(A/N: Merry Christmas Eve! I present an update! Enjoy!)

Chapter 5: Showdown in the Ruins! Tense Zoro vs. Eric!

"Awesome! Nami! Check it out!"

"The pirate ship!"

"Hey! I see an island below that light!"

"We're going to land there!"

"Why've you not reported to me after finding the Millennial Dragon?! Our main forces will now head to Warship Island! All ships, move out!"

"Stupid Nami makes the men do all the work."

"Don't forget me."

"Hey, you two! Less complaining, and more pushing!"

"Don't start getting cocky, you!"

"Finally made it."

"We're alive... right?"

"Yeah, it seems that way."

"What's that?"

"What is this?"

"Wow! What a huge picture!" Luffy commented "What's it of?"

"It looks like some sort of map," Usopp groaned, still sore from the fall, "Oww."

"But it's too worn out to make any sense of," Sanji pointed out, "But what is this place, anyways?! Wasn't this supposed to be the dragons' nest?"

"Dunno. Well, Apis?" Luffy asked her.

"I don't know. Grandpa Ryu says he doesn't know what this place is either."

"Man!" Usopp grumbled. "He's always just a useless old guy!"

"Usopp!" Venus scolded.

"He's what?!"

"But it's the truth!"

"Then how exactly are you being useful?!"

"Me?!"

Through the argument, Luffy found a large piece of rubble. "Hey, guys! Look at this! The ceiling picture's fallen down!" Sure enough, it was part of a huge portrait of what appeared to be a stylized dragon.

"Yikes!" Usopp's eyes widened.

"It's huge!" Apis said.

"Whoa, talk about dangerous!" They ran over for a closer look. "This whole building's ready to fall apart! If we dilly-dally around here, we'll be in danger too! Let's get the heck outta this place!"

"But this might be the dragons' nest!" Apis angrily protested.

"I don't see any dragons around here, do you?!" He argued.

"Hold on a second!" Nami finally caught their attention after quietly looking over the paintings.

"What is it, Nami-san?"

"This might not be Lost Island," She replied.

Usopp turned to Apis, hands on his hips. "See!"

"You don't even know the reason why!" She yelled angrily. "Quit making stuff up!"

Venus hopped off of Zoro's back, strolled over in annoyance, and stood authoritatively between the quarrelers. "That's enough!"

"How can you tell that, Nami?" Luffy asked.

"Look up."

"Up?" Luffy did as told. "At the ceiling picture?"

"Look closely. It's a map that marks the location of Lost Island. That island with a dome-shaped building on it... that's this island. That dome is this building."

"It does look just like it," Sanji agreed.

"And the people around the island are the people who once lived here," Nami continued, "I'd wager they're probably Apis' ancestors."

She stared in awe. "Our ancestors?"

"Say, do you remember what old man Bokuden told us?" Nami asked the captain.

"Nope! I was asleep!"

"Come on, now! He said the people of Warship Island had traveled there from another island."

"He did?" Luffy cocked his head.

"Come to think of it, he did say something like that," Usopp recalled, "Then does that mean the dynasty he kept blabbing on about was on this island?"

"Probably," Nami answered, "So what had me wondering were all the dragon statues and paintings on the way here. I think they might've been used by the people living on this island to worship the Millennial Dragon as a God. I bet the Millennial Dragon used to fly over this island long ago."

"I see!" Usopp said. "That would lower the chance of the dragons' nest being on this island."

"But...!" Apis turned to Nami. "If so, then where's the real one?!"

"Wouldn't it be that island with the dragon drawn on it?" Zoro pointed out.

"That's right!" The navigator replied. "There's an island ahead of where this island's people are praying. That's the real Lost Island! The dragons' nest must be there too! But..."

Apis had a realization. "Wait a minute! That island is shaped like...!"

"Yeah. Assuming the map is correct, the dragons' nest is on Warship Island," Nami concluded.

"But I thought there were no places on Warship Island that fit the bill?!" Usopp fussed.

"But that's what the map says!" Nami insisted. "Or are you saying the people long ago drew random nonsense?!"

