The Contest of Champions

by Alexpv22

Throughout the vast reaches of the multiverse, heroic champions are being summoned for an unknown purpose. Where will these champions arrive, who is calling out to them, what purpose do they have for them and most of all; will the champions work well together, upon meeting one another? All this and more will be answered, when the trials begin and the champions test their mettle

3. Chapter Three: The Third Summoning

Chapter Three

The Third Summoning (Sail On to Adventure)

As we leave Team Phantom behind for the moment, our tale takes us to another earth. Here, the land is deep within what is known as "The Age of Piracy." Throughout the Blue Sea, pirates and adventurers of all kinds sailed hither and yon; searching for adventure, glory and most infamous of all, the fabled treasure known as the One Piece.

In the golden age of this pirate era, a man known as Gol D. Roger (or Gold Roger as many chose to call him) ruled the seas as King of all Pirates. Before his execution, he hid his treasure away; challenging everyone to risk it all to find it. Years later after Roger's death, pirates of all kinds sailed the seas; desperately seeking this treasure.

Among the pirates was a group of misfits known as the Straw Hat Pirates. Led by their charismatic...yet still often goofy captain, Monkey D. Luffy, the Straw Hats explored the farthest corners of the Blue; seeking the One Piece. For it was said that whoever found this treasure would achieve their lives greatest dreams.

Luffy's dream, above all was to reach Roger's level of recognition and become the newest Pirate King. Throughout their travels; there were those, be they friend or foe, who doubted the Straw Hats would succeed in finding the One Piece. Some believed they would die at sea, while others presumed that the Navy would have them all in chains; before the end.

Yet despite appearing as a rather...unconventional captain, Luffy had survived many trials on his journey. He battled rogue Merman, giants, sea monsters, pirate warlords and half the world's naval forces...but he remained undaunted. Of course, he did not make it this far on his own.

On his journey; Luffy crossed paths with, befriended and even persuaded many equally unique individuals into forming his own crew. The first was Roronoa Zoro, a bounty hunter whose main drive in life involved hunting down and disposing of any pirate who crossed his path. But after meeting with Luffy, things had changed.

Now, he sought out to become the greatest swordsman in the world; using his skills to protect Luffy as his first mate. Next, there came a woman named Nami; the wily, intelligent and rather captivating navigator of the Straw Hats. Once, long ago; she was a thief who stole from others.

For many years, her thievery was merely a means of survival in the world. But underneath her often roguish façade lie a troubled and arduous past. For as long as she knew, Nami had no blood family of her own; no parents or siblings of any kind.

Then, when Nami was but a wee babe; a woman named Bellemere and a young girl named Nojiko took her in. For the first few years of her life, these two ladies acted as Nami's...surrogate family, so to say. Despite all the mischief she often caused them and the people of Cocoyashi Village, her home; Nami was well cared for and loved.

Then came the day where her whole world was shattered. From parts unknown, a Merman pirate by the name of Arlong came to her village. He and his crew intended to rob and pillage every inch of the town and the people were too afraid to stand against him...all but one.

Despite not taking up arms since leaving the Navy, Bellemere could not sit idly by and let everyone suffer. So, she approached Arlong and openly challenged his threats to the village. Alas; such behavior, though valiant, brought the pirate to mercilessly abuse her.

In the end, despite her daughters desperately urging her not to give up; poor Bellemere was struck down by Arlong in cold blood. Afterwards, she was forced into his company as his personal cartographer. Before bringing her into his "service," however; Arlong decided to be "merciful" to everyone.

If the villagers could offer up a ransom of 100,000,000 berries, his crew would release Nami and leave the village forever. But such a price was far too high for everyone to pay. No one in the village had that much money to spare.

So, until the ransom could be paid; Nami was forced to be Arlong's slave for most of her life. But all that changed, after she met Luffy. The first time they met, she saw him as nothing more than a bumbling and often reckless oaf.

She also imagined him to be as villainous as Arlong...or any other pirate she encountered. But then, she was not only surprised to see him risk his life for her against Buggy; despite she and him being total strangers. But his exuberant spirit, passion for his dream and "never give up" attitude helped her see he was different.

In the end, Buggy had been defeated and Nami decided to travel with him; believing their potential crew needed a good navigator to help guide them. These two were the first of many to meet Luffy and either join him on his quest or help him. From almost all over the Blue, the Straw Hats traveled; encountering many challenges on the way.

Now, after so many years of adventure and sailing; their quest brought them to a lone island called Raftel. Once the ship was anchored, the crew stepped out onto shore; one by one. "I can't believe it, guys" sighed Usopp, the crew's sniper; "we've finally made it...you think the One Piece might actually be here?"

There was a soft "click, clack" of high heels approaching behind him; as Robin, the crew's archeologist, walked down the Sunny's gangplank. "If the research I've made is correct, this truly is the place" she murmured softly, "there's only one way to find out, though." With that said, she called over her shoulder for the rest of the crew and stepped onto the shore.

