Chapter 1- To Wonderland Island!


The following is a fan-made work of fiction. Certain original characters made by myself will be claimed under my ownership. However, I do not, nor will I ever claim to own One Piece.

One Piece © Eiichiro Oda

Cherry Triangle, Wonderland Island, William Henley, The Hermits of Virtue, Prairie Flora, Talbot Alice, Noppera Spark, Neko Beckett, Silvios, Beau-Père, Fixit, Seventy, Scorcher, and the Trick Card Pirates © HatOnFire/Me

A/N: I might as well post this chapter, just to prove I'm serious about continuing my rendition of One Piece. Also, it's the 25th anniversary for the series, so might as well.

Also, this work contains spoilers to Shattered Faith, so use your best judgement and read at your own risk.


The skies were clear and bright as birds flew above the ocean. The sunlight reflected off of it while dolphins chirped and pranced about.

It had been over a week since the Straw Hats have flown off the eyes of the Marines, hiding behind the wide scenic view of the Cherry Triangle. They have left the place a week ago, having initial difficulty due to the Log Pose suffering from magnetic interference.

Having only minutes to plan out a heading, the crew followed their navigator's instructions carefully, moving in the direction the needle pointed. If the needle would point one way after erratically moving around, then they would turn and follow.

The main sail was badly damaged by a surprise attack from one of the Straw Hat Pirates' first enemies, Arlong. In fact, he dealt out a small amount to part of the ship as well, meaning it would take a good chunk of their time to fix the ship and sail again. Fortunately, the sail was sewn up by Franky with a giant piece of a cherry blossom, so they can make it to land until they have to get a new one.

"It's smooth sailing from here, right?" Luffy questioned, crossing his arms and looking out at sea. He wore his red vest and blue shorts along with his trademark straw hat.

"Right, Luffy," Nami kept an eye on the Log Pose while steering the ship, answering back. She had on a black cropped tank top with jean shorts. On her right shoulder, she had a bandage wrapped around it. "It shouldn't take much longer to arrive at Wonderland Island."

"Then I'll finish what I started when we get there," Luffy murmured, thinking back to many past events.

For context, Luffy was feeling down from what transpired with Shiki, the Golden Lion. He believed Nami didn't have any faith in him for that scenario, when the truth was that she did. A few days later, he was attacked by William Henley, a half-human and sailfish fish-man hybrid, who was provoked by his being a pirate.

During the fight, Henley forced a chemical serum down his throat, putting the captain in a depression, and he realized his mistake too late to prevent what came next. As Luffy had some nightmares, he discovered some of his crewmates covered up the initial theft of his pirate flag. All these factors made him feel betrayed and he fled, getting captured by a Marine Commander.

He was only saved because of the crew and Henley's best efforts, but his trust in his band of pirates was fractured, driving him to make a decision. Either he'll keep his crew around, throw them all out, or keep and kick some of them out. The silver lining was that he still wanted to be the Pirate King, the dream he almost threw away.

'Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Robin, and Franky…' Luffy thought as he sighed, remembering the time his flag was stolen by bounty hunters. 'They lied to me back then... I can't accept that disrespect, not after Water 7. But should I let them go?'

"Hey, Nami?" Chopper came up the stairs to the helm with Henley, "You can remove that bandage now. It's been a while since you had it there."

The good reindeer doctor was in his classic pink shorts. At the moment, he wasn't wearing his pink hat with the bandaged X on the front.

"The doctor's right," Henley concurred, holding the hat and spraying the inside of the hat with a perfume bottle. "It's time to let it out."

Henley still had his torn black pants, a slightly worn out blue shirt, and his grey jacket, which had some additional slash marks and bullet holes from the skirmish. Now, his bright red hair wasn't so long in the back, but trimmed, nearly at neck length. And this time, his bangs covered up his forehead and there weren't any spikes sticking out on the sides of his head. At the front, he looked more like a normal human.

