Bokuden invited the Straw Hats into his home, where he offered them a meal of steamed pork buns. Sanji was impressed at how expertly Bokuden had prepared the steamer.

"I've worked with steamed foods before and this is on the same level as professional chefs."

"Sometimes homecooked meals can't be beat," Noire said wistfully.

"Thank you, I've spent years perfecting the process," Bokuden said as the group sat down to wait for their food. "I'm sure you must be curious why the Marines are after Apis. Well, it has to do with a legend on this island."

"What sort of legend?" Ben asked.

"The people of this island are said to be descendants of a lost civilization. They prospered for generations before sinking into the sea tens of thousands of years ago, upon which those who remained moved here to Warship Island." Bokuden explained. "Among their friends were the Millennial Dragons. The bones of these dragons are called Dragonite, and are rumored to be an elixir of immortality."

"Pretty interesting legend, but why would the Marines get involved, anyway?" Nojiko asked.

"Well, the story is long and involved, and if I told it from start to finish it would put everyone to sleep, including me. So to make a long story short, the royal family of the lost civilization possessed a mysterious item that could allow one to communicate with the dragons." Bokuden said. "When the previous holder died, a new holder would be chosen. And as it turns out... That item still exists. I can only assume the Marines for some reason thought Apis might know where the item is."

The crew looked at each other, then at Apis, who just smiled sheepishly while shrugging.

A loud growl suddenly got everyone's attention as they looked at Hilda, who blushed as her big gut began rumbling.

"Hehehe...sorry, those pork buns smell GREAT!"

-OP-

That night, Luffy, Sonson, Draco, Ben, Bamia, Hilda, and Gottfried noticed Apis sneaking off with a large bag of meat buns. Curious, they followed her as he headed for a secret cave.

"Hey, Grandpa Ryu. I brought you some food." The group tried to listen in on who she was talking to. "No, they're not scary at all. Well, okay they were at first, but then I got to realize how nice they are."

"Just who is she talking to?" Hilda whispered to Draco.

"Beats me."

"No, I still haven't found a clue yet. But I'm searching as hard as I can." Apis said to her mysterious friend.

"Hey, Apis!" Luffy called out. "Who are you talking to?"

Apis freaked when she heard Luffy, who got smacked by Bamia

"Stupid sister..."

"Hold on..." Sonson muttered as she noticed who Apis was talking to. "IS THAT A REAL DRAGON?!"

Sure enough, a large feathered dragon big enough to fill the cave was resting behind Apis.

"Quick make a wish!" Gottfried said. "That's what dragons do, right? Or is that genies?"

The dragon snorted as he looked at the group. Apis looked at him in surprise.

"He's saying he wants to go home," Luffy noted.

"You can understand him?" Apis asked in surprise.

Luffy shrugged. "Apparently. No idea how."

"I can understand him too, actually!" Sonson said, digging into her ear to make sure she hadn't misheard anything.

"Look, any stooge knows that if you can hear animals talking, it's probably the Voice of All Things!" Gottfried said. "I know I was able to learn how to use it when I got my Devil Fruit."

Apis looked at the dragon and nodded for a bit before turning to the group.

"Grandpa Ryu says he wants you to be his friend. He can tell you're all good people."

"So I get that Gottfried can hear Ryu thanks to his Devil Fruit," Draco noted. "Apis, do you have one as well?"

Apis nodded. "Yes. It's called the Whisper-Whisper Fruit. With it, I can read the minds of animals and talk with them."

"Any of you want to bet that's the legendary item of the lost civilization the old man was telling us about?" Ben asked the others.

Draco nodded. "More than likely. When a Devil Fruit user dies, their Devil Fruit reincarnates from the nearest equivalent fruit. All the old kingdom would have to do is keep the right type of fruit near the current user's deathbed, and they'd be ready to pass the Devil Fruit on to a new user."

"The seabirds on the Merry!" Hilda realized. "That's how Apis knew the wind was coming!"

"It's also how I met Grandpa Ryu. I was out in the flower field one day when I heard his voice. It sounded so sad, so I went to help. Grandpa Ryu had lost all his energy and been separated from his friends. Ever since he'd been looking for Lost Island, where the dragons' nest is." Apis explained. "The island had sunk many years ago, but Grandpa Ryu said it will surface again very soon. However, he no longer remembers where it is. He's very old and doesn't have the energy to fly. But he desperately wants to go back home."