Within moments, each member of the Straw Hats made their way onto the island. The crew's illustrious chef, Sanji; Chopper (the crew's doctor,) Franky (the shipwright) and Brook, the merry skeleton musician. Throughout the journey, the crew stood by Luffy; protecting him, assisting him...and occasionally keeping him out of too much trouble.

With their arrival on the island, they felt as though their goals were just within reach. All that remained was to try and find the One Piece. But the question was...where could Roger have hidden it?

"Best get started searching the island, everyone" Nami instructed, "if you find anything of value or out of the ordinary, give a signal." Everyone nodded in silent understanding and split up. Each member of the crew searched every stone, every tree and even deep within the sand for Roger's treasure...yet found nothing.

After a half hour of searching the jungles of Raftel, Luffy's stomach suddenly started to growl loudly. The young pirate groaned with hunger, desperately wishing he'd packed a lunch before going off on his search. Yet, despite the discomfort; Luffy did his best to push on.

"You can't give in now, dude" he thought determinedly, "you're so close to Roger's treasure; find it and afterwards, you can talk Sanji into making a big meal to celebrate with." Just as Luffy started to drool at the idea of Sanji's famous cooking, he suddenly stopped walking. After that, his ears began to twitch softly; as if he heard someone's voice calling him.

Luffy eased his head sideways, his right ear slightly inflating and he carefully listened for the odd voices again. "Huh...Could've sworn I heard somebody calling out to me" he murmured, "my head must be playing tricks on me." But much to his surprise, the voices spoke to him again; deep within the wilderness.

Though faint, he swore he could hear sounds of someone telling him to come somewhere. Just as he prepared to seek out the odd caller, another voice spoke to him; one louder and more familiar. "OI, LUFFY" shouted a female voice, "ARE YOU STILL ALIVE DOWN THERE?!"

Luffy snapped out of his confused trance, looked up and spotted Nami atop of a cliff; just ahead of him. Deciding to ignore the whispers for now, he hurried over to the cliff. Then, he reared his arms back and suddenly flung them upward like rubber whips grabbing the edge.

After that, he shot up like a rocket and landed beside Nami; who stumbled back slightly in surprise. After consuming the fabled Gum-Gum Devil Fruit, Luffy's body was now as flexible and stretchy as rubber. You would think that after traveling with him for so long; Nami would be used to his powers, by now.

But deep down, she knew Luffy was often as unpredictable as nature. One instance, he would be deadest and focused on an important matter. The next, he'd be off goofing around or whining for someone to feed him like a toddler.

Yet, through it all; Nami still couldn't shake off her admiration for her captain. "Care to explain why you almost wandered off down their, Luffy" she asked with a sigh, "you looked like you heard someone calling your name." Luffy nodded slightly, upon hearing her words; proclaiming that he thought he did hear someone calling him.

"You were probably hearing things, Luffy" Nami said softly while patting his head, "we'll talk about it later; right now, we've got loot to find." With that said, they rejoined their friends; whom they all saw at the top of a large mountain. While carrying Nami on his back, Luffy used his powers to try and stretch them both to the top.

However; due to his hungry state, he could only make it halfway. Thankfully, Zoro was close by with a rope to help him up the rest of the way. The crew traversed up the mountainside for several minutes.

But in his hungry state, Luffy felt like they had been walking for several years. Finally, they reached the top and found a most astonishing sight. Before them stood what looked like old, abandoned fortresses or houses.

"What the heck is all this" gasped Usopp in awe, "did...did we just accidentally wander into a Marine stronghold?" Nami rolled her eyes slightly at the idea, stating that none of the buildings bore the colors of either the Marine or the World Government. Feeling curious, Robin began to study the buildings very closely.

After a few moments, she then took out a book and began to read a page from it. This behavior mildly confused the rest of the crew and they all wondered if she was well. Upon seeing her friends' concerned faces, Robin suddenly realized her behavior and bowed her head.

"So sorry, everyone" she murmured with a soft chuckle, "it's just...something about all these buildings reminds me of something from some books I've read." Feeling mildly intrigued, everyone urged her to tell them more. "Mind you, I'm not entirely certain on this" Robin said matter-of-factly, "but this place may have been the base of operations for Roger's crew."

With this revelation, it gave everyone hope that the One Piece may actually be on the island. "Maybe Roger hid his treasure in one of these buildings" chimed Chopper, "let's have a look and see." Everyone nodded in agreement and proceeded towards the gate of what looked like an old fortress.

Luffy chuckled and prepared to unleash a powerful Gum-Gum punch to it. But as he drew his arm back, Nami quickly stopped him. "That might not be a good idea, Luffy" she stated, "who knows if Roger had any place on this island rigged with traps to keep out intruders."

This news caused Usopp to suddenly go white with fear. Afterwards, he quickly scuttled away from the door; not wishing to be in the path of any possible death traps. "So...uh, who's gonna knock first" he asked while quivering, "any volunteers?"

