Restructer Revolution
One good thing about filler arcs is that you can play fast and loose with them with no major consequences. So, people, we'll be following the animé Spa Island arc for now before Saboody Archipelago!
There will not be many details. The reason being that I want to save my fingers rather that punch out tons of filler words. For my readers who like details, think of this poor writer please. I'll just be giving out a broad description, for details you can watch the animé yourself.
Also, concerning the first author's note concerning Ace: I HAVE FOUND IT! I have found a way to let Ace live, and still allow for character development! Not to mention, allow for Luffy post time-skip! It all lies with the card: Miracle's Wake! Therefore, I am going to take down the poll and see from there if Ace would live or die... I'm very tempted to use the scene in a certain fic 'Denied'... Ace vs. Hancock...
Enjoy; Aki's coming!
XII: Bubble Shuffle
Previously:
"Even if I'm scared, even if I lose sight of it... I don't want to lose him again! To know that Yusei is alive, but unable to see him, unable to know how he really is, that is the greatest pain I know now! Please... tell me... how to find him! Yusei is the most selfless human being I have and will ever know... but I am a selfish woman! I won't let go of the one I love!"
"Aki..." the blue-eyed Duellist whispered the name like a prayer. "I have to... reassure everyone..."
"You already knew when you chose to stay, that you cannot turn back," Judai pointed out, face stern. "They will mourn you, but soon you become forgotten, a legend that Neo Domino will tell until the end of time. The pain won't last forever to them. Don;t worry. They'll be sad... but their lives will continue anyway."
"Then, why are you telling me this?" Yusei muttered. "As a parting gift before you leave me alone too?"
"Because you don't know the symptoms of a woman in love," Judai spoke nervously and firmly. "One way or another, Izayoi Aki would make her way here. Of that, I'm very certain. You didn't see her eyes then. She was ready to pull the whole Black Rose Witch thing on me if she needed, despite her lack of power. Truly, really, you're the only one capable of falling for a woman who would cross hell and high water and face down dragons for you."
Judai grinned. "You're so lucky, Yusei."
Judai's very ominous words before jumping into the sea were disturbing to Yusei, such that even when the Straw Hats had finally docked at Spa Island the next day, Yusei was still fretting.
"Nii Chan, snap out of it already," Franky advised, reclining in the bubbling liquid. "And, anyway, why are you here? Thought you wanted to see the milk baths with Brook."
"The baths there are shared," Yusei quietly murmurs. He was dressed in an old pair of drawstring pants Judai had brought in the emergency pack, which also included a miniature computer running on solar power.
Franky gave him a long, silent look, before quietly cursing. "Another Paulie... at least this one doesn't scream that every woman's clothings are indecent..."
"Also," Yusei finishes. "I might meet a... friend I haven't seen in a long time here."
"Then go gamble!" Franky yelled at him. "You card sharked us all last night!"
"The dealers took a look at my face and politely referred me to the table tennis place," Yusei sighed.
"-.-... Why the hell do you have such a poker face anyway...?"
"And even then..." Yusei sighed as nearby, the casino dealers were panicking loudly. "I've already cleared out the house..."
"... that's even scarier..." Franky muttered. "So, where did the cash come from in the first place?"
"I gave Luffy San meat in exchange for a hundred Beli," Yusei sighed. "I then won my way from there before I put the cash away."
"Good idea," Franky gave a thumbs up. "That's good when you're dealing with our bratty navigator. Anyway, just relax, this is one of those rare breaks between things that seems to haunt this crew. Just can't stay out of trouble, those guys..."
"I think that's what makes it fun..." Yusei murmured, clinking a tankard of cola with Franky. "I still prefer milk, though."
"We all know already, since you duked it out with the skeleton for the carton," Franky airily dismissed. Yusei had narrowly won the first right to the milk carton with a straight flush to Brook's flush. "Besides, where the hell do you find a man willing to drink milk in public...? Well, this crew's always been odd..."
Yusei's eyes narrowed. "You do realise that you're literally bathing in carbonic acid, right, Franky San? You wouldn't want that steel body of yours to corrode, right?"
"Ah, you're right!" Franky got up. "Let's hit the showers."
They met up with Brook soon enough, the skeleton's bony face sparkling from the milk bath.
"Ah, that was a great bath," Brook was saying. "My skin is sparkling... Although I am pure bone, and have no skin, yohohoho!"
What did they put in that milk bath? Yusei found himself thinking.
All three stopped as they spotted some of the Straw Hats floating.
"What are you guys doing?" Franky hollered over to them.
