Bombs Away!

by Vgn Golley

Growing up on Gaimon's island, Willis D. Asher had wished nothing more than to leave and explore the world as a pirate, and his wish came true when the straw hats showed up and offered him to join their crew. Now watch as he becomes the new bodyguard and later Vice Captain for the Straw Hat Pirates! (Currently at the Reverse Mountain Arc)

12. Foreboding New Adventure By Apis!

Hey, guys! Welcome to the new chapter of Bomb's Away! I hope you guys will enjoy the chapter...oh, and I don't own anything except for my OCs, as the OCs Jack Sparrow and Jake belong entirely to 9655.

NOW LET'S GET ON WITH THE STORY!

{Bombs Away!-Season 1, Episode 12: Foreboding of a New Adventure by the Puzzling Girl, Apis!}

It was a dark and stormy night in the sea as we see a Marine Ship sailing through the ocean with the winds hailing harshly and the waves splashing wildly as we zoomed into the ship and we cued to one of its holding cells as we see a glaring 10-year-old girl residing inside while having Sea Prism Cuffs on her arms, disabling her Devil Fruit Powers but the cuffs were modified to allow her to not lose her stamina and be able to walk around normally as she glanced over through the window and spotted the storm as the little girl grinned mischievously, coming up with an idea on how to escape as, after hearing the incoming footsteps of the person in charge with giving her food, she was quick to walk over and appear behind the door just as it was opened as a glaring Marine Soldier appeared into the room while holding a tray filled with food.

Standing in the cell room is a 4'5-feet-tall, 10-year-old Girl with brown eyes, long dirty blonde hair that was tied up into a very thin dual twin braid that reaches down to her back, thin blonde eyebrows, a small nose, a sharp chin, Fair Skin, a slender build, and her outfit consists of a pointy white hat with maroon edges that have mustard-colored circles planted into it, a long-sleeved long mustard yellow dress with the sleeves and the bottom of the dress being maroon colored and have mustard-colored circles planted into them, a short-sleeved maroon shirt and mustard-colored shorts underneath, a black necklace that held the claw of a Millennial Dragon, a dark maroon sash wrapped around her waist, and a pair of red shoes. Her name is Apis, a young girl who lives on Warship Island, and Bokuden's Granddaughter.

"Hey, I got your food, freak." The Marine Soldier says before doing a double take in shock as he realizes that Apis has seemingly vanished from sight. "Huh?! Where are you? Where are you hiding?! Come out here this instant! Look, there's no use trying to escape! There is a large storm outside! Not even you can survive in a storm like that!" The Marine Soldier says, not knowing that a tense and determined Apis is sneaking up on him as she eyes the keys to her Sea Prism Cuffs dangling on his belt and reaches over to try and grab it but trips over her own feet and crashes down into the ground, headfirst as Apis yelped in pain and sat up to cradle her bloody nose and the bruise on her forehead as the Marine Soldier heard this and whirled around to grab her by the back of her dress as he raised her up into the air.

"Try that again and I will pin you to the wall! Do I need to keep reminding you that there is virtually no way for you to escape with us? With those Sea Prism Cuffs on you, you are about as useful as a normal little girl your age! The best way for you to not get hurt was for you to stay put!" The Marine Soldier yelled with a glare as Apis paused a bit and grinned up at him sheepishly before getting angry as she began thrashing around in his hold.

"NO! LET ME GO! YOU'RE A MEANIE! LET ME GO!"

"Hey, hey, calm down-AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" The Marine Soldier scolded before yelping in pain like a little girl as a wailing and squirming Apis accidentally reared back her legs and kicked him in the kiwis, causing him to let go of her as she crashed down into the ground and groan a bit before twirling around to lay on her back as Apis was surprised to see the Marine Soldier just standing there frozen and narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she reached up to grab the Sea Prism Cuffs' Keys and used them to unlock her cuffs, allowing them to crash down onto the ground as Apis took a deep breath, feeling her power come back to her once more as she grinned cockily.

"The girl escaped! Search the entire ship! But don't be too rough on her! She doesn't have her Devil Fruit Powers anymore, so make sure not to hurt her too much! She's too valuable to lose!" A Marine Captain yelled to his soldiers as they could be seen running around the boat with the alarm ranging out as they were trying to search for Apis, not knowing that said person could be seen peeking out of the door and trying to stealthily walk out of it, but the wind ends up being too harsh on her, and it sends her flying over to crash against the other side of the boat with a pained yelp.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow..." Apis moaned in pain while getting up from the wet floor and held onto her hat to make sure that it wouldn't be blown away from the intense winds around her as she noticed that a boat was placed in front of her and perked up happily, but then flinched in fear when the 10-year-old girl noticed that all of the Marine Soldiers spotted her and ran over to surround her as they aimed their swords at her, prompting for Apis to make a rather reckless but necessary move as she climbed up to the boat and held out a knife that she stole from the kitchen.

"What is she doing?" A confused Marine Soldier asked as they noticed that Apis walked over to the ropes that helped attach the small boat to the Marine Ship and held up her weapon with a look of determination and slight nervousness as she glanced down at the sea and the Marine Soldiers realized what she was planning as they grew worried.

"Hey! No! Get down from there, kid!"

"It's too dangerous!"

"With this storm, it's way too dangerous and stupid for you to try and sail away to safety!"

"Plus, you don't even know how to sail with a boat! You can't even swim either!"

"You could die!" Various Marine Soldiers screamed anxiously as Apis took a deep breath and reached up to grab her Millennial Dragon Necklace as she glared.

"Please protect me, Grandpa Ryu." Apis thought to herself as one of the Marine Soldiers narrowed his eyes at her and gasped concernedly/fearfully upon noticing that her arms were free.

"Shit! She's not wearing her Sea Prism Cuffs! Stop her now before she gets any funny ideas and tries to use her powers!" The Marine Soldier ordered as he and his comrades were quick to charge over to try and grab her, but it was too late as a grunting Apis swung her knife over to slash through the ropes, releasing the small boat as it began falling down through the air and crashed down into the ocean with the 10-year-old girl nearly falling off with the boat but began sailing away to safety, albeit barely as the rocky waves made it difficult for her to do so, especially due to the intense wind and lightning forming around her as the Marine Soldiers watched her go in stunned shock before giving each other worried looks as we then fast forward in time and we cue over to another part of the ocean as we see the Marine Eight Branch sailing through the sea and we then zoom into a large room as we see a heavily obese man sitting on his chair with a bunch of Marines standing around him and about six of them can be seen carrying around his chair as they were informing him about the situation with Apis.

Sitting before them is an 8-feet-tall, 45-year-old Man with black eyes, long spiked-up black hair, small round black eyebrows, a big stumpy nose with a long thin curved black mustache underneath, red spiral marks on his huge cheeks, a fat quadruple chin, pale skin with a large blue tattoo of the Marine Emblem planted on his stomach, an extremely obese fat build, and his outfit consists of a tall blue Marine Hat, a marine coat with green epaulets and a purple collar/cuffs that can only cover his arms and back, a rather expensive-looking gold necklace with a red gemstone embedded in it, green striped pants, and a pair of white shoes. His name is Commodore Nelson Royale, a Marine Officer from East Blue who commands the 8th Branch.

"Imbecile! I should have you shot! This report is atrocious! Do you realize what we have lost?!" Commodore Nelson asked with a glare as the Marine Soldier, who gave him the report, trembled nervously. "That little girl is one of the most wanted people in the whole world! When the Government found out about her and that she's apparently the youngest supernova pirate in the world with a reward of 100 million Berries for her Devil Fruit alone! She is worth more than all of you combined! Not only that but she is also the clue to the Dragonite that I've spent years searching for! And those idiots were able to lose the little girl, even though they had her in custody with the Sea Prism Cuffs that I have so generously donated to them?! This is unacceptable! Go and find her right now before I kill you myself!" Commodore Nelson snapped as the Marine Soldier flinched in fear and nodded while turning around to run away. "Eric!"

"I've been here the whole time." A tall purple-haired man says while appearing out of nowhere as he walks over to Commodore Nelson with his hands in his pockets.

Standing before him is a 6-feet-tall, 32-year-old Man with a square-like face as he has very thin black eyes, purple hair curled upwards in the shape of a hook with hook-shaped purple sideburns, thin purple eyebrows, a long pointed nose, a square-shaped sharp chin, long and sharp white fingernails on his arms, Light Skin, a tall slender build, and his outfit consists of a pair of earrings with pearls hanging from them, a pair of black sunglasses, a long-sleeved grey blazer, a long-sleeved high-collared purple striped shirt underneath, a golden brooch shaped like a birds wing, long grey pants with red sides, and a pair of black shoes. His name is Eric the Whirlwind, a Mercenary, the Current User of the Kama Kama no Mi Fruit as it allows him to gain the ability to make his fingernails long and sharp and be able to release razor-sharp wind slashes.

"I can't lose a clue to the Elixir of Immortality after I've finally found it and I can't have it revealed that I have lost a Supernova Pirate with such a high bounty on her head and an extremely rare and powerful Devil Fruit to boot. You are to join my fleet and find that brat. No matter what it takes, you must find her and bring her to me alive. It's okay if you rough her up a bit, but she has to be breathing when you bring her to me. Understood?"

"I will do whatever I can, but with all due respect, tracking down someone wasn't in our contract."

"I'll pay you however much you want, but the reason that I have hired you is for times just like this." Commodore Nelson says as he grins mischievously. "Besides, you don't want everyone to find out that you were unwilling to track down a little girl, right? Won't that damage your reputation as much as my plans?"

"...Understood," Eric says with a curt nod while turning around to walk away somberly as Commodore Nelson grins slyly and lets out an evil laugh as the camera zooms in on Eric's glasses.

{Bombs Away-Season 1 Theme Song!}

Wealth, fame, power

Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates,

Attained this and everything else the world had to offer,

And his dying words drove countless souls to the seas

At Loguetown, we see the King of Pirates himself, Captain Gold Roger, currently wearing shackles and kneeling down in a large stadium with two Marines standing beside him with a couple of swords in their arms as a huge crowd of people could be seen standing in front of them and were screaming at Roger to reveal where he had hidden all of the treasure and wealth that he had accumulated over the years as the King of Pirates heard this and, even though he was going to get executed soon, couldn't help but grin widely with excitement and glee.

"Oh, you all want my treasure?! You can have it! I left everything I gathered together in one place! Now you just have to find it~!" Captain Gold Roger exclaimed with a loud, joyful laugh.

These words lured men to the Grand Line

In pursuit of dreams greater than they've ever dared to imagine

This is the time known as 'The Great Pirate Era!'

Once the King of Pirates was executed, hundreds of Pirates immediately boarded their ships and set their sails as they all quickly sailed off into the dangerous ocean and began making their way to the Grand Line to find the Legendary One Piece as this officially issued, 'The Great Pirate Era!'.

Come aboard and bring along

All your hopes and dreams

Together, we will find everything

That we're looking for!

ONE PIECE!

Sharing an excited and determined grin, Luffy and Asher can be seen running up a hill as the Bombman then kneeled down and allowed the Rubberman to leap up to land on his back as Asher created a huge explosion underneath his legs, and it propelled them up into the air as the Boys cheered loudly and numerous visions of all of the current members of the Straw Pirates appeared in front of them as a glaring and malnourished Zoro can be seen tied up against a post in Shells Town, a panting and panicking Nami can be seen running away from Three of Buggy's Henchmen in Orange Town, and a purring Cottontail eating a couple of mushrooms on the Island of Rare Animals.

A smirking Usopp crossed his arms as he stood on top of a tall cliff in Syrup Village with Kaya standing beside him and wrapped her arms around him as the wind blew their hair away, a stoic Sanji walked through the Baratie while smoking a cigarette and carrying around a dish filled with food as he could be seen serving the food to Jack and a glaring Gin can be seen standing in the background as the Krieg Pirates' Flag can be seen waving behind him, Akira can be seen sitting on the chair and was being served food by a smiling Nojiko in Cocoyasi Village, and a giggling Apis flew through the air while being morphed into the form of a Dragon as she soared through Warship Island.

After the visions were done, the Future Pirate King and the Future Strongest Man In The World then perked up as they spotted the Going Merry sailing through the seas, and a laughing Luffy grabbed onto Asher's body as he then stretched his free arm to wrap over to latch onto the Straw Hat Pirates' Flag and they propelled themselves forwards with the Duo laughing joyfully as they crashed right into the Going Merry's Deck.

Compass left behind

It'll only slow us down

Your heart will be your guide

Raise the sails and take the helm

The Going Merry can be seen sailing through the treacherous ocean of the East Blue with numerous Sea Kings swimming past it as huge waves of water rang out, and the Straw Hat Pirates can be seen either staring at them in awe, cheering loudly, or panicking as they continued sailing through the ocean.

That legendary place

That the end of the map reveals

Is only legendary

'Till someone proves it real

Zooming into the Going Merry, we see Nami drawing maps inside of her room, a glaring Zoro and Gin sparring with each other on the main deck, Jack sailing the Going Merry, Usopp fixing up the damages done to the ship, a blushing and heart-eyed Sanji serving some food that he had cooked to a smiling and bashful Kaya, Akira washing the deck with the help of some mop and soap, a grinning Luffy residing on his usual seat (The Going Merry's Sheep Figurehead) to enjoy the beautiful day, and a smirking Asher could be seen riding around on the masthead with Apis riding around on his shoulders, and the Duo went starry-eyed at the sight of the amazing journey laid before them as Cottontail can be seen flying ahead of them.

Through it all, through all the troubled times

Through the heartache and through the pain

Know that I will be there to stand by you

Just like I know you'll stand by me

Narrowing his eyes furiously, Zoro gripped his three swords tightly and swung them around as he was able to slash away a group of charging Pirates, a glaring Gin twirled his tonfa around and spun around elegantly as he was able to whack away various Pirates, a calm and collected Sanji smoke his cigarette as a horde of Pirates surrounded him and aimed their swords at him as he swiftly got down in a handstand and twirled around as the blonde-haired simp was able to kick them all away, Jack opened up his mouth and fired a huge torrent of hot flame-like energy at a group of charging and menacing evil Pirates and sends them flying away with the help of a large fiery explosion as Cottontail flew by and hardened himself as he proceeds to trip every single one of the burned and flaming Pirates out of the Going Merry.

Crouching down, a grunting Akira then jumped up into the air and began slashing and punching every Pirates that he saw, a gleeful Kaya can be seen running around at high speeds to knock away every single Pirates that was in her sight before she began running around in a circle and created a huge gust of wind that blew them out of the Going Merry and splashed down into the ocean, a giggling Apis dodged and weaved to avoid all of the incoming swords slashes as she then jumped up into the air and ran her hands across a nearby flying Cottontail as she was able to absorb his DNA and morphed herself into a Winged Cotton Lemur as Apis hardened herself and twirled around as she fires multiple white spikes that pierced through the Pirates' bodies.

Standing back to back, a nervous yet determined Usopp fired various of his specially made explosive balls at all of the nearby Pirates as a scowling Nami used her staff to whack every Pirates she saw, and we see the Last Remaining Straw Hat Pirates standing near the end of the Going Merry and spotted the Enemy Pirates Ship floating beside them. Getting an idea, Asher then crouched down and jumped up high into the air as a smirking Luffy stretched up his arm and grabbed onto his leg as the Rubberman grunted and proceeded to swing the Bomberman down at the Pirates Ship with said person creating a huge explosion that blew apart the ship as the rest of the Straw Hat Pirate cheered loudly at what their Captain and Crewmate did.

So come aboard and bring along

All your hopes and dreams

Together, we will find everything

That we're looking for

Multiple vast images of all of the Incoming Arc Villains appeared as we see Iron Mace Alvida, Axe-Hand Morgan, Buggy the Star Clown, Kuro of a Hundred Plans, Eldoraggo, Foul-Play Krieg, Arlong the Saw, Garp the Fist, Smoker the White Hunter, Bear King, and Eric the Whirlwind as all of the Straw Hat Pirates Villains posed menacingly and scowled stoically.

There's always room for you

If you wanna be my friend

We are, we are, on the cruise

WE ARE!

After arriving near the Grand Line, Luffy can be seen sitting at his usual favorite seat in the Going Merry with Asher standing behind him as Nami wraps her arms around him and places her head on his shoulder as an annoyed Zoro stands near them on their right with Cottontail residing on top of his mossy head as Gin can be seen resting on the edge of the boat lazily, Usopp stood beside the Lovebirds on their left, and Sanji stands beside him as he smoked a cigarette and sighed heavily with Jack smiling widely and enjoying the sea breeze as Kaya stood behind them and smiled warmly while holding Apis and Akira in her arms as the logo of the story appeared in front of the readers.

{Bombs Away-Season 1 Theme Song Over!}

"Nami, are we close to Loguetown yet?" Luffy asked impatiently while sitting in his favorite seat in the Going Merry as we cue to the next day, and we see the Straw Hat Pirates sailing through the sea as Nami is sitting on a lawn chair on the deck with Asher and Jack having a small sparring match with each other near her as Cottontail was sleeping on top of a snoring and dozing Zoro as Sanji and Usopp were relaxing in the lower deck with Akira currently in the kitchen, and Gin was lifting weights in the lower decks as Jake could be seen slithering near him.

"Are you serious? We literally just left Cocoyashi Village about three days ago. It will take a few days before we can arrive at Loguetown, and even more until we reach the Grand Line."

"Just be patient, Luffy," Jack says after he and Asher finished their sparring match as Luffy turned to grin at them.

"Okay!"

"Ah, man, feel that sunshine," Sanji says with a smile while leaning back against his lawn chair as Usopp does the same, and both of them share drinks as they clink them together. "With weather like this, it makes it seem that the storm was just a bad dream."

"Exactly, and you know what would be better? Some snacks."

"I totally agree with you, my long-nosed friend," Sanji says as he reaches over to grab a bell and shakes it around as a panting Akira rushes out of the kitchen while wearing a butler's outfit as he runs up to them.

"Yes, what do you need?"

"Oh, we were wondering if we could get some snacks," Sanji asked as Akira groaned but nodded as he was about to turn around but was stopped by Nami as she glanced down at them curiously.

"Hey, Baby Bro, what are you doing?"

