One Piece Movies

by Punklovergirl68

I will be doing the One Piece Movies, starting with the third one first. This does not follow or have any connections to my One Piece (Love Story). Rated T, rating might change. Zoro X OC. One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda. Any Kingdom Hearts Characters mention belong to Disney and Square Enix. Skylar belongs to me.

4. One Piece Movie Six (Rewritten)

One Piece belongs to Eichiiro Oda.
OCs belong to me.

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-One Piece Movie Six: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island-

"If you are…if you are a pirate among pirates, among pirates, among pirates then gather your steadfast crew of nakama and set sail for our island. The name of the island is…"

"Omatsuri Island?" Usopp questioned, looking up from the bottle his finger was stuck in.

"Yes, Omatsuri Island—I've never heard of this island before" Robin nodded as she held up the letter and Eternal Pose that had arrived.

"I've never heard of it either, I wonder why…" Skylar hummed, kicking her legs repeatedly as she sat on the ship's railing. Hands buried into the pockets of her blue hoodie as the black jean shorts she wore seemed to ride up a bit at her erratic leg movements.

"It's a trap" Usopp suddenly claimed, his finger still stuck in the bottle the letter had arrived in. "No doubt about it" he sounded certain of himself, sure that this strange invitation was nothing more than a ruse.

"How can you be so sure?" Skylar tilted her head as her legs came to a stop and now dangled, the tips of her shoes just barely touching the deck of the ship. "It seems a bit strange to rig a trap with a letter you don't know will reach anyone" she remarked, recalling how the bottle was just floating out in the middle of the sea.

"Why do they call it Omatsuri Island?" Zoro asked as he lifted some weights. "Do they hold festivals or something?" he inquired, curious about the island's festive name.

"I'll read the rest" Robin said. "Omatsuri Island is the only pleasure island resort in the Grand Line—as its name implies, every day is a festival, you will also enjoy our many spas and beauty salons" she read.

"Spas and beauty salons?" Nami sparkled as Skylar rolled her eyes.

"Boring" she yawned, not understanding what was so exciting about being pampered and touched all over by strangers. Perhaps she wouldn't mind having her hair played with, but the idea of being scrubbed down and dolled up sounded rather unpleasant in her mind.

"What is that place? It sounds fabulous" Nami eagerly smiled, ignoring her nakama.

"Your nightlife will be filled with beauties from around the world and a selection of fine beverages" Usopp read as he took a peek down at the letter, causing Skylar to throw her head back and stare up at the sky. So far, she wasn't impressed with what she was hearing…then again, resorts were never her forte.

"Beauties?" Sanji echoed. "That's a great island."

"Dinner will be a full course of exquisite cuisine" Nami read aloud as she took the letter.

"Exquisite cuisine?" Chopper perked up as he looked up from his medical book.

"To be quite honest, this whole place just sounds sketchy…" Skylar muttered. "Everything sounds too good to be true—maybe Usopp is right and it's a trap" she hummed in thought.

"What's that? What kind of food is it?" Chopper curiously asked, eagerly hopping in excitement.

"I'm telling you, it's a trap" Usopp frowned.

"Eh? A trap?" Chopper tilted his head.

"What a load" Zoro scoffed, rolling his eyes before his gaze drifted. A small smile soon tugged at his lips as he looked at the swordswoman who was idly staring up at the sky. Her pretty blue eyes stared at the passing clouds overhead—she looked as if she didn't have a care in the world as the gentle breeze of the sea wind lightly blew strands of her hair around.

"Omatsuri Island sounds wonderful! Everything is perfect!" Nami squealed.

"You can tell it's a good island just by its name, I guarantee it!" Sanji agreed.

"Come on, it's got to be a trap" Usopp repeated as the rest began to talk over one another, bickering back and forth on the authenticity of the resort and all the things they liked.

"Geez…what do you wanna do, Captain?" Zoro asked, turning to Luffy who had been oddly quiet this entire time. "Oi, Luffy" he said the second he didn't receive a response. "Luffy" he repeated, slowly becoming annoyed with the teen who still hadn't responded. "Are you listening?" he frowned.

"When does he ever listen?" Skylar giggled, finally directing her attention towards the now angry swordsman with a wide smile. "His head is always up in the clouds of adventure" she grinned.

"Nami, read that first part again" Luffy suddenly requested.

"Huh? Okay…" Nami slowly nodded as she peered back down at the letter. "If you are a pirate among pirates, among pirates, among pirates then gather your steadfast crew of nakama and set sail for our island" she reread.

"Yosh! I've decided" Luffy grinned as he stood from his spot atop the figurehead. "We're going to Omatsuri Island—the reason is of course because we're pirates!" he laughed.

"Great reasoning…" Skylar sweat dropped before heaving a sigh. "Still, maybe it will be fun…" she muttered.

-Later-

"This certainly is a lively island, but…" Usopp trailed off as he looked around. There wasn't a single soul to be found on the shores of the island saved for the wildlife that lived within the dense forest that surrounded it.

"We're here!" Luffy cheered as he ran around, causing Skylar to laugh as she happily watched her captain's childish antics. Unlike her companions, she looked around in slight awe as she basked in the lively sounds of the surrounding wildlife.

"It's rather pretty…" she quietly remarked. Zoro felt his cheeks flush as he subtly scanned the young woman's body up and down—from the flowy gray crop tank top with a skull and crossbones plastered on its front to the black jeans that nicely hugged her hips and were held up by a studded belt as chains dangled from its loops. Despite how boyish the outfit looked compared to the dresses the other women of the crew wore, there was something cute about it. Especially when paired with the oversized jacket she wore which drooped down her shoulders, causing the sleeves to practically engulf her delicate hands.

"Or…is the festival over?" Usopp questioned, still looking around for any sign of life other than the crew. Surely, that had to be the reason why there was no one else here.

"Has there ever been a time when I navigated to the wrong island?" Nami frowned, straightening out the dress she wore as she peered down the map, causing the sunglasses on her head to droop a little.

"Who the hell would want to vacation on a desert island?" Zoro asked, trying his hardest to keep his gaze from straying any lower towards Skylar's chest. She may be the second youngest member of the crew, but her body was just as developed as the rest of the women. "I guess it would be ideal for a hermit or something" he remarked.

"Geez, you're such a loudmouth…" Sanji grumbled as he lit the cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Huh? You say something?" Zoro asked.

"I like it here, the sounds of the wildlife are quite calming" Skylar smiled, now rocking on the balls of her feet. "An ideal place to avoid human contact" she hummed.

"Is that so?" Zoro asked as leaned down closer to her.

"Yes…though I wouldn't mind having some company" she confessed, following his lead as she leaned towards him as if admitting a secret.

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow. "Who do you have in mind?" he grinned.

"Luffy" she innocently smiled, laughing when he suddenly pressed his hand to her face and shoved her back—quietly huffing to himself even as his lips twitched upward into a smile.

"That's odd" Robin tilted her head.

"What is?" Chopper questioned.

"There were flowers drawn on the map, right?" Robin asked. "But I don't see any flowers on the island" she pointed out, unable to spot any flowers amongst the greenery.

"Perhaps they were just added to make the map look more appealing and eye-catching" Skylar suggested.

"Maybe…" Robin mumbled, slowly starting to look around the island once more.

"We've been duped" Zoro sighed, already throwing an arm around Skylar. "Okay, let's get going" and with that, he started to walk back towards the ship—dragging the brunette along with him.

"Aw, but I was hoping we could explore the place" she pouted, not really putting up much of a resistance as she allowed him to drag her along.

"Huh? Do you hear something?" Chopper suddenly asked, his ears twitching at the faint sound of music in the distance.

"This way!" Luffy pointed as the music suddenly grew in volume until the rest of the crew could hear it. Quickly, they started to rush through the forest and in the direction of the music.

"Oh wow…" Skylar murmured, falling behind just a little as she marveled at the sight of passing scenery. She almost wanted to just stay and enjoy the calmness of nature, but she knew better than to let herself get separated from the others. With how thick and luscious the greenery on this island was, it wouldn't be wise of them to separate—this was the kind of forest that could just eat you up and never spit you back out…

It didn't take long for them to eventually exit the forest as they stumbled into the dazzling resort they had originally come here for.

"Spa and beauty salons!" Nami sparkled.

"Beauties of the world!" Sanji grinned as he stared at the lovely statues that decorated the resort.

"Exquisite cuisine!" Chopper happily chirped as he looked towards the rides and balloons that were scattered about.

"Those balloons are unsettling…" Skylar muttered, finding herself uncomfortable with the design of the parade balloons. Perhaps they were meant to look cute, but instead, they looked rather…

Off.

Her cheeks soon flared up as a small smile graced her lips the minute Zoro wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his side as he gave her thigh a small pat.

"I'm sure they don't bite" he teased.

"Hm…I don't know about that…" she hummed, not quite agreeing with him as she warily eyed the oversized balloons once more.

"T-this is…" Sanji trailed off, laughing a little at the sights before him.

"Everything we hoped for!" Nami squealed as people dressed in beautiful white dresses suddenly lined up, holding up pink fans that blocked the view of their faces. They looked to be feminine at a glance with their slim bodies and curvaceous figures.

"Come into my arms, my finely selected beauties…" Sanji's laugh was cut short the minute the strangers lowered their fans, revealing that they were not actually women, but grown men who had plants sprouting from the tops of their heads instead.

"Hm?" Skylar owlishly blinked, looking between the plants on top of the strange men's heads and Zoro's hair.

"Oi! What gives?!" Sanji snapped.

"Look, they've all got leaves growing out of their heads" Luffy pointed.

"Yeah…them too and them" Usopp nodded as he looked at more of the men, noting that they also had plants sprouting from the tops of their heads. "What are these guys?" he asked.

"I wonder why Zoro doesn't have a plant growing from his head—perhaps he just hasn't gotten enough water and sunlight" Skylar cheekily smiled, causing the moss-haired man's eyes to narrow. A loud squeal soon escaped past her lips as the swordsman gave her side a harsh pinch. "Wha—!" just as she opened her mouth to snap, the sound of an elephant's trumpet interrupted her. Slowly, the large animal meandered into view as it blew its trunk once more—atop its back, three men rode within a howdah.

"First it's leaves and then a flower" Luffy frowned as he spotted a small flower sprouting from the tallest and most normal-looking of the men's shoulder.

"A flower" Robin perked up.

"Pirates—courageous pirates who traverse the Grand Line" Baron began.

"Oh! Yes, yes, yes!" Luffy excitedly waved.

"We're the only ones here, dummy—do you really need to wave?" Skylar asked, raising an amused eyebrow as she watched her captain.

"Luffy" Usopp frowned.

"I congratulate you on reaching Omatsuri Island—my name is Baron Omatsuri" Baron introduced.

"Baron Omatsuri?" everyone questioned.

"Yes, I am your host—the master of this island" Baron nodded.

"Makes sense" Skylar nodded, not surprised that the man who shared a last name with the island was also the owner.

"It's coming! It's coming!" Nami, Chopper, and Sanji excitedly exclaimed, sparkles and hearts in their eyes.

"You have faced a long and perilous journey, please enjoy your well-deserved rest" Baron continued.

"It's coming! It's coming!" Nami, Chopper, and Sanji eagerly repeated.

"You may enjoy yourselves to your heart's content!" Baron continued.

"It's coming! It's coming! It's coming!"

"But, before you do, you must undertake the Ordeal of Hell" Baron quickly and suddenly added without warning.

"Ordeal…" Skylar and Robin said.

"Of Hell?" Zoro finished with a raised brow.

"Ordeal…" Nami blinked.

"Of…" Chopper tilted his head.

"Hell" Sanji frowned.

"I knew it…" Usopp heavily sighed.

"Um…I…I have a question" Nami quickly raised her hand.

"What is it?" Baron asked.

"The note said something about spas and beauty salons…" the ginger awkwardly trailed off.

"Spa?" Baron questioned.

"Beauties from all over the world and selections of fine beverages…" Sanji added.

"Beverages?" Baron furrowed his brows.

"What about the exquisite cuisine?" Chopper curiously asked.

"Exquisite cuisine…exquisite…" Baron trailed off.

"We're leaving" Nami, Chopper, and Sanji turned on their heels, ready to leave.

"Hold on! Hold on! Hold on!" Luffy stopped the three, grinning as he looked back at the man. "Ossan, what's the Ordeal of Hell?" he curiously asked.

"Move it!" Sanji growled as he and Nami tried to push their way past their captain.

"The Ordeal of Hell is a test of strength! Countless many have failed to endure the task and fled barefoot from this island!" Baron ominously proclaimed.

"Why barefoot? What happened to their shoes?" Skylar frowned.

"That sounds great!" Luffy laughed.

"If you do not have absolute trust in your nakama, you would be well advised to leave the island!" Baron warned.

"Don't be stupid, we'll accept your challenge!" Luffy grinned.

"Luffy!" Nami frowned, snatching up the rubber man's cheek and stretching it. "Luffy, think about what you're saying! What would we gain from accepting this?" she frowned.

"Even if there was something, we don't have any obligation to participate" Sanji added.

"That's right, Luffy! It's dangerous!" Chopper firmly nodded.

"I know we don't have to, but I wanna try it" Luffy smiled at the three.

"Oi! See, I told you so!" Usopp exclaimed. "I told you this was a trap!" he huffed.

"It is?" Luffy tilted his head.

"It's the Ordeal of Hell!" Chopper cried.

"That's right" the rubber man nodded.

"We don't know what'll happen!" Usopp stressed.

"Yeah" Luffy nodded again.

"Luffy!" Chopper whined.

"What?" Luffy tilted his head.

"Why are you always so carefree?" Usopp sighed.

"That's just his personality" Skylar chuckled. "It's both a blessing and a curse…for us at least" she added with a smile.

"It doesn't matter if it's a trap or not, you guys can handle it" Luffy said. "Besides, I trust all of you" he happily confessed, causing Skylar's smile to grow.

"Oh, you're a sweet talker, Captain" Sanji grinned.

"Hell, eh?" Zoro raised an amused brow. "I'd like to see what this is all about" he grinned.

"Zoro" Usopp frowned.

"Count me in too, I'm a bit interested in the Baron" Robin spoke up.

"Eh, it can't be that bad" Skylar shrugged as she crossed her arms. "Might as well strap in and enjoy the ride."

"Robin, Skylar" Chopper whined.

"Oh well, I'm up for it" Sanji sighed, conceding.

"Geez, that leaves me no choice—let's get this over with" Nami huffed, reluctantly joining the rest once she realized she was outnumbered.

"Um…" Usopp nervously frowned.

"Luffy" Chopper said, looking towards the captain. "If you're going for this, then I'm with you" he firmly huffed, quickly giving in like the rest once he saw the look on the rubbery teen's face.

"O-oi! Fine, then I'm in too!" Usopp shakily exclaimed.

"So all of you will be participating?" Baron laughed. "Very well, prepare the Ordeal of Hell!" he shouted, causing everything in the area to start moving.

"Huh? W-what?" Usopp flinched, his head quickly turning left and right as he looked around.

"I will now reveal the Ordeal of Hell that you will undertake!" Baron proclaimed. "It is…"

"It is…" the Straw Hats motioned for the man to continue after he paused for dramatic effect.

"Goldfish Catching!" Baron declared as fireworks were set off.

"A bit extreme for a childish game, don't you think?" Skylar sweat dropped.

"Goldfish Catching?" Usopp blinked as a tank full of goldfish rose from the ground.

"The rules of Goldfish Catching are simple—the team that catches the largest goldfish in three minutes wins!" Baron explained, nothing sounding odd so far about the game they were about to play. "By the way, this paper dissolves easily in water" he warned, holding up the small net that would be used during the ordeal. "And now, allow me to introduce my valued confidant who shall be your opponent! Go forth, Muchigoro!"

"Aye!" Muchigoro nodded, running down the path toward the goldfish tank as the crowd started to cheer. "Yo, I'm Muchigoro" he greeted.

"What did he say?" Sanji asked.

"Mutsugoro?" Usopp questioned, incorrectly saying the man's name.

"He looks more like an eel" Nami remarked.

"Maybe he's a loach" Chopper innocently suggested.

"Harsh, but good guesses" Skylar giggled.

"He's just an idiot" Sanji said.

"No, my name is Muchigoro! Baron Omatsuri's first mate, Muchigoro!" Muchigoro corrected as he hopped around, working himself up for the upcoming ordeal.

"Yep, an idiot" Sanji nodded.

"Now, which one of you will compete?" Baron asked.

"Here! Here! Here! Here!" Luffy raised his hand and wildly waved it. "Me! Me! Me! Me! Me!"

