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.

8. One Piece Film: Z

One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda
OCs belong to me.

---

-One Piece Film: Z-

"The ocean saw the world begin, and the ocean knows how the world with end. Thus it calls us down the path we must take—thus it leads us to a just world."

Z cringed as he attached his mechanical arm, teeth gritting as he fought through the pain of the bolts tightening the limb in place. From outside, cannon fire could be heard as the Marines tried their best to push back against the fleet of Neo Marines that sailed towards Firs Island.

"It envelops all pain and suffering, honorably and kindly wrapping them up."

Explosions rang out as the men on opposing sides engaged one another, rushing through the rocky terrain with their swords and guns held high.

Z wheezed as he lifted his inhaler, sucking in a deep breath as he released the medicine inside to help open his airways. Once ready, he and his remaining men on the ship began to join the others who had already invaded the island and were engaging the Marines. His body swayed with every step, trying its best to accommodate the bulky prosthetic attached to his right side.

"I will crush all pirates!" he grounded as he charged forward, quick to deal with the men who rushed him. Swinging his mechanical arm around, he had little issue tossing the soldiers that charged him—their bodies instantly flying back with every harsh swing.

Ain had little trouble dealing with the men who rushed her as she calmly evaded their swinging swords. Drawing her short swords, she began taking them down—her body ducking and weaving as she sliced and kicked at them.

"I will follow Z-sensei anywhere" she glared as more men began to charge at her.

"Mosa Mosa!" Binz swayed as roots began to grow around him, quickly creating a barrier of enlarged plants that easily blocked the cannon fire that was shot at him.

"Get some!" a high-ranking officer growled as he shot at the wall of plants, the following explosion far more powerful compared to the previous ones.

"My life's devotion is to serve Z-sensei alone!" Binz huffed as he leaped from the destroyed remains of his barrier, quickly calling forth more plants that grew alongside him—lashing at the surrounding Marines.

Z worked his way further into the island, his mechanical arm pulling most of the weight as he knocked back the soldiers who charged him no matter their ranking. He soon winced though when his prosthetic began to creak—locking up for a brief moment as he raised it to block the attack of one of the giant soldiers who rushed him.

"Smash Buster!" pushing the larger man back, he smashed his fist into his stomach and released an explosive burst that knocked him off his feet and into the second giant behind him.

"Damn you…" the second giant grunted as he clambered to his feet and swung at the former Admiral with his axe.

"Smash Blaster!" Z's mechanical arm opened as he thrust it towards the giant, blasting him back and away with another explosive fire that's force was enough to even knock back the surrounding soldiers. Z and his men continued onward, forcing their way into the Marine Base.

"Mosa" Binz bowed as he and Ain quickly took care of the Marines in their master's way. Upon reaching his destination, Z carefully patted the heavy metal door which blocked his way before reeling his mechanical arm back and blowing it open with an explosive punch. Inside the room was a metal wall of built-in shelves that contained rows upon rows of glass capsules—each one traced with lines that glowed an eerie purple. Approaching the shelf, he pulled one of the glass containers and admired the Dyna Stone that floated inside. Gray in color with streaks of magma, the stone sizzled as it lazily spun around within the purple liquid in floated in.

With nothing more than a simple command, he motioned for his men to start gathering the rest of the stones and take them back to their ships—making sure to instruct a few to place some around the island as well.

Kizaru lazily grinned as he raised his glowing finger and began to shoot at not only the Neo Marine ships, but the enemy soldiers as well who quickly ran by carrying the Dyna Stones they had come here to retrieve. Jumping in the air, he leaped towards Z upon spotting him—his foot glimmering as it shot out a burst of light that shot in every direction as soon as it made contact with the former Admiral's mechanical arm.

"The Sacred Yata Mirror!" creating a shimmering ball between his palms the second Z lunged for him, Kizaru disappeared into a burst of light before reforming himself in the air. Shooting down at the purple-haired man, an explosion rang out—sending a flurry of dirt and debris flying.

"Retreat! We must retreat!" Binz urged as he motioned his comrades back to their ships.

"Z-sensei…" Ain worriedly muttered as she looked back, hesitant to leave their master behind.

"Oh, long time no see, Sensei!" Kizaru greeted as he and Z continued to clash with one another. "Why did you come here?" he asked.

"Borsalino!" Z grinned. "Didn't I warn you not to rely on the Pika Pika Fruit's powers too much?!" he reprimanded as he drew his mechanical arm back.

"I see you're as strict as ever, Zephyr-sensei!" Kizaru remarked as he summoned a glimmering sword made of nothing but pure light.

"I've abandoned that name! I am Z!" Z glared as he and the Admiral clashed, his arm reflecting the other man's sword of light decently well. "Those lax fools in the Navy may have granted you the rank of Admiral, Kizaru, but don't let it go to your head!" he grinned.

"I didn't come here to reminisce about the old days" Kizaru said as he aimed with his finger, shooting a burst of light at the older man which he blocked with his mechanical arm. Lunging towards the Admiral, Z clashed with his sword once more before blowing him back with an explosive burst. Kizaru disbursed into a flurry of light once more as his former mentor dropped to the ground, coughing and wheezing as his hands desperately reached for his inhaler in his pocket. Sighing in relief at the inhalation of medicine, he quickly turned to block Kizaru's swinging sword as he reformed behind him. "How do you expect to keep up with my speed using a bulky weapon like that?" the Admiral asked.

"What are you going to use the Dyna Stones for anyway?" he inquired shortly after, wondering why the former Admiral had come to steal such stones.

"You know, you and I never got along, did we?" Z questioned as he pushed back against his former student's sword before lunging at him. Once more, Kizaru disbursed into a flurry of lights to dodge the attack and reform behind the older man.

"Come on, just give the Dyna Stones back already" he smiled.

"They say that the Dyna Stones rival even the ancient weapons!" Z suddenly grinned. "How about we test their power together—to commemorate our reunion?!" he asked as he leaped back and grabbed hold of one of the glass capsules that had been planted around the island. "When Dyna Stones come into contact with oxygen, they cause a massive explosion" he recalled, picking the container up in his mechanical hand and lightly tossing it. "Here we go!" tightening his grip, he crushed it. Kizaru quickly disbursed in a flurry of lights as the stone in Z's grasp began to spark.

Grinning, the former Admiral shot the glowing stone in his hand towards the fleeing man whose eyes widened the moment he reformed and saw it hurtling towards him. In a blinding burst of purple light, the stone exploded—destroying the entire island in one fell swoop as it triggered the rest of the stones that had been placed.

"Z-sensei!" Ain cried upon spotting the explosion, the Neo Marine ships were a good distance away from Firs Island which was now engulfed in flames.

"Oh my…" Kizaru breathed, having luckily evaded the explosion at the last minute as he reformed and stared at the intense flames that licked at the night sky. "He completely destroyed us."

"My, my, my…what is the Navy doing?" Kuzan frowned as he stared at the raging inferno that was once Firs Island. Grabbing the handles of his bike, he continued onward with a shake of his head—creating a path of ice beneath him that allowed him to ride over the waves.

-Straw Hats-

"Oh yeah!" Brook cheered, playing his guitar as Luffy happily wiggled—stretching his limbs out and grabbing some nearby meat to munch on as he danced. "Come on, baby!" he sang as he began to meow, mimicking the cat on his hat as he twirled. "I am the skeleton of endless joy! Come on!" he laughed as Franky joined and began to dance alongside his captain amongst the falling petals. "Cherry blossoms! Cherry blossoms!"

"This is quite nice…drinking and watching the flowers" Zoro remarked, gently stroking Skylar's hair as her head lay in his lap—bottles of sake surrounded the two on the blanket they sat on. "Don't you agree, Chopper?" he grinned.

"Yeah!" Chopper happily nodded. "Milk also goes well with watching the flowers" he added, holding up the bottle of milk around his neck.

"Cheers to that" Skylar chuckled, mindlessly holding her own bottle of milk up. Her eyes were closed as she listened to the others' excited laughter, a lazy grin on her face.

"These aren't cherry blossoms! It's me!" Franky laughed, proudly displaying his all-pink outfit as he posed, cherry blossom petals falling from his person and getting swept away by the wind. "Super!" he shouted.

"You go, Franky!" Luffy cheered as he continued to dance along to the skeleton's singing, his guitar playing only ramping up.

"Phew! It smells like poison!" Chopper suddenly gagged, choking on his milk as a strong and awful smell suddenly floated down from the garden atop the ship's main cabin. "I'm a goner!" he cried, tripping over his hoofs as he fell to the ground.

"What's wrong, Chopper?" Franky inquired, the music temporarily stopping as those on the deck rushed to the fallen doctor.

"Hey, buddy, you okay?" Skylar worriedly asked as she knelt beside the reindeer.

"Did you inhale something?" Zoro questioned.

"Chopper!" Luffy frowned.

"An inhaled poison…of course, it's obvious!" Brook suddenly gasped.

"You've figured it out?" Franky asked.

"Please listen to my new song, Inhaled Poison!" Brook requested as he lifted his guitar.

"You figured out a song?!" Franky snapped.

"I'm happy you got inspired Brook, but I don't think that's important right now" Skylar sweat dropped as she scooped Chopper up in her arms, causing him to groan. "Hm?" she hummed, her nose twitching before scrunching up in disgust.

"Toxic, toxic, toxic poison…" Brook began to sing.

"Now that I think about it, the booze tastes weird too" Zoro remarked after taking a swig from his sake, his nose twitching a bit at the horrid smell that still floated down from the ship's garden. "Or maybe it's just a really dry brew that's supposed to taste like this?" he pondered.

"Toxic, toxic, toxic poison…" Brook still sang. "It's dangerous, so don't swallow it!"

"Ugh! No, I think there's something in the air!" Skylar gagged, pinching her nose.

"They're lively as ever" Robin remarked as she stood from watering her flowers up in the garden.

"Blossom…blossom…" Usopp softly sang as he sprayed another heaping of pesticides on his Pop Greens. "Now, all of you, keep growing Pop Greens for me!" he grinned behind the bandana wrapped around his lower face, protecting him from inhaling the toxins. "The great pest destroyer Usopp-sama will protect you from insects!"

"Usopp! So you're the culprit!" Luffy shouted up to the sniper from the deck. "Look! Chopper collapsed because of that stuff you're spraying around!" he scolded as he pointed to the dizzy reindeer in Skylar's arms.

"That's because you're all standing downwind!" Usopp argued. "This is a pesticide, it only kills pests! If it kills you then that must mean that you're a pest!"

"I see, well that's a relief" Zoro nodded. "We're not bugs after all" he said as he sat down and returned to drinking his sake.

"Oh, so we're safe?" Chopper asked, perking up as he lifted his head.

"It's…it's still harmful to humans too…" Skylar sweat dropped as she sat Chopper down, patting the top of his head as he rushed off to retrieve another bottle of milk.

"This booze makes my tongue tingle, but it's still pretty good" Zoro grinned.

"I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to do that" Skylar said as she walked over and plopped down onto the swordsman's lap the second he opened his arms for her. "I think you're ingesting poison."

"Good poison then" he hummed, wrapping an arm around her as he took another swig. "Tastes even better now with a pretty girl in my lap" he murmured in her ear, grinning as he pulled her closer and pressed a few kisses to her neck. Hungrily, he stared down at her with a lidded gaze as she looked away with a blush—admiring how nice and cute she looked in his old shirt which she wore over her swimsuit.

"Oh hush..." she muttered, blush darkening as he peppered a few more kisses along her neck before gently turning her head and firmly pressing his lips against her own. "You taste awful..." she mumbled against his lips even as she returned his kiss, causing him to pleasantly hum.

"This is a bit bitter…maybe it's meant for adults?" Chopper hummed as he noted how the new bottle of milk he had gotten tasted a bit strange.

"Let me try!" Luffy grinned as he suddenly snatched the bottle from the doctor and took a sip. "Nasty…" he whined, gagging at the taste.

"I'm pretty sure that stuff's harmful to the human body too" Robin remarked as she watched the group below return to their fun.

"I am the cherry blossoms" Franky grinned as he moved, cherry blossom petals falling from his person once more. "I slowly advance northward" he playfully teased.

"Luffy-san, the cherry blossoms…" Brook pointed. "Flower viewing season is coming to an end!" he gasped.

"Hold it, cherry blossoms!" Luffy shouted. "Hurry!"

"Nah, on second thought, I'll go south instead!" Franky grinned as he moved in the opposite direction.

"Change course!" Luffy gasped.

"Bastard, why did you spill the booze?!" Zoro snapped as the rowdy bunch accidentally bumped into him, causing a bit of the booze in his hand to spill as Skylar and Chopper laughed.

"They're so noisy…" Nami grumbled from where she sat at the front of the ship. "Why can't they just relax?" she huffed, lowering her book as she glared back at the deck.

"Hey, shut up you guys!" Sanji snapped at the two running around as he approached Nami's chair. "Sheesh…" he grumbled before doing a complete one-eighty. "Hey, Nami-swan!" he swooned as he twirled over to the ginger, kneeling down on one knee as he presented her with the tray in his hands. "I have brought you my Orange Special!"

"Thank you, Sanji-kun" Nami smiled as she took a sip from one of the three straws in the drink. "I'd like some dessert too" she winked.

"Yes, Nami-swan! With pleasure!" Sanji lovingly saluted.

"Hey, Sanji!" Luffy suddenly shouted.

"Huh?" the blond frowned.

"Gimme some dessert too!" Luffy demanded as he and the others on the deck now stared up at the blond. "Oh, and meat!" he added when he remembered they were starting to run low on the deck.

"I want to eat sweets as well!" Brook nodded.

"Me too!" Chopper waved.

"And some cola too" Franky added.

"There's not enough booze here" Zoro complained, his arms wrapped around Skylar as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"I'll have some dessert too!" Usopp shouted from across the deck where he was still up in the garden.

"Shut it, damn bastards!" Sanji snapped at the men. "Maybe if you asked more politely!"

"What about me? Can I have something sweet?" Skylar grinned, raising her hand. "Please" she sweetly added.

"Of course you can, Skylar-chan!" Sanji cooed, hearts all around him as the brunette giggled. Zoro grunted, his grip on the brunette tightening as he glared up at the swooning blond.

"What? That's not fair!" Luffy whined.

"Listen! I was born for the ladies!" Sanji snapped, the hearts around him popping as he was reminded of the other men on the ship. His rant was cut rather short though as he blinked at the ash that suddenly began to fall from the sky. Luffy grinned as he bit down on the meat in his hand, unaware of the specks of cinders now sticking to it.

"Nasty!" he groaned, tongue lulling out in disgust after swallowing. "Hey, Usopp! Your pesticide's raining down again!" he snapped as he turned to the sniper.

"I already finished spraying!" Usopp frowned.

"What could this be?" Robin asked as she looked around at the falling ash.

"It's snow!" Chopper innocently cheered.

"No, it's too hot to be snowing" Zoro shook his head as he and the others looked to the sky.

"It's too gray to be snow anyways" Skylar pointed out as she examined the ashen flakes.

"What's going on?" Nami asked. "This is volcanic ash!" she quickly realized as she looked at the smoke overhead which was carried along with the ashes by the wind.

"Volcanic ash?" everyone questioned.

-Later-

Nami worriedly examined the Log Pose, watching as one of the three needles began to wildly spin. Ahead of them, dark clouds rumbled as thunder roared in the distance.

"This feels disgusting!" Chopper whined from his seat against the mast.

"The volcanic ash got in your fur, didn't it?" Robin asked, seated next to the doctor as he rubbed at his face. "We can take a bath later" she offered, taking the drink Sanji had brought her.

"Bath?!" Sanji shouted, his eyes turning to hearts at the thought.

"Together?!" Brook cried.

"Today isn't my bathing day…but alright—this is really disgusting" Chopper agreed, willing to take a bath earlier than normal if it meant his fur would be clean quicker.

"Ooh, I'm jealous" Skylar playfully teased from her spot seated on Chopper's other side, taking a sip from her own drink. "Can't believe you get to take a bath with such a cutie, Robin" she giggled

"You can join us too if you want" Robin smiled, extending the offer.

"Tempting, but no" Skylar hummed after a moment's thought. "I'm pretty sure someone might get jealous of you two if I were to agree" she said, gazing drifting towards Zoro who was cleaning his swords, his head slightly tilted in their direction to show that he was listening.

"And I! May I join you…in the bath?" Brook suddenly begged, startling Chopper as he practically shoved his skull in the doctor's face. "I mean, just look! My face is really disgusting as well!" he pointed as he desperately laughed before slowly breaking down into tears.

"Don't be offended by your own remarks" Sanji deadpanned.

"No" Robin curtly turned her head, causing the skeleton to flop to the ground and sob.

"Brook, I don't mind if you join in!" Chopper quickly assured the skeleton.

"Chopper-san, I love you!" Brook cried.

"If it makes you feel better, Brook, I find you rather appealing" Skylar grinned.

"You do?" Brook brightened.