Nami rolled her eyes slightly at his behavior and decided to pick the lock herself. Using a point from her hairclip, she carefully jingled it about inside the lock; listening intently to every click. Then, just as the door swung inwards; a collection of blades swung down towards her from a rope.

Thinking quickly, she swung her Clima Tact at the rope; snapping it. Once it was destroyed, everyone scattered backwards slightly; as the swords spilt all over the ground. "Wow, guess she was right about the death trap thing" gasped Luffy, "that was pretty smart, Nami."

Feeling proud of herself, Nami bowed graciously to her crew; which brought Zoro to groan in exasperation. "Less chatty and more treasure find-y, folks" he stated, "if this door was rigged, that must mean the treasure's in this place!" With that said, everyone ran excitedly into the fortress.

Soon, they found themselves inside of an old room; possibly resembling a great hall. Despite the collections of spider webs, cracking stonework and all the dust everywhere; the room looked rather lovely. "Guys; I vote that after we find the One Piece, we make this our official base" Luffy said enthusiastically, "think of how cool that would be."

Several of the crew chuckled heartily at Luffy's child-like optimism. But quickly reminded him that the treasure needed to be found first, before any future plans could be thought up. "Once the treasure is ours...then, we might refurbish this place" Franky stated, "but not until then."

Luffy nodded in understanding and instructed everyone to search every inch of the fort. Alas; after almost an hour's search, they had found nothing. Much to their surprise, the fort was much bigger on the inside than it was outside.

Sadly; after an hour of searching numerous rooms, no one found even a small chest of gold. "Jeez! I feel like we've gone around in circles" Zoro groaned, "something tells me Roger lied to everybody." Upon hearing this, Luffy gasped loudly; appearing highly offended.

"How dare you say such a thing about the King of the Pirates" he growled, "I've met all kinds of people, people who actually knew and they told me the One Piece is real!" The crew was taken aback by their captain's slight rise in temper. This was one of the few times where he actually showed a more driven and serious side.

Cautiously, Zoro placed a comforting hand on Luffy's shoulder; which seemed to help him relax...just a little. "Look...I'm not saying Roger is a liar, Luffy" he sighed calmly, "it's just that...we've searched every inch of this place and haven't even found one coin." Upon hearing these words, Luffy's anger ebbed out slightly and gave way for the slight chill of despair.

After ending their search in the one fortress, the crew made their way towards the second one. But upon entering and looking over every nook and cranny of the place, they found no sign of treasure. All they did find were two rooms filled with books, an old weapons storage room and barrels of what looked like powder.

Their search for wealth appearing to be a bust; Luffy, Nami and several other crew members considered giving up. But then, an idea began to form in Robin's mind. "Hold on, everyone" she cried out suddenly, "don't lose hope yet, there may actually be treasure here after all."

At first, everyone prepared to either doubt or question her words. But then, Robin suggested that they might not have been looking in the right places. "Think of it, everyone" she insisted, "did you see anything out of the ordinary, during your searches?"

For several moments, the crew scrunched their brows and tried to recollect anything odd they might've seen earlier on. Then; Luffy, with his face red and his brow sweating from stressing out his mind, let out a soft gasp. "Hold it, guys...I think I might remember something" he murmured, "I think...I think there was some sort of...door thingy I saw on the floor, when we went in the first building."

At the moment, several of the Straw Hats considered his information pointless; believing he may have only seen a broken door that fell off its hinges. But then, Luffy went on to describe it as "a large square;" which piqued their interest.

"A large square door you say" murmured Robin, "could you show us where you found it?" Luffy smiled his trademark grin, gave a nod and lead everyone into the first fortress. Eventually, he brought them all to what looked like an old storage room.

Alas, it was cleared out of anything and everything of value. "This place must've been emptied after Roger's capture" Zoro sighed dejectedly, "makes sense, though; wouldn't want the marines to take away my things, when I'm not around." At that moment, while he was looking around; Zoro's foot bumped into something and he fell hard onto the floor.

Upon recovering, the swordsman was prepared to rant about people "leaving their junk on the floor." But then, he got a look at what he tripped over and went silent. Beneath his ankles was a square-shaped door, the same one Luffy described earlier.

"Oi, guys; come over here" he shouted, "I think I've found something." Moments later, when the rest of the crew arrived; Robin began to examine the door closely. "This looks like a hatch door of some kind" she murmured, "it must lead to a cellar."

With that in mind, everyone shared a unanimous thought; that this "cellar" may have been where Roger stored his loot. At that same time, Chopper looked at the handle and saw that it had been chained down with a lock. Nami attempted to open it by using her hairclip like she did with the door lock.

Sadly, the pin snapped after five seconds of trying. "Darn it, I really liked this clip too" Nami fumed bitterly, "looks like we'll need to find a key." With that, everyone began to search every inch of the room for any keys lying about. But after looking around for several minutes, they found no such thing.

