"Hello! I am the STRONG Dex! My name is Dexter, and I'll be your guide to the marvelous beasts that live on Merveille. Let's discover new and interesting beasts together throughout our journey!"
Read, Review, Enjoy!
Scene 2
Survive!
Hotspot the 626th proudly presents again…
In a jungle, a lone man trudged through the foliage with purpose. His blue shirt, side bag, and oversized canteen brushing against each leaf and plant. For any greenery approaching his upper body, he pushed it away with his hands, one of which held a sturdy stick. Upon seeing the man more fully, it appeared he was not alone at all. Upon his shoulders, riding comfortably, was a little girl wearing a light orange shirt with three large purple butterflies and dark brown pants with were own dark orange hair covered by a black bandana which itself was covered by a straw hat. Being situated about a head taller, being on the man's shoulders, she too had to watch out for any low-hanging branches or overly large leaves. Luckily, she had a pair of goggles on to protect herself with as she traveled further through the jungle with the man. Soon though, the two were given relief from the lush jungle foliage and came upon a cliff. The man paused for a moment as both he and the girl looked out at an amazing sight. Before them was now several islands, all with different types of environments and climates, floating in the sky all around them. It was truly a breathtaking scene; yet, these two didn't seem at all impressed by it.
"Mika," spoke the man to the girl, "which way now?"
The little girl, Mika, immediately sat up a little taller on the man's shoulder. She then proceeded to lift her goggles up, revealing them to be glowing a faint red. Without a needing to look around, she pointed in a direction: forward. "That way, Daddy." She told the man.
The man, Luffy, nodded. "Alright," he said. Not doubting the daughter's decision, he began to move forward despite the cliff. Without hesitating, the man jumped.
Both father and daughter began free falling down towards a floating island far below them. As fearless as Luffy was in his decision to jump, his daughter had to warm up to it. Mika had been scared at first, but she soon realized she was with her father and her fear disappeared. Frightened screaming turned to laughter she heard her father yelling become mumbled and stretched from the combination of falling and his rubber powers stretched his mouth. While it had been unintentional, Luffy could hear his daughter's laughter and be happy by it. He then got to the matter at hand; stopping them from crashing and dying. Quickly, he used his "Gum-Gum Balloon" technique; inhaling the air to expand his midsection into a balloon. Thanks to this, their descent was slowed to a leisurely fall. The two then floated on down safely into another jungle.
"Safely" being the optional word.
No sooner had they landed, their screams began echoing through the jungle. And getting closer! Soon, Luffy, with Mika now hanging off his neck and onto his back, was running as a large beast chased after them. The creature looked like an alligator yet had a flat body and its tail curled.
STRONG Dex: "Identification: Land Gator. Unlike usual alligators, this one is more suited for land. Its flat body helps it blend into the ground to surprise its prey."
The land gator gave chase after the two, snapping its large jaw at them. Luckily, Luffy was able to jump away from each snap. Finally, the man decided to make their escape. While one arm was occupied with keeping Mika safe, Luffy shot forth his other arm out. Once he grabbed hold a branch, he swung them away from another bone-crushing snap.
The land gator was shocked, but its determination to catch its prey would not waiver. It quickly moved to go after them; only to leave it wide open for another's attack. A purple tentacle suddenly slammed down upon the alligator instantly halting its chase. The same tentacle then wrapped around the reptile and dragged the beast to another; a large, pink octopus.
STRONG Dex: "Identification: Mori Dako. A land-dwelling octopus with a strong attitude. With eight tentacles, it can pack a fierce punch with all of them."
With alligator in tentacle, the expressively fierce octopus held its other seven tentacles and proceeded to pummel the reptile relentlessly. Soon, the poor land gator was unconscious, and the octopus was done with it. Now, it had its own prey to go after; namely, Luffy and Mika.
From the forest, Luffy shot out with Mika still hanging on tightly. Both were shouting out cheerfully, having fun, while not realizing what had occurred behind them. As Luffy landed with a skid, he and Mika, whose eyes were no longer glowing red, looked back to see what happened with the alligator. To their relief, it was no longer chasing them. That relief though didn't last as the Mori Dako had taken the reptile's place to give chase after them.
"Dad..." Mika said worriedly.
Grimacing slightly, Luffy nodded. "Right," he then turned around and ran.