"Yes, you have a nice bone structure" Skylar nodded. "I like a man with a strong jawline" her grin widened as Zoro snorted, shaking his head as he listened to the skeleton laugh. His bony cheeks turned a rosy red as he bashfully waved off the brunette's playfully flirtatious remark.

"Hey, Nami, something on your mind?" Franky asked, finally noticing just how confused and worried the navigator looked.

"One of the compass needles is pointing in the direction that the volcanic ash came from, now it's shaking weirdly" she explained as she looked at the Log Pose once more. "The movements don't look right" she remarked. "It looks like a child who has lost their parents."

"Lost child? What do you mean?" Franky frowned.

"Well, if the eruption that caused the volcanic ash to rain down…blew the entire island away…" Nami carefully explained, uncertain how else to put it.

"The needle would no longer have a magnetic field to lock onto?" Franky questioned. "That's impossible!" he frowned.

"This is the New World" Nami reminded him.

"That's right—don't give us your opinion" Sanji nodded as he approached the group. "Scatter before Nami-san's beauty, robo-cherry-blossom!" he grinned. "Nami-san, would you like some tea?" he asked as he offered the tray in his hand to her.

"Thank you" Nami smiled as she took the cup from the tray. "In any case, we have to stay away from the island this compass needle points to!" she frowned, certain that no good could come from an island that was suddenly blown away.

"Speaking of which, Nami…" Usopp suddenly whispered. "There is one man here who must never see that needle" he reminded her, sipping on the cup of tea Sanji had given him.

"You're right" Nami agreed. "It's my job to choose the safest path and to ensure that nobody in the crew dies."

"Hey! That needles' moving in a really cool way!" Luffy suddenly brightened, his head stretching down from the figurehead as he eyed the needles of the Log Pose on Nami's wrist.

"Luffy!" Nami yelped, she and Usopp spitting their tea out at the captain's face as she quickly scrambled back and away from him.

"Let's go that way!" Luffy laughed, unbothered by the hot tea that now dripped from his face.

"Dammit! He saw it!" Usopp cried as he grabbed his head in distress.

"I smell adventure!" Luffy grinned as his head shot back towards his body.

"W-wait! Hang on a second, Luffy!" Usopp panicked. "J-just listen!" he pleaded as he ran up the steps that led up to the figurehead. "Nami says that the ash from before—"

"Hey, everyone! I've settled on a course!" Luffy shouted, ignoring the rambling sharpshooter as he called out to the others. "Get ready to go!"

"Luffy!" Usopp whined as Nami rested a hand on his arm and sadly shook her head. "But seriously, with the needle spinning around like that, you don't even know where the island—"

"Don't be silly" Nami frowned as she turned away from the sniper. "I'm the navigator—once a destination has been decided…I'll get you there, wherever it may be!" she confidently proclaimed. "Luffy, keep watch!" she ordered the captain.

"Sure! Leave it to me!" Luffy brightened as he moved further onto the figurehead.

"Hey, are you sure about this?" Usopp asked as everyone gathered near the front of the ship. "In the New World, choosing between the three courses can decide whether you live or die, right?" he frowned.

"Franky, turn the steering wheel twenty degrees" Nami instructed.

"Turn the steering wheel twenty degrees, aye aye!" Franky nodded, doing as he was told.

"Hey, are you listening?!" Usopp snapped.

"I don't know what'll happen next, we just have to brace ourselves" Nami smiled. "We don't have a choice—he's the captain after all" she reminded the sharpshooter, bringing a smile to the others' faces as the sniper pouted. "I definitely don't want to run into a volcanic explosion or anything life-threatening like that!" she quickly added, letting him know that she was still in agreement with him.

From atop the figurehead, Luffy watched as debris started to float by in the ocean. He soon blinked though as his gaze instantly zeroed in on Z's unconscious body which clung to a broken piece of wood—the waves gently knocking him around as they swept him further out to sea.

"Survivor spotted! Begin rescue immediately!" Chopper huffed as he slid down to the lower parts below the deck, Luffy quickly following after. "Wah! He's floating away!" he gasped as the door on the side of the ship raised and he saw the former Admiral's body float by.

"I'll handle it!" Luffy grinned as he stretched his arm, grabbing hold of Z's mechanical one.

"Luffy, what's wrong?!" Chopper jumped, quick to run to the captain's aid the minute he started to feel faint—his limbs weakening as he fell back.

"My powuh'th fading…" Luffy moaned, tongue lulling out. Panicking, Chopper quickly called for the others as he caught his weakened captain. Sanji and Usopp were the ones to come down and begin helping as they pulled the captain's still stretched-out arm back towards the ship—dragging Z along whose prosthetic arm was still clutched in the young man's grasp.

"Luffy, don't let go yet!" Usopp grunted.

"Sure…" Luffy weakly panted, leaning back against Chopper who helped to keep him propped up.

"Heave ho!" with one final tug, Usopp and Sanji pulled Z onto the ship.

"Luffy, are you alright?" Chopper asked as the captain released his hold on the older man and began retracting his stretched-out arm which lay in a heap beside him.

"Yup!" Luffy grinned, his energy quickly returning.

"Well, is he alive?" Usopp asked as Chopper checked Z's vitals, moving his stethoscope around the man's chest as the rest of the crew gathered below deck. Skylar silently stared at the older man, brows furrowing in confusion as a vague sense of familiarity washed over her. She did not know him and she was certain she'd never met him before in her life…but somewhere deep within the recesses of her mind, she was certain she'd seen him before.

"Something a matter?" Zoro muttered as he leaned toward her, gently taking and squeezing her hand as he watched her frown deepen.

"No…I just…" she shook her head, unsure how to explain this odd feeling she was having. She was certain now she had to have seen this man—or at least someone similar to him—in a picture before…but she couldn't recall where exactly. For some reason, the longer she tried to recall where she'd seen such a picture, the more her stomach started to churn with dread.

"His pulse and breathing are faint, but he's just unconscious—his life is not in danger" Chopper assured the crew.

"I see" Usopp nodded, relieved that they hadn't brought a dead man aboard the ship.

"Are you sure you didn't pick up another dangerous fellow?" Nami asked, eyeing the purple-haired man in suspicion. "His body's all roughed up and covered in scars" she remarked as Robin poked at his prosthetic. "And then there's this thing attached to his right arm—he obviously isn't an ordinary guy."

"I knew it—this is made of Sea Stone" Robin winced as she quickly drew her hand back from the man's mechanical arm.

"I see! So that's why Luffy lost his strength when he grabbed it!" Chopper realized.

"A powerful weapon made of Sea Stone…" Nami muttered.

"So cool!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper sparkled.

"That's not what I was getting at!" Nami snapped.

"Sea Stone emits the same kind of energy as the sea" Sanji recalled as he lit his cigarette. "If his weapon's made from that stuff, then it must have been made to take out Devil Fruit users like you"

"He might be an enemy" Nami worried. "They say you can't let your guard down in the New World" she reminded everyone.

"If you're worried then just throw him overboard" Zoro suggested.

"Idiot! There's no way we could do that!" Usopp snapped.

"I'm against it!" Chopper cried as he took a protective stance in front of Z.

"He might kill you as soon as he recovers" Zoro grinned before grunting as Skylar harshly jabbed her elbow into his side.

"Behave" she scolded when she saw how scared the doctor had gotten at the thought.

"Even so, I'm a doctor!" Chopper shook his head, quick to push his fear aside. "I can't abandon him!"

"It's fine" Luffy smiled when he saw the wary looks on his other crewmate's faces. "Treat his wounds, Chopper! And if he turns on us, I'll send him flying!" he assured the doctor. "Everyone okay with that?" he asked.

"Yeah! Thanks, Luffy!" Chopper brightened.

"Well, a warrior of the sea can't be afraid…" Usopp sighed as he crossed his arms with a smile, causing the captain to laugh as some of the others smiled as well.

"How can they always be so optimistic?" Nami muttered, her shoulders drooping. "I have a bad feeling about this…" she sighed as Robin chuckled.

"It's exciting, isn't it?" Luffy eagerly asked.

"I don't need this kind of excitement!" Nami snapped as Skylar softly chuckled…though her smile slowly fell as she looked back at Z, that churning dread in her stomach worsening.

-Later-

Z twitched as he woke up, groaning as he shook his head at the memories that flooded him.

"Luffy, it sounds like he's awake!" Chopper brightened, turning around in his chair as he called out to the captain who sat on the floor by the door.

"Yeah, feels like it" Luffy grinned as he lifted his head.

"Hey, crap-cook" Zoro said from his spot stationed outside, his finger pushing against the hilt guard of one of his swords as he leaned back against the railing.

"Oh, shut it…" Sanji grumbled. "I can feel him, damn moss-ball" he assured the swordsman, letting him know he wasn't the only one aware that their guest was now awake.

"Would you believe it? We've picked up a big shot" Zoro grinned.

"You were drifting around in the sea, do you remember?" Chopper asked as his patient sat up on the infirmary bed, holding his head as he shook it and looked around the Sick Bay.

"Yeah, I know" Z nodded, slowly remembering what had happened before the explosion. "I'm grateful for your skilled treatment—you saved my life, Doctor" he grinned.

"I'm Chopper!" the reindeer brightened, eyes shining.

"Doctor Chopper, you are a magnificent doctor" Z reiterated.

"Praising me like that won't make me happy, you jerk!" Chopper happily squirmed as he turned away from the man. Luffy smiled as he watched the reindeer bashfully jump around.

"You must be this ship's captain" Z guessed as he looked at the rubber man seated in the doctor's chair.

"You can tell?" Luffy laughed, impressed the man was able to figure out he was the captain so quickly. Normally, people assumed one of the others was the captain before they ever considered him.

"I can" Z nodded. "I've seen plenty of young people like you—gauging their strength is a specialty of mine" he grinned.

"I see" Luffy smiled. "So, what'll you do now, Pops?" he asked as Usopp nervously peered into the Sick Bay from the kitchen through the door's window. "Do you want a ride to the next island?"

"I have a Vivre Card—my comrades are following it and should be here soon" Z assured the young man as Brook pushed the sniper aside so he could get a glimpse inside the room.

"Pops, that weapon's really cool!" Luffy suddenly praised as he eyed the man's prosthetic.

"Where can I buy one?" Chopper asked.

"After a lowly pirate cut off my arm, the mad scientist at the Navy put this on me" Z chuckled. "The Battle Smasher—the claw is made from Sea Stone, a Devil Fruit user's weakness, so it saps their power…before eliminating them with a single blast of intense firepower" he explained as he lifted his mechanical arm. "Doctor Chopper, I can't recommend this heavy thing."

"Awesome!" Chopper sparkled.

"It won't come off without using special equipment—so if you fall into the sea, you're in serious trouble" Z grinned.

"You're in the Navy?" Luffy questioned.

"No—I got too old, so I quit" Z shook his head. "I'm doing something else now."

"What?" Luffy curiously asked as Chopper continued to admire the old man's prosthetic, cutely picking up the milk bottle around his neck and jabbing it.

"I'm fighting to carry out a self-given mission" Z answered.

"Who are you fighting against?" the rubber man inquired.

"This is starting to feel like an interrogation" Z chuckled as he leaned back, amused by the younger man's constant questioning.

"Sorry!" Luffy laughed. "If you were still in the Navy, I suppose there'd be trouble between us" he confessed.

"Would it be bad if I were a Marine?" Z questioned.

"Yeah, 'cause we're pirates" Luffy grinned, not noticing the way the older man tensed.

"I see…so you're pirates?!" Z sneered as he stood.

"I remember now…" Skylar suddenly muttered from inside the kitchen as she lifted her head.

"Remember what?" Nami asked, turning to the brunette who had been eerily silent this entire time.

"Why he looks so familiar…" Skylar said. "He used to be a—" Usopp and Brook screamed, scrambling away from the Sick Bay door as Luffy suddenly came crashing through it. He slid along the ground, destroying a good chunk of the dining room chairs as he did so.

"Luffy!" Chopper worriedly shouted as he ran after his captain, flinching as even more of the wall separating the kitchen and Sick Bay was destroyed.

"Nami-san, Skylar-chan! Get outside!" Sanji instructed as he and Zoro came rushing into the room from outside.

"W-we're counting on you!" Nami nodded, quick to run outside as Skylar hesitated for a moment before following, nodding once she saw the look Zoro gave her.

"Ow…a Sea Stone punch really hurts!" Luffy whined as he sat up.

"Man with the straw hat" Z said as he stepped through the destroyed wall. "What do you seek to accomplish by being a pirate?" he asked.

"I will become the Pirate King!" Luffy grinned as he stood, causing Z's eyes to widen as he finally took a good look at the rubber man—particularly his hat.

"Pirate King…" the claws of his mechanical arm trembled as they curled. "Did you say Pirate King?!" he shouted, drawing his prosthetic back before punching down at the young man who quickly dodged out of the way. Zoro and Sanji reacted immediately as they rushed to aid their captain. Angrily, Z batted away the dining room table Luffy had hopped atop before blocking the kick Sanji sent his way. Zoro drew his swords and clashed with the older man's prosthetic which blocked each of his slashes.

Quickly, the swordsman jumped out of the way of his oncoming fist as Luffy jumped atop the fallen table and punched the older man.

"He's strong!" Chopper gasped as he watched how effortlessly the old man took any punches or kicks thrown at him before delivering his own in return. He blocked every attack with his prosthetic as he easily kept up with the three younger men despite his bulky size and old age.

"Dammit!" Luffy cursed as he was punched in the face.

"B-Brook! We have to get out of here!" Usopp shouted as he made a break for the door.

"Yes!" Brook nodded before stumbling back as the Sunny was suddenly struck by Z's own ship which had finally arrived to pick him up. Frantically, the skeleton looked around in confusion as he fearfully pressed himself against the kitchen wall.

"They've arrived" Z grinned as he blocked another one of Zoro's slashes.

From outside, Ain and Binz dropped down from their ship and onto Sunny's deck, causing the Straw Hats outside to tense as they took an offensive stance.

"I am Ain, Vice Admiral of the Neo Navy" Ain introduced as Usopp, Brook, and Chopper ran out of the kitchen. "We, the Neo Navy, have your pirate ship surrounded—do not resist, you will only die quicker" she warned as more Neo Marine ships surrounded the Sunny.

"Neo Navy?" Skylar questioned, her grip on her swords tightening.

"No pirate would obey a command to surrender!" Franky frowned as he charged the two.

"There's a fight out here too!" Usopp grounded as Ain and Binz dodged out of the way of the cyborg rushing them.

"Mosa Mosa!" Binz swayed, causing plants to sprout from the deck's grass and wrap tightly around the cyborg.

"What the hell is this?!" Franky shouted.

"That's…" Nami flinched.

"A Devil Fruit!" Robin gasped.

"Looks like this won't be an easy fight then" Skylar glared.

"Behold the power of the Mosa Mosa Fruit" Binz said as he turned to the three women. "The Mosa Mosa Dance controls all plant life!" he explained.

Inside the kitchen, Luffy charged at Z again, throwing his fist at the older man who quickly blocked it before knocking the captain away with the swing of his mechanical arm. Turning, he grunted as Zoro's sword scraped against the straps across his chest that helped to support his massive prosthetic by attaching it to his left hip. Swinging his bulky arm, the two clashed before finally, the swordsman jumped back and landed beside his companions.

"Things sound bad outside too" Sanji remarked.

"Let's finish this quickly!" Luffy glared.

Outside, Nami quickly blocked Ain's swinging short swords with her Clima-Tact. Moving back, she quickly dodged out of the way as Skylar rushed by—her swords soon clashing with the other woman's blades as she lunged at her.

"Dos Fleur!" Robin glared.

"Mosa!" Binz disappeared as he avoided the arms that sprouted around the deck. "Mosa mosa! Mosa mosa mosa!" he practically danced as he popped in and out, moving far too quickly for her disembodied hands to capture.

"He's too quick! I can't keep track of him!" Robin frowned.

"Mosa mosa mosa mosa!" Binz danced as he sat atop Franky, more vines growing from the ship's deck and wrapping further around the cyborg.

"Can't breathe!" he grunted as the plants wrapped around his lower face.

"Mosa mosa mosa mosa!" Binz continued.

"Not good!" Usopp shouted before he, Chopper, and Brook jumped onto the deck to join in on the fight.

"Stay off the lawn!" Nami warned the three as Skylar and Ain pushed back against one another—their bodies moving in a synchronized dance as their blades clashed. Eventually, the brunette was forced to jump away—her body leaning far back as she hurried away from the woman's short swords which nearly slashed at her throat.

"Mosa Mosa!" Binz wasted no time in summoning more vines which quickly wrapped around the three the second they touched the ground.

"No wait!" Brook flinched as he and the other two began jumping around, attempting to knock away the growing plants surrounding them.

"What's this?!" Usopp cried.

"Stop it!" Chopper shouted.

"N-n-no!" Brook choked as the three were finally restrained, bodies wrapped up tight in green as Binz grabbed the bottom of his bandana, which was wrapped tightly around his head, and tightened it even further.

