Hey everyone! Vortex here with a little introduction! When I first decided to start writing for One Piece, there were a couple things I wanted to do; I wanted at least one Logia!Luffy fic, and I wanted a Different!Paramecia!Luffy fic. This is to be that fic.

Now, this story will be… a mite less serious than Supernova. I wouldn't call it a parody exactly or even put it in the humor category, but basically this one is for fun. Not that Supernova isn't, it's just that this one will have some of the things I won't be putting in Supernova since that one is the 'serious' fic. I'll basically be juggling this story and Supernova as best I can. (And maybe one other, as you'll find a bit lower into these notes.) Unfortunately, that does mean that my stories from the other fandoms I've written for are going to fall on the backburner. I'm just having WAY too much fun with One Piece.

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IMPORTANT

As of this moment, this story is under a working title. It wasn't easy for me to think of one like it was for Supernova. If any of you have some good suggestions, let me know!

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Any of you who have played a certain game – which, funnily enough, does not include me. I just REALLY like the design. – will probably instantly recognize Luffy's weapon. And it will be his main weapon. I just can't see any sort of Luffy with a sword.

So… a few warnings: Canon will be put into a blender at some points, right out of the gate. Expanded/not-same crew. Not all techniques or even abilities of a single Fruit will always be translated. I usually don't like it myself, but the inconsistency actually feels kinda appropriate for One Piece.

Pairings: Harem.

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Now, I do have some prompts/challenges for you all! I will likely take up any one of these myself. I kinda want to drive story creation here, and just try to get more people writing with some - hopefully fun - prompts. My only consistent requirements throughout all of them is that characters be kept in character unless otherwise dictated by either the narrative or the prompt itself AND that Angst and Hurt/Comfort are not even on the same planet as the story. Oh, and no yaoi. I'm going to want to read them after all, and I'm not a fan.

I. Luffy's Princess Troubles – This one should be pretty self-explanatory. It is to be a harem fic with only the series's princesses. Aka: Vivi, Hancock, Shirahoshi, and Rebecca. (and maybe Viola?) You can do whatever the hell else you want with the story, as long as you keep to that main pairing and the rules above. (I absolutely despise angst when it's practically the main tenant of the story. I actually make sure I eliminate that entire category whenever I'm searching for fics myself.)

II. We've seen that Devil Fruits reform very quickly when Smiley died. The fruit reformed pretty instantly, though that COULD be from the fact that the fruits were practically right under it. (Could be a distance thing as well as an 'appropriate' or 'specific' fruit thing.) We also saw that Blackbeard took…a fair while to get that tarp around Whitebeard and to extract the Gura Gura no Mi. With those facts in mind – and the fact that there were possibly HUNDREDS of fruits in play during the War of the Best – I can't see every ship NOT having DOZENS of different fruit types loaded on to them to try to 'catch' reforming fruits.

So here's the story prompt: Luffy was injured badly enough during the War that the Gomu Gomu no Mi left his body and reformed elsewhere. (Going with the idea from Nine Minutes by Serpentguy) On Law's boat, the Gura Gura no Mi reforms before Blackbeard could get it. And that was how a total idiot got the power to destroy the world.

III. Luffy succeeds in getting Shanks to take him with them to the Grand Line. You can do this in any way you like, from Garp teaching him Haki beforehand to him unleashing Haoshoku on the Lord of the Coast and saving Shanks' arm. Doesn't matter in the slightest. Whatever you want to do, go for it. THREE things MUST happen for this challenge.

I. Ben Beckman is actually paying attention in the bar and prevents Luffy from eating the Gomu Gomu no mi.

II. Luffy rescues Robin early, and she becomes an unquestioningly loyal crew member (eventually). Further, no matter what pairing you decide on for Luffy, the main pairing has to be Luffy/Robin. Go polyamorous if you want, but he and Robin must have the closest relationship. This can happen before or after point three. It doesn't really matter.

III. Within the first two years of their journey, the Red-Haired Pirates take a trip to the sky, specifically Birka. There, Luffy finds and eats the Goro Goro no Mi before Enel does. (Sue me. I'm a complete and utter sucker for Lightning powers. This was actually the original prompt of Supernova.)

(Oh, and he should stay a pirate obviously. I've seen this prompt done... sorta... similarly with him becoming a Marine.)

Lastly, as a final "rule" for ALL of these challenges… keep everything in character guys. I don't want Luffy eating the Goro Goro and suddenly turning into Enel. That is NOT what I'm looking for here.

Please let me know if you're planning on taking any of these on! I'd like to know so I can keep an eye out. Hope to see some good attempts!

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As a final note, I don't mind leaving guest reviews on, but please don't guest review if you have something you're asking or if you're contributing something. I won't be able to reply that way.

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"It was a good haul." Nami said, forcing a smile on her face. She was fairly short for a fifteen year old girl, though her budding figure had already started showing nicely. She was wearing a light-yellow sundress that came up to just above her knees, which hid three staff pieces. She had bright orange hair and chocolate brown eyes, "Just think, I only need another 70 million." She said weakly, unable to keep her good cheer.

"Oh Nami…" The speaker was an older girl a bit taller than her named Nojiko. She had icy blue hair and dark blue eyes, as well as a decently tattooed right arm. It was covered in swirling designs, which crossed over her chest making a stylized heart shape. She wore a light beige sleeveless shirt and blue pants, "You shouldn't have to do any of this." She pulled her younger sister into a hug, "You know he isn't ever going to let you go…"

Nami trembled in her sister's arms, "I know…but what else can I do! We can't keep living like this forever!" She pulled away and forced a false, confident smile onto her face, "Don't worry about me sis! I can do this!"

Nojiko shook her head, "You don't need to put up that face with me…Nami. You know that. I'll always be here for you…"

Nami shook her head, desperate to keep the ears from falling, "I have to." She whispered, "If I don't, I'll just cry. Why did that bastard fish have to come here? Why did he have to take mom away!" For all her strength and bravado, Nami was still just a young girl. Her sister was the only one who ever saw her like this. She was the only one Nami ever allowed to see her like that.

"You know none of us would ever hate you if you left." Nojiko had her hand on Nami's shoulder, "We all love and support y-" But whatever Nojiko was going to say to her sister was cut off by a commotion coming from outside. Both of their heads snapped towards the noise, "What's that? Payment isn't due for another two weeks! Why are they here?" Both girls snarled before shoring themselves up and going outside of the house. They couldn't let the Fishmen see any weakness, after all. They would just exploit it.

Both girls had to shield their eyes when they walked out on to the street. The glare from the sun was blinding today! When their eyes finally adjusted, they made out all of Cocoyashi's townspeople, cowering at their doors. Why wouldn't they cower? Massive. Humanoid. Possessing bulging muscles and thick skin. The Fishmen certainly were a sight to see. Even the weakest Fishman had ten times the strength of any regular human, even outside of the water. In the water, their speed and strength simply multiplied exponentially. Every human who lived in Cocoyashi – hell, any human who lived in the entire Conomi Islands – were rightfully terrified of them, and it looked like their entire damn crew had come down from Arlong Park!

But Nami and Nojiko didn't have eyes for them. They were used to the sight, quite unfortunately. No, what drew their attention was the much smaller figure standing in front of them. He was clearly a young guy, maybe a little younger than Nami herself. He had black hair that was covered by a straw hat with a red ribbon. He was wearing jean shorts and sandals with a white shirt with the epitaph 'Anchor' written on it with an actual anchor design on it. Despite his short stature, they could definitely see powerful muscles hiding underneath his clothes.

But all of that paled in comparison to the fact that the little idiot had a gigantic Warhammer on his back. The weapon itself was massive, bigger than the boy carrying it, which boggled their minds. It had a large, heavy-looking plated head. The shaft it was attached to was large and thick, wrapped in black leather. The back end of the weapon had what looked like an un-sharpened hook pointing at the head, with a thick pommel for extra bludgeoning power. On the back of the huge hammer block was a dangerous looking, axe-like blade facing the other way. Both Nami and Nojiko had to fight to keep their shock from escaping them, "That hammer looks vicious!" She whispered to her sister, "Doesn't he know weapons are illegal here!"

"I've never seen him before!" Nojiko whispered back urgently. She could only pray that the kid just did whatever the Fishmen asked of him! When angry, Arlong was known to fly off the handle! He could very well just completely destroy Cocoyashi!

"I've not seen you here before." The big shark himself growled. It was Arlong. He had vicious-looking teeth, a saw-like nose, and light blue skin. He was wearing a floral print shirt, dark green shorts, and a brown Ushanka. He had a huge, dark red sun tattooed onto his left pec as well as a stylized saw-nosed shark on his left arm. "Who are you, you inferior human?"

The boy grinned, "Hi! I'm Luffy! Monkey D Luffy! Nice ta meetcha! Shishishi!" The boy looked entirely unconcerned with the fact that he had just been insulted. Nor did he seem to be at all interested in the large, bulky Fishmen practically surrounding him for all intents and purposes.

"Shahahaha! Unfortunately, I can't say the same about you." Arlong sneered, "You see, you're breaking the law, you little brat."

Luffy looked surprised, "I am?" A large, monstrously loud roar rang through the clearing. He bent over slightly, clutching his stomach, "Ugh…so hungry… All I want is a small boat so I can get back home! And some food! I'm starving! What law did I break?" Get back home? Starving? Where was he from? One of the other Conomi Islands?

Arlong chuckled lowly, "That's right." He smirked and stood to his full height, "You see, all of the people here need to pay for their lives here. Since you can't leave, that means you're a resident now." And there he went. Nami ground her teeth together. How she hated this bastard fish. "Since this is your first time, I'll expect a payment of ฿300,000." Nami had to choke down a gasp. That was three times what they all owed monthly! There was no way this twerp could pay that! "Oh, and I don't allow weapons in my territory, so you'll have to give up that nice looking hammer of yours. It's a sign of rebellion you see...and I don't allow rebellion on my turf." He smiled nastily.

The town watched with bated breath and slight panic as they waited to see the boy's response. And what response they got caused jaws all over the town to drop. He picked his nose with his pinky! "Nah. I don't feel like it." The town almost erupted into panic. It was only Arlong's dark, amused laughter that kept them still.

Nami rolled her eyes, knowing Arlong well enough by now to know what was next, "I'll excuse your ignorance this once, you little twerp. We Fishmen are evolved humans who gained the ability to breathe underwater." He showed all of his sharp, pointy teeth, "With our abilities, we are simply a higher order of being, compared to you puny humans. Our strength which far exceeds yours proves that! In short, we are the Lords of Creation. You got that, you puny brat?"

