Disclaimer: One Piece and *ow* and any other work I may mention *ouch* doesn't belong to me. OWWW STOP THROWING TRASH AT ME I'M SORRY I'M SORRY!

~ Chapter 25 ~

"I guess it was too good to hope for a mission success without a confrontation with the Marines," Nami mumbled miserably.

"Definitely," I agreed as I looked at the now very visible massive Marine ship that was in front of us. The phrase 'Out of the frying pan and into the fire' came to mind as I looked back at the Marine fleet that was already chasing us.

"Usopp, what've you got?" Zoro yelled to the sniper standing on top of the ship.

"It's bad. It's so bad!" He came down from above, landing on his knees. I think he was literally drowning in his own tears.

"What's bad?" Nami asked, trying to prod something out of him in vain.

"EVERYTHING!" He screamed. "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"

"USOPP!" Sanji roared, effectively snapping the poor thing out of his terror filled haze. "What. Did. You. See?"

"Ships." He whimpered. "At least thirty of them armed to the teeth."

"Thirty?!" I yelled in horror. I whipped my head as I looked back at the single huge ship in front of us. Its immense girth was adorned on every inch with gold and black. The demon faced figure head had its incisors extended out like that of a vampire's, its tip touching the ocean's surface and its tongue hanging out. The sails were covered with either the standard Marine insignia in dark blue or a gigantic '8' in gold bordered with black. Luffy was right, the thing on the whole looked like a massive gargoyle floating on water. "What the hell do you mean thirty? There's only one!"

"They're li—lined up." He sniffed. "W—we can't see it be—be—because it's lined up behind that ship." He pointed weakly at the floating gargoyle and I turned around to look back at it. "Exactly behind it. The size of the ship is hi—hiding them." He stuttered.

"Ooooh boy…" I muttered as my arms wrapped over my head in horror. "We're completely screwed." The others turned around and looked at the trap into which we were being herded. The fleet which had been, until then, out of our sight, came into full view as they fanned out onto both sides of the main ship with a perfection that could only be acquired with military level training. Gliding across the water, the ships lined up to form a wide arc on the ocean surface, effectively blocking our escape route. To top it off, each ship was connected by multiple gigantic chains, which in turn cut down our chances for escape to zero. And to think this was the one time I didn't want to be right. "Completely, totally, and without a doubt on the worst end of the colorful spectrum of screwed."

"Pirates," a voice on speakers boomed from across the waters, originating from the floating gargoyle. "You are completely surrounded with no escape. Surrender now and you will not be hurt."

"I SURREN—!"

"Shut up, Usopp!" I yelled as I clamped down his mouth. "Surrender? Hah! And what the hell do they plan on doing with Ryuuji?" I muttered harshly, removing my hand from Usopp's whimpering tear-soaked face.

As if in answer, "Surrender the Sennenryu to the custody of the Marines, for it is the property of the greatest Commodore of the 8th branch of the Marines, Nelson Royale-sama."

"Did they seriously just say 'property'?" I said in disgust.

"I'll never give Ryuuji to you!" Apis, who'd been in shock until then, screamed in defiance. Nami stood by her side and corrected her, "We." Apis looked up in appreciation at the single word of reassurance.

"Get her inside," Zoro said. "It's not safe out here anymore."

"Then I'll go with her and keep her safe and far from danger." Usopp said gravely. It would have made a good front if we couldn't see his knees knocking together oh-so-clearly. But when Usopp tried to get her inside, Apis resisted fiercely, "No! I won't leave Ryuuji alone! He needs me with him!"

"He needs you to be safe!" Usopp answered soothingly. "If you're in danger, he might not keep himself safe."

As Apis processed this, Zoro shouted impatiently, "Oh hurry up for God's sake! They might fire any second!" at which the sniper quickly ushered her inside.

"I'll man the helm." Nami declared and ran up the flight of stairs. The rest of us turned back and went up to the bow to face the marine ships just as the booms of multiple cannons filled the air. She turned the ship just in time to avoid a cannonball which hit the water hard. The water sprayed all over us, leaving us drenched, while the ripples it caused on the ocean's surface rocked the Merry hard.

"What the hell was that?" Usopp shrieked as he came out of the cabin. "Oh god we've been hit! We've been hit! We're sinking! Oh my god I'm drowning! I don't want to spend my life in a jail! I DON'T WANNA DIIIIEEEE— " he was cut off suddenly as he landed flat on his back when the ship swerved sharply to the left to avoid an incoming cannonball.

"Shut up!" Sanji interrupted him harshly. "We're not sinking! OR dying!"

Usopp blinked a few times in confusion. "We're not? PHEW! That was scary! Who in the world made up that outrageous lie?" I was trying so hard to hold back my laughter as Zoro muttered in indignation, "You did!"

"Nami!"

"WHAT?!"

"There's a cannonball headed right at us." The captain yelled in a matter-of-fact tone.

"THEN DEAL WITH IT YOU DAMN CAPTAIN!"

"Wagatha!" He touched his treasured straw hat on his head as if in reverence as he stood up, grinning broadly. 'He's too cute!' I thought helplessly. His mouth opened wide as he sucked in the air even as he said, "Gomu Gomu no…" His body bloated up more than the normal person's as a result of his rubberized one. He grew till the point where even his arms and legs had begun to puff up and then he shut his mouth tight, preventing the air from escaping. 'He looks like a…'

"Fuusen." Luffy muttered from between his clenched teeth.

He jumped up, going high till he was directly in the way of the said cannonball's trajectory. By then, it was like a basic physics lesson. I could go on about how both their momentums collided, causing the cannonball to get deflected and about Newton's laws of motion, but I'm a good person so I'll spare you the details. This is what basically happened: we weren't hit.

After that, I don't know if it was half an hour or just a few seconds, it was a blur of attacks to deflect the incoming iron projectiles. I myself threw about a few Knockback Jinxes which, thank the heavens above, didn't affect me comparatively much.

"This is pointless if we can't get out of this damn ring!" Nami yelled from inside, still working furiously on steering Merry. We kept our balance as she suddenly veered the ship to the left, a giant spray of water which followed told us why.