"Awww..." Sonson and Hilda cooed sadly, their eyes wide and watery.

Apis shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, there's no clue in the legend as to where Lost Island could be. I thought if I asked the Marines who happened to stop by the island to help, I could find it easier."

"But it turns out they were looking for the Dragonite. So they abducted you hoping to get all the information you had." Bamia realized.

"There was one other thing they may have wanted. Grandpa Ryu gave me one of his claws, which I made into a pendant." Apis said

"So that's why you kept the secret. You wanted to protect the villagers, and both your grandpas." Luffy noted.

Apis nodded. "If Grandpa Ryu can get back home, he says he'll be able to restore his energy. So I'll find it for him, no matter how many years it takes!"

Draco laughed. "Babababababa! She sounds like a kindred spirit, doesn't she?"

"Shishishishi! She sure does!" Luffy grinned.

"Ukikikikiki!" Sonson giggled. "Well then, we'll help the old man out. Lost Island is sure to exist somewhere."

Apis beamed. "Thank you! With your help, I know we can get Grandpa Ryu home!"

-OP-

The next day, Eric arrived with the Marine fleet to blockade the island.

"Lieutenant Commander! We spotted the ship off the starboard!" The Lookout said.

Hardy nodded. "The landing unit will come to the island with me! The rest of you, seize their ship!"

Eric smirked as he filed his nails, which seemed to have an unnatural glint to them.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crew was brought to Ryu's cave. Naturally, the sight of a dragon left them all flabbergasted.

"We've been from one end of the Grand Line to the other traveling with Arlong...But I don't think I've ever seen a dragon before in my life." Axol said before taking out a pad of paper and readying Inkweaver in its handheld form. "Would you mind if I used your likeness for my manga?!"

"T-This guy is harmless, right?" Usopp asked nervously as Ryu licked his face.

"I should have warned you, but Grandpa Ryu is going senile. He has a tendency to mistake people for food." Apis said.

Usopp jumped into Kaya's arms, shaking in terror as she just rolled her eyes with a smile.

"So this is what the Marines are after," Gin noted.

"And we have to get him to Lost Island before they can. We made a promise to Apis." Sonson said.

"One problem; The Marines are starting to blockade the island. If they get hold of our ship..." Sanji spoke up.

"Don't worry, Hilda stayed behind to take up her duty as Guardsmen," Ben said. "She's also got Noire and Kuina keeping watch with her."

"Melony is also sleeping on the ship," Zoro added.

"Well, that's ship dealt with. But what about him?" Carmen asked as she gestured to Ryu. "There's no way we can fit him on the ship."

"Assuming he can float, Axol and I can just drag him behind the Merry while we look for the island," Ruby suggested.

"A Fishman is already ten times as strong as the average human on land and when we're in the water we get even stronger!" Axol said proudly. "So carrying a dragon this size shouldn't be a problem."

"Well that just leaves the biggest problem; Finding an island that isn't charted." Nami pointed out. "Lost Island sunk years ago. So how are we supposed to find it?"

"Seems the big fella can handle that!" Gottfried suggested. "We animals have a migration instinct built into us. So we just have to pay attention to his mood and direct our course accordingly."

"I think there's one more elephant in the room we need to address; Getting Ryu down from the mountain in the first place," Sanji said. "Although... If we build a cart big enough, that should solve the problem."

"Let's get to work!"

Luffy, Draco, Ben, Sonson, and Kaya put their Devil Fruits to good use to bring down several large trees to get the lumber needed for the cart. Usopp, Ruby, and Gin then got to work building the cart.

"That should do it, big and solid!" Usopp smiled. "It'll hold Ryu's weight easily."

"Now we just have to secure our ship and get Ryu out of here. And I have just the idea for that." Nami said as she turned to Draco, Nojiko, and Usopp "Can you three make sure the Merry is ready to head around to the back of the island?"

"Guess it's time to put my Devil Fruit to the test," Nojiko noted.

"And Usopp's sniping skills!" Draco added.

Usopp grinned. "Just leave it to us!"

"Once you have the ship, bring it to the edge of the cape. The one that looks like Usopp's nose," Ben said as he pointed to the spot, and sure enough to rock jutting out did resemble Usopp's nose quite a bit.

"I feel personally attacked by nature. What's wrong with the way my nose looks?" Usopp grumbled.

"There, there, Usopp," Kaya said, patting him on the back along with Kirby.

