Last time, Sora and his friends found themselves on an island in the middle of a world full of pirates unlike any that they've encountered before. Then the inevitable happened, The Heartless attacked. Sora and Kairi then encountered a strange boy who had the power to stretch like rubber. His name is Monkey D. Luffy, and his dream is to become King of the Pirates. Sora and the others then met the others of Luffy's ragtag crew of pirates, and together they defeated the attacking Heartless. But that's only the beginning of the adventure. On with the show!
Chapter 2: Setting Sail Aboard The Going Merry
"What else can you tell us about The Heartless?" Zoro asked.
"A lot actually," said Riku, "they were ordinary people once, people whose hearts were consumed by darkness. Those creatures we fought act mostly on instinct. They are driven to seek out other hearts and corrupt them with darkness, thereby making more of them. The ones that release crystal hearts when destroyed were people once."
"The ones without are called purebloods," said Kairi, "they originated from what we call The Realm of Darkness. They're the ones who turn people into Embalm Heartless."
"So there is a difference," said Luffy, "I thought they just looked silly."
"They may look that way," said Aiden, "but they're deadly serious."
"We can see that," said Nami, "but how can we stop them? And how much is it gonna cost?"
"Will you stop thinking about money for ten seconds?" an annoyed Usopp demanded, "innocent people are in danger! The whole world is in danger! And we're the only ones who can save it!"
"Well if you're so eager to save the world," said a smirking Zoro, "why don't you come up with a plan to save the day."
"Well…I…uh…" said Usopp, "I'll…I'll think of something," he then grinned confidently, "after all, I'm the brave Captain Usopp! Savior of a thousand villages, conqueror of vast hordes of bloodthirsty pirates!"
"In your dreams maybe," muttered Sora.
"All this arguing is getting us nowhere," said Sanji.
"We're all ears if you have a better plan," said Nami.
"Indeed I do, my darling Nami!" said an eager Sanji, but this only earned him a kick to his face from Nami.
"Well I think we should get going as soon as possible," said Nami, "it's only a matter of time before someone informs The Marines, and they're not fond of pirates."
"I take it that The Marines are the law enforcers of this world," said Riku.
"Not really," said Luffy, "some of them are okay, but the bosses of The Marines are a bunch of blowhards and bullies."
"There's a lot of corruption in the higher ranks of The Marines," said Zoro, "we've seen it firsthand."
"They may even blame us for this attack," said Sanji, "even after all we did to help the people of this island, The Marines will be looking for a scapegoat."
"In that case," said Aiden, "I humbly suggest that we get the hell out of here before the law comes calling."
"No," said Luffy, "we're not leaving yet."
"We've done all we can to help these people," said Kairi. True, she and everyone else had been helping find survivors of the attack and healing the wounded. Those in charge of the town said that nearly everyone had been accounted for, alive and dead. Everyone except for a few dozen men, women and children.
"Those missing people are as good as dead," said Riku.
"But where are they?" Luffy asked. It was hard for Sora to believe that Luffy, whom sometimes acted like an innocent child, had such grand aspirations.
"They've been turned into Heartless," said Sora, "and the only way they can rest is to fight and defeat them, otherwise their hearts will remain forever choked in darkness."
"Then that's what we're gonna do!" said Luffy, "we're going to stop The Heartless and make sure they never hurt anyone again!"
"That's the spirit!" said Donald, while Goofy nodded in agreement.
"So what do we do now?" Nami asked as everyone headed for the village harbor.
"We'll have to find the source of The Heartless," said Kairi, "we'll close that up and seal this world's Keyhole, so that The Heartless won't be able to come back in such large numbers."
"And we'll have to fight and defeat any local Villains who are controlling The Heartless," said Riku, "someone always tries to use The Heartless for power."
"How do we find them?" Zoro asked.
"Most likely we won't have to look far," said Aiden, "from what I've seen so far, they'll come looking for us soon enough."
"You guys are enemies of The Heartless?" Sanji asked, "big time enemies?"
"Anyone whit light in their heart is an enemy of The Heartless," said Sora, "but we're on bad terms with some really serious Villains. If they are involved in this world, then they'll come after us."