"Gust Sword!" Nami pulled her Clima-Tact apart as she thrusted one of the sections towards Ain who quickly ducked out of the way of the gust of air that shot out of the staff.

"Modo!" Ain's hand suddenly began to glow as she thrust it towards the ginger, pressing it firmly to her stomach. Nami gasped before falling faint as she seemingly disappeared, her clothes falling into a heap on the ground. Skylar froze, stunned as she stared at the heap of fabric that now lay discarded on the deck—her mind struggling to process what had happened as her gaze desperately looked for the ginger.

"Nami!" Chopper cried as Robin gasped, head turning away from the arms that helped to free Franky's lower face from the vines that suffocated him. "What did you do to Nami?" the doctor glared. "Heavy Point!" quickly, his body grew as he transformed—his tiny clothes stretching as he ripped himself free from the vines that restrained him.

"Modo Modo!" Ain's hands began to glow as she dodged the reindeer's oncoming punch before leaping over him—touching the top of his head as she did so.

"Chopper-san!" Brook gasped.

"She did it again…" Skylar muttered as the reindeer seemingly disappeared, leaving nothing but a pile of clothes behind. "What…what did you do to them?!" she shouted, her temper now flaring as she rushed the woman. Ain quickly dodged the swords that swung at her—her body swaying from side to side as the brunette slashed at her, once again trapping them in a sort of dance as they moved in tandem with one another. "Where are they?! What did you do?!" she snarled, never noticing the way the woman's hands began to glow as she changed her stance.

"Wha…!" her eyes soon widened, startled when the woman suddenly lunged for her—her body ducking low to avoid the brunette's swinging swords as she rushed her. Leaning back, Skylar lost her footing as her swords clattered to the ground the second she felt Ain's hand gently brush against her face.

"Skylar!" Usopp and Brook shouted, the skeleton struggling against his restraints as the brunette followed the same fate as their previous two companions—her body seemingly disappearing and leaving nothing behind but a heap of clothes on the deck. Her throwing knives which had been attached to her thighs sounded painfully loud as they hit the ground.

Inside the kitchen, Sanji sent another kick at Z which he blocked before punching the blond in the stomach—sending him flying.

"Oh no…you…stop it!" Brook cried from outside as Ain suddenly began to advance towards him, her hands glowing once more. "Ah, stay away!" he flinched as she reached for him. "No! Don't! Don't!" he cried as he desperately shook his head.

"Brook!" Usopp shouted.

"Stop this!" Robin glared. "Seis Fleur!" summoning multiple arms, she restrained Ain. "You're a Devil Fruit user too, I see—what did you do to Nami, Chopper, and Skylar?!" she asked as Nami's tiny body suddenly rose from her heap of clothes with a gasp.

"Robin! Stop using your ability!" she shouted, startling the older woman as Chopper and Skylar sat up from their own heaps of clothing—their bodies also smaller as they looked around in confusion.

"Modo Modo!" Ain touched her glowing hand to one of Robin's disembodied ones, causing her body to shrink just the tiniest bit as her clothing grew looser. "I'm a reverting human who ate the Modo Modo Fruit" she revealed as the disembodied arms around her disappeared. "My power reverts whatever it affects to the state it was in twelve years ago" she explained as the raven-haired woman examined herself, stunned by how youthful she looked. "You'd be about eighteen years old now it seems" she remarked.

"I'm tiny!" Chopper cried as he grabbed his face.

"I forgot how big everything was back then…" Skylar murmured as she looked up from her small hands, discomfort gnawing at her stomach upon noticing how everything now towered above her.

"If I touch you two more times, you'd revert twelve years twice—so twenty-four years…and your very existence would be erased" Ain continued.

"Smash Buster!" Z thrust his mechanical arm towards Luffy, sending the captain and his remaining crewmates in the kitchen flying in a burst of flames that shattered the windows and destroyed the cabin completely. Instantly, vines wrapped around Zoro and Sanji as they crashed onto the deck.

"How can you expect to become the Pirate King when you're this weak?" Z asked as he held Luffy in his prosthetic's grasp. "Laughable!" he scoffed, tightening his grip and causing the young man to groan. "Should I just crush you? What do you say, Pirate King?" he asked. "Name yourself" he suddenly demanded.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy" Luffy grounded.

"I see, so you're Garp's grandson" Z grinned before tossing the captain onto the deck.

"Z-sensei, I'm glad you're safe" Ain sighed in relief.

"We will sink this pirate ship with concentrated cannon fire from our fleet" Z instructed.

"Luffy!" Nami and Skylar gasped as they crowded around the captain.

"Are you alright, Luffy?" Chopper worriedly asked, also crowding the captain.

"I am Z, the Supreme Commander of the Neo Navy!" Z proclaimed. "Z will exterminate every last pirate in the world! Let's see how long you survive, Pirate King!" and with that, he left as his men began to fire at the Sunny. Skylar clung to Chopper as they and Nami screamed, their tiny bodies easily thrown around by the surrounding explosions as they were knocked off their feet.

"Dammit!" Luffy shouted attempting to rush after the retreating man and his comrades. "Wait!" he stumbled as parts of the ship were destroyed, knocking those that weren't restrained over. "Our fight…our fight isn't…over yet!" he angrily screamed after Z's departing ship as he grabbed hold of the now broken railing.

"Sunny!" Franky screamed as he struggled against his restraints, one of his glasses lens shattering.

"Dammit!" Usopp cried as he also struggled.

"Chopper, hurry and get these off!" Sanji shouted as the reindeer now fought to pull the vines around the blond off. "This is really bad!" he winced as another explosion rocked the ship.

"Luffy!" Nami cried as she and Skylar struggled to remove Zoro's vines, the brunette's tiny hands trembling as she attempted to use one of her Kunai to cut through the plants. Tears blurred her vision as she struggled, tiny hiccups leaving her trembling lips as the violent rocking of the ship and surrounding explosions scared her and made it hard to keep her balance.

"Luffy, we have to escape!" Robin shouted before screaming as another explosion rocked the ship, sending debris flying.

"Franky, we're getting out of here!" Luffy grounded as he finally turned and ripped at the vines that restrained the cyborg. Robin stumbled as she ran to help. "Damn that bastard!" he glared, stumbling back as he finally broke the last of the vines.

"Super!" Franky posed as he was freed before rushing to take his place behind the steering wheel as Luffy began to kick back and reflect as many of the oncoming cannonballs as he could. "Please, Sunny! I believe in you!" the cyborg grounded as he grabbed hold of the wheel. "Emergency Withdrawal System…Coup de Burst!" everyone clung to whatever they could as the barrels of cola below began to swell and expand until finally, the ship rocketed forward into the air.

-Marine Headquarters-

"He's really done it now—the Dyna Stones were meant to protect the End Points from pirates, and he used them to destroy the End Point instead!" Akainu glared, his fist starting to glow hot as it burst into flames. "The first End Point sunk into the ocean along with the Navy Base protecting it—Z's goal is probably to destroy the three End Points thus annihilating the New World" he theorized to the people in the room he had gathered for this meeting.

"Even he couldn't escape unscathed after being caught in the Dyna Stones' explosion, could he?" Kizaru questioned.

"I wouldn't underestimate that man even in his old age" Varen scoffed, finding the idea that their former instructor had already kicked the bucket absurd as he leaned back into his seat.

"He's alive" Tsuru calmly said. "Everyone here should know…that he won't die so easily—Z…no, former Navy Admiral, Black Arm Zephyr, he's alive" she stated.

"Whatever the case, we must get the Dyna Stones back" Akainu said, causing all eyes to return to him. "We may have been in his care before, but now he is an enemy to our justice" he frowned. "And whether Z is alive or dead, those people who call themselves the Neo Navy…must be exterminated in the name of justice" the fire that consumed his fist burned brighter before finally extinguishing. "With all the Navy's might pursue Z and the Neo Navy! Reclaim the Dyna Stones and dispense justice with extreme prejudice" he instructed.

-Firs Island-

"If the End Points are destroyed, the world will end…I thought that was just a story?" Coby questioned as Garp's ship sailed by the still-raging fire that once was Firs Island. "Everyone in the world knows it's a lie" he frowned.

"If it was a lie, why would we need to treat it so seriously?" Garp countered. "We know what Z's goal is—it is to destroy all pirates in the New World. Using the End Points, he can do that" he calmly explained. "But, of course, he wouldn't just destroy the pirates…but all the innocent citizens as well" he glared.

"Vice Admiral Garp…who is Z?" a Marine curiously asked, his young face showing that he was far too fresh in the service to recognize the former Admiral's name.

"He was one of us once" Garp sighed as he recalled his old friend. "We were comrades—we were supposed to be comrades" he corrected himself. "Zephyr…are you really angry enough to destroy the world?" he asked. "Are you truly incapable of forgiving us?"

-Straw Hats-

On Dock Island, Franky worked tirelessly to get the Sunny fixed.

"Luffy!" he grinned when he finally noticed his captain watching. "I'll fix Sunny up perfectly! It'll take a while, but you're going after Z in the meantime, right?" he asked.

"Yeah" Luffy nodded. "Take care of the Sunny" he huffed.

"This is the payment for using the dock, this is for the hotel rooms, and…" Nami counted as she separated the money in her hand into piles, separating them by what they were going towards. She and Skylar were now dressed in some of her old childhood dresses that had been in storage which fit her small body perfectly, but still hung a bit large on the brunette's sickly frame…

It was alarming to realize that the brunette was meant to be only six.

Her tiny body betrayed her age, making her appear much younger than she was meant to be. She looked malnourished with how terrifyingly thin she was, a fact that made many of the crew uncomfortable and filled them with horror. It was heart-wrenching to realize just how small she was as a child…

"I'm sorry" Chopper suddenly apologized. "I'm the one who insisted on saving that Z guy" his head drooped as he looked down at the water from the wall he and the other two sat atop. Unlike the girls, he was able to fit just fine in his usual clothes.

"Don't apologize" Zoro said, causing the reindeer to lift his head.

"A pirate doesn't regret following their convictions—it's not your fault, we understand" Sanji assured the doctor.

"You did what you thought was right, that's all that matters" Skylar softly smiled as she leaned back and patted the top of his head.

"Thank you" Chopper nodded.

"The Neo Navy…who is Z?" Usopp asked.

"He attacked us as soon as he heard we were pirates!" Chopper huffed.

"Skylar, you said something about remembering him before he attacked—what did you mean by that?" Nami curiously asked, recalling the brunette's strange words before the fight had broken out.

"Hm?" Skylar hummed, mindlessly kicking her legs as she tilted her head back in thought. "I don't know him personally…I just remembered seeing his picture once in Father's study years ago—it was an old picture back before he became an Admiral...I think…" she murmured, unsure when the picture was actually taken. "So I knew he was a Marine…but other than that, I don't really know much else" she confessed.

"That Binz guy's powers were really annoying" Sanji scoffed after a moment of silence as he thought back to the miserable fight from earlier and how useless he became after getting caught by the other man's vines.

"Next time, we'll settle the score with them" Zoro glared as his gaze drifted over to Skylar. It made his chest ache to see how small and sickly she was…to realize just how vulnerable she was. Reaching over, he gently rested his hand atop her head—gaze softening as he smiled the second she turned, her wide eyes curiously looking up at him before smiling. "Besides, we have to avenge the Sunny who fought so bravely" he remarked as he lifted his gaze to the ship.

"If the Sunny hadn't fought so hard, we'd all be at the bottom of the sea after the Neo Navy barrage" Nami agreed.

"We have to find the Neo Navy and pay them back" Robin added.

"Seriously?!" Usopp flinched. "I don't wanna go near that dangerous bunch! Let's just stay quietly on this island until Sunny's been fixed!" he suggested.

"What are you saying?" Nami frowned. "If we don't find them, we can't return my body back to normal!" she pouted.

"I don't wanna stay like this either!" Chopper agreed as he jumped around.

"Yeah…" Skylar nodded. "This…this isn't bringing back good memories…" she confessed, causing everyone to wince. They could only imagine how painful it was for her to be in such a small and starved body once more after all these years.

"I can't do anything in a child's body!" Nami huffed as she stood. "The voyage through the New World will be tougher than anything we've faced before! In order to lead the Sunny as a navigator, I have to get back to normal!" she frowned.

"That's right!" Chopper jumped in agreement.

"She's right—it'd be a problem for all of us if we stayed this way" Skylar frowned. "Besides, I'm sure Mossy here wouldn't really appreciate being demoted to babysitter" she softly joked as she looked to the swordsman who only grunted…

She wasn't wrong though.

Her small and sickly frame wasn't the only thing that made him uncomfortable as he found himself faced with the fact that his woman now had the body of a child. A fact that made him cringe and frustrated him all at the same time for a multitude of reasons. Sure, she was still eighteen mentally, but that didn't change much.

"I-I don't mean that you should just stay like that!" Usopp defended.

"I really should turn back to normal too" Robin hummed.

"Wait…you've been turned into a sexy eighteen-year-old—you're actually happy about this, aren't you?" Usopp teasingly grinned. "I'm sorry!" he soon cried as arms suddenly sprouted around his body and began painfully pulling at his limbs and mouth. Skylar snickered as she watched the sniper tumble over, tiny hands covering her mouth as her shoulders shook.

"Seriously…the ladies are having a rough time, so stop joking around!" Sanji scolded as he blew out a puff of smoke. "No...wait a second!" he suddenly perked up as he looked towards Nami and Skylar. "This means that I'll be able to share those precious days…as Nami-san and Skylar-chan's bodies mature into adulthood!" he realized, causing the ginger to blush and cover her small chest as the brunette shivered in disgust. "I'll be able to see the chrysalis grow into butterflies! Amazing!" he excitedly squirmed.

"Sanji that's weird! Stop it before someone gets the wrong idea!" Skylar gagged.

"Creepy" Zoro sneered.

"Huh?! I'll fillet you, damn moss head!" Sanji growled as he shoved his face into the swordsman's. "If you'd been reverted into a kid, I'd stomp you!" he snarled as he shoved him with his shoulder.

"Stupid! Even as a kid, I could beat you!" Zoro glared as he shoved back.

"What was that?!" Sanji snapped, pushing the swordsman again. "I'd be able to beat you even if I was turned into a three-year-old! Dumbass!"

"Huh?! Then I'd do it even as a baby!" Zoro shouted, pushing right back.

"What?! Then I'd…" Sanji growled as the two got into each other's faces.

"Nami, the girls are fighting" Skylar pointed.

"This isn't the time for petty quarrels!" Nami huffed as she jumped up and pushed the two men away from each other.

"Ummm…actually, I was made younger as well" Brook suddenly mentioned.

"What?" everyone questioned.

"You don't…seem to have…" Usopp muttered.

"Changed at all though" Chopper finished.

"No wonder your bones look so healthy" Skylar grinned.

"I was touched by that Ain-lady from the Neo Navy as well" Brook reminded everyone.

"You were now that you mention it…but you didn't change at all" Usopp remembered.

"No, I am Dead Bones Brook!" Brook huffed. "I may have been a corpse for over fifty years…but the greatest change in my life has occurred!" he brightened. "I have been made twelve years younger—look! My hair has regained the shine and softness it had in my seventies!" he motioned as he threw his hair back.

"As if we could tell!" Sanji snapped as he kicked the skeleton's bony butt. "You dyed your hair, didn't you?!" he reminded him, pointing at the pink coloring of the musician's afro. "Besides, doesn't that mean you're happy to be younger?" he asked.

"You don't need to go back to normal, right?" Zoro questioned.

"I suppose so" Brook shrugged. "No, that will not do! I want to return to normal!" he vigorously shook his head. "Don't I?" he soon questioned, quick to wonder if he actually wanted to return to normal.

"How would I know?!" Sanji snapped.

"Either way, he's still handsome" Skylar shrugged, causing the skeleton to laugh.

"Skylar, why do you flirt with Brook so much?" Usopp curiously asked.

"I like older men" the brunette deadpanned, causing the sniper to choke.

"If we want to return to normal, we'll need information on Z and the Neo Navy" Nami sighed as she ignored her excitable crewmates.

"Oh? Something you want, old man?" Franky curiously asked, stopping in his retrieval of more wood as he spotted Mobston. "If it's about our docking fee, ask our navigator."

"Z did it again, huh?" Mobston suddenly asked.

"Old man, you know Z?" Franky frowned as Luffy jumped to his feet from where he sat.

"An awful lot of pirate ships have been attacked lately—they drifted to this dock afterward" Mobston explained as he examined the damage the Sunny had suffered before motioning for the pirates to follow him back to his hut. "All the wounded pirates say the same thing, that they were attacked by Z" he continued, resting a hand atop his grandson Gary's head as he laughed.

"These days, all the customers that Gramps gets at the dock are pirates who have been attacked by Z" Mobston's granddaughter added as she served the pirates some tea. "We earn a living on this island by fixing ships and renting out the docks and sheltering pirate ships that have been damaged by Marines" she explained. "Grampa used to be a sailor, so even if his customers are pirates, he does everything he can to look after them" she smiled.

