It was late at night, and the Straw Hat Pirates were sleeping in their cabins. The Journey to Water 7 was going smoothly
Robin was the last to turn in, smiling at seeing Calvin sleeping with Hobbes as well as Marianne cuddling with Bandana Dee. The sight brought back memories for Robin; she'd liked Marianne from the moment they'd met; seeing quite a lot of herself in her;
A young and bright girl treated as a monster just because she had a skill that couldn't be explained via Devil fruit or by science. She acted and was tough for her age, certainly even thougher than Robin had been…but she still had that spark of youth and innocence; a spark Robin was determined to keep going.
In a way, Robin realized? She was to Marianne what….someone she loved….had been for her.
Their missions together hadn't been too hard or grandiose especially compared to with the Straw Hats: Just an assassination or bribe here or there, ButMarianne certainly didn't complain when Robin tucked her in at night, nor had she been averse to gtrabbing lunch together. And when one drunkard starting flirting with Robin? Well, Robin apprtiated the 'perv repellant.'
Just being Marianne made staying with Straw Hats worth it to Robin. It was good to finally be able to relax, to let her guard down and let herself be vulnerable, knowing there were people who would support her.
The sound of water being pushed down and the cluttering of boats against wood made Robin turn around; was the ship being attacked?!
A familiar glove latching onto the deck and familiar green glow made Robin chuckle; she remembered that Delta had accepted the duty of removing barancles from the bottom of the ships.
"Evening Delta. Much work down there?"
The scuba diver waved a greeting at Robin before giving a thumbs up, opening his hand to reveal several slugs; no doubt soon to be used to fuel his ADAM.
"So, any slug will work?" Robin asked; she was fascinated by the ADAM, but it was hard to bring up in conversation.
Delta shook his helmeted hand, depositing the slugs into a canister and then sign language:
'Its honestly a roulette. While I did figure out how to extract and create ADAM before I broke out, I never got the actual slug….type…'
He was seemingly distracted by the moon. Robin glanced up at the night sky.
'You must think me silly; being so entranced by the night sky.'
"Not at all." Robin smiled. "I'd admit, I love a quiet night like this. They've been so far and between for me…"
Delta looked at her and even with his helmet on, could tell Robin's thoughts were filled with pain and memories.
'…I only ever saw shades of moonlight in my cell.' He explained. 'And whatever lie the World Government told the world about you? I cannot begin to imagine what you've been through.'
"How do you know they're lies?" Robin coyly asked.
'Forgive me for saying this, but I highly doubt you could've destroyed a Buster Call with your skills. Sides, the World Government lied about where I came from and what ADAM was really for.'
Robin's interest was peaked, but this was almost muted by Delta's comment. On another day, she'd be irritated by her skills being doubted. But this? This was the one exception. For that alone? Delta was her friend.
The diver then gave a polite bow and went to his room. As she turned in herself, Robin was now slowly starting to consider this the crew she'd die with.
None of the crew were aware of the mysterious figure blowing on a seahorse-shaped instrument.
-OP-
The crew awoke to a bit of a shock, finding themselves at the edge of a river that hadn't been there yesterday. In fact, the island they had docked near didn't really have any rivers, and certainly no bridges across rivers.
"What the heck is going on?" Sanji asked.
"Something feels off about this," Carue noted.
"Are we dead or something?" Eddy asked.
"We have been abducted by the Dream Demons of Eternia, who shall feast on our brains to gain the power needed to conquer the world of reality!" Ed cried.
"You say the weirdest stuff sometimes, you know that?" Vivi pointed out.
Double-D sighed. "Lovable oaf..."
"Uh, guys..." Ruby spoke up worriedly. "I think we've got company."
Sure enough, a horde of strange humanoid beings was stalking the bridge. As soon as they saw the Straw Hats, they attacked on sight, forcing the crew to quickly get into defensive action.
"Whatever these things are, they don't seem to be alive!" Nojiko noted as she turned her fingers into pistols to unleash a spread of bullets with a wave of her arm.
"So we can go nuts on them!" Calvin grinned as he imagined a giant flamethrower. "SAY 'ELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!"
"Careful! Don't burn the bridge down with us on it!" Marianne snapped as she painted pink spiked wheels that she sent rolling at the creatures.
Soon, the creatures were defeated by the combined efforts of the crew, their bodies evaporating into a dream-like mist afterward.
