Y/N = Your Name
L/N = Last Name
E/C = Eye Color
H/C = Hair Color
F/C = Favorite Color
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
Word Count: 8.4k Words
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"L/N Y/N... This is the boy who defeated Freeza?" One of the Five Elders muttered under his breath, but his voice was carried to the ears of the other four in the same secluded room.
"That golden hair... Those teal-colored eyes..." They looked at the wanted poster placed by King Cold. "Weren't both of these features mentioned in that legend from the Sadala Kingdom that set Freeza on edge?"
"Correct. And, if memory also serves me correctly, when Freeza decided to destroy the entire Sadala Kingdom because of it almost 20 years ago, he made sure that no one escaped the mass extermination other than Prince Vegeta, his retainer, and... him, but he was taken to Impel Down in chains all those years ago. By now, his corpse must be rotting away in one of the lowest floors."
"The warriors of Sadala, the Saiyans, were already well known throughout the entire world for their innate talent in combat, formidable fighting instincts, and ability to grow drastically more powerful with each near-death experience... If this man is truly what Cold believes him to be, then we must keep an eye on his progress and stay alert for more survivors that Freeza may have missed."
"Yes... Perhaps, a reconsideration of his bounty is in order, but at the same time, we cannot be sure that Cold is telling the truth either. There lies the possibility that Freeza, who has never been challenged by others before due to his family's name, merely let his guard down and paid the price for his arrogance and Cold is trying to cover his disgraceful defeat. Regardless, what's important is that we ensure that L/N Y/N never meets or teams up with Monkey D. Luffy..."
While the Five Elders continued their meeting, another meeting was taking place in a different room.
"Hey, cut it out! What's the big idea!?" A mustached man shouted at the other man wrapping his hands around his neck.
"It's not me! I can't control my hands!"
"Stop! This is no time to be fooling around!"
"He's right. This is no time for practical jokes. Behave." An old woman wearing a marine coat looked towards the balcony where a blonde sunglasses-wearing man sat on the stone railing while another man, with an imposing physique, sat on a couch between them. "Doflamingo, is this your doing? Be a good boy and stop that."
Seven Warlords of The Sea
"Heavenly Yaksha"
Donquixote Doflamingo
[Former Bounty: 340,000,000 Berries]
Seven Warlords of The Sea
"The Tyrant"
Bartholomew Kuma
[Former Bounty: 296,000,000 Berries]
"Heeheehee! 'Be a good boy!?' You're something, Tsuru. Then, why don't we get down to business..." Doflamingo moved his fingers and made his involuntary puppet let go of the man... "Heeheehee! And, end this meeting~?" ...Before forcing both men to unsheathe their weapons and get ready to strike each other down.
"Wah!"
"S-Stop, you fool!"
"Stop it! Make them stop!" A third man shouted for help.
"Doflamingo!"
"Heehee!" Doflamingo giggled sadistically and readied his fingers when the doors to the room opened, followed by a pair of footsteps,.
"Enough."
Fleet Admiral of The Marines
"Buddha"
Sengoku
"Stop your antics. Did you come here to start a war?" A small smirk made its way onto his face. "I should at least acknowledge you. Welcome, sea scum."
"Heehee! Heehee! Oh, that's not nice!"
"However," Kuma finally spoke. "He's right on target."
"Shall we begin. There's no use waiting any longer. I doubt anyone else will show up. Two out of six is more than expected." Sengoku said as he took a seat on the opposite side of the pirates.
"No kidding. I wasn't going to come. Business is booming on the island. But I was so bored, so here I am." Whether it was because of his carefree nature, desire to disrespect the marines present in the room, or another reason, Doflamingo took it upon himself to sit on the table instead.
"I see... There's nothing worse for us than pirates doing well."
"Heehee! Heehee! You're so mean! I thought your nickname was 'Buddha,' Admiral Sengoku?"
"What's all this squabbling about? Perhaps I came to the wrong place?" Another new voice drew everyone's attention as another man walked into the room.
Seven Warlords of The Sea
"Hawk Eyes"
Dracule Mihawk
[Former Bounty: Unknown]
"Hawkeye!"
"The two great powers of the seven warlords of the sea and the high command of the navy... But isn't a roundtable meaningless?"
"I didn't think you'd-"
"Well, well..." Doflamingo smirked. "This is a surprise."
"Hmph. I'm just here as an interested bystander. I'm a little curious about the pirates you'll be discussing, that's all..."
"And, here I thought this meeting would be boring."
Yet, another newcomer had arrived, but he was not nowhere to be seen.
"Who said that!?"
"I don't see anyone!"
"Come out now!"
The three no-name marines stood up from their seats to search around the room and, by doing so, made a fool out of themselves. Everyone else present, however, immediately recognized the suave elegant cadence in the speaker's voice - a distinct trait that other members of his family commonly exhibited.
Suddenly, a beam of energy was fired in Mihawk's direction, but the swordsman calmly slashed through the blast and sheathed his cross-shaped sword within the blink of an eye.
Everyone's gazes shot up towards the ceiling to find a humanoid-shaped person looking up at all of them with a confident smirk as they stood on the ceiling. Then, they slowly floated down and landed on the carpeted floor with their arms crossed and purple tail smacking the ground.
"L-Lord Cooler!" The three marine no-names backed up in horror at the sight of the man who continued to stare at Mihawk with a taunting grin that did little to goad him into attacking.
"Cooler? What are you doing here?"
"What's wrong with me being here, Sengoku?" Cooler looked in Sengoku's direction. "I am a Reserve Warlord after all. Is this not a meeting between warlords and the World Government?"
"Cut the act, Cooler. You and your brother never cared enough to attend the previous meetings, so why did you start now?"