"I just like anyone who risks their life in the New World, pursuing their dreams" Mobston confessed. "But it's the law of the jungle out there—many who have been defeated by Z lose their spirit and leave the New World" he frowned as he recounted the many men he had seen in his life who'd given up on their dreams after having their ships destroyed. "Z is taking the freedom away from those who sail the sea—even if supporting them is considered a crime, I just can't accept what he's doing!" he glared. "If you really meant it when you said that losing to Z has only motivated you to stand up to him again, then I want to give you the ultimate equipment that those pirates left behind" he offered.

"Ultimate equipment?!" Luffy sparkled.

"Ultimate? Amazing!" Chopper cheered.

"Wow!" Usopp grinned.

"Hang on!" Nami frowned.

"What is it, Nami? It's the ultimate we're talking about!" Luffy argued.

"Yeah, Nami, it's the ultimate" Skylar grinned as she nodded alongside her captain.

"Before thinking about the ultimate whatever, we have to find Z—right?" Nami reminded the captain. "Besides, all our clothes burned up during Z's attack, so we have to replace those too" she added. "We can't just stay in these ridiculous cherry blossom party outfits…they'll get in the way if we find Z" she reasoned, motioning to the others who were still dressed from their earlier party. "The information and clothes come first! Defeating Z using this ultimate equipment comes later!"

"Right, got it!" Luffy nodded.

"Nami-chan, you're so small and yet so responsible!" Mobston's granddaughter praised.

"Oh, excuse me" Nami blinked, blushing a little as she turned to the woman. "Are there any big cities on this island where we can buy clothes or get information?" she asked.

"There's nothing on this island besides our docks" Mobston's granddaughter answered before humming in thought. "Why don't you go to the neighboring island?" she suggested. "It's a popular tourist destination because of the hot springs and volcano—the Sea Train started going there lately too, so business is really booming" she explained.

"Sea Train? The Sea Train?" Nami questioned.

"That's right" Mobston's granddaughter smiled.

-Later-

Balancing along the tracks, Nami perked up as she heard the distant rumbling of the approaching Sea Train. Regrouping with the others who waited by the station, she held onto Robin's hand as everyone curiously looked at the approaching train. Zoro smiled as he held his arm out, watching in amusement as Skylar dangled from it—her tiny legs kicking back and forth as she swung herself on his outstretched limb like it was a handlebar.

"Oh right, Luffy" Sanji said as the group boarded the train the moment it came to a halt, quickly finding their seats as they prepared for the short trip to the neighboring island. "And you listen too, Moss Head and skeleton" he added. "Your faces are too recognizable, leave the information gathering to me" he pointed out. "Right, Nami-swan? Robin-chwan? Skylar-chan?" he cooed as he turned to the three.

"You can't do it either, Sanji-kun" Nami shook her head from where she sat, looking away from the window she stared out of along with a few of the others. Zoro watched closely as Skylar leaned out her open window, hair whipping in the wind as she watched the passing scenery and looked towards the upcoming island. His body was tense as if he was prepared to lean forward at any moment should she lose her balance and go tumbling from the seat she stood atop.

"What?!" Sanji shouted.

"A hot temper is just as bad as being too well-known" Nami pointed out. "We'll handle the information gathering" she said, motioning to herself and a few others.

"But…together…resort…" Sanji whined.

"Since we're going to the hot springs, why not soothe our bodies before the fight?" Zoro suggested to those who had to lay low.

"Yes, yes!" Brook quickly agreed, rather liking the idea of relaxing. "And I will put together a fashionable ensemble for us—it looks like they have some wonderful brands on this island" he offered as the train began to pull into the station located on Secon Island.

"We're here!" Nami grinned as they exited the train, Chopper the first to hop down and excitedly run ahead. "Alright everyone, make sure the Navy doesn't find you!" she reminded everyone as Zoro briefly lifted Skylar as she hopped down from the train and onto the station platform. "Dismissed!" he hesitated for a moment to let her hand go, his instincts telling him to hold tight lest something bad happen. She was so tiny and the island was so large and crowded…he feared she'd become lost or worse should he let her go.

"Yeah!" everyone nodded as they began to go their separate ways, splitting into two groups with entirely different destinations in mind.

"Now let us go, let us go!" Brook eagerly motioned, ready to hit the hot springs up right away. Skylar blinked as she felt Zoro's grip on her hand tighten, preventing her from following after Nami and them as she stumbled back.

"Mossy…?" she murmured, curiously looking back and up at the frowning swordsman. "What's wrong?" she tilted her head as the others slowed to a stop as well the moment they realized two of their companions weren't following.

"Zoro, what's the hold-up?" Luffy asked as he turned around. Zoro didn't answer, his frown deepening as he gently squeezed the brunette's hand. He couldn't help but think the worst as he found himself reminded of just how vulnerable she was in this state—how frail her body was.

"She'll be okay" Robin suddenly said, offering the swordsman a small and comforting smile the second his gaze flickered away from the large and curious blue eyes that worriedly peered up at him. "I understand your worry…but I promise you, she'll be fine" she assured him, a look of understanding in her eyes as she realized what exactly was wrong. She understood the swordsman's worry perfectly well because she couldn't help but also have the same fears when looking at the brunette.

"Hey…" Skylar quietly muttered, causing the swordsman to look back down at her as he kneeled the second she motioned him to. "I'll be fine," she softly smiled as she reached up and patted the top of his head, "so you go on ahead and enjoy the hot springs for me, okay?"

"Okay…" his gaze softened as he reached his hand out, gently ruffling her hair in return as he stood. "Keep her safe" he said—expression serious as he looked to Robin before finally, he turned and joined up with the others who planned to spend the coming days relaxing.

"Will do" Robin nodded, smiling as she took Skylar's hand and turned away—the two going in the opposite direction of the swordsman as they went to join up with their own group.

-Days Later-

Luffy and Brook groaned as they dangled from the sides of their personal tubs.

"Sheesh" Sanji sighed as he stared at the two. "You Devil Fruit users have so many weaknesses—you even lose your powers in the bath?" he remarked, arms crossed.

"We can more or less manage when we're only half submerged" Brook explained as Luffy's arms fell to a heap on the floor.

"The water feels great" Zoro remarked as he leaned back in the larger tub he was resting in.

"We've just been relaxing in the baths for days now—is it really okay that we're taking it so easy?" Brook curiously asked, remarking on how much time had passed since their arrival on Secon Island.

"That's right!" Luffy perked up, his arms snapping back into place as he lifted his head. "I wanna send Z flying!" he huffed.

"Idiot" Sanji scoffed. "Navy patrols are all over this island—if someone as whimsical as you went wandering off blindly…you'd just cause more trouble again" he reminded the captain as he settled himself down into his own personal tub. "Don't you remember what Nami-san said? Leave the information gathering to Robin-chan and the others."

-Nami, Usopp, Skylar, Chopper, and Robin-

Men cheered as they watched Robin perform, her body a beauty to see as her hips swayed and her arms moved. Nami smiled as she watched the older woman twirl upon the stage, carefully carrying a tray of drinks in her tiny arms as she weaved through the tables of drunks.

"Fantastic! Such a lively dancer!" the owner of the bar grinned as he looked at Usopp who nervously smiled and nodded. "The customers love it!"

"I'm glad you like it, Master!" the sniper laughed, playing into his disguise as a manager rather well.

"Are you going on a date, Sir?" the older boy working outside the bar alongside Chopper as a shoe shiner curiously asked, striking up a casual conversation with their latest customer.

"That's right, so please be thorough" the old man nodded, watching as the reindeer effortlessly shined his shoes. Skylar silently watched from close by, her mary-janes lightly knocking against the crate she sat upon. It was the only thing she could do—the others felt it too risky to let her help inside the bar with all those Marines inside and the boy who manned the shoe-shining job feared her too frail to handle the equipment.

She'd feel useless if it wasn't for one little fact…

"Your friend there looks like she's wasting away" the old man suddenly remarked, his gaze curiously drifting to her as he eyed the way her dress seemed to just hang off her scrawny frame despite being brand new. She felt humiliated by the look of pity he gave her as he took note of how sickly she looked. "Perhaps if you do a good enough job, I'll tip extra and you can maybe treat her to something nice—she could do with some meat on her bones" he hummed, acting as if what he said was only a thought and nothing more. She knew he'd tip more than he originally planned no matter what, doing just like all the others who saw her and felt a desperate need to make themselves feel good by giving a little more to help than they normally would. It was the main reason why the boy who ran the shoe-shining business was so willing to let her linger around, quick to take advantage of how well her pitiful visage tugged at the hearts of his customers.

However, she feels he was no different since he always ended up giving Chopper a little more of his share when closing time came around and it was time to divvy up the spoils—always mentioning to the two his favorite spots to eat at as well.

-Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Brook-

"Ah, the water soothes me down to my bones…" Brook sighed as the men now joined Zoro in relaxing in the larger tub. "Ah, I guess I'm all bones" he softly chuckled—he and Luffy were the only ones just dipping their feet in the water to avoid losing too much energy. "My bones seem to be making nice soup stock" he joked.

"Z…" Luffy growled as he punched his fist against the palm of his hand. "I was too impressed by that huge weapon on his right arm—I let my guard down" he frowned.

"You're a Devil Fruit user, so if you just charge in blindly without thinking…you'll just end up being caught by that Sea Stone arm again and lose your strength" Sanji pointed out. "You should let me or the moss head swordsman handle Z" he suggested.

"You stay out of it!" Luffy glared. "I want to send him flying myself!" he huffed, not willing to give up on being the one to take down the former Admiral. "This time I'll avoid that arm of his and hit him with my own attacks!"

"I see you're as lively as ever" Kuzan tiredly remarked from the tub he sat in above the four. "I've waited for you here so long that I've become dizzy" he confessed as he weakly raised his head. Luffy flinched as he recognized the man, quickly losing his balance as he tumbled down into one of the tubs below with Zoro and Sanji quick to follow in their own shock after standing and backing up too quickly.

"Aokiji!" the three men gasped as they stood and shook off the hot water.

"Why are you all so worked up?" Brook curiously asked, the only one not aware of who the man was. "Who might this fellow be?" he inquired.

"He's a Marine" Luffy glared. "Admiral Aokiji from Navy HQ!"

"An Admiral?!" Brook cried.

"Hey" Kuzan saluted with a grin. "Long time no see."

-Z-

"The Dyna Stones are in place" Ain informed Z as he peered down at the steaming water below inside the volcanic crater. Around them, unconscious Marines littered the rocky terrain as his own men worked effortlessly to set everything in place.

"I see" he nodded, eyeing the glass capsules that had been placed around the crater. "When this volcano erupts…those lax Marines will know the strength of Z's anger and hatred!" he glared.

-Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Brook-

"Zoro! Sanji!" Luffy frowned as he took an offensive stance.

"Got it!" the two men nodded as they followed their captain's lead.

"What business does an Admiral have with us?" Brook asked.

"Now now, don't get so worked up" Kuzan sighed.

"What do you want with us?" Sanji asked. "Don't tell me you're…" he glared.

"No, no…there's no reason for me to capture you now" Kuzan shook his head. "I've long since left the Navy" he confessed. "You should already know I'm not a Navy Admiral anymore."

"Then…what are you?" Brook warily asked.

"What am I?" Kuzan raised an eyebrow. "I don't feel comfortable with a skeleton questioning my place in the world…" he muttered, unsure how he felt about a living corpse asking him such a question. "But now that I'm no longer an Admiral…an ally of justice?" he questioned as if uncertain with his response. "No, that's not right" he frowned. "What am I?" he finally asked after realizing he didn't have an answer of his own.

"How should we know?!" Zoro and Sanji snapped.

"So with things the way they are, I have no desire to fight you" Kuzan sighed. "Besides, just think about it—if that was my goal, why would I wait for you in the bath where I can't even use my powers?" he asked.

"You were waiting for us?" Sanji questioned.

"That's right" Kuzan nodded. "Well, I'd rather not keep boiling myself like this, so let's continue this conversation outside" he suggested as he stood, showing off the massive scars that littered one half of his body as a thick sheet of ice grew itself from the stump of his missing leg—creating a new one for him to walk on. "Oh? You're looking at this?" he questioned as he motioned to his scarred shoulder upon seeing everyone's stares. "Well…how to put it…I got into a bit of mischief" he grinned.

-Nami, Usopp, Skylar, Chopper, and Robin-

"Did you figure anything out, Chopper, Skylar?" Usopp asked from his spot seated outside the bar, Robin still inside dancing for the cheering men.

"We heard rumors that the Navy is gathering on this island, chasing after Z" Chopper answered.

"Sadly, that's the only information we got" Skylar sighed, shrugging her tiny shoulders.

"Just rumors, huh?" Usopp frowned. "There are definitely a lot more Marines showing up at the club…but I don't know if that's because of Z or just because Robin is so popular—it's hard to tell" he sighed as he crossed his arms.

"Could be both" Skylar grinned.

"Is Robin that popular?" Chopper asked.

"Damn right! Including tips, we've already made this much money!" Usopp bragged as he showed the reindeer the stack of cash he had made from Robin's performance on stage.

"Amazing!" Chopper gasped as he waved his arms.

"Three…two…one…" Skylar quietly counted, smiling as Nami snatched up the stack of bills.

"We can't trust a rumor, right?" the ginger asked as she licked her finger and began flipping through the notes, mentally tallying them up.

"So what do we do?" Usopp asked.

"Hmmm…alright!" Nami suddenly brightened. "Leave it to me!" she winked.

-Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Brook-

Luffy sighed in contentment as he finished his glass of milk.

"What happened to your leg?" he suddenly asked, turning his head towards Kuzan who sat close by. Once more, he found his gaze drawn to the man's faux leg of ice which sprouted from his stump.

"Some things shouldn't be asked, keep that in mind" Kuzan answered.

"Alright, never mind" Luffy nodded. "Then…why'd you fight Akainu? You're friends, right?" he asked.

"Good grief, you really have no tact, do you?" Kuzan snorted. "Again, no comment."

"So what are you doing here?" Luffy asked.

"You never learn, do you? Well, I guess I can answer that" Kuzan sighed as he patted his missing leg. "The hot springs are curative…is what I'd like to say. But it isn't like I can relax in the bath all day" he confessed, rubbing his scar tissue. "I'm chasing a certain man—you people fought a pretty remarkable fellow recently, right?" he asked.

"Z!" Luffy glared.

"He was strong, wasn't he?" Kuzan grinned. "Well, of course—he was a Navy Admiral after all."

-Nami, Usopp, Skylar, Chopper, and Robin-

"Thank you for waiting" Nami chirped as she brought the table of Marines their drink.

"Thanks" one of the men thanked as he took the bottle on the tray. "You work pretty hard for someone so young" he remarked as he filled his cup.

"Marine-san" Nami cutely smiled as she bashfully hid behind the tray in her hands. "Has anything interesting happened recently?" she asked, playing the role of an innocently curious kid rather well. "Do you know about Z?" she suddenly inquired.

"Miss, how do you know about—"

"Everyone knows!" Nami smiled as she once again hid behind her tray. "All the adults are saying…that the Marines are here to capture Z!" she giggled.

"What? Has the word really spread so far?" the Marine blinked.

"H-hey!" his companion flinched, afraid his comrade would say more than he should while in his inebriated state.

"What does it matter?" the first Marine questioned, not seeing any harm in telling some random kid.

"So that means Z is on the island, right?" Nami asked, grinning behind her raised tray.

"That's right!" the Marine nodded. "We're allies of justice come to capture the evil Z!" he grinned.

"So what is he after? What is Z doing on this island?" Nami inquired.

"Stop it already" the second Marine warned as he grabbed his comrade's shoulder the minute he saw him leaning down towards the ginger.

"He's trying to destroy the End Points" the first Marine answered anyway, ignoring his friend as he whispered.

"What? The End Points?!" Nami gasped. "I thought that was just a story to scare kids!" she frowned.

"Nope, it's true!" the Marine grinned.

"That's enough!" Nami flinched at the commanding voice of the Marine Captain who came up behind her. "You've had too much to drink, stop running your mouth!" he scolded.

"We're sorry, Captain!" the two men saluted as they stood from their seats, quick to ask for forgiveness as Nami hid further behind her tray.

"And you're too interested in Z, young lady" the Marine Captain remarked, suspicious of the supposedly curious child—her questions sounding oddly targeted as if she knew exactly what to ask and dig for. "What are you after?" he glared.

"Nothing! That weird man told me to go ask about Z!" Nami pointed, quick to deflect all attention towards Usopp who stood atop the top floor of the bar—Chopper on his shoulder and Skylar seated by his feet.

"Hm…I don't know whether to be impressed or annoyed" Skylar hummed as she peered past the gaps in the railings of the upper floor, watching as all eyes turned towards the three of them.

"I see, a weird man indeed" the Marine Captain nodded as the sniper flinched. Looking back at his men, they saluted before taking off.

"Dammit, Nami sent them after us!" Usopp whispered.