"Nami-san's right!" the cook said as he landed on the ship after kicking off a cannonball. I'd like to repeat that he is hot. "We have to board the ships, cut off the chains so we can create an escape route."

"You guys can't go!" Usopp yelled in horror. "Who'll protect us?!"

"I'll stay!" I said. "But I can only hold out for so long." I took out Koden, scanning the seven books for something helpful, reading through the words with a speed I'd never before possessed. "Get me a cannonball!"

Within seconds, one landed right at my feet, the force of its fall causing dents in the wooden floorboards. I got to my knees, staring at the cannonball, printing it onto my mind's eye. I closed my actual eyes, still picturing the cannonball, except it had a lot more cannonballs for company. Zooming out of the dark room I imagined them to be in, I pictured the mild and bold blue striped ship I knew to be the room's location. Facing ahead, I opened my eyes to do the final zoom out: the more than two dozen blue Marine ships spread out in front of us.

"Accio Cannonballs."

At first there was nothing. Only a calm of sorts. Then we heard a crack, the splintering of wood, barely audible from the distance, but growing in volume as the number of cracks increased. Within a few seconds, our view of the Marines was blocked by a thick dark line of black iron spheres speeding towards us.

"Lyra, what're you doing?" Zoro asked cautiously, mild alarm tainting his face.

"All the cannonballs are heading here…" Usopp whispered in horror. "THEY'RE HEADING RIGHT AT US!"

Smirking in satisfaction, I turned around to snap my book shut in front of them, savoring the fear coloring their faces(except Luffy; he was kind of enjoying it like me). Cutting off my concentration on the spell, I raised my arms wide open. The cannonballs fell like the rain, raising a curtain of water on the surface of the ocean.

"For your consideration, the Jericho." I said at the exact moment before the resultant tidal wave and spray of water hit the ship, which, added up with the energy drain, almost knocked me off balance. 'Nailed it!'

"The what?!" Usopp asked in confusion as he picked himself up.

"If you could do that, why didn't you do it earlier?" Zoro asked, his arms crossed. The ever restating Zoro with the eternally crossed arms which show off his muscles. Yes, I'm frowning right now (also drooling in my head).

"I repeat," I muttered in annoyance as I took a deep breath and stood upright, "I'm still only like three days old!"

"Huh?" Usopp cocked his head to one side.

"She's talking about her powers." Sanji explained for me. "Leave her alone, marimo!"

"You could've done it sooner," Zoro muttered at which I gave him the death glare.

"Don't you dare forget that I have the power to soften your every crash landing, courtesy of Luffy."

I had the pleasure of seeing a mixture of realization, dread and horror spreading across his face just before he and Sanji were grabbed by Luffy and slingshot over to the enemy side.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Go back inside Apis."

"No!"

"Go. Inside."

"I'm staying."

"NOW!"

"NO!"

"Fine!" I growled. "I give up! Get hit by a stray cannonball for all I care!" I grumbled as I leaned on the railing and watched the girl pet her friend.

Yes, I'd thrown all the cannonballs down to Davy Jones' Locker only it turned out, I didn't. I'd apparently left out a few because the Marines continued to fire at us, albeit at intervals of three or more minutes with the ships shooting at us randomly. I think they're scouring the ships for cannonballs. Also, when I'd cast the spell, I'd completely forgotten about the initial fleet of five Marine ships that were chasing us, so now we were being hammered from our rear. I'd gone out to keep an eye on Ryuuji and keep them from shooting him, ended up having to look out for Apis as well because she'd snuck out during the commotion and been with him the whole time. I can't tell if she's loyally brave or incredibly stupid; either way, the amount of it is impressive. 'But even they've stopped shooting,' I thought as I looked back at the fleet off the stern.

Nami was out front checking on the monster trio's progress while Usopp was up on the crow's nest keeping an eye out for random incoming cannonballs. The first few minutes were extremely trying with the amount of cannonballs flying in but I was somehow able to hold on with a lot of help from Nami. But now with the Marines not firing anymore, she got Usopp to pull up the sails so we won't get any closer to the enemy line than we had to. We were already pretty close. 'But why did they stop firing?'

"I'll be right back," I told Apis as I pushed myself off the railing. "Let me go talk to Nami. Call out if you see any signs of trouble. I don't like this silence from their part."

"Un."

I walked towards the bow, in the direction of the navigator with the telescope, her back towards me. 'She hasn't noticed me…' Standing behind her, I looked up at the crow's nest, trying in vain to spot Usopp.

"They've cut down three of them."

My hands shot towards my mouth to stop my squeal midway. I turned around to glare at Nami, "Don't scare me like that!"

"I'm standing right in front of you!" She cocked her head towards me indignantly. "How the hell can you not notice that?"

I shook my head, "For-forget it… You were saying?"

"Luffy and the others… they've cut down three of the chains. But there're Marines coming in from the other ships. They're facing at least two hundred."

"Will they be okay?" I asked, worried at hearing the numbers.

"They'll be fine!" Nami grinned. "You don't know them. They're monsters when it comes to strength. It'll take much more than just two hundred to keep the three of them down."

"If you haven't noticed," I said with a sweat-drop, "We have about thirty ships surrounding us with at least a hundred or more aboard each."

"You worry too much over the unnecessary details. Like I said, they've cut down three chains and have only one more to go. We'll be out of here before the Marines can say 'Pirates'!"

"Mhmm." I was still unconvinced.

"Lyra!" A voice yelled from above just as we heard the distant boom of a cannon. "10 O'clock!"

I quickly scanned the left side, my eyes roaming the air for a moving black dot. As soon as I spotted it I pulled Koden out and cast the jinx. "Flipendo."

The spell hit the cannonball when it was just a few meters away from the ship, knocking it back a few inches before it fell into the ocean.

Now I had used a lot of spells in comparatively a very short time. The reason I was favoring the Knockback Jinx was because it was easy, and the easier the spell is, the less chance for me to black out from energy loss. Anyway, back to the point, even though the spell was a basic 2nd year spell, using it too many times does have its toll. Just from that single time, I lost all the energy I'd managed to recover until then and was left slightly out of breath.

