Out in the middle of the sea, a Marine fleet was sailing. On one of the boats, an officer knocked on a cabin door.
"Hey in there. It's mealtime."
He looked through the porthole, but the cabin looked empty. Shocked, the officer quickly burst into the room.
"Damn it all, she's gone! Where could she be hiding!? There's no way she could possibly escape this far out at sea!"
As he looked through the room, a little girl snuck out from behind the open door and scrambled out of the room. However, the officer caught her and held her up.
"Listen, kid. It's pointless trying to escape in the middle of the sea. Just stay quiet and nothing bad will happen to you."
The girl huffed, then kicked backward right into the officer's crotch. This caused him to drop the girl, letting her run off. She noticed the officer wound up frozen from the pain.
It wasn't long before the alarm on the ship was rung once word got out about the escape.
"Find that girl and bring her into custody! But don't be rough with her! She's still a child after all!"
The girl had made her way up the rigging and into the crow's nest. Spotting a knife, she used it to cut the rigging, leaving no way up or down. From there, she noticed a longboat hanging off the ship and grasped something around her neck.
"Grandpa Ryu, protect me."
She took a blind leap into the longboat, much to the shock of the Marine officers who had spotted her.
-OP-
"What do you mean, she escaped?!" An angry voice demanded. "That girl may have the only clue to the Dragonite I've spent years searching for! Get Eric over here at once!"
"I'm already here, Commodore."
Commodore Nelson Royal, a morbidly obese man who seemed stuck to his chair, turned to see a mercenary in a naval suit as he emerged from the nearby shadows.
"We need to retrieve the clue to the elixir of immortality. I can't lose it now that I've found it after so long," Nelson said. "I'm giving you command of the fleet, so find that girl at once. I don't care what it takes."
"I'm afraid tracking down a person wasn't part of our contract," Eric pointed out.
"I'll pay you extra to have it added, but I want that girl found!"
"Alright, I'll get right on it then."
-OP-
As the morning came, Gottfried was the first one awake. He cleared his throat, then used his Devil Fruit to create a trumpet call.
"RISE AND SHINE ALREADY, PEOPLE!"
"Do you have to yell so loud..." Hilda groaned as she trudged out of the girl's cabin, Melony still asleep and clinging to her back.
Hilda and Axol raised the anchor and the Merry started sailing off. Sanji, Noire, and Carmen got to work in the kitchen as Gin oversaw the rigging maintenance. Nami was looking over the chart they had.
"Just a few more days and we'll reach the Grand Line."
Usopp was keeping watch from the crow's nest with Kirby in his lap when he saw something weird.
"Hey, it looks like we have a flock of seabirds off to starboard! And there's something big just under the flock!"
"What does it look like?" Kaya called from below as she helped Gin with the gear check.
Usopp adjusted his new sniper goggles. "It looks like a small boat. Probably a longboat or... Sweet Oda! There's a kid stuck in that boat!"
Everyone stopped what they were doing and raced to the deck, trying to see what Ussop had spotted.
"A castaway? Well, we can't just leave her out to sea like this." Draco noted.
"I've got this!" Ruby said as she quickly dove into the water and swam out to retrieve the boat.
Within minutes she had the boat pulled up to the Merry and rigged up the girl so she could pulled onto the deck. As it turned out, it was the same girl who had escaped the Marine fleet.
"Everyone, stand back. I know a few things about medicine." Kaya said as she picked up the girl and took her to the women's cabin.
-OP-
A little later, the girl stirred awake, then sat up with a start, accidentally knocking into Usopp's jaw, which sent him flailing to the ground.
"That's gonna leave a mark," Ben smirked teasingly.
"Har-Har..." Ussopp grumbled as he rubbed his jaw.
"Ow... Did I bump into a stone or something?" The little girl moaned as she rubbed her head in pain.
"Hey, are you okay, sweetie?" Sonson asked.
"Uh, yeah. Where am I?"
