The crew of Luffy, Sonson, Draco, Ben, Zoro, and Kuina were sailing on their boat. As they did Draco went over to check the food storage.

"We should get to a new island soon before we run out of provisions."

"How long before we reach a new island?" Zoro asked.

"We're gonna need a navigator if we're gonna find any good places," Ben said as he took out a compass and checked it. "My compass can only help so much."

Luffy nodded. "Ben's right! We can't just sail along with the wind and waves or we'll never reach the One Piece."

"Are you telling me the guy who wants to be King of the Pirates can't even navigate properly?" Zoro asked incredulously.

"It's not as weird as you think, I'm only the captain. If Gol D. Roger was able to navigate on his own, he wouldn't need a whole crew." Luffy pointed out. "The point of a crew is to do all the things a captain can't. I can't navigate, I can't cook, I'm terrible with supplies, I don't like guns so I don't know how to fire one. Without a crew, I wouldn't last ten days in the Grand Line."

"None of us would!" Sonson added. "And Draco, Ben, and I are also the captains!"

Draco turned to Kuina. "Say, Kuina. Why did you and Zoro decide to become bounty hunters in the first place?"

"To have an excuse to travel the world and fight the toughest opponents. We set out to sea to find one particular man. But in the process, we lost track of our small village, so we became bounty hunters in order to make a living."

Luffy grinned cheekily. "So you're as lost as we are."

"Don't put it like that!" Zoro snapped, stamping his foot.

The boat started to rock suddenly and Luffy's straw hat flew off her head. The girl panicked but Zoro was able to grab it before it flew overboard.

"Sorry about that."

"Thanks. This hat represents a promise I made to someone. His name was Shanks." Luffy said.

"Wait, Red-Haired Shanks?!" Kuina gawked. "One of the Yonko?!"

Luffy smiled. "He happened to visit the town that Sonson and I lived in when we were young."

"Shame I never got to meet him in person," Ben muttered. "Draco has met him on account of being the son of Whitebeard."

"Say, I kinda forgot, what happened to that Higamura guy?" Sonson asked.

"The Sea King coughed up his bones a few days later. We hung up in a cage as a warning to the other bandits, and they never bothered the island ever again." Luffy explained.

"Hark, I see floaters ahead!" Draco alerted everyone as they saw three pirates on a capsized dingy.

"Might as well pick them up. They might know where the nearest island is." Zoro said.

As the pirates got on the boat, they pulled out their swords on the crew.

"Listen up! We're crew members of Buggy the Clown! This boat is ours now!"

The six looked at each other as if they had heard something incredibly stupid….and then, with smirks on their faces, proceeded to beat the ever-loving crap out of the three pirates.

"This boat is ours. Now where's the nearest island?" Zoro demanded.

"W-We'll tell you! We'll even row you there!"

"See, there was no need for violence." Ben cheekily said.

"Just problems on top of problems..." One of the pirates grumbled as he and his mates began rowing. "If Captain Buggy finds out a girl stole our boat and treasure..."

"Who's this Buggy you keep talking about?" Kuina asked.

"That name sounds familiar..." Draco muttered.

"You guys never heard of Buggy the Clown? He's one of the most feared pirates in the Blue Seas!" One of the pirates said. "He ate one of the Devil Fruits and now commands a fearsome crew over five dozen strong with some of the deadliest officers any captain could ask for. His ship, the Big Top, is docked at the island we're heading for right now. I'd wager the nearby town is a ghost town at this point, with every villager hiding from him."

"Uh...where did Luffy go?" Sonson suddenly asked.

Everyone quickly began looking around to see where Luffy had gone, only for Zoro to spot her hanging from the beak of a giant bird that had flown overhead.

"Seems she wanted to grab a quick bite and got more than he could chew." Sonson cackled in spite of it all.

Draco then turned to the Buggy Pirates, his arms now crackling with black lightning.

"Row. Now."

-OP-

Meanwhile, on the island, Nami was running from a group of pirates with a map clutched in her hand.

"Get back here, you wench! That's our map of the Grand Line! We'll be killed by one of the captain's cannonballs if we lose it!"