But Luffy wasn't even listening to him. He had actually turned and started walking away, directly at Nami and Nojiko! They instantly began to sweat, 'Why is he coming here?' They screamed inside of their own heads!

One of the Fishmen erupted in fury! "How dare you walk away from Arlong-sama!" He roared at Luffy. The boy turned back with a quirked eyebrow, looking on blankly as the angry Fishman charged at him with bulging muscles, "Take this you worthless human! Ten Tile True Punch!" He threw his arm forward, fist clenched and the wind whistling as it sped towards Luffy's gut.

Nojiko closed her eyes and turned away. Curiously, she didn't hear any pained cries coming from the young boy. She felt Nami poking her so she opened her eyes, looking at Nami's face. Her eyes were wide and her mouth had dipped. She turned and felt her own jaw drop. Luffy was just standing there, pinky still in his nose. He had the most adorable confused look on his face, while all the Fishmen looked surprised. The Fishman's fist was even smoking, still pressed snugly up against Luffy's stomach. "Wh-what?" The two sisters gasped.

The Fishman who had hit him – a yellow one even Nami didn't know the name of – quickly shook himself of his shock, "So, you're a little tougher than the average human huh?" He reared his fist back, "It doesn't matter! YOU'RE STILL A WORTHLESS HUMAN! FIFTY TILE TRUE PUNCH!" This time, Nojiko didn't dare tear her eyes away from the sight. The yellow Fishman hit Luffy even harder this time. Hard enough everyone could hear the harsh thud of the impact.

Luffy didn't even move. The two eyed each other for a moment, before Luffy's head tilted to the side, "You done?"

The Fishman growled in rage, "DON'T FUCK WITH ME, YOU WORTHLESS HUMAN! TAKE THIS, MY STRONGEST ATTACK! ONE HUNDRED TILE TR-GRPHH" A lightly-tanned fist buried itself into his face. For a single moment, everyone there froze in shock as they heard the sound of snapping cartilage and shattering teeth. Then, the Fishman flew away from Luffy as though he had been hit by a warship.

An entire warship. Not a cannonball from a warship. He hurtled back so quickly that to Nami and Nojiko's eyes, he had simply vanished. None of the Fishmen behind him had any time to react. He crashed head first into another Fishman's face, before the both of them crashed into yet more of their underwater brethren. Soon, there was a seven-Fishman-pileup down the street. They all slumped to the floor and didn't move again.

Nami couldn't move. Hell, Nami couldn't breathe. Wh-what the hell was this? How did this tiny brat just lay out seven Fishmen – beings capable of literally throwing houses over their shoulders – with a single lazily thrown punch? Her mind was like a skipping record, repeating the scene over and over in an attempt to comprehend what had happened. Her sister was no better, having been a witness to their strength before, just like Nami.

Luffy scratched the back of his head, "Man, what are you guys doing? I just wanted a boat home and some food." He whined. The rest of the – apparently cannon fodder – Fishmen roared out their rage and charged, thinking they could overwhelm him with numbers. "…Jeez, you guys just won't leave me alone, huh?" Luffy sighed, reaching over his shoulder and grasping the shaft of his hammer, "Ryoku Ryoku no…" The hammer lit up in a purple glow.

'Ryoku?' The townsfolk thought in both confusion and in awe, 'Gravity? What is he talking about?' They collectively wondered, though the two sisters both caught the widening of Arlong's eyes. The Fishmen were just a few feet from the boy, swords raised high!

"TENGAI!" Luffy roared as he brought his hammer over his head and slammed the head into the ground! What seemed like a wave of…something… spread out from the Warhammer's head. Every Fishman who had charged him was enveloped in a bright purple glow before lifting straight up into the air!

Jaws dropped all around as the Fishmen struggled and flailed in the air, as if the boy had literally turned gravity off. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!" The closest one yelled in terror! Luffy effortlessly lifted the giant weapon as if it weighed nothing at all. For all they knew, that could actually be true! He dashed forward, cocking the Warhammer back as he did so, before unloading a crushing blow right into the gut of one of the Fishmen! The orange seahorse Fishman went from panicking to unconscious immediately, spittle and blood flying from his protruding mouthpiece! As the whites of his eyes showed, he flew back and crashed into three more of his brethren, knocking them out as well.

His hammer spun about his head as he grinned madly, stretching his face out. The hammerhead dipped as he came close enough to a horizontally flailing Fishman and then came swinging up. "GWUAH!" The purple Fishman gagged and vomited. Luffy used his gravity to throw the bile into another enemy's eyes!

But unlike the previous Fishmen who had gone flying after being hit, this one seemed to stick to the hammer like a piece of gum, even as Luffy swung it downward once more! BOOM! Luffy buried the unlucky Fishman into the ground so hard that it cratered under them. He grinned as he stepped out of the small hole he had created, "Shishishi! Man, these guys suck. Ace could fight better than them when he was twelve!"

Nami trembled, her face a mixture of awe and disbelieving, unbridled hope. Nojiko grasped her shoulder and wrapped an arm around her waist, "He…he beat them all…! Effortlessly!" She whispered in her sister's ear. Nami nodded dumbly.

"But…those were all the weak ones." Reality slowly settled into her mind. They had gone through this before. Marines had come to try to save them before. Some even beat a couple Fishmen before being taken out. Nami swallowed in her dry mouth, trying wet it even the tiniest bit. She could only hope Arlong didn't take this out on them.

Arlong was beside himself in fury. His eyes had veins in them and his huge muscles were bulging even more, "You worthless, bastard human. How dare you do this to my brethren."

"Calm down, Arlong. Please just stay right there." A shorter, very bulky light grey Fishman with black hair said.

Another light blue Fishman with thick, red, protruding lips spoke up as he also stepped forward, "There's no need for you to get involved, Arlong. Chu!"

Arlong ground his teeth, before visibly calming and squatting down, "Fine, fine. Have fun. Make it painful. Shahahaha!"

The gray Fishman stepped forward, "Don't get cocky, you human trash. I'm Kurobi, the second in command of the Arlong Pirates."

The one with the weird speaking habit also stepped up, "That's right! Chu! We're the elites. We're nothing like the precious members that you beat down! Chu!"

Luffy grinned, "You going to talk or you going to fight?"

"Chu!" A vein popped on the muscular Fishman's head, "I'll kill you, you damn brat! Mizu Taiho!" Chew sucked in a large breath, bloating his chest as he reared back. Then, he jerked forward, firing an absolutely insane volume of water like a freight train directly at Luffy!

Luffy grinned and raised his left hand into the air. "Black Hole!" There was a pulse above his hand, before what seemed to be a black sphere tore itself into existence directly above his hand. Immediately, Nami screamed as an insane suction seemed to grasp directly onto her and Nojiko. She widened her stance and pulled out her staff, jamming it into the earth and trying to keep herself and her sister from flying forward! Every loose bit of dust rose and flew towards it. Bell-mère's trees started bending and creaking as towards the hungry hole in the air, but thankfully didn't uproot.

The water cannon fired by Chew swerved, going directly for the hole in the air rather than Luffy himself. Luffy let the black hole evaporate, instead using lesser gravity now that the attack's course had been changed. A perfect sphere larger than he was made of water was floating above his head, with him laughing good naturedly under it. He switched his hammer into a reverse grip and raised it, just in time to intercept a crushing kick from Kurobi! "What!" Kurobi's eyes widened in shock, "That was a Five Hundred Tile True Kick! How are you still standing?"

'No, it was more than that.' Nami could only tremble in elated, hopeful disbelief. Luffy had intercepted Kurobi's strongest kick without his hammer even budging an inch! Her mouth slowly quirked into a flabbergasted, open-mouthed grin. She huffed out a sharp, raspy, disbelieving laugh, "He's…he's toying with them..."

"Yes." Nojiko had a full out joyful smile on her face. Her eyes were shining in suppressed tears, "He's beating them like they're nothing!"

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed as he pointed his hand at Chew, "Let's see. I think I'll name this…Suigeki!" All of the water that had been floating above his head formed itself into a spear with a flat hammer head and then shot off at Chew as though it had been shot from a cannon!

"Oh Fuc-" Chew didn't even have time to cross his arms in an attempt at defense before the water blast hit him. What appeared to be a tidal wave exploded into existence and carried the destroyed Fishman away! When the water finally settled, Chew was face down and ass up.

Kurobi's rage ignited and his gray skin turned pink! "TAKE THIS! THOUSAND TILE TRUE PUNCH!" Kurobi's strongest punch buried itself into Luffy's unprotected face. Luffy's face distorted from the strength of the blow as he was launched into the air!

The hopeful humans had their hopes crushed as Luffy seemingly floated upwards, a blank look on his face. He seemed to be unconscious, though no one could really tell since his straw hat hid his eyes. Suddenly, a wide grin split his face again as his momentum abruptly stopped. He righted himself in the air and simply floated there!

"HE CAN FLY!?" Not a single person in that street – bar Arlong himself – didn't have their eyes popping clear out of their heads. "WHAT ARE YOU!" Nami and Nojiko screamed at him in their shock, completely forgetting about the two Fishmen still standing.

"Shishishi! I ate the Ryoku no Mi! I'm a Gravity Man!" Luffy called out brightly to the two young girls.

Nami gasped, "Ryoku no mi? You mean a Devil Fruit? THOSE ARE REAL?"

Luffy snickered at the reaction before turning to his enemy, "What's wrong? Can't lift my hammer?" He laughed brightly at Kurobi. Indeed, the Fishman was struggling. He had both hands around the shaft of the weapon that had decimated their forces. Veins were popping out of his skin, clearly visible on his bulging muscles and he was straining with all of his might just to get the damn thing off the floor!

It didn't even budge.

"Well, I'm bored." Luffy declared, standing in the air with his fists on his hips and his legs spread, "Ryoku Ryoku no…" He sped towards the ground, quickly gaining speed as he increased the gravity in the area! He had a single fist cocked back, a dark purple glow starting to envelop it.

Kurobi panicked and abandoned the hammer, stepping forward and taking his most powerful stance despite the fact that even his enraged attack had done nothing before, "ThousaGAHHHH!"

He didn't have a chance to even finish, "Ryūseiken!" Luffy crashed into him like the fist of an angry god! Kurobi was buried into the dirt, spittle flying from his mouth! The earth cratered in a small circle around him, before the earth itself seemed to implode! It cratered again, and again, in widening circles, throwing up dust and dirt as the earth crushed and compressed underneath the two of them. Nami and Nojiko – the two closest to the action – were forced to cover their eyes with their arms, holding back terrified screams.

