Chapter 11.5: Mini Adventures of the Grand Line Straw Hats #2.

AN: Hey guys, it's been a while! Sorry for the long hiatus, I've kinda lost the motivation to write among other things. Recently I've been deep into One Piece again and I got back the will to write this story. Anyway, where did we stop? Oh yeah, small changes in the past has led Krieg and Bege to take different routes, which means Mihawk slashed Bege's ship and Krieg goes scott free for another week on the GL. Do not worry, Capone Bege isn't dead (same for Krieg in the original story) but Shiki's dead. Yeah. RIP

Anyway, let's go back to the chapter

The straw hat crew navigated in the seas of East Blue, as usual. Luffy and Ussop were testing the cannon, and Nami was checking the map. Zoro was taking a nap, as usual.

Or rather, he was trying.

His scar on his chest was aching. He was not only shortening the distance with the place he got his scar, he was also shortening the time. There would be another duel, but this time, Zoro was trained. Was it so simple? Would Zoro realize his dream at the same moment he got his first defeat? That sounded too anticlimactic.

He smirked at the thought that the World's Greatest Swordsman could become someone that officially didn't leave East Blue, the calmest of seas. That thought helped him to find the path to the nap.

"Oi, Ussop, hit that rock with the cannon!" Luffy screamed.

Ussop scratched his head. "Why?"

His captain shrugged. "I don't know, I just felt like it."

Nami narrowed her eyes. "This scene seems oddly familiar."

Usopp prepared the cannon and shot.

That woke Zoro up.

"Oi, who dared disturb my nap?!" He screamed.

Usopp made a step backwards in fear. "It's not me! Luffy told me to smash that giant rock!"

Zoro quirked an eyebrow. 'A giant rock?' Then it struck him. "Johnny! Yosaku!"

Everyone's jaw dropped.

Luffy hit his hand with his fist. "I knew that giant rock was special!"

1: You know it's Thriller Bark!

Usually, people whose shadows had been stolen didn't fight back. They were hiding in the dark, avoiding the light and crying in despair. Well, some of them tried to fight but in this giant pirate boat called Thriller Bark, most of the crew members were just zombies. No matter how much you shot or slashed a zombie, he couldn't care less. That was why no one cared of the enemies of Gecko Moria that were in Thriller Bark. They were shadowless, and most importantly, hopeless. But there was one man, -if we could call him a man, since he was a living skeleton- that, not only didn't lose hope to get back his shadow, but found the weak point of the zombies. He was even feared by the zombies… but not by Ryuma.

The zombie of the Wa No Kuni hero was fighting against skeleton Brook with his legendary sword Shisui when something strange happened.

"Gavotte, bond avant!" They both screamed.

However, when Ryuma was about to land the final blow, his legendary sword disappeared.

And Brook, well Brook did two things.

Firstly, his clothing changed, replacing his dandy outfit to something more… rock n' roll.

Second, he hit Ryuma with his sword.

Brook widened his eyes, which was surprising, since he didn't have any eyes.

"You defeated me…" Ryuma said in shame. "How come it was possible… my sword…"

Then he released Brook's shadow, and fell on his knees, the puppet had, after all, lost his strings.

"What?" Brook asked simply. He couldn't believe his yes, despite the fact that he didn't … well you get the idea.

The musician inspected the surroundings, yelling for Luffy and the others. Drawing the attention on him, he quickly encountered a hundred of zombies.

"It's Humming Brook!" One of them –a Spider with a mouse head- squeaked.

"He defeated Ryuma!"

"Let's get him!"

Brook just stood there in front of those zombies. "Well, it seems I am back in Thriller Bark." He said simply. Only one person had the ability to create zombies by stealing people's shadow, and it was Moria. It probably meant that they entered some sort of New World Florian triangle but, oddly enough, Brook lost a bit of memories. Or he just went back to the past…. Nah, that would be less probable.

"Well, it seems I have no other choice than Dancing with the Dead again?"

Soul King drew his best weapon, his guitar, and started his show.

" Come on baby, I'll make you feel alive!" He shouted between two riffs. "Party Music!"

Brook danced around his public, who started to make a choreography.

"Let's get to Thriller! Thriller Bark!"

Needless to say, Soul King gave one of his oddest concerts that night.

2: Palm Beach

"Leave this island now, Pirates!"

A dozen of soldiers were aiming their rifle at the five pirates and a horse.

Their captain just laughed. "Zehahahahaha, I've never seen such a weak welcome comitee!" Some dark matter appeared on his right hand, then all over his body. "Black Hole!" The dark matter expanded to the ground and rushed under the guards' feet. The soldiers shouted in despair as they began to be sucked up by the black hole.

Finally, they heard the ring of a bell, coming from the church of a village nearby.

Van Augur raised his sniper rifle and began to aim.

"Do you see something, Augur?" Laffite asked.

"The cavalry is coming." He replied calmly.

"Have fun with them." Blackbeard joked. "I see a harbor, let's take what is ours!"

"I'm thirsty, Captain!" Burgess shouted, clenching his fists.

"I hope they make good cherry pies."

Another dozen of guards came from the village to clash them. Blackbeard used his devil fruit to release the other soldiers from the darkness.

