Beast From The Grand Line

While the small group continued to drift on the blue, salty ocean, Ryuza proceeded to inform the group about his past, leaving off with the part about his master saving him from drowning after taking a plunge off a cliff. His tale would be interrupted however as Yosaku suddenly paused, catching note of a strange sound coming from a distance.

"Hey, don't mean to interrupt," he said, his eyes suddenly shifting with suspicion. "But does anyone else hear that?"

"Eh? Hear what?" Sanji questioned, raising his curly brow and leaning back in his seat, putting his hand up to his ear so that he could listen.

Ryuza's proud smile suddenly dropped as he was forced to pause his tale. "Was my story that boring?" He asked, trying to raise his voice. "I was just getting to the exciting parts! It gets better later on!"

"What? No!" Yosaku said hastily. "It's not about that! I heard something! You guys seriously didn't hear it–"

Yosaku's response was not enough to satisfy Ryuza. "I know it's not as exciting as most samurai tales are," He interrupted, believing that he had bored his allies. "But really, it will get better if you'll allow me to continue!"

"It wasn't boring, just relax." Sanji said, tilting his head in mild annoyance. "If it were boring, some of us would have fallen asleep by now—"

As if on cue, the sound of loud snoring with the power of a moving mountain could be heard from the table. Ryuza and Sanji looked over to see Luffy had fallen asleep, his hands placed on his tummy that had been inflated to a round size due to how much food he had eaten. This sight caused Ryuza to hug his knees and face away from the group, a sudden wave of depression washing over him as his intro to an impressive tale had now been ruined.

"If it was boring, you guys should have said so earlier….." He muttered, a somber aura being felt from him. "…I could have skipped to the good parts…."

"Quit acting so depressed!" Sanji suddenly yelled from his seat.

Yosaku suddenly sat up and glanced left and right in a panic. "Seriously! How do any of you guys not hear that?!" He yelled, rushing over to the edge of the ship. "It sounds huge and it's coming our way!"

Feeling more curious than depressed in that moment, Ryuza focused his senses to see what Yosaku had been talking about. And just like that, he caught the sound of something enormous swimming through the waves and rushing right for their boat. It was close, most certainly too close for comfort. Ryuza's hand snapped to the hilt of his blade and he prepared himself for the unknown enemy preparing to show its face.

Suddenly, from the depths of the ocean, the monster had made its appearance known. Rising from the waters appeared a large creature that resembled the appearance of a cow, except the creature possessed hardened scales and large fins. The cow-like creature's size was big enough for it to loom over the entire ship and look down on it's passengers. The two horns on it's head were sharp, its eyes were round and as dark as the green spots on its skin. And those two bulgy eyes were locked directly on the ship.

Yosaku let out a cry of terror, Sanji gazed up at the beast in wide eyed astonishment, and Ryuza stared at the beast with more amazement than terror. He had never seen such a creature before. He had seen a cow but never one such as the creature that stood before him. He could only imagine how Yamato would have reacted when seeing such a beast.

"Huh? Hey hey, what's with all the noise?" Luffy asked, awaking from his miniature slumber, thanks to Yosaku's cry. "Ah! What is that!? Is that a cow!? It's so big!"

"I've never encountered a cow that can swim!" Ryuza smiled with wonder. "It must be a rare creature of the seas!"

"I don't think cows have scales or fins." Sanji added, taking a draw from his cigarette. "At least not any cows that I know of. Wouldn't that be a hippo instead of a cow?"

"That's not a cow or a hippo!" Yosaku cried, staring up at the monster. "It's a beast from the grand line! It probably came to eat us!"

The cow-like creature blinked and suddenly lowered it's head, its large snout, pierced by a nose ring, moving toward the food that remained untouched on the table that the group had been dining from. It was sniffing the meal Sanji had made, it's eyes blinking even more with curiosity.

"Hey, look at that." Ryuza said, studying the creature's movements. "I think its sniffing our food!"

"Yeah, I think thats what attracted it in the first place!" Yosaku agreed, turning to the food with haste. "Quick! We should give it up! If we toss the food, it'll distract it long enough for us to get as far away from it as possible!"

"Toss our food!?" Luffy yelled, less than pleased about the idea. "As if! Gomu Gomu no….Pistol!"

