Heart of a Pirate
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Kingdom Hearts. They belong to Eiichiro Oda and Square Enix respectively.
Author's Note: Much like how the One Piece manga has single-panel side story comics on the covers of individual chapters to show what certain characters are up to after separating from the Straw Hats, I shall be doing similar segments at the beginnings of chapters to give small insights into what the rest of the Straw Hats are up to in their respective worlds while the main Keyblade group does their thing. Just a fun little way to keep them involved with the story before they re-enter the narrative proper, all while keeping in line with the spirit of One Piece. I got the idea from FictionReader98 and his story "Quest to be the Greatest", in which he does the same thing, and thought it could make for some fun story moments. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 8: Down the Rabbit Hole
Title Page: An overhead image of the training ground in which Zoro has woken up is shown, with multiple images of Zoro walking towards or facing the walls and training devices, 2 or 3 question marks over each of their heads, while several looping and zig-zagging dotted lines are laid out behind them to mark Zoro's trails. Meanwhile, a large arrow is pointing at an archway, labeled "Exit".
Subtitle: Where the hell is the way out?!
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Wonderland –o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Whoa-whaow! What's going on?!"
"AAAAGH! I'm gonna die and I never tasted paopu fruit!"
"Somebody catch me! CATCH MEEEE!"
"Wahoooo! This is fun!"
"SHUT UP, YOU IDIOT!"
The four Heartless fighters fell… and fell… and continued falling.
After setting the Gummi Ship into orbit around the world they had just come across, Donald had set the ship to begin scanning the world for an appropriate spot for them to begin exploring. The goal was to find the most out-of-the-way spot possible on the world so that they could remain relatively undetected. After all, discretion was the goal here.
Once he found one, the Court Magician activated the ship's transporter, a device that would instantaneously warp them down to their chosen spot. However, Donald had made a slight miscalculation in the coordinates; as a result, they had warped down to the top of a VERY deep hole, as opposed to the ledge above it, and the quartet of travelers now found themselves tumbling head-over-heels down said hole with no end in sight.
Still, Luffy was having the time of his life.
"What? It is!" said the Straw Hat captain.
"Easy for you to say! We aren't all made of rubber here!" snapped Donald.
As they fell, Sora and Goofy couldn't help but notice all the strange things passing by them on the way down. The walls themselves seemed to be lined with old-fashioned grid-patterned wood paneling, though the pattern itself seemed to warp and wave like it was melting. Various paintings, clocks, and even a mirror hung from said wall. All kinds of furniture came rushing past them, including desks, nightstands (one of which having lit candles on top of it), and rocking chairs.
As they fell further, the wood paneling changed into brick and mortar. A grandfather clock that chimed the hour passed them by. A crooked chimney in the wall led down to a lit fireplace with a kettle over the flames. A flowerpot with daisies and a ship in a bottle mounted on the wall flew past. Overall, the whole thing was a pretty bizarre sight. But they could still not see any sign of the bottom yet.
After a while of nothing but falling, Goofy grew tired of it all and put himself into a reclining position, crossing his legs and interlocking his fingers behind his head.
"GOOFY!" yelled Donald. "This is serious! This is no time to relax!"
"Nah, he's right. This is getting boring," remarked Luffy, getting into a similar position.
"NOT YOU TOO!"
"Aw, c'mon Donald, there's nothin' else we can do. Why don't'cha take a load off?" said Goofy.
"Because in case you two haven't noticed, WE'RE FALLING HERE!"
"Not for long!" came Sora's voice, sounding frantic as he looked down, his eyes bugged out in terror. Everyone else followed suit… only to see the ground rapidly approaching!
"How are we gonna land?!" cried Sora. "We're going too fast!"
"Don't worry! I've got it!" grinned Luffy as he 'swam' through the air, positioning himself directly below his three companions. He then stopped, facing upward. "Gomu Gomu no Fuusen!" He inhaled deeply, inflating his body like a balloon.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy each came tumbling down on top of the rubberman's distended body and bounced off to the side in turn. Sora wound up landing on his side and rolling away. Donald ended up somersaulting through the air and landing on his front, sliding away on his chest and chin. And finally, Goofy wound up tumbling and twisting through the air and landing on his back, spinning away as he slid across the floor, stopping only once he hit a wall. Once everyone was on the ground, Luffy deflated himself and landed on his feet.
"Hey, that's pretty handy!" Goofy remarked cheerfully as he got to his feet.
"Yeah! Good thinking, Luffy! Thanks for the save!" added Sora, standing up himself.
"Shishishi! No problem!" Luffy chuckled, grinning proudly.
"Ugh… I can't believe I had to get saved by that nincompoop," grumbled Donald as he got up and brushed himself off. "Next time I'm using Aero spells."
"My goodness! Is everyone alright?" came a gentlemanly voice.
"Huh? Who said that?" asked Luffy, looking around rapidly.
"Down here!"
Luffy then looked down to see Jiminy Cricket, who was in the process of folding his umbrella. He had unfolded said umbrella when the ground had become visible and used it as a parachute on the way down, thus he'd had a softer landing than the rest.
"That was quite a tumble you all took! Is anyone – HEY!"
"WHOOOOAAA!" marveled Luffy as he abruptly picked Jiminy up by the collar of his suit coat and brought him up in front of his face, inches away from his eyes. "A talking beetle! Wearing a SUIT! That's so COOL!"
"I beg your pardon? I'm a cricket!" replied Jiminy indignantly. "Now put me down this instant!"
But Luffy wasn't listening as he continued goggling at him, turning him every which way and poking and prodding at him despite the cricket's protests. Donald decided to intervene and snatched Jiminy from the pirate's fingers, handing him off to Goofy. The Knight Captain then laid him atop his usual place on his hat.
"Aw! But I wasn't done!" complained Luffy.
"Tough beans!" snapped Donald. "We don't have time for your shenanigans! Now let's get moving!"
"Moving where?" asked Sora, looking around.
"Oh, my fur and whiskers!" came another voice. "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!"
Just then, a small white creature – a rabbit, by the looks of it – came running past the group. It wore a suit comprised of a red overcoat, a yellow vest with a brown bow tie, and grey pants. It also had a small pair of circular glasses perched on the bridge of its nose, and it carried a large golden pocketwatch in its hand that, while a normal enough size for a person, looked entirely too big for the rabbit to be carrying around. At the moment it appeared to be in a rather big hurry as it dashed across the hallway.
