Ch. 1- An Island of Mystery

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, and Kovar © Me

Last time, the Straw Hat Pirates were dealing with a bit of a food shortage when they came across a mysterious island. As they approach, Luffy spotted a shadowy creature flying around in the air, but decided to dismiss it as nothing. However, little does he realize that this creature was going to be like nothing he had ever encountered before.

Upon reaching the island, Luffy, as usual, was the first to jump off the ship and make landfall before the others, but soon, Usopp, Chopper, Franky, Blizzard, Aika, and Kumi followed after him by jumping off the railing (though Usopp ended up unceremoniously landing on his face). The rest of the crew just walked off the gangplank in an orderly fashion. It was then that they got a good look at the surroundings: all they found was a sandy beach, and beyond that was a lush, green forest full of trees and other plant-life.

"Ooh~!" Luffy exclaimed with Aika sitting on his shoulders.

"Look at the big, pretty forest!" Aika exclaimed.

"You think there might be a town here?" asked Usopp.

"Never hurts to look," Nami replied.

"Even if we don't find a town," Sanji began, "look at how huge and green this forest is! It's sure to be bountiful!"

"Maybe I can get some hunting done," Blizzard added.

"I think it's best if we split up into groups," Nami said. "Let's see, who should go with whom?"

"Umm...hey, Nami?" Zoro asked. "Before you do that..."

"Don't tell me," Nami replied with a deadpan expression. "Luffy and Aika went off somewhere, AGAIN, right?"

"Pretty much," Zoro confirmed as he looked to the forest where he saw the D. Siblings disappear, and that only made Nami sigh in exasperation.

"Right..." she muttered.

"I'm not surprised," Kumi said. "Luffy's rubbed off on Aika so much, that I don't get too worked up about it anymore."

"Well, we know what we have to do," said Nami.

"Yep," the rest of the Straw Hats answered.

"Blizzard, you go on ahead and sniff them out for us, okay?" Nami asked. "Howl if you find them."

Blizzard nodded his head before he ran off, and the rest of the Straw Hats soon followed after him. However, as they did...they didn't seem to notice that they were being watched from behind.

XXX

"WHOO-HOO~!" Luffy hollered as he swung through the trees using his rubbery arms while Aika clung to his back.

"Whee~!" Aika cheered. "We're flying!"

Both D. Siblings laughed as they flew through the air before Luffy perched himself on a branch, like a monkey.

"Hmm..." Luffy hummed as he scanned his surroundings. "Let's see what we can find out here."

"Big Brother, look over there!" Aika piped up as she pointed to a tree with branches full of red, ripe, juicy apples.

"Ooh!" Luffy chirped as he leaped toward the tree, landing on one of the limbs, before he reached up, plucked two apples from the branch, and handed one to Aika, who happily took it in her hands, rubbed it on her shirt, and took a bite.

"Mmm~!" she hummed, savoring the sweet, sticky juices as she chewed it up. "So good!"

"You got that right," Luffy said as he hastily ate his apple and left nothing but the core. He then continued to eat several more of the red fruits and dropped the cores onto the ground, accumulating quite a pile.

"Hey, Big Brother," Aika started, "what if we brought some back for Sanji?"

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked with his mouth full.

"Well, think of all the nice, yummy treats he could make with them!" Aika answered. "Apple pie, apple tarts, apple turnovers, apple fritters, apple crumble..."

"Shishishishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Okay, okay, you made your point! Let's bring some back so Sanji can make some desserts with them!"

On that, the D. Siblings soon began picking the apples and stuffing them in their backpacks. Of course, they remembered to leave some for any forest animals that would like to have some for a snack.

"Luffy! Aika!"

"Huh?" the D. Siblings muttered before they noticed Nami and the others down below.

"So this where you guys ran off to," Franky said.

"What are you picking all those apples for?" Sanji asked.

"So you can make apple pie and other stuff!" Aika answered.

"It was Aika's idea!" Luffy pointed.

"Hmm..." Sanji mused, putting a finger to his chin in thought. "Maybe that's not a bad idea."

"I wouldn't mind an apple pie, once in a while," Brook spoke up.

"Sounds good to me," Nami smiled.

"Yeah, me too!" Chopper piped up. "I love apple pie!"

"Count me out," Zoro said. "I'm not one for sweets."

"Oh, really?" Robin asked. "You seemed pretty sweet on me, two nights ago."

"...Come on, Robin..." Zoro grumbled with a blush on his cheeks, causing everyone to laugh. However, as they were enjoying the humorous moment, Aika seemed to spot something out of the corner of her eye. At first, she thought nothing of it, but then she did a double-take...and she gasped silently when she saw a familiar black-haired woman wearing a sparkling red dress and a dragonfly hair clip. Aika's eyes went wide before she climbed down from the tree and began to walk off in the direction she had spotted the woman, but Kumi, ever watchful of her best friend, quickly got in her way.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, wait, wait!" Kumi exclaimed.

