"BATTLE STATIONS!" Luffy called out suddenly one day.
"BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES!" Ben roared from his own ship.
The Going Merry and Black Pearl were under attack by a Marine fleet. One of the officers on board was grinning.
"Those Straw Hats are all bark and no bite. Instead of fighting, they run like cowards. We'll have them in no time, Sergeant. We'll get medals for sure!"
Sergeant Minchey calmly watched as the ships tried to hit the Merry and Pearl.
"Damn, they're persistent. You'd think they'd learn not to fire on us after the fifteenth time Luffy or Ben has redirected their cannonballs." Zoro said.
"Hold on, guys! There's fog up ahead! We should be able to lose them in there!" Usopp said.
"Uh, one problem; there are also whirlpools and reefs within the fog!" Nami pointed out.
"This is going to take some expert sailings!" Boss noted as he took the helm of the Merry. "Bad day, bad day, bad day!"
"Get to it, swabbies! Make sure this baby takes no damage!" Eddy barked out in a pirate accent while Ed manned the helm of the Pearl. "Tow that yard sprinkler! Batten down the poop deck!"
"It's me father's ship after all!" Ben added as he swung down on a rope to the deck of the Pearl.
Boss and Ed worked quite well at the helm and swerved to safety. The Marine ships weren't so lucky, their bulkier size working against them.
"We've just hit a class-one danger zone, Sergeant! We can't pursue the Straw Hats any further!" An officer reported.
Minchey nodded. "Withdraw and have all ships come about at once."
"But, sir, we've got clear orders from Captain Moore to eliminate the Straw Hats on sight!" The first officer said.
"But Captain Moore isn't the one in command...I am."
That seemed to be the end of the argument, as the fleet immediately turned around and retreated. Meanwhile, the Merry and Pearl had successfully made it out of the danger zone and into calmer waters.
Kirby was in the crow's nest of the Merry with Usopp while looking through a telescope before happily jumping up and down as Usopp saw what his son did.
"Land ho! Land ho! There's an island ahead!"
"Good, we can take some time to assess the damage to both our ships," Draco said.
"I think this whole endeavor gave me an idea for a new song!" Amingo noted.
-OP-
As the crew came ashore, an old man watched them using a telescope and started calculating something on an abacus.
"Two ships, thirty-three people, six animals, one...unknown round squishy thing. No matter how many pirates there are, I will stop them."
Down below, the crew was checking out the island, which seemed to be largely empty.
"This island seems uninhabited," Robin noted.
"Not entirely. Look up ahead." Vivi said as she pointed.
There was a baby goat peacefully grazing just up the mountain path.
"Careful, fellas! That little guy is not alone." Gottfried warned.
Sure enough, a whole herd of goats was coming out of the brush.
"Awwww, so many baby goats~!" Rosa cooed.
"Can we pet them?" Fuu asked Mifune.
"I don't know about that..."
"Mifune's got the right idea. They say herbivores are more dangerous than carnivores since carnivores only kill to eat. But herbivores kill for way more reasons." N'Doul pointed out.
"Indeed!" Double-D nodded. "That was quite the impressive infodump."
N'Doul gave a wry smirk. "I'm blind, not uneducated, my friend."
"I think the smart guys have a point. This herd does not look happy to see us." Hobbes said.
"Maybe we're intruding on their territory," Marianne suggested.
"Or maybe they see Hobbes and think he's gonna eat 'em." Calvin said.
"Oh, I'd never eat a live goat. Especially not a baby." The IF clarified.
"Think they'd back off if we headed to the ship?" Choi wondered.
"I wouldn't recommend it, pally. That could just incite them to charge." Carue said.
"Hold on, these aren't bad goats." Chopper told his friends before turning to the goats. "Excuse me, why did you try to set a trap for us?"
"And don't worry, we can talk with you thanks to Ol' Gottfried here." Hilda said as she held her Transponder Snail companion out.
"Someone asked us to. He saw your ships coming in and wanted us to keep you off the island." The lead goat explained. "Now if you don't mind..."
The goats got ready to charge. Thinking quickly, Chopper shifted into hisHeavy Pointwhile Luna swelled up into her giant blueberry form. Naturally, this shocked the goats but also caused the old man to fall out of a nearby tree.
