Usopp whimpered pathetically as he tried to reclaim his composure. His life had just flashed before his eyes and, call him crazy but he had a feeling that that was going to happen more than once if he continued sailing with Luffy as a captain.

"I thought I was a goner," he whimpered. Meanwhile, Luffy was congratulating Apis on her quick thinking in their previous situation. Meowth was in pretty much a similar state as Usopp and Ash was leaning on the railing trying not to lose his lunch after the flight they'd just taken. He breathed in and out slowly but surely to calm himself down.

"Hey Nami," he spoke up. She turned towards him questioningly. "I think I agree completely with your theory about Magikarp. If things like that live in the ocean then I'm not surprised that they're so strong." Nami nodded as she recalled that earlier conversation.

"Yeah, she stated lost in thought." Then she shook her head and turned towards Luffy.

"Where to captain?" she asked. Luffy just grinned.

"Where else?" he questioned. "To Warship Island!" he proclaimed. They then set their course and began to make their way out over the ocean again that was now free of marines. Ash considered them lucky that the sea kings they'd run into in the calm belt didn't possess the abilities dragon rage or twister. He shuddered to think what would've happened to them had that been the case.

Eventually the ship came to a fairly dense fog bank and Apis confirmed she wasn't too sure of where the island was. However, the crew remained optimistic for her sake. It was just their luck as they began to push through the fog towards a dark looming shape. It looked just like a battleship and once they'd cleared the fog completely, they could tell the rumors about the place were true.

"It…really does look like a warship," Ash stated in awe as they approached. Luffy's eyes were lit with anticipation as they drew closer. After getting close enough they docked their ship and threw down the rope ladder. Apis was the first one off and she greeted the islanders – who looked ready for a fight – with a cheerful smile that dampened their immediate response. Eventually they'd all climbed down onto the shore.

"What're you doing?" cried one man finally. "Why are you with pirates? Why did you bring them here Apis?" The men were all wary of the pirates standing behind her. Then Luffy put them more on edge for a second.

"Hey you," he asked a random man. "I've got a question." The man cowered back before gripping his farming tool tighter.

"Yeah whadya want?" the man demanded. Luffy's serious face morphed into a more innocent one.

"Do you know of any good barbeque restaurants here?" he asked. The villagers didn't seem to know how to answer.

"What kind of a question is that pirate?" asked another man.

"Relax," Apis told them brightly. "They're not bad pirates. They're nice and helpful!" A man furrowed his brows in thought.

"I don't think I've ever heard of a nice and helpful pirate," he muttered.

"How is it you ended up with these people? The last time we saw you, you were taken away by the marines," The man beside the other spoke.

"That's right," she confirmed. "But I escaped from the marines with a friend of mine but then I was stranded in the ocean and they rescued me just in time!"

"Yup!" agreed Luffy.

"Apis, why were you taken from us in the first place?" questioned another man.

"Yeah the reason the marines came after you was a mystery," stated his friend.

"It isn't safe for you to stay here; those marines are still lurking around." Apis's face turned fearful and troubled.

"Where should I go?" she inquired.

"We really would like to help…wait these strangers really are pirates right?"

"So what do I do?" She asked again.

"Listen, we aren't out to get you," Usopp tried to explain. However he was interrupted.

"Apis!" an elderly voice called. The crowd parted to show an old man with a walking stick coming down to the shore

"Come to my house child," he told her. She gasped in happiness.

"Who's he?" Ash wondered. But Apis answered their question as she ran towards the old man.

"Grandpa Bokuden!" she cried as she ran into his arms. He smiled as he held her.

"I'm glad you're safe precious," he said. He looked up to address the crew. "Thank you for saving my granddaughter's life; I'm in your debt. I know, in honor of Apis's safe return, I'll throw a celebration for you and your crew." Luffy was grinning.

"What's on the menu? Maybe barbeque," he hinted.