"Never an exciting moment with you around, Sengoku." Cooler sighed and took a seat next to Kuma, crossing his arms. "Very well. If you must know, then I came here along with my father who had urgent matters to discuss with the Five Elders. I didn't come here because of my father, mind you, but I was simply bored out of my mind without anything to do."
"See? This guy gets it." Doflamingo chuckled.
"And, why, pray tell do you believe coming all the way here would give you the enjoyment you are hoping for?"
"Of course, it would be better for the entire world to find out naturally, but I'm ashamed to say that..." Cooler leaned forward with an even more evil smile than before that reeked of sadistic glee at the news he was about to reveal. "My foolish younger brother Freeza has been defeated."
"!!!"
"Freeza was defeated!?" Sengoku shouted, clearly not expecting this revelation and neither were the other marines in the room judging by their wide beady eyes and nervous sweating while Kuma and Mihawk remained silent.
"Heehee! Heehee! Oh, this trip was definitely worth it! Heehee! Heehee!" Doflamingo fell back and cackled loudly while pounding a fist on the table.
"Indeed. My father most likely finished his announcement by now and the bounty posters for the man responsible are already being sent out."
"W-Wait, he needs proper authorization before-" One of the men started to say before Cooler looked in his direction and shot a beam from his eyes that narrowly missed his head, shutting him up.
"My father has a habit of doing what he pleases. Unfortunately, it seems that poor trait of his runs in the family." He smirked when he saw the fear in the man's eyes as he fell backward.
"Cooler! Are you telling the truth?" Sengoku slammed his hands onto the table as the tension in the air was rising with each second, all the while Doflamingo's cackling in the background ran rampant.
"Of course. Why would I lie about my pathetic crybaby of a little brother being put in his place? By none other than a warrior from the Sadala Kingdom, no less! The very same people he tried to exterminate! One of those Saiyans!"
"There are more survivors from the destruction of Sadala other than Prince Vegeta!?"
"Yes, it appears my brother is quite short-sighted and his preparations were lacking when he destroyed the Sadala Kingdom. Hopefully for his sake, this will teach him to not overestimate himself again in the future after he heals, but, knowing him, I doubt it." Cooler chuckled and leaned back in his seat, basking in the feeling of panic swirling around the air from the news of his younger brother's defeat.
It would look 15 minutes before everyone calmed down and they sat in silence for another 5 minutes. Doflamingo finally stopped laughing even though quiet giggles can still be heard coming from him, Kuma was still quiet, Mihawk finally took a seat away from the rest of the warlords including Cooler, and said man leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed and eyes closed.
"Freeza being defeated is inconceivable..." Tsuru said quietly. "And, right after we learned of Crocodile's defeat at the hands of Monkey D. Luffy. The new generation of pirates are too dangerous to be left unchecked."
"Yes, yes. My baby brother is quite the disappointment and you can say it to his face next time you see him. However, I wish to hear what the original reason behind this meeting is first before I leave. Is it perhaps about Crocodile's replacement?"
"Correct."
"I see..." Cooler opened an eye, startling the three marine captains, before he looked at the open window. "Perhaps, our new friend wishes to place a suggestion before I blast him away?"
"Ah, it appears I've been caught."
"Who the devil are you!? How did you get in here!?"
"What an illustrious assemblage... 3 warlords... The fleet admiral of the marines... Several marine captains... And Lord Cooler, the eldest son of King Cold... If all goes well, then I hope to participate as well." A man stepped inside of the conference room while tipping his black hat and twirling his cane. "That's why I've come. Since Sir Crocodile is no longer a warlord of the sea, I thought you might be looking for someone to replace him."
"And, who might you be?" Cooler looked at the thin strangely-proportioned man.
"That's Lafitte, a former sheriff from West Blue notorious for his brutality which resulted in his exile."
"Hohoho, what an old story, but never mind me. I've come to recommend someone to be your new warlord of the sea... if, of course, the mighty Lord Cooler does not wish to deal with the hassle of taking Crocodile's place. I can't imagine being a warlord of the sea is worth his time." The man was clearly sucking up to Cooler, but the eldest son of Cold didn't say anything to stop him.
"...Interesting." Cooler stopped tapping his arm and unfolded his arms, leaning forward in his seat with an intrigued smile. "And, tell me. Who do you believe will make a suitable replacement for Crocodile?"
Meanwhile, The Grand Line
"Red-Haired Shanks... I haven't heard that name in a long time..." A large abnormally-sized man sat in a chair on a large pirate ship in the Grand Line, holding a barrel of alcohol in his right hand and a paper letter in the other as multiple tubes were connected to his body and nose. "You say this letter's from him?"
"Yes, it deals with a very important matter. He sent me to deliver it personally."
"Well, thank you."
"No, problem. I'm new to his crew, but I was already a pirate. In fact, I'm pretty well known." The mail deliverer was a man with spikey hair and rough-looking face who had a bounty of 94,000,000 berries. "Ever hear of the name Rockstar?" He asked a nearby person.
"Can't say that I have."
Rip! Rip!
"Huh!?" Rockstar looked ahead when he heard the sound of paper ripping and watched the letter being torn to shreds.
"He dared to send me a letter... Who does that upstart think he is?"
"Wait!" Rockstar dropped to his knees and picked up the scraps. "That's an important letter from my boss! That was from 'Red-Haired Shanks' himself! Are you crazy!?"
"And I'm Whitebeard."
"Captain." One of the nurses near Whitebeard called out to him. "That's enough grog for today."
"Shut up! I'll decide when I've had enough! What harm can it do?"
"B-But my boss said that was a very important message!"
"I have a good idea what it's about -- Blackbeard and Ace! You tell that brat Shanks if he has something to tell me, he can come here in person! With a bottle of booze!"
Four Emperors
"Whitebeard"
Edward Newgate
[Bounty: 5,046,000,000 Berries]
A Few Minutes Later, On A Winter Island
"Hahahaha... The old geezer hasn't changed in the slightest." A red-haired man laughed and spoke to a transponder snail sitting in front of him, which basically acted as a landline phone in this world.