"I guess so," The navigator was a little nervous, looking to her shoulder. It wasn't that she was afraid of a few more scars on her body, it was the impact that would last with her forever. But while she hesitated, she ultimately removed it, revealing four marks that were once bleeding gashes.

"You alright?" Luffy asked, seeing the look on Nami's face.

"I'm fine," She told him in a half-hearted manner, "It's not every day you get two different scars because of the same man, directly or indirectly."

"Nami…" Luffy whispered, feeling worried for her. He noticed her scar on the back of her left shoulder, showing up clear as day.

"Um, Nami?" Chopper interrupted, "Where did that other scar come from? It wasn't recent, right?"

"That's from when I was still in the East Blue," Nami replied, "I gave it to myself."

"It was self-inflicted?!" The doctor shouted, almost getting everyone's attention in the process.

"Doctor, hush," Henley handwaved, though no less disturbed. "If she doesn't want to talk about it, then she doesn't."

"What are you doing?" Luffy noticed the redheaded hybrid spraying the hat, wondering curiously.

"I made a spray that eradicates lice. I put the solution in this empty perfume bottle," Henley spoke quickly, returning Chopper his hat. "I could spray your hat for them."

"Don't touch my hat," The captain defensively grabbed his hat, holding it like a child would with his teddy bear.

"N-Never mind then…" While he was dejected, Henley looked over to Nami, deciding to change the subject, if he could.

As bad as he felt for his part in the incident, he knew that Nami may have had it just as bad as the captain. In addition to being called out and having her feelings hurt, she started wallowing in guilt and only put it aside to rescue Luffy. After eating the Static-Static Fruit to ensure she could protect him from a nightmare of the past, she hasn't been the same.

"So…" He finally asked, "How are you taking it? Having that kind of power in you?"

"It's a little frustrating," The navigator watched her hand crackle with static electricity, disappearing as quickly as it came out. "For some reason, I can't control the electricity or increase its longevity. Not since the last big burst covered the entire ship."

The boys with Devil Fruit powers understood her. It took a while for them to get a handle on their powers.

"Still, you caught on when it counted," Luffy reasoned, "If you didn't, this journey would've been shortened."

"Can we not go there?" Chopper demanded, hoping to put most of that day behind him.

"Sorry, Chopper."

On the main deck with grass at his feet, Brook was playing his violin, wearing his usual scuffed clothes. He played an unknown tune, but the melody carried a sad, longing undertone.

"Playing sad music, huh?" Franky noted, climbing out of the trapdoor under the deck.

The cyborg had a white sleeveless shirt and his black speedo on. He was as casual as he could ever get.

"Yes," Brook responded, "We are getting closer. It won't be long now."

'I hope Luffy can handle this,' He mused, 'Having to decide on releasing a few crew members is the last thing he wanted…'

"Believe me, it shouldn't have come down to this," Franky pleaded, feeling the numb and cold aura the musician gave off.

"I believe you," Brook agreed, "However, it's too late to feel sorry. Everyone has to face the consequences. Your standing with the captain depends on whether or not he can forgive what you have done with the others."

"I know that," Franky sighed, "But what can I do to get him to trust me again, if he forgives me?"

"It's not a question that can be easily answered. For now, you shouldn't concern yourself with that."

Sanji came out of the dining hall, balancing a tray with drinks on it with his hand. Each drink was a certain kind or a certain flavor, fit to serve the tastes of each passenger aboard the Sunny.

The cook wore the same clothes as he did from the East Blue. Black suit over a blue dress shirt and black tie, black pants and dress shoes.

"Man…" Usopp whispered, sitting over the railing outside the ship's dining hall. "This really sucks."

He wore his brown overalls that had a white sash around his waist, with a dark green shirt under the overalls. On his head were the usual olive-green bandana and sniper goggles. As always, his left arm had his trademark blue and white striped arm band.

"We're almost there, huh?" Sanji pondered, giving Usopp his drink.

"Yeah," The sniper nodded, sipping with a straw.

"If this doesn't pan out well for us," Sanji offered, "Let's still stick together, okay? We're still wanted, so I'll make sure you guys don't get attacked."