"Monsters!"
"Correction; It's a reindeer with human abilities." Penny corrected. "It would be polite not to address him as such. He has bad memories of being called one."
"And Luna here is a big beautiful berry!" Eddy added protectively.
"I can take care of myself, thanks." Luna grumped as she deflated back to normal.
"Can we all focus on the old man who just fell out of the tree?" Nojiko asked.
Nami nodded. "I was just about to say that."
"I figured that was common in the East Blue," Gin noted.
"It's still not the sort of thing you see every day," Nami retorted.
"This your boss?" Gottfried asked the goats.
"Yeah, that's him," the lead goat said.
"Ah, talking animals!" the old man called out.
"We better stop before we give this old coot a coronary," Choi said.
"He must have thought we were trying to attack him," Kuina said.
"There's no need to panic, old timer. We're just here to pick up some water and provisions." Zoro assured the old man.
"Why should I trust anything a pirate says?"
"You got a Transponder Snail?" Gottfried asked.
"No."
"...Eh, I got nothing."
"Look, there's no treasure on this island, got it?" the old man said.
"We've already got both our holds chock full of gold as is. We couldn't hold any more treasure if we wanted it." Heart said.
"Speak for yourself!" Ruby snipped. "You got a bottomless treasure dimension thanks to your Devil Fruit!"
Nojiko chuckled. "Besides, if you did have any treasure, I'm sure Nami would want it."
"I swear, you take one pleasure bath in gold pieces and everyone asks you to hold back," Nami muttered.
"I'm impressed you don't have bruises from that!" Chopper scolded.
The old man looked at them, blinking in shock. This was not how this thing usually went. He was so stunned that he wound up keeling over.
"Oh no!" Chopper gasped as he and Fuu quickly went to check on him. "His heart's stopped!"
Chopper quickly started doing CPR while Fuu turned her finger into a syringe filled with a drug that could help give the old man a jumpstart.
"I'm a doctor and Fuu here has been learning from me. We need to get him to his house."
"Get him on my back! I'll lead the way!" The lead goat said urgently.
-OP-
The old man woke up, feeling a towel on his head. He looked around and noticed the Straw Hats looking at him in concern.
"Did I... Just die?"
"Your heart stopped. Likely from shock." Chopper said.
"For someone with so much grit you're pretty fainthearted," Sanji noted. "I would think the Grand Line would have plenty of surprises every day. It's impressive you've lasted this long."
"Well you damn pirates went and completely messed up my rhythm," the old man said as he got out his abacus. "Now I can't chop the firewood or draw any water. I've lost 50 million Berris from this ordeal!"
The crew all looked at him in bemusement. That led Nami and the old man to haggle over pricing, which led to the crew agreeing to do his chores.
"That old man certainly seems to have a grudge against pirates," Gin noted. "What does he have against us anyway?"
"Well keep in mind most pirates are not nice people," Draco pointed out. "Dad's got war stories of the evil pirate crews he's destroyed over the years...and don't even get me started on the horror stories of Xebec."
"According to the goat leader, the old man has been alone on the island for the last twenty years. He washed ashore from somewhere else." Chopper said.
"Now there's a familiar story. Right down to the tales of treasure. It's Gaimon all over again." Kaya said.
-OP-
Back on the Island of Rare Animals, Gaimon sneezed.
"Is something wrong, dear?" Sarfunkel, a woman in a barrel much like how Gaimon was in a chest, asked.
"Either I'm catching a cold or someone's talking about me."
-OP-
"Well, at least Gaimon was friendly. This guy cannot be satisfied." Nami huffed. "Like, who cares how you chop wood? And in a place so outdoorsy you can't escape having at least an inch of dust in your house at all times."
She noticed Robin didn't seem to be doing anything until she saw an extra pair of hands growing out of the old man's back and massaging his shoulders.
"Show off..." Nami muttered.
Marianne giggled. "Miss Robin has experience with massages during out time in Baroque Works."
"Hey!"
Everyone turned to see Carue running in with an urgent look on his face.
"You fellas won't believe this, but I think the old man might be a former pirate!"
"What makes you say that?" Vivi asked.