Finally, the dust settled and Luffy was standing over the crushed Kurobi, fist still buried in his midsection. They could barely make the two out, since they were inside the huge hole Luffy had literally punched into the earth. Only the whites of Kurobi's eyes were visible to them, though blood was splattered all over his Gi from where he had thrown it up.

Luffy's hat did nothing to hide the wide grin on his face as he straightened and looked directly at the furious – and standing – Arlong. He calmly walked out of the crater and grabbed the shaft of his hammer, lifting it easily and securing it onto his back despite not having a single strap there. He held his left hand out with his index, middle, and thumb sticking out. The index dipped, and the thumb, leaving only the bird pointed firmly at Arlong. Three. Two. One. The gesture was clear, as Arlong's eyes reddened as his muscles bulged.

The gauntlet had been thrown. Arlong started stalking forward, "You worthless human…" He growled, "Do you see how angry I am? The seething rage I feel from seeing my brothers crushed like insects…" He growled as he vanished, appearing right in front of Luffy with a fist raised high, "I'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BEEN BORN!"

Luffy took the hit directly in the face, and for the first time in the entire debacle, he was forced to take a step back. Gasps from the townsfolk rang through the air and Luffy bared bloody teeth in a wide grin, "Now that's more like it! Ryoku Ryoku no Tekken!" Luffy uppercut Arlong straight in the sternum, a purple glow surrounding his fist! Arlong grunted, blood spilling from his angry mouth with his eyes popping out. Even his feet lifted off the ground slightly! He growled, and forced himself down with his mouth wide open. "GAH!" Luffy yelled in pain as Arlong dug his shark teeth directly into his shoulder, rending flesh and drawing blood!

Nami and Nojiko's resolve almost broke at the sight. Their would-be hero had taken his first real injury! Luffy let out his own growl and drew his arm back, before unloading a devastatingly hard punch into Arlong's ribs! The ground under their feet cracked and roiled as gravity raged around them. Arlong was forced back, his feet skidding on the dirt. He almost took a knee, but caught himself just in time. Luffy tore the teeth out of his shoulder and eyed the panting, toothless Fishman, "Lost something?"

Arlong grinned, and they all watched as his gums split open as new, even sharper teeth grew in place of the old ones, "Not a thing." Arlong clicked his new teeth, "I am a shark after all. No matter how many teeth I lose, they'll all grow back every time." He reached into his mouth and tore out the new set of teeth. Blood splattered from the self-inflicted wounds, as new teeth grew in again, before he repeated the whole thing for another set. He held his teeth in his hands, grinning with blood dripping from his lips, "This is the gift bestowed upon me by the heavens! Now do you see? Do you see the insurmountable difference between us?!"

"Jaw?" Luffy's mouth quirked in amusement, "Nose?"

Arlong started grinding his teeth together even as the rest of the town gaped and trembled in fear, 'Is he mocking him?'

Luffy grinned, "I know! Webbing!"

"IT'S SPECIES!" Arlong roared, diving at the boy like a torpedo with sharp teeth. Luffy danced out of the way, straight as a board with his hands sticking straight up into the air and a comical look of fake surprise on his face. Arlong was completely straight and rigid as he crashed into the floor nose-first. He was stuck in the hard ground, nose cratering it. As he got up, a large chunk of the dirt was stuck to his face, which he brushed off carelessly. He ran at Luffy and dove again, this time impaling and completely shattering a large, out-of-the-way boulder!

Luffy grinned, "Shishishi, I think I'm going to break that nose of yours."

"FOOL!" Arlong dove again, "IT IS BECAUSE MY NOSE IS UNBREAKABLE THAT I'M SO PROUD OF IT!" Luffy grinned and steeled himself with his hands out. Arlong hit him with all the force he could muster for his Shark on Darts attack outside of the water! Luffy caught his nose with his bare hands! The force made him slide back a couple inches even as he grinned broadly! He started spinning around like a top, becoming a blur with the Fishman in his hands before letting go and sending the blue man flying! He was heading right for a light post, as Luffy straightened and watched.

Arlong bit right into the metal light post and tore right through it, crushing through the pipe as easily as if it had been made out of wet clay. Arlong didn't miss a beat or even stop to admire his handiwork before he was lunging for Luffy once more. The sound of snapping teeth rang through the air as Luffy dodged all three sets of teeth trying to take chunks directly out of his hide. "This is the power we're born with!" Arlong roared as he dropped one of the sets of teeth and grabbed Luffy by the neck, "The power not bestowed upon your pathetic race! That is why you're inferior! WE'RE ON COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LEVELS FROM THE MOMENT WE'RE BORN! DIE!" He roared, thrusting his other hand forward with the teeth in them ready to tear Luffy's head right off!

Luffy's foot planted itself directly into his jaw, completely shattering yet another set of teeth. Once again – unlike with most of the other Fishman – Arlong appeared to be glued to the bottom of Luffy's sandal. The grinning boy lifted his other leg up so that he was off the ground and placed both hands on terra firma. His hat fell off his head as his arm muscles bulged and shot the both of them into the air!

WHAM

The dull thud of Luffy's other foot landing square in the Fishman's stomach rang through the air, even and spittle flew from his mouth. Luffy's right foot – the one on Arlong's face – came away as the other foot gripped onto its impact zone. He drew it back and then kicked forward again! Arlong's pained groans were like a balm to all of Cocoyashi, and blinding smiles appeared on every face! Again and again, Luffy kicked, a shockwave flying through Arlong's body with every impact. Finally, when they were roughly a hundred meters in the air, a purple glow surrounded the two and shifted them so that Arlong's back was to the ground with Luffy on top of him, seemingly riding the Fishman like a surfboard. They floated there, unmoving for a moment, as Luffy noticed the whites in Arlong's eyes. He grinned, "Shishishi! Shitajiki!"

Gravity reasserted itself. Luffy and his Arlong surfboard started falling to the earth, picking up massive amounts of speed in milliseconds, as though gravity itself was pulling them with an even greater force than normal. When they finally hit the floor, it was truly like a meteor had rent the earth asunder! As an earsplitting CRACK forced the members of Cocoyashi to hold their ears in pain, a massive plume of earth and dust filled the air! It left behind an even larger impact crater than before. When it finally cleared, Luffy wasn't on Arlong anymore. Instead, he was bent over by his hat as he picked it up. "Man, I really have to stop losing this thing." He mumbled as he brushed off the dust.

Arlong wasn't moving.

The entire town erupted into ecstatic cheers, rushing from their homes towards their hero! Luffy had this comical wide-eyed look of panic on his face as Nami and Nojiko got there first, bodily crashing into him and squeezing him as if their lives depended on them hugging him. Luffy found himself squeeze between breasts as the rest of the townspeople crushed them in a massive group embrace before hauling all three of them into the air and started throwing them up and down, cheering all the while. Luffy eventually started laughing, even as he hugged the two elated, blushing strangers back.

But the merriment was cut short by the most terrifying sound the entire small village had ever heard! A bestial, maniac roar of pure wrath split the air, even as cracking sounds rang through their ears! They dropped Luffy, Nami, and Nojiko in their terror, even as they backed away. The two sisters clung to their hero in horror as they eyed the furious Fishman who was clobbering the earth in sheer madness. Again and again, Arlong raised his two arms into the air and brought them down on the compacted dirt in his rage. His eyes were split and surrounded in red, and he was barely coherent, spitting out words and sounds with no meaning beyond 'DEATH. KILL. REND.' behind them.

Finally, the Fishman pulled a massive stone from the very earth – bigger than Nami and Nojiko's entire house – and raised it above his head! With a wordless howl of fury, he chucked the massive boulder right at them, intending to murder every single human in the town with it!

Luffy's eyes hardened, even as he let go of the two girls clinging to him and stalked forward, anger clear on his face for the first time that day, "DON'T BE A SORE LOSER YOU STUPID FISH!" He threw his hand forward at the approaching mass and a massive blast of gravity shot out of it. The moment it hit the rock, the entire structure exploded into thousands of chunks and flew away, right off of the Island and into the ocean. Every impact caused swells and waves which pounded the beach far away. If anything that only made Arlong even angrier.

His entire body swelled and bulked up, looking as though he was hulking out or taking steroids. He grew another three sets of teeth in his mouth, forming row after row of sharp blades ready to tear Luffy to pieces! He ran out of the crater and towards Luffy in mindless fury. Luffy raised his hand and pulled his hammer off his back. Arlong was closing in, but Luffy looked entirely unruffled. As the head flipped so that it was pointing towards the sky, Luffy rammed the pommel into the ground.

Instantly, Arlong's headlong charge slowed to a brisk run. He looked to be struggling to move. Luffy raised his hammer again and slammed the pommel into the ground once more! Arlong went from a brisk run to practically a crawl. Every muscle in the Fishman's body was trembling and spasming as he tried to keep going forward. He looked like someone had attached hundred ton weights to his limbs. Luffy slammed his hammer one last time. Visible wisps of gravity were flying around his body, even as the very ground under him trembled.

Arlong fell to his knees and his arms hung limply to the sides. He looked like he was practically being forced into something resembling seiza. His muscles bulged as he struggled to get back up. He needed to kill Luffy. He needed it! He needed to see the bastard human's head ripped off his neck! He needed to use his skull as a punch bowl!

Luffy just got close to the Fishman, even as he bared his teeth in futile wrath! Luffy lightly kicked his hammer's shaft to get it to swing up, that wide grin back on his face, "Remember what I said about that nose?" A mad snarl was his only response. "WELL I'M KEEPING THAT PROMISE!" He gripped his hammer with both hands and swung it with all of his might, directly into the hard point of Arlong the Saw's saw nose. The Fishman crumpled under the extreme gravity on his body in conjunction with the gravity-enhanced blow from Luffy's massive hammer. He fell backwards, getting crushed against the dirt, even as the huge muscles in his legs prevented him from bending the way he needed to. There were horrendous tearing sounds as vital muscles in his thighs tore and some even separated from his knees! His arms, which had flopped into the air, fell uselessly to the floor in a final thud.

Arlong... East Blue's terror of five years… had been completely defeated. He was splayed out on the dirt, arms spread eagle and his legs bent under him. His face looked crushed and almost sunken. Only the whites of his eyes were showing, even as blood dribbled out of his gaping maw. And his nose… the nose that Arlong had been so proud of…

It was broken in three different locations, limply laying against his face.