"It's no laughing matter!"
"I thought this might happen."
"Captain! Gimme another chance! I've never been humiliated like this!"
"Whatever you're thinking, forget it. You did your job. Now come back."
"But... How can I face you like this?"
"Come back, while you still have a face. There's nothing you can do. I appreciate your efforts."
"What now, cap'n?"
"I'll go to him. Prepare to set sail!"
"To Whitebeard's base!?"
"That's right." The red-haired man nodded.
"Won't they government try to stop us?"
"Maybe..." The pirate crew's captain stood up. "But we're going anyway. We'll deal with them when the time comes!"
Four Emperors
"Red Hair Shanks"
Shanks
[Bounty: 4,048,900,000 Berries]
"Yahoo! Hear that, men!? We're going to fight!"
"All right! And make sure we have some excellent booze!" They cheered.
Back at Holy Land Mary Geoise
"Marshall D. Teach..." Cooler said in a calm tone, running the name through his memory banks for any recognition.
"That's right. He's the captain of our pirate gang."
"Never heard of him. The other pirates won't like it if we appoint a random nobody."
"Not necessarily." Cooler stood up, drawing everyone's attention. "I recall someone with that name from Whitebeard's 2nd Division. Perhaps that is who your captain is?"
"What an incredible memory you have, Lord Cooler." Lafitte bowed flamboyantly. "I'm sure our captain would be blushing to have his name remembered by someone from your station."
"Spare me of the bootlicking." Cooler said in his cold, harsh tone that was used for more serious matters and the man immediately straightened up, taking a silent gulp. "...Though, I suppose you lot must have something up your sleeves if you're this confident to walk out of here alive."
"We indeed have plans... But, we must ask for some time."
"Heehee! Sounds interesting! Let's give it to him! Heehee!" Doflamingo laughed.
"Don't worry, once everything is done and over, none of you will ever forget the Blackbeard Pirates..."
"...Fascinating. I look forward to seeing your performance." Cooler smiled with an intrigued gleam in his eyes that replaced the usual coldness others saw in his and his family's eyes. "But. I wish to make a request to your little rag-tag group... Should you be able to fulfill it, then I will be more than glad to offer up the position of warlord to your captain along with my family's blessing. Only if you're interested, of course."
"Cooler!"
The mentioned man heard some protests from the lower-ranking marines and shot a nasty glare in their direction, shutting them up instantly, while the rest quietly watched on.
"T-The Cold Family's blessing...? What would you ask of us, Lord Cooler?" Lafitte asked and Cooler's smile slowly widened as he tossed a wanted poster in his direction, the wind carrying it over to him.
"That man. Bring him to me, if you can..."
Meanwhile, Mock Town
"There we go..." Y/N slung a large bag containing Cricket's golden ingots and South Bird statue over his shoulder and walked out the bar. He looked up to see the same people from earlier lingering around even after he sent Bellamy flying across town and they were looking at him like a deer in headlights when they saw his E/C eyes looking at them. "If you guys know what's best for you, then get out of town! You're not welcomed here."
Most of the stragglers didn't need another warning and fled without looking back as Y/N calmly made his way towards the outskirts of town, only to stop when he heard something calling out to him.
"HEY! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!?" Y/N turned his head to see Sarquiss pointing his kukri at him or at least trying to as his and Bellamy's subordinates tried to stop him. "YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST LEAVE AFTER ALL OF THIS!?" The blade-wielding man shouted and pushed his crew off, but Y/N wasn't listening at all to whatever he was yapping. Instead, his eyes slowly wandered to the blade in the man's hand as an image of Masira's slash wound flashed in his head.
"You..." Y/N dropped the bag to the floor and, to them, disappeared before appearing right in front of Sarquiss and kicking him in the face, sending him into a house as the other pirates backed up in fear and ran to the flung man's side. "That was for Masira." He muttered as he picked up the bag and looked in the direction he sent Bellamy flying. "And, that was for Shoujou, old man Cricket, and the kind gramps from the inn whose dreams you've all spat on."
"Zehahahahahaha! Well said, brother!"
"...?" Y/N heard a booming, gruff voice laughing and looked to the side to find a rough-looking man sitting on the front steps of a nearby house, chowing down on a cherry pie.
"The age of pirates was built from the foundation of dreams! Never let the fools around you say otherwise! Zehahahahahaha!" He threw his head back and laughed again.
'His ki... is abnormal and wicked.'
"Relax. I'm not gonna get in your way... But," The man leaned forward with a shit-eating grin on his lips. "I like that look in your eye. Even if you try to hide it, I can see the hunger behind your eyes... And something else. You want to get even stronger too, don't you? Whaddaya say to joining my crew?" He offered and Y/N stared into his eyes that seemed to stare back at him unwaveringly before he ultimately shook his head.
"No thanks. I have some friends waiting for me."
"Zehahahahahaha! That's fine with me. Tell me, what's your name, brother?" He asked while leaning back in his seat to continue chowing down on the stacks of cherry pie next to him.
"L/N Y/N. Yours?" Y/N slung the bag of gold over his shoulder once more.
"Just call me Blackbeard! It'll be a name the world will remember..."
"Blackbeard? What a weird name... Alright, see you around, Blackbeard." Our young protagonist waved goodbye and Blackbeard watched him leave with an unreadable expression and his trademark smile.
When the H/C-haired man disappeared into the distance, he returned his attention to the cherry pies in his possession and devoured the rest in one gulp before standing up and wiping his mouth.
"What a strange man, but I guess I'm not one to talk. Zehahahahahaha!" Blackbeard laughed and also took the opportunity to make his grand exit, making his way towards his crewmates who were waiting for him.