Of course, the octopus followed after them in a sprint. The two groups now ran across a new part of this jungle environment; abandoned ruins. It was unfortunate that Luffy and Mika couldn't explore it, but they were in danger. And it soon increased quickly. On the opposite side of the ruins, another beast popped up. This one was a praying mantis of unusual size - large - with a fierce and angry expression. It growled out hostile towards the incoming opponents, banging its sickle-like appendages making a clanging, metallic sound. Then, it began flapping its wings and shot forward at them.
"Wha?! A praying mantis too?!" shouted Luffy in disbelief.
STRONG Dex: "Identification: Don Kamakiriri. A large praying mantis fierce and determined. It may look unarmed, but watch out! Its raptorial front legs are sharp enough to cut through stone."
The Don Kamakiriri flew fast at Luffy, but the young man was ready. Quickly, he jumped and dodged the bug as it attempted to slice him and his daughter. Unfortunately, the mantis' wings left behind a high amount of gust that tossed Luffy around and threw Mika off. The little girl quickly screamed out in distress. Of course hearing her, Luffy quickly stretched his arm out and grabbed her before they hit the ground.
Though the bug had missed his initial target, it wasn't going to give up yet. Don Kamakiriri was now targeting the Mori Dako. Sensing this bug's intent, the pink octopus attempted to defend itself by throwing up two punches from two tentacles. It was fruitless on the octopus' part as the Don Kamakiriri sliced both tentacles into several slices. The mollusk was shocked that he lost two of his appendages so fast and immediately turned coward. Unfortunately, it was too late for it. The mantis launched at its literal spineless foe. It was too quick to dodge as the Mori Dako was caught and smashed into a ruined building. Unconscious, the mollusk laid in the destroyed ruins; utterly defeated
The Don Kamakiriri landed on top of a ruined water fountain. It roared out an insect-like roar as it flexed its slicing appendages showcasing its victory. As well as completely letting its guard down. From behind, two long, dark brown-and-white striped arms grabbed the bug from behind and immobilized its sickle arms. Clearly surprised, the insect struggled to get free but found it could not. The long arms then brought the slaying-mantis closer to their owner; a very large bear with the same stripe pattern.
STRONG Dex: "Identification: Terror Guma. If you go out in the woods and meet this bear, you're sure to be in for a surprise. Its long reach combined with its massive strength is capable of breaking even the toughest opponents."
Without hesitation, the Terror Guma gave the bug a crushing bear hug. The Don Kamakiriri cried out in pain but was not willing to give. Unfortunately, as it managed to free one of its appendages, the bear began to bend backward. Before the mantis could use its freed appendage, the Terror Guma smashed the bug into stone. It let go of the bug, leaving it barely conscious and completely in the stone, and walked away. Once so, it let out a mighty roar declaring its victory to any in the area.
Yet, the only ones here were Luffy and Mika. Both sat far away from the fight, Mika sitting in her father's lap, but had watched on in curiosity. Confused though, Mika asked out, "Daddy, why do the animals keep hurting each other?"
Luffy shrugged. "I don't know," he said bluntly. He then explained, "But they definitely aren't doing so to survive like most animals I've seen."
With its sensitive hearing, the Terror Guma turned to see the two humans. Growling, the bear began running towards the two.
"Uh-oh!" Mika said worriedly.
Hurriedly, Luffy stood up, careful not to hurt Mika. "Get out of here, Mika," he told the girl seriously. After the girl ran off, heading for a nearby ruin, Luffy readied to fight. He shouted determinedly, "Bring it on, Furball!"
The Terror Guma let out a roar; accepting the challenge.
Luffy immediately took off running at the bear. As he did so, he stretched his arm backward. "Gum-Gum…" he shouted, "Pistol!" Then, he shot forth his fist at the beast.
Surprisingly, the Terror Guma dodged the man's fist. It then closed the gap between the two of them, and it was about to swipe the young man with its razor-sharp claws.
Except, Luffy wasn't going to go down that easily. Not when his daughter's life was on the line. Using his other arm, he put all his strength in punching the side of the bear's head. It sent the bear quickly flying off the side, crashing through a ruin, and landing into a tree. The bear then fell to the ground; unconscious. Despite his opponent unmoving, Luffy kept his eyes on the beast to make sure it truly wasn't coming back up. After a few moments, Luffy relaxed.
Seeing that the beast was clear, Mika ran out of her hiding spot. "You did it, Daddy!" Mika called out cheerfully.
Luffy flashed his little girl his trademark grin. "Tweren't nothing," he admitted laid-back.
Once Mika reached her father, her eyes began glowing the soft red glow. Instantly, she recognized that special feeling she had for the past week that told her that it was where her mother was located. She thus told her father, "Daddy! We gotta go save Mama!"
