Chapter 2

One Piece © Oda

Pokemon © Nintendo, Game Freak

Blizzard, Vice-Admiral Moss, and Captain Knuckle © Me

The Straw Hats stood in disbelief. There was some…fox-like creature, introduced as "Zorua", sitting in Luffy's arms and smiling, like it belonged there, and Luffy was chuckling about it!

"Well, I guess we should've seen this coming," said Zoro with a sigh. "Our captain's found himself yet ANOTHER weird creature!"

"I don't believe it," said Robin as she approached Luffy and took the little thing out of Luffy's arms. "Zorua!"

"You know him, Robin?" Luffy asked.

"No, I don't, actually," Robin said. "Zorua is actually the name of his species."

Zorua seemed to hum in content as Robin held him.

"You smell like flowers," he said, telepathically.

"So, Robin," Usopp began, "what exactly IS Zorua?"

"Zorua is actually a species of Pocket Monster," Robin explained, "or 'Pokemon'."

"A Pokemon?" Chopper repeated.

Robin nodded as she pet Zorua on the head.

"Pokemon are very fascinating creatures," he continued. "They come in all different shapes, sizes, and types, too. For instance, Zorua is a Dark-type Pokemon. It's also known as the Tricky Fox Pokemon."

"Why's it called that?" Sanji asked.

"Because Zorua can change its appearance to protect itself from enemies," Robin answered. "It's known for playing tricks on people and surprising them."

"How does it do that?" Franky asked.

"With a special ability called 'Illusion'," said Robin. "With this, it can turn into different people and Pokemon, but it's still quite young, so its ability is a bit underdeveloped."

"Underdeveloped?" Usopp repeated. "Oh, wait! I think I get it now! Even though Zorua can disguise himself as other people, his tail still shows, right?"

"Yes," said Robin.

"He…" Nami started, "…he…he's…!"

SNATCH! She grabbed Zorua out of Robin's arms and pulled him into an airtight embrace, nuzzling her face against his. Zorua didn't seem to take a liking to this, for his face looked strained.

"He's ADORABLE~!" Nami swooned.

"Ah!" Zorua cried. "Luffy, help! What is she doing?"

Luffy just chuckled and said, "Relax, Zorua. She's just showing her affections!"

"Well, it hurts!" Zorua cried.

"Well, love hurts," said Luffy.

Ain't that the truth? Blizzard thought.

Zorua managed to pull himself free from Nami's grasp, and ran to hide behind Luffy's leg.

"Uh, Robin?" Sanji called. "You said Zorua can change into different people, correct?"

"Yes," Robin replied.

Sanji snickered as he scratched his chin and looked to Zorua.

However, Nami knew that look all too well.

"Sanji, don't even think about it!" she snapped. "If you're thinking about using Zorua for one of your perverted ideas, you've got another thing coming!"

"P-perverted?" Sanji repeated. "Me? No, Nami! Never!"

"Yeah, right," Zoro grumbled.

"I heard that, Cactus-head," said Sanji.

"What'd you call me, Dartboard?"

"You heard EXACTLY what I called you, you crap swordsman!"

"I ought to hack you into sushi, you dumb-ass cook!"

"ENOUGH!"

KONK! Nami threw both of her fists into Zoro and Sanji's skull, leaving large bumps on their heads.

"L-Luffy," Zorua stammered as he hid behind Luffy's leg more. "She's kinda scary."

"Don't remind me," Luffy said.

"Anyway," Nami said, "Luffy, where did you find Zorua anyway?"

"I found him at the last island we were at," replied Luffy as he picked Zorua up and perched him on his shoulder. "It all started on the day we were about to leave."

Flashback, two days ago

The Straw Hats were gathering up whatever supplies and rations they could from the island. They were lucky that this island welcomed pirates, otherwise, they'd been chased off the moment they got there.

"Okay, guys!" Nami said. "Just a few more barrels, and then we're out of here!"