"Okay, any ideas where we are?" Zoro asked.
"Did someone abduct us?" Kuina wondered. "That seems to be the most plausible theory."
"Come on, crew! Let's look around and see if we can find a way outta here!" Luffy said.
The crew walked down the bridge, which was big enough to fit all of them, before they heard the sounds of fighting in the distance. They made their way to the source of the action to find two women fighting off more of the humanoid creatures.
The first woman had a beautiful, slender, curvy body with pale fair skin, long purple hair in a hime cut, and dressed like a ninja shrine maiden. The other woman was large and fat, with orange tanned skin, short black hair, magenta eyes with rings in them, and clad in Native American-esque clothes with a pair of giant gauntlets on her hands. She also had a scar on her big belly.
"Whoa! Another fatty like us!" Hilda grinned. "Let's help her out!"
Hilda picked up a rock and held it like a shot put before throwing it, enlarging its size and increasing its speed in the process.
"MORE-MORE SHOTPUT!"
The enlarged rock crushed the demons, surprising the two girls before they noticed the Straw Hats.
"Thanks for the save!" The big girl said. "Something tells me you guys are from the waking world like us."
"What do you mean by waking world?" Chopper asked.
"Oh, we're sorry for not introducing ourselves." The slender girl said. "My name is Katayama D. Kirei, a shrine maiden from the land of Wano...this is Yoghurt, a friend I made on my journey."
"Yo." Yoghurt greeted nonchalantly. "I tagged along with her because I want to fight the strongest opponents imaginable."
Fuu, an elated smile on her face, raced to Kirei, startling her.
"How is Wano?" She asked. "I haven't been since I was little.."
Kirei's eyes widened, grabbing Fuu to get a good look at her. Mifune was soon at his lover's side, drawing Samehada to defend her…until he saw the tears in Kirei's eyes.
The world then began to shift; becoming darker; filled with smoke, fumes and the silohette of a gigantic man with horns and a spiked club. Even so, everyone, even the hardened Robin, Delta and Kong broke into sweat at the sight of him.
"…Kaido." Ben and Draco glared together.
Fuu then created a pill that she put into Kirei's mouth. The shrine maiden calmed, the area then changing to a beautiful feudal Japanese style landscape, Sakura petals falling in the air.
Where once there was terror, there was now entrancement and smiles.
"Thank you." Kirei smiled at Fuu. The younger girl looked ashamed and worried, but the Shrine Maiden's smile eased her worries, which vanished with Mifune took her into his arms.
"A few days ago, we stopped on this island and fell asleep," Yoghurt explained. "Now we're stuck in this dream world with no way to get out."
"And this has been going on for days?" Sonson asked in surprise. "How is that possible?"
"We're not sure, but we intend to find out. This entire dream has been looping, and we need a way to break the loop." Kirei said. "Hopefully, you all can help us."
"Don't worry, with our brand of madness, we just might break the cycle," Ben smirked.
The group continued on their way, only for something strange to happen; the ground began to crack apart, separating the crew into groups.
"Hey, what the heck is going on?!" Nami exclaimed.
"Stand fast, guys! I think our presence is causing the dream loop to fracture!" Draco said.
"Let's see what this place has got in store for us," Gin said. "Everyone stick close together and don't get lost!"
"Indeed! We'll find a way to regroup!" Kong said.
-OP-
The first group consisted of the Four Great Captains, Zoro, Kuina, Nami, Penny, Usopp, Kaya, Kirby, Sanji, Noire, Gin, Axol, Ruby, Nojiko, Hilda, Gottfried, and Heart.
"Whoa! Talk about a rush!" Usopp said.
"Hey...that's strange..." Sonson noted. "This place looks like the island where me, Ben, Luffy, and Draco fought Ganzack!"
Suddenly, the ocean in front of them burst open as Ganzack himself appeared, riding on his dragon ship. Draco growled as he transformed into his King Kong Form and rushed forward with a howl.
"KING KONG BARRAGE!"
With a furious barrage of blows, Draco wrecked the dragon before grabbing Ganzack and throwing him down to Luffy, who got into position.
"GUM-GUM NET!"
Intertwining her fingers to make a net, Luffy caught Ganzack and threw him to Sonson, who rode on her Somersault Cloud while enlarging her staff to swing it downward.
"HEAVENLY SAGE'S HAMMER!"