"Yeah, you guys!" Sanji joined in. "Nami-san'd never say anything that's wrong! This means it's somewhere on that island! We'll figure it out if we go check it out!"

"But... it could also have sunk to the bottom of the ocean," Nami guessed, "No, that's actually much more likely. That would explain why nobody's ever found it yet."

"Apis?" Usopp saw her running to Ryu, who's still on the wagon.

"Grandpa Ryu! Think back, Grandpa Ryu! Where is the dragons' nest?! We thought it was this place, but there's nothing here! There's only a painting, Grandpa Ryu! Does the painting bring back any memories?! Our only hope now is that you remember something, Grandpa Ryu! Come on! Please! Remember, Grandpa Ryu!" As the dragon stared up at the ceiling, a flock of five birds flew inside over the painting. From the crew's perspective, it seemed like a memory was coming back to him. "Grandpa Ryu!"

"Alright! So the dragons' nest really is on Warship Island, then?!" Luffy asked.

"Eh?!" Apis turned to him in surprise. "How did you know what he said, Luffy?!"

"I just did!"

"You're right. Grandpa Ryu said he remembered! He says the dragons' nest is on an island east of a peak that looks like a warship."

"Man! Why does he say that only after went through all hardship to get here?!" Usopp griped.

"I'm sorry..." Apis said sadly. "I'm sorry for dragging you all the way out here for something that might've already sunk into the ocean. It was all for nothing."

"Not necessarily!" Usopp's uplifting words made her perk up. "Who knows, the dragons' nest could be somewhere unexpected! And there's no telling for sure without checking it out, right?!"

"That's right!" Nami agreed. "Being discouraged this easily isn't like you, Apis!"

"You'll never get anything done if you're afraid of failure," Sanji advised.

"Giving up is worse than trying and falling short," Venus said sagely.

"There's nothing wrong with living a roundabout life," Zoro added.

"Everyone," Apis breathed in awe.

"So, let's go!" Luffy cheered. "Grandpa Ryu won't get any better if we just stay here! Right?!"

"Yeah!" Apis nodded. "Thank you!"

When he heard footsteps approaching, Zoro readied one of his swords. "Is something wrong, Zoro?!" Nami asked.

"Someone's here." Luffy, Usopp, and Venus ran to Ryu and Apis. "With bloodlust."

It was Eric. And he had heard everything. "Thanks for the explanation. Now I know where to find Dragonite and the dragons' nest."

"You again?!" Luffy exclaimed.

"But there's no point if it's at the bottom of the ocean. So it would seem my only option is to take your Millennial Dragon."

"No!" Apis protested angrily. "Besides, we don't know if their nest is on the ocean bottom or not!"

"He said he had Sickle Sickle Fruit powers, if I recall," Sanji remembered, "That's one nasty guy we got here."

"Sickle Sickle Fruit?!" Usopp exclaimed. "He has Devil Fruit powers?!" Zoro walked closer to their enemy. "Hey..."

"Luffy. You go on ahead, and take Grandpa Ryu to the ship!" He ordered, and gave him a confident smirk. "I'll catch up with you later."

"Got it!"

"W-w-whoa now!" Usopp stammered. "The ship?! We don't even know where the exit here is!"

"Then we can just... make one!" Luffy started a mad dash towards the opposite wall.

"You're not seriously gonna-!"

He charged for the wall, but he practically bounced off, not leaving even a dent. "Huh? I thought that would burst open, but..."

"Oh, geez..." Everyone groaned.

But a minute later, the wall next to him crumbled into a hole big enough for the wagon. "It's open! It's open!" Luffy exclaimed. "It worked out! It worked out! Let's go, Apis!"

Sanji, Usopp, and Venus stared incredulously. "He's less than a caveman," Sanji snarked.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Eric leaped down.

As the battle commenced, Luffy took the time to gape at the painting once again. "Dammit, Luffy! Get going already!" Zoro yelled.

"Oh! My bad!" Pulling the wagon, Luffy soared outside, sliding down a thick tree branch like a rollercoaster track, as the passengers held onto Ryu by his feathers.

Usopp noticed Venus laughing hysterically through the ride. "How're you laughing?! This is terrifying!"

"I think it's fun!" She laughed. "And his feathers tickle!"