"That coward! Where is he!?" Sarquiss, with the aid of some of his men, limped in the direction Y/N had ran off in and waved his kukri around deliriously, almost hitting the people helping him. Accidentally, he hit Blackbeard's shirt, making a small hole in the sleeve. "Hey, fatso! Watch where you're going! I'll cut you into-"
"Shut up!" Blackbeard grabbed him by his head and slammed him into the wooden planks underneath their feet. "I don't deal with small fry! I'm looking for a head worth at least a hundred million! Zehahahahahaha! I've got a reputation to make!" He shouted and walked past Sarquiss's unconscious body with his three crewmates now walking by his side.
Whap!
"Hm?" A piece of paper smacked Blackbeard in his face and he peeled it off. "What the heck is this..." His angered expression soon relaxed when he saw what was on it and his lips curled up into toothy grin.
Timeskip, Cricket's House
Tak! Tak!
Tak! Tak!
"Ok! Ok! Fix the ship! Ok! Ok!" Masira chanted in an upbeat tone as he along with his henchmen hammered the wooden planks onto Going Merry and tried their best to repair the ship's broken damaged hull.
"How come you two didn't go with Y/N?" Nami looked at Luffy and Zoro who were helping move wooden planks.
"Huh!? Don't fight, fight. Don't go, go. Make up your mind." Zoro frowned.
"It's alright! Y/N can handle it." Luffy laughed with his usual cheeky smile and stretched his arms upward to hand the planks in his hand over to one of Masira's henchmen.
"That's not the point!" The crew's navigator jabbed a finger in their direction. "They beat you two up! Don't you want revenge!?"
"Those guys weren't worth it. It's heartbreaking, you know, when you're left with only pity after a fight..." replied Zoro.
"...What? Are you stupid?" Nami asked after a brief pause as if she couldn't believe the words she just heard.
"Shut up and move! You're in the way!" Zoro barked at Nami and was met with Sanji rushing over to her defense.
"Hey, Mosshead! What was that you said to Nami just now!?"
"Hey, stop fighting! We need some boards over here!" Usopp shouted.
"Alright, alright!" Zoro handed the planks over with an annoyed grumble. "What's wrong with you three, you've been more annoying ever since we went into the jungle..."
"Nami! Usopp! Sanji!" Chopper called out to the three from atop of Kintoun, unknowingly taunting them by doing so. "Did you three contract a disease from the jungle!?"
"..." Nami's hands tightened into fists, Sanji lit up another cigarette, and Usopp readied his slingshot - all with an ominous covering the top half of their faces. "...CHOPPER!!!" They yelled as a fiery aura engulfed them.
"WAAAAAAH!!! W-What did I do!?" The reindeer grabbed onto Kintoun for dear life as they flew away from the three as fast as possible.
"...You think he'll be alright?" Zoro asked Luffy as he leaned against the ship.
"Hmm... Bellamy and his crew didn't seem very strong, so I don't think Y/N will have any trouble. Maybe, he can bring back some meat!" Luffy laughed and continued to help transport wooden planks and other materials to the shipfixers while the green-haired swordsman stared at his captain with a deadpan expression.
"...I was talking about Chopper." Zoro said plainly before resuming his work as everyone could hear Chopper's screams in the distance.
Timeskip, Hours Later
"Where is he!?" Nami shouted angrily. "Didn't he say he would be back in half an hour!? The sun's up already! We'll miss our chance! He didn't get lost in the jungle, did he!?"
"I, uh, don't think he can get lost..." Usopp said awkwardly.
"Yeah, he can fly, can't he?" Sanji reminded them.
"Zoro..." Chopper lightly yanked on the man's pants to get his attention. "Y/N didn't take the gold and leave us behind, did he...?"
"No... That doesn't seem like his style... Plus, Kintoun is still here so he's probably planning on returning. We just don't know when." Zoro looked at golden cloud floating next to the reindeer. "Hm..."
"What's wrong? You're not seriously going to try to ride Kintoun, are you?" Sanji pointed at himself then at Usopp and Nami. "It didn't let us on it earlier."
"Of course not! My footing needs to be stable when I use my swords and I doubt Kintoun's body will be better than the floor!"
"That's one of the reasons you shouldn't be allowed on Kintoun." Robin joined the group. "The other is that Kintoun seems to follow the rider's commands and relies on their navigation skills. In other words, you might become a hindrance than a boon."
"Hahahaha!" Luffy, who was laying down on the grass and looking up at the clear blue skies and white clouds drifting by with his hands behind his head, laughed. "How can you get lost while riding a cloud, Zoro?"
"Shut up! I haven't tried yet!" Zoro shouted at his captain.
"How can you be so relaxed, Luffy!?" Nami stood above the laidback pirate. "If Y/N doesn't make it on time, then we can't go to Sky Island! Doesn't that worry you?"
"Yeah, a little. But, Y/N will come. He's probably searching through the jungle for a Hercules or Atlas Beetle."
"What? Who would do something that dumb!?"
"Dumb? B-But, I thought everyone likes them." Chopper muttered.
"Don't listen to her, Chopper. She doesn't get it..." Luffy patted the reindeer's shoulder and was promptly slapped upside the head by Nami, the blow somehow hurting him despite his peculiar body.
"Heeey!!!" A shout from the jungle made everyone turn their heads to see Y/N landing at the edge of the jungle and running over. For some reason, the bag was tied around his back like a backpack. "I'm back!!! Look at what I found!!!"
"...Huh?" Everyone looked at his hands and most of them were at a disbelief while a certain person was absolutely excited at the sight.
"It's a Hercules and Wukong Beetle!" Y/N held up two bugs, one white and the other golden, that made Nami and Sanji cringe at the sight (the former lessly so when she saw the golden shine) while stars shone in Luffy's eyes.
"What the hell were you even doing!?"