"That does sound good right Pikachu?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded in agreement.

"Sorry, I'm afraid not Luffy; Ash," Apis apologized to the two. "But Grandpa Bokuden's pork buns are the best in the whole island!" Ash chuckled.

"That's fine by me," he said. "My mom always said I had a stomach like a trash compactor." Luffy laughed too.

"Alright, let's eat!" Luffy declared excitedly.

"Sure, I could eat," Zoro agreed.

"Pi, pikachu," Pikachu nodded. Ash nodded then turned to Nami.

"Oh yeah, maybe you should bring out Magikarp. She has to eat too ya know," he proclaimed. Nami blinked then nodded.

"Yeah okay," she agreed. "I'll do it at the house though."

"Alright then follow me," Grampa Bokuden declared and soon the whole crew was being led to the old man's house. As they went, Ash had an idea and turned to Sanji.

"Actually, speaking of feeding pokemon," he started getting the chef's attention. "I have a 'how to' pokemon food recipe book for beginning breeders that Brock made up for me once in my backpack. While some pokemon can stomach certain types of human foods, it's actually not that healthy for them so I was wondering if you'd like to try your hand at making some." Sanji thought it over as they walked.

"Why don't you do it?" he wondered. Ash chuckled nervously.

"I'm not exactly the best at it," he explained. "That's why Brock gave me the book in the first place so I could try to make decent food in case I ended up alone in the woods somewhere while on my pokemon journey and I needed to feed my team." Sanji glanced at the backpack Ash was carrying now in thought.

"Mind if I take a look?" he asked. Ash shook his head before shirking off his bag and pulled out the book after a bit of searching. Sanji took the notebook noting that the edges of the pages were slightly water damaged. Probably from when they'd found him floating randomly in the ocean. Ash had explained the backpacks from his home were made durable for all types of terrains including water since a lot of trainers were water pokemon trainers.

Sanji began flipping through the book, reading what was there. There were some sticky notes here and there that were actually glued down to the page so they didn't fall out and he could only assume they were extra field notes from the writer and as he read he grew interested by the many different recipes there were.

Apparently there were many different types of pokemon and each one required a different kind of nutrients each. While most of the notes there were for Ash's pokemon that the guy probably already knew about, there were some suggestions too for any new pokemon he might catch on his journey when he wasn't around. Sanji whistled impressed.

"This Brock character sure knows a lot about the culinary arts. Some of these foods would be safe for humans to eat too," he noted. Ash chuckled.

"Well yeah," he said. "After all, whenever we traveled together he was the soul cook of the group. In fact I dare say he'd be able to match your skill with a bit more practice. Your cooking styles are similar but different. Either way the food either one of you makes is delicious." Sanji hummed in thought.

"Should we ever meet, I wouldn't mind exchanging notes with him myself," Sanji admitted. "So did he study in the culinary arts?" Ash shook his head.

"His father left him alone with all of his younger siblings. He took care of them for some years so he had to make sure he did it right ya know. Also he was studying to become a pokemon breeder so I think that helped out and he left with Misty and me during our journey through the Kanto Region when his dad finally showed up again so he could live out his dream. I'm glad he got to come with us.

"Not only was he a good cook but he could do an assortment of other things too like sewing, first aid and all of that. He even upheld your rule of never wasting food. If something went bad, he'd manage to crush it up and use it to make medicine for pokemon. If it was really bad he always composted and made sure the earth got back some nutrients."

"Heh, now I really wanna meet him," Sanji implied thoughtfully. Ash chuckled.

"Yeah I wouldn't mind meeting him either," Usopp stated up front. It was then that Ash realized everybody had been listening in on his story again. He blushed and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah really?" he asked.

"Yeah, he sounds like a good person," Nami nodded. Ash chuckled then thought of something.

"Heh when I think of it, the friends I've traveled with could probably be my own crew. Brock would be the cook and the doctor. He's even got the flirting with the first pretty girl he sees down too," he laughed. All but Sanji joined in too. Sanji just shrugged in acceptance of his role.

