Summary: Exploring new territory, in more ways than one...

  Warning! Chapters 48-52 were all posted back-to-back! Make sure you don't miss any of them!

  Chapter 52: Lay of the Land

  Negotiations for the Discovery's cargo had gone well enough. Luffy knew he could have pushed harder, gotten more out of the deal. It was pretty clear that a cargo the size he had, pretty much every scrap of it things the city either needed or could move onward in other trade at a profit, was essentially unheard of. His one cargo, by his best estimate and observations, had a very good chance of boosting trade back to the level it had been before the fall of Birka and cutting off of Skypiea…at least for a month or two. Coupled with the news that Enel was dead and Skypiea was sorting itself out to the point trade with it might well resume soon, they had certainly made a spsh.

  Which is why it might have been odd to a real trader that he'd accepted less from Lady Isabule and her Merchant House than had been offered by others. What that trader would have cked access to was the feeling Luffy's empathy had given him all along. Between that and what his Haki boosted senses were whispering to him, he'd started to form a bit of a picture of what was going on. Of course, a real merchant might not have given a damn about any of that anyway, and taken the higher profits. But Luffy and his crew were no real merchants, which was something only Lady Isobule and one other sharp-eyed man who practically oozed malice had seemed to realize.

  Both of them had given an invitation to Luffy to dine at their home. Luffy had only accepted the Lady's, and even then he'd winsomely 'negotiated' a tour of the city out of her in exchange. Her mood, which had dipped as the other merchants worked together to try and undercut her on individual prices for his cargo, had lightened at that condition. She'd turned nearly cheerful as she'd taken himself, Nami, and Robin on a whirlwind tour of Crystal City after the dotted lines were signed.

  Crystal City, capital of Wind's Home, had once been only the rgest of several towns. Over centuries of time, however, the city had grown to the point of slowly taking over all the other settlements. Now, Crystal City essentially was Wind's Home, though the name of the city and the isnd had remained separate as a token acknowledgement of their past. It was, up close, just as gorgeous as the view from afar had been, too. A combination of carved ice and some sort of living crystal he could vaguely sense with his Haki made up virtually the entire city. Intricate engravings that fascinated Robin were on practically every wall, carved into every step. The city was, without question, a work of art.

  It was, however, a work of art that was obviously fraying a bit at the seams. For all that Nora focused on the positive, Luffy spotted out-of-the-way pces where the crystal wasn't polished, where the ice was cracked and untreated. The markets, filled with exotic fare, couldn't quite distract from the number of half-desperate and lean-looking people picking through the cheapest foods they could find. He also noticed hand-outs being given in pces, with the uniforms of a few Merchant Houses doing the giving. He didn't think it was an accident that most of the ones he saw had more Crystal Suns uniforms present than any other house. On the other hand, given the entirely genuine sadness and distress radiating from his guide, he didn't think it was entirely self-aggrandizing that she'd led them past her people helping out, either.

  No, she was certainly setting them up to see the state of the city and put herself in a good light. That much was true, he was pretty sure. But he didn't think the thoughts behind the actions were malicious. Calcuting? Absolutely. Malicious? Not so much. Just to be sure, however, he signaled Robin quietly a few times to check out specific locations. There was a reason, besides her intelligence and ability to spot details others missed, that he'd picked her to accompany himself and Nami. A reason that went to work with subtly summoned eyes and ears in unobtrusive pces. Thankfully, Robin was a past master at hiding such efforts, able to fully engage with conversation even as she scoped out many pces they passed.

  As they had ascended upward through the city, the quiet desperation had vanished as they entered what was unquestionably a richer area. Far more of those in the 'upper districts,' as their guide had politely called them, wore Merchant House uniforms of various qualities and styles. Even here there were a few signs of problems, as some of those uniforms looked…dodgy. Like the owners were doing the best they could to keep up appearances, but couldn't quite hide the threadbare nature of uniforms that should have been mended or repced. Luffy didn't even need to signal Robin for her to deploy her methods on one Merchant House that had a number of such people coming and going, catching her spreading her network through the ceilings of that building via his Haki.