"Well sucks to be you!" Nami called back. "I have greater needs than you do!"

However, the bird that had picked up Luffy was blasted by a cannonball, sending the rubber girl right down near Nami and slamming into the ground.

"What the heck was that?!"

Luffy picked herself off the ground, no worse for wear.

"Man, who's shooting cannonballs at me out of nowhere? At least I wound up on the island. Guess I'll just have to wait for the others to show up."

Nami just stared at Luffy in shock. Running into her again was one thing, but the fact that she had somehow survived a fall that had to be hundreds of meters was just beyond belief. Then she realized this was the perfect opportunity.

"Boss! You came to save me!"

Luffy looked over from Nami to the pirates that had been chasing her.

"Right, you head off. I'll handle these losers."

"You got it!" Nami said cheerfully as she ran for it.

"Hey, she's getting away!" A pirate with scars shouted.

"Relax, we still got her boss here." A pirate with a bandana said.

"I think you guys got it backward. I'm the one who's got you." Luffy said with a grin.

"You think you can take us, punk?!"

The scarred pirate punched Luffy, which did nothing due to her rubber body. But it did send her hat flying off his head. Angered, Luffy punched out the scarred pirate with one blow before catching her hat and putting it back on.

"Don't touch my treasure!"

The other two pirates charged him, but Luffy just pulled back his her to stretch them.

"GUM-GUM PISTOL!"

Her stretchy punches slammed into the two pirates, knocking them out. Nami, who had climbed up to the roof of the nearby building, was shocked at what she saw. Luffy took notice of her and climbed up to where she was.

"We keep running into each other….Nami, right?" Luffy asked. "Why were you running from those guys?"

"Long story short, I'm a thief who steals from pirates!" Nami declared. "So, looks like you got split up from your friends…You wanna team up until you find them again?"

"I dunno if you'd want to team up with me, I'm a pirate, after all."

"Well, you sure don't seem like one. At least not like the ones I've dealt with in the past." Nami said. "Actually, I could use your help with something."

-OP-

Meanwhile, in a large tent, Buggy the Clown himself was starting to get annoyed.

"They haven't caught our thief yet?"

"The Superhuman Domingos are already after her, Captain. They should be tracking her down before long." One of his crew members said.

"Good, but how did our map get stolen so easily in the first place? And after all the trouble we went through swiping it from the Marines. I was hoping to use it to return to Paradise on the Grand Line and go on a rampage."

"You want to find the One Piece?"

Buggy shook his head. "Hardly. I'm nowhere near Roger's level. But you haven't answered my question."

"Well, it turns out someone left the shack unlocked. We're trying to find out which idiot did that as we speak." The crew member explained. "But regardless, something like that meant that any of our foes-"

"WHO HAS A FAKE NOSE?!" Buggy snapped defensively.

"Foes, not nose!" The crew member clarified. "You know I'd never be so stupid as to insult your appearance, Captain!"

Buggy took a deep breath. "You better be. You know how I get when someone makes fun of my nose."

He then turned to check on his special 'guest'; a dark-skinned elderly man in what looked like a mechanical four-legged walker. He was in the tent next to Buggy's, with a clean bed, desk, and papers, along with several small little models for inventions.

"Still can't believe we found a New World scientist all the way out here in East Blue.." Buggy mused to himself. "I hope you're comfortable, doc?"

"My daughter will come back, Buggy." The old man promised with a glare.

"And I should worry about a little girl, why?"

"Haven't you ever wondered why Dr. Vegapunk demanded I be left alone?"

"…Brainiacs stick together?" Buggy guessed.

"…Well, not inaccurate." The man mused. "But no. But if you let me go, you'll stay ignorant."

Buggy laughed at that. "And lose a bargaining chip and or genius like you in my midst! Like I said, you build me one, just one, Anti-Devil Fruit or Anti-Haki device and you're free to go. Til then, I'll keep you living good but under watch….Pietro Polendina."

-OP-

Nearby, Nami and Luffy were sneaking around the town before entering one of the houses, which was completely empty.

"Where did everybody go?" Luffy wondered.

"Buggy and his crew scared them off. I was here getting a map of the Grand Line from him. But I got caught and chased by some of his men." Nami explained.