Not noticing the sudden glow in his daughter's eyes because of the goggles, Luffy was about to agree and continue on their way. Then, he heard the familiar growl of a hungry stomach but not his own. "Hold on, Mika," he said stopping the girl. He then told the little girl concernedly, "Let's eat first."
Blushing a little with embarrassment, Mika nodded and her eyes ceased glowing. She then asked, "But what are we gonna eat now?"
"Hmm?" Luffy hummed as he looked around the area. There wasn't much, but then, there was the defeated octopus nearby. He then told the girl cheerfully, "Let's have octopus!"
Instantly, Mika's face scrunched up in disgust. "Ew," she said, "no way."
Luffy gasped with surprise. "Come on now, Mika," he said sternly. He then quoted, badly, "Beggars can't be chewers."
Confused, Mika tilted her head. "What?" Mika replied puzzled.
"Oh, um, maybe it was something else," Luffy said out loud in realization.
Regardless, it didn't matter as Luffy soundly made his decision to eat octopus. Much to his daughter's protest.
Meanwhile, more Straw Hats were traversing this unknown landscape. Somewhere, where the weather is autumn-like, a group of humans (?) was walking across a stone bridge and surrounded by a lake with ruins poking out. There was one male human with a metal nose who had wilting, light-blue pompadour, large forearms, and wearing only a leather jacket with a gold chain, sunglasses, and three-star speedo. Walking near him was a slender and intelligent woman with black hair tied in a ponytail, wearing green glasses and a full body, green-and-white striped shirt, and carrying a backpack. Little ways behind them was their last member of the group; a living skeleton! His appearance was very groovy with his flower-patterned black vest over a frilled orange shirt and pants with mismatching leggings; one side striped and the other white. Upon his large, black afro was a pair of large sun tanning glasses. As this group of weirdos and one beautiful woman moved forward, there was a metallic sound emitting from behind them.
"Hmm?" spoke the skeleton, Brook, as he began to look around. "Do you hear that?"
The man, Franky, looked back at the skeleton unsure but also unconcerned. "Who knows," he stated, "we don't have time for it anyway, we gotta keep movin'."
Despite his unease, Brook agreed with the shipwright so he kept his creature moving. Yet, as they moved on, he could still hear the noise. Only now, it sounded much closer. Brook decided to look back to where they traveled and immediately saw something frightening. "Oh no!" He screamed out loudly.
Instantly, the other half of the group looked back again concerned. This time, they saw exactly what made the skeleton scream. From the other end of the bridge, from where they walked from, a black mass of something began crawling swiftly out of a doorway that led underground. Upon a closer look, this mass of black was really an army of ants wearing samurai armor and carrying spears. Each one of the thousands of them baring sharp teeth, and they looked hungry.
STRONG Dex: "Identification: Guntai Ants. Vicious, hungry, and prepared to fight, these bugs will eat anything alive. A whole colony can eat a cow in half a second."
Franky gasped with shock. "Now it's ants?!" He shouted in disbelief.
As the Guntai Ants charged forward, their first target was clear: Brook. The poor skeleton man screamed out in fear as the ants neared him. He thought his time was up - again - until something interesting happened. The bugs completely ignored Brook and rushed right past him. Seeing this, Brook looked around his area confused before following their path and looking back.
Franky saw this as well and grunted. "So," he said irritated, "we're your targets, huh?!" Then, he transformed his left arm into a cannon ready to attack the bugs.
Unfortunately, Robin pointed out something problematic. "Aren't you out of fuel, Franky," she stated calmly.
Franky gasped with realization. "Ah! You're right!" he shouted.
The ants continued their charge towards Franky and Robin. As everyone prepared for battle, a new opponent soon made its presence known. A long, eel-like shark with green skin and patches of fur along its body with many gills and fins jumped out of the water. At the sight of the new beast, everyone stopped and watched on as it soared through the sky. As it soared over the bridge, eyeing everything on it, it dived into the water on the other side. Once its long body was completely submerged, its many fins started working and propelling the beast through the water. In doing so, it was turning around for the attack now.
STRONG Dex: "Identification: Baku Zame. This shark is long. So long that it needs extra fins and gills to survive. That though doesn't make it any less dangerous with it having serious jaw power."
"It's coming back," Robin observed warningly.
Readily, the cyborg removed the cover from his fist, revealing it to be metal. He was ready to fight. "Bring it on," he stated determinedly.
