Author's notes:
First of all, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read my Fic! Secondly, I am aware that there is a crossover option on the site, I feel that it would be pretty redundant if I posted my story on a section that I don't generally visit. Finally, for those readers who haven't read 'Magi: labyrinth of magic' before I will just say that I will include a glossary at the end of each chapter (with the aid of wikia if necessary) to explain elements of the story that I have gotten from Magi. (They will be updated on each new chapter if more information is needed.)
This is my first time writing a third-person fic or even a sort of crossover, so I would very much appreciate any comments on the writing! ^^ Hope you enjoy!
{Chapter 1—The tale of the dungeon}
"A dungeon is a place where you can find the ultimate treasure; one beyond even your wildest dreams!" This was all it took for the barkeeper to convince the young, feisty pirate girl to partake with her monies and beguiling wiles. Temptation was a hard thing to resist, after all. With a long slender finger, she pointed at the most expensive of wines and left a little more than extra change on the counter.
"So, where can I find this dungeon, Mr. Keeper?" she purred, a true cat burglar indeed; she could steal any man's heart. In the heart of the island, hidden from prying eyes, or so the rumour goes. Nobody knows. Those that do seldom return, those that don't spin tales, like the one he was telling her now.
"I don't know the exact details," said the barkeep, "but I heard that one man managed to build an entire country using the treasure he had found. But it's not a trip for the weak-hearted..."
They never were.
Adventures were for those with strong hearts and strong minds; glory and treasures were their rewards. But that didn't concern the feisty cat, her captain alone had more than enough conviction for them all; he would not let slip the chance to hunt for new treasures, or so she hoped.
A dungeon is a place you can find the ultimate treasure. Only a fool would miss such an opportunity!
With a smile and a wink the young girl, about to take her leave from the shabby inn, stumbled upon one last mystery in the form of a childish, wide-eyed boy with long plaited hair and an innocent grin.
"Hey mister," he said, his high voice reflected his young age, "I'm so hungry, do you have any food?"
With just a glance, the barkeeper dismissed him as a vagabond, not worthy of even an ounce of his time or service. "This isn't a playground, brat," he said coldly; his kindness was only reserved for beautiful or well paying customers after all. "If you're not paying, you can scram. Get lost!"
Maybe it was the browbeaten look on his poor hungry face or the loud, gnawing grumble from his stomach that drew pity from the older girl, but before the young boy could turn away in sadness the clamber of gold coins echoed in his ears.
"Here," she said to the barkeeper in a sharp tone, "Get him whatever he likes. Then some more to take home."
The young boy's eyes sparkled with gratitude, but she didn't stay long enough to appreciate it. She was leaving with a goal in mind. Her crew were scattered around the city and if she wanted to be the first one to that treasure she would have to make haste.
It wasn't too long until she encountered one of her crew; he was quite impossible to miss. A balloon among sticks, in the most literal sense.
The food vendor had attracted his nose from afar, through bazaar where jewellery makers and perfumers distracted roaming tourists with colourful trinkets, and street performers amazed all with their death-defying theatrics. He had entered a food eating competition with some local hooligans who thought they could outsmart him. They probably could, given that he wasn't the most intelligent of people, but they certainly not out-eat him.
"Luffy, what are you doing?" She did not want to be the one to foot the bill for his enormous appetite.
"Oh, Nami!" He said enthusiastically, once he had swallowed the shish kebab in his hand (stick included), "these guys wanted to bet on who could eat the most, winner takes the bill!"
The men in question, bloated from their filling meals, laughed like wild hyenas. How naïve can one be on this sea! What use is a four hundred million Beli bounty if you can be had by common crooks!
Nami, calmed and wizened by her time apart from her beloved crew, could only sigh in deep relief. She could make up for the lost money later.
It could have been worse, the crooks that were taking advantage of her captain's gullibility and endless appetite could have been marines, waiting for a chance at a promotion and world recognition; the brave soldiers that took down a member of the worst generation, Monkey D. Luffy! Fate could have dealt them a cruel hand once more...
"You were obviously going to win, stupid, let's go," said Nami, handing over notes upon notes of Beli to the greedy-eyed food-vendor who, no doubt, was in on the scam. She and her captain, Luffy, made their way through the remaining stalls picking up stray members of their crew one by one until they were all gathered at the door of their hotel at nightfall.
"What's the rush, Nami?" said the long-nosed Usopp, sweating and shaking, having carried various goods from the bazaar that he claimed to weigh at least a tonne, if not more. "I thought you said the log will take at least a month to set on this island. Why do we have to rush back to the hotel?"
"Yeah," chimed in the green haired swordsman, who was flustered red from his time sampling the town's grape vine wine, "There's a whole barrel of booze waiting for me back there, so hurry up and explain."
They were an impatient lot. Even the vehement womaniser Sanji, whose quick tongue berated Zoro for his usual tactlessness, was also keen to return to the galore of dancing women that awaited him in the servicing huts, built for men like him, who had wondering eyes and loose fingers with which to part with their not-so-hardly earned money.
"I called you all here," she announced in a grandiose manner, "because I heard a little something in town that I thought might interest you."
They stared with an absence of understanding. What could be so interesting that they had to gather in such a small room, crowded by their large numbers?
"A dungeon, of course!"
Some said that they had heard the tale countless times.
"Shanks told me about one of those. He said he never saw one though."
"Zeff said the same. But I don't think they really exist, do they, Nami-san?"
"They say they exist in the legends of old but even in my years I have never laid eyes on one. Not that I have eyes anymore, Yohoho!"
"It is possible," said at last one believing soul, the dark and grim Nico Robin, who rubbed her chin in deep thought, "I heard that a kingdom had been raised by a young man using the treasures he had found there. But that was the last I had heard of it."
A dungeon is a mysterious place. An intrigue of unknown, a promise of treasures. Not many who have made their travel have returned, but what more could a pirate seek when searching for a new adventure?
Glossary
Dungeons: Mysterious buildings that harbour great treasure and power.