"You okay?"

"Now look who's worrying," I grinned at Nami. "I'm fine! Just a little out of breath."

"LYRA!"

This time it wasn't Usopp. The bloodcurdling scream shocked me to my core; the only word left on my lips came out in a whisper, "Apis."

"Apis!" Nami's yell in horror broke me from my own paranoid imagination. I quickly followed her, only a few steps behind. I was detachedly aware of Usopp yelling at someone to get away from Apis.

Just then, the ship shook hard, like it had been hit from something underneath. I saw Nami grab onto the railing in the nick of time just before my knees gave away beneath me. I pulled myself up to peek over the edge to the sea; though the ship was still wobbling, I was pretty sure the Marine ships in the distance were doing the same as well. The water was wild, splashing and churning like a potion in some witch's cauldron.

"What the heck was that?!" I screamed.

"I don—"

"What're you doing? He's getting away!" Usopp's yell from above snapped us back to the severity of the situation. We dashed to the rear end of the ship, but it proved to be partly in vain.

We arrived at the stern just in time to helplessly watch the ropes be cut up like butter by hook-hair. He'd already gotten Ryuuji's raft tied up to his boat.

"Lyra! Minna!" Apis whimpered as she useless fought against the hold the sleazebag had on her neck. "You've got to save Ryuuji!"

"Let's go," The bastard ordered the Marines who immediately pulled on the oars with a flinch.

"Oh no, you don't" I muttered as I climbed up the railing. "Whoa!" Keeping one's balance when on top of a narrow railing is obviously pretty hard. "Faster!" hook-hair yelled at his lackeys. Thankfully they were going slow because of Ryuuji's weight.

"Lyra what're you doing? Get down from there!" I ignored Nami, my focus on Ryuuji's cart which was closer than the rowboat. But the distance was increasing inch by inch for each second I hesitated.

"Here goes everything," I crouch slightly, putting all my force on pushing off the railing. Then I jumped, arms and legs flailing, and fell with a thud on something soft and furry.

"Ungh," I groaned as I pushed myself off Ryuuji's back. "Sorry about that old man." I muttered as I slid off him but stayed hidden behind. "Don't mind if I take some cover, do you?" The dragon rumbled in an answer which I assumed was in my favor. I could physically feel the tension rolling off of him in waves. "Don't worry, I'll get that bastard. I'll protect Apis for you." The words felt so awkward and so right when I said them. Such gallant words were always reserved for my idolized heroes who could get away with these cheesy lines, never for an 18 year old nerd who felt that if she could live and die in a library, it would be the ultimate achievement of her life.

I looked back at the ship. Nami was standing, clutching at the railing, with her jaws dropped. 'I can't believe I did that either.' I thought as I turned back around. I peeked over the dragon's humongous body, at hook-hair, readying myself for the offence. I tensed up suddenly when I saw the lowlife skunk still holding Apis by the hair and the back of her neck. I watched him bring her closer as he muttered something with undisguised malice. What he did next physically shocked everyone who was watching them, including the Marines: he flung Apis onto the floorboards of the rowboat, her head hitting hard against it, leaving her motionless.

For a moment, there was a silence, the moment in which I still hadn't comprehended what had happened. I could only just stare at the scene with a sort of blank confusion, as if I was simply watching some scene from a movie. I simply stood up and stared at hook-hair, still not comprehending what he'd actually done.

"APIS!"

Nami and Usopp's scream ripped through the air. It hit me like an electric shock, finally knocking me out of my reverie, but not my confusion. I continued to stare at hook-hair, still not understanding one thing.

"Why?" I whispered.

The man turned around halfway, and looked me square in the eye. His eyes were cold. Inhumane.

"She's of no use to me."

I snapped. Before I'd even realized it, I was barreling towards the scum standing in front of me, an unrecognizable shriek of rage ripping through my throat. I could barely think. My single emotional state of being was fury, which was covering up the pure horror I felt at the honesty of his words. I only saw red as I watched a smug grin spread across his face. Only later did I realize its significance. The last thing I could remember was his oncoming fist.

XXXXXXXXXX

I felt like my head was being split open from inside.

The first thing I realized when I came to was that there was something louder than the customary ringing that was assaulting my ears. I was already crushing my palms on my ears in a feeble attempt to block out the noise by the time my vision had returned. I realized I was lying sprawled on the wooden floorboards of the rowboat, about exactly where Apis was.

"Apis," I grunted as pushed myself up. 'Quite the protection there, oh savior.' I opted to ignore my commentating inner prick.

Speaking of pricks, I couldn't spot the Prick of pricks anywhere, or the two Marines, for that matter. It was as I scanned the empty boat that I saw it and froze, agape. I barely noticed the joyous girl standing in front of me. I barely registered her screaming words, which had almost drowned in the dragon's head-splitting roar.

"You're nakama are coming!"

He was half-standing on the raft in a slight crouching position, his forelegs obviously supporting the bulk of his weight. The full length of his neck was flaunted as he craned it upwards, his fur and aged, wrinkled skin hanging loose. His mouth was wide open and I was almost convinced I could see a pulsating effect in the air originating from there, contorting his image in my eyes. For a second, he wasn't an ancient dragon but a majestic Sennenryuu with shining green plumage and an imperial air about him. Trust me when I tell you, it would have given you the chills even while you were about to have your eardrums pulverized.

"Ryuuji…" I whispered in awe, my eyes wide open.

After a few seconds, I became aware that I couldn't hear anything. I removed my hands from my ears but it still didn't make much of a difference. Either the world had gone dead quiet or my eardrums really did explode. 'Well, there isn't any blood coming out of it. So that's something.' To be quite honest, I was able to hear the sea by then.

I finally understood why it felt quiet as I stared back at the dragon's golden eyes staring down at me, his mouth closed and air-tight as it can be. All I could give in reply to his stare was a goofy, awkward chuckle and a very ineloquent "Wow…"

Suddenly, I lost balance and fell flat on my back with a surprised grunt. Apis kept her balance for a second more before she toppled on top me. Even as I was lying down, I could still feel the tremors through the wood of the boat, rocking it and the water around us. The sea looked like giant pebbles had been dropped in it and the resulting ripples were fighting for dominion over the rest.