"Assuming the worst, I see…" Usopp noted, "You'll even watch out for Zoro?"

"He can look after himself, but considering his sense of direction… Maybe."

"Of course."

Usopp made a little smirk as he shook his head, watching Sanji head off and serve refreshments to the rest of the crew. When he wasn't near his space anymore, his expression dampened, biting into his straw.

'If only I never questioned him…' He mulled, 'If only I were more respectful…"

Sanji was also taking his mind off of the events that transpired, but they would creep back into the back of his mind.

'I got angry at him back there,' The cook pondered, 'Sure, he sets me off sometimes, but what was I thinking? I was acting such a jerk to him.'

It looked like no one got over those events, and how could they? That was the lowest point any of them had experienced since they joined.

Outside of the Aquarium, on one of the balconies, Robin soullessly gazed out at the sea. She wore a dark grey sweater with long sleeves, a pair of jeans, and black shoes with high heels.

"What do you want now, Zoro?" She questioned without turning her head, knowing Zoro was there. He wore a navy-blue shirt with his black pants and green haramaki.

"You've been avoiding me lately," Zoro cut to the chase while closing the door behind him, "I just want to talk."

"I would think you already know why I don't want to," Robin bluntly answered.

"Listen, if this is about Nami-"

"You told me you wouldn't be too hard on her."

"And I wasn't lying," The swordsman stated, "I never implied that she shouldn't be in the crew, not since that day."

"At least not out loud," Robin spat with a bitter tone, "Or in front of Luffy."

"Even so, I'm not sure how that all happened," Zoro watched a fish leap out of the water for a second, swallowing an insect whole. "I was pretty angry, but to act like that… You have to admit, that wasn't like me at all."

"Or perhaps it was," The dark-haired woman added, "We just never knew the extent of your distrust in Nami."

"Robin, believe me…" Zoro softly asked her, almost sounding like he was pleading to her. "I'm better than that. I'm usually more composed all those times I put up with her."

"Who can elaborate on that? Usopp? Chopper? Perhaps you want Sanji to back you up?"

Robin's judgmental scowl only added another weight to her green haired shipmate's heart, one that applied pressure to his conscious.

"I admit it's been building up since she joined us," He confirmed, "But I wouldn't demonize her, especially not like that. At least… I don't think I would."

"Yet you did," Robin shaking her head in disappointment was all she could do to compose herself, lest she follow Zoro, or even Luffy's bouts of anger. "You're only trying to garner sympathy. We're done here."

"Look, something was off with all of us since that runt force-fed Luffy that damn serum," Zoro claimed, "I noticed some kind of change back there. It wasn't just with him, but with all of us."

"We reacted poorly to those events," Robin replied, "There's no point in reflecting on what was already done."

"Please listen to me, Robin," He persisted, though he wasn't desperate enough to grab her by her arm. "I don't have any right to ask this…"

"Let me make myself clear," The archaeologist began to make her point, "I don't want to be near you right now. I've listened to you enough for one day."

"R-Robin…" Zoro knew something was up with her too, he could feel it. It was just like when he was being intolerant of the navigator. There was nothing he could do about it, however, so he just kept silent.

"You believed yourself to be above disloyalty," She stated, "But you weren't. You're reading too much into what transpired. All you can do is move on. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Robin walked away, closing the door behind her.

"I'm sorry…" Zoro whispered, letting his head down with a frown, "I really am…"

He knew that he could be wrong about his theory, but if there was a chance to soften the blow for everyone and convince Luffy to let them all stay, he had to play that angle. He can't imagine having to live without this crew.

000000_ONE-PIECE:-MENDING-THE-FLAG_000000

"I'm guessing you're thinking about him, right?"

"Who?" Henley questioned, not initially sure who she meant.

"Hatchan," Nami replied, "You asked about him yesterday."

"I just wanted to know what kind of person he became," He told her, "I knew him a long time ago and I never forgot about him."

"Because he was your friend?"