"WOAH!!! AN ALBINO HERCULES BEETLE!? They're even more rare than a normal one!" Luffy bolted over to Y/N and marveled at the two beetles like a kid staring through the windows of a toy store.
"Here, you can have it then." Y/N handed the white beetle over.
"You sure? This is the rarest form!"
"Haha, it's alright, I'm happy with Wukong!" Y/N held up his right arm where the golden beetle sat obediently and let out a happy squeak while wiggling its antennas.
'He already tamed and named it...' Everyone else thought as Y/N turned towards them and noticed Going Merry's new form.
"What do you think? It's the Going Merry Flying Version!" Usopp waved his hand at the ship.
"That's... That's... That looks amazing!" Y/N shouted in awe along with Luffy and Chopper.
"Right!?"
"It makes me anxious..." Nami muttered as the four celebrated and admired the ship.
"Yeah... A pigeon would be better than a chicken." Zoro pointed out.
"That's not what I meant!"
"Oh, before I forget..." Y/N managed to slip away without anyone noticing and approached Cricket with a triumphant smile. "This belongs to you, old man Cricket!" He placed the bag on the stump table.
"..." Cricket pressed his cigarette into the nearby ashtray stacked with his previous cigarettes that formed a small mountain as a still silence washed over them like the tides pulling onto the shores nearby while everyone else was talking in the background.
"Alright! Time to set sail! You guys ready!?"
"Aye aye, sir!"
"Woohoo!"
"...We placed your bag on the ship already. Your friends are waiting for you, idiot."
"Yeah! See ya!" Y/N waved goodbye and ran towards where Luffy and the rest were waiting for him, and hopped onboard.
"..." Cricket watched the young man and slowly turned his attention to the bag with an unreadable expression, placing a hand on the bag.
'Noland's El Dorado was a fantasy! He's a fake!'
"MONKEY MOUNTAIN ALLIED FORCE!!!"
Cricket yelled at the top of his lungs to which his followers responded with cheers.
"Woohoo!"
"Aye aye, boss!"
"DON'T MESS UP!!! NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, GIVE IT YOUR ALL FOR THESE GUYS!!!"
"YES, SIR!!!"
"Finally, we can set sail!" Nami sighed out of relief before directing the rest of the crew to their positions for navigation, leaving her alone with Y/N.
"Huh? What do you mean by "'finally?'"
"We were waiting for you, idiot!" She jabbed a finger toward his chest. "But, for some reason, you were hunting for one of those icky bugs."
"...Icky?" Y/N held up his Wukong beetle closer to Nami whose blood ran cold when she was given a front row view of it. "C'mon, I'm sure you can appreciate its beauty if you take a moment to look at it!"
"G-Get that away from me!" Nami quickly backed up and swatted the air in front of her. "You better keep an eye on that thing or I'm tossing it back where it came from, alright!?" She shouted and stomped down the stairs.
"What's her problem?" Y/N walked towards the edge of the ship and looked towards the jungle. "...It's alright, Wukong. Just make sure to keep your distance." He rubbed the beetle's head and leapt down onto the deck and went underboard. The floorboard creaked under his feet as he navigated the narrow corridors of the Going Merry's interior until he found the room his stuff was put in. It was a small room with a hammock taking up most of the space and his bag shoved into a back corner, but he didn't have much on him anyways. "Guess this is where I'll be sleeping now..." The young man said to himself and carefully climbed onto the hammock as Wukong flew to the bag and sat on top of it, almost as if acting as a guard dog.
Meanwhile, up above, Luffy and the others were saying their last goodbyes.
"Boy! This is where we say goodbye!" Cricket looked up at Luffy. "Let me tell you one thing that I'm certain of: no one has ever proved that El Dorado or Skypiea doesn't exist! People may laugh and say that they're just silly legends... Well, let them laugh!" He raised his hands.
"THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT A GREAT ADVENTURE!!!"
"YEAH!!!"
"Oh, and make sure to pass along my thanks to the idiot. Take care now." Cricket waved them goodbye as the ships started to sail away from the shore.
"Right! Bye mister!"
"Thanks for everything, Cricket!"
"I'm sure you'll find El Dorado someday, mister!"
"Don't dive so recklessly!"
"MIND YOUR BUSINESS!!!"
Timeskip, An Hour Later
"Now, listen up. It's 7 AM and we should reach the spot at around 11 AM. Like Cricket said, the knock up stream erupts in a different place each time so we've gotta get into position before it blows. We're a bit off schedule, so-"
"Joh!"
"Hey! Are you listening!? I'm trying to explain something!" Shoujou shouted down from atop of his massive (at least, when compared to the Going Merry) ship when he noticed Luffy goofing around by forcing the South Bird to look into another direction... before the bird corrected itself. Docked on the other side of the Straw Hats' ship was Masira's equally sized salvaging ship.
"Hahaha! Look! It's facing ahead!" Luffy laughed and pointed at the bird like it were a zoo exhibition.
"Gee, there sure are some strange birds in the world." Usopp chuckled.
"It really does only face south! It's like a compass!" Luffy's laughs grew more intense.
"Joh! Joh! Joh! Joh! Joh! 💢"
"What did it say?" Usopp asked Chopper.
"It said, 'I'm going to look in a different direction and mess you guys up.'" The knee-high reindeer translated as the bird did as it said and suddenly turned its head in a different direction.
"Huh?"
"It turned north!"
For a few moments, the south bird remained in that position before beads of sweat started to form on its face and after a few minutes, it turned back south.
"Wahahaha! It has to face south or it gets antsy!"
"JOH!!! 💢"
"Hey, you guys! You're upsetting the big boss!" Shoujou's minions shouted down at Luffy.
"Leave them be." Shoujou waved his minions off. "But, their antics make me nervous."
"Hey!" Luffy shouted loudly. "There's no reason to worry! Let's just relax!"
