"It's another sunny day along the blue seas of the Grand Line, as the Straw Hat crew sail north from Fishman island, in search of their next location. But little could they know, an exciting and quite special adventure is about to take their day by storm..."

As the sun shines bright and gulls call overhead, Luffy sits atop the Thousand Sunny's lion head, staring blankly into the sky, watching the clouds drift back and forth along the sky. He gazes down to Brook, Chopper and Usopp, who are all sitting on the railing of the ship, once again trying their luck at fishing. "Anything yet?" Luffy calls to them.

Brook pulls his fishing rod up to examine his hook with the bait still attached. He sighs. "Nothing."

Usopp shakes his fishing pole in anger. "Not a damn thing. Not one nibble! I don't understand how we can be so close to Fishman island and there aren't any fish!"

"You would think they'd be everywhere!" Chopper chimes in.

Brook thinks for a moment. "Hm...perhaps a little serenade to lure them in instead?" He dons his fish guitar and begins playing.

Usopp immediately stops him. "No, that will make it worse!"

"Excuse me, how would my lovely song make things worse!" Brook protests.

"The sound will only scare the fish away!"

"There aren't any fish to scare away!" Chopper waves his little arms wildly.

Just then, Sanji emerges from the cabin. "You guys have any luck yet? I'm starting to get antsy back here staring at empty pans."

Usopp turns toward him aggressively. "Why does everyone keep asking us that?! Don't you think if I caught something we'd be eating it by now?"

"Now who's scaring the fish away!" Brook adds.

Nami emerges from behind Sanji. "Will you all keep it down out here! I can barely concentrate on my maps with your noise!"

Sanji turns toward her. "Don't mind them, it's just the hunger. Makes you crazy."

Luffy flops back down on the lion head and takes a big breath in. "MEAT!" He yells to the sky.

Usopp jumps to his feet and points at him. "We're not fishing for meat, Luffy! Now will you please-"

Suddenly, Chopper's line tugs, drawing the attention of the full group. All eyes fall on Chopper, even Robin and Franky who have been reading and sunbathing in the grass.

Chopper gasps. "I got one, I got one!"

"Well don't just stare at it-PULL!" Usopp exclaims.

Brook and Usopp jump behind Chopper to help him pull the line out of the water. But within moments, they realize it's not fish at all, but something much larger. As the rest of the crew gathers around them, gasps fill the air as the fishing line breaks the surface, attached to a strange vessel shaped like a wine bottle.

Franky leans over the railing. "What the heck is that thing?"

"It looks like a wine bottle!" Sanji comments, his cigarette falling from his mouth. The crew stares at it for a long moment in wonder.

Luffy jumps down next to them. "Whoa! I know what this is! (laughs) It's one of those messages in a bottle."

Usopp turns to him angrily. "Oh yeah right, Luffy! Who bottled the thing, a giant? Hm. Well I guess that is possible, isn't it?" Luffy uses his rubber legs to leap on top of the bottle, laughing as he swings around the neck. "Why do you have to jump on everything!"

Nami steps forward. "Luffy get off of there! You have no idea what that thing-"

A rumble begins to fill the air, vibrating the ship.

"Oh no! An earthquake?!" Chopper yelps.

"At sea?" Nami asks in disbelief.

Without warning, the wine bottle's cork pops off, sending Luffy flying into the air with a desperate scream.

"Idiot!" Usopp calls out to him.

Sanji runs toward the front of the ship. "Somebody grab him, quick!"

Just before Luffy hits the water, a giant hand springs forth and catches him.

Nami looks to Robin, who is standing with her arms crossed. "Thanks, Robin." She giggles.

Robin smiles. "Always prepared."

As Robin's hand places Luffy gently back on the ship, Luffy's laughs hardily. "What a ride! That was awesome!"

Nami delivers him a hard, swift punch. "How many times a day do we have to almost loose you!"

Luffy rubs his newly formed head bumps. "Sorry, Nami."

Nami turns back to the wine bottle again to examine it. "So what is thing anyway? How and why would a giant bottle be all the way out here?"

Robin stands next to her. "Someone must have set it adrift from one of the neighboring islands."

Nami checks her log pose. "But we're not near an island right now."

"Oh yes you are!" A voice suddenly calls to the crew. They all look up at the top of the botte to see a very fancily dressed man with a triangular head, emerging from the open top. "You just don't know about it. And you never will!"

Usopp's eyes pop. "Whaa-there's someone inside that thing?!"

The fancy man smiles at them. "Of course! This is my submarine! Isn't she beautiful?"

Luffy stands in starry eyed amazement. "Whoa, that thing is a submarine? So cool!"

"A submarine?" Nami repeats.

"I've never seen a vessel like that before." Sanji remarks.

The fancy man grins brightly. "And you never will! She's one of a kind. Like us!" Just then, another figure emerges from the top of the bottle, as the group looks on in wonder. This time, a fancy women with a head shaped like a pear leaps to the edge of the opening and stands proudly. They begin to cycle through a series of poses while the group stares in confusion.

Franky glances at the crew. "What is going on right now?"

Usopp nods. "Yeah, this is definitely not normal."