"…Once upon a time…" Henley sadly nodded, "How'd you guess?"

"I knew Hatchan too," Nami explained, "He wasn't like the other Fish-Men in the crew. But…"

"You can't forgive him for running with the pack."

Henley fully understood Nami's predicament from the past up to now. It didn't matter if Hachi was good or not, because he still worked for a bad person.

"There's no point in complaining over what was his choice," Henley added, "Continuing to insinuate that would be like spitting in my hand and slapping him in his face without warning."

"You're being pretty mature about this," Nami thought.

"Well, it's either say it isn't so or accept the reality," Henley sighed and shrugged, "The truth is better than the lie."

"At least you have your priorities right," Nami looked away, still unable to tolerate the shame from days past.

"Hey, Henley?" Luffy asked, standing on the figurehead. "Does Wonderland Island have a huge tree in it?"

"I'm told it's a giant sequoia tree," Henley responded, "And it's right at the center of the island."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Luffy nodded, seeing said tree in the distance.

"It might be a good idea to lower the flag," The hybrid suggested.

"Not happening," The captain predictably refused.

"But this island has a very nasty attitude to pirates. If you don't lower this flag, you risk getting your ship sunk."

"My flag is the pride of this crew," Luffy forcibly declared, "I'm not going to lower it because you're uncomfortable about returning home with us pirates."

"Hey, what's going on?" Sanji called, "You need me to put this runt in his place?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to settle this myself," Luffy denied the cook with a little 'desist' hand gesture.

"It's not a sign of disgrace to lower the flag," Henley prepared to argue for a compromise, "But if you don't want to do that, and I don't want to dock at port, at least have the ship anchored away from port."

"Fine by me," Luffy agreed, "Might as well stretch our legs. And where should we drop anchor, fearless smarty-pants?"

"We could take it along the coast on the island's left side," Henley suggested, ignoring that veiled insult. "My lighthouse is right there, far to the jungle and away from town. I need to get there and finish my… quest…"

The young man with the straw hat could sense dread in the little man's voice. As he recalled, he was searching the Grand Line to create a working cure for a girl he knew. That's the gist of it.

"Well…" He said to him, "I hope your cure works and that it was all worth it. The enemies you made and the pain that I went through because of you…"

"The enemies, maybe," Henley sadly whispered, "But that affront to all serums you drank… That's a mistake I'll happily take to my grave."

'Still have that attitude?' Luffy murmured to himself, 'If he's been like this, then has that gross drink been affecting him before somehow?'

While Luffy would never be able to think so clearly without his head hurting from the strain, the serum inside him has mitigated that at the cost of his mental health. That was resolved, but the experience has made him wonder: was that serum, or smaller serums like it, the reason he was more than a jerk to pirates?

Furthermore, the past few days, Henley was pretty vague on how he knew Ace when Luffy asked. And from how he changes the subject, he must really not want to talk about it… Either way, Luffy hated being kept in the dark, but he wasn't going to get anything out of someone he can't strong-arm, not like with the others, as of late.

000000_ONE-PIECE:-MENDING-THE-FLAG_000000

Several minutes later, the Sunny's sails got tied down and anchors went away, stopping the ship at the beachside. The crew could see there was a lighthouse on its own patch of land. Some grass, some sand, and only one palm tree. The lighthouse was made of stone, yet it looked abandoned. Even so, a walkway made from logs added a little sense of home to it.

"You live here?" Usopp cocked an eyebrow, thinking to himself: 'This place must've seen better days.'

"This has seen better days," Henley's mind thought alike Usopp's, "But it's a fine, temporary home. I've been here for a few years, and I'm relatively safe… Until the villagers find out I came back and prepare the noose…"

"Why do you expect such an unwarm welcome?" Robin questioned out of curiosity.

"Despite protecting Wonderland Island from pirates, I'm an outcast," Henley replied, "I put off an unfriendly image a few years back that stuck with everyone since. Now I'm accused of poisoning my own girlfriend… They held a trial while I was in hiding and decided to go for the death penalty."

