One Piece:
The Reverie Arc
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard and Monkey D. Aika © Me
Summary- It's time once again for Reverie, the time that comes every four years where the world's powers gather at the Holy Land of Mariejois to discuss the matters of the world. During this time, old friends from the Straw Hats' past adventures meet and find common ground...such as Vivi, Rebecca, and Shirahoshi, for instance! Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Army has begun to make its move...and a hidden secret just might be revealed.
Ch. 1- The Fifth Emperor
Nami quietly made her way to the door and peeked her head inside, only to find the tiny form lying on the bed. The navigator tiptoed toward the bed, where she found Aika, sleeping soundly under the blankets. She smiled sadly, noticing the dark circles under her eyes.
"Poor thing," Nami whispered as she gently stroked Aika's hair. "You've been asleep for a few hours, now."
Aika sighed softly in her sleep, gently clutching the pillow. Nobody could really blame for wanting to sleep for so long. It had been about 12 hours since the Straw Hats had escaped that sugarcoated nightmare known as Totto Land, Big Mom's territory. It was nothing short of a wonderland...a wonderland of horror, that is. Poor Aika had seen so much there...things that no child her age should ever see. It was no wonder she was so exhausted.
She didn't even join in the celebratory banquet to welcome Sanji back to the crew.
All Nami could do was gently pull the blankets over Aika's shoulders and kiss her forehead.
"Sleep tight, honey," Nami whispered as she walked out, closing the door behind her. However, had she stayed a bit longer, she would've seen Aika's eyes open up slightly before she glanced at the door.
XXX
"Is Aika still sleeping?" Blizzard asked as Nami came outside onto the deck.
"Yeah," Nami answered. "She's been asleep for a long time, now."
"Jeez," Blizzard muttered. "I can't say I blame her, but I'm starting to wonder how long she'll sleep."
"She can sleep for as long as she needs to," Nami said. "Personally, I wanna sleep for days, but we have to keep our course. Zoro and the others are waiting for us in Wano."
"No, Sanji, don't~!"
"Forget it! I'm dropping this thing in the ocean!"
"Nooooooooooooo~!"
"Ugh..." Nami groaned. "What's going on, now?"
"They've been like that for the past hour," Blizzard deadpanned.
"Please, Sanji?!" Luffy asked as he tried to grab the object from Sanji, who was back to wearing his regular black suit and blue tie. "You can't get rid of it! Be reasonable!"
"Yeah, Sanji, please?!" Chopper asked.
"I said forget it!" Sanji spat.
"If you don't want it, then let me have it!" Luffy complained. "Be a pal!"
"I said 'no'!" Sanji argued as he held up the item that his captain and doctor coveted: a capsule with the number '3' on it. "Damn that Niji! He was the only one who actually got close to us! He must've slipped this on us while we were escaping from Cacao Island!"
A brief flashback showed Niji putting said-capsule into Sanji's pocket.
"If I wanna get stronger," Sanji began, "I'm gonna do it on my own terms! I sure as hell won't be relying on this damn Raid Suit and the power of Germa's science! I washed my hands of that, years ago!"
"Oh, come on!" Luffy whined. "Don't be so rash!"
"Yeah, Sanji!" Chopper agreed. "Just think of the possibilities!"
"What possibilities?" Sanji asked, although he seemed to already know the answer.
"If you use that to transform into your Raid Suit," Luffy began, "then...then...!"
"YOU COULD EVEN SHOOT LASER BEAMS~!" he and Chopper cried.
"Are you kidding me?!" Sanji questioned. "Franky's the only one in this crew with gimmicks like that! Leave me out of your little fantasy!" He then tossed the Raid Suit capsule over his shoulder, prompting Luffy and Chopper to squabble over it.
"Oh, come on, Sanji," Nami said. "The power of science isn't all that bad! You just have to use it the right way, like me!" She then held up her Sorcery Clima-Tact. "For instance, my Sorcery Clima-Tact is a fusion of atmospheric science and Usopp's amazing craftmanship!"
Soon after, something- or rather, someone- popped out of Nami's staff: it was Zeus, the talking thundercloud!
"Ahhh~!" he sighed. "Man, I love being inside that staff of hers! I can eat thunderclouds to my heart's content!"
"Wait, you mean he actually came along with us?!" Sanji questioned in disbelief. "I can't believe he chose food over loyalty!"
"Is it really that much of a surprise?" Blizzard asked. "When you consider who his creator is..."
