The crew of young dreamers had been sailing a while now. However, it was at this point that their journey had hit a pretty big snag.
"I think we should have packed more food," Ferros commented.
"Yeah..." Ariala groaned. "Some more fish, more meat, more vegetables..."
"More meat sounds good!" Luffy agreed.
"We could always try fishing," Merone suggested. "Cooking them won't be a problem."
"That's always an option," Lithos agreed. "It's not like we can count on food to just fall from the sky."
Just then, they heard a whistling sound coming right at them. For a second, they thought the impossible was happening and food actually was falling from the sky, only for a large cannon shell to impact the water near their boat.
"Is there a naval battle nearby?" Lithos wondered. "I can't imagine anyone would want to fire on what looks like a simple fishing boat."
Ariala then noticed a pair of red glaring eyes and a black shape quickly rising through the water.
"I don't think we're out of the water yet, guys!"
The giant shape breached, the resulting waves causing the boat to start capsizing. Luckily, the crew was able to steer to calmer water as the shape revealed itself to be a giant, long-necked reptilian creature. It was wearing a helmet with a Jolly Roger with a crab and a skull shell, indicating it was part of a pirate clan.
Luffy grinned. "Looks like food came to us after all!"
The beast slammed its neck into the boat, smashing it into firewood. It looked around and saw no sign of the group, so it swam off. However, it didn't realize that the crew of six had clung to its back via its armor plating.
They eventually got off at the shore of a nearby island the beast had swam towards.
"This turned out to be a better idea. We can get more food, and probably a bigger ship." Lithos noted.
"Hold it right there."
Hearing the curt voice, the group turned to see two thugs dressed as pirates. The short and fatter one was brandishing a dagger at them.
"This here's the domain of Captain Ganzack. Outsiders who don't get an invite need to swear fealty here and now."
He then shrieked in pain as a small blade poked his butt. Whirling around, he only saw a little kid dressed in armor and wielding a small naginata, who his taller compatriot grabbed by the arm.
"Just who the hell do you think you are?!"
He pulled up the visor on the kid's helmet, revealing it to be a girl with pink hair.
"Gimme back my papa, you stupid pirates!"
The taller pirate chuckled. "Just a native kid. Nothing to worry about."
"I dunno, she's got some spunk coming up to us with no fear. Maybe we should make this little brat a subordinate." The short pirate admitted.
"I am not a little brat! My name is Medaka!" The girl retorted as she proceeded to slam her armored foot right into the tall pirate's crotch. "And I hate pirates!"
She spun around from the attack, causing her visor to drop as she attempted to make a charge. The two pirates quickly ran after her, now ignoring the crew. They looked on as the girl's armor helped her tank the pirates' blades without injury.
"Hey back off!" Luffy shouted "GUM-GUM PISTOL!"
Luffy stretched his arm and slugged the two pirates across the face, knocking them both out at once.
"Sorry about all the trouble, kiddo." Ferros apologized as he came over. "Do you have any places to eat?"
Medaka brought the crew to her small hovel, where she was able to get them some food. It was little more than soup, but at least there were plenty of fillings for it, so it wasn't just thin broth. Medaka's grandfather Herring finished his pipe before addressing the boys.
"Once you've finished relieving your appetites, you should leave this island. Those men will return soon."
"We can't leave without a boat. Ours got smashed up." Ferros pointed out. "We only arrived here by riding that monster that wrecked our only ride."
"We overheard Medaka when she was trying to confront those goons. Something about her dad?" Luffy asked.
"That's a long story. You see, up until a few weeks ago this island was a peaceful paradise." Herring explained. "That all changed when Ganzack and his crew arrived. And once they came, they immediately stole our freedom."
Medaka saw Lithos' hand grip his spoon even tighter, hard rock forming around his knuckles. Merone also scowled in disgust at what she was hearing.
"Only children and elders were allowed to keep their lives. Everyone else was conscripted into his service. Among them was my son, Medaka's father." Herring said.
"Explains why she was confronting those goons from before," Luffy noted. "So where are the villagers?"
"Up in the tower just behind you," Herring explained as everyone turned around and saw the large tower through the window. "It's called the Devil's Tower."
Something suddenly exploded from the top of the tower, causing a small earthquake. Seconds later, a large impact was heard in the nearby water.
"So that's what destroyed our ship!" Ariala realized.
"Are you KIDDING me?!" Ferros snapped. "You mean to tell me that we were just stuck in the crossfire?!"
