Mock Town was always a mess of people partying, drinking and screwing, but that night in particular was even more louder than usual. Inside the tavern closest to the sea, Bellamy the Hyena and his crew sat and drink the night away, laughing at the large sum of gold they'd stolen from some old geezer. He deserved it, stupid fool. Who spends all day collecting gold for some silly old rumour?

Bellamy ruminated on this as he swirled his glass around, watching the liquid inside swish with the motion. Today had been unexpectedly nice. First he got to thrash some morons who came in, next he stole millions in gold? This just kept getting better.

"Yo Bellamy," Sarquiss called, "what are we gonna do with all that gold?"

"What do you think?" He asked with a smirk backwards. "We sell it off and then get stupid drunk!" His crew roared in approval at this, making him cackle as he tossed back the rest of his whiskey. He was about to shout for another when the door to the bar exploded inward, flying off it's hinges onto the floor. Turning, Bellamy saw the two morons from earlier in the day, along with some overdressed schmuck in a suit.

"Where the hell is Bellamy?" The one in the straw hat demanded, face as vacant as ever. Although he couldn't lie, Bellamy detected anger in his eyes.

"What are you idiots doing out this late?" Sarquiss asked, "shouldn't you be in bed by now? Adults are the only ones awake at this hour!" This caused the crew to roar with laughter, Bellamy smirking alongside them. None of the trio moved.

"I'm only gonna say it one time," he said. What was his name? Straw Hat Luffy? "Give the old man his gold back."

"Aw, that's previous," Bellamy said, "widdle baby came to get the geezers gold. Scram kid. Go bother someone else before I gut you like a fish."

"I don't know if you heard him," the suited moron said, smoking a cigarette. "He said he was only gonna say it once." Bellamy clicked his teeth in annoyance at this.

"Get them out of my sight," he muttered. He heard members of his crew stand up chuckling, so he turned his back. He had no interest in watching kids get killed. He heard swords be unsheathed, pistols cock, and knew they were screwed. He heard them rush, a fight about to start.

His eyes widened as members of his crew went flying over his head shouting in surprise, hitting the back wall and falling unconscious. He turned as he heard more of them getting attacked, and watched as another dozen of his men flying. The one in the suit jumped up from his hands, his spinning kicks having tossed away all his men.

"See, we didn't need to get so violent," he said, "especially in front of the ladies." Bellamy assumed he was talking to the bar wenches on Sarquiss' lap, and he growled.

"You're so tough, beating some random no names," he said. "Step outside with me, Straw Hat. I'll show you what a battle looks like. Sarquiss! With me." The man moved the women off his lap and got up with him, both of them stalking behind the other pirates as they went out onto the street. He was going to beat this kid's ass so bad, he crawled back to the East Blue where he belonged.

"Take his swordsman for me," he told Sarquiss, stretching his legs. "I want them all beaten and bruised."

"Do you care if I slice him up a bit?" Sarquiss asked. Bellamy grinned like a wolf.

"Not at all," he said. Sarquiss stepped out ahead of him, and Straw Hat nodded at his own swordsman. The man with green hair stepped out in front, looking bored of the state of affairs. Sarquiss laughed.

"I hope you're ready!" he called as he twirled his blade around his hand. "They call me Big-Knife Sarquiss! And I'm gonna take this big knife, and show you why little kids shouldn't be running around the Grand Line!" The swordsman drew two of his katana, looking bored.

"Introduction wasn't necessary," he said, "I'll forget your name the second you're out of my sight anyway." Sarquiss growled under his breath, pressing forward. He attacked with a flurry of blows, swinging his blade every which way and bending his body to attack at peculiar angles. It did nothing, the other swordsman blocking them all with fluid defence. Sarquiss swung high with his blade, but had it knocked out of the way. He went with the momentum and twisted his body, kicking at the his opponent's stomach. This too was easily side-stepped.