"The boy's right." Masira said. "We can't perform as usual if we're stressed."
"Alright, everybody relax and full speed ahead." Shoujou commanded.
"O... Ok..."
"Ah... Such fine weather..."
"Woo... hoo..."
Timeskip, Three Hours Later
"Boss! Bad news!"
"What is it!?" Masira looked out into the ocean to see massive black cloud looming in the distance.
"Southwest! 'Night is coming!' It's the Emperor Cloud!"
"Are you sure!? What time is it!?"
"It's only 10 o'clock! We weren't expecting it this early!"
"This is bad! Can we make it, Shoujou!?"
"UTAN DIVERS, SUBMERGE IMMEDIATELY! CHECK THE CURRENTS!"
"So, that's the Emperor Cloud, huh?" Y/N stood on the deck along with the Straw Hat Pirates after taking a nap and stretched his arms and legs until he heard pops and cracks. "That's pretty cool!"
"FOCUS, Y/N!" Nami shouted at him and turned back to the others. "The Emperor Cloud showed up early, but we haven't located the knock up stream yet." She explained as Shoujou used a microphone to amplify the sound waves of his voice that contained a sonar-like property.
"Reverberation confirmed! Giant current discovered, 12 o' clock! Giant creature discovered, 9 o' clock! Possibly a Sea Konster! Wave detected, 10 o' clock, coming against the current! Possibly a giant whirlpool!"
"THAT'S IT! TURN THE PROW TO 10 O' CLOCK! THAT'S THE SIGN OF THE KNOCK UP STREAM! HEAD FOR THAT WHIRLPOOL!" Masira shouted as their ships suddenly violently rocked back and forth.
"Waah!"
"What's that!?"
"The waves suddenly got higher!"
"Aaaaaagh! We're gonna sink!"
"It's the tremor before the explosion! Watch out!"
"Navigator!" Robin called out to Nami. "What about the log pose?"
"Huh!?" Nami looked down at the log pose strapped to her wrist, a device used to help navigate through the Grand Line due to the irregular magnetic fields property of the line. "It's pointing upward!"
"!!!"
"THE WIND IS PERFECT! THE EMPEROR CLOUD IS HEADING STRAIGHT FOR THE WHIRLPOOL!"
"Huh!? What whirlpool!? Where is it!?" Y/N heard someone shout but couldn't see who said it.
"Looks like we've hit the mark, brother!" Masira said to Shoujou who shouted back, "It's all up to the current now!"
"We'll tow you to the whirlpool!" Masira shouted over the edge of his ship.
"Then, what do we do!?" Nami shouted frantically when she saw the humongous whirlpool in front of them.
"Sail in into the current! If you make it to the center, you should be fine!"
"Woah, this is fun!" Y/N laughed and sat down on the Going Merry's figurehead.
"Fun!? Are you insane!? No one said anything about this!" Nami fell to her knees out of fear.
"It'll be alright, Nami! I'll protect you and Robin!" Sanji tried to reassure her.
"I've never seen such an enormous maelstrom..." Robin said calmly.
"STOP! STOP! LET'S JUST GO BACK!" Usopp cried... literally, he cried and I don't even blame him.
"Sorry, Usopp. It's too late now. There's no turning back!"
"SKY ISLAND, HERE WE COME!!!" Luffy shouted excitedly before they saw the Sea King mentioned earlier rise from the ocean, let out a loud primal roar, before it was dragged back under by the current.
"..."
"Alright, you guys are on your own from here on out! Good luck!" Masira and Shoujou waved them off, their voice somehow reaching them despite being almost half way back to Jaya Island.
"No problem! See ya!" Y/N and Luffy waved goodbye without showing the slightest reactions to the scene in front of them.
"W-WAAAAAAIT!!! GIMME A BREAK! I'M SCARED! I WANNA GO HOME! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" Usopp screamed with tears and snot running down his face.
"Waaaaah!!!" was all Chopper could say at that moment.
"Jooooooh!!!"
"No one said anything about a giant whirlpool! Wrong! This is all wrong!" Nami also wanted to cry when suddenly the skies darkened as if it had somehow become night.
"Waaaaaah!!! It's night now!!! Aaaaah!!!"
"We're being sucked into the whirlpool!"
"Y/N-sama!!!" Usopp, Nami, and Chopper all sank to their knees behind him and bowed down in a dogeza position. "Fly us over to their ships!!! This is suicide, we can't do this!!!"
"...Huh? But," The male slowly looked over his shoulder with his E/C eyes sparkling with excitement. "This is gonna be so fun!"
'He... He looks so excited...' The trio thought and wanted to faint as the final chance for salvation turned his back, literally, to them and stood up.
"When you three are finished whining, check this out." Zoro pointed over the edge.
"What now?" Usopp followed his gaze and felt his blood run cold when he saw the ship was about to fall into the eye of the whirlpool. "GAAAAAAAH!!!"
"WE'RE GONNA BE SWALLOWED UP!!!"
"NAMI, I'LL HOLD YOU!!! HURRY!!!"
"WAAAAAH!!! WE'RE FALLING!!!"
The Going Merry dove off the edge of the whirlpool, free falling in the air as the trio of rightfully fearful people held each other and screamed for their lives before...
SPLAT!
"...Huh?" Everyone had the same, perplexed reaction when the gigantic vortex disappeared without any warning.
"What happened!? We were in the middle of that huge whirlpool!"
"What's going on!?"
"...No! It's already begun!" Nami's face paled when the ocean began to rumble and rock the ship back and forth violently. "The whirlpool disappeared and now the knock up stream is coming!"
"HOLD IT!!!"
A loud, booming voice echoed throughout the false night and reached Y/N and the Straw Hats' ears.
"Hey, Zoro. Look." Luffy told the green-haired swordsman.
