Updated Chapter 4! I basically have the whole crew/journey planned out, though I'm missing a few arcs post-timeskip. I likely will wait for Wano to finish before I work on those.

I still don't own One Piece

(Syrup Village)

Usopp arrived at the manor of his small village, standing on the branch just outside Kaya's window. He would have used the door, but he couldn't risk Kuro finding out. Hesitantly, he knocked.

Kaya instantly opened the window when she saw who it was. "Oh Usopp! I wasn't expecting you to visit today! Why didn't you use the door, you know you're always welcome here?" She asked. Usopp was a good friend of hers, and when her parents were alive, they too enjoyed the liars company, especially the stories he had to tell.

"I'm afraid I need your help." He stated.

Kaya was confused. "You know I'm sick, what can I help you with?"

"I need you to hide this, tell no one of it, and most importantly do NOT eat it." The teen said, pulling out the fruit and confusing the girl.

"It's a… fruit?" she said.

"It isn't just any fruit, but never mind that, will you hide it, please." Usopp said, his voice lowering, not in a threatening way but in a more of an 'I can't explain everything right now' kind of way.

Kaya understood and nodded, wondering why her friend was acting this way. She quickly got up and grabbed a small chest from her closet, putting the odd fruit inside, and locking the box, putting the key in her nightstand.

Usopp smiled kindly, uttering a thank you to the girl before running off. Kaya just watched him go, questions running through her mind.

(With Luffy and the others)

It had been a few days since the Strawhat crew left Shells Town. Nami had already set a course for Orange Town and had explained to the crew who their target was. This confused Kuina, Carrot, and Brook, the former not sure why they were specifically targeting this pirate, and the latter two of the three only knew the man as a Warlord and a sort-of ally.

"Hey Nami, when are we going to reach the next island?" Luffy asked. He was rather impatient to face Buggy, as he was the only real challenge in the East Blue besides Arlong. After learning he was on the pirate kings crew, Luffy figured that the man must know about Haki.

"We'll be there in just a few hours." The navigator responded.

Kuina was still quite new to being a pirate, but the way her new friends were acting made them seem like they were bounty hunters instead. "Tell me again why we're going after Buggy the Clown? Has he done something to the crew, possibly captured a crewmate of ours?" she questioned.

Zoro yawned. "No nothing like that. He has a decent amount of treasure and some powerful bombs, but he didn't really do anything to us." He answered his rival.

"That's another thing." Kuina said. She then pointed to the lounging swordsman. "When we were bounty hunting, you always said that going after Buggy's bounty was something we could never actually succeed in."

It was Brook who answered this time. "That's because he has a Devil Fruit that makes bladed and spiked weapons completely useless against him. Even if we were to use all blunt attacks, which would normally harm him, he can simply separate his body parts causing them to miss. That's the power of the Chop Chop fruit." He said hauntingly.

Kuina seemed to understand what that would have meant had she faced him before meeting this crew. "So we are taking him down as a show of strength?"

"Actually we're taking him down because of three reasons, his treasure, the town he's taken over, and it will be decent training for you Kuina." Nami explained, use to the fact that between Zoro, Luffy, and herself she was the best at getting the point across.

"Huh? How can it be training for me if blades won't work on him?" the blue haired swordswoman asked.

"Luffy will take care of Buggy, but his crew will be for the rest of you. My job is to secure the treasure." Nami explained. Everyone sweat-dropped as her eyes turned into beri signs.

Carrot checked the ocean in front of them and saw three men floating in the water. "We have three stranded guys up ahead." She said.

Luffy looked ahead and shouted. "Hey! Climb aboard!"

The three did as they were told and climbed onto the small watercraft, effectively bringing the small boat up to its max capacity, not counting the room they had for treasure. "Thanks for helping us! Our boat got caught in a freak storm." The first one said, hauling up a chest he had strapped to his back.

"But now this ship is property of the Buggy pirates!" The second one said.

"Now hand over all of your valuables." The last one said, with all three idiots now brandishing their swords.

The seven Strawhats just looked at each other silently for a minute, before they all broke out laughing. "These guys are funny, maybe we should get a clown for the crew." Luffy said, still laughing.

"WE ALREADY HAVE TOO MANY!" Nami said. She had stopped laughing and hit Luffy hard on the head.

"OW! Sorry!" Luffy apologized, silently wondering if Nami lied about having Armament Haki.

Meanwhile, the three stooges were confused. "Are they really not afraid?" the first asked.