"Oh dear oh dear oh dear! I'm here! I should be there!" it continued frantically. "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! Oh, the Queen, she'll have my head for sure!" Any further speech from the rabbit was cut off as it rounded the bend and disappeared from view.
"WHOAAA!" exclaimed Luffy. "A talking rabbit with a watch! Cool!"
"How 'bout that way?" suggested Goofy in response to Sora's earlier question, pointing to the pathway the rabbit had just run down.
"It's the only pathway here! We would have gone that way anyway!" said Donald, annoyed.
"It's as good a place to start as any," said Sora, shrugging. "Let's go!"
"ALRIGHT! Let's catch that rabbit!" declared Luffy before running off.
"Hey, wait for us!" called out Sora as he ran to catch up with Luffy.
"Don't just run off on your own, you blockhead!" shouted Donald, giving chase himself.
Jiminy sighed. "Is this what we're in for this entire journey?" he asked Goofy.
"Looks like it," Goofy replied with a chuckle before setting off after the group himself.
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Mysterious Tower; By FictionReader98—o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Maleficent," Yen Sid growled.
"In the flesh," the sorceress smiled.
"Begone, foul one," Yen Sid ordered, standing to his full height. "You are not welcome here."
"Never stopped me before," she chuckled as deadly green flames appeared around the orb of her staff.
Maleficent then jerked her staff forwards as a jet of fire erupted from it, blasting toward Yen Sid. Without so much as a gesture, a jet of water shot forth from the sorcerer. The water and fire clashed in between the two, massive amounts of steam erupting from the clash as neither one seemed capable of overtaking the other. Yen Sid then gave an ever so slight twist of the hand as the jet of water began spinning around, sucking in the fire in the process and surging towards Maleficent.
She immediately slammed her staff on the ground as a barrier of light appeared around her. The water collided with it before forking off in several different directions, further decimating the great wizard's study. Without warning, massive thorny vines erupted from the bottom of Maleficent's staff, snaking around the entire room as if alive and heading straight towards Yen Sid.
The man just casually gestured with his fingers. The vines splintered before bursting into smoke and fading away. "If this is the best you can do, dark witch, running away should be your next step."
"Unfortunately, running doesn't suit me," Maleficent chuckled, the grin on her face still as strong as ever. That's when more thorn vines erupted from the floor around the man's feet, completely ensnaring him in a mess of thorns. Only bare glimpses of the man could be seen; his face the most visible, and even then just barely. "I much prefer winning."
"Then you have learned nothing." With those words, Yen Sid completely vanished from the thorny prison, causing Maleficent to take a small step backwards.
That's when twenty Yen Sids appeared all around her, floating in midair as they looked down on her. As one, they all raised their left hand, pointing with their index fingers. Lightning began sparking from each finger before they threw down their arms as one, sending the lightning streaking towards the sorceress. In response, Maleficent raised her staff high into air, fire lancing out of it as it swirled around her. The lightning hit the spinning fire shield, each strike causing a mini explosion all around the witch, herself unharmed.
That's when another Yen Sid appeared directly overtop of her, a stern look on his face as he gave a brief chant. He then put his hands together, palms facing forward. Massive amounts of magical energy gathered into his palms before firing a brilliant white light at the witch.
At the last second, Maleficent managed to divert her fire to intercept this new attack, but it was nowhere near enough as it blew her through the floor into the tower interior. She gave a grunt of pain as she held her stomach before the green orb on her staff began glowing, stopping her in midair.
Yen Sid appeared before her again, fire orbs in his hands as he flung them relentlessly at Maleficent. She twirled her staff in response, deflecting each of them. The foiled attacks slammed into the tower walls, shaking the entire thing.
"Then how about this?" Yen Sid asked harshly, holding up his hands in the air. Dark energy began gathering above both of their heads as the gravity began substantially increasing with each passing second. Finishing the spell, Yen Sid threw his arms downward, the great gravitational force hitting Maleficent head on as she went sprawling down, hitting the bottom of the tower like a sack of bricks.
Until her 'body' simply shimmered out of view, the real Maleficent appearing behind the fabled master. Using her staff, she drew an eerily green circle in front of her face and shrieked into it. Vicious venomous bats emerged from the circle, flying straight towards Yen Sid!
The bats swarmed Yen Sid, converging on him until he was completely encased… only for the bats to start shrinking into harmless little beetles that all fell harmlessly to the ground, Yen Sid having not so much as a hair out of place.
Seizing the opportunity, Maleficent gave a howl of rage as she pointed her staff directly at the man, sending forth a deadly lightning bolt at him. In response, the man calmly took off his hat as the lightning entered it. Yen Sid then put his hat to his mouth, blew into it, and then popped it like a balloon before reaching into his sleeve and pulling out a new one.
Using two fingers, Yen Sid pointed upward once more. Golden swords began appearing from out of thin air. Swift as birds, they all descended around Maleficent before she could even blink, locking her in place. Each sword then began glowing brighter and brighter before collectively emitting a powerful bright light within the entire area.
A distinctive scream was heard from within the swords until they vanished moments later, revealing nothing at all, merely the sound itself. That's when Maleficent appeared from underneath, gathering a large amount of magical energy around her staff, then hurling a massive lightning bolt at the man, who merely disappeared.
That's when a large, ghost-like head of Yen Sid appeared in front of her, his gaze far from happy as he opened his mouth and blew out a colossal amount of intense white flames. Maleficent barely had time to erect a green spherical shield around her person before the sheer force of the attack sent her smashing through the grand staircase, causing multiple holes and threatening to collapse the entire thing.
Determined to drive Yen Sid into the open, Maleficent dissolved the shield around her as she held her staff high once more. Outside the tower, massive thunderclouds gathered in the sky overhead within seconds. Earsplitting thunder could be heard, with deadly streaks of lightning snaking along it.
With another thunderous boom, an enormous amount of magical lightning, accompanied by green fire, shot down directly at the tower itself. Seconds before hitting its intended target, Yen Sid himself appeared on top of his tower and opened his mouth, literally eating the entire attack!
Once the attack was over, he gave a small burp, which immediately dispersed all of the dark clouds that had gathered around his tower. A moment later, Maleficent herself appeared before him, floating in midair on a cloud of black smoke. While more winded and messed up than before, that confident smile was still present on her face.