"Huh?" The mentioned man followed his gaze and
"Zehahahahahaha!!!" Blackbeard's iconic laugh made Y/N's expression harden and he joined the rest of the crew in looking at the ambitious pirate's "ship" if you could call it that after looking past the large pieces of logs that made up its floor and the black flag with three skulls and bones behind them fluttering in the wind. "We caught up with you, Straw Hat Luffy!!!"
"I recognize them! They're from Mock Town!"
"Who?"
"We're gonna take that 100 million-berry bounty of yours! Give up!"
"Did you say my head's worth a 100 million!?"
"You mean you didn't know!?" Blackbeard reached into his pocket and finally noticed the darkness shrouding both of their ships. "Huh? Why is it so dark around here? Never mind, it doesn't matter." He shook his head and pulled out two bounty papers. "There's a bounty of a 100 million bounty on your head and 60 million for you, Pirate Hunter Zoro!"
"It's true!" Usopp gasped when he peered into his binoculars. "There's a new wanted poster! You're a wanted man, Zoro!"
"What!? Now, hold on! What about me!? Is there a poster of me!?" Sanji weakly chuckled and wrapped an arm around Usopp's shoulders.
"Uh... Nope."
"Look again." He begged.
"Nope."
"How about now?" He begged once more.
"Nope."
"Did you hear that? 100 million!" Luffy laughed.
"Only 60 million? Pssh!" Zoro said in a disappointed manner, but he was laughing and grinning happily.
"I get it! Your bounties must have skyrocketed after the Alabasta incident!" Nami muttered before growing a scary expression when she heard the two celebrating behind her. "Stop celebrating!"
"Did something important happen in this Alabasta place?" Y/N asked Robin who merely smiled and shook her head.
"Oh, you're here too?" Blackbeard noticed Y/N.
"Hey, Blackbeard, when I said see you later, I didn't mean this quickly!" The monkey-tailed man shouted back.
"You know him?!"
"Not really. I only met him today when I was getting old man Cricket's gold back and he was stuffing his face with those delicious looking pies."
'That sounds like him/the captain alright...' Everyone, from the Straw Hats to Blackbeard's crew members, thought at the same time.
"Hey, you guys!!! Pay attention!!!" Shoujou yelled out. "The knock up stream! It's coming!!!"
Right on cue, the sea began to shake once more and the waves crashing against the Going Merry intensified.
"EVERYONE GRAB ONTO SOMETHING SECURE OR GO BELOW DECK!!!" Sanji shouted. "The sea's gonna blow!!!"
"WE'RE GONNA DIE!!!"
"I CAN'T DIE YET! I STILL HAVE MUCH TO LEARN AS A WARRIOR!!!"
"WAAAAAAAH!!!"
"..." Y/N had a blank expression when he felt Nami, Usopp, and Chopper grab onto him for dear life. "I know why they're grabbing onto me, but..." He looked over his shoulder at Robin who had a hand on his back. "How come you too?"
"...I'm counting on you~" Robin sang like her namesake and the beautiful woman smiled once more at him.
Before Y/N could say anything, the ship was lifted into the air by a column of water and then...
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
"WAAAAH!!! WHAT'S HAPPENING!?"
"The Going Merry is..." Y/N walked to and looked over the edge, much to the protest of the 3 of the 4 passengers on the Y/N ride who all detached before he reached the edge. "...sailing up the stream?"
"Alright! We can use this to get to the sky with this!" Luffy celebrated.
"Wait a minute! I think we're forgetting something! The ship's beginning to float! If we tilt back, then it's over!!!" Sanji reminded them.
"What!? That can't happen! What can we do!? It's all we can do to hold on!!!"
"Huh!? What's... that!?" Chopper pointed "ahead" of them and they looked to see the Sea King from earlier falling out of the stream with a roar.
"See!? It's only a matter of time before we end up like that too!"
"It's a little late to think of that! We're still being propelled upward by the force of the explosion! There's nothing we can do now!" Zoro shouted.
"Why did we ever decide to do this!?" Sanji panicked.
"Aaaagh!!! All kinds of things are raining down on us! They're all victims of the knock up stream!" Chopper shouted.
"It's over for us! We're gonna fall! We're gonna crash into the sea and die!" Usopp cried.
'Is this it for us...?' Nami fell to her knees. 'No! There's so many things that I know that I should be saying, but, my body won't listen to me! Work dammit! Get up and let me move!' She begged her body to no avail as she remained powerless from the looming threat of death over her shoulder.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!!!"
The sound of Y/N raising his voice cut through the veil created by the white noise of the knock up stream's rumbling. "If you all have time to be crying, then you have time to be helping out." He knelt down next to Nami in order to place both hands on her shoulder, his gentle touch calming her as if it had swept away the fear of death from her mind temporarily. "Stand up, Nami. We need you to guide us, navigator." Y/N helped her onto her feet and gave her a reassuring smile.
Smack!
The others flinched when they heard the loud slap and saw the red handprint on Nami's face, left by her own left hand.
'He's right... The others are counting on me too! I can't be afraid now!' The orange-haired woman scolded herself and gave Y/N a thankful nod before lifting her right hand and pointing ahead of them. "Hoist the sail now!"
"Huh?!"
"I noticed earlier that there was a blast of warm air traveling up the knock up stream which itself is still a part of the ocean! If there's a sea and wind, then I know we can navigate it! And who's this ship's navigator?!"
"YOU ARE, NAMI!!!" Everyone shouted loudly for the oceans and skies to hear the name of their beloved navigator.
"Alright, everyone! Do what Nami says!"
"Right!"
"We'll catch the wind at starboard and sail to port! Then, we'll let the ship follow the current!"
"Hurry!"
"Aye aye!"
"Waaaah! This is bad! The ship's leaving the water!" Chopper announced as the Going Merry detached from the stream of water. "WE'RE FALLING!!! WE'RE FALLING, NAMI!!! DO SOMETHING!!!"
