Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to characters from the Mario or One Piece franchises.

Review responses:

Greer123, Butterflypuss, and Monster King: Thank you for your support. I hope you continue to enjoy my story.

Eternal4ever: Thank you so much for your support; yes, I assume MX would be having much fun with Arlong and Crocodile.

Guest: We'll have to wait to see if your predictions are accurate. Also, MX is a horror version of Mario, like Sonic EXE. I've used three horror Mario's so far. Super Horror Mario(The one with the cleaver), MX(The giant Mario that chased Arlong and Crocodile), and Turmoil(The one hunting the three villains in the forest). Look up Mario's Madness if you want more information on these horror copies of Mario.

Now, onto the story!

Chapter 30: Balance of Power

Earlier in the day

After trekking through the forest, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Chopper, and Usopp had just reached the large black tree. Zoro and Usopp gazed upon the tree with awe.

"Holy crap. Just look at its size." Usopp said.

"I know. And it's weird coloration. It makes you wonder if there's something mystical about this tree." Zoro added.

While Zoro and Usopp were talking about the tree, Nami, Sanji, and Chopper were catching their breath. Zoro noticed this and turned to address them.

"Are you tired already? We barely reached the big tree. You can't be winded from a light jog through the forest."

Nami and Sanji glared at Zoro for his comment.

"Shut up, Zoro!"

"Yeah! You have no idea what we've been through, Mosshead!"

Nami and Sanji spat out.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Zoro asked before turning to Usopp. "Hey, Usopp, do you know what they're talking about?"

"No, not a clue. It was a nice walk through the forest. Nothing dangerous chasing us."

"HUH!?"

Sanji and Nami were shocked.

"What the hell do you mean, Usopp!?" Nami screamed.

"There were tons of dangerous things in that forest. Look! You're holding one of those things right now!" Sanji said while pointing to Usopp's hand.

Usopp looked down to see what Sanji was talking about.

"What, this?" Usopp asked, pointing to the tarantula in his hand.

"EEEEK!"

Sanji and Nami shrieked before jumping behind a rock with Chopper.

"Yes, that!"

"Quick, get rid of it!"

Sanji and Nami said while hiding behind the rock with Chopper.

"Oh, come on, guys. Tarantulas aren't dangerous. They only bite if you bother them and make them mad. Isn't that right? You're a big one. Yes, you are."

Usopp explained while petting the Tarantula. Nami and Sanji were disgusted by this. Chopper peeked his head out of curiosity. He had never seen a tarantula before except in books, but now that he has, he's fine never seeing one again.

"Huh? Chopper, don't tell me you're also afraid of tarantulas. I mean, you're an animal. I thought animals should have an innate sense of what's dangerous and what isn't."

"Hey! I'm more than just an animal, you jerk!"

"Sorry! I didn't mean it like that! It's just that I wasn't expecting you to be this afraid of tarantulas. Come on. They're not that bad."

Usopp held out the tarantula to prove his point, but the three stayed behind the rock.

"Ew, no!"

"Just throw that thing away already, Usopp!"

"Yeah!"

Nami, Sanji, and Chopper said.

"What do you have against tarantulas?" Usopp asked.

"Everything!" Nami yelled.

"Just look at it! Full of hair, and those eight legs and eyes. It's creepy!" Sanji explained.

"I don't like hairy bugs!" Chopper added.

"Oh? But what about the moths and centipedes on the tree behind you?"

Nami, Sanji, and Chopper froze before slowly turning their heads. On the tree behind them, numerous moths and centipedes flew and scattered. The three screamed as they backed away from the tree.

"Enough!" Zoro shouted, getting everyone's attention. "We don't have time for this. Let's get inside the tree and get that bird already. We don't have all day."

"Yeah, you're right. The knock-up stream will happen in a couple of days. We need to get the bird before then." Usopp said.

Shaking off the shivers they had, Nami, Sanji, and Chopper walked up and examined the tree.

"Not that I disagree with you, but how do we get in?" Sanji asked as he lit up a cigarette.

Zoro just smirked as he pulled out his sword. But as he was about to swing it.

"LEAVE!"

Everyone froze as a loud and deep voice echoed throughout the forest.

"What was that!?"

"So scary!"

Usopp and Chopper said as they held onto each other.

"I don't know, and I don't want to know!" Nami added as she hid behind a rock.

"Don't worry, Nami-swan! Your knight is here to protect you!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes.

Zoro ignored them and focused on the tree.

"I guess this means that someone's in there. Remember what old man Cricket said?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing, and a wave of realization overcame them.

"Oh yeah! He did say he felt hundreds of eyes were watching him every time he got near the tree." Usopp said.

"Yeah, but are they human? Or something else?" Nami asked.

"It doesn't matter. We still need to get a South Bird, and they're in that tree. So,"

Zoro was about to try and cut out an entrance, but Usopp stopped him.

"Hold up, Zoro! If someone's in there, then there's an entrance inside. We just need to find it."

Everyone agreed with him and began to search for the entrance. Soon, Usopp found something.

"Huh? What's this?"

Usopp pulled on a part of the tree that seemed out of place, and a giant sheet came off. Everyone stared at the large metal door in front of them.

"We found it, but how do we open it?" Sanji asked.

Zoro just smirked and cut the door or tried to. He was shocked to see he didn't leave a scratch on it.

"Huh? What the hell is this door made out of?"

"Aw, what's wrong, Mosshead? Are your cutting skills not up to the task?" Sanji mocked.

Zoro responded by swinging one of his swords at Sanji's face. Sanji barely avoided the attack, but his cigarette was cut in half.

"What the hell was that, you shitty swordsman!?"

"You should have kept your mouth shut! Ero cook!"

Zoro and Sanji were in each other's faces until Nami punched them.

"Knock it off already! We need to find a way in."

"Leave!" The deep voice shouted.

"Eek! What is that!?" Nami asked as she cowered in fear.

"Just some weakling trying to scare us off," Zoro answered as he got up.

"Weakling?" Chopper asked.

"I agree with the moss head, for once. If this person was strong, they would have come out and chased us off by now." Sanji added.

"Ah! I see!" Usopp said. He then thought about what to do when he noticed something about the tree. "Hey, look!"

Everyone looked to where he was pointing and saw something off about the part of the tree above the entrance. Zoro slashed at it and cut a cloth covering the second entrance. Everyone's eyes ticked when they saw it.

"Really?"

"Not much of a secret entrance when you label it like that."

Zoro and Sanji said. The cloth was hiding a small hole with a large sign saying 'Secret Entrance' above it with flashing lights.

"Okay, we found the secret entrance, but how do we get in? That hole is tiny." Nami asked.

"Just proves whoever's in there is weak," Zoro commented, putting his sword away.

"I got it!" Usopp shouted. He pulled out his slingshot and aimed at the hole. "Special attack: Lead Star!"

Usopp fired, and his pellet went straight into the hole.

"Eek!"

"What is that!?"

"Look out!"

A bunch of tiny voices were heard from the tree. The group could also hear Usopp's pellet bouncing around until,

*Click!*

It hit something, and the door began to open.

"Oh, no! They hit the open button!"

"Run! Hide!"

The tiny voices shouted.

"Great job, Usopp."

"Now we can get inside."

Zoro and Sanji commented.

"Whoa! You're amazing, Usopp!" Chopper said in admiration.

"I know. Even Mario is impressed by my skills." Usopp commented in pride.

"Enough, let's get the bird already," Nami said.

The group walked in and were amazed by what they saw.

"Whoa..."

The inside of the tree appeared mystical and had an air of wonder.

"What were you saying about this tree being mystical?"

"It was just a guess."