"Hey! Who the heck are you guys anyway!" Chopper yells.

The pair gaze down at the them with sparkles in their eyes. "What? You mean to say you have never heard of us?! By sight alone you should know our name. Far and wide we are renown!" They do a flip into the air and land on the deck of the ship. The group backs away defensively. As the pair do a final pose, back-to-back with arms flailing expressively, they freeze in place and smile. "We are the Dashingly Delectable Dish!" The crew expresses their utter confusion.

Luffy shakes a fist at them in anger. "Hey! Who said you could come onto my ship? I'll kick your ass!"

The man turns to him dismissively. "My dear boy, you are in our territory now. Consider yourself lucky that we haven't done more yet." Luffy seethes.

"The Delectable Dish?" Robin repeats, thinking to herself.

The woman steps forward and wags her finger. "Dashingly, my dear, don't forget the dashing part! It's the most important."

"And that still doesn't answer our question!" Nami protests. "Who are you and why are you here?"

Then man does a twirl. "Hm?! Shall we show them, Basket?" He asks the woman.

"We should, Fromage!" Basket agrees.

"Let's do it then!" They call out in unison. With a burst of energy, both spin in place, causing the air to swirl and the crew to block their eyes. As they freeze into a pose once more, both call out "Delectable!" As their eyes fall on the pair again, the crew can now see that Fromage has turned himself into tall block of cheese, and Basket has turned herself into a plump strawberry.

"WHAAAA?!" the group cries out together, in shock at the very odd sight.

"He turned himself into a block of cheese!" Nami exclaims.

"And she's a strawberry!" Robin adds.

"Fruit, to be more precise, my dear!" Basket corrects.

Luffy becomes excited again. "Wow, so cool!" Chopper and Brook join his excitement.

Usopp turns to them ferociously. "Now you're admiring them?!"

Fromage steps forward. "That's right! Soak it in, gentlemen! Isn't it wonderful!"

Basket laughs. "Yes! I ate the fruit-fruit...uh...fruit. Now I can change myself into any one I desire!"

Fromage comes beside her and poses again. "And I ate the cheese-cheese fruit! Now I'm a fancy cheese man!"

"And together we are-" they sing in unison. "The Dashingly Delectable Dish!" They pose.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen!" Usopp yells with a fierce face.

Fromage looks to Usopp. "You don't have any devil fruit powers, do you my boy? Well, jealousy is natural for people like you."

Usopp growls. "Why you-that isn't the point at all!"

"That's right!" Basket sings. "You're just jealous that you don't have the power to be delicious AND powerful!"

"And now, you're going to face that power for trespassing!" Fromage adds, readying himself to attack. A bit of sweat begins to form on Nami and Chopper.

Franky steps forward. "Powerful, huh? Yeah right! You want to see power, I'll show you power!" He swings his arm back and then thrusts it forward again. "Strong-right!" His powerful punch flies forward, but is quickly stopped as it sticks into Fromage's body like glue.

Fromage smiles. "Didn't you hear what I said? I'm a cheese man!" Now Franky begins to worry as he struggles free his arm.

Basket laughs and wastes no time with her counter attack. "Seed spittle!" She calls out, sending a storm of strawberry seeds toward him like bullets. Franky falls back and blocks them as best he can.

"Cheese!" Fromage sings.

"And fruit!" Basket sings back.

"The perfect combination!" They sing in unison, their backs pressed together and arms stretched wide.

As they laugh uncontrollably, Sanji steps forward and lights another cigarette. "Now there's one thing we can definitely agree on." His says in a chilled voice.

Fromage and Basket freeze and glare at Sanji, who is standing calmly with his eyes closed, imagining several dishes to prepare. "Can't go wrong with fruit and cheese. One of the oldest food combinations on the planet. Salty, sweet, pungent, aromatic. It's the basis for food experimentation. I respect that."

Fromage laughs hardily. "You see? Even your own crewmate shares in our amazement! Stand before our glory!"

"Except..." everyone turns toward Sanji. "You made one little mistake." He takes a long drag from his cigarette and blows out. "I'm the best chef on the grand line. And my crew hasn't eaten for days." Fromage and Basket grimace as sweat crowds their faces. Sanji smiles. "Sense there's nothing else, guess that means I'll have to prepare you."

Fromage looks to Basket nervously, then stares back at the crew. "Uh...what?"

Without warning, Sanji begins to unleash a series of his signature attacks on the pair, as the rest of the Straw Hat's look on in wonder. Sanji's fiery legs fly in hundreds of directions as he pummels the pair into a pulp. Eventually, a full outside table is set and prepared, displaying a variety of dishes all created from simple fruits and cheeses.

When he's done, Sanji steps back to admire his work, staring happily into the frightened eyes of Fromage and Basket, who are now nothing but beaten faces staring up from a plate, with parts of them strewn about the dinner table, ready to be consumed.

Sanji grins evilly. "Alright, my friends. Eat up!"