"You're on our ship," Sanji said. "You must be hungry. Lucky for you I'm just finishing up breakfast."
"Were you on a shipwreck or something? What's your name?" Penny asked.
The girl scoffed. "When asking questions, you should give your name first."
Luffy grinned. "Shishishishi! I like this kid already. My name's Monkey D. Luffy."
The crew all introduced themselves one by one.
"We're known as the Straw Hat Pirates!" Luffy finished.
The girl freaked out, which wasn't unexpected to the Straw Hats.
"Yeah, that's about the reaction I expected," Zoro noted.
"Al
"Are we even pirates?" Noire asked. "I mean, we're more adventuerers than anything else."
Kaya and Nojiko nodded in agreement.
"You put a Jolly Roger? You're a pirate." Bamia said blunt6ly. "That's what grandpa always told us,"
"Uh, guys..." Hilda awkwardly spoke up, poking the little girl. "She's not moving."
Indeed; the girl seemed to be literally frozen in fear, which Kirby found amusing as he booped her nose and then started jumping on
"Kirby, no!" Kaya and Ussop called out together
"I've never seen such a reaction from people facing pirates." Nojiko noted. "Not even when Arlong was in power."
"What should we do, guys?" Kuina asked.
"Allow me!" Gottfried said before letting loose an airhorn noise, snapping the girl out of it. But she was still freaking out.
"This may take a while..." Ben dryly noted.
-OP-
Late into the night, the girl was still freaking out.
"How could this happen?! After all the trouble I went through to escape the Marines, I wind up on a pirate ship?!"
Just as she was wondering how she could get out of this situation, her stomach started rumbling. Deciding to find something to eat, she carefully snuck into the kitchen.
The little girl was so focused on being sneaky she didn't realize she'd bumped intop someone until she fell on her butt.
"Poyo?"
She then got a good look at who this person was: a pink ball like creature in shoes with a cute smile, holding a plate of cookies that steamed with heat and smelled so divine she salivated…
"ARRROOO! AROOOOOO!"
An alarm suddenly rang, starling the girl and puff ball.
"WAKEY WAKEY EGGS AND BAKEY!" A shrill voice suddenly cut the air. "UNATTENDED PUFFBALL AND BRAT IN THE KITCHEN! REPEAT! KITCHEN IN DISTRESS! MIDNIGHT SNACKING MARAUDERS!"
The pink ball quickly grabbed the girl and rushed into an empty room and ducked into a corner, dropping a few cookies on the floor. The two then stayed as quiet as they could, before the rumbling for their tummies made them despite to risk being found.
The girl reached for a cookie, only to see the pink ball give her the whole plate while he (she assumed he was a he) sucked up the ones of the floor.
"Was all that necessary, Gott?"
"Yeah, some of us need beauty sleep."
"And sexy times with…!"
BONK!
"OW!"
"LUFFY!"
"What?! It's true and…MMPH!"
"NOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHERS!"
"…Lucky."
"…But its better than meat…" Luffy pouted, making everyone else gasp at that
"…friends Kuina, Noire, Carmen and Kaya? What does 'sexy times' mean?"
"Well sweetie, when two people love each other very, very much,…Or get unbelievably drunk or horny…."
BONK!
"DAMMIT CARMEN! DON'T RUIN HER INNOCENCE!"
before someone coughed and asked:
"But seriously, Gottfried. That loud?"
"Hey, you're the ones who made me the security system!" The shrill voice cut in. "I'm just doing my job!"
"Kirby always sneaks in for a snack…" a girl yawned
"And I thought we didn't want to scare the kid."
The pink creature, Kirby, then smiled and motioined the girl to try a cookie, wyich she did….
CRUNCH!
"Whoa! This is delicious!"
And she instantly entered flavor heaven, savoring the cookies, delighting the perfect balance of crunch and sweet….
"Naturally, we got three of the best cooks in the East Blue on our crew."
The girl jumped in alarm to see Ben there, his posture slack and casual as he made his way over to the fridge and opened it up before taking out a bottle of rum and popping the cork before taking a swig.
