This chapter was writting by yellowpikmin88 from Deviantart. Please credit him, too.

Soul EaterXOne Piece Collab Special! Ch. 10- The final battle ensues: a pirate becomes a meister?

Luffy, Maka and Crona readied their weapons/fists as they stared down Bluebeard who hissed at them in his new winged reptilian form.

"Well here we go then." Crona said flatly before bringing Ragnarok to his wrist. Skish! He sliced the blade along his skin causing black blood to spray from the wound.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Luffy shouted in shock at friend's 'suicide attempt'.

"It's obvious isn't it, Straw-hat?!" Bluebeard laughed. "He knows he can't win so the coward took the easy way out and killed himself!"

"Bloody slicer!" Crona said before swinging his wrist like he was throwing a Frisbee. Swish! A crescent black blade with Ragnarok's eye emerged from the wound and flew at Bluebeard, taking him by surprise as he ducked it.

"HAA!" SHUNK! Maka took this opportunity to stab Soul into Bluebeard's side while he was distracted. The dragon-man roared in pain from the attack before roughly kicking the scythe meister away, the blade pulling out of his side in the process.

"GUM GUM PISTOL!" POW! Luffy, soon followed the distraction strategy by connecting his haki-coated fist with the wound Maka had made resulting in the Bluebeard crying out again. SPURT! The wound squirted blood as the dragon-man coughed from the attack.

"DAMN YOU!" SWISH! He swiped his claws at Luffy who leapt away giving Crona a chance to get behind the man. "

"BEEYAAAAAAAHHH!" Ragnarok's blade vibrated rapidly like a chainsaw before the demon swordsman plunged it into Bluebeard's back, leaving a huge gash, followed by Maka attacking him again in his damaged spot, and Luffy slamming his iron head against Bluebeard's with a gum-gum bell.

"YOU LITTLE SHITS!" Bluebeard roared before throwing his arms and wings out in fury, sending the trio a few feet away. "You think you can beat me with tiny punches and those little toothpicks you call weapons?!"

"Strong enough to kill that little mute bitch!" Ragnarok said. "Cleaved her whole top half off. HAHAHA! You should have seen her running all around like a headless chicken!"

"SHUT UP!" FWOOSH! Bluebeard then sprayed a cloud of fire at Crona who, thinking fast, conjured up a shield of black blood to block the flames. "NEVER SPEAK OF MY CREW THAT WAY!"

"Well yelling ain't gonna bring 'em back, bastard! So how 'bout you just let us kill you so you can go join them in hell?! Those hot coals aren't gonna walk on themselves!" Soul said mockingly, resulting in Bluebeard swiping at him and Maka again.

"GUM GUM BAZOOKA!" BAM! Luffy's palms smashed into Bluebeard's back and sent him crashing against the wall of the ship. CRASH! "We've got him on the ropes, guys! Don't give him any chances! KEEP GOING!" Luffy shouted as the three friends charged at Bluebeard once again.

"ENOUGH!" THWAP! The captain slammed his long tail into the trio sending them flying back and hitting the side of the ship. WHAM!

"Okay that was stupid." Luffy admitted. "Guess we got a bit overconfident."

"Yeah, right." Maka muttered as they stood back up. "Guess we'll take it up a notch."

"I'm on it Maka." Soul said.

"LET'S GO! SOUL RESONANCE!" The scythe meister's wavelength began to expand as their power rose before Soul's blade began to change into some sort of halberd or large pointed boomerang shape. What's more the blade became crystal clear and engulfed in a blue aura, Soul's eye now much bigger with an intricate pattern surrounding it. But not only that, a black substance began to materialize around Maka's body before forming into a dress.

"WHOA! SO COOL~!" Luffy beamed. "What is that stuff?!"

"Black blood." Crona stated.

"What? I thought you had black blood."