The elated town erupted in thunderous celebration once more! A sobbing Nami latched onto Luffy once more! The sight of her defeated tormentor was simply too much for her. She cried into a complete stranger's chest in sheer, utter joy. Nojiko was no better, grabbing him from behind and burying his head in her cleavage, hugging both him and her sister as hard as she was able to!

A heavily scarred up man dressed like a police officer with a pinwheel on his hat came up to them, roaring in elation! He dropped to his hands and knees, "THANK YOU, YOUNG MAN! THANK YOU FOR FREEING US!"

Luffy frowned, "Hey, get up. You don't need to bow to me!" He grinned and laughed, "Shishishi! If you all really want to thank me, feed me! Feed me until I explode!"

The town roared their approval as the police man – Genzo – threw a fist in the air, "It feels like I'm dreaming! I just can't believe this day has finally come!" Cheers rang through the air as friends and family hugged and sobbed together, "Arlong has fallen! QUICKLY! WE CAN'T HOG THE GOOD NEWS FOR OURSELVES! TELL EVERYONE! TELL EVERY VILLAGE AND EVERY ISLAND!"

Just as they were preparing to race off, a shrill new voice cut through the air, "Hold it right there!" They all stopped to look curiously at the unfamiliar voice. Immediately, Nami and Nojiko gripped onto Luffy angrily. He looked at them curiously, but shrugged it off. It wasn't like they were hurting him at all.

The newcomers were all Marines! There were dozens of them, dressed in grunt uniforms with rifles over their shoulders! One man in a gray-blue button-up long coat was standing there. He had a rat-like face and even whiskers! His coat had a hood with mouse ears on it, and he had a silly patch of black hair on his chin. He chuckled – even that sounding rat like, "Chichichi! What a lucky, lucky day it is for me!" His voice was oozing arrogance, "I am Marine Commander Nezumi of the 16th Branch!" He eyed them all – particularly Nojiko – with dark eyes. She instantly felt herself shiver in disgust, "I'd like to thank you for the show, kid! I would never have dreamed that I would see Arlong taken out like a chump by some no-name like you!" He had a disgustingly smug grin on his face, "Thanks to you, all of the treasure Arlong had is now mine!" He grinned at Nami, "As well as all the treasure you stole in your thievery, little girl! But don't worry, since they were all pirates you won't be charged for it!" He broke out into laughter!

Nami instantly screamed at him, "You fucking bastard! Five years Arlong's been terrorizing these islands! FIVE YEARS!" Tears prickled at her eyes, even as her hand jerked to her thigh where her staff pieces were hidden, "HOW DARE A RAT-FACED SON OF A BITCH LIKE YOU COME TRY TO RUIN THIS FOR US!" Nojiko didn't even care enough to reprimand her language.

Genzo roared, "That money was for Nami to save us all! You don't have any claim to it!"

Nami gasped and whipped her head to the side in shock. "You knew!"

Genzo snorted and crossed his arms, "Of course we knew, Nami! Like we would ever think you would willingly work for the monster who stole your mother from you!"

Tears built in Nami's eyes, "Why did none of you ever say anything?" She whispered brokenly.

"To give you an out." Nojiko had her head down, "So that if it ever became too much for you, you could run away."

"Chichichi, how precious." Nezumi sneered insincerely.

"FUCK YOU!" Young, angry Nami apparently had a potty mouth! The fire which had blown cold over the past few years of torment ignited once more, blazing in her chocolate eyes!

"Chichichi! Now, is that any way for a little thief to speak to a Marine Commander?" His annoying voice and laugh rang in their ears, "All the riches in Arlong Park belong to me! Throw down your weapons! I, Nezumi, shall take all of the credit for your victory!" He swept his arm out!

And then reality ensued.

Every single Marine except for Nezumi himself was crushed under the force of gravity as Luffy slammed his hammer into the floor. Pained grunts and screams rang through the air as they fell to the floor, struggling to move even as they started looking squashed. Nezumi took a step back with his arms behind him and fear on his face, "What are you doing!" He screamed, "We're Marines! I'm a Marine Commander! You can't do this!" he backpedaled before Luffy's eyes pulsed. Instantly, Nezumi lost the ability to lift his feet as gravity held them firmly to the ground. Luffy closed in on him after leaving his hammer standing on its pommel by itself somehow and clenched his fist.

WHAM!

The crushing blow didn't have any extra gravity behind it. Hell, it wasn't even a particularly hard hit. It just went to show how much of a cowardly, weak rat Nezumi was. He fell to the floor, gasping for breath and dribbling blood from his lips, after Luffy finally removed his fist from his midsection. He held himself, moaning in agony and trying to crawl away. Luffy stamped his foot once, and the same gravity holding every other marine in place took hold over him too. He was flattened like a pancake, his skin sagging and stretching around his bones.

Luffy turned to the townsfolk with a contemplative look on his face as he grabbed his hammer, "Hey, does anyone have one of those phone snail things?"

"A Den Den Mushi?" Genzo asked, "I'm afraid Arlong did not allow them. He forbid them so no one could call for help."

"He had one though." Nami grinned, happy to see the bastard rat get what he deserved. "He always kept one so he could keep in touch with corrupt bastards like this rat. I'll take you to it!"

"I'll go too." Nojiko smiled brightly. "This way!" She pointed off in the opposite direction. Luffy grinned and wrapped an arm around each girl, "Hey, what are you doiIIINNNGGGG!" Both of them screamed in terror as they lifted off the ground and flew away. The Marines were still being crushed flat against the floor.

Minutes later, Nami directed him to touch down in the middle of a fancy mansion's courtyard. Immediately upon touchdown, a pink-skinned octopus Fishman sputtered and awoke. He had six arms total with octopus suckers on them and gray hair styled into five spikes. "Who are you! Nami, why are you with them? Where is Arlong!" He yelled at them.

Nami grinned victoriously, even as she assembled her staff, "Arlong was defeated!" She declared loudly!

The octopus sputtered, "Defeated! Is this a joke, Nami? It isn't a funny one!"

"It's no joke! Luffy here defeated him!" The octopus gasped, "The news is already spreading! We have runners going to every village!"

"Stop joking around!" The octopus roared! He held his hand up to protruding mouth and started making trumpeting noises, "I've had enough of your lying, Nami! Come out, my powerful monster! Come out, Mohmoo!" The pool connected to the ocean started to roil and bubble, then started cascading upwards! Before long, a dripping, giant cow with a ring in its nose had risen from the depths. It had a fish's body with green scales on its belly as well as green spots all over. It roared at them, displaying sharp teeth.

Luffy twitched in irritation, "I'm hungry damn it!" He pulled his hammer from his back and sent it flying towards the Sea Cow, "STOP KEEPING ME FROM MY MEAT!" The hammer impacted the poor animal right in the gut, and launched it clear out of the park to everyone's shock. Even Nami and Nojiko who had seen the feats he was capable of were stuck dumb. The hammer then reversed direction and came right back to Luffy. The Fishman collapsed to his butt, staring in dumb shock at Luffy.

"You've always been one of the kinder Fishman, Hachi!" Nami came forward, "I know you snuck some money to people who couldn't pay when you could!" She slammed her staff into the ground, "But if you stay here we won't hesitate! Leave now!"

The octopus's head dipped, "Nami…I don't have any right to say this to you but… I'm sorry…" He whispered before turning and diving right into the water.

Nami turned away, a lone tear escaping, "Idiot takoyaki." She whispered to the air.

-]|[-

Luffy, Nami, and Nojiko had returned from Arlong Park. Luffy had let up the gravity for a moment on the Marines, giving them a break. Arlong still lay in his crater and even if he had been awake, his destroyed body wouldn't have helped him. The Marines were trembling from the extended aftereffects of having that much gravity crushing their bodies for so long. Nezumi was still spewing hate and insults at Luffy, claiming that he would get him a record bounty for doing that to him!

Luffy had a large, plain snail in his hands as he sat with Nami and Nojiko sitting close to him. Most of the rest of the townsfolk had already left. They had a feast to prepare, scumbags to round up, and joyous news to spread! They couldn't just sit there! But the ones who remained – such as Genzo, who was eyeing the unconscious Fishmen like a Hawk – stood by anxiously, wondering who Luffy was about to call. 'Purupurupuru' rang through the air as the Den Den Mushi did its job as tried to connect to Luffy's target. It rang a few times more. Finally, there was a click and the snail changed. It shifted to a gray color and grew a darker gray beard and a scar close to its left eye. There were a loud series of snorts and yawns on the other end as the snail opened a massive mouth to mimic it. It even started picking its nose! Finally, the yawning ended and the sound of lip smacking came through the snail as it mimicked the person on the other end.

With a final yawn, a deep, rough voice came through, "This is Vice Admiral Garp. How did you get this number?"

Jaws dropped everywhere. Even the unconscious Arlong's jaw seemed to dislocate and lower even further. Nezumi had turned purple as he actually recognized his superior's voice. 'How the hell does this Mugiwara bastard know Vice Admiral Garp!' He screamed in panic in his own head!

"Shishishi! Hey grandpa!" Luffy yelled cheerfully!

"GRANDPA!?" Everyone's eyes popped right out of their heads as they screamed at him!

Nezumi and the rest of his corrupt Marines started panicking as they realized just how fucked they were about to get. Nezumi collapsed backwards, a silly look on his face. His mouth was wide open as a white spirit shaped like him left his body and tried to float away. Death would be better, the scumbag's soul mused. Luffy casually reached upwards towards the spirit and grabbed it with his gravity. He yanked his hand down and the spirit went right back into a delirious Nezumi's body. He and all of the other corrupt Marines embraced the sweet relief of unconsciousness.

There was silence for a moment from the snail, before it actually seemed to grow in size as well as sprout a single muscular arm that grabbed Luffy's shirt, "LUFFY YOU LITTLE IDIOT! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" The snail shook Luffy, before the oddest thing happened. Both Luffy and the snail went from awake to dead asleep and snoring.

"THEY FELL ASLEEP?" They all yelled in shock, causing the snot bubble on the snail to pop.

Garp grumbled and snorted, "LUFFY! DON'T SLEEP WHILE I'M YELLING AT YOU!"

"You fell asleep too!" Luffy whined.

"Never mind that! Where have you been! Poor Makino-chan has been going crazy with worry!" Garp yelled at him.