"Should we run?" Chopper asked.

"Unfortunately, it seems that the phony manager act ends here!" Usopp frowned as he bent down, scooping Skylar up into his arms before taking off running.

"Okay, I have to get back to work now" Nami smiled as she slowly backed away from the Marine Captain before flinching as he gently placed his hand atop her shoulder—stopping her before she could leave.

"I would like you to come with us" he smiled.

"Let go of me!" Nami cried as she struggled against the Captain's hold, desperately tugging at her arm in an attempt to free it as he started to drag her through the bar.

"Seis Fleur!" Robin crossed her arms as she twirled to the front of the stage, sprouting multiple arms around the Captain and restraining him as he released his hold on Nami. "We have to run" she said, ignoring the cheering men around her as she leaped from the stage and snatched up Nami's hand.

"Right!" Nami nodded.

"Captain, are you alright?!" a Marine asked as he and a few other soldiers surrounded their struggling captain.

"This is the power of the Hana Hana Fruit!" the Marine Captain realized. "That woman is Nico Robin from the Straw Hat Pirates! Don't let her get away!" he shouted.

"Yes, Sir!" the surrounding soldiers saluted.

-Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Brook-

"The world is in the Great Age of the Pirates" Kuzan remarked as Luffy and them followed behind him after leaving the hot springs. "Out on that sea, pirates are born and die in search of One Piece…and for each one that dies, another is born" he continued. "Are pirates born because One Piece waits on the far side of this sea or does One Piece only exist because pirates do?" he pondered. "What comes first—the dream or the dreamers?" he asked as he stared out towards the sea. "As long as pirates pursue their dreams there will also be people who have to grieve the loss of loved ones.

"What can one do? Is there even an answer?" he inquired. "Former Navy Admiral Z forcibly gave his own answer: If the One Piece vanishes, the pirates will vanish with it" he recounted. "Don't you think he's jumping to conclusions?" he grinned. "I quit the Navy, but I still intend to see where Z's efforts take him—but beyond that, I don't know what to do" he confessed.

"Straw Hat Luffy, I'm sure you will follow your beliefs and end up clashing with Z again—let me see your answer" he said as he began to walk away from the group of pirates. "Later" he waved. "Z is on this island."

-Nami, Usopp, Skylar, Chopper, and Robin-

"We went through all the effort of disguising ourselves, but it wound up a huge mess anyway!" Usopp frowned as he held Nami's hand, dragging her along behind him as he carried Skylar in his other arm. Chopper sat atop Robin's head as she held up her skirt, following along behind the sniper and ginger as they ran from the pursuing Marines.

"But we've got the information we want!" Nami grinned. "Z is on this island—we don't know what he's up to, but still!"

"There they are!" the Marines shouted.

"They're catching up" Skylar remarked as the men began to close the distance between them and the five pirates.

"Go on ahead!" Usopp ordered as he hastily passed Nami and Skylar off to Robin, the brunette now clinging to her back as she took the ginger's hand. "Sure Kill Green Star! Devil!" turning around, he drew his Kabuto back as he shot a Pop Green at the pursuing Marines which immediately grew into a mess of vines and chomping plants which scooped up the men. "Alright! Now let's meet up with Luffy and the others!" he grinned.

"Yes!" Nami nodded.

-Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Brook-

"What do you think of the clothes I chose?" Brook eagerly asked Zoro. "Don't you think they look fantastic…on me?" he grinned.

"Just on you?!" Zoro questioned.

"I feel like the ladies will be all over me" Brook happily sighed.

"Shut it, Bones" Zoro sighed as Luffy thought back to his defeat at Z's hands back on the Sunny.

"Luffy! Luffy!" Sanji called out to the captain who slowly opened his eyes. "Usopp's group is here" he pointed as Brook began to wave at the approaching pirates who were still being chased.

"Looks like they've got a lot of people following them!" Zoro grinned as Usopp now carried Nami on his back while Robin carried Skylar on hers—Chopper still atop her head as she held up her skirt so she wouldn't trip. Behind them, multiple soldiers gave chase.

"So things got out of hand after all" Sanji chuckled. "Then we might as well have…" he blinked as Luffy suddenly walked past.

"Hey, Luffy! We have to ask about Z, remember?" Zoro reminded the captain. "Leave a few of them conscious."

"Luffy, we're counting on you!" Usopp panted as he rushed past the captain.

"Please" Robin added as she ran by.

"You got this, Luff!" Skylar chirped back at the rubber man as he came to a stop, lifting his head as a burst of Conqueror's Haki left him. Instantly, the charging Marines fainted—their bodies dropping like flies saved for their captain who stumbled in his attempts to stay awake until finally, he dropped to his knees.

"This is…the Conqueror's Haki...!" the Marine Captain nervously sweated.

"Hey, where is Z now?" Luffy asked as he approached the weakened man.

"He's on the far side of the island…" the Marine Captain grumbled. "Our troops were sent here to ambush him in the dunes" he explained.

-Z-

Z had little trouble in knocking back the Marines who charged him, his mechanical arm rumbling as explosive flames shot out of it with every swing. Kibin rushed at the former Admiral, jabbing at him with his Jitte which clashed with his prosthetic with every swing.

"Iron Mass" Kibin hardened his body as Z swung at him with his left arm, his fist now coated in a thick layer of Armament as he struck the Commodore's stomach. Taking the hit head-on, he soon trembled as he desperately tried to hold on to his consciousness until finally, he fainted.

"Your justice is useless" Z scoffed. "Things like justice and freedom…have to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch!" he shouted.

At the same time, the Dyna Stones placed around the volcanic opening finally burst—each one exploding one after the other in a flurry of molten flames that destroyed the top of the volcano. Firey rocks shot from the explosion and rained down on the town below, destroying everything they struck as people looked on in a horrified stupor. More explosions followed on other parts of the island, sending blinding bursts of flames shooting towards the sky.

"It looks like the Dyna Stones have woken the island" Z grinned as he listened to the rumbling beneath his feet, certain that it wouldn't be long before the volcano erupted in response to the massive explosions that had taken place around it. "The second End Point has successfully been destroyed" he looked pleased with himself as he watched the surrounding infernos burn bright within the night sky from the shoreline alongside his men. "Grand Reboot—that's what destroying all three End Points will do" he explained. "When all pirates are gone from the seas, the world will see a magnificent new dawn!" he reasoned, certain that all this pain he was inflicting would be worth it in the end.

"Gum Gum…Rifle!" Luffy suddenly charged, leaping into the air as he drew his fist back and punched the former Admiral who was quick to raise his prosthetic to block as his men raised their guns.

"Why did you come here…you hoodlum pirates?" Z grinned as he looked at the others who had come along with their captain, holding his hand up to stop his men from interfering.

"Who're you calling hoodlums?!" Sanji snapped. "Keep shouting delirious crap like that and I'll fillet you, gramps!" he sneered.

"Pops!" Luffy shouted. "Return my crewmates back to normal!"

"Ain! Binz!" Z called back.

"Yes, Sir!" Ain nodded as she rushed ahead.

"Understood" Binz grinned as he disappeared.

"I'll fight the female swordsman" Zoro glared, already running ahead to meet with the supposed Vice Admiral of the Neo Marines.

"Damn moss head, don't sneak ahead!" Sanji snapped as he took off after the swordsman.

"Alright, there is no need for me to join the fight!" Usopp shouted. "Go get'em, you three!" he cheered.

"Mosa! Mosa! Mosa!" Binz moved quick circles around Sanji who lunged at him as Ain drew her short swords and clashed with Zoro.

"Pirates just take what they want by force, do they not?" Z asked. "If you want your crewmates restored, then do it the pirate way!" he proclaimed.

"Dammit, guess there's no choice!" Usopp frowned as he aimed his Kabuto.

"Usopp" Luffy calmly said, stopping the sniper before he could fire. "I'm going one-on-one against Z!" he glared before he charged the older man.

"H-hey, Luffy!" Usopp shouted as Z laughed, pleased to see the young man rushing him as he opened his arms wide in invitation for a fight.

"Z!" Luffy screamed as his fist clashed with the man's prosthetic one.

-Elsewhere-

Around the island, everyone was trying their best to flee from the chaos—rushing towards the train station and piers in an attempt to get off the island as quickly as possible. As the fight between Luffy and Z continued, the lava beneath the surface of the volcano finally began to bubble and toil until eventually, it erupted in a fiery blaze of magma that sent even more chunks of flaming rock flying across the land.

An old woman and her grandchildren screamed as they cowered from the falling rocks, too scared to move another inch as they desperately clung to one another.

"It's hopeless!" the old woman whimpered.

"We can't get away!" her youngest granddaughter cried, clinging to her grandmother's wheelchair as chunks of flaming rock struck around them—destroying the buildings of the town even further.

"Somebody, help up!" her eldest granddaughter pleaded before clinging to her younger sister and grandmother the second she saw the hunk of flaming rock that now came barreling towards them.

"Hold it right there!" Kuzan stepped in front of the three, summoning a thick sheet of ice that froze everything it touched as it extinguished and destroyed the flaming rock on impact. "Now, my fair ladies, take care on your way to the Sea Train" he nodded back at the three still cowering.

"Thank you so much!" the grandmother and her grandchildren bowed before taking off, the eldest quick to start pushing the old woman's chair as they made a break for the station.

"No regard for who gets caught in it, huh?" Kuzan muttered as he stared at the erupting volcano. "Don't you think you're being too reckless?" he asked.

-Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp-

"I won't be caught by that weapon again!" Luffy shouted as he jumped away, activating Second Gear the second he landed.

"Speeding up the flow of your blood in order to push your body's strength beyond its limits, huh?" Z grinned, impressed with the younger man's creativity.

"Second Gear!" Luffy dodged the explosive bullets that Z shot at him with his mechanical arm, his body weaving back and forth. Rushing forward with another shout, he swung his fist only to have it blocked by Z's left arm which was coated in Armament.

"You said you're going to be the Pirate King, right?" Z asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to find One Piece and become the Pirate King!" Luffy nodded.

"I see…" Z muttered. "But do you have the resolve? Do you have the resolve to risk your own life?!" he asked.

"I do!" Luffy glared.

"Then what about your crew?!" Z asked, pushing away from the younger man as he began to shoot at him once more with his mechanical arm. Luffy dodged the explosive rain of bullets as he ran. "Do you have the resolve to sacrifice your crew for the sake of your ambition? To step over their corpses and accomplish your goals?!" he sneered as he grabbed hold of his prosthetic and shot an even larger explosive attack towards the rubber man who was just barely able to dodge it as he jumped out of the way and ran from the massive explosion that shortly followed.

Usopp flinched as he watched how the ground around where his captain and Z fought lit up in a series of multiple explosions as the former Admiral continued to shoot at the young man.

-Nami, Skylar, Chopper, Robin, and Brook-

"Hurry! You're still not coming?!" the train conductor shouted, pleading for the Straw Hats who were still standing in the station to board the train so they could leave. "We have to get moving or else we'll be swallowed by the eruption!" he cried. Turning their heads, everyone looked to Nami for what to do as her lower lip began to tremble.

-Franky-

Standing by the station on Dock Island, Mobston's family and Franky stared in horror at the distant glow that came from Secon Island as billowing smoke clouds rose above it.

"Are they…alright?" Franky warily asked, uncertain what was happening.

-Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp-

"Modo Modo!" Ain lunged towards Zoro as they raced through the nearby trees, their blades clashing as he dodged her touches. "That's enough! If we ever meet again, I will finish you off for good!" she suddenly declared.

On the shore, Sanji and Binz continued to clash—the larger man's arms blocking the blonde's kicks as he reached back and drew his sword. Sanji kicked away his swinging blade, dodging his slashes as he kicked his leg forward and smashed it against the other man's cheek.

"My time has run out" Binz suddenly remarked as he jumped back, digging a pocket watch from his back pocket. "I take my leave! Poof!" pulling out a smoke bomb, he threw it down and disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Ain had done the same thing as well right as Zoro slashed at her, disappearing in a cloud of smoke and leaving him behind in irritable confusion.

"She got away…" he muttered as he looked around at the surrounding trees.

"Damn funny ninja!" Sanji huffed, blowing out a puff of smoke as he looked around the now-empty shoreline.

Luffy and Z's fight was still ongoing as they continued to clash with one another—blocking and dodging each other's swinging fists as they jumped and lunged.

"As long as you fear the Smasher, you'll never be able to land a single hit on me!" Z huffed, almost mocking the young man who tried his best to avoid touching the former Admiral's prosthetic.

"Who's afraid?!" Luffy snapped, ignoring his aching fists which were starting to turn raw from his constant strikes against the man's mechanical arm.

"Fear and pain only dull your convictions!" Z glared as Luffy rushed him, cocking his prosthetic as he prepared to deliver a heavier blow. "Smash Tornado!" punching the ground, a loud explosion sounded out as sand was kicked up—knocking Luffy back and briefly blinding him. He flinched as his hat went flying, arm desperately reaching for it as Z shot him down from the sky.

"I'm rubber, so bullets…won't hurt me!" Luffy shouted, uncurling his body as it hit the ground and sending all the bullets he caught flying in separate directions.

"Is that so?" Z grinned, suddenly pulling a gun from his coat and shooting the rubber man in the shoulder. Luffy screamed, stunned that the bullet had pierced him instead of bouncing back like normal.

"Ah…my power's…fading…" he groaned, gripping his bleeding shoulder as he dropped to his knees.

"Your body can't move—that bullet is made of Sea Stone" Z said as he approached the captain. "Something of a rarity, isn't it? Sea Stone is not easily malleable after all" he explained. "Despite this, a former student of mine in the Navy is well-known to use the same kind of bullets" he hummed, recalling that young man who had found the concept of bullets made of Sea Stone to be fascinating. He didn't blame him—Varen always had to work harder and smarter compared to the others who went on to become Admirals alongside him due to the restrictions placed upon his family.

Sometimes people forgot—in a world where strength meant everything, brains were just as important.

"The infamous pirates that infest the New World aren't likely to fall for this…but when a Devil Fruit user is overconfident and lets their guard down, it is exceedingly effective!" he grinned. "You have some serious crime to atone for…" he muttered as he picked up Luffy's discarded hat. "This straw hat has gotten old too—I will bury it with my own hands along with this entire Great Age of Pirates!" he growled as he turned and walked away.

"Give that back!" Luffy shouted, struggling to his feet as he tried to stumble after the older man. "Shanks entrusted me with that hat! I've promised to meet him and give it back—give it back!" he grounded as he rushed forward, clutching his wounded shoulder.

"So it was Red-Hair Shanks who led you to the life of a pirate!" Z shouted as he whirled around. "He also most atone for some serious crimes…" he darkly muttered.

"Give it…back!" Luffy weakly swung his arm at the man, only to be grabbed by his prosthetic.

"You needn't worry—once my plan, Grant Reboot, is completed, he will be joining you!" Z assured as he lifted the young man. "Even that idiot, who's become cocky as one of the so-called Four Emperors, will never even notice my plan…and be powerless to stop his own death" he grinned.

"Don't mock… Shanks!" Luffy sneered as he struggled against the metal claws that held him in place. Z's grin only widened as he blew the young man to smithereens, discharging a powerful explosion right against his person.

"This isn't good! It looks like the lava's starting to flow!" Sanji remarked as the island began to rumble, the volcano spewing more streams of magma as another eruption sounded.

"Usopp! How's Luffy doing?" Zoro asked, pulling the sniper free from where he had at some point fallen over and got half-buried in the sand.

"Luffy!" Usopp gasped, jumping to his feet. "Luffy?! Luffy?!" he shouted as he searched for the rubber man before taking off. "Luffy!" running in the direction he last remembered seeing the captain, he gasped when he finally found him burnt and sprawled out on the ground. "Luffy" he frowned as he and the other two ran to their unconscious captain's aid.

"There's nothing we can do against that" Zoro remarked as they watched a billow of volcanic ash barrel down the side of the volcano and slowly start to devour the surrounding buildings.

"Let's go!" Usopp shouted, now carrying Luffy on his back as he took off running once again.

"How fast is that thing moving?!" Sanji frowned as he and the others raced towards the station, the billow of ash barreling behind them as it tore every building in its path asunder.

"Nami said it was over one hundred kph!" Usopp answered, yelping as he tripped before quickly regaining his footing once again.

"I see!" Zoro nodded.

"I know!" Usopp suddenly gasped. "Since we're on a slope…Sure Kill Green Star! Body Banana!" pulling out his Kabuto, he shot a Pop Green which quickly grew into a large banana with a hollowed center they could use as a boat. "Get onboard!" he shouted as they jumped aboard the banana boat which slowly began to pick up speed as it slid down the sloped hill they had been running down.

"Make this thing move faster!" Sanji shouted when he realized that the cloud of ash was still gaining on them.

"You see an engine on it?!" Usopp snapped. "It's just a boat!" he shouted as they briefly gained air before the banana crashed back down and continued to wildly spin as it slid down the hill.

