Chapter 14: The Illusion of Paradise
Ace's cry for help echoed, then vanished, swallowed by the cavern's depths. Roy and the others sprinted forward, only to skid to a halt at the edge of a sheer cliff. The ground simply dropped away into a vast, dark void.
"The captain fell," Taft stated, peering over the edge into the impenetrable blackness.
"Most likely," Roy agreed, his voice tight. "Taft, get the ropes. We're going down."
"On it." Taft secured a line to a sturdy rock formation and tossed the coil into the abyss. One by one, they rappelled down, the rough rope burning against their palms.
Roy was the first to touch bottom, landing on a damp, rocky shore beside an underground river that flowed with a silent, black current. There was no sign of Ace.
"The captain couldn't have fallen into the river, could he?" Jin wondered aloud, his voice echoing strangely in the vast chamber.
"Probably not. Let's spread out and look. That guy probably wandered off again," Joseph said, his tone a mixture of concern and exasperation.
"Alright," Roy directed. "Joseph, you're with me. We'll head upstream. The rest of you, go downstream. If you don't find him, we all meet back here in one hour. Ace can handle himself, but let's not give him too much time to find new trouble."
Taft retrieved the rope, and the group split up. Roy and Joseph moved cautiously along the riverbank, their footsteps the only sound besides the gentle lap of water.
"Where did that idiot go?" Roy muttered, scanning the darkness.
"Who knows? This is pretty standard for him," Joseph replied with a resigned sigh. "He's like a magnet for chaos."
They walked for what felt like an age until a soft, ethereal light appeared in the distance. As they drew closer, the tunnel opened up into a breathtaking valley. It was a stark contrast to the oppressive cave; sunlight—or a perfect imitation of it—streamed down, illuminating a landscape of impossibly vibrant flowers, lush grass, and gracefully fluttering butterflies. The air was thick with the scent of nectar, and the gentle sound of a babbling brook was like a lullaby. It was a paradise.
"It's... beautiful," Roy breathed, his guard momentarily slipping.
"It really is," Joseph agreed, his eyes wide. "Hey, look! Someone's there."
A figure approached, floating rather than walking. It was a woman, her beauty ethereal, with large, delicate butterfly wings sprouting from her back. They weren't the robust wings of the Skypieans, but the intricate, patterned wings of a monarch butterfly. She landed softly before them, a serene smile on her face.
"Hello, travelers," she greeted, her voice like chiming bells. "Welcome to Butterfly Valley."
"Butterfly Valley?" Joseph asked, snapping back to their mission. "Have you seen a man? Wears a hat, no shirt, probably has a dumb look on his face?"
The butterfly-woman's smile didn't falter. "I'm afraid not. But please, come in and rest. We see so few outsiders here." She gestured gracefully toward the idyllic valley.
Roy and Joseph exchanged a glance. It was suspicious, but they had to find Ace. A shared nod sealed their decision, and they followed her deeper into the valley.
The further they went, the more enchanting it became. The colors were too vivid, the scents too perfect. A profound sense of peace and drowsiness settled over Roy. He felt an overwhelming urge to just lie down in the soft grass and sleep.
He shook his head violently, fighting the sudden wave of lethargy. He glanced at Joseph and saw his friend's eyes fluttering shut, his body swaying.
Thud.
Joseph collapsed onto a bed of flowers, instantly and deeply asleep.
Seeing this, Roy's mind raced. This was a trap. He let his own knees buckle, feigning a collapse, and slumped to the ground, mimicking Joseph's unconscious state. He kept his breathing slow and even, his senses on high alert.
"The third one," the butterfly-woman said, her melodic voice now devoid of warmth.
Roy felt himself being hoisted onto a broad, strong shoulder. Through slitted eyes and the more reliable vision of his Observation Haki, the beautiful illusion shattered. The paradise vanished, replaced by the grim reality of a damp, torch-lit underground cavern. The singing birds were gone, replaced by the distant, rhythmic sound of pickaxes striking stone.
The man carrying him spoke, his voice a rough baritone. "Pendulum, your hypnosis powder is getting stronger."
"Of course it is," replied a voice that was now unmistakably male, though it still carried a faint, affected lilt. "A simple illusion. These fools are so weak-willed. There should be more on the ship they docked outside. Are they all caught?"
The strong man grunted. "The team is handling it. These pirates are so stupid. They actually believe in treasure maps? If there's any treasure here, it's ours. The tunnel is almost dug through. Soon, the real treasure will belong to us."
"Lucky we have all this free labor," the man named Pendulum—the false butterfly-woman—said with a cruel laugh. "The ones who hid the treasure were clever, burying it in a place like this."
So that was it. A Devil Fruit user with powers of illusion and hypnosis, luring in victims to work as slaves.
"And this crew is quite famous," the strong man continued, hefting Roy onto a pile of straw. "The captain's bounty is 80 million Beri. What an idiot, caught so easily."
"Just a naive child," Pendulum sneered. "The Grand Line is no playground. An 80 million bounty on a crew this small? Marine must have made a mistake. Once our plan is complete, we'll execute him publicly. Our captain's bounty will surely break 100 million then."
Roy lay perfectly still, his mind working furiously. He had found the source of the trouble. Now, he just had to wait for the right moment to spring the trap back on the trappers.
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Throw your anger on me. Throw stones at me
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