"Why did you leave the plaza as though you were running away?" Shirahoshi asked, peering over the side of the Sunny and onto the deck.
As Zoro started going into an explanation about why they weren't heroes, which is stupid to Yukiko.
She checked on her crops finding it quickly grew and the crew would not have to worry on supplies.
"Why can't you join us, Jimbei?!"
Luffy was yelling at Jimbei who had come with the crew as Sunny had floated away from the plaza. Ace, Alina, and Lillian were there too.
"Come on an adventure with us! To the sea! It's gonna be fun!"
"Yeah, join us, Boss!" Usopp said in agreement.
"It's nice to have a former Warlord with us!" Chopper agreed. He looked at Luffy, frowning. "And Luffy, you still need to rest!"
Jimbei sat down on the deck. "As I said, I can't join you right now! I'm grateful that you asked me. I know it'd be fun to sail the sea with you all. But I still have things that need to be done."
Considering how famous a man Jimbei is, Yukiko's not surprised.
"I have my current responsibilities which I'm just taking a break from right now," Jimbei said. "When I fulfill my duties and am free from them, I promise I will come to see you all again. And if you haven't changed your mind, can I take you up on your offer then?"
"You swear?!" Luffy demanded.
Luffy was really insistent that Jimbei join the crew. Yukiko smiled at his determination.
"Hey, hey, when a man talks about his 'duty,' you can't press him," Sanji spoke up.
"He likes Jimbei so much!" Robin marveled from the cabin level below.
"He certainly does," Yukiko agreed. "And its hard not to." Alina adds her two cents.
"Luffy thinks so highly of you!" Franky declared. "So we're all gonna wait for you, Jimbei!"
Jimbei relaxed. "All right. Thank you!"
"Ace, Alina. You guys still have work here on Fishman Island too?" Yukiko asked.
"Yeah, now that the stuff with Hody is over, we can have people here understand Pokémon." Ace said.
"Now what are we gonna do?" Zoro asked. "Head for the New World?"
"What?! Are you going to leave the island?" Shirahoshi didn't like that idea. "I couldn't thank you properly and didn't get to talk to you!"
"All right!" Sanji exclaimed. "Let's stay at the Mermaid Café for a week or two!"
"Not with where your head's going," Lillian called back as Usopp slapped Sanji on the back of his head. "Seriously, you only just recovered from having near-constant nose bleeds! Shouldn't you wait before-"
"Hey, wait!"
People paused at the voice that cut across the island's sky, then moved over to the back end of the ship to see who was coming.
"Who is it?" Luffy asked from the main lawn.
A fish swam over to the ship, one of those fishman soldiers sitting on its back - what was he following us for?
"Please wait, Straw Hats!" The fish slowed and started keeping pace with the ship; Yukiko moved down to Luffy's side on the main deck as the fishman on it said, "King Neptune! I caught up with them!"
"Good," said a Snail Phone in the fishman's hand. The guard turned it around and held it up to us. "Luffy-kun, why did you leave? I wanted to thank you-"
"I don't wanna be a hero!" Luffy snapped.
"I know," King Neptune replied. "Let's just have a banquet! The banquet we could not have before-jamon."
"Banquet?" Lillian repeated, blinking.
"We were invited up to his palace when we first got here," Nami explained. "And then everything else happened."
"Ah." Lillian nodded.
"A banquet?!" Luffy's mood changed instantly. "Then I'll be right there! Banquet! Meat, meat, I wanna eat!"
Nami sighed. "Then why did we leave in the first place?"
"We can't say no to a banquet," Brook commented.
"All right! Let's go pick up Hachi and Camie!" Luffy declared.
---------
The banquet was awesome.
The music was fun jazz-swing and had so much bounce to.
And then more mermaids brought out sake - probably the good sake, if Zoro's reaction to it was any indication. King Neptune attempted a heart-warming speech, but Luffy cut in ahead of him and got the banquet started with a cheer of his own.
Yukiko shook her head with a smile. "Sorry about him, he can be impatient when it comes to a banquet."
However, everyone had a hell of a time!
The Water Legendaries and Luffy definitely agreed - Luffy ended up yelling at Kyogre for how much he was eating!
Although it was funny when Ace fell asleep as he was eating, Alina had to wipe his face.
Even the Royal family laughed when Pachi outwitted Luffy with his hat.
Again.
"Pachi! Give me my hat back!"
"Pachi pach, PA chu. Pachi." (If it fits I sits. My bed.)
"Hat."
"Pachi." (Bed.)
"Hat."
"Pachi." (Bed.)
"Hat."
"Pachi." (Bed.)
"Hat."
"Pachi." (Bed.)
"Hat."
"Pachi." (Bed.)
"Hat."
"Pa." (Hat.)
"Bed."
"Pa." (Hat.)
"Bed."
"Pa." (Hat.)
"Bed, and that's final!" Luffy said.
Pachi smiled and ran off with the hat.
.................
Yukiko counted down."3, 2, 1...."
"Hey wait a minute!" Luffy yelled as he chased Pachi again.
"Hahahaha!" Even Ace laughed.
"Let me ask you, Luffy, Yukiko - What do you know about the state of the world right now?"
"The state of things? I'm aware of some events, but not everything that's happened in the last two years." Yukiko said.
"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?" Luffy asked, frowning.
"Looks like you're out of the loop." Jimbei frowned at Luffy. "That's not good."
"Yeah?" Luffy probably would have kept asking questions, but more mermaids came with more food and got him prepared for another feeding frenzy.
"Let's go somewhere else to talk," Jimbei suggested.
"Okay." Luffy shrank down from his potbellied size to his usual skinny appearance. "One sec - I'll take a light snack!" He snagged the plate of food away from the mermaids, who looked at him in surprise.
"I've got some things to talk about, too, but I'm going to want to talk to the whole crew about them." Lillian adds.
Jimbei and Lillian led Luffy and his crew away from the main part of the party and into a small, air-filled alcove where Nami, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper were already, taking a breather from the rest of the festivities.
"There have been some shake-ups in the Navy and the New World." Jimbei sat down.
He explained in the last two years, after Akainu was arrested, Garp and Sengoku retired, and now Aokiji was the new Fleet Admiral due to his popularity among the Marines for his view of justice. Especially with the events at Mariejois. With the Celestial Dragons and the Five Elders gone, the World Government had to clean up their act, forbidding slavery, and other illegal activities among the Marines. In addition, thanks to Yukiko healing Whitebeard and with Blackbeard gone, the Whitebeard Pirates have been active in helping people with Pokémon. Although, Jinbei warned them about Kaido and Big Mom, and they were looking for Yukiko.
"Why would they be after her?" Usopp asked.
"Obvious? I have brought back the gods of this world and I can access my Devil Fruit better than others. I heard that there were previous eaters of my devil fruit but none have come as close as me. Thats what my mentor told me." Yukiko said.
"Oh right, I've been meaning to tell you, I heard your mom saw you off on Sabaody." Lillian said looking at Luffy.
"Eh? Mom? I have a mom?" Luffy asked.
"Luffy, you exist because you had one." Alina said.
"Yeah, she has a dangerous profession like your dad, but she couldn't keep you around. It was for your safety." Lillian said.
"Oh, so who is she?"
"Her name.......
Is Monkey-Siren D. Seraphina. She's a Liberator."
"Wait. Seraphina. She was my mentor of Jewelria!" Yukiko realized.
"Wait, my mom helped you with your power?!" Luffy asked.
Jinbei was surprised. "I've heard of her. She's the leader of the Titanic Liberators. They've been around for only 30 years, but they were the people that discovered the truth of the World Government somehow. They are a radical group that believes that the world should be returned to the Titans and Original Gods. Lately, they've been in an alliance with the Revolutionary Army. But still....she's Luffy's mother?"
"Hey, you already know who his dad is, why not his mom?" Lillian asked.
-------------
After settling some trouble with Caribou that reappeared somehow, One of the palace soldiers suddenly came around.
"Something is wrong with Hody and the others! Their cuffs came off!"
"They what?" Jinbei demanded sharply.
"I think it's best you see for yourselves."
---------
We quickly rushed to the prison tower and...
...well, the figures were Hody and his men, but.....
They were old, wrinkled, and barely able to stand on their feet, but still sprouting nonsense about wanting to avenge whatever anger and hate they'd been told to hang onto!
"Oh my..." Lillian said.
"They are all old!" Luffy yelled.
"Wow! They look to be on the brink of death! And I'd know, I've been there! Yohohoho!" Brook added.
"Did they somehow age prematurely?!" Franky asked.
