Chapter 4

The Pirate and the Dragon

Morning came in the Dragon Realms. Sanji prepared breakfast for the Straw Hats. Luffy gobbled chunks of meat as he stole Usopp's ham and Zoro's spinach.

"Hey!" Zoro yelled.

"Luffy, keep your hands away from my food!" Usopp added.

Brook drank some milk. "Ahh...good for the bones. Who knew the calcium in milk helps bones grow?"

"That's just it, Brook," said Chopper. "Can I have another sandwich?"

The Straw Hat Pirates had their meal. Usopp and Luffy washed the dishes with the dirty rags, only for Sanji to yell at them. Zoro slept by the tree, much to Nami's annoyance.

"Dragons in the sky," Brook sang, playing his violin. "Dragons go far and wide. La la la la la..."

"At any rate, we might know more about this place," said Sanji, lighting his cigarette.

Robin checked he book she had been using, but when she turned the pages, she saw the city of Warfang. "I found something in this book."

"What's that?" Chopper asked.

"It looks some kind of an ancient city," Usopp said. "What do you guys think?"

"How should I know?" Franky asked. "I'm never fund of mysterious cities."

"Warfang," said Robin, reading the heiroglyphics. "Hm. Not the familiar name I know of."

"War Fang?" Luffy asked. "Wasn't it the name of an animal with sharp teeth?"

"It's not the name of the animal," Nami said. "It's a city."

Luffy turned around, holding his fist. "If you're in that city, War Fang, I'll kick your ass!"

"That's not it, Luffy!" Usopp said. "See, fundamentally, War Fang can be an animal's name, but if you combine those two words together..."

"Do you hear me, War Fang?!" Luffy yelled.

"Shut up and listen for once!" Usopp shouted, grabbing Luffy's shoulders. "Look, war and fang can make the name of an animal, you follow? If you put the two words together into one, you make the name of the city."

"I wonder how delicious its meat is," Luffy said. Usopp angrily slapped him on the head. "Ow!"

"Aren't you even listening?!"

Luffy crossed his arms. "How do you know it's not an animal if you haven't fought one?"

Robin checked the book, and she wondered if whoever wrote the book has been to the Dragon Realms. "This is rather strange," she said to herself, curiously. "It's as if someone who wrote this book has been here."

"How can you tell? It's probably just a make believe story," said Zoro.

"Whatever the case is, we should head for the city," Sanji said, puffing out smoke from his cigarette. "Everybody pack up."

Spyro stood by the balcony, watching the view of Warfang. Setting his eyes on the Ignitus statue at the square made him sigh.

"Spyro? You okay?" Cynder asked, approaching him.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," Spyro said. "I was just thinking. Since we defeated Malefor four years ago, I'm starting to wonder what new evil awaits us."

"I wouldn't worry about it. Besides, I've been pardoned for being Malefor's servant, so I don't have to worry about it."

Spyro looked at Cynder, and then he had other thoughts. "Cynder. I've been thinking. Do you think we're meant for each other?"

"What? You mean we're meant to be together, despite my past?"

"I just don't anyone else to believe that you're still evil." He set his head on Cynder's. "I love you too, Cynder. I never would've been this far without you."

Cynder then realized what Spyro meant, considering that she had revealed her feelings for him during the time Spyro repaired the world. She made a smile and nuzzled him.

"Oh, what a lovely couple," said Sparx. His appearance startled Spyro and Cynder.

"Sparx! Don't do that!" Spyro said.

"I was just dropping by to say hello," Sparx said. "I don't wanna worry about you guys, since you both came back alive."

Spyro lowered his head. "But not Ignitus. I miss him."

"I miss him too, Spyro," said Cynder. She then made a grin. "Will a flight to the forest cheer you up?"

"What, you mean the one that's always the darkest?" Sparx asked. He received a cold glare from Cynder. "Maybe not..."

"Actually, a flight to the forest sounds fine," Spyro said. "Let's go."

Spyro and Cynder flew out of the temple and toward the forest.

"Wait up! I can't fly that fast!" Sparx cried, trying to catch up.

The Straw Hat Pirates traveled down the forest. But they seem to be getting lost by going in circles.

Nami checked her Log Pose. The arrows are still stiff, not turning or twitching. "Damn, they're still stuck like this. I guess this world's landscape isn't like ours."

"There may be another reason as to why that Log Pose isn't working," Robin said. "It's probably because this world's environment is nothing magnetic for the Log Pose to work."

"Well, that sucks."

"Damn, I'm getting thirsty," Luffy said.

"You should've thought of that before you drank all that water!" Sanji yelled.

"I can't believe we're going in circles around this forest," Usopp said. "Even Nami's Log Pose seemed to be busted when we got this world."

"Shut it, Usopp," Nami frowned. "How was I to know my Log Pose isn't working?"

The pirates continue traveling down the forest. Chopper heard flapping sounds from the sky. "Hey, did you guys hear that?" he asked.

"Its probably just a bird," Zoro said.

"Yeah, a bird with bigger wings," said Usopp. "You do realize this is a world of dragons?"

"So what?"