"What the?! That's the third time!"

"Third?" I yelled at Apis.

"One happened when you were out cold. What is happening?!"

"Earthquake?" I offered uselessly but Apis looked like my words may have held some meaning.

"Underwater earthquakes?"

"Why the hell are you asking me? This is my first time on sea!" I yelled in frustration. "Where's a damn table when you need one?" I helplessly moaned. What use were emergency safety drills out here?!

Just then, two crashing ripples created a resultant tidal wave that broke right on top of the boat. It soaked the both of us to the bone in seawater, sapping every last bit of our strength along with it. "The perfect cherry on top." I muttered as I spit out the saltwater in my mouth.

When my strength returned a few seconds later, I pushed myself up with my elbows and scanned the water, searching for Going Merry. Sure enough, I spotted it at quite a distance. Turns out we were about halfway towards the Marines.

"Apis, get up!" I said as I got up to a sitting position. "Looks like we'll have to row a boat again!" Déjà vu… Always with the déjà vu. "Check if Ryuuji's alright."

I turned around and scanned the boat for the oars. I spotted two, but the other two were in the water, drifting away from us. "Crap," I muttered as I watched them go. "Looks like we'll have to share Apis, just like old times," I grinned. "Well, technically like four days ago, but still…"

At the continued silence, I grew suspicious. 'Did she faint from the seawater?' But just as I turned around, I heard her whisper in Japanese, "Honto?"

"Of course, 'really'!" I shot back. I realized only belatedly that she wasn't talking to me. As I looked on at the conversing duo, the excitement of the topic evident from Apis's tone, I started getting restless, itching to know what the suspense was all about. But before I could ask, the distant boom of a firing cannon had me whipping my head in the direction of the gargoyle-ship floating in the far distance.

There was no question about the intended target being us. I raised Koden in the air, taking up a defensive stance and putting off my spell for the last moment. I'd fainted once, barely recovered from the energy loss of multiple Knockback Charms before I was rendered unconscious the second time and now I'm standing in seawater-soaked clothes because of which my strength was still at an all-time low. It was a wonder I was still standing. So I needed to conserve the measly amount of strength I had.

All of a sudden, but annoyingly not for the first time, I lost my balance as the boat jerked, this time caused by Ryuuji's abrupt movements on the cart. But on the bright side, I remained on my feet. The dragon grunted and roared as he pushed himself up, throwing his raft off balance and the boat tied to it as well. Before I knew it, he'd unfurled wings; well, at least he was attempting to. Ryuuji's wings were half in the water but to his credit, he was raising them up, few inches at a time, to its full glory. It was only belatedly that I realized that he was placing them in the trajectory of the oncoming cannonball, protecting Apis and me.

"NO!" Both of us screamed in shared horror. "Get out of the way Ryuuji!" I yelled as I jumped with all my might onto his cart. Scrambling frantically back to my feet, I climbed on top of him, clutching fistfuls of his fur to aid me.

"Ryuuji!" I held Apis yell and turned around to watch her attempt to follow me.

"No!" I yelled at her firmly. "Stay right there Apis! Don't move!"

I turned back to my task of getting on top of Ryuuji to get a clear shot at the cannonball. But even before I began, I knew I wasn't gonna make it in time. To top it off, I heard a second cannon blast, and this time, closer.

With one eye scanning the sky, I kept climbing up. Just then I heard an odd thunk which seemed completely out of place. It sounded like metal hitting metal. I reached the top just in time to see the two cannonballs fall down into the water with a splash.

"GREAT SHOT USOPP!" I screamed and cheered at the top of my voice, thanking the gods for gifting that sniper with the superpower of 'aim and shoot'. I mean, come on! Who in the world can take a shot like that? I'll tell you who: "USOPP-SAMA! I BOW TO YOU!" I swear I could hear his pompous laugh just then.

"Lyra!" Apis yelled from below.

"It's alright! Ryuuji's safe."

"It's not that! He's asking you to get down!"

"What?" I asked, surprised.

"Ryuuji! He's asking you to get down."

"Alright, alright. I'm getting down." I muttered as I slid off him. I stood straight on the cart and smoothed out my clothes. "Didn't realize I was bothering him." I sulked.

"That's not it." The particular tone in her voice made me look up at her. She was grinning but she wasn't looking at me.

Ryuuji's sudden roar made me stumble forward, turn around and then stumble backwards to fall at the edge of the cart (I do a lot of stumbling, don't I). I stared up at him in awe as he stood up (yes he actually stood up) on the cart, both his wings spread out beside him; I was cowering under the shade of one of them. His wings rose up on each side of him, like a video being played in slow motion. It reached the highest point it could go, and then it came crashing down, onto me, like a roller coaster taking a dive from above.

I'm not too proud to admit that at this point, I squealed for my life like a pig. I made a feeble attempt at shielding myself with one hand thrown over my head, too frozen in fear to do anything else, and squeezed my eyes shut. But the 'crash' and 'fall into the water and drown' part never came. Now curious, I slowly opened my eyes and looked up.

Ryuuji's wings were already rising back up, but it was at a much faster pace than before. It was only then that my retarded brain realized what he was trying to do.

"You're kidding me!" I muttered in shock as a gust of wind hit me, courtesy of the local dragon heavily flapping his wings. I mean, he couldn't even move and now he's gonna take a shot at flying? Come on, that is inhumane! Well, technically I guess he isn't a human, so…

"You can do it!" the tiny mother yelled, making me look at her like she'd gone crazy. "He can?!"

"Of course he can!" her sudden burst of anger effectively shut me up.

'Why not!' I thought sarcastically. 'Why not…' This time, Ryuuji was the one who shut me up as I saw, from my low vantage point, that he's already begun to rise, leaving the ground behind by a few inches, and the distance was increasing rapidly.

"Holy crap, he can do it!"