"Oh, I want to prove myself to everyone that I deserve the right to be here and Usopp and Sanji told me that in order to do that I need to be their butler for a whole week. So far, I have cleaned their rooms, did their laundry, and even gave them foot massages." Akira says as Nami takes a minute to process this information and takes a deep breath as we fast forward in time to ten minutes, and we see a heavily bruised and bleeding Usopp and Sanji laying on the floor while trapped inside of their broken lawnchairs as a relieved and admittedly scared Akira stood behind a furious Nami.

"MY BROTHER IS NOT YOUR BUTLER, ASSHOLES!" Nami snapped with fiery eyes as she then turned to Akira. "Baby Bro, from now on, only listen to Luffy, Asher, and I's orders from now on."

"Understood," Akira said with a nod before noticing that Gin had stopped lifting his weights and stared out into the ocean as he noticed something that made him hum curiously. "What's wrong, Mister Gin?"

"Well, this may be a bit weird, but I see a flock of birds to starboard," Gin says as everyone turns to him with surprised looks on their faces.

"Really? What are they doing?" Asher asked after he and the others made their way down to the lower decks of the ship as a groaning and a recovered Usopp was able to escape himself out of his lawnchair with Sanji doing the same as they stood up from the floor and the Straw Hat Pirate Sniper used his telescope to get a closer look at the flock of birds.

"Yeah, Gin is right. They are surrounding something, but I can't quite see what they are flying around, but it's big."

"Interesting, I wonder what it is." A humming Jack says as Gin shrugs.

"With a big flock of birds flying around something that big? It has to be a big dead fish or something."

"Maybe, or it could be a small boat carrying around a bunch of food," Akira pointed out as Usopp shook his head.

"Maybe or it could be something else, I don't know," Usopp says with a shrug as Sanji reaches into his pocket and pulls out a cigarette as he lit it and begins smoking.

"Well, I often heard that Seabirds flock above fish, so it has to be a fish."

"It is? Really?" An excited and hopeful Luffy asked as Sanji shrugged.

"Yeah, it could be alive or dead, who knows, but if the body is not too rotten, I could make it into a proper and safe lunch for us to eat," Sanji says as Luffy perked up and trembled with glee as he whirled around to face the flock of Seabirds.

"Gomu Gomu No...Elastic Grab!" Luffy exclaimed while thrusting his arm forward as his fist sailed through the seas at high speeds.

"Whoa! Now that's a good stretch!" An impressed Asher yelled as Jack nodded with a small laugh.

"It never gets old," Jack says as we see Luffy's hand stretching over to the flock of Seabirds, who flew away in fear at the sight of the stretched-out human hand as it was revealed that they were flying above an unconscious and pale-faced Apis with said person residing inside of her broken and damaged small ship as Luffy was able to grab her and violently yanked her out of the boat as he began reeling her in.

"I caught it! It seems pretty big!"

"Nice one, Luffy." Nami complimented as Akira nodded before noticing something that made him worry as he took a couple of steps back.

"H-Hold on a second, you are kind of reeling it in too fast, Luffy! Stop!" Akira yelled as Asher narrowed his eye at the figure that Luffy was holding and did a double take in surprise as his jaw dropped.

"Uh, guys? I don't think that what Luffy caught is a fish. It looks more like a little-Ugh!" Asher says before grunting in surprise as Luffy finished reeling in Apis, and she flew over to crash against his chest, sending the Bombman flying over to collide against a sleeping Zoro and Cottontail, sending them flying away from the ship as they crashed down into the ocean with a couple of strained yelps.

"Oops, sorry." An apologetic Luffy says with Jack and Nami laughing loudly. "Don't worry, though, I know exactly who can help us out," Luffy says while going over to grab Akira and proceeds to use his superhuman strength to throw him into the ocean. "Oi, Akira! Go and swim over and grab Zoro and Cottontail!"

"YOU FUCKING IDIOT! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?! HE CAN'T FREAKING SWIM!" A furious Nami screamed while going over to spartan kick Luffy away as Usopp and Gin are quick to work together to throw the life preserver over to a drowning Akira, Zoro, and Cottontail as they are able to pull them back up into the ship with all three of them being completely soaked as they glared daggers at Luffy.

"We're gonna cut you down someday, Luffy." Zoro threatened with a growl as Cottontail hissed angrily.

"I thought...I was...gonna...die..." A traumatized Akira says as Nami goes over to give him a comforting hug.

"Uh, guys? As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, I don't think that Luffy caught a fish but a little girl instead." Asher says while gesturing down at the unconscious and wet Apis lying on top of him as the Straw Hat Pirates go over to inspect her curiously.

"Huh? Is she a Fishman? Akira, can you go and verify?" Luffy asked as an annoyed Nami turned to him.

"No, he's not going to verify that she is a Fishman. That is very inappropriate, Luffy."

"Plus, she isn't a Fishman. She doesn't have any gills or webs or anything. She's clearly a normal human just like the rest of you."

"But I don't get it, why would a little girl be drifting off to sea on such a small boat?" Gin asked with a serious glare as Sanji nodded stoically.

"Indeed, any person who would willingly let an innocent little girl drift out to the sea so dangerously like that will have a date with the back end of my boot." Sanji threatened with a glare as Asher glanced down at her with a small frown on his face.

"Well, whatever happened to her, we gotta focus on helping her out," Asher says as the others nod, and we then fast forward in time as we cue over to the Going Merry's Kitchen/Meeting Room as we see the Straw Hat Pirates sitting around the table, waiting for Sanji to finish their lunch as a sleeping Apis lying on a long bench with a pillow placed underneath her head and a blanket wrapped around her as she was now wearing her Millennial Dragon Necklace and a long short-sleeved white shirt that reaches down to her legs as Usopp went over to check on her worriedly, but then yelped in pain when a gasping Apis shoot up straight and accidentally headbutted him, sending him crashing down into the ground as he went unconscious.

"THAT HURT!"

"Oh, look who's awake," Asher says with a warm smile as he and the others turn to Apis. "Seems you're doing better than we expected."

"Don't worry, Kiddo, we're not going to hurt you. You're okay now." Jack says sincerely as Apis stares at them suspiciously before noticing that she is not wearing her normal clothes and looks around for them frantically.

"Hey! Where are my clothes?!"

"Oh, I took the liberty of taking off your clothes because they were too wet. We didn't want you to catch a cold, so my friend here took your clothes to be washed while I dressed you up in one of my old shirts. Don't worry, I was the only one who took off your clothes so no one else saw anything." Nami says reassuringly after noticing Apis getting a panicking look and blushing as she then sighs in relief.

"We also let you keep that necklace thing since it seems important to you," Gin says with a rather softer, warm tone than his usual one as Apis immediately reached up to grab her Millennial Dragon Necklace and nodded, not willing to say why it was so important to her as Sanji turned to smirk at her.

"You must be hungry. I'm cooking up some soup right now." Sanji says as Apis looks shocked by this and looks around as she grins widely.

"Lucky!"

"You were lucky, little girl." Cottontail chirped while flying over to land near her feet as Apis glanced down at him. "If we didn't find you, you would've died for sure. Were you in a shipwreck or something?"

"Uh, you can say that." Apis says with a nervous laugh, and her eyes briefly flash golden as Cottontail nods before doing a doubletake as his jaw drops.

"Wait, you can understand me?" A surprised Cottontail asked as, while those like Asher and Jack can understand him, it usually took time for them to bond with him in order for them to understand what he was saying, but this little girl was able to instantly understand him just like that.

"She can understand you?" Jake asked with a surprised tone while slithering near them as Apis briefly glanced down at him before turning back to the group as they didn't seem to notice the conversation between them due to Luffy trying to steal the soup from Sanji's hands as he swatted away his hands.

"Anyway, what's your name, kiddo?" Asher asked while turning to Apis as she blinked and pouted as the 10-year-old girl crossed her arms.

"Before asking a stranger questions, it's polite to say your names first." Apis says with a glare as Nami giggles in amusement.

"You're right. My boyfriend really did act a bit rude there." Nami says while elbowing Asher playfully as he rolls his eyes. "Anyway, I'm Nami. This guy over here with the eyepatch is my boyfriend, Asher, and you already met his pet Cottontail." Nami says while gesturing over at Cottontail as he and Jake stare at a nervous Apis curiously.

"I'm Jack, and that's my pet, Jake," Jack says while pointing over at Jake as Sanji turns his head to smile at her.

"I'm Sanji. I'm the cook, and that useless waste of space over there is Zoro." Sanji says while gesturing over at Zoro, who was trying to take a nap as he glared at him.

"Shut up."

"I'm Gin and the guy who you knocked out is named Usopp," Gin says while pointing down at a still knocked-out Usopp.

"And the kid trying to hide away from you is named Akira. He's Nami's adoptive little brother." Asher says while pointing over at Akira, who was lying on the bench while camouflaged as he reluctantly turned it off, surprising Apis as she genuinely couldn't see him there and taking one look at Nami's adoptive little brother as she screamed loudly.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! SEA MONSTER!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! A GIRL!" Akira screamed panickedly while falling off the bench as he went over to hide behind Nami, and Apis scurried back to hide deeper in the corner of the wall as she covered herself with the blanket.

"No, no, no, wait, calm down, Akira is not a monster. He's friendly." Nami said with a reassuring tone as Zoro scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Besides, he's more scared of you than you are of him because he's a coward."

"SAY THAT AGAIN, ASSHOLE! I DARE YOU!" Nami snapped while taking off her prosthetic arm and threw it over to collide against his head, causing him to yelp in pain as an embarrassed Akira continued hiding behind his Big Sister.

"And I'm Luffy, the Captain of this Pirate Ship," Luffy says with a wide grin, seeming not to notice that Apis's face is pale in fear and shock as she trembles.

"What?! Pirates?!" A stunned Apis asked with white eyes, and her jaw dropped as her pigtails stood up straight in fright.

"Yep, and we're heading out to Loguetown before eventually making our way to the Grand Line," Jack explained as Apis said nothing but sat there in shock and worry.

"What's wrong?" A worried Nami asked as Gin raised an eyebrow confusedly.

"She isn't moving."

"I-I think she's scared of us because I'm a Fishman and we're Pirates." Akira pointed out as Asher nodded in agreement and turned to his crewmates.

"So what are we going to do with her? We can't exactly drop her off at another boat or let her borrow our spare mini boats and sail off on her own, and it will still take us days to reach Loguetown."

"Uh, I'm not sure, we will have to think it over. Let's think about it tomorrow." Luffy says with a shrug as everyone nods, and we then fast forward in time as we see a scared and whimpering Apis sitting in the Going Merry Meeting Room/Kitchen while now wearing her warm and dry clothes again as everyone else has gone off to sleep already.

"Why me?! Why, why, why me? This isn't fair! It's wrong for this many bad things to happen to one person! After all I have been through! I had survived escaping the Marines only to be picked up by a pirate ship?!" A teary-eyed Apis asked herself nervously as she had an imagined spot of the Straw Hat Pirates looming over her threateningly with Luffy wearing a Captain's jacket and laughing menacingly as Asher stood near him with huge muscles and a scary look on his face with Cottontail standing near him as he was comically bigger and looked monstrous, Jack stood near them with his arms crossed and Jake wrapped around him while hissing threateningly, Nami held out a fan with a sly and malicious grin on her face while having bigger breasts than usual and Akira stood near her while looking bigger and eviler, Zoro held out his three swords with a menacing glare on his face, a knocked out Usopp lied on the ground, Sanji held out a pan and a knife with a sinister smirk on his face as he was still smoking, and Gin had his back turned to the others as he turned his head to glare at the others with shadows covering his eyes.

"This isn't funny..." Apis says with a glare and covers her blanket around her head as she then blushes in embarrassment when her stomach begins growling in hunger. "And to top it all off, I'm still hungry." Apis says to herself with an annoyed tone as she hasn't eaten lunch or dinner due to being scared that the Straw Hat Pirates will try to poison her or something. "Okay, I'm just going to steal something to eat and then sail off again. Hopefully, I will be able to find a boat that has no Marines or Pirates." Apis says to herself with a sharp nod while standing up from the bench as she went over to try and find some grub in the kitchen but then flinched in surprise when a loud noise rang out, startling her and causing her to scream loudly as the lights were suddenly turned on and Apis was surprised to see a moaning Luffy trapped by what seems to be a giant mousetrap as the door was opened and Sanji, Asher, and Jack were standing by the doorway.

"What the hell is going on here?!" A worried Asher asked as he was quick to wake up when he heard a loud yell, thinking that an intruder showed up to attack them while they were asleep as Jack was taking a nightly stroll when he heard a loud yell nearby, and Sanji was standing near the kitchen for a specific reason as he glared down at Luffy.

"Ugh, I knew it. How many times that I have to tell you, Luffy? Stop trying to sneak into the kitchen, and yet you continue doing so while falling for the same trap over and over again." An annoyed Sanji says as Jack sighs heavily and facepalmed.

"He never learns, does he?" Jack asked as Asher nodded before noticing a frozen and nervous Apis standing near them as he raised an eyebrow confusedly.

"What are you doing?" Asher asked as Apis laughed sheepishly, and we fast forward in time and we see Luffy eating some meat at the kitchen table while Jack drunk some soup as Apis sat near them with her hands on her lap, stubbornly refusing to eat anything as Asher stood near them and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

"If you ask, I'll make you something to eat, Luffy. Just stop trying to take food without asking first." Sanji scolded Luffy, who ignored him and continued eating happily as Apis's stomach growled, causing her to blush in embarrassment as a worried Asher turned to her.

"Hey, it seems that you are a bit hungry over there, little lady. Why aren't you eating?" Asher asked Apis, who looked away with a small huff as Jack raised an eyebrow at her curiously.

"You know, I don't think I have seen you eating with us either at lunch or during dinner. You must be pretty hungry."

"..."

"What is this? A hunger strike? You think the big bad pirates are going to poison you or something?" Sanji asked with a small glare and crossed his arms as Apis turned away from him, and Asher sighed heavily as he went over to sit down beside her and reached over to grab a piece of her steak as the Bombman took a bite out of it.

"There, you see? Not poisoned. Besides, why would we bother trying to poison you if you think that we are trying to kill you? Wouldn't we just attack you or something?" Asher pointed out as Apis blinked in surprise, realizing that he made a very good point as she warily reached over to grab her steak and took one bite out of it as the 10-year-old girl perked up.

"Oh! It's yummy!"

"Darn right. Sanji is the best cook ever. It's why I picked him personally." Luffy says with a grin as Apis smiles at him brightly.

"I had never eaten anything this good before."

"Ah, you're finally smiling, huh?" Nami asked with a sly grin as she and the others could be seen standing by the doorway.

"Captain, are you eating again?" Gin asked with an exasperated tone as Luffy pouted.

"What's wrong? I didn't have much lunch..."

"Are you kidding?! You emptied two pots, didn't you?!" Usopp yelled as Nami walked up to them curiously.

"So, what is the little tyke doing here?"

"Oh, she wanted to try and grab some food to eat but was too scared to eat the meal that Sanji prepared for her, thinking that it was poisoned," Asher says with a small grin as Apis blushed in embarrassment and looked away with a huff as Nami cooed a bit.

"Ah, you poor thing. Did you really think we were evil?"

"Well, I guess..." Apis says with a guilty tone as Jack nods in satisfaction.

"Good, it means that you are smart. Being scared and wary of Pirates is a natural reaction nowadays."

"You're not gonna sell me off?" A worried Apis asked as Asher nearly did a double take in shock and aghast.

"What? Of course not." Asher says as Zoro smirks teasingly.

"Well, you all do look kind of evil-looking, so I can see her point."

"Indeed so," Gin says with a playful grin as Usopp scoffs and rolls his eyes.

"Oh, please, you two are the experts on bad looks," Usopp says as Zoro growls angrily and begins arguing with him as Gin merely rolls his eyes, and Asher and the others begin laughing as even Apis giggles.

"Don't worry, Kiddo, we may be Pirates but we're not evil enough to kill a child or sell her off somewhere," Cottontail says while flying over to wrap around her neck and purring against her neck to calm her down as Apis smiled and nodded as Asher turned to her.

"He's right. This ship isn't the kind of Pirate Ship you're thinking of. I promise you that if you stick around, you will see that these Pirates are more fun and silly than scary and evil." Asher said while reaching over to rub Apis's head as she stared up at him with starry eyes and couldn't help but think that he reminded her of someone as the 10-year-old girl beamed and nodded.

"Another plate please." Apis pleaded to Sanji, who nodded as he winked at her playfully.

"As you wish, mademoiselle."

"Me too!/Me three!" Luffy and Jack pleaded as Sanji turned to glare at them comically.

"Get your own!" Sanji snapped as we then cue to the next see, and we see all of the Straw Hat Pirates doing their usual morning routine of preparing the Going Merry to continue on with its voyage as we see a determined Apis standing in the Kitchen with Cottontail and Jake standing around her as they all share a nod, and the next thing we know, there was a big explosion occurring from the kitchen as everyone ran over to it worriedly.

"What the hell is going on over here?" Asher asked urgently as the door was opened, and they spotted a dizzy Apis emerging out of it while covered in scuff marks as black smoke emitted out of it and Cottontail and Jake walked/slithered out of the Kitchen as they crashed down into the ground in pain.

"Sorry, everyone, I was just preparing breakfast." Apis says, surprising the Straw Hat Pirates as she smiles at them warmly. "Now come on, everyone, breakfast is ready."

"Oh, breakfast?!" An excited Luffy asked as Gin sweatdropped a bit.

"Uh, is no one worried about the fact that she said that breakfast is ready yet the Kitchen exploded?" Gin asked as no one answered him and simply walked into the Kitchen to sit down on the table as Apis eagerly went around to place their breakfast in front of them with a recovered Cottontail and Jake helping her out as the Straw Hat Pirates were surprised and horrified to see that their breakfast was literally just burnt rice and vegetables.

"...Uh...you made this all by yourself?" Nami asked Apis awkwardly as she nodded with a proud smile on her face.

"It looks very...unique, sweetpea," Asher says with a nervous smile as he touches his breakfast with his fork.

"Yeah, it looks... pretty good," Usopp says with an anxious gulp as an oblivious Luffy nods.