"Why are you stealing from anyone? Let alone pirates." Luffy asked. "That kinda thing is dangerous."

"It's because I need to get 100 million Berris for or something very important. I figured stealing from pirates would be the fastest and most moral way of going about it since pirates are criminals and tend to be loaded with treasure." Nami replied before looking at the map she had. "I figure a trip to the Grand Line will easily get me the money I need. And this map will help me navigate it."

"So you're a navigator?" Luffy asked.

Nami smirked. "You bet, and I'm one of the best!"

"That's perfect! My crew needs a good navigator!" Luffy beamed. "If you need money, I'm sure you could get plenty joining up with us."

A year ago, Nami would have flat-out refused to sail with a pirate crew. But she had come to realize that Luffy wasn't like other pirates. So she was now seriously considering the offer.

"I still have some obligations to finish. But I think I wouldn't mind sailing with your crew at least." Nami admitted before looking out the window and seeing the three pirates that had been chasing her before looking around. "Ugh, these guys are persistent, I'll give 'em that. You knocked all three of them for a loop and they're still trying to track us down."

Luffy nodded. "Yeah, looks like we'll have to do something about Buggy before leaving, but his crew is bound to be stronger than the last pirate crew I faced. So we'll need to buy time for my own crew to arrive. That should even the odds."

"I've actually got an idea, but it's kinda dangerous."

-OP-

"How did three of my best crewmen lose one lousy thief?!" Buggy demanded, angered when the Domingos came back after saying they lost Nami.

"Sorry, Captain! Her boss showed up out of nowhere and flattened us. By the time we recovered both of them were gone." The scarred pirate said.

Now Buggy was a lot of things, but he was also a captain who was good at reading his crew. Besides the fact that the Domingos had no trace of deceit in their voices, Buggy could see the imprint of a fist on each of their faces, which all looked identical save for one of them having it on the opposite hand. There was nothing to suggest they punched each other to make up an excuse.

"If this guy was tough enough to defeat you there's no point sending you back out. Wait for the report on the investigation of the shack where we had the map, and dole out punishment as needed." Buggy sighed in annoyance. "I'll send one of my officers to search for the thieves instead."

"No need, Captain. The thief came back on her own, with another guy tied up." Another member of the crew said as he came over.

Shocked, Buggy came out of his tent. Sure enough, Nami was approaching with a tied-up Luffy.

"Well, this is a surprise. The way my boys tell it, this girl was your boss." Buggy said. "Decide to turn on her to save your own skin?"

"Well, you seemed so determined to catch us, I figured there was no point running anymore. Also, I made sure to bring your chart back." Nami said.

"I appreciate the gesture," Buggy said as he took the map back. "Though why decide to turn on your boss?"

"We had a fight earlier about whether to fight or run. So I got fed up with her. Thought I'd join your crew instead."

Buggy's narrowed his eyes for a bit, but then just laughed in a good-natured manner.

"I like your sense of style, lady! A woman like you is welcome to join my crew anytime."

Nami relaxed. She wasn't sure if Buggy would buy the fib she just told. Luffy, for her part, kept a neutral face as she was locked inside a cage. She knew she could break out at any time using her rubber powers. Nami had deliberately tied her up in such a way that it was easy to undo.

"So, missy, I don't think I caught your name."

"It's Nami."

Buggy chuckled before turning to his crew. "Boys, let's hold a welcome party for our new crewmate Nami here! Break out the good booze and let's make this a flashy one!"

The entire crew cheered in excitement. As everyone was drinking and eating and enjoying themselves, Nami kept her eyes peeled for the right moment to swipe the map back. And perhaps snatch Buggy's treasure horde while she was at it.

"Let's really ramp up the flash!" Buggy called out after finishing his mug of rum. "Prepare TWO of the Special Buggy Balls!"

"What's the target, Captain?" the Gunner asked.

"The other side of the island!" Buggy declared. "We'll celebrate in style with pirate-class fireworks!"

The crew cheered in agreement. The cannon was loaded with the red cannonballs emblazoned with the Buggy Pirates' Jolly Roger.