"I do. Look, Luffy. There's something you should know about me. You know how I told you Maka made me who I am? Well I never used to be like this. Back when I was Medusa's puppet, I was insane, violent, scary and above all…always scared of everything…and everyone. I didn't know how to deal with life altogether and didn't have a friend in the world. But it was when I met Maka that everything began to change. Of course we got into a fight…and I almost killed her." Luffy's eyes widened as he heard this. "But Soul took the hit and I split his chest open. In fact, his scar's the exact same as Zoro's." The memory of Mihawk slicing Zoro flashed in Luffy's mind's eye. "Because Ragnarok's made of my blood, some of it got into Soul's bloodstream. Because of this, when Maka and Soul resonate the black blood gives them strength. Like me, Maka can create a shield with it, in the form of that dress."

"So how did she make you a good guy then?"

"In our second fight, she matched her level of madness with mine and was able to enter my soul. That's where she found me…the real me, who I thought no longer existed. We were both young children when we met inside my soul." He chuckled a little at the cute memory of a six or seven year old Maka smiling at him.

"Heloooooooo~!" he remembered her saying teasingly when he first saw her, and then her rubbing out his circle in the sand and setting him free.

"When that happened I broke down completely. I'd never felt anything like it before and didn't know what to do. But she hugged me, and told me she understood why I was always so scared and sad and not able to deal with other people: It's because no one ever took the time to deal with me. The rest is history. She became my first and closest friend after that. That's why I owe her my life: because she gave it to me. And I guess….that's why I….lo….lo…love her." Luffy stared at his friend for a few long moments before he smiled warmly at him

"I knew it all along. In that case, how 'bout you tell her after all this is over?"

"I think I can deal with that." Crona smiled back.

"GENIE HUNTER!" Maka roared as she swung her scythe at Bluebeard. The latter held his claws out before they began to extend into long black blades which he used to block the attack. The two remained locked in combat until with a burst of strength, Maka managed to break through the blades. SLASH! She sliced a huge gash across Bluebeard's torso, knocking him back in the process. FWOOSH! But as he was sent back, the dragon-man shot a burst of fire at Maka, hitting her square in the chest and causing her to cry out from the burn.

"MAKA!" Luffy and Crona said.

"Dammit! I forgot about his fire." Maka hissed as she tried to pick herself up, but gasped as a large foot stepped on her back, holding her down.

"I don't think so, you little brat." Bluebeard snarled.

"MAKA HOLD ON!" Bluebeard turned his head to see Luffy and Crona charging at him.

"Nice try." He said before. WHAM! He slammed one of his large fists into the mast of the ship causing it to come crashing towards Luffy and Crona. KRESH! The mast landed on the two of them trapping them beneath it. Of course due to Luffy being rubber and Crona hardening his blood, their bones weren't obliterated by the large hunk of wood, but they still remained trapped by the heavy mast on top of them.

"GUYS!" Maka cried.

"And now I think I'll kill you. But first." Bluebeard then grabbed hold of Soul.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" the scythe roared.

"Making sure you don't get in my way." Bluebeard sneered before he tossed the weapon overboard. SPLASH!

"SOUL!"

"Now you're turn. I think I'll take it slow." Bluebeard grinned before raising his spiky, clubbed tail above her leg.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Crona shouted in anger.

"Hmm-hmm watch me." Bluebeard said sinisterly before, he brought the end of his tail down upon poor Maka's leg. BAM! KRRRACCK!

"AAAAAAAUUUGHHH~!" she screamed in agony which made Luffy and Crona's hearts stop, and their blood run cold. Maka wept from the bone in her leg being snapped clean in two, as well as the spikes piercing the flesh of her calve and thigh.

"Go on. Scream again." Bluebeared sneered beofre lifitng his tail. BAM!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGH!" Maka cried louder as the spikes hit her again breaking her leg even worse as more blood drew from it. Bluebeard cackled at the young woman's suffering before he reached down and began crushing her ribs with his clawed hand. The memory of Asura doing the same thing eight months ago loomed in Maka's memeory, making her scream even louder.

"LET HER GO YOU MONSTER~!" Crona screeched, tears of anger streaming from his eyes as he watched his crush being mercilessley mauled.