Finally, everyone decided to put their endeavor on pause for the moment and relax; hoping a rest would clear their heads. That's when Luffy took a quick look at the lock again and noticed something odd. He leaned over to one of the chain's links and saw an odd brown substance clinging to it.

"Weird, it looks like the same stuff on those swords from earlier" he thought to himself, "I wonder what it is?" With great care and sensitivity, Luffy tapped his finger lightly on Nami's shoulder; waking her up. Unfortunately, it was the same finger he scrapped the substance of the chain with; which left a brown spot on her skin.

"What the...were you wiping your muck on me while I slept, Luffy" Nami roared in a whispering voice, mildly flustered. This outburst managed to reach the ears of Nami's "champion," Sanji; who raced up to Luffy at breakneck speed and prepared to stomp him into the dust. But just as the chef raised his foot up, Luffy quickly grabbed his foot; stopping him.

"Just listen to me, please" he cried exasperatedly, "that brown stuff is from the chain on that hatch thingy...I have no idea what it is." Upon hearing this, Nami decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and check out what he found. When she looked at the chain, Nami quickly noticed the same brown stuff Luffy did.

"I think it's the same stuff I saw on those swords that almost hit you earlier" he stated, "any idea what it is?" After a moment of silent study, Nami quickly discovered what the substance was; rust. "This chain is so old, it's coated with it" she exclaimed, "which means it may be weak enough to be cut off!"

With that said, she asked for Luffy to get a hold of a sword. At first, he considered getting one of the blades from the earlier deathtrap. But since they appeared rusty, they might not have been sharp enough to cut anything.

That's when he decided to go for one of Zoro's swords. But then, Luffy remembered how protective his friend was of said swords and knew he'd viciously hurt anyone who'd touch them. At the same time, Luffy felt even closer to gaining Roger's famed treasure and was willing to risk anything to get it; even a friend's momentary rage.

So, while the green-haired swordsman snored loudly; Luffy carefully snatched one of his three katana away and brought it back to the door. Afterwards, Luffy began to strike at the chain with all his might. The repeated "clang, clang, clang" sounds that Luffy created were so loud, the rest of the crew woke up from their naps; grumbling bitterly.

When Zoro saw Luffy hitting the chains with one of his swords, the veins on his forehead almost popped. "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT TOUCHING MY STUFF, LUFFY" he roared viciously, preparing to rush him. But before the man could move an inch; Robin, while using her Flower-Flower Devil Fruit abilities, held him back.

"Calm yourself, Zoro-kun" Robin sighed, "look closely at why Luffy is doing what he's doing." Zoro, while still mildly enraged, did as Robin requested and saw that Luffy was slicing at the chains of the hatch door. "Oh...Okay, then; I guess Luffy wasn't messing with my stuff" Zoro thought embarrassedly while an anime sweat drop drooped down the back of his head.

As Luffy continued striking the chain, everyone wondered if he'd accidentally break the sword in the process. Finally, after taking in a few good breaths; Luffy summoned his Armament Haki into his arm and swung down the sword with all his might. The proceeding sword strike cut through the chain, splitting it in two.

With that done, Luffy powered down and let out a long sigh. Afterwards, Zoro took back the sword and lightly swatted his hand in the back of Luffy's head. "Hey, what was that for" the captain whined, "the blade is still in one piece!" After taking a moment to examine it, Zoro saw that Luffy was right; there were no chips in the blade, no scratches and no signs of wearing.

"Be that as it may, Luffy; you still took my stuff without my say so" Zoro grunted, "all you needed to do was ask." Everyone, including Luffy, murmured softly in agreement with his words. But inwardly; they all knew that the man didn't like to be disturbed during one of his many, many naps.

With everything settled, the crew hurried to the door and opened it up. There, they saw a stairway that led deep below ground. "I dunno you guys" Usopp said with a nervous gulp, "I can't shake the feeling that something's gonna attack us down there."

With a soft yet annoyed groan, Nami gripped Usopp by his ear and dragged him down the steps. Everyone else followed after them, soon after; eager to see what was down below. When they all reached the bottom, the Straw Hats found themselves inside of a dark room.

"Oi, Sanji" Zoro called out, "take out one of those matches of yours and give us some light." Despite feeling bothered by his comrade's lack of manners, Sanji complied with his request and lit a match. Afterwards, he spotted a candelabra on an old table and lit it; giving the room better lighting.

Upon doing so, everyone gasped in awe at what they saw. Before them sat two large chests, which they hoped were filled with treasure. Without a moment's pause, they immediately rushed at the chests and proceeded to break away the locks.

Once opened, the Straw Hat Pirates' eyes glimmered at the bounty they found. "YES! We're rich, we're rich" cried Usopp with glee, "we've found Roger's treasure, at long last!" As most of the crew reveled in their discovery; Luffy, Robin, Zoro and Sanji remained strangely silent.