"So, what's going on here?" Nami asked.

"Just watch," Buggy smirked. "Alright, boys, light it up!"

Nami realized the cannon was aimed such that the Buggy Ball would blast through half the town. However, the real damage came from the explosion the Buggy Ball left in its wake, leaving almost nothing as it blasted across the island.

However, the second Buggy Ball never landed.

It just…vanished.

"…Too close."The person responsible, covered by a hood, mused. "But, based on the trajectory angle…at least I now know where Daddy is!"

They then leaped upwards, moving behind the remaining buildings as they made their way to their destination.

-OP-

"What the heck was that?" Draco wondered.

"The captain must have fired off one of his special Buggy Balls! I feel sorry for anyone caught in that blast."

However, Ben couldn't help but notice the figure that had stopped the second Buggy Ball. His eyes were transfixed as it danced through the air before flying back down, green flames emitting from its feet, and upon closer inspection, butterfly wings coming out of its back that seemed to be made of glimmering jade crystal.

"Hey, you okay?" Kuina asked.

"Sorry, I was distracted," Ben said, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

-OP-

"Now that's flashy. With the power of both these Buggy Balls and my Devil Fruit, I can rise to power in the Grand Line." Buggy chuckled. "A shame that old man's daughter is still being a goody-two-shoes."

"So you're heading for the Grand Line too?" Luffy asked. "Sorry, but I'm the one who's going to be King of the Pirates."

"King of the Pirates, huh? Well, you'll be happy to know that's not actually my goal." Buggy laughed as he knelt to the cage. "I'll let you in on a little secret. I used to be part of Gol D. Roger's crew as a cabin boy back when he was sailing the Grand Line. Even laid eyes on the One Piece itself. If you hope to fill his shoes, kid, then you'd better know how big they really are."

"You've got a funny-looking nose," Luffy said bluntly and to the point. "Is that real?"

Buggy blinked before grumbling in annoyance.

"Okay, you obviously haven't met me before so I'll let this slide once. But yes, this nose is real. I've had it since I was born."

"And where were you born?"

"Outer space for all I know!" Buggy replied, throwing his hands up in frustration. "I've never met anyone with a clown-like visage like I have in my entire time sailing! Ain't that crazy?"

"Well, if you're a killer clown from outer space, where's the nightmare merry-go-round?"

Buggy and his crew whirled around to see Ben sitting on a cooler with a bottle of cherry cola in hand as he chugged it down before wiping his mug and throwing it over his shoulder.

Nami stood in shock as the entire crew looked at Ben like he had three heads and six arms. Buggy shook his head to get out of his stupor before pointing forward.

"Men! Give this interloper a flashy death!"

Several pirates charged at Ben, who was about to retaliate, only to be surprised when Nami pulled out a segmented staff and knocked the pirates away.

"What kept you?! I was half-worried they'd make me shoot at Luffy or something! Or maybe fill up her cage with water and have her drown!"

"Eh, the compass was on the fritz." Ben shrugged as he showed the compass in question. "Let's all have a bit of fun!"

Zoro leaped onto the roof they were on and slammed two of his swords into a few more pirates with the flat of the blades. Kuina soared down in her Full Beast Form and struck a pirate into the air with her beak.

"BANZAI!"Draco shouted, having transformed into hisKong Mode, and slammed down."BANANA SLAMMAH!"

"We're here to rescue you!" Sonson laughed as she jumped off several of the pirates' heads.

"Glad to see the crew's all here!" Luffy smiled. "No need to stay locked up anymore!"

The pirates were all stunned as Luffy easily slipped out of the ropes, and then slipped right through the bars of the cage.

"Wait, aren't those the pirate hunters Roronoa Zoro and Shimotsuki Kuina?!" One of the pirates called out.

"Why are they here of all places?" Buggy asked in confusion. "Here for my head or something?"

"Oh, we're not here as bounty hunters anymore. We decided to try our hands as pirates instead." Zoro said.

"But that doesn't mean we won't put you down!" Kuina added as she drew her sword.

Buggy just smirked and pulled out a couple of daggers.

"Let's just put that to the test, shall we?"

