"…and that's how we got back here!" Steven finished explaining to the crowd.

An awkward silence fell over the crowd. The people of Beach City were all very concerned for Steven's safety while he was presumed missing, but the tale that he was telling was quite a bit for them to take in at once. Usually they tried to keep out of the business of the Crystal Gems while they went about their daily lives. It was not because they disliked the Gems, but rather because it is easier to ignore what isn't known. Once innocence is lost, it can never be regained. As such, this was the most in-depth explanation many of them had ever received about what exactly Steven Universe does with his time.

"So, that Crocodile-guy used all of those people to further his goals by manipulating their dreams? That's not cool, man," Buck Dewey shook his head. "How can you go about tugging on someone's heartstrings only to use it for personal gain?"

"I know!" Steven said. "That's why I told the guys to give Genevieve and the others a chance!"

"Man, that's what so great about you: you get the way life really is," Buck flashed the boy a thumbs-up.

"I guess that comes with being your own mom," Sour Cream observed.

"This is a lot to take in, Steven," Ronaldo started to pace around. "From what you are saying, you have found one part of a two-part teleportation system from a Great Diamond Authority agent that was silently discredited in order to stop potential uprisings! Steven, this is a very serious piece of evidence! The key thing we should be focusing on is how they plan on using the system to get to our planet's core without its anchor…"

"…how the heck did you get THAT out of the story?" Lars cut him off. "All I understood was that Steven was a pirate and now he's home with his pirate crew!"

"He read between the lines. That's an impressive skill," Buck pointed out.

As Lars turned beet red, a voice called down from the pirate ship. "HEY! CAN WE COME DOWN YET?! I WANT TO MEET YOUR FRIENDS!"

"I almost forgot!" Steven snapped his fingers. "Do you guys want to meet my awesome pirate crew?"

The younger people started to nod their heads eagerly while most of the adults looked uneasily at the pirate ship and back to Steven. "I don't know...I mean, aren't pirates dangerous?" Mr. Fryman scratched the back of his head.

"I agree! Pirates are outlaws and criminals! If they broke the law in their homeland, who's to say they won't do it here?!" Kofi Pizza frowned. "They could be a bad influence to my daughters!"

"But if they saved Steven, how bad could they be? They sounded nice enough in Steven's story..." Kiki tried to reason with her father.

"Besides, I'm already the evil twin! You can't be a bad influence on someone who is already evil!" Jenny pouted.

"Right there! That is exactly why it is a bad idea to let pirate hooligans in this city!"

"Oh, stop being a stick in the mud!" Nanefua scolded him. "I want to meet the pirates too."

"Mother! They are criminals!"

"And I could whoop their scurvy butts if they get out of line," she countered. "If those magical girls are fine with them, why shouldn't you be?"

Kofi opened his mouth to protest but quickly shut it, as he realized he didn't have a solid argument against his mother. Noticing this, the elderly woman gave a thumbs-up to Steven and smiled. "Bring on the fine, strapping young men!"

"You got it, Nanefua!" the boy laughed. "COME ON DOWN, GUYS!"

In a single leap, Monkey D. Luffy jumped off of the side of the Going Merry and landed on the beach. Most of the others climbed down the side of the ship, with Smoker keeping the rear, presumably to be the last one on the ship. All that remained on the Merry were the Gems, Greg, Lion, and Connie.

"You should head down, Greg," Garnet told him. "I'm sure everyone will want to congratulate you on finding Steven."

"I will when Connie's done with her phone call...I can practically hear Priyanka all the way from over here," the elder Universe replied. He looked to the tangerine trees where Connie was pacing. "Can't say I blame them though..."

"It will all work out."

"Will it?" Pearl glanced down at the pirates introducing themselves to the people of Beach City. "This seems like a disaster just waiting to happen. They are nice enough people, very true, but I don't think Beach City can handle people like them here! That Smoker fellow is right..."

"Captain Smoker only sees them as criminals. In the end, he has the same goals and ideals that they have," Garnet folded her arms. "The only difference is that they are on opposite sides of the law."

"How can you say that like it doesn't matter?!"

"Simple: because the Straw Hats are renegades, outlaws, and traitors to their governing body. In the eyes of their World Government, they deserve to die no matter how much good they do along the way."

Pearl forced a laugh. "I don't think calling them 'renegades' is helping judge their character in the slightest! I..." Then she stopped and thought about exactly how Garnet just described them. Her eyes widened and then she put her hand over her mouth. "My goodness! You aren't saying..."