"Then we'd better get going," said Nami. She looked up at the clear sky, "and soon, there's a storm coming."
"I don't see any clouds," said Goofy.
"Ah, she's just messing with us," said Donald.
"Nami may be a little untrustworthy," said Zoro, "especially where money is concerned, but she knows the weather. Trust me, when Nami says that a storm is coming, it."
"Then let's go already!" said Donald as they reached the harbor, "which is yours?"
"This one!" said Luffy as he pointed to a two mast ship that had a smiling ram for a figurehead. At the deck in the back were several tangerine trees.
"This is your ship?" Kairi asked.
"Yep," said Luffy, "ain't she a beauty?"
"The Going Merry," said Usopp, "she was a gift from a very dear friend of mine."
"She looks seaworthy," said Riku as he admired the ship, "very seaworthy."
"And she's faster than she looks," said Zoro.
"And powerful," said Usopp, "with cannons that can pulverize anything they hit."
"And a galley big enough to satisfy even the bottomless pit here," said Sanji, indicating Luffy.
"And a hold big enough to hold tones of treasure," said Nami.
"She's a beauty alright," said Luffy as he smiled with pride, "and more than that. A pirate ship like a home, a home on the seas, and The Going Merry is our home." He looked at Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Donald and Goofy, "and our home is your home, so welcome aboard!"
Sora and the others then helped Luffy and his crew get the ship ready, and within minutes, The Going Merry had left the harbor and was heading out to the open ocean.
"Would you look at that," said Sora as he watched the mainsail unfurl. Painted on the sail was a larger version of the ship's flag; a grinning skull and crossbones wearing a straw hat matching Luffy's.
"You sure do like your straw hats," said Riku to Luffy.
"Nope," said Luffy as he held the ship's wheel, "just this one," he touched the brim of his hat, "it was a gift, from my best friend in the whole world. It was his most precious treasure, worth more to him than all the gold and silver in the world. He told me to keep it safe, so that I can give it back to him someday when I've made my dreams come true."
"He must have been a really great friend," said Kairi.
"The best," said Luffy, "I told Shanks, my friend, that I'd put together the best crew, sail on the best boat, and beat the best of the best, that I'd find One Piece and become King of the Pirates, and I'll do it to."
"Is it me or is this guy a few eggs short of a dozen?" Aiden whispered to Sora.
"He's not crazy," said Sora, "just ambitious. But he's got a really strong heart, one that'll help him make his dreams come true, and he can do it if he believes. He's like this other guy I know who has really big dreams, and he also has enough heart to make them come true."
Sora then thought of Naruto, and wondered just how close he was to realizing his dream.
(We see Naruto standing atop the mountain where the faces of the five Hokages were carved in, 'One day, I'll be the best in the village. I'll be Hokage someday, then everyone will respect me, believe it!')
Sora then came back to the present when Goofy and Donald shouted and were pointing to a spot on the horizon, a spot that was darkening with angry clouds.
"Told you a storm was coming!" said Nami.
"It looks like it's going to miss the island," said Zoro.
"Those people in the village deserve a break," said Sanji.
"Yeah, but it's heading right for us!" said Usopp.
"Bring it on!" said Luffy, "we'll ride out any storm!"
"You sure he's not insane?" Aiden whispered to Sora, whom then shrugged in response.
The storm crept up on them faster than Sora thought possible. Before he and the others knew it, the ship was pummeled by pounding waves and sheets of rain. Lighting flashed above and thunder boomed.
But then the storm was over after only a few minutes, leaving the sky clear and the waves calm, while a strong breeze drove the ship onward.
"I knew it was just a squall," said a smiling Nami, "nothing to worry about."
"Easy for you to say," muttered Kairi. She, Sora, Riku, Aiden, Donald and Goofy were soaked through to their skin, and feathers.
"Ah, quit your bellyaching," said Donald. He and Sora then used Fire spells to dry everyone off.
"That's so cool!" said Luffy, "I wanna do that!"
"It's magic," said Sora, "not everyone can do it, just as only a handful of special people can use Keyblades."
"Those are impressive swords," said Zoro.
