Lest Ye Become The Monster

by GamerDame

Monsters & demons are an unfortunate danger in this world. They prey on the scared & defenseless. But Abel is neither. A self-proclaimed monster hunter, she seeks to understand the enemy to equip others to save themselves. But she may have to leave the East Blue to achieve this. Where will she find a crew crazy enough to carry her on her fool's errand? Slow burn OCXZoro

21. Revival of a Thousand Year Legend

Hey guys. I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. Mine was pretty uneventful. I had to work, but it was only half a shift, then I went out to eat with my Mom. It was a little different, though, since this was our first Thanksgiving since my Dad died in February. All the "firsts" are hard after you lose someone, & all ours are at the end of the year. His first birthday, the first Thanksgiving & Christmas. I think this upcoming Christmas & New Years will be the hardest, especially for my Mom, because Christmas was the last holiday we spent together, & New Years Day was when we put my Dad on a ventilator. Hopefully any of you dealing with the same things find something to turn to to help get you through the days. I know it can be tough some times, but things always get better. Maybe just not in the way we want.

Anyways, on a less depressing note, I only have 2 more weeks of class then I graduate on the 18th. Super excited about that. I'll be done with school FOREVER!

And on a story-related note, anyone who sent me a request for ATG should have it now. Sorry I've been slacking on responding to my messages. I've always been bad about that (email, text, calls, etc.).

Warnings: Language & Violence

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. I only own my original additions. This story is for entertainment purposes.

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Now that they knew what to expect, escaping from the strange sea around Not-Lost Island wasn't as difficult as getting in. It was still tense, but at least they weren't caught unprepared this time. Abel secretly wondered if Apis' ancestors left more for the terrible location than for the dragons. Not exactly prime real estate... unless you're a hermit. This time, though, Sanji and Zoro got to experience the mirage first-hand. Their reactions were the same as the rest of the crew's the first time they saw it. Sheer shock. Having a mirror image of yourself randomly appearing from nowhere was understandably freaky. But they passed through as easily as last time. "We're out!" Luffy declared happily.

"That was weird..." Sanji admitted, nervously glancing back. Watching the ship and crew slowly disappearing into thin air wasn't something he wanted to experience again.

However, Abel was more concerned with what was awaiting them on the other side. "How nice of the Marines to wait patiently for our return," she drawled with mock cheer. "It's refreshing to see enemies with some breeding for a change." Not that Abel blamed them for not wanting to chase after the Going Merry after its vanishing act. They'd probably been waiting patiently for that swirlie-head Marine to report back.

"Unfurl the sails!" Nami said urgently. "We'll escape while we've caught them off guard!"

The crew quickly followed her orders, as Usopp and Abel climbed the rigging to open the sails. The wind snapped them open with an audible pop, and the ship took off. From her perch on the mast, Abel saw the Marines scrambling to their positions to get their ships moving again, but they'd caught them off guard. Larger ships took longer to get going from a standstill.

Leaving the Marines in their wake, Usopp taunted, "Eat our sails!" With her feet on the deck again, Abel tossed the sniper a bemused look. It was endlessly amusing how, as the distance between him and an enemy increased, so to did Usopp's bravery. Not that she could really fault him on that. She also preferred to keep as much distance between herself and a potential threat as possible. Still watching the fleet grow smaller on the horizon, Usopp laughed, "You'll never catch up to us ya' lolly-gagging slow-pokes!"

"The Going Merry is faster and more agile than bulky Marine warships," Nami said calmly before her expression became tense. "But once we stop at Warship Island, they're going to catch up." She frowned at the crew. "Guys, what're we going to do then? Do we even have a plan?"

"We'll be okay!" Luffy replied.

A vein throbbed on Nami's forehead. "Oh yeah!? How!?" They were on the run and had no plan whatsoever!

Luffy grinned back at her. He explained simply, "All we have to do is find the dragons' nest and then Grandpa Ryu will get better and help us out."

"Easier said than done," Sanji interjected. "The nest could be at the bottom of the ocean, for all we know."

"We'll search the bottom of the ocean then!" Luffy decided, undaunted.

Still brooding from earlier, Zoro growled, "That's big talk for someone who can't swim..."

But rather than outright dismissing Luffy's plan, oversimplified as it was, Abel admitted it had some merit. "Conceivably, portions of Warship Island could have been swallowed up by rising tides over the years. Just as there were caves in the mountain, there could be could similar caves underwater. It's just a matter of finding them."

Nami thought it over, and Abel's reasoning made sense. But how were they supposed to search the ocean around the island before the Marines caught up? "Let's just get back to Warship Island first," she stated. "We'll work this out and hopefully avoid any entanglement with the Marines."

"Nami-san." For once, Sanji sounded completely serious while saying Nami's name. Grave, even. This alone was enough to catch Abel's attention. "It doesn't look like that's going to be an option..."

Abel nearly frowned when she saw what had Sanji feeling so pessimistic. Straight ahead was a large, ornate warship. A golden ogre's head glared at them from the bow, its maw wide open, and an impressive cannon jutting out from its forehead like a unicorn's horn. Even more cannons lined the sides. Three large cabins protruded from the deck, giving the ship the appearance of a floating pagoda. Abel saw the three "8"s painted on the sails. The same branch as the fleet behind them. The one chasing after Apis and the Elixir of Immortality. I'd wager that's the fleet's flagship... meaning whoever's in charge is aboard, Abel reasoned. Guess they got tired of waiting for results and deemed a hands-on approach necessary.

"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly. "Cool! It's like a gargoyle!" That was one badass ship.

"Hey," Zoro chided, trying to get Luffy to realize this was an enemy.

As if the flagship alone wasn't enough, another fleet of ships fanned out from behind. This made the fleet that had already been chasing them look like a half-assed attempt. "You've gotta be kidding me!" Sanji gasped.

"What? Did the Marines bring every ship in their whole damn fleet after us," Zoro grumbled.

"Because they clearly don't have better things to do... like fight real crime," Abel commented. She was beginning to be thankful that Labyrinthe Isle had its own military force so the Marines had never been needed. Marines actually doing their job of protecting the helpless seemed few and far between, with most of them more concerned about pursuing their own agendas at others' expenses.

The ships fanned out, circling the Going Merry and blocking them in on all sides. If they wanted to escape, they'd have to fight their way through. But as if that wasn't enough, once the ships were all in position, huge metal chainlinks shot from their sides, connecting to the neighboring ship. If Abel had to guess, she'd estimate the width of each chain to be as big as her thigh. The Marine ships and chains had created a wall around the pirate ship four chains thick. When all was said and done, the fleet had boxed them in, effectively cut off all means of escape.

"What now!?" Apis whimpered, clutching the upper railing in apprehension. "They have us blocked off!"

Abel's mind processed the situation. There's absolutely no way we can fight off this many men. Seriously, each ship had to have at least a hundred sailors on board. Escape is our only option. And the simplest means would be to break through at one of the gaps. If we focus on one area and hit it with everything, we'll only have to overpower one ship. That's far more manageable. Abel studied the chains. She turned sharply to Luffy, Zoro and Sanji. "I should be capable of disabling the mechanism holding the chains in place on one of the ships, if you think you can raise a little hell to keep the Marines occupied." She finished with a smirk, already knowing that the trio was always ready to create chaos.

Zoro smirked. "Doesn't sound too bad to me," he agreed, hand already going for his swords. Luffy and Sanji looked similarly eager.

"Red, Usopp. Can you defend the ship on your own?" Abel asked. "Ensure she doesn't take any stray damage?" Abel hardly expected the ships to not fire on the Going Merry. Hopefully, however, the dragon they carted was valuable enough to the Marines that they wouldn't outright blow the ship up.

"Yeah! Leave it to us!" Usopp agreed, ecstatic that he wasn't going to have to directly fight the Marines.

Apis, however, didn't seem as confident. "Wait! Are you serious!?" she gasped. "There's no way you can make it, no matter how hard you try!" It seemed reckless to take the Marines head-on. They were grossly outnumbered.

Before the girl could protest more, Nami placed a calming hand on her shoulder. Apis' head whipped around, and she nearly gasped at how Nami just smiled calmly down at her. She actually agreed with this plan? "It's okay, Apis," Nami said gently, speaking in the same manner she had back in the temple. "Things'll work out." Apis could only gape. How could someone have this much confidence, even in the midst of such a dire situation?

Casting one more reassuring smile Apis' way, Nami turned to the others and added, "But make it quick, you guys." No need to drag this out.

"You can count on me, Nami-san!" Sanji boasted.

"All right! Let's go!" Luffy cheered. He was finally going to get to raid a Marine ship. He was part of a boarding party! How awesome was that?

With their plan agreed on, Nami manned the helm, keeping the Going Merry heading in a straight line. The ships opened fire, cannonballs whistling through the air and splashing into the water around the pirate vessel. Sprays of water shot up, dowsing the crew. The eruptions rocked the ship, but they stayed on course. It was only because of the Going Merry's speed that the Marines weren't able to get a proper bead on them. All the while, their captain laughed gaily, sounding more like a kid at a carnival than a pirate about to raid a government ship. It's comforting knowledge that Luffy will always back even our most foolhardy plans, Abel thought as she prepared herself to board the enemy's ship.

From behind her, Abel heard Usopp gasp, "Apis! It's dangerous out here! Now go back inside!"

