From the stars

This may seem a bit rushed, but I just suddenly came up with the idea just out of the blue. It just popped up in my head and went from there. Now a quick little overview. Orpheum is an original character I created as a kid, even the name I came up with (though I later found out the name did exist, funny coincidence) and have used as something of an alter-ego for many things. He's even a major character in my first novel that I've been working on for several years, but that's different story for later. Anyway, I figured I may as well include Brook and Franky, though I'm not terribly acquainted with them since I've never seen any subs but I think I can get the gist of their mannerisms. Well, enough ramblings, on with the story!

A mysterious man falls from the sky! Who is this strange man?

The sky was a splendid mix of purple and orange as evening slowly crept over the Grand Line, and a sailing vessel dubbed the Thousand Sunny sailed across the calm waters. Aboard the grassy deck, a boy named Luffy slumped over a railing on the starboard side of the ship looking quite bored. His first mate, Zoro, rested against the mast in a deep sleep while Usopp sat on a swing telling Chopper yet another of his tall tales. It was a rather slow day, well at least for this crew.

"So there I was, staring down a pack of giant dogs. I mean, each one was at least the size of a horse! There had to be at least fifteen or more of them. Drool dripped over hungry white fangs as beady red eyes looked at me intently..." The long nosed liar said, gesturing with his hands with an overly dramatic swoop as the tiny Reindeer's eyes glowed with adoration and awe.

"R-really?! Fifteen! That's so scary!" Chopper covered his mouth with his hands, his mouth was agape as he hung on every word of the 'story' being told. Usopp chuckled as he rubbed his chin confidently, eyes closed for dramatic effect.

"No doubt my little friend. But I, the great captain Usopp am far more fearsome than some mangy mongrels! Using an ancient form of animal training taught to me by a wise man, I was able to safely subdue the beasts. All but their leader remained, a great big guy with one eye missing!" The sharpshooter continued his tale, squinting his right eye tightly and making a mean face. Chopper shivered as he was caught in the story, eyes doubling in size. Usopp then continued, "We stared each other down, but in the end he turned out to be nothing more than a great big chicken, and ran away with his tail between his legs!"

"Wow, amazing! You're so fearless! I wish I could be that courageous!" Chopper had nearly suffocated as he held his breath, his nerves on edge as Usopp concluded his tale. Laughing boldly, Usopp basked in the praise of the naive doctor. Elsewhere, Robin lounged at stern of the ship, a book as usual in her hands. Sanji had just finished bringing her a cup of tea, and was arrived at the deck area to spot the sleeping swordsman.

"Hey, kelp-head. Why don't you get up and do something useful?" The blonde haired cook said, lighting a cigarette and blowing a puff of smoke into the cool evening air. A droopy eye barely opened to acknowledge the lovesick chief, glaring with both disinterest and annoyance.

"I am, I'm ignoring you for instance." Zoro said with a yawn, stretching like a cat as he adjusted himself against the mast. The curly brow on Sanji's face jittered for a second as his patience was instantly zapped to zero by his lazy crewmate.

"What was that, shark face?!" Feet clambered down the steps and onto the deck, kicking up pieces of grass as the blonde moved in on the drowsy figure. Franky, peered down from the opening of the crow's nest as he heard the commotion. And Brook, who was practicing a new note on a violin near the entrance to the dining hall, stopped as well and looked at the spectacle.

"Do I have to repeat myself, shitty cook?" Zoro was now fully awake, and a hand readied to draw a sword at a moments notice. His death glare set squarely on the chief, that same stare that could melt the morale of weaker men.

"Say that to my face, moss head!" One could almost feel the tiny bolts of lighting as both men locked glares, a heat even seemed to radiate from the tension. Leaping into the air, sword and leg crossed as the two men erupted into battle for the umpteenth time this week. Chopper tried as always to break up the fight for fear of injury to one of the men, while Usopp quietly tried to lead the tiny reindeer away on the advice he would be hurt. Franky meanwhile shouted out threats about the two tearing up the lawn.

"Whoa, check that out!" Luffy's voice suddenly broke the clamor, drawing attention from everyone on deck, including Robin who had been eavesdropping with an ear on near the deck. Nami, appeared as well complaining about the commotion distracting her from her map making. The crew wandered over to where their lovably dim witted captain was bouncing up and down excitedly and laughing gleefully.

"So what is it, Luffy?" Nami asked, clearly flustered as she presumed it was something not nearly as interesting as their captain made it out to be. Pointing up, Luffy drew everyone's attention skyward. High above, even in the now bluish purple sky, a shining beam of light flashed through the air. Gasps of awe escaped their mouths as the Straw Hats watched with wonder at what appeared to be a falling star.

"It's so beautiful!" Nami said, her brown eyes widening as she took in the sight. Chopper and Usopp watched with fascination while the previously dueling chief and swordsman both smirked quaintly at the sudden attraction in the sky. Eyes marveled at the spectacular sight high in the heavens.

"A captivating sight indeed. It fills my soul with joy and compassion for the universe!" Franky pumped his arms around, posing as he always did to express his joy for even the most simplest of wonders. Brook nodded in agreement, "Surely a song could only do little justice for this most special of occasions." Robin simply smiled while Luffy beamed like a child seeing the open world for the first time.