Ganzack was sent flying down and impaling himself on a bed of hip bone spikes Ben created. The villainous pirate captain's body then disintegrated into a dream-like mist as the area began changing.
"Guess the dream is making us relive our fights with our past enemies!" Luffy realized.
The area then settled to resemble Romance Dawn in the very same execution area where Zoro and Kuina had been tied up when the four captains found them.
"Boy, does this bring back memories." Kuina chuckled.
Suddenly, an apparition of Morgan manifested, roaring as he rushed forward with his axe arm. Zoro and Kuina smirked as they readied their swords.
"Leave this to us!"
The two swordsmen charged at Morgan, Zoro holding two of his swords in a defensive style to block attacks, while Kuina turned into her Hybrid Form and surrounded herself in flames.
"TORO NAGASHI!"
"DIVINE FLARE: PHOENIX TALON!"
Zoro performed a slicing attack on Morgan's stomach while Kuina performed a fiery dropkick with her talons. The combined attack tore the apparition apart as well as caused the area to shift again, this time changing into Orange Town.
"Oh boy..." Nami muttered.
Buggy appeared along with Mohji, Ritchie, and Cabaji. Penny stepped forward, green mystic flames burning around her eyes.
"Allow me. I believe it is time for a little payback!"
Performing a graceful dance, Penny manifested a brilliant dark green storm cloud before thrusting her hands out and sending a massive bolt of magic lightning that struck the apparitions, vaporizing them on the spot and also shattering the area, which quickly began reshaping itself again, this time into Syrup Village.
"Usopp, we're home!" Kaya gasped. "But that means..."
Sure enough, an apparition of Kuro manifested, adjusting his glasses with his palm like he used to do. Usopp gritted his teeth angrily at the sight of the vile villain who had threatened and manipulated Kaya before reading his slingshot as Kaya and Kirby stood by his side.
"Leave him to us, guys...a brave warrior of the sea needs to face the devils of his past head on!"
Readying his new slingshot,Kabuto, Usopp loaded six pellets at once before pulling back and firing.
"SIX CHAMBER VIPER STAR!"
The pellets ignited and moved in a snake-like pattern as Kuro dodged with hisPussyfoot Maneuver, only to run into Kaya, who readied her claws as Kirby rode on her back.
"RAGING BEAST CLAW!"
Kaya slashed her arm upward, sending a wave of light blue force at Kuro that pushed him back, only for Kirby to dive toward him and inhale his claws, transforming into Sword Kirby and rapidly slashing the apparition before twirling his sword and striking a pose as Kuro was cut apart into pieces.
"You've really come a long way, Friend Usopp!" Penny smiled. "You too, Kaya!"
The area shifted again, this time into the Baratie. Sanji, Noire, and Gin frowned as they saw Don Krieg and Pearl manifest.
"Dad..." Noire sighed before shaking her head. "No, it's not really him, is it?"
Sanji nodded. "You and Gin take Pearl. I'll have a little heart-to-heart with Papa-In-Law."
Noire blushed. "We're not married, you idiot!"
"Not yet." Gin chuckled as he readied his tonfas.
Sanji charged at the apparition of Krieg, who tried to strike with his guns, but the Cook easily maneuvered through the onslaught of bullets before performing a sweeping kick at the apparitions knees.
"GIGOT!"
As for Noire and Gin, they took on Pearl's apparition. Noire threw out cards that wedged themselves into Pearl's armored plating, only for them to glow and discharge lightning that paralyzed him, allowing Gin to turn into his Hybrid Form and slam the ground with his tonfas, upchucking three pieces of the ground to launch with a kick.
"TRIPLE STONE SLING!"
The sheer volume of stone overwhelmed Pearl, knocking him down as Noire leaped into the air and, with precise aim, threw a card with a skull on it straight between the apparition's eyes, destroying it instantly as Sanji was finishing things with Krieg.
"RECEPTION!"
Krieg was slammed down into the ground headfirst, lying still as he faded away into mist, Noire sighing sadly as Gin put a hand on his honorary niece's shoulder.
The area then changed again, this time into Arlong Park, where Arlong, Kuroobi, Chew, and Hatchan manifested.
"Guess this is our time, Sis," Nami said to Nojiko, who nodded as Axol and Ruby stood by them.
"We're with you guys."