"No. I'll just make you watch." Bluebeard said before lifting Maka off the ground and holding her head in one hand and her torso in the other, revealing her neck. The scythe meister tried to lift her arms to attempt to strangle or punch Bluebeard, but he only laughed. "You fought well." he said before moving his mouth dangerously close to her throat. "But in the end, you're just a helpless…little…girl." He emphasised the last word with disgust before opening his maw filled with rows of fangs.

"NOOOO!" Crona and Luffy screamed until…SHUNK! A red and black blade stabbed the wound in Bluebeard's side causing him to drop Maka before he could tear out her throat. It is revealed to be none other than Soul standing in front of him, his arm morphed into a blade, which he'd used to climb back onto the galleon.

"Never. Touch. My. Meister." He growled.

"Soul…" Maka groaned. Bluebeard grinned, seemingly forgetting the blade in his side.

"Fine. I'll kill you fir-"

"SCREECH SIGMA~!" SLASH! A swirling black and purple cloud slammed into the dragon-man, biting him hard in the side and sending him smashing through the wall of the ship's quarters. Luffy had finally managed to pull his arms out from under the mast and push it off him and Crona.

"Crona!" Soul said to the latter. "Take Maka and get out of here!"

"WHAT?!" Maka shouted. "But Soul I can-"

"Don't even try! You're leg's all mangled and your ribs are cracked too. There's no way you can fight now. I'm your partner remember? It's my job to protect you. And right now the only way to do that is get you to safety. And the only way to do THAT is to leave you with someone who'll go just as far as me to protect you….Maybe even further." He said as he smiled at Crona, who smiled back after a few seconds.

"Okay. I'll get her to safety and then come back to help you."

"But Soul can't fight without a meister." Maka argued.

"I don't intend to." Soul said, before eying Luffy.

"What do you mea-?"

"Okay no more talking!" Ragnarok said emerging from Crona in his black dragon form. "Just hurry up, Crona and grab your little girlfriend so we can get it over with and get back to fighting this jackass!" both Maka and Crona blushed heavily at the mention of 'girlfriend' before Crona shook his head and gathered Maka into his arms, bridal style, and taking off from the ship, just as Bluebeard had pulled himself out of the rubble.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY!" He roared as he tried to take off after them. WROING! A pair of rubber arms ensnared the dragon-man, preventing him from flying off, before he noticed Luffy holding him back.

"You're not going anywhere." He grinned before swinging Bluebeard back onto the deck with a WHAM! "Now get up and fight us!"

"Luffy?" Soul then spoke up.

"What is it?"

"I think I have an idea on how to beat this guy."

XXX

Crona continued to drift through the air, carrying Maka in his arms, which for as skinny as they were, seemed surprisingly strong, since Maka couldn't help but feel completely safe as he held her.

"Hey look!" she then pointed to a shape approaching them.

"SUNNY!" the two of them said as they drew closer to the ship, and they could see the rest of the crew gathered on deck.

"CRONA! MAKA!" Nami called as they landed and Crona gently laid Maka on the deck. "What are you doing here? Where're Luffy and Soul?!"

"They're still fighting Bluebeard but…" Crona voice trailed off as he saw a familiar face. "Black Star?"

"In the flesh, buddy." The assassin grinned as Maka and Crona stared at him, but he was caught off guard when the latter hugged him.

"We thought you were dead!"

"Come on use your head, Pinky. It takes more than a cliff to make a big star like me fall." Black Star grinned as he returned the hug. "Aren't you gonna get over here too, Maka? You're usually the first to run up and hug someone when you're happy to see them."

"I would, but not before chopping you first for scaring me like that." Maka grinned. "But then I can't exactly get up with a smashed leg and a few cracked ribs."

"What do you mean, Maka?!" Tsubaki asked.

"Bluebeard got a hold of her and hurt her. Luffy and I were trapped under the mast of his ship and he threw Soul overboard. We were lucky that Soul managed to get back onto the ship in time and stop him from ripping out Maka's throat. He then told me to get her to safety while he and Luffy held Bluebeard off."

"I'm sorry." Maka apologised shamefully. "I screwed everything up."

"Maka you didn't-" Spike tried to speak.