"I think the captain wants to go first" Skylar chuckled as she watched the rubber man excitedly bounce around. "But I don't think someone so excitably should be handling such a delicate net" she suggested, certain that the rubber man would unintentionally break the net in his excitement.

"Hold on, let me handle that Muchigoro or Sushigoro or whatever his name is" Usopp said.

"Oh, weren't you shaking in your boots about the Ordeal of Hell just a second ago?" Nami raised an eyebrow.

"He got a burst of confidence after hearing it was Goldfish Catching" Zoro scoffed.

"It's the simplest and least dangerous thing in the world, I would have jumped at an opportunity to show off also if I wanted to" Skylar hummed.

"Hey, Tamegoro!" Usopp called out.

"I'm Muchigoro!" Muchigoro snapped.

"You'll regret being my opponent" Usopp cockily grinned. "You will be facing the man known as the master of Goldfish Catching—me" he bragged.

"Master?" Chopper and Muchigoro questioned, each having a different reaction as the reindeer seemed to sparkle while the latter grew nervous.

"Master" Usopp confidently nodded.

"Really?" the two asked.

"Yes, really" Usopp nodded again.

"Awesome" Chopper awed.

"You're awesome!" Muchigoro gaped.

"Yeah, awesome!" the sniper laughed.

"It's not a lie, right?" Chopper suddenly asked, quick to remember his crewmate's tendency to tell tall tales.

"Please say you're lying" Muchigoro begged, already on the verge of crying—he couldn't risk losing so soon at just the first ordeal.

"I'm lying" Usopp admitted, not even bothering to keep the lie going.

"Lying?!" Chopper gasped.

"It was a lie!" Muchigoro gaped.

"Yes, a lie" Usopp nodded.

"You lied again" Chopper frowned.

"Shit! He tricked me!" Muchigoro cursed, upset with himself for falling for such an obvious lie.

"See, he's an idiot" Sanji said.

"At least he was honest near the end" Skylar sweat dropped. "But I guess it was a somewhat convincing lie…" she muttered, knowing that it wasn't difficult to lie about being the master of such a simple game. It just took patience and a steady hand.

"Muchigoro, don't let them build up momentum!" Baron scolded.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Baron!" Muchigoro was quick to apologize.

"We shall begin now" Baron said. "Ready…"

"Go!" Skylar was taken aback by the high-pitched voice of the flower on Baron's shoulder. It was adorable yet disturbing at the same time due to how unnatural it was. In fact, now that she was staring at it, she finally realized it had a face. One that was rather unnervingly cute as it stared unblinkingly ahead with beady little eyes and a wide smile. At the sound of the bell, the timer by the fish tank began.

Usopp huffed as he prepared to catch the first big fish he saw within the tank before halting when a new and eerie sound filled the air.

"What's that?" Zoro asked as a giant goldfish suddenly jumped out of the ocean.

"What's that?" Luffy gaped.

"I didn't know goldfish could get that big…" Skylar muttered, wide-eyed. It took her maybe a minute or two to realize that the fish was most likely a breed of Sea King, hence why it could live in saltwater despite goldfish normally being freshwater fishes.

"That's my cute pet, Rosario-chan" Muchigoro proudly answered.

"You call that thing cute?!" Skylar gaped as the goldfish splashed back into the ocean, creating large waves that crashed over everyone.

"Look at that—laugh at them Muchigoro, they are nothing but feeble cowards!" Baron laughed as the water that rained down created small rainbows.

"Rosario-chan is a good kid who would never do anything bad" Muchigoro laughed alongside his captain.

"Hold on, what's the big idea?" Nami frowned as Luffy also started to laugh, not realizing that the men were mocking him and his crew.

"Oh, I told you it was Goldfish Catching" Baron said, confused by the woman's sudden flare in temper.

"How are we supposed to catch that?!" the ginger snapped.

"Very delicately, I suppose…" Skylar muttered, flickering her wet hands before holding them up in defense when the navigator suddenly turned her glare to her with a growl.

"Just put the goldfish in the bucket" Baron simply answered, motioning towards the two large buckets that now floated around in the ocean.

"He certainly didn't mention this" Robin said.

"He doesn't have to if he's the one making the rules" Skylar pointed out, shaking her head and causing water to fly everywhere as those around her leaned back so as not to get hit by her wet strands.

"He duped us" Zoro sighed.

"This is getting pretty damn interesting!" Luffy laughed.

"No, it's not!" Nami snapped.

"Well, in a way it is" Skylar smiled, laughing alongside her captain.

"Don't encourage him!" the ginger sneered, not in the mood to deal with the brunette's enabling behavior when it came to their captain. Sometimes she wondered what exactly it was about Luffy that caused the brunette to sometimes lose all common sense and act just as silly and stupid as him.

"Pass" Usopp suddenly handed the small net in his hand to the navigator. "The rest is up to you, Nami."

"Hey! Wait, Master!" Nami growled as the sniper quickly walked away. "Oh fine, I'll do it if I have to" she huffed…only for her determination to quickly fade the minute she saw Rosario coming towards her after leaping from the ocean once again. "Forget it."

"Nami-san, look out!" Sanji kicked the goldfish away before it could get any closer to the navigator

"What?" Baron blinked, shocked by the sudden display of strength.

"Rosario-chan!" Muchigoro worriedly shouted as Sanji kicked the goldfish once again.

'Nami-san, did you witness my kick' he pondered, hoping that he had been able to impress the ginger with his noble act of saving her.

"Skylar, pass" Nami quickly handed the net to the brunette who took it and stared down at it before laughing as she passed it to Zoro.

"Here you go, sweetheart—make sure not to break it" she cooed.

"Me?" he frowned as Sanji splashed down into the ocean.

"Yes" Skylar nodded. "If you get that thing in the bucket, I'll give you a reward" she flirtatiously winked, smiling as she watched the swordsman's face explode with color.

"Geez, I guess it's up to me…" he grumbled as he put the end of the net in his mouth and jumped into the air, getting ready to draw one of his swords.

"Katanas are not allowed in Goldfish Catching!" Baron quickly snapped, causing the swordsman to sheath his sword.

"You damn fish!" Zoro growled as he hit the fish away instead with just the sheath of his sword.

"What?" Baron blinked, once again shocked by the sudden display of strength.

"Hey, you tried to cut my Rosario-chan into pieces!" Muchigoro snapped as the swordsman landed back on the ground.

"What did you expect me to do?!" Zoro snapped right back.

"I'm going to try! Pass me the net!" Luffy demanded as he snatched the net away from the swordsman before he could say anything.

"I distinctly remembered something about a reward" Zoro hummed as he snaked his arms around the swordswoman's waist, pulling her back against him.

"I said only if you got that thing in the bucket, which you didn't" Skylar chirped, giggling as the swordsman huffed and began to pout, resting his chin on her shoulder. "There, there" she cooed, patting the side of his head as he gave another huff.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy shot his arm toward the fish.

"His arm stretched, then…" Muchigoro trailed off.

"He has the power of the Devil Fruit!" Baron exclaimed as the rubber man's fist made harsh contact with the fish—breaking the paper of the net in his hand in the process.

"It tore" Luffy owlishly blinked as he stared at the net before panicking. "It tore!" he cried.

"There's no way you could catch that huge goldfish with that tiny net!" Nami snapped.

"You are absolutely correct—Muchigoro, show them" Baron ordered.

"You have to catch Rosario-chan with this" Muchigoro grinned as he pulled out a large net.

"No fair" Usopp, Nami, and Zoro deadpanned.

"Where was he even hiding that thing?" Skylar raised an eyebrow.

"Who cares about that?! Why is he using it?!" Nami glared.

"Who said you had to use this net?" Baron grinned as he held up the small net. "I only said the paper dissolves easily in water—well, do you remember?" he mockingly asked, making it clear he had never once lied to them.

"H-he duped us again!" Nami weakly cried.

"Like I said, he's the one making the rules" Skylar heavily sighed. "Omitting things is technically not the same as lying or cheating, but it is a shitty thing to do…" she grumbled.

"One minute left!" the flower on Baron's shoulder chirped.

"You have one minute left" Baron echoed.

"Rosario-chan, be a good girl and come over here!" Muchigoro cooed as the giant fish leaped into his net. Loudly, the crowd cheered as Muchigoro threw the fish toward his bucket.

"Well done, Muchigoro!" Baron praised.

"Thank you, Baron!" Muchigoro brightened.

"Oh, so there were never any rules to begin with" Robin suddenly smiled, sprouting arms over the top of Muchigoro's bucket to create a net that bounced Rosario away and towards the Straw Hats bucket instead. "There" she grinned.

"She's eaten the Devil Fruit too!" Baron gasped as the crowd's cheering came to a jarring halt.

"Crap, it's going to fall on us! Run!" Zoro shouted as the fish soared overtop the crew. Quickly, everyone saved for Chopper scrambled to get out of the way.

"Chopper!" Luffy and Skylar shouted when they realized the doctor had yet to move.

"I can handle this!" Chopper assured them, eating a Rumble Ball and turning himself into a giant ball of pure fluff.

"Ten seconds left!" the flower chirped before slowly starting to count down as the fish bounced off Chopper and straight into the Straw Hats bucket. "Game over! Game over! The Straw Hats win!" it cutely chanted. "Win" it finished a bit ominously.

"Yosha!" the crew cheered.

"Good job, Chopper!" Usopp praised as the reindeer returned to normal, looking to be in a daze as he stumbled around before his body finally tilted back.

"Chopper?" Zoro worriedly questioned as the animal fell back into the water.

"Chopper!" the Straw Hats gasped as Luffy quickly dove in after his friend.

"You idiot!" Skylar shouted after him.

"Chopper!" air bubbles slipped passed Luffy's lips as he called out for his friend, frantically looking around before spotting the reindeer.

"Luffy?!" a large amount of air bubbles escaped Chopper's mouth the minute the rubber man stretched his arms out and wrapped them around his tiny body, the two of them slowly sinking further down into the ocean.

"I'll save you!" more air bubbles left Luffy's mouth as he desperately tried to swim upwards only to find that he couldn't as his body further sunk. It didn't take long for the last of the air bubbles to seep from his mouth as he was dragged further down, only stopping once Sanji grabbed hold of his leg and started swimming the three of them back toward the surface.

None of them noticed the sunken pirate ships that littered the ocean floor beneath them.

"Thank goodness…" Skylar sighed in relief as Chopper and Luffy spat out a stream of water, the two of them now soaked to the bone as they lay sprawled out on the ground.

"I-I thought I was a goner…" Luffy panted.

"Thanks, Luffy…" Chopper heavily breathed.

"No, no, it was nothing" Luffy dismissed.

"Oi! I'm the one who saved you!" Sanji snapped.

"But Luffy was the brave one to go after him first" Skylar grinned,

"Yeah, only to immediately start drowning himself…" Sanji grumbled.

"Sanji-kun, how long were you in the water?" Nami curiously asked.

"How long is it going to take you guys to remember that you're Hammers?" Sanji frowned, ignoring Nami's question as Luffy and Chopper sat up. "You morons…" he grumbled as the two widely smiled at him.

"Anyways, guys" Luffy stood up, placing his hat back on top of his head as Muchigoro loudly wept in the background. "We…" he excitedly began as the rest of the crew smiled and laughed. "Won!" he cheered.

"We won!" the whole crew cheered back. Skylar laughed as she was suddenly picked up by the waist and spun around. Excitedly, Zoro and her shared a kiss as he held her up, the two of them loudly cheering alongside the rest as they pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Baron! I'm so useless—I've brought disgrace to your name!" Muchigoro wailed.

"That was easier than I thought" Sanji grinned.

"They call that the Ordeal of Hell?" Usopp laughed.

"Congratulation! Congratulation!" the flower chanted, causing Skylar to shift around as she turned her head and furrowed her brows. Normally, she would have been all over something as cute as the little flower on Baron's shoulder. But…as she looked at the plant, something in her gut warned her to keep her distance. It was a sinking feeling she normally got whenever her instincts would warn her that she was in danger and that something was seriously wrong. Shaking her head, she pushed such thoughts aside and continued to celebrate with her friends.

In the background, she could still hear the flower congratulating them with its small and adorable voice.

"Wait! This contest is not yet finished!" Baron snapped, quickly growing frustrated with the cheering pirates.

"We just finished it" Zoro frowned as the crew halted in their cheering to look at the man, confused by what he meant.

"You must undertake the next ordeal—I will not allow this travesty to go unpunished" Baron snarled as Skylar narrowed her eyes. "How dare you make my Muchigoro cry!" he sneered.

"Hold on, you never said anything about this!" Nami scowled.

"He lost, just accept it" Sanji frowned.

"Silence! The matter is settled!" Baron snapped. "You do as I order you to do!"

"As you order us to? You're not our captain" Skylar sneered. "You have no right to order us to do anything!" she glared.

"What are you talking about, Ossan?" Sanji asked, his frown deepening.

"You're taking this sore loser thing a bit far" Usopp pointed out, a little disturbed by the man's sudden temper.

"Another ordeal? Sounds like fun!" Luffy laughed. "Let's try the next one too!" he eagerly grinned.

"Luffy, Luffy, you came to a resort! We're not here to play warrior—do you hear me?!" Nami snapped as she grabbed the rubber man's face, his hands quick to grasp her wrists in return.

"Okay, guys! We're going to win the next one too!" Luffy smiled as if he hadn't heard her.

"You numbskull!" Nami growled, punching the teen.

"You better not lose!" Luffy continued, unfazed.

"You numbskull!" the ginger repeated as she punched the teen once again.

"Does he ever learn?" Skylar sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Nami, you're coming too!" Luffy happily laughed.

"You numbskull!" Nami sneered once more, this time kicking Luffy.

Up in the trees, Brief sat on a limb as he peered through a pair of binoculars down at the Straw Hats—watching as Nami scolded her smiling captain who didn't look to be listening at all. Once content with everything he had seen, he took a sidestep before quickly running off deeper into the forest.

"Oi, oi…" Luffy frowned as the group made their way through the forest after leaving the resort, trying to make their way back to the ship. "Where are you going, Nami?" he asked.

"If you like those Ordeals of Hell so much, you can do them by yourself!" Nami huffed, taking the lead as she charged through the surrounding greenery. "Count me out!"

"Oi! Oi, Nami!" Luffy shouted after the ginger. "Nami" he whined when he didn't receive a response as the group suddenly came to a halt.

"Huh?" Nami frowned as she looked around in confusion, not recognizing where she was. "By the way, where are we?" she finally asked.

"You mean you don't know?" Skylar frowned. "But you're the one leading" she pointed out, making it clear that she assumed the ginger knew the way back.

"Are we lost?" Robin questioned.

"Then…where did we leave the ship?" Nami hesitantly asked.

"We don't know anymore!" Usopp panicked.

"Oi, oi, oi" everyone began speaking over one another, trying their hardest to stay calm.

"I think it's this way" Sanji pointed, picking a random direction.

"No, it's got to be this way" Zoro shook his head as he pointed in the opposite direction.

"Zoro, if we take your way, we're sure to get even more lost" Skylar said, giggling at the glare she received.

"Shut up!" he snapped.

"Slow down! Everyone stay calm" Nami frowned as she glanced around them. "Let me see…" she hummed in thought, bringing the map in her hands up to look at it. "Where are we?" she muttered, unable to pinpoint their exact location.

"We don't know?!" Usopp cried.

"Then there's no point in bringing this map!" Nami growled, looking up before blinking as she noticed that Chopper was currently examining a nearby picnic blanket that still had food on it. "Huh? What's that?" she curiously asked, not remembering that being there before.

"It looks like someone was having a picnic" Chopper said.

"Does that mean that there are other people here?" Skylar tilted her head. "If so, what happened to them?" she asked, noting how strange it was for someone to leave a full picnic behind like this. It was also rather wasteful if she was being honest.

"On this island?" Robin raised an eyebrow.

"There's no accounting for taste" Sanji remarked as he looked at what was sprawled out on the picnic blanket. Nothing really looked cohesive or all that good like it had been messily put together before being abandoned.

"Leave that stuff alone!" Nami snapped at those who were trying to poke at the picnic.

"Anyways, let's keep moving" Usopp said as the group began to walk once again.

"That's right, we have to reach the beach first" Sanji nodded.

"We'll get there eventually" Zoro said, not too concerned.

"Even if we don't, the scenery is quite beautiful…" Skylar muttered, looking around at the thriving and lush plant life that surrounded them. "So that's a plus" she smiled.

"Nami, let's go back!" Luffy loudly whined.

"Shut up!" Nami snapped.

"Nami!" Luffy only seemed to whine louder.

"I told you to shut up!" Nami snapped again.