"On the contrary, it is you three who should be afraid." The three turned around to see who had spoken to them, only to see a talking skeleton, which freaked them out.

One insanely fast beat down, courtesy of Brook, later and we see the three stooges cowering in front of the entire crew, speedily rowing the ship towards Orange Town. Nami was cheerful at both the speed they were going, and the chest full of treasure stooge number one brought aboard. "At this rate we'll see land much sooner!" and true to her word forty-five minutes later they saw the town.

Pulling into port, the three idiots fled from Brook while Nami secured their supplies and loot in the boats cabin. "Alright, since Buggy is our enemy we need to be aware of each other's locations. If his bombs explode or get redirected, it could take one or more of us out." Nami said, locking the cabin door.

"Um… Nami?" Carrot said.

"Yes?" she responded turning around. Once she looked at the rabbit mink, she saw that Luffy, Brook, and Zoro had all run off. "WAH?! WHERE'D THEY GO?!" she yelled, shark teeth replacing her normal ones.

"Luffy said something about a dog, Brook ran after him, and Zoro I'm not sure, he was supposed to stay right here." Kuina explained.

Nami sighed. "Why are all the men on this crew complete idiots?" She wined. "Never mind. Carrot, Wanda, you guys go look for Luffy and Brook. Kuina, you and I will are going to go survey Buggy's temporary base." Getting nods from her three female crewmates, they broke up into their respective pairs.

Running through Orange Town was Luffy and Brook. "Come on Brook, we have to stop Lion-guy from destroying ChouChou's treasure.

"You never explained to me who ChouChou was, you just mentioned a dog, but I understand; you never mess with a man's treasure!" Brook yelled in agreement.

They ran through the streets for a few more minutes. It was when they entered what appeared to be the town center that the two noticed a little white dog. "ChouChou!" Luffy yelled.

The little dog growled at the two, but leaped toward Brook and latched onto his leg. "Ahhh! No! No! Bad Dog! That's not something for you to chew on!" the musician screamed, but the dog refused to let go.

"Hey!" the two heard, though only Luffy actually turned to see who called, as Brook was still trying to pry the dog off of his leg. The speaker was an elderly man in leather armor. "You two better not be messing with ChouChou!"

As Luffy was about to answer he heard two feminine voices call him. "There you are!" he didn't even get a chance to look before he was tackled to the ground by two attractive minks.

Across town, at the Drinker's Pub, was Zoro. "Now where did everyone disappear too?" he asked. Looking around he saw a few pirate grunts on the roof. "Hey!" he called.

Looking down, the several pirates paled when they realized who exactly had called them. "Captain! It's Pirate Hunter Zoro!" they screamed.

On what appeared to be a throne was a pirate with blue hair, a big red nose, and face paint looked over with interest. "Let him up! I want to know what the famous bounty hunter Roronoa Zoro wants with me."

Jumping up on the roof Zoro surveyed his surroundings, noticing Nami and Kuina climbing onto a roof across the way. "Got any booze I can have?" he asked.

Both females watching this exchange had mixed feelings. Nami was glad she found Zoro, but angry that he had run off immediately, and Kuina was worried Zoro would be defeated, but also intrigued by where this was going. "That idiot! He's going to piss Buggy off!" Nami whisper yelled.

"We should probably get Zoro and then go find the others." Kuina suggested.

"How, he's surrounded! I mean he can handle himself, but he is not much better than Buggy about collateral damage." Nami countered.

Back on the bars roof, Buggy addressed Zoro. "So, have you come for my head? Actually, where is your partner Kuina?" Buggy asked.

"We've given up the bounty hunter game; I'm just looking for my crewmates right now." Zoro answered, prepared to jump off the roof and go look for his captain.

Buggy got up and laughed. "That's too bad, but my reputation will go up by quite an impressive amount should I kill you."

Zoro looked over to where Nami and Kuina were, and signaled them to prepare to run. Pulling out his three swords, Zoro turned to Buggy. "I can't just let you kill me; I'd rather fall in battle. Oni…" he started, preparing his blades for an attack.

"How honorable, I'll be sure to give you a flashy death." Buggy said, preparing to take Zoro's attack.

"Giri!" Zoro yelled, using his three blades to slash Buggy, though the attack didn't do anything as Zoro hadn't used his Haki.

Buggy's torso started to levitate. His chilling laugh filled the air. A fist came flying at Zoro, knives between each finger. Zoro managed to dodge at the last second thanks to his observation Haki. Buggy looked irritated. "It's impressive that you managed to dodge that attack. Most swordsmen fall for that trick."

