5. Meeting The Captain

The Chinook stayed at a hundred feet as it charged across the ocean. With a cruising speed of 196 mph and our destination only thirty miles away, there wasn't really any point to getting to any appreciable cruising altitude. As such, when we shot over the target island less than twenty minutes after leaving the Quetzalcoatl island more than a few heads snapped up at our passage. The island we were over was primarily plain oriented and so Sam and John put us down in a large clearing a mile away from the town that the Nav System had indicated. Before the locals could even come running over to find out what the strange device in the sky was, the Chinook was in my Subspace Pocket, Sam and John were back in card form and my holster, and Kushina and I were moving under Tyrus' illusionary cloak to easily sneak past them when they did come searching.

Tyrus dropped the cloak around Kushina and me once we were in the middle of the town in an alleyway, the Winged Serpent settling on my shoulders and hiding his wings making him look like nothing more than a simple pet snake. Sure, he earned a glance from the people we passed by, but rarely did he get a second. This WAS a One Piece world after all. As such, we had no problem following the Nav system on my tablet to the harbor where a semi familiar cruise ship with a dolphin figurehead was docked.

I glanced back at my tablet one more time ensuring that yes, the Racing Dolphin was our destination before I nodded and said "Looks like we're joining up with Luffy at the very start of his journey. That's the ship he wound up in once his little dingy got caught in a whirlpool and he escaped in a barrel."

"Seriously?" Kushina asked and at my nod giggled as she said "Not much of a seaman this guy, eh?"

"Nope." I said with a grin before I put my tablet in my bookbag, stored my weapons, took out a small roll able suitcase for Kushina to pull behind her, and hooked my arm around hers before we continued on to the docks proper, coming to a stop on the appropriate one where the captain was standing next to a crewmember who held a book and was taking the names of passengers as they paid for passage. Kushina and I got slightly raised eyebrows when it was our turn, our clothing a stage or two more casual than the fancier dressed 'rich folk', but I simply smiled and said "How much for passage for two people Captain?"

"Fifty thousand Beris each, an extra five hundred Beris to bring your snake along as well, provided of course that you keep it either in your cabin or with you at all times." The captain said, giving Tyrus a brief once over, probably making sure he wasn't a poisonous breed.

I nodded agreeably to that and slid my book bag off one shoulder so that way I could get to it. A quick mental prompt had the money appear in the bottom of the section I opened and I handed it over to the crew member who took it with a nod and once they had Kushina and my names in the log book, and given us a cabin key, the Captain nodded and said "Welcome aboard you two, enjoy the trip."

We thanked him and walked passed and boarded the ship. Another crew member directed us to the deck of our cabin and once we were inside, Kushina lounged on the bed we would be sharing as she said "So how long until we meet up with our future Captain?"

Once more pulling out my tablet, I located Dawn Island and said "Well, his home island is three islands away, so with a ship like this one, and good wind, maybe a few days?"

Kushina hummed at that before she sat up with a grin and said "So since we have an hour or two before we get underway, what should we do to pass the time?"

I shrugged and said "We could finish that Mario Cart tournament that I was beating you in."

"Ha, you wish you were beating me!" Kushina said and I grinned as I brought out my 3DS, linked it to my tablet before handing it over to her, the two of us soon racing Mario characters across the Bowser's Castle course while Tyrus lounged on top of one of the cabinets in the cabin.

Time Skip: Three Days Later

For the first time since we had boarded the Racing Dolphin I had all of my weapons on me and Kushina was in full on Kunoichi mode. The pair of us and Tyrus were currently hiding under his cloaking illusion, had been since breakfast, and we were currently on the top deck watching the nearby island while a pair of sailors pulled up a barrel that had bumped up against the ship. As such, we spotted the pirate ship that came behind the island at the same time as the look out did. As the panicked sailor called down to the two sailors with the barrel that there was a pirate ship coming, I felt my face fall flat as I said "The swan figurehead with hearts for eyes is bad enough, but did Alvida really have to paint her entire ship pink?"

Kushina shook her head with a look of disgust on her face as she said "There's just no accounting for taste these days. I feel sorry for all the men pirates who have to serve on that ship."