Abel wasn't all that surprised to see the precocious child had tripped on the deck. Nor was she surprised when the girl said, "I can't leave Grandpa Ryu all by himself!" As she ran to the back of the ship, Usopp followed after her, yelling about the danger.

That raft is likely the safest place on this ship now, Abel thought, not overly concerned about the girl. The dragon was the whole reason for their assault - they wouldn't harm it.

Two particularly well-aimed cannonballs crashed into the water behind them, causing the waves to surge violently. Abel grasped the bulwark as the Going Merry tilted dangerously forward as the back end got thrown up. As the ship righted itself, just as turbulently, she heard something crash into the deck below. Glancing back, Abel discovered Usopp sprawled in a pile on the lower deck. Jumping to his feet, the sniper held his head. "They got us!" he shouted, and Abel wondered if he truly thought they'd been hit or if he was just being melodramatic. "They circled around and attacked from behind! Sanji!" Usopp ran over to the unconcerned blond, who happened to be the closest person to him. "We've been hit!" he pleaded. "Sanji!" Naturally, Sanji paid the theatrics no mind. Not that this ever discouraged Usopp. He just continued running around the deck, crying about their doom.

Quickly growing tired of his pointless shouting, Sanji eventually snapped, "Pipe down, will ya'? We haven't been hit."

Usopp gaped up at the cook. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

Usopp sighed, deflating faster than a popped balloon. "I'm saved..." he groaned. His tone quickly changed, however. Glaring at the four on the upper deck, he asked, "Who was the one going around saying we'd been hit, anyway?"

"That was you," Zoro drawled, making Usopp flinch. Talk about a lame attempt to save face...

From the figurehead, Luffy warned (somehow with a bright smile still on his face), "Cannonball coming this way!"

"I can't do any more than this!" Nami replied, doing her best to steer the ship out of the line of the shots. But this cannonball was coming in directly from the side. She couldn't move the ship fast enough to avoid it.

"Perhaps you should intervene, Boss," Abel suggested.

"I'm on it!" Leaping from his seat, Luffy ran across the bulwark until he was directly in line with the cannonball currently whistling towards them. "Gum-Gum..." Luffy took a deep breath. "... Balloon!" His body inflated. Acting like a weird human-airbag, the cannonball hit Luffy in the stomach before bouncing harmlessly back towards the ship that had fired it. It hit the ship's mast, breaking it and sending the crew into a panic. Or perhaps that was just from seeing Luffy's strange talent. Either way, it meant one less ship to worry about.

However, it now seemed that they'd have an even bigger problem on their hands. Likely in retaliation for breaking one of their ships, a klaxon rang from the flagship. Since it was behind the wall of ships blocking them in, Abel couldn't see exactly what was going on, but she did see Marines scurrying about like ants. The Marines ominously wheeled out a ridiculously large cannon from one of the cabins, no doubt aiming it straight at them. "Here comes the big guns," Abel warned calmly.

"What is that!?" Nami cried, eyeing the cannon with trepidation. "A direct hit from that and our ship'll be blown to shreds!"

Undaunted, even in the face of such impressive artillery, Luffy replied, "We'll be fine. I'll just bounce it back."

"I'd belay that if I were you, Boss," Abel interrupted, examining the cannon from a distance. "Trying to deflect a shell of that size and velocity with your own body would be like tilting at a windmill."

"Huh?" Luffy stared blankly at the woman, not understanding the expression.

"It would be really bad," Abel repeated more plainly.

"Oh." Why did she just say that in the first place?

Behind them, Nami snapped, "We need a more permanent solution!" They had to get the ship close enough for them to board, but to do that they needed to stay alive. Preferably with as few holes as possible. Pointing at Luffy and Zoro, Nami ordered, "I'll turn the ship around! You two work the rear sail!"

"Got it!"

Abel, however, wasn't so certain Nami's plan would work. Even if it missed, a shell of that size would create enough force when it hit the water that they'd only be safe if they were far enough away. And Abel doubted they could get far enough away. Instead, she had another idea. Sidling up to Usopp, Abel asked, "Usopp, do you believe you can hit their cannon with our own?"

Usopp blinked, surprised by the random question. He glanced between their cannon and the one currently threatening them. The difference in sizes was unfathomable. "What good would it do? Ours are like peashooters compared to theirs."

"Says the man who uses a slingshot to take on men with guns," Abel pointed out, resulting in an insecure blush falling across Usopp's face. Pressing, Abel continued, "I realize we couldn't stop the cannon once it does fire, but if we prevent it from firing in the first place..." She trailed off, letting Usopp put the pieces together.

The sniper considered it. When Abel put it that way, it didn't sound nearly so farfetched. "Like when that Fullbody Marine tried to fire at us..." he said, drawing parallels. When that Fullbody creep had tried to shoot them with a damaged cannon, it had backfired... literally. Maybe they could force the same thing to happen here.

Determination etched across his face, Usopp nodded to himself before pulled his goggles down. Rolling a cannon over, Usopp lined up the shot. He'd have to aim high to clear the distance. "You like shooting cannons?" he growled to himself, psyching himself up for the shot of his life. "All right, you bunch of Marine thugs. I got a shot for ya'. Eat this!" Usopp fired the cannon. As pretty as you pleased, the cannonball flew through the air, clearing the other warships and sailing straight into the cannon's gaping maw.

At the same time, the flagship fired their cannon. But the funny thing is, cannons (and any propulsion system in general) are very delicate contraptions. Mess up one system, and the entire thing blows up in your face. So when they tried to fire the cannon, it blew up. Abel suspected that Usopp's shot had damaged the intricate system required to load such a massive shell. As smoke billowed up, Abel clapped Usopp on the shoulder and congratulated, "Excellent shot."

Usopp beamed, rightly proud of his impressive feat of cannoneering. "How'd that medicine go down, fellas!?" he taunted. "That's what happens when you get served a heaping helping of Usopp payback!"

"Big talk for someone who got lucky," Sanji dismissed.

"You're full of it," Zoro agreed.

Usopp whirled around, sneering at the two naysayers. "What!? That was pure skill! Luck had nothing to do with it! Learn the difference!"

Before the arguing could progress further, Apis thankfully intervened. "You're amazing, Usopp!" she exclaimed. Abel spotted the girl on the raft, clutching protectively to Grandpa Ryu. She grinned and gave Usopp a big thumbs-up. Usopp returned the gesture, glad that some people appreciated his skill.

"It'll be fine." Abel glanced at Luffy to see whom the boy was talking to. She was slightly surprised to see him gazing kindly down at the dragon. Reassuringly, he said, "Don't worry, okay? All you have to do is keep protecting Apis. We'll do the rest." Given the way Grandpa Ryu stared back at Luffy, Abel suspected he understood what Luffy was saying. Again, she wondered if Luffy somehow knew what the dragon was thinking, or if he was just being intuitive. Dense as he may be, Luffy did seem very adept at reading people's true feelings. Perhaps that talent extended to animals. Abel wanted to ask, but she suspected Luffy wouldn't give her a satisfying answer even if he could.

Abel wasn't the only one who noticed Luffy's one-sided conversation. "Hey. Who're you talking to?" Usopp asked curiously.

"Grandpa Ryu." Luffy didn't notice the odd look Usopp gave him then.

"Now's our chance," Nami interrupted as she exited the galley. "If we act quickly, we can cut through their barricade and clear a path out of here." In the chaos, the Marines had halted their assault. But they needed to act quickly before they could recover.

"Agreed," Abel said.

Turning to their captain, Zoro asked, "Luffy?"

"Leave it to me!" Winding his arm up like a pro pitcher, Luffy stretched his arm across the sea. His hand latched on to the side of the Marine ships. Zoro quickly climbed on top of Luffy's outstretched arm, followed by Sanji and Abel. It was a rather odd sensation, standing atop Luffy's arm like that. But for all his rubbery consistency, Luffy's arm felt solid enough beneath their feet. Better than a tightrope, at least. Abel followed behind Zoro and Sanji, letting them clear out the Marines nearby before boarding the ship. She wasn't entirely sure how she was going to dismantle the chain system, at least not until she saw what she had to work with, but it'd be a lot easier if she didn't have Marines breathing down her neck. Abel hoped the guys would draw their attention.

As soon as her feet touched the deck, Abel was already ducking. She'd learned it was a good idea to always watch your head when Luffy was around. Sure enough, no sooner than the trio was on board, Luffy's body sailed over Abel's head. Unfortunately, watching your head wasn't something Zoro had internalized yet, because he took the full force of Luffy's impact straight to his chest. The two slammed into one of the cabins, slumping to the deck. Oblivious to the glare Zoro gave him as he lay sprawled across Zoro's lap, Luffy grinned and said, "Nice catch!" Zoro made a grating noise, indicating irritation without forming real words.

"Enough bonding, boys," Abel called, deliberately making light of the situation. "We need to ascertain the situation before we're set upon by Marines." They'd caught them off guard. They needed to make the most of it.

The pirates gathered around the links of chain. As Abel'd guessed, they were quite thick. Too thick for them to be cut. "Chains of steel, huh?" Zoro muttered.

Abel's eyes followed the line of chains where they disappeared below deck through openings in the floorboards. Kneeling, she peered inside. She could just make out large gears. "It looks like they feed into the system from here," she mused.

"Think you can break it?" Luffy asked.

"Mechanics isn't so different from medicine," Abel replied. "It's a matter of knowing how each piece works together." She sat up. "If worse comes to worse, I can always just jam a wrench in it."

Before they could continue their discussion, the doors to the cabins shot open and Marines pour out. The sound of their footsteps sounded like a stampede against the deck. The mob surrounded the pirates, swords drawn. "This is overkill..." Sanji mumbled, a sour expression on his face.

Abel could have pointed out that even this many soldiers weren't enough to take on the three men, but it seemed pointless. At least this likely meant there wouldn't be anyone below deck. Instead, she smiled and stated, "You boys be sure to share," before shimmying down the nearest chain. Thankfully, given that the chain was as wide as she was, it was an easy fit.

It didn't take long for Abel to hear the sounds of combat from above. Shouting, stomping, and the distinct sound of fist meeting face carried from above. But Abel ignored the chaos in favor of focusing on the task at hand. Before her stood a large and intricate gear system. The gears took up the majority of the lower deck, with only enough room for a few people to squeeze by. The room was dead silent, save for the racket upstairs. Sticking close to the shadows, in case any Marines lingered, Abel studied the system intently. At first glance, it seemed complicated, until Abel realized it was essentially a giant portcullis. The admittedly impressive gears did nothing more than turn axles that the chainlinks were wrapped around. Depending on which direction the gears turned, the axles either gathered the links (retracting the chains) or released them (extending the chains). It's no different from the anchor system of the Going Merry, except much larger and turned on its side, Abel realized.

It took a bit of picking through the gears, but Abel eventually found the wheels that were used to move the heavy gears. There were four in total, one for each chain. Grasping the first one, Abel tried to turn the wheel, but it wouldn't budge. A quick survey revealed that the gear connected to it was locked in place by a large metal hook. Leaving the wheel, Abel tried to remove the lock, but the thing was far too heavy for her to move on her own. She tried pulling, then pushing, using all of her weight to force it off, but the thing was stuck fast.

Abel stood back with a huff. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she reevaluated her plan. I need a tool, she realized. I don't suppose they have a giant crowbar lying around. Movement behind her made Abel whip around, facing a Marine. For a second, they both gaped at each other, surprised at seeing another person here. I didn't mean that kind of tool, Abel mentally groused.

The Marine stumbled back, haphazardly bringing his rifle up. "You're one of those pirates, aren't you!?" he shrieked.

Unflinching, Abel replied, "No. I'm clearly a sea nymph."

"Huh?"

That brief moment of confusion was all Abel needed. She burst forward, grabbing at the rifle. She didn't have time to steal it from the Marine before he pulled the trigger, but she did have time to slide her hand between the barrel and the hammer, preventing the gun from firing because it didn't light the fuse. Now she had both hands securely on the barrel, struggling with the Marine for the gun. The Marine kept pulling, trying to pull the gun from her grip, but years of using crossbows had strengthened Abel's hands, so she wouldn't be shaken off so easily.

Pushing the barrel to one side, Abel used the Marine's focus on taking his gun back to her advantage. Swiftly, she kicked him in the bony side part of his knee, dislocating his kneecap. The Marine screamed and staggered to one side. Again, she kicked, catching him in the gut. This winded him, making the Marine slump forward. And loosen his grip. Seizing the opportunity, Abel ripped the gun away and pointed it at the Marine. Finally moving her hand from under the hammer, it connected with the barrel, firing a shot. The bullet grazed the Marine's face, a deliberate action on Abel's part. As smoke rose from the barrel, the Marine gaped up at Abel in horror, genuinely looking ready to wet himself.

Calmly, Abel kept the rifle pointed at his face and said, "Didn't anyone ever teach you it's dangerous to discharge a firearm indoors?" The Marine just continued to stare. Deliberately, Abel lowered the rifle. The Marine relaxed, but his reprieve was short-lived, as Abel smashed the butt of the barrel into his temple, knocking him out cold. "Now back to the business at hand," she said to herself.

Abel was about to discard the gun, when an idea popped in her mind. Considering the gun in her hands, Abel thought, I may have found my tool.

Standing beside the first gear, Abel jammed the open end of the barrel against one edge of the hook holding the gear in place. Holding the handle tightly, Abel leaned back, using all her strength to pry the hook off. It took some straining and wiggling on her part, but the hook gradually slid off. As Abel fell back from the sudden lack of support, the gear spun rapidly. Abel instinctively flinched back from the whirling gear. She could hear the chainlink unraveling from the axle with an ungodly racket. As the chain flew from the axle like a ribbon off a spool, Abel heard the chain crash loudly into the water. One down, three to go.

As Abel repeated the process with the rest of the chains, she heard the fighting above intensify. Abel was certain that by now the Marines had realized their plan and were sending everything they had to stop them. Fortunately, the guys were doing a good job of occupying the Marines, because no one else had made it down to harass Abel. When the last chain fell, Abel dropped the gun, which was now bent beyond all usefulness. Climbing back up through the hole in the ceiling, which was slightly more difficult this time around since there were no chains to climb on, Abel cautious peeked topside. She didn't want to accidentally have her head taken off by a stray shot. But her caution wasn't needed, as she found nothing but unconscious Marines around her. The guys had really cleaned house.

"Good job!" Abel looked up as Luffy strutted over to her, grinning proudly.

Returning the smile, Abel replied, "I could say the same to you." Luffy chuckled as Abel climbed out of the hole.

Abel was a bit surprised not to see Zoro or Sanji nearby. Then she spotted them staring at the sea near the bow. Something about their stances put Abel on edge. They stood with their backs straight, radiating annoyance. Yet it didn't feel like they were annoyed at each other, for a change. Either not sensing this or not caring, Luffy strolled casually over to them and asked, "Time to go?"

"Not quite..." Sanji drawled.

Coming to stand next to them, Abel saw what had the men so concerned. The Going Merry wasn't far from them. Nami must've brought the ship in when the chains started to fall. That wasn't the issue, however. The issue was the little leech now currently attached to the raft. A certain persistent, purple-headed leech. "That freak again," Abel mumbled. He must've used the chaos to sneakily approach the Going Merry in a rowboat with three other Marines. And now he seemed to be holding Apis hostage so he could make off with Grandpa Ryu.

"What's he doing?" Luffy asked cluelessly.

Watching as two of the Marines untied the raft from the Going Merry and retied them to the rowboat, Zoro replied, "Looks like he's stealing the dragon and taking Apis hostage."

Luffy frowned. "Oh no he's not!"

Luffy made to leap over the railing to Apis' defense, but Zoro stopped him, grabbing his shoulder before he could do something stupid. "Stop!" Zoro protested. "If you try to fight him he might kill Apis and the others with his wind slash move."

Luffy didn't look happy, but he saw Zoro's point. That man didn't care about hurting others to get what he wanted. "Okay..." he agreed, stepping back. "No punching..." Satisfied that he'd made Luffy see reason, Zoro let go of him. But that swiftly changed when Luffy declared, "I'll kick him!"

Zoro punched Luffy in the back of the head. "Will you listen to me!?"

As the Marine started rowing away with Grandpa Ryu and Apis, the purple-haired Marine said tauntingly, "I'll be taking the Millennial Dragon now! Nothing personal!"

"Oh, it's personal!" Usopp yelled back, endlessly frustrated at having their hands tied. "Give Apis back!"

Luffy's head snapped around to give Abel an imploring look. "Can't you do something, Abel?"

Abel felt like frowning as she watched the Marines sail away. Her hand twitched for her bow, yet she hesitated. Not taking her eyes off the enemy, Abel answered at length, "While I'm positive I could take one of the fools out, what would the remaining Marines do to Apis in retaliation?" At that distance, she'd need her bow, and she couldn't fire fast enough to take out all for sailors. At least not without using an attack that was just as likely to harm Apis in the process. And all the Marines had to do was throw Apis in the water. Her Devil Fruit would ensure she'd drown before any of them could reach her. Luffy frowned, as pleased about that answer as Abel was, but at the moment there was nothing they could do.

From the Marine flagship, they heard a voice call jubilantly over the speaker, "Excellent work, Eric! Now bring the beast here!"

That must be the commander for this fleet, Abel thought. She didn't like the way the voice sounded. It sounded muffled, thick and greasy, conjuring up images of someone talking with their mouth stuffed with food.

Without missing a beat, the Marine, now identified as Eric, retorted, "I'm sorry Nelson, but this prize isn't for you."

The captain didn't sound pleased with this bit of news. "Huh!? What did you say!?"

"The only reason I obeyed your ludicrous demands was to use your fleet's ability to gather information."

"Excuse me!"

What an interesting and not at all surprising turn of events, Abel thought drolly. This is what happens when two greedy individuals team up for the same goal. She almost would have found it amusing, had it not been for the fact that they were screwed either way.

"Don't pretend you're any different," Eric snapped. "You tried to use me with just as much vigor."

"I spent a great sum of money for your services!" Nelson argued.

"I think I've worked off that chump change by now," Eric replied, the picture of self-righteousness. Abel couldn't see his expression since he was too far away, but she imagined he was smirking. "So I'm done taking orders from you, you blubbering sea lion!"

"Sea lion!? Blubbering!?"

"I have big plans for the Dragonite this dragon will provide. I'm going to make myself exquisitely perfect!" Abel hoped he planned to start with that atrocious personality, but not even a full-grown dragon would provide enough elixir for that change.