"Look, we need to search for the right path somewhere," Nami suggested. "My Log Pose may not work in this world, but the only thing we have left is my navigation skills."

"Um, great idea, but just one teensy problem," Usopp said. He then screamed, "Where the hell has Luffy gone to?!"

The Straw Hat Pirates realizes that Luffy has vanished.

"That numbskull better not be causing trouble in this forest," Sanji said.

Deep in the woods, Luffy walked around, looking for water. "Damn it, I can't find water," he grumbled. He noticed the two figures flying into the woods. "Two flying figures? Hey, aren't those...?" He ran down the forest.

Spyro and Cynder arrived at the river that leads them to the Valley of Avalar.

"Why did we stop at the river?" Spyro asked.

"I thought you might be thirsty," Cynder asked. She scooped some water with a bowl she had picked up and placed it near Spyro's paws.

"Oh, well, thanks." He bent down to lick some water. "Want some too?"

"That's fine, Spyro. I'll go check on Hunter. I'll be right back." Cynder took off as she headed for the village.

"Can't I have some water too?" Sparx asked, exhausted from catching up.

In the woods, a pirate with a straw hat, a sailor's coat, blue jeans, and skin made of rubber walked between the two trees, and his tongue dropped when he saw the river. "Water!" he yelled. He ran toward the river. "Now I can drink! I thought I was gonna...!" He suddenly tripped over a rock and fell, his face splashing into the river. This splash entered Spyro's ears, and he saw the pirate's face in the water.

"What's that?" Sparx asked.

"I don't know, but it looked like it's drowning!" Spyro said. He ran toward the figure.

Luffy gurgled from his face in the water, and he managed to lift his head out of the water, panting. "Damn, I didn't expect that."

"Are you okay?" a voice asked.

"Yeah, I'm..." His voice cut off when he heard the voice. He saw a purple dragon and a yellow dragonfly. "A dragon. And a dragonfly."

The dragon and dragonfly look at Luffy.

"Hey, Spyro, did that thing just speak?" the dragonfly asked.

"Looks that way," the dragon said.

Hearing them talk made Luffy's eyes sparkle. "Wow, you guys can talk! That's awesome!" he cried, tapping his sandals.

"Who are you?" Spyro asked.

"Huh? Oh, I'm Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates."

"Pirates? You mean you're a pirate?"

"Yep, sure am," Luffy said with a toothy grin.

"But...but wait a minute! I've never met a human when I hatched from an egg!" Spyro cried. "There's no way humans ever existed!"

"Hey, take a chill pill, Spyro," Sparx said. "The last thing we'd see is a human that's something...evil."

"Hey, are you alright?" Luffy asked, confused.

"No, no, I must be dreaming! Somebody wake me up right now!" He grabbed the bowl and dumped water on his head. He shook his head and panted. "Alright." He looked at Luffy. "Tell me. Are you real?"

"Shishishishishi!" Luffy giggled with a toothy grin. "You're so funny! Do it again!"

Spyro's eyes widen. "You do exist! I thought I was dreaming!"

"Luffy!" Luffy heard his crew calling.

The Straw Hat Pirates came out of the woods as Cynder flew toward Spyro.

"Gah! What's that dragon doing with Luffy?!" Usopp cried.

"Those dragons aren't gonna hurt our captain!" Nami said.

"Just leave them to me!" Franky said.

When they got close, Spyro unleashed his earth powers to grab the Straw Hats in vines.

"Wait, don't!" Luffy shouted. "These guys are my crew!"

"Your crew? So you guys really are pirates," Spyro said.

"The dragon talks?!" Chopper cried, his eyes bugged out.

"I'm okay, guys," Luffy said. "How'd you find me so fast?"

"Don't you know better than to wander around without informing us?!" yelled Zoro.

"Spyro, what are you doing?!" Cynder said, arriving. "Don't you think they're enemies?"

"Cynder, wait. I don't think they're enemies," Spyro said. "He said they're pirates, but..."

"Whoa, there's two of you?!" Luffy gasped. "Awesome!"

"This is not my place to hang around!" Zoro said, drawing his sword. He chopped the vines to free the Straw Hats.

"Nice chop, Zoro-san," said Brook. "Those vines squeeze my bones."

"Whoa!" Sparx exclaimed. "Am I insane just seeing a skeleton talk?"

"Spyro, what is going on?" Cynder asked.

"It's okay, we're fine," Robin said. "You two must be dragons."

"Yeah? Aren't you even scared of seeing one?" Cynder asked.

"No, I've seen a dragon before, where I came from."

"She has seen a dragon before?" Sparx asked.

"I like her already," Cynder grinned.

"Please don't eat us!" Usopp begged, kneeling. "We didn't mean to trespass your world!"

"Its alright, we won't hurt you," Spyro said. "Just how did you guys came to our world?"

"It's a really long story," Nami said. "But maybe we can fill you guys in."

"I don't think we can trust them, Spyro," said Cynder.

"Maybe not, but I'm sure there's an explanation about their appearance." He looked at the Straw Hat Pirates. "You guys follow us. We know a place where we can hear a tale. Come on."

The Straw Hat Pirates followed the dragons down the river, as they head their way toward the Valley of Avalar.