Chapter 9

"So…..this guy Dragon, the leader of a group revolting against the marines, appears and saves your sorry asses? You guys really need to step it up." Their nods make me want to hit someone. These idiots! How could they be so stupid! The boys continue to whine and complain while Nami chews them out.

"Calm down you old hag!" I let my fist come down to make contact with Dante's skull.

"Don't be rude moron." Dante gives me a playful growl, in which I ignore.

"How far till we get there?" I glance out, frowning at the rain still relentlessly thundering down. Nami quickly turns her head, looking out into the distance.

"There! That's the guiding light! The light that points straight to the grand line!" I stare out at the old lighthouse, before turning at the sound of a barrel rolling. An empty barrel is dragged out to the middle of the deck. Dante looks over to me, a curious look in his eyes.

"What's that for?"

"We put one foot on the barrel, stating our goal or dream, then all at once, we lift and bring it down, smashing the barrel." He lights up with a huge grin. Sanji goes first, resting his foot upon the barrel.

"My dream is to find the All Blue!" he sneaks me a glance, and I smile. Luffy is next.

"To become Pirate King!" I watch as Zoro put his foot up next.

"To become the greatest swordsman!" I rest my foot up next, grinning amidst the rain and wind…my dream…I look up at the sky.

"To become Lord of the Dragons!" I see Dante, standing there agape. Nami moves next.

"To draw a map of the world!" Dante swings his leg up, resting it to Zoro's left.

"To make a name for myself!" Usopp is the last, as he hesitates, before stoning his face in conviction.

"To become a brave warrior of the sea!" We all lift our feet together, and seal our fate with a crunch.

"WE'RE GOING! TO THE GRAND LINE!"

I awoke to a jolt. It had been a few days since we set our course…I glanced around my room, and let my dragon ear canals open up. I hear the crew up above hollering about being close to the mountain. I throw on a long black coat of mine, and pull my hat down lower on my head, before grabbing onto the cannon.

"What did you mean by wanting to be lord of the dragons?" I turn to Dante, who had slipped into my hammock. He doesn't work well with rain, so he stays inside.

"I need to go help." His face turns angry.

"Tell me! There hasn't been a lord of the dragons since before the two continents, Shoo and Lute were made! Why?! Why aim for the impossible?!" Impossible…

Flashback

"Why do you aim for the near impossible? To have such a big family, all loyal to you with their lives?!" The boy grins at the young Adrian.

"Impossible is just another way of saying 'I'm giving up!' Please, whatever you do Adrian, never give up on your dream ok?" the young Adrian stares off into the distance.

"Promise."

"Cross your heart?"

"…"

"….cross my heart."

I shake my head, before launching out of the cannon into the rain. I climb onto the ship, listening as Nami yells orders.

"THAT CRACK! THAT'S THE PASSAGE IN!" I stare at the water ways I've only seen once before…arches overlooking the water streaming straight upwards.

"WE GOTTA GO MORE TO THE RIGHT! RIGHT!" I stand beside Luffy, watching over the path of the boat. I hear a crunch, and look back behind me in horror.

"THE RUDDER!"I watch as our boat is about to crash into the archway, only for Luffy to jump out!

"Gum gum no….BALLOON!" With much effort Luffy bounces the ship on course! It tilts a tiny bit too much to the side, and I jump out, and lightly push it, before landing back onto the deck. Sanji and Usopp are already celebrating in the back, Zoro watching calmly at the back of the ship, Nami giving a sigh of relief and Luffy getting his head out of the deck, which it had flung into due to impact from his balloon. I look over at Dante, who is glaring at me from a distance, before I jump over the front of the boat, and sit on the cannon cross legged, I let out my tail, in a shorter version, and wrap it around the cannon, keeping me upright and sturdy. The gold glistens in the sun, and I close my eyes letting the wind take me up and up, effortlessly with the ship.

The sky was a beautiful opaque, sky blue crystals of water, frozen from the cold, glistening through the air. I couldn't help a twinge of sadness. Memories start to roll through my head like a story, and I let hot tears fall from my eyes as I stare longingly skywards. With a flying jump, we land on the other side, the one to take us to the grand line, and yet, while everyone is happy, I can't help but feel sadness. I talk quietly, but loud enough that I know Dante can hear my words.

"I promised to reach for my dream, no matter how hard it was. I have promised, and I therefore, I will succeed."

A huge ship floated leisurely, its path through the waters smooth as silk. Upon the ship, a huge man watches in the distance, hand gripping a letter. The letter was tiny compared to his huge hands, but it was held gently. The huge man let out a chuckle, before tucking the letter into his pockets.

"So, you've been busy trying to reach your goal huh? Never thought you would become friends with Mihawk, but, I should've known, knowing you, you always got into the hearts of those hardest to approach. I would love you to meet my crew someday, they certainly would love you…." He mumbles to the air. The wind carrying his words, as if they would take them to said person.

"You're going to change the world, whether soon or later, no one can tell. You'll break the boundaries, change the future, and save those who deserve to be saved. As you said, you'll become a chair for those broken and a hand for those fallen….I am excited to see you again…" A crew member's call takes his attention. The man pauses, looking over his shoulder, before turning back to the sapphire blue skies. He slowly raises his hand.

He then makes an X over his heart.

"Cross my heart."

This took for freaking ever but I needed to rewatch the episode, and I had to go away during the break (No Wi-Fi), then I had problems with my writing program, then I had internet problems! But, through it all, I managed to create a short chapter for you!

So sorry!

From: S.W.K.