Rage poured from the flagship in waves. This Nelson man was pissed. "You'll pay for this betrayal! I want this backstabber dead! Shoot him! Kill him!" The Marines wasted little time following those orders, firing on the rowboat and raft with all cannons. Normally Abel would've been happy with this change, but that now meant Apis and Grandpa Ryu were caught in the crossfire. Abel saw Apis clinging to the dragon's snout as the cannonballs churned up the water around them.

"It's started again!" Usopp gasped. There was nothing any of them could do but watch tensely. Their only hope was that Nelson just wanted to kill Eric and not the dragon. But in a fit of rage, who knew what would happen?

In the distance, the crew saw Apis stand to face Eric. They couldn't hear what she was saying over the roar of the cannons, but they assumed she was pleading with Eric to leave Grandpa Ryu alone. Eric turned to face her, likely dismissing whatever she'd said. That didn't stop Apis from pleading all the more. The poor girl must've been terrified, not just for herself but for her friend. What an ass, Abel mentally groused at the lilac-haired idiot.

Eric evidently grew tired of Apis' shouting, as he picked her up by the back of her dress. That didn't stop the spirited girl from kicking, flailing and spitting up a storm. Eric tried to cover her mouth with his hand, but Apis bit him, making Abel smirk. At least until he threw Apis against the hull of the rowboat hard enough to knock her out.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on which side of the battlefield you were on) this single action was the final straw for Grandpa Ryu. Having had enough of this man abusing Apis, he stood for the first time, standing confidently on his little raft. Even with his head stooped down to stare pointedly at Eric's back, he was easily three times the man's height. The Marines with Eric started panicking, and rightly so. Abel didn't know what the Millennial Dragons were capable of as far as fighting, but an angry dragon was never something you wanted on your hands. The three decided now would be the perfect time to abandon ship, choosing the safety of the ocean. It took Eric a few seconds to turn around, coming face to face with Grandpa Ryu. The man screamed, and before he could react, Grandpa Ryu hit him with a wing, sending him flying into the sky.

With the trash taken care of, Grandpa Ryu lowered his head towards Apis, ignoring the cannonballs crashing around him. He prodded Apis with his nose, but she didn't respond. Then, Abel watched in awe as a remarkable change overtook the dragon. He became angry. Even at that distance, Abel saw him glare. He drew up to his full height, stretched out his wings, and let out a mighty bellow. The sound carried loudly through the air, reverberating and shaking everything within miles. Abel leaned one hand against the railing, the other coming to her chest. His cry... resonated. That was the only way Abel could describe it. It echoed off nothing. The soundwaves reverberated in her chest, making it hard for her lungs to work from the pressure. Her ears rang from the magnitude of the cry, making Abel deaf to everything else around her.

After several ear-shattering minutes, Grandpa Ryu finally calmed down. He stopped screaming and lowered his wings, going back to peer at Apis. Abel sighed in relief, running a hand over her ears to make sure they weren't bleeding. No blood. All good.

With her ears still ringing, Abel gazed back out at the girl and dragon. Unsurprisingly, Grandpa Ryu's racket woke Apis up. The girl stared up at the dragon in awe at seeing him standing. She threw her arms lovingly around his nose. When she stepped back, Grandpa Ryu straightened again and began flapping his wings. "You don't suppose he's..." Nami began.

"That's it!" Luffy cheered. "Fly, Grandpa Ryu! You can do it!"

Slowly, the dragon lifted his massive form, hovering a few feet above the raft. Unfortunately, the Marines weren't too thrilled about their prize trying to fly away, and started firing on him. Shells exploded in the air around him. Apis screamed, urging him to fly away, but Grandpa Ryu just screamed in defiance. Clearly the Marines no longer cared if he lived or died. It was just his bones they needed.

"Shoot him down!" Nelson ordered.

Now that Apis was no longer in danger, Luffy saw no reason to hold back. "Leave him alone!" he shouted. He shot his fist out, breaking part of the closest ship's hull.

Zoro, Sanji and Abel followed their captain's lead. They spread out, attacking the Marines. No Marines meant no one to one to fire the cannons. Abel used her crossbows to take out a wide swath of men. It was hard to fire a cannon when you've got a bolt through the hand. If a monster hunter decides not to kill a dragon, some pitiful excuse for a Marine isn't about to do it either, Abel thought.

Thanks to their all-out assault, most of the Marine ships were too busy dealing with the pirates to shoot the dragon. But that didn't stop the flagship from continuing. Apis' shrill scream drew Abel's attention. Pausing from spearing a Marine's hand, Abel glanced out at the ocean in time to see the rowboat tilt dangerously. Thankfully, Apis didn't fall in, but it only served to further tick off Grandpa Ryu. Ignoring the shells exploding around him like they were mere mosquitoes, Grandpa Ryu flew towards the flagship. Naturally, this made the Marines fire even more vigorously. Nothing like a dragon bearing down on you to encourage action.

But as strong as he was, even a dragon couldn't take that many direct hits from cannonballs. Before he could reach the ship, he fell out of the sky, splashing into the sea. Everyone stopped fighting to check on the dragon. Abel's eyes narrowed. Grandpa Ryu wasn't moving, making her fear the worst.

Abel couldn't stand it. She'd be damned if she let such a magnificent creature die like this. "Luffy!" Abel called, already moving. "Give me a boost!"

"Okay!" Luffy didn't know what Abel had in mind, but he'd run with it. "Gum-Gum Balloon!" Using Luffy's stomach like a springboard, Abel bounced high into the air.

"Abel!" Usopp gasped, gawking as the woman flew overhead.

It was tricky to maneuver while flying through the air, but Abel managed to steer herself towards the fallen dragon. She landed as gently as she could on Grandpa Ryu's back. Abel leaned closer to his head. She almost sighed when she discovered the dragon still conscious and breathing, if weakly. "Stay with me, Grandpa Ryu," she said gently. "You didn't come all this way just to stumble at the finish line." Slowly, Grandpa Ryu tilted his head and made a deep rumbling sound. He turned tired golden eyes towards her. Abel almost recoiled at the light reflected in his eyes. He looked... resigned. Like he'd known from the beginning that this was how it was going to end. Not only that, but that he was okay with it. Happy, even.

Distantly, Abel heard Apis scream, "Grandpa!"

Abel tried to stay collected about the situation, but things didn't look good. It certainly didn't help that Grandpa Ryu's body was slowly starting to sink into the ocean. It was too much to expect a flying creature to be capable of swimming, Abel thought. Thinking quickly, Abel straddled the dragon's neck, just behind the head. Unfolding her bow, she used it as a sling, sliding it under Grandpa Ryu's jaw to pull his nostrils out of the water. They were still sinking somewhat, but Abel hoped that dragons obeyed the laws of physics and were buoyant enough to float.

"Grandpa Ryu!" Nami exclaimed, watching trails of bubbles leak from his nose.

"Damn those guys!" Usopp growled.

Zoro's eyes narrowed. "Not good!"

"Yeah," Sanji reluctantly agreed. "It looks like the dragon can't swim."

Luffy's hand balled into a fist. "Hang in there, Grandpa Ryu! We're almost back to Warship Island!" They could see the outline of the island in the distance. They couldn't give in now.

"Abel! Look out!" Usopp shouted.

Head snapping up, Abel saw the Marines had fired a harpoon at Grandpa Ryu, intent on spearing him and reeling him in like a fish. But Abel was having none of that. Leaving the dragon's head, Abel stood and swiftly drew an arrow. With no hesitation, she fired at the harpoon. Next to the hefty harpoon, Abel's puny arrow looked like a toothpick in comparison. But let's not forget what happened in the story of David and Goliath. Plus, Abel had advanced knowledge of topics like projectiles, physics and aerodynamics. Arrows (harpoons included) were finely balanced tools, and even the slightest deviation could throw them off. Hence why when her arrow glanced off the side of the harpoon's point, it was just enough force to force the entire thing off course. The harpoon splashed into the water just beside them, throwing a wave over the archer and dragon.

"What!?"

Brushing her wet hair out of her eyes as it stuck to her forehead, Abel stood tall atop Grandpa Ryu's back. With one hand on her hip and the other loosely yet securely holding her bow, she looked every bit like the righteous vindicator. She stared sternly at the flagship, as an adult would a misbehaving child. Now that she was on the other side of the barricade, Abel had a clear view of this Nelson joker. Just as his voice suggested, he was a fat, pitiful excuse of a man. He looked like one of those Buddha statues, but less lovable. Everything about him screamed "sleaze ball." Pasty skin, cheeks permanently puffed out like a squirrel, greasy black hair, a curly mustache perfect for twirling while concocting evil plans, and the biggest beer-belly Abel'd ever seen. His fancy Marine uniform didn't even fit anymore. His stubby limbs could no longer support his massive frame, hence why he sat atop a perch hoist by six Marines. He was very bit the picture of undeserved opulence.

"Give it a rest, already," Abel said. "You've already lost once. Act with some dignity, man."

The blob laughed, making his cheeks and belly jiggle unpleasantly. Abel's nose crinkled. She'd never be able to eat jello again. "You've no idea of the value of the thing you're standing on right now!" he shouted, smiling unpleasantly. His eyes were so beady they almost disappeared in his cheeks. "You can keep the dragon. I just want its bones!" Nelson raised a fan to his face in faux demure fashion. "Once I have its Dragonite, I can attain everlasting life!"