"I wanna hold one!" said Luffy, "can I! Can I! Please! Please?"
"What an eager beaver he is," said Aiden.
Sora then handed his Keyblade to Luffy. "This is so cool!" said Luffy as he admired it.
"Perfectly balanced," said Zoro as he admired Riku's Keyblade, "and they hardly weigh a thing."
"Here's the best part," said Riku, "ready, Sora?"
"You bet!" said Sora. With that he summoned his Keyblade out of Luffy's hands, while Riku recovered his Keyblade from Zoro.
"That's so cool!" said Luffy.
"You have got to tell us how you got them!" said Usopp, "what a story that'll make for my friend!"
"It's a long story," said Kairi, "so you might want to get some snacks."
"That's a good idea," said Sanji. He then headed inside, his destination clearly the galley, "I'll whip up some."
"Make sure there's plenty of meat!" said Luffy.
"Yeah yeah," said a slightly annoyed Sanji as he closed the door behind him, "I know."
"He won't be long," said Zoro.
A few minutes later Sanji returned with several trays full of mouthwatering food.
"I ask for snacks and I get a gourmet feast," said a very happy looking Kairi, "how's that for turnabout?"
"Who cares, I'm running on empty!" said a practically drooling Aiden.
Everyone began chowing down on Sanji's exquisite concoctions. "How'd you get to be such a great cook?" Sora asked between bites.
"That's another long story," said Sanji.
"Well we have plenty of time for stories," said Nami, "the next island is a day's sailing, but with this wind we'll be there by midmorning tomorrow."
"So who's first?" Luffy asked as he stuffed his face and swallowed, only to stuff more and more, "who get's to tell their stories?"
"How can you eat so much so quickly and not throw up?" Kairi asked.
"Maybe he's part Sayin," whispered Riku.
"I've always been like this," said Luffy, "I need to keep up my strength."
"It probably has to do with the Devil Fruit he ate," said Zoro, "those things are still big mysteries."
"Well, I guess we'll go first," said Sora, "for Kairi, Riku and myself, it all started during summer break almost two years ago," Sora could hardly believe that it was almost his birthday, that he and Kairi were nearly 16.
He, Riku and Kairi took turns telling their story, starting with the events of Destiny Island, all the way to the defeat of Organization XIII, along with their adventures in other universes. Aiden began telling his story when Sora and the others reached the part where they came to his world.
"And so we're still jumping from one world to another," said Sora, "not knowing if the next time King Mickey finds us and tries to bring us home, that we'll get home instead of jumping to another universe."
"That Maleficent sounds like a real bitch," said Luffy.
"That's putting it mildly," said Riku.
"She sees herself as the mistress of all evil," said Kairi, "and she has the mastery of dark magic to back it up."
"She's building a private army of Villains to take over all of existence," said Aiden, "I've only met a few of them, but they all seem really terrible. We were lucky that the one we just faced was totally insane."
"That Reddik seemed tame compared to what we've been through," said Kairi, "now The Trix, those sister witches, now they were insane."
"And let's not forget Orochimaru and The Akatsuki," said Riku, "and those demons we faced in Dream Valley."
"You guys sure have been through a lot," said Nami.
"And we'll go through more," said Kairi, "for as long as it takes to get us home."
"That about sums us up," said Sora, "but what about you guys? How did you all get together?"
"Now that is the story to end all stories," said Usopp, "it's like this…"
Usopp then gave a wild and fanciful tale full of impossibilities that were clearly lies. But through the exaggerations and misleading, Sora and the others got the basic story behind Luffy and his friends.
Luffy had always dreamed of being the best, to one day find the legendary treasure of Gold Rodger, the King of the Pirates, so that Luffy could claim that title. Luffy's best friend and idol, Red Shanks, gave him that straw hat as a reminder of their friendship. This was when Luffy was still a child, having already eaten the Gum-Gum fruit and became like rubber, but at the same time, losing the ability to swim forever. But that didn't deter Luffy from his dreams. He spent the next several years mastering his new power and developing an arsenal of special, weapon-themed attacks, before finally setting out for the high seas and fulfilling his dream of finding One Piece.
After a brief encounter with a really fat pirate, and making friends with a reluctant cabin boy, who's name was Koby by the way, Luffy encountered Zoro, whom was on the verge of starvation, all because of an unfair bet with the spoiled brat son of a homicidal Marine Captain. Luffy helped Zoro get his strength back and they defeated the maniac Marine, leaving Luffy's cabin boy friend Koby to achieve his dream of becoming an honest Marine.
Zoro's childhood was one of pain and frustration. He lived at a swordsmanship dojo where his biggest rival was the daughter of the headmaster. Zoro dueled the girl over 2000 times and lost each duel. He kept saying that he'll defeat her someday, and he trained relentlessly to achieve his goal.
But then the girl died in an accident, leaving Zoro without a purpose. But after some counseling from his teachers and the headmaster, Zoro regained his confidence and the desire to be the best, especially after hearing legends about a pirate who was undisputedly the best swordsman in the world, one Hawk Eye Mihawk. Zoro swore that he would defeat Hawk Eye Mihawk and become the best sword master in the world. This goal took him on the path of a bounty hunter and now he was on the path of a pirate himself.
Luffy and Zoro met Nami in a village that was under attack of a pirate crew that had a circus theme. Nami kept saying that she hated all pirates and preferred to steal from them, but Luffy was adamant about her joining his crew. One thing lead to another, resulting in the defeat of the clown pirate captain and the salvation of the village. As a bonus, Nami agreed to go with Luffy and Zoro, but only as far as it pleased her.
They met Usopp at an island where a murdering psychopath was hiding out as a butler to a rich young woman, her name was Kaya, whom Usopp was a very good friend. Usopp happened to be the son on one of Shank's crew, so he and Luffy were immediately friends. It became clear before long that Usopp was fond of telling tall tails about himself and others, especially himself. But his greatest skills are his fast feet, he can outrun just about anyone chasing him, and his marksmanship with a slingshot.
Luffy and the others found out that the murdering psychopath was planning to kill Usopp's friend Kaya and inherit her fortune. But due to Usopp's reputation for telling lies, nobody in the village believed him. So it was up to Luffy, Zoro, Nami and Usopp to save the village from a crew of cat-themed pirates and their homicidal captain.
One thing lead to another, resulting in victory. Grateful, Kaya gave Luffy and his crew The Going Merry as a thank you present, and Usopp was invited to go with them. His prowess as a marksman landed him the role of ships gunner.
They then came to a floating restaurant, where each chef was once part of a pirate crew. The head chef was once an infamous pirate captain who had perfected a fighting style that utilized kicking and footwork only.
As it turned out, this pirate captain saved Sanji's life when he was a boy. They both wound up shipwrecked and nearly starved to death before help came. The two of them bonded and set out to achieve a dream of building a high-seas gourmet restaurant where all would be welcome, that if a hungry man came to their door, he would be fed no matter what.
Shortly after Luffy's crew arrived, the restaurant was attacked by a pirate crew that had just came back from an unsuccessful venture into The Grand Line. The crew was starving, so Sanji fed them. But the pirates showed little if no gratitude, especially their captain, a hulking murderer who had a suit of armor that was loaded with hidden weapons.
Just when the battle was about to start, Nami shocked everyone by stealing The Going Merry and all of their treasure. Luffy sent Usopp and two friends of Zoro's, whom had been traveling with them for a bit, after her, leaving Luffy, Zoro and Sanji to defend the restaurant.
But during the battle, a single small ship approached from the direction of the Grand Line. Onboard was Hawk Eye Mihawk, the swordsman whom Zoro had vowed to defeat. They dueled, leaving Zoro critically wounded, but able to recover. Hawk Eye Mihawk told Zoro that he would be waiting for him when he was ready, leaving Zoro to reaffirm his vow to one day be the best. Luffy eventually defeated the armored pirate and sent his crew packing, and after Zoro recovered from his wounds, they went after Nami, with Sanji with them as the crew's new cook.
They found Nami at the island where she grew up. The people of the island were being terrorized by a race of fishmen…
At that Aiden interrupted, "Wait one damn minute. Fishmen? You mean Chimeras?"