Zoro answered Sanji.

"Look! Up there!" Nami shouted.

Everyone looked to see South Birds perched on the tree's highest branches.

"Alright, we found our targets," Zoro said.

"But how do we get up there?" Usopp asked.

Everyone was wondering about that problem when Nami found the answer.

"Over there!"

Everyone saw some stairs going up.

"How convenient," Sanji said.

"Um, has anyone seen anybody since we've entered?" Usopp asked.

"No, why?" Zoro answered.

"Well, remember those voices we heard?"

"Are you worried? They sounded tiny. No need to worry about them."

"Um, okay then."

Everyone continued their trek up the tree until they came across a body of water with a single platform in the middle.

"Guess we're swimming," Sanji said.

That's when Zoro jumped onto the platform.

"For those of us with no leg strength." He said, mocking Sanji.

Sanji gritted his teeth at this. But then Usopp spoke up.

"Hey, has anyone seen Chopper?"

Everyone looked around and noticed Chopper had gone missing.

"Where'd he go?" Sanji asked.

"Chopper! Where are you!?" Zoro called out.

"Come on, Chopper! This is no time for games!" Nami called out as well.

Usopp was also about to shout, but his eyes widened in fear.

"S-S-Sanji, behind y-y-you." He stuttered out.

Sanji turned and saw a giant spider about to attack him.

"What the hell!?" He shouted as he backed away from the spider.

Zoro was about to join them, but,

*Snap!*

Two large logs tied to ropes suddenly fell on him. He was about to cut them but realized his swords were gone.

"What the hell!?"

He was shocked to see they were gone. He held out his hands and caught the logs with no other option. But they were heavy, and he was stuck. He was thinking about jumping into the water but saw it drained, revealing sharp spikes at the bottom. If he jumped off the platform, he would be skewered.

"What's going on!?" Nami shouted.

She backed away in fear as Sanji and Usopp faced the giant spider. Looking around for Chopper, she found a large door with the words 'Secret Treasure' written above it.

"Treasure!" Nami said as her eyes transformed into Belli signs.

"Seriously!?" Usopp shouted.

As the three men fought for their lives, Nami approached the treasure room. Large chains protected the door and connected it to a lock that needed a key. Nami smirked as she pulled out her trusty lockpick. After some tinkering, she heard a click, and the lock was released, dropping the chains. She flung the door open with a smile of pride.

"Treasure! ... Huh? WHAT!?"

However, a large boulder came out instead of treasure and was about to crush Nami.

"AAAAAAAHHH!"

She screamed as she ran for her life.

"Nami!" Sanji screamed. He was about to save her, but the giant spider stopped him. "Grrr, damn bug!"

"Actually, spiders are arachnids." Usopp clarified.

"Who cares!? And why don't you take care of it? You're the spider expert."

"Are you kidding!? Look at the size of that thing! There's no way I can, huh?" Usopp stopped his complaining when he noticed something above them. "Oh, no..." He whimpered.

Sanji looked up and was terrified by what he saw. More spiders were coming down to them, and that's when he saw it.

"Wait, is that Chopper?"

Sanji pointed to a cage that had Chopper tied up by spider silk.

"Oh, no! They must have grabbed him when we weren't looking!" Usopp screamed.

"Hah! Thanks to the South Birds, the Piders are fighting for us now!" A tiny voice said.

Zoro looked to where the voice was coming from and saw his swords being carried away.

"Hey! Those are mine!"

"Not anymore, pirate!"

The South Bird retrieval team was in dire straights as they fought off these creatures.

Present Time

All five Straw Hats were now captured, tied up, and thrown into the cage. In front of them were the Punis, tiny, grey, bug-like creatures with antennae that end with colorful fuzzy tips.

"We caught you, pirates! Your evil plans with the Great Tree will not succeed nor go unpunished!"

The leader of the Punis said. This is Punio, a young Puni with a green fuzzy tip on his antennae.

"Huh!? What the hell are you talking about!? We don't have any evil plans for the tree!" Nami yelled.

"Liar! We heard you! We know you're here for the South Birds!" Punio countered.

"Yes, but it's not for anything evil. We need one to help us navigate."

"Liar!"

"Stop calling me that!"

"We will not let you evil pirates do what you want. NO! We will stop you. Just like our hero!"

Punio gestures towards a closed curtain. Some Punis began to move them to reveal a statue of their hero. The Straw Hats expected it to be another Puni but were shocked by what they saw. It was a statue of Mario.

"Mario!?" They shouted.

"Yes! Mario, our hero. When the X-Nauts came and conquered our tree, Mario came just in time and saved us. Inspired by his heroics, we Punis will now stand up to evil-doers like you." Punio explained.

"Wait! There's been a misunderstanding. We're actually friends with Mario!"

"Yeah! He's part of our crew!"

Nami and Usopp said.

"Ha! As if we'd fall for that!" Punio responded.

"It's true! Wait, Nami! Don't you have a letter from Mario?" Usopp asked.

"Oh, yeah! It was probably for you! He did write it once he heard about this tree." Nami said.

"Hmm, I'll humor you. Where is this letter?" Punio asked.

"It's in my chest," Nami said as she pushed out her chest.

"Why is it there!?" Usopp screamed.

"What!? It's a convenient place to store things. I need someone to grab the letter since my hands are tied."

"I'll do it Nami-swan!" Sanji said, his eyes transforming into hearts.

"Not you! And aren't you tied up as well?"

The Straw Hats then looked to the Punis. Punio looked nervous as the rest of the Punis looked to him to get the letter.

"Um... well... I will not be swayed by your feminine charms, pirate!" Punio said.

"I'm not trying to tempt you!"

"Well, at least we know he's a gentleman or gentle bug?"

Nami and Usopp said.

"I'll do it!"

A Puni with a pink fuzzy tip on her antennae said. This was Petuni, Punio's younger sister. She hopped in between Nami's breasts to find the letter Mario had written.

"Petuni! If you harm her pirate, it'll be the last thing you do!" Punio said.

"I won't! Hey! Be careful, that tickles!"

Nami began to giggle as Petuni looked for the letter. Soon, she came out with it.

"I found it! And this bag of gems."

"Hey! That's mine!"

"Not anymore!" Petuni said as she hopped off of Nami.

"Man, you guys are acting more like pirates than us," Usopp said.

"You shouldn't have entered our home! You weren't welcomed! Now, let's see here."

Punio began to read the letter, and he slowly began to get worried as he continued to read the letter.

"Oh... Um... Oops? It looks like you were telling the truth. Heh heh heh," Punio said with a weak chuckle.

Nami just glared at him until she spoke.

"Just let us go and give us back our stuff!" She shouted.

"Right! Okay, South Birds, let them go!" Punio said.

The South Birds let out a call, and the Piders began to converge on the Straw Hats and the Punis.

"What!?" Punio screamed.

"Huh? What's going on? What did the birds do?" Nami asked.

"They said, 'I don't think so. We were waiting for the moment to get rid of you, Punis. Now the Great Tree will belong to us!' is what they said." Chopper explained.

"No! We trusted you!" Punio shouted.

The Piders were getting closer, and the Punis hid behind the Straw Hats.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Nami asked.

"Hiding! Piders love to eat Punis!" A large Puni answered.

"What happened to all that courage earlier!?" Usopp asked.

"That was when the South Birds and the Piders were on our side!" Another Puni answered.

The Piders were getting closer, their fangs salivating in anticipation. The Straw Hats and the Punis were terrified as their fate seemed sealed. But as a Pider launched itself towards them, a fireball hit it and exploded. The Pider let out a cry as it burned to death. The Piders turned as Mario stomped on another, taking it out.