"H-h-h-h-HOW LONG HAVE YOU?!"
"Long enough. This is my room." Ben said, then stepping out of the room and clearing his throat.
"Everyone."
The Straw hats all waved at the little girl, smiling sweetly and apologizing for the scare.
"See kid, no need to get your feathers in a bunch," Gottfried said. "We're the good sort of pirates who love the more simple things; adventure, food, and good fun!"
"Sorry if the numbers overwhelmed you, Kit," Ben said, gently patting the girl's head. "We're thinking of getting more ships to fit our growing crew. After all, we have FOUR captains, one of them being yours truly."
"So you're not gonna sell me off?" The girl asked.
"WHY DOES EVERYONE ALWAYS ASSUME THAT?!" Gottfried asked. "Seriously, if not selling, it's the r and s words! Why're you people so dirty-minded?! What, ya into that or some….?!"
Hild wisely covered her snails' mouth to shut him.
"Perish the thought!" Ben said. "People aren't cargo, especially children."
The girl finally felt herself relax. It looked like she'd be safe on this ship.
-OP-
The next day the girl, who gave her name as Apis, wanted to cook breakfast for everyone. But Draco insisted on being there to monitor her to ensure no resources were wasted. Sure enough, it turned out she was horrible at cooking and Draco had to intervene to make sure none of Sanji's kitchen equipment was damaged.
Everyone grew concerned as Carmen and Noire stepped out, looking traumatized.
"…So…?" Nojiko asked.
"There is now...a level...0." Carmen managed to say before she collased into her seat.
"No. That is not zero." Noire said, giving everyone some hope. "That is level -1."
"Thank goodness Kirby is a bottomless pit," Draco noted as the pink puff inhaled the disaster of a breakfast. "You're clearly too young for culinary."
"Sorry...I just wanted to help since you're deciding to feed me."
"I'm not sure I'm comfortable taking in a cabin boy, or girl in this case, so young. Especially after Coby." Draco said.
"To be fair, he was Alvida's cabin boy and he was forced against his will," Bamia said as she walked by.
"Whatever the case, let the Pros handle the cooking." Carmen huffed.
Eventually, Sanji, Noire, and Carmen made an actual breakfast as the crew entered the galley.
"So, Apis, why were you drifting on the sea?" Penny asked.
"I escaped from a Marine ship. It was three days ago."
"What did you do that caused the Marines to imprison you?" Zoro asked.
Apis lowered her head. "I'm sorry... I can't tell you that."
"Well, we're not going to pry, and you definitely aren't a criminal. I can tell by looking at your face." Ben said. "I've got a good pair of eyes, see."
"So where are you from?" Ruby asked.
"I'm from Warship Island."
"I don't think I've heard of that place before," Hilda said.
"I think it's just off the entrance to the Grand Line. It's a large island shaped like a warship." Axol said.
"Yeah, here it is. It's not too far from our position." Nami said as she checked the sea charts. "If Apis wanted, we could drop her off there without issue."
"Well, it's not like we're in a big hurry. An extra day or two for a detour before we hit the Grand Line isn't going to hurt us." Luffy said.
Nojiko chuckled. "Well, you heard the captain. Looks like we're changing course for Warship Island."
Apis beamed. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"
-OP-
Meanwhile, the Marine fleet was conducting its search as the lookout scanned the sea.
"Ship sighted at twelve o'clock!"
"What are we looking at?" Lieutenant Commander Hardy called back.
"Looks like a mid-size caravel!" The lookout replied. "The flag has a Jolly Roger! A skull wearing a straw hat!"
"A pirate ship, huh? Seems they don't know their own station sailing around the seas under Commodore Nelson's control." Hardy said. "Still, they seem like mere small fries. No need to bother with them."