"Nice to have such a convenient servant, don't you think?" Nami asked with a wink.
"...Then, again...Nami can be pretty wicked, too," Blizzard deadpanned.
"Hey, Sanji!" Luffy called. "We can't get the Raid Suit to work! I think it'll only work on you!"
"Put it on, Sanji! Please?!" Chopper begged.
"SCREW THAT! NO!" Sanji yelled. "I TOLD YOU, I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH GERMA! AS MY FRIENDS, YOU SHOULD RESPECT THAT!"
"Just this one time, okay?!" Luffy asked.
"Hey, everybody~!" Carrot called from on top of the Crow's Nest. "The newspaper's here!"
"Thanks, Carrot!" Nami called back. "Bring it down so we can see it!"
Carrot looked at the newspaper before gasping in surprise.
"Wow! Luffy, look! You're on the front page!" she exclaimed as she jumped down. "And your picture's huge!"
"I am?!" Luffy asked. "Really?!" He then winced as he grabbed his side. "Ah, dammit."
"Luffy, lie down," Chopper said. "Your wounds still haven't fully healed, yet."
"What's the word, Carrot?" asked Blizzard. "Any news about Jimbei?"
"Hmm...lemme see," Carrot said as she read the paper. "It says that Luffy, Sanji, Jimbei, and Bege all tried to make an assassination attempt on Big Mom...and it says that Luffy's the ringleader!"
"But it wasn't my idea," Luffy said while he lied down.
"Oh!" Carrot exclaimed. "And there are some new bounties, too!"
"Really?" Sanji asked. "Lemme see."
"Here, Sanji!" Carrot said as she handed him a wanted poster. "Here's yours!"
"Hmm..." Sanji hummed as he looked at his poster. It still had the same picture of him, frolicking in the Mermaid Lagoon on Fishman Island, but now, it was a bit different. "Whoa! My bounty went up! It's at 330 million Berries, now!"
"Wow, congratulations, Sanji!" Chopper said.
"Wait," Sanji said. "How much is Moss-head's, again?!"
"Uh...320 million," Blizzard answered.
"YES!" Sanji cheered. "WHOO-HOO! TAKE THAT, MOSS-HEAD! MY BOUNTY'S BIGGER THAN HIS!"
"Seriously?" Nami asked. "Everything is a competition between you two, isn't it?"
"...Wait a minute," Sanji said as he took a closer look, and gaped. "Oh, come ON! Are you kidding me, right now?!"
"What? What's wrong?" Brook asked.
"Look what they put under my picture!" Sanji shouted as he showed everyone his poster.
VINSMOKE SANJI
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
330 MILLION BERRIES
"Oh, dear," Brook said.
"Well, it's not a surprise they put Vinsmoke with your name," Nami added, sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Sanji."
"After I tried so hard to erase that name from my past, they do this shit!" Sanji cursed.
"Hey, I got a bounty increase, too," Blizzard said as he looked at his poster.
"WHITE WOLF" BLIZZARD
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
420,000 BERRIES
"420,000...not bad, not bad at all," Blizzard mused. "Hey, Luffy, what does your bounty say- HUH?!"
"Uuuuuuuggh...!" Luffy groaned...a dark purple aura hanging around him.
"Luffy, what's wrong, babe?" Nami asked, worriedly.
"...My bounty...it went down...!" Luffy whimpered.
"What?!" Chopper questioned.
"Look!" Luffy said as he held up his poster.
MONKEY D. LUFFY
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
150 MILLION BERRIES
"Somehow...it went down to 150 million!" Luffy sobbed. "It's not fair! I worked so hard, and suddenly, I'm back to square one, again!"
"Oh, Luffy," Nami said, sympathetically as she put her arms around his shoulders. "It's okay, babe. You can always try and work it back up, again!"
"She's right!" Brook added. "Although I've never heard of a bounty going down, before."
"THIS SUCKS!" Luffy yelled. "WHAT DID I DO WRONG?!"
"Or maybe you did something right, instead..." Sanji muttered.
While Luffy lamented the supposed decrease of his bounty, all the world was currently abuzz. A very important event was coming quite soon: the Reverie. It was the gathering of royals and nobles from all over the world, where they would discuss all the happenings going about therein. At the Ryugu Kingdom on Fishman Island, news of Luffy's recent escapades on Whole Cake Island had reached the denizens.
"I can't believe Jimbei finally did it!" exclaimed one of the citizens, a Jawfish Fishman. "He finally joined up with Straw Hat!"