"I'm not like any other person you've fought. I knew about your Devil Fruit and told Kuina that there was no possible way for normal swordsmen to harm you." He sheathed two of his swords, leaving only Wado Ichimonji in his right hand. "But as I've said before, I'm no normal swordsman. Thirty-six caliber phoenix!" he yelled, sending his weakest flying slash at Buggy.

"You fool! That won't work!" he mocked, though his observation Haki was telling him to move. Trusting his senses, Buggy moved as far to the side as he could, but was still cut by the flying slash. What happened next caused Kuina's, Buggy's, and his crew's jaws to drop. From the slight cut Buggy had received, blood had begun to seep out of the wound. "What? How? There shouldn't be any Haki users in the East Blue!" He then turned towards his stunned crew. "Don't just stand there! Someone patch me up!" Turning back to where Zoro was, he noticed that while everyone on his crew was dazed, Zoro had managed to escape. Now Buggy was mad, how dare this swordsman fool him, how dare he cut HIM! He was going to get revenge. "Mohji, take Ritchie into town and find Roronoa Zoro. Kill anyone else!" He ordered. He then turned to the rest of his crew. "Prepare the Buggy Balls; I need to blow off some steam."

"Yes captain Buggy." The hairy man responded.

Back with Luffy and his group, the old man from before had introduced himself as the mayor Boodle. He also managed to get ChouChou off of Brook, though he then hopped into Wanda's lap and refused to leave it, and told the dogs story. Brook had begun to tear up. "That's a very similar story to a friend of mine. You see I use to be a part of a different pirate crew fifty years ago. We had befriended a baby whale during our time in West Blue, named him Laboon, and he even followed us to the Grand Line despite us telling him not too. We promised to return, but my crewmates either became sick and died, or fell to their battle wounds before we even made it half way through that sea. Like ChouChou here, Laboon had lost the people he cared for, but unlike ChouChou's owner, I can keep my own and my old crews word." He turned to the dog. "ChouChou, as long as the memory of your owner remains, his spirit will live on."

Boodle was awed. Initially put off by the minks and talking skeleton, he discovered they were actually good people. "Truer words cannot be said." He said to Brook before turning to the others. "You said you were here to stop Buggy?" they nodded. They soon heard yelling.

They turned towards the voice, seeing the rest of their crew. "Guy's! Buggy's angry; he's going to start blowing up the town!" Nami yelled, Kuina was with her, literally dragging Zoro behind her.

"What! Who would be stupid enough to piss Buggy the Clown off?" Boodle screamed.

The two girls pointed to Zoro. "This moron walked up and practically challenged Buggy to a fight! Not only that, he cut him!" Nami explained.

"He also refuses to explain exactly how he did it, the only thing I heard was Buggy screaming about Haki, whatever that is." Kuina said.

"I told you now is not the time to talk about that. I only used it as he can't tell the Marines. Now please put this off at least until we're back out at sea." Zoro pleaded.

Nami was not going to let Zoro off that easy. "You were told not to use Haki at least until the Grand Line. Should the Marines know at least one of us can use it; that means we'll have Vice Admirals after us before too long! Why don't you ever think things through!" she yelled.

An explosion went off and a row of buildings to the groups left was turned into rubble, one building was barely recognized as a pet shop. Terrified by the sheer destructive power, Carrot hid behind Luffy. "What was that!" she whimpered, her head pounding due to her sensitive hearing and relative proximity of the blast.

"That was one of the Buggy Balls." Nami explained. Luffy and Brook chuckled at the name.

"Truly terrifying." Wanda said, her head also hurting a bit.

Brook on the other hand walked to the rubble. "ChouChou's treasure, it's destroyed." He said, spying the little dog a bit off, having finally gotten out of the Dog mink's lap. Looking through the rubble he found a box of dog treats, which he then gave to their canine friend. "At least not all of it is destroyed." And with the treats and a pat on the head, the dog walked off.

A few seconds later a roar was heard. The mayor panicked. "Oh no! It's the beast tamer Mohji! Quick we better hide!"

"Why?" Luffy asked. "We aren't afraid of him."

"Good to hear Strawhat, just stand there and let me kill you." A voice said.

The group turned around to see a man, standing atop a green and purple lion, with hair covering most of his upper body. "No thanks. Hey Carrot, Wanda, how about you face these two?" Luffy said.