"I don't think they're talking about an artificial fusion of two different species," said Kairi.
"That's right," said Zoro, "Fishmen are born part human, part fish. They can walk on land and swim in the sea."
"Forgive me for sounding like a skeptic," said Aiden, "but I'll believe that story when I see proof."
"You're better off not seeing them," said Sanji, "first of all, they're ugly sons of bitches, really ugly. Second, they're incredibly strong, in and out of the water."
"They nearly killed us all," said Usopp, "but I wasn't afraid. I could have taken them all with both eyes closed."
"In what world are you living in?" Zoro asked.
"They were tough," Luffy admitted, he then smiled, "but we kicked their asses just the same."
The story continued. The fishmen came to Nami's village when she was just 8 years old. They murdered her step mother and threatened to kill everyone else in the village, including Nami's adoptive sister. But then the leader of the fishmen noticed Nami's innate gift for mapmaking and navigation.
Nami was then 'drafted' into the fishmen crew. A deal was struck; if she would make maps of the land and sea for the fishmen, as well as collect an impossibly large sum of money, then the fishmen would leave the village and never come back.
It took Nami eight years to get close to fulfilling her end of the bargain. After arriving back in her village with the stolen Going Merry, Nami counted all her 'earnings' and realized that one more big score was all she needed to purchase the freedom of her village. But then a crew of corrupt Marines, all in cahoots with the fishmen, stole all the money Nami had stole from other pirates.
By then Luffy, Zoro, Usopp and Sanji had caught up with Nami. The four male members of the crew fought the fishmen. It was an exhausting battle, but in the end, Luffy and his friends emerged victorious over the fishmen, while the corrupt Marines were forced to give back the money they took from Nami. She then gave it to her village so the people could rebuild their lives, and Nami officially joined Luffy's crew as the ship navigator.
"And that's about it," said Luffy, "we left Nami's village the day before yesterday."
"It seems like a thousand years ago," said Nami as she looked off into the distance, "and just like a heartbeat. I still find myself believing that it was all a dream, that I'm still a prisoner of the fishmen, that the lives of my friends were going to be destroyed at the slightest provocation.
"But since I've been traveling with Luffy, I've come to believe that anything is possible, if you believe hard enough. I believe that we all can make our dreams come true. My dream is to be the very first to make a complete map of all the land, the oceans and the ocean floor. All the work I was forced to do for the fishmen was destroyed in the battle," she tapped her head, "but it's still up here, and I can start over any time I want, after I've made a chart of The Grand Line, then my map of the world will be complete. Nobody has ever made a complete map of that place, and I want to be the one to do it."
"Oh Nami!" exclaimed a heart-eyed Sanji, "your dream drives my heart wild!"
Nami responded by yanking on his ear, but she smiled all the same, "you're sucha tease, Sanji."
"Well I think it's a great dream," said Kairi, "to be the one to do something that no one else has done before, to be the best, that's a dream anyone can strive for."
"Like Zoro," said Sora, "you said you wanted to be the greatest swordsman in the world."
"I do," said Zoro, "more than anything. I swore, on the grave of my friend and rival, that I would be the best. Someday I'll be strong enough to challenge and defeat Hawk Eye Mihawk, then I will be the best."
"Being the best is okay," said Usopp, "but sometimes, life itself is like a dream, and I'm living mine right now. Ever since my father left to become a pirate, I've dreamed of being a pirate as well, one that my father can be proud of. Someday, I'll meet up with my father again, and we'll swap lies and tall tails."
"You may be living your dream," said Sanji, "but mine is still a long way away."
"What do you mean?" Riku asked.
"Well," said Sanji as he pulled out his lighter, "oh," he looked at Aiden, "do you mind?"
"So long as I'm upwind of you," said a slightly annoyed Aiden, "you can do whatever you want to your body."
"Nice to know that you care," said Sanji as he lit his cigarette, while Aiden made sure he was out of position to smell the smoke. Sanji took a puff and blew the smoke with the wind, "ever since I was a kid I've heard tales of an area of The Grand Line; The All Blue, where fish from all over the world can be found. It's my dream to see The All Blue, for such a sight, all those fish, would be like paradise to a chef."