Fromage and Basket scream as they see the hungry, monstrous faces of the crew hover over them, with mouths watering, ready to feast. In one swift motion, they leap up from the table, reassemble themselves while profusely apologizing, and scamper off the ship and back to their wine bottle submarine. The cork pops in, and before the crew can say another word, they disappear hastily into the sea.

Sanji smiles, satisfied with himself. "Well, that got rid of them!"

Nami laughs. "I'll say! They sure left in a hurry."

"Aw, but I really wanted to eat them!" Luffy sulks.

"We're not cannibals, Luffy!" Usopp protests.

Chopper holds his stomach in pain. "Either way, it still doesn't solve our problem!"

"True!" Brook agrees. "If I don't eat something soon, I'm going to waste away! If I had anything left to waste-yo ho ho ho!"

Nami sighs. "Well, it's back to fishing I guess."

Chopper, Brook and Usopp puff in unison. "I don't know if I have anymore patience left." Usopp declares.

Franky steps forward and unleashes a large rod from one of his arms, covered in spikes and looking vicious. "Hold up, bros! Let me have a go at it-ooWOW! My famous Franksaurus fishing pole!"

"You've had that the whole time!?" Usopp shouts.

"Well yeah, no one asked me."

"Didn't you see us fishing all day?! You've been over there sunbathing!"

Just then, Zoro's voice calls down from high up in the crow's nest. "Will you all keep it down! What are you yelling about?"

Usopp glares up at him in disbelief. "You've been sleeping through all of this?!"

"Well not anymore! What's going on?"

"We're still trying to fish!" Chopper chirps.

"What-you still haven't caught anything yet?"

Usopp turns red. "Well maybe if you had joined us instead of snoozing all day, we might have something!"

Zoro returns to his sleeping position, arms behind his head. "Nah, I'm good."

"The nerve!" Usopp calls out.

"And we were invaded." Chopper adds happily.

Zoro immediately jumps to his knees in worry. "What do you mean invaded?!"

Luffy steps forward to gaze up at Zoro. "Yeah, some really nice people with a cool ship came on board to offer themselves as food!"

"That's not what happened at all!" Usopp yells in disagreement.

"Well what happened?" Zoro asks impatiently.

Sanji walks forward calmly. "Don't worry about it, Moss-head, I took care of it. Don't want to interrupt your beauty sleep."

Zoro's anger spikes. "That's it, I'm coming down there!" But just as Zoro is preparing to jump down, he notices something in the distance. There is a light on the horizon. The light seems to be blinking. "Hey, there's something on the horizon line!"

Nami looks up to Zoro in wonder, then out in the direction he is pointing. "Huh? Where?" She takes a scope from her belt and aims it at the horizon line, as Robin comes next to her.

"He's right. Look there." Robin remarks, pointing over the railing.

Sure enough, far in the distance, a single light was flickering on and off in the hazy mist of the midday sun. The crew gathers around the railing and narrows their eyes to gain a better perspective.

"It seems to be turning on and off." Robin notices.

"A lighthouse?" Sanji wonders.

Nami looks to her log pose. "No. There's no island nearby."

"A small island perhaps?" Robin asks.

Nami shakes her head. "Even if it were really small, the log pose would be pointing straight at it."

Luffy jumps back on top of the lion's head, holding his hat. "Well, only one way to find out." He smiles at her.

Nami smiles back and nods. "Right. Rudder full port, Franky!"

"Aye aye, ma'am!" Frank calls back excitedly, dashing toward the helm.

"Head straight for the light!"

In no time, the ship hastily makes it's way toward the source of the light. As they draw closer, something strange happens: the island seems to be getting larger and larger. When they are only a few miles away, the entire crew can now see the full girth of this mysterious place, which appears to be a massive man-made island, nearly the size of a real island. In the center stands a wide, tall lighthouse just scraping the lowest clouds. Surrounding it, a vast city sprawled out in the shape of a star, with all five points visible by either another smaller lighthouse, or a tall precipice at their ends.

The entire group, who is now gathered around the railing of the ship, breath out in amazement as they slowly glide closer to the object.

"Can you believe this?" Robin asks Nami.

"I've never seen anything like it before." Nami replies, lost for words.

Luffy jumps on top of the railing and squats, smiling from ear to ear. "Whoa...It's a lighthouse city! (laughs)"

Franky looks on in confusion. "How do you even begin to build something like this? It's like a gargantuan ship!"

"Huh? It's a ship?" Usopp wonders.

Franky nods. "As far as I can tell. It's built from the same materials, with way more reinforced steel, of course. And it even has load lines running along the base."

Usopp leans forward. "Oh yeah, I see that now."

"Wait, this entire thing is a ship?" Nami asks.

Franky nods again. "Looks like a giant floating vessel." Nami's mouth falls open.

Luffy jumps to his feet. "This is awesome! Come on, let's go!" He leaps into the air.

Nami pulls him down. "Just wait a minute, let's-"

Suddenly, a brief but violent rumble shakes the ship. The crew steadies themselves, looking around rapidly for the source of the disturbance. Then, as if appearing from a dream, an enormous ship manifests out of thin air directly next to the Thousand Sunny. The crew falls back in shock, even Luffy is sent rolling backwards down the deck.