"YYYYou guys, beat those guys up!" Luffy yelled as he fell down a really tall height towards the sea.
To their credit, Franky and Yusei acted fast.
"Weapons Left!" Boom.
Yusei reeled in a stunned Robin back to safety. "Robin San, the rest!"
"Cien Fleur!" Robin used her arms to create a net to secure them.
"Thanks, Robin Chan!" Sanji yelled.
"You saved us!" Usopp hollered.
"Everyone, are you safe?" Brook looked over the edge of the island. "Ah, that was surprising."
Luffy himself leapt onto the ground, carrying two young girls with him.
"Damn!" a man with a fissure head and a nose to rival Usopp was literally steaming with rage. "You went and increased your number of comrades didn't you, Strawhat?"
The three stood proudly before them, arms crossed.
"Boss, it's a revived corpse!" a woman in a bikini with long teal hair cried out.
"Damn, let's try once more!" the presumed leader turned and ran, his underlings following. "One of them actually looks reliable for a change!"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean, you idiots!" Franky yelled after them.
"Trap card, Shadow Spell!" Yusei called as black chains materialised and bound the three together.
"Gomu Gomu no... Bazooka!" the impact hit Foxy dead on and sent them flying into the sea.
Yusei flipped through the tiny notebook that had been the target all along. "Directions on how to make a gem?"
"Yes," the older of the two girls, Sayo, sighed as the group sheltered under a nearby palm tree. "Our father was an inventor, and those formulas are the directions for making it.
"Do you guys even understand it?" Nami asked.
"Sayo Nee Chan can read it," the younger one, Lina, grinned. "I have no idea though."
"Eh, that's amazing, Sayo Chan. Yusei, you can give up already," Nami told the earnest young man. "There's no way you can-"
"Mix in seven different types of chemicals in a specific order," Yusei interpreted.
Both sisters blinked. "H- How..."
"These are seven different alchemical formulas detailing how to mathematically create seven different chemicals in seven different colours," Yusei pointed out the relevant sections. "The last bit, though..."
"This is a sea map for this area," Nami observed.
"Next to the steam mark there's an X?" Usopp noticed.
"That's the secret memo," Lina explained. "I think it's a hint to the gem creation method."
"Elevation... or depth..." Yusei considered.
"This notebook has the creation method written down to ninety-nine percent," Sayo explained.
"So the final one percent can be derived from this memo?" Usopp asked.
"Yes."
Nami considered the map for a few moments. "This steam is representative of a spa? Then, this X is somewhere on Spa Island?"
Lina nodded. "That's what we thought too, so we sneaked onto this island."
"Nice job," Nami praised.
"But we searched quite a few places, and couldn't find a place like that, or even a clue," Sayo pointed out.
"The island has no hot springs," Yusei pointed out. "Also, this elevation, Nami San, could it be referring to depth?"
"Ah, it could!" Nami considered.
"It's really hard to believe that this memo alone contains directions on how to build a gem," Robin considered.
"Still, Foxy and his crew followed them this far to get the memo," Nami pointed out. "So, it might really be legitimate!"
"It might be a fake."
"Eh?" Nami blinked at Lina.
"Lina..." Sayo reproached.
"I'm sure it's a fake." Lina pouted. "He couldn't possibly make a gem."
"Eh? What?" the sniper's jaw dropped.
"Father was a liar and an idiot!" Lina angrily shot back. "He really was an idiot! I hate father!"
"The official definition of gem would require him to exert a lot of pressure on a single lump to create it," Yusei thought aloud as Lina was telling her story. "These directions seem mathematically sound, but there might be some variable I haven't thought of."
"What are you, some Vegapunk?" Usopp muttered uncharitably.
"I'm not good at inventing, but I'm good at fixing broken things," Yusei sighed, closing the book. "So I wouldn't know what would the ultimate result be like, but I can fairly hypothesise."
"Damn your poker face and your general niceness..." Usopp began cursing quietly. "I can't even hate you for being more intelligent... you, weren't you ever bullied for being the smart one?"
"Back home, if you played Duel Monsters, there's a certain amount of respect to be had," Yusei answered. "And, I grew up in an orphanage. You learn some independence knowing that there's no one to look out for you in the world."
"You... never knew your parents?" Usopp whispered.
"My parents died when I was a baby," Yusei flatly replied. "I never knew them. My only legacy was my brain, and Stardust Dragon."
"Stardust... Dragon?" Usopp echoed. "That giant dragon?"
"The card," Yusei clarified. "It's not everyone that can make giant monsters appear, you know. I know someone who could inflict real damage, to the point of almost killing. I wonder how is she now..."
