(A/N: A new arc begins! I had decided to include filler arcs in my "Magical Straw Hat" series, because they have great moments. Enjoy!)
Chapter 1: Precursor To A New Adventure! Apis, A Mysterious Girl
"It's a guiding light. The entrance to the Grand Line lies ahead of that light."
"The Grand Line is ahead of that light..."
"In order to find the All Blue!"
"In order to be King of the Pirates!"
"In order to become a master swordsman!"
"In order to draw a world map!"
"I-in order... to become a brave warrior of the sea!"
"In order... to become the greatest witch I can be!"
"We're going... to the Grand Line!"
"Nami!" Luffy called out. "Aren't we in the Grand Line yet?"
"We just left Loguetown two days ago. It'll take a few more days. Wait a little longer."
Luffy was quiet for a moment, then beamed brightly. "Okay!"
"Two days," Venus breathed in awe, and shook her head with a small smile, "Feels like so much longer." Not only had it been two days since they left Loguetown, it had been two days since the young witch left the home she knew for years, and became a Straw Hat. On the deck, everyone was doing their own thing; Zoro was asleep, Luffy sat on the prow, and she, Sanji, and Nami enjoyed the refreshing ocean breeze.
"What nice weather!" Sanji commented. "That storm seems like a dream."
Up on the crow's nest, Usopp was searching the ocean with a telescope, when he saw something he couldn't make out. "Hm...? What the heck is that?" He had a closer look. "Hey! I see a flock of birds to starboard!"
"A flock of birds?" Luffy asked from his seat on the Going Merry's prow, resembling the head of a ram.
"Yeah. I also see something kind of big on the water. I can't see it well; I wonder what it is."
"Maybe a fish?" Luffy suggested.
"A small boat?" Usopp used one side of his new goggles in place of the telescope. "It could be a big fish too, but..."
"I often hear that seabirds flock above fish," Sanji chimed in.
"Fish?!" The captain was now excited.
"I could use some fish," Venus remarked.
"Luffy! Let's have them for lunch," The cook suggested.
"Alrighty! Gum-Gum... Grab!" Luffy reached out with a rubber arm to the sea.
"Whoa! Now that's a stretch!" Usopp praised.
"His body sure is convenient," Sanji said.
"I caught it!" Luffy grabbed something that felt like a medium-sized fish, and began retracting his limb. "It's pretty big!"
"Nice, Luffy!" Nami exclaimed.
Sanji noticed that his arm, not his hand, was closing in. Fast. "H-hold on a second... what're you gonna do now? Venus-chan, get down!" Just as Luffy's arm closed in, he pinned her to the deck; Zoro, on the other hand, was sent flying to the ocean, even staying in the same relaxed position, but now with an angry face.
Venus stood up, and watched him disappear from the view, then turned to Luffy with a stoic face. "Welp, you killed Zoro," She deadpanned.
The captain's arm snapped back. "Oh... sorry, Zoro."
"Dumbass!" Sanji yelled angrily.
"I'm gonna... cut him down... someday," A furious Zoro grumbled to himself, as he was hauled up with a rope around his waist.
"Come on, big guy," Venus helped him up alongside Luffy, as Usopp, Nami, and Sanji gathered around the catch.
"Hey, look," Sanji said, "That's no fish."
"It's a girl!" Nami observed. In the middle of the circle was a little girl in a mustard yellow dress, and a white hat, with a blonde braid.
Luffy joined the circle once Zoro was on deck, as she untied the rope. "Oh? Is she a fishperson? Where's her web?"
"You idiot," Usopp glared, "Just how does she look like a fishperson?"
"Why was a little girl in a small boat like that?" Nami wondered aloud.
The crew laid the girl down in their makeshift infirmary in the kitchen, and waited for her to wake up. She came to at the smell of soup brewing, and shot up in surprise, colliding hard with Usopp's chin. "Ouch!" She held her sore forehead.
"So you've come to?" Nami checked in, "Seems you're doing better than I expected. Does it hurt anywhere?"
"You must be hungry," Sanji guess, "I'm cooking soup right now."
"Lucky!" She grinned to herself.
"Were you in a shipwreck or something?" Nami asked. "You could've been in big trouble. What's your name?"
The girl glared. "When you ask someone questions, you should give your name first."
The navigator chuckled, and winked. "Good point. My name is Nami. The one who's cooking soup in the kitchen is Sanji."
"Hi!" He grinned.
"The one with a scary face wearing a bellyband is Zoro," Nami continued."