Luffy's arm suddenly extended toward the creature with great speed, and his fist collided with the side of the it's face. The cow-like beast let out a pained roar from the sudden attack and was sent spiraling and swimming a few meters away from the ship. Ryuza and Yosaku stared in stunned horror while Luffy remained determined, stretching his arm as he prepared himself for a second attack.

"You stay away from our food!" Luffy cried, his eyes fierce as if he were protecting gold.

Ryuza suddenly rushed up behind Luffy, leapt into the air and gave him a walloping punch across the head.

"Ow!" Luffy exclaimed, his head vibrating from the force. "What was that for, samurai guy!?"

"You fool!" Ryuza screamed, his eyes wide with exaggerated anger. "You can't just attack a majestic creature we don't know anything about! It could be friendly and you just angered it! It could be the only of its kind or something!"

"Hey, I'm not letting it take my food! I'm still hungry!"

"You just ate, you fool!"

The young samurai and the young boy with the straw hat stared at each other with exaggerated and fiery rage. Their foreheads collided as one tried to push the other back and vice versa as if they were siblings quarreling over a toy or who gets the last piece of a delicious meal . Yosaku and Sanji could only watch with dumbfounded looks.

As if on cue, the cow-like creature made its return and it's curious expression was replaced with a furious look. Letting out a bellowing moo that shook the ship and the surrounding waters, the creature glared at the four allies from a distance.

"Looks like the samurai was right." Sanji said, in a tone as if he expected the creature to return. "It definitely looks unhappy now."

"Careful! It might attack us this time, or try to tip the boat over." Yosaku stammered, taking a step back.

"If it's hungry then we have some food to spare." Sanji smiled, taking an untouched plate from the table. "Maybe it's just injured and can't find its own meal."

Ryuza quickly saw his moment and grasped it. "Sanji-san! I humbly request that I be the one to feed the creature!"

"Huh?" Sanji voiced his surprise then shrugged, handing the plate over to Ryuza. "Sure. Be my guest."

Ryuza nodded and received the plate of delicious smelling food from Sanji's hand. The scent of the food caught the cow-like creature's snout once more and it made its way back over to the ship, except much slower this time. From the hesitation and the look within the creature's eyes, it was more careful on its second approach. After the sudden punch from Luffy, Ryuza understood the creature's sudden pause.

"Come and get it…." Ryuza smiled, struggling to find a fitting title for the creature. "You…majestic….freak of nature…"

Luffy snickered at the title Ryuza had bestowed upon it while Yosaku hissed, "Don't insult it, brother Ryuza!"

The creature blinked again and reapproached the boat. Its large and round eyes locked onto the plate and when it was close enough, it opened its jaw to reveal its sharp teeth. Ryuza, wasting little time, tossed the food into the creature's mouth. Feeling the taste of food on its tongue caused the cow-like beast to pause.

It chewed slowly, as if savoring the taste of the food. The group watched in silence, Sanji leaning forward and wondering how the creature would react to his cooking. The cow made a swallowing sound and suddenly let out another moo that shook the entire ship.

Ryuza leapt back, his hand gripped tightly on his sword with an indecisive look. Luffy reeled his fist back, ready for the beast in case it lunged forward. Sanji raised his leg, ready to defend himself, but he still hung onto the slight chance of the beast being satisfied by his food.

Once the creature had finished its loud moo, the cow-like beast lowered its head and stared at the group in silence. It let out another moo, but this time much softer and less threatening. If Ryuza didn't know any better, the creature enjoyed the food and was responding with reverence.

"Momoo! Where are you!" A fishmen cried from the edges of Arlong park that overlooked the ocean. "It's time for your meal! Come on out before it gets cold!"

The fishmen in particular was an octopus fishman, who had 6 arms, each one lined with suckers of a creature with tentacles. His hair was white, and stood in an odd spikey fashion. His mouth, long and in an "o" shape, could easily be mistaken for a long instrument. Oddly enough, he used his long mouth like a horn to call upon his pet Momoo. But as he called for it, the creature did not appear.

"That's strange…." the octopus fishman mused. "Roasted pig is usually his favorite. Maybe he's not hungry today. I hope he's not sick."