"She?" Usopp asked.
"My friend," Yusei had a faraway look. "I think, if she ever knew that I was alive, she'd find a way to get here."
"Isn't that good?" Usopp muttered.
"The first time we met, she tried to kill me," Yusei reminiscenced wryly. "Good times... I think if she ever found me this time, I'll only have a few broken bones before she drags me back."
"Quack, Aki-ojou is very in love," Suddenly, Hane nodded wisely beside Yusei. "But, if she ever reverted back to that persona...?"
"That persona? What kinda friend did you make, Yusei?" Usopp was half-crying dramatically. "A woman can't frighten me, the Captain Usopp who commands a eight-thousand strong crew-!"
"I wonder," Hane's words took a distinctly chilly tone. "If Captain Usopp can fight the Black Rose Witch?"
"Hane!" Yusei scolded, as Usopp shivered from its words.
"Aki-ojou would find a way here, and you know it," Hane glumly retaliated. "And we don't know how she's coming. Yusei Dono, for all you know she might be coming as the Black Rose Witch and get Black Rose Dragon to blast the Sunny!"
"Don't say that, Hane," Yusei muttered. "Aki's not going to turn into the Black Rose Witch again... right?"
He did not sound convinced at all.
"You're really determined about this, aren't you?" Jack grimly asked as the Yusei Go was wheeled to the start of the Daedalus Bridge of Neo Domino City.
"Ah," Izayoi Aki slipped on the helmet. "Even if I die, I'll find a way to get Yusei back."
Jack frowned. "Then you'll need this."
Aki took the white card, looking in shock at it. "Jack, this card-!"
"It's a new copy," Jack coldly replied. "If you and Yusei are going to be in danger, I can't leave you guys alone, right?"
"Me too!" Crow grinned as he presented his own wrapped card. "And there's another card in there somewhere."
Aki looked at both cards in shock. "You guys..."
"We'll present this!" Ruka smiled as she gave Aki two more white cards. "Rua's still holding onto the other Power Tool Dragon, but we need a way to contact the Signer Dragons, right? And what better than a part of Life Stream Dragon?"
"Ruka..." Aki sighed, touched.
"If you ever find Yusei, bring him back safe!" Rua yelled. "I'll try to see if Power Tool answers or not, okay?"
"Right," Aki nodded as the engines roared. "Jack, Crow, Rua, Ruka, everyone... thank you... goodbye..."
"Live well!" Crow called as the Yusei Go took off.
Like a comet, the red D-Wheel shot down the highway, steadily accelerating as its female rider pushed the faithful motorcycle to its limits. Find your maker, find the one that created you... Her eyes blazed like stars itself. Go!
"Chilling flames engulf the entire world," Aki murmured, the motorcycle accelerating ever faster. "Pitch-dark flower, set in bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!" The last bit was literally screamed to the heavens as the D-Wheel's onboard computers switched on.
At the same time a shower of rose petals, dark as the deadly nightshade appeared dancing in the wind, the vehicle of the Riding Duel King disappeared in a blaze of scarlet light.
Sayo had been kidnapped via a hidden trapdoor rigged by the island's owner, a man named Doran, who was not only the true mastermind behind Foxy's attack, but also demanded the secret behind the memo as ransom. Luffy's solution?
"Shall we destroy this ship?" Luffy suggested, still grinning widely.
"EH!"
"Oi, oi, is that alright?" Usopp was panicking at the thought.
"What about Sayo?" Chopper asked.
"If we destroy it, we'll find her, right?" the captain innocently asked.
"And the hint about the gem?" Robin enquired.
"Destroying it would make searching easier, right?" the captain's innocence was something to envy.
"Let's hurry up and start this." a growl sounded.
"Zoro?" Usopp said as the green-haired swordsman strolled up.
"I mean, just thinking about whether something is or isn't on this island is pointless, right?" Zoro mumbled.
"You all are seriously lacking in delicacy, aren't you?" Nami crossly muttered.
"Nami San, more than anything else, I can't stand listening to anything that artichoke moustache fool told us," Sanji muttered.
"It really doesn't matter if this ship sinks, does it?" Robin considered.
"Ah, even Robin is on it!" Nami complained. "So nobody is going to stop this?"
"It's Captain's orders," Brook shrugged.
"Oh, so you do understand!" Franky noted.
"Franky, I'll leave Sunny to you!" Luffy grinned.
"I thought so," Franky grinned before running. "Super!"
"Yusei, say something!" Nami turned to their newest member.