"Shut up," He grumbled, trying to resume his nap interrupted earlier on.
"The one who's unconscious over there is Usopp. The one with the pigtails and hoodie is Venus."
"Charmed," The young witch said simply.
"I'm Luffy," He finished, "I'm captain of this pirate ship."
'What?!' The girl gasped in terror. 'Pirates?!'
"We're heading to the Grand Line," Luffy said, clueless to her fear.
There was complete silence for a few seconds, until Nami spoke up. "What's wrong?"
"She isn't moving," Luffy remarked.
"What're we gonna do with this kid?" Zoro asked.
"Ahhh, well, what should we do?" Luffy wondered. "Let's think about it tomorrow."
That night, the crew had turned in after wishing their guest a good night's rest. Everyone's peaceful sleep was suddenly interrupted by a scream of terror; at least, almost everyone's. Nami had fallen from her hammock from the scare, and turned to Venus; to her shock, the other girl was still deeply asleep, as if nothing happened. Her arms stayed crossed over her chest like a corpse, and she barely moved. 'How did she sleep through that?!' She thought, before going with the guys to investigate. Even though they learned on the first day that she was a terribly heavy sleeper, they still were not accustomed to it.
"I'll go in first." Sanji took charge, and entered the kitchen.
"Where's Venus?" Usopp whispered.
"Still asleep," Nami replied quietly.
"She sleeps like the dead, remember?" Zoro reminded.
"Oh yeah, I forgot," He grinned sheepishly.
"That girl wouldn't wake up for a volcano erupting," The swordsman remarked.
Sanji turned the light on, and saw the spring mousetrap he had set up had worked. "You again? You never learn no matter how many times I tell you, Luffy." The goofy captain was caught in the trap, the bar on his back, as he struggled to crawl out. "Can't you get it through your thick skull?" He then noticed the girl close by. "Hm? What're you doing?" She chuckled nervously, unable to answer.
"Yum!" Luffy happily chowed down on a slab of steak. The girl sat across from him, stubbornly refusing to eat.
"If you ask, I'll make something for you," Sanji reminded him, "So, like I told you, don't take food without asking."
"But I'm hungry."
Her stomach growled again. "What's wrong?" Sanji asked. "Aren't you eating?" She turned away. "You didn't eat this afternoon, either. Why're you holding back?" She stayed quiet. "I'm telling ya, it's not poisoned or anything," He assured, but she shook her head, "If you just sit there like that, he'll finish everything." That got her attention.
"If you're not eating, I'll eat it!" Luffy went to swipe her bowl of soup, but she snatched it.
"No!"
"Huh?"
She gobbled it down, and perked up. "Yum!"
"Of course!" Luffy beamed. "Sanji's the cook I picked!"
"I've never eaten anything this good!" She gushed.
"You're finally smiling," Nami commented from the door, as Usopp and Zoro peered in.
"Oh, Nami-san!" Sanji exclaimed. "Where's Venus-chan?"
"Still asleep. You're eating again, Luffy?!" She scolded.
"I didn't eat that much for lunch."
"You emptied two pots, didn't you?" Usopp reminded.
"I did?" He tried to think back.
Nami walked over to her. "You got scared when you heard we're pirates, didn't you?"
"W-well..."
"Well, that's a natural reaction towards pirates these days."
"You're not gonna sell me off?"
"No way!" Usopp frowned.
"You're all evil-looking, so..." Zoro smirked.
"You've got a right to talk with that face?" Usopp stretched his cheek.
"What're you doing?!" A brawl began between them, as Luffy laughed.
"Ahh! That's enough!" Nami ordered.
The girl joined in, before Sanji came over. "We have more, madamoiselle."
"At least, this ship isn't the kind of pirate ship you're thinking of," Nami assured, "Don't worry."
Her smile grew back at that. "Another plate, please!"
"As you wish."
"Me too!"
"Do it yourself!"
"You meanie..."
Later, Luffy and Zoro hauled up the anchor, while Nami pulled down the sail. Sanji was walking to the crow's nest to begin lookout, when the ship began quaking. "Wo-oah!" Usopp stumbled over.
"Huh?" Luffy hummed in confusion.
Nami was about to change out of her blue top when the shaking began. "Wh-what happened?"
To everyone's surprise, the girl stumbled deliriously out of the smoking kitchen. "Hey! What'd you just do?" Sanji asked.
"I was preparing a meal!"
"What?"
"Everyone! Breakfast is ready!" She announced.
"Oh, breakfast?!" Luffy perked up.