"Let's see…Misty would probably be the navigator and know more about the ocean since she's a water pokemon expert. She's also got the same colour of hair that Nami does and a temper to match so don't get on her bad side!" Nami chose to let that one comment about temper slide.

"So who would the rest of them be?" Usopp asked. Ash thought.

"Actually I think the rest would be pokemon. I normally didn't travel with more than three people sometimes and I can't think of what posts Max, May or Dawn could fill."

"Fair enough," Zoro acknowledged. Apis was smiling brightly at him.

"Man I wish I could see your home Ash," she exclaimed.

"Yeah, your pokemon stories sound like pirate stories just without the pirates," Luffy added cheerfully. Ash laughed as he went over it all in his head.

"Guess you're right about that. Only difference is, pokemon training and going on journeys and adventures every day is normal. Although I doubt Officer Jenny would be as pathetic as the marines are." Luffy laughed.

"Marines are stupid…oh except for Coby. He's a good one." Ash blinked at Luffy's response.

"Who's Coby?" he asked. Luffy turned around walking backwards here. He then proceeded to explain how when he first set off on his pirate journey not too long ago, he ran into this shy and cowardly cabin boy who was unwillingly serving the Alvida pirates.

Apparently before her appearance in Loguetown Alvida was this whale of a woman – as in her fat wrinkles had fat wrinkles – and she was invading the cruise ship he'd ended up on after escaping a giant whirlpool. Nami sighed at this point, stating that only his dumb luck would allow him to survive something like that.

He went on to explain the rest as they drew nearer to the old guy's house. He told them how he somehow inspired Coby to risk his life and fight for his dream to become a marine. Once Coby had grown enough backbone, he'd managed to stand up to Alvida and Luffy saved him from her wrath by sending her flying with a Gum-Gum pistol into the ocean. Now Ash and Meowth understood why she'd teamed up with Buggy in Loguetown. She'd wanted revenge.

Anyways after that they'd sailed to Shells Island with a marine base where Luffy found and recruited Zoro and they defeated the tyrant known as Captain Ax-Hand Morgan freeing the town's people. They were inside the back cookhouse now as he finished telling them they shared their farewells with the marines of the island saluting them as they left in thanks. Zoro took a moment to laugh at that.

"I still find it amusing that the whole base would salute us. Normally when you're a pirate to them it's shoot now, questions later." Luffy laughed just as boisterously.

"Yeah, I know!" he agreed. Grandpa Bokuden smiled at them as he began to prepare the pork buns that'd been promised.

"You young'uns must have had quite the adventures after sailing this far across the East Blue. Now you're getting ready to enter the Grand Line, is that correct?" Luffy came down from his boisterous laughing, grinning all the while.

"That's right," he said. "We've got everything we need to enter. We've got a kickass swordsman, a cowardly lying sniper…"

"Hey, Captain Usopp's no coward!" interrupted Usopp indignantly. Meowth shot him a deadpanned expression.

"Really; I t'ought I heard ya wantin' t'a run away from da marines instead o' fightin'!" Usopp turned on him angrily.

"Hey, we were outnumbered by an entire fleet back there! Plus I seem to recall a certain cat digging his claws into the mast as we were…"

"We've got the best navigator, an awesome cook who makes yummy food," Luffy continued having ignored the earlier interruption. Meanwhile, Meowth and Usopp were in a scuffle in the background trying to determine who the bigger coward was.

"Why thanks captain," Nami said as the navigator was brought up. Sanji just smirked and brought his cigarette back to his mouth. Zoro was smirking due to being called kickass. Luffy continued by listing off crewmembers.

"We have an awesome ship with our pirate mark, a pokemon trainer which is turning out to be pretty cool, a talking cat, a cool yellow mouse and Nami caught a weird fish too that can slap people hard with its tail! So yeah; we've got all we need!" Luffy finished with a wide grin that was contagious. Grandpa Bokuden smiled as he finished making up the pork buns and began to place them into a cooker.