"It's my Mommy!" Aika piped up. "I saw her! She's over..." As she looked in the direction she saw the woman...she gasped when she found nothing. "...Huh...? But...but she was..."

"Oh, no, not this again," Nami muttered, sympathetically.

"The poor kid," Franky added.

"Aika," Robin said. "We've been over this...your mother is gone. She's not coming back, ever...you saw her die."

"But...I swear I saw her!" Aika argued. "I know I did!"

"Aika, there's nobody there," Nami assured. "Come on, let's head back to the ship. Maybe you need a nap."

"I don't need a nap!" Aika shouted.

"Oh, boy," Luffy mumbled. "I didn't think having a little sister would be this much of a hassle. You know what I mean, right, Blizzard? You got five of them."

No answer.

"Uh...Blizzard?" Luffy asked. "Hello? Am I talking to myself, here?"

He turned to look at the wolf-dog...who was staring off in another direction.

"Blizzard? Hello?" Luffy asked. "Yo! Did you hear me?"

A pause...but then, without a single warning, Blizzard just bolted off, to everyone's surprise.

"What the hell?!" Zoro questioned. "What got into him, all of a sudden?!"

"Blizzard?!" Luffy asked as he began to chase after him. "H-hey, buddy, where you goin'?!"

"Blizzard, come back, boy!" Nami called as she and the rest of the Straw Hats began to give chase. "Stay! Heel!"

But Blizzard just kept running, darting around trees and jumping over rocks and bushes.

"Jeez, what is going on, today?!" Usopp asked.

"Hell if I know!" Franky replied.

"Blizzard!" Luffy called. "Buddy, slow down! You're going too fast! We can't keep up!"

Try as they might, the Straw Hats were no match for Blizzard's superior speed and agility. In a matter of just ten seconds, they had lost sight of their faithful guard dog, and soon, they were forced to stop to catch their breath.

"So...fast...!" Aika rasped, sitting next to Kumi.

"I don't get it," Luffy said. "Blizzard's never run off like that, before!"

"Maybe he saw a squirrel or something," Sanji mused.

"Squirrel?!" Kumi questioned as she looked around in excitement. "Where?! Where?!"

"There's no squirrel, Kumi," Chopper answered.

"Oh," Kumi muttered, sounding a bit disappointed.

"But don't you think it's kind of strange?" Robin asked. "First, Aika said that she saw her mother and she was about to run off after this...whoever it was she saw."

"Yes, and now, Mister Blizzard's run off, too," Brook concurred.

"...You know something?" Sanji asked. "I actually have this sneaking suspicion that we're possibly being watched."

The Straw Hats gasped silently before they glanced at each other, some nervous, others looking serious before Luffy glanced in the direction that Blizzard had run off to.

"We gotta hurry and find Blizzard," he said before he began to run, and soon, the others followed, hoping that their ship's guard would be all right.

XXX

Blizzard panted as he stood at the edge of a cliff...staring down at a huge, barren crater in the heart of the forest...no...more like the heart of the island itself. The earth was dry and cracked, littered with rocks, blackened, gnarled trees, dead grass...and if he were to lok a bit closer, he would make out the scattered bones of humans. Anybody in their right mind would turn back the moment they saw this place, and Blizzard would definitely be one of them...if had not been for one thing.

'...Why?' he thought. 'Why...did I see him?'

A brief flashback showed that Blizzard had spotted a Husky dog with brown fur, a white muzzle, underbelly, and legs...and wearing a blue collar around his neck with a Marine dog tag on it. The ashen-furred wolf-dog shook his head, trying to bring himself back to reality.

'No...that can't be him,' thought Blizzard. 'After all...he's dead...he's been dead since 2 years ago...and I know that because...because...'

Another brief flashback showed Blizzard at Marineford, two years ago...his jaws clamping down on the neck of that same dog, who was missing his ear and his eye. A beat passed...but then Blizzard sighed and swallowed the lump in his throat. He then turned to look back at the forest from which he had emerged and remembered that in his haste to chase the dog...he had accidentally left Luffy and the others in the dust.

'Crap,' he cursed, mentally. 'I know I'm gonna get an earful from Nami when I get back.'

However, as he turned to leave, he gasped as the ground suddenly gave way and crumbled beneath his feet. Blizzard tried to climb up and over the edge before he could fall, but it was no use. He soon plummetted to the dirt, but thankfully, due to his resilience, he didn't really suffer any major injuries. If anything, he had gotten a small scrape. He groaned as he stood up and shook his head, then stood up to get a look at his surroundings.

'Great,' he thought before he began to walk. 'Well, I won't find a way out if I just stand here.'

"You need to leave this place."

"Well, what do you think I'm doing?" Blizzard asked...before he made a noise of slight surprise. "Wait...what? Who said that?"

"Over here."

Blizzard looked back...but he saw nothing.

"Above you."

The wolf-dog looked up and found, to his surprise, the white cat that was standing on the beach, sitting in a tree.