"It's going to be destroyed anyway." The handyman in question was looking up at the sky.
"Eh?" the rest of them followed his gaze up to see a flash of scarlet, just off the ground. The light grew larger, as a large vehicle crashed through it in a blaze of scarlet and a shower of dark red rose petals.
"Scarlet light and rose petals..." Hane was trembling, whether in anticipation or fear no one could tell. "This means..."
"What the? What's going on?" Nami demanded.
"She's coming!" Yusei finished as he watched the motorcycle skid towards them. The vehicle in question was painted red, the occasional dent and nick and scratch and scuff mark apparent as the metal body slowed to a stop with the squeal of rubber on concrete not far from them.
Its rider, wearing a red racing suit, dismounted from the bike, both hands reaching up to the helmet to take it off. Soon, standing in front of him was a woman of indeterminate age, definitely young but not too old. She was slender yet shapely, pale like a white rose blooming under the moonlight, dark red hair spilling behind her shoulder like a cascade of rose petals.
She was looking at him intently, a pair of amber cat-eyes so full of anger they looked like molten gold.
"Mellorine~!" Sanji was now a swirl of hearts and jelly. "Beauty! What a beauty!"
"She's here!" Hane squawked. "Yusei Dono, she's here!"
"Oi, Yusei, you know her?" Usopp asked quietly.
It was the first time that any of the Straw Hats actually saw Fudo Yusei, the man who kept his cool throughout Thriller Bark, actually go pale in the face, a feat that not even Gecko Moria had managed.
"Aki..." the sound came strangled out of his throat.
"Yusei!" she smiled at him, all trace of anger seemingly forgotten. "I found you!"
"Mellorine~!" Sanji crooned as imaginary sparkles glimmered around Aki... to him, at least.
"What a beauty! My eyes are popping out of my head!" Brook exclaimed. "Though I have no eyes..."
What happened next was completely unexpected, as green tentacles shot out at Yusei, wrapping firmly around his arms and legs. The tentacles themselves seemed attached to a giant moving rose that hovered behind a now very angry Izayoi Aki.
"Thorn Whip!"
Yusei was thrown across the various facilities of Spa Island with a single flick.
"Yusei!" the pirates screamed as the man crashed into the diving pool.
"Aki-ojou has gone mad!" Hane squawked frantically. "Someone get Stardust!"
Yusei held up a hand as he hauled himself up, dripping wet. "No, I deserve it..."
"You left us without a single message..." long red bangs floated as she threw something at him. "Everyone contributed something of theirs... one way or another, I'll definitely bring you back!"
Yusei blinked as he caught the device. "My Disk-? Why-?"
"The batteries are taken out," Aki pulled out her own from within to put on. "This will be a duel of powers. Unless you want to quietly come back with me?"
"Aki, this isn't the time for a Duel!" Yusei half-protested. "Luffy San's intending to tear this place up!"
"Then we shall help him!" the red-haired beauty activated the Disk. "I'll go first, draw!"
"Aki! Listen to me instead of deciding on your own!"
"What are you guys doing?" Usopp yelled from the sidelines. "This isn't the time to play a game! We have a hostage to find, right!"
"It's fine!" Luffy was sitting Indian-style at the side. "Oi, Yusei, I wanna see how you play this game normally. That OK?"
"You, actually do what you say you're going to do!" Usopp yelled at him.
"What about Sayo, you idiot!" Nami bonked him on the head.
"I'll play One for One, discarding Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis to summon Evil Thorn from my deck," Aki decided as a large plant bearing a pomegranate-shaped fruit covered in sharp spikes appeared on her field. "I tribute Evil Thorn to inflict three hundred damage and summon two more copies of Evil Thorn."
The fruit exploded, showering the entire area in spikes.
"Ow!" Luffy winced as one of them poked him.
Yusei himself merely flinched but said nothing.
"I normal summon Lonefire Blossom , tributing one Evil Thorn to summon Tytannial, Princess of Camellias from my deck," Aki continued as from the ground sprouted an ugly flaming plant, before one of the thorned plant caught fire to reveal a stately woman in a red gown and royal regalia.
"Mellorine~! Another beauty!" Sanji cheered from the sidelines.
"That's a Duel Monster!" Yusei pointed out sharply, fretting.
"I set two cards and end my turn, and at the end phase of my turn I banish Evil Thorn to special summon Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis from the graveyard in defence mode," Aki concluded as the large amaryllis flower Monster bloomed from the ground. "It's your turn, Yusei. Show me... that you haven't lost yourself yet!"