"And the two of them picked a fight with Big Mom, herself-jamon," Neptune added.
"Do you suppose they escaped in the same ship together?" asked Manboshi.
"They must have," Ryuboshi answered. "They said that Big Mom is furious-la-ti-do~!"
"Then I suppose we'll have to get our protection from Straw Hat from now on!" Fukaboshi quipped.
"Wait! Father! Brothers!"
Neptune and his three sons looked up to see Shirahoshi float up to them.
"Shirahoshi?" asked Neptune. "What is it, my dear-jamon?"
"I...I changed my mind!" Shirahoshi exclaimed. "I'm going to the Reverie, as well! I must go, or else Sir Luffy will only call my 'Wimpyhoshi' again!"
"Hohoho!" Neptune laughed, proudly. "I was hoping you'd say that! Let us be off, then!"
But even more than the imminent meeting of world leaders, all over the world, people were hearing news of the young pirate, Straw Hat Luffy, who dared to confront Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors of the Sea whose supremacy had gone unchallenged for decades.
One of those people happened to be a certain hook-bearing former Warlord with sand powers.
The newspaper stated that according to reliable sources, Straw Hat Luffy already had seven powerful pirate crews under his sway, combining the authority of a captain with over 5,000 followers, the notoriety of brotherhood with both the late Portgas D. Ace and the No. 2 of the Revolutionary Army, Sabo, the extreme charisma and leadership to assume impromptu command over the formidable trio of the evil Germa 66, the Sun Pirates, and the Firetank Pirates (to Bege's anger), the calculated strategic brilliance to execute the destruction of the queen's castle (which was really just a big fluke), and the strength to defeat not one, but two of her officers who both boasted bounties of 800 million and 1 billion Berries, respectively, the result of the incident was clear to all that Straw Hat Luffy was victorious!
Thus, the Fifth Emperor of the Sea has arrived!
XXX
At the new Marine Headquarters...
"Fleet Admiral! A report, sir!"
At his desk...Fleet Admiral Sakazuki silently glared at the newspaper.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Sir!" exclaimed a Marine Captain as he saluted the Fleet Admiral. "Pirates attacked the Kingdom of Lulucia's ship en route to the Reverie! The king is all right, but...Princess Comane has been abducted-"
"What?!" Sakazuki questioned as she slammed his hands on his desk. "THEN WHAT WAS THE POINT OF AN ARMED ESCORT, YOU FOOLS?!"
"AAH!" shrieked the Captain. "F-forgive me, sir!"
XXX
"Grandfather! Grandfather, look!"
King Riku Dold III looked up from his chess game with Elizabello II to see Rebecca approaching him, excitedly holding the newspaper while the Tontatta Pirates, led by Leo, followed after them.
"Did you see this article about Lucy?!" Rebecca asked.
"Isn't Luffyland awesome?!" asked Leo. "No wonder he's the boss! And look, it even mentions the Straw Hat Grand Fleet!"
"That's nice, my dear," King Riku chuckled, "but remember, let's not breathe a word of this at the Reverie, understand?"
"Oh, right!" Rebecca remembered.
"Right, because we're pirates," Leo added. "Sorry about that."
But meanwhile, not too far away...a suspicious group of characters was watching from the periscope of a submarine: the pirates who attacked the escort ship for the Kingdom of Lulucia. This crew was a scraggly bunch, most of them wearing ragged, tattered clothing. It seemed that they were desperate to make riches, and they figured this was their only shot at it.
"Heheheheheh..." one of the pirates chuckled as he leered the ship...or rather, who was on it: Princess Viola, who stood near the railing while watching her niece. "Bingo. I can see the royal ships of Dressrosa and Prodence! And there's no Marine escort! And I can see Princess Viola, too! Wow...she's every bit the looker they say she is!"
"I wonder how much money her pops will pay us once we take her prisoner?" asked another one of the pirates, who turned to their current captive, Princess Comane. "What do you think, Princess Comane?"
"WAAAAAAAAH~!" sobbed the princess. "Just call my Papa, already! He'll pay as much money as you could ever want!"
"GYAHAHAHAHA!" laughed one of the pirates. "This is why I love royalty! But you gotta wait a bit, Princess! We're a greedy bunch, and we want more!" He turned to some of his mooks. "Sink those ships, boys!"
"Aye-aye!" the pirates shouted, and soon, a torpedo was launched at the two ships!