"YES I DID! If I hadn't been so reckless I wouldn't have got hurt. How's Soul gonna fight without me. What if he gets hurt again?! Every time I screw up, someone I hold dear gets hurt: Soul, Black Star, Crona. I'm…wea-" Crona embraced Maka in a tight hug before she could say the last word.

"Stop it. Don't you dare say another negative thing about yourself" Maka's eyes widened at the mention of the words she said to Crona when he tried to run away after being forced to betray his friends. "Just because other people put themselves before you doesn't make you weak. It's cause they care about you because you're so kind and understanding and accepting of anyone you want to care about. And if those people get hurt protecting you, you take full responsibility for everything and then…you end up getting hurt yourself, and in turn you hurt the people who care about you. So please…don't say bad things about yourself. You're hurting the woman I care about." Maka gasped as her green eyes met his grey ones before they began to water.

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed hugging him again. Crona smiled as he returned her hug, nestling her head against his pink hair.

"Take care of her, Chopper. I'm counting on you." He then said.

"I'll have her fixed in a jiffy, Crona." the reindeer smiled.

"I believe in you." Crona said. "I need to get back to Luffy and Soul."

"You'll need to hurry, Crona. A monsoon's on its way. The sea's gonna get really rough in ten minutes."

"Right. I won't be long. But you should probably follow me so you can pick us up."

"Crona. Please, don't go back there." Maka said grabbing his robe. "I can't lose you again!"

"You won't." Crona smiled placing his hand on her cheek. "I've always had faith in you, Maka. But this time you need to have faith in me. And don't worry; I'll have Luffy and Soul with me, plus you really did a number on him." "Come on, Crona, you can deal with this. Be brave, be brave." His inner voice said before he gently leaned in and quickly kissed Maka on the lips, causing both of them to blush heavily. Nami's face split into a wide open smile and she had to cover her mouth so she wouldn't squeal at what she'd just seen. "I'll never leave you." Crona said before taking off from the Sunny. Maka reached as he flew away, before touching her lips, her cheeks stained pink.

"Still think you're just friends~?" Nami said teasingly as she knelt beside Maka. The scythe meister only smiled. "I didn't think so."

XXX

After Crona had flown off with Maka, Soul explained to Luffy what his plan was.

"How are you saying we beat this guy?" Luffy asked as he and Soul dodged Bluebeard's attacks.

"When we met back in the bar a few days ago, when Maka read your souls, yours was on the same level as hers."

"The same level?"

"Yes. It means that your wavelength is almost identical to Maka's, and that means you may be able to wield me."

"You mean use you in battle?! But I'm not a meister! And I can barely handle a sword, let alone a scythe!"

"You don't need experience with a demon weapon in order to wield it. As long as you can match your wavelength with the weapon you can wield any of them. Our teacher, Professor Stein is an example. He can bend his soul and wavelength to any compatible form. Since your wavelength's compatible to mine, you'll be able to wield me like a professional. Like you've wielded a scythe all your life."

"Are you serious?!"

"Do I sound like I'm not?!"

"No."

"Then let's do this!" Soul grinned before morphing into his weapon form. "Okay, pick me up." Luffy looked at the weapon before he reached down and touched it. Instantly on contact, he felt a surge of power flow through which made him jump. And then, almost on instinct, his fingers clenched around the scythe as he lifted it up with ease as though it were a stick. "Perfect. The fact you can lift me show's your compatible. Black Star once tried to use me and couldn't even lift me an inch."

"But Black Star's just as muscular as Zoro." Luffy said in shock.

"Exactly, which shows I'm right. Now let's try soul resonance. It's when we match our wavelength so they're in synch and unlock more power."

"How do I do that?"

"You have to relax and be of one mind. Envision our souls merging into one, and concentrate."

"…Okay, let's try it."

"Right. One…Two…Three!"

"LET'S GO! SOUL RESONANCE!" they both shouted, before in their subconscious their souls sparked and began to connect. "HAAAAAAAAAA~!" Luffy's eyes widened and his body tensed with unimaginable strength.

"THE POWER!" he roared, until he suddenly gasped and everything went black.