Nami and Nojiko charged at Arlong while Axol and Ruby handled Kuroobi, Chew, and Hatchan. Nami swung her Clima-Tact into the apparition's chest as Nojiko turned her arm into a minigun and unleashed a hail of bullets that pushed him back.
"THUNDER CHARGE!"Nami cried, forming a Thunder Ball on the spherical end of her staff."SWING ARM!"
Twirling the piece on the Clima-Tact's connecting socket with the rest of the staff. Nami swung the electrified piece at Arlong for a powerful electric attack, frying him completely.
"Feeling a bit better?" Nojiko asked her sister.
"Much."
Axol had evened the odds against the apparitions of his and Ruby's former crewmates by creating art constructs of a red-clad mustachioed plumber and a blue humanoid hedgehog in red shoes. With their combined might, they vanquished the apparitions as they faded away.
"I wonder how Arlong and the others are doing..." Ruby noted.
The area changed again to become a mixture of Loguetown and Warship Island. Hilda, Gottfried, and Heart took this as their cue to step into action.
"So, who's on our tail here?"
Apparitions of Eric and Smoker manifested and charged. Hilda grinned as she cupped her hands, allowing Gottfried to unleash a powerful sonic blast through it while Hilda manipulated it with her Devil Fruit.
"MORE-MORE SONIC DOOM!"
The enlarged and amplified soundwave struck the apparition of Smoker so hard, it caused him to crack and shatter like glass. As for Heart, she grinned wickedly as she summoned what looked like a treasure chest from a Treasure Gate on the ground.
"FANTOME!"
The chest opened up, revealing several ghostly hands that grabbed the Eric apparition and tore it apart before dragging the pieces into the chest, which was then sent back through the gate it was summoned from, as the treasure-hunting pirate dusted her coat off.
"Too bad you weren't that fat tub of shit, Nelson. Then again, you were more than a good substitute."
"Come on, crew! We gotta meet up with the others!" Luffy said as she led the way for everyone.
-OP-
The second group consisted of Vivi, the Eds, Rolf, Carue, Mifune, Fuu, Rosa, Calvin, Hobbes, Marianne, Chopper, Luna, Boss, Choi, N'Doul, Amingo, Lassoo, and Robin.
"Oh great, now what's going on?"
Suddenly, the group found themselves in what looked like a fusion of Drum Island and Alabasta, the landscape being a bizarre mixture of sand and snow. Suddenly, apparitions of Wapol, Chess, Kuromarimo, Crocodile, Mr. 3, and Mr. 1 appeared.
"Oh boy!" Mifune grinned ferally. "I get to kill that son of a bitch again!"
"Let me help this time!" Fuu said, turning her fingers into syringes and injecting herself with a steroid that boosted her speed and strength.
"This ain't even gonna be a fair fight!" Eddy laughed."STEEL DRAGON BARRAGE!"
Forming his arms into steel and splitting them into multiple metal dragon heads, Eddy sent them out at the apparitions. Crocodile managed to dodge it, but the others were blasted back. Double-D narrowed his eyes as he turned to N'Doul, who nodded as he entered his Hybrid Form.
"EXPLOSIVE WATER DRAGON BITE!"
Double-D fired torrents of water while N'Doul used his cane to shape it into a giant water dragon, which lunged at Crocodile and bit down on him, making his body like mud as Vivi lunged forward while riding on Carue.
"RAZOR WING!"
"DESERT GRANDE ESPADA!"
Carue sliced Crocodile in half with a razor wing flap while Vivi created a giant underground blade that impaled the top half through the chest, allowing Mifune to decapitate it with Kubikiribōchō.
"That ghost paled in comparison to the original."
The others had managed to handle the other apparitions as well. Rosa had absorbed the snow and become a giant snow monster to squish Wapol while Chopper, inHeavy Point, rolled Luna like a bowling ball to flatten Chess and Kuromarimo. Rolf had handled Mr. 1 in his Full Beast Form, biting him in half with his powerful jaws while Robin restrained Mr. 3 and had Marianne blast him with aCyan Laser.
"Weeweeweewee!" Choi laughed. "What a waste! Whoever trapped us here seems to lack in quality!"
Lassoo sniffed the air. "Rey! Somerone rup rhere ris ratching rus!"
Amingo looked up and noticed a mysterious figure playing a seahorse flute.
"Ah-ha! That must be the estúpido who trapped us here!" Thrusting his hand out, Amingo transformed his arm into a mass of cactus vine tentacles. "Come here!"