"That's pretty rough," Franky gave his sympathies.

"How ungrateful they are," Brook bitterly spat, "They repay your services with death for a crime you didn't commit."

"Here, Henley," While everyone was talking or listening in, Chopper came up to him with a black box with a strap, his canteen, and a brown cloth with a hood. "Your stuff."

"Thanks, Chopper," The hybrid thanked the doctor for returning his belongings, continuing to explain. "There were witnesses who saw her fall. Someone claimed that we argued before that point. Even the island's mayor and founder thinks I did it."

"That's really rough," Franky amended that statement he made, "Do you need help?"

"Unless you can make time go backwards, it's better to stay away," Henley informed, "My problems are my problems, and this town really doesn't like pirates."

"So we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves," Nami summarized.

"Sounds easy enough," Luffy nodded, "I can at least trust you guys to do that?"

"Does Smoker smoke cigars?" Usopp cracked a little joke, hoping Luffy would laugh at it. The captain, however, was in no mood for that, and he stared at the long-nosed man. "…We'll keep our heads down if we have to."

Henley leaped off the ship, landing on the beach with four spider legs growing from his back. They looked thinner compared to before, and besides have a little more spines than usual, they were now striped yellow gold and light brown!

"Whoa…" He gasped, admiring how different his legs looked. "That's new!"

He even stopped to look at his feet, seeing them look light brown and filled with spines, and not to mention, there were two medium claws and a small one in the middle, in place of his toes!

"Ooh-kay…"

"Wait, your spider legs weren't like that before," Luffy pointed out as he hopped down to him, "How'd you do it?"

"Side effect of the chemical concoctions I made to it after year of using this fruit?" Henley briefly pondered, "Doesn't matter now. I've got to hurry and cure Flora."

"Can we talk later?" Luffy asked, "I think I still want to ask you a few things."

"I'm in the lighthouse," Henley used his legs to hop over to his abode, scaling the stone structure with his new legs, even using his two legs to run up to the window when he got close.

"Creepy runt…" Sanji got the willies already, "I hope we don't get to see him anymore."

"His powers are cool," Luffy murmured, "I have to give him that…"

"What now, Luffy?" Nami questioned, walking down the walkway Franky set up.

"I'm gonna climb that big tree 'cause I feel like it," The captain pointed to the island's giant tree.

"But what about your decision?" Zoro queried, "What about what you're going to do now that you caught some of us lying?"

Everyone onboard stopped walking down and gazed at the swordsman leaning on the railing, expecting an answer from the captain. Luffy felt every eye on him in that moment.

"Just take a load off and clear your heads," He finally responded, "We had a long week getting here."

"And what of when we are relaxing?" Robin asked as well, "Will you announce your choice then?"

"I'll do it when I'm ready to!" Luffy fired back, "I can take as long as I like!"

"We await the conclusion of that, captain," Brook announced for everyone.

"I just hope I get more respect than what I got in return since the Straw Hats came to be, Brook," Luffy clarified, "And I hope that when I leave my shattered faith behind, it stays lost, no matter how many times my doubts or self-pity comes back."

Luffy looked back to his crew, each member looking a little uncomfortable, but doing their best to hide it and show no worry. He looked at Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and then Chopper's face. Even though he wasn't going to be kicked out, he still looked worried and regretful.

"I won't feel guilty now," He whispered to himself, turning away from the crew and walking off. "This is the way it has to be… There's no other choice… isn't there…?"

Unknown to all of them, they were being watched by the five Hermits of Virtue through an amalgamation of magic. It was though a swirling window in the air, above where any of them could see…

"They came…" The brown hermit stated, playing with his long grey beard.

"Yet they are conflicted," The green hermit replied, holding his lyre shaped into a quarter note. "You see it on their faces. We have to help them."

"Not just for our sake," The man with the orange robe reminded everyone, "And not only for our home, but for them, too."

"Can we convince Monkey D. Luffy to maintain those relationships?" The huge, purple hermit was unsure, as his voice indicated. "In his uncertain state of mind, he may not have them around much longer."