"Yup. Like it or not, Beach City has always harbored criminals," Garnet smiled. "Come on, let's go join the people before Captain Smoker starts a fight."

"I...but..." Pearl started to stammer before being dragged to the edge of the ship by her leader. Garnet nodded to Greg before they jumped off of the boat.

"...it's sad that this is a typical day for me," he laughed to himself.

*AGITR*

"...and this is Vidalia! She's Amethyst's good friend who is Sour Cream's and Onion's mom!" Steven finished introducing his friends and neighbors to the Straw Hats.

"I've got to come into the city more often if this is the kind of stuff that is going on," the middle-aged woman chuckled, waving to all of the pirates. "I've been cooped up in the house too much."

"...are...are all of the members of your family named after food?" Sanji asked. Nami then proceeded to step on his foot, causing him to wince in pain.

"Stop being rude!"

"Nah, it's cool. My own mom named me after a vidalia because of my hair when I was born or something. I liked the theme and just went with it. Thankfully, Yellowtail didn't mind," she chuckled. "Gotta say, your ship looks pretty cool. If you don't mind, I'd love to come and bring my easel down here and paint it. I was just telling Amethyst a few weeks back how I could use the old spark again."

Genevieve, upon hearing that, started to smile. "You're a painter as well?"

"You bet I am! Amethyst used to be my muse in the old days. She would shapeshift and turn into the most ridiculous things! If you want, I can show you some of my work. It's probably not as good as that emotional painting that you do, but you might like it," she offered the young painter.

"Sounds fun!"

"Well now that we have all been introduced, it is time for SOME of us to open up our shops! It is mid July after all," Kofi coughed to get his family's attention, who were fawning over Chopper. "The tourists will start filling up the boardwalk any time now!"

"Daddy!" Kiki and Jenny whined at once. "They just got here!"

"And I am sure they will be here later! Right now we have a responsibility to serve pizza to all visitors of this city...except those who choose to smoke around my children," his eyes narrowed as they followed the billowing smoke coming out of Smoker's cigars and Sanji's cigarette.

"Hey! That gives me a great idea!" Mr. Smiley said. "Mr. Mayor and Captain Luffy, why don't we make this pirate ship a tourist attraction, like part of the amusement parks? Visitors can come around to take pictures next to the pirate ship!"

The Marine captain sighed, ignoring Ronaldo trying to ask him a million questions. "That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Only an idiot would let innocent people play near a..."

"That is a wonderful idea!" Mayor Dewey nodded, clearly picturing the sight in his head. "I can see it now: we can set up a 'be a pirate stand' right next to the ship and generate some revenue for the town by selling little pirate flags...can we get pirate flags with that logo on it?"

"You mean you want to make Merry a theme park attraction?" Luffy asked.

"Think of it as an opportunity, young man!" Mayor Dewey explained. "You and your 'posse' are apparently stuck here for some time, right? Well, I can help you out when you are here, and you can help me out! Helping me out is helping the city out! Calling the mayor a friend isn't exactly a bad thing, eh?"

"Dad, stop trying to make them sell out," Buck told him. "It's one thing if they are trying to express themselves in a bold way, shouting to this dimension 'Hey! We are here!' But trying to cajole them to do it just isn't cool."

"Hold on..." Nami came up to join the conversation. "If we are stuck here for awhile, then we are going to need some of the local currency. All we have are berries. This might be a good idea."

"Miss Navigator, didn't I just give you jewels?" Nico Robin pointed out. "Perhaps they can be exchanged for money."

As Nami started to pout like Kiki and Jenny, Luffy just shrugged. "I don't care if kids come to look at my ship. It's gonna be the ship of the next Pirate King!"

"Keep telling yourself that, 'Straw Hat,'" Smoker joined them, leaving Tashigi with the Frymans. "There isn't going to be a Pirate King and I can guarantee you that your ship will never make it to the end of the Grand Line!"

"Take that back!"

"Um, gentlemen," Mayor Dewey interjected. "Can't we keep this civil, especially when all of the tourists and potential voters are no doubt arriving as we speak?"

"Mr. Mayor, I am aware that I have no authority here, but I am obligated to remind you that no matter how friendly they appear or how they helped the Universe boy, they are criminals awaiting imprisonment when we return to the Grand Line. I highly suggest you take them into custody!"