"You'll never reach him!" Boss said as he picked up Lassoo. "Fire in the hole!"
"DOC NET!"
Lassoo fired a net launcher that hit the figure, but he fell away from the cliff and out of sight. However, once he did, the area completely disentegrated, leaving the group by themselves in a stretch of empty land before they noticed Luffy and the others coming in.
"Hey! Looks like you guys made it!" Sonson called out.
"We're still missing some of our friends. We gotta find the rest of them." Vivi noted.
"Oh dear, I hope they're alright..." Double-D said worriedly.
"If the enemies being summoned are anything like these cheap imitations, I'm sure they're fine." Fuu said.
-OP-
The third group consisted of Gonta, Melony, Saiko, Kaizo, Kong, Tawna, Conis, Bandana Dee, Yoghurt, and Kirei.
"Oh dear..." Kirei said worriedly. "The dream must be doing everything it can to stop us."
Suddenly, the area shifted to resemble a fusion of Skypiea and Jaya, with apparitions of Enel, Bellamy, and Wetton appearing.
"Enel!" Conis gasped. "Wait...this has to be a dream effigy of him."
"Doesn't matter, we'll crush him just like we did the real one!" Kong growled.
Melony turned into her Fierce Deity Form while Saiko drew a pair of buzzsaw axes as they lunged at Wetton, Gonta dispersing into a swarm of mosquitoes that attacked Bellamy, allowing Tawna and Kaizo to slam him with a double fist punch to the gut while Conis, Bandana Dee, Kong, Tawna, and Yoghurt faced Enel.
"So what was the deal with this guy?" Yoghurt asked.
"Enel ate theRumble-Rumble Fruit, a Logia that let him create, manipulate, and transform into lightning. Luckily, myCloud-Cloud Fruitis a perfect rival." Kong explained.
Yoghurt grinned and she made the first move, punching Enel across the face as he quickly teleported behind her, only to trigger a Ball Cloud trap Kong created that released Bandana Dee, who stabbed Enel rapidly with his spear tipped in rubber, Conis then slammed Enel across the face with her Five Cast Iron and Kirei rolled through hand signs as a skeleton spirit appeared with a knife in hand.
"SHINIGAMI STRIKE!"
The spirit struck Enel in the chest with its knife, destroying the apparition as the others finished off Wetton and Bellamy. Kong huffed as he took a puff of his pipe.
"Nothing more than a cheap imitation. Barely broke a sweat."
"What was that you just did, Kirei?" Melony asked.
"O-Oh, it's my Devil Fruit, theSpirit-Spirit Fruit." Kirei explained. "It allows me to communicate with, manipulate, and summon various spirits. It even lets me speak with the dead."
"Yo! Glad to see you guys are okay!"
Everyone turned to see the rest of the crew coming over. With the Straw Hats all reunited, they were now left unsure of what to do next.
"Is there anything else you can tell us about this dream world?" Zoro asked.
"Well, Yoghurt and I briefly lost our memories when we first showed up here," Kirei explained. "Until we ran into that figure with the seahorse flute and attacked him, which caused us to get our memories back."
"Why didn't we lose our memories?" Robin wondered.
Vivi then remembered the necklace she was wearing, which depicted an effigy of Thoth.
"Thoth is the god of knowledge, writing, and memory. Whenever we're on the ships, I have this effigy hung in Merry's cabin." Vivi noted. "Thoth must have safeguarded our memories when the mysterious sleep spell hit us."
"And since the Pearl and Toho stick close to Merry when we're sailing, the protection must have spread to the rest of us as well." Hobbes realized. "What a stroke of luck!"
"I told you Gods existed!" Calvin proudly said.
"I won't question providence when it's handed to us." Kuina nodded.
"That figure we saw is likely the one behind this dream world, so if we find and capture him, we should be able to force him to return us to the waking world," Mifune noted.
"Maybe something wrong with island?" Gonta suggested. "Maybe that why everyone fell asleep."
"When we reached the island, everyone had somehow lost all their memories on a daily basis. They all fought over the newspapers we brought, claiming it was their only source of knowledge of the outside world." Kirei explained.
"They all claimed to have had the same dream as they fell asleep, so we decided to stay up and find out what was going on. Then, when we saw a boy with a seahorse-shaped flute, he blew on it and we all suddenly felt drowsy." Yoghurt added.