"Hahahaha!" laughed one of the pirates. "That's an indefensible torpedo attack! There's no way it'll miss!"
But then, BLOOSH! Something dove into the water and swam after the torpedo at lightning speed!
"What was that?!" asked one of the pirates. "A Fishman?!"
"No way! Even Fishmen don't swim that fast!" answered another.
Suddenly, the strange figure grabbed the torpedo, forced it to turn around with all his strength...and shot it right back at the pirates' submarine!
"What in the world?!" Elizabello questioned. "An enemy attack?!"
"Prepare the cannons!" Riku shouted.
"Yes, sir!" answered his guards.
"That won't be necessary, Your Majesties!" a voice called. "Have no fear!"
Soon, the same figure came leaping into the air and landed on the ship's deck...revealing himself to be Coby!
MARINE HEADQUARTERS CAPTAIN
COBY
"Phew!" Coby sighed in relief. "I'm glad I made it just in time! Nobody's hurt, are they? You're the parties from Dressrosa and Prodence, right?"
"A Marine Officer?" asked Riku. "What happened? Where did you come from?"
"My ship is in the distance," said Coby as he wrung water out of his coat. "You must all be tired from your long trip, I imagine! Your ship was just under attack from pirates under the surface."
"A torpedo, you say?" asked Riku. "I'm glad it missed."
"Well, more like I sent it back," Coby answered before he held up a Mini Transponder Snail. "How's it going, Helmeppo? Did you and Crystal handle everything?"
"We sure did, Coby! The pirates are all under control! Princess Comane of Lulucia is safe!"
At the pirates' destroyed submarine, it was revealed that Helmeppo and Crystal the German Shepherd had managed to put a stop to the ruffians and save Princess Comane to boot.
MARINE HEADQUARTERS LIEUTENANT COMMANDER
HELMEPPO
MARINE K9 UNIT 1 COMMANDER
CRYSTAL
"A submarine?!" Riku questioned. "Pirates these days sure are not to be trifled with. That was certainly a close one."
"How is your Color of Observation so refined, though?" asked Helmeppo. "I never sensed a thing, Coby!"
"That's just Coby for you," Crystal smiled, proud of her handler's prowess.
"Ah, shucks, you guys," said Coby.
"Take that and that and THAT!" Princess Comane shouted as she stomped on the pirates, bloodying the heel of her shoe. "Skewer these pirates and burn them all alive! They'll pay for this transgression against me!"
"Princess, please! The pirates will be properly punished!" cried one of the Marine soldiers.
"So you are Captain Coby!" Kyros exclaimed as he approached Coby. "The Hero who saved many civilians lives in the Rocky Port incident!"
"O-oh, no, no!" Coby exclaimed, a deep blush forming on his face. "I was simply doing my job!"
'He sure is tough-looking...and he's only got one leg!' he thought.
"I didn't think you'd be so young, though!" Kyros added.
'He seems determined not to take credit for stopping that torpedo,' he thought. 'Such modesty.'
"Hmm?" Coby hummed, inquisitively as he noticed Rebecca with the newspaper. "Oh! That's...that's Straw Hat Luffy on the front page, isn't it?"
"Oh, yes!" Rebecca answered. "Would you...like to read it, Coby?"
"Oh, no, no!" Coby replied. "I mean...I'd only like to look at it for a bit...if you don't mind."
"Of course, I don't mind!" Rebecca answered before she handed him the newspaper. "Here you go!"
"Thank you," Coby answered as he put his glasses on to get a closer look at the front page...and once he did, he smiled as tears began to form in his eyes.
'Wow...Luffy's still so cool after all these years! He just keeps making such great strides! Every time I read an article about him...I always think back on the day he and I met, way back in the East Blue!'
ARROOOOOOOOO~! Crystal howled loudly, getting Coby's attention.
"Coby!" Helmeppo called. "Are you coming back or what?!"
"Oh, right!" Coby answered. "King Riku! King Elizabello! We're nearly at New Marineford, now! We'll provide you an armed escort if you wish."
"That would be very much appreciated it, my young friend," said Riku. "Thank you very much."
"Psst! Hey, Coby!" Rebecca whispered. "Do you happen to like Lucy, too?"
"We bet you do!" said Leo.
"Of course, I don't!" Coby answered. "We're...we're enemies."
"It's okay," Rebecca winked. "Your secret's safe with us."
"...Thank you..." Coby muttered.