What are you scheming, witch? You must be aware that you are tiring out faster than I. At this rate, you are bound to exhaust yourself long before I come close, Yen Sid thought to himself, his eyes narrowing at his opponent. Even your attacks are peculiar. All you seem to do is clash magical attacks over and over, rather than actually attacking me. What are you planning? What sort of trump card do you have that makes you so confident of victory, even with the odds against you?
As if to answer, a brilliant jet of flame – this time orange rather than green – came streaking across the night sky. Said flame came flying directly towards Yen Sid before hitting him from behind… and kept on going, as if the wizard himself was merely a ghost. As the fire continued skyward, Yen Sid glanced over his shoulder.
Floating in midair was the God of the Underworld himself, Hades.
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Wonderland—o0o0o0o0o0o0
After coming across and entering a strange doorway with three doors stacked on top of each other that opened one after the other, the Keyblade group found themselves in a rather strange-looking room, not completely unlike the hallway outside the door. The walls alternated between cobblestone, wood paneling, and pink wallpaper with strange designs on it, and the floor sported an uneven checkerboard tile pattern. A pair of sofa chairs sat between a nightstand and a bed on one side of the room, and on the other side was a fireplace with a chimney. One of the truly strange parts was that higher up on the wall next to the chimney was a water faucet for no apparent reason. And in the middle of the floor was a chair and table… flattened to the point that it looked like part of the floor. To top it off, a very small door with a golden knob lay at the bottom of the far wall.
At the present moment, the white rabbit they had been following was scampering across the floor… now several sizes smaller than it was a moment ago. It quickly ran up to the door, opened it, and zipped inside, closing it behind itself.
"How'd he get so small?" wondered Luffy, scratching his head.
"That's what I want to know," Sora replied as he and the rest of the group knelt down to get a closer look at the door. "How DID he get small?"
A pair of eyes opened above the doorknob. "No, you're simply too big," it spoke, the keyhole acting as its mouth.
"WAK! It talks!" burst out Donald as he and everyone else jumped at the unexpectedly strange sight.
"COOL!" exclaimed Luffy.
The doorknob yawned widely. "Must you be so loud? You woke me up," it said sleepily, a touch of indignation in its voice.
"Good mornin'!" said Goofy with a cheerful wave.
"Good night! I need a bit more sleep," said the doorknob, beginning to close its eyes again.
"Wait!" exclaimed Sora before it could drift off again. "What do we have to do to grow small?"
The doorknob yawned again. "Why don't you try the bottle over there?" it said before fully drifting back off to sleep.
"Over where?" wondered Sora out loud as he looked behind himself. Just then, in a burst of smoke and glowing sparkles, the table and chair that had previously lay flattened into the floor popped up into a fully three-dimensional form. On top of said table were two glass bottles full of some clear liquid, one with an orange label and the other with a blue one.
I guess I should start getting used to seeing stuff like this, thought Sora as he walked over to the table and picked up the blue-labeled bottle, reading a tag that said "Drink me". Well, here goes. He then lifted the bottle to his lips.
"Sora, wait!" cried Donald, frantically waving his arms for him to stop, but it was too late. The spiky-haired boy tipped a small amount of the bottle's contents into his mouth and swallowed.
At first, nothing happened. "Hmm, not bad," Sora remarked, smacking his lips a bit. "But why isn't – WHOA!"
Just then, Sora felt the bottle growing larger in his hand. Panicking slightly, he placed it back on the tabletop, which at that moment had reached his eye level and continued to rise. The Keyblade wielder continued to shrink and shrink until finally it stopped. He was now as tall as Goofy's ankle, the other three members of the group now towering over him.
"WHOOAAAA! COOL!" exclaimed Luffy, squatting down to peer at Sora's now-tiny form.
"Gawrsh, how do ya feel, Sora?" asked Goofy, leaning down.
"I… feel fine, actually," the spiky-haired boy replied, looking himself up and down. Nothing seemed out of place; his body looked and felt exactly the same, aside from the fact that it was now several times smaller. Miraculously, his clothes had shrunk as well; he wasn't exactly keen on the idea of fighting the Heartless in the buff. The thought alone made him cringe.
"Even so, that was reckless, Sora!" lectured Donald angrily. "You didn't know what that potion was! Who knows what it could have done to you?!"
Sora looked away with a guilty look on his face. "You've got a point…" he mumbled.
"The doorknob said it was okay!" cut in Luffy.
"NO ONE ASKED YOU!" snapped back Donald. He turned back to Sora. "Next time, let me test it with my magic!"
Sora nodded. "Got it."
"In any case," spoke up Jiminy. "It looks like the potion is safe to drink. We should all shrink down ourselves so we can start properly exploring."
"Sounds good to me, a-hyuck!" said Goofy as he picked up the bottle himself and sipped from it, quickly shrinking down to Sora's level immediately afterward. Jiminy, having been sitting on Goofy's head, also shrank. Luffy and Donald quickly followed suit, though Donald made a point of restraining Luffy from drinking the whole thing by accident.
"Alright! We're all set!" said Sora before turning and jogging towards the door with the talking knob. "OK, we're all small now! Open up!" he announced.
The doorknob said nothing, continuing to doze.
"Oi! Open up!" shouted Luffy, having jogged over himself. He then grabbed the knob and started yanking on it.
"Stop that!" yelled Donald, running over and smacking his hands away. "Can't you see he's asleep?!"
"But the Watch Rabbit went through here! We gotta follow it!" Luffy snapped back.
"That doesn't mean you can just go around waking up sleeping people!" yelled Donald. "Even if it is a doorknob!"
Sora couldn't help but sweatdrop at the irony of Donald yelling right in front of the doorknob to keep Luffy from waking it up. And yet somehow, it remained fast asleep. He didn't want to wake it back up either, but it was the only way they could get anywhere. How were they going to get through?
"Hey fellas!" called out Goofy from a distance away, drawing all three's attention. "There's another way in through here!"
Sora, Luffy, and Donald's eyes all looked toward where the Knight Captain was pointing. There was indeed another opening in the wall, barely poking out from behind the bed. Since it was on the same wall as the door, it stood to reason that it would go in the same general direction as the door, thus it was their best chance to catch up to the white rabbit.
"Well, problem solved!" said Sora cheerfully. "Let's go, guys!" With that, the group set off to enter the new entryway.
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Mysterious Tower; By FictionReader98—o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Hey there. How ya doing?" Hades began, looking quite smug. "Name's Hades. Lord of the Dead. How – "
Yen Sid pointed with his right index finger.