As for the Guntai Ants, they were not deterred either. Now though, they had a new target. The ants bravely began their charge again. Seeing this, Franky and Robin weren't sure who to prepare for; regardless, they both readied to fight for their lives. Then, as the ants and shark neared the group, they all jumped at the same time. While the Baku Zame was aiming for the humans though, the Guntai Ants were aiming for the shark. In a moment, about a few seconds, the ants latched onto the fish and proceeded to eat everything but the bones. The humans were shocked at the sight as the ants continued off the skeleton and back onto the bridge just on the other side of the group. Likewise, the skeleton landed in the lake and floated there.
As Brook rushed to the group, he stopped for a moment to comment on the sight. "Ah, now it's like me." He then hurried along, shouting to his friends, "Are you both alright?"
Keeping his eye on the ants, Franky told the skeleton, "I think I figured out why those guys ignored you, Bones."
Brook ran up behind the group. In hearing his crewmate, he asked out, "Huh?"
"Because to them," Franky continued, "you have no substance."
"Ah," Brook said understanding the man completely. Then, after a few moments to think it over, the skeleton man became angrily. "That's so rude!" he shouted.
The Guntai Ants soon turned around. Despite having eaten a whole and long fish, they still looked hungry. Thus, they charged again to attack and eat the humans. Seeing them coming, Franky and Robin prepared for a fight; but then, Brook charged ahead of them in fury. He unsheathed his sword from his cane and proceeded to make quick, faster-than-the-eye-could-see slashes upon the ants. As he was all bone, the ants completely ignored him. All completely clueless to what the skeleton was doing to them. Brook did this until he reached the end of the army. Then, he began to walk calmly, still moving forward. Of course, in seeing this, Franky and Robin knew what their crewmate had done and began walking forward unconcerned by the ants anymore.
As Brook placed his sword in his cane sheath, he spoke, "Three-Verse Humming…"
The ants roared as they were about to attack the humans. Still, Franky and Robin were unmotivated to do anything about it. This included when the ants jumped into the air to attack and devour them. Still, they did not flinch; after all, these ants had already been defeated.
"Arrow Notch Slash!" Brook finished his attack, stopping and then sheathing his sword completely.
Instantly, the Guntai Ants received a slash. The entire army had been hit by Brook's sword and not a single ant was spared the skeleton's wrath. They all fell like rain around the two pirates into the lake; all completely unconscious. After a while, the rain of ants stopped and Franky and Robin reach where Brook had stopped.
Then, Brook made a comment. "I know that I'm nothing but bone, but that's only because I've been dieting."
Everyone stared at the living skeleton befuddled. Neither human knew how to respond to such an outrageous claim. So, they choose to ignore it entirely.
"Geesh, we've been on this island for a while now," Franky commented, looking around at their surroundings observantly. "And still, nothing about it makes sense."
Robin spoke up observationally, "From what we have observed, it seems that the animals and plants here have evolved to reach new heights never seen before. Even surpassing humans in some regards."
Nodding in agreement with the woman's logic, Franky couldn't help but make an observational comment, "Heh, truly an island where 'survival of the fittest' rules over everything."
Seeing that he had been ignored, Brook decided to speak more logically. "We best keep moving," he suggested, "Mika, Akio and the others are still out there."
Franky and Robin agreed with the skeleton. Thus, they all continued on their walk forward, not knowing what lied ahead for them. Yet, the observation made by Robin still rung clear. What a mysterious island they were on; yet, there was more to it than what they had seen. Still, where are the rest of the Straw Hat pirates? Where were they exactly? And what is keeping them going forward? Well, all this and more will be answered. Hold on, everyone, this ain't your normal world. It's a…
STRONG(ER)
WORLD
A ONE PIECE: Straw Hat Family Film
[Rewrite]
Starring:
In a barren, winter landscape...
Swordsman, Roronoa Zoro: Bounty 120 Million
Doctor, Tony Tony Chopper: Bounty 50
Where autumn leaves fall...
Archaeologist, Nico Robin: Bounty 80 Million
Shipwright, Franky: Bounty 44 Million
Musician, Brook: Bounty 33 Million
As spring cherry blossom bloom...
Cook, Sanji: Bounty 77 Million
Sharpshooter, Usopp: Bounty 30 Million
Searching through the hot, summer jungles...
Captain, Monkey D. Luffy: Bounty 300 Million
Cabin girl, Monkey D. Namika (Mika): Bounty 0
Lost, but not alone...
Cabin boy, Akio: Bounty 0
And trapped in a palace.
Navigator, Monkey (D.) Nami: Bounty 16 Million