"Actually, that's not the flag of a small-time pirate crew," Eric said as he stepped onto the deck, "That flag belongs to 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy, 'Monkey Queen' Rainha D. Sonson, 'Apocalypse' Lor D. Draco, and 'Suave' Sparrow D. Benjamin, the so-called 'Four Great Captains' and the ones who hold the current highest bounties of the East Blue."
"FOUR captains for one ship? That's kind of insane." One officer noted.
"Even with such a big fleet, we can't find the girl we're looking for. Which could mean a ship picked her up." Eric noted. "And wouldn't it be a problem to leave such high-caliber pirates sailing around, Lieutenant Commander? Have that ship captured at once!"
Eric had no idea just how unwise that decision was as Usopp spotted the fleet.
"Marine fleet approaching from the aft! All hands on deck!"
"All hands on deck!" Ben copied.
"This is a top-class emergency!"
"This is a top-class emergency!" Ben copied again.
"What are you doing?" Usopp asked.
"What are YOU doing?" Ben retorted.
"No, what ARE you doing?!" Usopp shot back.
"What are YOU doing?!"
"No, what ARE you doing?!"
"What are you...the captain gives orders on this ship!" Ben clarified. "My ship makes me captain."
"So are we!" Sonson pointed out, gesturing to herself, Luffy, and Draco.
"That makes you..." Ben just waved his hands. "Captains 2, 3, and 4!"
"Fewer references and more dealing with the problem at hand!" Nojiko pointed out. "That fleet has at least a dozen battleships!"
"Maybe they're after us," Luffy suggested as she looked over to Ben, Sonson, and Draco.
"That's way too many ships for just four bounties," Zoro noted. "Sending a fleet this large for that little is overkill."
Apis gasped when she saw the fleet had the number 8 on their sails.
"Those ships belong to Branch 8! That's the fleet I escaped from!"
"I see the girl on the deck!" the lookout said over on the Marine ship.
Eric smirked at Hardy. "Just as I said. Remember, Lieutenant Commander, any mistakes in retrieving that girl and the clue to the elixir of immortality would surely make Commodore Nelson furious."
Hardy grimaced but understood as he prepared to give the order to fire the cannons. However, the Merry was suddenly surrounded by a large cyclone of fire, lightning, and ice created by Draco's Disaster-Disaster Fruit, redirecting the cannonballs to smash into some of the ships.
"This is why we pick our battles wisely, mercenary," Hardy said, smirking smugly at Eric's shock.
-OP-
"Whooooo! Good job, Draco!" Sonson cheered.
"That should reduce the numbers. But we still need to evade them. I guarantee you those were just warning shots." Bamia said.
"If they got any Transponder Snails onboard, I can mess 'em up with my Noise-Noise Fruit!" Gottfried suggested.
Apis noticed the seabirds that were sitting near Nami's tangerine trees and turned to Hilda.
"He said a wind is coming."
"Who?"
"That bird," Apis said, pointing to the sea bird.
Nami also noticed this and quickly realized what Apis was talking about.
"We need to turn to the south!"
Axol and Gin quickly adjusted the sails, while Ruby and Bamia worked the rudder.
"Hold on, backtrack a little!" Gottfried said to Apis. "How did you know what that bird was sayin'? I mean, I can hear what he was saying too since I'm an animal!"
Apis couldn't respond since the Merry picked up the wind in its sails and sailed south.
"The ship just changed routes and sped up!" the lookout called out. "Heading south!"
"Are they insane?!" Hardy called out. "That'll lead them into the Calm Belt!"
"I don't care where they're going! Get after them right now!" Eric snapped, but it was too late. "How could a Marine fleet fall behind such a small ship, you dimwits!?"
"Actually, a smaller ship has better mobility," an officer pointed out.
"I don't want to hear any excuses!"
"It's not an excuse, it's facts. Ask Commodore Nelson about the finer points of ships. He'll say the same." Hardy said. "He won't be happy, but he will agree with our reasoning. All ships to halt! We're turning around!"
"Do you not understand your orders, Lieutenant Commander?" Eric warned.