"How come she's doing none of the work?" asked Usopp.

"Shut it," Zoro said. "If she hears you, she'll raise our debts."

Nami looked around and noticed that there was one person missing.

"Has anyone seen Luffy?" she asked.

"The last time I saw him," Chopper started, "he was still in the woods. I think he's still exploring some more."

Nami heaved an exasperated sigh.

"Of all the…" she grumbled before she put her thumb and index finger in her mouth.

FWEET! She made a high-pitch whistle.

"Blizzard!" she called.

Blizzard jumped down from the ship in front of the navigator.

"Go look for Luffy, will you?" Nami asked him.

Blizzard nodded before he ran off.

XXX

"YAHOO~!"

WHOOSH! Luffy swung through the trees by his stretching arms. He loved the feeling of the wind of his hair and the rush of adrenaline. It made him feel like he was true to his surname.

As Luffy climbed up to the very top of one of the evergreens, he suddenly heard what sounded a voice in the distance.

"Help! Help, somebody! Anybody, help!"

Luffy looked around, bewildered, but he didn't see anyone down below him. He jumped down from the tree and landed gracefully on the ground. He looked around, again, but he still didn't see anybody. Just when he was about to turn and leave, he heard the voice, again.

"Help! Help! Please, help!"

"Hello?" Luffy called. "Is someone out here?"

No answered.

"Well, that's weird," the captain muttered. "Where's that voice coming from?"

Deciding that he'd never find out just standing, Luffy decided to explore a little bit more, but he had to be quick about it. He knew that this was the last day to be one the island and that the crew couldn't leave without him.

Also, he didn't want Nami to beat him up, again. He loved her and everything, just not when she got mad, especially at him.

Acting completely on instinct, as always, Luffy found himself at the entrance of a cave, and it sounded like the voice was coming from within.

"Help! Somebody, please help me!"

Luffy entered the cave, which was, as expected, very dark, but thanks to his Haki, he was able to tell which way to go. As he kept walking, the voice he kept hearing was getting louder, so that obviously meant that he was getting closer.

"Hello~!" Luffy called out.

"Hello~!" his echo called back.

"Help! Someone, help me!"

"Where are you?" Luffy called.

"I'm down here!"

Luffy looked down and saw a small fox-like creature, standing helplessly on a narrow-ledge, looking at Luffy, pleadingly.

"Are you the one that's been calling for help?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah!" the fox answered, not with its mouth but rather with its thoughts. "Can you please help me get out of here? I've been stuck here since yesterday!"

"How'd you get down there?" Luffy asked.

"I was getting chased by these humans in white-and-blue clothes," the fox answered, "and I ran in here to get away, but now, I can't find a way out of here!"

"H-hang on!" Luffy called to the fox. "Stay right there! I'm coming to get you!"

Luffy began to climb down to the ledge, being careful not to slip and fall, or do anything that might make something fall on top of him or the fox. Once he made it over, he reached his hand out to him.

"Come here," said Luffy. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you."

The fox was hesitant, but he eased up to Luffy and brushed his face against his palm. Luffy then gently hoisted him up into his arms and cradled him.

"There you go," said Luffy.

"Thank you," said the fox.

Suddenly, KROOSH! The ledge began to crumble under Luffy's weight.

"Uh-oh," Luffy muttered. "Something tells me we better get outta here, fast-"

Before he could finish, the ground gave way, causing both Luffy and the fox to fall.

"WHOA!" Luffy cried

"AAAAAAAAAHH!" the fox screamed through his head.

Luffy, on the other hand, didn't panic. Instead, WROING! He stretched his arm and grabbed another ledge, one that was more stable.

"Hang on!" Luffy said to the fox. "Gum-Gum…ROCKET!"

WHOOSH! Luffy propelled himself up to higher ground, carrying the fox with him. TMP! He landed safely.

"There we go," said Luffy. "You okay?"

The fox nodded.

"Thank you for saving me," he said, telepathically.