"What the...?" Blizzard muttered. "A cat? Who are you? And...did you just talk? Like a human?! I mean, I shouldn't be surprised, but-"

"Who I am and how I can talk is of no importance," said the cat. "Listen to me...take your crew and leave this island. You are all in terrible danger!"

"Wait...what?" Blizzard asked. "How do you know about us being here?"

"I saw you coming from the shore," the cat answered, "but again, that is of no importance! You have to leave this island, at once! He is already aware of your presence...and if he finds you-"

"Wait...'he'?" Blizzard repeated. "Who the hell is this 'he'?!"

"The master of this island," the cat replied. "He is somebody who devours souls...and they call him-"

GRRROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRR~! A monstrous roar suddenly bellowed through the air, causing Blizzard to tense up as the roar echoed.

"...Kovar...!" the cat whispered in horror.

"Ko-who?" Blizzard asked...and he soon got his answer when something dropped down behind with him a colossal THUD!

"...Do I dare look behind me?" the wolf-dog asked before he slowly glanced over his shoulder...and he saw, behind him, a gigantic dragon with black scales and sharp spines going down its back, and only two legs and two huge wings. Its face and underbelly were a grayer color...and they gave the impression of making the dragon had a bit of a skeletal appearance. The beast stood about as tall as the dreaded Oars from Thriller Bark, glowering down at Blizzard with fiery, dark red eyes.

"...I take it this is Kovar?" Blizzard asked.

"Yes," answered the cat, "and if I were you, I would start running!"

GRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAARR! The dragon, Kovar, roared as he spread his massive wings, and soon after, Blizzard turned and blitzed off. Kovar, however, flapped his wings, sending himself into the air before he flew after the wolf-dog. He then took a deep breath and spat out a jet of dark red flames, which formed a wall before Blizzard, who ultimately braked to a halt, his nose nearly coming in contact with the flames.

"Ah, crap, what now?!" Blizzard questioned before he looked back and saw Kovar, who growled as he swooped down on the wolf-dog...but just as he was about to close in...

"BACK OFF, LIZARD LIPS!"

WAPOW! Quick as a flash, who else should appear but Luffy, in the nick of time, punching the beast in the jaw and momentarily sending him across the ground.

"Luffy!" Blizzard exclaimed, and not long after, the rest of the Straw Hats soon appeared.

"You know something, Mutt?" Zoro asked with his swords brandished. "It's bad enough Luffy does this! Don't you start doing it, too!"

"...Sorry," Blizzard apologized, although he was a bit irked by Zoro's tone, though he couldn't really blame him.

"Holy crap, is that really a dragon?!" Usopp questioned.

"Why are you so suprised?" Robin asked. "We did see one back in Punk Hazard.

"Well, yeah, but still, it's shocking!" Usopp retorted.

"He sure looks big...and scary!" Chopper added.

"Indeed...!" Brook agreed, nervously. "My bones are rattling just looking at that behemoth!"

"Ah, he don't look so tough to me," Franky smirked.

"Here he comes," Nami said. "Be on your guard, everybody!"

"You guys better get ready," Sanji spoke up. "By the end of this, we'll be having dragon fricassee for dinner."

"Sounds good to me," Luffy grinned, remembering the last time he had tasted dragon meat.

Not too far away from them, Aika and Kumi hid behind a log, watching from a safe distance, having been told to stay back by Nami. For once, Aika didn't seem to complain, for the sight of Kovar seemed to make her blood run cold more than the Marines ever did...and Kumi could sense it, for she put a paw on her back.

"Aika...calm down, okay?" the Akita pup asked. "It's gonna be all right...!"

"...That...that dragon...!" Aika whispered. "All I can sense from him...is evil...! Pure evil!"

Kumi gaped in shock before she glanced back at Kovar, who growled as he faced the Straw Hats. However, Luffy just gave the dragon his usual cocky grin as he cracked his knuckles and took a fighting stance. However, as they stared each other down, Kovar widened his eyes, which caused them to flash red, and not long after, Luffy suddenly tensed up and cried out in pain as he grabbed at his head.

"Luffy?!" Nami questioned.

"Hey! What's wrong, captain?!" Zoro asked.

"I...I don't know...!" Luffy groaned as he held his head, then looked up at Kovar, who seemed to give a grin of his own, causing the Straw Hat Captain to gasp silently. "What the hell...did he do to me...?!"

Kovar only chuckled, darkly in response, to Luffy's growing dread, while the cat stood from afar, watching with a look of defeat.

"It's too late, now..." she whispered. "He's set his sights on that one. Unless his will is strong...he will lose."

TO BE CONTINUED...

Next time on One Piece: The Fire Within!

Luffy: Guys! Whatever you do, don't look into that dragon's eyes!

Blizzard: This dragon...he's not like the one we fought on Punk Hazard! What the hell is he?!

Next time: A Dangerous Encounter.

Tomorrow, more of the Marine Rookie Arc will continue.

Review, please!