"Mario!" The Straw Hats and Punis shouted in joy.

The Piders turned to attack Mario, and four people jumped into the fight. The Straw Hats recognized two as Peach and Luffy, but the other two were strangers. Luffy punched Piders while Peach used her umbrella and frying pan. The other two strangers used punches and kicks to fight the Piders, but something was off about how they fought.

"Wow! This is awesome!" The male said.

"I know! Is this what it's like to have arms and legs? That settles it! I'm keeping this form!" The female said.

"Wait, form? What does she mean by that!?" Nami said to herself.

But as Nami ponders this and the others watch the fight, they don't notice a Pider sneaking up on them. Petuni turned around just in time to see it.

"Oh no!"

Everyone turned once they heard her scream and saw the Pider lunge towards Nami. She closed her eyes, expecting the worst, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes to see the Pider being twisted by many hands.

"Wait, Robin!"

Nami looked past the Pider to see Robin using her devil fruit powers on the Pider.

"Looks like we arrived just in time, Miss Navigator." She answered as she finished off the Pider. "You were about to be a tasty meal to the giant spider."

"Piders, they're called Piders." Punio corrected.

"Oh? What are these tiny creatures? They're cute." Robin said with a smile.

"They are not cute! They're the reason we're like this!" Nami retorted.

"You broke into our home!" Punio yelled back.

The captured Straw Hats and the Punis got into a yelling match while Mario and the others finished off the Piders.

"Alright, that takes care of that," Mario said, dusting off his hands. He then turned to his friends in the cage. "Hey guys, it's-a been a while." He said with a smile.

"MARIO!" The Punis shouted in happiness.

Soon, the Punis surrounded him and began to cheer.

"Okay, okay, calm down, everyone. It's-a good to see you too. Now, how did you all get in that situation?"

The Straw Hats were about to answer, but Punis spoke up first.

"It was those South Birds, Mario! They pretended to be our friends and then turned the Piders on us!" Punio explained.

Mario turned and glared at the South Birds after hearing this.

"Is-a that so?"

The South Birds were terrified by the glare and the menacing aura Mario was giving off. Deciding the Great Tree was not worth it; they all began to fly away. The leader turned back with a smirk to taunt them, believing the pirates couldn't follow them. But when it did, he noticed Mario and Peach were gone. It was stunned until it felt some heat coming from the front. It turned to see Mario and Peach in front of the flock with giant fireballs pointed at them. The cries of many South Birds rang out as a large explosion went off.

Soon, the South Bird capture team was freed and explained everything that happened to the supply team.

"I see, I see," Mario said with a nod. "Well, it was a misunderstanding. So, we should let bygones be bygones."

"WHAT!?" The South Bird Recovery team shouted.

"Like hell, we're going to do that!"

"Yeah! Do you have any idea what we've been through!?"

"I was almost crushed to death!"

Zoro, Sanji, and Nami shouted.

"True, but the Punis were just defending their home. You did force your way in, after all." Mario explained

The three were about to start complaining again, but Mario held up a hand to stop them.

"Also, this is kind of your fault, Nami."

"HUH!?"

"I did give you that letter because I guessed this was the Great Tree based on Cricket's reports. If you had shown the Punis that letter when you arrived, they would have let you in with open arms."

Nami wanted to argue, but Mario was right. So she just curled up in defeat and shame.

"Hey! Don't you dare make our precious Nami feel bad, you fat bastard!" Sanji yelled.

"What? Am I wrong?" Mario retorted.

"Why you!?"

Sanji was about to charge at Mario, but Peach stopped him.

"That's enough, Sanji!" She yelled.

"But, Peach! He's making Nami feel bad! Just look at her!"

"True, but he's not wrong. If Nami had remembered Mario's letter, you wouldn't have been captured and almost killed."

Sanji wanted to retort, but Peach was right. And he didn't want to argue with her. So he just huffed and walked away, muttering about how unfair it is that Peach protected Mario.

"Okay, now, what to do with you?" Mario said as he turned to his prisoners.

In front of the group was the flock of South Birds. Burned but alive and tied up. Mario gazed at them along with Luffy and Usopp, pondering what to do. That's when he had an idea. He pulled Luffy to the side and discussed the idea. Luffy smiled and agreed with Mario's plan. He then freed half of the flock.

"Okay, you're free to go."

The South Birds were excited, but Mario held up a hand to stop them.

"But never come back to the Great Tree ever again. Got it!?" Mario said in a threatening tone.

The South Birds nodded before quickly flying away. Mario then turned to the remaining captives: Eight South Birds, three large birds that led the flock, and five more minor but still big birds, at least big compared to the rest of the flock.

"You five will help us on our journey. And you three, for betraying the Punis' trust and turning the Piders against my friends and crew, will be punished. Hey Sanji!"

"What is it!?" Sanji yelled, still angry about Mario making Nami feel bad.

"Have you ever cooked a South Bird before?"

Sanji needed clarification about Mario's question but then realized where he was going with this idea.

"No," Sanji answered as he approached the birds. "But I'm always up for new experiences." Sanji glared at the South Birds with a wicked grin.

The birds were terrified by this. Mario then turned to the other birds.

"This is what awaits you if you try to lead us astray. Got it?" Mario asked.

The South Birds nodded as they watched Sanji take away the former leaders. While this was happening, Goombella and Goombario were talking with the Punis.

"Wow! Is that you, Goombella?" Punio asked.

"Yep, it's me."

"How did this happen?"

"It was the Crystal Stars. They came with us when we were sucked into this world and released a wave of energy that affected everyone traveling through the Warp Pipe."

As Goombella was speaking with Punio, Usopp approached Mario.

"Uh, hey, Mario, who are they?"

"Oh, right! Ahem! Let me introduce Goombario and Goombella, two friends from my world." Mario answered.

Goombario and Goombella approached the Straw Hats to greet them.

"Hello, I'm Goombario."

"And I'm Goombella."

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

The two said with a bow.

"Whoa, more of your friends. Wait, does that mean more of those warp thingies are appearing!?" Usopp asked in fear.

"Unfortunately, Usopp. Also, it's not just people from my world who are appearing here. According to Rosalina, some Warp Pipes have taken people from this world to mine. Mario explained.

"What!? Isn't that, like, really bad!?"

"Yep, that's why we need to have a meeting. To discuss that and the new bounties some of us have received."

The Straw Hats, minus Luffy and Robin, lit up at hearing this.

"New bounties!? Who got them!?"

"Did I get one!?"

"I definitely got one, right!?"

Usopp, Chopper, and Sanji asked in excitement.

"Whoa! Hold your horses, everyone! We'll discuss that once we return to the Merry and the Shooting Star. Now," Mario turned to the Punis. He noticed Petuni on Robin's chest being petted. Mario smiled but noticed Sanji glaring at Petuni with envy. Mario giggled before clearing his throat. "It was great seeing you all again, but we must go now. And don't worry, once we collect the remaining Power Stars, I'll send you all back home."

Mario's statement caused some confusion among the Straw Hats.

"Huh? What do you mean, Mario? Can't you send them back now?" Usopp asked.

"Unfortunately, no. It turns out that the forced travel of the Power Stars has messed up the barrier that separates our worlds. I will need all five Power Stars in this world to fix it. So, when I sent DK and his family through the Warp Pipe back at Little Garden, I actually sent them somewhere else in this world."

Everyone that was part of the bird capture team just stared at him in shock.

"Seriously!? Wait. Does that mean we'll one into that family of apes again?" Sanji asked.

"Yep."

"Yeah! It's going to be great! We're going to have the most awesomest crew ever!"