Luffy looked sad at that, while both of the ladies next to him grew a little jealous. Who was this 'Makino-chan?' Luffy started picking his nose with a pinky, "Well, I got bored after Ace set sail to become a pirate-"

"HE WHAT!" Garp roared, "WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THAT ungrateful kid…! Ooh, he's going to get the Fist of Love the next time I see him so hard…" The old man on the other end of the snail was grumbling and seething.

"Shishishi! Anyway, I got bored so I decided to go fishing!"

Luffy claimed but Garp cut him off again, "THAT WAS ALMOST TWO WEEKS AGO!"

Nami gasped at that information, and what Luffy said next confirmed her fears, "Shishishi, yeah, I kinda got caught by that tornado that came by!"

Garp sounded exasperated on the other end, "Only you, Luffy. Where are you?"

"I'm in…" Luffy stopped and started turning red. Finally, after a few seconds, he turned to Nami, "Hey, where am I anyway? And what are your names?"

Nami snickered and Nojiko giggled behind her hand, 'Well he's certainly not the intelligent type.' She answered him, "I'm Nami and this is my sister Nojiko! You're in Cocoyashi Village on the Conomi Islands." Gasp gasped on the other end, which made Nami's mood drop like a rock. If Vice Admiral Garp knew the Islands were under occupation by Arlong then why the hell had they sent weaklings all this time? That was the only reason a man like him would gasp, right?

Clearly Nami wasn't as smart as she thought. "WAS THAT A YOUNG LADY? YOU'RE WITH A GIRL LUFFY? I APPROVE!" The snail grinned broadly and had a thumbs up, "I am no longer angry over your absence!"

Nami was bright pink, having completely misinterpreted Garp's gasp. Nojiko was eyeing her slyly, getting an elbow from her embarrassed sister, "Shut up." She whispered.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed.

The snail seemed to shake itself, "So, after you got caught by the tornado did you just fly until you hit an island? You're very far from home." Unlike what was typical for a grandfather, there wasn't even a hint of concern in his tone.

Nami and Nojiko were a bit blue, "They're talking about him flying after being caught by a tornado in the open ocean as if that's normal…"

"Shishishi! Yep! I didn't know which direction home was so I stopped at an island to get a boat!" Luffy grinned brightly.

A beat.

"Idiot! If you didn't know how to get home while flying why would a boat help you?!" Nami yelled at him and made him think she was a Fishwoman with her shark teeth!

Another beat.

Luffy's grinning face turned into one of panic while he held his head in his hands, "AHHH! That's right! How am I going to get home! I'm going to miss the massive feast!"

"That was a week ago." Garp supplied unhelpfully. The resulting shriek of anguish coming from Luffy was loud enough that even Shanks in the New World was forced to scratch his head in confusion.

Luffy was on the ground crying, Den Den Mushi and his grandpa forgotten, "It's not fair!" He sobbed, "All that meat!"

Nojiko gigged along with Nami before shaking his shoulder, "Don't worry! We still have to throw our massive victory feast here! We'll make sure you get plenty of food!"

Luffy looked at them for a moment, before giving them the widest, brightest smile they had ever seen! He wrapped the both of them in a crushing hug, "You girls are the best!"

"Victory feast?" Garp on the other end sounded very interested, and the snail was even drooling.

"Ah, that's right!" Luffy yelled, slapping one of his fists into his palm, "When I got here, some stupid fish jerks tried picking a fight with me. One of their names was Alpong."

"Arlong." Nami and Nojiko corrected absently.

The Garp Snail was picking its nose, "Arlong the Saw? Did you win?" Both Nami and Nojiko couldn't help but stare at the snail in disbelief. At least pretend to be worried damn it!

"Shishishi, of course!"

"Wahahaha! That's my grandson! Only fourteen and you're already starting your Marine career!"

Luffy was the one picking his nose now, "Who wants to be a stupid Marine? I'm going to be the Pirate King!" There was complete and utter surety in his tone. There wasn't a single waver of doubt to be heard. Nami and Nojiko froze, looking at him wide eyed!

"IDIOT! NO GRANDSON OF MINE IS GOING TO BE A PIRATE!" He started grumbling, "Damn that stupid Red-Hair."

"Hey, don't insult Shanks!" The two devolved into what sounded like a familiar bickering, as Nami stared at him in shock and disbelief!

"But you're so nice! You helped us!" She screamed at him, "Why would you want to be a scumbag pirate!"

"Eh? Scumbag?" Luffy looked at her strangely, "All I want is to be free, and the Pirate King is the freest person on the seas!" he took his hat off his head, "I swore with Shanks on this hat that I would do it! It's my dream! In three years I'll set out!" Nojiko and Nami both – but Nami especially – were completely dumbstruck at his words.

"Red Hair was just filling your head with garbage! You're going to be a Marine and that's final!" Garp yelled at him.

Luffy stuck his tongue out at the snail, "I'm going to be the Pirate King!"

Garp shook himself, "I'll deal with your stupid ideas later." He promised darkly, getting Luff to stiffen in fear, "Anyway, what happened over there?"

Nojiko cut in before Luffy could continue, "Ah, Garp-sama. If you'll allow it, I think I could explain better than Luffy. He doesn't know the full story."

Garp was silent for a moment, "ANOTHER GIRL? MY PRECIOUS GRANDSON! I'M SO PROUD! YOU'VE MADE ME A HAPPY GRANDFATHER TODAY! Please call me grandpa, girls!"

It was Nojiko's turn to flush completely red and get the sly leers from Nami, "Ah, anyway. Garp-sama-"

"Grandpa!" Garp cut in.

Nojiko's head dipped, completely embarrassed, "Okay grandpa-" She mumbled in a mortified tone, getting an ecstatic shout from Garp, "Listen carefully please. Five years ago, Arlong and his crew of Fishmen came here to the Conomi Islands from the Grand Line. Upon arriving, he completely crushed our home under his fist. We've been under occupation from him for five years." She said sadly, "He instituted a ban on weapons and Den Den Mushi so that we wouldn't be able to call anyone for help." Tears prickled in her eyes, before streaming down both girls faces. Luffy looked at them in worry for a moment, before sitting in between them and pulling them in for tight hugs. They both allowed it, resting their tearstained faces on him. After letting go of a shuddering breath, Nojiko continued, "Arlong also instituted a tax on our lives! Every single month, we had to pay 100,000 Beli for adults and ฿50,000 for children! If we didn't pay, he would kill the person and then destroy their entire village! It never happened here on Cocoyashi, but we've heard plenty of rumors from the other Islands of it happening!"

Nami burst out in an anguished cry, "When he arrived, our mother Bell-mère only had 100,000! She used it for us and that fucking Fishman shot her right between the eyes in front of us and then forced me to work as a slave for him making maps!" She started sobbing in complete sorrow, overwhelmed by her memories.

Luffy looked absolutely furious. He may not have known these girls long, but they were already friends! He pulled them both into tight embraces and just let them sob on him, rubbing their backs and gently running his fingers through their hair to comfort them. But if Luffy looked furious, it was nothing to how Garp sounded. The man was practically spitting out nails, "Luffy, you better have completely crushed that shark."

"Broke the nose he was so proud of." Luffy confirmed, "And I'm pretty sure he'll never walk again." He had a dark tone of satisfaction that seemed oddly out of place on the bright, bubbly boy, "It's people like him that almost make me want to be a Marine. Almost."

Garp latched on to that like a starving man with a piece of meat, "You should! You can help people and save them from guys like him!"

Luffy almost laughed, "I swore I would be the Pirate King, so I'll be the Pirate King! That doesn't mean I won't feed jerks like him their own teeth."

Garp ground his teeth in frustration, but moved on, "Why was none of this reported! There are Marine patrols in that area!"

Nojiko snorted and hiccupped, "The-there were." She spat, "There were plenty of Marines, all of whom were either in Arlong's back pocket on too weak to do a thing! In fact, the most interesting thing happened." She sounded vindictive and vicious. She had a wide, dark grin on her face as her eyes bored into the now-awake-and-trembling Nezumi, "Not two minutes after Luffy destroyed Arlong and his crew, that rat bastard Nezumi showed up and told everyone he would be taking all the credit for taking down Arlong! Not only that, but he also said he would be taking all of the treasure my sister Nami managed to collect in her attempt to raise a hundred million Beli to buy our town back from Arlong!"

Garp was oddly calm on the other end. It was as if they had stepped into the eye of a tornado. They knew that the moment he spoke, the storm would be hitting. "Commander Nezumi of the 16th branch. Yes, I have his profile here in front of me. Is he awake to hear this?"

Nami had wiped the tears off her beautiful face and was smirking at the colorless Nezumi, "Yes, he is."

"Good." Garp said quietly, "NEZUMI THE RAT." He roared out, "I HEREBY STRIP YOU AND EVERY MARINE UNDER YOU OF ALL RANKS AND COMMENDATIONS." Nezumi instantly burst into tears, "YOU ARE HEREBY SENTENCED TO IMPEL DOWN! SPECIFICALLY THE SAME CROWDED CELLS ARLONG AND HIS CREW ARE GOING TO BE STUFFED INTO." Nezumi looked like his mind had broken. The ghost from earlier left his body once more, sobbing and blubbering for mercy. Once more, Luffy reached out and slammed it back into his body, "You'll get the same mercy you would have shown these people!" Garp growled out, "Luffy, crush him!"

Luffy grinned, "Gladly! I may have met Nami and Nojiko only today, but they're my friends! NO ONE HURTS MY FRIENDS!" He held a glowing purple fist out and Nezumi instantly felt as though the entire world was on top of him. The ground under him and every Marine with him cracked and crumbled, sending all of them plunging into an abyss so dark even the light from the blazing sun could barely reach them. A perfect, massive hole in the earth marred the landscape of Cocoyashi, a tribute to the corruption of one man and the greed and hate of another.

Nami and Nojiko were beet red, but warm feelings were bubbling inside of them. It felt…nice. They hugged Luffy for all he was worth once more. Garp was also was calmer, "Luffy, former Commander Nezumi had his own Marine Warship under his command. On it will be plenty of Seastone cuffs and weapons for the people of the Conomi Islands to keep the peace. They won't be able to hold the Fishman until I get there with the kind of equipment they would have on such a peaceful island, so I'll need you to get the ship and help supply the people there. There is no way they'll be unconscious for the amount of time it would take me to get there, so you'll need to do it for me." Luffy grumbled about being hungry and not wanting to be a Marine, so Garp rolled his eyes, "Your girlfriends promised you a feast didn't they? It won't get finished any sooner if you sit around, so just help me out here Luffy. It's not like it'll make you a Marine."