"Ah! We're almost out of the forest!" Usopp joyfully exclaimed as the group pushed their way through the greenery…only to halt at the sight of the large stage that now blocked their path. Standing in the middle of the stage was Baron, who acted as if he had been waiting for them this whole time.

"I've been expecting you courageous pirates!" he laughed.

"Oh! Flower Ossan!" Luffy brightened as he happily waved at the man.

"How'd he get a stage out here so fast?" Skylar raised an eyebrow. "Also, how'd he know we'd come this way…?" she muttered, finding it odd how he knew exactly where they'd end up despite them being lost.

"W-what?" Nami sputtered.

"We can't enjoy our vacation" Sanji frowned.

"We can't get off this island!" Zoro snapped, no longer caring about the vacation.

"The only thing we can do is—"

"The Ordeal of Hell!" Luffy happily finished for Robin.

"Part two" Baron lifted his fingers as spotlights flickered on and a microphone raised itself from the stage's floor. "Ladies and gentlemen, I shall now announce the next ordeal!" he proclaimed into the microphone. "It'll be…"

"Be what?" the Straw Hats curiously asked.

"Ring Toss" Baron finished.

"Ring Toss?" the pirates echoed, baffled.

"Each team has two boats with two people aboard—the first team to ensnare all their opponents in rings wins!" Baron explained. "Now let me introduce my confidants—the Four Wise Men!" four pillars rose out of the ground, each containing an old person wearing a cute frog hat of a different color. "The leader: Kerojii, the main striker: Keroshot, the repairman extraordinaire: Kerodeek, and the youngest and only female: Keroko" he introduced.

"Aw, I want their hats…" Skylar muttered, causing Zoro to chuckle a little as he patted the top of her head.

"What? Are they seriously calling this a competition?" Nami frowned. "They're a bunch of old geezers!" she huffed as she eyed the four seated on the pillars—all of them rather small and quite old compared to her and her crewmates.

"From our point of view, you're a bunch of snotty kids" Kerojii shot back.

"Snotty?! You've got some nerve!" Nami snarled. "You may be right, but what's with the attitude?" she glared.

"She's angry—the girl has a short temper and lacks maturity" Keroshot noted.

"Well excuse me for having a temper!" Nami snapped. "That's my personality and what's with the attitude?!" she growled, her temper only worsening.

"My, my, I'm quite tired" Kerodeek yawned. "Can I sleep?" he asked.

"Don't sleep! Are you serious about this?!" Nami shouted, clenching her fist.

"You're pretty arrogant about being a little younger than us" Keroko said.

"I think our definitions of "a little young" are totally different from one another" Skylar sweat dropped.

"I'm not a little younger! I'm way, way younger!" Nami snapped, holding her hands far apart from one another to emphasize her point.

"Now then, who among you will enter?" Baron asked.

"Me! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me!" Luffy excitedly rushed towards the stage. "Me—" he was cut off when Nami suddenly slammed her fist into the side of his face.

"Let me handle this!" she growled.

"Nami got fired up all of a sudden" Usopp remarked.

"I mean, I would too after being basically insulted" Skylar said.

"If Nami-swan is entering, maybe I should too" Sanji cooed. "Robin-chan, Skylar-chan, will you two be entering as well?" he asked.

"Give it a rest, would you?" Zoro scoffed as he wrapped a protective arm around Skylar's waist, pulling her into his side and away from the blond.

"I didn't invite you" Sanji growled, glaring at the swordsman.

"Who would accept an invitation from you?" Zoro sneered as he walked away, now dragging the brunette along with him.

"Why are you taking me with you? Maybe I want to participate" Skylar said, before gigging when the swordsman raised a questioning brow. "Okay, no I don't really want to—but still" she smiled.

"Half-wits are better off on the sidelines" Sanji snidely remarked, causing the swordsman to freeze.

"Oh boy…" Skylar muttered as Zoro released her and rushed back over to the blond, snatching the front of his shirt.

"Who do you think you're talking to?!" he snarled.

"Who else would I be talking to?!" Sanji snapped, pushing the swordsman's face away from his own.

"Calm down, guys! Stop! Stop! Stop!" Usopp desperately tried to prevent the two from fighting.

"There's no need to fight—besides, it wasn't that good of an insult" Skylar scolded as she placed her hands on her hips.

When the teams were finally decided, those who weren't participating were quickly swept away while the rest patiently waited for the ordeal to officially begin. At the sound of the match starting, four boats shot forward—passing through a tunnel and shooting out the other side to a cheering crowd.

"A city?" Nami questioned, looking around at the buildings as they sailed along the river that weaved through the entire city.

"Look over there! They can't keep up with us!" Usopp boasted as he peered back at Kerojii and Keroko's boat which was falling behind. However, it didn't take the old folks' boat long to gain speed and pull up beside the pirates. "Toss the ring, Nami!" he urged as the geezers moved their boat to the other side of them.

"I know" Nami nodded as she bent down and picked up a life preserver, raising it high as she prepared to bring it down. She soon flinched though, losing her balance when Kerojii and Keroko's boat suddenly shot forward, violently rocking her and Usopp's boat. "No way…" she muttered, grabbing the front of the boat to catch herself as she leaned forward.

"There, it's about time for us to attack" Kerojii said upon seeing the split in the river as the four boats broke away from one another—two taking one path and the other two taking the other.

Zoro sat in his boat, lightly grumbling to himself as he silently wished that Skylar had been the one to participate in the ordeal with him. He would prefer being alone with her in this boat than with his current partner. Boredly, he cast a glance over towards Keroshot and Kerodeek's boat.

"They're passing us" Keroshot noted.

"That's right" Kerodeek nodded as their boat continued to fall behind.

"What's with them?" Zoro asked, confused as to why the two were pulling back. "Yosh, we're ahead of them!" he informed the blond who was currently holding his head in despair. "Get the rings ready!" he instructed.

"There's something I can't figure out…" Sanji suddenly muttered.

"Huh?" Zoro questioned.

"Why am I stuck on a boat with a guy who waves sticks around all day instead of Nami-swan?" Sanji asked himself, confused how he ended up with the swordsman as his partner instead of the ginger.

"Huh?" Zoro cupped a hand to his ear, acting as if he didn't hear the blond. Despite his behavior, he couldn't disagree with the cook's disappointment—he too was irritated with how the teams had turned out. He had wanted Skylar to be the one to participate in the ordeal instead of one of the others. Sadly, she had refused.

"I just don't feel comfortable beating up a bunch of old kooks."

She had whispered to him, knowing better than to openly voice her remark lest she get a verbal lashing from the old geezers like Nami. He knew she wasn't being condescending with her words, unable to disagree with her sentiment as he cast another glance back. Compared to the old folks they've encountered before in their journey, nothing about these geezers screamed challenging with their tiny, wrinkly bodies. It was the only reason why Usopp had offered to participate in the ordeal alongside him, Sanji, and Nami.

"It's time to attack" Kerodeek said.

"Roger" Keroshot nodded as guns suddenly came out of the sides of their small boat. Soon, he was firing at Zoro and Sanji's boat—barely missing each time.

"Why him instead of Nami-swan?" Sanji asked once again, still wallowing in his misery.

-The Others-

"I wanted to play Ring Toss too" Luffy pouted, his voice echoing off the walls of the empty manor they had been brought to.

"I'm sure you can play in the next ordeal" Skylar hummed, giving his back a small pat before curiously looking around. She was quick to note just how luxurious the manor was, almost like a real resort…

She didn't like it.

"Let them handle it, we can rest in the meantime" Robin gently smiled.

"Right" Skylar nodded, stretching her arms upwards as she followed the older woman in hopes of finding a place to sit and rest. After that first ordeal and having to run around in the forest earlier, she was ready to just kick back and relax. Chopper wandered off soon after to explore, leaving Luffy by himself as he curiously peered up at the high ceiling in wonderment. He was too distracted by how fancy everything was to even notice Brief who watched him from the upper floors of the building. Luffy mindlessly raised his hand as he suddenly felt a small rock hit the back of his head.

Lowering his hand in confusion, he was soon struck by a slightly bigger rock which finally caused him to look around properly.

"What hit me?" he asked, looking up before quickly turning when an even larger rock from behind suddenly struck him. "What? What?" he confusedly frowned after he found nothing and no one there. "Who's there?!" he angrily snapped as another large rock hit his head, this one a little bigger than the last. "Where are you?

"Stop hiding and come out!" he demanded as he continued to look around. Finally, he spotted Brief on the upper floor above him who was currently struggling to lift a huge rock that was bigger than the last two. "There you are! Hold it!" he glared, running towards the staircase as Brief flinched and began bolting from side to side in a panic. "Hey, wait!

"I said hold it!" he frowned as he raced up the stairs—watching as the strange man finally bolted the other way while still carrying the large rock he had intended to throw. "Hey, stop!" he shouted.

-Nami and Usopp-

"We'll catch up and get back in the game!" Nami determinedly exclaimed.

"Back in the game" Usopp echoed, trying to match her energy.

"Prepare the attack" Keroko ordered, holding up a fan as a grill was brought out.

"Preparing to attack" Kerojii repeated.

"Commencing attack" Keroko stated as she cooked two fish on the grill, causing the smoke that came from it to drift back towards Nami and Usopp—blocking their view.

"I can't see where we're going!" Nami coughed as she covered her eyes.

"Dammit! I'm getting hungry" Usopp winced, tears pricking the corner of his eyes as he tried to shield them from the smoke while the smell of grilled fish filled his senses and made his stomach growl.

"Wrong idea!" Nami snapped.

"Here, meat! Here, meat! Here, meat!" Keroko exclaimed, placing piles of meat on a plate for Kerojii as Usopp and Nami's boat finally pulled up beside them.

"We can get out of the smoke if we pull ahead!" Nami huffed as she clutched one of the life preservers. "Old people shouldn't eat stuff like that!" she quickly snapped the minute she spotted the pile of meat that the two geezers were eating.

"And you two get this!" Keroko chirped, an evil glint in her eyes as she grabbed one of the hot coals from the grill and flung it at the two pirates.

"What was that?" Nami flinched, dodging the piece of coal and letting it land in the boat. Soon, more pieces of coal were flung at her and Usopp. Quickly, the two tried to dodge them before panicking as a blanket on the boat suddenly caught fire as soon as one of the hot coals landed on it.

-Chopper, Robin, and Skylar -

"Are you all comfortable?" Baron asked as Chopper munched on a piece of fruit, watching the chefs behind the buffet in awe as they worked. "Please enjoy yourselves to your heart's content until the match is over!"

"Thank you" Robin smiled as she looked up from her book.

"Hm…" Skylar only gave the man a blank stare, her gaze focused on the flower on his shoulder. She soon shivered when the plant suddenly looked back at her and the archeologist with an innocent smile—its beady eyes practically burrowing into her soul. "There's something seriously wrong with that flower…" she muttered as she hesitantly laid down in her chair, stretching her body out.

"Why do you say that?" Robin asked as she returned to her book, curiously peeking at the brunette when she only received silence as an answer. Skylar dully stared up at the ceiling—lost in thought as her mind began to debate whether she was crazy to think ill of such an adorable plant or not. So far, it hadn't done anything other than squeak out simple words that did little to help show the full extent of its intelligence. She knew better than to question her own gut…

But…

"Something's just…never mind…" she shook her head, thinking it best not to voice what was on her mind—especially if the older woman didn't sense that anything was wrong herself. Turning onto her side, she smiled at her nakama before directing her attention towards Muchigoro as he brought over a tray of various drinks.

"Oh, how very kind of you" Robin said, giving the strange-looking man a thankful smile.

"I lost the last match, I'll do anything you wish" Muchigoro told the two women as he got on one knee and held the tray of drinks out towards them. Robin gratefully took one while Skylar only shook her head, showing no interest in what appeared to be mostly alcoholic drinks.

"Is that so?" Skylar raised a curious brow.

"Then let's have a toast" Robin suggested.

"I'm on duty" Muchigoro told her, turning down her offer.

"Oh? I thought you said you would do anything I wished?" Robin tilted her head, causing Skylar to look at her with a questioning gleam in her eye.

"As you wish" Muchigoro sighed in defeat.

"A toast to this slightly odd resort" Robin smiled as she raised her glass.

"Cheers" Muchigoro said, raising a glass of his own as the two clinked their cups together.

"It's strange…" Chopper muttered as he continued munching on the fruit in his hoofs. "This may be a resort, but there's no one here except us" he remarked, confused why such a luxurious mansion was so empty.

Weren't resorts usually packed full?

Though he was capable of human speech and intelligence, he didn't always understand human culture fully outside of the medical field. Perhaps it was normal for some resorts to only have a limited number of guests from time to time. Despite telling himself this…he couldn't help but think that wasn't quite right.

"Mr. Doctor?" Robin questioned the second she spotted the reindeer suddenly wandering away.

"Chopper, where are you going?" Skylar curiously asked as she turned her head.

"I'm going to explore a bit, I'll be right back" Chopper told the two.

"Okay…but be careful and try not to go too far" Skylar nodded, hesitant to let the doctor go yet didn't stop him. Though he was a cutie and his behavior made him appear a lot younger than he really was, she knew he was responsible enough to take care of himself…

At least she hoped.

-Luffy-

Luffy continued to chase after Brief, the two of them practically running circles around one another as they weaved in and out of rooms. Sometimes, they'd run around tables and up various staircases—slipping in and out of every nook and cranny of the resort during their impromptu game of cat and mouse. Finally, though, their chase eventually came to a halt in a room with a circular pool in the middle.

"What the hell are you doing?" Luffy frowned.

"I am happy that you could join me" Brief chuckled.

"Huh?" Luffy tilted his head.

"I braved many dangers to reach this mansion and make you a wonderful proposal" Brief grinned.

"Many dangers?" Luffy frowned in confusion.

"Allow me to introduce myself—I am the captain of the Toothbrush Mustache Pirates, Brief" Brief introduced. "I'm a brave man who has organized a resistance movement against Baron Omatsuri's tyranny!" he boldly proclaimed.

"Huh?" Luffy blinked. "You've got snot hanging off your nose" he suddenly realized.

"This is a toothbrush mustache!" Brief snapped as he pointed at his facial hair. "It's proof that I'm part of the Toothbrush Mustache Pirates!" he angrily huffed. "By the way, we have a special greeting among our nakama—watch this" immediately, he placed his finger underneath his nose. "Mustache!" he saluted as Luffy blankly stared at him. "Well?

"Cool, huh? You try it too" he eagerly urged before repeating the action…only to frown soon after and do it once more when he saw that the teen wasn't moving. "What's wrong? You do it like this!" he frowned, once again repeating the motion.

"What's your proposal?" Luffy asked.

"Oh, that's right" Brief said, remembering why he wanted to speak with the rubber man in first place. "You have seven nakama, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's right."

"They are wonderful nakama."

"Naturally."

"Their teamwork is perfect."

"That's nothing."

"That's the thing, listen to me" Brief said, suddenly becoming very serious. "Will you be my nakama? Will you join the Toothbrush Mustache Pirates?" he asked, taking the other captain aback. "Oi! Did you hear me?" he frowned when all he received as a response was a blank stare.

"I'll say it again, will you all join the Toothbrush Mus—" he flinched as Luffy's arm suddenly shot towards him, grabbing the front of his shirt and dragging him across the pool. "Please! No violence!" he pleaded, frightened that he was about to be hurt.

"No" Luffy simply said, bringing the man's face as close as he could to his own. "Why would we want to be your nakama?" he asked, not bothered by how cruel his words almost sounded.

"Everyone has that attitude at first, but if you stay on this island, you'll change your mind before long" Brief frowned. "Let me give you a piece of advice—beware of Baron Omatsuri, he separates nakama" he ominously warned.

-Chopper-

Chopper wandered around the deserted city, tightly clutching onto the piece of fruit he was munching on as he desperately tried to find any sign of life. Surely a city this big had to have other people…

Right?

It wasn't long before he finally came across a cemetery that felt as if it was filled with hundreds upon hundreds of gravestones that stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Flowers?" he questioned, taking note of the healthy-looking flowers that were laid on top of the graves. He soon tensed though, his ears twitching at the sound of nearing footsteps. Slowly, he turned around—eyes wide and jaw-dropping as he fearfully screamed upon seeing the strange man behind him who had been reaching towards him.

"Who are you?!" Papa screamed.

"Who are you?!" Chopper shouted as the two slowly settled down once they realized the other wasn't much of a threat.

"Me?" Papa questioned before suddenly snatching up Chopper and hiding behind one of the tombstones.

"Hey! Let me go!" the reindeer started to struggle.

"You accursed minion of Baron Omatsuri! How dare you do this to us—surrender!" Papa suddenly demanded, his demeanor quickly changing from before. "Take this and this and this!" he shouted, acting as if he was beating on the doctor. "Well? Will you say uncle, you vile otter Merman?" he mocked. "Take this and this and this!"