"Where did that come from?!" Nami shouts in fear, eyes wide and grasping the railing.

"It just appeared out of nowhere!" Chopper yelps.

As chaos grows, the group begins to call out orders to help them steer away from the situation. But as they do, another sounds cuts through the air. The huge ship beside them bellows a deep, resonate horn, signaling their awareness of the crew.

Sanji stops and gazes up at the side of the other ship, looming like a wall of water over them. "Oh great! They've noticed us!"

"Now we're screwed!" Zoro adds in an irritated tone.

Usopp, Brook and Chopper dash frantically around the deck, eyes bugged, screaming, white as ghosts, desperately attempting to flee the situation. "We're all going to die!" Usopp yells.

Everyone is sent into a panic, except for Luffy, who has jumped back on top of the railing and is now waving his arms happily at the other ship. "Heeeeey!" He calls out.

Nami looks on, exasperated. "Luffy what are you doing?!"

Sanji runs to him. "Get down from there!"

"No, it's fine-look!" Luffy points up to the top of the ship's aft section, where a skull flag is visible. "They're pirates!"

Sanji huffs. "That doesn't mean anything, dumbass! They could be evil!"

Luffy retains his beaming smile. "Nah, I don't think so."

Nami runs over to him and pulls him off the railing. "Ugh! Get down. We don't know anything, so just be calm." She stares back up at the ship, and gasps as she abruptly realizes there is someone falling from the ship. "W-w-w-what?! There's someone falling!" She frantically points up at the figure.

The crew turns to see someone is indeed someone falling head first from the ship, heading like a missile directly toward the Sunny. All of them scream in unison, preparing for the impending doom. Yet just as the figure is about the crash into the ship, it stops itself in mid air, then coasts gently down and on top of the railing, standing tall and proud. He carries a large double bladed staff, with the blades in the shape of circles.

Zoro and Sanji instinctively step in front of Nami and Luffy, ready for a fight. "Stop right there!" Sanji warns.

The crew can now see the figure is a young man. Lean and muscular, with only a sleeveless shirt, cargo pants, tall boots, and short white hair held back by a wide, colorful headband. At first his face was severe, but in a moment shifts to a happy, welcoming expression. "Sorry about that! Didn't see you there!"

The man's cheerful aura calms the crew. They relax and prepare for a conversation instead of a battle. Nami steps forward aggressively, shaking her first and bearing her teeth. "Didn't see us?! You could have crushed us!"

The man remains happy. "Yeah, I suppose we could have! Good thing we didn't."

Sanji jumps toward them. "Well maybe you would have seen us if your ship didn't just appear out of no where!"

"Yeah-how did you do that anyway?" Luffy wonders, completely indifferent.

"Oh, this place is full of surprises." The man replies gleefully, with smiling eyes.

"This guy is strangely cheerful for almost just running us over." Brook remarks to Usopp.

"At least they weren't trying to kill us." Usopp replies.

Robin steps forward, mirroring the man's calm demeanor. "Well, we have definitely had our fair share of surprises today already."

Usopp agrees. "Yeah no kidding. After that fruit and cheese couple I don't think anything is going to surprise us." He and Chopper laugh.

The man looks to Usopp. "Oh no, you all ran into Fromage and Basket already?"

Chopper looks to him. "Huh-you know them?"

The man gazes downward in dismay. "Unfortunately, I do."

"Who the heck are they?" Franky inquires.

The man sighs. "Just a couple of locals. They've been trying to join us for years, but, I'm afraid they're a bit too eccentric."

Usopp crosses his arms and chuckles. "You got that right."

"The worst devil fruit powers I think I've ever seen." Chopper remarks, sharing Usopp's laugh.

"What the hell are you guys even talking about?" Zoro quips.

The man joins in on the laughter. "A bit too strange for our commodore's liking, I'd say."

This comment catches Luffy's ear. "Whoa, you guys have a commodore?!"

"Sure do!"

"I guess it's not so strange when you consider the size of this place." Sanji observes.

The man smiles brightly again. "That's right! We have 5 ships and their captains, not to mention the 80 thousand people who call this place home."

Nami gasps. "80 thousand?"

"That's unbelievable." Robin remarks.

Chopper's eyes glow with excitement. "It's like a floating city!"

Luffy jumps into the air. "Wow! I can't wait to see it! (laughs)"

Sanji settles him down. "Luffy, calm down, the guy hasn't even invited us in yet."

The man places his staff onto his back and raises his hands into the air, as if displaying the giant city to the world. "No worries! I was just getting the that. The name is Bara. And welcome to Lighthouse Empire!"

"Just follow me! The port is straight ahead!" Bara yells down from the side of his ship.

Nami waves to him. "Got it!" The crew smiles in ancipation of their arival.

AS the massive ship leads the Thousand Sunny through the port, the Straw Hat's are in complete ae of the grandure of the city. Each section as high as a small mountain, with victorian style bay windows, spires, peaks, and elabroate ornimintation around each side of the wall. Above, on the top of the deck, they can see a bustling town with lively activity. As Bara slows his ship down, coming closer to the side of the city, the crew notices that his entire ship is actually about to fit into the city itself.