Suddenly, Luffy had a light bulb light up above his head, and both of the girls – who were weakly protesting that they were NOT Luffy's girlfriends under their breath – almost felt like scooting away. That was the kind of sly grin Nami got on her face when she was about to strip an entire bedroom – mattress included – right from under a scumbag pirate. "Hey grandpa! Since stupid Megumi won't need his ship anymore, can I have it?" Nami and Nojiko's jaws dropped straight to the floor at the sheer audacity of the request.

Garp on the other end was frozen with his finger in his nose and staring dumbly at his own snail, which was mimicking the pose while staring at Luffy. 'This little idiot.' He thought with a hidden grin, "Eh, sure thing. Consider it a birthday present." He said, while thinking, 'He can barely sail a dinghy. It'll be beached by the end of the week.' He started to laugh.

Nami and Nojiko and the rest of the people still there erupted in shock, "HE AGREED!" Their eyes were popping out of their skulls as they stared dumbly at the snail.

"Shishishi! Thanks grandpa! I have a ship! I have a ship!" he pulled Nami and her sister up to their feet and started dancing in elation with them while crowing in victory! His mood was infectious, and soon both girls were giggling with him.

"Anyway!" Garp coughed, getting their attention, "Luffy, I'll see you back in Goa! Knowing you, you won't want to stay there for too long! It'll take me roughly ten days to get there from where I am to pick up Arlong, Nezumi, and their men, so I'll see you in about three weeks!" He had that confident, sure grin on his face that the girls could see mimicked on Luffy's face. They really were related.

"Okay! Bye grandpa! Love you!" Luffy grinned and hung up! He picked up the snail before turning to Genzo, "Hey pinwheel guy, can you find a place for this little guy? I want to keep him."

"My name is Genzo, and I would be glad to." He took the snail, "Luffy, where do you want us to bring the Fishmen, and what are we going to do with the ex-Marines?"

Luffy shrugged him off, "I'll leave them in their hole. I'll bring the ship here to unload the stuff."

"Eh?" Nami poked him, "What do you mean you're going to bring the ship here? There's no water hole big enough for it and there isn't a river wide enough to even get it here."

"I'm going to fly it here!" Luffy exclaimed in excitement. And the sheer confidence in his ability to do so suddenly reminded all of them that they should be utterly terrified of this boy. Especially with his claims of becoming the Pirate King! But, they just weren't. He was too nice! He had saved them! They trusted him to not hurt them, especially after what he had done for Nami and Nojiko the moment he learned what Nezumi was truly about to do.

"You're going to fly it here." Nojiko deadpanned.

"Yep! I'm a gravity man! I can make anything fly!" Luffy said confidently.

And later, when the massive, floating warship came into view and blot out the sun, they realized that they probably were just a little terrified.

-]|[-

"You're trembling." Luffy reached out a hand and grasped Nami's shoulder, "Are you okay Nami?" He asked her in concern.

It has been hours since Luffy had gotten the ship back out onto the ocean, and preparations for the feast were well underway. Unfortunately, they still had hours to kill until everything was ready, so Luffy had to make do with a tiny boar until then.

Tiny being very much relative.

So, to get his mind off his hunger, Nojiko had suggested that they go search through Arlong Park. The massive mansion was still pristine, if completely abandoned now. Who knew what they could find here? Nami had immediately agreed, thinking of all of the money they could possibly find! With how much Arlong absolutely loved money, who knew how much could be inside the mansion? Unfortunately, she had been too caught up with Beli in her eyes to realize what that meant she would have to confront.

Nami and Luffy – who had gone with her while Nojiko had broken away from them a little earlier – were standing in a simple room. It was fairly Spartan, with no bed in sight. Only a desk and mountains of papers stacked neatly everywhere. Luffy noticed a small, golden object on the floor and he picked it up. It was a pen. An elaborate golden pen with a feather at the end. It was covered in dried blood. "Nami, what is this room?"

She hugged herself, silent tears falling from her eyes, "When I was really young, I had a dream." She said tearfully, and he turned to look at her, "My dream was to map the entire world!" She declared, passion still in her voice, "I loved creating maps. I was good at it! When Arlong came…he…he found my maps. Said that my talent was unrivaled." She closed her eyes and started trembling, the flow of tears only increasing, "So he took me against my will!" She cried out, "Forced this hideous tattoo on to my arm!" She dragged her nails across the visible mark hard enough that she even drew blood, "And told me that if I wanted Nojiko to live, I would join his crew as his cartographer!" She fell to her knees and sobbed her heart out, holding her face in her hands. Her voice still came through, if slightly muffled, "Map after map, day after day, he forced me to rot in here drawing perfect maps for the person who murdered my mother in front of my eyes. I hated him! I hated pirates! I hated it! I HATED EVERYTHING!" She screeched.

Luffy took his hammer from his back and walked over to her. He held it out for her in a single hand. When she finally took her wet hands away from her eyes, she gasped at the sight of the massive, vicious weapon held out in front of her. Luffy had this blank, hard look in his eyes as he stared at her, "This room can't exist." He declared firmly.

She looked from him to the hammer and back to him, "I…I can't possibly lift this…" She whispered, remembering Kurobi struggling and failing to lift it himself. If a powerful Fishman like him couldn't lift it, how could a waif like her? But Luffy didn't budge, and stared at her unblinkingly. Finally, she reached a trembling hand over and grasped the shaft. He dropped it, and she lurched forward in panic at the weight. But then she stopped in stared at it in wonder, "It… it's light!" She exclaimed. He smiled encouragingly at her, pulling her to her feet.

She looked around, gazing at the room where she was tortured and where she had the most nightmares of. The hammer was glowing purple in her hands, imbued with Luffy's power. She grit her teeth, determination igniting a fire in her soul, "ARLONG!" She screamed with all her might, lifting the impossibly light weapon over her head and smashing it into the table Arlong had held her down on so many years ago. The moment the weapon hit, the table seemed to turn into sawdust, crushing under the power of gravity. "ARLONG!" She screamed again, swinging it sideways into the stack of papers. Every single sheet was shredded and the wall behind it collapsed, blown outward off the side of the building. Again and again, she pounded the room, screaming the monster's name all the while.

Finally, when there was nothing but broken wood and shredded white fluff in the room, she collapsed to her knees in exhaustion. Luffy was in front of her, pulling her into his arms. She sobbed out onto his shoulder as he clutched her tightly to his chest, "He made you hate your dream and killed your loved ones." He said strongly, "And he made you cry. I'll never forgive that shark bastard! No one hurts my friends!" All the while, she sobbed in relief, finally allowed the joy of catharsis after a never-ending, five-year long nightmare. "No one should ever hate their dream." He was running his hand through her hair, determined to try to give her at least some comfort.

"I don't." She whispered, "Not anymore." She was hiccupping and rubbing her face against his neck, "You saved me. You saved all of us!" She leaned back and gave him a watery smile, "Now, everyone can smile from the heart again!" She buried her face in his neck once more, "Now I'll be able to sail for me. I'll be able to map the whole world without that monster breathing down my neck! All because of you…" Her body felt warm in his arms, and she knew she was blushing. She could feel the heat rise up in her cheeks.

"Of course you will!" He grinned, "Come with me! I'll need a navigator for my crew! And the Pirate King needs only the best!"

She drew back, staring at him in wonder, "You…you haven't even seen anything I can do! You would take that risk?"

"What risk?" He looked at her innocently, "You're my nakama! There's no way I'm leaving you behind!"

She just stared at him, both in disbelief and in awe. She felt odd. A warm, funny feeling was bubbling up inside of her. She didn't know what it meant, but she knew one thing. She would follow this boy to the ends of the world. She threw her arms around him, "I'll do it!" She whispered into his ear, getting a shiver from the boy. He grinned brightly and held her close, "I'll follow you anywhere, Pirate King…"

"I will as well." With an 'eeep' of shock, Nami broke away from the boy red-faced. Nojiko for once didn't have that teasing grin on her face. Rather, she was a little red as well.

"Nojiko!" Nami yelled in shock.

Luffy just pumped both fists into the air, "WHOOO! I haven't even started my journey yet and I already have two awesome Nakama!"

"Nojiko, are you sure?" Nami asked her sister in bewilderment. Her sister never once had expressed a desire to travel with her. Why now?

Nojiko smiled at her younger sister, wrapping her up in a hug, "The truth is Nami…I always wanted to be there for you. I always wanted to leave with you, just the two of us." She looked down, "I was the older sister and you were the one always risking yourself. I couldn't stand it! I was always worried! Always wishing I could be by your side and watching your back!" She sighed, "But we both know Arlong would never have allowed it. If I was with you, you might have gotten ideas, was probably what he would think. So I never brought it up." She smiled wanly, but her sister wrapped her arms around her too.

"Thank you…" Nami whispered, "But…you don't know how to fight at all. And who will watch Bell-mère's mikan trees?"

"I know. Even if you had managed to collect the 100 million Beli, who's to say Arlong wouldn't have just sent that rat after it? How would that rat have even known about it if Arlong hadn't kept him in the loop just in case you got close?" Nojiko said seriously and Nami gasped, having never considered that before, "He technically wouldn't have been lying, and neither of us would have been able to do a damn thing about it! I never want to be that weak again! That's why I'm so glad Luffy isn't planning on setting out for another three years!" She grinned, "Plenty of time for us to find something and at least get started! And we're bringing the trees with us of course. We have a massive ship to start out from!"

Luffy inserted himself into the conversation. Literally. He wrapped his arms around both girls, "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll find something!" He grinned, "And of course you can bring the trees! I'll do anything to see you two smile! Shishishi!" He had closed his eyes as he gave them an impossibly wide grin, so he entirely missed both girls flushing completely red.

Nojiko smiled brightly, "Thank you Luffy…" She grinned and stepped away, "Well, what are we doing sitting around here! We still haven't even hit Arlong's office!"

"Shishishi! That's right! Let's go!" Pulling the two girls along, they all laughed and giggled all the way down every flight of stairs and into the basement to Arlong's massive, decadent bedroom. The room was underwater, and had only one actual wall. That was because the rest of the room was surrounded on all sides by the deep, blue sea. It was a beautiful room, and Nami hated every single inch of it.

"He certainly knew how to live in style." Nojiko drawled as she eyed the massive King Sized bed in the center.

"Even I've never been in here, something I'm pretty glad for." Nami sneered in distaste. At least she had that to be thankful for. As beautiful as she was, she was still a human. Much to her relief, the xenophobic Fishmen had never tried that. But she soon forgot all about those thoughts as she noticed a section of the floor that looked…off. "Hello…what are you?" She went over and kneeled down, trying to figure out what was wrong with the floor. Finally, she found a small circle carved for no apparent reason and ran her finger over it. It depressed.