The two minks stepped forward. Carrot replied "Sounds fun." And Wanda simply said. "Why not?"

Mohji looked at his two opponents, a perverted grin plastered on his face. "Hey ladies, you know they don't call me the beast tamer for nothing. Why don't you two join me and let your wild side free for a night?" he flirted. He then noticed the murderous looks three of his enemies were giving him. It was at this moment he realized, he screwed up, badly.

"Let me at him! I'll destroy him!" Luffy yelled, being restrained by Zoro and Brook.

"We don't want you killing him by accident!" Zoro said.

"Besides, I believe our comrades want the pleasure for themselves." Brook added.

True enough, the two minks looked ready to kick some ass. The two charged forward with shave, and one kick from Carrot send Mohji flying into a building. Now the two minks stood between Mohji and Ritchie. Separated from his master, Ritchie swiped his paw at Wanda, hoping to remove one of the threats. "Iron body." Wanda said, hardening her body, and taking the blow. Mohji smirked, thinking Ritchie had killed the dog mink, but was shocked when he saw the swipe did nothing and Wanda remained stood in the same spot. She then swung her sheathed sword upwards, knocking the massive feline away, following right after.

As Wanda proceeded to fight the lion, Carrot walked towards a terrified Mohji. "You shouldn't have said anything you pervert. The only man I will ever love will be my captain." She whispered threateningly, though Wanda heard this and silently agreed. Carrot then put on one of her claws and now held it above the man. It began to crackle with electricity, courtesy of Carrot's Electro.

"I'm sorry!" Mohji pleaded, diving out of the way of Carrot's attack. He pulled a whip out of his satchel, hoping he could use it to beat this girl.

"Sorry won't keep you from an ass-kicking." Carrot said, using Moonwalk to avoid each whip strike.

No more words were exchanged as Carrot and Wanda used their superior speed and strength to avoid attacks and deliver harsh blows to the man and lion. After a couple of minutes of fighting, both Mohji and Ritchie were battered and bruised, left to crawl back to their circus clown of a captain.

"You people are risking so much for this village." The crew heard. Turning around they saw the Mayor, tears threatening to escape his eyes. "What kind of man am I? I was supposed to protect this town, my treasure, but instead I have to rely on a bunch of strangers. No longer! I'm going to go fight Buggy and free this island!" he declared, only for Luffy to knock him out with some Conqueror's Haki.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled.

"I will not let this old man get killed." Luffy argued.

Nami sighed. "Let's at least get him to the other villagers." She said, getting Zoro to carry the unconscious man. The group started walking towards the outskirts of town; to both deliver Boodle to the townspeople, and to hopefully prevent themselves from being run out of town.

While the Strawhats were taking the elderly man to his townsfolk, Mohji crawled back to the pub. "Captain!" he cried.

Coming to the edge of the roof, his side bandaged, was Buggy. "Mohji did you find Roronoa?"

"I'm sorry captain, I was beaten." Mohji explained. "I was able to get a count of enemies though, there are seven of them. Please forgive me!"

"Bah! Useless. Very well, if sending men out to kill them has failed, I'll just wait for them to come to me. They must be here to challenge me." Buggy said.

And wait he did, as nearly thirty minutes later we see the Strawhats arrive. Luffy inhaled, before yelling the three words that made Buggy crazy. "HEY BIG NOSE!"

Buggy's crew was scared. Their captain's eyes were shadowed by his hat, but they knew he was extremely angry. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING BIG NOSE!?" he yelled. "MEN! FIRE THE BUGGY BALL!" he ordered.

The pirates scrambled, and aimed the large canon towards the group. Brook was terrified, and Kuina was nervous, unsure whether her captain could stop such a thing. Carrot had once again hid behind Luffy and the rest were rather calm, though Wanda had opted to also stand behind the Rubber man. The fuse was lit and the highly explosive projectile flew towards the group. Luffy stood directly in the path of the ball and called out a technique that could stop any cannonball. "Gum Gum Balloon!"

The teen inflated his body, catching the cannonball and sent it back towards the unsuspecting pirates. "No. No wait!" Buggy screamed, waving his hands in front of him.

A large explosion destroyed the bar, bringing the pirate crew down with it. Carrot, Brook, Wanda, and Kuina all looked at the bar unimpressed. "That's it?" Carrot asked.

Nami sighed. "If only it were this easy."