  It was only shortly after that, however, that Nora spun to a stop in front of one of the most spectacur bits of architecture they'd seen yet. Unlike most of the buildings they'd seen so far, which used mostly carved ice supported by crystal, the mammoth building in front of them was almost entirely crystal, with accents of gold. Spiraling pilrs of sapphire blue met walls of turquoise, all worked with what had to be Skypiea exported gold. Even if gorgeous script in that encrusted gold hadn't decred it The Crystal Bathhouse, the iridescently gleaming statues of men and women with content expressions and wearing little but towels would have told them what this was. As would the radiating heat pooling out of it. A heat which neatly expined why there was no ice used for this particur building.

  "Ah! The pride of our city! Or, at least, so my own Merchant House would tell you. The Crystal Suns founded the Bathhouse as a generational project nearly three centuries ago. Every generation since has taken pride in expanding it, until it has become the single greatest working of the Crystal City. All may enter, with the Public Baths being free for the entire city! Though, if you'll join me, I'll be delighted to show you the Infinity Pool, my own not-so-modest contribution to our masterpiece!"

  Quirking an eyebrow as something in both the woman's tone and feelings screamed she was half-desperately desiring them to accept, Luffy looked Nami's way. She only grinned and shrugged, speaking for their small group a moment after she did.

  "A bath sounds fantastic! Lead the way, Lady Isabule!"

  Luffy spared a quick gnce to Robin, but the older woman merely smirked and gestured the way forward. Well, far be it from him to protest the upcoming view, if none of the dies were of a mind to mind. Grinning, he repeated Robin's gesture and Nora seemed to sag slightly in relief, even as she swept them all forward with a cheerful wave. They followed her into the bathhouse, all three of them quietly marveling that the interior was just as extravagant as the exterior. Crystal statues were joined by etched murals and intricate art pieces made of crystal shards. Chandeliers equipped with light Dials lit every corner, their constant light shining on the crystal and causing a gentle reflection of colors.

  As Isabule swept them up a spiraling crystal stair, this crystal somehow textured to provide a safe tread for one's feet, the complexity and quality of the art only escated. As they passed out of the public levels, peeks into various rooms showed specialized themes. A rge bath with gloriously colored crystal creating life-like fauna. Another smaller bath that was clearly a terrarium of sorts, with pnts in a wild array of carefully curated colors creating a soothing dispy. As they reached the very top, Luffy realized they'd passed straight through to the other side of the isnd. Narrow as it might be here near the summit, it still showed off just how rge the bathhouse was that it apparently cut entirely through the isnd and out the other side.

  It was also obvious why this particur area had been named the Infinity Pool, as the water shot out over the edge of the city, with gss-clear crystal and pure water giving an unobstructed view straight down over the clouds of the White-White Sea. If Luffy hadn't been capable of flight, he might have been a little leery of that sight. As it was, he was simply caught up in awe of the view…until he heard cloth rustle. Looking over, he saw a smirking Lady Isabule shedding her clothes. She was an admittedly attractive woman, with nearly as nice a figure as Nami or Robin combined with the refined features of Kuina. Knowing full well that Nami would be doing the same, he allowed his eyes to rake pale skin, lips quirking in amusement as the woman posed for effect.

  "Come now, Captain, I'm not shy if you aren't~. The water is divine, I promise! More importantly, this is one of the few pces in the city where absolute privacy can be guaranteed! It would, after all, be rather hard for someone to sneak up on you here…"

  The Lady's tone had started in a mischievous lilt, but slid into a seriousness that didn't quite detract from the body she was putting on dispy. Surprisingly, before Nami or he could react, a smirking Robin began shedding her own clothes, causing their eyes to snap to her body as she confidently stripped down and strode out into the water. That sway in her hips that drew all three sets of eyes and a quiet 'damnnnn' from Nami couldn't have been anything but intentional. Body barely concealed at all by the clear waters, breasts openly hanging free above the surface since she couldn't go too deep without her Fruit causing issues, Robin's tone was only slightly husky as she spoke.