"Look ahead! We'll crash!" Zoro shouted when he saw the upcoming turn in the road.

"It doesn't have a handle either! It's just a boat!" Usopp reminded the two. "Everyone, lean to the right!" he instructed as they took the sharp turn.

"Now it's a crossroad!" Zoro pointed.

"We're done for!" Usopp cried as they barreled down the alley before smashing into the upcoming building which tossed them in the air and out of the banana boat.

"Dammit!" Sanji grounded as he and Zoro took an offensive stance the moment they saw how close the volcanic ash now was. Usopp screamed as the barreling cloud grew closer until suddenly, it froze. A sheet of ice spanned the whole cloud—freezing it in place and preventing it from advancing any further.

Kuzan sighed from the top of the building where he stood, a mist of cool air leaving his lips as a thin sheet of ice caked his cheek.

-Nami, Skylar, Chopper, Robin, and Brook-

Nami and Skylar brightened the second they spotted their missing crewmates running towards the station—stray pieces of falling rock striking around them.

"Hurry! Hurry up!" everyone shouted as they waved at the four, urging them to hurry onto the train so they could leave. With the blow of its whistle, the Sea Train shot from the station and blew down the tracks as the last of its remaining occupants boarded, leaving the island behind as it finally exploded—going up in flames similar to how Firs Island had.

"Quite the fireworks" Zoro remarked, his grip on Skylar's shoulder tightening as she clung to his legs, quietly staring back at the engulfed island as its flames lit up the night sky from the back of the train. "The entire island's gone" he pointed out as lightning rained down above the destroyed island.

Luffy rested inside the train, his wounds wrapped tight in bandages as he slept—dead to the world and the mourning people around him who sat crowded together with their heads in their hands. Many of them were confused and distraught over the loss of their homes and businesses.

-Z-

"Sensei, what about that man with the straw hat?" Ain asked.

"The mountain of fire will decide his fate" Z answered as he looked back at the burning remains of Secon Island. "One Piece? All this world has to offer? What a foolish dream!" he scoffed as he recalled Roger's final words all those years ago. "How many needless sacrifices have been made for that nonsense?

"How much sorrow and hatred?" he spat. "They call it will, freedom, or the waves of an era…so Z will crush all of it!" he proclaimed. "By Z's hand…all pirates will be wiped from this world! Every single one will be annihilated!" he sneered. "I'll make their ridiculous dreams bow down before my infinite hatred and then destroy them!" he declared.

"I, Z, will bring down the curtain…on this Great Age of Pirates!"

-Marine Headquarters-

"I have great sympathy for what happened to him in the past" Sengoku confessed as he stared out towards the ocean. "But it's unacceptable to use it as an excuse to cause tragedies that even civilians get caught up in" he frowned.

"You state your beliefs directly as always" Garp remarked as he munched on a rice cracker. "Most people aren't as quick to draw a line between good and evil as you are—you know that right, Sengoku?" he asked as the former Fleet Admiral quietly watched as soldiers of various ranks began to board their Naval ships in preparation to set off for the last of the End Points.

Kizaru hummed as he and Varen made their way to their ship, a good chunk of the Vice Admirals following close behind them.

"Vice Admiral Garp" Coby spoke up.

"What is it?" Garp asked.

"Z…I mean former Navy Admiral Zephyr—what kind of person was he?" Coby asked.

"He believed in the Navy's justice more strongly than anyone" Garp slowly began after a moment's thought.

"So why is he causing these disasters?" Coby asked.

"A certain incident happened" Garp answered.

"A certain incident?" Coby echoed.

"Zephyr was a dedicated man" Garp began, recalling Z's younger days when he had first joined the Marines and worked his way up the ranks. "Even on the battlefield, he always stayed ahead of his men—he fought against many enemies in that era and his body paid the price" he recounted. "He became an Admiral at a young age and he lived a full, rich life until…his wife and child were killed by a pirate with a grudge against him" he glared at the memory, recalling how crushed his old friend had been by the incident. "Zephyr truly understood the weight of being a Navy Admiral—he locked the pain and sadness deep within his heart and dedicated himself to his duties" he continued. "As the years went by…Zephyr put his passion into raising and training young Marines.

"He is the man who trained all Marines—every officer that has ever made a name for themselves was once his apprentice" he recounted.

"I want to raise heroes."

It pained him to remember what his old friend had once said back when he was still an instructor for the Marines.

"But another tragedy befell him" he sighed as the rice cracker in his hand crumbled. "Zephyr was leading a squadron of new recruits on a training mission when a pirate with Devil Fruit powers attacked…and all but two of the recruits were killed" he explained. "Zephyr, himself, was gravely injured—the pirate cut off his right arm."

"A Navy Admiral lost his arm?!" Helmeppo questioned, stunned.

"After that, the Navy's science division equipped Zephyr with a weapon to take out Devil Fruit users" Garp continued, recalling when Z had received his mechanical arm. "He formed a commando unit with his surviving apprentices…and hunted every pirate who'd eaten a Devil Fruit they could find" he explained. "But he remained in the Navy—I suppose he hadn't entirely lost faith in us just yet" he assumed. "But finally…the last straw came and Zephyr left the Navy" he sighed shortly after. "That year, the pirate who had slaughtered his students…was recognized by the World Government as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea" he revealed, shocking Coby.

"And so, Zephyr left the Navy…and only now has he shown himself again in the New World" he frowned. "He bears a deep hatred for pirates and has lost all faith in the Navy, so he heads his own organization—the Neo Navy" he glared. "The unforgiving weight of his life…has changed that man…" he muttered.

"You're useless, Navy!"

He found it hard to fully disagree with his former friend's final insult before his departure, knowing that they had failed a good man.

"Why did Black Arm Zephyr change his name to Z?" Coby curiously asked.

"Z, huh…who knows?" Garp whispered. "But I can say this…enemies who have no doubt are formidable" he stated as he grabbed another rice cracker and bit into it.

-Z-

"The ocean saw the world begin, and the ocean knows how the world will end."

Z's men slept as their ship sailed on towards their next destination—their bodies lying on the floor as they snoozed.

"Even after I'm gone, the all-knowing ocean will lead the way."

Ain quietly stood in front of Z who rested back against the ship's mast, eyes saddening as she took note of just how exhausted he looked. He may not show it, but his age was slowly starting to show more and more with every passing day.

Once they finally reached their destination and docked, Z separated from his men—ordering them to stay back as he wandered further inland by himself.

"I must not fear, because you are here—I must not be timid, because my comrades wait for me" Kuzan sang, staring at the makeshift grave before him as multiple swords stuck out from the mound of dirt. "I always hated that song, Sensei" he confessed as Z came to a stop a little ways behind him. "A song that cheers Marines forward to their deaths…it makes me shudder" he frowned before tossing the wine in his hand towards his former mentor. "You liked this, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, this is the coolest drink there is" Z nodded.

"I often imitated you and drank it myself…because I wanted to become a cool man" Kuzan admitted.

"Did you come to lecture a hard-headed old man?" Z glared. "Sorry, but I'm not going to stop."

"Are you planning to die?" Kuzan suddenly asked.

"There's no avoiding that, I suppose" Z shrugged. "But it's for the sake of destroying the evil known as pirates—the Navy is incapable of enacting true justice" he sneered. "It's starting to feel crowded here, let's have a drink together next time we meet" he suggested with a grin. "Now go! I don't want to kill you."

"Nor I you, Zephyr-sensei" Kuzan said, ice beginning to gather around his arm. Z grinned as he watched his former student, prepared for a fight should one break out…yet he didn't need to in the end as the ice evaporated from Kuzan's arm and he finally began to take his leave. No words were exchanged as he walked past his former mentor, stopping for only a brief second before continuing onwards.

-Straw Hats-

Luffy sat in the rain, glaring out towards the sea as he silently seethed over his second loss.

"So this is the Sea Stone bullet" Robin remarked as Chopper examined the bullet he had extracted from Luffy's shoulder—he and most of the others were gathered on the porch of Mobston's hut in an attempt to stay out of the rain.

"It was lodged in Luffy's shoulder" he nodded.

"Your father uses the same type of bullet does he not, Skylar?" Robin asked as she looked at the child seated between Zoro's legs.

"Yeah…" Skylar nodded as she kicked her feet from where they dangled off the porch. "They're rather hard to come by if you're not in the Navy due to how difficult they are to produce" she explained.

Carrying an umbrella, Nami carefully approached their soaked captain. Sadly staring at his back, she didn't register the approaching footsteps behind her.

"How long are you going to keep lazing about out here?" Kuza asked from behind the ginger, his own umbrella held over his head as he called out to the sulking captain.

"A-Aokiji!" Nami screamed, throwing her umbrella as she hastily stumbled back towards Luffy.

"Y-y…" Usopp sputtered as he and Chopper screamed, the rest of the Straw Hats arriving with their own umbrellas.

"W-what is Aokiji doing here?!" the doctor shivered.

"It's alright" Luffy assured everyone the moment he noticed how tense Robin and Skylar were, the older woman trembling as the brunette hid behind Zoro's legs. "We already met earlier" he explained.

"Former Navy HQ Admiral Z?" Nami questioned as Franky continued working on the Sunny.

"He has stolen the Dyna Stones from the Nazy" Kuzan explained.

"The Dyna Stones?!" Robin and Skylar gasped.

"What are they?" Brook asked.

"Stones that are said to possess destructive power that rivals the ancient weapons" Robin explained.

"If you strike and expose them to open air, it is said that they will create an exceptionally powerful explosion" Skylar added.

"Due to their immensely destructive power, the general public is strictly forbidden from possessing them" Robin nodded. "The Navy is supposed to keep them all locked away—but now Z has them?" she questioned.

"He intends to use the Dyna Stones…to awaken the three End Points that lie in the New World" Kuzan explained.

"Wait a second! What are End Points?" Usopp asked.

"There are three enormous clusters of magma beneath the New World which are called End Points" Nami answered as she turned around. "When I heard the Marines talking about them, I doubted my own ears…but they really do exist?" she asked.

"I still can't believe that the sexy lady has been reverted to a—"

"Are you even listening to me?!" Nami snapped as the former Admiral depressingly muttered to himself. "Do the End Points really exist?"

"Why don't you ask your friend there?" Kuzan suddenly asked as he motioned toward Skylar, causing everyone's heads to turn. "I'm sure you'd trust her word more than mine" he said.

"They do…" the brunette muttered, shifting in her spot now behind Robin's legs as Nami gasped. Her father never skimped out on a lesson—from the moment she could think, she had books and various degrees of knowledge shoved down her throat. It was painful sometimes how hard he'd push her and her brothers to study, giving them very little breaks in between lessons. A lot had happened in their world before they were born and he was going to make sure they knew as much as possible so they wouldn't further embarrass him when the time finally came to enroll them completely into the Marines. Varen was a man who believed heavily in both strength and knowledge…an odd facet of his that his children couldn't help but begrudgingly be thankful for and believe in themselves.

"Firs Island and Secon Island—I'm sure that even after hearing the news about these two islands, most pirates would just snort at the idea" Kuzan said. "Many know about the legends of the End Points, but none believe it."

"But didn't the Navy investigate it and prove that the legend was false?" Robin asked, causing Skylar to snort.

"No actually…that's just what the public records say…" Skylar spat.

"The investigation actually proved the exact opposite" Kuzan corrected. "As your little friend there said, the government used every trick at their disposal…to make the world believe that it wasn't true" he explained. "After all, it would be a disaster if pirates tried to take advantage of it—only the government and highest-ranking Navy officers knew the truth" he continued. "Nobody could have guessed that a former high-ranking Navy officer…would try to take advantage of the End Points."

"You have a point…if it was just a lie, the Navy wouldn't be so panicked" Sanji remarked. "This is one hell of a man we've gotten involved with…" he sighed.

"Z has used the Dyna Stones to destroy two End Points—if the final one is destroyed, the underground fissures connecting all three End Points will become active" Kuzan warned.

"And then?" Zoro questioned.

"A cataclysmic eruption will take place, searing the entire New World" Kuza answered. "Every last pirate in the New World will burn to death."

"But wouldn't the same thing happen to everyone who isn't a pirate?" Usopp frowned.

"Wait a second!" Chopper gasped. "He's willing to drag ordinary citizens into this? That's just wrong!" he cried, horrified along with the rest of the crew.

"Don't speak as if you're any better!" Kuzan snapped. "You must know how much terror and damage pirates have caused to people around the world" he scowled, causing Skylar's eyes to narrow since she could say the same about the government. "Z despises them—so much so, that he doesn't care if he destroys himself as well."

"That doesn't matter!" Luffy suddenly shouted. "I'm going to get my hat back and settle the score with him" he frowned as he jumped to his feet—Brook now holding his umbrella over his head to protect him from the still pouring rain.

"Hey, are you insane, Luffy?" Usopp asked. "The entire New World is going to explode!"

"I promised Shanks!" Luffy huffed as he sucked in a deep breath of air. "That I would become a great pirate and return the hat to him" he recalled. "If someone like that guy can just steal my hat, then how could I ever become the Pirate King?" he asked.

"No, like I said, the New World will…" Usopp flinched as Sanji suddenly patted his shoulder.

"Things like that clearly don't even register to our captain" the blond sighed as he started to walk off.

"Nami, what's our heading?" Zoro asked as he stood, gently patting the top of Skylar's head as he passed her by while following after the cook.

"Oh, right! Um…" Nami hummed as she followed as well.

"I have already sworn my second life to you, Captain Luffy" Brook softly bowed. "Naturally, I will accompany you."

"Let's go" Luffy motioned as he hopped down from the wall he stood upon and followed after his crew.

"So does that mean we have to go along too?" Usopp inquired. "No matter how you look at it, isn't the fate of the entire New World too much to bear?" he asked.

"Oh? Will you remain here?" Brook questioned as he looked back.

"What are you talking about, idiot?!" Usopp snapped. "When did I ever say such a thing?! Of course I'm going—I'm a brave warrior of the sea!" he huffed. "Right, Chopper?" he asked the doctor at his feet.

"Of course, I'll fight too!" Chopper nodded. "I'm always up for a fight, you jerks!" the two cheered as they ran after their captain—Robin and Skylar now the only ones still lingering back.

"You know…" Kuzan suddenly began, causing the two to turn as he looked down at the brunette. "I forgot how tiny you used to be" he remarked as he recalled all those years ago back when he would occasionally visit the Strife household anytime he needed to speak with Varen. It was always easier to just go to the man than to wait for him to return to Headquarters. Many thought him a good family man who couldn't stand being far from his wife and kids with how often he chose to stay on his home island…Kuzan was certain he just liked his privacy. It's not as if they were constantly needed at Headquarters and most meetings could be done via a Den Den Mushi.

"Yeah…well I forgot how gigantic you were…" Skylar muttered, childishly turning her head as he softly chuckled at her slight jab at his absurd height. Silently, he recalled how she and her brothers used to scurry about that large home of theirs—quick to freeze and stand still like mice caught under the gaze of a hungry lion anytime they were spotted. Slowly, he remembered the ways they'd jumped and tensed—the ways they'd quickly make excuses for the bruises and cuts they'd occasionally have as they'd avoid all eye contact with him. How they'd tremble not only at the sound of their father's cold voice but his as well no matter how soft and gentle he'd try to be.

"Sometimes when I think about it…I wonder if I was no better than him…" Kuzan suddenly confessed as he eyed her sickly frame…she looked just as he remembered all those years ago. Sickly and frail with a body that screamed that something was wrong and yet…he did just like everyone else back then and turned his head the other way. Silently, he recalled that day ten years ago when it was announced she and her brothers were gone—recalled the uproar that followed as everyone worked themselves up in a tizzy. They weren't some standard noble children, they were the children of an Admiral who hailed from such a respectable family that had been serving the government for literal years…

He remembered the stories.

He remembered them so well and how easy it was for Varen to weave them for the papers and higher-ups when it came to reporting his missing children. He insisted it was a mistake on their part—a prank that simply backfired because they weren't paying attention. He refused to properly elaborate on what it was that had triggered them to pull such a cruel joke on their own parents as to disappear, only giving enough details to drive the public's minds wild with personal theories that fed into how most usually perceived those of noble blood. Varen was a man who knew his way with words—who knew exactly what to say to please everyone and give them the answers they wanted.

"You know they stopped looking for your brothers, right?" he asked, causing the brunette to jolt as he looked out towards the sea. "He called off the search for them shortly after you reappeared two years ago" he explained, recalling how subtle of a request it was that many didn't even realize he made it at first…

Not like anyone cared.

All eyes became glued to her the moment she appeared in the public eye and people started to realize who she was. Theories naturally popped up as everyone desperately tried to reason why she was on a pirate ship of all places—especially alone and without either of her brothers to be seen. Naturally, everyone was rather content with the answer Varen eventually gave when he was finally forced to explain to the higher-ups what was happening. Kuzan recalled how everyone happily nodded along, content with the belief that she was either a spoiled brat going through a rebellious phase or a poor victim being threatened and forced into the life of a criminal. It heavily came down to personal preferences really on what one wanted to believe and who one wanted to blame.