"I was just on the other side of the island when I saw this old boat with a Jolly Roger on it that had a large red abacus behind it." The duck explained. "There's also a girl napping there!"
-OP-
On Carue's directions, the Straw Hats arrived at where he found the ship. It looked like the ship had been in the process of being built, but the project was stopped halfway through.
"Huh, somebody's not a good shipwright," Boss muttered as he checked the ship out.
"It almost looks like a ghost ship," Axol noted.
As if to make it look more ethereal, several fireflies started flying around as evening set in.
Lassoo sniffed around. "All this wood smells exactly like the trees. He must have gotten all the lumber from this island."
"But why would he stop building in the middle of the project?" Robin wondered.
"And all this still doesn't explain why he hates pirates so much," Usopp pointed out.
"Aren't we just assuming he hates pirates based on his actions?" Ruby pointed out. "It could be that he's just trying to protect this ship or his treasure from thieves. He did seem surprised that we're not interested in it. Well, most of us..."
She took a look over at Nami.
"What's that look supposed to mean?" Nami asked.
"Nami, we've been together in the Arlong Pirates way too long for us to not know you," Axol pointed out.
"To be fair, his cabin looked way too well-furnished for him to be flat broke," Vivi said.
"I'm shocked you noticed that," Nojiko said.
"I may be a pirate like the rest of you, but I'm still Alabasta's princess. I know luxury furnishing when I see it."
Nami facepalmed at her own absentmindedness as Nojiko, Ruby, and Axol couldn't help but chuckle.
"I still don't buy it. With how fainthearted the old man is, there's no way he could be a pirate." Usopp said.
"Maybe not now, but you have to remember he was stranded here twenty years ago. The fact that he has a Jolly Roger says he had to have been somewhat of a notable pirate back then. Then there's the fact that he built this ship in this exact location." Draco pointed out.
"Didn't he build it just to escape the island?" Eddy pointed out.
"And leave it unfinished?" Boss countered. "That is not good."
"Plus keep in mind Draco mentioned the location. This is a dense forest with no paths." Robin added. "Carue had to slice his way through here with his Devil Fruit. And just past us is a steep cliff with the sea several meters below. Not exactly the ideal location to build an escape vessel."
"The clues just add up too well, Usopp. The old man may very well be a retired pirate." Kaya said.
Throughout it all, Kirby, ever the curious child, wandered off and explored the ship. He marveled at the artwork; wondering how it would look finished. He remembered Mr. Merry building the Merry, making him wonder how he was doing.
After about five minutes of wandering, Kibry stopped in his tracks: There in front of him, was a sleeping girl. Was she the one Mr. Carue mentioned?
"Poyo?" Kirby asked, lightly tapping the girl. "Poyo?"
No response.
Kirby tried again. Still nothing…at least not from the girl.
"Kirby? What're you doing here?" Axol called out, startling the pink baby boy. The male fishman gently held his hands up, not meaning to scare his little friend….and then he spied what Kirby did. "…Oh my gosh. The duck is right.
The girl wore a black and burgundy-striped t-shirt with a similar hoodie and a watermelon design on the left chest, matching calf-length black and burgundy striped socks, lime green short overalls with one fastened strap, and black Velcro strap trainers.
"Poyo...?" Kirby squeaked in curiosity as he poked the girl while Axol blushed slightly at how pretty the girl was.
-OP-
Meanwhile, Minchey was reporting to Captain Moore at his base.
"How are you supposed to preserve the Marine's justice when you fear a danger zone in the middle of the ocean?" Moore asked in annoyance.
"There was no reason to pursue. It's unlikely they would have escaped the danger zone so easily." Minchey said.
"You underestimate what the Straw Hat Pirates are capable of. They have beaten every big name in the East Blue, evaded both White Chase Smoker and Black Cage Hina and even slain the ex-Warlord Crocodile." Moore admonished. "Truthfully, if it wasn't for orders from Marine HQ I'd award every member of them the highest honors for resolving the conflict in Alabasta, not go hunting for their heads. Unfortunately, we're not in a position to celebrate pirates as heroes. So go locate them at once!"
Minchey saluted and walked out of the office as he was joined by his corporal.