While the fishmen stared at the ocean in confusion, back inside the confines of Arlong park were the many bodies of unconscious or deceased fishmen of Arlong's crew. The bodies led to a figure sitting in Arlong's seat, and that figure was none other than Zoro.

After being released from his binds, the green haired swordsman made quick work of the fishmen that guarded the courtyard. Despite his wounds, they stood little chance against him and his blades. After defeating them, he decided to take a small breather in the nice comfortable chair that stood there as if it were calling to him. He figured that the others were alright and that he'd catch up to them later.

"What a day…" Zoro said to himself, his arms relaxed behind his head. "Huh? What's that noise? Sounded like a trumpet…"

Catching the sound the octopus fishman made, Zoro made his way over. He leapt onto the roof of the surrounding building and stared down at the fishmen on the other side.

"Hey, was that you who blew that trumpet just now?" Zoro asked, surprising the fishman.

"H-hey! Who are you?!" The octopus fishman leapt back, seemingly not recognizing Zoro. "Y-yes! I am the one who made the sound! My name is Hacchan! You can call me Hachi!"

Zoro blinked irredicously and said, "So you're a fishman too I bet, judging by your look."

"Of course I am! Hey, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before." Hachi said. "Are you with the marines or something, or are you a guest?"

"Guest?" Zoro repeated, surprised that the fishman was oblivious to the fact that he was a prisoner. "Sure, let's go with that. I'm just a guest. Hey, answer me this. Where did that long nosed fishman go? You're captain."

"Captain Arlong? He went to a human village known as Cocoyashi village to find that demon that's been attacking our brethren!" Hachi explained with determination. "Whatever it is, they angered him greatly and will probably be killed eventually. And hopefully on the way they'll find that long nosed human who escaped from us."

Zoro thought to himself, "Demon and long nosed human. Guess that must be Yamato and Usopp. I sure hope they can stay out of trouble until I get there."

Suddenly the loud sound of a familiar battle cry could be heard from the entrance of Arlong park. Zoro turned his head over to the entrance to see the bodies of three fishmen smash through the gate entrance and hit the ground with loud crashes. Each fishmen were bruised, bartered and lied there motionless.

Once the smoke and dust settled, a large figure stepped into the courtyard of Arlong park. Zoro's face dropped as he immediately recognized who it was, judging by the white hair and sharp horns. It was none other than Yamato who raised her metal studded mace in the air as if heroically posing for an invisible painter.

"Zoro-San! I have come to rescue you!" She announced, making her presence known. "As Kozuki Oden, I will set you free! Just as I will one day set the land of Wano free! Zoro-San! Where are you?!"

As the white haired ogre princess continued her theatrics, Zoro blinked and scratched the back of his head. As much as he appreciated the rescue, he had already succeeded in rescuing himself. Although, he was aware that he was provided assistance from an unexpected source, as much as he hated to admit.

"What was that noise?" Hachi cried in alarm, hearing the sound that had been made by Yamato's attack.

"Nothing, nothing. Someone just dropped something heavy back there." Zoro answered quickly. "Be right back. Don't go anywhere."

Zoro leapt from the roof of the building and walked toward Yamato. Once Yamato had spotted him, she laughed and rushed over to him. One of the fishmen lying injured on the ground, yelled in pain as Yamato leapt from his back and toward her friend.

"Zoro-San! I'm glad you're okay!" Yamato said, looking down at him. "It took me longer than I expected to get to you!"

Zoro crossed his arms, "It was your guy's fault that I got captured in the first place. Watch where you swing that mace next time."

"Sorry about that." Yamato laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "I expected to see a lot more enemies in here, but it looks like they've all been taken out!"

"Yeah but that's because most of them aren't here." Zoro explained, casting his glance ahead. "They went to a human village near here. I think they've been looking for you. Not only that, but they are looking for Usopp as well. Where is he?"

"I'm not sure. Usopp-San and I got separated when we were attacked." Yamato answered with worry. "I'm not sure where Johnny-San is either!"

"Well we better get to them before those fishmen do. Let's go."

"W-wait! Aren't you gonna thank me for rescuing you?"

Zoro raised one of his brows and stared back at Yamato in silence. Yamato crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks in indignation.