At once, the Straw Hats and Steven exploded into a fury of protests, all directed toward the mayor and, unsurprisingly, to the Marine himself. As most of the older citizens of Beach City started to take a few steps away in the hopes that the situation would diffuse itself, Mayor Dewey tried to speak over the shouting. He had a duty to perform as mayor and it was his job to handle the situation. The voters depended on his decisive action.

"Ahem," he coughed, not getting anywhere. Finally, he ran into his car and pulled out a megaphone. "Settle down, folks! Settle down!" The yelling stopped and all eyes were on Bill Dewey. "You raise some very valid points, but the fact of the matter is this is kind of out of my comfort zone. Though I'm the mayor, I typically let this sort of stuff be dealt with by people with a smidge more experience than I have."

"And who the hell are they supposed to be?"

"Well..." he stammered before looking into the sky as Garnet and Pearl landed on the sand near them. "Ah! Here they are now!"

"...you've got to be kidding me!" Smoker muttered furiously.

"Oh. Hey," Garnet gave a slight wave to the people. "I told you we'd find Steven."

He gave a nervous laugh as he darted his eyes from the Marine, the pirates, and then back to the magical guardians who even knew his Great Great Grandfather. "There was never a doubt in my mind...uh...tall Crystal Gem. But I was hoping to get your advice on this little pirate matter that we seem to be having here."

"You mean Steven's friends," Garnet nodded to them. "They won't be any trouble. Don't worry about it."

"Called it!" Nanefua yelled out.

"Of all the...that's all you are going to do?! They can be incredibly dangerous...!" Smoker tried to protest.

"I'm sorry, but until proven otherwise, the pirates may stay!" Mayor Dewey flashed a smile before starting to cough. "Though I must insist that you and the blond one put out your cigarettes and cigars! We are a no smoking, no drinking beach community!"

The Marine took one look at the Mayor and the pirates before taking his cigars out of his mouth, putting them out on his shoes, and started to take a walk away from everybody. Tashigi started to run after him before being stopped by Garnet. "Let him be, Marine-girl. He needs to cool down and adjust," she smiled. "Besides, he'd get mad if you let them out of your sight."

Tashigi opened her mouth to protest, but quickly closed it when she realized that the Gem had a point and resumed silently fuming over the terrible predicament she was in.

"Sorry if I stirred up trouble or anything," Mr. Smiley looked embarrassed. "It's just that having a pirate ship in a beach area like this is really special."

"It's okay, Mr. Smiley," Steven explained. "Captain Smoker is a good guy, but it's a lot to take in."

"Yeah," Usopp nodded. "How would you feel if you were trapped in a parallel dimension with your worst enemies?"

The man opened his mouth to comment before shrugging. "I've got nothing. Still, maybe what you all need is to have a little Beach City fun to get you all settled! Tonight is our yearly 'Beach-A-Palooza!' You guys should come out to it. It'd be a great way to relax and for all of us to get to know each other better!"

"That's a great idea, Mr. Smiley! What do you say guys?" Steven asked his crewmates.

The Straw Hats themselves were all a bit uncomfortable. The shock of being in a new dimension was still sinking in. Along those same lines, the residents of Beach City still knew nothing about who these pirates were beyond what Steven had told them, which was not a lot.

"I think a meet-and-greet at the festival is a good way to break the ice," Nami nodded, trying to answer for the crew. "I'm sure it will be fun."

"Yo, the best way to break the ice would be an after-festival rave!" Sour Cream tried to interject. "Think about it: I could bring out my speakers and we could party right on the ship...or by the ship...but it'd be better on the ship..."

"No doubt about it," Buck nodded. "This rave has to be on the ship if it's gonna work."

"Hmm?" Luffy was getting more and more confused by the second. "Wait, you guys want to party later? We never did have that party we wanted to do before...so yeah! Let's party!"

"Um...Luffy, is having a party with teenagers on a ship with cannons on it the smartest...?" Nami started to question her captain's judgment.

"We are going to need lots of meat!" Luffy was telling the kids. "Sanji, can you cook up something good for Steven's friends tonight?"

Sour Cream looked like he had just accomplished a lifelong dream as he gave an quick nod to the Straw Hat captain, who was trying to plan an impromptu party. "I don't know many interdimensional travelers...but if I did, you guys would be right at the top of my list."

"That was deep," Buck commented. "Come on; I'll help you get your stuff together."

"Word. Catch you guys later at Beach-A-Palooza. Mom, that's okay, right?"