"So fast! So fast!" Luffy was now sitting on Ryu's snout, holding his hat.

"W-we always make it out alive, don't we?!" Usopp exclaimed fearfully.

"It's not for certain that we'll live through this!" Nami fussed. "That idiot!"

"This makes going back a cinch!" Luffy beamed.

"I'm pretty confident that right now, we're the fastest moving things in this world!" Usopp said.

"What kind of thing is that to brag about?!" Sanji scolded.

"Luffy! Do something!" Nami ordered. "We're gonna wind up in pieces before we get to the ship!"

"It's okay! It's okay!" Luffy assured.

"How are we okay?!"

"Just enjoy the ride, Nami!" Venus exclaimed. "This is awesome!"

"No it's not!"

"Hey! Will Zoro really be alright?!" Apis questioned concernedly.

"Yeah! He'll be fine!"

"Definitely!" Venus agreed. "He's one of the strongest guys we know!"

"But he's up against a guy with Devil Fruit powers! He doesn't stand a chance, no matter how strong he is!"

"He'll still be alright!" Luffy insisted.

Apis was silent, before noticing a low gate coming up fast. "Luffy! Ahead! Ahead!"

"Crap!" Venus' eye widened, before she ducked down.

"This isn't good."

"Don't give us that!" Apis glared at the captain. "Do something!" Miraculously, it's just big enough for them to roll through unharmed, and were quickly back outside.

From the building after escaping Zoro, Eric noticed the cloud of dirt down below. "Over there, eh?" He smirked.

But just then, Zoro jumped down in his path. "Sorry. I can't let you pass here."

Eric tensed up, before he grinned. "Whatever. It's up to me whether I pass or not! Out of the way!"

With a cloud of dust obscuring his vision, Zoro barely dodged a sickle attack. He jumped down, dodged two more, and saw him run away. "Damn! That nimble bastard!" He began chasing him down, quickly catching up, but Eric cut down a large tree branch to block his path. He managed to get ahead again, but when he leaped down, he was tripped by something thrown at his feet. After a clumsy fall, he realized it was a piece of a tree branch. Before he could stand up, a sword was pointed to his face. "I told you I'm not letting you pass. Just stay right here!" Eric glared in fury.

"Luffy! There's another dead-end!" Apis pointed out.

"Wanna bust it down?"

"No!" Nami yelled. "I'm pretty sure that up ahead is the cliff we followed on our way up! If we do that, we'll fall over it head-first, and then we're goners!"

"Think we can fly?" Luffy suggested.

"No!" Apis glared. After hitting a bump, the wagon began to swerve. Zoro saw the cloud of dust, and hoped Eric wouldn't notice, but unfortunately, he did. While he was distracted, Eric took the opportunity to throw dirt in Zoro's eyes.

After hitting the dead end, the wagon rolled backwards down the track.

"I told you not to get in my way!" Eric glared, as Zoro recovered. "Now die like a good little boy!"

Luck was on the crew's side, as the wagon made it to the harbor, where the Merry was waiting. "It looks like we somehow managed to make it," Nami fearfully said.

"Man, we seriously have incredible luck, or something," Usopp remarked. On cue, the wagon skidded to a quick stop, sending everyone sans Apis, Luffy, and Ryu in the water.

"Alright! We made it, right?" Luffy peeked behind Ryu's back, and saw the disgruntled four in the ocean. "Get ready to set sail! Let's go!"

"No more, please," Nami whined.

"Damn bastard," Sanji glared.

"You're totally... gonna pay!" Usopp gurgled.

"Can't... be in... sea water," Venus began to waver.

On Ryu's back, a bird landed in front of Apis to give her a message. "Luffy!" He looked up at her. "He says... he says Zoro's in trouble! What do we do?! We gotta help him!"

"Zoro!" Luffy screamed out from the ship, before he stretched his arm to grab him by the shoulder. "Bingo!"

"Awesome!" Apis watched with binoculars.

"No, not this pattern..." Zoro muttered with terror.

"Here we go!" He pulled back.

"I told you to stop doing this!" Zoro suffered a hard landing.

"Oh. My bad."