The clown pirate dashed forward, but Zoro and Kuina swiftly leaped at him and sliced him apart. However, Buggy continued laughing as everyone noticed his cut-up body parts were floating around.

The sight was bizarre, to say the least. Not only had Zoro seemingly bisected Buggy by the waist, but his right leg and left arm were completely dismembered. Buggy smirked as said arm started to come up behind Zoro, only for Kuina to notice and turn one of her arms into a wing and swipe it, sending out flaming feathers to make it dodge out of the way and avoid her friend.

"What the heck's going on with him? Is he immortal like the rumors say?" Nami asked.

"Well, to call me immortal would be an exaggeration," Buggy admitted as he pulled most of his body together. "But thanks to theChop-Chop FruitI ate, blades at the very least can't kill me."

"So that's what your Devil Fruit is, huh? Seems kinda lame..." Sonson said.

"You'll find my Devil Fruit isn't to be underestimated!" Buggy snapped. "With its power, I'll give you all a flashy death and-WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING WITH ONE OF MY BUGGY BALLS?!"

Sure enough, Luffy had grabbed one of the Buggy Balls and loaded it into the cannon, now aimed right at Buggy's tent as she grinned at Nami.

"Care to get some payback?"

Nami was confused for a second, then realized what Luffy was implying and smiled. She got out a match and lit the fuse, freaking out the Buggy Pirates. The cannon fired, blasting the tent and burning up the Jolly Roger. As the Buggy Pirates scrambled to get out of the way, Luffy and her crew plus Nami hurried off.

"You guys are nuts, you know that, right?" Nami pointed out.

"That's the thing about pirates, we don't do things based on the whim of a single madman, but on our collective madness," Ben smirked. "What about you? What sort of madness drives you to be a thief?"

"Well, a pirate crew killed someone very dear to me, and then they took over our island. If I want to free the islanders I need to pay the pirates' captain 100 million berries." Nami explained. "Ever since that woman was taken from me, the only things I've cared about are money and tangerines."

"Then you need to find something else to care about, or paying a ransom is going to be the least of your concerns in life," Zoro said.

"I also found this poor old man. Looks like Buggy was keeping him hostage." Draco said as he was helping carry Pietro.

"Thank you…thank you." The man managed, half from the shock of the Buggy Balls and half from the suddenness of his rescue; even if he was used to Devil Fruits, it was still a shock to see so many in one place.

"Here," Sonson said, offering the old man some juice, which he graciously accepted as he saw Nami and Luffy examining his walker.

"Bulit that myself. But please don't touch it. Anyone but me or my daughter gets shocked."

Nami lurched back; as impressive as this was, getting shocked? Not worth it!

"Oh, that's fine with me! I'm made of rubber!" Luffy beamed, missing the intrigued look on the old man's face.

"Really? So, the World Government did lose it after all…" He mused, then spied he was being looked at. "Oh, sorry! Been stuck with circus clowns for a week, not used to speaking to actual people. My name is Peitro Poledina, and…

"OOF!"

Ben grunted as he suddenly crashed into somebody and fell on top of them. Pietro's eyes widened as he recognized who it was while everyone stopped.

"Penny, so good to see you're okay!"

"Penny?" Ben asked before looking down to see a smiling girl underneath him and quickly jumped off with a cry of alarm.

"Sal-u-ta-tions!"

-OP-

Buggy growled as he held the remains of his Jolly Roger.

"To burn another pirate crew's flag is a declaration of war. Mohji! Cabaji!"

A man with a beard that made him look like a koala approached with a large lion. Next to them was a man with green and black striped hair.

"You called us, Captain?" Mohji asked.

"Find the bastards who dared to threaten my crew and humiliate me!" Buggy ordered, "I want Zoro's head on a platter and Nami brought to me alive for punishment. Dump the rest into the ocean."

-OP-

"Everyone, this is my daughter, Penny," Pietro explained with a smile. "My pride and joy, first of her kind."

Those words made the girl Ben had bumped into, Penny look down at her feet shyly.

"…A story behind you, I guess?" Sonson asked.

"I…I'm not a real girl." Penny said.