Abel watched the man guffaw through hooded eyes. Deliberately, she reached into the water and grabbed the rope attaching the harpoon to its cannon. She pulled the harpoon to her, pulling it from the water. Hefting the harpoon in one hand, Abel raised her bow with the other... and nocked the harpoon like a giant arrow. Abel drew her bow back fully, to the point where the arms strained and nearly touched ends. But it was necessary. The harpoon was heavier than her arrows, so she'd need more energy to fire it. Taking aim, she let go. The harpoon streaked through the air towards the flagship. It crashed through the cabin wall, grazing Nelson's shoulder and tearing his fan to shreds. That put an end to his laughing.

Abel shook her arm out to relieve the fatigue. Grateful for a moment of silence, Abel pointed at the blob and declared, "I don't know if there's anyone who deserves immortality, but I most definitely know it's not some fat sack of lard who chases little girls while they're on the clock and literally can't even stand on their own two feet."

Nelson's face turned an interesting shade of red as he sputtered, "Why you impudent-! For your insolence you can sink to the bottom of the sea with your dragon! Prepare for your punishment!" He strained to turn his neck so he could look at the closest Marine. "Fire at that brat!" he ordered.

"B-but, if we do that, we'll blow the Millennial Dragon up, too!" the Marine protested.

"So what?" Nelson dismissed. "Bone fragments will serve my purpose just fine!"

"Yes sir! Ready the cannons!"

As Abel watched the Marines set their sights on her, she felt something nudge her leg. Glancing down, she saw Grandpa Ryu nudging her with the end of his nose. Seeing that he had her attention, he lowered his head back to the water with a groan of relief. Even that much movement strained him. The dragon caught Abel's eyes, looking at her meaningfully before rolling his eyes in the direction of the Going Merry, then back to her. The message was clear. He wanted her to leave him. But Abel wasn't about to do that. Even if the dragon was too weak to survive, she wasn't about to leave him to be butchered.

Abel was about to say as much, when a sudden quake cut her off. A sea quake? The ocean rolled, nearly shaking the nails from the ships loose. Abel had to hunker down close to Grandpa Ryu's body to prevent falling into the violent sea. In the distance, Abel saw that even Warship Island shook. Because she was clinging to the dragon's neck, Abel couldn't miss the sea changing color. Motley shades of green began extending out in all directions, as far as she could see. As if... as if something huge was surfacing.

Any speculation about just what this strange phenomena was would have to wait, however, as the flagship began firing on them again. Shells crashed uncomfortably close, even for Abel. Thankfully the shaking made it hard for them to aim properly, or she'd have lost her head. And a few other important body parts.

Grandpa Ryu jerked forward, throwing Abel face-first into his feathery neck. Raising his head high, he let out another piercing cry. It wasn't as loud as last time, but it had more resonance. Clinging to the dragon's neck, Abel could feel it. Grandpa Ryu's entire throat vibrated. Abel couldn't help thinking about a book she once read on the life of elephants. In it, the book discussed how elephants could communicate through such low tones human's couldn't hear it, but they could feel it. And these low frequencies traveled for miles. Was this a similar thing. Is Grandpa Ryu... calling to the others? Abel thought.

"W-what's that!?"

Usopp's piercing voice cut through even the dragon's call. Straining to turn her head, Abel's eyes widened when she saw what had the sniper in a rightful fit. There. In the sky. Dragons. Hundreds of Millennial Dragons flew towards them in a massive flock. Their cries filled the air, ranging from soulful bellows to bat-like chirps. Emerald green feathers lit the sky. Abel almost felt giddy at the sight. How many people could say they'd ever seen one dragon, much less a flock?

The appearance of the dragons ceased any further fighting as everyone stopped to gawk in amazement. "S-so many Millennial Dragons!" Usopp exclaimed.

"These're Grandpa Ryu's friends!" Nami realized. The ones he'd gotten lost from. And they came back at his call.

Strapped to Usopp's back from when he'd rescued her, Apis' eyes watered joyfully. They were here. She'd finally reunited Grandpa Ryu with his family, just like she promised.

Even the normally stoic Zoro could scarcely believe it. "What the...?" What else could he say?

"Where the hell'd they come from?" Sanji wondered aloud. They appeared out of nowhere. Beside him, Luffy laughed, nearly bouncing on his feet at the sight.

Eyes glued to his friends, Grandpa Ryu let out a final cry before collapsing. The unexpected crash tossed Abel over his head and into the water. Abel flailed slightly underwater before righting herself. As she twirled to swim to the surface, Abel's eyes widened when she saw something astounding below her. The ocean floor... was rising! The rocky ocean floor was slowly but steadily rising. That motley green she'd noticed earlier came from coral that dotted the surface, and strangely shaped stone structures protruded at odd intervals. Is that the real Lost Island? Abel thought.

Had she not had more pressing matters, like a lack of oxygen, Abel would've spent more time gawking. But sadly humans need to breathe, so Abel had to tear herself a way. Spitting out water as she resurfaced, Abel swam close to the dragon's face. "Did you-?," she began to ask, until she saw the state the dragon was in. Grandpa Ryu looked completely give out. Pressing her hands to his snout, Abel felt his slowing breathing. Grandpa Ryu opened his eyes, and it felt like the most arduous thing in the world. He just looked, oh, so tired. And Abel understood. "I see..." She patted the dragon's snout. "You handled yourself well for a centuries-old codger." Grandpa Ryu's eyes crinkled in the corners, and Abel could almost believe the dragon was laughing at her comment. Then his eyes closed for the last time.

Floating in the middle of the sea, with the cries of dragons blocking out everything else, Abel felt as if she were in a surreal plane, separate from the rest of the world in that single instant. Blinking as her eyes prickled, she reached out and laid a hand on the dragon's closed eyes. In a steady, low, and clear voice, Abel recited, "Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace."

Abel's lips pursed as she heard that fat slob Nelson laughing. Couldn't the man even have respect for the dead? Clearly he was too busy gloating, thinking he'd hit the jackpot with the dragons. Not that a person like that had respect for anyone but himself. "Gum-Gum..." Abel only looked up at her captain's cry in time to see Luffy stretch his arm into the sky. Unexpectedly, he grabbed the back of one of the highest dragons. "Rocket!" His body recoiled, shooting into the air. "Gonna borrow your neck!" he said to the dragon he was piggybacking on. To its credit, the dragon seemed nonplussed. Apparently all Millennial Dragons were peaceful. At least until provoked.

Curious about what bemusing plan her captain had in mind, Abel watched as Luffy stretched his leg up. "And... Battle-Axe!" Whipping his leg down with tremendous speed, Luffy aim at the flagship. His leg crushed it right down the middle, almost splitting it in twain. Wood and Marines flew everywhere before the ship began to rapidly sink.

On the battleships, the Marines began to panic. They gawked as Luffy climbed atop the wreckage, having luckily landed on the ship instead of in the sea. When he set them all with a stern look, as if daring them to stand against him, they started running around like madmen, desperate to get away. "Yep, never fails," Sanji drawled, puffing on his cigarette. He watched the Marines run past him with thinly veiled contempt. "Take out their leader, and they run for cover. I was hoping these guys would stay and fight."

"We should get going ourselves," Zoro suggested, already heading for the Going Merry.

Sanji started to follow, until he noticed something a bit odd. The Millennial Dragons were flying in a circular formation, like seabirds stalking prey. "They're circling..." he said to himself. "I wonder why..."

"Hey!" Zoro barked. "Let's go!"

With nothing left to do, Abel cast Grandpa Ryu one last look before swimming towards the Going Merry. She observed, with no small amount of amusement, as the Marines scrambled around, trying to drop the chain wall and escape before Luffy turned his wrath on them too. In their haste, they only made matters worse. Many of their ships crashed together as one ship would try to retract the chains before the adjoining ship could unclasp them. The impenetrable iron wall quickly turned into several messy squiggles.

Back on the ship, Nami threw the rope ladder down for the others. "Nami-san!" Sanji called amorously. "I defended your honor!"

"Get on board, already!" Zoro snapped, getting tired of staring at the cook's backside. Sanji snarled down at the swordsman, but hurried aboard regardless.

Glancing at the water below, Nami noticed they were still short two members. "Where's Luffy and Abel?"

In the distance, they heard, "Gum-Gum Rocket!" A chill ran through the crew. They watched in horror as Luffy again used a dragon to catapult himself through the sky, aiming for the ship like a falling meteor. Abel made sure to stay a safe distance from the ship as Luffy landed. Good thing, too, as the ship actually bounced on the water from the impact. Poor Merry didn't like that at all. Reaching the ladder, Abel heard Luffy greet the rest of the crew casually, "Yo!"

"Yo yourself!" Nami snapped.

Peering over the railing, Abel saw that it was safe to climb aboard. Eyeing the crew sprawled about the deck, no doubt thanks to Luffy's shenanigans, Abel commented, "Are we taking a breather?" just for the sake of riling them up. It worked, too, if the glares she received were anything to go by. But Abel being Abel, she just casually wrung the water from her scarf.

"Grandpa!"

Silence gripped the crew as they all watched Apis stand at the bow. She gazed out at the sea with tears in her eyes, completely heartbroken. Grandpa Ryu had sunk, leaving nothing but a ripple. Lacking the will to go on, Apis sunk to her knees, unable to take her eyes from the place that was now her friend's grave.

Before any of them could attempt to comfort her, the ship began to shake again. "Another earthquake?" Sanji asked.