Amongst the chaos of the theorizing and chattering, everyone blissfully seemed to forget all about her poor brothers. Many were quick to brush them off as dead—a theory given more credence when Varen suddenly started requesting they pull back and possibly give up looking for his sons. He never would outright say what he thought happened to them, but it was obvious he no longer saw a reason to put so many resources into seeking them out when their status was still unknown. He let their missing posters stay up and he promised that he'd still reward anyone if they were to bring his sons safely home to him. But he didn't push as much for their return as he seemed to do for his daughter the minute that wanted poster of hers was released.

Lost in his thoughts, Kuzan didn't notice when Skylar slowly started to approach him—her tiny footsteps barely audible as she rushed down the small slope to where he stood. Robin quietly watched, warily eyeing the former Admiral as she tightened her grip around her umbrella's handle. Stopping, Skylar waved her tiny hands up at him until he finally looked down—head tilting as he hesitantly crouched the second she motioned for him to. At first, no words were exchanged as they looked at one another until…

"You're a good man" she softly smiled as she reached up, patting the top of his head much to his surprise. Robin quietly chuckled before brightening as she realized the rain had finally ceased. Looking up at the sun, she smiled before turning her head and making eye contact with Kuzan as he stood. Once more, the former Admiral found himself surprised as her smile widened just a little before she held her hand out to Skylar who came running back up the hill to her.

"Franky, how are the preparations coming along?" she asked as she took the brunette's hand and they followed after their crew, leaving Kuzan to silently stare after them.

"I just finished! The repairs are complete!" Franky grinned as looked down from the ship. "We can cast off whenever you're ready!"

"Alright!" the crew cheered.

"Super!" Franky posed, causing Luffy to smile as he watched the others laugh and cheer.

"Thanks, everyone!" he grinned.

"Huh? You say that now?" everyone sighed before laughing alongside their captain.

"Looks like it's settled" Kuzan remarked as he looked at the laughing crew after finally following after them. "This is the final End Point island where Z is" he said as he sat down an Eternal Pose that would lead them to Piriodo.

"An Eternal Pose! Why are you giving it to us?" Nami asked as she rushed over and looked at the compass.

"Why you ask?" Kuzan questioned. "Without this, you won't be able to find the island that Z is on!"

"Well yeah, but…" Nami muttered

"The Navy is heading for the final island as well" Kuzan suddenly warned.

"They Navy?!" Nami frowned.

"Now that two End Points have been destroyed, the Navy will be serious" Kuza explained. "If you lose to Z, the entire New World will be annihilated" he reminded them. "And even if you do beat Z, you'll be surrounded by the Navy's strongest forces and annihilated…well, most of you would be annihilated" he corrected as he briefly looked at Skylar who tensed at the implications. "Whatever the outcome may be, I intend to keep an eye on you 'til the end" he said as he turned and started to leave.

"We just wanted to get Nami and the others back to normal…and now it's turned into a fight for the New World's future" Franky frowned. "Guys! Do you remember the ultimate equipment?" he suddenly asked as he motioned everyone to follow him.

Inside Mobston's shop, the Straw Hats now looked through all the clothing and equipment the old man had collected from the former pirates Z had beaten and discouraged.

"Pirate ships attacked by Z drift to this dock all the time" Franky grinned as Gary slapped a helmet down on Nami's head before laughing. "The old man couldn't bear to dispose of the equipment left behind by pirates who abandoned their dreams, so he held onto all of it" he explained as the others looked through the guns and swords that were left behind. Zoro chuckled as he watched Skylar playfully tap the sword she held against the one Chopper was happily waving around—the blades far too big for either of the two. "What do you think? Pretty impressive, huh?" the cyborg asked as Luffy examined one of the swords.

"Let's shoulder the dreams of the pirates who lost to Z and take the fight to him!" he suggested.

"Yeah!" everyone cheered.

"I'm counting on you" Mobston grinned as he suddenly took off his hat and placed it upon Usopp's head. "Go find that damn Z who robs pirates of their dreams and take him down a notch!"

As everyone got ready, Zoro grinned as Skylar stuck her tongue out at him the moment he placed a black cavalier hat atop her head, a red feather falling from it. It complimented nicely with her red ruffled dress, black buckled pirate boots, and black pirate jacket that hung off her shoulders. Around her waist was a loose brown belt and though everything she wore was big on her tiny frame, she still insisted on wearing stretchy short tights underneath her dress. Strapped to her thigh like usual were her throwing knives. Her swords just like any other weapon were far too big for her to properly carry while in this state.

Despite the other's worry, she'd assure them she'd be fine—these knives were made for more in mind than just throwing.

"Guys!" Gary suddenly shouted as the crew now made their way to their ship. "I wanna become a hero when I grow up! What do you think I should be—a Navy Admiral or the Pirate King?" he asked as they stopped and looked back at the old man's grandson.

"Pirates aren't heroes" Luffy blinked.

"Huh? Really?" Gary asked, surprised.

"They're both the same to you?" Sanji asked, amused.

"That's right! They're cool!" Gary nodded, head drooping a little as the pirates chuckled before continuing to board their ship.

"Gary" Luffy said as the boy lifted his head. "You should be whatever you want!" he laughed as he followed his crew. Gary stared after him with a wide smile, eyes bright with awe as he watched the captain ascend the stairs to his ship.

-Later-

Cannonballs shot at the Sunny as she sailed towards Piriodo—cannon fire was naturally returned as they shot back at the fleet of Neo Marines who blocked their way to the final End Point.

"Keep the course steady!" Nami instructed as she looked down at the Eternal Pose in her hands.

"Lion's Roar Cannon!" Luffy shouted from atop the figurehead as its maw dropped open, revealing a large cannon inside.

"Targeting the enemy command ship!" Usopp carefully aimed the cannon. "Locked on!" he grinned.

Up on deck, Zoro and a few others helped to deal with any cannonballs that soared a bit too close to the ship, protecting her from any attempts at damage.

"Fire the Ganon Cannon!" Luffy ordered as Usopp pulled the lever in his hand back and fired, releasing the built-up energy within the cannon and blowing the ships that blocked their way to smithereens.

"Land ho!" Brook laughed as he spotted their destination up ahead. "It's the final island!"

"Here they come!" a Neo Marine shouted from the island the moment he spotted the approaching pirate ship—he and his comrades raised their guns and swords as they prepared themselves. "Don't let them reach Z-sensei!" he ordered as the Sunny ran ashore the island, barreling towards the men who quickly scrambled out of the way.

"Where is Z?!" Luffy glared as he and his crew jumped down from the ship. "Make way!" he shouted, drawing his sword as everyone charged forward.

"Go on ahead, guys!" Franky called out, staying by the ship as he fired at the Neo Marines with the cannons on his back.

Sanji shot at the men who charged him first before kicking them away once he ran out of ammo as he tossed his guns aside.

"Usopp 100-Ton Hammer! Take this!" Usopp swung an impressive-sized hammer around, beating on one of the surrounding men. "Oh crap! Run!" he flinched when the paper-mache weapon finally broke over the man's head, revealing his ruse.

"Leave the rest to me, Usopp!" Chopper shouted, surrounded by a bunch of guns sticking out of the ground. "Guard Point!" puffing up his body, he grabbed all of the guns in his fur. "Chopper Tank, firing at full power!" he fired all at once, taking out of good chunk of the surrounding men.

Brook panickily laughed as he and the women of the crew ran away from the surrounding explosions.

"Z!" Luffy shouted, shaking off the explosive hit that struck him as he pushed back against the men who charged him.

-Zoro-

"They all got lost!" Zoro huffed as he looked around, no longer able to see either his crew or the opposing men they were fighting. Instead, all he saw was a river of lava and charred structures of hardened magma. "Still, this is one hell of a landscape" he remarked as he rested a hand against one of the charred structures.

"Modo Modo!" quickly he drew his hand back as the structure fell apart and turned back into molten lava. "I will not let you reach Sensei!" Ain proclaimed from atop one of the structures that littered the land. "I will stop you!" she declared.

"Perfect!" Zoro grinned. "I have no grudge against you, but I want to restore my friends and woman back to normal" he said as he tied his bandana around his head. "I'm going to put some spirit into it this time!"

"I admit, I won't be able to beat you if we go all out" Ain confessed, having no shame in admitting such a thing—it would be foolish for her to get too cocky. "But at least I can buy Sensei some time—if I must die for the sake of Z-sensei's vision, then that is fine by me" she glared.

"Your master's vision, huh? You're willing to throw your life away for that?" Zoro questioned. "But I can see hesitation in your technique" he grinned.

"Don't act so high and mighty, pirate!" Ain snapped.

-Sanji-

Sanji found himself separated from everyone and now engaged in battle with Binz once more as the two fought atop a rocky terrain filled with puddles of water.

"Lowly pirate! You have not the right to live!" Binz sneered. "Crumble and begone before the glory of Z-sensei!"

"Sensei this and Sensei that…what are you, five?" Sanji asked, lighting his cigarette as he took a drag. He had long since ditched the furred coat he wore over his shoulders earlier as he glared at the man.

-Luffy-

Luffy swatted away the last of the men who charged him with the huge chunk of meat he was lugging around on his back.

"I'm exhausted!" he suddenly groaned before he started to devour the meat in his hands. It didn't take him long to eat it all, his stomach expanding to an absurd level to the point he was forced to ditch his coat to make room. Sucking in a deep breath, he forced his protruding gut down as he slimmed himself back to his normal weight.

-Kizaru and Varen-

"Oooh, they started without us" Kizaru remarked as he and his men watched and listened to the cannon fire that went off around the island.

"Seems they got impatient" Varen hummed.

"We can't let the old geezer die all by himself" Kizaru said. "So let's end all of them together, including the Straw Hat Pirates—I'm sure you can deal with your own daughter, Varen" he said.

"Of course" Varen crookedly grinned.

-Z-

Z wheezed as he patiently waited, staring at Luffy's hat which rested upon one of the many Dyna Stone capsules that lined the volcanic land, buried close to the rivers of lava which cut through it. He took a swig from the wine Kuzan had gifted him, clenching his inhaler between his teeth as he laughed—eager for all that was to come.

-Luffy-

Luffy shouted as he took down the men who charged him—kicking and punching them away as he jumped into the air.

"Gum Gum…Pistol!" striking one of the Neo Marines in the face, he jumped back.

"Don't let him get away!"

"Fire!"

Various men shouted as they aimed at the rubber man who took off running. Charging one of the men, Luffy socked him as he paid little mind to the bullets that shot at him. He had no problem stretching around, taking down the men who rushed him no matter if it was with swords or guns. Occasionally, he'd use his Observation Haki to dodge any attacks of cannon fire that came from behind him. Explosions rang out as the men who carried arm cannons wildly began to fire the second they saw the captain starting to now approach them.

Luffy only dodged the cannonballs, moving from side to side before finally, he lunged at the men who fired at him.

-Zoro-

Ain yelped as she jumped back, desperately trying to escape from Zoro who viciously pursued her—their blades clashing as he drove her further back.

"Modo Modo!" using her ability, she reverted two of the large structures that surrounded him back to lava which he easily knocked away with the slash of his swords.

-Sanji-

Sanji destroyed the barrier of vines Binz had erected before kicking the man in the stomach.

-The Others-

Robin slashed and shot at the men who charged her.

"Feel the chill of the afterlife in this world!" Brook glared as he drew his sword, wisps of cold air seeping off its blade. "Soul Solid!" jabbing his sword forward, he froze a good chunk of the men solid.

"Mil Fleur! Gigantesco Mano—Stomp!" Robin summoned of flurry of arms which weaved together to create two large pairs of legs which immediately began to stomp and kick at the ground. Terrifying many of the soldiers as they were crushed and knocked back.

Though it took a while to adjust to the size and weight of her throwing knives, it didn't take Skylar long to use her small stature to her advantage. She laughed as she ducked and weaved, effortlessly dodging the men's attacks as they struggled to catch her. Despite her sickly and frail appearance which made her look vulnerable in the eyes of so many, she was rather quick and nimble—practically disappearing half the time as she cut down the men around her, the coat on her shoulders flapping and shielding her as it blended in with the dreary landscape. Occasionally, she'd jump and use their backs to give herself a boost—taunting the men around her until they'd swing or shoot, hitting their comrades instead of her as she'd hurriedly jump away.

There was something childish and embarrassing about the way she effortlessly evaded them—using her tiny frame to make fools of them before viciously cutting them down with the large Kunai in her hands.

Sadly, they weren't the only ones finding themselves being humiliated by someone tiny as Chopper in his Kung-Fu Point also found himself effortlessly evading the men who charged him. His small stature gave him an extra boost as he jumped around. Hoof prints were left behind on the men's faces as they were kicked and punched—the tiny reindeer knocking them around senselessly as he dodged the swinging of their swords.

"Take this!" Usopp shot one of the men charging him with an explosive to the face before quickly dodging the sword that swung at him. "Sure Kill Green Star! Bamboo Javelin-Grove!" shooting a Pop Green at the feet of the men who charged him, he grinned as he watched the seed instantly grow into a sea of bamboo which sent them all flying into the air.

"I'll show you the power of the Magic Clima-Tact!" Nami huffed as she held up sections of her staff. "Heat Ball! Cool Ball!" throwing bubbles of warm and cool air, she watched as they immediately came together to form a thundercloud. "Thunderbolt Tempo!" assembling her Clima-Tact, she swung it down—summoning a lightning storm that electrocuted not only the Neo Marines but Usopp and Chopper as well.

-Luffy-

Luffy charged forward, knocking Neo Marines aside left and right as he barreled his way toward where Z waited.

-The Others-

"Dammit, Nami! You hit us too!" Usopp snapped, sitting up as Skylar, Robin, and Brook came running towards the three.

"That made me all tingly!" Chopper angrily shouted as he jumped around.

"Felt good, didn't it?" Nami teasingly asked.

"Like hell it did!" Chopper snapped.

"Oh my, you really did take down quite a lot of them" Brook panted as he took note of the sea of unconscious men around them, many of them charred and smoking.

"Yep, you're lighting is still as strong as ever" Skylar whistled as she gently kicked one of the unconscious men on the ground. "I feel rather sorry for the poor bastards."

"Where's Luffy?" Robin asked.

"He charged ahead" Nami huffed.

"Then we must pursue—"

"Everyone, what is that?!" Brook suddenly shouted, interrupting Usopp as a bunch of modified Pacifistas came over the hill, one of them already preparing to fire at the group.

"A-aren't those Pacifistas?!" Usopp sputtered.

"B-but they look different from the ones we met before!" Chopper pointed out, taking note of the cyborgs' odd white coloring instead of their usual black.

"I don't think that matters right now! We need to move!" Skylar yelled as the Pacifista who was charging its beam, finally fired.

-Luffy-

"So you've come, kid" Z said as one of the Dyna Stones erupted, doing decent damage but not enough to trigger the volcano. "The explosions that will awaken the final End Point have already started" he remarked.

"I didn't come to prevent that" Luffy confessed. "I just want my hat back!"

"What does this old, tattered hat mean to you?" Z asked.

"It's my guide—my guide to becoming the Pirate King!" Luffy glared.

"I will not allow pirates to dream" Z chuckled. "I will destroy the oceans that have become infested with them!" he proclaimed, removing his inhaler and crushing it. "Remember my name, I am the destroyer of evil—Z!" standing, he knocked away the coat that hung off his shoulders before charging the rubber man. Lunging forward, Luffy met the man—his fist colliding with his prosthetic one. Blood flew as the captain began to wail on Z's mechanical arm.

"You waste your time! Did you just give up thinking and come here to throw away your life?!" the former Admiral asked as he pulled back.

-The Others-

Everyone screamed as they ran from the firing Pacifistas which followed after them.

"Ow…" Skylar groaned, hers and nearly everyone else's bodies roughly hitting the ground as they were thrown forward by one of the explosive blasts that hit behind them. Only Robin seemed to land on her feet while the rest of them now lay sprawled on the ground.

"Oh no!" Chopper gasped as one of the cyborgs raised their palms and prepared to blast them all once again. But before he could fire, he was disrupted by the sound of cannon fire as he was struck in the face.

From his spot next to the General, Franky blasted the Pacifistas back with the cannons on his back.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, guys!" he grinned as he stood, removing the cannons on his back once they were empty. "Let's go, partner!" jumping back inside the General, he began to pilot the massive robot as it stood.

"Here it comes!" Chopper cheered.

"Iron Pirate! General Franky!" the men cheered as the robot posed, jumping in excitement. Skylar giggled as she saw the unamused look on Nami and Robin's faces as they blankly stared at the hunk of machinery. With a shout, Franky began to beat on the approaching Pacifistas, effortlessly knocking them back with the General's swinging fists before they could properly attack. "Franky…Radical Beam!" poking out of the General's chest, Franky aimed with his hands and fired a massive beam that basically disintegrated the living weapons in a fiery explosion.