Mario and Luffy said. Sanji groaned, not wanting another bottomless pit to feed, but Zoro seemed excited by this development.

"He's as strong as you, right?" Zoro asked.

Mario gave a nod of approval.

"Then it'll be great to have another powerhouse on the team. Plus, his family looked pretty strong."

"Of course, the muscle head would be excited about this." Sanji groaned.

"What was that, Pervy Brow?"

"You heard me! You lost Moss Head!"

Zoro and Sanji were in each other's faces until Nami punched them.

"Enough! Let's get back to our ships already! I don't want to be in this dumb tree any longer. No offense to the Punis."

The Punis didn't blame her for her attitude towards them. They did almost kill her and her friends after all, even if they were intruders. That's when Punio remembered something.

"Oh! Hang on, Mario!" Punio shouted.

He then ran to a nearby wall and nodded to some Punis on a branch above. They pushed a button, and a hidden door opened before him. He went in, and the sounds of objects being ruffled through could be heard.

"What's that?" Chopper asked.

"That's where we keep our treasures," Petuni answered.

Nami's eyes lit up at hearing this.

"Treasure!?"

She was about to enter the room, but Peach grabbed her shoulder.

"Nami, those belong to the Punis."

"But!"

"No buts! Besides, remember the old saying, 'one man's trash is another's treasure'? The Punis have a different definition of treasure than us."

Nami understood Peach's words and calmed down. That was until Punio came out with the Emerald Star.

"Huh!?" The Straw Hats yelled in shock.

"Different definition, my right foot! I'm getting some-"

"Nami, I will knock you out!"

Peach warned as she held up her frying pan. Nami just whimpered in defeat.

"Another one?" Luffy asked.

"Huh? What do you mean 'another one'?" Nami asked with the other Straw Hats, besides Robin, wondering the same thing.

"A Crystal Star!" Mario shouted in shock.

"Yep! We found it when we arrived in this jungle. I figured you needed it for another quest, so I hid it with our other treasures." Punio answered.

"Thanks, Punio. You have no idea how much you just helped me."

Mario took the Emerald Star and placed it into his item space.

"That makes two, five more to go."

"Two?" The other Straw Hats asked in their heads.

"Now, close the door! Quickly! We can't let this thief steal our rare mushrooms!" Punio ordered, pointing at Nami.

"Mushrooms?"

"She, Nami? Different definition. They were holding onto the Crystal Star for us. Punis value foliage since it's their main source of food." Peach explained.

"I see. You can keep the mushrooms. I'm interested in gold." Nami explained.

"Gold? Why do you value trash?" Punio asked.

"Trash!? How is gold trash!?" Nami asked, offended by the very notion gold was trash.

"Because you can't eat it! Food is much more valuable."

"I agree! I like the little bug!" Luffy shouted.

"Gah! Whatever! I'm out of here!" Nami said with a pout.

Soon, the Straw Hats left the Great Tree.

Later, at Cricket's house

Cricket and the brothers were still preparing The Merry and The Shooting Star for travel to Skypiea. Masira had discovered an old map with the word 'Skypiea' written on it aboard the sunken vessel. He gave it to the Straw Hats, saying they would need it for the Sky Island. Grateful for this, the Straw Hats took it and gathered up to discuss some things Mario had learned.

"Alright!" Zoro announced, getting everyone's attention. "First things first, our bounties, who has the highest?"

"Seriously!?" Nami and Usopp screamed in disbelief.

"Yeah. Why bother with that when we know Mario and his god-like friends will have the highest bounties?" Sanji added.

"God-like?" Mallow asked in confusion.

"That's not the point!" Nami and Usopp screamed again.

"Okay, let me rephrase that. Who has the highest bounty besides Mario and his god-like friends?"

Mario just shook his head at this and pulled out the bounty posters. Everyone examined the posters as Mario began to explain.

"So, Luffy got an increase while Zoro got a bounty."

Luffy had a wide grin, while Zoro smiled with pride.

"Sixty million? Not a bad start."

"Thank goodness," Nami said in relief.

"So, no bounty then? Good, I mean, it's a good thing I didn't get one because I would outshine everyone here." Usopp said with a nervous laugh. Meanwhile,

"Damn it." Sanji scowled while clenching his fists. "The stupid lost swordsmen gets one, but I don't!?"

"What's wrong, dart brow? Your skills not up to the task?"

"Shut up, moss head!"

"What was that!?"

"Enough!"

Nami punched the two before they could go at each other.

"Okay, and what about you?" Nami asked Mario. "There's no way you or your friends didn't get a bounty."

Mario rubbed the back of his head before pulling his bounty out. Everyone's jaws dropped when they saw it.

"Two, two billion!?" Everyone, except Mario, his friends, Luffy, and Robin, said in shock.

"What the hell!? How did you get a bounty like that?" Sanji asked.

"It's-a probably because of the vice admirals we beat, plus the Power Stars," Mario answered.

"It makes sense. Wait, what about them?" Usopp asked while pointing to Peach and the others. "There's no way the Navy would let them off without a bounty."

"You're right, Usopp."

Mario pulled out the rest of the bounty posters.

Pirate Princess Peach

Wanted

Alive

2,000,000,000

XXXXXXX

Living Weapon Geno

Wanted

Dead or Alive

1,000,000,000

XXXXXXX

Magic Cloud Mallow

Wanted

Dead or Alive

1,000,000,000

XXXXXXX

Green Dinosaur(Dangerous Pet)

Wanted

Dead or Alive

100,000

Everyone just stared at the posters in silence. Letting everything sink in.

"Oh dear. It seems the Navy considers us threats on par with you, Mario." Peach said.

"Indeed they do. I find it humorous that they named you the Pirate Princess." Robin said.

"Why?"

"Because there's already a Pirate Empress. Boa Hancock, one of the Seven Warlords, the most beautiful woman in the world, and the Pirate Empress. I wonder if she may see you as a competitor once she sees these posters."

"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm only here to help Mario with his adventure. If she wants the title of Pirate Empress, she can keep it."

Robin chuckled at this while Geno and Mallow examined their bounty posters.

"What's wrong?" Usopp asked. "Don't like your bounties?"

"It's not that, Usopp. I'm just curious why our bounties are lower than Mario and Peach." Geno answered.

"Mario has been here longer, so his bounty makes sense. But I do wonder why Peach was given the same amount."

"It's probably because she beat a rear admiral alone," Zoro answered.

"But so did I," Geno said.

"After he fought Luigi. Now, I'm not saying you couldn't defeat a rear admiral; that's how the Navy sees it."

"I see. You're probably right."

"Still, having a one billion bounty as your first is one hell of an achievement."

"Yeah, and for Mallow to have a one billion belli bounty as well. He didn't even do anything during the fight." Usopp said.

"It's probably because of his association with Mario," Nami said.

"Or, it could be because of what we did in Dressrosa," Mallow said.

"Huh? Dressrosa? Where's that?" Luffy asked.

"It's a kingdom in the second half of the Grand Line." Robin clarified. "Why were you there? And what did you do?"

"That's where we first arrived before being sent to Alabasta. And as for what we did, we weren't exactly welcomed with open arms there. We had to fight our way out and may have hurt some of the people sent after us." Mallow answered while rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh dear, that explains your bounty. Dressrosa is under the control of one of the Seven Warlords."

Usopp, Nami, and Chopper paled at hearing Robin's explanation.

"WHAT!? Are you serious!?" Usopp screamed.

"Yes. If I remember correctly, Doflamingo controls Dressrosa. He's a pirate known for his cunning, strength, and cruelty. He also doesn't take kindly to those who offend him." Robin answered.

"Great! Just great! We just beat one Warlord and already have two more after us!?"