"Let's eat."

"Not only did you guys rescue me, but you have given me food and shelter as well as washing my clothes, so I finally found a way for me to pitch in and help." Apis says with a beaming smile, not noticing everyone staring at their breakfast in despair and disgust as Sanji subtly turns his head and mentally cries at the sight of all of the broken kitchen utensils lying in the sink as they were also covered with food bits and Cottontail's cotton. "Cottontail and Jake even pitched in to help me prepare breakfast." Apis says while gesturing over at Cottontail and Jake as they are eating their own dinner of fruits and veggies. "Although they said that they won't be able to eat my breakfast due to them having a very strict diet."

"Those dirty liars..." Asher and Jack mumbled with a couple of glares on their faces as Cottontail and Jake gave them smug grins.

"That's really thoughtful..." Nami says with a tense smile as a freaked-out Akira touches his breakfast.

"Is this even edible?"

"Of course it is, dig in, little brother," Nami says while giving Akira a sweet smile but an aura of strict obedience around her as Akira flinched in fear and laughed nervously as he nodded.

"Oh, and Akira was it? I want to say that I'm sorry for being scared of you yesterday and calling you a Sea Monster. That seemed a bit mean but I now see that you are pretty nice, so I hope we can be friends." Apis says with a nice tone as Akira flinched and scurried away from her as she pouts.

"So is this even edible?" Usopp asked while staring down at his burnt breakfast as Luffy, who was already eating Apis's breakfast, nodded.

"Oh, yeah, it is. It's pretty good." Luffy says as Apis beamed at the praise excitedly.

"For real?" A disbelieving Gin asked as Sanji perked up and nodded.

"Of course. After all, you can't judge food by its appearance alone but by taste."

"Exactly, so you know what? I'm going to try it first." Asher says as the gang gives him worried looks.

"No, please, Master, you are too young to die," Cottontail says with teary eyes as Usopp begins sobbing comically and holds his face.

"He is so young! I'm going to miss him...hey, Asher, if you die, can I have your room?" Usopp asked hopefully before yelping in pain as Nami hit him in the back of his head, and Asher rolled his eyes as he then reached over to take a bite out of Apis's Breakfast...and hummed as he shrugged.

"Huh, not gonna lie, while it tastes bad, it's not that awful,"

"Seriously?" Gin asked with a shocked tone as he and the Straw Hat Pirates shared a look as they shrugged and took a bite out of Apis Breakfast as, immediately, everyone, sans Asher and Gin, all of the Pirates felt their stomachs being sick and their faces began growing red with heat as they reached over to grab their glass of water to chug it down.

"Were you fucking lying, Asher?! That food nearly killed me! It's so damn spicy that my mouth almost lit on fire!" Usopp screamed as Jack could be seen discretely tossing his breakfast through the window and into the ocean without anyone, especially Sanji and Gin, noticing.

"It is a bit spicy and tastes awful, but it's better to have a bad breakfast than nothing at all," Gin stated with a blunt tone as Apis pouted.

"My breakfast isn't that bad, right?" Apis asked while reaching over to take a sample into her mouth and immediately spat it out as her face went fully red. "HOLY CRAP! THAT SHIT TASTED AWFUL, AND IT WAS TOO DAMN SPICY! I MUST'VE PUT TOO MANY SPICES IN IT!"

"Language!" Nami snapped while slamming her fist down on Apis's head as she yelped in pain and cradled her head as she gained teary eyes.

"That hurt!" Apis yelled while glaring up at Nami as said person glared back at her. "Grrrrrr, I just hope that the special pepper that I found in the cabinets earlier didn't also ruin my food."

"Wait, what special pepper?" A worried Usopp asked as Apis turned to him while rubbing her bruised head.

"The one that I found in that cabinet over there. I poured it into one of the dishes, but I don't remember which one." Apis says innocently as Usopp grows worried.

"Oh, crap! That's my Special Spicy Spice Pepper! That's not meant to be used for food!" A panicking Usopp yelled as he and the others flinched concernedly and looked around, scared to death of finding out who ate the deadly pepper as Zoro finished reluctantly eating his breakfast and hummed a bit...before his whole body went red with heat and opened his mouth to let out a loud painful scream as he roared out a stream of hot intense flames, causing everyone to scream panickedly and run away from them as they ducked for cover.

"HOLY CRAP! HE'S GOING TO BURN DOWN THE WHOLE SHIP!" A nervous Nami screamed while she and Asher held Apis down as she gained teary eyes.

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I KILLED US ALL!"

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! I HAVE AN IDEA! HANG TIGHT, GUYS!" Luffy shouted while stretching out his arms to wrap around Zoro's body as said person continued roaring out a big stream of hot intense flames and the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates quickly ran out of the kitchen before grunting as he proceeded to toss the Green-Haired Swordsman out into the ocean and splashed down into the sea, dousing his flames as a smiling Luffy dusted off his hands. "See? Problem solved."

"GO AND GET HIM BEFORE HE DROWNS TO DEATH, YOU MORON!" All of the Straw Hat Pirates screamed furiously with white eyes and shark teeth as Luffy flinched in surprise but nodded as we then fast forward in time, and we see the Straw Hat Pirates reunited back in the kitchen as Usopp and Gin worked together to douse the flames in the kitchen while Nami tended a wet and burnt Zoro, who sat in the ground with his usual scowl and a big thick mark on his head as Apis could be seen bowing to the others with a guilty and solemn look on his face.

"I'm so sorry, everyone, because of me, breakfast is ruined." Apis said with tears in her eyes and sniffles as Asher turned to her with a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, sweetpea, we don't blame you for what happened," Asher says with a nod as he wasn't affected by its spicy nature due to his Devil Fruit.

"Yeah, accidentally adding in too many spices and burning the food is a common mistake. Next time, you will know which spice to avoid."

"Plus, for what happened to Zoro, it's completely 100% Usopp's fault for leaving his experiments in the Kitchen," Nami says while glaring over at Usopp, who shrinks nervously as he laughs awkwardly.

"Really? Gee, thanks, guys." A smiling Apis says as she turns to Gin and notices him eating her breakfast with a look that resembles him being in the middle of a constipation as the little girl frowns a bit. "You don't have to eat it if you don't like it, Mr. Gin."

"I don't but out in sea, it's suicide to go a day without eating. I have learned that hard way and I will not repeat that mistake again." Gin stated with a firm tone as Sanji nodded and glared at the others.

"Hey fuck nuggets, she took the time to prepare a breakfast for us, so the least you can do is eat every single crumb in your plates...well, except for Zoro's dish, I guess."

"Yeah, come on, guys, she spent so much time making this, so we might as well eat it. It's only the most polite thing to do for...oh, wow, I can't believe that I have never noticed this, but what's your name, little miss?" Asher asked Apis curiously as she perked up.

"Oh, my name is Apis."

"Noted, anyway, Apis put her heart into the breakfast, so we might as well enjoy it," Asher says as Sanji nods with a glare.

"Besides, I won't allow anyone on this ship to waste food," Sanji says before turning to Nami as he gains heart eyes. "Although, a bit later, I will be happy to cook you something-AARGGGHHHH!" Sanji says before gagging in surprise as a glaring Asher reaches over to grab Sanji's breakfast and shove it into his mouth.

"Take your own advice and eat your breakfast," Asher says with an annoyed thick mark on his head as Apis gives everyone a guilty, somber frown.

"I'm sorry everyone. I know that it's horrible. I'm not good at cooking, but I wanted to be helpful."

"Sweetheart, don't worry about it. We really appreciate the thought." Nami says with a reassuring smile as Jack nods.

"Yeah, kiddo, you tried your best and that's what counts. Just leave the cooking to Sanji from now on."

"Besides, I know of a way for you to help out on the ship," Asher says with a grin as he turned to her. "You see, I like to protect this ship from any kind of intruders but I only have one eye, so my sight isn't as good as the others. I will need your help to be my eyes and ears and look out for any kind of trouble that comes our way. Think you can do that?"

"Yeah, I can." Apis says with a beaming smile as Asher reaches over to rub her head, causing her to giggle as Akira pokes his head out with a curious look on his face.

"So, uh, what's your story, Apis? Why were you drifting out to sea on such a small boat?"

"Were you stranded or was someone after you?" Gin asked with his usual gruff tone, but it had a twinge of worry as Apis sighed heavily and went over to sit down next to Asher and Nami as she placed her hands on her lap.

"I escaped from a Marine Ship. They were holding me prisoner."

"A Marine Ship?" A surprised Usopp asked as Apis nodded.

"They imprisoned an innocent little girl?" A glaring Jack asked as Cottontail and Jake finished their breakfast and went over to their respective owners as they both looked equally angry by the news.

"Yeah, but I was able to get away from them three nights ago."

"Three nights ago? Wait, that was during the storm, which means that not only did you escape without any food or supplies, but you decided to venture out into the dangerous storm on a small boat. You are one little reckless girl, huh?" Nami asked with a half-teasing, half-scolding tone as Apis blushed in embarrassment.

"So how did you get in trouble in the first place?" Zoro asked curiously as he narrowed his eyes at her. "They had to hold you in prison for a reason."

"Yeah, I mean, I would understand why the Marines would hold me prisoner because I'm a Fishman, but you seem like a normal little girl. Why would the Marines bother trying to imprison you?" Akira asked as Sanji nodded while cleaning the dishes in the background.

"Indeed, clearly you weren't there as a guest, and while a few Marines are corrupt and such, I doubt one would just kidnap a little girl for no reason...wait...Apis, please tell us, what did you mean yesterday when you were scared that we would sell you off?" Sanji asked with a really worried tone as a few of the Straw Hat Pirates were able to catch on to what he was implying and grew worried as well as Apis looked confused.

"What do you mean?" Apis asked with a raised eyebrow as Nami leaned over to whisper into her ear, and the 10-year-old girl looked surprised by what she said as she went pale face in horror and disgust. "Oh, no, no, no, nothing like that ever happened. At worst, they just touched me by my arm or by the back of my dress to drag me around." Apis says reassuringly with Sanji and the others sighing in relief as she already knew about the whole bees and the birds talk due to her village being close and helping out her Village Doctors on delivering babies from farm animals like pigs and such. "Look, the real reason why they captured me was because...uh..."

"What? Are you hiding something bad?" Luffy asked curiously as Apis shook her head.

"No, no, no, there's no way that I do anything evil. You have to believe me. I'm innocent. I never did bad things, but I can't tell you why the Marines captured me."

"You can't tell us?" Cottontail asked with crossed arms, making Apis uncomfortable and sad as Asher spotted this and raised his arms to calm everyone down.

"Everyone, calm down, already. I'm sure that she has her reasons for keeping her situation a secret. If she doesn't want to say anything, then we shouldn't pressure her." Asher says as a proud Nami nods.

"That's right, baby," Nami says while kissing his cheek as Sanji quietly cries in the background. "But can you at least tell us where you're from, if it's okay to as that is?"

"Oh, um, I'm from Warship Island."

"Warship Island?" A surprised Jack asked as Usopp turned to him curiously.

"Do you know it?"

"Sadly no," Jack says while shaking his head as Akira beamed and turns to Nami.

"If anyone can know, it's my big sister, right?"

"Sorry to disappoint but no, I don't. Although, it should be labeled on my map." Nami says while reaching over to grab her map and open it up as Gin hums thoughtfully.

"I will admit, I'm the most experienced of us here but even I don't know what Warship Island is."

"Why is it even called that?" Luffy asked curiously as Apis smiled.

"Oh, it's because the shape of the island looks exactly like a Warship."

"Really? That sounds awesome." Asher says with the others nodding in agreement as Nami perks up.

"Good news, guys, I found out," Nami says while pointing down at a small island as the Straw Hat Pirates glance down at the map.

"Oh, hey, it's close to Loguetown and the Grand Line." Akira pointed out with a surprised tone as Nami nodded.

"Indeed and even more good news is that this island is not that far off. The distance between us and Warship Island is quite reasonable."

"True, we might have to take an extra day to head over to Loguetown, but it shouldn't be too much of a bother. We have enough food and supplies to last until we get to Loguetown." Jack says as he then turned to Apis. "So what do you think, kiddo? Want us to take you back to Warship Island?"

"...Thank you. All of you were so nice to save me and I feel bad for making you all go out of your way to please me, but...I want to get back to my home island." Apis pleaded with everyone staring at her as she then grew guilty and looked away with a small pout. "I'm sorry. I'm acting a bit selfish here. Maybe you can hand me to a ship heading to the west towards Loguetown and the Grand Line. I'm sure that I can handle things on my own from there."

"Absolutely not. No way." Nami stated with a stern tone as Cottontail nodded.

"Yeah, there's no way that a Pirate Ship can get close to another ship peacefully. They would attack us in blind fear or report us to the Marines."

"Yeah, you're right..." A somber Apis says with her eyes briefly flashing golden as Asher reaches over to rub her head.

"Don't worry, sweetpea, we will take you to Warship Island. We are not in a rush and the island is not too far away. We can do it."

"What?!" A shocked Apis asked as Jack nodded with a smirk.

"Yeah, I'm fine with this decision. What about you, Captain?"

"Sure, sounds fine with me," Luffy says with a big wide grin as he laughs.

"Really?! All of you don't mind changing course and taking me back home?!"

"Nope, we don't mind," Luffy stated bluntly as Apis beamed and squealed happily as she went around hugging everyone on the ship, including an uncomfortable Zoro and a stoic Gin as the 10-year-old girl hugged Luffy, Nami, and especially Asher the hardest as they smiled at this warmly.

"Thank you very much, everyone! To show my appreciation, I'll prepare lots of dishes every day!"

"NO, THAT WON'T BE NECESSARY!" All of the Straw Hat Pirates, sans Asher and Luffy, screamed panickedly as, elsewhere, we see a Marine Fleet sailing through the sea and a Marine Captain walked out of his office as one of his Marine Soldiers, who was standing the crows nest, glanced down at him with a glare.

Standing before them is a 5'8-feet-tall, 35-year-old Man with black eyes, short black hair, thin black eyebrows, a big pointy nose with a black handlebar mustache, a sharp chin, Dark Skin, a tall muscularly slim build, and his outfit consists of a standard Marine Uniform along with a coat. His name is Lieutenant Commander Hardy, a Marine Lieutenant Commander of the 8th Branch from East Blue and the subordinate of Commodore Nelson Royale, who sent him after Apis along with Eric the Whirlwind.

"Reporting Ship sighted ahead at 12 o'clock, sir! It's a mid-sized caravel! The main mast has a giant skull mask with a straw hat!"

"Pirates, huh? They don't know their own station, sailing around in the seas under Commodore Nelson's control. I'm sure that they're just small fries. Just leave them alone." Lieutenant Commander Hardy says with a scoff and a glare as Eric steps forward with a sly grin on his face.

"No, you are mistaken. That flag doesn't belong to small-time Pirates." Eric says as everyone turns to him. "If I remember correctly, that Pirate Ship belongs to Straw Hat Luffy. A man with a 30 Million Berry Bounty on his head."

"What?! Everybody has been looking for that Pirate!" One of the Marines asked with a shocked tone as Eric nodded while glaring at them furiously.

"But what I still can't understand is that even with a big fleet like this, we still can't find one little girl. Even with her Devil Fruit Powers, there's no way that she will be able to fly herself over to a nearby island, so it's possible that someone was able to nab her. Maybe a Pirate who just so happens to be in the vicinity, isn't it, Lieutenant Commander Hardy?" Eric asked as he then pointed over at the Going Merry. "Now, go and capture that ship at once!"

"Hey, what's wrong, Asher?" Nami asked curiously while she and Asher sat in the upper decks on lawnchairs as they were watching Apis playing around with Cottontail and Jake in a game of Tag.

"I can't help but feel that something is wrong," Asher says with a worried tone as Cottontail and Jake suddenly stop in their tracks and hiss angrily as Apis is able to hear what they are thinking after her eyes flashed a golden light and grows tense as she looks around and spotted the incoming Marine Fleet as the 10-year-old girl gasped sharply.

"Oh, no! It's the Marines!" Apis yelled, alarming everyone, as Usopp took out his telescope and looked through it as he was able to spot the Marine Fleet sailing towards them.

"Oh, crap! Apis is right! We have company approaching! And it's the Marines! We're in deep trouble!" Usopp yelled as everyone stared at the incoming Marine Fleet in shock.

"This is insane! Why would the Marines send an entire fleet here?!" A stunned Nami asked as Luffy scratched the back of his head curiously.

"Maybe they are after the bounty on my head?"

"You idiot, they won't send this many just for you. Talk about overkill." Jack says with a glare as Luffy grinned widely and placed his hands on his hips proudly.

"Maybe the Marines feel like they need an entire fleet to capture me. I am pretty great."

"I doubt that, Captain. My best guess is that they're after you, no?" Gin asked Apis, whose face went pale in fear and worry at the sight of the fleet as she nodded.

"Yeah, those ships belong to Branch 8. They are the ones who I escaped from. What am I going to do?" Apis asked herself worriedly as the Straw Hat Pirates shared a concerned look, and we cue back to the Marine Ship as we see one of the Marine Soldiers spying on the ship with the help of the telescope as he got a good look at a squirming and nervous Apis and perked up.

"Lieutenant Commander Hardy, I found her! The girl is standing on the deck of that ship!"

"What?!" Lieutenant Commander Hardy asked with a surprised tone as Eric gave him a smug grin.

"Think of your failure if I didn't take the initiative and took charge?" Eric asked while placing his arms behind his back as Lieutenant Commander Hardy turned to glare at him in annoyance. "I've gone and hurt your pride, haven't I? Such wounds to the ego can heal quickly, but if you allow that extremely valuable little girl to slip through your grasp a second time, not even the Elixer of Immortality can soothe the wounds that not only Commodore Nelson will inflict on you but the Government as well." Eric says as Lieutenant Commander Hardy grows fearful and turns around to glare at his men as he points over at the Going Merry.

"Prepare the cannons! We'll capture that Pirate Ship or send it to the bottom of the sea!" Lieutenant Commander Hardy screamed as his men nodded and proceeded to fire three cannonballs over at the Going Merry, narrowly missing it by a hair as the waves shook the ship violently and caused everyone to hold on for dear life as Lieutenant Commander Hardy stepped forward with a glare on his face. "Attention, Pirates! Stop your ship immediately! You have trespassed into restricted waters and are now under arrest! Those were warning shots! The next shots will hit your ship!"