"We don't have all night, Marimo," the man in a suit said. Bellamy noticed that he'd gone to stand with the women Sarquiss had been with, an arm around each of them. "Hurry it up."

"Don't tell me what to do," 'Marimo' replied. Sarquiss stood tall and laughed, turning to face his opponent.

"I knew I recognised you from somewhere," he said. "Pirate Hunter Zoro. I knew I remembered seeing your face recently. You've been slumming it up with Straw Hat Luffy."

"Excellent observation," Zoro noted. "If only your swordsmanship was as good as your eyesight."

"Do you think I care what an East Blue guppie thinks of me?" Sarquiss asked, "you're in the big pond now, Roronoa! And I'm gonna show you what a big fish looks like!" Sarquiss took off sprinting at Zoro, who remained perfectly still. After gaining momentum, Sarquiss jumped into the air and spun vertically, his blade becoming a blur of steel. "Big Chop!" He shouted, flying straight at Zoro, who still had not moved.

"One Sword Style: Lion's Song."

Had Bellamy not been as strong as he was, he would have missed the attack happening. As Sarquiss closed in, Zoro raised a single blade and, in one swift motion, slashed Sarquiss diagonally across his body and sheathed the blade in an instant. Sarquiss collapsed into the ground, not moving. Zoro looked back at him, a look of disinterest on his face.

"My student's could have beaten you," he said, "and my aim is a much higher peak than you." He then turned to Bellamy, eyeing him like a hawk would a mouse. "Luffy isn't going to ask again."

Bellamy could shake off the surprise of Sarquiss' defeat later, he had a chump to beat up.

"Sorry Roronoa, I want a piece of your Captain," he said, "and I'm not handing over that treasure to anyone."

"That sucks," Straw Hat Luffy said as he walked in front of Zoro. "I was hoping to beat your ass after I secured it all. I guess it doesn't matter which comes first." There was a beat of silence between the two, Bellamy leaning down as Luffy cracked his neck. As they stared each other down, he could hear someone running up behind them.

"Bellamy!" He heard someone shout, "Bellamy, don't!"

"You can tell me later!" He snarled angrily, "I'm busy!"

"No you don't understand!"The man shouted, slurring his words. "Straw Hat Luffy isn't worth thirty million!"

"Hah! I could've figured that!"

"He's worth a hundred and ten million!" Bellamy's eyes widened and whirled in surprise, seeing one of his men brandishing a bounty poster. He stalked up to him and grabbed it, staring at it in surprise.

"Wanted for subverting justice, piracy, acts of terror, and the kidnapping of Princess Nefertari Vivi of Alabasta," he read. He looked up at Luffy, who stared at him blankly. "Seems you're actually a horrible man, Straw Hat! You don't look it."

"Eh, half that is lies," Luffy replied. "Didn't even mention I kicked Crocodile's ass." Bellamy couldn't help the barking laughter that erupted from his throat.

"You?! Defeat Crocodile?! Ah, I see now! You're the modern day Mont Blanc Noland! Lying and scheming your way up the later! Trying to lie your way to Roger's treasure!" Bellamy bent down, his lower legs becoming springs. He sprung from the ground to the face of a nearby building, torqued his body, and sprung off of it as well. He aimed a kick straight for Luffy's face, who dodged it by side-stepping him. Bellamy carried his momentum to the ground and sprung up again, landing on a nearby rooftop.

"Didn't you say you'd kick my ass?" Luffy demanded, staring up at him. "Stop running from me."

"I just need a nice, good look at you!" Bellamy said. "A modern Noland! Lying and dreaming about fake treasures and islands in the sky! You know what you are, Straw Hat Luffy? Naive! You went out to sea without knowing how the real world works, and it shows! Now why would Roger say his treasure was all in one place?!"

"..."