  "Well, what are you two waiting for? Our host is quite right, this water is quite divine. I'd be fascinated to find out how they keep the water so perfectly heated, without visible Dials helping things along…"

  Shaking their heads, Luffy and Nami smirked back at the tiny bit of challenge in her eyes as they started to shed their own clothing. None of them missed the slight blush on Lady Isabule's face as Luffy's body was exposed. The merchant princess might just have bitten off more than she could chew, even if she clearly had something serious to discuss…

  ... ...

  After seeing to the unloading, some of the crew had stayed aboard the ship to protect it from the hungry eyes of the locals. Others, however, had set out to see the sights. While they might not have had a guide like Luffy, Nami, and Robin, it didn't take a genius to find their way to one of the rger markets of the mid-levels. There, Usopp, Kaya, Chopper, Sanji and Pagaya had split up. Much to his own slight pouting, Sanji had split off with Pagaya to check out the variety of foods avaible. As a retive native, and one that had been to Wind's Home before, Pagaya was more than happy to point the chef to the best selections avaible.

  Kaya and Chopper had likewise split off, originally towards a bookshop that both were curious about. Kaya had diverted before reaching it, dragging Chopper with her as she felt something resonating with her spiritual senses. Chopper, seeing signs that they were diverting to something looking a great deal like an apothecary, quickly grew as enthusiastic as Kaya. Though, on entering, Chopper went immediately towards a number of medical implements and paraphernalia, while Kaya continued following the feeling that had attracted her attention.

  She soon found herself face-to-face with a middle-aged woman with ugh-lines around her eyes, standing over a dispy case that radiated a deep chill. The woman, clearly the proprietor of the shop, leveled a knowing look at her even as she puffed on some sort of herbal cigarette. The smoke sent a pleasant tingle through Kaya, bolstering her spiritual sensitivity, and she made a mental note to ask about it…after she found out just what it was that she was feeling from the dispy. The woman beat her to the punch with a knowing-but-pleased smile.

  "Spiritually sensitive enough to have felt the Frost Sigils, eh? From the look of you, you're not a local, so I imagine you've never seen them before."

  Kaya shook her head slowly, even as she gazed into the dispy case and probed the 'Sigils' with her senses. They were carved tokens, looking to be made of ice, but somehow radiating a cold that went beyond mere temperature. Each was carved with some sort of unknown runes that made her idly wish Robin were here to see if she could make out what they meant.

  "Not a lot of people can feel them, these days. Mostly they only keep them around as superstition, even if a few people know better. What you're sensing there, ss, is JotunFrost. A type of Permafrost that refuses to melt, even if pced in an open fme. The meaning of most of the runes on them has been lost, but people swear that carving them into the JotunFrost gives special properties or protections. Good fortune, a boost to healing if you're sick, protection from bad dreams."

  The older woman put out the herbal cigarette, eyes gleaming as she continued.

  "Even as someone who can feel the cold they give off, I'd call it foolish. If, that is, there weren't so many stories of such Sigils breaking right before someone narrowly escaped a terrible accident. Or of the Frost melting a bit when someone recovers from a sickness. The Sigils do something all right, but if there's anyone that knows the truth of how to use them left, I've never met them."

  She looked Kaya's eager expression over and chuckled.

  "But I don't think that's going to stop you from wanting a full set. Well, who am I to turn down a sale, hmm? I'm sure I can even dig up a book about the supposed benefits each one has, even if it's all guesswork as far as I know…"

  Kaya smiled brightly at the offer.

  "Yes, please! And I'd like to know just what's in that cigarette you were smoking, too…"

  ... ...