"Awesome!" Usopp, Chopper, and Brook sparkled as they wiggled around in excitement.

-Sanji-

Lunging for one another, Sanji kicked Binz.

"Mosa Mosa!" from the palms of the ninja's hands, vines grew at an alarming rate toward the blond with the intent of capturing him.

"Sky Walk!" Sanji kicked his way up higher into the sky, avoiding the whipping vines that chased after him. "Diable Jambe!" setting his foot alight, he clashed with Binz once more—the older man using the sword from his back to block his fiery kicks. Sanji jumped back and quickly spun as he kicked away the throwing stars that soon came hurtling towards him before lunging at the other man once more.

"Take this!" Binz snarled as he threw more stars.

-Zoro-

Ain leaped back as she pushed away from Zoro, using her ability to create patches of lava as she reverted the ground beneath her back to its original state twelve years ago. Zoro dodged the bursts of magma as he gave chase, lunging and slashing at the woman as she quickly dodged out of the way. Jumping into the air, she abandoned her short swords and drew two large-barreled pistols. Shooting multiple shots, the swordsman effortlessly bisected every bullet she shot at him. Ain flinched when he suddenly lunged for her once more, her fingers tensing on the triggers as she scrambled to lift her guns despite momentarily freezing.

Before she could fire, Zoro slashed them to pieces before quickly flipping his blades around.

"Three-Sword Style…Blue Dragon Seal!" Ain cried as she was slashed, her body stumbling back in stunned startlement at the sting of the blade's forceful contact. "Water Stream!" she soon collapsed to the ground, eyes rolling to the back of her head as if the shock from the sudden blow had been too much. "Whatever makes you hesitate, cut it off and leave it behind you" Zoro remarked, removing the sword in his mouth as he turned around.

-Sanji-

"Nami-san really is better sexy!" Sanji growled as he struck Binz's stomach multiple times with his foot. "Blaze up—Sexy Fire!" he burst into searing flames much to the startlement of his opponent. "Take this! Meteor-Strike of Love!" shooting toward the ninja, he struck him one final time in the gut—harshly knocking him back to the ground where he fell unconscious upon making contact with the crater he created on impact. "Feel free to fall in love with me, Nami-san" the blond grinned as he landed on his feet, lighting and taking a drag from a new cigarette.

-The Others-

Nami and Skylar gasped, startled as they moaned in discomfort at the sudden growth spurt that hit them without warning. Embarrassingly, their clothes shrunk and tightened quite a bit around their chests and hips—their hair rapidly growing alongside their bodies as they returned to their normal ages.

"Well…at least I'm back to normal…" Skylar muttered as she blushed and looked down at herself, thankful for the tights she insisted on wearing under the dress even as they grew smaller in size alongside the dress' ruffled skirt. Where everything was once loose on her tiny body, they were now tight and snug as her figure filled out and returned to her. Despite her embarrassment, she smiled as she turned her head—chuckling as she watched Nami begin to happily twirl around and laugh. Chopper stumbled around as he whined, his own body rapidly growing back to its normal self. Robin shuddered, moaning in discomfort as she returned to normal—her chest and hips experiencing the most growth.

"Oh no! No!" Brook panicked in slight confusion as he seemingly returned to normal as well…though it was difficult to tell since not much had changed. "I'm healed! I'm back to normal!" he shouted once he realized what had happened.

"Really?" Usopp asked.

"Indeed! Oh how I've missed being in my 90s!" Brook laughed.

"Zoro and Sanji did it!" Chopper cheered.

"Now all that's left is Z! Let's go find Luffy!" Usopp motioned as he took off.

"Yeah!" Chopper agreed as he and everyone else followed the sniper.

-Luffy-

Luffy and Z clashed, lunging and knocking each other back as they jumped around. Eventually, one of their clashes went up in a fiery explosion as Z discharged his mechanical arm—burning Luffy's shirt off in the process as he jumped away.

"It's useless! You cannot crush my justice!" Z sneered.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy shot his arm at the former Admiral, socking him in the jaw before following that up with two punches in the chest. "Gatling!" he began to wail on the older man who barely had time to lift his prosthetic in an attempt to block the flying fists.

"You have some backbone for a pirate" Z remarked as the straps that attached his prosthetic to his left hip for support broke after that last hit he took. "You're not as bad as the pathetic Navy! However…" he charged forward.

"Third Gear!" Luffy retracted his arms before blowing one of them up to twice the size of his body. "Gigantic Pistol!" drawing his massive fist back, he thrust it forward and met Z's mechanical arm—neither able to push the other back as their knuckles pressed against one another.

"I am…Z!" Z stumbled back as Luffy's arm deflated back to normal.

"Z!" Luffy shouted as he rushed the older man once more.

"You little brat!" Z sneered as he drew his prosthetic back and once again met the captain's oncoming punch with his own—discharging it in the process and causing a massive explosion that helped to trigger more of the Dyna Stones which began to explode around the island.

-The Others-

"Things are really starting to ramp up!" Skylar remarked as explosions sounded out around the running pirates, nearly knocking them off their feet as they rushed through the island in search of their captain. Franky followed close behind in the General, Robin seated upon the robot's hand as he carried her.

"Luffy!" Nami gasped as they finally reached where their captain and Z were fighting, Zoro and Sanji were already there and watching at the bottom of the hill the others had breached. Zoro briefly looked back, thankful to see that Skylar was alright and back to normal.

"Kid…" Z muttered as Luffy struggled to hold onto his strength, digging his fist further into the man's mechanical one despite the Sea Stone it was made of. "Why are you trying so hard to resist me? Even if you defeat me…you are still a pirate—nobody will thank you for it" he reminded the captain.

"So what?" Luffy asked as he finally pulled back. "I do what I want!" he huffed, looking at the massive dent he had left behind in the man's prosthetic. "If I can't beat you, I can't become the Pirate King" he frowned.

"Is that really it?" Z asked. "How childish!" he scoffed as his mechanical arm finally began to break and fall away until it exploded. Everyone gasped, shocked by the arm's destruction—even Kuzan who had been watching the fight from a distance this entire time was surprised. "You do what you want, huh? In that case, I will do the same!" the former Admiral grinned as he clenched the fist of the normal prosthetic arm that had been underneath the mechanical one.

"I will put my own life on the line to crush your conviction!" he proclaimed. "Come at me! This is the end!" he shouted as he coated his arms in Armament. Shouting, Luffy did the same with his own before charging the man. Another Dyna Stone exploded as the two clashed.

"Black Arm Zephyr…has returned" Kuzan grinned as Z briefly got the upper hand and began to wail on Luffy. However, it didn't take the rubber man long to push back, socking the older man in his gut before stumbling back as the same hit was returned to his own. Luffy vomited a little as he clutched his stomach, the force with which it had been hit enough to make him sick. Shaking his head, he charged forward once more as he and the former Admiral collided—beating one another with the same vigor. As they fought, Z found himself reminiscing about his youth as his glasses were knocked off—recalling his childhood and the dreams he had once had.

Grinning at the memory, he panted as he groaned at the harsh punch Luffy delivered to his gut. Sucking in a sharp breath, he stumbled forward and struck the younger man's jaw. Luffy stumbled back into a nearby cliffside, desperate for a quick breather as he raised his arms and blocked the former Admiral's swinging fist that suddenly came at him again. It was fruitless to try and block as he soon found himself being wailed upon by the older man who socked him in the gut before repeatedly punching him in the face. Z wheezed as he tried to catch his ragged breath while Luffy sunk to the ground. He soon jumped when the captain suddenly sprung back to life and kicked him back.

"I…I will do it!" Luffy shouted as he jumped to his feet, panting. "I'm going to be the Pirate King!" he proclaimed before rushing the older man.

"My name…is Z!" Z grinned as he swung his fist, striking the young man in the face. Luffy continued to rush forward, pushing back against the man's fist as he reeled his own back before stretching it and striking him in the jaw.

"Bastard!" he sneered as the former Admiral stumbled back, blood squirting from his nose. Punching his gut, he jumped back and did it again…though, when he went in for a third time, he stumbled and fell to his knees. Z grinned in amusement as he looked down at the enraged pirate, impressed with the young man's gumption as he continued to weakly punch his stomach. Fatigue was finally starting to win over both of them as Z stumbled, unable to keep his footing any longer as his body began to tilt back. He struggled to breathe as he lay there, unable to find the strength to stand back up even as Luffy finally clambered to his feet.

"I really have gotten old…" the former Admiral wheezed. "After so little, my body can't move—what a shame" his limbs felt lead as his chest heaved, his old age finally making itself known. "The fun ended far too quickly" he was disappointed that the fight couldn't continue, unable to deny how alive it had made him feel to fight the rubber man.

"Sheesh, that fight was cutting it way too close…" Sanji grunted, blowing out a puff of smoke as Zoro sighed.

"Tell me about it…" Skylar muttered as she slid down the hill she and the others were atop and walked up to Zoro—smiling as she lightly bumped him with her shoulder.

"Luffy!" Usopp and a few of the others shouted, following her lead as they slid down the hill and cheered for their victorious captain.

Kuzan lowered his head, watching as Binz and Ain finally arrived—sadly looking down at their master yet accepting his defeat.

"Those who pursue their dreams trample over everything in their way..." Z grunted as he struggled to sit up, watching as Luffy retrieved his hat. "Take the hat…and my life!" he sneered.

"I don't want to take your life" Luffy frowned as he placed his hat back upon his head. "I'm satisfied!" he smiled much to the older man's surprise. "If you want to keep fighting, I'll humor you" he offered as his crew came towards him.

"No…I'm also satisfied" Z confessed.

"Luffy!" Chopper shouted as he lunged at the rubber man, jumping onto his back and nearly knocking him over if Usopp hadn't hurried to catch him.

"Are you alright, Luffy?" the sniper asked as he hooked his captain's arm around his shoulders.

"Guys!" Luffy brightened.

"Don't you "Guys!" us!" Nami scolded. "How could you just run off on your own again?!"

"Z-sensei!" Ain suddenly shouted, causing Z to turn his head and look away from the group of pirates.

"Ain…Binz…" he muttered as he watched the two sadly bow their heads in shame. "I put you through so much trouble, forgive me" he frowned, picking up his fallen glasses as he slowly climbed to his feet.

"I…" Ain muttered as her eyes began to well with tears. "As long as you're safe, I…" she and everyone flinched at the sudden crack of a gunshot. A bullet pierced the ground by Skylar's feet—kicking up dirt and ground as she yelped and stumbled back. Everyone tensed as Zoro reached for his swords, quickly taking a protective stance in front of the brunette as he narrowed his eyes in the direction the bullet had come from.

"It seems all the actors have gathered together" Kizaru remarked as Varen lowered his gun, smoke drifting from its barrel.

"Kizaru and…?!" Robin gasped as Skylar froze, her eyes widening. Her legs trembled as they gave out beneath her, fear taking hold of her heart as she stared up at the two Admirals—her gaze instantly drawn to the familiar cold eyes that hatefully stared down at her. Blood rushed through her ears, roaring so loud that she could barely hear the others' shouts of concern as some of them quickly crouched by her side.

"Is that…?" Nami muttered as Luffy's jaw clenched, his gaze hatefully narrowing at Varen. Though no one wanted to say it, the family resemblance was unnervingly obvious as the pirates tersely stared between the Admiral and his daughter. Practically everything from their complexion down to their eyes were eerily similar with the only difference being the brunette's gender which gave her a softer feel compared to the sharper edges of her father. "Skylar…" the navigator flinched as she turned to the young woman, startled by the growing intensity in her eyes which glowed beneath the shadows of her hair. Despite the trembling of her small frame, her eyes grew colder by the minute—their hatred practically rivaling the ones that mirrored them from above as her jaw tightened.

Fear and anger swirled within her as tears pricked the corners of her eyes, her breathing slowly picking up as her fingers dug into the ground beneath her. She couldn't describe the confusing amalgamation of emotions that swirled inside her as she looked at her father—a lump forming in her throat as she found it difficult to speak.

"It's disappointing that both Straw Hat and Zephyr-sensei are close to death" Kizaru sighed. "But all of you are going to die anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter!" he smiled before looking at the brunet beside him from the corner of his eye. "Are you certain you're fine with her still being down there?" he asked.

"She's a Strife—she'll be just fine no matter what you throw at her" Varen crookedly grinned, his gaze hardening as his daughter finally turned her head away. "Besides, it'll help teach her a lesson."

"This isn't good! Why now?!" Usopp grounded as Nami and Robin helped Skylar back to her feet, her legs still tense as she stumbled and clung to the two.

"Are you okay…?" Nami muttered as she gently squeezed the brunette's arm. Robin stayed quiet, her grip on the brunette's other arm tightening a little as she soothingly rubbed her back. She could only imagine the war of emotions raging inside the brunette at having to see such a monster again after all these years.

"I'm…I'm fine…" Skylar thickly swallowed, refusing to lift her gaze. "I promise…" she added when Zoro looked back at her, his muscles tense as he frowned.

"I see that they brought a whole battalion with them" Z remarked.

"The ocean saw the world begin, and the ocean knows how the world will end."

"I was able to do what I wanted at the very end—I have to clean up my own mess…or I won't be able to face all those who have gone before me" he said, placing something between his teeth as he approached the oncoming Marines. "Straw Hat Luffy—you have your own adventure, do you not?" he asked as he put his broken glasses back on. "I, Z, will handle this" he grinned.

"Pops!" Luffy shouted.

"Sensei! Sensei, you can't!" Ain pleaded as she rushed after the man.

"Thus it calls us down the path we must take, thus it leads us to a just world."

A wall of ice suddenly erupted from the ground, stopping Ain in her tracks and preventing her from following her master.

"Well, I'll be" Varen hummed as he flickered his gaze towards where Kuzan stood on higher ground. "Who thought he'd be here."

"Kuzan" Z grinned as Kuzan silently turned and finally left, having no desire to watch his old mentor die. "At the very end, you created a place for me to die, huh?"

"Sensei! Sensei! Sens…" Ain broke down crying as she smashed her fist against the wall of ice, sinking to her knees as she realized she wouldn't be able to get past it. "Sensei…" she sobbed as everyone silently stared on.

"It envelops all the pain and suffering, honorably and kindly wrapping them up."

Not only had Kuzan created a wall of ice to prevent anyone from interfering with Z's fight, but he had also frozen the remaining Dyna Stones that littered the island—preventing them from ever exploding.

"The Sacred Yasakani Jewels!" Kizaru charged his beams at the tips of his fingers as Varen aimed his guns toward their former mentor—normally, he preferred only using one and keeping the other for backup. He rarely ever used them simultaneously, but he felt the occasion was special.

"Borsalino! Varen!" Z grinned at his former students.

"Farwell, Zephyr-sensei!" a flurry of bullets and light shot at the man, striking him and knocking him back as the beams of light that missed exploded around him. Z coughed, holes now riddling his person as blood splattered from his lips. Some of the holes glowed, the beams of light hot enough to cauterize the wounds from the inside while others heavily bled.

"The ocean saw the world begin, and the ocean knows how the world will end."

Many of the high-ranking officers that had come with the Admirals silently began to weep as Z stumbled back into the wall of ice—his fingers digging into it.

"I will give you one final training session!" Z grinned as he charged forward, still not done nor ready to lie down just yet.

Luffy frowned as he stared back at Piriodo, watching the explosions go off as the Sunny sailed away. A grim silence fell over the crew as they watched alongside the captain from the deck. Skylar tightly squeezed Zoro's hand as she watched the island grow smaller the further away they sailed, her chest heavy like everyone else's as he squeezed back.

"Even after I'm gone, the all-knowing ocean will lead the way."

Despite being riddled with holes, Z was still able to throw many of the Marines who surrounded him back. Blood splattered from his lips, yet he still fought on even as more soldiers rushed at him—those of a high ranking now joining the fight.

"I must not fear because you are here."

When all was said and done and the fight finally came to an end, Z was laid to rest. Ain and Binz mourned as they cried over their master's grave, his broken prosthetic draped over the crooked, wooden cross that had been hammered into the ground.

"Don't cry!" Kuzan shouted from behind them, tightly gripping a bottle of Z's favorite wine in his hand.

"I must not be timid because my comrades wait for me."

"He followed his heart 'til the very end" he said as the two clenched their jaws and trembled, whimpering as they bit back their sobs. "That's cool, don't you think?" he asked.

"We must advance towards the blue horizon."

-Flashback-

"We'll get you for this!" the older boys cried, bumps on their heads from where a young Zephyr had beaten them with the short log tied around his tiny arm. A top of his head he wore a red helmet with a visor and on his back was a cape with the letter Z drawn on it as a wooden sword rested upon his hip.

"I'm always ready to take you on!" Zephyr grinned as the other children around him cheered—the little girl he helped relieved to have her doll back from the bullies who had taken it. "I'm the hero of justice…Z!" he proclaimed, posing like the hero he wanted to be when he grew up as his cape billowed in the wind.

---

A/N: Enjoy

Please Review, Favorite, and Follow.