"...I see." Yusei's eyes held a piercing intensity right then. "Luffy San, I think you can go ahead with the destruction already."
"That can wait," Luffy dismissively waved. "Besides, I feel like this is gonna be interesting enough. Go, Yusei! Summon strong monsters to beat those flowers!"
"Irritating," Aki mumbled.
"Draw," Yusei indicated. "Aki, I see... you were lonely again, weren't you? I discard Quillbolt Hedgehog to special summon Quickdraw Synchron from my hand. Then, I play my own One for One, to discard Level Eater to summon Tuningware from my deck. I activate Level Eater's effect to reduce Quickdraw Synchron's level by one to summon it from the graveyard. Because of the presence of a Tuner monster on the field, Quillbolt Hedgehog is special summoned. Tuning, Quickdraw Synchron and Level Eater!"
"What the-?" Nami blinked as green rings appeared around the two monsters.
"Clustering stars will call upon a new force!" Yusei called. "Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Junk Warrior!"
As the blue-armoured warrior appeared on the field, Franky's eyes widened at the sight. "It's the monster from Thriller Bark!"
"Indeed," Robin observed.
"Through the power of fellows, Junk Warrior gains the attack of all level two or lower monster on the field," Yusei continued. "That includes that Evil Thorn, therefore Junk Warrior gains a total boost of one thousand. I activate Level Eater's effect again, to reduce Junk Warrior's level by one to special summon in from the field. "
"Why does he keep pulling that bug?" Usopp muttered. "He was pulling monsters out of thin air like crazy back in Thriller Bark."
"This must be one of the game's strategies," Zoro bit back. "Back at Thriller Bark, that was a war. This... is a duel! There are rules! There are no short-cuts allowed!"
Luffy grinned. "Yeah!"
"I then follow up with my normal summon of Rose, Warrior of Revenge," Yusei indicated as a flame-haired female warrior leapt onto the field.
"Oi, Yusei, how long were you going to hide that beauty from us!" Sanji raged from the sidelines with hearts in his eyes. "Mellorine~! So many ladies~!"
"Tuning... level two Quillbolt Hedgehog, level two Tuningware, level four Rose." Yusei completely ignored him. "Clustering hopes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!"
"It's here!" Usopp and Chopper screamed as Stardust Dragon made its appearance.
"Cool!" Luffy literally sparkled from being impressed.
"I draw one card for Tuningware," Yusei dead-panned. "Battle! Junk Warrior, attack Tytannial! Scrap Fist!"
"Trap card, Plant Food Chain activate!" Aki indicated. "Tytannial gains enough power to knock out Junk Warrior."
Yusei winced slightly as the Junk Warrior narrowly dodged the swarm of petals to hit accurately, only to be clawed in the face by Tytannial before both shattered. "Stardust Dragon, attack Lonefire Blossom!"
Aki barely winced as the plant was eradicated, blowing up to burn the entire concrete floor it was on previously.
"AH! It burned!" Usopp and Chopper screamed.
"Turn end," Yusei indicated.
"Draw," Aki's eyes turned hard. "Can't help it, then... I play Fragrance Storm, releasing Evil Thorn to draw a card. I reveal it to be Lord Poison, a Plant Type monster, hence I draw once more. I summon Twilight Rose Knight in attack mode. Due to its monster effect, I summon Lord Poison from my hand. I tune the level three Twilight Rose Knight to the level four Lord Poison!"
"She can tune as well?" Usopp half-screamed.
"Chilling flames engulf the entire world," Aki chanted as a gale bearing many rose petals flew around the field in a twister-tornado. "Pitch-dark flower, set in bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!"
A gale of rose petals blew about the field as the serpentine head appeared in a blaze of violet light, red florid wings spreading out behind it with thorny vines trailing behind. Around it, the killer petals shredded everything in sight, from the palm tress to the concrete underfoot and even the diving boards did not go unscathed, as chasms were dug out from under their very feet and around the field itself.
"What the hell? What the hell's this?" Sanji yelled as he dodged wave after wave of rose petals. "This joke isn't even funny anymore!"
"When Black Rose Dragon is special summoned, it can destroy all cards on the field!" Aki declared. "Black Rose Gale!"
"Alright, destroy it!" Luffy commanded happily despite the carnage.
"This is Aki-ojou's worst monster!" Hane screeched as it waddled over to hide behind Yusei. "Black Rose Dragon! When it appears, it's in such a bad mood that it'll destroy everything!"
"No wonder he said that it'll be destroyed anyway!" Nami cried as she dodged a wave of rose petals while still swinging the Clima-Tact. "And we barely ever get to come to a resort like this..."