"What breakfast explodes?" Zoro wondered aloud.
Venus came out of hers and Nami's sleeping quarters, and stretched her arms with a yawn. "What's cookin'?"
On their plates was... unrecognizable black, charred lumps. Nami chuckled nervously when everyone was silent, as the girl beamed with pride next to a reluctant Sanji, bandages on her face. "You made this?"
"Yep!"
"It has quite... a unique appearance," Usopp commented.
"Thanks! I'm digging in!" Luffy exclaimed.
"In addition to rescuing me, you're feeding me too." Sanji's pots, pans, and utensils were dirty, rusted and battered, as if they were used in combat. "I'll do anything to help you from now on!
"Uh... uhm," Nami grinned hesitantly, as Zoro was cringing, "That'll be helpful... thank you."
"Is this really edible?" Zoro griped.
An irritated Nami stomped on his foot, making him yell in pain, and shoveled his "food" in his open mouth. "Stop grumbling, and just eat it!" She shoved his jaws shut.
"But seriously, is it really safe to eat?" Usopp wondered aloud.
"Only one way to find out," Venus shrugged nonchalantly.
Luffy, on the other hand, was eating it like Sanji made it. "Really? This is good." The girl smiled with joy.
"That's right," Sanji added, "It's possible that just the appearance is bad." He and Nami each tried a bite.
"Really?" Usopp had one next, alongside Venus.
On cue, they all wailed at the terrible taste, and started chugging down some water to wash it down. "W-was it that bad?" The discouraged girl stammered, and had a bite herself. "Whoa! That's spicy!" She shrieked, as Sanji attempted to keep his composure. "What is this?! I put in the wrong seasoning!"
Sanji chuckled. "Well, that's a common mistake. You'll be fine if you are careful next time." He then turned to the others, who still had occupied plates. "Hey, she took the trouble to prepare it for us. Eat every crumb!" Zoro and Usopp groaned in disgust. "Shut up! Don't waste this girl's kindness. This girl's... oh, what's your name, by the way?"
"Apis!" She grinned. "My name is Apis!"
He turned back to the table. "Apis-chan put her heart into this food! Plus, I won't allow anyone to waste food!" He turned to the older girls, glancing between them. "I'll cook something for you two later," He whispered.
"Thanks."
"Thank you."
"I'm sorry," Apis frowned sadly, "I'm not good at cooking... but I wanted to be helpful!"
"Don't worry about it," Nami assured, "We really appreciate the thought."
"Leave the cooking to me," Sanji added, "There're many other things that you could help out with."
"Okay!"
"Really? This is good," Luffy repeated.
"You..." Everyone grumbled at him.
"I wanna eat BBQ next. I haven't had it in a while."
"Say, why were you drifting on the sea, Apis?" Nami asked, as Sanji washed the dishes.
"I escaped from a Marine ship..."
"A Marine ship?" Usopp repeated in awe.
"During the stormy night three days ago."
"In that small boat in such a storm..." Nami remarked.
"And for three days," Venus added, "You're reckless, kid."
"So what'd you do in the first place?" Zoro questioned.
"What?"
"You had to escape, which means you weren't on their ship as a guest, right?" He clarified. "But then the Marines wouldn't go after every little villain."
"W-well... uhm..."
"What? Are you a super villain?" Luffy asked.
"No!" Apis snapped. "There's no way I'd do bad things! I never did bad things... but I can't tell you why."
"What's that about...?" Usopp asked.
"What's the big deal," Sanji cut in, "She must have her reasons." He dried his hands after finishing the dishes. "If she doesn't want to say, then we shouldn't press her."
"That's true," Nami agreed, "But can you at least tell us where you're from?"
"What? Oh, yes... I'm from Warship Island."
"Warship Island?" Nami repeated.
"Do you know about it?" Usopp asked her.
"No. I'll check it out."
"Why is it called Warship Island?" Luffy asked Apis.
"It's because the shape of the island looks exactly like a warship."
"No kidding?" Venus raised her eyebrows in genuine surprise.
"Oh, that's interesting," Luffy commented.
"Ahh! This is the one!" Nami pointed to a small island on her map for everyone to see.
"Oh, it's close to the Grand Line," Usopp observed.
"We're around here right now," Nami moved her finger a short distance closer to the Red Line, "So it's not far. What do you wanna do?"
"What?"
"Do you wanna go back to Warship Island? If we keep sailing like this, we are going to enter the Grand Line."