I let out a snort at that and said "Same here." Before anything else could be said, the Miss Love Duck fired its cannons at the Racing Dolphin, bracketing the cruise ship with explosions that threw up fountains of water.

As the pirate ship began chasing us down, Tyrus glanced at me and said "You sure you don't want me to just make some water spouts around them?"

I shook my head and said "Can't risk Coby getting hurt. No, this is going to have be a close quarters fight."

"Which is the best kind there is." Kushina said with a grin and my lips twitched upwards before I winced as another barrage of cannon fire once more bracketed the vessel we were standing on. Giving the pirate vessel a wary look, I said "As soon as they turn towards us, they'll go for the rear mast."

The Miss Love Duck fired one more barrage at the fleeing ship before it began turning to port. I barely got out a "Here it comes!" Before the bow cannon behind the long figure head fired and a cannonball took out the rear mast. With a third of its sailing power stripped from it, the Racing Dolphin had no chance of outrunning its tormenters and Alvida's ship soon pulled alongside. As said Captain was seen, Kushina and Tyrus jerked back as they said together "That fat whale is Alvida?!"

"Yep." I said, my eyes narrowed as I studied the fat slob of a pirate. Really, the anime just didn't do that woman the injustice of portraying her properly, not that simple paper and ink could ever portray such an ugly person properly. Still, she wasn't our target at the moment, and besides, Luffy would take care of her soon enough. Instead, I turned my focus on the pirates yelling as they ran up the grappling lines they had put between the two ships and I said "Remember, let them get inside the ship, then take them down."

"Right." The other two members of our party said and as soon as most of the pirates went inside, we followed, Tyrus dropping the cloak. We reached the pirates just as they came upon the dance hall with the rest of the passengers. One of them had just stated that if the passengers handed all of their valuables over that they would be spared, something which I had my doubts about, before my Wraith Stunner dropped the scumbag. The other pirates spun around to face us but before they could actually do anything the found themselves wrapped up in Kushina's chains before she smashed their heads together in pairs knocking them out leaving only the odd one still conscious. Tyrus got that one as he shot off of my shoulders and bit into the man with fangs sparking and he screamed for a few seconds before he slumped in the chains.

The Captain and passengers stared at us in shock even as I tipped my hat's brim at the Captain and said "I recommend you find something to secure these men Captain. We'll go look for the others."

"Uh right." The Captain said and once Kushina had dismissed her chains we headed back out of the dining room. The infrared vision on my mask lead us to two more groups of pirates that we got the drop on before there was a loud crash signaling it was time to head back to the top deck. We came out just in time for a pirate to fly through the air screaming before he slammed into the wall next to the door we exited and slide off knocked out. Just to be safe, I shot him with my stunner before we took off to where a group of pirates were surrounding a figure that was short enough only a Straw Hat on top of their head was seen. Well, that, and the top of a pipe. It seemed like the Luffy of this world had kept the weapon he and his brothers had used when they were young.

And then the group of pirates got blasted away from the figure in the center who idly twirled the pipe in their hand before resting it across their shoulders with both hands idly gripping it and I blinked at the sight of long black hair that fell to the midback. I had barely gotten out a surprised "What the?" before Alvida burst out of the deck behind the figure like the whale she so greatly imitated, mace already falling to slam into Luffy's head. She never connected though, instead Luffy's leg whipped up and wrapped five times around the mace before they yanked their leg forward sending Alvida flying forward like she just got Judo thrown, landing on her back hard enough to make the deck tremble. The next instant, Luffy's pipe was by their side and their arm was twisting. Alvida barely had time to widen her eyes at the sight before Luffy brought the pipe swinging down and with a loud cry of "FORE!" slammed the rod of metal into her blasting her off of the ship and rapidly out of sight.

"Nice." Kushina said with a grin that I matched as we made the rest of our way over.

Luffy heard us and turned with a grin as she laughed and said "Shishishishi! Thanks!"

Kushina blinked once before she glanced at me and said "I thought Luffy was supposed to be a boy?"