"My you've got quite the crew. I guess you really are ready. I've heard some rumours about the place but I can't prove them true so I won't bore you with warnings of caution."

"Thanks old man," Luffy said.

"That'd probably make you the first then. Everybody questions our sanity when they hear we're going to that ocean," Nami stated.

"I'm not surprised," Bokuden admitted. "Fear can do things to a man's mind that would have him cowering in fear of even a thought of such a place called the pirate's graveyard. But what can ya do? It's not like you can stop people from talking."

"Too true," Ash agreed nodding. He watched to see that Bokuden was just finishing with putting the last few pork buns in the slow cooker.

"So…how long will the pork buns be?" he asked. Bokuden thought it over for a minute as he put the lid on the pot.

"Hmm…probably about four or five hours," he stated. Luffy and Usopp cried out in astonishment. Ash sweated some.

"I guess the best pork buns need time to become the best huh," he stated.

"Pikachu," Pikachu nodded in agreement.

It was a little while later and Ash was trying not to rip his hair out. This man was just going on and on like he was some kind of encyclopedia. Apis had snuck off just a bit ago after yet again being vague about the reasons she was captured and he was silently wishing that he'd done the same. Come to think of it…if he didn't get out of here right now then he'd probably die of boredom. So he made sure nobody was watching and crawled away with Pikachu silently.

Once outside, he and Pikachu sighed in relief once they realized nobody had noticed them sneak off. Not even Nami and she would've been one of the first but now she was in a daze trying not to drop dead. He sighed with relief.

"I thought my ears were gonna start bleeding," he stated. "I don't mind a good story but I'm not looking for a complete history lesson either."

"Pi pikachu," Pikachu agreed, also thanking Ash for getting them out of there. Pikachu's nose suddenly perked up and he pointed it in the direction of the cookhouse.

"Ya know…while we're out here…maybe we should check on those pork buns," Ash suggested. Pikachu agreed with a nod and the two began to sneak over to the cookhouse. Inside they found Apis waiting by the cooker.

"Hey there, how're the pork buns coming?" Ash asked startling her. She glanced up in a bit of a panic before she composed herself.

"How'd you escape?" she asked back. Ash chuckled.

"I waited for an opening and snuck away like you did," he chuckled. Apis laughed.

"Yeah sorry about grandpa," she apologized. "Once he gets going on that story he goes on forever. I don't think anybody's sat through his story for more than eight hours, not even Grandpa himself. He can even put himself in a coma and still keep going." Ash laughed and came to sit down next to her. His stomach growled as he smelled the pork buns cooking.

"Man am I looking forward to eating," he claimed. Apis looked slightly guilty as she laughed nervously.

"Heh yeah," she agreed. Ash thought her behaviour was kind of peculiar and exchanged a glance with Pikachu before turning back to her.

"Apis," he started. "I know that before we were all just being respectful of your privacy but I'm more than curious now. How come you won't tell anyone about whatever it is you're hiding from them? I'd think you'd at least tell your own grandfather." Apis looked like she was uncertain whether or not she wanted to answer that.

"Come on," Ash pressed. "I know that you're hiding something. I've seen the signs before. Anyway, I was just wondering because if you need help then it's okay to ask. I won't tell anybody if that's what you want. Even if it's not me; you've gotta at least have somebody on your side." She blinked and it seemed she was thinking really hard with that frown on her face. Finally she stood up and crept over towards the door to peek out. Once she was certain that nobody was nearby and listening she came back and kneeled in front of Ash with a very serious face.

"Okay," she whispered. "But you've gotta absolutely swear that you won't tell anybody." Ash nodded seriously.

"Of course!" he agreed.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu also agreed. She smiled at that but turned serious again.