  Usopp examined the tray of 'seed crystals' with considerable interest. It turned out that the Crystal City, sole city of Wind's Home isnd, wasn't just about ice. Luffy had, unknowingly, pulled a power move on the locals by having Nojiko just ft out form crystal with her Fruit powers. Much like Skypiea specialized in Dials, this isnd specialized in Crystals. Capital letter fully justified, as far as he was concerned. The locals used Dials too, of course. That was common across virtually all Sky Isnds. But Enel had taken over Skypiea for damn good reason. Specifically, Skypiea was the capital for Dial tech and Dial engineers.

  In the same way, Wind's Home and the Crystal City had their own specialization. A series of local flora and fauna in the area grew crystal in much the same way that oysters or mussels created pearls. Better yet, the crystals had special properties determined by what they were gathered from and farther influenced by how they were grown. Fme fish grew a crystal that kept them warm in the perpetually cold cloud sea around Wind's Home. If you then carefully bathed a seed crystal from those Fme Fish in heat from a Dial while it grew, the resulting Fme Crystal became a pellet the locals used for extremely high temperature forging.

  Usopp, of course, had considerably more martial uses in mind for a crystal that could burn that hot when it was ignited. It would take his current incendiary round and amplify its effect substantially. Better yet, that was only one of several effects the locals could produce. Said locals didn't use it for military applications as the crystals were mostly too slow to grow. They didn't exactly do a lot of high-temperature forging, given the ck of metals up here, so it was practical for that. But not nearly so much for mere rounds for a gun. Usopp, on the other hand, just so happened to have a crewmate who could accelerate the growth of crystals.

  He had a feeling that Nojiko would be interested in some of the things she could get out of growing these as well. And if she grew them for him, he was quite certain he could up his game in a big way. Important, since he'd felt the need to upgrade his rifle for some time now. He was already working on ways to do that with Dials. Combining what he'd come up with so far with new ammo too, though? Yes. This is exactly what he needed.

  "I want the whole kit. Every type of crystal that can be grown. And any books you have on how to manage them as well. Actually, even some books on what they grow from would be useful, if you have any?"

  The proprietor of the small shop looked like he had extol signs in his eyes. But that was alright. Usopp had been sitting on his share of loot for quite some time. This would put a dent in it, but not a huge one. And the payoff could be incredible…

  ... ...

  Nora Isabule's small blush had turned into something more like a flush as Nami had practically wrapped herself around Luffy as they both joined Robin in the water. The feel of Nami's assets pressed against him, one arm buried firmly in her cleavage, had finally done in his self-control. He'd caught both Nora and Robin gncing down at his half-hard manhood, though it was Nora who seemed the most flustered by it. Luffy took a certain amount of smug pride in that. He was certainly well above anything anyone could have called average, even for a world whose male popution skewed all around physically rger than his original reality.

  From her repeated gnces, it was almost certainly the rgest specimen Nora had ever seen, leaving her distracted and off bance with the game she'd started herself. There had been a moment or three of awkward pause, which had turned into a more awkward silence as she slid in the water and realized she'd been caught. Luffy, thankfully, was feeling charitable, given the view she'd provided him. The multiple views, to be more accurate. As such, he decided to come to her rescue.

  "So, Lady Isabule, I take it you had something specific you wished to speak with us about? I couldn't help but notice the city seems to be having a bit of a rough time, and that you seem to have a few enemies."

  Luffy's words rapidly washed the blush away from their host, the woman closing her eyes for a few moments and breathing deep of the steam wafting off the water. When she opened her eyes again she was focused…mostly. She did still seem to be having a bit of trouble keeping her eyes above Luffy's waist.

  "Yes. Yes, I did. First, please simply call me Nora, Captain. While others might insist on the formality, I'm hardly in a position to do so when asking a favor, even if I was naturally inclined to. Which, as it happens, I'm very much not."

  Luffy nodded his acquaintance, responding in like kind with an offer to simply drop all titles entirely, which seemed to please the woman. She did so with a smile, actually able to keep her eyes on Luffy's face, finally.