"I'm not an otter!" Chopper angrily snapped, growing big as he finally snatched up the front of the strange man's jacket.

"Please don't hit me!" Papa pathetically pleaded.

"Papa?" Daisy questioned, peeking out from behind a nearby tombstone alongside her older sister and brother.

"Papa?" Chopper questioned.

"Stay back! Papa won't lose!" Papa boldly proclaimed as he pushed Chopper back down behind the tombstone. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" he hurriedly whispered, clasping his hands together and shutting his eyes tightly. "I won't do it again, please forgive me!" he pleaded.

"Who are you?" Chopper asked. "I'm not one of Baron Omatsuri's minions" he quickly added, correcting the man on his misassumption from earlier.

"Then does that mean you're a pirate?" Papa asked as the children curiously peered at the tombstone their father and Chopper had hidden behind. Quietly, they tried to eavesdrop on the two's conversation. "What a coincidence, we're pirates too. Our family—Tearoom Pirates—are pretty obscured as far as pirates go" he confessed, not ashamed to admit that he and his tiny family weren't as popular as most pirates on the Grand Line. "Oh, the kids behind me are my daughters and son—cute ain't they?" he happily asked, smiling.

"They all try to be good kids—we heard this island was a resort, so we came here to have a picnic" he explained. "But it was all a lie, there was no way we could catch that huge goldfish…" he sadly finished, recalling the first ordeal he and his family had endured after arriving at the island. He had been confident at first when he accepted Baron's silly game, but after seeing that Sea King, he knew there was no way they ever could have won.

"And then?" Chopper tilted his head, motioning for the man to continue.

"We ran away," Papa confessed, "but the kids still believe their Papa is strong, and since you seem like a reasonable person, I need to ask a favor of you" he said as Chopper leaned in closer. "Would you let me beat you up in front of my kids?" he suddenly asked, causing the reindeer to look at him in shock. "You just have to pretend" he quickly added, assuring the doctor that he wouldn't actually beat him up.

"But…" Chopper trailed off, looking hesitant.

"Please! In return, I'll tell you all of this island's secrets!" Papa begged.

"Secrets?" Chopper tilted his head, his interest now piqued.

"Yes, secrets" Papa nodded. "You just have to pretend—pretend" he reassured the reindeer when he saw that the animal still looked hesitant to agree. "Hey! Give yourself up!" he suddenly demanded as Chopper shakily clutched his hat.

"Please! Don't hurt me!" the reindeer whimpered, the two briefly looking over at the children to see if they were convinced by their acting.

"Hey!" Papa snapped in fake anger.

"I surrender!" Chopper cried, clutching his hat close to his head once more.

"Papa, you're strong! Strong!" Daisy cheered as she happily repeated the word "strong" over and over.

"That's right! Papa's strong, isn't he?" Papa grinned.

"This is pretty fishy…" Roza mumbled, crossing her arms as she stared at the man with suspicion. "I have a feeling this is a big fat lie" she glared.

"What are you saying? As if it could be a lie!" Papa argued.

"Listen well, you can't trust this guy" Roza told her little siblings.

"How dare you talk to your father that way!" Papa snapped.

"Shut up, old man!" Roza moodily snapped right back.

"How dare you call me an old man" Papa fumed. "Call me Papa."

"Dumbass!" the blonde sneered, her temper flaring as she turned away from her father.

"How dare you call me a dumbass!"

-Zoro and Sanji-

"Yosh, we caught up" Zoro remarked as his and Sanji's boat finally pulled up beside Keroshot and Kerodeek's after having been surpassed by the two at some point earlier in the ordeal. "What the hell is that?" he frowned as mechanical arms suddenly took hold of a life preserver and tried to put it around him. Becoming irritated after dodging for a while, he soon sliced the mechanical arms and the life preserver into pieces. "Now it's my turn" he grinned before looking towards Sanji who was seated by the boat's motor. "Oi, get closer!" he instructed.

"Shut up! I know!" Sanji snapped as he moved the boat closer to the other one while Zoro held one of their life preservers up.

"Got them" he grinned, certain they had the win.

"Damn" Keroshot cursed before shooting at Zoro as Kerodeek moved their boat away from the two. Quickly, Zoro bent and twisted his body around in an attempt to dodge the bullets that were shot at him.

"Dodge the bullets!" he snapped at the blond.

"How am I supposed to do that?!" Sanji snapped right back, once again pulling closer to the geezers' ship.

"Oi! Wait! Wait!" Zoro grounded before having to quickly dodge more bullets as Sanji hurriedly pulled back. Quickly, the swordsman hopped onto some nearby ships and ran across them while trying to keep himself from being mowed down by the bullets being shot at him. Hopping up onto a bridge that blocked his way, he eventually jumped back onto his and Sanji's boat.

"I told you to dodge the bullets!" he growled, frustrated with the other man for not listening.

"I told you to dodge them yourself!" Sanji sneered right back, having no interest in actually helping the swordsman. He quit caring about the game as soon as he was forced to team up with the other man.

"He's good" Keroshot remarked.

"He's good" Kerodeek echoed.

"Got you" Zoro said the second the boat pulled back up beside the old men as he raised his life preserver and leaned forward. "Shit!" he cursed as the two quickly moved away and left him there to try and keep his balance before he fell overboard. "What?" he blinked before groaning as he suddenly hit a wall after Sanji decided to take a different path from the two geezers. "Watch where you're going, you idiot!" he snarled.

"Why don't you do it yourself?!" Sanji glared.

"That's what I'm doing—I'm looking straight ahead!" Zoro argued as he glared back at the blond.

"You're facing the wrong way, you green-tea head!" Sanji insulted.

"Green-tea head?!" Zoro frowned as they rejoined with Keroshot and Kerodeek's boat, now following it close from behind. "Damn you…shit! You…you question!" he finally exclaimed, shouting out the first insult that came to mind.

"Question? That doesn't make any sense!" Sanji snapped.

"It's your eyebrow" Zoro shot back, trying to save face. "Are you trying to ask me something, Question?!" he asked as their boat grew closer to the opponents without either of them realizing. Noticing this, Keroshot held up his life preserver—prepared to take advantage of the fact that the two were now distracted by their arguing.

-Nami and Usopp-

"Hot!" Nami jumped around as she and Usopp's boat became nearly engulfed in flames.

"The hotter the coals, the more delicious the food will be in your mouth" Kerojii happily remarked.

"Usopp, do something! Don't you have any ideas?!" Nami frantically asked.

"I would like to help, but putting out this fire seems too great of a task" Usopp argued as he turned away from the ginger.

"Are you imitating him instead of thinking of a plan?!" the ginger snapped once she realized what the sniper was doing. "You're trying my patience!" she sneered

"A good idea!" Usopp suddenly exclaimed.

"A good idea?" Nami echoed, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Is hard to think of—I'm drawing a blank" Usopp confessed.

"You useless lump!" Nami snapped as she threw a golden box at the long-nosed man who perked up the minute it hit the ground and he saw that it was a rescue box.

"A rescue box?" he tilted his head.

"What's this—there's another one?" Nami pointed out as she picked up another golden box that was lying on the ground.

"Those boxes have things to help when you're in trouble!" Keroko explained.

"Hey! Shh, shh!" Kerodeek shushed as he covered the old woman's mouth.

"Oh, I get it! There's something we can use to our advantage!" Nami laughed. "What's inside? What will I get?" she happily sang as she unclasped the box and opened its lid. Keroshot and Kerodeek's boat fell back as the two watched the young lady pull out a couple of cups.

"You get handmade cups!" Keroko chirped.

"How am I supposed to use these?" Nami irritably asked. "They must be for this!" she suddenly concluded as she started to scoop water up and throw it onto the boat in an attempt to put out the still-raging fire.

"Okay, what's in this one?" Usopp curiously asked, looking down at the rescue box in his lap. Opening it, the box suddenly wrapped itself around his torso and sprouted wings. "What? What's this?!" he panicked as the front of the box fell off and he was suddenly shot into the air.

"Usopp?!" Nami questioned, watching as the struggling pirate was lifted into the air. "Hey, where are you going, Usopp?" she asked as he got further away. "No way…" she muttered in disbelief.

"He ran away! He ran away and left you alone!" Keroko mocked. "Kero! Kero! Kero!" she laughed.

"His nakama's worth does not compare to his own—he is above you" Kerojii coldly claimed. "Tough break, kid" he almost sounded sympathetic as Nami stared wide-eyed at the sky, her jaw hanging open in baffled silence.

"Kero! Kero! Kero!" Keroko continued laughing as if amused by the ginger's hurt look.

"Yosha!" Usopp excitedly laughed as he flew, now gaining control over the strange contraption wrapped around him. "This is awesome!" he pushed his goggles down to protect his eyes from the harsh winds as he drank in the beautiful scenery around him. However, he soon blinked when he suddenly noticed something…odd…poking out of the top of the island's mountain.

-Robin and Skylar-

"A flower?" Muchigoro questioned, cheeks tinged pink as a bit of drool leaked from the corner of his mouth in his drunken state.

"Yes, a flower" Robin nodded, curiously casting a small glance at the brunette who was passed out asleep in her chair. Her breathing was soft as her jacket lay atop her like a makeshift blanket. Currently, she was turned onto her side, allowing Muchigoro to sit on the edge of her chair without waking her. It was strange how easily the brunette could make herself appear so small and insignificant, her body practically taking up no room as she curled into herself. It almost looked as if she was purposefully trying to make herself disappear within her own jacket as she silently snoozed.

"I don't know any flower that grows only on this island—besides, I'm so drunk that I need to take a nap" Muchigoro yawned, his eyes starting to droop.

"Please try to remember instead of avoiding the question" Robin said, sprouting arms on the man's back and pulling his eyelids open so he wouldn't fall asleep.

"I-I think…" Muchigoro hummed in thought.

"Think what?" Robin urged.

"The Lily Carnation…" Muchigoro suddenly muttered before trailing off in thought.

"Lily? What is that?" Robin curiously asked as Skylar shifted around, her body twitching as her leg suddenly jerked and accidentally kicked Muchigoro in the back, causing him to jolt and wake up a bit.

"It grows at the highest point on the island…" he murmured, face slowly turning green as he suddenly felt the urge to vomit. Quickly, Robin sprouted more arms—placing them over the man's mouth to keep him from vomiting all over either her or the sleeping woman behind him. "Excuse me!" he eventually choked, hurriedly scampering away and unintentionally waking Skylar in the process.

"What? What did I miss?" she sleepily asked, cutely rubbing her eye as she sat up with a yawn. Her hair was a frizzy mess as she blearily looked around in confusion. "Is the ordeal over?" she asked, her gaze instantly seeking Zoro.

"The Lily Carnation…" Robin muttered to herself, too lost in thought to answer the brunette. "Hm?" she hummed the moment she turned her head and saw the confused and curious look on the teen's face as she raised a questioning brow.

"Lily Carnation? What's that?" she asked, shifting around in her seat to face the older woman who immediately started to inform her of what she had discovered from Muchigoro during their little talk.

-Zoro and Sanji-

"Hey, jerk!" Kerodeek shouted.

"Wait!" Keroshot called out as Zoro and Sanji suddenly passed by them.

"You've really pissed me off this time" Sanji growled as he ignored the old men. "I've had enough of your attitude, you green-tea freak!" he sneered.

"That's my line, Question!" Zoro growled as he grabbed for his swords.

"Hey!" Kerodeek snapped as he realized he was being ignored.

"Don't ignore us!" Keroshot scowled, multiple guns appearing on the old geezers' boat as they shot warning shots at the two men. "I bet that scared you, you little brat!" he cockily grinned.

"Shut up!" Zoro snapped, angrily cutting the geezer's boat to pieces. "Sorry for making you wait" he apologized as he turned back to the blond.

"Yeah" Sanji nodded.

"I'm sorry, I let him break it" Keroshot apologized.

"It's alright" Kerodeek assured his dear friend before he started to fix the broken boat. "Repairs are complete—power up!" he proclaimed once he finished giving the boat a new design as they quickly pulled back up next to Sanji and Zoro.

"Shut up!" Sanji growled, kicking their boat back and damaging it once more. "Yosh, let's finish this" he glared as he turned to Zoro.

"Yeah" the swordsman nodded.

"Not again..." Kerodeek groaned as he went back to repairing the boat, redesigning it once again. But this time, he added a drill to the front and jets so it could hover in the air. Catching back up to Zoro and Sanji once more, the revamped boat practically destroyed everything in its path.

"Shut the hell up!" Sanji and Zoro shouted, slashing and kicking at the two old men as they destroyed their boat beyond repair this time.

"Yosh, that takes care of them" Sanji huffed.

"Let's do this again" Zoro said, ready to engage the blond once more.

"You two idiots! Over there!" Nami suddenly snapped, catching their attention as they finally noticed the ginger dangling from a nearby street lamp. Ropes were tightly tied around her as life preservers wrapped themselves around her body, practically restricting her movements saved for her flailing legs.

"Nami-swan!" Sanji swooned.

"Hurry up and ring them!" Nami growled, wanting this stupid game to end. She was luckily able to get at least one of the geezers out before she had been caught herself, now it was up to them to finish this.

"Oh, that's right" Sanji said as he threw two life preservers towards two of the old people who were still in the game, hitting his targets perfectly and trapping them within the life preservers. "Nami-swan, sorry for making you wait!" he lovingly cooed up at the woman as his and Zoro's boat came to a complete stop right underneath her.

"Get me down!" Nami shouted. However, before Sanji could attempt to do anything, he and Zoro quickly jumped out of the way as pieces of paper were suddenly thrown at them. They watched as the paper embedded themselves into the wood of their boat after missing their targets.

"You" Zoro narrowed his eyes.

"I shall warn you once, your elders may surprise you—do not drop your guard, I am Kerojii" Kerojii said as he jumped onto Zoro and Sanji's boat. Zoro was the first to react, slashing at the old man only to have him jump out of the way at the last minute. Next, Sanji tried to kick at him…only for him to once again jump out of the way. Attempting to kick him again, the blond nearly kicked Zoro in the face instead as the old man once again dodged. Quickly, the swordsman leaned back and avoided the foot.

"You almost kicked me!" he snapped. "Shit!" he cursed, drawing his swords after the old man hopped off his head and onto Sanji's. Carelessly and without thought, he slashed his sword at the old kook who in return jumped out of the way as Sanji quickly ducked to avoid getting decapitated.

"You're the one almost killing people!" the blond sneered.

"Kerojii! Nice!" Keroko cheered.

"It's your fault for being in the way!" Zoro argued as he harshly pushed the blond aside. "Move aside!" he sneered.

"No, you move!" Sanji growled as he pushed the swordsman right back.

"No, you!" Zoro snarled, once again pushing Sanji.

"I don't care who does it, just get him!" Nami snapped before blinking as Kerojii suddenly jumped onto her head, causing the two bickering men to lunge at her right as he jumped away. Luckily, Zoro only cut the rope that was keeping her suspended in the air. Quickly, Sanji grabbed hold of a line of lanterns while Zoro grabbed onto a nearby railing before either of them could fall into the water. "You almost hit me!" the ginger angrily cried after she hit the water. "Guys!" she soon shouted as Keroji landed on a nearby boat.

"I told you to stay out of my way!" Sanji growled as he grabbed the front of Zoro's shirt.

"What?" Zoro snarled, grabbing the blonde's shirt in return.

"Guys, above you!" Nami cried.

"Were the rabbit to die, the fox would be lonely and deeply distraught" Kerojii poetically quoted as he fell towards the bickering men, holding a life preserver in each hand with the intent of capturing them both. Thinking quickly, Zoro pushed away from Sanji—letting the blond take the hit as one of the life preservers landed on him.

"That was close…" he sighed in relief when he saw he had gotten out of the way in time.

"What this?" Sanji frowned as the life preserver wrapped itself around him like a snake.

"Oh, I missed one" Kerojii noticed.

"Oi! No, you didn't—he pushed me!" Sanji growled, not liking the implication that it was his fault he had gotten caught.

"Making excuses—that's pathetic" Zoro scoffed as he pushed the blond aside. "I can take this guy myself!" he sneered.

"Skylar's not here, there's no need to show off!" Nami snapped, not understanding why the swordsman was being so standoffish. It didn't matter who finished this, yet he was treating this stupid game way too seriously as if he needed to prove something.

"Even when the two of you couldn't?" Kerojii tilted his head.

"I can fight better without someone holding me back" Zoro stated.

"Holding you back?!" Sanji snapped, slowly becoming more and more frustrated with the swordsman as he attempted to kick him. "I don't understand what Skylar-chan even sees in an asshole like you!" he growled, not understanding how someone so sweet could fall for such an annoying prick like the swordsman.