"Hey, is this all the food you had?" Luffy asked Herring after finishing his soup.
Herring sighed sadly. "It's all we could afford to spare. The majority of the food was taken into the Devil's Tower."
"Those monsters!" Ariala snapped. "We're gonna march up there and tear that whole damn place down!"
"This Ganzack guy has given us three reasons to beat the crap out of him; kidnapping innocent villagers, wrecking our ship, and hoarding all the food!" Luffy said, punching his fist into his palm.
Lithos nodded. "Our crew doesn't suffer humiliation lightly. And we don't appreciate those that take piracy too far."
"I'm going with you!" Medaka insisted.
"No, Medaka, that's foolish!" Herring warned. "From what you've told me these kids might be strong enough to stand up to Ganzack, but a child like you..."
"I have to do it, Grandpa! Because Papa's my treasure!"
Luffy smiled. "And just like that, we have a fourth reason. I can't help but admire someone who wants to protect their treasure, no matter form it takes."
"You sure you want to work with us, though?" Ferros asked. "You said you hate pirates, and we happen to be pirates."
Medaka considered Ferros' words but then shook her head. If the dreamers were bad pirates, they would have just abandoned this island to its fate, but they went out of their way to help her.
"You made it clear you're nothing like Ganzack. Pirates or not, you're good people."
Merone smiled. "That settles it then. But you'll have to stick close to us. Can't have a kid getting hurt on our watch. That's not our style."
The Devil's Tower looked like four serpentine dragons lined up in a square, with a large fortress at the base. Inside, the villagers were being forced to carry large amounts of dynamite to specific locations. One man wound up tripping and dropping his crate.
"Careful, you scumbag!" one of the guards admonished. "If you can't work, we'll throw your kids into the sea!"
The man grimaced but got to work picking up the dynamite. And he wasn't the only one being pushed to work beyond his capability. Little did they know, the Dreamers and Medaka had managed to sneak inside.
"It seems that they're making an industrial-grade cannon," Merone noted.
"Talk about rotten luck, huh?" Ariala grumbled. "We just had to be caught in the crossfire."
"Papa!" Medaka called out when she recognized the man picking up the dynamite.
"Shhhh!" Ferros shushed. "Do you want them to hear you?!"
"I dunno, I say we just go in loud and dumb at this point!" Sonson said as she leaped forward.
The two pirate goons from earlier noticed the group leaping out from their hiding place and freaked out.
"Oh crap, not those guys again!"
"You two stay back, or I swear this guy's gonna get it!" The taller pirate threatened, holding a sword to Medaka's Father's neck.
Luffy grinned dangerously. "You're the one who's gonna get it! For messing with innocent people!"
"HYDRO BULLET!"
Merone aimed her finger forward and fired a fast-moving bullet of water that hit the taller pirate straight through the head, killing him instantly as he let go of Medaka's Father. Ariala made sure to quickly shield Medaka's eyes to avoid looking at the grisly sight.
Freaking out, some of the other guards went to warn Ganzack. The others went to surround the Dreamers. As they got ready to fight, Ariala suddenly noticed another guard sneak up and grab Medaka, carrying her off using a winch.
"MEDAKA!" The Wind Logia User cried as she turned to the others. "Guys, hold these creeps off! SKY ELEVATOR!"
Turning her legs into a literal tornado, Ariala launched herself into the air. The other guards started firing their muskets, only for the shots to pass through Ariala leaving only holes of spiraling wind that quickly closed up.
"Crap, she's a Logia!"
"And she's not the only one!" Ferros grinned as he turned into liquid metal, his arms sharpening into solid metal blades.
Luffy cracked his knuckles. "A captain's gotta look out for his crew, after all. And family always looks out for each other."
The masked pirate was about to reach the sea when he suddenly found himself surrounded by gales of sharp glowing green wind.
"I think you've gotten far enough!" Ariala's voice called out from the wind.
"Hey hold on! I'm not here to hurt the kid!" the pirate called out in a surprisingly female voice.
Shocked, Ariala returned to her human form as the masked figure removed the mask to reveal a red-headed woman.
"Who the heck are you?"
"The name's Nami. I came here hoping to rob Ganzack of his valuables when I noticed a kid was in trouble. So I decided to help, but I didn't want anyone knowing my face."
Just then, the large beast from before appeared on the shore. Standing atop it was a large, grizzled man with a purple goatee wearing a power suit with crab legs and claws on his shoulders.