"Sergeant, why didn't you report the island to the captain?"
"I take it you saw it too. What do you make of it?"
"There's no record of the island on any chart. Likely because very few ships could make it through the danger zone." The corporal noted.
"Let's keep that little tidbit from the captain," Minchey said.
"But Marines have a duty to uphold the truth!"
"And yet the truth about what happened in Alabasta was covered up," Minchey countered. "Compared to that scandal this little secret is less than nothing. I don't care how many men we have. I'm not tangling with the pirates who proved strong enough to kill Sir Crocodile. And let's not forget Apocalypse Lor D. Draco is the son of Whitebeard himself. You could put a billion Berris on his head and it wouldn't be worth bringing a Yonko down on mine. Not that they'd need an Emperor's help to wipe us all out."
The lieutenant then chuckled deviously, much to the corporal's concern.
"But there is one good reason to go to the same island they're on."
-OP-
As the old man slept, Chopper and Fuu took the time to give him a thorough checkup.
"Hmm... This is serious..."
They headed over to the others.
"Oh hey, Chopper. We were going to sleep back on the Merry and Pearl." Nami said.
"Fuu and I will be staying here for the night. We can't abandon one of our patients."
Mifune nodded. "If that's the case, I'll stay with you two as well."
"But what's wrong with the old man?" Calvin asked.
"His heart didn't stop because he's timid. It stopped because he's very sick." Fuu said. "He'll be dead in three days."
The crew was shocked.
"Chopper, are you sure?" Double-D asked.
Chopper nodded solemnly.
-OP-
The old man was surprised when the next morning, he found Sanji and Noire had cooked him an entire feast for breakfast.
"Something smells fishy about this. What was that old proverb? Beware of pirates who suddenly become nice."
"I can tell what you're thinking and don't worry, none of this is poisoned." Gin said, sitting by the old man's side protectively.
Seeing no reason to doubt this, the old man tried some of the food. The next minute half a plate was down his gullet as the crew introduced themselves.
"Ah, that explains the talking animals. So several of you have Devil Fruits." He said. "You know, I'm not the only one on this island. There a couple of young'uns who have been living with me after being shipwrecked."
"I think Kirby and I met one of them on that ship..." Axol realized.
"ZENNY!"
Suddenly, a large muscular young man with tanned skin and an angular face came in. He had long unkempt green hair, with noticeable prominent curls at the top of his head that resemble ahoges. He also had red eyes and wore round glasses.
"Gonta!" The old man, Zenny, said. "Don't worry, my boy. It was just a heart scare."
"Still, Gonta should have been there..." The young man said sadly. "Zenny wouldn't have gotten hurt."
"Relax, big fella, we're good guys." Gottfried assured.
"What's up with Tarzan here?" Eddy asked.
"Gonta's been living on this island since he was a little boy. I met him when I first wound up here." Zenny said. "His English is a bit bad but he tries his best."
Gonta nodded. "Gonta want to become gentleman! Becoming the ultimate gentleman is Gonta's dream!"
"Huh, for a big fella who looks like he could bench press a whole tree, he sure is a cream puff." Hilda giggled.
-OP-
Meanwhile, Minchey and the corporal were in the records room.
"Here it is. There was a man who fought against some pirates in that area twenty years ago. He hasn't been seen since."
"I thought that so. As I recall, that man's name was Zenny. And along with him, his huge treasure is also said to have disappeared... Assuming he made it to the island he's probably died of old age by now." Minchey said before chuckling darkly. "But treasure doesn't have a life expectancy."
-OP-
Back at Goat Island, the crew was busy finishing Zenny's ship for him. They also found the girl that Axol and Kirby came across, who Zenny introduced as Melony, who had only recently shipwrecked on the island a few months ago.
"Gonta is so happy that Zenny's ship is finally finished!" Gonta smiled as he helped out as well.
"Never thought I'd see this project get back up and running," Zenny said. "Gonta had wanted to help, but he's only one man."
"Just why are you building a ship out here in the first place?" Luna asked.
"Well, it's not really a ship. I actually intend for it to be my coffin."
That got the group stunned. Usopp, Chopper, Ed, Choi, and Penny all dropped the large amount of lumber they were carrying as their arms went limp from shock.