"Hey, how long are you going to keep fighting?" Nami scowled. "If you don't pull it together—"

"Kerojii is strong" Kerodeek suddenly remarked, interrupting the ginger.

"He's been playing this game for decades" Keroko nodded in agreement.

"Could you all just act your age?!" Nami snapped.

"Kero! Kero! Kero! Kero!" Keroshot, Kerodeek, and Keroko laughed.

"What's with these old geezers?" Nami muttered, creeped out.

-Chopper-

"Pirates?" Chopper tilted his head.

"That's right, Baron Omatsuri and his men used to be a pirate crew" Papa nodded.

"Oh, you're right" Chopper said as he looked at the old and worn-out wanted poster the man had given him. "They really were pirates."

"I found this while wandering around the island" Papa explained. "A paradise like Omatsuri Island could never exist—this is a pirate's island" he frowned.

"But…why is a pirate drawing other pirates to him?" Chopper frowned. "A pirate gathers pirates, makes them undertake ordeals, singles out the strongest ones…why's he doing that?" he asked.

"Good question—I thought it was pretty strange too" Papa nodded.

"You don't know?!" Chopper shouted.

"I'm sorry!" the man quickly apologized.

"Anyway, I have to tell the others…huh?" Chopper owlishly blinked as he now took a closer look at the wanted poster in his hoofs. "Now that I look at it, there's something strange about this wanted poster..." he muttered.

-Zoro, Sanji, and Nami-

"Well, young'un, what happened to all that energy?" Kerojii mockingly asked, noting how Zoro was starting to look a bit tired.

"Shut up!" the swordsman snapped. "Just wait, I'm about to cut you to pieces!" he growled as he placed one sword in his mouth and drew the other two.

"Santouryuu, eh?" Kerojii questioned.

"Oni—" Zoro stopped, dropping the sword in his mouth and stumbling backward when a shoe suddenly struck his jaw.

"The foes are vanquished—the contest has now ended! Victory is ours!" Kerojii proclaimed as he jumped towards the swordsman with a life preserver, causing Zoro's eyes to widen.

"Wait right there! Aren't you forgetting someone?" Usopp asked as he suddenly swooped down from the sky. "Usopp Pound!" he smashed a giant hammer over the old man's head, causing him to fall back into the water as a life preserver was tossed after him. "Did you see that? That was Usopp's midair attack!" he proudly stated as Zoro flopped down, a nasty scowl on his face as a life preserver dangled halfway off him.

"You guys really suck!" he half-heartedly laughed, teasing his crewmates as Nami climbed aboard the boat once the life preservers around her fell away. "Yo, Nami! I'm glad you—that hurt!" he snapped as the ginger suddenly slapped him across the face without warning. "What was that for?!"

"For backstabbing me earlier!" she growled.

"Backstabbing?" Usopp frowned, confused. "What are you talking about? That's your specialty, ain't it?" he asked, unintentionally enraging the young woman further as she slapped him once again.

"You better remember what you did back there" Sanji glared after he and Zoro got their life preservers off.

"You say something?" Zoro asked before drawing back as Sanji suddenly grabbed the front of his shirt.

"I told you to remember it" he growled, tone dead serious to an unnerving degree.

"Guys…what the hell happened?" Usopp asked, worriedly looking at the three who were now acting rather distant and moodily with one another. "Don't laugh when you just lost!" he snapped when the four old people in the water suddenly started to laugh.

"Look, they're setting off fireworks to celebrate your victory!" Keroko pointed as fireworks suddenly lit up the sky.

"Flowers in the sky, blooming in passing triumph, ephemeral light" Kerojii poetically hummed.

-Chopper-

"I've got it! Take a good look!" Chopper gasped once he finally realized what was off about the poster in his hoofs. "The Baron is the only one on the poster who looks younger!" he pointed out.

"Oh, you're right…but what does that mean?" Papa asked, not quite understanding what the reindeer was getting at.

"Well…I think…" Chopper frowned in deep thought before flinching when Daisy turned around and suddenly screamed. At a distance, a strange and hidden figure pulled back an arrow, taking careful aim as they aligned their shot just right. Desperately, Daisy clung to her older sister as the others hurriedly turned around to see what had frightened the little girl. Chopper's eyes widened in horror as the figure released the arrow, causing it to pierce his chest right as the fireworks went off in celebration of the current ordeal's end. Daisy frightfully screamed once more as her sister desperately tried to cover her eyes and shield her from the gruesome sight.

Calmly, the mysterious figure stepped out from his hiding spot. Fearfully, the family of pirates trembled as they stared up at Baron's cold gaze.

-The Others-

"You want to know if I saw anything from the sky?" Usopp asked.

"Yes, perhaps a flower?" Robin questioned.

"A flower?" Usopp tilted his head. "A flower…hmmm…come to think of it—"

"Come to think of it, where did Chopper go?" Zoro interrupted as Skylar leaned over, curiously staring at her own reflection in the pool.

"Hm?" she perked up upon hearing his question. "Is he still not back…?" she muttered, standing up and fixing the small bow on the front of her black and white dress as she looked around. Slowly, she started to grow worried as she finally realized just how late it was starting to get.

"Oh, he told Robin and Skylar he'd be back soon, so he should be back soon" Usopp answered, recalling what the two women had told him when he had first asked them earlier after arriving at the mansion.

"Oi, does anyone know where Chopper is?" Sanji asked, ignoring the sniper as he repeated the swordsman's question.

"I just said he'd be back soon!" Usopp snapped, displeased that the blond had ignored him.

"Ah? Where's Chopper?" Nami asked, looking around.

"Usopp just…said…" Skylar trailed off, furrowing her brows in confusion as she looked around at everyone. It was like listening to a broken record as they basically repeated themselves, echoing off one another as if the others didn't exist.

"I said—"

"Nobody asked you!" Nami snippily snapped the second the sharpshooter opened his mouth.

"Oi! Nami, how long are you going to stay mad?" Usopp frowned. Skylar felt confused, finally noticing just how tense the air around Zoro, Sanji, and Nami was as they strangely kept their distances from one another. Usopp was the only participant who came back from the ordeal still the same as he had entered as he now tried to desperately get the ginger to talk to him. She hadn't thought much of it at first when the others arrived since they went their separate ways to get ready for that night's celebratory dinner, but now that they were forced to be in the same vicinity as one another, she could feel just how thick the aggression between them actually was.

"What…what exactly happened during that ordeal?" she slowly asked, patiently waiting for an answer…only to be met with silence. Turning her head, she looked at Zoro with questioning eyes.

"Please do something, Mr. Captain" Robin said. "They've been like this for hours" she remarked, growing rather tired of watching the four basically pout as they ignored each other.

"Zoro…" Skylar quietly muttered, placing a gentle hand on his arm as she looked up at him. Although the heels she wore—much to her dismay—made her a little taller, she still wasn't as tall as him.

"Don't worry about it…" Zoro grumbled, wrapping an arm around her as he pulled her close and rested his head on her shoulder. Instantly, he relaxed just a little, loving how soft and warm she felt against him as he nearly buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"Okay…" she mumbled, one hand raising to stroke his hair as she furrowed her brow. Unsure if she should trust him or not when it came to his and everyone's strange behavior. Soon, she and everyone else perked up to the sudden sound of drums.

"Why are you arguing? I thought your pirate crew got along well" Baron remarked, almost sounding mocking as he eyed the group.

"Eh, spare us the wisecracks" Sanji frowned.

"As you wish" Baron chuckled, amused. "I will now entertain you all with a private dinner party" he informed the crew as more drummers appeared, increasing the pounding sound they were hearing.

"A dinner party?" Nami questioned.

"W-what? What?" everyone blinked as a giant iron griddle suddenly rose out of the pool, Kotetsu standing in the middle of it.

"I present to you the outdoor iron griddle restaurant!" Baron proclaimed as the griddle became surrounded by flames, causing some of the Straw Hats to take a step back to avoid getting burned.

"A performance, eh?" Sanji hummed.

"He's spreading oil" Nami pointed as the Kotetsu started to skate around the griddle, coating it in oil in preparation to start cooking.

"Nothing special about that" Sanji shrugged as fish, lobster, various meats, and vegetables were thrown onto the griddle. Quickly, Kotetsu chopped them before gathering them up.

"He's fast!" Usopp awed.

"Nothing special there either…" Sanji grumbled, pulling out his lighter to light the cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Looks yummy" Luffy drooled, licking his lips as Kotetsu rapidly flipped the food so it wouldn't burn.

"Quite the show off" Skylar chuckled as Sanji clenched his jaw, his captain's words bouncing around in his head and causing his blood to boil.

"Huh?" Kotetsu frowned as he lifted his head. "Kid, you're in the way! Get lost!" he snapped as Sanji got on top of the griddle, pulling his sleeves up like he did whenever he was getting ready to cook.

"Luffy, I'm about to make you a shitty meal 100 times better than what this fatass is making" he growled.

"Oh?" Skylar raised an amused brow, giggling a little at how the blond childishly seemed to get jealous over their captain being excited to eat someone else's food—it was rather cute if she was honest.

"I don't have any ingredients for you to use!" Kotetsu snapped.

"Then I'll just…take yours!" Sanji skated forward towards the food piled up in the middle of the griddle as the drums began to start up again. Quickly, Kotetsu skated towards the food as well as he and the blond hurriedly grabbed as much of it as they could before it was all taken.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Luffy cheered, not caring either way who cooked the food as long as it got done.

"Yeah, yeah" Zoro lazily yawned as he flopped down onto one of the pool lounges.

"So enthusiastic, you could put the captain to shame" Skylar deadpanned, causing the swordsman to snort as he watched her plop down on the edge of the chair. For a moment, he was captivated by the way her eyes glistened like snowflakes as they reflected the glowing flames that lit up the area while she watched the men cook in fascination. She always liked watching Sanji cook, amazed by how talented he was in the kitchen to an almost unreal degree.

"Miss, where are you going?" Baron curiously asked when he noticed Robin wandering away from the others.

"I'm getting some fresh air before I eat" Robin told him.

"In the middle of the banquet?" Baron raised an eyebrow.

"I thought that a flower would complement the décor" Robin said.

"Is the specimen on my shoulder not to your liking?" Baron frowned, almost sounding offended.

"The Lily Carnation" Robin suddenly said.

"Prithee, of what do you speak?" Baron asked, feigning ignorance.

"The kind goldfish keeper told me about it—a species which grows nowhere else in the world, a magnificent flower" Robin calmly explained, turning and walking away as she chuckled.

"Sanji-kun! Lookin' good!" Nami cheered as she watched Kotetsu and the blond cook, both clearly taking this impromptu competition of theirs seriously. "Do your best!"

"Keep it up, Sanji!" Usopp soon joined as he ran up beside Nami and began cheering with her. "Go! Go!" he chanted before his voice died down when the ginger crossed her arms and huffed, walking away from him.

"Sanji-kun!" Nami continued to cheer once she was far enough away.

"Go! Go!" Usopp cheered alongside her once again as he quickly ran over before deflating when she suddenly took off running towards the table Muchigoro was seated at—sitting down next to him even after he showed signs that he didn't want her to. "What's wrong with Nami?" he mumbled to himself as he dejectedly walked away from the cooking competition, his appetite now lost. "Geez! There was nothing to get so angry over!" he huffed before angrily kicking at a turtle shell that was lying in the middle of his path.

"What did I do anyway? Dammit!" he angrily shouted. "Ouch!" he soon howled, grabbing his now aching foot as he finally registered just how oddly heavy the shell he had just kicked was. Jumping around, he didn't notice as DJ Gappa popped out of his shell.

"Good evening 'pu" DJ Gappa greeted the second he spotted the sniper.

"Who's this guy?" Usopp curiously asked himself.

"Your hat is cool 'pu" DJ Gappa remarked before holding his hand out. "Give it to me 'pu" he casually demanded.

"Huh?" Usopp tilted his head.

"Give me your hat 'pu" DJ Gappa repeated, motioning towards his outstretched hand.

"Why should I give you my hat?" Usopp frowned.

"Don't be so selfish! Give it 'pu!" DJ Gappa childishly demanded, now growing impatient.

"Get real!" Usopp snapped.

"Give me 'pu!" DJ Gappa huffed.

"Wait, what's with all the pu's?" Usopp suddenly asked, now realizing how strange the boy's speech sounded.

"Oh, you just made fun of me" DJ Gappa suddenly frowned.

"No! No, I didn't mean to make fun of you!" Usopp quickly defended.

"You're making fun of me! You're making fun of me 'pu!" DJ Gappa angrily shouted.

"Another pu…" Usopp mumbled.

"Ah! You made fun of me again 'pu!" DJ Gappa snapped. "You made fun of me 'pu!" he childishly stomped his feet.

"Aren't you overreacting a bit?" Usopp frowned, now wondering just how old the kid was.

"I won't forgive you 'pu" DJ Gappa angrily seethed.

"Why's that?" Usopp curiously asked.

"I won't forgive you 'pu" DJ Gappa repeated as his eyes suddenly took on a reddish glow.

Back at the poolside, the cooking competition was still going strong as the two men competing worked on completely different dishes. No one in the vicinity took note of the missing people as they either did their own thing or watched the competing cooks.

"Oyster sauce" Kotetsu happily hummed as he added some oyster sauce to his noodles. "Seaweed flakes with a dash of red pickled ginger…" he muttered as he added the spices. "My Omatsuri Island yakisoba will be complete! Bon appetite!" he grinned…only for it to quickly drop when Sanji suddenly twirled his noodles onto a pair of chopsticks. "W-what are you doing?" he sputtered.

"Thanks for the ingredients!" Sanji grinned as he tossed the noodles into the air.

"W-what?" Kotetsu gaped, watching as the blond flipped the pancake he had made into the air right as the noodles landed back onto the griddle with the pancake soon following after and landing on top of them.

"Super-thick sauce" Sanji said as he started to garnish the pancake. "A layer of mayonnaise and veil-like bonito flakes dancing in the air—my modanyaki is complete! That's how it's done!" he grinned as Luffy cheered.

"Im…Impossible" Kotetsu muttered, falling to his knees before screaming as the griddle burned his flesh. "H-h-hot!" he cried.

"Robin-chan, did you see?" Sanji eagerly asked. "I have proven my mastery—she's gone" he realized when he saw that only his captain was cheering for him. "Skylar-chan…she's not paying attention!" he growled in annoyance when he saw the brunette had become too distracted with poking the sleeping swordsman behind her. Cutely, she giggled as the moss-haired man's face twitched in response to her probing finger as she lightly jabbed his cheek. "Nami-san, behold a demonstration of my love consecrated in…she's not looking!" he frowned as he spotted the ginger laughing and conversing with Muchigoro.

Heaving a heavy sigh, he dejectedly walked off the griddle.

"Geez, I've had enough of this…." he grumbled.

"Time to eat!" Luffy happily cheered as he dived headfirst into the food. "Whoa! Hot!" he flinched, cheeks now stuffed to the brim.

"I can't take any more, I've been drinking since this afternoon…" Muchigoro groaned, trying to deny the alcohol the ginger pushed toward him.

"Are you saying you won't drink the wine a woman like me pours?" Nami innocently asked.

"That's not it—sitting with a gorgeous doll like you, I could drink all night" Muchigoro quickly assured her, not wanting to offend her at all.

"Gorgeous doll? You tease, don't make me blush" Nami giggled, smacking Muchigoro a bit too harshly as if she didn't really like his attempts at flattering her. "By the way, who's that flower guy? Is he the king of this island and is he filthy rich?" she curiously asked.

"What did you say?" Muchigoro suddenly glared. "No one calls the Baron "flower guy!" Say that again and I won't be responsible for what happens to you!" he sneered. "He's a great man—he's strong and courageous and he's kind! He's the greatest of the greatest of the greatest men!" he proclaimed.

"You might have said a few too many greatest—"

"No!" Muchigoro shook his head, smashing his hands down on the table. "Even that isn't enough to describe what a wonderful man he is! I've worked with the Baron all these years because I love him!" he frowned. "By the way, why are you drinking with me instead of with your nakama?" he suddenly asked.

"Why? I wonder…we've never fought like this before" Nami confessed, unable to remember a time when the crew had gotten this angry with each other before. They may occasionally annoy each other and bicker, but they've never seriously gotten this mad before.

"Did something happen?" Muchigoro curiously asked.

"No, I just thought to myself that I wanted to hear about Muchi" Nami shook her head, quick to save face.

"Muchi?" Muchigoro echoed. "What's Muchi?" he frowned.

"Your name is Muchigoro, so I'll call you Muchi" Nami explained.