"Gee. So much for gratitude, Zoro-San." Yamato voiced. "After all the trouble I went through to get to you."

Zoro snapped at her with his eyes large at an exaggerated rate. "It's your fault I was stuck here in the first place you horned idiot!"

"Hey Sanji!" Luffy laughed. "I think it likes your food!"

Ryuza's assumption was correct. The cow-like creature had taken a liking to Sanji's cooking and waited patiently with its snout against the edge of the boat. Ryuza reached out and placed his hand against the creature's head. The creature voiced a quiet moo, not at all threatened or lashing out in sudden violence against the group.

"This is amazing!" Ryuza chuckled. "Hey Sanji! Do we have any more uneaten scraps over there?"

Sanji smirked as he blew a puff of smoke into the air. Though he didn't say it, it was clear that he enjoyed the aspect that even an unknown creature such as the one in front of them, enjoyed his cooking. Grabbing a slab of cooked meat from the plate, he tossed it to Ryuza, who caught it with his hand.

"Go get it!" Ryuza yelled, throwing the meat a few distance ahead.

The cow-like creature leapt back and caught the meat in the air, and landed back into the ocean, creating waves that caused the ship to rock.

"Woah! It can fetch too!?" Luffy laughed, his eyes shimmering with wonder.

"Would you guys stop playing with it and find a way to get rid of it instead?" Yosaku yelled, using the table for support to keep from falling over. "It's only a matter of time before it tries to tip our boat over!"

"I disagree Yosaku-San!" Ryuza smiled as the cow-like creature peacefully made its way back to the boat. "I doubt it'll attack us at all. I think we've made a new ally."

Sanji stared at the creature, it's eyes glistening as it waited in front of the boat expectantly. An idea suddenly crossed his mind. He believed that they had just discovered a quicker way to reach Arlong Park without much more delay.

"Hey, Luffy grab that rope over there." Sanji suggested. "We might be able to use this thing to reach our destination a whole lot faster."

"Huh?" Luffy questioned, looking at the rope laying on the deck and then at the beast before grinning widely. "Oh! I see what you're trying to do! Great work, Sanji!"

Within the next few moments, Ryuza felt another adrenaline rush as he found himself hanging onto the edge of the boat. The cow like creature swam at a rapid pace, it's horn wrapped with a rope that had been attached to the ship. With it, the beast dragged the vessel across the ocean with air rushing speed.

"Arlong park here we come!" Luffy whooped, laughing with his fists raised in the air. "Faster! Faster!"

Ryuza couldn't resist the urge to laugh. A strange concoction of excitement and ecstasy swirled within his soul as droplets from the ocean splashed against his face. For another time now, he was experiencing something that he never would have even dreamed of, and he was enjoying it thoroughly.

Within a few minutes at the pace they were going, they soon could see the large tower of Arlong park over the island. The cow-like creature was dragging them through the shores at a near blinding speed now.

"Hey! I can see Arlong Park!" Yosaku yelled out, spotting the island and large tower ahead.

"Well done majestic creature!" Ryuza laughed, calling out to the beast assisting them. "Keep going! We've almost reached our destination!"

"Hey hey! We're coming up on the island too fast!" Sanji exclaimed. "Tell it to slow down! Slow down!"

Approaching the island, the cow-like creature suddenly veered left, heading around the island instead of directly toward the tower where the intended destination was.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Luffy shouted in agitation toward the creature. "It's the tall building! On your left! The left!"

"It's not stopping!" Ryuza suddenly cried out, realizing the situation that they were in.

Yosaku cried out in panic, "We're gonna crash into the shore!"

Still keeping its momentum, the beast was on a course to collide with the sandbar of the island. Ryuza could not help but to scream at the oncoming impact along with Luffy, Sanji, and Yosaku. Within seconds, the creature smashed into the shore with a tree shaking crash. The force and momentum was enough to send the ship it had been pulling flying ahead with bullet-like speed.

The ship the group had been using soared through the air, at a height that was even above the trees and hills of the island. The group, still screaming in terror, held onto the closest thing they could grasp. Ryuza could feel his eyes begin to water as they had begun to descend.

"Yahoo! It's like we're flying!" Luffy laughed, his scream switching over to a yelp of joy and excitement.