"And that's when we woke up in this dream world, with no memories of what was going on at first." Kirei finished.
"Strange...I remember seeing a boy with a seahorse-shaped flute when we were going to bed." Fuu noted.
"This reminds Rolf of a fable from his old country! The story of the Ocean's Dream!"
"We did figure out something after we got our memories back. That boy isn't the real enemy, it's the flute." Yoghurt explained. "It's not actually a flute, but some kind of weird sentient seahorse that can eat memories."
"A seahorse that devours the memories and dreams of others in the creepy-crawlies?" Rolf gasped. "THE FAIRY TALE THAT HAUNTS ROLF HAS COME TRUE!"
"Well, if we can find that seahorse and capture it, we can escape the dream world!" Draco deduced.
-OP-
Meanwhile, the boy Drim was being guided to the shrine of the sea dragon.
"They're ruining the dream. The memories won't continue to flow." The seahorse said as its eyes glowed. "I will become a Millennial Dragon. I will achieve the ocean's dream."
-OP-
As the group made their way through the dream world, Zoro noticed a large mountain in the distance.
"This place reminds me of where I last saw Saga," Zoro noted.
"You know Saga?" Yoghurt asked. "Kirei told me she rescued him when she saw his ship drifting. If she hadn't gotten to him, it's likely his arm would have been paralyzed."
"Saga's alive?" Kuina gasped.
"I used my shrine powers mixed in with my Devil Fruit to purge a powerful katana called the Seven Star Sword of a terrible curse corrupting it," Kirei explained. "Saga had found love with a girl on the island I took him to and decided to stay there."
Zoro smiled. "Good to know he survived. I'll have to try and contact him at some point."
"So, what else can you tell us about this dream-eating seahorse?" Kaizo asked.
"Apparently, its name is Noko and he ate a Devil Fruit," Yoghurt said. "However, he naturally had the ability to eat memories and dreams from the beginning. Don't know what messed up part of the ocean he swam from, but I'm not interested in checking it out."
"Why he's doing this, I don't know. I do know that he has apparently hypnotized that young boy to act as his carrier." Kirei said.
Ben nodded. "Then we better go save the lad, savvy?"
Without another word and with surprising speed, Eddy raced to the scene. Sending Drim to the floor after he kicked Noko with all his strength over the horizon.
Drim then stirred, confused.
"Easy, easy." Kirei said, helping the boy to his feet. "Once you get onto your feet, you'll have quite the story to tell."
Drim, still waking up and confused, seemed to get an idea what she meant.
"Alright, the boy is alright...now let's get that seahorse!" Draco declared.
-OP-
Drim raced for his village, hearing the joyful cries of the villagers who realized their memories had returned.
"So that lady was right. Noko was draining all our memories. And when those people beat him up, all the memories returned." He then ran for a house he remembered as his own. "Mom! Mom, I'm home!"
He soon found his mother looking for him in the town square, her face lighting up when she saw him, as she knelt down to hug him.
"Oh, Drim. I wasn't sure where you were. I can't believe I forgot you for so long."
Drim explained everything to the villagers, about Noko the seahorse and his Devil Fruit, theSleep-Sleep Fruit. The villagers quickly hurried to the forest to try and stop the creature.
"Don't worry, a crew of pirates is stopping him as we speak!" Drim told everyone.
-OP-
As Noko was floating away, trying to clear some distance, he soon found himself cornered by the Straw Hats, who managed to intercept where he was going.
"This nonsense has gone on far enough!" Double-D said. "You'll stop this madness right now!"
"If you think you've won, you're sorely mistaken!" Noko snapped, his voice given to him by Gottfried being a goofy, nasally voice. "I've still been drawing in memories this whole time. Thanks to that trinket the blue-haired woman carries, I've been able to silently steal copies of your memories this entire time! I no longer need the villagers and their short-term gains! The adventures you've had are more than enough to strengthen me!"
"So you're the creep who's been stealing everyone's memories!" Luffy noted.
"I mean, that had to be obvious, right?" Calvin dryly pointed out.
"Yes, and thanks to mySleep-Sleep Fruit, I can draw people to sleep and create dreams of their past," Noko explained. "Though for some reason you newcomers entering changed the dream. You should have been experiencing friends and enemies from your history."