A second later, a zipper appeared on the left side of Hades' face.
Yen Sid then made a slashing motion.
In compliance, the zipper flew across the god's mouth.
And finally, Yen Sid made a small circle.
Prompting a padlock to appear, forcefully clicking shut on the end.
Hades looked down at his mouth in complete disbelief. He immediately reached up and grabbed the lock with both hands, attempting to pull it off with his considerable might. The efforts proved in vain, with muffled yells of frustration as Hades' hair flared up several fold. When still nothing happened, utter rage appeared on the God's face, looking positively murderous.
Immediately his entire being was engulfed in a tower of red flames, the column stretching all the way out to the heavens themselves. The flames then curved downward and came striking down straight towards the man responsible and the tower he stood upon. Within seconds, both man and structure were consumed, resulting in a massive, mushroom-shaped explosion that was felt across the world, and then some.
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Twilight Town, The Sandlot, Same time—o0o0o0o0o0o0
"C'mon, losers! What, are you chicken?!"
"'Chicken'?! I'll show you chicken!"
"Hayner, don't!"
The three friends Hayner, Pence, and Olette currently stood across from the three self-appointed members of Twilight Town's 'Disciplinary Committee', composed of Seifer, Fuu, and Rai. As per usual, Seifer was currently picking a fight with Hayner, the latter eager for a chance to put the cocky teen in his place. Pence and Olette, meanwhile, were attempting to defuse the situation.
"Better listen to your buddies," taunted Rai. "They're gonna have to scrape you off the pavement with a spatula when Seifer's done with ya, y'know?"
"Steamrolled," said Fuu in a bored monotone.
"It's not worth it, Hayner! Just let it go!" cried Olette. Hayner, however, refused to listen.
"He's dissin' us! We can't let him get away with that!" he growled. He then stepped forward. "You want a fight? I'll give you a fight!"
He punched a fist into his other hand. "Bring it on!"
BOOM
An explosive rumble like that of an erupting volcano resounded in the distance at that exact moment, shaking the ground. All six teens were caught off guard, wobbling around as they attempted to keep their balance. It died down after a few seconds.
All present were at a loss for words. Seifer himself even had his jaw hanging open. Suddenly aware of himself, he immediately closed his mouth and, rather unconvincingly, slid back into his usual arrogant posture.
"Hear that, guys? An explosion!" he said rather quickly. "We gotta go check it out! It's our duty as the Disciplinary Committee! We'll deal with these chumps later!" With that, he turned on his heel and dashed off.
"Y-yeah! This ain't over, y'know?!" said Rai, putting up an even more unconvincing tough front before taking off himself, hot on Seifer's heels.
"Priorities," said Fuu in her usual monotone before turning and following her fellow committee members, leaving the shellshocked trio alone.
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Traverse Town, Third District, Same time—o0o0o0o0o0o0
Thunk
Thunk
Th-th-thunk
Yuffie continued angrily hurling kunai and shuriken into the practice dummies she had set up in the main square of the Third District. Said practice dummies had been dressed up to resemble Luffy, complete with straw hats and silly faces with the tongues hanging out, the word 'Idiot' written just below the heads. After all the stress and aggravation she had been forced to endure at the hands of that pirate, she seriously needed to blow off some steam, and with Third District still unoccupied so soon after the latest Heartless attack, this was the perfect time and place to do it.
So wrapped up in her stress relief was the ninja that she wasn't even aware of the soft footsteps coming up behind her until their owner tapped her on the shoulder.
"GAH!" Yuffie screeched as she jumped six feet in the air. She then whipped around, pulling her largest shuriken off her back… only to see Aerith, holding her hands up in a surrender pose.
"You have got to stop sneaking up on people like that," the ninja gasped as she slid the shuriken back into its holster, breathing rapidly as she held a hand to her still-pounding heart.
"Sorry," said Aerith sheepishly, briefly feeling a strange sense of déjà vu as she lowered her hands. "I just wanted to check on you. You've been here for almost two hours; are you sure you're alright?"
"Oh, I'm just great!" Yuffie replied, her voice a little too chipper for Aerith's liking. "Just getting in a little practice before that straw hat moron comes back! Ohhhh, he's gonna be in for a BIG surprise when he gets back!" A scary grin appeared on her face as she ground her fist into the palm of her other hand.
Aerith began to sweat a bit at the kunoichi's words. "Yuffie, I really think – " But Yuffie cut her off as she turned around and threw her head back.
"YOU HEAR THAT, YOU PIRATE BASTARD?!" she roared to the sky, pointing upward. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS! AS SOON AS YOU GET BACK, YOU'RE IN FOR A WORLD OF PAIN! I'M GONNA MAKE IT MY MISSION TO MAKE YOUR LIFE A LIVING HELL! YOU HEAR ME?!"
BOOM
A powerful, explosive sound rang out in the distance at the very moment Yuffie finished her rant, as if to punctuate her words. The ground shook, nearly causing the two girls to lose their balance as they stumbled and waved their arms in an effort to stay standing. It settled down after a few seconds, leaving both Yuffie and Aerith dumbfounded.
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Both worlds—o0o0o0o0o0o0
"What the heck was that?" Hayner, Pence, Olette, Yuffie, and Aerith wondered out loud simultaneously.
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Mysterious Tower; By FictionReader98—o0o0o0o0o0o0
Hades' face and chest rose and fell from the effort, though his eyes still blazed in outright fury… for about three more seconds. Said eyes then became downright surprised.
For both man and tower stood there, just fine.
"Hey there!"
A new voice shouted from above before either Hades or Maleficent could fully register the lack of effect from the Underworld ruler's attack. Looking up, Hades and Maleficent were presented with the sight of Oogie Boogie descending downward towards the wizard. "Forgot the fireworks!" He reared his arm back and threw out several dice.
"Let's stick to the classics and get dicey!"
Upon his words, all the dice he threw grew to the size of bowling balls, spikes springing out of each 'hole' as they spun towards Yen Sid.
Who, without turning around or glancing, just snapped his fingers. There were a series of poofs, and instead of dice tearing through the man, a series of frogs appeared, landing on Yen Sid's shoulders and head. He merely patted the one on his left shoulder before all the frogs turned around and hopped right back toward Oogie as he landed on the roof, though it was difficult for him to get a foothold on the steep surface of the main spire.