"Okay so…the reason I was taken by marines was…because I'm friends with a millennial dragon who's stuck on this island and the marines want to use his bones to make dragonite!" Ash's eyes widened.

"You mean they're trying to make a dragonite!?" he asked perplexed. Apis furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Huh? What kind of dragonite are you talking about?"

"Well there's this pokemon back home called dragonite," Ash explained. Apis shook her head.

"Well it's not a pokemon they're trying to make. They're trying to make the elixir of eternal life like what Grandpa Bokuden was talking about. If they ever truly found out about Grandpa Ryu then I'm sure they'd hunt him down and kill him for their own nefarious purposes." Ash's eyes hardened at that.

"That's just sick," he stated. Apis nodded. Then Ash became confused again.

"Who's Grandpa Ryu?" Apis laughed.

"He's the dragon silly," she replied. Ash nodded.

"Right," he said. "So…if I've got this right…you're trying to protect an old dragon whose trapped on this island and the marines want to get their hands on dragonite. That about right?"

"Uh huh," Apis nodded. She turned towards the slow cooker.

"In fact, I was planning on taking some pork buns up the mountain to give him something to eat and to see how he's doing." She turned back to him and Pikachu with a grin. "So…wanna come along?" Ash chuckled and nodded.

"Sure," he agreed. "I'd love to see something like that." Apis grinned and nodded. For the next two hours before the pork buns were done, Ash shared some more of his stories with Apis who loved hearing about them. As the sun was starting to go down, the timer for the pork buns dinged and Apis's face brightened.

"They're done!" she exclaimed before rushing over. She carefully removed the lid and Ash's stomach growled.

"Those smell really good," he observed. Apis turned to him with a bright smile.

"Would you and Pikachu want one?" she asked. Ash and Pikachu exchanged a look before turning back and agreeing together. Apis picked up some tongs.

"Okay but they're pretty hot so be careful," she warned. Ash nodded. He was given two on a napkin and began to blow on it. Finally feeling he'd cooled it off enough, he took his first bite.

"Mmm!" he moaned as he savored the flavor. Pikachu had taken a bite of his own bun and was also in delight of the flavor on his tongue. They began eating as quick and yet as slow as they could to savor every bite and yet finally get something in their stomach after all this time. When they were done, they noticed Apis had gotten a sac to put the buns in.

"Woah, maybe we should set some aside for the rest of the crew ya know," he told her as she was putting practically all of them in. She paused and realized that she'd almost taken every one.

"Oops, yeah I guess you're right," she said. Ash smiled then approached and started laying some buns aside for the rest of the crew to try. Luffy might not like just having one but he and the others would at least get to try them. It was as they were finishing up that they heard a groan behind them and the scuff of a sandal. They turned to see a tired looking Luffy trudging towards them.

"He looks like he just got up or something," Ash noted. Meanwhile Apis was beginning to panic.

"Oh no; we've gotta hurry!" Ash turned to her.

"It's okay though. Luffy wouldn't try to hurt Grandpa Ryu," he pointed out.

"Yeah I guess you're right but…if he's coming out here grandpa might notice and come to bring us back in then start the story over to make sure we hear it all!" Ash's eyes widened in fear.

"Okay then I guess that means we've gotta leave now huh!?" Apis nodded and promptly finished stuffing the bag full of the rest of the pork buns.

"Hide!" she hissed as Luffy got closer. Not knowing why, Ash obeyed the command and made himself and Pikachu scarce. As Luffy got closer, Apis instinctively held up a frying pan in defense. Ash cringed but remembered that it wouldn't hurt Luffy.

Luffy meanwhile stopped in the doorway slouched over and sniffed at the air. He could smell the pork buns and mumbled 'yummy' under his breath before coming further. Apis closed her eyes praying he wouldn't make her use it before he just dropped randomly right there.

"No way!" Apis exclaimed. Meanwhile Ash and Pikachu sweat-dropped.