  "Thank you then, Luffy. Yes, sadly, your observation that the Crystal City isn't in as good of shape as we'd like to pretend to outsiders is not at all inaccurate. While there are other Sky Isnds that connect with us, our main trio of trade partners has always been Birka, Skypiea, and Merveille. With Birka destroyed and the psycho who did it cutting Skypiea off from virtually all trade? It hurt."

  Nora's gaze had gone distant, finally undistracted by Luffy's body as memory clearly took hold of her.

  "The Crystal Suns have been the rgest Merchant House on Wind's Home for nearly its entire existence. It was my family's policies that saw Crystal City grow to encompass the entire isnd. Not by conquest or hostile takeover, but by offering fair deals and opportunity. Many of the rgest Merchant Houses beyond our own are the result of the Crystal Suns helping set up the leaders of each settlement we added to the City as their own trading consortiums. Contracts, contacts, start up money. They got an even hand and a fair deal when they became part of the city."

  Luffy raised an eyebrow. That was probably a little sanitized, even if Nora herself seemed to fully believe it. There were always people who were stubborn enough to reject even a 'fair deal,' if it meant retaining their independence. In example, basically every 'dreamer' pirate crew out there, his own included. It was likely that at least a few of Nora's ancestors had possessed a few skeletons in their closets. Still, Nora seemed to have bought into it, and so far all the evidence he'd seen around the city suggested she had good reason too.

  He shot a quick look at Robin, doing his best not to get distracted by her tits. He didn't entirely succeed at that, but he did manage to make eye contact, and she seemed to read the question in his eyes easily enough. She tipped her head toward Nora and nodded. Right then, without further details and getting whatever Robin had picked up in detail, best to assume that Nora was legit. Only a second or two had passed as he checked with Robin, and Nora shook herself a bit and focused on them again as she continued her spiel.

  "Unfortunately, there are always greedy people. Not even the Crystal Suns are immune to that, but we have some guiding rules that we won't break for any amount of greed. Sadly, that doesn't keep others from doing so. Tell me, Luffy, what were your impressions of the representatives of the Battered Coin and Fated Winds houses?"

  Luffy's reply was instant.

  "Terrible. Both of them were trying to undercut you even though I could tell it was going to put them at an actual loss. Bad blood is bad for business and those two reeked of it. Either a personal vendetta or something more comprehensive. It's why I didn't take their deals. Bad faith trading never ends in good things, no matter how nice the deal might seem on the surface."

  Nora blinked, her surprise so complete that she sat up straight, her boobs popping out of the water. They made a nice enough sight, shining with running rivulets of water, that Luffy couldn't help but look. Not that Nora seemed to notice.

  "I…might have underestimated you a bit, Captain. You're entirely correct. Those two, along with several smaller Merchant Houses under their banner, follow a different school of thought than the Crystal Suns. Their sole goal is always to get the most out of every deal, one way or another. Even their offers to you, while they would have hurt their bottom line, would have harmed the Crystals Suns a great deal more. Which was the point, to them."

  Luffy managed to meet the woman's eyes again, nodding slowly as he put the pieces together. He'd already been most of the way there, to be honest. He knew he was still missing something, though, given the bleak anger in Nora's emotions as she spoke of them. Something here was more rotten than bad business.

  "I take it they've been trying to undercut you and take over as the biggest influences in the city? Preying on people's increasing desperation to turn them away from your family and towards more questionable practices of some sort?"

  Nora's teeth clenched, rage in her eyes. She seemingly wanted to rant and rave, but took a deep, bracing breath instead, showing commendable control. Her eyes closed for long moments, three more breaths in and out, a meditative pattern that stirred her spiritual energy enough to pique Luffy's interest. Still, he focused on her words attentively as she spoke again.

  "Very perceptive, Captain Luffy. That's it, exactly. Worse, far worse, a small but significant number of those that go to the Battered Coin and Fated Winds in desperation just…vanish. They don't turn up dead, they just don't turn up at all. Our best guess is that they are being sold off somewhere. Merveille is the most likely pce due to who currently controls the isnd. But it could be one of the smaller isnds as well, many of them have such small poputions that the temptation to expand them artificially, as it were, has to exist."