When Nami saw their expressions, her celebration dance suddenly stopped. "Why are you guys just standing there" she asked, "we've found Roger's treasure...aren't you all happy?" Luffy gave her a soft smile and assured her that he was happy.

"It's just...they said that the One Piece was what made Roger the richest and most successful pirate in history" he murmured, "but all we've found were two chests of gold." Robin nodded in agreement with her captain; proclaiming that while the chests did contain a lot, it didn't feel like all of Roger's wealth. "Something tells me the One Piece is about more than just gold coins and jewels" Robin suggested, scratching her chin.

It was then that they all remembered everything else they've found in both strongholds; the books, the barrels of powder and other items. With that in mind, they decided to look more into these things. First, Robin began to look through all the books that they've found.

In time, much to their surprise; these contained logs and records of everywhere the Roger Pirates traveled. Some of these books also contained information on possible Ponyglyph locations. With this, she could learn the possible greatest secret the World Government has kept hidden from the world.

Within other tomes the crew recovered, Zoro read records of different combat abilities Roger's crew learned from all over the world. With such information, he could learn how to perfect his swordsmanship in all the right ways. Sanji took hold of some of the books and read some passages that made his heart race.

Upon seeing him breathing heavily, Chopper asked Sanji if he was okay. "Oh, I'm more than okay" he said with a mad chuckle, "in fact, I am beyond elated!" When asked what made him so happy, Sanji gestured at the books he was reading.

"These books have notes on where one might find clues to the All Blue" he squealed with joy, "I'm closer than ever to finding my paradise!" Despite sharing his enthusiasm, the crew (though, mostly Zoro) wondered if Roger's group even found the All Blue at all. It was then that they remembered the large barrels they've found.

At first glance, they looked like they were filled with nothing but gunpowder; which might've become useless by now. But after reading the notes, Sanji wasn't so easily convinced. "Open up one of those barrels" he ordered, "I'd like to inspect the contents for myself."

Franky gave a nod, brought out a crowbar from his right hand and proceeded to pry open the lid. Once opened, Sanji dipped his index finger into the powder and licked it; earning many a grimace from his friends. The moment Sanji began to make loud, satisfied moans; the crew looked at him like he was going mad.

"Dude...do you have any idea what you might be eating" groaned Usopp, as he struggled to hold back his nausea; "that could be gun powder or...who knows what else in there!" Sanji's euphoria ended, moments later and he soon noticed his friends looking at him oddly. After taking a moment to collect himself, he assured them that all was well.

"Don't be alarmed, everyone" he stated, "the stuff in these barrels...it's spices, the kind that you use for cooking." Intrigued, everyone lightly tasted the spices and each of them gave soft mews or chuckles of approval. "This is pretty good" murmured Franky pleasurably, "but I wonder where these spices came from?"

This question sparked a glimmer of curiosity within Sanji and he quickly looked through the notes he found earlier. "According to this, these spices come from an island that lies...at the center of the world?" he murmured, earning looks of confusion from everyone. "Do the notes mean that in a figurative...or literal way" murmured Luffy, as he tilted his head; "because it might be hard to go inside of the earth."

This statement caused Nami to sigh softly and shake her head, wondering how they made it this far with him in charge. Then, from the corner of her eye; she spotted a barrel filled with rolled up papers. Upon unrolling one of them, Nami's eyes almost popped from her head.

For in her hands was a map of the West Blue, containing geographical details and drawings she herself hadn't made for her map yet. Upon inspecting the other parchments, Nami giggled with glee. Each one she unraveled had similar drawings of other areas of the world.

"With these, I'll be able to complete my map of the world" she thought giddily, "my dream is coming true, after so long!" Within hours, everyone collected the spoils the desired from the fortress and proceeded to bring them all back to the Sunny. "We made it, everybody" Luffy shouted with joy, "we've finally found the One Piece and soon, our dreams will become real!"

The crew, even after lugging their heavy loads back to the ship, couldn't help but share in their captain's contagious enthusiasm. After many scrapes, close calls, challenges and tragedies; their quest was at an end. The only thing left to do was celebrate their success.

Once their goods were safe on board the ship, Luffy insisted on having a big banquet to celebrate their journey's end. Though, in the past; the crew often rolled their eyes at his desire for food and goofing off. This was one of the rare moments where everyone sided with his idea.

"This will be the perfect moment for me to try out those spices we found" Sanji chuckled, "but who knows if I'll have enough for the amount of food Luffy needs." Everyone laughed at Sanji's words, while Luffy simply puffed out his cheeks in irritation; proclaiming he hadn't eaten that much in days...this time.

With the decision of a banquet being unanimous, everyone went about the island to collect whatever else they needed for Sanji to use (berries, nuts etc.) While going off on his search, Luffy popped back inside one of the fortresses to see if they left anything behind by accident. There, Luffy saw a beautiful sight; a small sapphire ring, bearing a stone as large as a human eyeball, was lying on the floor.