"There's no way that we will stop for the Marines!" Usopp yelled as Asher could be seen holding onto Apis in his arms and rubbed her back to calm her down as she trembled fearfully.

"What's the game plan, Captain?" Asher asked with a serious glare as Zoro nodded.

"Yeah, because I don't know about you, but I want to fight them."

"Yosh, me too."

"Me three," Jack says as a glaring Gins stepped forward.

"Me four."

"You guys are crazy?! Why do we always have to fight against impossible odds?!" Usopp asked with a glare as Nami walked up to her Boyfriend and gave Apis a worried glare.

"Apis, you and Akira go to the cabin downstairs."

"Why do I have to go? I can fight." Akira protested as Nami turned to glare at him.

"Against a whole fleet? I don't think so." Nami said with a firm tone as she and Akira began arguing as Asher frowned at this and turned to Apis, who was distracted by a flock of Seabirds standing near them as she was able to hear what they were saying, and her eyes briefly flashed golden as Apis gasped sharply and turned to Nami.

"Miss Nami, a strong wind is coming." Apis warned as Nami stopped her argument with Akira and turned to her.

"Are you sure?" Nami asked as Apis nodded, and the orange-haired woman grew serious as she turned to the others. "Zoro, Jack, lean the sail towards the south. Usopp, Sanji, and Asher, right rudder full." Nami ordered as the boys nodded and went over to their job as Asher made sure to hand Apis over to Nami.

"What's going on?" Luffy asked curiously as Nami turned to him.

"A big gust of wind is coming. We'll ride it and get out of here."

"She's right. If we try to take on the Marine Fleet head on, we will all surely 100% die." Cottontail says while sitting with the Seabirds as Apis nods.

"He's right. We need to leave now."

"We can take them though..." Luffy says with a pout while walking away as Nami glances down at Apis suspiciously but said nothing as a huge gust of wind appears and sends the Going Merry sailing forward at high speeds as Lieutenant Commander Hardy looks shocked by this.

"Hey, what's going on?!"

"The Pirate Ship has increased its speed and changed its route! They're heading south!"

"South?! How foolish! Don't they have maps?! Surely they know what's in that direction!" A glaring Lieutenant Commander Hardy screamed as Eric turned to glare at him.

"What the hell are you waiting for, Lieutenant?! Go after them now!"

"It's no use! We can't keep up with them!" A Marine Soldier screamed as Eric turned to him with a flabbergasted and irritated look on his face.

"This large fleet can't catch up with that small ass ship?! Dimwitt!"

"Smaller ships have the advantage of better mobility." A Marine Soldier informed as Eric scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Give me results! Not excuses!"

"Grrrrrr, goddamn it! Stop all ships! Prepare to turn around!" Lieutenant Commander Hardy ordered as a shocked Eric stepped forward.

"Wait, Lieutenant Commander Hardy! Why are you stopping the ships?!"

"Because if we continue going, we'll go into the Calm Belt!" Lieutenant Commander Hardy snapped back as Eric fumed.

"So what?! Go after them!"

"No, I will not!" Lieutenant Commander Hardy yelled as Eric narrowed his eyes angrily.

"You really don't understand the seriousness of this mission, don't you? We must apprehend that little girl at all costs! Or do you look forward to explaining your failure to the World Government?!"

"I'm prepared to take the punishment, but I will be damned if I give out orders that will doom this fleet to be swallowed by the sea! No matter what you say, the chase ends here!" Lieutenant Commander Hardy stated firmly as Eric narrowed his eyes angrily.

"Yes! The Marines aren't following us anymore!" Usopp cheered as we see the Going Merry sailing far ahead from the Marine Fleet and slowly came to a full stop as the Straw Hat Pirates were celebrating their victory, except for Zoro and Gin as they stood up straight with suspicious glares on their faces.

"Amazing! Just as you expect from our navigator!" Luffy says as Jack nods with a smile.

"Yeah, well done, Nami. You saved us from the Marines."

"Well, it was like an instinct, you know." A smug-faced Nami says while placing Apis down on the ground as said person crosses her arms with an annoyed pout.

"I was the one who told you about the wind..." Apis says angrily as Nami merely ruffled her hair playfully before noticing how tense the boys looked as she turned to them curiously.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Nami asked as Gin turned to her stoically.

"Something is wrong, Nami."

"Yeah, we hope that it's our imagination and this may sound crazy, but it feels like the shop hasn't been moving at all for a while." Zoro pointed out as Nami paused a bit and looked around as it was only now that she noticed that the flag and sails weren't moving, the clouds in the sky stayed put in mid-air, and even the waves were creepily still as the orange-haired woman thought about it for a few seconds before her eyes widened in horror and shock as she screamed panickedly, alerting the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates as they turned to her worriedly.

"What's wrong, Nami?" Asher asked as Nami gripped her head concernedly.

"We are screwed! We've entered the Calm Belt!"

"The Clam Belt?" A bewildered Usopp asked as Luffy tilted his head curiously.

"What's that?"

"No, I meant, the Calm Belt!" Nami yelled as Asher, Jack, and Gin flinched nervously.

"Damn it, I knew I recognized this place."

"This is bad. We are so fucked." A nervous Asher says, knowing about the Calm Belt due to his father as Luffy and the others looked confused.

"But why? What's so bad about the Clam Belt?"

"The Calm Belt, Captain, is an area of the sea where nothing can move a muscle," Jack says as Luffy raises his arm and moves it around.

"But I can move my muscles just fine."

"Mine too," Usopp says while moving his hand around as Asher and the others facepalmed.

"I don't think they meant that literally, guys." Apis pointed out as Nami nodded.

"Yes, listen to the literal 10-year-old who is smarter than all of you." Nami snapped as Apis beamed at the praise but then heard something below them as she raised an eyebrow curiously, especially when the area around them began shaking.

"What was that? An earthquake?" A curious Luffy asked as Akira crossed his arms dubiously.

"An earthquake? At sea?"

"All of this chit-chat isn't going to get us out of here. Fold the sails and start paddling now. We have to get back on course." Nami ordered with a sharp glare as Zoro raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"What are you panicking about? And besides, this is a sailboat, so why do we need to paddle?"

"He's right and why would we go through the trouble of going back when the Marines are waiting for us?" A clueless Usopp asked as Apis raised her hand.

"I think it's best to let Miss Nami explain what the Calm Belt is, so we can understand how much trouble we are in."

"Once again, the literal ten-year-old is smarter than all of you," Nami says with a heavy huff as she places her hands on the railings. "In our haste to escape from the Marines, we ended up going too far south and now we are stuck here."

"So did we enter the Grand Line?" Luffy asked excitedly as Nami looked like she was about to snap but was calmed down by her boyfriend as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Captain, if it was this easy to enter the Grand Line, everyone would be there. To make a long story short, the Grand Line runs between two sea areas and we are in one of them. These areas are called the Calm Belts."

"Nobody knows why, but in these areas, there's no wind and no current. It's like a void where everything is stagnant. My old Pirate Crew and I were able to find out about this when one of our ships accidentally entered the Calm Belt and were left to die there since there was no possible way for us to rescue them." Gin pointed out as Jack nodded nervously.

"Yes, and you know why they couldn't be rescued? Because, out here, there are no winds around at all and that is extremely crucial for Sailboats because they run by catching winds, so this place is an extremely dangerous area for us. We are practically left to die here. Do you all understand?"

"Yes/No, but I at least know that we are in trouble." The Straw Hat Pirates and Luffy said in unison as Sanji looked around with a small glare on his face.

"So this is what the Old Geezer meant when he said it was dangerous."

"This explains why we haven't gotten a single gust of wind since we got here," Zoro says while placing his hands on his hips as Usopp groaned and facepalmed.

"How are we going to get out of here if our ship can't move?"

"Oh, it's easy," Luffy says while going over to grab Akira and lift him up into the air. "We will create a harness with some rope, tie up Akira, and he can push the ship out of the Calm Belt by swimming."

"Oh, yes, good plan, Luffy, except for one single thing...HE CAN'T SWIM, DUMBASS!" Nami snapped while punching Luffy's face as he crashed down onto the ground, and the orange-haired woman held out her arms to catch Akira as she placed him down on the ground.

"Plus, I'm not strong enough to push an entire ship."

"Yeah, so no more stupid ideas. We need to come up with a plan to escape now because there's another reason that people call this area dangerous. It's infested with-," Nami says before getting caught off by the waves around them shaking violently as everyone yelped in surprise.

"What's happening?!" A concerned and scared Usopp asked as Apis closed her eyes in concentration and sent out a small telepathic wave that covered the whole area as she gasped worriedly.

"It's big! And there's lots of them!" Apis yelled panickedly, being unable to find out who was attacking them due to there being too many minds to properly read as, before anyone could react, they were suddenly raised up thousands of feet into the air before stopping as the surprised Straw Hat Pirates looked around and were stunned to see a whole horde of Sea Kings as they were residing on top of one of the Sea Monsters' noses.

"Sea Kings! They are huge!" Luffy yelled in shock as he and the others were left stunned by how many Sea Kings there were and how huge they were as they looked like toys to them.

"The Calm belt is the nest of the Sea Kings," Nami says while hugging the main mast with endless tears running down her face as she sobbed comically.

"It's their main place for breeding." Asher says as Jack nods with an anxious gulp.

"They're another reason why people can't cross the Calm Belt."

"I saw them eat one of our ships like it was nothing. I don't want to bring any hopes down, but we are absolutely screwed," Gin stated bluntly but had a hint of fear and worry in his voice.

"Hey, come on, guys, you are all cousins, so can you please not attack us," Luffy says while pointing over at Akira, who looks offended as, if she wasn't scared for her life, Nami would've decked him for his ignorance and stupidity.

"What are we going to do?" Sanji asked with shadows covering his face as Zoro held out his arms with a serious yet scared glare on his face.

"For the time being, no one move."

"He's right. We are too small for the Sea Kings to notice us. They'll probably go back to the sea eventually, so once they all go down into the ocean, we will paddle as hard as we can with our oars." Jack instructed as Usopp turned to glare at him angrily.

"YOU CALL THAT A PLAN!?"

"Shut the fuck up!" Cottontail snapped while flying over to wrap around a surprised Usopp's head to shut him up before they got spotted, but it was too late as one of the Sea Kings heard Usopp and glanced upwards at the Going Merry as he then jumped up high into the air and the Sea King that is carrying around the others spotted his comrade trying to supposedly attack him as he moved backwards reflexively and caused everyone to near fall off the Going Merry as, unfortunately, Apis lost her grip on the railings and was sent flying towards the mouth of the incoming Sea King as she screamed panickedly.

"I got you, Apis!" Asher screamed while covering his feet with explosive pink energy as he jumped forward and was able to fly over and grab Apis before lowering his feet as the Bombman fired dual big explosions that not only blew back the surprised Sea King but sent the duo flying up into the air as Apis looks stunned by this.

"Mister Asher, you exploded! But you're still okay! Did you get your power from a Devil Fruit?!"

"He, he, yep! I ate the Bomu Bomu Fruit and became a Bombman! And not just me, Luffy and Jack are Devil Fruit Users too! Also, no need to call me or the others Mister or Misses! Just call us by our real names!" Asher yelled as Apis looked amazed by what he said, but then glanced down at the Sea King that was carrying around the Going Merry as she perked up.

"Asher, can you take me down there?! I have a plan!" Apis yelled while pointing down at the Sea King as Asher raised an eyebrow but nodded while firing more explosions underneath his feet to send them flying over to land on top of the Sea King's head.

"ASHER! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" A hysterical and panicking Nami asked as Asher didn't say anything and merely placed Apis down on the ground as she ran over to place her hand on what seemed to be the Sea King's forehead and placed her own forehead on it as her eyes glowed golden, but was unnoticed by Asher due to her back being turned against him.

"We don't mean you or your friends any harm. We just want to go back to our original route and leave you and your friends alone in the Calm Belt. I don't mean to be a bother, so please help us out, Mister Sea King?" Apis asked while projecting her thoughts into the Sea King's head as he blinked.

"...Sure, I don't mind. See ya." The Sea King says with a casual tone as he begins rearing back his head, and Apis sees this as her eyes stop glowing golden and turn to Asher nervously.

"I think it's best that we try to get out of here!" Apis screamed as Asher was confused by this, but nodded as he ran over to grab her into his arms and used his Devil Fruit Powers to explode himself back into the ship as the Straw Hat Pirates looked around anxiously.

"What in the hell did she just do?!" Zoro asked with a glare as Asher shrugged and placed Apis down on the ground.

"Don't know."

"Well, whatever she did, it just made things ten times worse!" A nervous Usopp screamed as he and Nami hugged the main mast tightly.

"Don't tell me that this thing is planning to do what I think it's planning to do." An anxious Gin asked while he and the others held onto the railings for dear life as the Sea King violently swung his head forward and sent the Going Merry flying forward as everyone, sans Luffy, screamed panickedly.

"Yes, we're flying!"

"No, you idiot! We're falling with style!" Jack snapped as the Going Merry flew over to crash down into the ocean with everyone falling down onto the ground as they all groaned.

"Ugh, are we dead?" Cottontail asked groggily as Jake looked around with a small hiss.

"No, we're not."

"Yeah, it looks like we're back in the area we came from." Nami pointed out as she and the others stood up from the floor.

"And there's no sign of the Marines either. Whatever you did, Apis, good job." Akira praised with a smile as Apis blushed bashfully and beamed.

"Thanks."

"Okay, now that we are out of trouble, I have one thing to ask," Nami says with the Straw Hat Pirates staring at her curiously as, the next thing they know, they (Minus Apis and Akira) could be seen getting slammed into the wall by their Navigator with the help of her extended bo staff, and the orange-haired woman narrowed her eyes angrily as she growled. "Who the fuck changed our course?"

"W-What?" Usopp asked nervously as he and the others were shocked by her sudden anger as a fierce aura of divine fury covered her whole body.

"Which of you embittered souls changed the route? When Apis told us that she wanted to go back to Warship Island, I made sure to change the course personally, but after we had arrived at the Calm Belt, I realized something. Someone must've changed our route to the Warship Island because there was no way that we would've been anywhere near close to the Calm Belt with our original route, so I'm going to ask again, who changed it?" Nami asked while glaring at the Straw Hat Pirates with fire in her eyes as Apis looked on worriedly, and Akira could be seen trembling nervously.

"I know that you two idiots didn't do anything since you were with me this whole morning," Nami says to Asher and Cottontail as they sigh in relief. "You three are one of the few sanest and smartest people here, so I know you three didn't do anything," Nami says to Jack, Gin, and Jake as they nod vigorously. "If you did anything, you would've come crying and begging on your knees for forgiveness," Nami says to Sanji, who stares at her with heart in his eyes as he finds this side of her hot. "So, now, it leads to you three," Nami says while scowling at Luffy, Usopp, and Zoro as they sweat nervously. "Now, out of the three of you, I know that the one who most likely changed the course is...you!" Nami yelled while reaching over to grab Luffy by the front of his vest as she glared at him sternly with the furious aura covering her body glowing even brighter. "Now, if you won't tell me why the fuck would you change the course and nearly endanger our lives, I'm going to give you a divine beating-,"

"ALRIGHT, IT WAS ME!" Akira cried out while running over to Nami, who flinched in surprise and lowered her weapon as she turned to him confusedly.

"What do you mean?" Nami asked as Akira went over to hug her around her waist and stared up at her with teary eyes and a guilty look on his face.

"I was cleaning up when I accidentally bumped into the helm and accidentally changed the route. I tried to fix it and I thought I did, but I clearly didn't, and I was scared about how to tell you because I didn't want you to be mad at me."

"Ooh, he is so going to get it. Nami is surely going to turn him into sushi." Luffy, Zoro, Asher, Cottontail, and Usopp thought to themselves immaturely with smug grins on their faces, waiting for the perfect golden child to finally be punished as Nami gained shadows over her eyes and walked over to Akira as she raised her hand...and proceeded to pat him on the head as the orange-haired woman played around with his hair.

"It's okay, Baby bro, accidents happened. No worries." Nami says with a warm smile as everyone, sans Sanji and Jack and a bored Gin, immediately got pissed off and began yelling about how unfair this was as the Navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Oh, please, you guys are just overreacting. Everyone makes mistakes."

"A mistake? If Luffy or I had made this small mistake, we would be halfway to the moon by now." Usopp pointed out with a glare as Nami waved him off boredly.

"Whatever. Sanji? Go and make Akira his favorite food to comfort him. I'm going over to use the bathroom." Nami says while turning around to walk away as, after calming down from Nami's wrath, Luffy then grinned widely and places his hands on his hips.

"Alright, now that is done, it's time to set sail!" An excited Luffy screamed as a smirking Asher turned to him.

"Our destination?"

"Where else? Warship Island!" Luffy yelled as everyone nodded and was about to leave, but suddenly, a furious Nami rushed onto the scene and proceeded to spartan kick a surprised Usopp up into the air as he was halfway by the moon by this point.

"What the hell, woman?!" A shocked and glaring Zoro asked as Nami huffed and glared up at a screaming Usopp.

"THAT WAS FOR LEAVING THE TOILET SEAT UP, YOU LONG-NOSED ASSHOLE!"

---

"Man, I can't see a single thing." A bandaged up Usopp says as, after the gang was able to save him and bring him back from space somehow, we see the Straw Hat Pirates sailing through the seas, which was covered by a thick white fog as Asher and the others struggled to look around.

"Well, we can see the fog," Luffy says with a smile as everyone chooses to ignore that stupid comment.

"Apis, are you certain that Warship Island is nearby?" Asher asked Apis, who was riding around on his shoulders as she shrugged with an innocent smile on her face.

"Oh, no, not at all."

"Not at all? How can you not be sure?" Gin asked with a glare and crossed arms as Apis gave him a deadpanned look.

"I'm a kid, what would I know about Navigation?"

"She makes a good point." Jack pointed out as Nami raised her hand reassuringly.

