekoe shot out at the same time five electrified arrows which penetrated the five tentacles of the squid blocking it as it cry out painfully.

"Gghhhuuuuiiii !!!!!"

Worst of all for the squid is that the arrows had a paralysis effect on it, though it wasn't long it, that was enough time for Shion to strike.

"Hah ! [Great Spinning Horn !]" Shion cried out and turned rapidly on himself and struck the "belly" of the creature.

"Guughhhuuuiii !!!!" The squid was hit on its "belly", cry out and even seemed to vomit things out, it still wasn't out yet.

"I got this !" Inue who was still on the ship said as he took a strong stance with his spear in his hand.

[Electro !]

Spark !

His spear shone with a violent blue colored lightning that he then threw with immense force at the squid who couldn't react on time at all...

...and life slowly fade out of the beast's eyes as it died and floated up on the surface of the sea.

"As we would expect from top rankers..." Leo praised them.

"Impressive..." Zaz complimented the three with a smile.

"Good job." Edam too smile at them with a thumb up.

"Hina is impressed..." She said with her stoic face.

Even the other crewmates praised them as if there were no tomorrow.

Faced with so much compliments the three buddy couldn't help but become shy.

Unknow to them, the two warship that were following them saw the entire battle too. The Vice-admiral Momonga couldn't help but be stunned by that impressive performence.

Normally, when a normal Ship was facing a Sea monster, most of the time only the captain and second could face them but now it seems that every members of this unit could face one.

"Interesting..." A smile flitted across Momonga's face.

As for Vaughn, he already knew them so yeah...

Anyway after that the three were test again and again when their ship encountered other monster or other ships.

...

Two days later they arrived at the said archipelago island, they applied the plan as Hina and her crew disembarked at the other side of the island to block every escape way while Edam and his crew disembarked at the Cocoyasi island with twenty or so soldiers and tried to talked to the villagers but...

Despite that the landscape of this town was beautiful, the atmosphere here was heavy as hell...

Everyone who looked at them seemed to be scared, angry and or just repulsed by them. Well that could maybe be explained by the fact that they were non humans so they took fear or something.

There was just one guy, an old man seen wearing a police uniform with short sleeves and pants with a pinwheel on his hat.

Seeing this they decided to go ask him a few questions.

Edam the one in charge approached, and greet him before asking.

"Hello, Sir, You should be Cocoyasi's sheriff Genzo-san right ? I'm an officer from the Navy, my name is Monkey D. Edam, do you know a woman who goes by the name of..." Edam paused as he looked at a note in his hand. "...Bell-mère perhaps ?"

At his words, the old guy was completely stunned and said. "You-... we have already report everything to the captain in charge of Cocomi archipelago..." He looked at Edam suspiciously.

"You're not a scam now are you...?" The guy narrow his eyes like an eagle.

Althought Edam was really tall for his age and could be an a-full-fledged-adult, he could see that the boy didn't surpassed seventeen in age, not only him but every persons by his side too were super young.

"Eh ?" Edam was stunned for a moment and was going to explain but...

"Sigh... I knew it, youngsters are now so shameless, go back to where you're from, we don't have any money anymore..." The old sheriff made a "Shoo, shoo" gestures with his hands.

"..."

"Pff..." Zaz, Leo and all the other at the side restrained themselves from laughing.

"Oy, old man we're not scammers..." Edam said deadpanned.

"...?" At that the sheriff lifted a brow.

...

*Five minutes later*

Edam explained the reason of why they came and even show a Navy mandate.

"Oh... Sorry, sorry, young man, I was confused... So you are the unit they are all talking about in the Newspaper ?" The old man said shamelessly.

"Yeah, yeah it's us, anyway... but can you reply to my question ? Do you know where she is ?" Edam brushed the matter's off.

"Oh right..." The sheriff Genzo became serious in an instant as he spoke. "...She... She contacted me a week ago and told me that she had infiltrated that weird fanatic sect in the mountain..." Genzo paused a bit and added.

"We... the entire town was already wary of them when they arrived three month and we wanted to chase them out but the Navy in charge of our archipelago told us that they did nothing wrong but as month and month were going by our livestocks were slowly and mysteriously going missing...! It has to be them !" He made pause again but then continued.

"And so when Bell-mère who was a former Marine ensign hear of this, she decided to go undercover..." Genzo said with a nervous face.

"And ?"

"I... I think that she was captured !"

"..."

"That's not all... Ever since she went missing, her... her two daughters that she enthrusted to me went missing too, in fact several people went missing..." He said with guilt plastered all over his face. He was the sheriff but he couldn't do anything.

"After, we couldn't tolerate it again took the weapons but then the marines just had to beat up some of us and told us to stay put or we would have to pay taxes... That's why you weren't really welcomed earlier..." Anger was clearly brewing silently in Genzo's heart but what could he do...?

"Alright calm down... but first, could you lead me to where the 16th branch base is at... I have a word or two to speak with the captain Nezumi..." Edam sympatic gaze dropped several degres down as he spoke.

"Ah-... Ah... yes." Genzo didn't know why but he felt his skin crawling about for a split second but he still replied. "Follow me."

Edam nodded at him and made a slight sign of the head at the others to follow him.

Five minutes of walk later, they arrived in front of a weird looking building shaped like a mouse's head.

//////////////////////////

Yohohoho, I know I'm changing the fate of a lot of people and lot of event too but... I can't help myself, it's too sad... take it as me being a weak I don't care...????

By the way how old should Nami be right now ?

Oh and do tell me my mistakes ????