"Huh...guess we must've dropped this earlier" thought Luffy, as he picked it off the ground. Upon looking at the jewel more closely, an odd feeling suddenly flowed though the rubber man; a sense of sentimentality. "Something about this thing...makes me think of...Nami" he whispers to himself, "I mean, will she like it or maybe I'm just..."

As Luffy's brain began to burn and ache with thought, he suddenly started to question why he was thinking of Nami like this. Then, a sudden realization struck him like a thousand "Fists of Love" from his grandfather; Monkey D. Garp. Once they all had their feast, that would be it...the official end of their journey together.

After that; everyone else would, no doubt be heading back to their homes and starting new lives with their people. "I mean...I knew this wouldn't be forever" Luffy thought sadly, "but...I just can't picture my life without everyone with me." After that, he suddenly began to see visions of his crewmates drifting away from him; one by one.

Feeling desperate, Luffy tried to race up and grasp hold of each of them. But they either just went too far out of his reach, even after he used his powers or his hand just phased right through them. "No...No, this can't be the end" he growled softly, "I don't want to be alone again...not again."

Upon thinking of the idea of being alone, the images before him swiftly changed into something equally terrifying to Luffy; Ace's death. With tears streaming down his cheeks like waterfalls; he watched as the mad marine, Sakazuki Akainu, drove his lava fist through his brother's chest.

The sight for him was far too much for him to bear. While choking back sobs, Luffy fell onto his knees and began to cry out Ace's name in despair. Then, just when he thought it couldn't get much worse; Akainu directed his attacks towards Luffy's crew.

At first, he desperately tried to make a jump for them; hoping he would take the full force of Akainu's attacks. But like before, he just phased right through them; as if they were made out of air. Having failed in his attempts to protect them; Luffy watched in horror, as Akainu struck each of his crewmates down with fiery fury.

Each blow seemed to shatter Luffy's heart, bit by bit. But it was Akainu's last victim that struck the rubber man the hardest...Nami. As the sky shined bright with a deadly mix of orange and red, Nami gazed sadly at Luffy and and cried. Then, as Akainu's lava fist closed in from behind her; Nami gazed at Luffy with tears in her eyes and whispered "why did you leave us?"

That was the last thing she said, before she was suddenly engulfed in a sea of lava. There was an ear-shattering echo of glass breaking, as Luffy's mind suddenly shattered from the anguish of what he witnessed. "I can't believe it...I failed them" he mumbled sadly, "I promised I would keep them safe...and I failed, I'm no pirate king...I'm a failure."

Suddenly, from out in the void, Luffy could hear the voices of his friends; calling out his name in echoes. Upon hearing them, he clutched his hands onto his ears and growled viciously. "STOP IT, YOU STUPID BRAIN" he grumbled, "STOP MESSING WITH ME, I'M STRESSED OUT ENOUGH!"

Just then, something suddenly struck Luffy on the side of the face; sending him flying across the void. The moment he recovered, Luffy blink in confusion; wondering just what could've hit him. With a soft groan, he tried to get back onto his feet and took a defensive stance; appearing ready to fight.

At that moment, the voices called out to him again; only more loudly, this time. Then, Luffy suddenly found himself being lifted up into the air and shaken vigorously. "WH-A-A-A-A-AT...THE-E-E-E-E-E...HE-E-E-E-E-EL-L-L-L...I-I-IS GOI-I-I-I-ING...O-O-O-O-O-N" shouted Luffy in a garbled voice, "WHA-A-A-AT'S SHA-A-A-A-A-AKING...ME-E-E-E-E-E?!"

In the real world, the Straw Hats stood above Luffy's twitching body; desperately trying to wake him up. "C'mon, Luffy; snap out of it" cried Franky desperately, "you're scaring us...please, wake up!" The rest of the crew was also growing increasingly worried about their captain's well-being.

Finally, Luffy's pupils shrunk and he suddenly took in a deep gasp of air; as he was saved from drowning. As he began to cough and gasp loudly for air, many of the Straw Hats wept with joy; happy to see him alright. But the moment Luffy stopped coughing, Nami delivered a powerful slap to his right cheek; creating a deep imprint of her palm.

"What the hell did you do that for, Nami" wailed Usopp with outrage, "he almost died, do you really think slapping him will help things?!" Nami glared daggers at the sniper and said Luffy deserved it, proclaiming it's what he deserved for making them worry. "Jiminy Christmas, Nami; you're a real piece of work...you know that" growled Zoro, "the moment we come close to death or do something we think is right, you hurt us for no reason!"
He proceeded to point out her temper tantrum at the Mermaid Kingdom, simply because Luffy traded the treasure away to Big Mom. "What do you expect me to do, baka" Nami wailed, "when you all do stupid stuff, it's my job to punish you for it!" This only made Zoro angrier at her, which made the others feel very nervous.