"Huh? Two?" Mallow asked, with Geno mirroring his sentiments.

"Yeah, two! This Doflamingo and the Pirate Empress."

"Why would she be after us?"

"Didn't you hear Robin's explanation? She will come after Peach because she sees her as competition!"

"I said she might see Peach as competition. Not that she will." Robin clarified.

"Oh, then we have nothing to worry about. Except Doflamingo! Crap!" Usopp yelled in panic.

"Why are you worried? As long as Mario is with us, we'll win." Chopper said.

"Oh yeah. With Mario's godly strength, there's no way we can lose!"

Mario just chuckled at this while placing her hand on his shoulder. As Mallow and Geno were enjoying the moment, Geno noticed something.

"As much as a threat Doflamingo may be, we have more pressing matters, everyone."

Everyone turned to where Geno was looking and saw a group of pirates approaching them. Mario, Peach, Luffy, and Robin recognized the one leading them and were unhappy to see him again—especially Mario and Peach.

"Hah! Found you, you bastards!" Bellamy said with a grin.

"Great, this guy again." Mario groaned out.

"Didn't you already kick his ass?" Luffy asked.

"Guess he didn't learn the first time. Welp, time for another lesson."

"Huh? Hold up, I'm confused here. Does someone mind explaining what's going on?" Usopp asked.

"This creep was harassing us back in Mock Town. So Mario dealt with him. But he didn't get the memo that he can't beat Mario." Goombella explained.

"So, how'd you find us?" Mario asked.

"Some of my men overheard Straw Hat and that woman asking about Sky Island back at the pub. After hearing about this, I figured you had to be here with Old Man Cricket, talking about useless dreams." Bellamy answered.

"Dreams, useless? Boy, oh boy, are you wrong."

Bellamy scowled at Mario's response.

"What are you talking about?"

"Dreams are not useless, punk. They inspire us and push us to be better than we are. As long as you chase your dreams with courage and determination, you can achieve things you would have never thought possible."

Everyone smiled at Mario's words, even Robin, while Bellamy and his crew were angered.

"Quit spouting that crap! Dreams don't accomplish shit!" Bellamy shouted.

Mario just shook his head while Luffy glared at Bellamy.

"Mamamia, I can't get through to you with words. But I have to wonder, didn't you have dreams at one point?"

Mario's question took Bellamy aback.

"I mean, you started your own pirate crew and took off to sea. You must have had a dream in mind when you started, right? Perhaps something happened, something that made you give up on your dream. And now you take out your frustrations and anger on all others who still dare to chase theirs. Hmm, just a guess, but am I close to the answer?"

Bellamy just glared at Mario with anger.

"Judging by your face, I am. Well, it doesn't matter now." Mario said as he created two fireballs in his hands. "Now is the time for action. One chance, walk away, or this gets ugly."

Bellamy just gave a grin at this.

"Hah! As if we're-"

BOOM!

A cannonball was fired at Bellamy's crew, blowing them all away. Everyone was shocked by this and looked towards the sea.

"Look out!" Mario shouted.

Everyone dove out of the way of more cannon fire.

"Yoshi! Protect the ships!"

Yoshi, who was sleeping in the crow's nest of the Shooting Star, woke up and looked around to see what Mario was talking about. His eyes widened as he saw a barrage of cannonballs flying toward the Merry and the Shooting Star. He quickly made some eggs and threw them at the cannonballs, causing them to explode in mid-air.

"Oh, such a strange and fascinating creature. Mama will want to collect it."

An unknown voice said. As the dust clouds settled, two ships could be seen approaching them. One appeared to be made of sweets, while the other was a dull green with a skull motif.

"What was that!?"

Masira asked as he, his brother, and Cricket came out to see what was happening.

"We're under attack! Stay back! We'll take care of this!" Mario answered.

The three nodded and backed away from the fight. Once both ships were close enough, they dropped anchor, and two groups of pirates jumped off. One group was dressed in formal wear. With a lion man, a man with a mustache wearing an egg, and a short, round man dressed like a musketeer.

"Hmm, so that's Red Cap?" The egg man asked.

"He doesn't seem that impressive."

"Still, he does have a high bounty and that star Mama wants." The round man said as his head bobbled back and forth.

That is when the lion man steps forward.

"Red Cap, Big Mom has requested your presence and that of your friends. We are here to escort you. Now come with us."

"Not so fast!" A pirate dressed in punk Viking gear said.

"Kaido-sama demands Red Cap and his allies be brought to him!"

"Yeah! So stay away from them, you bastards!" His female compatriot shouted.

"Oh. So Kaido thinks he can take what belongs to Mama?" The musketeer said as he drew his blade.

"So some sweet bastards want to die today, eh?" The Viking man said as he turned his hands into horns.

The two groups got ready to fight.

"Hold it!" Mario shouted, stopping the two groups and forcing them to look at him. "Okay, now who wants to see me?"

The musketeer stepped forward to speak.

"Hello, Red Cap. I am Bobbin, and this is Tomago and Pekoms. We are here to bring to Big Mom. One of the Four Emperors, the strongest pirates in the world. I suggest you all come quietly." Bobbins said.

"I don't think so!" The Viking man with horn arms said. "We are the Beast Pirates, and Kaido the Beast is our captain. He demands Red Cap and his friends. You'd better back off, sweet freaks, or else!"

The two groups were about to fight again, but Mario stopped it.

"And what if I don't want to go?" Mario asked.

"Then we'll have to take you by force," Tomago said.

The two groups then turned to Mario and the others.

"Oh man, two of the strongest pirates want Mario and his friends. Talk about bad luck." Usopp said in fear.

"Wait, what about us?" Nami asked.

"You are unimportant, Straw Hats. You may leave." Tomago answered.

"Forget that! I'm not standing by if you try to take my friends." Luffy said as he punched his fists together.

He, Zoro, and Sanji got ready for a fight while Usopp, Nami, and Chopper hid behind a tree. Robin just stood by to see what was about to happen.

"Straw Hat Luffy. Grrr. It's time you learned how vast and powerful the seas truly are." Pekoms said

The Beast Pirates and Big Mom's crew were about to attack, but Mario fired two fireballs at them before they could move. The fireballs exploded, blasting away many of the enemy pirates. But the commanders, minus Pekoms, avoided the attack.

"Oh! I may have been too hasty in saying Red Cap was unimpressive. That was a fine attack." Tomago said.

"We got more waiting for you," Mario said as he, Peach, Mallow, Geno, Yoshi, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji prepared to fight.

Usopp and Nami got their weapons ready to support from a distance. Chopper, Robin, Goombella, and Goombario stood by for their chance to help. That's when Robin noticed the books Goombario and Goombella had.

"What are those?"

"Oh, you'll see," Goombella answered.

As the dust cleared, everyone saw Pekoms' clothes in a lump. They were confused until they saw movement in the clothes. Soon, Pekoms emerged from them unharmed.

"No way. How did he manage to survive Mario's fireball attack?" Usopp asked in fear.

Everyone was wondering this until Goombario and Goombella spoke up.

"I got it! Mario!" Goombario shouted, getting Mario's attention. "That guy has a giant turtle shell. He ate a devil fruit that gave him that ability and now has a nearly indestructible turtle shell. He can retract into it when he needs to avoid danger."

"What!? How did that punk know!?" Pekoms yelled in anger.

Robin was also wondering about this, and that's when she noticed a page in Goombario's book filled with information about Pekoms.

"Is that their special ability?" She asked herself.

"Giant turtle shell, huh? Well then," Mario turned to Pekoms with an unnerving grin. "We know what to do with you. Everyone! Follow my lead!"