"Isn't it a little early to be planning out your grave?" Ruby asked nervously.
"First off, it's never too early to plan out a grave, you never know when you'll need a fresh one. And second, look at me. I'm sure you've all realized I'm not long for this world." Zenny said somberly. "I'm just over 80 years old. Have to plan out even the possibility of my own death."
"So why make your grave look like a pirate ship?" Sanji asked.
The old man smiled, and then promptly fell asleep without answering. Melony, who was nearby, also fell asleep.
Gonta sighed. "Zenny and Melony get sleepy. Gonta has to watch over them so no bad creatures hurt them."
-OP-
"So you've found the Straw Hats on a deserted island nearby," Moore noted. "Then we should attack with all our forces at once!"
"Sir, just a moment. You have to keep in mind that a good chunk of the Straw Hats have Devil Fruits. Plus, they have two fishmen and the feared bounty hunters Roronoa Zoro and Shimotsuki Kuina among their number."
"Are you starting to lose your nerve, Sergeant?" Moore asked.
"Just trying to avoid unnecessary casualties, sir," Minchey insisted. "I actually have a plan in mind that can grant us complete victory while minimizing casualties."
-OP-
By the time the crew realized it, four days had gone by and Zenny was still alive.
"Could Chopper and Fuu have misdiagnosed him?" Kaya wondered.
"I don't think that's it. It's more like his more cheerful mood coupled with the medicine I made for him, Sanji and Noire's nutrient-rich cooking, and the clean environment helped him overcome the sickness." Chopper said. "I never said it was terminal, just that it left him with a few days to live."
Meanwhile, Robin had just beaten Zenny at chess. She wasn't even sitting at the table, just using herFlower-Flower Fruitto create a hand to play for her. The old man laughed in spite of his loss.
"You're pretty good, missy!"
"I've picked up a few skills."
Meanwhile, Calvin, Hobbes, and Marianne were playing a different board game with Gonta.
"Ha! I landed on Chance! I get to pick a card!" Hobbes said.
"Oh no!"
"It says 'defraud the Celestial Dragons. Revolutionary Army steals boatload of gold. Collect 5000000 Berris!"
"5000000 Berris?!" Marianne snapped.
"Oooh, that is very lucky!" Gonta noted.
"I think I'll buy a new ship!" Hobbes smirked.
"Ooooh, you just wait 'till I land on Chance!" Calvin said, shaking his fist.
Later that night, the crew decided to have a party.
"I gotta say, for as long as I've lived I've never met a more interesting pirate crew." Zenny noted.
"Gonta always knew there were good pirates out there." Gonta smiled.
"We were actually under the impression that you were a pirate once. I mean, you have all this expensive stuff lying around the cabin." Nami said.
"Well, it's true I have a few trinkets from my old life, but the only real treasure I have left is what I have shared my joys and sorrows with. That being the goat herd I've spent these long years with as well as Gonta and Melony."
"Love you too, Zenny," the goat leader said cheerfully.
Melony, who was now awake, simply gave a sweet smile at the old man while Gonta beamed proudly.
"The truth is I'm not actually a pirate, never was. I was actually a moneylender who dealt with them." Zenny said.
"Wow, you must have had guts. No ordinary person would dare try lending money to pirates." Sonson said. "Paying back anything they borrowed would have been out of the question, let alone the interest."
"Yeah, those bastards kept bilking me out of my money," Zenny admitted. "Every pirate I worked with wound up breaking their word. They thought nothing of betraying trust, almost like it was second nature."
"Most pirate crews tend to be loyal only to their own crew. And the worst won't think twice about betraying anyone else." Axol agreed.
"So that's why you hate pirates," Nami realized.
"I couldn't just stand back and take it, otherwise I'd have no business left. I had to risk my life by fighting pirates to get them to pay back their debt. The problem was I was weaker than a baby kitten." Zenny said. "But I did have a dream I was willing to fight and die for."
"Zenny doesn't hate pirates, just the bad things pirates do to people." Gonta clarified. "But Zenny always wanted to be pirate, the good kind and Gonta believe Zenny would have made a great pirate!"