"Calm down, everyone, I'm sure that we will reach Warship Island soon."

"That's our Nami. So confident." Sanji says with hearty eyes as Asher growls in annoyance but is unable to say anything as an excited Apis points ahead.

"Oh, look!" Apis shouted as everyone turned to where she was pointing and were surprised to see what seemed to be the shadow of a large warship heading towards them.

"Whoa, it's a warship! And it's huge!"

"No, Luffy, that's not a warship. That's Warship Island." A smiling Apis says as everyone perks up and cheers as the Going Merry goes over to park in Warship Island Harbor, and a huge crowd of villagers can be seen standing before them while wearing clothes similar to Apis and armed with spears as the Straw Hat Pirates made their way down to the harbor and a happy Apis waved her hand around gleefully. "I'm home! Hi, everyone!"

"Apis?! What are you doing coming out from that Pirate Ship?! And why did you bring them here?" One of the Villagers asked nervously as a stoic Luffy stepped forward with shadows covering his eyes.

"Hey, you, I have one thing to ask...is there any good BBQ Restaurants on this island?" Luffy asked hopefully as everyone crashed down into the ground, anime-style by what he said.

"W-What kind of question is that, Pirate?"

"Relax, everyone, they are not bad Pirates. They are good ones." Apis says with a reassuring and beaming smile as one of the villagers tilts his head curiously.

"Are they really good Pirates?"

"Yep."

"Wait, how is it that you were able to end up with these people? The last time we saw you, you were taken away by the Marines like a week ago." Another Villager asked as Apis nodded.

"That's right, but I was able to escape, and then these guys were able to save me when I was out lost at sea."

"Apis, why were you taken away from us in the first place? It was never explained. Plus, it's not safe to return home yet. Those Marines are still around." A Third Villager says as Apis pouted.

"Where would I go?"

"We would really like to help, but-Wait a minute, these strangers are Pirates, right? They even have a Fishman with them." A Villager says with a glare, and Akira hides behind Nami sadly as Jack sighs heavily and holds up his arms in a peaceful manner.

"Look, we aren't here to attack you or anything like that."

"Yeah, we come in peace, seeking only to help out Apis," Asher says as, before anyone could react, an old man stepped through the crowd of villagers and smiles warmly.

Standing before them is a 5'6-feet-tall, 75-year-old Man with black eyes, shoulder-length gray hair, thick shaggy gray eyebrows, a big bulbous nose, a sharp chin with a thick shaggy gray beard, pale wrinkly skin, a short build with a port belly, and his outfit consists of a pointy white hat with maroon edges that have mustard-colored circles planted into it, a long-sleeved brown tunic that reaches down to her knees, a short-sleeved blue shirt underneath, long pale green pants, and pair of dark green shoes as he walked around with the help of a brown cane that had two white upwards horns planted on the sides of it. His name is Bokuden, Apis's Grandfather.

"Apis, come back to my home, dear girl."

"Grandpa Bokuden!" Apis says with a wide smile as she runs over to hug her Grandfather.

"I'm glad you're safe," Bokuden says sincerely as he then glances up at the Straw Hat Pirates to give them a grateful look. "Thank you for saving my Granddaughter. And to thank you for what you did, how about I throw a small welcome party for all of you?"

"What's on the menu?" Luffy asked excitedly as Jack stepped forward.

"Is it BBQ?"

"Sorry, I'm afraid not, guys, but Grandpa Bokuden's Pork Buns are the best on the island." Apis praised with Bokuden nodding proudly as the Straw Hat Pirates perked up and nodded as, unknown to them, a Marine Ship could be seen sailing near them and a Marine Soldier was able to spot the Going Merry, and most importantly, Apis standing on Warship Island as we then fast forward in time and we see the same Marine Soldier giving his report to Commodore Nelson as he ate a large mutton.

"Eric!"

"I've been here the whole time, sir," Eric says smoothly while appearing before him as Commodore Nelson glares down at him angrily.

"I thought that you said that Apis was lost in the Calm Belt and was never going to come back alive?"

"That's right. She is no more."

"Then why is it that she's back on Warship Island?!" Commodore Nelson snapped while accidentally spitting out bits of his food into Eric's face as he shivered in disgust and wiped it away with a napkin. "Go and capture that girl, you bum!"

"You will be sure that she won't slip our grasp again," Eric says with a sharp nod and a glare as we then cue back to Warship Island, and we see the Straw Hat Pirates standing near Bokuden's House and were currently standing in the backyard as he is cooking up some Pork Buns and placing them in a pot as it began boiling over a fire.

"There we go. The preparations are finished. It shouldn't be long now."

"Can't wait!" An excited Luffy says as Usopp and Jack nodded in agreement.

"It smells so good!"

"My stomach is growling!" Jack says as Sanji sighs relief at the sight of the pork buns.

"Finally, real food," Sanji says as Apis hears this and pouts but calms down quickly when Asher pats her head to comfort her as Bokuden spotted this and feels intrigued by their bond as Apis hasn't left Asher's side ever since they arrived on Warship Island. It made him remember a time when...Bokuden then shook his head to get rid of the tears in his eyes as the Cook of the Straw Hat Pirates turned to him. "Hey, Old Man, how long do we have to wait?"

"Hmmm? Oh, well, if I have to guess, I say about 4 or 5 hours."

"WHAT?!" The Straw Hat Pirates asked in shock as we then fast forward in time, and we see the gang hanging out in Bokuden's Home as Luffy's stomach grumbled.

"Ugh, I'm starving..."

"Hey, Bokuden, why are the Marines after Apis? Do you have any idea?" Nami asked as Bokuden flinched and grew emotionless as he turned to his granddaughter.

"Hey, Apis, do you know?"

"Nope." Apis lied bluntly as a frowning Akira turned to her.

"No, you don't. You said that you know the reason why the Marines are coming after you, but you won't tell us why."

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"DID NOT!"

"DID TO!"

"DID NOT!"

"DID TO!" Akira and Apis screamed while glaring over at each other as Nami and Asher went over to separate them.

"Kids, kids, please," Asher stressed with a sharp glare as Apis and Akira grumbled but said nothing as they glared at each other with their arms crossed.

"Well, anyway, I don't know," Bokuden says with a shrug as the Straw Hat Pirates give him a shocked look.

"Wait, really?" Jack asked as Bokuden shrugged.

"I'm sorry, but there isn't anything really significant about this island...well, except for an old legend."

"A legend?" Zoro asked curiously as Apis flinched in surprise/worry and tried to wave at everyone to not ask any follow-up questions but failed as Gin raised an eyebrow.

"What's the legend?" Gin asked with Apis groaning loudly and facepalmed as Bokuden perked up.

"Well, since you asked, the residents of this island are said to be descendants of those from Lost Island, which sank into the sea thousands of years ago. It was also home to the Millennial Dragons. The bones of these Dragons are called Dragonite and it said that it could be used to make an elixir for immortality."

"But it doesn't make sense for the Marines to waste time and invade your island over a legend and why kidnap the girl?" Sanji asked while reaching into his jacket to pull out a cigarette and smoke it as Jack nodded in agreement.

"I agree. There has to be a better reason than that."

"It certainly sounds desperate and stupid to me," Asher says with a shrug as Cottontail tilts his head curiously.

"Doesn't this legend hold some sort of clue or something?"

"Maybe a way to find out if this legend is true?" Jake asked with Apis's eyes flashing yellow as she sighed.

"I'm sorry but there is no clue. Although that won't stop Grandpa from-,"

"Well, to begin with, the first king..." Bokuden says as he begins telling the whole story of the legend from the very beginning with everyone paying attention to him reluctantly as Apis can be seen stealthily getting up from her chair and beginning sneaking away as she notices that Asher is able to catch her and gestured at him to keep quiet as he nodded and the grateful 10-year-old girl scurried out of her home with a small giggle as she wiped her forehead in relief.

"Whew, thank goodness I was able to get out of there. Once Grandpa starts that story, he goes on forever."

"It's a good thing that we sneaked out as well," Cottontail says as he and Jake stand near her, surprising Apis as she turns to them.

"Oh, it's just you two. What are you two doing here?" Apis asked curiously with her eyes flashing yellow as Jake shrugged.

"We were bored with your Grandpa's story and we saw you sneaking away and we decided to follow you and see what you are doing," Jake says as Apis frowns and is about to lie but stops as an idea pops into her head.

"Can you two keep a secret?" Apis asked as Cottontail and Jake stared at her curiously as we fast forward to night time time and we see the Straw Hat Pirates sleeping on the floor as an oblivious Bokuden continued telling his long and boring story, even when the Straw Hat Pirates tried to ask him to please stop talking, Bokuden seemingly can't hear them and continued talking and talking as it left everyone in a zombified, traumatized state with an extremely bored and deadpanned Nami reaching behind her to pull out a gun as she aimed it at her mouth and a tired and baggy-eyed Asher slowly reached up to grab her arm and pulled down her gun.

"Sanji? Please hit me as hard as you can. Right here." Gin says with an irritated and exhausted tone while giving Sanji his metal tonfa as he lowers his head and gestures at his friend to hit him with his weapon.

"We will never leave, Gin, this is our new home." A panicking Sanji says while reaching over to shake Gin's shoulders and going over to hug him as he cries comically and his friend awkwardly pats his back.

"Kuina? I'm coming to visit soon." Zoro says while holding out his Kuina Sword to try and commit seppuku.

"Kayla, please hold the chair tightly. I'm almost done tying the rope." Usopp says with a maniacal look, and his hair frazzled and his eyes twitching madly as he stands on top of a chair and ties a noose around the banister as a soccer ball with Kalya's smiling face crudely drawn on it as Usopp was weirdly missing his clothes and wore rags as he looked extremely malnourish and near death.

"Uh, babe? I think Akira is dying." A worried Asher says as he and Nami notice that Akira is lying on the ground and seems to be having a seizure as Jack sits near him and has a dumb look on his face due to his brain being fried and frizzing out as loud dial-up sounds rang out and a sleeping Luffy woke up, feeling like he needed to use the bathroom as he then stood up and walked out of the house as he made his way into the backyard, not knowing that Cottontail and Jake were helping Apis stuff all of the pork buns into a large burlap sack as they eat a few, but then Apis flinched in fear at the sight of a drowsy Luffy heading towards them.

"Oh, no, he's coming here. What do we do?"

"Don't worry, kiddo, Luffy will drop dead tired in three...two...one..." Cottontail says just as a moaning Luffy drops down onto the floor as he begins sleeping, surprising Apis as Jake turns to smirk at her.

"Our captain is a bit of a goofball."

"I can see that." Apis says with a smile as she, Cottontail, and Jake then work together to begin dragging the sack filled with pork buns away as they disappear into the forest, and half an hour later, we cue back to Bokuden's House as we see Asher and Nami cuddling with each other on the floor as the orange-haired woman woke up and glanced up at her boyfriend with a warm smile on her face as she then noticed that Apis was missing and grows worried as Nami was quick to wake up the black-haired man.

"Asher, wake up," Nami whispered while placing her hands on his body as Asher groaned and woke up as he went wide-eyed a bit in surprise with a small blush.

"Uh, Nami? Don't you think it's a bit weird to do that with the others around?" An embarrassed Asher asked as Nami looked briefly confused before blushing brightly upon noticing that her hands were on his lap.

"I didn't wake you up for that, dumbass." Nami whispered-yelled while swatting him in the back of his head as he yelped in pain. "I woke you up because Apis is missing and I needed your help to find her."

"Wait, she's still gone?"

"What do you mean still?" Nami asked with a raised eyebrow and a frown.

"I saw her sneaking out earlier, but I thought she would be back by now," Asher says while looking out into the window as he notices that it is nighttime. "Let's go and find her," Asher says worriedly as he and Nami begin crawling away while making sure to not wake up their friends, but fails as a moaning Jack rises up from the floor and rubs his eyes.

"What are you guys doing?"

"We're going over to try and find Apis. Want to come?" Nami asked as Jack nodded and the trio began sneaking out of the house as they arrived at the backyard and were surprised to find Luffy lying on the ground with the stove being empty as there was a pork bun on his head.

"Luffy?" Asher asked confusedly as Nami glanced over at the empty stove and glanced back at a sleeping Luffy as she immediately figured out what happened and grew angry as the orange-haired woman ran over to deliver a mighty punch down his head.

"YOU IDIOT!" Nami snapped, waking up a surprised Luffy as he accidentally ate the pork bun and perked up.

"Mmmm, yummy."

"YUMMY?! HOW DO YOU INTEND TO MAKE UP FOR EATING EVERYONE'S DINNER?!"

"What? I didn't eat them," Luffy says sincerely as Nami scoffed and was about to say something, but then-

"Yo, guys, look, I found something," Jack says while inspecting the ground as there seems to be a big trail heading into the woods. "It's a trail," Jack says while following the trail as Asher, Luffy, and Nami curiously follow after him as, 20 minutes later, we see the gang arriving at the other side of the mountain and making their way over to what seems to be a large cave as the group walked in and perked up when they heard the sounds of Apis's voice ranging out in the cave.

"...Yes, I was fine. These weird Pirates saved me and brought me home...no, they're not scary at all. They were very good to me. They even have these nice pets who helped me bring my Grandpa Bokuden's pork buns to you. Their names are Cottontail and Jake...please don't be scared you two. Grandpa Ryu is very nice, just don't get too close to him. Anyway, you must be hungry, so here is your food."

"Apis?" Asher asked himself curiously as he and the others walked forward as they spotted Apis, Cottontail, and Jake sitting on the ground, seemingly talking to someone who was resting deeper in the cave.

"...Oh, I'm sorry, I still don't know yet. Although I am searching very hard, I still haven't found a clue yet, but I will sort this all out, I promise."

"I wonder who Apis is talking to," Nami says to herself curiously as Jack nods.

"Yeah, clearly she is hiding something, so I suggest that we approach her cautiously and-,"

"Yo, Apis, where are the pork buns at?!" Luffy asked while making his way out of his hiding spot as a surprised and worried Apis turned to him.

"Come on, Captain, this was supposed to be a stealth mission." A groaning Asher says with him and the others reluctantly walking out of their hiding spot as a nervous and glaring Apis walks forward as the 10-year-old girl holds out her arms.

"Stay back! Don't come near!" Apis yelled defiantly as Asher and the others wanted to ask why, but their answer came soon at the sight of a huge Millennial Dragon standing before them as their jaws dropped in pure shock and awe.

Standing before them is a 25-foot-tall, 1,500-year-old Male Millennial Dragon as he resembles a tall and long dragon with a dark gray face as he has a pair of eyes that have black sclera and a pair of green eyes, a bald head, no ears, a long dark gray snout with two holes that acted as his nose and a row of sharp white teeth, a huge white beard, a pair of long huge pale green feathery wings with black undersides, pale green feathers with a white underside, a large dragon-like muscularly stout build, a long pale green feathery tail with a black underside, a pair of long small yet slim four-clawed legs, and wore no clothes. His name is Ryu, a very old and weak Millennial Dragon who has befriended Apis.

"Whoa! Is that a freaking Dragon! That is so cool!" An amazed and starry-eyed Luffy and Asher screamed in unison while inspecting Ryu as both Jack and Nami looked stunned by this.

"Yeah, we pretty much had the same reaction too," Cottontail says with a nod as Jake hissed in agreement.

"Hey! Stop it! Leave him alone!" Apis yelled while trying in vain to push the excited boys away as Nami's jaw dropped.

"I can't believe it...they really do exist...I thought that Dragons were just legends but here's one right before my eyes."

"Indeed..." A surprised Jack says as he thought that Dragons were extinct as well.

"This is incredible, Apis. Where did he come from? How did you meet him, Apis?" Asher asked as, before the struggling girl could say anything, Ryu opened his eyes, and Apis's eyes flashed a golden color as Asher, Luffy, and even Jack paid close attention to him.

"It's a long story, child, but suffice it to say, I was left stranded here and I want to go back home and as to how Apis met me, she can tell you herself. Also, sweetheart, no need to worry about your Pirate Friends. I can tell they are good people and won't try to hurt me. It's okay to tell the truth to them."

"Oh, I see, you want to go home," Asher says with Luffy and Jack nodding in agreement as a smiling Apis turns to them.

"Guys, Grandpa Ryu says that it's okay for all of you to be his friends. He says that he can tell that you are all good people." Apis says as she then does a double take and stares at them in surprise. "Wait a minute, hold on, I know how I can read Grandpa Ryu's mind, but how did you guys do it?"

"I grew up on an island filled with unique animals, so I have learned how to understand what they are saying. It's how I am able to communicate with Cottontail." Asher explained as Luffy and Jack shrugged.

"Don't know, I just did."

"Same, but how did you do it?" Jack asked Apis, who froze and looked around nervously as Nami perked up.

"Could it be because of a Devil Fruit?" Nami asked as Apis grew more scared. "Hey, it's okay if you have the power of a Devil Fruit. All of the boys here have Devil Fruit Powers as well."

"Uh, well, yeah, I ate one called, 'the Whisper-Whisper Fruit'...I think. I'm not entirely sure."

"How can you not be sure?" Asher asked as Apis rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.

"Well, when I first ate the Devil Fruit by accident, I asked around for what that type of Devil Fruit could be without outright telling anyone that I ate a Devil Fruit and since I found out that I have the ability to read animals' minds and talk with them, I figure that I could have the Whisper-Whisper Fruit, although Grandpa Ryu doesn't think that was the case because he told me that the Devil Fruit that I ate doesn't match the description of the Whisper-Whisper Fruit, but I just think that his memory isn't working right or something like that." Apis says while having a small flashback of her walking through the forest one day when she was eight years old and found what seems to be a large mysterious indigo pomegranate with enigmatic patterns etched into its skin as Young Apis proceeds to eat it...and immediately spat out as she had later come to figure out that she ate a Devil Fruit upon nearly drowning herself to death when Young Apis tried to go for a relaxing swim later on in the day.

"So, that's how you knew a wind was coming that time." A stunned Nami says as Apis nods with a warm smile.

