(A/N: My first Wednesday update! At least, it's Wednesday where I am. XD Enjoy!)

Chapter 4: A Solitary Island in the Distant Sea! The Legendary Lost Island!

"Sickle-Sickle... Whirlwind!"

"Oww!"

"A wind slash!"

"Here they come! Here they come! Now!"

"I won't let you escape..."

"Yahoo!"

"Okay! Set sail for Lost Island!

As the Straw Hats sailed for Lost Island, the Marines, now disorganized, scrambled like an ant colony. "Contacting all squad captains!"

"Assemble on the deck of Ship#1!"

"Where's the resource manager?!"

"Turn the yard this way!"

"No, no! To the right!"

"Go get repair planks from the other ships!"

"Repair team! Get to work repairing Ship #1!"

"Those damn pirates," The Lt. Commander grumbled, "They're quicker at running than I expected."

"No worries," Eric said, "It'd be best to let them go for now, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"They went to such dangerous lengths to escape from this island. Why do you think that is? Have you forgotten this island has a legend? The story about the dragons' nest on Lost Island."

"What? Are you saying they...?!"

"It's only a guess," Eric smirked. He continued on, as the mast was raised. "But if so, they'll wind up being the perfect guides there." He walked inside the cabin, where a Marine was tinkering with a radio, before Eric stopped him. "Reporting to Commodore Nelson?"

"Yes..."

"There will be no need for that."

"Sir! But...!"

He left the room before the officer could finish. 'The Dragonite I seek... the elixir of immortality,' He smirked to himself, 'As if I'd ever hand it over to the likes of Nelson Royal! I will have it! To become a flawless Eric the Whirlwind!'

Speaking of which... "What's taking so long?!" Nelson griped.

A nervous Marine ran over with two fat chicken legs on a platter. "Commodore, sir! Please have this!"

Nelson swiped them on the floor. "That's not what I mean!"

On cue, another officer came running in, and saluted. "Commodore Nelson Royal!"

"Oh! It's about time!" Nelson waved his handheld fan. "You have a report from Eric, I assume?"

"No. It's a message from a soldier working at Warship Island." He read off the letter on his clipboard. ""Eric has located the legendary Millennial Dragon."" He closed the fan. "He goes on to say that all ships are presently busy repairing damage that the flagship received."

The officer was nervous when Nelson's grip on the fan tightened angrily. "Curse you, Eric... why've you not reported to me after finding the Millennial Dragon?! Are you planning to take the Dragonite all for yourself?! You're nothing more than a hired soldier." He briefly squinted his beady eyes. "Our main forces will now head for Warship Island! All ships, move out!"

Elsewhere, the Straw Hats were sailing smoothly, with Ryu watching the fish. "Lost Island, huh..." Nami remarked, "The map doesn't have any islands in the waters around Warship Island that fit the bill."

"Hey! Grandpa Ryu!" Usopp called out. "Which way should we go?!"

The only response he got was silence. Ryu appeared to be in deep thought, as noticed by Luffy. "Hey." Ryu's eyes closed right after. "I think he went to sleep again!"

There was silence amongst the crew, before Apis spoke up. "Sorry for the wait, everyone!" She walked over, carrying a pot with oven mitts. "The food's ready!"

The four felt worried. "Did she cook again?!" Zoro grimaced.

"No one was waiting for her food!" Usopp whispered, as the two girls could only smile nervously. To their relief, as she approached them, Sanji was right behind her. "Oh! Sanji! Whew, what a relief!" She sneered with annoyance. "So you made today's meal-?!"

He was cut off by Apis stomping on his foot. "Grandpa Ryu! Eat lots, okay?"

"Oh! Food!" Luffy grinned, and reached up with his rubber arms to grab the pot. "Food!" He realized too late that it just came fresh from the stove. "Hot!"

Sanji yelled in anger at the pot being dropped from his burned hands. "Why, you...!"