"I am the Great General—"
"Crab Leg Ganzack?!" Ariala asked in shock. "I haven't seen you since I was bounding on Daddy's knee...and it's a pretty big knee."
"Wait, you know this guy?" Nami asked.
"Yeah, he used to be a big shot on the Grand Line, but he was routed by my father Whitebeard," Ariala explained. "A little surprised he decided to head out to the Blues instead of starting over in Paradise, but I guess Daddy has that effect on people."
Nami's jaw dropped. "YOUR DAD'S WHITEBEARD?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
"I can attest that no, she's not kidding." Ganzack clarified. "Now that I get a good look at you I do remember your face. And I see you made friends growing up."
"Awww, you remember me!" Ariala giggled. "I'm tickled pink!"
Ganzack smirked. "Well, you may act like you're so superior but on this island, this very sea, I am the supreme ruler!"
"Nice to see your ego hasn't deflated." Ariala snarked. "Still just an overly-steamed crab."
Ganzack snarled. "I am not a crab, I am Great General Ganzack! And I am going to strike a terrible blow against my old nemesis! I can't wait to see the look on his face when I deliver him your head!"
Ariala scoffed as Ganzack flew down to strike with one of his claws, only for it harmlessly to sweep through her wind body.
"Holy crap. She's eaten a Devil Fruit!" Nami gasped when she saw this.
"A Logia, eh?" Ganzack frowned when he saw his attacks did nothing. "Seems you're more prepared than I thought.
Ariala smirked. "Hey, I was born and raised on the Grand Line, pal!"
Suddenly the dragon beast struck with its jaws, trying to swallow Ariala. However, she cut the inside of its mouth with sharp strikes of wind.
"She's not on the menu, buster!"
Ganzack smirked as he suddenly fired a set of sticky globs from the crab legs on his suit at Alvia's wind body, causing them to stick together and seemingly engulf her.
"By now my men should have convinced your friends down below to surrender."
Lithos, Ferros, Merone, and Ariala were kept locked in an airtight box to keep their elemental bodies from spilling out. Luffy, Nami, and Medaka were chained up to the nearby wall.
"Well, well, well, Nami the infamous 'Cat Burglar'," Ganzack smirked as he looked at the orange-haired girl. "I wonder how much you'd be worth selling to the right pirate crew."
"You won't be getting away with this, you dumb crab!" Luffy called out.
"I am not a crab, I am the Great Captain Ganzack!" Ganzack snapped back. "I am the man who holds the strongest ship in all of history! The one who shall become the King of the Pirates!"
Sonson laughed. "King of the Pirates? Don't make me laugh!"
Ganzack scowled and was about to strike Sonson with his claws when an explosion rocked the tower.
"What was that?! Get me a status report! Figure out what happened!"
"It's the villagers! They're attempting a revolt! Some of our men were already taken out!" One of the pirates reported.
"Damn, they must have been planning this for a while." Ganzack scowled. "Regroup and form up behind me! I'll give them a taste of my full power!"
As the pirates all headed off, Nami carefully pulled something out of the sleeve of her overcoat. It turned out to be the keys to the cuffs. She unlocked her own cuffs first, then got Medaka and Luffy free. Luffy quickly smashed open the crate holding the Children of Whitebeard, letting them get out as well.
"Well, I had a feeling he might try something with the villagers. That's why I pretended his little goop trap was working." Ariala admitted.
"We were gonna bust out on our own and kick his ass when his guard was down...but I guess the villagers wanted a piece of the action!" Ferros grinned.
Medaka suddenly grabbed her naginata and ran out.
"Medaka, wait!" Ariala called out.
"My father's out there! I have to help him!"
Ganzack was already flexing his power by firing into the crowd with pistols.
"I'm not like other pirates who only steal fortunes, I prefer to ripen a fortune first. And for that, I need livestock. Which is why I need all of you working!"
"Even livestock needs to rest and eat, bastard!" Medaka's Father called out. "You're not treating us like anything living! Just machines and cogs!"
"Call it whatever you want, but I have no use for things that run wild!"
Ganzack fired his pistol at the man, only for Medaka to leap in the way and use her armor to reflect the bullet.
"You're nothing but a bully!"
"How in the heck did you get those locks undone?! I had the keys the entire time!" Ganzack asked in shock before shaking his head and activating his claws. "Doesn't matter. You've just made the biggest mistake of your life! That armor may be capable of deflecting bullets and blades, but I think you'll find my pincers are made of stronger stuff!"