"Yep. The Seabirds were kind enough to tell me that. It was thanks to my Devil Fruit that I was able to meet Grandpa Ryu. I was just hanging out in the flower field, trying to collect some flowers a year ago or so when I heard Grandpa Ryu calling out for help in this cave. I remember the first time that I heard his voice. It was so sad, so obviously, I went over to try to help him, and it's a good thing that I did because he was helpless. Grandpa Ryu said that he got separated from his friends some time ago and had spent so much time trying to find them by trying to locate the Dragon's Nest on Lost Island, and because of that, he lost his energy and got stranded in this cave."

"Wait a minute, didn't your other Grandpa mention that Lost Island sank a long time ago?" Jack pointed out as Apis nodded.

"Yeah, but Grandpa Ryu told me that Lost Island will resurface itself one day. He is absolutely certain about that. Grandpa Ryu believes that the Lost Island will resurface soon, very soon, but while he is clear when Lost Island will resurface, he can't remember where it is exactly. It's not his fault, though. Grandpa Ryu's just gotten very old and lost the energy to fly. He can barely even walk now, but his spirit is as strong as ever as he keeps telling me that he wants to go back at all costs. I want to help, but I can't figure out where such an island is. I've even powered through Grandpa Bokuden to listen through his tale of the legend but the legend itself doesn't really give me a clue at all on where Lost Island could possibly be, so when the Marines stopped by, I took a risk and asked for their help and that was a big mistake because they were looking for Dragonite."

"Dragonite...you mean the source for immortality? So is that why they kidnapped you? To help them find Dragonite?" Nami asked as Apis nodded grimly.

"Yes, as well as for my Devil Fruit Powers for some odd reason. When I explained to them on what I could do and how my Devil Fruit looked like when I ate it, they immediately put Sea Prism Cuffs on me and locked me up in their holding cells, saying that I had such a rare and powerful Devil Fruit that there was no way for them to ignore me and wanted to take me to Commodore Nelson, the leader of the Marine Eight Branch to try and bring me to the World Government in the Grand Line, but I don't understand why."

"I mean, don't get me wrong, I love my Devil Fruit. I love being able to talk to animals, but that's really all I can do. I can't control animals, just communicate with them telepathically, so I don't know why they think my Devil Fruit is so special, especially after reading about them and finding out that there are a few Devil Fruits that allow you to talk to animals. Heck, your Devil Fruits are way more impressive than mine." Apis pointed out while pointing over at Asher and the others. "Anyway, they wanted me to tell them everything that I know. I try to say that I was just lying and have them think that I was just playing around like a dumb kid, but after spotting the necklace that I made with Grandpa Ryu's claw, they realized that I was lying and locked me up."

"And that's why you escaped into the storm to get away from them. This is all too dangerous for you. You are just a kid." Cottontail chirped nervously with Apis's eyes flashing golden as she sighed solemnly.

"I know. That's why I had kept this a secret from the villagers and even Grandpa Bokuden. I don't want to cause any more trouble for them, but I want to take Grandpa Ryu back to his home no matter what it takes. It's the only way to save him. Grandpa Ryu says that it's the only way for him to gain his energy back. I'll find a way for him to get back to the Dragon's Nest no matter what. Even if it takes me years to do it. I know how painful it is to be separated from home and everyone you love." Apis said with a determined glare and teary eyes as the group shared a sympathetic look, knowing that something must've happened to her parents if she was living with her Grandpa as Asher took a deep breath and smirked as he nodded.

"Alright, we're in."

"Huh?"

"Asher's right. If he wants to go there, we will take him there." Luffy says with a sharp nod as Nami gives him a worried look.

"Luffy, weren't you listening earlier? The Lost Island sank into the sea a long time ago."

"Come on, Nami, look at him. If the Millennial Dragon actually exists, then Lost Island must also exist somewhere out there too." Jack says as Asher leans over to whisper into Nami's ear.

"Besides, Nami, this island is not on any map that exists in the world, which means that if we are able to find Lost Island, you will be the first Navigator to create a map of Lost Island, which is an island filled with Dragons~,"

"... You're right! I'm in!" A starry-eyed Nami says as Apis perked up happily with teary eyes.

"You guys would really take him there?!"

"Absolutely, sweetpea!" Asher yelled as Apis squealed excitedly and ran over to him as he hoisted her up into the air and everyone cheered loudly as Grandpa Ryu smiled warmly.

"Now, let's eat!" Luffy says as he goes over to the sack filled with pork buns as Apis flinches worriedly while wrapping her arms around Asher's neck as he holds her in his arms.

"Wait, Luffy, there's one more thing that I forgot to tell you about Grandpa Ryu..." Apis says before trailing off as Ryu suddenly opens his mouth and eats Luffy, thinking that he is food as everyone is left stunned by this. "...he is kind of senile..." Apis says with a wince and a frown as Asher and Jack go over to help out their captain as Nami pauses a bit and hums.

"I wonder how the others are doing?" Nami asked as we cue back over to Bokuden's House, and we see the old man STILL talking and telling his story, completely oblivious to the fact that all of the Straw Hat Pirates were now buried down on the ground with tombstones that had their faces on it and their birth and death dates as all of the causes of their deaths read, 'Death by boredom' as we then fast forward to morning time and we see the Marines heading towards Warship Island as we see a glaring Eric standing on the deck.

"That little girl had a pendant with a Millennial Dragon's Claw. Therefore, she must know about Lost Island and the secret of Dragonite. Not to mention that with the description of how her Devil Fruit looked like, there's 100% proof that she had most definitely eaten a specific Devil Fruit that a user had eaten a long time ago and brought so much trouble for the World Government, but once that little girl is in our possession, she would be a valuable weapon for the Marines...or maybe, for a Mercenary." Eric says with a sinister grin on his face as he laughs, and we then cue back over to the others as we see Asher, Nami, Luffy, and Jack arriving back at Bokuden's House as they realize that the Straw Hat Pirates are still stuck underground with their tombstones hanging around as, thankfully, Bokuden was now sleeping in the background and snored loudly.

"Rise and shine!" Luffy screamed, waking up everyone as all of the Straw Hat Pirates groaned from underneath the ground and began popping out of their tombstones like zombies as they dusted off the dirt from their bodies.

"What the? Have we been here all night?" A surprised Zoro asked as Sanji groaned and cracked his back.

"I guess so. We must've dozed off due to that old man's long ass story."

"Bokuden! There's a problem! Where's Apis?!" A Villager screamed while bursting into Bokuden's house as everyone turned to him.

"What's going on?" Gin asked with a small glare as the Villager perked up.

"Oh, you are those Pirates, right? Who came with Apis and are her friends? Well, a Marine Fleet started blocking off the harbor and coming ashore."

"Shit, we need to go and find Apis before the Marines capture her!" A worried Asher yelled as Usopp raised an eyebrow confusedly.

"Why are the Marines after a little girl?"

"Guys, we will explain everything as we go, but we need to leave now!" Nami snapped as Sanji instantly stood up from the floor with hearty eyes.

"Certainly, Nami~!"

"We gotta go now?" Akira asked with a raised eyebrow as Asher nodded.

"Yeah, we need to move!"

"What do we do with the old man?" Zoro asked curiously as Jack waved him off reassuringly.

"We will leave him here. He's sleeping soundly anyway." Jack says as he and the others then quickly make their way out of Bokuden's House as we cue back to the Marines, and we see them sailing near the harbor of Warship Island as one of the Marines spots the Going Merry and glances down at his crew.

"Sir, the Pirates, their ship has been spotted in the harbor!"

"Alright, listen up, men, the landing party will accompany me into the island. The rest of you will seize and secure that ship. Understood?" Lieutenant Commander Hardy asked the others, who nodded as Eric can be seen grinning maliciously, and we cue back to the Straw Hat Pirates as we see them standing inside Ryu's Cave, and all of them, sans Asher and co, were staring at said Millennial Dragon in shock and awe.

"Hi, everyone!" Apis says with a smile while casually resting on top of Ryu's head with an innocent smile on her face as Nami turns to her stunned teammates.

"Guy, this is the Millennial Dragon that Bokuden was talking about earlier."

"Isn't he cool? Let's see if he can fetch." Luffy says with an excited smile as Jack turns to glare at him.

"Ryu is a dragon, not a puppy."

"Huh, I guess the closer you get to the Grand Line, the more you run into things like this," Zoro says with a shrug as Gin has his mouth opened in comical shock.

"I...I have truly no words for this. This seems almost unreal."

"Well, if Sea Kings exist, then I guess it makes sense that Dragons exist too," Sanji says with a nervous tone as Usopp trembles in fear.

"Uh, is it really safe to be around him?" Usopp asked just as Ryu leaned forward to lick his face as Apis laughed awkwardly.

"Ah, well, he can be senile sometimes, so if he stares at you too much hungrily, you better run away. I learned that the hard way." Apis says with a deadpanned tone as she counts the handful of times that Ryu suddenly ate her, thinking that she was food before spitting her out as Apis remembered the countless times that she came back home, covered in Dragon Slobber and taking long showers to get rid of the awful stench.

"Now you tell me!" An annoyed Usopp yelled as, while Apis was explaining, Ryu opened his mouth and chomped on Usopp's head as everyone laughed amusedly.

"Don't worry, Ryu is too old to bite too hard, so you should be okay," Asher says as Usopp glares at him.

"It's easy for you to say, you one-eyed doofus! You are not the one with your head in his mouth!"

"Maybe you should let him eat you."

"Zoro!"

"And give this poor thing food poisoning? No, thank you." Sanji says with a joking tone as everyone laughs harder, and a chuckling Jack takes pity on Usopp by going over to pull him out of Ryu's mouth.

"Anyway, on a more serious note, this Millennial Dragon is why the Marines have been chasing after Apis as well as her Devil Fruit," Nami explained as Gin raised an eyebrow curiously.

"A Devil Fruit? Wait, is that why you were able to tell that there was wind back in the ship?"

"Yep, the Seabirds were kind enough to tell me. I ate the Whisper-Whisper Fruit, which allows me to talk to animals." Apis explained as Jack nodded with his arms crossed.

"Yeah, we can't let the Marines get a hand on both of them, so we brought you all here because we need to bring Ryu back to Lost Island."

"Are you nuts?! Have you forgotten that the Marines are after us too?! With that blockade, we're going to have enough trouble trying to escape ourselves let alone with a giant lizard!" Usopp snapped with a glare as Apis gave him a pleading look.

"Please, listen. Grandpa Ryu just wants to go home. Luffy said-,"

"Wait, don't tell me, Luffy said something like, 'Sure, we will take him to the Lost Island'," Usopp says while mimicking Luffy's voice as said person turned to him in surprise.

"Hey, how did you know I said that?"

"Because you always say stuff like that without asking for what we think first! And without having a clue on how to find the place!" Usopp snapped as Luffy shrugged.

"Eh, we will work it out somehow."

"Look, while we don't know where Lost Island is, animals have a migration instinct, which will help us find it," Jack says as Cottontail nods.

"It's true. I can help us find our way back to Gaimon's Island without using a map if I wanted to."

"But, wait, I have to ask, even if we bring Ryu back to his home island, what are we going to do with Apis? As long as she has her Devil Fruit Powers, the Marines will always be after her, and it's not like she can spit out the contents of the Devil Fruit out of her body. What are we going to do with her? It's not like she can stay here. It's far too dangerous." Usopp pointed out with Apis being surprised by this as she hadn't thought about what to do after finding Ryu's home and bringing her there.

"Don't worry, I have a plan to help out Apis when we get to it but for now, our main focus should be on finding Lost Island and bringing Ryu there," Asher says reassuringly as Zoro nods.

"Usopp, stop panicking. It will all work out in the end like it always does." Zoro says as Gin nods.

"Indeed, plus, this is Captain's orders. Not much we can do to change it." Gin says as Sanji reaches into his jacket and pulls out a cigarette as he lit it and begins smoking it.

"Agreed, but first things first, how are we supposed to bring our big friend here down the mountain and into the Going Merry if he can't fly or even walk for long periods of time?"

"It's easy, we're going to build a cart. One big enough for Grandpa Ryu to ride both on land and out at sea." Nami says as everyone perks up and nods as we fast forward in time, and we see the Straw Hat Pirates standing outside of the cave to begin building the cart.

"Bomu Bomu No...Bombs Away!" Asher exclaimed while reaching into his pockets to pull out a bunch of shurikens as he infused his explosive pink energy into them and tossed them forward as they flew over to collide against the ground, and multiple small explosions rang out that ripped out and launched a bunch of trees into the air as they crashed down into the ground.

"Gomu Gomu No..." Luffy says while raising one of his legs and then slamming it right through the ground, creating a small hole in the floor with tiny cracks around it as the Rubberman then does the same thing with his other foot as he then begins spinning around rapidly until his rubbery body is twisted up tightly as the Rubberman then reached over to grab a tree and used his superhuman strength to rip it out of the ground as the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates held it above his head. "...Pinwheel!" Luffy shouted while unwinding himself as he began spinning the tree around rapidly and was also able to slam it against various trees as the Rubberman was able to rip them out of the ground, and he was then quick to free himself by grabbing his legs and used his super strength to rip them out of the ground. "Thank you, Asher, for suggesting to me how to free my legs after doing this supermove."

"Zoan Mystic-Ryu Ryu no Mi Model: Human/Beast-Slifer Form!" Jack says while using his Devil Fruit Powers to transform into his Human-Beast Silver the Sky Dragon Form and took off into the air, and he was able to fly above the forest. "Zoan Mystic-Ryu Ryu No...Thunder Force!" Jack yelled while opening up his first mouth as he generated a big ball of yellow energy inside of it before firing a hot flame-like energy blast that collided against various trees as he was able to rip them out of the ground and send them flying over to collide down on the floor with a loud thud.

"Fishman Merman Special technique: Water Shot!" Akira says while hurling multiple small pathetic water droplets that flew over to collide against the trees, doing nothing but splashing at them as he pouted in embarrassment.

"One Sword Style: 36 Caliber Phoenix Cannon!" Zoro exclaimed while holding up his Kuina Sword horizontally above the shoulder of his sword arm, and then performed a circular swing that launched an air-compressed projectile spiraling towards a bunch of trees and slashed them in half as they crashed down into the ground.

"Black Leg Style...Quasi-Queque!" Sanji screamed while rushing forward as the blonde-haired man then flipped over into a double-handed handstand and began continuously spinning around while stretching out his legs as he was able to kick a lot of trees out of the ground and crash them down into the ground.

"Man Demon Special Technique...Whirlwind of Fury!" Gin shouted while holding out his metal tonfas as he began spinning around rapidly and was able to whack away several trees from the ground as they crashed down into the ground.

"Alright, thanks, guys, that is more than enough," Nami says with a grin as Usopp groans loudly.

"Ugh, fine, I might as well try to build this thing because I know that I have no other choice." An annoyed Usopp says as we then fast forward to one hour, and we see the Straw Hat Pirates standing around a huge newly built wooden kart as a giggling Apis jumps up and down on it. "That's it, guys, it's finally done."

"It's so strong and sturdy that not even Grandpa Ryu can break it!"

"Speaking of breaking, how are we supposed to get past that Marine Blockade? And back to the ship?" Sanji asked with crossed arms.

"Shall we make a raid?" Zoro suggested as Nami shook her head.

"That's not gonna work since we have Grandpa Ryu. I got a better idea but it's going to require more stealth than strength." Nami says as everyone turns to her. "One of us is going to have to go to the Harbor, sneak aboard into the Going Merry, and sail it to the rear of the island."

"He, he, well since my personal friend Kaya gave us our precious ship, I should go."

"He's so brave!" Apis thought to herself with starry eyes and clasped her hands together.

"However...Zoro and Akira have to go with me."

"He's such a coward..." Apis thought to herself with a deadpan look as she crossed her arms.

"Us? Why?" Zoro asked while he and Akira looked confused as Nami shrugged.

"That's fine with me."

"Good, nightfall is when we should roll out," Usopp says as Jack shakes his head.

"No, we need to go now. The Marines can catch up to us any minute."

"He's right, so stop your whining and get the ship to the edge of the nape that looks like your nose," Nami says while pointing down at the nape that looks like Usopp's nose as everyone laughs at this.

"Ugh, okay, but that doesn't explain how you are-,"

"Leave that to me. This cave seems pretty well hidden, but I have no doubt that the Marines will be able to find it sooner or later, so get going, you three." Nami ordered as Usopp and Zoro grumbled, but Akira gave her a thumbs up as they turned around to leave. "Asher, Jack, Sanji, Luffy, and Apis? You guys get Grandpa Ryu and bring him over to the cart." Nami ordered as Asher and the others nodded as they turned around to leave, and we then cue over to Bokuden's House as we see it being invaded by the Marines, and they ran over to aim their guns at the sleeping old man as Lieutenant Commander Hardy stepped forward with a glare on his face as he held out a picture of Apis and it showed her having her photo taken for her mugshot as it showed her sticking out her tongue at the camera angrily while flipping off the Marines.

"Hey, Old Man, where are you hiding this girl?" Lieutenant Commander Hardy asked as Bokuden continued sleeping. "Hey, Old Man, wake up!" Lieutenant Commander Hardy ordered while going over to shake Bokuden, who continued sleeping as he grew annoyed by this and was about to try and wake him up again, but then-

"Hey, Lt. Commander, we found some tracks. It looks like something was dragged in the backyard." A Marine Soldier says to Lieutenant Commander Hardy, who perked up, and they ran out of Bokuden's home, not noticing that said person opened his eyes with a stern glare on his face as he huffed.

"Interesting," Eric says while inspecting the trail as Lieutenant Commander Hardy and the Marine Soldiers ran up to him.

"Eric, did you find anything?"

"These tracks must've been made by them and they're pretty fresh too. They lead up right up to that mountain over there." Eric says while pointing over at the large mountain placed near them. "That must be where they are hiding."

"Then we will follow the tracks. Let's move out." Lieutenant Commander Hardy ordered as we cued over to the boys, and we see them peeking their heads out from the corner of a building as they spotted a bunch of Marine Soldiers standing in front of the Going Merry.

"See? This is exactly why I wanted us to go at night." A worried Usopp says as Zoro rolls his eyes.

"Don't worry, I have a plan on how to get to the Going Merry without getting spotted but we are going to need Akira's help in this one."

"Really?" An excited Akira asked as Zoro turned to glare at him.