XXX

"…Where am I…?" Luffy found himself standing in a dark void, the blackness almost swallowing him. "Soul?!" but he heard no reply, until he heard a rather smug chuckle.

"Hm-Hm-Hm. Well this is new." It said.

"Who's there?! Show yourself Bluebeard!"

"Oh I'm not your enemy. At least I hope I'm not." The voice said.

"Then who are you?! Put some damn lights on. I can't see a thing!"

"Oh testy aren't we. You're in quite a hurry to get back to the fight."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Very well. It is about time we make acquaintances." With that several lamps lit up, illuminating the room Luffy now found himself in. A piano, some black drapes, a floor with black-and-red checker tiles, and a phonograph playing smooth jazz music is all he can see before him. However, the record appears to be skipping, causing the music to repeat itself at certain points. Plus Luffy soon noticed he was dressed in a black suit over a long sleeved red shirt and black tie, as well as a long pair of black trousers (A.N. - the outfit he wore in Strong World, but without the Captain's coat). The Straw-Hat captain looked around the room.

"Where are you?"

"I'm right here." The voice said quickly, causing Luffy to wheel round and his eyes widened.

"What the…" Sitting on a nearby table, was a small creature, no bigger than Chopper and appeared to be male. He had blood red skin, a large nose and pointed ears. A pair of right-angled horns protruded from his head, a mouthful of sharp teeth and bulbous eyes framed by a pair of connected black circles making it look like some sort of thief mask. He wore a simple double-breasted black suit with white buttons and lastly he had very long, gangly arms which reached his feet, complete with a pair of big hands with black fingernails. His overall image was that of a common devil or demon. His right leg was crossed over his left knee and his arms lay crossed over his right leg.

"Hello, Luffy." he greeted him politely with a wide grin.

"Wha…who are you? What are you? How do you know my name?" Luffy asked, completely puzzled.

"What am I? Well I'm a simple inner demon that everybody has. Now who am I? There's a tricky question to put into words. I guess you could say I'm Soul, but then I'm not."

"Huh? You're Soul."

"Partly. Remember Crona told you about how Maka can use black blood because Soul's body contains traces of it? I am the result of the black blood that courses through his veins. I'm a part of his conscious and he is a part of mine. The two of us are partners you see; the kind that can never be separated even if you bled him dry and refilled him again. Two minds in single body. That's why you're half right; I am Soul but at the same time, I'm not. It's complicated I know, I hope I'm not confusing you." Luffy stared at the little demon before pounding his fist into his palm.

"Oh! So you're a mystery demon!"

"I…yes I guess you could say I am." He said. "Yep. I have confused him." He then thought.

"So then what do you do exactly?" Luffy asked.

"I supply Maka and Soul with power because when the black blood is activated in resonance, that's when I come out to play and sometimes I get to play with the rest of his little gang during chain resonance, which is when two meister and weapon pairs resonate together."

"Don't you think you've confused him enough, dude?" the two turned to see none other than Soul standing in the doorway, dressed in a pin-striped black suit with a red dress shirt, black tie, and matching black shoes. His hair wasn't in his headband though.

"Soul!" Luffy said. "What is this?! Where are we?!"

"Inside my soul." Soul stated. "I'm sure Little Demon's already told you about himself. See I forgot to mention that. See before, this guy used to try and push me and Maka into the madness using the black blood. He almost did once, until Maka neutralised him because of her anti-demon wavelength. Unfortunately you don't have that which is why when you first resonated with me the black blood overpowered you."

"So what does that mean?" Luffy asked. "How do we get out of here? What's going on back outside?! Am I unconscious?! Bluebeard'll kill us!"

"…No you're conscious but…" Soul tried to say.

"I could just show you." Little Demon spoke up before he walked over to a pair of curtains in the room and pulled the cord, causing them to spread open. Luffy gasped at what he saw. He could see himself standing in front of Bluebeard, holding Soul in one hand and he was giggling manically, his usually friendly grin was now so wide and twisted, it took up half of his face from his chin to his eyes which were bugging out of his skull with a glazed look. His hat had fallen off his head and lay on the deck, while his black hair was now a lot wilder.