"Again?" Nami whimpered. What other crazy things could happen?

Ignoring the tremors, Apis cried, "Grandpa Ryu..." Her voice cracked. "I wasn't able to keep my promise to you, Grandpa Ryu... I wasn't able to take you to the dragons' nest..."

Abel's heart went out to the girl. Death was never an easy thing to accept. But she was wrong about one thing. Silently, Abel stood behind Apis. She placed her hands gently on the girl's shoulders. When Apis jerked back, Abel smiled gently. "But don't you see, Apis?" Abel began. "Grandpa Ryu is exactly where he wanted to be." Apis' big doe eyes continued to cry as she couldn't understand what Abel meant.

"Can't you hear the voices of the Millennial Dragons?" Luffy suddenly asked, his voice serious. Abel glanced over her shoulder, not surprised in the slightest that Luffy somehow knew what was going on.

Apis' eyes widened as realization sunk in. The dragons... they were...

A sudden shockwave nearly knocked the crew off their feet. A massive pressure wave, emanating from the island, rippled violently across the sea. It was like being caught in an explosion, but without the explosion. Just sheer pressure. She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the wind. She knew what was coming, and she didn't want to miss a second. A once in several-lifetimes event... Her keen eyes tried to take in everything to record later.

Warship Island shook so hard you'd think it'd fall apart. The tides began to pull back, exposing more of the shoreline. But it wasn't that the sea was rolling out. It was that the island was rising. Around the Going Merry, pillars of water shot up all around them. As the water fell away, it revealed stone formations, jutting from the sea like teeth. Abel pulled her eyes away from the island to watch the approaching sea floor. Soon, the image beneath the turbulent waves became clear. The ocean bed rose, bringing with it the secret it had guarded for all these years.

"What's going on!?" Usopp cried.

"Haven't you realized it yet?" Abel asked, a hushed, awed quality to her voice. She didn't look away from the sight, but she could feel the crew's eyes on her. "The seas did reclaim Lost Island a thousand years ago - not because of a disaster, but because it was supposed to. The natural order. Every thousand years the island rises again, perfectly coinciding with the migration patterns of the dragons who are only seen during the same time period."

Nami's eyes widened as the pieces fell into place. "Then that means... this is the dragons' nest!"

It was only once the quaking had stopped that the crew was able to take in the full grandeur of what they'd witnessed. All around them, where once the sea had separated them from Warship Island, now stood a rocky expanse. Calcified rocks shone blindingly white in the sun, with occasional bits of green, blue or red coral dotting like flowers. Small pools formed along the uneven surface. Warship Island proper sat atop a plateau dead center of the true island. But it was the dragons that drew the most attention. They flittered about, or perched together in small groups, looking for all the world like giant birds. And just as spectacularly, the strange stone structures Abel'd seen before turned out to be dragon-shaped rocks. They remained fixed in various poses; some laying down, while others had their necks stretched to the heavens.

Abel felt like a kid who'd just been given free reign over a pet shop. So many glorious images to record. It took every ounce of her self-control not to rush out and just hug the first dragon she could get to. How lucky were they to just happen to be in the right place to witness something that only happened once every thousand years?

"Now I can see why Grandpa Ryu was so anxious to get back to this place," Luffy breathed, almost as pleased as Abel.

"It's here..." Apis murmured. All this time, the dragons' nest was right under their feet. A green figure in the distance caught her attention. Even in the sea of dragons, she knew that form by heart. Without a word, she leapt over the railing. Stumbling as she landed awkward, Apis took off running.

"Hey, Apis!" Sanji called.

"Come back!" Usopp added. But the girl was too focused on her goal to listen. Usopp sighed as the crew disembarked. "And she's off. But where to?"

"Grandpa Ryu," Luffy answered solemnly. "He's finally home."

Spotting the familiar, pale green feathers, the crew followed after Apis. This would not end well. The girl waded into the shallow pool Grandpa Ryu'd sunk into, calling his name as she went. "Grandpa! Please get up! Grandpa Ryu!" But no matter how loud she yelled, the dragon didn't move a single muscle. No bubbled rose from his nose beneath the water. He truly was gone. Apis sniffled as this fact sunk in, trying to hold back the tears. It couldn't end this way. She refused to accept it!

The crew watched from a respectful distance away, not wanting to crowd the girl as she dealt with her grief. "How strange," Nami almost whispered. "I mean, what are the odds he'd fall directly on top of the dragons' nest? I hope... that brought him some peace."

"He knew, I think," Abel replied. She remembered the peace she'd seen in his expressive gold eyes. "He seemed happy in the end. I'm sure he knew he'd made it home."

Usopp gazed at their surroundings. "So this is the dragons' nest?" he commented. Not exactly what he'd been expecting. "Look at all these weird rocks..."

"It's likely that they're all made of Dragonite," Sanji suggested, standing in front of an impressive formation. It looked like a dragon ready to soar, and nearly three times his own height. He placed a hand to its rough surface. "Notice the structure. They look just like dragons, if you ask me." A perfect replica in stone.

Usopp admitted he had a point. "Oh, now that you mention it... but why are the rocks dragons?"

"They're not statues," Nami corrected, "They're actual skeletons. Fossilized Dragonite that's been preserved on the ocean floor."

"Oh, I see," Usopp said, making an I'm-so-serious face.

Abel's lips quirked. "You didn't understand a word of that, did you?"

"Nope. Not a bit," Usopp admitted shamelessly.

Brushing off Usopp's ignorance, Nami said thoughtfully, "They say when elephants are about to die, they hide themselves in their elephant graveyard. Maybe the same is true here. This might be a dragon graveyard..."

"A graveyard?" Zoro repeated. Why would all the dragons return to a place like that? All the rest seemed perfectly healthy.

"No! It's not!" Apis protested vehemently. Everyone faced the girl who still stood knee-deep in the pool Grandpa Ryu's body rested in. Apis shook her head. "Grandpa Ryu said going back to his nest would make him better! This can't be a graveyard!" She refused to believe he'd lie to her so cruelly. If coming back here meant he was going to die, then she wished... she wished she'd never...

"Apis..." Nami trailed off.

"Listen to me," Luffy began calmly, eyes set on the understandably distraught girl. He knew what she was thinking, and he wouldn't allow it. "Grandpa Ryu was lost and lonely. He was all alone, for a thousand years... But he made friends with you, Apis." Apis' anger slowly began to drain from her as she remembered those times. Looking back now, though, they were too painful. Solemnly, Luffy continued, "He said out of the thousand years he was alive, the last year with you was his happiest."

Nami's brows furrowed. She didn't want to interrupt one of Luffy's rare serious moments, but she couldn't stave off her curiosity. "Luffy... You understand the dragons' language?"

"I just somehow know."

Nami made an odd face, and Usopp asked, "Jeez, talk about half-baked..." Couldn't he feed Apis a better lie?

Luffy frowned. "But there's no doubt about it!" He knew what he'd heard as surely as he understood his human crewmates.

"The Boss works in mysterious ways," Abel joked, although it wasn't entirely untrue.

"You liar..." Apis accused, forcing everyone's attention back on her. Apis refused to believe it. Luffy's kind words only made the loss sting even more. If what Luffy said was true, why would Grandpa Ryu lie to her? She sniffled, staring morosely into the water at her feet. Absently, she noticed her own tears adding to the pool. Had she cried this many tears? It felt like she'd cried an ocean, that was for sure.. When she spoke, it was to the dragon, not the pirates. "If this is the dragons' nest... If you've made it back to the dragons' nest, then open your eyes again! Talk to me!" But the dragon remained as silent as the stone dragons around him. Apis clenched her eyes shut to block out the truth. "Get better!"

The crew was at a loss as the girl broke down in front of them. What more could they say? Abel knew that the dragon knew from the beginning how things would play out. She'd seen it in his eyes after Apis explained her plan. The dragon knew of Abel's skepticism. What was he supposed to say? "Apis, can you help my find my grave?"

"Grandpa Ryu wasn't lying at all," Luffy persisted. "He said that Millennial Dragons return to the nest every thousand years and are reborn again."

Wiping the tears away, Apis asked incredulously, "Grandpa Ryu said that?"

Instead of answering directly, Luffy pointed at something in the distance. "Over there."

Apis followed where he pointed, only to find an egg hidden near one of the fossilized dragons, directly behind Grandpa Ryu's body. As she stared, uncertain of what Luffy was getting at, her eyes widened when she saw cracks form along the surface. It was hatching. After some effort, a tiny beak pierced a hole in the top. The fragile shell fell aside, revealing a tiny baby dragon. Its features were mostly cream-colored, with the faintest hint of green. It had no teeth, and cried loudly. Apis couldn't believe it. "A baby Millennial Dragon?"

At the baby's cries, several adult dragons crowded around it, eager to greet their newest family member. As the baby rested, because no doubt hatching was tiring work, one of the adults nudged it. The baby opened its eyes, and stared dead straight at Apis. The girl held her breath as she stared into those eyes. Unlike the other dragons, whose eyes were solid orange, this one had eyes the color of pale sunset. Very human eyes. Very familiar eyes. The baby cried again, making Apis jump, before resting. Apis choked back tears, but it was in vain. So she let them out, all while nodded at the baby. Aside from Apis, only Luffy would ever know what really transpired between them.

Wiping her face furiously, Apis climbed the short hill back towards the crew. But not before one last glance at Grandpa Ryu. No more tears.