"Told ya!"

Before I could retort, I heard a cannon being fired again. "Can you guys, please, just stop!" I groaned in frustration as I tried to spot the cannon. To my increasing dismay, Ryuuji was still in my way but this time, I couldn't even climb on top of him. No sooner had I realized this though, Ryuuji began to beat his wings harder and with two incredibly powerful flaps, he was up in the air. The distance between him and the cart was now at least thrice my height.

Ignoring my need to stare at an actual flying dragon, I ran up to the edge of the cart and looked for a dot in the air. But to my surprise, there weren't any. "That's odd…"

"…oon."

I turned to Merry, positive I just heard Nami's voice.

"WHAT?!" I yelled back.

"…poon! It… harp…!"

"Huh? A harp?"

"A HARPOON!"

'Holy shit!'I swore as I pulled out Koden for the defense. I didn't bother with HP4. I needed it to be more powerful to cover Ryuuji. With reflexes I didn't even know I had, I took up a defensive stand, HP7 whirling in my hands. I knew it was too late to try and spot the incoming missile.

"Protego!"

I saw it right after the blue film clouded my sight of it. But almost immediately, like a dying flame, the blue tinge disappeared, making the incoming harpoon clearly visible along with the rope tailing behind it.

"No," I crumpled to my knees as every drop of energy was drained out of me, leaving only enough to keep me barely conscious. The shield hadn't formed and Ryuuji was wide open to any attack. "Get… out… of here…"

I heard a splash, only just able to over the ringing in my ears that was growing by the second. 'I am not fainting. Not again.' My nails dug into my skin, drawing my blood for the second time in the same day. A seemingly distant rush of air made me realize, five whole seconds after hearing it, that Ryuuji was still in the air. It took another three seconds for my snail-like brain to realize why that was.

"It didn't hit…"

A drunken laughter escaped from my lips. I felt something small pulling at me, trying to put together my off-balance world. It took some time for my eyes to focus on the Lilliput trying to pull me up. I say 'trying' because mostly she was just grunting with no results.

I began to push myself up, but realized I'd done it too quickly when I lost focus on my surroundings again. 'Easy…' I advised myself as I tried to get up again, this time slower. "Apis, move. Or I might actually fall on top of you." I looked down at the girl, her hands still half raised towards me to catch me if I fall. As if the poor thing could keep me up, but I appreciated the sentiment.

I ruffled her hair (mostly her hat) and grinned, then looked up at the airborne dragon. "What happened?"

"It was a harpoon," Apis said, yelling a little to be heard above the din. "But the rope was too short. It fell into the water."

"They definitely won't make that mistake again. Ryuuji needs to get out of here." Ryuuji could fly now, but somehow this turn of luck in our favor seemed ominous to me. It simply didn't feel right.

"RYUUJI!" The kid's vocal chords could rival Luffy. "Ryuuji you need to get out of here!"

"We'll be alright," I yelled. "I'll protect Apis!"

Ryuuji looked down at us, his neck arched our way, obviously telling us something that only Apis could understand. I expectantly turned down to look at Apis and wait for the translation, when the expression on her face drew me up short.

"What is he saying?" I asked, my voice suddenly hard as the uneasy knot at the pit of my stomach grew tighter.

The kid was oblivious to my questions, her mouth half open as she continued to mutter "no no no", her voice increasing in strength and horror with each passing word. "NO!"

Her final scream had me snap my head back up to Ryuuji, who was facing away from us. Towards the Marines. "What is he doing?" I asked, dreading the answer. "What is he doing? What the hell did he say?!"

"RYUUJI PLEASE! YOU NEED TO GET AWAY!"

"APIS!" I shook the weeping girl with my feeble strength, forcing her to focus her eyes on me. "What the hell did he say?"

"He said you were too weak." It felt like a harpoon had gone through me. "He said he needed to protect us both if…" She broke down into tears again, making it harder for me understand what she said next. "If it was the last thing he did."

The horror of it was too much. Ryuuji has to now sacrifice himself because I'm too weak. Too weak to protect the one he loves most. I'd robbed him of a peaceful death, the one he deserved. He'd waited too long to have to die at the hands of some deluded Marine. He was meant to die at the Land of Life. He was to be reborn.

I could feel my eyes pricking as the tears flowed in but snapped myself out of it before it could flow down, rubbing my face fiercely on my sleeve. I couldn't let this sacrifice be in vain. I looked out over the sea at Gunkan Island, standing in the distance like a battleship. I looked back at Ryuuji and held Apis back as she was overcome by another fit of hysterical panic. He was helping us escape, helping Apis escape, and I was not going to squander that chance.

"We need to help Ryuuji!" Apis moaned. "We need to do something."

"No! We need to get you back to the ship."

"I won't leave Ryuuji alone!"

"DON'T YOU GET IT!" I screamed, unable to understand why I was. "Ryuuji wants you safe! YOU! And I am NOT gonna have you running after him after all he's doing for you! For US!" It took all I had to not break down then and there. "There's nothing we can do."

I felt a hundred times worse when I felt Apis go limp in my arms. I took out Koden, scanning my arsenal inside. I knew what I wanted. I summoned it outside Koden and pointed it towards the water at the base of the cart, hoping to god that we won't be rocketed off of it. Sending in only a trickle of energy into the book, I brought forth my gust.

"Thermos of Winds."

I don't know if it was the East, West, North or South wind that blew, but it blew hard. The gust sent the seawater spraying as it ripped through the air. The raft rose up like a speed boat and Apis's grip on me suddenly tightened as we both fought for our balance. With some difficulty I managed to veer the raft towards Merry, cutting off my supply of energy as soon as we were close enough. I slumped to the floor, unable to move. I was sweating like I'd run a marathon, my eyes barely open.

"Lyra." Apis murmured in concern as she wiped my brow with the back of her sleeve. I could hear Nami and Usopp yelling in the background.

"Get… onboard… Apis." I muttered with some difficulty. I'd done my task. I've brought her to safety. 'Maybe now I'll float away to…'

My delirious thoughts were cut short as steady hands gripped me tight and raised me from the shaking ground.

XXXXXXXXXX

The darkness was suffocating. I couldn't see, I couldn't feel, I couldn't hear anything. 'Wait, I think that's Nami's voice. She sound's worried.' I wonder how long I was in the dark. It may have been a few seconds or minutes or hours. My sense of time was of no use. I felt like my eyes were open. 'Then why is it still dark? Maybe I'm still under my blanket. I should get up soon…'

"Ryuuji…!"

'That voice seems familiar.' The darkness had begun to recede, shrinking into spots that tainted my vision. 'This isn't my room…' I rose up in panic, caught off-guard by the still unfamiliar surroundings. My eyes watered as my head throbbed at the sudden movement, causing me to almost fall back down. 'Where…?'

"…can't Apis! The seawater…"

'Huh?' The moment I realized it was Usopp's voice, everything came back to me in a rush of images. "Ryuuji…" I gritted my teeth as I pushed myself up, taking a moment to catch my balance on the overly swaying ship. It's when I realized I was hearing something other than the ocean outside. Something high-pitched. Something crying out from across the ages. A lot of something.

I swayed and groped my way to the door of the lounge, almost like a drunkard, because of the violent rocking of the ship. 'What the heck is going on out there?!' I finally made it to the door, opening it with more force than needed in my frustration. "What in the world is ha—?!"

My question caught in my throat when my eyes rose up to the movement in the sky. It was a beautiful blue, not a cloud in sight. As if compensating for that lack of white, there was green. Green, humongous, majestic Sennenryu flying across the sky in an infinite circle, much like the canvas I'd seen in the Sennenryu temple a few hours ago. There were more than I could even guess, as the sight of their numbers overwhelmed me. They were far from ever being extinct. They were a thriving species.

"Wow!" I muttered in awe, relishing the goose bumps spreading across my skin. "This is AWESOME!" I yelled at the three figures standing in front of me, their backs towards me. "This means the Lost Island exists right? That it's about to emerge, right?" I forced my eyes down from the captivating view above, still feeling the wonder of it in my body as I gaped at the statues in front of me. "Can't you guys here me?! Or am I dead?"

Nami turned around and immediately my jape felt bitter in my mouth. 'Something's wrong.' The navigator's eyes were filled to the brim, her cheeks flushed and stained with fresh tear tracks. "What's wrong?" I whispered, struggling to keep my voice straight. Usopp was crying as well, albeit more ungracefully. "Lyra…"

I looked down at the tiny figure between them whom they were clearly trying to console. She wasn't moving, like she was staring at the ocean surface through the railings she was clutching at. I walked towards her, my each step as heavy as boulders. I was afraid. My eyes stung as I followed hers, pricking like tiny needles. My throat clenched as I tried to speak, "Apis…"

"He's gone." Her eyes were dry but her cheeks were flushed and her nose red. There was nothing alive about her voice. It was monotone, factual. "He's dead. He promised me he would hold on to his strength until he reached Lost Island, until I brought him there." Her voice quivered as it rose, every drop of her frustration, sadness and anger filling her words. And every word was like a knife in my gut, twisting its way through my body and destroying me from the inside.

"He said you were too weak."

"To experience rebirth in the Land of Life is the destiny of my race."

"We'll get you home. No matter what, we won't rest until we get you home."

'I'm the reason he's dead.'

"Lyra…" The tears wouldn't stop falling as I looked at her. I don't know when I'd gotten down on my knees. I stared at her, a thousand words at the tip of my tongue but nothing that would change this. Nothing that that would bring him back. "Lyra… Ryuuji's dead."

Apis let herself go, wailing uncontrollably. We held on to each other, fearing we would drown if we let go. There were no words left in her, only raw grief. I bit my lower lip in a pathetic attempt to stop my own bawling.

"I'm sorry!"

'I'm the reason he's dead.'

"I'm so—."

'I broke my promise.'

"I—."

"IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT!"

My sob got caught in my throat as Apis yelled at me, her face still buried in me. "It's NOT YOUR FAULT! It's that baka Sennenryu's fault." Her grip tightened around me. "So don't you DARE go blaming yourself!"

Fresh tears fell down my face as I held onto her even more tightly and wailed, my throat too tied up to sound a protest. It was still my fault, but her words still filled me with relief.

The ship shook violently again, making me struggle for both our balance with a firm grip on the railing. Apis never looked up or let go. My eyes followed Luffy as he shot up into the sky with leverage from one of the flying behemoths. They traced back down to the ocean surface, to the spot from where he had taken off. The green mass of feathers was slowly shrinking in size, sinking down into its watery grave. From behind me I heard Nami yelling that the ocean floor must be rising. Gunkan Island did seem to have grown taller.

I wiped my eyes and sniffed my nose clear as I stared at Ryuuji's sinking body. My lips quivered and I felt a sob build up in my chest. My teeth bit into my lower lip as eyes watered again.

Luffy's leg stretched out while suspended in the sky, its length being at least twice that of Merry's. He brought it up until it was almost perpendicular to the sea. 'What is he…?' I couldn't even complete the thought before Luffy brought his leg down, whipping through the air at a formidable speed, right on top of the Gargoyle ship.

I held Apis closer as the sound of snapping wood filled my ears. As I watched the ship be cut in half savagely, I couldn't stop the ice-cold hatred that washed over my body. Luffy's legs retracted and the wooden chaos became even more chaotic as it got caught in the violent current.

I couldn't see Ryuuji anymore.

XXXXXXXXXX

Apis never let go of my hand, except for when we had to get off the ship. Her hand was small, the whole of it small enough to fit into mine snugly. Our hands were half wet with sweat and half with our tears and snot, but she still didn't loosen her grip and try to wipe them. Neither did I.

The ground crunched beneath me as I walked across the white expanse. The only difference in color was the distant green of the Gunkan Island and the dark murkiness of the water standing in puddles at random places.

"These huge rocks look quite like the Sennenryu, huh?" Usopp looked back at us and said, looking a little creeped out.

"I think they are the Sennenryu." I said apologetically to him, knowing I was confirming his fears. He kept a distance from them after that.