"What are you laughing at, boy?!" Bluebeard snarled before he swiped at 'Luffy' who ducked and with a strong swing of his scythe, WHAM! caught the dragon-man square in the stomach and sent him shooting towards the very end of the galleon. The boy stabbed the head of Soul into the deck and perched on the pole like a monkey, still giggling until he stared to where he'd sent Bluebeard, his hand above his brow.

"WHOOOOO HE FLEEEEWW~!" 'Luffy' cooed before he went back to giggling. "Shishishishishishi~!"

"What the hell's happened to me?" Luffy said in complete shock.

"It's madness remember?" Little demon said. "It prevents you from feeling anything, especially fear. But it also makes you reckless." At that moment Bluebeard came flying at 'Luffy' and stabbed him in the gut, but his claws barely got more than an inch into his flesh. 'Luffy's' mad grin only widened as he picked up Soul and smacked Bluebeard off him with the weapon as though he were a fly before touching his small wound and smiling drunkenly at the slick black fluid on his palm.

"Hey it's black~ Like my hair~ So pretty~!" he slurred.

"If you don't get back to your body. You'll be stuck like that." Soul said nervously.

"Dammit this is bad. We gotta get outta here!" Luffy said.

"Yeah but ho?. This isn't like with Maka. And you don't have an anti-demon wavelength."

"Well there may be a way." Little Demon spoke gaining the men's attention. "You may not have an anti-demon wavelength, but there is something else you have that represents your will. It's the strength of will that helps one overcome madness and learns to control it."

"Okay so what is this thing that represents Luffy's will? If it's not a wavelength, what is it?"

"Well that I don't know. I've never felt this type of power before." But it was then that Luffy suddenly realised what it was they were talking about.

"My haki."

"Your what?" Soul asked.

"Haki. It's a type of power that every living creature in my world has. Though it can only be used when the person awakens it. There are three types, but the third is said to be possessed by only a select group in world. Blizzard and I are two of that group."

"So what you're saying is that third Haki is what represents your will?" Soul asked.

"Yes. It allows me to overpower the wills of others, but I think this time I can use it to overpower the madness."

"That's so crazy-" Soul said.

"-it just, might, work." Little Demon finished with a grin.

XXX

Crona glided through the air as he made his way back to the galleon to aid Luffy and Soul. The Sunny was just behind him.

"Hey there's Bluebeard's ship!" Mark pointed.

"And there's Luffy!" Usopp said. But as the Sunny pulled up near the galleon, the crew noticed something was off with their captain.

"Luffy?" Nami said worriedly as she saw her beloved giggling manically as he swung Soul madly at Bluebeard, who desperately tried to dodge the weapon.

"Is he wielding Soul?!" Spike said in astonishment.

"How is he doing that?!" Shino said.

"But Luffy's not a meister!" Franky said.

"No. But his soul wavelength is compatible with Soul's." Maka said, the scythe meister was heavily bandaged around her stomach and her leg was in a cast. "Everyone has a wavelength, and if it's compatible with a weapon's wavelength, then you're able to wield it. Zoro for example would be able to wield Tsubaki because his and Black Star's wavelengths are similar, due to their strength, ambition, determination and desire to protect their friends." The assassin and swordsman glanced at each other."

"But then why's Luffy acting like that?" Chopper said as he pointed at his captain. Maka looked towards 'Luffy' and gasped at what she saw.

"No."

"Why, what's happening to him?!" Nami said.

"He's fallen under the madness." Crona said as he landed on deck. "He must have resonated with Soul and the black blood must have driven him mad. The person you're looking at isn't Luffy."

"Then where is he?!" Sanji shouted.

"He's trapped inside himself. He'll only be free if he can overcome the madness. But he'll need time to do it. I'll hold off Bluebeard. Black Star, I need you to restrain Luffy with your puppet shadows."

"I'm on it. Tsubaki enchanted sword mode."

"Right." She said before morphing and as Black Star held her, the wavy black markings appeared on his face. A few seconds passed before three of the spindly stickmen appeared on the deck of the galleon.