The smoke from the explosion started to dissipate, revealing a bunch of unconscious pirates. "That was a nasty trick, you bastard." Buggy said, holding two of his own men in front of him as a shield.

"At least we were able to shield ourselves captain." A man with a white and blue checkered scarf said. He was holding up Mohji's lion, protecting himself.

"Cabaji! How dare you use Ritchie as a shield!" Mohji yelled, angry at his crewmate.

"Enough chit-chat. Roronoa Zoro, you will pay flashily!" Buggy said, sending his knife wielding fist flying towards him.

Before the hands reached him, Luffy jumped in front and caught the two appendages with his hands. "Sorry Buggy, but your opponent is me! Kuina, you face haircut-guy." He said, getting a nod from his blue-haired crewmate and an angry glare from Buggy.

Cabaji saw a chance to rid his Captain of an annoyance and charged forward, after pulling a sword from his throat, an act that made Brook cry out in terror before he was dragged to the cellar Buggy was using as a vault, along with Zoro, by Nami. Carrot and Wanda had watched for a moment before deciding to ransack Buggy's ship. "Take this!" he said, swinging his sword at Zoro.

Before the blade could make contact, Kuina had drawn her own sword and deflected the strike. "My captain has asked that I defeat you, and defeat is something I cannot accept."

"Defeating Zoro would have boosted my reputation, but if I must go through a lesser opponent, so be it." He mocked, balancing on his unicycle. Kuina seethed at his comment.

Meanwhile, Luffy had led Buggy to a more open area, not too far from where the rest of his crew was, but enough room for Buggy and him to let loose a bit more. "So you're the captain of Roronoa Zoro? I must say you've got yourself an impressive ensemble already." Buggy admitted.

"Shut up and fight! Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy yelled, sending his fist flying towards the clown-themed pirate.

Buggy wasn't going to let himself be hit though, as he called out his own technique. "Chop Chop Festival!" Buggy's body separated into several parts, all but his feet floating around. "Chop Chop Double Cannon!" he yelled, his two blade-wielding hands flying towards the Straw hatted boy from two different directions. Luffy dodged the initial strike, and the several follow up attacks Buggy tried to get him with, including any sneak attacks he added with various parts of his body. "Ahh, why isn't this working… wait, you must have Haki as well."

"Yep." Luffy stated.

"I see, then what do you say go somewhere a little more open? It's been so long since I've fought another Haki user, I want to go all out, and I'd rather not kill my subordinates unintentionally." The blue haired captain said, floating away.

"You bastard!" Luffy stated, outraged by Buggy's uncaring attitude towards his comrades. He began following the clown pirate out of anger.

A few moments earlier, Cabaji and Kuina were facing each other, neither one making a move. "So what's a little girl like you doing holding a blade? Don't you know that when it comes down to it you need both strength and technique, and that I obviously outclass you in both? "The acrobat taunted.

"Say what you want, as I have heard the same for many years. Had we met before now your words may have bothered me, but I've realized that even the weak can topple the mighty, all that's required is the proper method." Kuina said; her katana held in front of her.

"I don't buy into that crap! Captain wants you dead, and I'm happy to follow that command!" He yelled. "Arsonist Technique!" he called inhaling. When he exhaled, a stream of fire came from his mouth.

Kuina, seeing the flames coming toward her, began spinning her blade in front of her. "Lily Whirlwind!" she called, redirecting the flames with the air currents she created.

"How?" Cabaji asked, as no one before could deflect his flames.

"Power is not everything. What I lack in brute force, I make up for in speed and control." Kuina explained, once again readying her blade. "Now, I believe it's my turn to attack."

"I don't think so. Dance of 100 kamikaze tops!" Cabaji yelled, throwing exactly 100 exploding tops towards the female swordsman.

"Lotus Strike!" Kuina called as she lunged, using her sword to cut every top on the way, causing a string of mini explosions behind her.

Cabaji barely had time to block the strike due to Kuina's speed. "Damn." He exclaimed. Seeing he had little chance in close range, Cabaji used his unicycle to get away from the ex-bounty hunter. "Let's see how you handle this. Murder at the Steam bath!" he called, riding his unicycle in a circle around her, creating a large cloud of dust with his sword that he was dragging behind. "Now, Carnival of Colors!"

Kuina was shocked as many multi-colored flying slashed came from the smoke. Dodging as many as she can she tried to figure out where Cabaji was in the smoke. Gaining a cut to her side, she saw a shadow and struck. "One sword style: Howling Wolf!" she called as she headed into the smoke. She reached the shadow, but to her surprise it was a wooden dummy made to look like Cabaji. When she struck the dummy, several wires erupted and ensnared her.