"You know, Apis," Nami said as the girl approached. "This isn't just a Millennial Dragon graveyard. I think it's a place that connects to new life."

"Thank you, everyone," Apis said softly. At the crew's confusion, she continued, "For bringing Grandpa Ryu back to the dragons' nest. I realize it now, too. I realize what kind of place this is, and why Grandpa Ryu wanted to return here so badly. It's an amazing place, isn't it? Now I understand why my ancestors went so far as to build a temple." Apis was silent for a moment, before smiling at them. "Thank you most of all, Luffy." Luffy just blinked, unsure of what he'd done to deserve thanks. He's just said the truth. Smiling at the crew with dry eyes, Apis announced, "Okay! Let's go back to the village! Everyone there must be worried, and probably surprised too!" It wasn't every day you woke up to find your backyard had expanded by several kilometers.

Luffy beamed. "Yeah! Let's hurry back to the ship and leave the island!" With all this excitement, Luffy was ready for the next adventure. Especially with the Grand Line right around the corner.

As the crew headed for Warship Island, Abel stayed behind. Or at least she tried. But a strong grip on her tricep forced her to come along. She gaped at the culprit before turning back to the dragons. She reached for them. "But I want to stay," she said, one step away from whining.

"You can play with the dragons later," Zoro retorted, forcing her to come along. If they left her here, it'd be days before they saw her again.

Abel's mouth twisted slightly, but she went along with them. Only because she figured they should bring Apis back home properly before she ran off. To have a proper conclusion to this journey.

Paying attention to the others, Abel heard Usopp say, "Man, these rocks are cool. These all used to be Millennial Dragons?"

"Yeah, it looks that way," Nami replied.

Gazing at the fossils, which were both amazing and a little unsettling now that he understood what they were, Sanji pointed out, "Even if they are Dragonite, there's no way to extract it like this." He'd touched the rocks, and they were solid.

"You're the expert on these things," Usopp said, turning to Abel. "What do you think? Do you think the whole Elixir of Immortality thing is real?"

Abel measured her words carefully. "I find it unlikely. There have always been tales of miracle cures created from the remains of animals, real or fantastical. Ultimately, however, they're nothing more than a racket perpetrated by scrupulous 'medicine men' to swindle people out of their money." Abel used air quotes to emphasize her point. Shoving her hands back in her pockets, she stared at the sky as she concluded, "If such an elixir really did exist, these creatures probably would've been hunted to extinction by now." Both the effect and the money from it would be too great a temptation if it were true.

"So it was nothing but a dream within a dream," Nami concluded. She was kind of glad. That meant these dragons were safer for it.

"Meaning those Marine bastards did all that work for nothing," Zoro said with a sneer. Served 'em right.

As the discussion began to turn to less serious matters, like what Sanji was going to cook in celebration, a familiar voice yelled, "Get out of my way!" Everyone jerked around to see Eric send Nelson flying through the air. Seeing both men alive was an unpleasant surprise. As the blob disappeared, Eric turned his glare on the pirates below. His mouth twisted into a scowl as he fixed his hair so it curled up again.

As Apis cowered behind the others, Luffy stepped forward, his dark gaze fixed on the other man. "Man, you're stubborn!" he said lightly.

"Yeah. I very nearly drowned to death," Eric replied.

If only we'd been so lucky... Abel thought. How exactly did he not drown? Did he manage to fall on a small bit of debris or something?

From his perch, Eric had an excellent view of the island. It was breathtaking... but for all the wrong reasons. "Just look at this beautiful radiance!" he exclaimed, and Abel saw he was practically drooling. "Isn't it marvelous!? This is all Dragonite, the legendary Elixir of Immortality!"

"So what?" Nami demanded quickly, hoping to prevent the man from desecrating the fossils. "Break open every fossil on this island; it won't yield your precious elixir!"

Eric grinned nastily, eyeing the dragons in a very creepy manner. "Well then, I'll just improvise. Maybe instead of wasting my time with old fossils, I'll just use some of the fresh supply right in front of me." He focused on the crew now. Or at least Abel assumed he did - it was hard to tell where he was looking with those ridiculous shades on. "Surely you realize that fighting me would be an exhausting lesson in futility. Let's keep things simple and split the treasure."

"No thanks," Luffy dismissed with zero hesitation.

Eric nearly fell over in shock. "Do you not what eternal life!?" he exclaimed. How could someone turn that down?

"Not interested," was all Luffy said.

For some reason, this actually made Eric angry. "What's wrong with you!?" he demanded. "There's no one who'd pass up the chance to stave off dying! Both of us have Devil Fruit powers, but a pirate's life is always only an inch from death! There's no way you can't be afraid of dying!" As powerful as Devil Fruits made people, they could still die.

"I dunno," Zoro replied with a smirk. "He's the kind of guy who'd die smiling doing what he does."

"So we appreciate the offer, but we'll have to decline," Abel finished.

"Oh..." Eric mumbled, before drawing himself up again. "Fine then! You can sit there and watch as I take my Dragonite and leave!" He raised his clawed hand.

"No!" Apis shouted, running past everyone before they could stop her.

Eric drew his hand back. "Stop right there, girl!" He made a slashing motion with his hands, and what Abel could only describe as blades of wind shot towards Apis. Now Abel understood what the Sickle-Sickle Fruit was capable of.

The attack would have sliced Apis good, had Usopp not leapt to her rescue. "Apis!" he cried, scooping the girl up. He tucked them both into a roll. The blades of wind barely went over his head, gouging a deep gash in the stone. Usopp collapsed on his back, breathing a sigh of relief. He... hadn't exactly thought that one through.

"U-Usopp!" Apis gasped, sitting up.

"D-don't be reckless, Apis!" Usopp chided. No way this girl could take on a man like that.

Frowning stubbornly, Apis glared at Eric. "Even if it's reckless, I have to protect them! This is a very important place for the Millennial Dragons! I'm going to protect this place... forever and ever!" Grandpa Ryu gave everything he had to find this place. She wouldn't let anyone destroy her last connection with her friend.

Eric's brow twitched. "So you insist on defying me, huh? In that case, you can all die! Sickle-Sickle..." He brought two fingers up to his mouth and made a weird shushing noise, as if imitating the wind. "... Whirlwind!" He made a slashing motion with both hands, and two wind sickles shot out in an X pattern.

They headed straight for Usopp and Apis. Usopp pulled Apis close, using his body to shield hers. But when the sickles were barely a foot away, Luffy jumped in the way, taking the brunt of the attack straight across his chest. Luffy staggered back as the blades cut into him before falling to his knees. "Luffy!" both Usopp and Apis shouted at the same time.

Behind them, Zoro stepped forward, pushing his sword slightly from its sheath. He wouldn't mind a rematch with this guy, since their last fight got interrupted. Before he could say anything, however, Luffy stood up. Smirking, Zoro relented, letting his captain handle this. Despite the attack, it looked like the only damage was the Luffy's shirt. Pressing his hat down slightly, Luffy announced sternly, "I'll deal with him."

"But Luffy-" Nami began.

"I promised him!" Luffy interrupted, his voice broking no argument. Nami instantly stepped back. She knew Luffy meant he'd promised Grandpa Ryu he'd take care of Apis. They'd all heard him say it. And no one got in the way of Luffy keeping a promise. Some things in life were always true. The sky was blue, fish swam in the sea, and Luffy always kept his promises.

Readjusting his hat, Luffy readied himself before rushing Eric. As he wound his arm up, Eric prepared to retaliate. "Sickle-Sickle..."

"Gum-Gum..."

"... Whirlwind!"

"... Pistol!"

Luffy's fist shot forward, meeting Eric's attack directly. And even though his attack made it through, the whirlwinds sliced all the way down Luffy's arms, even across his shoulders and legs. Luffy hissed at the stinging pain, but didn't stop. The pain only served to fuel him on. His fist chased after Eric as the other man backflipped out of the way, eventually landing on a fossilized dragon. Luffy's arm couldn't swing up enough to reach him. Fearing he'd damage the dragon remains, Luffy pulled his punch, stopping just shy of hitting the stone.

As Luffy pulled his arm back, Eric taunted, "You'll have to do better than that, rubber man!"

Luffy held his arm gingerly as it returned to normal. Abel supposed one of the drawbacks of having the power to stretch your appendages was that it was more flesh to damage. It must've stung like a mother when his flesh retracted like that. Sensing Luffy's pain, Eric taunted, "Are my wind slashes excruciating enough for you? Run or hide wherever you want, there's no escape!" Eric raised his hand and sneered, clearly already counting this a victory. "Tell me hero, how will you dodge this?"

"This guy's pretty tough," Zoro admitted, yet still not sounding concerned. Luffy had this.

Somewhat less confident, or perhaps it was just his pessimistic nature, Usopp asked, "Is Luffy in trouble?"

"The only danger the Boss is in of losing is if that gentleman bores him into submission with all of his prattling," Abel quipped. He was quite the chatty one, wasn't he?

"Sickle-Sickle Wind Slash! Rapid Fire!" With both hands, Eric created a cyclone of wind blades around him. Several shot out before Eric directed the rest of the tornado towards Luffy.

But Luffy remained undaunted. "I'm not gonna run or hide!" he shouted before running headlong into the fray.

"Fool! Go ahead and get chopped up," Eric taunted smugly.