"Yup, the adventuring, swashbuckling heroes you read about in fantasy stories. That was the sort of pirate I wanted to be." Zenny nodded. "So to live up to that dream, I used my guile and a few clever tricks to get every last pirate who owed me a debt to pay it back in full. And every time I succeeded, I felt a little more like a swashbuckling pirate."
"But then some bad pirates hit him with a sneak attack," Melony said while looking drowsy. "It's how he got washed ashore from what he tells us."
"Gonta was already on this island when I arrived," Zenny said. "He was just a baby and the goats had been protecting him. I didn't have much but I raised him as well as I could."
"And Melony washed here a few months ago. She was sleeping in a tiny boat." Gonta added. "There was moldy fruit on the ship that looked half-eaten, so we threw it out."
"But why would you make your ship into a grave?" Kaya asked.
"Well, it didn't start out as a grave. Originally I wanted to build the ship near the sea. But bringing down the lumber proved to be too much work, even with the goats, Gonta, and Melony helping." Zenny said. "All the same, I didn't want to give up on building it, so I decided to just build it right there in the mountains. Before I knew it, I was getting too old to sail the Grand Line, so I decided to make the ship my coffin instead."
"You're never too old to make a dream come true. My father always says the only time you're too old to dream is when you're dead. And he just passed seventy, so he'd know." Draco said.
Zenny blinked. "How old are you?"
"Believe it or not, I'm only nineteen," Draco replied with a smirk.
"And you say your father is just past seventy?" Zenny noted before rubbing his chin. "Maybe there's still time for my dream after all."
"Gonta dreams of being a great gentleman and no matter how small a dream may be, it's still a dream." Luffy smiled. "But what's Melony's dream?"
"Honestly, we don't know. She's pretty secretive about her past but she does dream of a world where people can be smile." Zenny said.
Axol looked at Melony, who had already fallen asleep again, and smiled.
"It's just like how I want to make people smile by writing the greatest story ever told."
-OP-
Meanwhile, Minchey was taking a single ship out to Goat Island.
"Are we really going to be able to lure out the Straw Hats with a single ship?" The corporal asked.
"They may be strong, but they're still rookies," Minchey pointed out. "If we do this right, we have nothing to fear from them. We don't even have to fight them. Just watch. While the captains argue about justice, we'll walk away with the treasure. And don't worry, Corporal, you'll be getting your fair share."
The corporal still had an unsure look on his face, the other Marines present also not really fully in on this plan.
-OP-
The next day, the Straw Hats spotted Minchey's ship as it pulled up.
"Greetings, Straw Hat Pirates! I'm Sergeant Minchey. Sorry about the other day, we didn't know who we were dealing with. Otherwise, we wouldn't have chased you around like that. Please accept our humble apologies."
"Any of you buy this?" Vivi asked, bemused.
"Not for a single Berri," Rosa said.
"Yeah, Marines would never give up on chasing pirates," Luffy said.
"Hey now, let's not get violent! Considering you're the pirates who defeated Crocodile, I'd be absolutely stupid to fight against such powerful opponents!" Minchey said.
"Yeah, he's definitely up to something. His heartbeat is way too calm for how panicked he's acting." Gottfried said.
"Swindler...!" Rolf growled.
"Well just think for a moment; Why would I try to attack you with a single ship? We're just here to investigate the island is all. It's not every day you find an island not on any map, so we need to make sure to update it."
"The only thing here is an old man, his adoptive grandchildren, and his island goats. Plus I've already mapped out the island." Nami said. "I can sell you the map for a few thousand Berris."
"Ah, I see Zenny is being safely cared for here, that's good. Once our survey is done, we'll just return to our base. So you can just sail out of here." Minchey said. "I mean, Marine HQ is in a frenzy to eliminate you all, so it would probably be best to move on."
"Just one question before we do that...How did you know the old man's name?" Mifune asked pointedly.
Minchey's cool facade broke upon hearing that, a freaked out look on his face.
"Right, we never said his name. We only said an old man was here. We never said what his name was." Usopp noted.
"And you can't fool my hearing, bozo!" Gottfried said. "I can hear all the voices of the Marines on the ships hidden in the fog behind ya!"
"I could sense it with my hearing as well. Faint whispers of dissent." N'Doul added.