"HEY! NO CHEATING HERE!"
Mimicking the earlier move, all the frogs grew several times bigger.
"NOW YOU'RE JUST PLAYING DIRTY!" The baddie about-faced and zipped away, scrambling down the tower's side away from the giant frogs, their tongues flying out towards Oogie Boogie.
Without a second's pause, what looked like a gift came spiraling down from the sky. As Yen Sid looked up, he reached out to catch it… only for it to explode before he had the chance, obscuring the man in smoke and flame.
"Now let a real man show his merit!" came the voice belonging to one Captain Hook as he appeared from behind, landing on the main spire within striking distance of the sorcerer, grasping one of the stars on the ornament that tipped it with one hand. He slashed out with his sword before the aftermath of his bomb could finish off, his sword striking true.
Moments later, the smoke of his bomb finally cleared and Hook could see the damage… or to be precise, lack thereof, for Yen Sid was standing there, not a mark on him. His left hand was clenched in a hard fist and the man's right index finger had been what intercepted his sword.
With his finger.
"Blast you, wretch!" the pirate captain roared. He lashed out again with his sword, only for the wizard to calmly move his finger, blocking the blade again. Captain Hook struck again and again, only to be intercepted each time. Rage consuming him, he lashed out in pure frenzy, striking fast and furious. Yen Sid's finger, as if it had a mind of its own, met Hook's tenacity. Blow for blow, finger and sword flashed at each other, dozens of clashes within mere moments.
Finally, Hook ran out of steam, breathing and panting. "I shall skewer you – "
Yen Sid merely gave him a grin, and with a wave of the same finger, conjured up a mirror in midair for the captain. Hook, caught off guard, took a look despite the situation.
In his reflection, he saw the word 'Codfish' written on his forehead.
"What!?" Hook roared. This man DARED to use the same mockery as that BOY did to him?! How did he even write that amidst their duel? WHEN DID HE DO IT!? His rage boiled, giving him his second wind. He was about to lash out again when Yen Sid held up his clenched left hand to Hook.
And opened it up, revealing he hadn't deflected the explosion… he simply caught it and compacted it within his hand.
"Oh…"
The explosion erupted anew and sent the captain soaring through the air, a loud 'BLAST YOU!' echoing throughout the entire area.
Still, Yen Sid didn't get a moment to rest as what appeared to be a large snake erupted from the ground below. A giant cobra, larger than even the tower itself, appeared out of nowhere. Golden skin, ruby red eyes and fangs that put even the finest sword to shame adorned the beast. Its mouth opened wide as it slammed down on both man and tower.
Oogie Boogie, still fleeing from the horde of giant frogs, looked up. His eyes – or rather, what resembled eyes on his burlap body – went large at the sight. As did the eyes of the frogs, all of which began panicking and scattering. Giving a relieved sigh, he shouted to his comrades. "Did you get him!?"
Jafar and Ursula appeared in the air next to the top of the tower where the enormous cobra had struck, having utilized both of their power to change Jafar's staff into the nightmare abomination before them. Both of them stood on top of black clouds that Ursula had provided.
"He's fish food for sure! Ah HA HA HA!" the sea witch chuckled loudly.
Jafar gave a nod of agreement. "Such is the fate of all those that – "
"Be ready," Maleficent cut in. The wicked fairy was gliding across the grass.
That's when the cobra lurched, as if having indigestion. Its eyes rolled back, its mouth bloated. Indeed, the entire thing was swelling in size, like a balloon being overinflated.
Seconds later, the huge cobra gave what could only be described as an epic burp. A hurricane-like gust emerged from its mouth before it began zipping around the sky like a deflating balloon. It sped through the air for a few seconds… colliding into both Jafar and Ursula at the same time and slamming them into the ground.
"So. Six of you." A voice echoed throughout their surroundings. A voice that undoubtedly belonged to their target as Jafar and Ursula picked themselves up from the ground beside Maleficent, who stood tall, the breeze fluttering her robes.
"Six fools who blind themselves to the machinations of darkness, seeking to control that which should be long left alone."
Oogie Boogie moved over to his fellow cohorts as Maleficent spoke. "If one wants to control the power unseen, one must be willing to reach out…" She opened a hand and quickly closed into a fist. "And take it." At that, Hades materialized right beside her, angrily pointing to the padlock zipper on his mouth. Maleficent tapped the end of her staff against it, and both padlock and zipper disappeared.
"FINALLY!" The God of the Dead roared out in triumph as Hook landed near them on top of a black cloud of his own. "And here's an example of true power, you dried out old fossil!" Throwing up an arm, he unleashed a torrent of flames directly in front of the group. It burned through the landscape, stretching out for what had to be miles.
"So for mere power, you all would seek to obtain that which should be left alone?" the voice continued, much to Hades' frustration.
"Yes," came a chorus of voices.
"And what, pray tell…" Yen Sid then appeared out of nowhere, standing right in the midst of Hades' attack. "…do you seek that is so important that you would dive into the blackest of nights?"
"To rule all those around me," Jafar answered immediately.
"To take control of the seven seas and beyond!" Ursula cackled.
"I just like a good party," Oogie Boogie offered. "And with the biggest party going down, how can I possibly say NO?"
"Taking my rightful place on top of the food chain," Hades reached out, his hair intensifying. "Claiming what I deserve."
"To finally put that brat in his place," Hook declared, holding up his, well, hook in emphasis. "And all the plunder that comes with it!"
Yen Sid just looked at them all like a disapproving father, turning his gaze to the last one. "And you, Mistress of the Night?"
"My goals and thoughts are my own," Maleficent answered simply. Her response seemed to surprise her associates. Maleficent just moved forward, like she was gliding towards the wizard. "All you need to know is…"
That's when Maleficent's staff began glowing again.
"… I seek your end."
What looked like a laser of green, hellish flame struck out towards Yen Sid. Sparks of those flames ignited around her, nearly scorching her allies, which earned some cheeky remarks from a few and laughs from the rest. At the last second, he flicked his fingers up, a wall of earth erupting in front of him and blocking the attack. Maleficent didn't stop as she continued pouring on the power, the earth wall beginning to crack and buckle from it.
So Yen Sid reached out, tapping the earth shield. Immediately, it crumbled and surged forward like a tornado; a vortex of wind and power. It consumed the wall entirely and snaked around Maleficent's laser attack, sapping it and growing in intensity as it came barreling towards the villain squad.
