Note: Sorry for the long wait, and for the length of the chapter. I just have a little too much on my plate right now, but I don't want to put anything on hold. Gotta keep writing for the readers.
Chopper sat on the ground, fur bristling. His eyes shifted between his crew's new companions. He wasn't feeling so good after fighting that leaf-lizard thing, but Luffy assured him that he'd beat the snot out of anyone who tried to take his doctor again.
The small kid with the glasses, Max, sat next to him, writing notes in a notebook. Obviously he thought Chopper was some sort of "pokemon"... whatever that was.
Luffy was climbing trees with Pikachu, the small, hyperactive rat which could fire off deadly voltage from its cheeks. Of course, the pirate has nothing to worry about; a body of rubber gave certain resistances.
It was Nami who asked the vital question. "What are these 'pokemon'?" The navigator had to smile as she watched May's Beautifly flutter around the area before resting on the girl's bandana.
"In the simplest sense, they're animals." Brock replied as Sanji glares daggers at him. "There are 368 different species and seventeen elements. Some people, like Ash, use them for battling. Others show them off in Contests. Others breed them, and some people study them."
"It gets a lot more complicated than that, though." added May, smiling as Nami took a particular interest in a small, pink-and-yellow cat creature. "But that's the basics."
"Glad to see Luffy enjoy all this." Nami caught herself staring at Luffy as he swung from branch to branch, Pikachu leaping after him. "Wish some people could have the same enthusiasm, though."
"What?" grunted Zoro irritably, leaning against a tree as usual. "Unless there's one who makes a decent sparring partner, than I'm not interested."
A nearby bush rustled and out came a giant bug. Nami and Sanji shrieked and jumped behind Luffy, who looked confused. The bug in question looked like a giant praying mantis, only with large scythes on its forearm. Behind the bug stepped out a humanoid creature with no visible ears, nose or mouth. Its arms and legs looked like accordions, tipped with three-fingered hands and clawed feet, respectively.
"A-a-a Scyther and Hitmonlee!" stammered Brock, wondering why such rare creatures were out in the wild like this.
In an instant, Zoro and Sanji smirked evilly and charged, clashing blades and trading blows; Zoro dueling against the bladed bug and Sanji deflecting the Fighting-type's legs with relative ease.
Luffy burst out laughing for some reason. "So cool!" So then he and Usopp started cheering in unison. "Go, Zoro! Sanji!"
Ash blinked, Pikachu watching the battles with interest. "They can't be serious."
"Swordsman-san and Cook-san are always serious,"came a cool voice, and everyone turned to see a slender, dark-haired woman walk out of the forest. She smiled at the collection of people in the road. "Hell, everyone."
"Robin!" said Chopper, escaping from Max's iron grip and hide behind the historian.
"That's backwards, Doctor-san." Robin replied, patting the reindeer on his head... with an extra arm sprouting from her palm, causing Ash, May, Brock and Max to scream.
Luffy laughed. "Oh, right! Robin at a Devil Fruit, too! She can make lotsa arms and legs and stuff!"
Robin looked at the Trainers and crossed her arms. "Ocho Fleur." Two arms appeared on the shoulders of each non-pirate and began tickling their sides. While they were occupied, Robin knelt down and saw the Skitty Nami was playing with. "What odd creatures."
The navigator shot her fellow female a look. "After what we've seen?"
He considers his new surroundings a welcome change compared to the dark, dank prison he was just in a minute or two ago... come to think of it, how'd he get here? And where was here?
Another dark building. How appropriate. He stood up, and looked around. It was an office with a desk at the far end of the room, with a large leather chair facing backwards. He could tell someone was sitting there, based on the cat-like creature staring at him. The nerve.
"Welcome to my hidden base," came a voice from whoever was sitting in the chair. "Might I ask how you came to be...?"
He spoke for the first time in a while. His throat was dry and raspy. "I have no idea how I got here. One moment I'm in Impel Down, and the next... I'm here."
"Impel Down?" The speaker turned around, revealing a man in an orange suit, green tie and slicked-back hair. "I have never head of such a place." He stared. "Who are you?"
"Arlong," the Shark Fish-Man replied, cracking his neck, showing off the bladed appendage known as his nose. "A pirate. And who are you, human?"
The man waited a moment before answering. "Giovanni, Viridian City Gym Leader and Leader of the criminal organization known as Team Rocket."
"I see..." Even though Arlong didn't care. "So, what's stopping me from breaking your back and going on a rampage?"
Giovanni smirked. "My friend, there is nothing preventing you from doing anything... except helping me."
"And why would I want to do that?"
"Because," Giovanni stood up at this point and walked up, hands behind his back. He barely reached up to Arlong's chin. "I recognize that look. You desire revenge."
"..." Arlong said nothing. He thought about that damn rubber-brat in the straw hat. "... What about you?"
"Same as you. And if we collaborate our efforts, we can destroy anyone who opposes us!"
Arlong laughed at that. "You humans are just one big joke. No strength whatsoever. How do you intend to do any heavy lifting?"
Giovanni snapped his fingers, and a large, purple monster appeared beside him. It had a large horn and massive plates of armor. "Simple give-and-take. We give them strength, they grant us with carnage." He extended a hand. "Do we have an accord?"
"..." Arlong shook the man's hand. The time would come when the Fish-Man would dispose of this trash. But first he had to wait.
"Damn you, shitty-rock!" Sanji growled at Brock, restrained only by Usopp and Luffy. "First Nami-san, then Robin-chan?! I oughta cook you alive!"
Despite being scared witless, Brock opened another Poké Ball and a large, twenty-eight-foot long snake made out of rock appeared. It growled and stared at Sanji.
The blond didn't care. He ripped away from Usopp (despite the sniper's protests), and ran up Onix's tail. "Collier..." Sanji leapt at the last second and slammed his foot into Onix's neck. Hard. "SHOT!"
Robin sipped her drink. "He did this with you, too?"
Nami sighed and nodded as Zoro flopped against his tree with the Scyther next to him. "What an idiot," She stole a glance at Luffy, who noticed this and grinned. "But not as stupid as some people..."
To be continued...