"To get back at the World Government!" He replied, "he started this golden age of piracy! That speech atop the execution stand was nothing but a call to arms for other pirates! The One Piece isn't real! Same goes for Noland! Do you really think something as absurd as an island in the sky could exist?! He said whatever he had too to say his own ass! This Age of Dreams must come to an end! The world is ripe with treasures for the taking, if only morons like you weren't focused on the lies of a dead man!" He launched himself directly at Luffy, whose eyes were hidden beneath the brim of his hat. He hadn't moved, so Bellamy would hot him this time.

Until his spine flexed at an impossible angle, his body dropping out of the way of Bellamy's attack. He missed by only a hair, recovering quickly and retreating a few steps to watch the man with a smirk. So the moron did have a Devil Fruit. He wasn't totally useless.

"Stay focused on reality, Straw Hat," Bellamy said. "Take note of the ocean of wealth before you instead of looking for an imaginary golden city." Luffy had still not replied to his taunting, which only made it funnier. "Sorry to burst your bubble kid, but it's the cold hard truth! It's all made-up!"

"The only cold hard truth I can see is that you still haven't given me the old man's gold, or beat my ass like you said you would." Luffy replied. One of his eyes peeked out from under the hat, glaring a hole at Bellamy. "What's the matter, Hyena? Scared the rumours on that poster are true?" Bellamy grit his teeth at this in annoyance. This kid had to go already.

"I warned you, Straw Hat," he growled. "I hope your Mom doesn't grieve for you too much." Tightening his spring-legs, Bellamy took off towards the ground. Once he got there, he landed and sprung again towards another building. Then again. Then again, his speed increasing every time. Despite the break-neck speeds he was travelling at, he could still see Straw Hat not moving at all.

"I'll end this in one blow!" He shouted over the noise of the springs. "Prepare yourself, Straw Hat! Spring Hopper!" Kicking off one more time, Bellamy rocketing straight for Straw Hat's face. He raised his fist, preparing to strike with enough force to blow a hole in a Navy Galleon. He saw the other pirate had also raised his fist, looking directly at him.

Bellamy heard the crunching of bones, and everything went dark.

Luffy slammed his fist into Bellamy's face with all the strength in his body, slamming the Spring Man down into the pavement. The Hyena's face created a crater as he hit the ground, his eyes blank and expressionless. He was down.

"Maybe you should start dreaming too," Luffy noted as he flexed his arm. "About landing a hit, or surviving one." He turned to look at Zoro, who was watching him in amusement.

"Nice punch," the First Mate told him. Luffy snickered.

"Wasn't it?" He asked, "now I wonder where that gold is?"

"Right here," Sanji's voice said. Turning, Luffy watched as Sanji walked over to them with a bag strung over his shoulder, the women from earlier still attached to him. "These lovely ladies showed me where those goons hid it."

"Bellamy and Sarquiss talked too much," one said in a sultry tone, running her hand down Sanji's chest. "I prefer the strong and silent type."

"Mm, me too," Her friend agreed from Sanji's other side. "Makes it hotter when they kick someone's ass."

"Ladies," Sanji noted as he took a drag from his cigarette, "A man who is silent is the man worth worrying about. Keep that in mind in future. Chumps like these two are the ones who won't survive out here, running their mouths."

"Where's the rest of Bellamy's crew go?" Luffy asked, noticing the crowd that had surrounded them was gone.

"They ran with their tails between their legs to the docks," one of the women said. "They did when Bellamy used that last technique."

"Should we chase em down?" Zoro asked. Luffy shook his head and adjusted his hat.

"We made our point and got the gold," he said. "I don't care what his crew has to say about it. Let's go guys. Yes, that includes you, Sanji."

"I know," Sanji snarled, not happy he had to leave when two women were all over him. "Ladies, I'm afraid my friends and I have pressing matters elsewhere. As much as I would love to accompany you tonight, I am needed."

"I'm sure you are, big boy," one of them purred. "Keep us in mind when you guys get back from the Sky Island, huh?" The two women sauntered back to the bar, leaving Sanji be.