Immediately, Hades and Jafar acted together; fittingly, they were the ones who had laughed when the flames had ignited. Fire from the god and mystic power from the vizier combined together, forming what looked like a transparent bubble in front of the witch. The tornado attack slammed into it, but the shield held strong, forcing Yen Sid's spell to bypass them all. To that, Maleficent raised her free hand and waved in the direction of Yen Sid.
Immediately, the remaining three, who had been the ones to complain about Maleficent's attack that nearly scorched them, moved. Ursula's necklace glowed as she gave off a loud shout, loud musical notes racing towards the Wizard, while Oogie Boogie held up both arms, unleashing what looked like a sickly green cloud, grass dying in its wake, while Hook reached into his coat and pulled out a pistol that looked like it had been modified and upgraded, firing off shot after shot of what could only be described as miniature cannonballs.
Seeing the attacks Yen Sid held up his sleeves, clearly ready to vanish and regroup once again.
Now was the time. Maleficent struck, green flames from her staff shooting out towards Yen Sid, who glanced over just in time to intercept. "Hades!"
"With pleasure, milady!" As prompted, the Lord of the Dead disappeared in a cloud of smoke and reappeared on the other side of Yen Sid within a heartbeat. He gathered more of his unnatural flames into his right hand and unleashed them on the opposite side. The sorcerer's head jerked yet again, holding up his other hand to intercept the flames, both Maleficent and the god's fires bearing down on him. The effort to contain both at once was an apparent strain as Yen Sid forced himself upward, scaling his tower to get to higher ground while forced to continue fending off his two foes' flame attacks.
"Oogie Boogie," Maleficent ordered, and with her free hand conjured up a black cloud for the monster. "From below."
"I just love how you talk!" Obliging, he soared upward on his mount and threw up his arms. The seams of his burlap skin opened, and hordes of insects began swarming towards Yen Sid.
Looking down, a flicker of frustration appeared on the man's face as he disappeared, letting the flame strikes collide into an explosion that incinerated the entirety of Oogie's swarm… which immediately earned several loud yells towards Maleficent.
Not that she cared.
"Hook!" she called out, generating another black cloud beneath the pirate. "Brace yourself!" Jerking her staff upwards, she rapidly levitated him into the air, earning a surprised yelp.
"Jafar!" she ordered next. They had the advantage; she was not about to lose it now. "Up!" Jafar looked to his right, seeing his staff restored to his hand. "NOW!"
Complying, he held up his staff. It extended at swift speed, dozens of meters at a time.
"Hook. Right strike, now!"
Looking down from his position in midair, Hook saw the rising snake staff and used it as a stepping stone to catch himself. Adjusting his footing, he announced "Setting course to starboard!" and launched himself out. Yen Sid appeared, literally standing on the side of his tower as the pirate captain arrived, slashing out anew. The mage only had time to bring up his right sleeve, blocking the sword like it was a steel shield as another black cloud emerged underneath Hook, giving him a foundation.
And Maleficent acted, gathering darkness energy within her free hand and launching it like a pro baseball player. Forced on the defensive again, he slipped away like a snake. Maleficent's attack barely missed Hook's face, an act that left him momentarily in shock. "Look at him run!" Oogie cheered.
"Ursula, top of the tower."
"Bow to MY POWER!" At the command, Ursula clapped her hands above her head. Immediately, all of her tentacles rapidly grew in size, ten times their normal length, and lashed out at the top of the tower, right where Yen Sid was slithering off to. Tentacle after tentacle slammed down towards him, rocking the tower as he moved to avoid them. Once again, he moved to defend himself.
"Hades!"
"I am going to ENJOY THIS!" Emerging in a puff of smoke, the God of the Dead appeared right in front of Yen Sid. His eyes screaming 'revenge' in place of his words, the god's arms turned into pure smoke and lashed out towards the man. Yen Sid crossed his arms, a blue magical shield appearing as the smoke collided forcefully with it. Hades didn't let up, pouring more and more power into the attack. The sheer force of it sent Yen Sid skidding across the top of his home and right towards the edge.
"Ursula. Back me up!" Maleficent ordered as Ursula as returned her tentacles to normal size to avoid collateral damage from the god of death.
"With pleasure!" The golden shell she wore around her neck glowed with a brilliant light as she took a deep breath and unleashed a screaming echo towards the man. Maleficent held up her staff, adding her own power to Ursula's. The combination death echo flashed out towards Yen Sid.
Sneering under his breath, he abandoned his shield. It remained for a few precious seconds to block Hades' strike as the sleeves on his robes extended outward, grabbing on the side of the tower and whisking him away from the combined attack.
"Jafar!"
Answering the call, Jafar was already on top of the mage, striking out with his staff and then immediately blowing out a jet of flames towards him. Yen Sid backflipped through the air, repositioning himself, but Oogie Boogie was already there, slapping out like a madman.
Yen Sid batted away the first of the bag man's strikes, then flicked him away with a gust of wind, but Hook was already taking his place. Riding his cloud, he slashed out in a new frenzy at Yen Sid's back, forcing the man to 'skate' down the side of the tower.
And right into Ursula. She began spinning rapidly like a top at him, striking out against him as he held up his arms to block, taking hit after hit. Signs of strain were appearing on the man's face. He gave his own loud yell, blasting the witch away, and attempted to teleport again. But Hades was already behind him, arms wide. The god was blazing red as brought his arms together to catch the man, who slipped out like a bar of soap, rocketing to the sky.
The god launched fireball after fireball, striking the tower in several places as Yen Sid flew, the explosions just barely missing him as he sought higher ground. As he landed, Hook attacked again with a furious sweep… but with his hook this time, prompting him to stop. Another fireball from Hades forced Yen Sid to move, only this time running into Oogie Boogie again, who was going in for a double backhand strike. Yen Sid merely jumped, stomped on his head and continued going on, fireballs in his wake.
Jafar appeared right out of thin air, his staff glowing in an attempt to mesmerize the man. The sorcerer just gave a wave of his arm, unleashing a brief but intense flash of light on the man before turning around just in time to bat Hades' next fireball away. Ursula then came from the rear, launching out to strike him. Yen Sid ducked the attack and bolted upward, landing on his tower.
And Maleficent struck. She did it in a way none of her allies would have expected. Waiting for her enemy, she lashed out with her staff. Not with magic, but just the staff itself. The butt of it struck Yen Sid right in the stomach, and earned something none of the other villains had ever heard yet.