"Yes, I was thinking of having us swim over to the Going Merry undetected, but since you are useless underwater, I have another idea."

"What is it?" Akira asked hopefully as Zoro walked over to grab him and raised him up into the air.

"You are going to be our distraction while we head to the ship," Zoro says while tossing a surprised Akira over to crash down into the ground, alerting all of the Marine Soldiers as they all turned to him.

"What the hell?!"

"Is that a Fishman?!"

"What is it doing all the way out here?!"

"I don't know!"

"Who cares how it got here?! Get him!" Various Marine Soldiers screamed while rushing over to Akira, who screamed in fear and turned around to run away as they chased after him.

"Damn, Zoro, that was cold," Usopp says with a wince as Zoro shrugged.

"It had to be done. If Akira is going to be with us, we can't coddle him. He needs to pull his weight."

"That maybe, but you DO realize that Nami is going to kill you when she finds out what she did, right?"

"...That's why she's not going to find out about this, right?" Zoro asked with a threatening tone while holding up his Kuina Sword as Usopp's face paled in fear/worry, and gulped nervously as he nodded, and the duo then ran over to the Going Merry as they boarded it and the ship began sailing away as it rammed against a Marine Ship and made its way through the ocean as the Marine Ship began going after the Going Merry.

"I am so going to tattle on him to Big Sis Nami." A glaring Akira says while hiding out in the forest and turning on his camouflage as the Marine Soldiers run past him, not seeing him as, once they were gone, the Fishman turned off his camouflage ability and sighed heavily, but then flinched in fear as a white sack ran past him and bumped into his head as some sort of sea creature emerged out of it while gnawing on a coconut as Akira looks surprised by this.

Standing before him is a 1-foot-tall, 1-year-old Male Sea Monster as he resembles a small gelatinous sea creature with large bulbous eyes that have yellow sclera and black pupils, a long thin blue rode and a lure planted on his head, two fins planted on the sides of his head, two holes that acted as his nose, a large mouth filled with misshapen white teeth and a purple tongue, three pairs of gills planted on both sides of his neck, a pair of four-fingered webbed hands, Blue Skin, a small build, and a long blue webbed fish-like tail. His name is unknown.

"Oh, hey there, little guy." Akira cooed as the Sea Monster turned to him and flinched in surprise as he ran over to hide behind a tree fearfully, not knowing that the tree that he was hiding behind was so thin that it totally exposed him as Akira looked amused by this and looked around as he spotted a nearby fruit and reached over to grab it as the Fishman then held it out to the Sea Monster, who perked up at the sight of it and tossed caution to the wind as he waddled over to him and proceeds to chomp his hand, but ended up only biting into the fruit as he ate it. "Ha, ha, ha, you are a cute little guy, huh?" Akira asked the Sea Monster, who tilted his head cutely and smiled.

"Hey, Akira! I see you in there! Get your ass out here! We are leaving!" Zoro shouted as Akira flinched and turned back to the Sea Monster.

"You want to come with me?" Akira asked while holding out his arms as the Sea Monster tilted his head and ran off as the Fishman was saddened by this...but then perked up when the Sea Monster ran back while carrying around another fruit as he jumped into his arms, and Akira laughed as he turned around to run away and made his way over to the beach as the Going Merry zoomed past him and the ladder was held out as Nami's Little Brother was quick to run over and jumped up to grab the ladder as he began climbing up it and reached the dock of the ship and landed inside.

"What took you so long?" Zoro asked with a glare as he and Usopp then did a double take at the sight of the Sea Monster in Akira's arms. "And what the hell is that?"

"I don't know, but I found him in the forest when I was hiding from the Marines. He is so cute. I'm thinking of calling him 'Squish'. Look at his face." Akira says while holding out the Now-Named Squish as he cutely yawns.

"You and I have a very different definition of cute." A blank-faced Zoro says while going over to grab Squish and proceeds to punt him into the ocean.

"Squish! No! I will save you!" Akira screamed while rushing over to leap off of the Going Merry and landed down in the ocean as Usopp screamed in fear and shock.

"You idiot! You can't swim!" A worried Usopp screamed while he and Zoro rushed over to glance down at the railings as they spotted a panicking Akira drowning in the ocean, but thankfully, Squish appeared and swam over to appear underneath him, acting as a makeshift floatie as Akira smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, Squish," Akira says with Squish cooing a bit as Zoro and Usopp work together on trying to get the duo back on the Going Merry before the Marines catch up to them as we cue back to the others and we see the Marines walking around the forest as they were following after the trail left behind by Apis, Cottontail, and Jake accidentally with a few Seabirds flying past them as we then cue over to the others and we see the boys dropping Grandpa Ryu into the cart as Apis ran over to him with a worried look on her face as her eyes flashed a golden yellow.

"Are you okay, Grandpa Ryu?"

"I am, my child. I just forgot how tiring walking was. Oh, my poor old bones." Ryu says with a pained groan as Apis rubs his head to comfort him.

"Good news, guys, they made it," Jack says while looking out into the horizon as he spots the Going Merry heading towards them, and everyone beams, but then Apis grows worried when a flock of Seabirds flies past them, and her eyes flash a golden light as she was able to listen in on their conversation and gasped in horror and concern.

"Bad news, guys, I was able to find out that the Marines are closing in thanks to those birdies."

"Oh, wow, they didn't waste any time. They came here faster than I thought." A surprised Nami says as Apis bit her lip nervously.

"What are we going to do? They are getting close."

"Don't worry, sweetpea, we will be able to drive them away before they can even get close to Ryu. You have my word." Asher says with a reassuring smile as Apis couldn't help but calm down by his words and nodded.

"Plus, we are about to get out of here. We just have to wait until the Going Merry reaches that nape." Nami says with a warm smile just as the Marines appear as Eric glares up at them.

"There they are," Eric said before he and the others did a double take at the sight of Ryu as they gasped in awe, shock, and fear.

"What is that thing?!"

"It's a monster!"

"Finally, Dragonite, the Elixer of Immortality is so soon and with that girl close to him, this day will be even richer," Eric says to himself with a sly, evil grin as Lieutenant Commander Hardy turns to glare at his men.

"Don't panic, men. That beast is the Millennial Dragon that we have been looking for. We'll get closer to them without being noticed and capture it in one shot."

"Too late, they had already spotted us thanks to that girl." Eric pointed out while pointing upwards as Apis was suddenly laying down on the ground and pressed her left ear into the ground with her eyes flashing yellow as she heard the bugs underneath them talking about some annoying giant creatures stalking up the mountain and sat up as Apis glanced down and gasped sharply at the sight of the Marines trying to sneak up on them.

"Guys, the Marines are here! The bugs told me so!" A panicking Apis yelled as she ran over to stand in front of Ryu. "Stop! Please don't shoot Grandpa Ryu!"

"Apis, no!" Ryu yelled with a glare while placing his wing in front of her to protect her as Apis turned to him with her eyes flashing yellow.

"No, Grandpa Ryu! They will kill you!"

"They won't. Trust me, child. They won't bother trying to shoot either of us right now. We are too important to them. Just watch and see." Ryu said wisely while raising his head and gesturing forward as Apis glanced down and saw Eric rushing forward as he glared at the Marine Soldiers aiming their weapons at the group.

"No, you idiots! Don't shoot! You might accidentally kill the girl or the Millennial Dragon! Go and capture them both alive!" Eric stressed as the Marine Soldiers flinched but nodded as they began running up the mountain.

"They are coming up," Gin says with a glare as Jack nods.

"Don't worry, we got them."

"Actually, I got this," Ryu says with a glare while opening up his mouth and roaring out a huge stream of green flames that collided against the rushing Marine Soldiers, burning them alive and sending them flying away as they crashed down into the ground and grew unconscious as the Straw Hat Pirates cheered at this loudly.

"Whoa, that was amazing, Ryu!" Luffy praised with starry eyes as everyone murmured in agreement, and Ryu smiled before growing extremely tired as he laid his head down and began napping as a bemused yet proud Apis turned to the others.

"I think that took a lot out of him."

"Impressive, truly impressive," Eric says while stepping forward as he smirked cockily. "My name is Eric the Whirlwind, Straw Hats. I'm a Mercenary hired by Nelson Royale. I have no business with you, Pirates, but that little girl over there and the Millennial Dragon are another story. Stand aside, if you don't, you will fall victim to my Wind Slash, the power of the Sickle Sickle Fruit."

"Did he say, 'Sicko Sicko'?" A bewildered Sanji asked as Asher shrugged.

"Maybe, I wasn't really paying attention."

"What should we do? Beat him up?" Gin asked boredly as Eric continued bragging and kissing his own ass in the background.

"Don't know. Yo, Nami, can we go now?" Luffy asked Nami, who glanced out into the ocean as she noticed that the Going Merry was still not close to the nape.

"Not yet."

"Damn, I wish they'd hurry up," Jack says as Eric finally notices that the Straw Hat Pirates are ignoring him and grows furious as he growls.

"HEY! STRAW HATS! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME!?"

"Yeah, you are Eric the Sicko," Luffy stated bluntly as the others laughed.

"NO! I SAID SICKLE, YOU MORON! LIKE THE THING THAT CUTS! NOT SICKO!"

"Well, we are already sicko of you talking," Luffy says with a smirk as he felt proud of that pun.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" The Straw Hat Pirates laughed loudly as a glaring Eric raises his arm.

"Let's see how much you laugh when you have gotten a taste of this! Sickle-Sickle...Whirlwind!" Eric shouted while releasing a powerful air blade that slashed the Straw Hat Pirates multiple times upon contact as they yelped in pain.

"Owie!" Apis yelled with a pained moan while cradling her bleeding forehead as Nami was quick to check on her.

"What the hell was that?!" An enraged Asher asked, not liking seeing Apis getting hurt as Jack growled.

"His wind slash. It packs a punch."

"The winds I make are just as sharp as legendary swords. Even the fiercest fighters don't stand a chance against me. I can rip anyone to shreds in a matter of seconds." Eric says with a sinister laugh as a worried Apis glances up at Nami.

"Let's get out of here."

"Not yet, they are still not in position," Nami says with a glare as Eric glared angrily and flexed his sharp nails.

"Now, move it. That girl and that Millennial Dragon are mine."

"No way, asshole. We won't let you get your sharp claws on either Apis or Ryu." Asher says with a tense glare as Eric grinned cockily.

"Oh, do you want to experience the Sickle-Sickle Whirlwind again?"

"What about now, Nami?" Apis asked anxiously as Nami glanced out into the ocean and perked up at the sight of the Going Merry heading near the nape.

"Finally, it's time! Everyone! Get into the cart now!" Nami ordered as the group beamed and made their way over to board the cart as Eric looked surprised by this.

"What?! What are you doing?!"

"Asher! Blast us off!"

"On it, Nami!" Asher says while appearing behind the cart as he reaches over to grab it with both hands. "Bomu Bomu No...Blastoff!" Asher exclaimed while covering his legs with pink explosive energy as he produced a big explosion that propelled all of them forward at high speeds, and everyone screamed loudly as they began making their way down the mountain.

"Oh, no, you don't!" A glaring Eric yelled while stepping forward bravely as Luffy spotted this and grinned cockily.

"Gomu-Gomu...Pistol!" Luffy exclaimed while throwing a stretchy punch that flew over to Eric.

"Sickle-Sickle...Whirlwind!" Eric shouted while releasing a powerful air blade that collided against Luffy's stretchy fist and propelled it away, but he was forced to jump out of the way to avoid the incoming cart as it rode past him at high speeds, and the Straw Hat Pirates noticed that they were heading towards a trail of large rocks.

"We're going to hit those rocks!" Apis screamed panickedly as the Straw Hat Pirates shared a grin and nodded.

"Zoan Mystic-Ryu Ryu No...Thunder Force!" Jack yelled while opening up his first mouth as he generated a big ball of yellow energy inside of it before firing a hot flame-like energy blast that collided with the trail of large rocks and blew them up into billion pieces as a huge amount of small rocks began falling down towards them.

"Black Leg Style...Flanchet on Flambe!" Sanji screamed while raising his leg to deliver multiple powerful kicks at several rocks to destroy all of them.

"Man Demon Special Technique...Hurricane Demon Shots!" Gin shouted while holding out his metal tonfas above him and began spinning them around rapidly as he began destroying all of the incoming boulders.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Apis screamed fearfully while holding onto her hat and ducked her head as a bunch of boulders were about to crash down on top of her, but Cottontail and Jake worked together to destroy them before they hit the ten-year-old girl as small pieces of rubble fell down on top of her. "THIS IS STUPID! WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!"

"That's because you are not enjoying the ride! Look, like this!" Asher says while reaching over to grab Apis by her waist and lift her up into the air as she screams nervously and is about to yell at him to put her down right now, but then slowly realizes how amazing and fun the ride was as a big and beaming smile appeared on Apis's face as she cheered loudly and held out her hands as she and the others began laughing with Ryu waking up and noticing this as he smiled warmly and went back to his nap as they all continued riding down the mountain.

"...Nami wanted us to bring the ship to the edge of that cape, right?" Usopp asked as we see him and the others arriving near the nape as Zoro nodded.

"Yeah, that's what she said."

"Don't worry, Big Sis is smart, her plan will work," Akira says to Squish reassuringly while allowing him to rest in his arms as his new pet doesn't seem to mind what's going on.

"Just perfect, we couldn't outrun them, huh?" Usopp says with a glare as he and the others notice that the Marine Ship is now sailing beside them.

"I guess not...oh, well, I was itching for a fight anyway-,"

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Akira asked worriedly while gripping Squish tightly as he and the others spotted Asher and the gang riding down the mountain on the cart and cheered loudly as they rode up the nape and crashed through the mast of the Marine Ship as the group crashed down into the ocean and skipped ahead like a pebble on a lake before dying down as they all floated around in the ocean.

"Holy crap, I'm surprised that crazy plan actually worked," Jack says while he and the others recovered from the crash landing as a giggling Apis lay on top of Asher.

"Again! Again!" Apis cheered as Asher smirked and laughed as the Marine Ship wanted to chase after them but was unable to do so due to the mast being broken as we then fast forward in time, and we see Usopp, Jack, Gin, and Zoro working together to attach the cart to the Going Merry by the help of some rope as Apis laid on top of a now woken up Ryu's head.

"That should do it."

"Man that was fun," Luffy says with a grin as Asher turns to Apis worriedly.

"Are you sure that you are okay after that ride?"

"Yeah, I am, Big Bro Asher." Apis says with a sweet smile as Asher looks surprised by his new title but smiles warmly and nods.

"Well, now that Grandpa Ryu is all secured, we can leave any time now, Luffy," Nami says with a grin as an excited Luffy nods.

"You're right! Set sail, guys! We are going to Lost Island!"

"Uh uh, and where is that?" Jack asked blankly while back in his Human Form as he crossed his arms.

"No idea!"

"Eh, we will work things out somehow," Zoro says with a shrug as Gin nods.

"Indeed, we might as well just go," Gin says as the others nod and are quick to set sail as the Going Merry sailed forward into the ocean.

"It's out there, somewhere, guys, so let's set sail to Lost Island!" Luffy cheered as everyone nodded, and Nami turned over to Akira as it was now that she spotted Squish in his arms.

"Oh, hey, Akira, where did you get this little guy? He's adorable." Nami cooed while rubbing Squish's head as Akira perked up.

"His name is Squish. I was able to find him and deemed him my new pet. I met him shortly after Zoro tossed me over to the Marine Soldiers to distract them while he and Usopp sneaked into the Going Merry." Akira says as Squish lets out a couple of cute noises, and Apis's eyes flash golden as she turns to them.

"Squish also said that Zoro punted him into the ocean too." Apis informed as Nami gained shadowy eyes and took a deep breath as, the next thing everyone knew, a screaming Zoro could be seen falling down towards Ryu, who thought he was food and opened up his mouth to eat him whole as Zoro's panicking yells rang out from inside.

"THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR THROWING MY BABY BROTHER TO THE WOLVES AND THROWING AWAY SQUISH LIKE HE WAS TRASH, ASSHOLE!" Nami screamed with fiery white eyes and shark teeth as everyone panicked and struggled to find a way to save Zoro as a smug-faced Akira hugged Squish tightly into his arms.

---

"...Damn those Pirates, we will lose them if these repairs take too long." An annoyed Lieutenant Commander Hardy says with a glare as we see him and Eric standing on the deck of their ship as all of the Marine Soldiers can be seen running around and trying to make repairs to their broken ship.

"No worries. In fact, it will be best to let them go for now, anyway."

"What do you mean?" A suspicious Lieutenant Commander Hardy asked as Eric grinned slyly.

"It's simple really. They went to such dangerous lengths to escape from this island. Now why would you think they would do that? Have you forgotten that this island has a legend? Let me refresh your memory. The story is about the Dragon's Nest on Lost Island." Eric says as Lieutenant Commander Hardy gives him a surprised look.

"Wait, are you saying that they-,"

"It is only a guess, but if so, they'll wind up being the perfect guides there. Not to mention that the brat is still with them and we need to get her back at all costs." Eric says while turning around to walk away as he enters an office inside of the Marine Ship and spots a Marine Soldier writing a report as he goes over to stop him. "Making a report to Commodore Nelson, I see? There will be no need for that."

"But, uh, sir, I...understood." The Marine Soldier says with a nervous gulp as Eric nods with an evil smirk on his face as he turns around to walk away.

"I can't let the Marines get a hold of that girl and that Dragonite. I will need them both for my plan to come into fruition." Eric thought to himself with a sly grin as he laughed.

"Where is it?" An irritated Commodore Nelson asked, still waiting for the report on the status of the mission back in his ship as a Marine Soldier ran up to him.

"Commodore Nelson Royale, sir!"

"Ah, it's about damn time. It's a report from Eric, I presume?" Commodore Nelson asked with a smirk, which fell as the Marine Soldier shook his head.

"No, it's a message from a soldier working at Warship Island that states, 'Eric has not only found the girl but also a Legendary Millennial Dragon'. He goes on to say that all ships are presently busy repairing the damage that the flagship had sustained earlier."