"Hey, wait a second. It's gonna hit that island over there!" Usopp said, pulling his goggles down to see where the falling star was headed. Indeed, the sparkling object grew larger as it neared a small island not far from where the Sunny idly drifted by. The fallen star became an intense beam of light and a roaring crash sounded as it crashed, illuminating the island and creating a gust of wind that rocked the boat quite harshly.

"You don't see that everyday." Zoro said, raising a brow as he and the others were taken by surprise. It was quite a surprising turn of events, but then again the Grand Line was not all that normal to begin with.

"Let's go and check it out!" Luffy said, his excitement once more at it's peak as he kept his eyes on the island. A fist struck the back of his head as Nami frowned at his brash decision. His rubbery skull throb with pain as he moaned quietly about Nami being so mean.

"Idiot! We can't just go and check out where a star fell. Who knows what could happen, there might be something dangerous." The red haired navigator said, placing both hands on her hips as she made the 'official' decision on the subject at hand.

"Oh Nami my dear, your wisdom knows no bounds!" Sanji swooned, his hands cupped together as his legs seemed to wiggle with the fluidity of gel as he praised Nami with heart shaped eyes. Zoro huffed quietly to himself, drawing a momentary glare from the chief.

"But there might be something cool! Maybe even food!" Luffy responded, his hope unwavering despite his navigator's reasoning. A foot landed squarely on his head as Sanji mumbled something about stars not being edible, at least he was pretty sure of that. Suddenly a cry of alarm drew everyone's attention back to Usopp.

"There's someone on the island!" The curly haired liar said, his voice tinged with shock as he spotted a figure crawling on the shoreline. Steering the ship towards the island, the Straw Hats came closer and closer, and their eyes widened in shock as they finally saw the scene clearly. Lying on the beach, was a figure facing down, unconscious. Beside it, a strange vessel burned as flames enveloped it, whatever it was, there was little but burning wreckage. Getting as close as possible, the Mini-Merry II was dispatched to the shore.

"Whoa, it's a guy. I wonder if he's alive." Luffy said as he neared the figure and squatted down. With his usual carelessness, Luffy poked the unmoving person with his finger, much to the chagrin of Nami and Chopper.

"He doesn't look alright, and I'm always dead serious!" Brook cracked, looking at the unconscious individual closely, Nami swatting his head off his shoulders in response.

"Let me see him!" Chopper said, immediately leaping into action and turning the man over. For a moment the crew could only stare as they took in his strange appearance. A dull gray streamlined outfit that fitted to his well muscled body, with red and purple striping along the shoulders, cuffs and ankles. Beautiful silver hair like steel flowed to his shoulders, accentuating a countenance that was both stern and handsome.

"Funny looking hair. Is he really old or something?" Luffy asked to no one in particular. Yanking on a few strands of hair, causing the unconscious man's head to bob in the direction of his tugging. For the second time that day Nami's fist struck the oblivious captain with a harsh remark. Suddenly the figure's hair dulled and then changed into a dark brown color, his entire form seemingly becoming less intense.

"Ahh! Did I kill him or something?!" Luffy looked around, freaking out at the sudden change. Chopper meanwhile panicked and ran in circles, screaming for a doctor. It took about a minute for Nami to remind him that he was the doctor. Carefully bringing the man onto the paddle steamer, Luffy and the others rowed back to the Thousand Sunny. Onboard, the rest of the crew watched quietly as the man was brought aboard. Following Chopper's careful orders, Franky and Zoro carried the man into the infirmary and placed him on the bed.

"It doesn't seem like he has any external wounds. But I have a feeling he may have some internal damage..." Chopper surveyed his patient, carefully making a diagnosis. Due to no apparent zipper, the tiny doctor was forced to cut open the suit from the neck down with some scissors so he could take a better look at the man. There were a few dark bruises and lacerations, and a deep gash on his left shoulder. Outside on deck, the crew waited for Chopper's return. A dark gloom hung over the group as they feared the worst.

"Do you think he came from the star?" Luffy wondered, trying his best to put on a thinking look. A few glares were shot at him for his absurd question, but at the same time they couldn't help but think the same.

"Don't be silly, there aren't people on stars." Nami said, trying to be logical about this whole ordeal. Of course, nothing the crew had been through was by any means normal or made sense sometimes.

"Maybe he's from Skypeia." Sanji suggested, drawing nods from Zoro and Usopp. But there was the issue of the man's strange outfit and that burning wreckage he was near. Neither seemed anything like the outfits worn by the sky people or their Dial devices. Truly it was a mystery that could only be answered by the man Chopper was taking care of.

Suddenly, the familiar cry of Chopper called everyone's attention. They charged down into the hall and opened the door to the infirmary where Chopper stood white as a ghost. Sitting up on the table, the man stirred despite his apparent injuries. Teal eyes looked around with confusion before settling on the strange group of characters standing across the room from him.

"Where am I? And who are all of you?"

TO BE CONTINUED

Preview:

(The man sits up in the bed and speaks with the Straw Hats)

Luffy: Whoa, this guy is from space?! That's so cool!

(On deck, the crew watch him pacing around)

Nami: But that doesn't make any sense. Is he really from another world?

(A fleet of Marine ships are seen closing in on the Sunny. The man leaps into action with a fierce glare)

Zoro: What's with this guy, he isn't human.

Luffy: On the next One Piece; "What a strange name. Orpheum: The warrior from beyond the stars!"