"Could've fooled us!" Ben mused. "You speak, you care, you're adorable and brave…You're as real as any of us, friend."

Penny stiffened and looked at Ben.

"…What did you call me?"

"Um…friend?" Ben asked, confused as the others were. "Is…is there a problem there?"

"You really did call me 'friend!'" Penny asked as if she was shocked at that. "Am I…really your friend?"

The response was instantaneous.

"Sure!" Luffy beamed.

"Absolutely!" Sonson grinned.

"Of course." Draco bowed,

"…I guess?" Kuina shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" Nami smiled.

Penny's face turned into a beaming grin.

"SEN! SATIONAL! I've never had friends before!

"..That is sad," Zoro said, only to be bonked on the head by Nami and Kuina.

"HAVE SOME TACT, MORON!" They snapped, but Penny didn't seem to have registered what Zoro said, as she kept speaking:

"Now we can tell stories, go on adventures, and talk about crushes like the boy in the bandana!"

"Eh?" Ben asked, pointing to himself.

"I ain't wearing my bandana." Zoro mused

Everyone soon found themselves in front of a pet food store, with a small white dog standing guard.

"Hello, Chouchou!" Penny smiled as she petted the dog on the head.

"Pietro! Is that you?!" An old man's voice called out. "Ah, thank goodness! When those pirates kidnapped you last week, I feared the worst!"

Pietro smiled as he recognized the man. "Ah, Boodle! I see you decided to stand guard along with Chouchou, eh?"

"For the most part, yeah," Boodle said as he noticed the crew. "And who are your friends? I doubt they're with the Buggy Pirates."

"Got that right. If anything, I'm pretty sure he wants us dead right about now." Nami said.

"Boodle here is the mayor of Orange Town. He's been kind enough to help shelter me while I tried to find a way to rescue Father." Penny introduced the old man. "I've been protecting this town for the last week ever since Buggy and his crew arrived."

"So what's with Chouchou here?" Luffy asked, "Kinda weird for a dog to be just sitting in front of a random store like that."

"He's not just standing in front of a random store, He's guarding this shop. The owner's a good friend of mine, you see." Boodle clarified. "Sadly, he's not with us anymore. I've been taking care of Chouchou in his place."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Penny realized as she hurried inside and a few minutes later, came back out with some food for Chouchou, who began to eat.

"The owner...was he a victim of Buggy's attack?" Kuina asked.

Boodle shook his head. "No, Hocker died three months ago, long before Buggy even laid eyes on this island. He died of illness while in the hospital. And poor Chouchou, well he's now guarding the shop in his master's absence."

So he's been waiting for a master that will never come home?" Draco asked sadly.

"A lot of people think the same thing, but Chouchou's a smart dog. There's no doubt in my mind that he knows his master's dead. But this shop was Hocker's treasure, and Chouchou considers it his treasure as well. So he keeps it safe, in memory of his beloved master." Boodle said. "I've tried to get him to evacuate after Buggy's attack, but he just won't budge."

Sonson's eyes were already watering as she sniffled, Ben wiping a stray tear from his eye and putting a hand to his chest in respect. Luffy looked thoughtful while Pietro bowed his head with his eyes closed in sadness.

However, the group was shaken out of it when something caused the ground to rumble followed by a sudden roaring.

"Oh no! That's Beast Tamer Mohji!"

Boodle quickly made his way for cover, Pietro giving Penny a worried look but she simply nodded toward him as he headed off along with Nami. The rest of the group soon found themselves staring down a large lion.

"Looks like one of your friends deserted you," Mohji taunted as he stepped out from behind his pet.

"I'm pretty sure anybody would run and hide at the sight of a ferocious lion." Ben sarcastically pointed out. "You must be Mohji, this here your friend?"

"Indeed, his name is Richie."

"I gotta say, that's a very expressive haircut." Bamia noted as she looked at the 'ears' on Mohji's head. "Are you secretly part Mink?"

"No, this is just an aesthetic choice!"

"Wow, Buggy's whole crew is one big circus." Draco chuckled.

Mohji sneered. "You're acting so nonchalant in the face of my good buddy here. You clearly don't know about my great skill. There's no animal in this world I cannot tame!"

