Alder sat atop the head of his ship which was constructed when he visited Mediogashima. The head of the ship looked like a face buried in a tree trunk that spread across the entire ships, giving the appearance of a red tree growing threw the entire ship. The Godswood was the name Pine had suggested, and as such was the name they took. The Godswood was a large galleon with three floors and several sets of cannons along the top deck and the first lower deck. The mouth of the mast could also open to reveal a hidden cannon to fire targets in front of them.
“Captain!” The cheery voice called out.
Alder turned to face the only female on his crew, Willow. At some point she was a member of the Blood Pirates, but decided to join the Lumberjack crew after her captain's capture. She said how she felt drawn to Alder. She wore a black beanie over her long green hair, something that was apparently common to those from a few islands in the west blue.
Alder was not aware of the thoughts that had truly led Willow to join the crew, mostly her attraction to the lead lumberjack was her guiding force.
The sound of metal clinking together drew Alders attention to the bag on WIllow’s hip, the spot where she kept the tiny axes that she stored for use with her devil fruit, the Catapult-Catapult fruit. According to her it belonged to a high ranking member of the Blood Pirates who the Umbra’s had killed on Frostrum island.
“Willow, what's up?” Alder asked, leaning back against the mast to look at her upside down, laying sprawled out on its head.
“Oh uh.” Willow began to blush profusely. She didn't look away with her blush, just stared more intently at Alder. Others found it a little unnerving the way her eyes seemed to grow when she stared at Alder, clearly obsessed. “Cedar said we should be nearing an island, but uh Oak will meet us there.”
Alder smiled. “Oak is coming back?”
Willow nodded without blinking, eyes locked on Alders visage. “Should I get the crew to prepare for landfall?”
Alder sat up and turned around. “If you could, I would appreciate it. Thank you WIllow.”
Alder’s praise hit Willow like an arrow to the heart and she nearly toppled over. “Of course, right away!” She spun around animatedly and rushed to instruct everyone of Alder's orders.
Alder headed toward the back of the ship, jumping off the mast with a small step. He entered the navigation quarter and caught sight of Cedar talking with Aspen. Aspen was looking better after the short time he spent healing, though he still had bandages that covered his body.
“Alder, good news we should hit land within the hour.” Cedar said to his captain.
“And Oak is joining back up?” Alder asked.
“Of course, he called only a few minutes ago.” Cedar said, pointing towards the snail that sat on a table with its eyes closed.
The door that Alder had sealed suddenly burst open, revealing Pine with tears in his eyes.
“What happened!” Alder said, spinning to action.
Pine held out a sheet of paper, a photo of some kind. Alder quickly rushed to his friend, taking the photo into his hand. Cedar and Aspen joined him, gathering around the photo. It showed the young visage of Conie, Pine’s younger sister. She held a large smile on her face, looking similar to the photo that Pine kept close to his heart, the one the Umbras had stolen then returned.
Alder reflected at the fight against Aphrodite with those three Umbras. The bamboo forest, the one that seemed to move with the air easily, and the one that played music as if it was a weapon.
“What is it?” Aspen asked Pine, drawing Alder back to the present.
“Its Conie!” Pine said, a joy in his tone.
“We can see that.” Cedar said, a little confused.
“That photo was taken only days ago!” Pine said joyously.
A gasp escaped the lips of the three lumberjacks then. “But how!” Alder said suddenly. Last he had seen her face was burned almost beyond recognition.
“I called to try and get her brought out to Sabaody, and they told me that someone came through their town and healed all the people that were injured with some strange devil fruit power!” Pine said, bursting to tears even more. “It's a miracle, she's going to be okay after all!”
“So we don't need to find the Umbras again to have Emma heal her!” Cedar said with a bounce. “I'm so happy for you Pine!”
Alder moved, pulling Pine into a hug. He held his friend closely as his hopes rose. Now that Conie was okay Pine would be able to rest easy, something he needed badly. They spent a long while celebrating the good news before they reached land fall.
The island they found was a massive jungle with trees that seemed to reach towards the clouds, but curled into spirals before hitting them. The leaves of the massive trees seemed more like fur then leaves, it was truly a strange sight.
Alder was first off the ship, Pine, Cedar, Aspen, and Willow following. The beach was soft, yet the sand held firm. There was a slight bounce to the ground, as if the land was a trampoline.
“So weird.” Aspen said, pulling up some sand from the beach. It fell in clumps. Alder spotted the resistance the island gave to Aspen’s grasp, as if it didn't want to separate.
“Tell the crew to be careful.” Alder explained. “We don't know what to expect here in the grandline.”
“Seems like a summer island.” Willow explained. She had proved beneficial for her knowledge of the grandline, assisting Cedar with his navigating many times. “I dont think we need to bother waiting for the log pose to reset. We should be pretty close to the Red Line now. Once we meet up with Oak we can head out right away.”
“Aw man.” Cedar sighed. “I kinda wanted to explore.”
“But it would be a waste.” Willow explained, her tone a little snotty to those that were not Alder.
“I dont think it would be a waste.” A familiar voice called out.
Alder turned to spot Oak approaching. He stood with a chiseled jaw in a diamond shape, his body toned but not bulky. He had his bright orange hair tied into a tie, wearing a yellow flannel. He held a large scar that ran horizontally across his nose.
“Oak, it's great to see you again.” Alder said, hugging his friend. “How was Mediogashima?”
Oak smiled as they pulled back, then held out a hand. From his hand an ax formed made of pure light. “The Glare-Glare fruit, it was eaten by a vassal who was killed by the Umbras from my understanding.”
“That is amazing!” Pine said sharply. “More power in our arsenal.”
“We have much to tell you friend.” Alder said, patting Oak’s shoulder.
Oak held out a paper to Alder. “And I think I have some news for you.”
Alder took it, a report about the events that transpired on Sabaody. Alder was aghast at what he read, unable to believe what he was seeing, then laughed.
“Of course the Umbra’s would do that!” Alder said with a laugh.
“There is something else.” Oak said, pulling free a set of wanted posters. “Seems we got some pirates just on the other side of this island, what you think?”
Alder took the posters and looked them over, then looked over his crew. “Let's take them down.”