"Liberation!" He shouted, and the lifeless soldiers got out of the black matter and rushed into the other guards who shook their knees in fear while Von Augur shot them like rabbits.

"Zehahahahaha, Paradise is ridiculously calm!"

The pirates went to the inn of the village and drank all of the alcohol. When they finished, Teach used his logia powers to destroy the entire town.

"Apparently, he isn't there." Blackbeard announced.

"The army will be there however." Augur said, witnessing a hundred of soldiers coming from the road.

"That was to be expected." Doc Q retorted.

"Yeah, you blew up an entire town!" Burgess added.

"I'm surprised they are so few, maybe it is just the vanguard." Laffite said.

"Liberation!" Blackbeard shouted, and the town's debris crashed into the soldiers.

Wapol was savouring a table when his minister of defense, Chess, came seeking an audience.

"My king! This is a disaster!"

He raised an eyebrow. "What, there are people that doesn't pay their taxes?"

"Worse, my king!" He exclaimed. "Bolde Harbour has been destroyed by Pirates, and the third battalion has been completely obliterated in one second."

Wapol threw up some wood. There were stories of Pirates from the other side of Grand Line that were so powerful that one of them could obliterate a whole country, and this guy was one of them for sure. Wapol was over, his kingdom was over, unless…

"Call the soldiers and the doctors, and prepare the ship ! We leave the country!"

The Blackbeard Pirates crew walked in a snowy forest, all were wearing stolen mantles, except their captain.

"Hey Captain, it's been like two hours we walk in this country and our only resistance has been rabbits and avalanches." Burgess said.

"Apparently the king of this country has preferred to leave with his soldiers instead of fighting back." Lafitte replied.

"They're not funny at all." Blackbeard snarled. "Apparently Wapol is known to eat whatever he wants, even boats or houses. It would've been fun to watch."

"In any cases." Augur said, observing the island with his sniper rifle. "I don't see any monster the rumor was talking of."

Teach sighed in disappointment. "It was surely just a rumor. Anyway this island bores me, and I'm feeling cold. Let's go back to the ship."

The five pirates walked back to a snowy beach where their raft was docked. Suddenly, they heard some noise coming from behind them.

"Reinforcements?" Teach wondered aloud.

Van Augur raised his rifle and aimed. "I see two animals. A bison and a … reindeer. They've got clothes."

Lafitte twisted his sword like a majorette. "Oh, Zoans?"

Teach turned around and chuckled. "It seems so."

Soon they were on sight, and the reindeer sped up.

"Black Beaaaaard!" The reindeer shouted with a high-pitched tone.

Then he took something out his bag, a yellow ball, and crunched it.

And then he transformed.

Blackbeard smirked as the zoan was growing and growing, to the point that it took the size of a giant.

"Zehahahahahahah, so the rumor was true!" He shouted while raising his hands in delight.

Burgess jumped. "Wiiihahahaha, let me take care of it captain!"

The champion clenched his fist and was about to hit the beast when the giant monster hit him with the palm of his hand.

"BWAAAA!" The Champion was sent flying to the sea in one blow.

Teach gritted his teeth. "Well, you're a tough one aren't you?"

To his surprise, the monster blushed. "Oh shut up! Stop complimenting me, it doesn't please me at all!"

Black Beard burst out laughing. "Listen, I mean no harm to you, would you like to join my crew?"

The monster went serious again.

"No." He answered, and prepared to attack Teach.

A cruel gleam appeared on Black Beard's face as he smirked evilly. "Really? Such a shame…"

Dark matter appeared on his hand and on his back.

Back to the East Blue nakamas

"You killed my nakama!" Johnny screamed as he jumped on the Merry's deck, unsheathing his sword.

Zoro opened his eye calmly. "Yo Johnny, Yosaku's dead?"

Johnny gulped and turned his head.

"Zoro-aniki?!" He exclaimed. "No, he's not, but he's…"

Zoro sighed. "Ah, good. Long time no see." Then he closed his eye to continue his nap.

Nami pinched the bridge of her nose. "Bring him in." She turned to her crewmate. "Ussop ! Lemons!"

"Why do you need lemons?" Johnny asked suspiciously as he brought his friend to the Merry's deck.

"That's what I thought." She said whule looking at the poor Yosaku. "Scurvy. That will happen to you too, if you don't eat citrus fruits."

Usopp came with a few lemons. "Oi J…" He put a hand on his mouth before saying Johnny's name. "Hey sir."

He pressed a lemon on Yosaku's face and suddenly he went better. The bounty hunter duo began dancing on the deck.

"Johnny! Yosaku!" Luffy yelled suddenly, finally noticing their presence. "Long time no see!"

Nami and Usopp sweat-dropped.

The duo frowned. "Wait, how do you know us?"Johnny asked ad Yosaku fell on the floor again. "AAAAAH! Yosaku!"

Nami cleared her throat. "Zoro told us about…"

Luffy grinned. "We come from the future!"

Usopp and Nami sweat-dropped again.

"What?" Johnny asked dumbly.

Nami sighed. "It's a long story."

AN: Zehahahahahah ! I know you will hate me for the cliffangher (: