The barrage of attacks continued as the Merry got closer and closer, the ship weaved and dodged the oncoming cannonballs one after the other, in a desperate attempt to make its escape.
"Apis, it's dangerous! Get back inside, where it's safe!" Yukiko shouted over the numerous explosions.
"I can't leave Grandpa Ryu all by himself!" Apis shouted back, then rose back on to her feet and took off running to the back of the ship.
"Apis, wait!" Yukiko called after the girl but was stopped when Usopp stopped her.
"I'll look after Apis, You go get ready to go with Luffy and the others." He said pointing at his chest.
"...........Alright. You be careful." Yukiko said.
"You too." Usopp nodded.
Then Yukiko turned to her Pokémon and gave out orders.
"Mewtwo, take out the closest ships and hurl them toward the others! Rubius use Twister and Whirlpool! Blaise, Hielias, scorch them with Flamethrower, Petal, Sunny Day with Solarbeam, Pachi, Thunderbolt!" Yukiko yelled.
Her Pokémon got to work as Mewtwo lifted multiple ships in the air and launched them into other marine ships. Rubius used raging moves to knockout other ships while the others blasted away multiple marine soldiers.
"Ahhhhh!"
"This is madness!"
"Sir, we're taking a beating!"
"What do we do?!"
But then Yukiko realized.....
"USOPP!" She shouted right into his ear forgetting the honorific in her frustration. Usopp flinched back, startled.
"What!?" He asked her confused.
"Where's Apis?" She wasn't with him when he came back around. He said he would look out for her. She was starting to think that maybe she should have followed when Apis ran off.
"Ahhh! Apis, she just jumped off the ship and ran down the rope to Grandpa Ryu. I tried~to get her to come back... but... but, she ignored me!" Usopp explained crying pathetically.
"But she's okay." Tsuna pressed.
"Oh yeah, she's fine...Ah!" Usopp's calm mood shattered when he remembered what he was saying just a moment ago. "But we're not Tsuna-chan. The ship! The ship! It's been hit! No! What are we gonna do, I'm too young to become a skeleton!" Usopp resumed his end of the world one man dialogue.
"That's it! That's it! Go!" Shouted Luffy from the figure head.
"Hey! A balls coming this way!" Luffy yelled to nami, not looking at all worried.
"I can't do anymore than this! Do something on your end!" Nami yelled at them from the kitchen, where she was controlling the ship.
"Mewtwo!" Yukiko yelled as Mewtwo halted the ball and back at the marines, breaking the mast off of the ship that fired the ball in the first place.
"Cool!" Luffy and Usopp shouted in awe.
"Nicely done." Sanji said.
"Not bad." Zoro admitted.
The sound of an alarm echoing off the ocean brought everyone's attention back to the danger at hand. "That's a large cannon!" Usopp exclaimed, gawking at the huge cannon right at the center of the ship.
"So cool!" Luffy gasped in wonder.
"A direct hit from that and our ship's going to be blown to shreds!" Nami cried, sweating bullets.
"Can't we just send it back?" Zoro asked.
"Don't be stupid! I'll turn the ship about; you guys work the rear sail!" Nami ordered.
As the Battle raged on, Usopp knocked out a ship with the cannon.
"Nows our chance!" Nami said getting everyone's attention. "Let's act quickly and cut some links to open a path!"
"Right Nami-san!" Sanji said.
"Luffy!" Zoro said.
"Okay! Gum-Gum... Bridge!" Luffy shouted. Extending his arm out to one of the marine ships, he latched on.
"Sorry guys, but I'm going to be the first one over there." Yukiko laughed, as she sped off with Pachi on her head. Thanking herself for walking on those wooden planks in Unova as practice.
"Ahhh! You cheater!" Luffy whined, hopping from one foot to the other, the motion making his arm sway almost throwing Yukiko into the sea if Blaise didn't catch her and Pachi.
"Watch it!" He snarled back at the captain regaining his balance and making it onto the marine ships safely.
"Stop complaining and keep your arm steady!" Zoro told him, following her. One after another they all ran across Luffy's arm until they were on the enemy ship.
"Grandpa Ryu, we'll be back!" Luffy called letting his outstretched hand contract back flinging him across the sea as soon as everyone was across. Zoro froze and half a second later Luffy smashed right into him they both flew backwards. The unlucky Zoro took the full brunt of the crash as his back collided with the wall of the ship.
"-Sorry, Zoro." Luffy said smiling. As he propped himself up using Zoro's legs.
"-Why, you..." Zoro growled.
"Hey Zoro, Do you think you can cut these chains Zoro?" Yukiko asked.
"-There's nothing in this world, I can't cut!" Was Zoro's confidant reply.
"Really? Then they're all yours." Luffy told him.
Zoro cut on of the chains from the ship he could hear Usopp in the background making a racket. "ZORO! LOOK OUT!" Yukiko shouted as she punched a marine and Pachi knocked out another with a Thunder when a marine came out of nowhere and attacked Zoro. He dodged the swing and defeated the marine but a dozen or so more appeared in the fallen marines wake.
Zoro turned to her. "Finish cutting the chains, we don't have time to waste on these fools. I'll handle them!" He shouted ducking and slashing with his swords.
"Okay! Hielias, Overheat! Pachi, Iron Tail!"
"Flame, Taloooooooon!" The fire bird created a flame so hot on the chains the durability weakened and Pachi took them out with ease.
"So cool!" Luffy shouted with stars in his eyes.
"Not bad." Zoro praised.
"Take aim!" Shouted a marine from the ship opposite to the ship they were on. Yukiko's head snapped to the right to see eight marines with guns and a cannon aimed at her. "FIRE!"
"Yukiko!"
"Rubius, Protect!" Then Rubius appeared as he created a large green wall that blocked off the guns and cannon.
"-Wha!"
"-How!"
"The attack didn't effect the sea king!" The marines floundered and Yukiko used this opportunity.
"Alright, Rubius, Blizzard! Blaise, Fire Blast! Pachi, Thunderbolt once more!"
The three Pokémon smirked as they launched a barrage of attacks making the marine soldiers scramble.
"Gum-Gum slingshot!" Luffy shouted, sending the one hundred or so marines he'd trapped crashing through the the railing of the Navy ship and in the the ocean. "That was so awesome Yukiko!" He called to her.
"Thank you Luffy." She smiled.
"Oi! Guys hurry up! We've cleared the way!" Luffy shouted to the others on the Merry.
Right at that moment the sea in front of the ship was attacked halting the Merry in its tracks.
Then they spotted someone she was sick of seeing. "It's Eric!" Yukiko shouted alerting the others to Blaise, Hielias and Rubius to get to the raft.
"Girl!" Eric shouted. "It's time to hand over the Millennial Dragon!"
Apis ran in front of grandpa Ryu, shielding him with her tiny body. On Blaise, Yukiko rushed to help. At that moment Eric happened to look in the same direction as the ship Yukiko and the others were on, he saw her on that strange dragon. She wasn't going to humiliate him a second time with that weird creature of hers.
Eric swiftly lept forward and grabbed Apis, he held his sharp claw like nails to the child's throat. And he got the desired reaction. Blaise stopped midway in the air when she saw Eric bring his hand up to Apis's neck.
"I wouldn't come any closer if I was you!" Eric sniggered.
"Have you no honor?" She gritted out.
"Not even a little." Erik smirked.
"Then you should be familiar with a foe attacking from behind." Yukiko then smirked as Erik looked confused. Then he was surrounded by a light blue energy. Mewtwo got him to let go of Apis and flung him somewhere far off.
"Hah, thanks Mewtwo!" Apis smiled.
Then Blaise and Rubius growled as they heard a sound, it was a sound an object made when it flew through the air at high speeds. She turned her head swiftly almost giving herself whiplash as she spun just in time for a huge harpoon to whiz right over her head and past her straight for Grandpa Ryu. But Luffy appeared in time to catch the harpoon just before it struck grandpa Ryu's side.
"What do you think you are doing!?" Luffy asked calmly, glaring at the overweight marine commander. Said commander sneered in the duo's direction, fanning himself like he didn't have a care in the world with his paper fan.
"You've no idea of the value of the thing your standing on right now!" Came the disgusting voice of commander Nelson. "All I want are the Millennial Dragons bones! Once I have its Dragonite, I can attain everlasting life!" He explained.
"Why you!" Luffy snarled. He reeled back his arm about to throw through harpoon back at the marines ship when Yukiko stopped him.
"Wait! Luffy!" She said.
"Don't stop me, I'm going to make them pay!" He yelled clenching his fist around the harpoon hard enough to leave finger impressions in the metal.
"Not that. Throw it, I'll have Blaise do the rest." She said smiling up at him. And Luffy began to get what she meant.
"Great idea!" Luffy smirked wickedly.
Luffy did as she said, launching it right over to the gaudy looking ship.
"Blaise! Light it up with Overheat!" She said as her Charizard flung fire on it, making it a fire projectile.
The harpoon whizzed past Nelson's face scorching all sown the left side of his clothes and completely destroying his paper fan. It then embedded into the wall behind the shell shocked commander. But that wasn't all the Flames that Blaise had so graciously gifted to the harpoon set fire to the wooden walls and became a blaze, somehow the flames made contact with gun power as the end result was a huge explosion, that shook the ship right down to the core.
"Oops!" She said sheepishly, sweatdropping. "I didn't expect it to be that effective..." She rubbed the back of her head nervously.
"Wow! I didn't know a Blaze could be that strong!" Apis said.
All the marines were frozen in absolute shock and fear at what had just happened. They stared at the tiny slip of a girl, her dragon, then to the large gaping hole her flames and their returned harpoon had caused to their ship.
"Ryu is no thing, he's our friend!" Yukiko yelled.
"What utter nonsense!" The walrus dismissed. "In that case you can sink into the sea with your friend! How dare they try to harpoon me! Fire at those brats! But capture those other creatures. We can gain more firepower from them!" Trying to restore what ounce of pride and dignity he had left. By doing what most men in a position of power do when they've been humiliated and their ego's taken a hit; they see to it that all evidence is removed by getting rid of the ones who caused the humiliation to begin with.
"Eh! But sir if we blow them up, we'll blow away the dragons as well!" Said the marine next to him.
"No matter. Bone fragments will do just fine!" He said brushing off the marine grunts concern.
"Y-yes, sir!" The marine turned and looked forward. "Aim the cannons out to sea!" He shouted.
However.......
There was a almighty rumbling of the earth. Followed by the cry of some kind of animal. "Eh?! Earthquake!" Luffy gasped, the sea continued to quiver.
"I hear something." Yukiko said.
Ryu looked up, he seemed to look content.
As if he felt at peace.
However, Yukiko realized what this could mean.
"Let me go! Let me go, untie these ropes! I need to get to grandpa Ryu!" Apis begged from where she was tied to Usopp's back.
"Just leave grandpa Ryu to Luffy and Yukiko!" Usopp said trying to calm her down.
"No, no, no!" Apis chanted. "I gotta go! I gotta go!" She said as she spoke each word she elbowed Usopp in the head, if he wouldn't listen to her maybe he'd get annoyed to the point if just letting her do whatever she wanted.
"The entire sea is shaking!" Nami interrupted them. "What is this?! What's happening?!" She asked frantically.
Back with Luffy and Yukiko...
Luffy was trying to keep grandpa Ryu's head above the water. All of a sudden the sea started to change colour. The once crystal clear blue waters were quickly changing into green. Patches and patches of leaf green blossomed all around them.
Then Luffy seemed to pause as if he heard something from Grandpa Ryu. "Really? So that's it!" Luffy muttered.
There was a roar from above and grandpa Ryu answered it with one of his own.
In the distance, a huge flock of Millennial Dragons appeared. They all watched in amazement as one of the dragons swooped down and intimidated the marine commander, causing him to fall backwards and tumble out of his chair.
"I get it. We already arrived here!" Yukiko said as her Pokémon agreed.
Then she and Luffy looked to Ryu who looked very withered.
"I see. We'll tell Apis." Luffy said.
"We were very happy to have met you." Yukiko said with a sad smile.
In a few moments, Ryu had died......
But there was no time to mourn.