"I'm impressed you held out like that," Zoro noted. "If that was any of the women in our crew you'd have folded like a piece of paper."

"Let's not talk about it, or I'll sprint in after them," Sanji said as he shifted the back of gold on his back.

"Well if they saw how lame you really are, you'd end up alone anyway," Luffy said, making Zoro laugh.

"Shut up!" Sanji shouted, "let's just go before I change my mind." Luffy nodded and began walking back the direction they came, glad they had settled things so quickly.

"Hey!" Someone shouted. Luffy paused and turned to look, seeing Sarquiss trying to struggle to his feet. "This isn't over yet! Where do you think you're going?!" Luffy stared at him like he was an idiot.

"Where?" He asked, "didn't you pay any attention?" He pointed his finger up the sky. "We're going up."

The world, much like the oceans, was in constant motion.

As Luffy and his crew worked towards riding the Knock-Up Stream and finding Sky Islands, they were unaware of what was going on around the world. They did not know that Buggy and his crew were close, searching for Captain John's treasure, or that he had encountered Ace. They didn't know that Shanks had met with Whitebeard, scaring the Five Elders of Marijoa that an alliance of Emperors was forming. They had no clue that, even as they prepared to fly, a man named Marshall D. Teach was to learn of their bounties.

They also didn't know just how good it would have been to put him in the ground at that moment, before his plans progressed.

One's knowledge of events was limited to what happened before their eyes. Despite this, events behind the scenes moved the world an inch closer to total chaos, and an event that would shock the world to it's core and jump start a new age of piracy. And everyone would be privy to that information.

Nojiko and the rest of the crew spent all night working on the Merry to prepare her for flight, which hasn't a good sign. Luffy and the others should have been back sooner than this. Her worries were soon squandered, however, as she heard some rustling coming from the bushes nearby. She watched with a smile as Luffy, Zoro and Sanji appeared from the woods, Luffy carrying a large bag over his shoulder just as the sun crested the horizon.

"Hey guys!" He called, getting everyone's attention. "We got the gold back!" This caused a cheer to erupt from Masira and Shoujou's ships, as well as from the more excitable of the Straw Hats. Luffy proudly walked to where Cricket was sitting, setting the bag down at his feet.

"You got it, huh?" The man asked, smoking another cigarette.

"Of course, I said I would." Luffy said blankly. "Wasn't that hard."

"Did you have to fight Bellamy and his crew?" Cricket asked.

"Yeah."

"...And you beat him?"

"Yeah, obviously." Nojiko laughed at Cricket's somewhat surprised expectation.

"He's got a habit of defying expectation," she said, punching Luffy in the side of the head. This made his skull bounce back and forth like a ball on a string. "I hope you gave him and that silver-haired bastard a good punch for me."

"He sure did," Sanji noted. "I doubt Bellamy will ever get the taste of rubber knuckles out of his mouth." Cricket was silent as he pulled a gold ringlet from the bag, laughing as he turned it in his fingers.

"You sure know how to surprise an old man, kid." He said, "A pirate who fights to return stolen goods. Now I've see it all."

"Well I can steal it if you want," Luffy offered, holding out a hand like he expected Cricket to just give it back to him. This made the injured man laugh even more.

"You're a good spirit, Straw Hat!" He said, "as thanks, the boys and I will make sure you get to the Sky Islands or die trying! Or rather, I guess you'll die trying, but that's not important."

"I disagree!" Usopp shouted from the deck of the Merry. Speaking of the Merry, Luffy had finally gotten a good look at the ship and gasped.

"Merry has wings!" He shouted in amazement, making his way to the ship to marvel at the additions. "She looks like a turkey!"

"Will that really help us ride the Stream?" Zoro asked curiously.

"You're damn right it will," Cricket said as he crossed his arms. "Not to mention, we reinforced the hull of her just in case. Even if you fall, I think the old girl will survive."