"That's because we were sent flying you idiot!" Sanji yelled, his composure no longer intact.

On an empty path that led to the human village of Cocoyashi, Zoro and Yamato sprinted as quickly as they could to reach Usopp and Johnny before Arlong and his crew did. Zoro kept his hand gripped firmly on the hilt of his swords while Yamato kept her mace over her shoulder in case there were any enemies lying in wait to ambush them.

"Hey, the hell was that noise just now?" Zoro asked aloud, hearing the sound of something large crashing into the island. "Did someone drop a bomb or something?"

"I dunno." Yamato answered. "I hope it had nothing to do with Usopp-San or Johnny-San."

"Let's just keep moving-"

Zoro's words were quickly interrupted by the sound of something ripping through the forest trees next to them. Whatever it was, it was approaching fast. Zoro, snapping to his stance, prepared to unsheathe his blades while Yamato reeled her mace back, ready to send whatever was closing in on them flying.

Instead of an enemy, the ship that had been carrying Ryuza, Luffy, Sanji, and Yosaku, smashed its way through to the clearing. Zoro and Yamato could only stare in wide eyed bewilderment, only catching a glimpse of the ship's passengers before it smashed into them.

"Luffy?" Zoro managed to squawk.

"Huh?! Ryuza-San?" Yamato shouted in bewilderment.

After flying at such a great height, the ship had finally touched down, coming to a crashing halt against the ground. Wooden pieces of the ship were sent scattering into the air and the passengers were nearly sent flying.

Unfortunately for Ryuza, the force of the crash sent him hurdling from his position on the ship. Luckily for him, he collided with a large bush that happened to be in his path. He was dizzy and his vision was blurred. If he didn't know any better, he was going to vomit.

Luffy, once regaining his senses, waved to Zoro and Yamato. "Hey! Guys! Good to see you!"

Zoro sitting up from the ground and rubbing his aching head was less than pleased. "The hell do you guys think you're doing?!

"Luffy-San!? What kind of entrance was that? Watch where you guys are going!" Yamato shouted in half amazement and half agitation.

"Shishishi! Glad we don't have to waste time looking for you guys!" Luffy laughed, stumbling out of the wreckage.

Yamato shook her head but looked at the wreckage of the ship. While the dust was still clearing, Sanji had managed to drag a semi-conscious Yosaku out of a pile of wooden debris and took a seat on one of the many wooden pieces of the ship to draw another stream of smoke from his cigarette.

"Sanji-San! Yosaku-San!" Yamato smiled, but continued to look around, swearing that she had seen her friend on the boat before it had crashed into her and Zoro. "Where's….?"

Her question was answered when Ryuza could be seen stumbling out of bushes a few ways down the road. Thankfully he resisted the urge to vomit and began to stumble his way back to meet up with the others. He then came to a sudden halt as he spotted Yamato and she had spotted him.

Yamato's eyes trembled and she said in a stammering voice, "Ryuza-San….?" before grinning and taking off into a sprint toward him. "Ryuza!"

"Yamato….?" Ryuza squinted his eyes and then smiled widely. "Yamato! I can't believe it's you! I didn't expect to find you so quickly!"

Ryuza had felt even more elated than he did when on his journey. Though they had not been apart for long, it felt as if it had been many years since he had seen her. There was so much he had to tell her. About his duel with Mihawk, defeating the Don Krieg pirates and their lieutenant, and even riding a majestic cow beast to reach the island. He had planned on telling her everything.

Yamato, laughing brightly, rushed toward Ryuza and leapt into the air, hopping onto one of the tall palm trees on the side of the road. With another great jump, she ascended into the air, her white hair and kimono waving as she moved.

"Ryuza-San!!!" She cheered again, her orange eyes twinkling and her face beaming.

"Yamato!" Ryuza called to her again in return while laughing, before his voice suddenly filled with panic. "Hey! Wait a minute….!"

His words went ignored as Yamato descended toward him with her arms outstretched, like a cannonball about to collide with the side of a ship. The last thing Ryuza saw and heard before impact was the happy grin on Yamato's face and the sound of her giddy and joyous laughter.