She grinned as the entire section of floor popped up on a hinge, revealing a set of stairs leading even further down! "Guys! Over here!" She led them down and turned on the lights, revealing a large room. She grinned when she found an absolutely massive safe! Her eyes turned into Beli! "Let's get this thing open!'

Luffy stepped up, "Back up the stairs you two! I don't want to hurt you accidentally." The two girls stepped back as first Luffy's hands and then the safe's door started glowing purple. He visiblly started straining as the sound of groaning metal filled their ears as the vault door bulged outward. They heard glass shattering, meaning that the safety deadlocks had engaged. Luffy started glowing more intensely, and the groaning noise increased. Luffy growled and switched directions, pushing instead of pulling. Back and forth he went, using his gravity to weaken the metal before finally, with a massive screech, the entire door split in half and buried themselves into the walls on either side of him.

All three jaws dropped. Nami started to cry, "Gold…" She whispered, the golden light shining on her face and burrowing into her soul. "GOLD!" She dove right into the massive pile of coins and started swimming in it. She looked like she was going to go into a treasure coma. Luffy joined her with an excited yell, landing on top of her and rolling around with her joyfully. Now Nami was elated for an... entirely different reason. Nojiko giggled a fair bit, drooling at the contents. There were more than just coins and bills. There were even gold statues and art pieces. Cups and crowns and scepters and all manners of jewels. All of the best pieces of treasure Arlong ever stole in East Blue must have been in here!

And yet, even with all of the treasure in there, the things that caught her attention the most were the things that weren't shiny. "Why would Arlong have some silly looking fruit in here?" She asked in confusion, scratching her head. Indeed, sitting on a silver plate with a glass dome over it was a strange looking fruit.

Luffy froze in his rolling around with Nami, causing her to finally start paying attention to the outside world. She noted she was on top of Luffy and scrambled off him, blushing scarlet, "F-fruit?" She stammered as Luffy got up and walked over to Nojiko. She followed them and looked bewildered, "It is a fruit! Why would Arlong keep fruits in here?"

Luffy had a grin on his face, "It's a Devil Fruit."

They both stifled gasps, eyeing them with much more respect than before, "Like yours, Luffy?" Nojiko questioned.

Luffy laughed, "Definitely not. Each and every Akuma no Mi is entirely unique." He explained, "My power was a jackpot, but you could just as easily get some really stupid power. That's pretty rare though. Shanks told me that – although you lose the ability to swim – it is very, very rare for you to become weaker after eating one." He started laughing, "And then he told me about some poor guy who ate a Fruit that forced him to only speak in bad jokes! Shishishi!"

Nami sputtered and giggled, "Really? Bad jokes? Was he serious?"

Luffy laughed, "Not sure, but it always cracked me up!" He grinned at the two of them, "So…Either of you two going to give it a go?"

Nami and Nojiko's jaws dropped, "You would let us just eat it? Aren't these great treasures? If it was in this vault, it must be stupidly expensive!"

"An unknown fruit starts out at a hundred million." Luffy declared with a grin. Nami and Nojiko's jaws dropped to the floor, "A known fruit will go for one fifty. To start. Shanks told me that he heard about one Fruit that the Marines tried to buy for five billion Beli."

"That…just one of these fruits would have saved Cocoyashi." Nami felt her legs give way, as she slid to the ground like jelly. Nojiko wasn't much better, looking at the small, unique fruit in awe. "We could be rich…"

"No." Luffy said with a tone of finality, "Any Devil Fruit we find stays with us. That was something Shanks told me. If it's a powerful Fruit and we sell it, it could be used against us later! Even if you don't eat them, they're coming with us."

Nami looked ready to argue, but Nojiko put a hand on her shoulder, "He's right Nami. Imagine someone with his fruit coming after us because Luffy sold it instead of eating it. Imagine if Arlong had bought it!"

Nami had a lump in her throat that absolutely would not go away at the though. Finally, she nodded. Luffy went back to his usual, grinning self, "So girls! Either of you want it?"

Nami looked hard at the Fruit, before she felt herself shaking her head, "No. I like swimming too much! I won't give that up unless I know for sure that it would be an amazing power." She giggled as Luffy helped her back to her feet.

Nojiko, upon hearing that, lifted the glass and took the fruit up into her hands, staring at it in indecision. Luffy hugged her from behind, "If you're not sure, then don't think we're pressuring you into it. It's your decision and your decision only."

She smiled, "Thank you Luffy." She looked indecisive for a moment more, "Since Nami doesn't want it, I call it. I'm not sure if I'll eat it yet, but I get first bite." She stuck her tongue out.

"Shishishi! Sure thing!"

-]|[-

CRACK! SPARKLE! WOOSH!

The sky lit up in beautiful fireworks! It was a gorgeous, cloudless night. Bonfires were burning, people were singing, music was playing, and the people of the Conomi Islands feasted to their heart's content! Boars, sheep, cow, Bluefin Tuna, a Cocoyashi special called Ham Melon…food piled as high as the tables could stand throughout the village! Alcohol – which was another thing Arlong had banned, eager to wring the very life right out of the people's eyes – flowed like water. Only the smallest of children were kept away from it!

And in the middle of it all was Monkey D Luffy, consuming enough food for twenty men. His appetite seemed as voracious as the Black Holes he could conjure. He had already consumed an entire Bull, an ox, three pigs, about half a field's worth of rice, and had drank about two casks of rum and another of juice! And defying all expectations, he was still the same, skinny twig that they had met earlier that day. The townsfolk weren't sure whether they should be awed or revolted. Despite his quick eating, he somehow hadn't gotten his new clothes messed up in the slightest. Having been forced to shower by the girls, they had given him a scarlet dress shirt – which he kept open along with black dress pants and shoes. He wasn't sure why, but the two girls had been very insistent on it before they disappeared themselves. He hadn't seen them in a couple hours.

After a little while, a slightly flushed Nojiko came by and sat with him, pressing flush against him. She was wearing a tight, black dress that clung to her every curve and came up only to just above her knee. A strange feeling went through Luffy at the sight of her. A sweet scent, one that Luffy really liked invaded his nostrils, "Hey Luffy." She breathed into his ear. He wasn't really sure why, but it made him shiver.

He hugged her with one arm and pulled her closer, "Hey Noji! The food was delicious! Shishishi!" He gave her that closed-eye, wide grin of his. Her attempt at flirting apparently a waste, she rolled her eyes.

"Yes it was." She smiled, her head pressed lightly onto his neck. She had to fight to keep from drooling at the sight of him. He certainly cleaned up nicely. "You look great." She breathed as she pulled away.

"Thanks, Shishishi! You look great too, Noji!"

She beamed, having honestly not been expecting the compliment, "Want to do something fun?" Her eyes were lidded, smoky, and all for him. He felt that unknown shiver pass through him again as she pulled him up and led him towards the music. She stopped and came close to him, her right leg coming to rest in between his legs, and his right doing the same to hers. She kept a firm grip on his left hand with hers, and had her other arm around his neck. Luffy's free hand came up to rest on her lower back. Unconsciously, Luffy stepped closer to the beautiful blue-haired late-teen. She smiled and started rolling her hips, driving mystery sensations straight up Luffy's spine. They started moving, grinding together and taking tiny steps back and forth. She leaned closer, her head coming closer to his, "Have you ever danced like this?" She whispered, her warm breath hitting his ear and sending shocks through him. She felt a little twitch out of him. All of a sudden, Luffy developed a mystery appreciation for whatever she was doing to him.

"No." He said back, trying to mimic her actions. He succeeded in making the slight red flush on her face a little darker, "But I really like it." He pulled her closer to him, "It feels a little weird, but it's a fun weird." She grinned victoriously, though she was a little confused. Did he really not know what she was doing?

"Can I cut in?" A sweet, sexy voice broke them from her thoughts. Nami was standing there, a rosy flush on her face. She had her hair done up and a red dress as tight as Nojiko's that was even a little shorter. The only real thing detracting from her sexy image was the bandages on her left arm. Nojiko felt Luffy 'twitch' again upon laying eyes on her sister.

"What happened?" Luffy exclaimed, looking at her bandaged arm.

She smiled, "I got rid of that hideous tattoo. I'll be getting another one tomorrow."

Luffy grinned back at her. "Well, you still look great! I love red!" Nami shot her sister a victorious little smirk.

Nojiko pouted lightly at her as she disengaged from Luffy, who felt an odd feeling of utter loss. He grinned broadly as he felt Nami's heat fill the void Nojiko had left. He unknowingly had a small blush on his face, for reasons unknown to him. Before Nami wrapped herself up with him Nojiko whispered something in her ear that got the mikan-haired girl to smirk broadly. Nami immediately started rolling her hips and grinding with him a bit more aggressively than her sister, and she was elated to feel him grow larger. She had set a faster pace, moving quicker than Luffy was quite used to. Thankfully, his rapid reflexes meant that he had avoided stepping on any toes - for both of the girls, much to their delight. He was quickly getting the hang of the steps too, so the dance felt less awkward and more…steamy. Suddenly, Nami sprang away from him, twirling while holding his hand tightly with one of her own. Then she twirled back, coming close to him once more. Only this time his arm was wrapped around her waist and she was pressing her delightfully firm derriere against his hardening member. he let out a little groan as they both pressed tighter on each other.

Luffy didn't know what was going on. His pants felt really, really tight all of a sudden and he felt hot. Almost unbearably hot. The mystery feeling was almost like he was hungry, but his full (for once) stomach told him otherwise. He was breathing harder than normal, and for some reason all he could think about was the girl in his arms.

And then she wasn't. Nojiko had walked by, holding an empty tankard in one hand and a full one in another, which she passed to a disengaging Nami with a smirk. Luffy nearly keened at the loss, before eagerly wrapping Nojiko into his arms. She came with a smile, a larger flush on her face than last time. Nojiko, slightly more courageous, grinned in anticipation before giving him a light kiss on his neck. She felt his body stiffen and she grinned in victory, opening her mouth a bit and giving his neck a little suck and a little bite. Luffy moaned, "I don't know what this mystery feeling is, but I really like it!" He declared loudly. She giggled. So innocent!