"William Henley's serum has unwittingly brought him pain," The gold one traced the edge of her book, letting her blue eyes sparkle and blonde hair shine, unobscured by her hood. "But his mind has become sharpened, honed like a diamond. He will be open to speak to."

"First, we will have to cleanse him of the serum entirely," The leader noted, "I would rather have him at peace as he was."

"The crew will leave their ship unguarded," The large one added, "Just to be safe, we should use our powers to decontaminate the serum traces in each room."

"You're right," The orange one agreed, dropping his toothy grin for a minute. "It may still be around, even after the outside of the ship has been purified of it. Let's take care of this when they all leave!"

000000_ONE-PIECE:-MENDING-THE-FLAG_000000

Henley would admit how the lighthouse wasn't so homey anymore now that he came back. There was a sense of emptiness in it, like there wasn't any purpose.

The lighthouse actually has several rooms in it, designed to house guests in spite of its sole function, and it was his responsibility to monitor it during storms or when a ship needs to escape from the Calm Belt a mile or two away from the island.

The first floor is the basic entrance, with steps leading to several rooms in the lighthouse. The second floor is a type of dining room with a rectangular table and chairs at the center, surrounded by some basic kitchen essentials. Some cutlery, an oven, a dishwasher, and a fridge were all there.

The third and fourth floor were guest rooms, mainly stacked with chemistry notes and books. The fifth floor was Henley's workstation, filled with chemical instruments and substances locked down tightly, save for certain instruments and a set of instructions he left for someone to follow. It also had a bedroom in there, usually used by Henley, but on loan to someone else.

He finished up feeding the serum to the woman in bed in spoonfuls, carefully caring for her.

'This has to work,' Henley's hands turned clammy, anxiously awaiting the fruits of his labor. His best friend was standing in the corner, fidgeting her hands as well.

When he got inside, he was told that his girlfriend grew unwell. Apparently, his lighthouse was just raided a whole month ago, meaning some supplies had gone missing, including the ingredients required to subdue the poison temporarily. He had gotten back in time to administer his serum, and now, they wait.

"They didn't take anything else?" He looked back to his friend, seeing her come out of the shadows.

She had short blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a purple blouse with transparent sleeves and exposes her stomach, showing some muscle tone. She also wore high waist blue running shorts and bright red tennis shoes. Her appearance didn't change too much from eight months ago. This was…

TALBOT ALICE. WONDERLAND ISLAND'S PROTECTOR.

[BGM: Unfulfilled Wishes, Dark Cloud 2]

"It looked like they only took the chemicals in your private cabinet," Alice told him, "It was probably the same guy."

"Could they have left the island after I did?" Henley asked.

"No, we all would've noticed if anyone did that," Alice answered, "A World Government transportation vessel came by, bound for one of their kingdoms. If anyone left with it, there'd be either a going away party or a brawl. Depended on who'd leave."

"Mmm…" The woman in bed hummed, currently unable to speak or move her eyelids. She did try to communicate with them.

"That means they've been on the island the whole time," Henley frowned, guessing what she tried to convey. "They're careful, but no one's perfect."

"I'm so glad you came back when you did," Alice warmly smiled, "If you hadn't…"

"Don't thank me," The hybrid shook his head, "It's just another day of saving someone I love from a less than ideal situation."

"Hmmmm…" The woman moved her lips a little, slowly opening her eyelids.

Her eyes were green, her hair was brown, long and thick. Her nightgown was black and covered most of her body, except for her neck, arms, and legs, and to be generous, her body shape had become a little plump in the months that passed. This was…

PRAIRIE FLORA. INDISPOSED ISLAND PROTECTOR.

"Everything's going to be fine," Henley grinned at her, "After all, you're looking finer than before."

Flora turned her eyes away for a moment, unable to hide the blush on her cheeks.

"If I knew you liked a girl with more flesh on her bones, I'd have eaten more!" Alice made a smile of her own while taking a little potshot at Flora.