"Oda's Luffy was a boy. Clearly, we're in a variant dimension." I said with a slight frown. Seriously, if I didn't love the Loop series started by Saphroneth that not so little detail would have really thrown me for a loop.

"What are you two talking about? And how do you know who I am?" Luffy asked with a cocked head.

"It's a long story, but the short version was that I was sent to join your crew by a god tiered being." I said with a shrug.

"Really?" Luffy asked, and her eyes definitely had an inner glow to them at that before they disappeared as the Racing Dolphin and the Miss Love Duck were suddenly bracketed by cannon fire.

"Luffy, Marines!" Coby shouted from where he had been hiding behind the nearby mast, the pink haired kid pointing out at sea.

Luffy's eyes glanced at the three Marine ships, then towards Alvida's ship. I expected her to say that now would be a good time for Coby to join up with the Marines but instead she gave a decisive nod and said "Coby, get one of the life rafts ready, we're getting out of here."

Coby made a salute, seemingly on pure instinct as he said "Yes ma'am!" The next instant he sprinted over to the railing facing Alvida's ship and quickly began undoing the ropes keeping a life boat secured. As he did that, Luffy studied us for a quick but intense moment before grinning and said "Well if you guys want to join us, then who am I to say no? Come on!" And with that, she ran over to Coby.

"Now THAT I expected from her." I said lowly to myself and Kushina hummed as we followed.

A minute later, we were all in the life boat and dropping eight decks down to the surface of the ocean. We dropped right next to Nami's own small craft, the orangette letting out a short scream of surprise, and Luffy grinned at her from where she was braced against the side of the boat holding her hat with the other hand (an action I was mirroring) before she leapt over me and Kushina, her legs rapidly wrapping around each other before she reached the back of the boat and stuck them in the water as she called out "Gum Gum Propeller!"

An instant later, her legs began unwrapping and we quickly shot away from the two large vessels at speeds right up there with jet skis, quickly putting them and the rapidly approaching marines behind us. A minute later, we finally slowed down and the boat settled on a more even plane. Coby and I dropped the sail and we continued on as Luffy shook off her wet feet. Once she was done, she hopped up to sit cross legged on a barrel and eagerly grinned at us as she said "Now that we're away from the Marines, tell me that story!"

I nodded and said "Alright, it starts in a world different than this one, where a mangaka or anime writer was writing a story that had been going on for twenty one years and was one of the top three manga out there…"

Forty five minutes later, Luffy studied me, Kushina, and Tyrus for a long moment before she nodded and said "So you're basically a summoner with access to a magic shop that can get us pretty much whatever we want with a cool storm eating snake for a partner, and knowledge of what MIGHT happen, is that right?"

I nodded and said "That pretty much covers it, though you forgot the IDs I can create." Leaning forward, I said "Oda's Luffy didn't want any spoilers, and he didn't like people trying to join his crew out of debt or because they were told to, but I'm hoping you'll have me aboard and allow me to offer advice where necessary."

Luffy chuckled and detached her pipe from the clips of the harness she wore on her back and began idly twirling it with one hand as she said "Well, I don't know about this other Luffy, but I'd be pretty stupid to not let you join. Not wanting to know what's ahead is one thing, but if knowledge of potential future enemies can keep me and my crew safe, then as Captain I have a duty to know about it."

"Very pragmatic of you." Kushina said with an approving nod and Luffy gave her signature laugh for a minute.

When she stopped, she leaned forward slightly and said "So in this story, we grabbed Pirate Hunter Zoro for our crew right?" At my nod, she grinned eagerly even as Coby began trying to dissuade her from trying to recruit him. As the two interacted, I leaned back with a sigh of contentment, Kushina soon joining me while Tyrus flew up to the top of our little boat's mast. Luffy had thankfully allowed us to join her crew, so now all we had to do was sit back and relax until we reached Shell Town.

END

Author's Notes: Update Schedule is on my Profile, along with a Poll

So I've decided that I'm going to do this and Tailor by episode rather than by arc, or Oda forbid saga. It would just get to be too big and keep you guys from reading it for even longer. Although, if the place we're at is only a few episodes long I might just steamroll them all together if they don't wind up getting too long. (Shrugs) Eh, we'll see.