"But, didn't Aki lose her powers?" Yusei called to the monster.
"You're here, and you gained power," Hane pointed out. "Yusei Dono, hurry up before we're all sent to the ocean!"
"Right! Aki, I'll catch anything you dish out! Vent out all your sorrow!" Yusei called. "Stardust Dragon, Victim Sanctuary!"
"Wait a while longer!" Usopp called from where the black rose petals were slicing into the private mercenaries that served as the island's guards. "Dammit, Yusei, you have the worst timing ever!"
The concrete underfoot began to crack, under the combined strain of the dying after-effects of Black Rose Gale and Luffy's sudden rampage. Even so, the sight of the two dragons embracing was something beautiful, a work of art where diametric opposites worked together...
She was expecting me to do this, Yusei realised.
"You bastards!" a giant cannon formed from the chimney of the hot baths appeared. It was, on hindsight, unfortunate that the barrel aimed at Yusei Fudo.
"You..." Aki seethed at the now extremely terrified Doran. "Don't you dare... point that thing at Yusei! Black Rose Dragon! Rose Restriction!"
Glowing red thorned vines twisted around the barrel and within and stretched out to tie Doran into the command chair. The thorns dug into his skin fiercely as the black dragon roared.
"People who try to hurt him... will die," Aki whispered a promise. "Black Rose Fla-"
"Aki, stop!"
Even as Zoro sliced the cannon into sashimi- like slices of metal rings, the Straw Hats were more distracted by Yusei's arms closing around Aki's own in a tight bear-hug.
"Enough already..." he soothingly murmured. "Aki, enough."
"I... thought that you... died!" Tears was dripping down her face as she cried. "Yusei, you idiot, idiot, idiot!"
"Yusei, how dare you make a lady cry!" Sanji raged from the sidelines.
"Is this the time to talk about this?" Nami raged at them.
Of course, Doran chose that time to release all the ship's ballasts, and Luffy chose that time to destroy the whole island via Giganto Axe, so they all had to jump for the Sunny sailing right below and the argument was shelved for another time.
Fudo Yusei was nervous. He was plonked into a chair in the Sunny's galley, and the rest of the crew were giving him those interrogative looks associated with violence and potential pain.
"Yusei," the cook seethed, his cigarette burning up faster under the heat of his rage. "Why do you have a beautiful woman after you? Who is she?"
"That black dragon looks cool!" the captain himself glowed, impressed. "I wanna fight it! And all the flowers too!"
"Idiot, focus on what you want to ask first!" Nami raged at him. "Anyway, Yusei, who is she?" Nami indicated the forlorn-looking red-head beside him.
"Er, everyone, this is Izayoi Aki, a... friend of mine," Yusei awkwardly introduced. "Aki, this are... new friends, the Straw Hat Pirates."
Brown eyes blinked slowly at them. "They don't really look like pirates, do they?"
"Luffy San is the captain," Yusei decided to continue.
"Yo!" Luffy grinned at her. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to be the Pirate King! Everyone, introduce yourselves!"
"I'm Captain Usopp... the sniper of this ship," Usopp flopped under his panic. "You're the one... the duck called you the-"
"I'm Tony Tony Chopper, the ship's doctor!" the reindeer smiled up at her.
Aki blinked in surprise. "...It's the first time I've met a reindeer doctor."
"She knew!" most of the crew looked taken aback.
"I'm Nami, the navigator!" Nami smiled at her. "Your Yusei's such a reliable man, you know..."
"Nami San, Beli are flashing in your eyes," Yusei pointed out.
"Well, you won out the house before we left..." Beli symbols were still flashing as Aki backed away slightly.
"I'm Nico Robin, an archaeologist and the ship's researcher," Robin introduced herself. "Your black dragon is a mysteriously delightful force to be reckoned with."
"...Robin, your morbidness is going to cause me nightmares," Usopp muttered.
"Roronoa Zoro." Zoro stated blankly upon being elbowed. "Swordsman. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Sanji, the cook of the ship!" Sanji delicately took her hand. "Aki San, please allow this slave of love to follow your every-"
"Idiot cook," Zoro muttered.
"What d'you say, shitty marimo?" Sanji did an about-face as he began kicking at Zoro.
"Yes, they do this all the time," Yusei warded off the questioning gaze from Aki.
"Yo! I'm Franky, the super mechanic of the Thousand Sunny!" the cyborg with the cyan pompadour posed, complete with sparkles and rays of light from behind.