"I'm Muchi" Muchigoro slowly said.

"Yep, Muchi" Nami nodded as he quickly tried to rid himself of the blush that now stained his cheeks.

"Please, call me Muchi" he smiled, attempting to look charming.

"Oi! Zoro, wake up!" Luffy shouted through a mouthful. "This is great!" he exclaimed as he stuffed even more food into his mouth, causing Skylar to giggle. Normally, she'd scold him for his uncouth behavior, but she couldn't help but let it slide today.

"Come on, Chia Pet—wake up" she softly cooed as she continued to poke the swordsman's cheek. Leaning close to his face, she widely smiled as his eyes finally blinked open. Zoro blushed the minute he was greeted by the brunette's dazzling and glistening eyes. He won't lie…if given the chance, he would stare into her eyes all day if he could. They were such a pretty shade of blue and despite how cold they appeared, the warmth that shined within them made his heart flutter.

"What? Dinner?" he cleared his throat as she finally pulled back, allowing him to sit up. "Yosh, let's eat" he yawned.

"You were asleep, so you can go hungry" Sanji suddenly said.

"Huh?" Zoro frowned.

"What do you mean by that, Sanji?" Skylar tilted her head, confused by the blonde's sudden and overly harsh attitude.

"Anyone who doesn't cheer for me doesn't have the right to eat" Sanji snarled, causing Skylar to frown. "Skylar-chan, you may eat as much as you like!" he quickly cooed, his behavior doing a complete one-eighty as he lovingly looked at the brunette before taking off running. "Robin-chan, where are you? Dinner is served!" he shouted as he began to look for the older woman.

"What a jerk…" Zoro grumbled, lying back down as he snaked an arm around Skylar's waist and pulled her beside him. Encircling his arms around her, he buried his face into her neck. Skylar shivered at the feeling of his warm breath brushing against her skin before yelping when he suddenly nipped at her. "So…" he breathily murmured, causing her to heavily blush and her mind to embarrassingly wander. "Did I just hear you call me "Chia Pet" a second ago?" he suddenly asked.

"Eh?" she blinked before nervously sweating as she suddenly felt his hands slowly start to run up and down her side. "I…I don't know…did you…?" she weakly laughed, quickly averting her eyes before squealing when his fingers finally attacked. "W-wait!" she choked as he jabbed her sensitive sides, causing her to quickly try to flee from his arms.

"You're not getting off the hook that easily!" he grinned, tightening his hold on her as he continued his ruthless assault.

"Please, Zoro! Have mercy!" Skylar squealed, laughing as she started to squirm. "I'm innocent I tell you! Innocent!" a wide smile spread across her and the swordsman's lips as he twisted their bodies around until she was practically trapped beneath him.

"There is no mercy for you!" he laughed, fingers dancing up and down her sides as he continued to tickle her. Curiously, Luffy peered over towards his rambunctious nakama, laughing at the sight of them as he continued to stuff his face.

"Robin-chwaaan!" Sanji shouted, running around the entire poolside in search of the older woman. "Huh?" he frowned, finally realizing that she wasn't there at all.

-Robin-

Robin looked around, curiously eyeing the broken-down ships that looked as if they had been here for decades based on their rotting structures. Eventually, her attention was drawn towards the mountain in the distance.

-Nami-

"That's right, Nami! We used to be pirates like you guys!" Muchigoro excitedly told the navigator. "Our pirate crew was called the Red Arrows."

"The Red Arrows?" Nami questioned.

"We were an incredibly strong pirate crew!" Muchigoro boasted. "With the Baron as captain, we had to be—I'm sure the Baron could even beat Roger" he grinned.

"Roger? Which Roger are you talking about?" Nami raised an eyebrow.

"Tell me I'm not hearing this? You're a pirate and you never heard of Gold Roger?" Muchigoro gaped.

"Gold Roger? You mean the man who started the Great Pirate Era?" Nami questioned.

"So you do know him—have you ever met him?" Muchigoro curiously asked.

"There's no way I could have, wasn't he executed ages ago?" Nami frowned.

"Executed?" Muchigoro echoed as if this was news to him.

"Gold Roger's been dead for over twenty years" Nami told him.

"What are you talking about? That's impossible!" Muchigoro shouted, staring at the woman in disbelief. "I mean, I met him just recently."

"Recently?" Nami frowned as the goldfish keeper slowly started to remember something.

"Yes, before that stormy night…that storm was terrible…" Muchigoro mumbled, his eyes glazing over as he stared past her.

"Stormy night?" Nami blinked. "Hey, what are you talking about, Muchi? Muchi?"

-Robin-

'As I thought, this ship was run aground by a storm—there is no doubt that this is the Baron's ship' Robin frowned as she examined one of the broken-down ships. 'But this is strange, I thought I would find it here' she frowned, eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"If you really want to see it, I'll show you" Baron suddenly spoke up, startling the raven-haired woman. "The secret flower—the Lily Carnation—the flower of death and rebirth."

"What is that?" Robin's eyes widened, her gaze drifting to the mountain in the distance once more as she stared at its top—a large tube now visibly sticking out of it.

"The flower you have sought" Baron bitterly told her.

"That's a flower?" Robin questioned. "You call that a flower?"

-Nami-

"Muchi, what is it?" Nami worriedly asked as the man started to tremble, his hands now covering his face. "What happened on that stormy night? Tell me, Muchi!" she frowned, slowly growing frightened by his sudden and odd behavior. "Mu…" she trailed off, eyes widening in horror when he finally looked up at her. His skin was a deathly blue as he now looked to be all shriveled up like a plant.

-Robin-

"That can't be!" Robin gasped. "That thing…that thing can't be a flower!" she shouted as Baron lifted his bow and pulled an arrow back. Cheerfully, the flower on his shoulder burst out into laughter as the arrow was released and struck the older woman.

-The Others-

"Hm?" Skylar lifted her head, looking around as the candles in the area suddenly went out—engulfing everything in darkness.

"Oi, Captain! Quit stuffing your face!" Sanji snapped as he rushed over to Luffy. "Robin-chan's gone!" he shouted.

"Robin?" Luffy tilted his head as Skylar and Zoro approached the two.

"She said she was going to look for a flower" Zoro said.

"A flower?" Nami questioned as she joined the group.

"The Lily Carnation…at least I think that's what it's called" Skylar said, trying to recall the conversation she and the archeologist had back inside the resort. "I don't know what it is since it doesn't sound like any flower I know, but she seemed rather interested in it" she remarked.

"When was that?" Luffy inquired.

"Would it take this long?!" Sanji frantically asked.

"Where's Usopp?" Luffy suddenly questioned, finally realizing that the sniper was missing.

"I don't know, he should be around…" Nami muttered.

"Usopp's gone too!" Sanji shouted, causing the ginger to flinch.

"Chopper isn't back yet either" Zoro pointed out, also realizing that the doctor hadn't yet returned.

"That makes three people missing" Skylar frowned, a knot forming in her stomach as she started to worry for her friends. "Surely they couldn't have gone far…but then again, the forest around here is quite dense…" she murmured.

"Shit!" Sanji cursed.

"That's bad…" Nami breathed.

"I've got a bad feeling about this" Zoro frowned.

"Don't give us that half-assed shit! What the hell were you doing?!" Sanji suddenly snapped.

"What?" Zoro was taken aback by the blonde's sudden hostility.

"I told you to keep an eye on them!" Sanji glowered.

"They aren't kids! I can't keep tabs on them all day long!" Zoro argued.

"Hey, you two! Now's not the time to be fighting!" Skylar scolded. "The last thing we need right now is pointing fingers!"

"Three of our crew disappeared and no one noticed?!" Sanji stressed.

"But…" Nami looked down, her voice slowly starting to quiver. "But…" she quietly repeated.

"Luffy, what are you going to do?" Sanji asked. "You're the one that got us into this" he glared.

"Sanji-kun—"

"You're the one who decided to come to this island!" Sanji shouted. Skylar glared, not liking how the blond seemed quick to push all the blame on their captain now that he couldn't blame the swordsman.

"Stop it! This isn't the time!" Nami stressed.

"Everyone just needs to calm down! Our main priority should be finding the others, not placing blame!" Skylar frowned, her heart thundering in her chest.

She didn't like this.

She didn't like how hostile and scared everyone was starting to get. She understood their worry, but the last thing they needed was to tear each other's throats out.

"That's what caused all of this! Luffy…this is all your fault!" Sanji sneered, ignoring the brunette.

"Hey!" Skylar snapped. Similar to how she would get enraged when others would unfairly gang up on her twin, she found herself growing angry with the unfair accusations the blond was throwing at the captain. Luffy may have decided they come here, but they all agreed to his decision. They were all in this together. Quickly, Zoro rested a hand on the brunette's shoulder—giving the tense muscles a comforting squeeze as he tried to calm her.

"Me?" Luffy quietly questioned.

"Muchigoro?" Baron dully stared down at the shriveled body of his crewmate. "The dinner party is over! The Ordeal of Hell will now resume!" he proclaimed, catching the remaining Straw Hats' attention. "Everyone, take your positions! DJ, come forth!" he instructed.

"Good evening 'pu" DJ Gappa greeted, Usopp's hat now resting on top of his head. "I'm DJ Gappa, pleased to meet you 'pu" he introduced.

"Hold on, where are Usopp and Robin-chan?" Sanji asked, walking right past the kid.

"And Chopper" Zoro and Skylar added as the swordsman followed after the blond.

"We want to see them now" he frowned.

"Did you just ignore me?" DJ Gappa asked. "Hey, did you just ignore me? Eh?" he frowned.

"Shut up, kappa!" Zoro and Sanji snapped.

"K-Kappa?" DJ Gappa sputtered.

"That hat's Usopp's!" Sanji suddenly exclaimed the second he recognized the hat the boy was wearing.

"Give it back 'pu!" DJ Gappa childishly demanded when the blond suddenly ripped the piece of clothing from his head. Jumping up and down, he whined as the cook held the hat out of reach.

"You bastard! What did you do to Usopp?" Zoro frowned, scaring the child into running behind Baron for protection.

"Don't worry, your friends are still on the island 'pu" DJ Gappa assured the two. "If you want to see them, try and find them 'pu."

"So you're the one who's behind this!" Zoro growled as he turned.

"Calm yourselves, you will learn their fates after the next ordeal" Baron calmly assured them as something slowly started to rise out of the ground behind him.

"Don't give us that shit! Give them back now!" Zoro demanded.

"The ordeal comes first" Baron said.

"Don't screw with us! Those three come first!" Zoro snapped.

"The ordeal will come first!" Baron snarled right back.

"This is getting us nowhere, I'll go find them myself" Sanji huffed as he took off running.

"Sanji-kun! Wait!" Nami shouted

"I'm not about to bother with your Ordeal of Hell now!" Zoro snapped as he ran off in the opposite direction of the blond.

"Zoro, wait! You'll just get lost!" Skylar called out, removing her heels as she took off running after the man. "We don't need to lose you as well!"

"Zoro…Skylar…" Nami reached a hand out to the two, watching as they ran off into the nearby forest.

"The fools have gone off without knowing what this ordeal entails" Baron scoffed as the object rising behind him finished and its cover was pulled away. On a board written in bold, bright letters were the words Shooting. "There are no rules in this ordeal—my 100 sharpshooters will hunt you" he calmly explained as the men behind him raised their guns. "If you believe you can escape them, you are free to search for your nakama or do whatever else you wish."

"Luffy, what do we do?" Nami worriedly asked. "Luffy?" she quietly whispered when she didn't receive a response. Her eyes soon widened as she noticed that the men were already starting to aim, lifting their guns higher and pointing them. "Luffy!" she shouted.

"You may begin!" Baron ordered.

"I'm going by myself!" Nami angrily exclaimed before running away the second the men shot forward on their skates. None of them spared the rubber man a second glance as they chased after the ginger, far more interested in the frightened prey running from them.

"Aren't you going? Is the pirate captain abandoning his crew?" Baron curiously raised a brow as Luffy put his hat back on.

"Give me my nakama back!" Luffy angrily shouted as he rushed the older man.

"Very admirable!" Baron laughed as he raised his bow, summoning an arrow from the palm of his hand. Instantly, Luffy came to a halt and jumped out of the way when the arrow was fired. Before he could rush the man again, he flinched as the arrow suddenly stopped midair—changing its course of direction as it shot towards him once more. "You have nowhere to run!" the raven-haired man boomed, following closely behind Luffy and the arrow as he continued to dodge it each time it turned and shot at him. Soon, the teen found himself cornered by a railing that was meant to prevent people from falling over the nearby cliff.

With no other choice when he saw that the arrow was still following him, Luffy grabbed hold of the railing and jumped up onto it—letting the arrow destroy the wood beneath him and send him tumbling over the cliff. As soon as he hit the ground, his upper body became stuck thanks to the force with which he had hit the forest floor and became embedded in it.

"Straw Hat! Straw Hat!" Brief worriedly called as he appeared from a secret passage in the ground before disappearing back inside, pulling the teen further underground as he did so. Baron curiously peered over the broken railing, only to find that there was nothing at the bottom.

-Sanji-

"Shit!" Sanji cursed as the building he was hidden in was shot at—bullets breaking through the windows and destroying whatever they could. "What's that strange sound?" he quietly questioned as he lifted his head upon suddenly hearing an odd sound he didn't recognize. Curiously, he peered out from behind the pillar he had taken shelter behind and out the closest window.

From outside, DJ Gappa removed small white plates from the top of his head before tossing them at the building the blond was inside. He grinned as the discs broke through the windows, exploding the minute they made contact with the ground.

-Nami-

"How are we supposed to look for anyone like this?!" Nami stressed as she stood up from her hiding spot once she thought it was safe, desperately looking around as she removed her hair tie.

"You can't get away 'pu" DJ Gappa mocked as he removed multiple white discs from his head before flinging them at the ginger who quickly ducked back down. Nami screamed as a series of explosions sounded around her. When everything calmed down, she shakily stood and sprinted as fast as she could—the young boy following close behind as he spun more discs on his fingers. "I said you couldn't get away" he teasingly repeated as he skated towards her. Jumping into the air, he threw the discs in his hands, causing loud explosions to ring out shortly after.

-Zoro and Skylar-

Skylar coughed as she waved away the smoke that filled the air from the multiple explosions they'd experienced since encountering that strange child. DJ Gappa soon threw more discs at them, unintentionally clearing the air around them as he casually approached the two who had been knocked back.

"That's what you get for making me mad 'pu" he frowned before owlishly blinking when the two suddenly stood.

"That's freaking hot!" Zoro snapped, snatching up the front of the kid's shirt.

"What was that for?!" Skylar shouted. Normally, she tried to keep her wits about her when it came to children. But this time, she couldn't bring herself to care about the boy's safety in front of her as Zoro roughly handled him. She was tired, frustrated, and overall worried—she just wanted to find her missing friends and leave.

"What are you doing, you shitty brat?!" Zoro growled as he threw the boy aside before drawing his swords. "Oni Giri!" he didn't hesitate to cut the child down, not even bothering to use the back of his blades or show any kind of mercy.

"What?" Skylar blinked, startled by how unaffected the child seemed by the fatal wound he just endured as he stood there, confused.

"You just cut me…but I didn't die…" DJ Gappa muttered as he looked down at the wound. "I'm not even bleeding, why?" he asked, looking up at the two pirates as if they knew the answer.

"Shit! What kind of trick did you use?" Zoro frowned.

"Trick?" DJ Gappa tilted his head.

"How's that?!" Zoro snapped as his temper flared once more.

"H-how…?" Skylar muttered, shocked by how unfazed the boy looked after receiving such a nasty cut. Not only should he be heavily bleeding by now, but someone of his size and age should have been on the ground screaming in agony at such a wound…yet, he was treating it like a standard papercut.

"What trick?" DJ Gappa asked, frowning in confusion. He hadn't used any sort of trick as far as he knew—he couldn't have with how quick of a blow that was.

"That's impossible!" Zoro angrily shouted, his temper worsening as he tried to reasonably explain away why the child wasn't already on the ground unconscious. He hadn't held back at all with that cut—surely, a small child wasn't stronger than all the grown men he had taken down in the past with that move.

"Watch out!" his eyes widened when Skylar suddenly pushed him, her body turning to face someone he couldn't see as an arrow became lodged within her chest…

Pain.

Unbearable pain was the very first thing Skylar registered as her hands shakily moved to hover over the arrow buried in her chest. Quickly, blood began to seep and stain the white part of her dress which greedily absorbed every last drop. Weakly coughing, her body eventually slumped forward as her legs finally gave out underneath her and she fell limp.