"Um…guess he was still tired," he said. Luffy continued to snore, talking in his sleep about pork buns. Ash grew a fond smile while Apis giggled then grabbed one of the extra pork buns they hadn't packed and placed it on the side of Luffy's face. She then glanced up at Ash and Pikachu with a smile and thumbs up.

"Right let's go!" she whispered. Ash smiled too and nodded being sure to be careful of Luffy on the floor as he followed Apis out of the cookhouse. She began dragging the sac of pork buns behind her and Ash thought it looked heavy.

"Need any help?" he asked. Apis just smiled confidently and shook her head.

"I'm good," she declared as she continued to drag the sac on the ground. Ash sweat-dropped.

"Uh…if you say so," he replied before following her across the property and into the bushes with Pikachu riding on his shoulder.

They traversed through a tunnel that led to a place further up the mountain. They came to a steep drop where they had to swing across on a rope to the other side and continued on through the forest on the mountain until they came to a wide cave mouth. Apis led them inside and called out.

"Grandpa Ryu?!" Her voice was slightly anxious. Ash couldn't blame her if she'd been away from her friend so long. Finally they came to a giant looking hill of some sort with grass growing on it in weird patterns. Apis smiled at it.

"Grandpa Ryu I'm back," she proclaimed. Slowly a large head unwound itself from its previous sleeping position and Ash realized it wasn't a hill of weird grass; in fact it was a large body. It was a dragon. He breathed out in awe.

"Pika, pika…"

"You said it buddy," Ash replied as the two took in the large creature. It opened its eyes and looked to Apis then to them. Ash's breath caught within him as he felt as though this creature was staring into his very soul. It felt like he was before a legendary pokemon again.

"Grandpa Ryu, I hope you don't mind but I've brought a friend whose promised to keep your secret safe. His name's Ash Ketchum and he's a pokemon trainer. Oh and that's his best friend Pikachu on his shoulder. He's a pokemon that I saved from the marines!" As she finished speaking she and Ryu seemed to have a private conversation of sorts. Apis smiled after a while.

"Well there's a funny story," she said. "See I was trying to find a clue to where Lost Island might be and when I asked the marines they captured me thinking that I'd lead them to dragonite. But I didn't give in no matter what and I escaped them with Pikachu during a storm. I think we capsized a ship," she explained. Ash laughed.

"Capsized a ship?" he questioned before turning to Pikachu. "How'd that happen?" Pikachu moved to scratch the back of his head sheepishly.

"Pika, pikachu…pika pikachu," Pikachu explained. Ash just laughed again.

"As long as you got out safe I'm glad," he told him. Apis smiled and giggled too. She then heard something else from Grandpa Ryu and turned to Ash when he was finished.

"Hey Ash," she said getting the older boy's attention. "Grandpa Ryu says he wants to try something and was wondering if you'd mind coming closer for a bit." Ash blinked in surprise but shrugged his shoulders and complied. As he got closer, he felt a stirring within him that felt familiar. Was…his aura acting up again?

'So you do have it,' an elderly voice stated in his head making him freeze. He looked around.

"W-who was that?" he asked. The same old voice laughed good heartedly in his mind.

'Just a senile old coot really but…I do wonder…are you familiar with your inner power?' Apis blinked in questioning.

"Inner power? What do you mean by that Grandpa Ryu?" she asked. Ash's eyes widened more and he turned to Apis.

"That's Grandpa Ryu talking?" he asked. Apis stared at him at a loss. The two didn't know what to say next until Grandpa Ryu started sniffing at the pork buns.

'Mmm…some more of those delicious pork buns from your grandfather?' he asked completely distracted from his other thoughts. Apis smiled.

"Yup; I brought them just for you," she explained. She then opened the bag and tipped it over so he could start eating.

"Woah hey, slow down or you'll get yourself sick," she warned. Ryu ignored her and continued eating.