The pot and food landed right on Ryu's head, waking him up. "Hot!"

"Grandpa Ryu!"

"Apis!"

She slid down the rope with her mitt-covered hands, and ran over to the dragon. "Grandpa Ryu!" He paid no mind to her tending, deep in his mind once again. "Grandpa Ryu! Are you okay?"

"Sheesh," Sanji grumbled, "I made all that food, and it goes to waste!"

"Can't you just make some more, then?" Usopp asked.

"The point is, we shouldn't waste food!" Sanji glared.

Luffy, now carrying the pot with his sandals on his hands, noticed Apis staring out at the sea. "What is it?"

She looked up at him after a moment of silence. "Lost Island... the dragons' nest... it's east of Warship Island."

He beamed with excitement. "So that's where Lost Island is?!"

"Grandpa Ryu said he just remembered!"

"We know where!" Luffy called up to the crew. "Lost Island is east of Warship Island!"

"Grandpa Ryu said so!"

"That's right!"

"Usopp! Take the wheel!" Nami ran with the sniper to the cabin.

"You got it!"

"Alright! Let's rush straight to Lost Island!" With Usopp steering, they started sailing east.

"Dammit! You better eat all of that!" Sanji ranted.

"Yep!" Luffy eagerly agreed. "Leave it to me!"

"They've changed course?" Eric set his knife down.

"Yes, sir! The pirate ship appears to be headed for the waters east of Warship Island!"

Eric wiped his mouth with his napkin, and smirked. "So they're making their move."

The sails were furled, as Marines ran on the deck through the Lt. Commander's orders. "Turn the bows eastward! Full speed ahead! We're now going to close in on the Straw Hat Pirates! Cannoneers to the gun batteries! All ships, prepare for Level 3 combat! Our destination..."

"Is Lost Island," Eric finished to himself.

"All ships, move out!"

On the Going Merry, as they were on their way, Sanji and Zoro kept busy by washing the dishes. "Here, Zoro," Sanji handed him a clean plate.

"Yeah." After wiping it dry, he put it on the stack next to him.

"Here you go, Zoro."

"Yeah."

More washing and drying. "Here, Zoro."

"Yeah."

"Zoro."

"Yeah."

"Here, Zoro."

The swordsman turned to him with irritation at the repetitiveness. "Can't you hand 'em to me without talking?"

On the prow, Luffy stretched his arms, and sat back with relaxation. "Lost Island is at the end of this great ocean! What kind of island could it be?! Hey!" He looked up at the crow's nest. "Usopp! See anything?!"

"Nope, nothing!" Usopp replied.

"No?"

"Man, we've come a long way, but there's no sign of an island at all," Usopp lamented, "Are we sure about this?"

"Yeah," Nami frowned sadly.

"And then there's Grandpa Ryu," Usopp raised his goggles up, "I wish he'd remember some more details or something." He then had an idea. "Oh! I know!" He hauled up a heavy anvil. "Let's bonk Grandpa Ryu in the head with this! Think maybe the shock'll help him remember something else?"

"Knock it off!" Nami irritably slapped his arm, making him drop the anvil on his foot. Paying no mind to his shout of pain, she watched down below with a smile, as did Sanji from the cabin. Usopp was about to tear into her, but stopped and watched with her.

"Hey! Grandpa Ryu!" Apis said to the dragon from the deck. "We're almost there! We're almost to Lost Island! And it's there, right? The dragons' nest? And if you go to the dragons' nest, you'll get better, right?!" She tilted her head. "What? You're so goofy, thanking me!" She grinned. "We're not even there yet!"

In the cabin, Zoro spotted a familiar, unwanted ship on the horizon. "They followed us, huh?"

Outside, Luffy was looking at a strange, shadowy apparition up ahead. "What's that? Smoke?" He glanced around for any clues as to what it could be, but came up to nothing. "Oh, well! We'll see when we get closer!"