Not a moment later they heard the sound of maniacal laughter and Luffy snapped. He stretched his arm up in to the sky and grabbed on to a Millennial Dragon. "GOMU GOMU NO: ROCKET!" He shouted springing up into the air, he ascended up and up. Alot higher than the dragon he'd used as leverage.
"...And..."
"GOMU GOMU NO: BATTLE-AXE!"He kicked his leg up, let go of the dragon and sent it crashing down as his leg descended it extended until it was twice the length of the marines commanders ship. His leg crashed in to the ship the force was so powerful that it split the ship in half.
The marines fell in to utter discord as Luffy appeared standing on the destroyed ship that hadn't yet sunk to its watery grave. Luffy glanced up and the marines ran for their lives completely ignoring the Guardians and pirates that were still among them in favour of making it out alive. Unlike their fat commander who was sinking to the bottom on the ocean, his huge body acting like an anchor.
"Good riddance." Yukiko growled.
---------
As the crew regrouped,
"Where's Luffy?" Nami asked. Looking down the ladder hoping that her idiot captain hadn't fallen off the ladder and in to the sea.
"He was on the destroyed marine ship, the last time I saw him." Tsuna told the navigator. She'd barely finished speaking when Luffy's voice rang clear.
"Gomu Gomu no: ROCKET!" He shouted using a dragon again for leverage he shot on to the Merry knocking everyone off their feet.
Yukiko arrived with Mewtwo, Rubius, Pachi and Blaise as Petal, and Hielias were on the Merry.
"-Yo!" He greeted, in a cheery sounding voice seemingly ignorant as to the mess of knocked over body's all over the place and the murderous intent that was being thrown his way.
"-Don't give me, 'Yo!' " Nami snarled. "Can't you come back more quietly?! Your gonna wreck the ship!" She screeched.
Apis ran to the front of the ship just in time to see the final ripples if the water from the dragons sinking. "Grandpa Ryu!" She cried brokenly. The rumbling of the earth that had momentarily ceased, started back up again.
"-Another earthquake?" Zoro said.
"-Again?!" Usopp mumbled nervously. Shielding his head with his hands.
"Grandpa Ryu... I wasn't able to keep my promise to you, Grandpa Ryu..." Apis cried in anguish. "I wasn't able to take you to the dragons nest..."
Yukiko walked up and wrapped Apis up in her arms, Luffy was right behind her. "No, your wrong Apis-chan grandpa Ryu's wish came true." She told her softly as Pachi licked Apis's cheek.
"Huh!" Apis quietly exclaimed looking up at Yukiko and Luffy.
"Can't you hear the Millennial Dragons voices?" Luffy asked Apis. The shaking became even more fierce suddenly and there was a powerful shock wave that spanned ten miles out in all directions.
"The sea's shrinking!" Usopp shrieked pointing at Warship Island, where the surrounding waters were reseeding from the shoreline rapidly.
Rocks appeared out of the sea and suddenly it twigged in Nami's mind; the sea wasn't shrinking. The island was rising!
"Yukiko was right!" She shouted, startling every one.
"Huh?!"
"What is it Nami-san?!" Sanji shouted.
"The dragons nest really is here! They're not called Millennial Dragons because of their life spans! It's because they come to this island once every 1000 years!" She explained. "Millennial Dragons are migratory. And it's no coincidence that they've all flocked here now! Warship Island is really part of Lost Island! It is a very unique Tidal island!"
"No wonder they call it Lost Island!" Usopp said. "Because it only surfaces once every 1000 years! So of course they'd be no one alive that remembers the last time it surfaced!"
Nami nodded. "And now... this very moment...in our lifetimes... is when the dragons nest has appeared!"
Everyone was stood in awe of the beautiful scenery of lost island. "Whoa..." Apis muttered.
The landscape was breathtaking. The once small Warship Island had quadrupled in size. It was covered in coral and sea grass. There were dragon statues aged and worn but they soon realised that the weren't made of stone. No artist would have been able to capture the magnificence of the ancient beasts, no they were actually dragons that had passed away and had been calcified at the bottom of the ocean a process that took 1000 years. One after the other the dragons descended, claiming a spot of the island as their own.
'Amazing....' Yukiko thought.
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Another chapter done!
One more and we'll be heading to the Grand Line!