'I swear, someday I will chop this guy up!' He vowed to himself.

"Damn!" Eric glared. "I refuse to let you escape me!"

As the Marines watched, the Merry went back through the portal, prow first, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "We're out! We're out!" Luffy cheered.

"That's definitely weird..."

"What?! They did?!"

"Yes, sir! They're on their way to Warship Island again, with the Millennial Dragon in tow!"

"Then make chase the moment we're ready! On the double!"

"Y-yes, sir! A-and one other thing, Lt. Commander! While in pursuit of them, Eric-sama also reappeared, and has just returned to ship!" As this was reported, Eric climbed over the side.

"What a bunch of useless clods. We should just sink the lot of 'em," The Lt. Commander grumbled to himself.

"Sir?"

"Nothing! Thank you for the report!" He walked over to the mercenary. "I'm glad to see you've returned to the ship unharmed. Did you get the Dragonite?"

Eric tensed, and glared. "If you have time for sarcastic remarks, then go after them already!"

At the Merry, five Marine boats were approaching them. "Look at 'em come!" Usopp exclaimed. "Look at 'em come! They'll never catch up with us!"

"The Going Merry is faster, and more agile than bulky Marine warships," Nami lectured, "But what are we going to do when we get to Warship Island?!"

"We'll be okay!" Luffy assured from sitting on the prow.

"How will we be okay?!"

"We just need to find the dragons' nest first, so Grandpa Ryu can get better, right?!"

"Easier said than done!" Sanji pointed out. "Their nest could be at the bottom of the ocean!"

"We just need to search the bottom of the ocean, then!"

"That's big talk for someone who can't swim," Zoro snarked.

"Anyways, we need to get back as fast as we can!" Nami ordered. "We don't have time to be messing with the Marines!"

Sanji's eyes briefly widened. "Nami-san, it doesn't look like that's going to be an option."

Everyone watched in terror, as the huge ship approached them. Venus raised an eyebrow, "I don't remember Marine ships having that weird prow."

"Wow! Cool!" Luffy gushed. "It's like a gargoyle!"

"Hey, now!" Zoro scolded.

It was the ship ridden by Nelson Royal. "The small fries have leapt forth... now is the time! Open to the left and right! Crane Wing Formation!" On his command, a dozen Marine ships drifted from each side of the dominant one.

"That's a lot of Marines," Venus' eye widened.

"Is this for real?!" Sanji exclaimed.

"Just how many ships do the damn Marines have?!" Zoro asked rhetorically.

"Listen, now!" Nelson began another order. "Connect all ships by chain links to create a complete wall that won't allow even a single small fry to escape!" As told, the ships were all connected together by chains, barricading every side.

"What now?!" Apis fretted, as Usopp grinned confidently. "They have us blocked off!"

"Jump onto a ship, kick the guys off, and cut the links!" He replied. "That's the only choice, obviously!"

"Wow! You can do that, Usopp?!"

He was quiet at the idea for a moment. "Go! Luffy! Zoro! Sanji!"

"I thought as much," She deadpanned.

Zoro readied one of his swords. "Doesn't sound too bad to me, though!"

"Eh?! But, are you serious?!" She gaped. "There's no way you could survive if you tried that!"

She was cut off by Nami's hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Apis. Things'll work out. But make it quick, guys!"

"You can count on me, Nami-san!" Sanji grinned confidently.

"Alright! Let's go!" Luffy pumped his fist up.

"I'm going too!" Venus announced.

"All ships, take aim!" Nelson commanded. "The target is the pirate ship! But do not hit the raft behind the ship! It must not be damaged in even the slightest!"

Cannons were fired around the Merry, though never struck her. "Stop the ships," Eric ordered.

The Lt. Commander looked at him for a moment. "All ships, full stop!"

'Nelson Royal,' Eric thought, 'I had you pegged as a fatty who can do nothing but eat, but when you're on the sea, it's as if you've been reborn. A mere commodore, but a commodore nonetheless, huh?'

"This feels great!" Luffy cheered through sailing closer to one of the ships. "Alright! Let's go!"

(A/N: There's the update! Hope you all have/had a happy holiday! You know the disclaimer.)