"I think these are all great dreams," said Kairi, "and we all know what Luffy's dream is."
"Yep," said Luffy, "I'm gonna find One Piece! Then I'll be King of the Pirates!"
"I've got a feeling that you might just be the one to do it," said Aiden, "assuming you survive The Heartless."
"Oh, I forgot about them," said Luffy.
"Do you really think someone in this world has control over those things?" Nami asked, "they're so horrible, who would want them?"
"Someone with power," said Riku, "and like all people with power, they want more. The Heartless have an almost irresistible desire about them, for they are darkness come to life, and in the wrong hands, the power of darkness is almost unstoppable. From what you've told us, there's a lot of wicked men and women on the seas. Any one of them might just be insane and stupid enough to enforce their will on The Heartless, and anyone who can do that must be evil indeed."
Unknown to Sora, Luffy and all their friends, someone vile and wicked had indeed asserted his will over The Heartless and sent them across the waves to do his insidious bidding.
Onboard a three-mast galleon painted coal black and blood red, bristling with cannons, named Deathstalker, at the steering wheel, stood a man wearing a purple shirt and green pants and black boots. Around his shoulders was a blood red cloak, while a matching red hat sat atop his black hair. Strapped to his waste was a twin-headed axe that was stained with the blood of countless innocents. His face was marked with three scars along his lower left jaw, pulling his lips down in a half frown. His eyes were heavily bloodshot, almost completely red, including the whites, irises and pupils.
This man is Togakuto, captain of a crew of pirates that once terrorized the North Blue; The Axe Crew, made infamous for their uses of axes in the slaughtering of every innocent man, woman and child that crossed their path on the seas.
But being a crew of merciless killers tends to attract the attention of the law. The Marines spent months chasing after Togakuto and The Axe Crew, finally clashing in a devastating battle that left hundreds of Marines dead, while at the same time nearly exterminating The Axe Crew.
Only Togakuto and a handful of his senior officers escaped the battle to terrorize the seas again. But when Togakuto tried to raise another crew, he found that few, if any, potential pirates came to his flag, a blood-red skull with blood-soaked axes crossed behind it.
Nobody wanted to join with the maniacs, not if they wanted to life to tell about it, for Togakuto had become the most hated man in the North Blue, and all the pirate crews of said ocean made an informal agreement to stay away from the homicidal captain.
Togakuto and his few loyal subordinates drifted across the waves, still searching for a crew to resume terrorizing the world, but to no avail. After months of fruitless sailing, Togakuto and his officers were on the verge of giving up, but still the fires of hate and murder burned in their hearts, and it was this burning hatred for man, this inner darkness, that brought The Heartless to Togakuto.
Togakuto expected the strange creatures to attack, but they didn't. Instead they began obeying his commands, all of them. It didn't take the murdering pirate long to realize that he had found his crew, and that he could have as big of a crew as his murdering desires wished.
Just when it seemed that things couldn't get better, it did with the arrival of a strange man whom also had power over The Heartless. This stranger explained exactly what The Heartless were and how best to use them.
And so here, Togakuto was, with a new crew, about to spread his darkness over the world again.
"Soon we will be ready to take the plan to the next level," said Tokaguto to the stranger whom had so much advice on The Heartless.
This person looked to be no older than 18, but his words and overall being gave the impression of a far older age. He stood at 5'10" with short curly blond hair and azure eyes. He wore a blue jacket over a white shirt with lacy sleeves, as well as matching blue trousers and brown boots. A black rapier with a jeweled encrusted handle was sheathed around his waist, giving him the appearance of an 18th century fop. But his attire wasn't something to judge him on.
"You have made stunning progress in gathering and controlling so many Heartless," said the boy, who's name is Konrad Soulreaver, "but that won't be enough to win you the good gracious of the mistress of all evil."
"Ah yes," said Togakuto, "Maleficent. I look forward to meeting her, once I've brought this world to its knees."
"Which won't happen until the Keyhole of this world has been found and unlocked," said Konrad.
"You keep speaking of this Keyhole, Hakonian," said Tokaguto, "yet I fail to see its importance. The world will submit when I unleash The Heartless upon the people. Kill enough men, women and children, and the rest will fall to fear."