"No, Nami" he stated, "your job is to draw those ugly squiggles you call maps on paper and tell us where to go! It's not your place to boss us around!" This exchange of harsh words caused the crew to erupt into one of their famous vicious argument...save for one. While this was going on, Luffy just stared at them all with a blank "fish eyes" stare.

It took a while but soon, Chopper saw the look in Luffy's eyes and tried to get everyone to stop fighting. Thankfully; Robin managed to hear his pleas and after using her powers, put a stop to all the bickering. "You'd better have a good reason for stepping in my way" Nami grumbled while smoothing out her hair; "I was just about to win the..."

The navigator suddenly went silent, the moment she saw the look on Luffy's face. The rest of the crew took notice as well and quickly went quiet. For what felt like ages, Luffy just stood there; staring at them with a blank look on his face.

Eventually, Nami took a leap of faith and approached him cautiously. "L-L-Luffy, are you...okay" she murmured with uncertainty, waving her hand in front of his face. Before anyone could react, Luffy suddenly threw himself into Nami's arms; clutching her close to him for dear life.

Naturally, Sanji became rather apprehensive about the display. "What the...GET YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF OF HER, RUBBER-BRAIN" he roared with a monstrous expression on his face, "BACK OFF OR I'LL CUT YOUR ARMS OFF!" The moment he heard these words, Luffy suddenly lunged at Sanji and gave him a big hug as well.

For the next few moments, Luffy showed this level of affection with each member of the crew; all while crying loudly. Finally, Nami got a hold of him and lightly shook Luffy by the shoulders. "Luffy, snap out of it; you're becoming hysterical" she stated firmly, "what's gotten into you anyway?!"

In an instant, Luffy realized what he was doing and did his best to calm down. "Sorry, everyone; I just...I'm just so happy to see you" he coughed softly, while wiping tears from his eyes. Once everyone came to their senses, Robin asked Luffy for an explanation behind his behavior.

"Well...I was searching for any stuff we might've forgotten to pick up" he began, "then, a really scary thought came to my head." This statement caused Zoro and Sanji to say "Luffy...thinking, there's a first" in unison. This in turn, brought Robin to summon her arms from behind them and pull at their ears as punishment.

Once said punishment was over, two or three minutes later, everyone respectfully asked to learn more about what happened. "Well, I'm happy we all found Roger's treasure and got what we need to fulfill our dreams" Luffy stated, "but now that the voyage is over...I guess, this is...the end." At first, Usopp was ready to question what Luffy meant by "the end."

But then, the true meaning of his words finally became clear. "He's right, it's all over now" Usopp mumbled sadly, "after today, I guess...we'll all be going back to our homes." With that said, any previous joy the crew felt suddenly gave way to bitter despair. For a time, no one spoke a word; the only sounds heard were those of sad sniffles or whimpering.

Then, while putting up his "tough guy" persona; Zoro puffed out his chest and proclaimed the situation "didn't bother him much." "I mean, we all knew this wasn't gonna be forever...right" he inquired, "we've gotta go back to our homes, at some point." Despite the small ring of truth in the swordsman's words; the crew was still quite shocked by them, nevertheless.

"From your tone of voice, moss-head; it sounds like you don't care about leaving our friends" scoffed Sanji, "which is what I'd expect from a black-hearted killer like you." This insult almost brought the two of them to argue...again. But after Nami swung her Clima Tact over their heads, they quickly went silent.

After that; Luffy went on to explain that while he understood they would, eventually end up going back home. In his heart, he hated the idea of parting ways with the closest thing to a family he had. Feeling genuinely touched by his words; Nami smiled at Luffy, approached him and lightly caressed the cheek she slapped earlier tenderly.

"Sometimes, Luffy...these things happen" she murmured sadly, "we can't do much to stop it but the best thing we can do is be thankful for what we've experienced together." Luffy stood silent for a moment, allowing Nami's words to sink in. Then, he smiled softly at her and nodded in understanding.

"All I know is whatever happens, I just wanna say...this journey's been the most fun I've ever had" Luffy stated, "and I have all of you to thank for it." This statement brought everyone to collectively scoff softly at him out of humility. "We wouldn't have been on this journey if it weren't for you, goofball" Usopp chuckled while giving him a noogie, "thanks for everything, Captain."

Everyone else shared their gratitude for Luffy, which made him feel slightly bashful. With all that settled, everyone went back to preparing for their celebration banquet. Later that night, after everyone had eaten and drank their fill, many of the crew quickly fell asleep from overeating.

Only Luffy remained awake, him being chosen for the night lookout duty. While keeping watch, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring he found earlier. "You know...I might need some help with things, now that I'm the Pirate King" he thought deeply, "so, maybe...maybe I should consider finding a Pirate..."

Before he could finish his thought, he suddenly heard whispers in the night. Not like those from his nightmarish vision earlier. But the sort of whispers he heard before they found the fortresses.