"Of course, honey," Vidalia smiled. "You two have fun and I'll catch up with you later. Onion, if you want, you can go back with them."

The small boy with no ears nodded and followed the two cool kids away from the beach, but not before flashing Petrea a smile. The blonde chocolatier shuddered and focused back on admiring the view.

The departure of Buck, Onion, and Sour Cream set off a chain reaction of the adults finally returning to their jobs, taking their children with them. The only people left besides the Straw Hats were Vidalia, Lars, and Sadie.

"Say, where's Amethyst?" Vidalia asked Pearl. "I think I see Greg up there on the ship, but not her. Where'd she run off to?"

"Vidalia, when we were fighting the Baroque Works Agents, she took so much damage that she's retreated into her Gem for days now..." Pearl motioned for Garnet to come over. The tall Gem pulled out Amethyst's gemstone from her afro and showed it to Vidalia.

"Mind if I see her?" Vidalia asked.

"Just don't drop her," Garnet passed it to her.

The woman frowned and looked over the sparkling stone. "Hmm...you say she's been like this for days?"

"Yeah!" Steven nodded, looking upset at the sight of the gemstone. "It's the longest she's ever taken to regenerate. I miss her..."

"Well, we can't have the prodigal son upset upon his return, can we?" Vidalia ruffled Steven's hair as she walked to the edge of the sand. "Hey, ugly Ame...GET YOUR PURPLE BUTT OUT HERE!" she yelled as she flung the gemstone into the ocean.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Pearl shrieked.

"She just tossed Amethyst into the ocean!" Steven started to panic.

"...thank you, Steven. We never would have realized that without you pointing it out," Genevieve deadpanned.

"Bad timing!" Petrea scolded her.

The gemstone started to skip off of the ocean until it was swallowed by a wave. As the people who understood what was going on watched the wave with shock, only Vidalia kept an upbeat disposition.

"Wait, so your family can turn into little rocks?" Sadie asked, trying to make sense of everything. "I...I don't get it."

"Amethyst!" Steven didn't process Sadie's question. He threw off his Cheeseburger Backpack and ran to the water so he could swim after her.

"What the hay is going on down there?!" Greg called from the Going Merry.

"Vidalia, why on Earth would you do that?!" Pearl freaked out on the smiling housewife.

"Come on; the two of us got into so much trouble back in the day. Did you honestly expect us not to do something so stupid that it would cause her to turn back into a stone?" Vidalia smirked. "Give it a moment...this always used to work..."

All eyes were on the ocean, and technically Steven swimming out into the ocean to fetch the gemstone. But just as Steven made it past the point where he could swim without standing, a blinding purple light filled the water. Suddenly, a familiar face rose up from the sea, splashing and coughing up water.

"Gah! Where did all this water come from?! Wasn't I just in a desert? Where's that porcupine-woman?! I'll...STEVEN!" Amethyst collected herself. She swam over to the boy, who started to cry tears of joy.

"Amethyst, you're okay! You've been gone for so long!" Steven hugged her as she led the two of them out of the water and to the beach.

"...woah! Are we back in Beach City?! How the heck did that happen?!" Amethyst looked around upon landing on the shore. She had finally noticed the familiar places and people all around her.

"Amethyst! You're back...and you look different!" Petrea ran over to give the Gem an equally large hug, breaking Amethyst's train of thought. She was right; Amethyst's outfit did indeed change slightly. Her black tank top was now a purple dress with a black star in the center of it. Her grey pants were now pure black, complimented by white boots.

"Woah! Coming in for the kill!" she laughed before getting a good look at her fighting partner. "What happened to you?!" Amethyst was now staring at the faded bruises on her body. True, a large part of Petrea's wounds had healed thanks to the advanced medicine in Alabasta, but she had still suffered major injuries not even a week ago.

"I...I kind of thought you were dead so I went off on Paula!"

The Gem laughed. "It'll take more than some pompous porcupine-lady to take me down! Wait...all of you are here too? What the heck did I miss?"

"Gem regeneration does NOT work like that!" Pearl was running her hands through her hair as Amethyst started getting the rundown of what had happened by Steven and the others. "You can't just throw a gemstone in water and wait for her to grow like some common plant!"

"Eh, clearly you don't know Amethyst that well," Vidalia chuckled, heading over to meet her friend. "She doesn't fit well into how things are supposed to work."

The Gem tried to comment on it, but words clearly escaped her. She looked to Garnet for clarity, but she just shrugged. "She's not wrong."