"Oh, that's just a routine patrol! They're not with us at all!" Minchey insisted.
"Yeah, this guy's game is obvious; he's trying to grab the old man's treasure!" Sonson said.
Minchey was now sweating bullets."How did such rookies figure me out so easily? But that means they know about the mountain of treasure Zenny the Moneylender received in order to settle the pirates' debts."
"So they were trying to sneak attack us while he tried to grab Zenny's treasure. Seems Marines can play as dirty as pirates." Penny noted with a furrowed brow.
"What weasels!" Eddy scowled.
"The little dickens!" Ed admonished.
"They've got a landing party trying to sneak up on us too. Gottfried and I can hear them in the forest right now." N'Doul said.
Just as said landing party came out to attack, a sudden rumbling was heard. To everyone's shock, Zenny's ship was now sliding down the cliff using a series of wooden rollers.
"How is a pirate ship sailing down the mountains?!" Minchey exclaimed.
Zenny and his goats laughed as the ship started to reach the bottom.
"Prepare for the maiden voyage of the Zenny Pirates! Sail on!"
"And so Luffy inspires another dream," Usopp said with a smile.
"I'm actually surprised Zenny didn't join our crew during the party." Gin said.
"I think he's better off as a Captain in his own right," Luffy said.
Gonta and Melony were with the Straw Hats, both of them having decided to join them since Zenny wanted them to follow their own dreams.
Earlier
"Zenny…" Gonta started with Melony on his side. "We…"
"You wish to join these pirates." Zenny smiled knowingly, startling the two. "Hey, I may be old, but I'm not that old: This place is no place for two young-uns like you…Especially since our little Melony seems rather…drawn to the artist fishman."
"Wait, what?" Gonta asked, suddenly invigorated and protective. Melony simply giggled and then whistled not at all innocently before Zenny brought the two into a hug.
"Go. Live your own dreams. That is my only wish of you two."
Despite it all, Gonta and Melony huigged him back with tears in their eyes.
Present Day
Finally, the ship hit the water, right next to Minchey's ship. Zenny took a deep whiff of sea air.
"Ah, back out at sea once more. Looks like this ship is a ship once again."
"So Zenny the Moneylender is still alive," Minchey noted. "Even with a ship, you're nothing but a blood-sucking penny extortionist."
"Oh, not anymore I'm not!" Zenny retorted, "I gave that up years ago! You're looking at a newly reborn pirate now!"
He laughed as Minchey's eye twitched.
"You're talking to a Marine, old geezer!" Minchey yelled.
"Really? Because you seem more pirate-like than me," Zenny taunted. "I overheard that you want to steal some treasure I supposedly have. And here I thought hunting down pirates paid for all your bills. Or maybe they've been having budget cuts lately."
As Minchey growled, his corporal called out to him.
"Sergeant! The Straw Hats are on the move heading for their ship! Call the captain's fleet for backup!"
"Shut up!" Minchey said as he shot at the corporal with a rifle, shocking the entire group. "I already told you I'd give you a cut of the treasure, so just keep your mouth shut and don't let the captain know!"
Zenny nodded as he did some quick calculations on his abacus.
"Now I see... You must be paying off your men to take on this little side project. But most Marine soldiers are dedicated to the ideals the Marines put forth, so that must cost quite the pretty petty. Isn't that right, Sergeant? Well, if you want my treasure so badly, how about you come and take it? If you can that is!" He then turned to the Straw Hats. "Hey, Luffy! I need a hand getting my friends onto that ship!"
"I gotcha!" Luffy called back as she stretched out her arms to grab Zenny's ship, ramming it against Minchey's. That allowed the goats to all stampede on the Marine ship. The soldiers stood helpless as they got surrounded.
"What the hell are you all doing?!" Minchey called out. "They're just goats!"
"Sir, do you have any idea how expensive the fine is for killing an island goat?!"
Zenny was riding the lead goat and chuckling at Minchey, who was raging at the situation. Meanwhile, the Merry and the Pearl started pulling up as well. Minchey started to pull out his sword when several goats trampled on top of him, knocking him to the ground. Before long, the soldiers had all surrendered just as the Straw Hats boarded.