Mario jumped high into the air and was going to stomp on Pekoms. Seeing this, Pekoms returned to his shell, believing he would be unharmed. But that's what Mario wanted. Mario stomped on Pekoms, but Pekoms appeared to be okay.

"Hmm, perhaps you are not as strong as you thought? Eh, Red Cap?" Tomago said with a smirk. "Pekoms, show him."

...

...

...

"Pekoms?"

Pekoms was silent and unmoving.

"Uh, I'm stuck. I can't get out!" Pekoms shouted.

"Huh!?"

"I don't know what Red Cap did, but I'm stuck in my shell!"

"Just what I wanted," Mario said before casually lifting Pekoms.

"Hey, what's going on!?"

"Red Cap is lifting you!" Bobbin answered as his jaw dropped.

"What!? What are you planning to do!?"

Mario didn't answer. Instead, he let his actions speak for him as he kicked Pekoms towards Peach. Peach was confronting a group of pirates when Pekoms came barreling through, knocking them all down.

"Luffy!" Peach yelled as she kicked Pekoms away.

"Alright! This looks fun!" Luffy said as he kicked Pekoms toward Zoro, who was surrounded. "Zoro!"

"Hmm?" Zoro looked to see Pekoms coming towards him while knocking down Pirates. "Geno!" He shouted as he kicked Pekoms away.

"Sanji!" Geno shouted as he continued the attack.

"Mallow!" Sanji shouted.

"Back to you, Mario!" Mallow shouted.

Mario was about to kick it, but.

"You think this is all a game!?" Tomago shouted as he and Bobbin rushed toward Mario.

Seeing this, Mario kicked Pekoms toward the two. They avoided the attack, and Pekoms crashed into a rock. He came out but was too dazed to continue the fight.

"How dare you!? Huh!?"

Tomago looked back to see Mario was gone.

"You should really be more observant," Mario said behind Tomago.

Tomago turned to see Mario's fist in his face. Mario sent Tomago flying, but something strange happened when Tomago hit the ground. Like an egg, his body cracked in half and left behind an egg yolk.

"Mamamia, did I kill him? I should really hold back more." Mario said as he looked at his fist.

"Don't fall for it, Mario!" Goombella shouted. "It's his devil fruit! His body will crack and leave behind a yolk that transforms into a stronger body." Goombella explained. A page in her book fills itself with information on Tomago.

"How do they know?" Tomago asked as he rose from the egg yolk, now looking like a yellow chick. "You and your friends are becoming most troublesome, Red Cap," Tamago said as he got into a fighting stance with twin daggers.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. We don't roll over for people like you." Mario responded as he pulled out his hammer.

Tomago rushed forward, trying to outspeed Mario's heavy weapon. But he was surprised to see Mario was keeping up with him.

"Damn! The Marines may have been right to give you that high bounty." Tomago said as he continued to fight Mario.

Meanwhile, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji took out the scrubs while Peach and Mallow fought the commanders from the Beast Pirates. While this was happening, Geno faced off with Bobbin.

"Hmm, what are you?" Bobbin asked.

"I won't go into a full explanation. Just know that I'm an ally to Mario." Geno answered.

"Fine, don't answer me. We'll find out in painful ways once we bring you back to Whole Cake Island."

"? There's an island made of cake?"

Geno was confused by this, and Bobbin took advantage of that and pulled his head back. Once he released it, it began to sway back and forth in a hypnotic motion. Geno just stared at Bobbin, confused by what he was doing.

"Now I got you."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"What!?"

"Were you trying to hypnotize me? Sorry, but you'll need something stronger to trap me in a trance." Geno said as he pointed his arm toward Bobbin.

It then transformed and fired a laser beam at Bobbin. Bobbin barely dodged and was shocked by this.

"Whoa. The Marines weren't lying when they called you a living weapon."

"You have no idea."

The two continued their fight. While this happened, Mario knocked down Tomago, who cracked again.

"Mario! Destroy the yolk! Do that, and he won't be able to come back!" Goombella shouted.

"Yeah, but I want to see how far his devil fruit goes."

"Mario!"

"It'll be fine, Goombella. Trust me."

Goombella just sighed at this while Robin was laughing.

"Oh my, it seems our captain is rubbing off on Mario," Robin said.

"I hope not," Goombella said in annoyance. "We don't need Mario turning into some action-crazed moron."

Robin laughed at this as Luffy left that impression, but there was more to him and Mario—something you could only see if you looked deeper. And Robin was excited to learn more about the two. As she pondered this, Tomago had risen from the yolk and rushed towards Mario at blinding speeds for most people. He was shocked to see Mario could track and keep up with him.

"What!?" Tomago shouted in shock and fear. "That's impossible!"

"Impossible? Buddy, I can keep track of a hedgehog that could run laps around you on his slow days. If you've seen half the things I have seen, you would have a whole new perspective on the impossible."

Tomago was terrified by this idea. Just how strong was Mario? Just what was he!? While Tomago was distracted by this, Mario punched him in the face. Tomago fell unconscious from Mario's punch.

"Hmm, he only had three transformations. Oh well. Now, who's next."

Mario looked around to see that the battle was almost over. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were nearly finished with the grunts. Peach and Mallow were dealing with the last two commanders from the beast pirates, and Geno had just sent Bobbin flying. Mario leaned on his hammer, confident that the battle would end soon.

Bobbin crashed on the ground, groaning in pain. He cursed Red Cap and his allies. To think they would be this strong, they could rival his mother and the other emperors. Retreating would be the best option, but that would lead to punishment from Big Mom. Something he did not want to go through. That's when a Beast Pirate commander crashed next to him. He then looked to where Nami and the others were and had an idea.

"Hey!" He called to the Beast Pirate. "We may be enemies, but we could agree that Red Cap and his allies are the bigger threat."

"Yeah, and?"

"How about we work together to beat them?"

"How? Most of our men are beaten already?"

"Yeah, but," Bobbin nodded towards Nami and the others. "They may be more 'reasonable' if we have their friends."

The Beast Pirate grinned at this and followed Bobbin towards Nami and the others. Back with Mario and the others, they had just finished up with the two pirate crews.

"Well, that was something," Sanji commented as he let a puff of smoke out.

"So you got the attention of two emperors. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Zoro asked.

"Well, we can handle it," Mario said, gesturing to him, Peach, Mallow, and Geno. "It's-a you guys I'm worried about."

"Why?" Luffy asked. "We beat the guys we were fighting."

"Yeah, but they were just the grunts. And we still had a tough time beating them." Zoro said.

"For once, I agree with him. If we fought the commanders, it would have been ugly." Sanji added.

"Hmm, I guess you're right. Hey, Mario, do you think you could train us?" Luffy asked.

Zoro and Sanji were interested in this idea as Mario was the strongest person they'd met. It would boost them by leaps and bounds if they could get even a fraction of his strength. But before Mario could answer.

"Hold it!"

Everyone looked to see Nami and the others held hostage by Bobbin and a Beast Pirate.

"Oh no!"

"You bastards!"

Peach and Sanji shouted. Mario, Geno, Luffy, and Zoro were about to rush in but were stopped by Bobbin holding his hand up.

"I wouldn't if I were you. You may be fast, but are you fast enough to stop us from slitting their throats?"

The four could only grit their teeth as the Beast Pirate held a blade to Robin's throat. That's when Mario noticed they were in a trance.

"What did you do?" Mario asked.

"No need to worry, Red Cap. They're just under my spell. I can free them for a price."

"What do you want!?" Luffy asked.

"For you all to surrender! Drop your weapons, now!" Bobbin ordered.

Seeing no other choice, everyone who had weapons dropped them.