"Shadow…shadow…~" they slurred and wrapped 'Luffy' up with their arms.

"HEY STOP THAT TICKLES~!" 'Luffy' laughed.

"It seems your friends have turned on you, Straw-hat." Bluebeard sneered. "NOW DIE!" CLANG! As he tried to lob 'Luffy's' head off with his claws, they were blocked by Crona who was now standing in front of him.

"Miss us?" Ragnarok said mockingly.

"YOU." Bluebeard growled. "You will pay for devouring Naomi!" Crona leapt back from Bluebeard before lifting his sword.

"You shouldn't have hurt Maka. I'll make you regret it…Scream resonance." He said sinisterly.

"BEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Ragnarok shrieked before Crona brought him down a deadly arch.

"SCREECH ALPHA!" SLASH! The black, chomping cloud burst from the sword and shot towards Bluebeard who managed to jump over it. SKISH! He managed to slash Crona across the chest, momentarily knocking him back, but the demon swordsman managed to keep his balance, before bending back forward to reveal a smile across his lips.

"Uh-oh, you've made me bleed." He murmured with an undertone of mirth. "Bloody pincushion!" PIERCE! Long black spikes burst from Crona's body and stabbed Bluebeard across his front, causing him to roar in pain and breathe a cloud of fire at Crona who dived out of the way. Crona then turned his gaze to 'Luffy' who was still bound giggling. "Come on, Luffy. We need you back." He thought.

XXX

Back inside the black room, soul was now sitting at the piano in the middle of the room while Luffy was sitting beside him with his legs crossed and his eyes closed. Little Demon was perched on the table waiting for the show to begin.

"Ready, Luffy? Once I start playing, you tap into that haki thing of yours and try and blend it in with my music. If you can pull that off, it should neutralise the madness and get you back in your body."

"Ready." Luffy replied, before Soul flexed his fingers and began to play the piano. Luffy listened intently as he relaxed his body, before he felt his haki activate and move with the rhythm of Soul's song. As his eyes remained closed, he began to see a light and could hear several voices. The voices of his crew and his new friends calling him.

"Luffy…Luffy…Luffy…~"

XXX

He opened his eyes to find himself sitting on the deck, bound by three puppet shadows and just in front of him was Crona, locked in combat with Bluebeard.

"Crona? Wait…Soul we're back!" he said as he saw the scythe lying next to him.

"Yeah we made it."

"LUFFY!" the captain turned his head to see the Sunny not too far away from the galleon.

"GUYS!" he cried at the sight of his crew and friends. The puppets then released him before sinking back into the shadows.

"Good to see you got your head back on straight, Luffy!" Zoro grinned.

"You looked like you were on the ultimate sugar rush!" Sanji laughed.

"Sorry about the shadows, buddy. I had to keep you out of trouble 'till you got back!" Black Star snickered. Luffy grinned back before standing up, placing his hat back on his head and retrieving Soul.

"Okay, let's try this again." he said before running at Bluebeard. The dragon-man saw the boy coming before he grabbed the nearby fallen mast.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU BOTH!" He roared. CRASH! He smashed the mast against Luffy and Crona sending both young men flying backwards and off the ship.

"CRONA! GET LUFFY! HE CAN'T SWIM!" Nami cried. Crona then sprouted his wings before grabbing Luffy by the waist before he hit the water and lifting him into the air. But it was then that Maka suddenly got an idea.

"Guys, it may not seem like it, but Bluebeard has the upper hand while on his ship. We need to destroy it. Then he'll be forced to go in the air, where Crona'll have the upper hand, he's a much better flyer than Bluebeard.

"Way ahead of you, Maka." Usopp grinned before he ran up to the figure head and lifted the steps to reveal a cockpit within. The, figurehead opened its mouth and a cannon emerged from it. "Target locked!" he declared. "Prepared to fire!"

"GUYS STAY IN THE AIR!" Maka called to Luffy and Crona who nodded.