-OP-

The Marines were already raiding the village trying to find Apis. Eric noticed drag marks extending from the back of Apis's house and grinned.

"Interesting. This trail might just lead us to the girl." He looked up the mountain. "Somewhere up there, perhaps."

Meanwhile, Noire was sharing a soda with Hilda and Kuina after taking down the entire Marine unit sent to seize the Merry.

"I gotta say, Melony. Whatever your Devil Fruit is, it's impressive!"

Kuina was talking about the fact Melony had summoned a strange sword with a helix blade and moved at blinding speeds, taking out many of the Marines attacking. Her swordsmanship was pretty basic compared to Zoro and Kuina's, but it got the job done.

"Gangway!" Draco called out as he, Nojiko, and Usopp ran up.

"Welcome back aboard!" Hilda beamed. "How's Grandpa Ryu?"

"Grandpa Ryu?" Kuina asked.

Hilda, Nojiko, Usopp, and Draco gave a brief explanation of what was going on. Needless to say, Noire and Kuina were shocked that dragons were real while Melony just cutely tilted her head in confusion.

After throwing the defeated Marines onto the island, Usopp took the helm and started steering the Merry to the cape behind the island.

"Blockade up ahead! Hilda, take the helm! Usopp, man the cannon!" Draco called out.

"Aye-Aye!" Hilda saluted as she jumped up and took the helm while Usopp started firing Merry's fore cannon, taking down several Marine ships.

"GREAT CANNON!" Nojiko shouted, manifesting cannons on the mast of the ship to provide additional firepower.

-OP-

Back up the mountain, a seabird landed near Apis and started chirping.

"Oh no! The Marines are getting close!"

"How the hell did they find us?!" Sonson asked. "We only found this place because we followed you closely, but anyone else shouldn't be able to find the path you took."

"Well, Apis was carrying a huge bag of food. They must have been following the drag marks." Ben noted. "But she also swung across a chasm, so that should buy us some time."

"And luckily the Merry is closing in on the cape. Once it arrives we're heading all the way down." Nami said.

Eric happened to look up and spot the group, just as Ryu lifted his head. The Marines freaked out at seeing the dragon.

"I knew it had to be here...The Dragonite, the elixir of immortality. Now we don't even need the brat. Not when we have an actual Millennial Dragon right in front of us." Eric smirked.

"They haven't spotted us yet, so we should be able to capture them in one shot. Get ready to fire." Hardy said as he prepared to give his men the order.

As the Marines took aim, Axol suddenly turned to face them and spun around, rapidly drawing with Inkweaver before creating what looked like a mini-sun, blinding the Marines. Several managed to get shots off, but Luffy easily reflected the shots.

Eric scoffed. "Damn it... They have Devil Fruit powers. Lieutenant Commander, use blades instead! Guns won't work!"

Several Marines charged with their swords drawn, only for Ruby to land in front of them and stretch her limbs around while doing a makeshift breakdance move, smacking the Marines and sending them flying.

"Damn! They have Fishmen on their crew!" Hardy cursed.

"This is getting far more complicated than it needs to be. Why can nothing be simple when it comes to a contract?" Eric sighed as he approached a Marine who was just getting up, only to slash him with his nails.

"What was that?! Was he carrying a knife?!" Luffy wondered in shock.

"I don't think so. It looked more like he slashed with his nails." Carmen noted.

"I'm known as Eric the Whirlwind. A mercenary hired by Commodore Nelson Royal."

"Ugh, that fat bastard?" Gin said. "Let me guess, he's freaking out over heart issues again?"

"Let me be frank; We have no business with you pirates. Just with the Millennial Dragon." Eric said. "But if you stand in my way, you'll become a victim of the power of my Sickle-Sickle Fruit."

"The Sicko-Sicko Fruit?" Sanji asked. "Definitely keep this guy away from Apis."

Eric's eye twitched. "I said Sickle-Sickle Fruit, you idiot! It turns my nails into knives that can slash with razor wind!"

"So? Rankyaku can do that too." Bamia pointed out dryly.

"Something tells me you need to find yourself a girl, mate. Or perhaps the reason you practice three hours a day is that you already found one, and are otherwise incapable of wooing said strumpet." Ben said before leaning to whisper. "You're not a eunuch, are you?"

The bounty hunter screamed in rage and swiped at Ben, who bopped and weaved as he made his way back to the Merry.