Apis was quiet for a moment. "You were nice enough to save me, and I feel bad burdening you further... but I want to go back to the island! I'm sorry. I'm selfish, aren't I? If you hand me to a ship heading west on your way if possible, I'll work things out on your own."
"Oh my, that's a real burden!" Nami said. "There's no way that a pirate ship can get close to another ship so easily."
"What're you doing?" Venus narrowed her eye.
"Yeah, you're right," Apis hung her head down.
Nami then spoke up again. "But since it's not totally out of our way, and we're not really in a hurry... oh, what the heck."
"What?!"
"It doesn't matter either way to me. What should we do, Captain?"
"Yeah, that sounds fine," Luffy grinned.
"The Grand Line isn't that far either, so..." Usopp added.
"I see. The island looks like a warship, huh?" Luffy confirmed.
"Should be interesting," Venus remarked.
"Sounds like they've decided," Sanji announced.
"Really?!" Apis jumped to her feet with excitement. "Are you really going to stop by Warship Island for me?!"
"Yeah," Luffy replied.
"All right! Thank you, Luffy!" She jumped up and down with joy, and started rambling, as everyone smiled. Even Zoro and Venus. "All right! All right! I'm so happy! Thank you very much! Thank you! Thank you very much, everyone! To show my appreciation, I'll prepare lots of dishes every day!"
"No, that won't be necessary," Everyone, except the captain, kindly declined.
"Why not?"
Meanwhile, seven Marine boats sailed together, in search of Apis. On board one of them, the lieutenant commander marched outside. "Reporting! Ship sighted ahead at 13 o'clock! It's a mid-size caravel. I see a flag with a skull mark on the main mast!"
"Pirates, huh? They don't know their own station, sailing around in the seas under Commodore Nelson's control. I'm sure they're just small fries. Just leave them alone!" He commanded.
"No. That flag doesn't belong to small fries." The mercenary came out on the deck. "If I remember correctly, that belongs to Straw Hat Luffy, a man with a 30 billion Berry bounty on his head."
One of the Marines perked up. "Oh, the ones people have been talking about lately?"
"We still can't find the girl even with this big fleet," The mercenary paced, "It's possible that someone has her. Not to mention, pirates of that caliber isn't going to be a problem if you leave them by, Lt. Commander?" The man had purple hair slicked up like a hook, thin black shades, and wore a grey suit with a purple shirt. "Capture that ship!"
Nami walked outside, and sensed something was amiss. 'I wonder what that feeling is...'
"Hey!" Usopp called from the crow's nest. "I see ships approaching from the rear!"
"What?"
"Ugh! Oh man...! They're Marine ships!"
"Marine?!"
"And it's not just one or two ships, either!"
Nami ran to the side of the ship, and saw them in the distance. "He's right! But what's a fleet like that doing here?"
"What?" Luffy ran outside with Apis. "What? What's going on?" Apis gasped in horror at the ships. "Are they after my head?"
"That's a lot even for that!" Nami said.
"It means that they need that many to capture me, right? I'm amazing, right?" Luffy, ever the optimist, guessed enthusiastically.
"How can you be so easygoing?!"
"They've gotta be after Apis," Venus pointed out.
Sanji noticed her backing away. "Hm...? What's wrong?"
"Those ships belong to Branch 8! I escaped from them! What am I gonna do?"
A Marine looked over the Going Merry with a telescope. "Hm...? There! I found her! I see the girl on their deck!"
"What?!"
"It was just as I said, wasn't it, Lt. Commander?" He cringed at the mercenary's words. "Did I hurt your pride? But if you make a mistake, and lose that girl... the clue to the elixir of immortality, the Dragonite... I wonder how furious Commodore Nelson would get."
The commander glared, then began his orders. "Prepare the main cannons! We'll capture that pirate ship!"
Three cannons were fired. "Ugh! They're firing at us!" Usopp screamed in fear from the rope ladder. The ship quaked, shaking everyone up, but was ultimately unharmed. The cannons only shot in the waters close by.
"Attention, pirate ship! Stop the ship immediately! Those were warning shots; the next shots will hit your ship!"
Usopp clung to the side of the deck. "There's no way we'd stop!" He bravely declared.
"What're we gonna do, Luffy?" Zoro asked the captain, as Sanji held onto a scared Apis. "If you wanna take 'em on, I'm with you."
"Yeah," He agreed, "Why don't we?"
"Ahhh!" Usopp ran over. "W-wait a sec! Why are you guys always like this?! What the heck are you gonna do against that fleet?!" Sanji quietly began escorting Apis to the downstairs cabin through the rant.