"HEY BLUEBEARD~!" Black Star yelled. The dragon-man turned to see the Sunny's cannon facing him, a blue orb of light beginning to build within it, before he noticed Black Star, Shino and Kid standing on the figurehead grinning at him. The former was pointing his sword at him in a sideways stance, the blade had grown longer and was coated by a deep red aura and kanji carvings, with a shadow puppet wrapping its arms around the blade creating a distinctive zigzag pattern, though the puppet seemed to have a different head which was more oval shaped with a pair of small eye holes and a curved ponytail that resembled Tsubaki's. It is revealed that it's actually Tsubaki herself who's taken the form of the puppet to assist Black Star. Kid was armed with a pair of gigantic golden death cannons connected by a beam of metal and supported by two large stands in the shape of Lord Death's mask and the young reaper himself had connected all three lines in his hair. Shino had morphed Spike into her scythe form but was pointing the opposite end of the pole where a large purple wolf head had formed and a violet aura was emanating within its maw.

"Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of whoop-ass~! FIRE!" Black Star laughed.

"GAON CANNON! FIRE!" Usopp let out a battle cry as he pulled the leaver.

"SANZU DEATH CANNON!" Kid roared.

"PUPPET THRUST!" Black Star yelled.

"MOON HOWLER!" Shino commanded. KABLOOOOOW! KABLAAAAAAM! KRRRRRZZZZT! AWOOOOOOOOO! A barrage of deadly beams of air, wavelength and shadow shot with light sped towards the galleon. Bluebeard gasped in shock before taking off just before the entourage of attacks completely obliterated his ship until there wasn't even a splinter of it left.

"MY SHIP!" Bluebeard screamed. The occupants of the Sunny smiled victoriously. Usopp, Chopper, Black Star and Patty were all jumping up and down, with their eyes sparkling.

"AWESOOOOOOOME~!" they cheered.

"Hey is that a star?" Blair pointed. The group looked up to see something glowing about twenty feet above them. It is revealed to be Luffy, who's entire being is glowing with adoration, his eyes watering and sparkling and his mouth drooling.

"Luffy what's happening to you?!" Crona said his eyes squinted from the light.

"BEAMS~! BEAMS EVERYWHERE~!" Luffy sobbed joyfully at the spectacle that had just occurred. But then almost instantly the wind began to pick up and large waves began to form, before a huge burst of rain poured down on them all.

"No! The monsoon's here! GUYS YOU HAVE TO FINISH THIS BEFORE WE CAPSIZE!" Nami called.

"You. ALL OF YOU!" Bluebeard snarled in a voice that completely surpassed anger, fury and downright rage. "I WON'T LOSE TO THE LIKES OF YOU FREAKS! I BURN YOU ALL ALIVE!" He then flew towards the Sunny, preparing to set the ship aflame. BAM! His gut was met a haki-coated fist knocking him away from the Sunny, before he turned to see Luffy and Crona glaring at him, the former still holding Soul in his grasp and the latter still holding Luffy securely, Ragnarok's wings beating at the air.

"You won't touch any of them. This ends NOW!" Luffy roared as the pair flew at Bluebeard.

"CHAIN RESONANCE!" Luffy, Soul, Crona and Ragnarok all yelled in unison, before they became enveloped in an azure blue aura. Luffy reeled Soul back, before the scythe's head morphed into a large jagged red crystal blade with golden patterns, and where Soul's eye should have been, was the Straw-Hat insignia. What's more black blood then began to seep over Luffy before morphing into a large black Captain's coat, the Epaulette (those fancy shoulder pieces) replaced with two Ragnarok heads and his hat was also dyed black by the blood and the brim grew longer and more pointed so it looked more like Mihawk's.

"PIRATE HUNTER~!" Luffy thundered in time with the storm as he shot at Bluebeard. SLASH! In a single sweep he sliced through the dragon-man and shot several feet passed him before stopping in mid-air and waited for the aftermath. Bluebeard still remained in the air as he looked rather surprised, until he noticed a large gash began to spread across his torso which continued to widen before his body split in two.

"My crew…I'm coming…." He whispered before his body too, turned jet black and twisted away leaving his soul behind. It was official. Jules 'Bluebeard' Blake: devourer of the occupants of True Blood island…was no more.

To be continued…

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