"You think you're so special?! Well, tank this! SICKLE-SICKLE WHIRLWIND!" Eric roared in fury as he launched a razor wind.

It happened so fast no one else realized it at first.

Gin had leapt in front of the others, expecting to die but at least knowing he'd have kept them safe a little longer…He'd already began apologizing to Noire and Sanji in his head, praying for their forgiveness….

But the blow never came.

Gasps filled the air and Gin felt…tougher?

He opened his eyes and saw he was now covered in scales, his arms building but also flappy, and his nails claws…and his mouth was now a beak? He then looked over to where his bloodied and destroyed back should be…only to she a giant turtle shell in its place.

"W-what in the…?!" He asked, only to remember his devil fruit. "I'm…I'm a turtle?!"

"Not just any turtle!" Ben beamed. "You lucky bastard! You ate the Turtle-Turtle Fruit: Model Black Tortoise! Another Mythical Zoan!"

"Damn..." Zoro whistled at what he saw.

"First the Vermillion Bird with Kuina, then the White Tiger with Kaya..." Sonson said. "And now it looks like Gin has the Black Tortoise!"

"All we need is the dragon and we've got a Celestial Guardian Armada!" Luffy grinned.

"Wow, that Merchant really spoils us, doesn't he?" Penny giggled.

"How the hell!? My winds are supposed to be as sharp as legendary swords!" Eric snapped in disbelief. "Look, it even created gashes in the ground around you! How the hell are you unharmed!?"

"Guess this shell comes with some good perks," Gin smirked as he looked himself over before noticing a snake head stretching out from underneath his shell. "Is that supposed to be part of this?"

"From what the legends say...yes." Zoro nodded.

"There they are!" Nami called out when she saw the Merry. "Time to go!"

Eric was confused as the Straw Hats retreated to the cart and started pushing. Sanji kicked the wall, letting the cart fly down the mountain at a rapid pace. The Marines tried to stop them but Ruby held out Gottfried and he used his Noise-Noise Fruit to let out a burst of soundwaves from his mouth, which acted solid when it slammed into Eric and the Marines and knocked them away from the cart.

Down below, Draco transformed into his Gojira Mode with the Kaiju-Kaiju Fruit and used his size and strength to catch the cart and everyone on it.

"Love it when a plan comes together." Nami laughed as she met up with Nojiko to give her a high-five.

"Everyone to your stations!" Luffy said. "Axol, Ruby, start towing the cart! Let's get this dragon home!"

"AYE-AYE!"

"Gottfried, what's our heading?" Nami asked.

"Due east, Toots! The Old Man told me so!"

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Ben called out to the island. "This is the day you will always remember as the day you almost caught Captain Sparrow D. Benjamin!"

-OP-

Needless to say, Hardy was not happy to find out that several of the fleet needed extensive repairs and that the Marines he sent to capture the Merry had been taken down and tossed aside like so much garbage.

"That damn pirate crew is stronger than I expected."

"Well, it might just be for the best. Considering the dangerous lengths they went to in order to escape the island, I think I have an idea where they might be going." Eric said. "They're chasing the legend this island has. The fabled dragons' nest on Lost Island. All we have to do is follow them."

He walked into the communications center and blocked the Transponder Snail.

"There's no need to report to Commodore Nelson," he stated and walked away, satisfied that he had cowed the director into silence. A sinister thought running in his mind.

'The lure of immortality...There's no way I'll hand over the elixir to that fat hippo! I'll use it for myself, and become a flawless whirlwind!"

-OP-

The Going Merry sailed out to the east, the crew going about their daily as Apis and Kirby kept Ryu company.

"Trouble behind us!" Usopp called out from the crow's nest. "The Marine fleet is on our tail!"

Zoro scowled. "Persistent bastards, aren't they?"

Usopp then turned in the opposite direction and noticed something else.

"Is that smoke? No wait, it looks like Warship Island. Did we get turned around?"

"No, I'm certain we're still heading east," Nami replied.

"Our heading never changed," Ruby confirmed.

As they got closer, the image changed into a ship identical to the Merry. Sonson narrowed her eyes, which glowed a brilliant gold as she used a technique she didn't exactly like using unless necessary: The Fiery Golden Eyes, which allowed her to see through all disguises, illusions, and transformations.

"Guys, it's a mirage! Something is reflecting the Merry's appearance!"

Back with the fleet, both Hardy and Eric were flabbergasted as the Merry seemed to vanish into thin air.