As he hit the cyclone head-on, numerous cuts appeared on Luffy's body. It felt like running through a tunnel of razors. Growling low in his throat, Luffy leapt into the air, glaring at Eric. Behind him, the winds dissipated into a harmless gust before it reached the rest of the crew. Sharp as they may be, blades of wind were fragile things. Abel pushed her scarf down so she could see the coming conclusion of this fight.

Hovering in the air, Luffy yelled, "Gum-Gum..." Both hands reached for Eric, grabbing his arms. Luffy stretched his neck out in the opposite direction. Eric tried to free his arms, but Luffy's grip was too tight. He was defenseless. "... Bell!" Luffy's head snapped back, slamming into Eric's face. Eric staggered back, his glasses shattering. But Luffy wouldn't be satisfied until he'd knocked the man completely off this island. His arms stretched back before his feet even hit the ground. "And... Bazooka!" Luffy's hands smashed into Eric's back, creating two large handprints and sending the Marines streaking into the sky. It was highly unlikely the man's luck would save him a second time. Grinning as the man disappeared, Luffy cheered, "I win!"

The crew relaxed, knowing that they'd finally concluded their journey. There was no coming back after that. With Eric and Nelson out of commissions, the dragons would be safe again. Apis gazed up at Luffy in nothing short of hero worship. "You did it!"

---

Turns out the crew didn't have to take Apis all the way back to Warship Island, as the island met them halfway. Understandable. What other response would the islanders have when their island reveals such a massive secret, but to explore it? They all seemed in awe of this discovery. Even Bokuden, who was most familiar with the legend, was amazed to learn that Lost Island had been there the entire time. And he was equally grateful that the crew had kept his granddaughter safe. He took her story of keeping a Millennial Dragon hidden from him in stride, saying not so much as a stern word for keeping such a dangerous secret from him.

"Does anyone have any idea of how long this island will stay on the surface?" Nami asked as they stood overseeing the dragons going about their business.

"I don't know," Usopp admitted. "But when it does sink again, the Millennial Dragons are probably gonna leave too, right?" He wondered where they'd go. Were they spread across the world?

"And I guess that baby Millennial Dragon will fly off somewhere too," Apis realized sadly. When they left, she'd probably never see them again. Comfortingly, Bokuden place a hand on Apis' shoulder. She smiled back. She may not have forever with them, but at least she could make the most of the time she did have. She wouldn't waste it being sad.

Giving his granddaughter's shoulder another squeeze, Bokuden turned to the pirates. "What do you say, everyone? Won't you have some of my special pork buns before you go?" It was the least he could do.

"Oh! Thank you! But that's okay!" Nami quickly dismissed. She chuckled nervously. She did not want to get stuck listening to another story like last time. "We gotta get back to our journey right away! Right!?" Nami looked to the others to back her up.

Luffy, being Luffy, didn't get the subtle hint. "We do?" he asked, tilting his head. "I wanna eat some pork-" Before he could say more, however, Nami punched him in the head, effectively shutting him up.

Grinning, Sanji added placatively, "We'll just take the recipe, if you don't mind."

"What a shame," Bokuden replied, but still cheerful. "It'll only take three days to prepare them, too. I could tell you about the royal family of Lost Island in the mean-"

Hoping to distract the old man's attention, Nami quickly asked, "Where's Abel?" She'd just now noticed the other woman wasn't with them.

"Where do you think?" Zoro asked, pointing his thumb behind him.

As soon as they'd seen Apis safely back to her people, Abel had discreetly disappeared into the midst of the dragons. She knew the crew wouldn't stick around for long, so she needed to make the most of her time to study these magnificent creatures. Abel'd gotten a lot of physiological data from Grandpa Ryu, but she wanted to see how different the younger ones were. Abel's hands barely stopped moving as she frantically drew sketch after sketch. Seriously, she wrote so fast it was a wonder the paper didn't catch on fire. Thankfully, the dragons seemed every bit as docile as Grandpa Ryu. They displayed no hostility as she wandered amongst them. A few even took interest in her drawings, their large heads craning down to stare at her papers. Abel would smile in response, patting their noses like one would a horse before returning to her work.

Abel also made certain to sketch the babies. Even though their matted feathers reminded Abel of baby birds, they were still kind of cute. Especially when they chirped. Abel had to resist picking them up and squeezing them. The dragons might not have appreciated that so much. It was very tempting to take one with her, but Abel was fairly certain the crew wouldn't approve. Well, Luffy would, but Nami and Usopp would freak. Plus, it wasn't really practical to keep a dragon on a ship; not after seeing how large they grew. The crew could barely afford to feed Luffy, much less him and a growing dragon.

Abel also took notes on their behaviors and social structures. They appear to form close-knit family groups, Abel observed. The dragons were very social with each other, and all paid the baby dragons equal attention. I wonder if they'll lay eggs before the island sinks again and leave them for the next cycle. Abel noticed that many of the dragon fossils had eggs nearby. Did the eggs only hatch if a dragon died? Was the population stable then, never increasing or decreasing in number? Unfortunately, she wouldn't have time to figure that out.

A shadow fell over Abel where she sat in the middle of some dragons grooming each other. She didn't even bother looking up from her work. She figured whoever it was would say something soon enough. Sure enough, Zoro's deep voice said, "We're leaving." Abel made a humming noise to indicate she'd gotten the message, but didn't stop frantically working to finish her last sketch. Her hand was starting to cramp up. After a few minutes of silence, with Zoro just hovering above her, she heard the man sigh. Hands grasped her waist before she was hauled up. Abel clutched at her notebook as Zoro slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, carting her back towards the ship. Abel would have complained, except this worked to her favor by allowing her to finish her sketch while still getting to the ship. She just propped her elbows against Zoro's shoulders and kept sketching.

Zoro had little trouble scaling the ladder with Abel in tow. As soon as he stepped onto the deck, a fuming cook was in his face. "What do you think you're doing, manhandling Abel-dono like that, Marimo!?" he hissed.

Zoro scowled, and a retort was on the tip of his tongue, when Abel intervened. "He's decided to have his way with me."

The expressions on both men's faces were priceless. They gaped at Abel with open mouths. Zoro felt his ears turn red. As if her mere presence burned him, he dumped Abel gracelessly to the deck. As the woman sat up straight, he snapped, "What is wrong with you, woman!? Why do you say things like that!?"

Grinning, Abel stood, dusting her pants off. "It got you to let me go, didn't it?" Zoro opened his mouth, but any response died before he could get it out. Smiling innocently, Abel patted Zoro on the head, like one would a child, before sauntering over to where the rest of the crew was. Zoro watched the woman leave, confused. He didn't claim to understand women, but it seemed like he was never on the same page with Abel. Sanji glared darkly at the confused swordsman, jealous of the oblivious marimo for getting Abel's attention.

Chuckling to herself, Abel joined Luffy, Nami and Usopp as they were saying goodbye to Apis. "Apis, want to come with us?" Luffy was asking.

Apis smiled at the offer, yet... "I've become friends with each of you, and I'd love to be part of your next adventure... but I'm going to stay on this island." Luffy didn't look too surprised by this. Perhaps he'd expected it. Apis continued, "I'm going to learn all sorts of customs from Grandpa Bokuden to protect the dragons' nest just like my ancestors did before me! I'm going to wait for the baby dragons to come back here someday."

Very honorable, Abel thought.

"Hold on," Usopp interrupted. "These baby dragons won't be back for another... uh, thousand years! That's crazy." No way Apis would leave to see this again.

"Give the girl a break," Sanji chided, still in a sour mood from his interaction with Abel and Zoro. "Why d'you have to be so damn cynical?" He thought it sounded like a beautiful dream.

But Apis didn't mind. "It's okay," she admitted. "I won't get to see the dragons all grown up, but I'm sure my kids' kids will get to! So I'm going to keep protecting this dragon nest forever and ever!"

"Apis, that's pure crazy talk," Usopp grumbled.

Apis smirked. "You guys kept doing crazy stuff too, you know!"

"I'm not crazy..." Luffy mumbled dismissively, resulting in the rest of the crew eyeing him in disbelief.

"Says the man who used his head as a battering ram," Abel commented before looking back at Apis. "If it puts your mind at ease, I don't think I'll be including the myth of Elixir of Immortality when I finish my chapter on the Millennial Dragons. I'm only interested in fact, not lore." Apis gave a little, relieved laugh. That should help protect the dragons from anyone who wanted to live forever, yet still letting the world know about the dragons.

With their goodbyes bid, the crew unfurled the sails and rode the tides out into the open sea. It was quite fortuitous that the Going Merry had remained in an inlet of water as the reef had risen. Luffy, Nami and Usopp yelled various bits of encouragement to the girl for the last time, and Apis continued to wave at them until they could see each other anymore.

As the island grew smaller, Usopp asked, "Do you really think she'll be able to protect the dragons all by herself?"

"I'm sure she'll keep the nest safe," Nami answered confidently. "She may be little, but she's got twice the energy and motivation of a normal person. She'll be fine."

"Nami-san's right, as always," Sanji agreed. No surprise there. But Abel did agree this time around. Those dragons had the best advocate they could.

"She'll be okay," Luffy agreed.

Zoro nodded. "Yeah."

"Because she's our friend!" Luffy stated.

"She sure is," Zoro agreed. Anyone who was a friend of the Straw Hat Pirates possessed a strong drive and determination. While they might not always pick the easiest path, they would see it through to the very end, come what may.