"You guys got a lot done while we were gone," Sanji noted, "I'm sure Luffy's grateful." Cricket laughed.

"If anyone should be grateful, it's me," he said. "I just wish I saw the look on that punk's face when he got his shit kicked in. Anyway, Straw Hat! Is everything good to go?"

"I should be asking you, shouldn't I?" Luffy called back from his seat on Merry's head. "I'm ready whenever."

"Well, the Captain said we're ready," Cricket said with a shrug. "Alright men! Let's set out for the Knock-Up Stream and find it early! We've got the South Bird to show the way!"

"You heard Cricket!" Masira shouted, "Lower the mast into the wind! We have a stream to catch!"

"I really hope we don't die trying to fly into the sky," Nojiko said with a sigh. "That'll be really embarrassing." Cricket just laughed uproariously at her.

"It'd be a tale I tell to anyone who listens!" He said, "The Pirates who flew too close to the Sun and fell back down to earth!"

"Please do not jinx it!" Usopp shouted.

Soon enough, the Going Merry was sailing directly behind Masira and Shoujou's ships, the sun already high in the sky. Because of all the extra help they had from his crew, they had apparently finished renovating faster than they had expected. Unless something bad happened, they were making perfect time.

"Watch this," Luffy said, Johnny and Yosaku watching the bird intently. Luffy grabbed the captured bird's head and twisted it's neck so it was looking a different direction, and let go. The bird's head snapped back to where it had been, pointing South.

"Woah! This bird is so weird!" Yosaku said, "does he have anything to say, Little Bro Chopper?"

"He's mostly been quiet for a while," Chopper replied from Robin's lap where they were sitting. "He stopped cursing too."

"What do bird curses sound like?" Luffy asked curiously.

"You don't want to know," Chopper muttered. He actually very much did want to know, but he didn't get the chance to ask.

"Straw Hat!" Masira's voice shouted from the ship beside them, "we have news!"

"What is it, big man?" Luffy asked, bounding to the railing to see him.

"Our divers have spotted it! A big whirlpool, forming right ahead of us!" He pointed in the same direction the bird was looking. "That's the sign of the Knock-Up Stream! She'll be forming up there!" Luffy stretched his neck upwards to get a look, and he could indeed see the ocean was starting to swirl.

"To to mention that," Nami noted quietly. He turned to look at his Navigator, who pointed up. Following her finger, Luffy saw a massive darkness, much like the one before, fast approaching their location. "The Millennium Cumulonimbus is coming."

"Listen Straw Hat, Ms. Nami!" Masira shouted, "this is important! You have to ride the waves of the whirlpool until she calms down, then get to the center! That is where the Stream will erupt from!"

"Ride the whirlpool?!" Usopp screeched, "we'll die!"

"We'll be fine," Luffy replied, "we've got Nami! No one can read the ocean quite like she can!" Luffy noted her cheeks flushed a little at his compliment, rubbing the back of her head.

"I am very knowledgeable about the ocean," she bragged, trying to look like it was no big deal. "Alright, let's do this! I'll navigate us straight into that whirlpool! Everyone get over here!"

The Straw Hat Crew all flooded at the words of their current commander, awaiting instruction.

"Chopper, Johnny, Yosaku! You three are in charge of the rudder! We need to keep it in line with the whirlpool's waves, but fight it just enough to resist getting dragged under! Two of you steer, one of you relay my instructions!"

"Yes Big Sis!" The twin swordsman shouted, grabbing the Doctor from Robin and running for the cabin.

"Sanji, Zoro, Luffy, Usopp! You four will work the mast and sails! It's a combination of everything that will stop us from getting dragged under. You need to listen to me quick if we don't want to die!"

"You got it," Zoro said, turning around.

"Anything for you, Nami-Swan!" Sanji agreed.

"Nojiko, Vivi, I need both of you to keep your eyes open on either side of us and report any changes to me. If you see the waves acting odd or something that doesn't add up, say so! It doesn't matter what!"