NAmi turns to the side of the deck. "Wait a minute-where is he going?"

"He's going to crash right into it!" Chopper yelps.

Usopp begins to panic again. "I knew I had a bad feeling about this place!"

Franky steps forward to calm him. "No look! He's not crashing, he's docking!"

The rest of the crew comes to the railing to observe Bara's ship. As the ship is slowly guided in, they can see that the bow of his boat fits perfectly with the side of the city.

Nami grins cherrfully. "Oh, I see! The front of his ship fits into the wall of the city."

Sanji comes beside her and points upward. "Take a closer look. The ship itself IS the city."

When the crew comes around near the front of the ship, they gaze backward and relize that the massive ship is actually one of the lighthouse arms of the city.

Usopp is amazed. "Oh I get it! I was wondering why one entire arm of the city was missing."

Frank agrees. "Yeah, I noticed that too. I thought something was off, but these guys clearly have a master builder."

Robin shares a rare gleeful grin. "I've never seen anything like that before. Quite an astonishing design!"

Nami agrees. "I'll say. I would wager this has got to be the only one in the world."

Luffy is starry eyed. "This is the coolest thing i've ever seen!"

"You can dock your ship straight ahead! There's a small port in the corner!" Bara calls to them. After the crew docks the ship in the small corner port, Bara meets them all. "All set?" He asks, displaying another big smile.

"Yes, thank you!" Nami mirrors his happiness

Luffy jumps forward. "Great! This place is so awesome!"

Bara crosses his arms. "Well, ready to head in?"

"Sure..." Nami says hesitantly, scratching her chin.

"Hm? Is there a problem?" Bara wonders.

"Well, to be honest, this is a bit strange for us." She admits.

Bara chuckles. "Not used to it, I see."

"She means you're being too nice." Zoro chimes in defensivly.

"Shut up, Zoro! Be civil for one second!" Nami scolds.

"What-it's true!" He fires back.

Bara laughs again. "No worries! I can understand that."

Robin steps forward. "Am I right in assuming you must know us?"

"Well of course we do!" Bara affirms.

"I see. News from Fishman Island mus have ravled fast." Nami observes.

Bara shakes his head. "Fishman Island? No, we've been following you for much longer than that! You can say we've been fans ever since one of Luffy's first bountys was posted."

"Wow, really?!" Luffy blurts in amazement.

Bara nods qickly. "Sure! Nothing wrong with a bit of healthy respect between pirates, right?"

Luffy returns his nod playfully. "Not at all! (laughs)"

"Come on, head in!" Bara waves his hand and gestures them to follow.

As the crew make their way up into the city, the are amazed to find several bustling section of towns, with markets, street preformers, bars, food stands, and even small domed houes and larger cubical municipal builds. As far as they could tell, all 5 sections of the city each had a stretched out acros the top, with a lighthouse situatated at each end. In the middle of the city was a massive water fountain, with tears that draped down all the way into the seas below, each with large gardens and patios stetching high into the air. And in the very center, stood the tallest lighthouse any of them had ever seen, decorated with colorful paint.

Luffy, Usopp, Chopper and Brook all take turns staring up at the massive lighthouse, captivated by the layout of the city.

"Impressive, huh?" Bara asks them.

Usopp's excitment spills over. "I'll say! This might be the muost unique place i've ever seen in my life!"

"It's incredible!" Chopper squeeks.

"Facinating!" Brook chimes in.

Luffy's starry eyes return. "I want to climb the lighthouse!"

Usopp quickly turns to him in anger. "Don't even think about it!"

Bara laughs. "I like your gusto! Well, you can't climb up the side, but that's where we're going. Right to the top!"

"Come on, let's go!" Luffy excalims and runs forward.

"Wait Luffy, you don't know the way!" Chopper runs after him.

AS the crew makes their way through the first town, they are surprised to see many of the townspeople gathering around them, suddenly notcing that Luffy and his entire crew are walking through their village. They cal out to them with cheers and smiles and friendly waves, welcoming them to their city.

Nami takes notice with a bit of uneasiness. "Gosh, people sure are friendly here."

"Yeah, we've never recieved a welcome this warm before." Sanji comments.

"Sure we have. That's what makes me uneasy." Zoro interuppts.

Nami looks back at him. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Zoro thinks for a moment. I'm just saying-friendly towns can often be the most danergous. When people are too happy it make me uncomfortable. Like they're hiding something."

Sanji sighs. "Oh give me a break, moss for brains. You're just not used to reciving welcomes because you're such a jerk."

"What did you say?!" Zoro's anger spikes.

Sanji fumes. "You heard me! Now stop being so cynical to these sweet people!"

Nami jumps between their vicious faces. "Both of you just chill! We're not going to start a fight 3 seconds after we arrive."

Chopper comes beside him displaying his overwhelming happiness. "Yeah, come on Zoro! It's nice to be welcomed for a change!"

Zoro huffs and crosses his arms. "Whatever. I'm just saying, stay on your guard." Chopper is confused, but shrugs it off.

As the group comes to the front of the giant lighthouse, they are lead inside and gather on a circular section just inside one of the doorways.