"All ahead stop, men!" Hardy called out. "We'll wait for further orders!"

"No, we keep going! We can't let the Straw Hats gain any more ground or we'll lose the trail!" Eric insisted.

"It's too risky! If our fleet gets torn apart for whatever reason, then we'll lose them regardless." Hardy pointed out.

Eric scoffed. "Fine. Then prepare a small craft. I'll go in alone."

Past the mirage was a heavy fog. Axol and Ruby boarded the Merry and tied off Ryu's cart while Penny created a beautiful green ball of magical light to use as a fog light.

"So what was that earlier?" Kaya asked. "Sonson mentioned we were seeing a mirage."

"Temperature differences between warm and cold ocean water can create mirages at sea. This fog is probably the cause of that." Nami explained before tensing. "Storm up ahead!"

Sure enough, the fog soon gave way to a powerful storm.

"We need to prep the ship!" Gin called out. "Hilda! Kuina! Raise the sails! Undo the ropes! Ruby, Axol, make sure the cart ropes are secure!"

Apis tried to head for Ryu's cart, but Carmen stopped her.

"You can't risk going over there in this weather! If you fall into the sea, your Devil Fruit will make it impossible for you to swim!"

Luffy was lost in thought as she saw a sudden lightning strike hit the nearby water.

"It's almost like the sea's trying to push us back."

"Hey! I think I found the eye of the storm!" Usopp called out as he spotted a column of light in the distance. "And it looks like there's an island below it!"

"Then make for that island!" Luffy called out. "We're taking Grandpa Ryu to his home one way or another!"

It was rough, but the Merry soon made it through the storm into the eye.

"This certainly explains why Lost Island has never been charted," Kuina said. "Guess this makes us pioneers, huh?"

"That island looks more like a castle that's sunk into the sea," Kaya noted. "Do you think it might be part of the lost civilization?"

Ruby shrugged. "Only one way to find out..."

The Merry made landfall and the crew disembarked, looking around and observing the area.

"This place looks like Mother Nature took over. I don't think anyone's lived here for centuries." Sanji said.

"Melony, don't fall asleep!" Axol pleaded as he tried to pull Melony away from a large bush that she decided would make a nice bed to nap in.

Ryu's cart was brought ashore, but when he opened his eyes he sighed.

"He says this might not be Lost Island," Apis said.

"Are you KIDDING me?! After all that we went through to get here?!" Gottfried snapped. "I don't believe it! I just DON'T believe it! We're NEVER gonna find that STUPID island! Just forget it! Look at this, look at this: I'm so ticked off, I'm sliming! you could pour salt on me and it wouldn't work!"

"Patience, Gottfried." Hilda chided. "There must be a reason why this island was so well-protected."

"Oh, THERE'S a big surprise! That's an incredi-I think I'm going to have a heart attack and DIE from that surprise!" Gottfried said sarcastically. "What are we gonna do?! We got a big problem here, a big-"

Hilda rolled her eyes and squeezed her Transponder Snail friend's mouth shut as everyone looked around.

"Maybe there's a clue here that will lead to Lost Island," Penny noted. "Let's check out the top of the peak. That might help us get a better view."

The crew headed up, with the two fishmen pulling the cart. As they reached the mountain, they saw the remains of a city among the rubble.

"This place must have been a bustling metropolis in its heyday," Gin suggested. "Just from the number of buildings alone, it was either a residential sector or a marketplace."

"I wonder if they played with children here on the island." Apis noted as she found a top with the mark of the Millennial Dragons among the grass.

Hearing a caw, the little girl looked up to see several seabirds flying overhead, one of them landing on her shoulder.

"Hello there. Are you friends with the Millennial Dragons?" Apis asked as the bird chirped at her. "Really? Hey, Nami! This bird says there's a building on the summit with a dragon mark! That might be where the nest is!"

"Alright! Now we're cooking!" Luffy grinned. "Let's go!"

Knightmare Lord A/N:

This is the end of Part 2. I hope you like what we revealed in this chapter; Gin's Devil Fruit is a Zoan for the Black Tortoise, meaning he now completes the ensemble of Vermillion Bird (Kuina), White Tiger (Kaya), and Azure Dragon (Kaido)!

Look forward to Part 3 as our heroes explore the ruins and discover the origins of Lost Island and the Millenial Dragons as they try to bring Ryu back home!