"Wow, all that with just a bunch of goats." Ben chuckled. "A rather embarrassing way to lose."
"But hang on... There is no fine for killing island goats. I mean, lots of islands have them." Double-D pointed out.
"Yeah, we were just looking for an excuse to stop doing what the sergeant wanted. Honestly, we hated following his orders that went against Captain Moore." One of the officers admitted.
"Well, I doubt you'll have to worry about that any longer. Gottfried was broadcasting the entire time. So the Captain definitely heard Minchey's scheme." Hilda said.
Zenny smiled and walked over to Minchey as he was getting tied up.
"You want to know what the funny thing is? That treasure I had? When I decided to buy a pirate ship and get my pals together, I exchanged all of it for cash. But after I was attacked and drifted ashore here, all of that cash got eaten by the island goats. Ain't that something? Now the only treasure I have is the friendship I made with the goat herd as well as the familial love I had with Gonta and Melony."
Minchey nearly had a stroke when he heard that.
"Looks like you pulled that entire scheme for nothing. I think it only appropriate we send you where you belong." Luffy said.
Axol then drew up a giant catapult before throwing the tied-up Minchey onto it as Kaya turned into her Hybrid Form and cut the cord, causing the catapult to launch the crooked sergeant right over to Moore's flagship. The captain was obviously not happy to see his sergeant.
"You have a lot to answer for, Minchey," Moore said furiously. "Your subordinates will be let off since you practically forced them into your schemes, making them the victims. But you will not get off so lightly."
He ripped off the pauldrons on Minchey's jacket.
"Take him to the brig at once!" Moore ordered.
Minchey was utterly broken, not even saying anything as the Marines hauled him away to be locked up.
"What about the Straw Hats?"
"Tell Marine HQ we'll be too busy with the paperwork processing Minchey's arrest and court-martialing. And get me in contact with Commodore Smoker. There have been rumors that he's making an alliance with Commodore Purin and Captain Hina." Moore said. "Whatever he's planning, he's going to need a lot more manpower to pull it off."
-OP-
The Straw Hats all waved Zenny goodbye as he sailed off with his goats.
"Good luck on your journey!" Zenny called out. "Hopefully we'll meet each other in another twenty years!"
"Or maybe sooner!" Sonson said. "We're all sailing the same sea, after all!"
"I believe that just might be the case!" Zenny laughed. "And please look after Gonta and Melony for me!"
"We will!" Axol promised, Melony sleeping on the Going Merry while Gonta had boarded the Black Pearl.
The three ships headed off, each on their own voyage. The Straw Hats had made another new friend that day as well as gained two new crew members, and would likely make many more as they continued to sail the Grand Line.
-OP-
In Marie Jois, the grandest room of the grandest castle, the Five Elders, having finally calmed their master, now had another problem to deal with.
"From one calamity to another." Mars sighed. "A powerful Mythical Zoan we lost sight of for so long…and now its back in the hands of pirates."
"Yes..." Saturn muttered. "TheHuman-Human Fruit: Model Fierce Deity!"
"While not as powerful as THAT Devil Fruit..." Ju Peter said. "It is still plenty potent. The last wielder was a mighty swordsman who was rumored to have saved the world from a falling moon."
It seemed the Straw Hats were only growing more and more powerful...and the Elders were at a loss on what to do about them...
Unknown to the elders, someone was listening in on them: Someone who was vlaueable to them and who they prayed never betrayed them…but now had some proverbial 'meat'to entice them towards doing just that.
Knightmare Lord A/N:
And that's Goat Island covered! We have two new members of the Straw Hats joining in; Gonta Gokuhara from Danganronpa and Melony from SMG4! In the original version of this story, Melony was found in Loguetown but I figured it would be more cool to introduce her here.
Up next is another Filler Arc; Ruluka Island and the Rainbow Mist!
Anything you'd like to say, Mrotrax?
Mrotrax A/N:
Axol and Melony's romance is a starting again, and will hopefully go much smoother than…other times.
Also, it appears that the Elders have a spy nearby…a spy who'll no doubt pit this knowledge to good use. If you've read 'This Bites' and 'Ashes and Rubber', you might have an idea as to where this is going!
Until next time?
Stay safe!