A scream of pain from the man.
A very satisfied grin appeared on Maleficent's face. Giving no boost or spell, she just reared her other hand back and gave a fierce uppercut. Her fist collided with the old man's chin with intense brute force, his entire figure jerking from the hit. His signature hat went flying off his head as he stumbled backward and then fell… crashing into the ground at the base of his tower with thunderous results.
"And now you see." Maleficent now allowed herself a moment as her allies gathered around her, either on top of a black cloud or under their own power.
"Even the King's teacher cannot stop us."
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Wonderland—o0o0o0o0o0o0
After walking through the doorway, the group of Heartless fighters had found themselves in a narrow walkway between two walls of hedge that stood at least a meter taller than any of them. The path twisted and turned like a maze (which, as Jiminy pointed out, it probably was). They had spent the last several minutes wandering around the various corridors trying to find an exit, with little success. All they had managed to find was a single open clearing with a number of rosebushes, the roses dripping what looked like red paint.
"Why would anyone paint flowers red?" wondered Sora aloud, scratching his head. "Why not just plant red flowers?"
"Maybe they're Mystery Flowers!" Luffy supplied cheerfully.
"I'm not even going to TRY to figure that sentence out," grumbled Donald. "More importantly, where are we supposed to go from here?!"
"We go where the Watch Rabbit went! Duh!" said Luffy as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE IT IS!" screamed Donald.
Just then, said white rabbit came scampering through the clearing.
"I'm late! I'm late! Too late to say goodbye! Hello! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" he said frantically, dashing into one of the openings to one of the pathways and disappearing from view.
Sora turned to Donald with a playful smirk. "You were saying?"
"Oh, shut up!" Donald grumped, looking away. Sora and Goofy chuckled.
"Oi! Watch Rabbit! Wait up!" Luffy called out, giving chase once again as he ran towards the same pathway.
"HEY! What did I say about running off on your own?!" shouted Donald as he ran to follow the Straw Hat captain, Sora and Goofy following suit.
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Mysterious Tower; By FictionReader98—o0o0o0o0o0o0
The villains landed on the lawn right in front of the wizard, who was on all fours, coughing and wheezing. His face seemed contorted, like he had just aged decades on the spot. Looking over at the villains, he heaved out, "… witch… what did you do to me…?"
"What's this?" Jafar threw back his head and laughed. "The mighty Yen Sid can't take a punch?!"
"Masterful!" Hook agreed. "Let us bring on the - "
"Chill it, boys," Ursula cut in. She looked over at Maleficent, who merely nodded her approval and spoke the next words.
"I've sealed your magic within your tower."
A steered silence hung in the air at that remark.
"Facing you in direct combat was a risky gambit," Maleficent went on. "And I'm not a fan of gambling. It is a futile effort of wasting resources."
"Hey now, let's not talk crazy here!" Oogie protested.
"… so you lured me in…" Yen Sid picked up. "… casting a spell to redirect my powers to the tower itself. The more I used, the more the tower would absorb… right… until the point… of activation… and take it all…"
"Correct," Maleficent confirmed. "And now, you are just a hollowed out shell of a man, unfit to pick up the King's laundry, let alone act as his teacher."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, brag, brag, brag… we won!" the sack monster cut in again, earning an angry look from the rest. He held up his hand. "Let's just make him a Heartless and get it over with! I call dibs!"
"A Heartless… after what he did!?" Everyone looked to see the God of the Dead, looking absolutely livid. "Oh no, no Heartless for him!" He began glowing redder and redder. "Right now, I'm adding his life to MY DOMAIN! AND YOU AREN'T GETTING OFF WITH JUST A SLAP ON THE WRIST WHEN I'M FINISHED WITH YOU, BLUE BOY!"
"Hades!" Ursula warned, but it was too late. The god unleashed another blast of hellish fire directly at the wizard.
Yen Sid looked up from his position, seeing the incoming fire. Holding up a hand, he seemed to glow. The attack struck his hand dead-on before being absorbed into the sorcerer's being. Maleficent's trick may have meant he could no longer call upon power of his own…
… but there was nothing to stop him from borrowing another source.
Calling upon the borrowed power of the Underworld's ruler, Yen Sid reached for his wayward hat. He seemed to get sucked in, shrinking rapidly into it. There was a popping noise and then it disappeared. Both hat and man had retreated within it.
"Skewer me eyes, what just happened here!?" the pirate captain demanded. "I thought we had him dead to rights!" He withdrew his sword, looking for their prey.
"He has escaped," Maleficent said simply. Her face betrayed no indication as to whether she was upset at the ploy or not as she explained the trick that Ursula had promptly figured out. When Hades heard this, he let loose another rage-fueled blast and torched the nearby landscape, leaving it black as death.
"Then let us simply take him down again," Jafar declared, moving to the door. "We did it once - "
"And this time, he's aware of the trick and on his guard," Maleficent interrupted. "The nature of the spell makes him powerless outside his tower, but within his sanctuary, he will be as powerful as ever."
Ursula ran a hand through her hair. "So he's useless anywhere else except that infernal place." She shot a look at the god. "If someone hadn't jumped the gun, we would have a nice, powerful Heartless to command."
Hades' eyes grew dark. "You want to start something, Ms. Sushi?!"
"Enough," Maleficent ordered. All eyes fell on her. "The loss of Yen Sid's Heartless is unfortunate, but hardly a loss. He still cannot leave his tower without becoming a withered husk of a man. That makes his ability to assist the King and his lackeys minute at best. An acceptable outcome."
Jafar looked at her. "But won't he simply overcome that spell with enough time?"
"Yes, which is why…" She glanced to the side as a large, armored, cat-like individual came out.
"Pete here will remain behind to disrupt the wizard's attempts."
The newly introduced Pete gave a bow. "All in a day's work! It won't take long to break into this man's tower and turn him into the newest servant of darkness!"
"Good. Guard the seal and see to it no one breaks it. Yen Sid cannot be allowed to disrupt my plans and meet with the Keybearer." Maleficent's eyes then grew serious. "But be warned, a cornered animal is the most dangerous."
Pete gave her a thumbs-up. "You can count on me! That wizard is staying put for good!"
Maleficent nodded before turning away. Already putting Pete out of her mind, she gestured to her allies.
"Now, let us begin the next step."