"..." the Black Rose Duellist had never seemed more stunned.
"Yohohoho, I'm Brook, the musician of the ship," Brook delicately lifted his top hat off his afro. "Excuse me, beautiful lady, but would you mind if I were to see your panties...?"
"You can hit him," Nami told the seething Aki.
Aki slapped the skeleton upside the head. "Skeleton or not, as if I would!"
"Yohohoho, what a scary sight!" Brook chuckled as he righted his head. "So, miss, would you explain to us how you came to be here?"
"Black Rose led me to Yusei," Aki replied. "Yusei and I were friends until I left a few years ago to study to become a doctor."
"Oh, your world has doctors! We should definitely talk!" Chopper enthusiastically smiled.
"I then received the news that Yusei had died and I returned for his wake, until a Duel Monster told me that Yusei was alive," Aki continued. "Every one of us contributed a card that would lead us to Yusei, and I used them to follow Yusei to this... world."
Yusei started. "Aki, don't tell me..."
Aki produces more white-bordered cards from her DuelDisk. "Yes. Ancient Fairy Dragon, Red Demon Dragon, Black Feather Dragon, Life Stream Dragon, Power Tool Dragon, all of them are here, along with the Black Rose Dragon I hold and the Stardust Dragon with you."
"All of them?" Yusei echoed numbly. "Everyone's cards..."
Aki frowned. "They said that they had spare copies, so... I couldn't refuse them... Yusei, the Go can take both of us back-"
"Go back yourself, Aki." Dark shadows thrown by his fringe hid his eyes as he replied. "I'll be fine here."
This caused her to stop. "What are you-? Yusei!"
"My dream back home is completed," Yusei answered, his voice cold as he stood. "You have your own dream to pursue still. That's why... Aki, please. Don't give up your dream, your family, for me. Go back with the cards, return them to their rightful owners, give everyone my thanks for everything, and after that... don't find me again."
The door creaked closed as he left.
"Yusei, that guy..." Nami murmured.
"That's alright," Aki replied. "I guess... it was partly our fault too. We left on our separate paths after what we needed to do, after our destiny was complete... we left him alone in the city that used to be ours. How long has it been already... five years?" She bowed her head. "Actually, I just wanted to see him... even if I knew that he wouldn't willingly leave with me. Yusei..."
"That guy must have made some great impact in your life for this," Usopp mused. "Still, that giant dragon... it responded to Yusei's own dragon..."
"You've seen Stardust before?" Aki looked at them.
"Yusei helped save us from a giant zombie," Luffy grinned. "That giant dragon was his nakama, apparently."
"Yusei told me it was the only thing from his parents left," Usopp volunteered. "Is that true?"
"Stardust Dragon... was, indeed, the only thing Yusei had left from his father," Aki confirmed. "He saved you all from a giant zombie, then? Always the same, that Yusei... I worry about him... if he could save someone by giving up his life, he would... that's why..."
"But, he told you to leave," Nami was confused. "What's the meaning of this?"
"Yusei saved me," tears were dropping from her wide brown eyes again. "That man, he has a talent for fixing broken things, that includes people's hearts... he saved us all from ourselves. He would do anything for us... even let us walk our own paths, away from the heavy destiny that united us, even if it meant his being alone in our city! That loneliness, that isolation...!"
Her palms banged on the table. "I know that I have no right to ask anything of you all, but, if you truly see Yusei as your nakama... please, treasure him!"
"That guy told you to go back alone, and you still want us to treasure him?" Sanji murmured, surprised.
"On hindsight, I can understand," Aki cried. "How lonely he must have felt, watching us all leave one by one... knowing that we, his precious people, were going far, far away on our own paths to never see him again... I think that, to have found all of you who seem to treasure him as a comrade... it must have been such a relief to him!"
"My friends... we... went on our own paths after our purpose was finished," Yusei took on a far-away expression. "...back home, I have no one waiting for me at home, nor do I have anyone to wait for. I think... these recent years, the best thing that has happened to me... was to meet all of you."
The black-haired blue-eyed man sighed. "It sounds trite, but... this is the closest thing I have felt to a family in a while now."
Nami blinked as she recalled that memory. "That time... no one waiting for him, and no one to return to... because all his nakama were scattered..."
Franky began crying really loudly. "I'm not touched, dammit! I just got something in my eye, dammit! I'm not crying about how touching Nii Chan's story is, dammit all! UUUUUUUHHHHUUUUHHHHH!"
"I'm not either!" Chopper joined Franky.
"Handyman San seems to have had quite the sad story of life," Robin coolly remarked.