But before he could close in, he found himself having to dodge a sharp stone bullet fired from Lithos.
"You've committed many unspeakable acts! Both against us and against these peaceful islanders!" He said, forming gauntlets of hard rock and slamming them together "You've gone way past the line of being a pirate! You're just as bad as the World Government at this point!"
"And on our oath as a pirate family who wishes to live a life of freedom, we'll kick your ass off this island!" Luffy added as he pointed forward.
"Fools! No one can defy the Great General Ganzack!" Ganzack snapped. "Men, open the underwater cavern!"
A large cave was blown open near the edge of the island as a large metal ship suddenly emerged from underground, with the dragon beast acting as a figurehead and the Devil's Tower as one of the masts.
"He has a whole battleship!" Luffy called out in excitement.
"Well, he's certainly compensating for something..." Merone said dryly.
"What are the odds we can sink it?" Ferros pondered.
"Now all those who defied me shall sink to the bottom of the sea!" Ganzack cackled as he stood on the deck of the ship, firing the main cannon, the Devil's Tower itself, launching shells that started to bombard the island.
"We've gotta stop him before he sinks the whole island!" Ariala cried.
"Then let's get ready to take the fight to him!" Luffy said.
"I'll go too!" Medaka declared.
"No, Medaka! Where they're going is no place for kids!" Her father said. "If something happened to you now, I couldn't..."
Another explosion cut him off, everyone bracing themselves as the crew got ready to move.
Luffy stretched out his arms long enough to reach the ship while Lithos sent himself across with a rock spire that shot from under his feet. Ferros turned into iron sand and glided across, Merone shot out on jets of water from her feet, and Ariala turned her lower half into a tornado to follow, only for Medaka to hold onto her.
"What the heck's wrong with ya, kid?!"
It was too late to turn back now as the crew soon landed right in front of Ganzack.
"You bastards again!"
"We're here to fry you up, you damn crab!" Luffy called out.
"With lots of butter!" Ferros added. "Crap, now I'm hungry..."
"That's Great General Ganzack to you!" Ganzack snapped.
"Dude! You literally have a crab motif!" Ariala pointed out. "You were called Crab Leg Gonzack in the New World! You even bragged to Dad that crabs are the hardiest and most adaptable creatures in the sea! WHY DO YOU HATE BEING CALLED CRAB SO MUCH?!"
That actually got Ganzack to pause, and then he slumped.
"The first time I bragged about my name to a Marine...he laughed at it. Not even your damn father laughed at my connection with crabs! I had to rebrand myself to get some respect!"
"Really?! Just one lousy Marine?!" Ferros complained. "Geez! Self-esteem issues much?!"
Medaka started charging at Ganzack with her Naginata, only for Merone to pull her back.
"Leave this to the adults, Medaka! We can handle this!"
Ganzack quickly leaped out of the way of Luffy's first punch, then began clashing against the combined strikes of Sonson's staff as Lithos combined his arms into a stone cannon that glowed with magma lines before firing a magma rock ball like a cannon.
"POP ROCK!"
The projectile exploded in a fiery blast, knocking out the lesser pirates one after another. Up on the rigging, Ganzack started firing blasts from the crab legs on his suit, only for Luffy to easily repel the bullets with his rubber body. Ganzack quickly used the claws as a shield, then tried firing his special goop instead only for Luffy to simply jump out of the way.
"You really think my friends wouldn't warn me about that?!" Luffy said, smacking Ganzack with an extending punch, sending him crashing below before righting himself.
"Then try this!"
He fired a grappling chain to wrap up Luffy before prepping the blades on his claws.
"Let's see if you can survive having your head off! Unlike your friends, you don't have a Logia power!"
"The way you're going about just talking, there's no way you're enough to beat me, ya shitty crab!"
Letting out a cry of anger, Ganzack dashed right at Luffy with his blades extended.
"I'll slice you to pieces and dump you in the ocean for that!"
Suddenly, Medaka got in the way of Ganzack's first slash, her helmet coming off. Luffy was horrified for a second until he realized he couldn't see any blood coming from Medaka's body.
"Medaka!" Merone cried, turning into water and sliding toward the girl before reforming. "Please tell me she isn't...!"
Much to the Water Logia User's relief, Medaka was unharmed, but she did seem dazed.
"That damn brat again. Causing me nothing but trouble." Ganzack sneered. "Well, such is the fate of all who oppose me!"