And so, Coby and his troop escorted the royal ships of Dressrosa and Prodence to New Marineford.
XXX
Somewhere in Wano Country, Kaido had also gotten word of Luffy's latest adventure.
"This is the little bastard who screwed up my deal with Joker," Kaido said. "What's that brat doing in that old hag's territory, anyway?!"
XXX
In another location...
"An Emperor, eh? I don't think you're quite ready for that level, Straw Hat! ZEHAHAHAHAHA~!"
XXX
At Whole Cake Island...
"WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Big Mom's voice thundered. "What do they mean by that, calling Straw Hat 'the winner'?! Since when did I lose?!"
"It was his fault, Mama! He's the one who put out this article!"
"Damn that birdbrain, Morgans! I'll get him for this...no...I'LL GET STRAW HAT FOR THIS!"
XXX
On another island, somewhere in the New World, a certain red-haired pirate was sitting on a cove...alongside a large, white wolf with three legs. He chuckled in amusement as he looked at the newspaper.
"Looks like our time to meet again is coming soon...Luffy."
XXX
On the Sunny, Aika groaned as she opened the door slightly, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Thirsty..." she muttered as she prepared to step outside. The sunlight hit her face, causing her to screw her eyes shut for a moment before she let them adjust. Once she did, she saw the others had gathered on the deck.
"Oh...what's going on?" she asked. "Did something happen?" She noticed that Luffy was slumped in a comical depression. "Big Brother...he looks kinda sad. I wonder why."
"It's not fair...!" Luffy whimpered. "How could this happen~?"
"Hmm..." Blizzard hummed as he took a closer look at Luffy's new wanted poster. "...Huh? Hey, Luffy! I think you counted wrong! There are a few zeros you missed!"
"Huh?" Luffy asked. "You mean my bounty might have gone up, after all?!"
"See, Luffy?" Nami asked. "I told you it wasn't that bad."
'Of course, I was kind of hoping it did go down,' she thought, 'but I could never tell him that.'
"Let's see here..." Blizzard muttered as he began to count the zeros. "100...a thousand...a million...ten million...one hundred million...eh?"
"Eh?" the Straw Hats asked in confusion.
"...Uh...Blizzard...are you sure you counted that, right?" Sanji asked.
"Yeah, maybe there's a mistake," Carrot added.
"Count it again, Blizzard," Luffy said.
"Right, right," Blizzard nodded. "Now then...100...a thousand...a million...ten million...one hundred million...1...wait a minute..." His eyes went wide, and the others ended up gaping, too. "Wait...that's not possible!"
"...You've gotta be kiddin' me," Sanji gawked.
"There's...no way...!" Luffy whispered in shock.
"That can't be right...!" Nami added.
"It's...it's not...150 million...!" Brook exclaimed. "It's...it's...!"
MONKEY D. LUFFY
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
1.5 BILLION BERRIES
"...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHH?! 1.5 BILLIOOOOOOON?!" the Straw Hats screamed in disbelief, their eyes bugging out of their skulls...while Aika's eyes went wide as she remained hidden behind the door.
"...No...!" she whispered.
The world looks to the Reverie while the Straw Hat Crew sails for Wano Country.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Reverie Arc!
?: Miss Koala, Miss Koala! Is it true? Is Aika alive?!
Koala: That's right. She's with Straw Hat Luffy and she's safe.
Ivankov: I must say, Straw Hat Boy is a real man! And Sanji boy is just as impressive!
Sabo: *is holding his face*
Lucky: *laughs* You smiled so much, your face started to hurt, didn't it?
Sabo: I can't help it. I'm just so proud of my little brother, right now!
Koala: *chuckles* Oh, Sabo...
Sabo: Anyway...it's almost time, right, Dragon?
Dragon: Yes...time to declare war...against the Celestial Dragons.
*Meanwhile*
Pinkbeard: Momohahahaha! I work under the operation of Blackbeard and taken on the name of Pinkbeard! Remember it!
Moda: Somebody help us!
?: Well, what's all this?
Pinkbeard: Huh? Who are you?!
Next time: The Revolutionary Army Commanders
Ta-dah! Time for one of the shortest but most world-building arcs in One Piece history!
For those of you who are new or need a reminder, Crystal is the German Shepherd that was part of Marine K9 Unit 1. After her leader and mate, Ken was killed by Blizzard (mercifully) in the Marineford War and after she had Ken's pups, she was promoted to be the unit leader and was taken into Coby's care.
Review, please!