"That guy... I never knew..." Usopp murmured.
"He saved all of them, and they left him," Zoro murmured. "And he stills helps people...What a guy..."
"I've missed this part of Yusei..." Sanji muttered. "How noble..."
"Yusei..." Nami echoed. "I think I can see him now... He's so reliable, but he goes out of his way to help anyone, even to the point of putting his life on the line... and even then..."
"Yusei... to have seen his nakama walk away from him, towards their dreams..." Luffy echoed. "I think... I kinda understand how he feels. As our nakama, it's a given that we'll protect him, but... life on the high seas is hard. The life of a pirate is harder. There's no guarantee that he won't die, even if that is real conviction I see in his eyes."
Nami blinked as the captain stood. "Luffy?"
"I've decided!" Luffy pointed to her. "You... become our nakama!"
Complete and utter silence hung in the air of the Sunny's galley as the Straw Hat crew absorbed their captain's latest declaration. Even Aki herself seemed stunned.
"CONSULT US FIRST, DAMMIT!" Most of the crew yelled at him.
"Mellorine~!" Sanji crooned.
"Luffy, are you serious?" Usopp complained. "She's Yusei's friend, right? She left him alone, right? How's Yusei gonna feel about this?"
"Yusei won't mind," Luffy grinned. "That was his wish all along, just that he doesn't want to admit it. But if the captain says so, then he doesn't have a choice, right?"
"Luffy San..." Aki breathed, considering everything. Her father had let her go with his best wishes, the rest of Team 5Ds would get on with their lives soon, and... there was Yusei. The choice was obvious.
"Besides, I wanna fight that dragon!" Luffy cheered. "Yusei won't bring out his dragon nakama to fight me, so I'll fight the other one!"
"Think of where the hell you're fighting, you idiot!" Nami hit him upside the head.
"Ow! Anyway, I've already decided!" Luffy rubbed his bump, still smiling. "No objections?"
"Would you listen?" Robin was smiling.
"It'd be nice to have a fellow doctor aboard the ship..." Chopper considered.
"Mellorine~" Sanji crooned, hearts flying around him.
"Another woman on this ship would be nice," Nami sighed wearily.
"Yohoho, the ship is about to become more lively," Brook sipped delicately at his tea.
"Luffy..." Usopp protested weakly.
"Super!" Franky posed again. "Nii Chan should be happy with this!"
Aki blinked. "You don't mind that.., we have powers that can hurt people? You... don't think I'm a monster?"
"I'm a rubber man!" Luffy proudly stretched his cheek to make his point. "As for those powers... why would you be a monster? You're interesting!" He grinned.
"You..." Aki hung her head. Yusei, I see now... if you choose to follow this man... then, I've decided! I'll follow you all the way!
"Do what you want," Zoro yawned as he stood up. "I'm going to train."
"Zoro! No training until I say so!" Chopper squawked. "Aki, do something! Zoro's enforced rest doesn't extend past tomorrow!"
"If I manhandle him, is that okay, Doctor Chopper?" Aki warmly enquired.
"Calling me doctor won't make me happy, dammit~!" Chopper was wiggling around with his clearly delighted expression.
"Anything to add, captain?"
"Nope, just don;t injure him."
"Very well then," Aki put on her DuelDisk. "Rose Tentacles, summon!"
Out on the deck, in the dying light of the sun, Yusei was working on the Go when the galley door flew open, Rose tentacles hauling a shouting Zoro out towards the infirmary on the first floor.
Yusei looked up, blinked at the sight, and then went back to work.
"Oi, Yusei!" Luffy grinned. "We have a new nakama! Aki's going to be our second doctor!"
The handyman finally looked the captain straight in the eye. "...are you serious, Luffy San?"
"He offered a place on the crew, and I accepted." Aki strolled out to the deck.
"Then, what about-?"
"They know and they understand," Aki looked into those blue eyes deeply. "I'll be joining your crew today. Please take care of me, Yusei."
"O- of course..." Yusei was blushing slightly at their proximity.
Completely unseen to the cheering crew who were occupied with the sight of a shouting Zoro and an Usopp screaming about witches, Aki brushed her lips against Yusei's own.
"Yosh!" Luffy ordered, completely oblivious to Yusei's colouring up. "You guys! We're having a Kampai to celebrate our new nakama! For tonight, let's party!"
"YEAH!"
This was how the infamous second of the monster-controlling pair of the Straw Hat Pirates, the one woman, whose name would be known far and wide as the Black Rose Witch, appeared to the Straw Hats, and was accepted.
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