Luffy's stomach rumbles as they gather. He depresses and grabs his belly. "Ugh..So hungry. I smelled meat back there, can we go get some?"

Bara smiles and pats him on the back. "Don't worry! Once we reach the top, our commodore will take care of you!"

"So there's meat up there?" Luffy askes.

"You bet!" Bara assures.

"Yay! Now I like this place even more." Luffy sheds another huge grin.

Nami gazes up into the inside of the lighthouse, which is hollow, except for the very top where there appears to be a metal floor. "Is your commodore at the top?"

Bara nods proudly. "That's right! Everyone ready to go?"

"You bet!" Luffy calls out.

"Alright! Let's do it! Watch your hands everybody." Bara commands. He grabs the staff off his back and taps the end on the floor, causing the circular structure they stand on to rise into the air. As the group looks downward, they realize the platform is being gently shot into the air by a stream of water forcing the base upward.

Robin bends down to look over the edge. "Is that a water jet underneath us?"

"Sure is! Everything here is controled by the seawater." Bara states.

Chopper kneels next to Robin. "This is amazing! (laughs)"

Nami takes another look around. "This place really is full of surprises."

When the crew finaly reaches the top floor, they come into an area which appears to be a large glass atrim, triangular in some places, domed in others, held together by ornimant steel. The marbel floor was swirling with all shades of blue, matching the sky above, and large decorative, soft carpets we're strewn in random sections of the floor, adding a bit of clutter to the otherwise fancy dwelling. The crew takes turns breathing out in awe, soaking in the atmosphere of this unique space.

Nami releases a huge smile. "It's so beautiful!"

"You would never think the inside of a lighthouse could look like this!" Usopp agrees.

Sanji takes a long drag from his cigarette and looks around happily. "Something about this place reminds me of home. I dig it."

Bara chuckles. "I'm glad you like it so much!"

Luffy looks around frantically. "Hey-where's the meat!"

Nami turns to him agressivly. "Is that all you can ever think about?!"

But just as Nami finishes her sentance, a group of several men and women pour out from on of the nearby doorways with psmall platters of food, drink, deserts and snacks. hey surround them happily and usher them to begin sampling the food.

"Whoa-ho! Room service!" Luffy cries out in joy. He begins devouring anything he can.

As Robin offred a plaet, she examines some of the food. "My, such wonderful delicacies!"

Usopp, Chopper, Brook and Franky begin to stuff cake and fish into their mouths.

"Its so good!" Chopper beams.

"Super!" Franky calls out.

Even Sanji is pleased by the displays of food art. "Wow, I'm actually really impressed! Takes a lot of work to craft plates like this.

As the food and the drink is constantly hand served, Bara continues to tguide the cre through the atrium. "The food is always good here! Our cooks are some of the best on the Grand Line. It's all about putting love nto everything you do, and that means the food too."

"Can't argue with that!" Sanji affirms, stuffing a meatball into mouth.

"SO GOOD!" Luffy exclaims with several pieces of rolled meat in his cheeks.

"Do you ever taste what you eat?!" Sanji yells to him.

Bara laughs. "Hav as much as you want, my fiends! One of the benefits of being directly on the sea is that we hardly have to trade. Sure, we make trips to neighboring islands for spice and basic cooking supplies, but we're litrally sittng right on top of the bounty of the sea!"

Brook, Usopp and Chopper puff. "Now I see why we weren't catching any fish." Usopp says with destain.

Bara smiles. "True! We make it a pit to be as self-sustaing as e possibly can. If you were within a few miles of us, you might have been in our wake. I'm sure our fisherman already cleared the area out for the day."

"Well, it's hard to stay mad now with how good the food is!" Usopp declares.

Sanji comes beside Bara. "I'd really love to meet your chef. They must be a true master. I have to say my interest is piqued."

Bara nods. "Of course! I'm sure all of you will get a full tour of this place. Any area is open to you."

Robin comes beside him. "There seems to be so much here. Would you happen to have a research center as well?"

"We sure do! And a full library as well." Bara assures.

"That's wonderful!" Robin beams brightly.

Brook pops his head out from the food platters. "How about a place for the musicially gift-like myself."

Bara turns to him. "Didn't you see all the street performers and artsits downin the town? We thrive on artistic expression!"

Brook is elated. "Yo HO!"

Nami can hardly contain her excitment. "Boy, you guys have just about everything here, don't you?"

"I'd like to think so." Bara confirms.

"I don't think we've ever experienced such a unique place with so much before..." Nami continues.

Bara grins and shoots his thumbs up. "That's so good to hear! We're more than happy to show it off to all of you. Our commadore has realy created quite a special place."

Confusion falls over Nami's face again. "Uh yeah. So about this commadore-where is he exactly?"

"I'm right here!" A voice suddenly springs up from beside her. As she looks to her side, she sees a man with wavy light blue hair serving her a cup of tea.

"Whaaa-you've been serving us this whole time?!" Nami exclaims.

"Indeed!" He replies cheerfully.

Bara laughs. "That's our commodore! He's a humble guy."