Upon listening closely, the voices kept saying one single word or phrase; "come...come...come to us." Being the curious fellow he was, Luffy decided to investigate. With great care and as much grace he could muster, Luffy stretched himself down from the Sunny's crow's nest and crept along the deck towards the railing.

Meanwhile, Franky came walking up from below deck; making his way to the kitchen for a drink of water. After giving a loud yawn, he removed his sunglasses and rubbed his eyes slightly. That was when he spotted Luffy leaving the ship, which felt rather odd.

"Is he sleepwalking or something" he mumbled tiredly, "no...no, that can't be; he'd be going towards the fridge, if he was sleepwalking." Suddenly Luffy leapt over the side of the ship and began to run off into the island's jungles. Alarmed by this supposedly odd behavior, Franky hurried through the ship and began to loudly rouse everyone from their beds.

"I am really sorry to bother you all so late at night, everyone" he said apologetically, "but this is a dire emergency!" Everyone suddenly felt a chill of fear run through them, upon hearing the word "emergency." "What is it; bandits hiding out on the island, wild animal attack, a marine ambush" Nami listed out anxiously, "what's going on?"

The moment Franky revealed that Luffy ran onto the island, everyone groaned in exasperation. "I swear...one of these days, that man is going to be the death of me" Nami seethed softly, "let's all go get him back, everybody." Moments later, the crew found themselves back into the forests of Raftel.

Unfortunately; after almost seven minutes of searching and calling out his name, no one found any sign of Luffy. "Guys...this is getting scary" quivered Usopp worriedly, "we usually find Luffy after two minutes of walking...but we haven't found so much as a footprint of his sandals." The others shared in his worry and began to wonder if Luffy had somehow got lost in the forest...or worse.

Suddenly, everyone heard a soft voice whisper into their ears; which caused them to look around in confusion. "Diiiid anyone else hear what I just did" questioned Franky, "I could've sworn I heard somebody say...'follow the fireflies.'" Just as Zoro prepared to laugh at his friend's notion, a small collection of fireflies appears and suddenly flew off into the forest.

"Oh...kay, this is the weirdest thing we've seen yet" murmured Usopp with uncertainty, "should we follow them, like the weird voices said?" There was an uneasy silence, for a moment; until Nami quickly marched forward towards the forest. "I don't care about any voices, guys" she said firmly, "all that matters is that we find Luffy and bring him back to the ship."

Everyone nodded to one another in agreement and followed after their navigator. The fireflies led them all hither and yon, until the crew found themselves within the deepest part of the forest. There, they could faintly hear Luffy's laughter close by. Feeling both weary yet relieved that their trek was almost over, they pushed on.

In time, the Straw Hats found their wayward captain standing before an unusual sight; a large, old and knotted tree. This particular tree stood out among the others, due to its shape and age. The question however, remained; why did Luffy come here?

As Nami cautiously approached her captain, the tree suddenly began to glow on odd green color. This made the crew feel rather uneasy, while Luffy was in awe of its radiance. "WOW! A glowing tree, we haven't seen anything like this before" gasped Luffy, his eyes glimmering like stars.

Then, just as quickly as it came; the glow suddenly faded away. "Okay...I guess it's all over" murmured Zoro, "let's get outta here before..." Suddenly, deep within one of the trees knotholes, that same green light appeared again in the form of an orb and it began to grow rapidly in size.

This caused most of the crew to panic, leading them to think something was going to hurt them. But as the green orb, at last reached the proper size; it swiftly took on the form of a portal. "WHOOOOOOOOOA! THIS IS SO COOL" Luffy cried with amazement, "I wonder where this leads to?"

As Luffy began to take small steps towards the portal, he could hear his crewmates yelling desperately for him to turn back. But alas, their voices were drowned out by the odd whispers Luffy heard before. This time, they were urging him to enter the portal.

"Luffy, I swear...if you go through that thing; I won't come in and save you" Nami growled firmly, "I mean it...you get in trouble and you're on your own!" Much to her surprise, she got no response to her words. For Luffy had already entered through the odd portal, all while laughing and cheering excitedly.

After taking a moment to stare at the glowing opening with "anime-style" looks of shock (dropped jaws, white eyes and so on,) the rest of the Straw Hats through caution to the wind and hurried through it. Seconds later, after they had all passed through; it slowly closed up and the tree's glow faded away.

(AN: For those of you confused about the nature of Raftel's geography, plant life and such. Everything I wrote about its description steams from my own interpretations on what the island is like within the manga/anime. With what I could find, I tried to describe it all in the best possible way.

Furthermore, I tried to do the same thing with Roger's infamous treasure known as the "One Piece." Some speculate that it's "the spirit of adventure." But I and many others believe it is something of far greater value.

For Roger would need such valuable loot, in order to be the richest and most famous pirate in the Blue. Regardless, I hope what I've presented is acceptable to you. Enjoy the chapter, have a Happy Easter and I shall see you next time)