It was then she heard a cry. "Fireworks in the Cool Summer Breeze!" She looked up, seeing the real Cabaji in the air, poised to strike. "I see you've fallen for my Smoke and Dummy technique, now it's time to finish you. Wheel stab!" he yelled, beginning his decent.

Kuina panicked, trying to figure a way for her to avoid the strike. As Cabaji got closer she had an idea. Using her flexibility and strength, she was able to position her blade in the middle of the wires between her and the fake Cabaji. With only a moment to spare she executed her attack. "Death Blossom!" with a mighty upwards swing, the entire dummy lifted above Kuina, intercepting the falling Cabaji, and breaking on impact.

With Cabaji now unconscious, Kuina limped over to the acrobat, and using the wire that was no longer restraining her, due to the dummy breaking, tied him up. Carrot and Wanda then jumped down in front of her, just getting back from the Big Top with a few papers in hand. "I see you beat the Acrobat." Wanda stated, bending down to treat Kuina's cut, which she noticed upon arrival.

"Yeah, he was a decent challenge, but nowhere near Zoro's level. What's that Carrot's holding?" Kuina asked, trying to distract herself from the stinging in her side.

"We found some recipes and schematics for Buggy's special gunpowder, as well as a few of his crew's special weapons." Carrot replied.

"We thought that the destructive force of a Buggy bomb could be useful, even if it's a little loud." Wanda added, finishing wrapping the wound. "We'll need to get that treated back at the village camp, we'll take you there."

"What about Buggy and the others?" Kuina asked.

"Luffy's taking care of Buggy, we need to get what we've found to the boat, and you to the doctor." Nami said, arriving on the scene. Zoro and Brook were behind her, each carrying a bag of gold. "I'll go see how our captain is doing, you three make sure these idiots stay out of trouble." She ordered, pointing at Zoro and Brook. The two minks and swordswoman nodded in understanding. Nami then walked off to aid her captain.

The fight between Buggy and Luffy had destroyed the plaza, Luffy's strength making some rather deep dents in the concrete, and Buggy's Haki-infused blades creating deep slash marks.

Both combatants were tired. "Give it up Strawhat. You can't win." Buggy huffed.

"You're a lot tougher than I thought, but there's no way I'm giving up. Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy called stretching his arm.

"Chop Chop Emergency Escape!" the clown pirate yelled, splitting his body into many different pieces. "Chop Chop Cannon!" Buggy used one of his separated hands to try and stab the rubber man with his knives.

Luffy saw the attack coming, and caught it in his hand. "You need new tricks." He laughed.

Buggy smirked. "I think my old ones work just fine. Buggy said, reattaching his body parts, minus his hands. "Chop Chop Cannon-Separate!" he called, causing the hand Luffy was holding to split apart, his hat being cut and knocked on the ground. Buggy used his other hand to grab the hat.

"Hey give that back!" Luffy yelled. No one was allowed to touch his hat.

Buggy frowned. "Now why would I do that? This hat reminds me so much of that bastard Shanks." He scowled.

"Shanks is a good man, he gave me that hat, and I promised to return that hat when we meet up again." Luffy explained. "It's my treasure!"

Buggy scoffed. "A straw hat can't be treasure. Treasure is gold, jewels, and anything valuable. Seeing this hat reminds me off all Red Hair robbed of me." He said.

"Yeah, yeah. You blame Shanks even though you attempted to steal the devil fruit and you swallowed it by mistake. I've heard this before. It was your own fault." Luffy said in a bored tone.

Buggy was mad; he even had a tick mark on his forehead. "So Shanks told you about that, well it doesn't matter, because you've pissed me off, and the fact that I despise Shanks, I'm going to tear this hat to shreds." He said, holding several knives in one hand and the hat in the other.

"Oh no you don't. You won't touch Shank's hat." Luffy said. He took a stance and began pumping his blood. "I'm going to send you flying." At this point he was steaming and his skin became a light pink.

"Oh really? That's a neat trick, but I don't see how that will help. Chop Chop festival!" he said, splitting his body.

"Gum Gum… Jet Gatling!" Luffy said, aiming for the mass of floating body parts.

Buggy was astounded by the speed, but even though he couldn't react to each punch, he didn't feel any pain. "Ha ha! Looks like you're weaker than I thought, I didn't even feel that.