"Yes, Ms. President," Nojiko said sarcastically with a salute. Vivi comically followed her lead, walking to the side of Merry opposite the other blue-haired girl.

"Marianne, I need you in the Crow's Nest! You're the one whose gonna tell me how close we are and how strong the waves are! Same as the others, you see anything odd, pass it on!"

"You're giving me a pretty important job..."Marianne muttered as she turned to look up at the Crow's Nest way above them. Robin chuckled.

"Come on, Ms. Golden Week. We'll go up together." Before she could object, hands spawned underneath the painter and tossed her to the mast, where another pair of hands caught her and tossed her up to another pair. This process repeated until she was thrown into the Crow's Nest with a thud. Robin followed her up with an innocent smile, taking the ladder like a normal person. Luffy turned and saw that everyone was now in position, awaiting orders.

The Merry drifted closer and closer to the whirlpool as the darkness approached. Luffy tensed up and prepared to adjust the sails as he needed too. Nami was watching the water ahead of them intently, waiting for a sign.

"Ms Navigator," Robin's voice called from up top, making him. look. "We can see an odd looking ship coming this way. It looks like a raft."

"How close?" Nami asked.

"More than a nautical mile out," she replied.

"Don't worry about it, they're too far." Nami said. "Especially because the whirlpool is starting." She was proven correct as the Merry started to list to the right, the waves drawing them in.

"Johnny, straight the rudder!" She shouted. The swordsman relayed this to Yosaku and Chopper, and soon the ship straightened up against the waves as they began to spin.

"If the bird is looking South, that means the wind is coming from the West," she said. "Luffy, you guys! Angle the sails to match where the wind is blowing!"

"You got it!" Luffy shouted, working with the other men to reposition the sails. He spread a look to see the darkness was almost on top of them, the sky darkening around them. The sails had been re-positioned, and the Merry continued to sail as the whirlpool started to intensify. Nami barked orders like a seasoned Navy Admiral, ordering everyone around left and right. Used to her orders, the crew responded quickly and made sure the Merry spun the whirlpool with ease. Nami told Johnny to aim them inward towards the center of the whirlpool, so they could drift closer to it without Merry exploding. Luffy could just barely see Shoujou and Masira's ships outside the whirlpool, watching for their success.

Or death, whichever happened.

"Nami, we're really close to the edge!" Vivi warned.

"Johnny, help those two fight the pull!" She shouted, "we'll get dragged under if they don't correct course!"

"You got it!" Johnny shouted, bounding inside the cabin. Merry soon stabilised, riding the very edge of the whirlpool. Luffy heard the ship groan a few times, praying every time was not the last before she burst into a million pieces.

After what felt like forever and adjusting the sails, the whirlpool started to die away. The waves were disappeared underwater, which told Luffy it was about to happen.

"Here comes the blast!" Nami shouted, "Johnny, we need to get to the center! Turn the rudder left!" The ship responded to the motion, riding the rest of the waves straight into the aforementioned center of the whirlpool. "Lift the sails, we don't want to go any further forward!" Luffy caught the rope for the sails as Zoro tossed it to him, tying up the fabric to avoid it snapping off. "Now, all of you down here! Anyone still on the ast will be flung off if this thing is an intense as Cricket said!" Luffy nodded, bouncing up to grab Robin and Marianne to get them down faster. Neither argued, obviously not wanting to die. Before long the whole crew was on the main deck, watching and waiting.

Silence engulfed the Merry, everyone watching with baited breath to see what was going to happen. For a little longer than was comfortable, nothing did. The waves just crashed against the hull, the darkness from the cloud above making it impossible to see.

"Maybe nothing will happe-!"

Usopp's sentence was cut off when the ocean beneath Merry exploded upwards.

Quick side note from me, I made Sanji smooth with those women earlier. I want to have that Sanji return, at least for women he doesn't know. We can keep simp Sanji for the crew. I hope you enjoyed!