"We'll make a raid on them," Zoro answered.
"A raid isn't gonna work!"
"We'll make it work," Luffy said.
"You can't!"
"We're not saying you have to come," Zoro pointed out, "Back us up with the cannon."
"What? So I'm staying on this ship? Okay, leave it to me! And we'll get clear of them at full speed! You take care of the rest."
Sanji noticed Apis staring intently at one of the seagulls perched on the upper deck. "Hey Apis, what's the matter?"
"He said a wind is coming." That caught Nami's attention. "A strong wind is..."
Nami gasped, and took charge. "Zoro! Lean the sail towards the south!" She commanded. "Usopp, Venus, and Sanji-kun, right rudder full! Hurry up!"
"O-okay."
"Aye-aye."
"Yes, Nami-san!"
"What's going on?" Luffy asked.
"A gust is coming. We'll ride it, and get out of here."
"Zoro, that's north!" Venus shouted. "Lean it in the opposite direction!"
"If we fight them head on, we'll lose no matter how good we are."
"We can take them, though..." Luffy pouted.
Nami turned, and looked down at Apis. 'This girl...'
"Their ship shows no signs of stopping," A Marine reported.
"They're mocking us!" The commander glared.
Just then, a huge gust of wind blew through the area, just as predicted. 'Here goes!' Nami glared in determination. The Going Merry sailed away with it at a rapid speed, escaping their adversaries.
"Ahh!" A Marine's eyes widened. "The pirate ship sped up, and changed route!"
"What?!"
"They're heading south!"
"South?! How foolish! Do they know what's in that direction?!"
"What're you doing, Lt. Commander?!" The mercenary demanded. "Go after them! Now!"
"Whoa! This is fast!" Luffy exclaimed, holding his hat. "This is a good wind!"
"Woohoo!" Venus cheered, now riding on the prow. "This is awesome!"
"Look at that, Luffy! The Marines are falling behind!" Usopp pointed out.
"Whoa!" Luffy turned, and saw he was right.
"Ha! You guys're slow turtles!" The sniper mocked.
The commander and mercenary watched in anger. "No good! We can't catch up!"
"A Marine fleet falling behind such a small ship?" The mercenary criticized. "Dimwit."
"A smaller ship has better mobility!" A Marine pointed out.
"I don't wanna hear excuses!"
"Lt. Commander, this ship will soon..." He was silent. "Lt. Commander..."
"I know!" He snapped. "Stop all the ships! Prepare to turn around!"
"Wait, Lt. Commander!" The mercenary stepped up. "Why are you stopping the ships?"
"If we keep going, we'll go into the Calm Belt!"
"So what? Go after them!"
"No!"
"You really don't appreciate the seriousness of this matter, do you?" He interrogated. "We can't lose that girl now. What're you going to say to Commodore Nelson?!"
"I'm prepared to take the punishment. I can't just sit by, and let this fleet and my subordinates be swallowed by the sea! No matter what you say, the chase ends here!"
"How... foolish..."
Usopp laughed in victory when the ships disappeared. "The Marines aren't following us! Did Captain Usopp scare the pants off them?"
"Amazing! Amazing!" Luffy rambled. "Just as you'd expect from our navigator!"
"Well done, Nami-san," Sanji swooned, "To think you detected such a wind beforehand."
"Well, it was like an instinct, though," Nami said modestly.
"Oh, Nami-san is lovely when she's humble too."
"Well then, shall we head straight to Warship Island?" Luffy suggested.
"Really?!" Apis beamed.
"Yeah, really."
"Okay then!" Usopp exclaimed. "To Warship Island, let's... go!"
Through the excitement, Zoro was silently observing the area. Something felt... off. Why weren't the flags moving? Or the sails? "What's wrong, Zoro?" Nami asked. "You've had a serious look on your face for a while." Venus looked back from the prow.
"Well, I hope it's just my imagination."
"What is?"
"I feel like this ship hasn't been moving at all for a while."
"Y'know what, you're right," Venus agreed, "There's no breeze whatsoever."
There was a long pause between them. "What?" Nami noticed the sail at a complete standstill. "Come to think of it, the sail isn't catching any wind at all..."
"The ocean's not moving either," Venus pointed out, "No waves; not even little ones."
A scream from Nami caught everyone else's attention. "What's wrong, Nami?" Luffy asked.
"Nami...-san?"
They all noticed her expression of terror. "Dammit... we've entered the Calm Belt!"
(A/N: That concludes the first chapter of Warship Island! I own nobody in the franchise, except Venus!)