'So, it seems everything turned out for you in the end Apis,' he stated. Apis paused then smiled happily.

"Well yes, it turned out fine. Actually a funny group of pirates rescued me at sea and brought me home. They weren't scary at all and they treated me kindly. In fact, Ash and Pikachu are a part of their crew too!" Ryu glanced up curiously at Ash. He took some time to say anything else.

'I see…so you and your friend helped Apis get home,' he said in approval. 'I'm grateful to you for rescuing such a kind hearted young girl and friend of mine. It's because of her that I have reason to hope again!' Ash blinked in interest before sitting down before Ryu.

"How come?" he asked. Just then though they were interrupted.

"Hey Apis; Ash! Where'd you put the rest of the pork buns!" Luffy called out from behind them startling them all. Apis got up, putting her arms out in front of Grandpa Ryu protectively and Ash was trying to recover from the scare. He breathed out after he got his breathing under control and Nami and Meowth behind him called him an idiot.

"Luffy don't do that," Ash told him. Luffy looked confused.

"Don't do what?" he asked coming closer.

"Sneaking up on someone," Ash replied. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"But I didn't right so what's the big…deal?" Luffy paused as he finally saw Grandpa Ryu and so did Nami and Meowth who'd come up behind him. He leaned in for a better look with his eyes going wide. They all had different reactions.

"What da heck is it; a pokemon on steroids?" questioned Meowth fearfully.

"No way, impossible it can't be real," Nami tried to reason. Meanwhile Luffy went hyperactive and began popping up here and there about the dragon's figure to get a good look going on about how he couldn't believe it but somehow knew he was real. Ash had to suppress the urge to laugh and Ryu glanced over to him.

'And who is this one?' he questioned. Ash smiled.

"He's our captain. I think he's just excited to see you because you're not an everyday occurrence."

'True…our kind do not try to get too close to most humans. There are only a few who are acceptations. Those who possess the gift of old…those such as you…and apparently your captain here.' Ash blinked in astonishment as Luffy finally calmed down.

"Incredible, where in the world did you come from?" he asked excitedly. Grandpa Ryu took a moment to respond but when he did, his eye was trained on Luffy, Ash, Pikachu and Meowth who'd just gotten closer.

'Those with the gift of old and those they trust are those that I may trust,' he spoke. 'Due to this fact, I shall tell you that my home is far away from this place or so I can recall. Since my last trip to find it failed, I've been stuck here and all I truly wish is to return to that place. When I met Apis here, she gave me hope when she promised to help me find it. Once I go there, I will become young again and regain my lost energy.

'Your people call it the lost island. It's a nesting ground for my kind. Since I've grown old, I cannot find it alone so I must rely on others. I've been searching a long time but…I can't seem to remember much of anything regarding its whereabouts. But oh to be young and free in the skies again. If I am soon to die then that is my last request; that I find my home once again!'

There was a long drawn out silence. Meowth had been moved to tears and was openly weeping.

"Aw man…dat's gotta be da most heartfelt story I ever heard!" he cried. Ash looked on in awe.

"Wow," he breathed out. Luffy nodded. His small brain had filtered out the longer speech but really he only needed to know one thing.

"Sure…I think I understand…you wanna go home is that it?" he asked. Ash sweat-dropped.

"Well that's kind of what he just told us," he said. Nami furrowed her brow at this. Meanwhile Grandpa Ryu laughed.

'I see this one has a short attention span, has he not? Apis…I wouldn't mind for him to be my friend too along with this young man and his two friends as well!' Ash smiled and Apis nodded.

"Okay, Luffy Grandpa Ryu just said that it's okay if you want to be his friend and Ash…"

"Don't worry, we heard it," he laughed. Pikachu nodded and so did Meowth. Meanwhile Nami only grew irritated.

"What's going on here?" she demanded. "I can't hear anything except for your voices!" Ash turned to her apologetically.