"A little too humble!" The group calls out in unison, surprised by the highly unusual circumstance.

As the commodore stands proud and tall in front of the group, still holding a tea tray in one hand, they can see that he is slightly older than Bara, with light blue hair and a boyish face. He wears a coloful vest which appears to be an old captain's coat with no sleeves, decorated with charms, chairs and jewels. Along his wist is a sash the same color as his hair, with frayed jean shorts and worn, black open toed shoes. Various tattoos run down his neck and along his arms, and his dark eyes were both threatening and warm.

"This is your commodore?" Sanji asks, studying his slightly awkward appearence.

"Dani Sky is the name, my friends!" He takes a slight bow toward the group.

"He looks more like a part of the crew." Zoro says quietly from the side of his mouth.

Sky glances at Zoro and crosses his arms. "Just like you, Zoro! Always expecting the worst in people." A spike of surprise rushes through Zoro.

Sanji smiles. "See, even he notices!"

"He doesn't even know me!" Zoro protests.

Sky smiles. "But I'm so glad to see you all now. I can't tell you how please I a to finally meet all of you!"

Nami steps forward. "Same here! Thank you so much for the warm welcome. You've been so kind to us."

"That warms my heart, truly. The Straw Hats are well known to us here!"

"I can see that!"

Sky looks over the room. "But tell me, where is captain Luffy?'

"He's back here!" Chopper call out from the back of the group. As the crew parts down the middle, Luffy is revealed at the back of the room, full of meat and barely breathing. "I think he's dead!" Chopper holds his belly and laughs hardily.

Nami become furious. "Ugh-get up Luffy!" She delivers another swift punch, knocking his head into the floor and bouncig him to his feet again. "Show some damn respect!"

Luffy rubs his swollen head. "Uh...so much meat."

"Luffy!" Nami yells again.

Luffy catches sight of Sky. "Oh! Is this the commodore guy?"

Sky ambles over to Luffy and vigorusly shakes his hand. "Straw Hat Luffy! It's an honor to meet you!"

Luffy smiles and continues the shake. "Same! Your city is really awesome. Especially the meat! Hey-do you have any more?"

Chopper jumps into the air. "You were just dead from overeating!"

Sky laughs. "Plenty more! But first, wouldn't you like the full tour."

"Nah, I kind of just want more meat right now." Luffy stas.

Sanji slaps him down. "Stop being so rude!"

Luffy rubs his head then turns to Sky. "So, how do you know us so well anyway? I feel like we're already friends."

Sky smiles. "What a truly wonderful thing to hear! I'm so glad you feel that way."

Nami agrees. "He's right though, I feel like we're known for years already. No one has ever been so kind."

"Well, to put it planely, I suppose it's because we share many of the same beleifs and world views. The same values."

Luffy suddenly become sangered. "Hey, buddy! I'm the one who's going to be king of the pirates, not you!"

"Luffy, chill!" Nami demands.

Sky laughs. "That's exactly what I mean! Although I don't share that same desire, I respect those who do." Luffy is confused at first, but slowly begins to undersand. "We believe in others and ther ability to choose their own path. Their own freedom. Fullfilling their dreams." The crew is captivated by his noble statements. "You have faith in friendship and loyalty over all else. And that is one thing the world needs greatly. In this sea of uncerainly, the one thing we can all count on is our dreams, and the dreams of others. That is our one wish for all of our fellow pirates."

"Wow..." Nami breaths.

"He's so humble!" Brook remarks, wiping away a tear.

"So inspiring!" Chopper sings.

Usopp weeps. "So moving!"

Sky abruptly jumps forward displaying a small book. "Thanks! That's a passage from one of my poetry books! You can buy it downstairs in the gift shop-only $11.99!"

Usopp's eyes pop. "That was just a promo?!"

Luffy chuckles. "I like you!"

Sky points to Luffy with sparkling eyes. "I like you too!"

"Let's all be friends then!" Luffy grins.

Sky blushes and tears. "You really mean it?!"

"Sure, why not?"

Sky and Luffy each place and hand behind the other's back and begin to rock back and forth, dancing.

Zoro sighs. "There he goes again..."

"Those two were made for each other." Sanji quips.

Nami sweats. "Brother's already."

Luffy then turns to Sky and laces his hands on his hips. "By the way Sky is really cool name. How did you get it, anyway? Did you eat the sky-sky fruit or something?"

Usopp interjects. "Oh common, Luffy, don't be so ridiculous. Obviously that's not the case."

"No, that's exactly what happened." Sky affirms.

Usopp's eyes bulge again. "So literal!" Luffy and Sky laugh.

Robin steps forward. "How facinating! So you did eat a devil fruit. With the power of the sky, correct?"

Sky grins brightly. "That's right!"

"I would imagine that's quite a rare fruit."

Sky nods. "Indeed it is. Though obviously I didn't know it at the time. We never do."

Nami's curiouslity is piqued. "But what exactly is the use of the sky fruit? I mean what can you do? Make rainbows?" She laughs, as does some of the crew.