The surrounding forest trees shook at the force of the impact. The sound forced Yosaku to be fully awakened from his semi-conscious state and immediately go on the defensive, accidentally chopping the side of Sanji's shoulder which earned a glare from him and a light kick from him.

Ryuza dazed from the impact, found himself hugged tightly and firmly against Yamato's chest. Yamato laughed again, lifting him from the ground and embracing him closely as if she never planned on letting go. The young samurai's face turned bright red as on top of being dizzy, he found it difficult to breathe.

"You made it here!" Yamato exclaimed, shaking back and forth. "I'm so glad! You had me so worried!"

Ryuza, managing to free his face from the confines of Yamato's chest, grinned up at her. "Of course I made it here. Did you think I'd actually die back there?"

Yamato stared at him for a moment then laughed again, hugging him even tighter than before and spinning him around as if she were playing with a child. "Of course not! I knew you were strong enough to beat that Hawk-eyes!"

"Gck—!" Ryuza struggled to draw breath, but managed to get in a response. "Well I didn't actually beat him! It's a long story! I'm just glad you're alright! I have so much to tell you!"

Once they had finished their reunion, the two made their way back over to the rest of the group. Sanji, at the sight of Yamato, leapt into the air and rushed over to her.

"Yamato-chan! Forgive me for taking such a long time to reach you!" He swooned, kneeling down to a knee as if he were a knight in shining armor. "I am grateful to see that you are unharmed!"

Yamato blinked before smiling widely. "I'm glad to see you're okay too, Sanji-San! Since you guys are here, does that mean the Baratie was saved?!"

Luffy grinned and laughed, "Shishishi! Yep! We blew that Don Krieg guy and his crew away! It was so fun!"

"You call something like that fun?" Sanji muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

The group began explaining to Zoro and Yamato what had happened back on the Baratie. About Ryuza's duel with Hawk Eyes Mihawk, Don Krieg, his lieutenant, and his crew attacking the Baratie, and finally them being defeated and sent packing with their tails between their legs. Ryuza also threw in the fact that Owner Zeff had relieved he and Yamato of their debt, meaning they were able to continue their journey.

"So that means…we can get back on heading to the grand line?!" Yamato said, before leaping into the air with a laugh. "This is great!"

Zoro crossed his arms as he glanced at Ryuza. "You dueled Hawk-eyes too, huh?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately he bested me and gave me this." Ryuza explained, pointing to the bandage attached to the right side of his cheek. "But I managed to learn a lot from him! Next time we meet, things will be different!"

"Get in line." Zoro scoffed, narrowing his eyes. "I'll be the one to take down that damn Hawk-eyes. And I'll be a lot stronger the next time we duel."

The urge to fight for the sake of dueling the world's greatest swordsman a second time filled Ryuza's warrior soul. Though he still had his wounds from his battles on the Baratie, he was ready to go another round with the green haired swordsman. After all, they had never finished their previous bout.

Ryuza grinned, stretching his shoulder. "We could always duel for it. Whoever wins gets to battle Hawk Eyes Mihawk while the other one has to watch."

Zoro stood there for a moment with a blank expression, and then chuckled with a smirk. "You're on. Just don't get upset when you lose."

"Oooh! Are you guys gonna fight again?!" Luffy asked before laughing. "This should be good! Go, Go!"

Yamato laughed as well, enjoying the moment, "Fight!"

"They probably shouldn't fight in the middle of the road." Sanji suggested, his hands placed in his pocket.

"They shouldn't be fighting at all!" Yosaku cried in protest. "We need to get out of here and find somewhere to hide before we're spotted by one of the fishmen of Arlong's crew!"

"Fishmen?" Zoro said to himself before his eyes widened. "Oh Crap! Usopp! Now's not the time to be wasting time! That idiot got himself caught by Arlong!"

Yamato's eyes widened in realization. "That's right! We need to go rescue him!"

"It's too late…."

The group heard Johnny's voice suddenly speak up near an opening into the forest. Ryuza looked over at Johnny and noticed from behind his black shades, tears were running down his face. It was most certainly not a good sign.

"Johnny…..?" Zoro muttered in confusion.

"It's too late….Brother Usopp…." Johnny croaked, struggling to find the right words before bursting out into a loud and teary declaration. "Brother Usopp was murdered by sister Nami!"