"No, we're gonna make it!"
"Huh?!" True to Nami's words, the ship didn't fall. In fact, the ship was still steadily moving ahead despite not touching the wall of seawater. "WE'RE FLYING!!!"
"Awesome! Going Merry's flying!" Luffy laughed.
"No kidding!?" Usopp mustered the courage to look over the edge. "Holy cow, it is!!!"
"..." Robin silently basked in the excitement of the group with a small smile.
"WOOOW!!!" Chopper waved his hands with a starry-eyed expression.
"Nami, you're amazing!~~ ❤️" Sanji praised her.
"Well, whaddaya know?" Zoro couldn't help but also be impressed by the sight.
"We did it..." Nami let out a sigh of relief and fell over, only to be caught by Y/N who wrapped his arms around her and helped her to a sitting position. "...Thank you."
"Well done, Nami."
"Thanks, but I don't think I could have done it without you-"
"Nah, you definitely would have." Y/N politely waved her gratitude aside. "Your friends were in trouble and I know you would have found the confidence within yourself to guide them just as you did now because..." Y/N offered a warm smile, unknowingly making her face heat up slightly. "...You're strong too, Nami."
"...Geez, stop with the sweet talk..." Nami pushed his face away, the male letting out a surprised "Ack!" while she looked away with a tiny blush. "But, maybe you're right. Maybe, I could have done it without you here and without your words of encouragement... But," She turned back to face Y/N and winked at him. "That would mean we wouldn't have met and be friends and I don't want that."
"Me neither." Y/N agreed as the two shared a small laugh and stood up to look at the clouds rapidly approaching with each passing second. "Is this the sky island?"
"No, but if there's such a place, then it would be above those clouds..." Nami muttered before the ear-ringing sound of Luffy's shouting made both of them flinch.
"LET'S HEAD FOR THE EMPEROR CLOUD!!!"
Y/N and Nami looked at each other before breaking out into a wide grins, nodding in unison, and shouting alongside everyone else a loud and rallying:
"YEAH!!!"
Meanwhile, down below, the remnants of Blackbeard's ship floated along the powerful waves left behind by the shockwave of the Knock Up Stream.
"Zehahahahahaha!!! Well, what do you know?! They got away!!!" Blackbeard laughed.
"Koff! Koff! They're a lucky bunch." The sickly man known as Doc Q coughed along with his camel.
"Our prey escaped and you think it's funny?! I SAY WE GO AFTER THEM, CAPTAIN!!!" The large brute named Burgess flexed his muscles.
"Hahaha... Don't worry, Burgess. They haven't disappeared from this world. If we stay on the Grand Line, we'll meet them soon enough!"
"Aye, this world is one big, endlessly turning wheel. If your will is strong enough, then we'll see them again..." Van Augur readjusted the musket resting on his shoulder.
"Haha, see?! I told you so!" Blackbeard shouted triumphantly as Burgess huffed and Doc Q coughed and they slowly paddled their way back to Jaya Island.
Timeskip, On Going Merry
"Y'all need to work on your lungs." Y/N looked down at the Straw Hat pirates on their knees or back, clearly frazzled after the Going Merry was forced through a thick layer of water in the clouds.
"How come... you're fine?!"
"This isn't so bad! Grandpa Roshi used to chuck me into the ocean every morning to wake me up before training and made me fight sharks until I nearly drowned!" Y/N laughed even though his words were not to be made light of.
'He's definitely not human...' They all thought at the same time.
After a few minutes of collecting themselves, everyone on board soon looked out to see...
...an ocean of white clouds.
"Incredible..." Y/N muttered to himself as he flew up into the crow's nest and looked out into the seemingly endless white sea. Below him, the other crew members were having their own conversation that he couldn't quite make out. Something about... Usopp not breathing?
Regardless, Y/N admired the once-in-a-lifetime view and reached into his pocket, pulling out a torn cloth of an orange gi with the "Turtle" printed on it.
"Do you see this, Krillin? There really was an entire world above the clouds!" He chuckled and held up the cloth, trying to give it the best view possible.
"Knowing you, your jaws would probably be dropped since you thought old man Cricket was lying to us. You were always the more careful one..." Y/N said looked up at the pure white sky and carefully wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "But, I think you would have liked Luffy and the others. They're nice and good people, if not rowdy and energetic."
Below, Y/N could see Usopp finally back on his feet and stretching before suddenly diving off ship and into the soft ocean.
"Although, it seems trouble always manages to find them..." He chuckled as the other panicked when Usopp wasn't resurfacing and with the combination of Luffy's rubber arm and Robin's powers, they managed to pull the long-nosed man back up... along with a monster-sized octopus.
"I remember that the sky islands were supposed to be our last stop, if they existed, before returning to Grandpa Roshi's island to continue training, but then..." Y/N frowned and for a split second, his hair flashed golden and eyes a bright teal before he shook his head and mustered a small smile, looking upward at the white sky. "Anyways, I hope you're doing well up there, I hope you're eating well, I hope you're resting well - just like Grandpa Roshi wanted us to do. And I hope you don't mind me traveling with Luffy and the others for a bit longer. I kinda want to see what else the world has in store for me and I don't think it was a coincidence that I met them shortly after setting out on my own..." His grin grew as the wind carried the ripped cloth away. "I'll be careful, don't worry! Oh, and make sure to tell Grandpa Roshi that I'm okay and made new friends that I'm traveling with!"
Waving his hand at the flying orange fabric, Y/N watched it fly away until it was gone before he leapt off the crow's nest, landing in front of the rest of the crew and... a man in metal armor.
"...Huh? Who are you?!"
Bonk!
"Where were you?!" Nami shouted and suddenly Y/N knew that he was in for a scolding of his life...