"Good, now, Red Cap and his allies, raise your hands and don't make any sudden moves. If you do, I can't guarantee the safety of your friends."

Everyone followed Bobbin's orders while they tried to think of a way to save their friends.

"Good, good. Now, Red Cap, we learned of a particular object you have in your possession. Where is this 'Power Star'?"

Everyone was shocked that he knew about the Power Stars. Mario held out his hands, and the Power Star appeared in them.

"Ah, so that's a Power Star. Looks powerful." Bobbin said with a grin.

"Why do you want it? Do you even know how to use it?" Mario asked.

"No, but that's why you and your friends are coming with us."

"I see. Then let me show you what it can do."

"Don't try anything!" Bobbin shouted, but it was too late.

The Power Star shined brightly, blinding everyone. Soon, the light vanished, and everyone opened their eyes to see what had happened.

"What did you do?" Bobbin said, not trusting anything Mario did.

"Guys! You're powered up for a few minutes. Use it now!" Mario shouted.

Bobbin was confused until a fist hit him in the face, sending him flying back. Everyone looked to see Nami and the other glowing with power.

"Thanks, Mario!" Goombario said.

He and Goombella charged at Bobbin. Bobbin tried to defend himself, but the two were now too fast and strong for him. Meanwhile, Usopp and Chopper beat up the Beast Pirate.

"Wow! Is this what it's like to be Mario? This is awesome!"

"Yeah!"

Usopp and Chopper cheered as they beat up the Beast Pirate. Soon, Bobbin and the Beast Pirate were knocked out.

"So this is what a Power Star is capable of," Robin said.

"This is just a tiny fraction of what a Power Star can do," Peach clarified.

"Oh, do tell."

"Later. Let's take care of these jerks first."

Everyone tied up the pirates and threw them onto their ships. As they were doing this with the Sweet Pirates, they noticed their ship had large bites taken out of it.

"What the? What the hell happened here?" Zoro asked.

That's when they saw Yoshi walk off the deck with cake crumbs all over his face.

"So this is what you were doing!? While we were fighting for our lives, you were stuffing your face!" Sanji yelled.

Yoshi just ignored him and continued his way back to the Shooting Star.

"Great. Another bottomless stomach."

"Don't worry about it, Sanji," Peach said. "I'm here to help now so it won't be so bad."

"Ah! Peach-swan is so generous!" Sanji said while doing his noodle dance.

Soon after throwing all the unconscious pirates onto their ships, Mario pushed them off. When the ships were gone, Luffy turned to Mario.

"So, will you train us?"

"Look, Luffy, it's not that I don't want to. It's that I was told not to."

"Huh? By who?"

"By me."

Everyone turned to see Starlow approaching them with a projection of Rosalina coming from her antennae. Sanji immediately started his noodle dance while Mario spoke.

"Hello, Rosalina."

"Hello, Mario. Peach, it's good to see you and the other made it."

"Yes, the portal coming here is stable. If only we could say the same for the other way around." Peach said.

"True. But once you have the five Power Stars in this world, we can stabilize the portals sending people back home." She then turns to Mallow and Geno. "Mallow, *#&%, it's good to see you're all right and reunited with Mario."

"Yep!"

"Yes, Lady Rosalina. We were most fortunate to run into Mario back in the sand kingdom."

Mallow and Geno said. Before anyone could say anything, Luffy spoke up.

"Hey, space lady, why did you tell Mario not to train us?"

"Luffy!" His crew, minus Zoro and Robin, screamed.

"It's quite alright. Despite being a goddess, I'm not one for demanding formal respect at all times. In fact, I like it when people are so casual with me. It feels nice and honest."

"Ah! Rosalina-swan is so kind and understanding!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes.

Rosalina just chuckled at this before answering Luffy's question.

"As for your question, Luffy, it's because of the balance of power. I can't have Mario throw it out of balance."

"So you don't want us to get stronger?"

"No, it's not that. If you were to get stronger naturally, that would be fine since you are from that world, Luffy. But to have Mario, who is from another world, train you to get stronger would be a problem as it could shift the balance of power in ways that would be devasting for your world. I had hoped Mario and his allies could gather the Power Stars before his presence had any effects. But alas, I was naive to think so. Power is like a magnet, after all. Already, forces from both your world and ours are trying to claim the Power Stars and other powerful objects similar to them for themselves. It has already begun to cause changes in your world."

"How so?" Robin asked.

"Those pirates you fought right now. You were not to have made contact with Big Mom or Kaido until you reached the second half of the Grand Line. But Mario's presence has attracted them, and now you face forces you are unprepared for. As such, Mario, I permit you to train them."

"Really?" Mario and Luffy asked.

"Yes, but not too strong. We don't need Luffy reenacting many of your more impossible feats, Mario."

Mario chuckled, knowing Luffy would try to do what he'd done.

"Okay then."

"Oh, and you are allowed to share some, I repeat, SOME of your items with your allies and friends you have made."

"Okie dokie."

"Huh? What was that for?" Zoro asked.

Back at Drum Kingdom, Doctor Kureha asked for some of my power-ups to help make medicine. I had to have Rosalina explain why I couldn't, but now I can send her some of my items." Mario explained.

"Hey, can I have some?" Chopper asked.

"Sure, Chopper. I'll even help you make amazing medicines to cure any sickness."

Chopper squealed in joy at this.

"Hey, if you're handing out items, can I have some?" Usopp asked. "I have some ideas for awesome ammunition."

"Sure."

"And can you upgrade my Clima-tact?" Nami asked. "It would be great to have a non-Spark-powered version since they'll be leaving with you."

"I'll get on it when I can."

"Remember, don't make them too powerful now," Rosalina said.

"And just out of curiosity, what if we become too strong?" Zoro asked.

"Well, I would consider you members of our world then and bring you all back here."

"WHAT!?" The Straw Hats shouted.

"She's kidding, right? There's no way she would do that, right?" Nami nervously asked.

"She would," Mario answered, shocking everyone. "She's sweet and kind, but she takes her job seriously. If she determines that you have to return to my world because you became too strong thanks to me, there's nothing I can do about it."

Everyone just stood in silence at Mario's answer.

"But that's only a problem if you become too strong," Mario said with a smile.

"And what constitutes being too strong?" Robin asked.

"Pulling off the same feats my friends and I do."

"Oh, then we're fine. I'm not looking to punch meteors out of the sky." Usopp said.

"I want to." Luffy casually said.

"Luffy! If you did that, you couldn't become king of the pirates." Usopp said with a chop to Luffy's head.

"What!?"

"That's right. If you started doing that, Luffy, I would have to bring you back to our world." Rosalina said with a chuckle.

"Man. Alright, I won't punch meteors out of the sky," Luffy said with a pout.

"Well, now onto something more serious. Mario, I may have discovered how Cursa returned."

Mario and his friends' faces turned severe at hearing this.

"I just checked with Queen Jades in the Underwhere. Many of the souls of your defeated foes are missing." Rosalina explained.

"What!? How!?" Mario asked.

"I don't know. But when I was investigating how Cursa returned, I received an urgent message from Jades warning me of this. She's unsure how but assumes it is due to the disturbance caused by the Power Stars."

"So, they could be in any of the other universes?"

"I'm afraid so."

Mario and his friends were stunned by this.

"Hey, is it really that bad?" Nami asked.

"Yes, Nami," Peach answered. "Many of our enemies were extremely powerful. Nearly defeating us and taking over our world."

The Straw Hats paled at this. Enemies that nearly defeated Mario? That was terrifying.

"Just how many enemies are we talking about here?" Usopp asked in fear.