Luffy was now livid. It was clear Ganzack didn't care who got in his way and was completely dismissive of those around him. Grunting with all his strength, Luffy sucked in as much air as he could, using his rubber lungs to expand his body to the point where he easily broke the chains binding him.
"The world doesn't revolve around you! Sooner or later you'll find people who can easily whoop your ass! It's strength that determines whether you win or lose, not fate!"
"And you think you're strong enough to take on me?!" Ganzack retorted.
He struck out with his claw, but Luffy was ready. Twisting his arms into a spiral drill, he easily smashed through the metal claw.
"GUM-GUM DRILL!"
Before Ganzack could react, Luffy grabbed him and lifted him high into the air, his arms unwinding at high speed as he slammed Ganzack into the deck.
"GUM-GUM HAMMER!"
"Is she alright?!" Ariala asked Merone as she came over to check on Medaka.
"She's okay. She's a little dazed from the impact though."
"SODIUM STREAM!"
Turning his arm into a stream of sodium metal, Ferros then had it detonate when Lithos smashed a barrel of water over the sodium, creating a stream of explosions that knocked out several pirates with each blast.
After helping his brother, Lithos turned his attention to Ganzack's dragon. But before he could start, the beast got bombarded by dynamite from the villagers, who were sailing in on what few boasts they could spare. Medaka's father lit up an entire crate before the boat was evacuated, leaving the dragon beast staring down a fire boat. The explosion was enough to completely shatter its armor, leaving it dead in the water.
Unfortunately, it was clear the damages Ganzack's ship had sustained were taking their toll, as it soon began sinking.
"That's not good!" Ariala said. "We need to abandon ship!"
"But we can't swim!" Ferros pointed out.
"It's not too far to shore! I can carry us there on Nimbus!" Lithos said.
"Make sure to bring Medaka!" Merone reminded.
Meanwhile, Ganzack was getting to his feet.
"Not yet... I can't be beaten yet... I'm no ordinary pirate... With this ship, I will conquer the sea! I will become the King of the Pirates!"
He cackled as he fired off one final shell from the tower cannon.
"Still won't give up, you shitty crab?!" Luffy scowled. "There's one thing you don't seem to understand. You don't become King of the Pirates by just conquering. Only the one who finds the One Piece will be King of the Pirates. And that someone...is gonna me!"
Stretching his arm back as far as he could, Luffy then sent it flying straight at Ganzack, launching him right off the ship and right in the path of the shell he had just fired, causing him to impact it and make it explode in midair. The crew watched as their adversary fell unceremoniously into the sea with a mighty splash.
"We're gonna miss you, Medaka!" Ariala cried as she picked up the little girl in a hug.
"I'll miss you guys too! We'll never forget all you've done!"
"We've made a call to the Marines to pick up Ganzack and his crew." Medaka's Father said. "Luckily they won't be a threat to anyone now. They're all too injured to keep fighting."
The crew was given a ship to sail off in, complete with plenty of food raided from Ganzack's storage.
"This should last us until we reach a new island," Luffy said with a grin, glad to have some quality food.
Ferros chuckled. "Lucky break us getting to this place. Just in time to help those people."
As the ship sailed off, Ariala was tearfully waving goodbye to Medaka in particular.
"Whoever that little lady decides to marry is going to find her quite the handful." Lithos chuckled playfully.
"Speaking of which, I wonder if we'll see that girl Nami again. She was kinda cute." Luffy said.
"Oh my god! Is it true?!" Ariala gasped excitedly. "Is the dense Luffy actually finding a girl cute?!"
"About dang time! I thought you'd be too stupid for love!" Ferros laughed.
"Hey!"
"I thought Luffy would be focused on the One Piece first and foremost, though," Merone spoke up.
"A Pirate King is going to need a Pirate Queen!" Luffy pointed out. "Now let's go! Off to the Grand Line!"
The group of friends all smiled as Luffy took a deep breath and once more shouted into the sky with all he had.
"MY NAME IS MONKEY D. LUFFY AND I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES!"
I had to rewrite this story several million times because my OCD was telling me to dump in a million characters at once. But I need to do things in moderation, I don't want a repeat of Devil Fruit Hero!
*Shudder*
Yeah, that was a part of my writing career that I am definitely not proud of.
If you want a crossover One Piece story, check out Four Great Captains on Mrotrax's account. I'm the co-writer of that story.