"You're ruining the moment," Henley scowled at her, but she was all too happy be given that treatment. His face slowly transitioned into a smile, though.

"Hmm-Hmm-Hmm!" Flora attempted to laugh, which was a little hard to do when some basic motor controls are stopped up.

"Just take it easy," The red-haired young man squeezed her hand a little, "Even if you aren't fully cured, the poison will be gone before the week is over."

"Yeah!" Alice enthusiastically cheered, locking her arms around the smaller young man. "Flora will be back to walking and we'll shock everyone by showing she's alive! Things'll go back to normal, and we'll all kick some ass again!"

"Normal, huh?" Henley formed a small smile, but his eyes indicated sadness.

He remembered when he was younger, he looked almost feral, tackling Alice and was ready to beat her to a pulp. Another memory involved him bumping his shoulder into Flora, on purpose.

The last two that came up were far more serious, however. One had him standing on all four gold spider legs in front of a body and glaring at Ace, opening many eyes. And the last, most recent memory, had him forcing Luffy to ingest a liquid inside a test tube, which lead to a frantic and harrowing experience within the Straw Hats.

"Normal is relative…" Henley closed his eyes, putting the images out of his mind.

Henley had an inkling, but neither he nor the other two of the Wonderland Trio would know what was to come. They would find themselves in a twisted challenge that threatened to destroy their relationships with each other, becoming leading to a chain of events that could end with the death knell of the once indivisible Straw Hat Pirates.

TO BE CONTINUED…

000000_ONE-PIECE:-MENDING-THE-FLAG_000000

[Song: Believe, sung by Meredith McCoy, originally done by Folder 5]

The opening starts with a guitar solo accompanied by percussion, just as light poured out from a spiral swirling on a cavern's wall. The five Hermits of Virtue stood in front of the portal, watching present events unfold before them. The camera pans around all five before moving into the portal itself, blinded by the light.

The locations inside the portal were shown in quick succession; Thriller Bark, Alabasta, Water 7, the Baratie, Loguetown, Skypeia, Cocoyashi, Syrup Village, and Drum Island. Finally, there was Merveille, The Cherry Triangle: a sea with large, falling cherry blossoms, and Wonderland Island: an island with an unusually tall tree at the center, also surrounded by a jungle.

"Destiny... Fate... Dreams...
These unstoppable ideals are held deep in the heart of man!"

The spirit of Gold Roger narrates as the image slowly pans from the top of Wonderland Island's tree to the bottom with after images some Straw Hats using their signature fighting styles. First was Brook, with Soul Solid, Franky and his left arm cannon, Nico Robin sprouting multiple arms holding daggers and flintlocks, and Tony Tony Chopper, clenching his fists while in Heavy Point.

"As long as there are people who seek freedom in this life,
these things shall not vanish from the earth..."

Sanji and Usopp were next in line, with the cook raising a leg up and the sniper pulling the sling back on Kabuto, his weapon. At the bottom of the tree, there were two pirates resting against it. With their backs to the tree were Roronoa Zoro and Nami, looking away from each other.

They look up, and the camera suddenly jerks up to the giant tree, where Luffy is swinging from branch to branch with his arms, clearing his head. The title 'One Piece' fades in as he gets on a long branch.

People tell me my head's in the clouds
I don't care what they say because I'm dreamin' of you

As the captain walks on the branch of that huge tree, his ship's jolly roger flutters in the background. He removes his hat and clutches it while looking ahead of him. Then, he looks out to something else.

You are the treasure I've found
So bright, so bold, yet so elusive

The left side of the scene shows a lighthouse window, revealing William Henley accepting gratitude from one Prairie Flora, walking around and in good health. Flora gave him a peck on the cheek and went to grab something. However, on the right, Luffy was looking down at someone else.