Luffy smiled as he carried the fox outside. The little guy closed his eyes to block out the sunlight, but after a moment, they adjusted, and he reopened them.

"Oh, that's much better," the fox said.

"Hey, I just realized," Luffy began, "you can talk! How can you do that? That's so cool!"

"I don't know," the fox said. "I guess I just can."

"Oh," said Luffy. "Well, it's still cool! Heh-heh-heh-heh!" He looked to the fox and noticed that he had a rather sad expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" Luffy asked.

The fox sniffled and said, "I wanna go home."

Luffy raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I thought this was your home," he said.

The fox shook his head.

"I don't live here," he said. "There was this storm at my home island, and the wind picked me up, carried me away, and then dropped me here. I've been here for a long time…and I miss my home. I miss my friends." He started to tear up. "I…I miss my Momma!"

Luffy felt his heart go out to the sobbing little creature.

If there was one thing that really got to him, it was the bond of a mother and child.

Luffy smiled and gently pet the fox on the head.

"Don't worry, little guy," he said. "I'll help you get home."

The fox gasped.

"You will?" he asked. "Will you help me get back to my Momma, too?"

"I promise."

"Hooray~!"

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, by the way," said Luffy. "And you are?"

"My name is Zorua!" the fox answered.

"Zorua, huh?" Luffy repeated. "That's a cool name!"

"Thanks! Yours is cool, too!"

AROOOOOOOOOO~!

"Who's that?" asked Zorua.

"That must be my dog, Blizzard," said Luffy. "Quick!" He stuffed Zorua into his shirt. "Hide in here, and don't move!"

Zorua nodded.

At that moment, Blizzard appeared from the bushes and approached Luffy.

"Hey, buddy!" Luffy said as he petted the wolf-dog on his muzzle. "Came to get me, huh?"

Blizzard nodded.

"I guess Nami's getting pretty mad, huh?"

Blizzard nodded, again.

"Well, I guess we better get going," said Luffy. "I'm getting hungry, anyway."

With that, Luffy mounted on Blizzard's back, making sure that his "cargo" was safely secure.

"Let's ride!"

At that cry, Blizzard ran off at top speed, carrying Luffy (and Zorua) with him.

Flashback end

"And that was it," Luffy said.

"That still doesn't explain what happened to our things, though!" Usopp said.

"I'm sorry," said Zorua. "It's just…I'm growing in some new teeth, see?" He opened his mouth, revealing a pair of developing fangs. "They hurt a little, so I have to chew on things to make it better. I also took a few things because I liked the way they smelled."

"I had to keep Zorua in the Energy Room under the deck until I was ready to tell you guys," said Luffy. "He couldn't really sleep down there all alone, so I took my futon and slept down there with him, but now that the dog's out of the bag, we don't have to anymore!"

"Don't you mean 'cat's out of the bag'?" Sanji questioned.

"So, what do you say, guys?" Luffy asked. "Wanna help me get Zorua back home?"

"Well, Luffy," Nami said, "I think it's nice of you to do that for Zorua, but…we don't know where he lives."

"Well, I don't know, either," Luffy said. "I was hoping you knew!"

"Well, don't look at me," Zorua said. "I'm just a kid! I don't know where I live, either!"

"Luffy, if we don't know where Zorua came from," Zoro began, "how in the hell do you expect us to get him home to his mom?"

"Lostlorn Island."

Everyone turned to Robin, who had left during the flashback and came back with a book in hand.

"What'd you say, Robin?" asked Nami.

"It's the name of Zorua's homeland," said Robin. "It says so in this book."

"Why's it called Lostlorn Island?" Chopper asked.

"Well, for some reason," Robin answered, "people somehow end up getting lost in the island's forest because it was like a labyrinth. They say the landscape keeps changing."

"How so?" Brook asked.

"No one knows," Robin said. "I'm hoping to go there to find out, myself."

"Then it's decided!" Luffy said. "Lostlorn Island, here we come!"

"Yay!" Zorua cheered. "I'm gonna see my Momma, again!"

"Hold on!" Nami said. "Luffy, didn't Zorua that he was being chased by some men in white-and-blue clothes?"

Luffy nodded in response.

"Then that means the Marines might be after him," Nami mused.

"Marines?" Zorua repeated, curiously. "What're they?"

"The Marines are those people that were chasing you before I met you," said Luffy. "Remember? They wear white-and-blue clothes!"

"Oh, yeah!" said Zorua.

"Marines are the bad guys," said Chopper. "They don't like us and try to arrest us because we're notorious pirates, but that doesn't make us bad!"

"Oh," said Zorua. "So, you're saying I should stay away from them?"

"Why would the Marines be after you, anyway, Zorua?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah, what do they want with you?" Franky added.

"I dunno," Zorua answered.

"Well, whatever they want you for, they can't have you," Luffy said. "They'll have to get through me, first!"

"And me, too," Nami said.

"Don't forget me!" Chopper chirped.

"Count me in," said Zoro.

"Me, too!" exclaimed Franky.

"Same here," Sanji added.

"Likewise," Robin said.

"Yo-ho-ho!" Brook chortled.

WOOF! Blizzard barked.

"And the great Captain Usopp will be there, too!" said Usopp.

Zorua smiled at the Straw Hats.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you, all, so much!"

"Hey, you're our friend now," said Luffy. "We always look out for our friends. Don't we, guys?"

"Yeah!" the Straw Hats agreed.

"Friends…" Zorua mused.

XXX

Meanwhile, about 5 or 6 miles away from the Thousand Sunny, a Marine vessel was seen sailing along the waters of the New World. The sailors on board were all walking around the ship, doing chores and keeping watch along the horizon.

One Marine approached the door to the main office of the higher-ranking Marine that was in charge of this vessel.

"Vice-Admiral?" the soldier called as he knocked on the door. "Vice-Admiral Moss?"

The door opened, revealing a tall, muscular brute of a Marine with dark brown hair and a Glasgow smile on the left side of his cheek, Tattooed on his right arm was the kanji for "justice is power". The Marine grimaced at the sight of the scar, but then regained his composure. The Marine also wore a coat that dangled from his shoulders like a cape.

"E-excuse me, Captain Knuckle," said the Marine. "May I please and speak to Vice-Admiral Moss? It's important."

"Let him in, brother," said a low, masculine voice.

Knuckle stepped back, letting the Marine enter.

"So, sailor," said the voice again. "What news do you bring me?"

The speaker of the voice was a rather slender man, about 5'2". He had long, pale-blond hair, and on his hands were a pair of brown fingerless gloves. He reached up, took a cigar out of his mouth, blew out a puff of smoke, and then gently tapped the ashes off into an ash tray.

"Well, Vice-Admiral, sir," said the Marine, "a pirate ship has recently been sighted."

"A pirate ship, you say?" asked Vice-Admiral Moss.

"Yes, sir."

"And no news of the creature?"

"Well, actually, sir, that's another thing. We had attached a Surveillance Transponder Snail to a seagull, and we've confirmed that the creature had been sighted on the pirates' vessel."

"Is that so?"

"That's not all, sir. The pirate ship…it belongs to the notorious Straw Hat crew!"

A pause.

Then, Moss began to snicker as he stood up from his desk.

"It looks like our luck has finally changed, brother."

Knuckle smiled.

"Prepare the men for battle!" Moss ordered. "Apprehend those pirates at any cost!"

"Yes, sir!" the Marine said with a salute.

"And another thing…when you apprehend the creature, I want it…ALIVE."

"Yes, sir."

Moss snickered as he put his cigar back in his mouth. Knuckle also snickered as he cracked his namesakes.

"At last," Moss began, "Zorua will soon be ours…and we will collect the price on 'Straw Hat' Luffy's head, to boot!"

TO BE CONTINUED…

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