  Ah. That was the part he'd been missing. Nora was like Vivi and cared for 'her people.' Even if she wasn't the ruler of the isnd, she felt an obligation to it. Which expined all the hand outs, as well as the raw anger she'd felt when the topic came up.

  "How many people have gone missing?"

  Nora's expression was brittle, frustrated, as she answered.

  "At least a hundred. Most likely at least double that. It took us a while to catch on, since all of those vanishing did it while being members of the Merchant Houses in question. We don't exactly have eyes inside the other Houses, so at first it was just assumed they were being used as internal bor. We eventually took notice because the dockworkers, even the desperate ones, started avoiding any work that could lead to them 'joining' the Merchant Houses in question. Normally, those jobs are jumped on the fastest, as having the backing of a Merchant House is a good way to move up in the world. But…"

  That certainly made sense. The desperate looking for jobs had jumped at a promising chance. Only for more and more of those that did to start vanishing. The first ones to notice would, naturally, be the others that they'd been hanging around with when they were poor and desperate.

  "But not anymore. They don't have any proof, just a strong pattern of their buddies going to work for those houses and never coming back."

  Nora nodded, expression bleak. Finally, she asked the question that Luffy had known was coming.

  "Captain Luffy, I know you don't have any stake in this. But that's precisely why I'm asking for your help. As a fellow Merchant House, I can't bring blind accusations against the people we suspect without some kind of proof. But from the story you told of your crew taking on Enel, I had hoped…"

  Luffy smirked, already knowing that Vivi, Nojiko and Hina would refuse to leave this alone, even if he'd been willing to himself. Given what could be happening to those people, he wasn't comfortable leaving it be either, anyway.

  "Well, subtly isn't normally our best field, Lady Nora. But I figure we can give it a shot. Worse comes to worse and we bungle it, you can always just bme us for trying to rob them or something. We are pirates, after all. Even if that doesn't mean much up here…"

  Nami huffed fondly, having known he wouldn't be able to leave it be. She nodded along with his decision a moment ter, however. Robin did as well, though the mocha skinned woman followed up with a comment that caused them all to splutter a moment ter.

  "Ara, now that we've settled that, perhaps we should get to the breast size comparisons? I'm told that's what women do in the baths. We can even include Captain-san, we'll just have to measure something else instead…"

  Their host slowly turned scarlet as she processed the implication, even as Nami's immediate splutter turned into giggles at everyone's reactions. Luffy recovered a moment ter, chuckling as he saw a satisfied glint in Robin's eyes. He was still getting used to her sense of humor…and didn't mind admitting that the thought of them going through with the idea was an intriguing one. If one sadly unlikely to happen.

  Ah well. Maybe some other time…

  ... ... ... ... ...

  A/N 1: One of the reasons that I wanted this particur isnd to exist is to give a few characters boosts. Short of giving him a Devil Fruit, Usopp has a bit of a bottle neck in power that was only really solved post time skip. Since he's using a rifle instead of a slingshot, he can make more out of Dials than before. But I also thought some early boosts to his ammo would do him some good.

  Likewise, characters like Kaya didn't have their own powerup sources, since they weren't originally part of the crew. Ergo, I've been slowly fleshing out what she can do with the 'Spiritualist' stuff I've given her to work with. She's always going to be more about wide utility than pure power, so having her piece that utility together over time seems logical. The fact that the Crystals Usopp found will double up as a booster for Nojiko serves a simir purpose.

  A/N 2: Once per release, I remind people that...I have a Patreon Page! Nothing I write, fanfiction wise, is ever permanently paywalled. That said, I do have Early Access chapters. There is currently another 12,500+ words of One Piece - Halfway Broken in Early Access (Chapters 53-56). Also, of course, you also get access to my other Early Access chapters for my other stories. There is typically around 40-60k words of various works in early access at any one time. I always appreciate any support, since it helps me free up more writing time...but most of all I hope you just enjoy the stories!