"Skylar? Skylar?!" Zoro quickly caught her before she could hit the ground, his eyes wide with fright as he desperately began to shake her when she didn't respond. " H-hey! Skylar?!" he tried again, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. Staring at the arrow in her chest, he hesitated…

Should he remove it or not?

Chopper was still missing and he didn't want to risk doing something wrong that would only cause her more pain and put her life further at risk. Sadly, he didn't get the chance to decide before he felt a sudden and excruciating pain explode from his side. Shakily looking down, he stared in confusion at the arrow now pierced into his side.

"W-what's going on…?" he weakly asked, slumping over yet never once loosening his grip on the brunette as he only held her closer.

"DJ, are you okay?" Baron asked as he stepped up behind the child.

"I'm sorry 'pu, Baron" DJ Gappa apologized. "But why do I never die when pirates shoot and cut me 'pu?" he curiously asked, recalling that this wasn't the first time he'd been attacked by the pirates who had visited this island. They always attacked him due to his young age making him an easy target.

"Because you are strong" Baron gently told him.

"I don't understand 'pu" DJ Gappa frowned. "I'm so much weaker than Kerojii, Muchigoro, and the rest of the crew" he argued, unable to believe his captain.

"You are strong too" Baron reassured the child.

"That must be it!" DJ Gappa brightened, finally accepting his captain's explanation. "That's right, Straw Hat's the only one left 'pu" he smiled as he walked away in search of the remaining pirate. "I promise I'll catch him 'pu."

"What's wrong?" Baron asked when the boy suddenly stumbled.

"I feel dizzy, but it happens all the time 'pu…" DJ Gappa muttered, his eyes taking on a green glow as his iris whited out. Baron frowned as he watched the boy turn and leave.

Soon, around the island, Baron's men found themselves falling to the ground. Their energy was now depleted and they began to feel rather ill.

"I don't feel well, I wonder if I overdid it…" Keroko weakly moaned.

"Let's take a nap" Kerojii suggested. "When you wake up, you'll be the same cheerful old woman you always are" he assured her.

"Yes, just like always" Keroko nodded.

-Luffy-

"W-where is everyone?" Luffy shakily asked, unable to see. "I can't see anything…it's pitch black…" he muttered, not realizing that a towel was draped over his eyes.

"You're awake" Brief remarked as the rubber man finally sat up. From the corner of the room, a goat made a sound of acknowledgment as it looked at the teen.

"You!" Luffy pointed at the man.

"We meet again" Brief said.

"You're the guy with the snot!" Luffy shouted, remembering the man.

"It's a toothbrush mustache!" Brief angrily snapped.

"What am I doing in this hole?" Luffy suddenly asked, finally registering where exactly he was.

"Excuse me for living in a hole—I dug a bunch of trap doors and tunnels all over this island so that I can escape from Baron's vile clutches whenever I need to" Brief explained as he started to peel an orange. "You fell into one of them, you're lucky to be alive after facing the Baron" he said.

"I don't have time to sit around here! I have to go!" Luffy frowned as he scrambled to his feet.

"Wait" Brief quickly stopped him.

"My nakama are waiting for me" Luffy huffed, not wanting to waste another second down here in this hole.

"I told you to wait!" Brief shouted after the captain as he opened one of the many doors that littered the room and walked out…only to immediately reenter the room through another door. Closing that door, he tried again to leave…only to wind back up in the room again through a different door. Again, he repeated this process, only to receive the same results once more. "You won't be able to get out of here so easily—the tunnels are connected to each other in a complex network, I'm the only one who knows how to get out" the man explained as Luffy continued to leave and reenter the room through multiple doors.

"Then tell me!" he eventually huffed, demanding the other man to show him the way out.

"Oh! Welcome to my secret base!" Brief smiled as he ignored the captain's demands. "It's been so long since I've had a guest, do you like goat's milk?" he asked.

"I don't want any!" Luffy growled. Despite his earlier refusal, it wasn't long before he found himself seated at the only table in the cluttered room—an irritated scowl on his face as Brief busied himself in the next room heating some milk for the two.

"Well? Will you reconsider that proposition to become my nakama?" he suddenly asked, breaking the tense silence that had settled between the two.

"No!" Luffy curtly answered.

"Don't be so stubborn—the Toothbrush Mustache Pirates are currently recruiting new members" Brief said. Slowly, Luffy's gaze began to wander around the room until finally, his eyes landed on a picture of Brief and his crew proudly holding up their flag.

"Are they your nakama?" he curiously asked.

"Huh? That's right" Brief nodded as he peered into the room for a second to see what the rubber man was staring at.

"These guy all look like you" Luffy remarked, noting how similar all the men were.

"Yeah, because we're nakama" Brief hummed.

"Come to think of it…you're the only one I've met" Luffy said, only just now realizing how strange it was that he hadn't run into anyone else besides his nakama and this odd man. "Where are the others? Are they in another base?" he asked, looking around.

"I'm alone right now" Brief answered as he entered the room. "I am currently the only member of the Toothbrush Mustache Pirates" he confessed, setting down a cup of warm milk in front of the teen before taking a seat himself. "I can still see it in my mind…the day my precious nakama were attacked by the Baron—the day they were swallowed by that gigantic monster…" he muttered in remembrance.

-Chopper-

"Huh?" Chopper weakly groaned, his eyes slowly opening as he rubbed his aching chest. "I thought I was hit by an arrow…" he mumbled, confused before his ears twitched as he suddenly became aware of the sounds of soft whimpering.

"I'm scared, I'm scared..." Daisy quietly wept as she and her two siblings clung to their father.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid" Papa quietly repeated, attempting to comfort his youngest daughter. "Papa's here—there's nothing to be afraid of" he softly cooed, attempting to be brave despite how terrified he was.

"I'm hungry! I'm hungry!" Lily chirped from Baron's shoulder.

"I've kept you waiting, Lily—it's time to eat" Baron said as he looked up at the giant tube that sprouted from the mountain. Black bubbles bubbled to the top of the white liquid that filled the tube. Papa and his children fearfully watched as thin, black tendrils snaked out from within the tube and slithered toward them.

"Get away!" Papa cried as he smacked at the tendrils, refusing to let them anywhere near his children.

"Daisy!" Rick cried when one of the tendrils suddenly snatched up his sister.

"Papa!" Daisy wailed as she was lifted into the air.

"Daisy!" Papa screamed in horror as he watched his youngest daughter be taken away.

"Papa! Save me!" Daisy sobbed, reaching for her father.

"Daisy! Daisy!" Papa desperately reached for his daughter, growing frantic as the tendrils brought her closer to the tube's opening. Chopper was quick to react, changing into his Jumping Point as he hurriedly leaped into the air and struck the tube, causing the tendrils to drop the little girl.

"Daisy!" Roza gasped, quickly running to her baby sister's aid the second she hit the ground.

"Now's your chance! Get out of here!" Chopper shouted before changing and jumping into the air as he struck the tube once more. "Go! Hurry!" he yelled when he landed and changed once again.

"Mr. Reindeer!" Daisy worriedly cried.

"Hurry!" Chopper shouted as the family hesitantly began to leave.

"I see…your strength is magnificent as I'd expected!" Baron exclaimed as he drew an arrow and shot it at the reindeer's feet. As soon as the arrow made contact with the ground, it exploded on impact. More tendrils soon snaked from Lily Carnation and tightly wrapped themselves around the doctor's foot, lifting him. "This is the first time I have offered Lily someone with the power of the Devil Fruit!" the raven-haired man admitted, eager to know what will happen this time around once the flower has had its fill of his recent catch.

"Shit! Let me go!" Chopper cursed as he dangled there. "Let me go!" he screamed as he began to struggle. Papa froze upon hearing Baron's laughter.

"Daisy!" Roza suddenly cried when the little girl suddenly ran and grabbed at Chopper's hand, desperately trying to tug him back down before Lily could take him.

"Daisy!" Papa fearfully shouted as his other two children quickly rushed to their sister's side—grabbing onto her when she started to be pulled up alongside Chopper. Desperately, the children tried their hardest to help the reindeer.

"I told you to get away!" Chopper worriedly frowned.

"What are you kids doing? Come quickly!" Papa panicked.

"Papa! Save Mr. Reindeer!" Roza begged. "You're strong, right?" she asked.

"Show us how strong you are!" Rick cried. "Papa!" he sobbed as his father rushed over and started to pull on them.

"Papa, what are you doing? Papa, stop!" Roza pleaded when she realized he wasn't helping, but instead was pulling them away from the doctor. "Papa, why?!" she howled in frustration. "He saved Daisy! Let me go!" she sneered, struggling as he pushed her and her siblings away.

Becoming annoyed and scared, Papa pushed his daughter back and harshly slapped her across the face in an attempt to get her to stop her fighting.

"You coward!" she angrily cried as she rested a hand a top of her reddened cheek.

"Yeah, I am a coward…" Papa sadly muttered, not arguing with his eldest. He may be a coward, but he wasn't going to lose his only family even if it meant letting the person who helped them be eaten.

"Show me more!" Baron laughed. "That was splendid! Show me more!" he applauded as if amused by the family's spat. "I love seeing a pirate crew fighting amongst themselves more than anything else!" he laughed harder before eerily stopping when he saw that they were now staring at him. "What's wrong? Won't you quarrel anymore?!" he boomed.

-Luffy-

"The Baron once told me something: When I see a crew's nakama like yours, anger fills my chest—I want to separate you. I want to chop them up one by one, I want them to experience the same pain I have" Brief quoted.

"The same pain?" Luffy frowned.

"I don't know what his true intentions are but the Baron does indeed loathe the sight of pirates with strong bonds—you cannot fight him alone" Brief told the rubber man. "This is what he wants you to do" he warned.

"Then what should I do?" Luffy asked.

"That's…" Brief trailed off in thought, unsure himself what the teen could do to go up against the other man.

-Chopper-

"Baron, don't think you've won! My nakama will come to save me!" Chopper proclaimed. "They're going to beat you to a pulp!" he sneered.

"Your nakama will not be coming, no matter how long you wait" Baron calmly refuted.

"You're lying, they'll come!" Chopper frowned.

"That was no lie, you will not be rescued" Baron said, his composure slowly starting to crack as he began to grow agitated with how certain the reindeer sounded.

"No, they'll come! I believe in them!"

"I said they will not and they will not!" he snapped at the doctor.

"They'll come! I'm sure of it!" Chopper huffed, certain that his nakama wouldn't just abandon him.

"Stop saying that! I am telling you they will not come!" Baron snarled as Chopper was finally lifted to the opening of the tube. He froze as his eyes widened in horror at the sight. Inside Lily, his nakama bodies were lodged within the white goop that filled its insides. They were as still as statues, their faces frozen in looks of agonizing anguish.

"Nami! Sanji! Usopp! Robin! Skylar! Zoro! Guys!" he cried over and over, voice shaking at the sight of his crew.

"Nakama, nakama, nakama, nakama…that's all they ever talk about…" Baron bitterly spat in disdain. "You will nourish Lily well" he darkly said as Chopper was dropped into Lily, causing him to scream.

Shakily watching at a distance, Rick fainted as the rest of his family clung to one another in trembling fear.

-Luffy-

"What's wrong, Straw Hat?" Brief asked.

"This is wrong, I shouldn't be sitting down here" Luffy frowned as he stood. Looking around the room once more, he soon pushed a bookshelf to the side and revealed another door that had been hidden.

"Oi! Wait, Straw Hat!" Brief flinched, shocked that the rubber man had found his hidden door.

"Thanks for your help" and with that, Luffy took off down the tunnel—certain now that he had found the way out.

"Straw Hat! Don't go alone, Straw Hat!" Brief shouted after the captain.

-Baron-

"Huh? Baron, what am I doing here?" Muchigoro yawned as he stood, unable to recall when he had arrived here up on the mountain. "Baron?" he questioned when he didn't receive an immediate response.

"Oh, Muchigoro" Baron smiled as he finally turned around. "I see you're awake" he remarked.

"I feel like I've been having a long dream, I'm sorry Baron" Muchigoro apologized.

"No, no, it's quite alright" Baron assured, gently putting an arm around the shorter man. "I only want you all to be your cheerful selves."

"Cheerful?" Muchigoro tilted his head. "I'm always cheerful! Look at me!" he grinned as he ran around and did a backflip. "Did you see that?" he excitedly asked.

"I saw it, Muchigoro!" Baron cheerfully laughed.

"No, I'm not done yet!" Muchigoro exclaimed as he did a few more backflips, really wanting to show his captain how energetic he was.

"That's enough" Baron gently smiled. "Now, go back and join the others."

"Roger that, Baron!" Muchigoro saluted before running off. Turning around, a displeased look crossed Baron's face the moment he spotted Luffy making his way towards him.

"So you've come, Straw Hat" he said. "How foolish of you to face me alone" he remarked, unimpressed that the other captain had decided to foolishly face him by himself.

"This voice…" Daisy suddenly breathed as she lowered her hands from her face.

"Okay, let's go" Papa gently said, resting a hand on his youngest daughter's shoulder. They've lingered around here long enough, it was time that he took his family and go—he shouldn't waste this opportunity they've been given to escape. "Daisy?" he questioned when his daughter suddenly stood and stared up at Lily Carnation. "Quietly, quietly" he whispered, lightly pushing the young girl towards her siblings.

"Straw Hat!" Brief shouted as he opened the hatch to one of his many secret passages, unintentionally knocking Papa over in the process.

"W-who are you?" Papa sputtered in shock, startled by the other man's sudden appearance.

"Ossan, where's Chopper?" Luffy glared.

"Are you referring to that horned river otter?" Baron raised an eyebrow. "Then—"

"Ossan, I've got two things to tell you" Luffy interrupted. "First, Chopper isn't a river otter—he's a reindeer" he corrected. "Second, I'll never let you hurt my nakama" he glared.

"Never let me hurt them?" Baron laughed. "You had seven nakama in your crew, correct? Just before you arrived, that number went down to six" he callously said.

"What did you say?" Luffy frowned.

"Before long the others will disappear into Lily as well" Baron ominously said.

"What did you say?!" Luffy repeated, his temper flaring.

"Yet you say you won't let me harm them?" Baron laughed once more, harder this time as if he found it all so amusing. "You'll never let me hurt them?!" he repeated through his laughter.

"Unforgivable…" Luffy grounded, his blood beginning to boil the longer he listened to the man laugh. "I won't forgive you!" he snarled. "Gum Gum…" stretching his arm back, he prepared to shoot it forward before an arrow suddenly pierced his hand and pinned it to the rock behind him.

"One arrow" Baron calmly counted. "What happened to your determined spirit?" he mockingly asked.

"Dammit!" Luffy angrily shouted.

"While you struggle, another of your nakama is disappearing" Baron said as Robin was slowly absorbed into Lily.

"S-stop it! Robin!" Luffy screamed.

"Who will be next?" Baron hummed. "I see the cook" he finally settled on as Sanji was the next to be absorbed.

"You bastard!" Luffy angrily cried. "Gum Gum…" he stretched his free arm towards the man before an arrow suddenly pierced it and pinned it to the rock behind him as well.

"Two arrows" Baron counted.

"Sanji!" Luffy screamed.

"Only four left" Baron pointed out. "If you don't hurry, there won't be anyone left" he warned.

"Stop it! Gum Gum…" Luffy kicked his foot toward the raven-haired man…only to have it impaled into the rock behind him by another arrow. Stumbling on one foot, the teen quickly lost his balance and hit the ground.

"Since you can't see, I'll just tell you" Baron calmly said as Usopp was the next to be absorbed by Lily. "The man with the phallic nose has just died."

"Usopp!" Luffy wailed.

"What will you do?" Baron mockingly asked as Luffy started to bash his head into the ground in frustration. "Will you fight me with just your left leg?" he pondered.

"Gum Gum…" Luffy raised his free leg…only to have it suffer the same fate as his other limbs. This time two of the Straw Hats disappeared—Nami and Skylar—their bodies being swallowed up by Lily at the same time.

"The other two women have just disappeared" Baron relayed to the rubber man.

"S-Skylar…N-Nami…" Luffy weakly groaned as he desperately tried to pull his limbs free from the arrows that held them.

"You can no longer move in that state" Baron remarked as the teen was slowly dragged backward towards the rock his stretched limbs were pinned to. "The very last of your nakama is starting to fade away."

"Zoro!" Luffy screamed as the swordsman was slowly absorbed by Lily. Painful howls of agony racked the captain's body as he began to break down at the realization that the last of his nakama was being devoured. His body bent backward as he wildly tried to free himself, his erratic movements doing nothing more than ripping his shirt down the middle as he violently threw his head forward towards Lily. Quickly, Baron shot three arrows at the teen—two of them grazing his neck while the last appeared to hit its target. Fortunately, Luffy caught the arrow between his teeth as he continued to stretch his head toward the massive tube's opening.