"So many. Smithy, Antasma, Cackletta, Fawful, the Dark Star, the Shroobs. So many, wait, Rosalina. Did you check if Dimentio's soul was one of the escapees?" Mario asked.

Rosalina just gave him a solemn look.

"Unfortunately, yes. Dimentio has escaped and will no doubt return."

Mario and Peach were horrified by this news.

"Huh? Is that bad?" Luffy asked.

"You have no idea, Luffy. Dimentio was the most powerful, clever, and dangerous enemy I faced. He managed to get his hands on a powerful artifact known as the Chaos Heart and was going to use it to destroy all worlds and remake them in his image."

The Straw Hats were shocked by this.

"And that freak is back!? Oh crap!" Usopp screamed, with Chopper holding onto his leg in fear.

"Wait, what happened to the Chaos Heart? Surely you guys didn't just leave it lying around, right?" Nami asked.

"It was destroyed with him, but it can be remade," Mario answered.

"How?" Sanji asked.

"Chaos is a foundational concept of the universe, Sanji. He just needs to cause enough chaos to remake the heart."

"And how would he do that? And he did he do it in the first place?" Robin asked.

"Well, anything that causes conflict creates chaos. Just look at Alabasta. The whole war was chaotic."

"Oh dear. Would that be enough to remake the Chaos Heart?"

"No. For that amount of power, a lot more chaos would be needed. It was first created in a forced wedding between Bowser and Peach. Two being that have god-like powers."

Robin breathed a sigh of relief while Sanji was shocked to hear Peach was forcefully wed to Bowser.

"Still, with all the chaos the missing Power Stars will create, it could be just enough for Dimentio to recreate the Chaos Heart."

Everyone was shocked by this.

"Then, we just don't fight. Problem solved." Usopp said with a smirk.

"If only it were that easy, Usopp. What if we come across Marines, enemy pirates, or bounty hunters? Do we just run away?" Mario asked.

"Hell no!" Luffy shouted.

"But won't we just be helping create this Chaos Heart?" Nami asked.

"Chaos is created every day, and not just by fighting. Everything from losing your keys, losing some money, stealing, and even a simple argument between two kids causes chaos. It's just fighting that causes the most chaos and energy." Mario explained.

"But, but,"

"Look, even if we don't fight, that won't stop the creation of the Chaos Heart. Chaos is a fundamental part of the universe—the opposite and balance to order. You cannot have one without the other."

"So we fight. And take care of this Dimentio freak and his Chaos Heart when we come across him." Zoro said.

"Yes, but if we come across him, leave him to us," Mario said, pointing to himself and his allies. "We're the only ones strong enough to deal with him."

"Okay then, no arguments here."

"Same."

"If this is your fight, I won't get in the way."

Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy said.

"That's good to hear. Now, I must be off. There are still many disturbances in the worlds that the Power Stars have traveled to. I need to stop them from growing out of control." Rosalina said.

"Alright then. Farewell and good luck." Mario said.

"Yes, and to you too, as well. Hopefully, you can stop Dimentio before he creates the Chaos Heart."

Rosalina bowed before the hologram vanished. After that, Mario turned to his new friends.

"Sorry about dragging you all into this."

"Forget about it, Mario. As I said, you're our Nakama now. We'll help you however we can," Luffy said.

"Thanks."

"With that said, when do we start the training?" Zoro asked.

"Once the Power Star is recharged. Until then, Usopp, Nami, let me look at your weapons. I have some ideas on how to improve them."

Nami and Usopp followed Mario cheerfully as Cricket, Masira, and Shoujou got back to work on the Going Merry and the Shooting Star. While this was happening, Peach turned to Starlow.

"So? Any word from Starlee?"

"No. She must be busy."

"I wonder if Luigi's group ran into some trouble."

"Well, if they did, they'll be fine. They have Luigi, Daisy, and the Rabbids with them."

"Don't forget about Ace."

"Oh, and him too."

Peach just sighed at Starlow, dismissing Ace like that. She went back to the Shooting Star with the others. Meanwhile.

An unknown island

Starlee's antennae blinked, signaling that Starlow was trying to contact her, but she was distracted by what she saw. In front of Luigi's group lay a battlefield. Many signs of destruction and two wrecked pirate ships were seen. One pirate ship had a large skull, and the other was pink and made of sweets.

"Mamamia, what happened?" Luigi asked.

"A battle, that's what happened. And one between the Beast Pirates and Big Mom Pirates." Ace answered.

"Who?"

"Pirate crews belonging to two emperors of the sea. Pirates whose strength is comparable to Whitebeard."

"Well, it doesn't look like they won," Daisy commented.

"Yeah, but who beat them?" Luigi asked.

"Hey, Beep-O."

"Yes, Ace?"

"You said Cursa was here, right?"

"Yes, I did, but she's gone now. I was surprised I found her so easy the first time."

"I'm guessing it's because of a fight. But did she start it, or did Big Mom and Kaido seek her out?"

"Hey! Look what I found!"

Rabbid Mario came out of a wrecked pirate ship with a black-haired girl.

"That's the girl I saw Cursa possess back at Alabasta."

"If she's here, Cursa has found another body. A stronger body." Beep-O explained.

"That's not good," Luigi said.

"No, it's not. Damn it! We need some answers."

Ace was frustrated by missing Cursa and Teach, but that's when Edge spoke up.

"Hey! We found a survivor."

Rabbid Peach and Edge came out with a Beast Pirate who was shivering in fear. Ace grabbed him to question him.

"Hey! What happened here?"

The Beast Pirate didn't answer.

"I asked you a question; now talk!"

"W-W-We were sent by Kaido to capture Cursa. When we arrived, the Big Mom Pirates were here as well."

"And? What happened next?"

"B-B-Both crews attacked Cursa and her crew. W-W-We thought it would be easy since there were so few. But they were strong. So strong. Nothing worked, though. Not haki, not our devil fruits, nothing worked! They were too strong!"

"And where did they go? Hey!"

Ace tried to get an answer, but the pirate was too scared.

"Hey, where did they go!?"

"Huh? What? No, NO! Please! I don't want to go to the dark! NO!"

The Beast Pirate broke free of Ace's grasp and ran away.

"Hey!"

"Leave him. The Darkmess has fried his mind." Edge explained.

"Is it that bad?"

"Yes, Ace. Rabbids can resist Cursa's influence because they are chaotic by nature. Trying to fry their brain is like trying to drown a fish." Beep-O explained.

"I see. But what about Luigi and his friends?"

"They are Star Children, with the power of hope and light to resist her."

"Okay, and Luffy and me?"

"Your will is strong enough to resist her influence. Weaker wills are much more susceptible to her power."

"Okay, that makes sense. Hold on, where's Luigi?"

Ace looked around for Luigi and Daisy, wondering where they had gone. Then, a green pipe appeared in front of him. Ace was shocked but relaxed when he saw Luigi and Daisy come out.

"Oh, there you are. Where'd you go?"

"We went to return that girl to Alabasta," Daisy answered.

"Huh? But how?"

"That's-a the power of the Warp Pipe, Ace," Luigi answered. "With this, we can visit any place we've been to."

"Wow, that's awesome."

"Hey guys," Starlee said, getting everyone's attention. "I got a call from Starlow."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it seems Mario has made an important discovery."

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Ace asked.

"Sorry, I was stunned by this," Starlee answered, gesturing to the battlefield.

"Oh, well, that makes sense. Still, you should call them back. We need to hear it if it's important enough to call us." Ace said.

And that's the end of the chapter. Thank you all so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave a review, and if you would like to support me, please consider donating to my pa-tr-eo-n. Once again, thank you, and have a nice day.