"Grrrrrr, curse you, Eric! Why did you not report to me that you not only found that girl but a freaking Millennial Dragon too?! Why is he-Wait...oh that son of a bitch! He's planning to take the girl and the Dragonite all for himself! That motherfucker has some nerve! Oh, we will see who has the last laugh! All ships move out! We are heading to Warship Island at once!"

"...Man, no wonder it's called Lost Island. It's not in any of the charts. The description doesn't even match any of the islands around Warship Island." Nami says with a frown while looking at her sea charts as we see the Straw Hat Pirates sailing through the sea.

"Hey, Grandpa Ryu! Which way should we go?!" Usopp asked Ryu, who said nothing and simply closed his eyes as he went to sleep.

"I think he went to sleep again." Luffy pointed out while standing near Ryu with Asher as everyone groaned.

"Sorry for the wait, everybody! I hope you are all hungry!" A smiling Apis says as she makes her way over to the group.

"Oh no, she cooked again?" Zoro says with a traumatized look on his face as Jack moans with endless tears.

"No one was waiting for her food..." Jack says as an excited Apis holds a pot filled with hot rice and vegetables as Sanji follows after her.

"Oh, Sanji. Whew, what a relief. For a minute there, I thought that you weren't the one who made the meal today-AAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!" Usopp says before yelping in pain as a glaring and annoyed Apis walks over to elbow him in the crotch, hard enough that it sends him crashing down into the ground as Nami gives her a satisfied nod, happy that she learned the new trick that she taught her to fend off strangers as Apis made her way over to the railings to glance down at Grandpa Ryu and the others.

"Grandpa Ryu! Lunch time!"

"Oh, food! Yummy!" Luffy says while stretching his arms over to grab Apis's hot pot and caused him to let go of it due to feeling his hands burning as it began falling down through the air and crashed down on top of Ryu's head as he shot up awake and roared in pain while accidentally firing a big stream of green flames that nearly hit Asher and Luffy if they didn't duck out of the way.

"Grandpa Ryu! Hold on!" Apis says while bravely jumping off from the railings and sliding down from the ropes as she lands on the cart and runs up to the moaning and burnt Millennial Dragon. "Grandpa Ryu, are you okay?" Apis asked as Ryu paused a bit, and his eyes widened a bit as he remembered a memory of his past when he was flying around with his siblings, and one of them burned his head for a laugh as Ryu gasped sharply.

"Apis...I remember..." Ryu says with Apis's eyes flashing golden as she blinks in surprise.

"Sheesh, I made all of that food and it goes to waste!" Sanji yelled with a glare as a hopeful Gin turned to him.

"You can make more, right?" Gin asked nervously as Sanji waved him off reassuringly.

"Yeah, don't worry, I can, but the problem is that we should never waste food. Especially since we need to have our supplies last until Loguetown and when we reach into the Grand Line, it will be all new territory. We need to stop wasting so much-,"

"Guys! Guys!" An excited Apis yelled while jumping up and down to get everyone's attention as they turned to her. "I know where Lost Island is! The Dragon's Nest is somehwere east of Warship Island! Grandpa Ryu just remembered!

"Fucking finally! Usopp, take the helm!" Nami ordered as she and Usopp rushed off, and a happy Asher went over to grab a giggling Apis by her waist and lifted her up onto his shoulders as he grinned cockily.

"Now that we finally know where Lost Island is, there's no time to waste! Let's go to Lost Island!" Asher cheered with Apis squealing happily as the Going Merry turned around and began sailing away as we cue back to the Marines, and we see a Marine Soldier talking with Eric to inform him of the situation.

"So they changed course, huh?"

"Yes, sir, the Pirate Ship appears to be heading for the waters east of Warship Island."

"So, they're making their move, huh? Excellent." Eric says as all of the Marines are quick to prepare for the trip, and all of the ships turn around to head towards waters east of Warship Island.

"...Here you go, Zoro," Sanji says while handing Zoro a plate as they and Cottontail are busy washing the dishes for the crew in the kitchen.

"Thanks."

"And another."

"Yeah."

"Here you go."

"Okay."

"Zoro."

"Yeah."

"And this one-,"

"Motherfucker, you don't have to keep talking when you are doing that. Just give him the plate." An annoyed Cottontail says as Zoro sighed in relief and nodded.

"Yes, please, listen to the rat," Zoro says as Sanji smirks amusedly, but said nothing as we then cue over to Luffy, who is sitting in his Captain's seat as Jack, Jake, and Gin stand near him.

"So, Lost Island is supposedly in this direction, huh?" Luffy asked as Jack nodded.

"Yep, I wonder what it looks like."

"Don't know, but I will admit, I am getting pretty excited," Gin says with a soft smile as Jack laughs.

"Of course, you are, man. We are heading to an island filled with Dragons. Who WOULDN'T be excited?" Jack asked with a grin as a smiling Luffy glanced up at Asher, Usopp, and Nami as they were standing in the crow's nest.

"Hey, guys, do you see anything yet?!"

"Nope, not a single thing!" Usopp yelled as Asher sighed heavily.

"What's wrong, babe?" Nami asked as Asher frowned and crossed his arms.

"Well, we have come a long way, but there's no sign of an island at all. I'm worried that Grandpa Ryu remembered incorrectly and-,"

"You're worried about disappointing Apis, huh?" Nami asked with a knowing tone as Asher nodded.

"Yeah, I mean, the poor kid suffered a lot. I don't want for her dream to be shattered."

"You must care a lot about her?" Nami asked with a sly grin as Asher nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, she's so adorable, determined, brave, and strong. Don't tell her, but I kind of see her as like a little sister I never had."

"Awwww." Nami cooed while hugging Asher as she kissed his cheek. "Don't worry, I have a feeling that Apis sees you as her big brother."

"You think so?" Asher asked hopefully as Nami nodded with a smirk.

"Yep, call it woman's intuition."

"Isn't this incredible, guys? Grandpa Ryu is close to going back home." An excited and happy Apis says as she, Akira, and Squish stand near the railings to glance down at Grandpa Ryu.

"Yeah, it seems so good to be true," Akira says with a smile as Apis nods.

"And that's not all because when we get to the Dragon's nest, Grandpa Ryu will feel all better and be able to fly again." Apis says gleefully, not knowing that Ryu looked away with a somber look on his face as Apis turned to him with her eyes flashing golden as the Millennial Dragon flinched and thought quickly as he began thinking of something else. "Hmmm? Oh that is so nice, but you don't have to thank me yet, Grandpa Ryu. We're not even there yet."

"Hey, what's that? Smoke?" A confused Luffy asked as he and the others spotted what seemed to be a shadowy figure in front of them as, unknown to the Straw Hat Pirates, the Marines could be seen sneaking up on them from behind.

"Not sure," Jack says with a shrug as he and the others are then startled when they hear Apis arguing with Grandpa Ryu in the background.

"That's not true, Grandpa Ryu! I don't think you are troubling me at all! What's your problem?!"

"Apis, I told you to not read my mind without permission."

"It's not my fault that your thoughts are so loud that I can hear them all the way back to Warship Island!"

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady!" Ryu snapped while glaring up at Apis, whose eyes flashed a golden light as she continued throwing her temper tantrum.

"Well, this is awkward..." Akira says with a big sweatdrop on his head as Squish nods in agreement.

"Uh, guys? We got a problem." Jack says after noticing how close they were going to the shadowy figure, which turned out to be a reflection of the Going Merry as they went through it and disappeared from sight, much to the shock of the Marines as Eric and the others shared stunned looks.

"Okay, can anyone explain how their ship disappeared?" Lieutenant Commander Hardy asked as a Marine Soldier shrugged with a surprised look on his face.

"I have no idea, sir."

"Ugh, great...alright, drop the anchor. Tell everyone to stand by until my next orders."

"Continue moving forward," Eric stated bluntly as an annoyed Lieutenant Commander Hardy turned to glare at him.

"Are you mad? There's no telling what's in those waters up ahead. It's too risky."

"Hmmm, that again? Ugh, fine, have your men prepare a small craft for me."

"Wait, you mean, are you actually-,"

"That's right, I'm going in after them," Eric says with a smug grin as we cue back to the Straw Hat Pirates, and we see everyone on the deck as they look around and notice that the whole area is covered in heavy fog.

"What gives? It's just fog."

"It may be but we have to know what the hell is going on."

"Yeah, Nami's right. Can someone please explain to me what just happened?" Usopp asked as Asher hummed thoughtfully.

"Not sure, our own ship appeared in front of us and we went straight through it."

"Man, this stuff is so thick that I can barely see my own hand," Luffy says as Gin looks around suspiciously.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but what just happened, could that have been a mirage or something?"

"That's it. A mirage." A shocked Jack says as Nami perked up and snapped her fingers.

"Yeah, that's it. I remembered reading about it once. When warmer air in the sky collides against cooler air near the ocean's surface, it can create mirages in the sea." Nami says just as it began raining and the waves were shaking around violently as Cottontail and Jake chirped/hissed in annoyance while making their way into the helms for shelter as Squish cooed in delight and splashed around on the deck as he began playing.

"What about this? Is this a mirage too?" Usopp asked sarcastically as Nami glared at him angrily just the Going Merry began shaking around as everyone lost their balance and crashed down into the ground.

"Ugh, damn it, thanks for knocking me over, guys," Zoro says with a glare as Asher and Sanji lay on top of him with Apis sandwich in-between them with a painful moan.

"It's not my fault, jerk, it's the storm's fault."

"Zoro, Sanji, quit fighting and raise the sails! Undo the ropes!" Nami ordered as Zoro and Sanji nodded as everyone got up from each other, and the boys ran off as Asher turned to Apis.

"Come on, Kiddo, you will be safer with Cottontail and Jake. Akira? You and Squish go there too." Asher ordered as Akira nodded and went over to grab Squish and made his way over to the helm as Apis shook her head stubbornly.

"No! I have to stay out here with Grandpa Ryu!" Apis yelled as she turned around to run away.

"Damn it, Apis, don't be an idiot! It's too dangerous for you to be in a storm like this!"

"I just can't leave him alone in this!" Apis snapped back before losing her balance and crashing down into the ground as she slid over to collide against the other side of the deck with a pained moan.

"See what I mean? Now get inside before I make you!" Asher ordered with a sharp glare as Zoro and Sanji worked together to raise the sails as bursts of lightning rang around them.

"Keep working! If we drift to sea that lightning is going to hit us!" Nami yelled as Luffy glanced out into the ocean curiously.

"Huh, it seems that the sea is trying to push us back from something."

"Grandpa Ryu! Hold on!" Apis screamed while being able to appear by the back of the ship as she glanced down at Ryu worriedly with said person not looking fazed by the random intense storm as he looked pretty chill, but instantly went alert when he spotted Apis near him. "We will get you out of this storm soon! I promise!"

"Apis?! What are you doing out here in this storm?! Get inside now where it's safe!"

"No! I can't leave you out in a storm like this!" Apis yelled with a glare before gasping worriedly as she noticed that the rope attaching the cart to the Going Merry became undone and began unraveling as she reacted quickly and went over to grab the rope with blood leaking out of her hands as the 10-year-old girl screamed in pain, but thankfully, Asher rushed onto the scene and grabbed the rope that Apis was holding. "Big bro, Asher!" Apis screamed in relief and happiness as Gin and Jack appeared as they grabbed the other rope as they all began pushing back, and Ryu was worried about this as he glanced over at Apis, whose eyes briefly glowed yellow as she turned to him.

"Apis...it's too late for me. Tell your friends to let go of the rope. Save yourselves."

"What?! Grandpa Ryu, what are you saying?! No! We will not let you go to save ourselves! Don't give up! We're going to find the Dragon's Nest like I promised!" Apis shouted with teary eyes as Ryu gave her a somber look but said nothing as Luffy noticed what was going on and quickly sprung into action.

"Gomu Gomu No..." Luffy trailed off while going over to stretch his torso around the Going Merry's main mast as he gritted his teeth. "...Lasso!" Luffy exclaimed while stretching his arms forward as they went over to wrap around the wheels of the raft as everyone sighed in relief.

"Nami! I see a light over there!" Sanji screamed while pointing ahead as the gang spotted a glowing blue light in the distance.

"That must be the eye of the storm!"

"Guys, do you see that?! There's an island below the light!" Usopp shouted as Nami narrowed her eyes in determination.

"Then that is where we are heading!" Nami yelled while going over to the helm as she was able to sail them out of the storm and appeared in the eye of the storm as the Straw Hat Pirates spotted an island in the distance. "An island hidden by mirage and surrounded by stormy seas."

"That certainly explains why no one found it," Jack says as Asher nods with a grin and ruffled Apis's head.

"Until now it is."

"Huh, it looks more like a castle that sank into the ocean than an island if you ask me."

"Whoa, look at that stonework. It's shaped like a dragon. You know, I bet that those Millennial Dragons built the place themselves." Usopp commented with a nod as Sanji rolled his eyes with a scoff.

"Oh, please, it's pretty obvious that Humans built this place."

"Well, whatever, who cares?" Zoro asked with a bored shrug as Gin nodded.

"Indeed, all that matters is that we arrived at Lost Island," Gin says as the Going Merry sailed over to park in front of the island, and everyone got off of the ship as Akira looked around with a curious look on his face as Squish played around in the background.

"There's no sign of life anywhere."

"Yeah, it looks like this place has been reclaimed by nature," Cottontail says with a chirp as he and Jake make sure to keep an eye on Squish.

"Does anyone know where the Dragon's Nest is?" Nami asked curiously as everyone turned to Apis, who turned back to Grandpa Ryu as her eyes flashed golden.

"Hey, Grandpa Ryu, I'm talking to you." Apis says as Grandpa Ryu has his eyes closed. "Geez, we are here on the Dragon's Nest. Would you wake up and tell us where it is?" Apis asked as Grandpa Ryu woke up and opened his eyes as he looked around.

"I'm...not sure."

"What?! What do you mean you're not sure?!" An alarmed Apis asked as everyone gasped in shock in the background.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think this place is even Lost Island."

"How can that be? So we went through that mirage and storm for nothing?" A dismayed and disappointed Apis asked as, before anyone could say anything, Akira spoke up.

"Hey, Apis, see that? If the Dragon's Nest could be anywhere here, it has to be up there!" Akira yelled while pointing up at the top of the island as Asher perked up.

"Well, it's better to be safe than sorry. Let's go and look." Asher says as we fast forward in time and we see the Straw Hat Pirates making their way up to the very top of the island with Nami, Akira, Apis, and Squish walking ahead cheerfully as Asher, Luffy, Zoro, Jack, Gin, Sanji, and Usopp are forced together to move up Grandpa Ryu's cart as Cottontail and Jake laid on top of the Millennial Dragon's head.

"This is so unfair. The men have to do all of the work while Nami and the others can take a stroll. At the very least, Akira should help out."

"Hey, don't complain and continue pushing. And Akira is too tired to push." Nami yelled with a glare as she turned back to smile at Apis sweetly. "See that, sweetie? There's no need to do manual labor when you can have the men do it while you kick back and relax and if anyone gives you lip, give them the puppy dog eyes."

"On it, Big Sis Nami." Apis says with a smile as Nami mentally squeals in delight at the title, and we then see the gang arriving at what seems to be an abandoned and broken city as everyone looks around with Apis noticing a Millennial Dragon Emblem placed nearby as she splits off from the group to bend down and grab it.

"Oh, wow, it's a Millennial Dragon Emblem. I wonder if the children who lived here played with Dragons like I do with Grandpa Ryu." Apis says just as a flock of birds appeared as she smiled up at them. "Oh, hey, can you guys tell me and my friends if you have seen the Millennial Dragon's Nest?"

"Hey, Apis, come on, you don't want to be left behind," Jack says as an excited Apis runs over to them.

"Guess what, guys? I just talked to the birds and they told me that there is a building on the summit with a Millennial Dragon Emblem on it. It could be the Dragon's Nest. Let's go." Apis says with a smile while zooming forward as Asher smiles warmly but notices a gust of wind in the corner of his eye as he raises an eyebrow but shrugs as he and the others follow after Apis and they arrive on the summit of the island as there was a giant symbol of a dragon planted on the door.

"That painting must be the Millennial Dragon Emblem, huh?"

"Guess so," Luffy says with a shrug as Sanji raises an eyebrow incredulously.

"Wait, this little building is the Dragon's Nest?"

"This is it?" A disappointed Usopp asked as Zoro raised an eyebrow confusedly.

"Even if it is, where's the door? How are we supposed to get inside?"

"Yeah, there are no door handles or keyhole." Jack pointed out as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Wait, I think I know how to open it." Apis says after spotting that there was a claw-shaped hole in the door as she reaches up to grab her necklace and takes it off, causing the Straw Hat Pirates to perk up in silent realization as the 10-year-old girl then walks over to try and jump up and place the pendent inside of the claw-shaped hole in the door with the painting of the Millennial Dragon Emblem, but found herself in quite a serious dilemma as she trembled.

"What's wrong?" Asher asked worriedly.

"I...I...I...I...I can't reach it!" Apis whined while turning to him with teary eyes and a look of utter adorableness on her face as Asher laughed amusedly and walked over to her.

[N/A: Not gonna lie, this is legit my favorite scene in the whole arc and why I love Apis so much. She's such a little kid, I swear lol]

"Ha, ha, ha, here, let me help you out there, sweetpea," Asher says as he is about to go over and pick up an embarrassed Apis, but then the ground begins shaking violently as, before anyone can react, the ground underneath them breaks apart, and the Straw Hat Pirates all fall down into a big hole as they crashed down inside and everyone groaned in pain as the gang recovered from the long fall.

"Is everyone okay?" Jack asked concernedly as everyone moaned in agreement and nodded.

"Yeah, we are, but who claimed that they had the key to the door a minute ago?" Akira asked while glaring over at Apis, who blushed sheepishly as she laughed awkwardly and put on her Dragon Necklace again as Nami sighed.

"It's no big deal. At least we are inside."

"So it all worked out." Apis says with a smile and a thumbs up as Zoro looked around curiously.

"Yeah, but what is this place?" Zoro asked as he and the others looked around and realized that they were all inside a chamber that had various weird paintings planted on the ceiling as the Straw Hat Pirates stared at this curiously.

---

And done. I hope that you guys enjoyed the chapter, and I can't wait to write the next one.

Anyway, as always, I will catch you all later.