"Zoro!" he wailed as he watched the swordsman fully disappear beneath the surface of the bubbling liquid inside. Tears welled up in his eyes as his head retracted back towards his body, roughly bouncing it back against the rock he was impaled to.

"Straw Hat…your swordsman is dead, you have no nakama left" Baron calmly walked toward the mourning captain.

"Alone?" Luffy weakly croaked.

-Elsewhere-

"I feel much better 'pu" DJ Gappa stood, happily throwing his arms up as he was suddenly filled to the brim with a burst of energy. "Pupupu, pupupu, pupupu no 'pu" he cheerfully sang as his crewmates around the island began to rise. All of them jumped for joy at this newfound energy they now had as if they had never been weak to begin with.

"Alright, speed this up faster!" Muchigoro laughed as the men cheered.

-Luffy-

"M-my nakama…give them—" Luffy was cut off by a swift kick to his head.

"Does it hurt to be without nakama?" Baron asked as he watched the teen weakly struggle to free himself. "You have lost all of your nakama…that reality will never change—what are you going to do now?" he bitterly asked as he pressed his foot harder against Luffy's skull. "If you decide to go on, a life of suffering, despair, and loneliness is all that awaits you…or will you decide to follow your nakama?" he inquired, removing his foot and letting the rubber man slump further to the ground. Luffy groaned, wincing as the Baron snatched up his hair and lifted his head. "Let me paint you a picture—almost every captain has chosen death over living in solitude, that is a wise decision.

"One man cannot be a pirate alone" he said. "Now I will ask you again, what will you choose? Life or death?" Luffy stayed silent as he numbly stared at the man before groaning when his head was suddenly released, causing it to roughly smash into the ground. "As I thought—being alone is too painful for you to endure, then die" Baron raised his bow…but just as he was ready to release the arrow, the ground underneath Luffy suddenly caved in and the young man was dragged under. "What?" he blinked.

"Baron" Brief stuck his head out of the ground, causing the taller man to flinch.

"You again!" he snarled, quick to recognize the former captain.

"I won't let this man die!" Brief proclaimed before ducking back underground when Baron brought his foot down.

"Fiend!" the raven-haired man sneered.

"Where are you aiming?" Brief mockingly asked as his head popped out of another hole before ducking down under when he saw Baron aiming for him. Turning his attention to another hole, he aimed at the goat that now stuck out before growling as it disappeared back underground. "Here! Here!" the shorter man called out, popping in and out of different holes that had Baron constantly changing his aim of direction.

"That impudent…" Baron growled as Brief tightened the valve to the opening he disappeared into before descending further down the steps and into his tunnels.

"How is he?" he asked as he entered his home, watching as Roza tended to Luffy.

"He's hurt pretty bad" Papa answered.

"Oi! Straw Hat!" Brief snatched up the front of the rubber man's shirt and started to shake him.

"Hey now!" Roza scowled.

"Open your eyes, Straw Hat! Straw Hat!" Brief continued to shake the wounded captain, refusing to believe that he was already down for the count.

"My nakama…it's my fault…" Luffy weakly whimpered.

"What are you talking about? Where's your determination?!" Brief frowned. "Come to your senses—you're the captain, right? You have to stand up!" he proclaimed as the teen's head limply fell back. "Listen to me, Straw Hat, your nakama probably aren't dead yet" this caught Luffy's attention as he slowly lifted his head and stared at the man who now pointed at Daisy.

"She can hear their voices calling for you" he revealed.

"Are you Luffy?" Daisy asked. "Mr. Reindeer is calling for you."

"Chopper is?!" Luffy quickly stood and started to look around the room. "Where? From where?" he cupped his ears, desperately trying to hear his nakama before stretching them out when he heard nothing. "He's not here!" he frowned, turning to the child in confusion.

"No, I can hear him" Daisy firmly nodded. "There are other voices too—four, five, six…" she counted as she listened closely. "Luffy! Luffy! See? Even now" she said, repeating what she was hearing as various voices wept for their captain.

"Really?" Luffy questioned with a spark of hope in his eyes.

"Unfortunately, I am also unable to hear them" Brief confessed, assuring the teen that he wasn't the only one who couldn't hear what the child was hearing. "But that child was repeating your name even though she had never met you, that much is certain" he said, certain that the girl wasn't lying.

"Daisy, was your hearing always this good?" Papa asked.

"I…" Daisy trailed off before suddenly crying as she covered her ears from the loud explosions that suddenly sounded out above them.

"Where are you?!" Baron shouted as he continuously shot at the ground. "Where are you hiding, Straw Hat?!" he angrily screamed as the explosions caused one of the openings to the tunnels to explode inward and shake the underground passages.

"You can't just recklessly charge at the Baron's arrows—use the underground routes I dug, I'll back you up" Brief instructed as he started pushing Luffy out of the room. It wouldn't be long before the man above ground's reckless behavior caused the tunnels to cave in if they didn't stop him soon "Just do as I told you and rush towards that strange flower" he reminded the teen.

"You…" Luffy trailed off.

"You forgot this" Brief said, placing the rubber man's straw hat on his head, having collected it after it had fallen from the teen's head during his first fight with Baron. "Don't let the Baron's lies affect you—listen, you aren't alone yet!" he confidently assured the young man. "I wanted to tell you that—you still have a chance to save your nakama and I'm here with you too" he smiled as he placed his finger underneath his nose. "If you understand, then go! We don't have much time—hurry!" he shooed.

"What's with the weird pose?" Roza asked.

"You're talking about life and death with your finger up your nose?" Papa tilted his head.

"That's just weird" Rick remarked.

"Oi! Shut up!" Brief snapped at the three. "This is the Toothbrush Mustache Pirates' time-honored, sacred greeting! How dare you!" he glared as Luffy backed out of the room before taking off down the tunnel.

Above ground, Baron continued to shoot arrows in every direction, only stopping once he finally spotted Luffy walking towards him.

"There you are…" he muttered, aiming at the captain who dodged the arrow with ease when it was shot at him. Shooting another arrow, Luffy dodged this one as well along with all the other ones that were shot. "You're only running away!" Baron snarled as he shot another arrow, this one looking as if it hit its mark. "Got you!" he laughed before freezing when he saw it was only a dummy he had hit.

"Straw Hat!" Brief shouted as he looked through a pair of binoculars. "Jump in the hole ahead to your right, then keep going, and don't stop!" he instructed. Baron shot another arrow towards Luffy who dived into the hole he was directed to before it could hit him. It wasn't long before the rubber man popped out another hole that was located a lot closer to Lily. "Well done, Straw Hat" the shorter man praised before quickly ducking back down into his hole when the Baron suddenly shot at him.

Just like a mole, Brief popped in and out of different holes as Baron continued to shoot at him.

"Have you still not learned your lesson?!" Baron sneered as he shot another arrow, this one exploding on impact and knocking Brief back before he could fully duck back down. "Now stay in that hole!"

"Baron…don't mess with me…" Brief groaned as he pulled himself up. "If you think you can take nakama from anyone you please, you're dead wrong! As of now…I'm one of his nakama!" he boldly proclaimed.

"Nakama? How delightful!" Baron laughed. "Straw Hat, listen well—this man who claims to be your nakama was once the captain of a pirate crew that I annihilated!" he confessed. "A man who pleaded for his mercy—a man who wretchedly shook in fear at the thought of being alone! Why would you let such a pathetic insect be your nakama?!" he sneered as Brief slowly crawled towards the opening of one of his unground passages.

Baron summoned multiple arrows and pointed them at the man before suddenly aiming upwards. Shooting the arrows, they came raining down…only for Luffy to catch one of them while the rest were caught with a rock he held above his head.

"S-Straw Hat…" Brief breathed as the rock Luffy had used to catch the arrows crumbled away. Releasing a scream of frustration, Luffy broke the arrow in his hand before throwing a fist at Baron—landing a solid hit that sent him flying back.

"I warned you, I won't let you hurt my nakama!" Luffy roared.

"Nakama?" Brief mumbled as tears pricked the corners of his eyes.

"Mustache!" Luffy smiled as he placed his finger under his nose.

"Mustache!" Brief cried as he placed his finger under his nose.

"Mustache!" the children happily exclaimed, doing the same.

"Oi…" Papa mumbled.

"Go help Mr. Reindeer and the others!" Daisy cheered.

"Guys, I'm coming! Hang on!" Luffy shouted as he rushed towards Lily. Leaping into the air, he kicked the tube, causing it to bounce off the ground as a bright light slowly enveloped it. Jumping into the air again, he hit it once more, causing bright colors to shoot out of it before it straightened and swelled as he struck it one final time.

"He did it!" Brief and the others cheered.

"Now he can rescue Mr. Reindeer and the others!" Rick brightened.

"Something's wrong…the voices are coming from somewhere else now…" Daisy suddenly mumbled as her hands cupped her ears. Luffy stared at Lily, his eyes slowly widening in horror—from behind, the moon began to glow a bright red as the tube burst into a million arrows.

"Where are Zoro and the others?" he asked, confused by what was happening. "Where are they?!" he shouted as the flower on Baron's shoulder face began to bubble and sizzle.

"Right here…" Baron weakly laughed throwing his bow away as Luffy shakily turned, a look of dread and horror on his face as the petals on the flower fell away. Slowly, its tiny body began to shift and grow into a monstrous abomination. Attached to its grotesque body were the petrified bodies of the Straw Hats who lined its fleshy stem. Lily purred out a laugh, its face no longer an innocent flower, but a bulbous head that lacked eyes as drool dripped from its gaping maw. Baron's own laughter increased to a maddening degree when he spotted the horrified look on the teen's face before suddenly, he went eerily quiet.

"Die…" he darkly muttered as the arrows in the sky pointed towards the rubber man. Turning around, Luffy watched as they rained down on him—unable to dodge them all as his flesh was pierced multiple times.

"Straw Hat!" Brief cried.

"Every single one of these arrows symbolizes a day of loneliness I endured after that storm…" Baron bitterly muttered as the arrows continued to rain down. "They are the number of regrets I have suffered from suddenly losing every one of my beloved nakama" his eyes narrowed as he remembered that fateful day his crew's lives had been taken away. "Have you had a glimpse of what I endured?" he asked.

"Straw Hat…" Brief dropped to his knees as he watched the teen struggle to move, weakly gasping for air.

"I-It's over…" Papa muttered, shakily backing away.

"Don't lose! Mr. Reindeer and the others are calling for you!" Daisy cried. "Luffy, you can do it! Luffy, you can do it! They're cheering for you!" she shouted, repeating what she was hearing. "So…so don't lose!" she sobbed.

"Luffy…Luffy…Luffy…Luffy…Luffy…Luffy…Mr. Captain…Luffy…Luffy…"

"What?" Baron blinked as he watched the rubber man stumble forward.

"My nakama…my nakama…give them back…" Luffy weakly gasped as he limped forward. "My nakama…my nakama…give them back…!" he weakly cried, shakily reaching out a hand.

"Luffy?" seven voices questioned at the same time.

"Yes! Just like that!" Daisy cheered.

"Daisy, can you really hear their voices?" Papa asked. "Papa can't hear anything" he said before blinking as the little girl suddenly reached up and grabbed hold of the ring on his necklace that dangled from his neck.

"To tell you the truth, I heard everything you told Mr. Reindeer behind that grave earlier this evening" Daisy confessed. "My hearing is just naturally adept—I can hear even the faintest sound, but I pretend not to know" she said. "You're always trying so hard to keep us happy."

"Daisy…" Papa sadly mumbled.

"But I believe that you really are strong!" Daisy exclaimed, causing tears to well up in her father's eyes.

"Of course, Papa is strong" he smiled.

"Papa!" Rick cried out in shock as his father suddenly took off running, snatching up the abandoned bow and a nearby arrow that was embedded in a rock. Drawing the arrow back, Papa aimed at Baron—or, more importantly, Lily. His eyes widened in fear as Lily turned to him, its bulbous head tilting as more drool spilled from its mouth. He trembled as the flower slowly started to stretch towards him, a toothy grin stretching across its face as its lips pulled back into a snarl.

"Papa! Don't give up, Papa!" Daisy cheered.

"Papa!" Roza and Rick cried as Lily roared and prepared to lunge at the man.

"Papa! Shoot!" Daisy shouted. "Shoot!" she cried as her father tightly shut his eyes and released the arrow, falling back in the process as it shot forward. It soared through the air before piercing Lily's open mouth and bursting out the other side of its head, instantly killing it as it exploded into a massive mess of gore.

"Lily! Lily!" Baron shouted as his men around the island slowly turned back into plants. Instantly, the arrows that littered the ground disappeared as if they had never existed in the first place. "How could this happen to you?!" he howled in despair as he desperately tried to gather up the dead flower's organs. "But now…Muchigoro…my crew…my nakama will…" he heavily wept before growing enraged. "Unforgivable! Unforgivable!" he turned to face Papa, preparing to rush the man before stopping at the sound of a splash from behind him.

Turning around, his eyes widened. Luffy pulled his fist back before smashing it against Baron's face as hard as he could, sending him flying back.

'Muchigoro, Kerojii, DJ, Kotetsu…my friends, please don't go! Please don't leave me alone!' Baron desperately pleaded, unable to part with his nakama. 'Without you…I am…I am...' he felt himself close to breaking down.

"Baron, we're sorry for leaving you alone for so long" a familiar voice suddenly apologized.

'Kerojii…' Baron's eyes widened.

"Thanks for remembering us all this time 'pu" another voice said. "We're really happy 'pu" they told him.

'DJ…' Baron breathed, quick to recognize the voice of his youngest nakama.

"But you should have forgotten about us after we died on that stormy night" another voice sadly confessed.

'Muchigoro…what are you saying? I am…' Baron frowned, not able to bear the thought of forgetting his nakama.

"We don't mind! That's why you should have found some new nakama" yet another voice said, quick to assure the former captain that it was okay if he had moved on.

'New nakama?' Baron questioned, the thought foreign to him.

"Look, like them."

"Straw Hat!" Brief cried, his voice sounding faint to the rubber man. "Straw Hat!" he wept as he and the Tearoom Pirates worriedly surrounded the unconscious teen. With a harsh gasp, Luffy's eyes snapped open as he coughed before gulping down as much air as he could.

"I thought I was going to die!" he panted.

"Straw Hat!" Brief brightened, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

"You're alive!" Papa happily cheered.

"Thank goodness" the children sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness!" Brief sobbed.

"Guys…are you hurt?" Luffy worriedly asked before crying out in pain when he attempted to sit up.

"Why are you worried about us?! It's a miracle that you're even alive!" Brief exclaimed, stunned that the rubber man was worried him and the other pirates when he was the one that had been pierced by multiple arrows.

"Brief, I couldn't have done it without you!" Luffy grinned.

"What are you saying? That's my line!" Brief sniffed.

"And that Ossan too!" Luffy's grin widened as he looked at Papa, knowing he probably couldn't have won if the older man hadn't bravely shot down Lily.

"Me?" Papa owlishly blinked. "I didn't do much" he bashfully chuckled.

"By the way, where are my nakama?" Luffy asked.

"Mr. Reindeer!" Daisy suddenly cried as she and her brother rushed towards Chopper the minute they spotted him.

"Daisy!" Chopper brightened as he hugged the young girl.

"Chopper, you're quite popular" Sanji remarked.

"Of course he is" Skylar giggled as she rode on Zoro's back, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck as his were hooked underneath her legs to keep her from falling off. "It'd be a crime if he wasn't" she said.

"I don't know what happened, but I slept well" Zoro yawned, smiling a little as he heard the brunette laugh.

"That's easy to tell" she smiled, tightening her hold around his neck as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

"By the way, where are we?" Nami curiously asked, not recognizing where they were. She couldn't remember much after a certain point, but she knew they weren't on a mountain the last time she was conscious.

"Take a look! It's the sunrise!" Usopp pointed as the sun slowly started to rise over the island. "It's so bright" he remarked as Luffy brightened at the sight of his nakama.

"Is that Luffy?" Nami questioned when she finally spotted the rubber man.

"Oh, it is!" Zoro nodded as Skylar leaned forward and squinted her eyes in an attempt to get a better look.

"Is he sleeping?" she questioned before hugging the swordsman closer so as not to fall when he suddenly started to run towards the captain alongside the others. Robin halted in her tracks, staring down at the three small flowers that sprouted from the ground by her feet.

"Luffy! Luffy! What are you doing sleeping out here?" Nami asked as everyone gathered around their captain. Luffy only smiled, closing his eyes as he heaved a content sigh—thankful to see that they were okay. "Luffy! Luffy!" she softly frowned when he didn't respond, causing him to happily laugh.

---

A/N: Enjoy

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