"Looks like a shadow," Venus' eye squinted, then widened. "Or a ghost!"

"Urgh! That's not true!" Apis exclaimed. "I don't think you're troubling me at all! What's your problem?! Hey! Grandpa Ryu! Hey! Are you listening?!"

"It turned into an argument at some point," Nami observed.

"Pretending to sleep isn't fair!"

"It looks more like Apis is the only one who's angry, though," Usopp remarked.

"Hey, say something!"

"Do you think we should stop her?"

On the prow, Luffy was staring back at the strange apparition; now closer, it looked like... "A ship? But something's definitely not right about it." He reached out to it with one foot; on contact, it rippled like a wall of sea, until it became like a water mirror. "Awesome! Nami! Check it out!"

"I already am..." Nami and Usopp stared in shock, as did Venus on the deck. It was almost like a portal of some kind; the ship and the reflection were merging together.

"Look! Look at me!" Luffy started to goof off, and pulled himself further in, horrifying the three watching. Nami and Usopp's screams of terror caught Sanji, Zoro, and Apis' attention.

The Marines were watching in awe, as the ship completely disappeared. From their perspective, it seemed to vanish out of thin air. "The pirate ship!"

"This can't be real!"

"What the-?!"

"I-it vanished!"

"What's going on?!"

"Hey! What just happened?!" The Lt. Commander demanded an explanation. "Why did they disappear?!"

"I, I have no idea!"

"All ships, full stop!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Tell everyone to wait on standby until my next orders!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Continue moving forward," Eric commanded.

"You can't be serious! There's no telling what's in the waters ahead! It's too risky!"

"That again?" Eric walked to the front of the ship. "Then have them prepare a small craft."

"You're not seriously going to...!"

"That's right. I'm going on my own."

On the other side of the portal, the Straw Hats seemed to be caught in some fog from out of nowhere. "Huh? It's just fog." Zoro observes.

"I thought Nami was in big trouble again, or something," Sanji remarked.

"What in the world's going on?!" Nami exclaimed.

"What was that?" Usopp added. "Our own ship was right in front of us. And then we went right through it... right?"

Luffy tried to look for signs of an island, but the fog was too thick. "I can't see anything at all!"

"It was almost like... a mirage," Usopp remarked.

"A mirage? That's it!" Nami realized. "I read about this a long time ago! It said temperature differences between warm and cold ocean water can create mirages at sea!"

After a brief moment, the fog disappeared, and was replaced by rumbling thunder and pouring rain, to Nami's frustration. Reading her spell book through everything, Venus nonchalantly pulled her hood over her pigtailed head, and shielded her book the best she can. "Is this a mirage too?"

"Urgh! What's the deal with this sea?!" She ranted.

Just then, a wave sent the Merry rocking, almost throwing Luffy off the prow, and Venus off the deck, as she held her book tightly. Sanji and Apis had landed on Zoro, to his chagrin. "Dammit! What're you doing?!"

"Shut up! I can't help it, you damn bastard!" Venus landed in next. "Venus-chan!"

"I'm okay!"

"Sanji-kun! Zoro!" Nami called. "Let's raise the sails! Undo the ropes!"

"Yes, Nami-san!"

Zoro grabbed Apis' elbow, as he held Venus protectively with his free arm. "You stay in the cabin!"

She pulled him off. "No! I'm going to stay by Grandpa Ryu's side!" She began a sprint to the wagon.

"You idiot! There's nothing you can do by staying with him!"

"I'm sure he's feeling lonesome! I have to hurry to him! Hey!" The ship was tilted to the point where she started sliding down the way she came, and hit the wall.

"Just sit down, and shut up!" Zoro ordered.

As Usopp furled the sails, lightning struck nearby. "Hurry! We need to hurry back down, and get out of danger!"