"We only encountered enemies...and they were barely qualified to be fakes!" Mifune said. "You really need to work on your history."
Kong scoffed. "Whatever ridiculous game you've got going on has failed, my little friend. Best just give up now."
"Well, there's no longer any need for this game to continue anyway!" Noko declared. "Thanks to the memories I have gathered, I can achieve my true ultimate form... A Millennial Dragon!"
"Uhhhhh..." Gin said. "You do realize that should be a physical impossibility, right?"
"Yeah, we've seen Millennial Dragons!" Sonson said. "And I doubt a shrimpy seahorse like you could ever hope to turn into one!"
"Oh, you will understand when I unleash my new form!" Noko declared. "Behold!"
He started to glow blue, but his form when he finished transformed was just a big bloated version of himself.
"See the might of the legendary Millennial Dragon!"
"Seriously?!" Eddy burst out laughing. "What kind of lame form is that?!"
The rest of the Straw Hats began laughing as well, even Kirei giggling while Yoghurt held her gut as she let out a hearty belly laugh.
Noko then noticed his reflection in the nearby sea and realized why everyone was laughing at him.
"What the heck is that?! That's not the Millennial Dragons I saw migrating, that's just me after I gained weight! Did I eat all those memories for nothing?!"
"Then I hope you don't mind if I give ya a crash diet!" Yoghurt cried.
Squatting down, the big girl lunged forward and grabbed Noko in her giant gauntleted hand before slamming him down with her open palm into the ground.
"STEEL PALM GUILLOTINE!"
The powerful impact caused Noko to vomit all the memories he'd consumed.
"No! My memories! Memories!"
It was at that moment the villagers arrived. Draco smirked as he picked up the weakened seahorse.
"He's all yours." He told the villagers. "And I have a good idea on what we can do with him."
-OP-
Noko was tied up in the shrine on the island, forced to use his Sleep-Sleep Fruit to help put the villagers to sleep every night, which helped them have sweet dreams and even cured insomnia. He also had his ability to drain memories or brainwash people permanently sealed by Kirei, so he could never harm anyone again. The grateful villagers helped the Straw Hats restock their food supplies.
"You know, you two could work really well on our crew." Luffy told Kirei and Yoghurt. "Me and my crew are heading to Laugh Tale to find the One Piece and we're making the biggest crew imaginable!"
"If it brings us to Wano, we'll accept." Kirei smiled. "I left in order to find help."
"So did I." Fuu said. "And I think we've found the perfect help to take care of Kaido."
"Speaking of help?" Yoghurt realized. "The townsfolk have a little something for us."
Intrigued, the Straw Hats made their way across town, where the villagers had quickly thrown together a christening party. And what were they christening?
Why, a ship of course!
"After all you've done?" The mayor smiled. "This is the least we could do."
"Well, sis?" Luffy beamed. "She's all yours…What you going to call her?'
Sonson, after holding in squeals of delight and exactment with tears in her eyes, cleared her throat and announced.
"The ship of the Sage who will be equal to heaven demands a name that will spark adoration and respect. From here on out? I dub this ship…The Tang Sanzang!" Sonson beamed with delight.
"Ya-hoo!" Sonson cheered as she stood on the buddha figurehead. "Onward, crew! The Head Fleet of the Straw Hats is complete!"
Kirei and Yoghurt chuckled as they joined the Tang Sanzang along with Kuina, Gin, Kaya, Heart, Amingo, Choi, and N'Doul. With four ships under their command, the Straw Hats sailed off to gain more allies, grow stronger, and continue to pursue Laugh Tale and the One Piece.
Knightmare Lord A/N:
We've gone through the Ocean's Dream Arc, and now Sonson has her own ship! The Four Great Captains officially have their own individual signature ships!
Also, Yoghurt and Kirei are OCs on DeviantArt that me and Mrotrax do NOT own! Yoghurt belongs to Jeetdoh, and Kirei belongs to Ninja-8004! All rights belong to them and not us!
I hope you enjoyed what went down because next chapter is gonna be one that both me and Mrotrax have been looking forward to writing since we first started this story!
Mrotrax A/N:
Indeed-aroni!
For the next two chapters, hopefully posted Sunday afternoon, will be two of the most famous stories in One Piece. The long awaited Water 7 Arc and the 6th Movie….but the latter will not have the Straw Hats in it. Who will tajke their place?
Wait and see!
Sorry for the long wait!