"What I understand is that if we actually chase that ship into the Calm Belt, the commodore will no longer have to worry about his precious immortality elixir. Or do you not know what sort of danger the Calm Belt possesses?" Hardy shot back.
Eric was angry, but he seemed to get the message, storming off to his room.
-OP-
The momentum from the wind wound up carrying the Merry into the Calm Belt, so now Axol and Ruby were towing the ship back into normal waters. Luckily, two strong fishmen could easily tow a caravel away from the giant Sea Kings that made the Calm Belt their home, even if they were both teenagers.
"What was that? The wind was so strong for a bit, then the sails just went flat." Usopp said.
"That's where the Calm Belt gets its name," Nami explained.
Hilda nodded. "Remember how it was mentioned there were doldrums here? Well, a doldrums is a windless passage. Basically a massive stretch of ocean where there are no currents and no winds."
"The Calm Belt is why there's only one real entrance into the Grand Line. Otherwise, the only real border of the world would be the Red Line." Draco added. "Plus the entire area is a nesting ground for Sea Kings."
"Come on, we've beaten Sea Kings before!" Luffy said.
"We've only ever beaten one. Two if you count whatever Ganzack's pet was a while back." Sonson pointed out.
"Here, there are dozens if not hundreds of Sea Kings that make the Calm Belt their home. And some would absolutely dwarf the Lord of the Coast and Ganzack's serpent."
"There's something chasing us!" Apis suddenly called out.
A massive sea cow-based Sea King started emerging from the water, seemingly intent on swallowing the Merry. But before he could….
"MORE-MORE HUNDRED-FOLD GUN!"
Two cannonballs were thrown at the Sea King and suddenly grew to rival it in size, hitting it square on and sending it sinking to the sea, the impact from the attack also making the Sunny sail on ahead.
All turned in shock to see Hilda gasping with two more cannon-balls at the ready, which she dropped harmlessly onto the floor as she wiped the sweat off her brow.
"Whew…I am…I gotta start usimng that more.." She mused with a smile, delighting in the shocked looks of her crewmates and Apis.
"…Damn girl! Big, beautiful, strong AND with a Devil fruit?!' Sonson smirked. "Anything else qwe oughta know?"
Hilda blushed and looked away, Gottfried handing her a cloth and trying to wipe her sweat away.
"Don't go hurting yourself, kid." He begged, then spying the looks on the other's faces; accepting and welcoming, but shocked…except for one.
"I know that devil fruit..." Draco mused, then shot Hilda a look. "That pirate you made a promise to…Was his name…?"
Hilda nodded and cut him off.
"Byrnddi World." She explained. "I know what the World Government says, but when I met him, he was a sickly, dying man who just wanted to do one good thing and apologize to his brother."
Luffy and Bamia looked at each other and held each other's hands, then, along with Sonson, Ben and Draco, imagined two more faces…Nami and Nojiko simulrarly hugged.
"Um…What do you know about him?" Hilda asked Draco, who smiled.
"He and dad fought a couple of times, was kind of a dull sword if you get me…but he was strong and he valued his comrades, especially his brother…I'm guessing your at least looking for him?"
Hilda nodded.
"World told me he understood why his crew let him down and honestly doesn't care for most of them. But his brother?"
Again, the captains and Orange sisters held onto each other.
"He actually saved me and my village from a beast." Hilda remarked. "Said that someone as young and strong as me deserved to see the world and had the bets chance of doing what he couldn't…"
"And he knew how devil fruits reappear and willed his to you." Ussopp realized.
"And then Hilda met me and then we met you and the rest is history!" Gottfried finished.
"The wind's picking back up," Nami noted. "Looks like we're out of the Calm Belt now."
"Yeah, and there's no sign of the Marine fleet," Usopp noted. "They must have turned tail when they realized where we were heading."
"Okay, get the sails unfurled, and let's make for Warship Island without further delay!" Luffy said.