"What is going on here?" Jimbei asked.
"Is that Hody and his clan?" asked Ryuboshi - the eel merman prince. He was standing behind the crew with his brothers and Neptune, as well as a small group of palace guards.
"Don't think you can keep me in jail, you stupid royal family!" Hody, missing teeth and looking skinnier than a rail, grabbed the bars and wheezed at us. "Th-these bars are nothing!"
He tried to pull the bars apart, only to break one of his wrists and fall back yelling in pain.
"Captain Hody!" The multi-armed fishman approached, appearing to plan to help, only for his back to give out and for him to fall back in pain.
"Ouch..." Ace winced at the sound, uneasy and disgusted with the display.
"What is going on here?" Fukaboshi asked.
"Is this a side effect of those Energy Steroids?" Yukiko asked.
"Ah! I knew it!" Minister of the Right exclaimed. "The Energy Steroid that you guys were taking, they were from the legendary Tamate Box!"
"Tamate Box?" Nami and Usopp asked.
"It was a national treasure that had been passed down in our family for generations-jamon, but we were not to touch it-jamon." Neptune explained.
"Ten years ago, someone stole the contents of the Tamate Box," Minister of the Right added. "We couldn't find out who did it and by the King's decision, we closed the case before it became a scandal. But now that I remember, that was when you left the army, Hody."
Hody had recovered from his yelling fit, but he was on his hands and knees and wheezing. He looked up with that hateful glare in his eyes. "That's right! I stole it! You idiots!"
"Look who's talking," Alina muttered.
"The legendary pill had unclear affects," Neptune said grimly. "One explanation says it gives you tremendous power. Another explanation says it just makes you old. It is an odd national treasure. I assumed they guarded the power drug closely in order to seal off its dangerous effect. You folk opened the box that should not be opened and dreamed a foolish dream of gaining some power-jamon."
"If I'm right, the pill grants incredible strength, but the cost is age acceleration. That's why your ancestors forbade taking it." Chopper said.
"Shut up, Neptune, Beast Master!" Hody snapped back from the floor. He gave a wheezing, hacking cough.
"Seems like they will no longer get their revenge," Sanji commented.
"Shut up!" Hody pulled himself to his feet again as Neptune started to turn and leave. "We're chosen avengers! We will kill all humans...and you!"
"I can't stand to look at them. This is pitiful." Lillian said as the others agreed.
Neptune paused and looked back. "I feel sorry for them now. I will consider giving them clemency."
"Wait, Neptune!" Hody wheezed as Neptune moved out. We started to move after him as Hody set his eyes on one of the princes. "Fukaboshi, you're a dishonor to our race!"
Fukaboshi didn't even look the least bit riled up. "Fishman Island will change. You killed my mother but I will not hold a grudge against you. So please. Just shut your mouth! I don't want the children on the island to hear you."
And everyone left the jail cell.
-----------
After the party, the crew had to prepare to leave.
Shirahoshi was tearful as always - especially since the crew was leaving.
"We just became friends! Stay here at least one more day! No! A week! No! A year!"
"You've been crying since the first time we met, Cry-hoshi!" Luffy commented.
"I-I am sorry! I will stop being a crybaby!" Shirahoshi tried to pull back her tears.
Then Sanji as he started dancing around at Shirahoshi crying about us leaving and Brook attempted to serenade the mermaids seeing us off in their own way before Zoro got Sanji's attention by calling him "Nosebleed-kun."
While Zoro and Sanji fought across the deck, the Minister of the Left told Nami about the New World Log Pose that she was going to be using. Choices for multiple routes on account of how magnetic levels changed on the islands themselves?
That could be useful.
Or, in Luffy's case, where they could go for the next adventure by taking the wiggling needle which the Minister of the Left said was where the danger was.
And he definitely saw that opportunity by wrapping his neck around Nami like a snake to get a closer look at the Log Pose.
"That one in the middle is wobbling a lot! That must be where the party is!" Luffy said cheerily as Nami cried in fear.
"I didn't know Luffy's fruit can let him do that." Ace said in surprise.
"Yeah, he's getting a better hold of it." Alina said laughing as Nami grabbed Luffy's neck and started to strangle him. Robin giggled from where she stood next to me as Zoro smirked.
"Sounds like we've got our destination set, huh?" Yukiko looked over at Robin who nodded.
"All right, everyone!" Franky called. "We're ready to go!"