Sky let's an evil smile slip through his lips. Suddenly, a blue opening opens up under Nami's feet. She falls into the hole and realize with great fear that she is now falling through the sky. As she screams for help, another blue hole opens over the crew and she falls back through, landing on her feet with dizzy eyes, then collapsing to her knees. "What was that, Nami?" He proudly places his hands on his hips. The entire crew are frozen aghast.

Luffy and Sky begin laughing, until Nami jumps to her feet and pounds them both over the head with a ferocious growl. "Don't you ever do that to me again you creep!" She screams.

Luffy and Sky both rubs their swollen heads. "Yes ma'am..." They utter in unison.

"Hey, what's all the commotion in here?!" Another voice calls from just beyond the doorway. As the crew turns toward the door, they see a sweet, angelic young girl about 15 years old, peering around the frame. Long blonde hair frames her face, with two thick braids laced with gems and string hanging from one side, and she he is dressed in a thin tank top made from sailcloth, cargo shorts, high boots with huge buckles, and a septum nose ring with a chain draped across her cheek attached to her ear. Her sash is the same color Sky's, and she bears similar tattoos running down her arms and onto her hands.

As she gains a better sight of the visitors, her slightly timid appearance quickly shifts to full on excitement as she realizes who they are. She gasps. "It's the Straw Hats! I don't believe it!" She squeals.

Sky looks to her and ushers her over. "Ah, Aiku! Come and meet our gu-"

He is interupted by the girl abruptly running around the room and shaking hands with every memeber of the crew vigorusly. The greetings are so boisturous that nearly every one of the crew falls over from the girls vivid energy. After she is done, she suddenly realizes that her energy may have been a bit much to handle, and quickly backs away, adopting a shy posture. "Sorry, everyone!" She laughs nervously.

Sky steps in front of her. "You'll have to forgive her, my friends. We don't often get celebrities on board."

Chopper responds to this dancing bashfuly across the floor. "Celebrities! Oh, stop it already, don't think you're charming behavior is going to make me feel special or anything, I don't feel like a celebrity, so stop trying to make me feel important, it doesn't mean anything you big dummy..."

"He certainly seems to think so..." Sky murmurs to himself blankly.

"I have all your posters on my wall!"

Nami giggle, charmed by the situation. "That's so sweet of you. But we haven't been proporly introduced yet!"

"Oh, you're right, sorry! I'm Aiku!" She displays a light, respectful bow.

Nami smiles. "It's so nice to meet you, Aiku! Thank you for your warm welcome, we really appreciate it."

Aiku gets heart eyes and starts swaying like Chopper. "You appreciate me!? That means so much, thank you! But really, you don't have to say that, we're all awesome pirates, I really believe that!"

Robin giggles. "She's certainly full of life."

"Or full of crap." Zoro remarks.

Nami turns to him with an angry first. "Say something else, I dare you!"

"Aiku is my little sister." Sky states proudly, patting her on the back.

Nami smiles and places a hand on her hip. "Oh, I see! That's wonderful!"

Aiku swats his hand away. "I'm hardly little anymore!"

Sky turns to her aggressively. "Well here you are!"

"Oh yeah?!" Aiku exclaims. She begins to beat him up with a great deal of force.

Usopp leans forward. "Whaaa-she's beating HIM up?!"

"He can't even get a shot in!" Brook observes. The crew laughs.

The siblings suddenly halt their awkward display and stand calmly again side by side. "Don't mind us!" Aiku nervously laughs again.

Luffy steps in and chuckles. "You guys are hilarious!"

"So anyway, how about that tour we promised?" Sky asks.

Nami nods happily. "Yes, of course! We'd love to."

"I want to see the performers!" Brook sings.

"And I want to see your library!" Robin chimes.

"And don't forget about the kitchen!" Sanji adds.

Aiku jumps in front of her brother and clasps her hands together. "Can I show them around-please!"

Sky thinks for a moment. "Yes indeed, we don have a lot to show you. I suppose that would be alright."

"Yay, thank you!" Aiku yelps with joy.

Sky then randomly appears beside Nami and begins to pour her another cup of tea, with a huge grin. "Just remember to come back here after you're done! We have much more to discuss!"

At first Nami acepts the tea graceiously. "Oh, why thnak you, we will definitly be sure to do that-" and then, "-stop serving us!"

"So humble!" Chopper and Brook call out in starry eyed unison.

Aiku grabs Nami's hand and leads her toward the doorway. "Come on, let's go! I can't even begin to tell you how much there is to see!"

Luffy turns back to Sky before he leaves. "See ya, Sky guy!"

Sky smiles. "Have fun, my friend!" As he watches the crew exit, his smile begins to fade a bit, as if storm of uncertainty is clouding his mind.

Over the calm waves of the blue sea East of the Lighthouse Empire, an unusually large Navy ship with black sails rolls through the water. Inside, a muscular man with darkened eyes looks over a a map of the city. He pulls a lighter from the inside of his white Navy coat and lights a large pipe. The smoke billows from his cracked lips.

Another Navy officer silently enters the room and stands beside him. "Are you ready, sir?"

The man blows smoke between his grinning teeth. "Yes. We attack tomorrow."

End of Episode I