T he Lost Island did rise from the sea, but it wasn't as a different island. Instead it'd been the majority of Gunkan Island itself that had submerged under the sea. Apparently it's by some sort of cycle that the submerged island rises, our navigator informed us. I didn't really get any of it.

The whole island was calcified, a giant expanse of white; the noon sun reflected on it, stabbing at my eyes. Giant calcified mummies of Sennenryu rose across the land like mountains, each bigger than the last. They stood tall, their head held high. Even death couldn't take the life out of them.

"The Ryuukotsu..." I muttered in awe, everything finally falling in place. "I knew it was too good to be true."

"What?" Everyone's eyes rested on me, making me squirm with discomfort.

"The Ryuukotsu. The bones of the Sennenryu that grant eternal youth: this is it." They turned their eyes to the calcified statues around them, the realization finally dawning on them. "Look at them. They're the bones of creatures long dead, and yet they still stand tall like from their youth."

"There was never any elixir of eternal youth, was there?" Nami said, her open mouth reflecting her shock.

I shrugged. "It was too good to be true. We know there were a lot of things misinterpreted in the legend; this is just another mistake made." I looked up at the one nearest to me, its eyes fixed on the sky. "If there's any youth elixir here, it's the sea."

"Apis…"

She turned towards the owner of the voice who stood before her without a drop of pity in his eyes, but still he wasn't without sympathy. He looked down at her, not bothering to get down on his knees to look at her at eye-level. In a way, I feel like Luffy was the one who was treating Apis like an adult more than any of us.

"He wanted you to know something." Apis's grip on my hand tightened involuntarily. "He kept his promise. He kept his promise to both of you." Luffy was looking straight at me.

"And in return I promise not to give up until you get me home."

"He knew he was home; that's why he called out to his nakama. He wanted to thank you Apis, for not giving up when he was on the verge of doing so." He looked up at the rest of us. "He thanked us as well, for helping him and Apis out." Silent tears fell on Apis's cheeks as the rest of our eyes glassed over; at least mine did. I took a deep breath to steel my voice.

"There's something else…"

"…ji?"

"What?" I asked as I bent down to her. Apis's dead eyes finally sparkled with something akin to life.

"Ryuuji?!" she said louder as she whipped her head about and stared off into the distance, to where a few of the Sennenryuu were clustered.

"What is it? What're you—APIS!" Apis wrenched her hand away from me, bolting off in the direction of the dragons. Her small legs carried her at a surprisingly fast pace as we ran to keep up with her. Since Luffy and I'd bolted after her first, the rest of the pirates were a bit slow to catch up.

"What's wrong?" Nami asked as they caught up with us.

"I don't know!" I yelled. "She just bolted!"

"She heard Ryuuji."

"She WHAT?" Nami and I yelled in unison as we stared at the straw-hat pirate. "You said… I thought… isn't he…?" I stammered, unable to complete any of my sentences.

Luffy opened his mouth but was cut off as something huge crashed down in front of us. We all hit the brakes, Usopp managing to one-up us by running back a few paces. I say crash, but it really was a Sennenryu who'd landed right in front of us, his flapping wings sending sprays of salt water into our mouths.

"Holy…" I looked for Apis and saw that she was safe and still running through the clusters of dragons that, now that we were aware of our surroundings, were all around us. I stared up at the dragon in front of us apprehensively, being extremely aware of how tiny I was compared to its full fledged glory. It seemed to be looking down at us with curiosity, probably wondering what we ants were doing running under his legs.

"Sorry, sorry." I muttered as we ran around it, aware of its eyes boring into my back long after we'd left its space.

We slowed down as we got closer to Apis who was standing still as a stone in front a body of water. The closer we got, the more our dread grew, for we could see a green mass floating in the middle. Even a vain hope fluttered.

"Is he still…"

"He's dead." I flinched at the word, my heart beating a little harder. "Apis heard his last breath." A pained look came in Luffy's eyes without breaking across his face. "I heard it too."

We walked over to her. I went and stood behind, bringing a hand up to rest on her shoulder. What other comfort could I possibly provide?

"He was supposed to get better." Apis sniffled without looking up. "He was supposed to take me to all the places he'd been to, show me all the adventures he talked about. I wanted to see the Giants who were taller than him. I wanted to see the White Island which had cylinders for mountains. I wanted to see the Golden Sea which had no water. I wanted to see the land where lightening fell like the rain. I wanted to see so much. I wanted him to show me so much." The tears were big as baseballs, stabbing at me like arrows. "I don't what to do. What am I supposed to do? I promised I would save him, get him better. Instead he's dead!" She fell on her knees, her head on her lap, her arms hugging herself. All I could hear was a whisper, "I didn't keep my promise."

I fixed my eyes on Ryuuji's body. The feathers stuck to each other so closely, it seemed to make his already withered body even smaller. I pressed my lips together to stop them from quivering. I looked at the new life waking up ahead of me, finding strength from them.

"Ryuuji said something to me. He said that his people called this place the Land of Life, coming here three times in their lives: once to become life, once to create life and last to give their life away. Now you'd think that means to die, but he kept saying that he wouldn't die, but be reborn. He said he would be giving his life to a newborn." I looked down at the balled-up girl, wondering if I were saying the right words. "I don't know what to believe. I don't know what you're supposed to do either. But the one thing I do know is that you kept your promise." Her whimper made my voice break. "You promised you would bring him here. You promised to make him feel better. And if we're to believe him," I raised my eyes to look at the few newborn hatchlings that were around us. "He might even be watching us right now."

Apis slowly pulled herself back up, wiping away her tears. She looked along with me, at the hatchlings. I could've spent all day staring at them; such beautiful creatures. The little ones squawking their way into this life, their parents helping them get a grasp of their reality: maybe all of this was what Ryuuji meant by passing on his experiences. It may not have been in the literal sense he took it for but in a way, aren't all children a walking encyclopedia of their ancestors' experiences? It's how we move forward in life, right, by learning from the experiences of our ancestors?

"Oh my god," Apis gasped softly.

"What?" I asked as I stared at the spot she was looking at with wide eyes. "What is it?"

"That one." Apis pointed at the young Sennenryu she was staring at. Only when she pointed did I realize that with it was an older Sennenryu, but younger than Ryuuji, that was looking right at us. "That baby."

"What about it?" I asked, a little unnerved by the staring dragon.

"That's… that's Ryuuji's grandchild."

"WHAT?!" All of yelled and stared at Apis. I'd almost forgotten about the pirate crew being right behind us.

"That's Ryuuji's grand-kid!" She said, her eyes filled with shock as much as ours. "The other one is Ryuuji's son! I'm not making this up!" She yelled at our disbelieving faces. She turned and stared at the now trio across the waters. "That's Ryuuji's family."

Was this the destiny he kept talking about? I sure hope it was, because the sight was beautiful.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Are you sure? Do really have to leave right away?"

Luffy stared at the girl with the pointy hat and grinned his goofy grin. "Of course I have to! The Grand Line is waiting! And Merry's ready to set out as well!"

"The Grand Line can wait another day." She said with her hands on her hips.

"Maybe…" He shrugged. "But I sure can't!" Apis broke out a grin at that while the rest of us chuckled.

We were standing at the edge of the now extended Gunkan Island. The people on the island received a rude shock because of the massive earthquake and the equally massive Sennenryu of their legends. But now though, they all seemed to have become comfortable with the idea of giant dragons. Must be in their blood.

"What about you, Lyra?" Apis asked. I'd been dreading the question but feigned ignorance as the gang stared at me expectantly.

"What?"

"Are you—?"

"Are you gonna be our nakama?" Luffy cut off Apis, effectively making my heart jump.

My heart was beating fast. I'd been dreading this question ever since we said our goodbyes to Ryuuji and turned back. Did I want to become their nakama? Hell, yes! Did I think I would be a good Straw Hat pirate? Maybe I could be a passable one with my new found powers. Should I come one? My heart said yes while my head was telling me to turn around and walk away. And trust me when I say this, I usually put more trust in my head, even if it's good for nothing when it comes to studying.

I stared at Luffy's expectant face, all of their expectant faces. Hell, even Zoro looked half expectant for god's sake. But I knew what I had to do. I couldn't be a pirate! I, the one who gets squeamish at the sight of blood, become a pirate? Ha! There's the beginning of a joke right there! No. I have to say 'no' to this offer. It's the only answer that makes a lick of sense.

"I…" Cue huge inhale and exhale of air here. "I will not be a good pirate. I don't know the heads or tails of the basics of being on a ship. I'm not a good fighter. I'm not a good Devil's Fruit User. I'm drained of energy after almost every spell I throw. I can't cook. I can't navigate. I can't help out with the ship. I'm pretty much bad at everything except reading books." I was staring at my feet by now. "So I don't thin—."

"I can navigate."

I looked up at Nami, "What?"

"I can navigate. Sanji can cook. Usopp knows everything there is to know about the ship along with me. Luffy is one hell of a Devil's Fruit User. We have three monsters who can fight. We even have a sloth that can sleep through a storm." Nami said innocently with a sidelong glance at Zoro. He mustered a string of insults under his breath clearly directed at her. I grinned involuntarily at the antics.

"We already have all of that. What we definitely don't have is someone who reads and can provide me with some quality female company." Nami grinned at me triumphantly having countered all my arguments. I sighed and tried to talk, instead got was cut off again.

"You said that your mother always decided what you were thinking, didn't let you decide for yourself." Usopp looked at me, managing to put up a surprisingly good puppy face. "Stop trying to make us think what you think. Stop trying to convince us that you're not good enough for us. My mother always told me to follow my heart, do what I wanted to do. What do you want to do?"

I stared, uncomprehendingly. These past few days in this world has been a dream come true, a dream I hadn't even dared to dream because it was so impossible. Me having Devil's Fruit powers is impossible. Me, standing right here and considering this offer, is impossible. Everything about this wonderful moment is impossible, which makes me so scared. What if I wake up? What if they wake up and realize it was stupid to ask me to join them? What if…

What if I ruin everything?

I looked at them. What did I want? My heart beat fast as I took a deep bow. The words poured without consent but with approval.

"My name is Lyra. I read books and I live my life to get to know stories. My greatest treasures are my books and my greatest want in life is to live and record the greatest adventure I can possibly have. It would be my honor to live at your side as your nakama." I peeked up at them through my eyelashes with apprehension despite everything. "If you will have me."

Luffy nearly blew my ears off when he yelled.

"WE HAVE A NEW NAKAMA!"

XXXXXXXXXX

A\N: I can literally see the rotten tomatoes and red bricks flying for my face.

I'M SORRY I'M SO SORRY THE CHAPTER'S SO LATE! Just... a lot of things happened. And I procrastinated, like a lot. It's one of my favourite hobbies. Yes, I know I'm a horrible person. I wanted Lyra's joining to be on the 25th chapter in tribute of our favourite crew reaching the Grand Line in the 100th chapter. So mission success!

Unfortunately I have more bad news. I'm thinking of revising the entire thing from the beginning. Actually I've already started. Because let's face it, the first few chapters suck. Also I thought up of more things to add to Lyra's past which really doesn't fit in with how I told the story till now. So, in short, it's Hellatus time. I'll put up 'Hellatus' in the description box of the story. If it's gone, it means I've updated all the chapters. So please keep an eye out and don't abandon me. I'm like a lost puppy needing your love. A lost puppy who'll swindle you of everything. Also the chapter contents and sizes may get switched around after the revision. Sorry.

I'll shut up now.

Don't be shy and leave me some food on the review board. Don't let me die of hunger. REVIEW and let me know what you thought of this chapter! Did i utterly destroy One Piece with my fic?

Oh, and one more thing. Did anyone get my Thermos of Wind Reference? My Iron Man reference? Tell me you at least got my twisted Supernatural reference!? Somebody! ANYBODY?!

Okay then, bye...

Oh, and please review, fav and follow! Thanks!

Traveler buries herself in GoT books.