We looked over at Franky as he moved away from the helm to stand next to Den, the merman who'd coated our ship.
"Den-san taught me how to ascend too!" Franky gave a thumbs-up. "Shall we go?"
Luffy laughed. "Let's go!" He said as got to Yukiko's side.
"Luffy! We'll be parting ways from here, but I'll tell pops you said 'hi.'" Ace said as he he stood with Alina and her Pokémon.
"You take care, Luffy." Lillian smiled as she faced Luffy. Then she put a hand to his face. "I don't know if Garp ever told you, but you look like a male version of your mother, except for your eyes, they're your dad's. Keep giving those stuck-ups hell, and look after your woman." She smiled the famous D. smile as Luffy did too.
"I can see the resemblance between those two in terms of chaos." Usopp said as Nami nodded.
As one, the crew promptly moved about the deck, getting the ship's sails unfurled and started to move it towards Fishman Island's single entrance and exit as the crowd seeing us off waved and called their farewells.
The cheering had all but stopped - and then Shirahoshi suddenly surfaced next to Sunny. "Luffy-sama!"
"Cry-hoshi!" Luffy yelped as our ship rocked, sending him falling to the deck face-first while the rest of us managed to barely keep our balance.
"Shirahoshi-chan!" Sanji's "love tornado" legs were back in action.
"If I can see you again someday, I promise I won't be a crybaby!" Shirahoshi promised. "Take me out for a fun stroll again!"
"A stroll?" Luffy repeated. "Do you wanna go to your mother's grave again?"
"No, I wanna go somewhere further next time! I want to go to a real forest above ground!"
"Oh, yeah, you've never been out of the sea, have you?" Yukiko asked with a smile.
Luffy grinned. "Okay, fine! I'll take you there next time!"
Shirahoshi smiled, wiping her tears away as she held out her other hand, closing most of her fingers except for her pinky. "Will you promise?"
"Yeah, trust me!" Luffy swung his pinky around Shirahoshi's large finger. "I promise!"
"Me too." Yukiko said as she put her pinky next to Shirahoshi's and Pachi put her paw on too.
"Hey, Luffy, Yukiko!" Nami called. "We have to help you keep that promise!"
"Luffy-san, a promise is something you have to keep ay any cost," Brook agreed.
The others came over and put their pinkies against Shirahoshi's as well.
Robin smiled. "We all promised her, so-"
"-We won't let her down!" Brook finished.
"We promise!" we chorused.
Shirahoshi's tears were falling freely. "E-everybody!"
"So don't cry anymore!" Luffy said.
Shirahoshi wiped away her tears again. "Okay!"
Shirahoshi let go of the boat and pulled away, letting the Sunny move towards the main entrance and leave Fishman Island behind.
Sanji sighed happily and collapsed onto the deck. "I had a wonderful time! The Mermaid Paradise!"
"Yeah, it would be nice to come back here again." Yukiko added.
"Now everybody, pull yourself together!" Nami called. "There is no safe place once we sail out!" She looked out at the water that - once again - surrounded our bubbled ship. "We have to pass through dark water again!"
Franky smirked and threw a bunch of wooden blocks connected together by rope out into the water, which only got me to look at him in confusion.
"What's that, Franky?" Usopp asked.
"I'm gonna make the ship float with buoyant square logs of hollow Banyan," Franky explained with a grin. "I can adjust the speed by how many I put out."
"That's pretty cool," Yukiko commented.
"What's the matter, Luffy?" Zoro looked over at Luffy as he stood at the figurehead.
"If we ascend here..." Luffy took off his hat and looked at it. "We'll be at the sea where Shanks is!"
Yukiko smiled as Pachi got on her shoulder. A part of her wondered what he was going to be like, when they finally meet.
"I wanna see him!" Luffy declared. "Once we pass through this deep sea, we'll get to the ultimate sea!"
-------‐
In order to conquer the Grand Line, pirates must brave the second half, known as the New World.
The only person that explored the Grand Line in its entirety was the late Pirate King Gold Roger.
For other pirates this is the end of the line, as the New World became a graveyard of dreams.
Now, reunited after two years of intensive training, Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Strawhat Pirates, are about to challenge this sea.
-------------
Next is the filler arc!
I'll put up an announcement for what it will be by Tomorrow, so if you have not voted yet, plz do so before then!
Plz comment!