"Sorry Nami but I don't get it myself," he admitted. Nami just huffed in annoyance. Apis smiled too.

"Well…I'm able to hear Grandpa Ryu because I ate the Whisper-Wisper fruit that allows me to hear the thoughts of animals. But I don't know how you guys can hear him. Well maybe Meowth and Pikachu can hear him because they're animals too or something." Ash shrugged.

"Maybe," he agreed.

"I dunno…I just hear him," Luffy summarized simply. Ash laughed.

"I guess he doesn't need to worry about it much," he said and Pikachu agreed in kind. He then paused then turned to the old dragon.

"Although I am still curious," he stated. "You said I had some gift deep within…wait…were you possibly talking about…my aura?"

'Yes,' Ryu responded. 'I can sense that yours and your friend's along with that other lad's is pretty strong. It's how I'm speaking to you now. In fact humans with your kind of ability are rare nowadays. But those who possess this ability are truly diamonds in the rough and quite possibly…the only hope this world has of surviving.'

"What do you mean by that?" he questioned.

"Pi pika, pika chu, pi, pi, pika chu?" asked Pikachu. Ryu seemed to grin with souly his one eye.

'Let's just say…the ones who now rule this world…will bring about its downfall should people such as yourself and your captain die. Always…remember the will of D.' Ash blinked questioningly and exchanged a glance with Pikachu.

"The will of D? I don't understand," he said, hoping to have it explained. The others had heard it too.

"Huh, will of D?" Luffy questioned. "Why would a letter have a will or…is that the name of somebody?" Nami gave him a curious look.

"Don't you have a D. as your middle initial Luffy?" she asked. Luffy shrugged.

"Yeah so?" As they fell into an argument on the matter, Ash waited to hear what Grandpa Ryu was trying to convey. The same eye smile was reflected back at him and Pikachu.

'The Will of D…' he started. 'To try and explain it would be a waste of time. You'll know its meaning when the time comes.'

"Okay," Luffy answered not at all bothered by it though Nami grew annoyed. Ash and Pikachu were left confused.

"Geez, way t'a go all cryptic on us," Meowth muttered. After Luffy was finished getting his face free of Nami's hold, he turned back to Grandpa Ryu.

"We'll take your advice old timer," he promised. Then he giggled mischievously. "And while we're at it, we'll even take you home," he declared. Nami's eyes widened.

"What?!" Nami demanded. "Luffy, we don't even know where he lives," she tried to reason.

"Oh he lives on Lost Island," Apis explained. Nami became even more perplexed.

"But Lost Island was a myth wasn't it? Besides that Grandpa Bokuden said it sank into the ocean years ago. How would we even find the place if it's true?" She inquired. Luffy just giggled.

"I'm sure it'll work out," he said.

"It's okay," Apis reassured. "Grandpa Ryu knows it exists and he says that the island is going to resurface any day now. He might know the when but it's the where that we're having problems with. Are you sure you wanna help us?" She asked turning towards Luffy. His grin remained big and projected.

"Yeah; definitely," He said. Ash nodded too as he stood up with Pikachu on his shoulder.

"I wouldn't mind helping either," he declared. "It might seem impossible but those are the odds I'm familiar with anyway!" Nami stared at both of them then sighed, catching her head in her hand. She rubbed her temple.

"We're searching for an island that either exists or it doesn't; facing marines and unknown dangers plus trying to find said island without a hint or clue to guide us." Her head raised and a relenting but interested smile graced her lips.

"Our odds are pretty much impossible. Count me in!" Luffy whooped and cheered throwing his hands in the air while Apis began hopping up and down in joy and excitement exclaiming all the while to Grandpa Ryu that he was going home. Ash was laughing too and Meowth was smiling with a shrug.

"Eh, I got not'in else t'a lose," he admitted. Then Luffy stopped in the middle of his celebration before throwing his fists into the air exuberantly yelling,

"Right…let's go…to Lost Island!"