"That's because you weren't supposed too." The younger captain said.

"Oh really? And what purpose did that attack fulfill? Chop Chop Reassemble!" He said, but most of his body didn't return to him, and he was shocked to find out he was left with only his hands and feet connected to his head. "What did you do to me!?" he yelled.

"We just captured the rest of your body so you couldn't use it to attack us anymore." A voice said. Buggy turned around to see Nami holding the rest of his body tied up thoroughly. "Luffy noticed me a couple of minutes ago, and used his Jet Gatling to collect your pieces." She explained, sticking her tongue out at the blue haired captain.

"Now Gum Gum…" Luffy started.

Buggy began to panic; he couldn't fight in this state. "Wait, wait, no, please, I didn't mean anything." He pleaded.

"Jet Pistol!" Luffy said, sending the super-fast punch directly into Buggy's face, causing the now chibi-pirate to disappear into the sky.

Nami walked up to her captain. "Nice job Luffy, are you sure he'll be ok?" Nami asked.

Luffy didn't look concerned. "He'll be fine; he's much stronger than he appears."

The two then grabbed Buggy's body and left it with the knocked out pirate crew, a small note saying what happened. After that was done they met up with the others, who had already given half the treasure to the village, and headed to the docks.

"So where are we going now captain?" Kuina asked.

Luffy looked at the bluenette and smiled. "Next we're going to get a ship and our Sniper." He said. Kuina understood what the plan was, but she figured it might be best to ask Nami from now on, as the orange haired girl is more likely to give her an island name.

The crew was getting ready to cast off, but stopped when Mayor Boodle and ChouChou came up to them. "I can't thank you enough. You've helped this town more than I ever could and even though you knocked me out..." he glared at Luffy. "You all are wonderful people."

"Thank you." Brook said. "May I ask why ChouChou is here as well? Is he here to see us off?"

The Mayor sighed. "I don't know, he was walking this way when I met up with him."

The dog then ran up to Brook and chomped on his leg again. "OH NO! NOT AGAIN!" Brook yelled, trying to pry the dog off again. It took ten minutes for them to set off, three to get ChouChou off of Brook, and then seven explaining to Luffy why ChouChou couldn't come with them. Ultimately ChouChou was made to stay on the island in Boodle's care, and the pirates set off.

(Syrup Village)

Usopp was walking down the street of Syrup village, greeting people as he pass by. While he was greatly liked by most of the townspeople, there were a few who disliked his habit of lying and generally ignored him. During his time in the village he had acted as a carpenter, helping the people with various projects. In fact, Merry, Kaya's sheep-like butler had requested his help to work on the Going Merry, which Usopp had been glad to do. Of course there was also the Usopp pirates, but instead of simply playing pirate and making up lies, he had been teaching the three children essential skills they may need, such as navigation, basic woodworking skills, and of course how to aim, though they only used basic slingshots.

Usopp approached the gate to Kaya's mansion. He had introduced himself much earlier than the previous timeline, and he was welcome in the mansion anytime, as Kaya's closest friend. Unfortunately, Kaya's parent had pass, a business trip ending with their ship sinking, Kuro had nothing to do with it, which surprised the time traveler.

The long-nosed sniper opened the gate and walked up to the door, knocking three times. Soon Kuro, as Klahadore, answered the door. "Ah Usopp. I was wondering when you would come around again." The secret pirate captain said, barely attempting to hide his distain.

"Klahadore. I came to see Kaya, then Merry had some things he wanted me to fix." Usopp said, not taking his eye off the lanky man.

Kuro noticed this, as he had a dozen other times. "Is something about me bothering you?" he asked, he had an appearance to maintain, but he wouldn't let this teen continue to watch him as close as it seemed.

Usopp realized he had been caught, and he expected it a while ago, so he already had his retort. "You just look so similar to this one pirate I saw in the paper a few years ago." Usopp lied convincingly.

Kuro raised a brow, wondering if he had been discovered. "Which pirate, if I may ask." Kuro feigned. It was a risky move, but he needed to know if he had to kill the boy.

Once again Usopp realized what the cunning man was doing, but he wasn't going to be out lied. "The former captain of the Black Cat Pirates, Kuro of a Hundred Plans. But you can't possibly be him, he was captured and executed." He bluffed, making a quick jab at Kuro's intelligence.

A tick mark appeared on Kuro's forehead. "Oh yes, I remember now, but I believe it was Kuro of a Thousand Plans." He corrected, gritting his teeth.