Luffy calmly observed the storm, as Zoro forced Venus, entranced by the dark weather, into the cabin. "For some reason, it seems... like this sea's trying to push the ship back."

"Grandpa Ryu!" Apis called, and ran to the back. "Grandpa Ryu! Don't worry! This storm is no big deal at-!" A wave washed over, and loosened the ropes that kept the wagon tied to the ship. "No!" In a panic, she grabbed one of them tightly, bearing through the burns. When they stopped, she saw Zoro above her, keeping them in place. "Zoro!" Together, they pulled the rope to where the other one was, keeping the wagon secure. "Grandpa Ryu! No! What're you saying?! We will save you! Don't give up! We promised we'd go to your nest together!"

Luffy wrapped himself around the mast. "Gum-Gum... Lasso!" He stretched his arm out, and wrapped it around one of the wheels.

Sanji looked over, and something caught his eye through the downpour. "Nami-san! There's light over there!"

"That's the eye of the typhoon!"

"Hey!" Usopp called from the rope ladder. "I see an island below that light!"

"We're going to land there!" Nami decided.

Apis watched with worry, as the captain kept the wagon in tow with all his might. "Luffy!"

"Don't worry! Leave it to me! We're taking the dragons' nest, right?!"

"Yeah!"

After a few grueling minutes, they were out of the storm, and in a much calmer area. "Stormy seas surround the island..." Nami remarked, "It's almost like they're trying to keep people away from it. That must be why nobody's ever found it before, huh?"

"But it looks more like a castle that's sunk into the sea than an island," Usopp commented.

Venus opened the door with a raised eyebrow of irritation. "Can I come out now?" She snarked, closing the door and joining the crew. "I missed all the action."

They descended to the island, which on closer inspection, looked like ancient ruins with a tall mountain. "Whoa! Check it out! Doesn't that seem shaped like a dragon?!" Usopp pointed out. "This must be where the Millennial Dragon lives after all!"

"Wow! Dragons sure are skillful!" Luffy added.

"You idiot! It was obviously humans who made this building!" Sanji exclaimed. "Well, whatever."

"We made it to Lost Island!" Luffy cheered.

Sanji stood at the base of some concrete stairs. "But does anyone even live here anymore? The whole place has been swallowed up by Mother Nature."

Nami turned to Usopp. "Say, where do you suppose the dragons' nest is?"

"Hey!" Apis' urgent voice made them turn around. "Grandpa Ryu! I'm talking to you, Grandpa Ryu! Sheesh! We're at the dragons' nest island now! Come on, wake up!" Her expression turned from frustration to worry.

Luffy walked over, hands over his hat. "What did he say?"

"He says he's not sure... he says this might not be Lost Island."

"What?!"

"You can't be serious!" Sanji added after Zoro.

"We went all the way through that stormy sea just to get here!" Usopp ranted.

"Apis!" She turned to Luffy, who was pointing to the mountain. "Look at the top there! We could look down at the whole island from up there!"

"Good idea!" Venus beamed.

"Yeah!" Nami agreed. "Trying to figure things out here won't get us anywhere! Let's go have a look!"

"Okay!" Apis nodded.

"Alright!" Luffy cheered. "Let's go!"

The crew, er well, most of the crew, began pushing/pulling the wagon towards the mountain. Meanwhile, Nami simply walked ahead of them with Apis. "Stupid Nami makes the men do all the work," Usopp grumbled through his pushing. It's like "Try pushing it yourself!""

"Don't forget me," Venus smirked through pushing from the middle. For the brunt work, she tied her hoodie around her waist by the sleeves.

"R-right, much appreciated," He grinned sheepishly, but snapped back, "But still!"

"Agreed."

"Hey, you two! Less complaining, and more pushing!" She ordered.

"Don't start getting cocky, you!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Quit complaining, and push!" Sanji commanded. "Ah! Nami-san is so nice when she's snappy!"

"No she's not," Venus snarked.