"Fear isn't enough," said Konrad.
"We shall see," said Togakuto.
Just then three humans approached. They were the only survivors of Togakuto's original crew of murderers. They are…
First Mate Jubei. He has dark brown hair and one blue eye, the other covered by an eye patch that matched the crew's flag. He wore a black sleeveless shirt and tan pants. He wields two single bladed hatches.
Helmsman Yukaton. He has a shaven head covered by a red bandanna and silver eyes. He wears an orange shirt and brown pants. He wields a long pike-axe
Ship's Weapon master Sojita. He has green hair and orange eyes. He wears a skintight brown shirt and shorts. Strapped across his chest were two belts covered in throwing axes and hand axes.
"Captain," said Jubei, "we've just heard from our old contacts back in the North Blue. They were a little hesitant to assist us, but a brief visit from The Heartless reminded them just who they really work for."
"The word has gone out in the North Blue," said Yukaton, "soon every unemployed pirate will be begging us to accept them as part of the new crew."
"They'll have to come to us," said Sojita, "otherwise they'll also be visited by The Heartless, and those won't be pleasant visits at all, will they?" At that the thee human officers laughed cruelly.
"That they will," said Togakuto as he smiled viciously, "that they will. Soon the whole world shall acknowledge me as their overlord. I shall rule both land and sea, killing those who do not show the proper respect. And no one, not The Marines, not any pirate crew, not even the gods themselves, will ever disrespect me again!"
"Just my luck," muttered a disgruntled Konrad, "Nikolai and Katarina get the easy assignments, while I'm stuck with these barbarian peasants. Oh well, it could be worse. I could be chasing after those Keyblade brats, like Rakel, or stuck in the dungeons, like Erika, or bedridden, like Reddik, or worse, dead like Ulrik."
"What's that you're saying?" Togakuto asked.
"I was just thinking how interesting it would be for a person, so hated by a quarter of this world, would force all of the world to respect him," said Konrad, "it would be quite a sight."
"That it will be," said Togakuto, "which is why I'm gathering a human crew again. The Heartless are powerful, but the forces laying in wait in The Grand Line are just as powerful, maybe even more."
"Then we're still going after the treasure, Captain?" Yukaton asked, "We're going after One Piece?"
"Of course," said Togakuto, "Gold Rodger had everything the world had to offer; wealth, fame and power, especially power. With a treasure like his in my grasp, the world will surely be mine, and perhaps, other worlds even."
"We've discussed this before," sighed Konrad in a bored tone, "the universe will be your oyster. Maleficent will surely reward you as such once this world has been flooded in darkness. Now, can we proceed in the next phase of the plan?"
"Not just yet," said Togakuro. He looked at his subordinates, "what else did our old contacts have to say? Do any of them know the location of The Keyhole?"
"Unfortunately no, Captain," said Jubei, "we had to get a little rough with some of our old friends, just to confirm the truth. Wherever this Keyhole is, it's not in the North Blue."
"Nor is it in the West or South," said Yukaton, "our contacts there were just as adamant about that fact."
"Which leaves only the East Blue and The Red Line," said Sojia, "the continent that separates the four oceans. And of course, there's The Grand Line."
"I'm starting to think the damned thing may be there after all," said Togakuro, "but we should be as thorough as possible. We'll intensify our search of the East Blue, and if the Keyhole isn't there, then we'll proceed directly to The Grand Line. I will have One Piece for myself! And pity the fools who would dare stand in my way!"
The end of chapter 2
Luffy: Wow! That guy is nuts!
Riku: That's putting it mildly
Usopp: How long will it be before we have to face him?
Aiden: Not long, but there's a few things we need to take care of first
Luffy: That's right. We need to stop over at the next island and pick up more meat
Sanji: We wouldn't run out of it so quickly if you didn't gorge yourself so much
Kairi: Luffy's eating habits are the least of our problems
Sora: Are you seeing what I'm seeing?
Riku: I saw it to
Kairi: So did I
Aiden: Me to, but what does it mean?
Luffy: Next chapter; Shared Dreams of the High Seas. I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!