-OP-
Before long a heavy fog started to set in. Noire activated a crystalline card that shone like a brilliant light to provide a fog light as she joined Usopp in the crow's nest. At the same time, Gottfried used his powers to create both a foghorn and sonar pulse to help navigate.
"Land-Ho!"
"Alright, Warship Island is in reach!" Sonson grinned. "How big is the landmass?"
"Big enough that a Sea King could use it as a bedframe!"
Sure enough, the shore of Warship Island was in sight. The crew all headed onto the deck, Apis smiling when she saw her home.
"There it is!"
"You weren't kidding, Gottfried. That's one big island." Hilda noted. "It's even shaped like a warship!"
"Get us into port, Nami. We'll stay just long enough to drop Apis off and get supplies." Luffy said.
"There might be a little problem with that. It looks like the natives aren't happy to see us." Zoro noted.
"Sheesh, something tells me they've had less pleasant pirate company before," Ruby muttered.
Sure enough, several villagers had gathered near the dock carrying pitchforks and spears. What they didn't expect, however, was that Apis would be the first one to disembark.
Hey, everyone! I'm home!"
"Apis! Why are you coming out from a pirate ship?" The Village Chief asked.
"We don't have to worry about these people. They're good guys." Apis assured. "They helped me escape from the men who kidnapped me."
This confused the villagers as the Straw Hats all disembarked.
"Hey, my name is Monkey D. Luffy and these are my fellow three captains; Rainha D. Sonson, Lor D. Draco, and Sparrow D. Benjamin!" Luffy introduced.
"We came here to return Apis home," Draco said.
"That may have been a mistake. The Marines are still around looking for her." The Chief worriedly pointed out.
"I don't believe they will be an issue. These people look very strong."
Apis smiled as she recognized the voice and ran to the old man who had spoken, giving him a big hug which he happily returned.
"Grandpa Bokuden!"
"I'm glad to see you safe, Apis. And to you visitors, thank you for saving my granddaughter."
"Twas merely our duty as noble pirates!" Axol said in a humble yet flashy manner, even striking an over-the-top pose for effect.
"Usopp was the brave warrior of the sea who found her." Kaya smiled proudly to her boyfriend, making him blush and rub his head in embarrassment.
-OP-
Nelson was busy feasting on his lunch when Eric came in with the report.
"I'm not pleased, Eric. You reported that the girl was lost in the Calm Belt and wasn't likely to return alive. But my men have just reported her being alive and well on Warship Island!"
"I was at first only focused on capturing the pirates. I didn't take proper stock of their capabilities." Eric admitted. "But not to worry. This time I won't make any mistakes."
"Somehow, I doubt that..."
Nelson and Eric turned to see a woman clad in pirate clothes with an eyepatch and flowing blonde hair tied in chains, which upon closer inspection were made of Seastone.
"Ruby D. Heart. As always your tongue is the sharpest weapon in your arsenal." Eric noted with a huff.
"You may have gotten the drop on me, but these shackles are only a momentary reprieve." Heart smirked. "Once I've freed myself, I'll be sure to show you just how varied my arsenal is."
"I'll admit it was quite a challenge apprehending you, but it's no use for you." Nelson scoffed. "Once we've dealt with the pirates and obtained the Dragonite, you'll be tried and executed as the miserable pirate you are."
"I think I like my chances right now." Heart smirked as she reclined against the wall. She had a feeling in her gut that things would work out not just for her, but for the little girl who she had conveniently helped plan the original escape for...and her gut was never wrong.
Knightmare Lord A/N:
It seems we have Ruby Heart from Marvel vs Capcom 2 in our midst! Will she be joining the Straw Hats on their adventure? Only time will tell as we still have more than a few parts to go through for the Warship Island Filler Arc!
Also, the pirate Hilda made her promise to was Byrrndi World and it looks like she inherited his More-More Fruit as well! Wonder how she'll apply herself with these powers!
Anything you'd like to say on your end, Mrotrax? We're all ears!
Mrotrax A/N:
Hope I delivered on the Apis and Kirby bits as well as World and Hilda's connection!