When they reached a ledge, they all stared in awe ahead of them; remains of an ancient city. "It's a city..." Nami observed.

"Wow! Everything is broken everywhere!" Luffy commented. "Did people really used to live here?"

"Obviously, given all the houses," Zoro answered.

"Then why's there no one here now?" Usopp wondered aloud.

"Who knows. Maybe they found a better island to live on?" Sanji suggested.

As they towed the wagon, Apis lingered behind in the grass. She picked up a small knob with a carved etching of a dragon on it. "The Millennial Dragon's mark... did the Millennial Dragon play with children here on this island?" She stood up when a trio of green birds circled above her head. "Hey! Are you guys friends of the Millennial Dragon too?"

Nami turned to her, as Venus and the guys worked. "Come on, Apis. Don't get left behind!"

Apis ran up to her, now with one of the birds perched on her shoulder. "Guess what?! These birds told me something! They said there's a building on the summit with a dragon mark!"

"For real?!" Usopp asked through pushing.

"It might be the dragons' nest!"

Nami stayed behind when a strange whirlwind caught her attention. It seemed to come out of nowhere. "Nami!" Luffy called. "Hurry up!" Snapping out of it, she ran to rejoin the group. "Wait for me!"

After a long trek, they encountered a dome-shaped building on the top of the mountain. "Ready... go!" With one last tug and shove, the wagon was finally at the top of the stairs.

Usopp fell back on the concrete in exhaustion. "We finally made it... I can't go on."

Venus laid next to him. "M-me neither. My arms are numb."

The bird flew from Apis' shoulder, and out of everyone's sights. "Thanks for showing us the way!"

Sanji looked over the island, and at the stormy ring surrounding it. "We've sure come up a long ways."

"Good work, everyone!" Apis praised, as the chef rejoined them.

"Yep! Good work!" Nami added.

"Gee, thanks," Venus sneered.

The crew eyed the front of the building, bearing a dragon portrait on the front. "This painting is of the Millennial Dragon, right?"

"Yeah, it is," Luffy replied.

"This building is the dragons' nest?" Sanji questioned skeptically.

"This place?" Usopp looked from behind the wagon.

"Hold on! Where's the entrance?" Zoro asked around, as he now carried Venus on his back. "How do we get inside?"

"This is the door!" Luffy pointed to the painting.

"You're so stupid!" Nami scolded. "There's no handle or keyhole anywhere! How're you supposed to open it?!"

Apis, almost as if in a trance, walked over to the painting with a hold on her pendant. "H-hey!" Usopp ran over.

"Apis! That pendant..." Nami said, "You don't mean..."

"It's actually a key that opens the door to the dragons' nest?" Sanji guessed.

"Yeah," She nodded; she took the dragon tooth out of the loop, and attempted to reach the hole for it. "Huh?" She turned to everyone in defeat. "I can't reach..."

Luffy laughed heartily. "You're so little, Apis."

"So what?!" She exclaimed defensively, before he took the tooth.

"Alright! Leave it to me!" He walked over to the painting. "Huh?" Before he could do anything, the ground started to crumble under their feet. "Huh?!" Everyone screamed in terror, as they all, Ryu included, plunged down to the bottom.

"We're alive... right?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah, it seems that way," Zoro replied, "Say, what was that about it being a key just a minute ago?"

Apis chuckled nervously, before the tooth was held out in front of her. "Here!" Luffy handed it over.

"Well, in any case, we're inside now," Sanji said.

Apis gave a thumbs-up. "It worked out!"

Zoro stood on his feet, keeping the young witch on his back. "But... what is this place?"

"Yeah..." Luffy agreed. "What is it?"

Everyone turned their gazes to the chipped ceiling. It appeared to have paintings of dragons, and strange circles in the center. "What is this?" Apis stared in awe.

(A/N: It'll take a while to get used to, but hopefully this new schedule will work out for the good! You know the disclaimer.)