"Well, if it feels good, why don't you try it with me too?" She pulled back slightly and exposed her creamy neck, "Gently…mhmm…" She was the one to moan this time and she felt his lips dance lightly on her skin. Before too long, Nami was back and they switched again. And then again. And as the moon went through its journey in the sky, Luffy grew increasingly addicted to as well as frustrated at the mystery feelings. Finally, Nojiko took pity on the stiff, eager boy, "Hmm, I'm tired. Why don't you take us home, Luffy?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him. Her flush was much deeper by now, as was Nami's.

"But I want to keep dancing." He pouted, "It's really fun!"

Nami smirked broadly, joining her sister in his arms. She brought her lips up to his ear, "You like the mystery feelings, don't you?" She leaned closer and gave his earlobe a little nibble. He practically spasmed, "Don't worry." She cooed, "We're going to do something even more fun…"

"More fun?" He gasped, "Is that even possible?"

Nojiko giggled. He was so adorable, "Of course… Take us home, Luffy!" The boy was practically vibrating in excitement, eager to experience whatever was going to be better than what he'd been going through all night. The finally reached their house and unlocked the door. They made Luffy go in first and then pushed him up to Nojiko's bedroom, before following him in and shutting the door.

LEMON

-]|[-

The sun was shining, the gulls were singing, and the elated village of Cocoyashi had finally crashed from their three straight days of practically non-stop partying. Luffy's new ship was moored right off the coast, ready to depart at any time. Its holds were full to practically bursting with all of the treasure they had…liberated from Arlong Park. All that was left was the thirty million Beli Nami was leaving behind for the town. But gold and treasure weren't the only things in those holds. Nami and Nojiko had both packed their entire wardrobes on board in the rooms they had chosen as theirs. The townspeople had learned well, and had stocked the ship with more food, drink, spices, and ingredients than an entire crew of fifty men could consume in a two week trip.

It would probably be gone before they ever got close to Goa, knowing Luffy.

Nojiko and Nami had already loaded up all of Bell-mère's mikan trees, so there really was nothing left for them to do. Well, almost nothing, "We'll miss you mum…" Nami and Nojiko were alone in front of their mother's grave. Nami had her new tattoo displayed proudly - a leaf with a tangerine on it crossed with a pinwheel. They both were holding back tears, determined not to cry in front of her. They had cried for long enough. This was supposed to be a happy goodbye, "Do you think she'd be proud?" Nami asked her older sister, who was holding on to her tightly.

"Of course…" Nojiko said, "You fought so hard Nami. We all persevered. We survived. And a mother is always supposed to love her daughters." She smiled gently and gave her younger sibling a small peck on the cheek, "She's probably up there right now, crowing to everyone in earshot about how much she loves us."

Nami giggled, "She was a Marine though. We're both going to be pirates."

Nojiko laughed outright, "Never thought I'd hear that come out of either of our mouths." They stared at her grave, "We're leaving now, mom. We love you! Watch over us…"

And as they were getting up, they both experienced the strangest thing. It was as if it had gotten a tad warmer, and the air a bit heavier. It was almost as if…they were feeling a warm, loving embrace. Nami and Nojiko could practically hear their mother's voice, telling them to make sure they kept safe and that she wanted lots of grandchildren.! They both flushed, before the feeling vanished. They didn't know if they had just imagined the whole thing, but they knew one thing for certain.

They would make their mother proud, just as she was of them.

They walked away, feeling freer than they had ever felt before. The entire town was waiting for them at the docks getting grins from the both of them. Nami looked over at her sister with a teasing glint in her eyes, "Better keep up sis!" And with that, she was off like a shot. Nojiko laughed, taking off after her as quickly as she could. "Luffy!" Nami screamed, getting the waiting boy to perk up and see his two girls running towards the ship, "SET SAIL!" Luffy chuckled as he saw the girls break away from one another. He reached out with his powers and dropped all of the sails. The anchor-lines all glowed purple before retracting into the ship, their giant winches spinning up under more of his power. It started moving, catching the wind and drifting from the island. Luffy hopped up onto the railing with his arms crossed, waiting with a huge grin.

The entire town as one realized what the two were about to pull. "Nami! Nojiko! No!" Genzo yelled in shock, "Aren't you going to say goodbye? AREN'T YOU GOING TO LET US THANK YOU?" He dove for Nami, who ducked him easily with a giggle. Nojiko had gone off on her own path, and was currently leading a gaggle of begging people behind her with a laugh. Nami took the time to weave around all of her would-be captors, before the two of them successfully met up once more. They ran down the pier to the very edge before they both leapt out onto the sea, hand in hand.

Luffy laughed his ass off at the indignant, shocked town. He reached a hand out and both girls started to glow, their jumps extending to ludicrous distances before they landed in his arms safely on the ship. Nami turned with that Cheshire grin of hers and lifted the hem of her shirt. Watches, wallets, and jewelry all started falling out from her shirt like rain. Luffy broke out into laughter as the townspeople panicked and Nojiko waved at them, "Bye everyone!"

Nami kissed Genzo's wallet, "Take care everyone! "

"YOU LITTLE THIEF!" They roared back at her, getting joyous giggles from the girl, "Come back here you little cat!"

Nami was finally able to smile, and she did so in utter joy! She smiled as widely as Luffy could, "BYE EVERYONE! WE'RE OFF NOW!"

Genzo waved, tears falling from his eyes as he remembered when he had first met the girls. In another part of the island, a single pinwheel sat in a burial mound.

-]|[-

"Ah, I've missed the sea!" Nami stretched like a cat next to her sister, who was simply relaxing while looking out at the ocean.

"I was too young to really remember my first time." Nojiko said

Nami smiled, resting her head on her sister's arm, "Thank you sis."

"Hmm?"

"For coming with us." Nami smiled, "I really would have missed you terribly if you hadn't decided to come."

"I would have too." Nojiko wrapped her arms around the younger girl, "I've never been happier with a decision I've made." She looked out to the ocean, "I can see why you love it so much."

"Yeah, it's so open and free. It's everything we wished for, for so many years." Nami smiled gently. She really loved this sight, no matter how many times she saw it.

"And now we have it." She turned back, looking at Luffy who was excitedly posing in front of the wheel like a captain. She giggled, "And it's all thanks to that idiot."

Nami laughed, "He may be an idiot, but he's our idiot." She was proud to have turned only slightly red.

"Hey, what's that?" Nojiko asked suddenly, shielding her eyes from the sun and gazing out.

Nami wrinkled her eyes, mimicking her older sister. "Is that a dinghy?" She asked in surprise. She squinted, "It is! Hey Luffy!" She called out to her Captain, who finally stopped posing, "There's a small boat there! You want to go check it out?"

"Shishishi! Of course!" Luffy turned the ship in the direction they were pointing him to, and a few minutes later, they were close enough to see what was inside. "I'm pulling it in! Be careful, you two!" Luffy raised his hand and levitated the boat, slowly and carefully bringing it inside and onto the deck. He placed it gently, and the two girls moved some crates under it to keep it steady. They all approached, and finally got a close-up look at what was inside.

Or rather, who was inside.

There were two people, one probably a little older than Nami and the other closer to Nojiko's age. They both looked pretty bad. They were shivering in their sleep and if their growling stomachs were anything to go by, they were starving. One of them was a man. He had bright green hair and three earrings on his left ear. He wore a white shirt and black pants with a fat green haramaki over his stomach. The most striking thing about him were the three katana held securely by his right arm. His left was holding the other person flush against him.

She was a girl with blue hair, a much darker shade than Nojiko's own blue hue. She was wearing a simple, white button up shirt, and was practically spilling out of them from the amount of strain shown on the buttons that weren't already opened. Much like her companion, she wore black slacks and a haramaki, dark blue in this case. In her hand that was resting on her companion's chest was a pristine, white-sheathed katana.

-]|[-

END

YOU GET A CURVEBALL. YOU GET A CURVEBALL. EVERYONE GETS CURVEBALLS!

So, let's get the important stuff out of the way;

Yes, that is Kuina.

The lemon can be found at Archive of Our Own under the pseudonym Primordial_Vortex. Those instructions are also on my profile. Unfortunately, spaces were not allowed so I had to use an underscore. I don't want to risk my account over lemons, so I will not be posting them here on this website. I WANT FEEDBACK ON IT! Please let me know how you think I could improve for the next one! Also, I suggest you reread the party scene before going into it. The dirty dancing was supposed to set it up. A little feedback on that scene would be awesome too!

Yes, Luffy's Hammer in its first (and perhaps final) iteration is the Gravity Hammer from Halo.

Yes, this DOES mean that Luffy and the Straw Hats will NOT have the Going Merry. Also, Nezumi's ship is not Nezumi's canon ship. I could not actually find a good picture of it initially, so I accidentally thought that Pudding Pudding's ship (The Marines Arlong's Crew destroyed) was Nezumi's. I like the look of it a bit better - it just looks a little sleeker and less rounded - so just blame it on the different time period. Let's just say Nezumi later used the money he got from collaborating with Arlong to commission a new, personal ship. Or he would have, if Luffy hadn't shown up. Also, am I the only one who can see this actually happen? I can actually picture Garp agreeing to it with a finger in his nose. Hopefully you all think I kept him in character. I figure Garp would definitely have turned serious momentarily under the situation.

IMPORTANT

You'll note that I did not describe the Devil Fruit Luffy, Nojiko, and Nami found. That was done very specifically, because I'm simply not sure yet about what kind of powers I want to give Nojiko yet. I have a few front-runners inside my head already, but maybe you guys can come up with something awesome that I haven't thought up of yet. So here, I'm letting you guys have a say. Start giving me ideas, and if I like it enough it just might make it in to the story. You can suggest a canon Fruit or a fan-made one. I only have one requirement: NO LOGIA. (Actually two. Don't suggest paper like Konan from Naruto. 2ez.)

-]|[-

A BIG SHOUTOUT TO Illyrian Soul, who helped me with translations where needed! Thank you so much!

Techniques:

Ryoku Ryoku no Tekken (Gravity Gravity Iron Fist)

Shitajiki (Crushed Beneath)

Ryūseiken (Meteor Fist)

Tengai (Beyond the Heavens)

Mizu Taiho (Water Cannon)

Suigeki (Water Hammer)

-]|[-

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of this! Next up will either be Supernova or my third idea (one of the challenges) will eat away at me until I just bite the bullet and write it as well. Frankly, I won't be able to focus on all of these and some will likely fall on the backburner, but if I can just get people interested and writing for One Piece, I'll be happy.

Also, it IS getting close to crunch time for me for this semester, so I may not have as much time to write as I have these past few weeks. Just keep that in mind.

Vortex out!