"Well, I bet you can't tame Chouchou here," Ben said, crouching down and petting the dog. "He's only loyal to one master, even if said master has since ascended from this plane of existence."

"We'll see about that!" Mohji laughed as he held out his hand to Chouchou. "Shake!"

Seconds later, Luffy, Draco, Ben, Sonson, and Kuina were laughing as Mohji tried to get Chouchou to stop biting on his hand. Zoro also couldn't help but chuckle and Penny was giggling to herself.

"This is who Buggy sent to try and kill us? I'm actually insulted." Kuina said after finishing her bout of laughter.

"Richie! Get 'im, boy!" Mohji ordered before looking at the pet food store. "And after that, go ahead and raid that store for your lunch. I'm sure you must be hungry by now."

Richie leaped at the group only for Draco to let out a growl as his body changed via the power of theKaiju-Kaiju Fruit, becoming robust and reptilian in nature with grey scales and a glowing blue dorsal fin that looked like it was made of crystal. His height also increased until he matched that of his father, Whitebeard. This was hisGojira Modetransformation

"BEAT IT, SIMBA."

With a swing of his tail, Draco sent Richie flying, much to Mohji's shock while Boodle, Pietro, and Nami watched nearby in awe.

"He knocked out that big lion in just one shot!"

"These guys are monsters. Maybe they can help me with..." Nami began silently muttering to herself.

"I have to ask, my dear. Why did you come to this town?" Pietro asked Nami, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Well, I actually came here to rob the Buggy Pirates. And these guys..." Nami began to say before Luffy suddenly popped up beside her.

"We just wound up here. We didn't have a real reason to show up. Plus we needed to stop by somewhere to resupply anyway. This was just the closest island we could find." He then smiled at Draco. "Anyway, Draco's got a handle on that animal guy. We can leave this to him."

Chouchou was watching, remembering all the good times he had with Hocker. Helping him move inventory, eating together, playing together, and even bathing together. Chouchou did indeed realize that his beloved master had died, having heard it while guarding the shop. But it had been Hocker's last request, so there was no way Chouchou would let anyone damage the treasure they shared. And now here was this man, who could transform into a mighty titan, and definitely wasn't from the town, willing to stand and fight some monster trying to break into the store and eat everything.

"This store is a treasure shared by a lone dog and his late master. There's no way you're touching it!" Draco declared.

Mohji just stared at his pet lion, incensed that anyone would dare hurt Richie, much less be able to.

"You... Just what sort of monster are you!?"

Draco smirked."I am a man who defied the rule of Devil Fruits! I ate THREE of them and lived to tell the tale! It is thanks to the souls of my siblings who died at birth who hold them inside me, protecting me from beyond the aether!"

"As for you..." Ben said as blood began pooling out of his hand and coalescing into a sphere. "We have no sympathy for someone eager to destroy someone else's treasure."

Mohji could barely react as Ben threw the blood sphere, which glowed brightly before exploding like a bomb, sending the animal tamer flying, knocked unconscious.

Chouchou walked up to Draco and nuzzled his leg as he turned back to normal. Draco chuckled and knelt down to pet Chouchou, with Nami looking amazed.

"These guys really aren't like other pirates. They hate causing destruction and even try to stop it."

Boodle was looking at his old friend's shop with a smile on his face.

"Looks like it's still intact, Hocker. I hope you can see it from wherever you are."

"I'm sure he can, my friend," Pietro said as he moved up beside his fellow elder.

-OP-

"So Mohji was beaten by those punk kids?" Buggy said.

"I'm afraid so, Captain. They took out both Mohji and Richie with just one blow each. Neither Zoro nor Kuina even lifted a finger to do anything."

Buggy scoffed. "That straw hat kid has some crazy strong friends with him. Now I think he might be just as dangerous. He was able to slip out of the cage, after all. We can't risk it. Gather up all the Buggy Balls! We'll blow this whole damn town to smithereens!"

Knightmare Lord A/N:

Figured we'd cut off the point here. Don't want to go too long in the tooth.

But yes, we have the lovable Penny Polendina from RWBY here! And she won't be the only crossover character in this story!