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Wonderland—o0o0o0o0o0o0
As the group ran, a severe chill suddenly ran down the Court Magician's spine, causing him to stop. He couldn't explain why; all that came to mind was that something very bad had just happened.
Meanwhile, Sora and Goofy passed by Donald as he stood in place. "Ya comin', Donald?" called back Goofy.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm coming," he said distantly, moving to catch up with the group, but still lost in thought. What… what was that just now?
The group soon found themselves just outside of what looked like an outdoor courtroom. On one side was a podium for the defendant, currently empty, and opposite the podium was a judge's bench, currently occupied by a large woman wearing a red and black high-collared dress and a small gold crown, holding a scepter with a large red heart on the end. On either side of the setup were what looked like large playing cards with hands, feet, and armored heads, each holding lances tipped with their respective suit symbols, much to the Keyblade group's befuddlement.
As they looked on, they noticed the white rabbit currently dashing up the staircase of a pedestal that stood to the side of the courtroom. Once on top, he paused to catch his breath before pulling out a small bugle. Taking a deep breath, he trumpeted out a declaratory tune.
"Court is now in session! Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts, presiding!" announced the rabbit.
"Bring out the defendant!" ordered the Queen.
"I keep telling you! I'M NOT HER!" shouted a familiar-sounding voice.
Another pair of playing cards came marching in from the side, each holding one arm of the defendant. Sora and the rest leaned in to see who it was. They were dressed in a blue dress with a white apron, and had long, blond hair. However, it was at that moment that Sora caught a glimpse of the defendant's face; specifically, their very long nose.
A nose the Keybearer recognized immediately.
"Wait… USOPP?!"
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Another world, several hours earlier—o0o0o0o0o0o0
Robin's eyes fluttered open as she awoke. She found herself laying on her back on cold hard ground. Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she began taking stock of her surroundings.
She appeared to be in a lush rainforest of sorts. This struck her as odd, since Destiny Islands didn't appear to have any such forests, even from their vantage point at the Children's Island. As she grew more and more awake and alert, her memories prior to blacking out came back to her: How the islands were hit with an intense storm completely out of nowhere, how a giant hole appeared in the sky, how she found herself attacked by several small black creatures, and how she got pulled into a portal of darkness before falling unconscious.
Her first thought was that she had been whisked back to Skypiea by whatever force had pulled her into that portal, but upon seeing normal-sized trees and a nearby lagoon full of normal-looking water as opposed to clouds (and even a few hippos bathing in it), she immediately discounted that possibility. She couldn't even be sure as to what that force was, exactly.
From what she could remember of the Poneglyphs she had managed to read throughout her lifetime, there had been mentions of a great darkness whose arrival would herald the destruction of the world. The passages had said that the minions of the dark would be after the 'heart' of the world, and if they reached said heart, the world would be swallowed in darkness and torn asunder. She couldn't be sure if the world had actually been destroyed, seeing as she was still alive, in one piece, and in a relatively habitable environment. Still, the appearance of those black creatures and that large hole in the sky at Destiny Islands had her greatly concerned. And what Sora had told her of that mysterious cloaked man he had encountered only served to reinforce that concern.
She figured the best thing to do right now would be to try and find her way back to the Straw Hats; that is, assuming they hadn't been devoured or ripped to shreds by the creatures. She'd figure out the current situation later. With that, she set off exploring.
After an hour or so of hiking through the jungle, she found herself standing at the foot of a rope bridge leading to a small island on a tall rock jutting out of what looked like the ocean, upon which some kind of multi-part treehouse had been built. It seemed to be abandoned, given how it was falling apart in some places, but otherwise, it looked large enough to have housed a family of three or four. She could even see a ship mast with a crow's nest poking through the tree cover, indicating that it had been made from a shipwreck. Evidently there was a history behind this structure, one she would be fascinated to learn.
However, it currently prompted only one question in her mind…
Where am I?
Author's Note: I know a lot of you are wondering: Why is Usopp on the stand and not Alice?! Fear not, dear readers, all shall be made clear next chapter! And don't worry about the wait time; as of posting this, Chapter 9 is already more than halfway done, and the majority of the remaining scenes have been planned out :)
A HUGE thank-you to FictionReader98 for not just beta-reading the chapter, but also spearheading the Yen Sid vs Disney Villains battle. I truly am honored to have such a creative and talented guy take time out of his day to contribute to my story. To you readers, please let him know what you thought of his work.
Funny story, I was re-reading Chapter 7 while writing Chapter 8, and I suddenly imagined the bit with Luffy in the closet as a comic strip in which everything is blacked out except his eyes, and it plays out entirely with his eyes and some sound effects being the only visible things in the strip aside from the blackness. Somehow, it just makes me chuckle :)
"The doorknob said it was okay"… there's a sentence I never thought I'd ever say or write in my lifetime :S I can only imagine more of those will pop up as I continue writing this story.
A quick note: I made a small modification to Chapter 2 to account for the narration of Robin's thoughts. Nothing major, just switching "old textbook" with "Poneglyphs". I also made a small tweak to Chapter 5 with Sora and Yuffie's interactions upon him first waking up. Feel free to have a look :)
For those wondering why only Twilight Town and Traverse Town felt Hades' explosion, two reasons: One, Twilight Town is canonically almost literally right next door to Mysterious Tower; as for Traverse Town, we'll just say it's a bit further away, but within the vicinity of both worlds. And two, having characters from every single world feeling the boom would be both tedious and unnecessary. So it's just those two.
A cookie to those who spotted the Calvin and Hobbes reference in the Yen Sid vs Maleficent fight :) Also, when Hades gets his mouth zipped shut, try to imagine his face from the 'merchandise' scene of the Hercules movie when he almost literally explodes in anger after Panic says "Thirsty?"
That's about all I've got to say for now. Thanks for reading, and look forward to the next one!
Techniques used in this chapter:
Gomu Gomu no Fuusen: Translation: Gum Gum Balloon. Luffy takes a huge breath and inflates his torso to a large size resembling a balloon, hence the name. Like this, Luffy is able to deflect large, blunt projectiles, usually back towards the one launching them. Canon technique.
The four travelers have found themselves in a strange, whimsical, nonsensical world. Stranger yet, they have found Usopp… but dressed like a girl and being put on trial! And to top it off, Maleficent and her allies have sealed Yen Sid away within his own tower! What are the villains planning next? Why is Usopp in his current predicament? And can the others save him from literally losing his head? Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter of Heart of a Pirate!