It's hard to look away even though it's blinding me
There are no words to describe how I feel inside

Henley looked troubled and unsure as he opened the window, turned to Flora and waved at her, forcing a smile. Henley was ready to jump out of the lighthouse and leave, but his girlfriend looked concerned for him, sensing his unease. Meanwhile, Zoro decided to sleep and Nami began to take a walk. Luffy saw his navigator trace a finger along her new scars, and his face became sour. The captain scratched his head before deciding to plunge to the ground, just so he could talk with Nami.

I'm really, really stuck on you, whoa whoa!

Flora activated her Devil Fruit powers to restrain Henley with wire vines and keep him from leaving, pulling him into an unusual kind of hug from behind. Her cheeky smile puts the red haired young man at ease. Luffy stretched his arms to catch a branch at the right time, coming down in front of Nami. She's startled at first, but relaxes when he does his contagious laugh.

I have to follow my dreams however crazy they seem
And I won't stop 'til I get there, you will see

Robin used her arms to grab a jungle tree branch to save herself from being swallowed up by the ground as Chopper zigzagged to avoid gunfire in Walk Point. Meanwhile, Sanji and Franky beat up some men wearing knight armor with their legs and fists, respectively.

You're all I need to have the strength to believe
Believe in Wonderland!

A small hammer flew in Usopp's direction, so he frantically jumped in the bushes to hide, while Zoro tore the armor of a large knight with a halberd apart and finished him with his Tiger Trap attack. Brook dueled with an unknown person whose rapier crackled with electricity, and Luffy and Nami stood back to back; the former using Gum-Gum Gatling while the latter held the thunder baton of the Perfect Clima-Tact, concentrating as lavender colored static electricity seeped inside the socket, glowing with yellow lightning.

Five images flashed the second Nami let her attack loose: a shot Gecko Moria came first, Shiki was second, Arlong, his followers Neko Beckett and Silvios, and Noppera Spark were third, fourth were Beau-Père and his top 3 Marines, Fixit, Seventy, and Scorcher, and last came silhouettes of the Trick Card Pirates with a dark red jolly roger above them, featuring a skull with a red diamond painted around the right eye, a black spade around the left one, and the black club and red heart replaced the crossbones.

I'm gonna follow my dreams however crazy they seem
I'm gonna share them with you, a love so true

Alice was wearing boxing gloves and rapidly punching a sand bag, sweating up a storm. Elsewhere, in a cavern, Henley raised his spider legs and Flora gripped a bamboo sword, seeing the Hermits of Virtue levitate and circle them quickly while images of their interactions and sharing affection flashed in black and white.

You're all I want, together we can move on
Live how we want to!

Luffy and Nami are wandering a tunnel with a few rocks that glowed green, illuminating the path. One bright blue flash from the hall caused Luffy and Nami's shadows to rise up with sharp fingers and sinister grins, taking the pair off guard when they looked behind them.

There is no limit to us, we have the power of love
And we don't wanna live ordinary lives

The Straw Hat's Jolly Roger now had sword tears and gunshot holes in it, and to top it off, Nami was drowning in the ocean, clutching the flag as she was unable to swim back up. The background cycled through events that would happen in the story, such as: Henley letting someone attach a hangman's noose to his neck, Brook angrily turning his back to Luffy, Robin falling to the ground with scratch marks on her clothes, Alice smashing a mirror with her fist with tears in her eyes, Flora running through the streets to stop her boyfriend's hanging, a memory of a young Henley fearfully gazing at a Celestial Dragon branding iron, the lighthouse blowing up, Luffy grabbing Zoro's wrists to keep him from striking him down with his swords, and a final memory of his younger self stretching his legs to keep Ashley from splitting his head open with an axe!

We have the chance to live in paradise
Believe in Wonderland!

Nami is finally pulled up by her arm and scales a cliff with the ship's flag in tow, thanks to Luffy's elongated arm. She coughs a little, but is utterly grateful for the captain to intervene. He was dangling off the cliffside with the grin he was recognized for, hoisted from his legs by his crew, looking rather relieved.

The camera zooms in on the black flag, then zooms out to reveal the ending title card with the oversized 'O' with an x running through it, as the song ends.