"Oh right. My mistake." Usopp said before heading up to Kaya's room to say hello, before getting to work on the tasks Merry had for him. "You better get here soon Luffy, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep Kuro in the dark." He thought.

(On the sea)

The rubber men, along with his current crewmates, were approaching the island. "Hey Nami." The straw hat wearing boy said.

Said Navigator looked up at her captain. "Yeah?" she asked.

Luffy pointed in the distance. "Isn't that the cat guy's ship?"

This cause Zoro and Nami to both look in the direction he indicated, and sure enough, the Bezan Black, Kuro's ship, was off on the horizon.

The rest just stared, unsure of what exactly was going on. Nami thought for a moment. "We could sink it, except we want to expose Kuro, and they aren't exactly a threat." She said.

Zoro yawned. "Got that right, from what I can sense, they aren't any stronger than Morgan's son. Three voices stick out though, probably that hypnotist and those freaks I fought before."

Kuina looked at her longtime friend. "Voices? How can you possibly hear voices from this far away?" she asked confused.

Zoro huffed. "Can someone explain it to her; it's time for my nap." He said yawning. A second later he was snoring.

Five people sweat dropped and one just laughed at Zoro's usual antics. Ignoring the green haired swordsman, Nami looked at Kuina. "I guess Zoro promised this back in Orange Town, but I thought he would be the one explaining. When Zoro said voices, what he meant were presences. It's one of the capabilities of Haki." Nami started.

"What is Haki first off?" Kuina asked, she was feeling a bit in the dark, as she was the only one present who had no idea of what the Grand Line or New World were like.

Brook cleared his nonexistent throat. "Haki is a beings will or ambition. Everyone is capable of using Haki, it only needs to be unlocked."

"Thank you Brook." Nami said, before continuing her explanation. "There are three types, Armament, Observation, and Conquerors. Observation lets you sense presences or 'voices', Armament can be used as armor and bypass devil fruit defenses such as Luffy's rubber body, and Conquerors is the most powerful, and only one in a million have it, and it essentially enforces your will above others." She paused. "Actually that's not a really good description. Robin could give you a better one when we meet up, but anyone with a weaker will than yours will pause or be completely knocked out. It essentially comes down to whose will is stronger." Nami finished.

"Is that what Luffy did to the mayor back in Orange Town?" Kuina asked, remembering the strange event.

"Yep." The navigator said. "You seem to understand the basics now, but you'll be given more in depth knowledge with other new crewmates in the Grand Line."

Luffy looked back at his crew. "I remember training my Conquerors Haki, Old Man Rayleigh sure is a slave driver." Luffy said, grinning. He turned back around when he felt a familiar presence. "Hey Nami, I can sense Usopp." He said.

"Great! We reached Gecko island days ahead of schedule." Nami said. The group began steering towards the island, all except Zoro, who was still asleep.

Upon reaching shore Luffy and Nami noticed no one was there. In the other timeline, Usopp and his followers attempted to scare people away from the island. Once they managed to wake Zoro, the group headed into the small village.

In the small town, the pirates gained strange looks, but that was expected, due to their odd appearance. Heading to the tavern was the first thing they did, to fill their stomachs before meeting with the sniper. Twenty minutes later the group was walking through the forest, Luffy leading the way as his observation Haki had quickly located the long nosed man. The reached what appeared to be a hidden garden, full of different fruit trees, several areas where Usopp's Pop Greens were growing, and an array of tools surrounding the native teen. "Good timing guys, I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep Kuro from figuring it out." Usopp said. He waited for no response before he continued talking. "I mean, I went over to Kaya's earlier and he noticed how I was acting, I had to bluff my way out of it, but he's more than likely suspicious."

Nami sighed. "Well what could we have expected, he is one of the smartest men in the East Blue, even if that isn't much compared to the Grand Line and New World." Nami said.

Brook took this moment to speak. "I'm afraid that we must keep reunions and introductions short. "He said, referring to Kuina. "But we did see a pirate ship while we were approaching." He said.

Usopp tensed up. "You mean the Black Cat Pirates are already off shore!?" he said, getting several nods in confirmation.

"Great. I thought we'd have a couple of days at least, or maybe we still do, but I need to go get that Devil Fruit from Kaya." Usopp rambled.

Nami stiffened. "Did you just say Devil Fruit!?" she yelled/asked.

Usopp nodded. "I found it a week ago, and gave it to Kaya for safe keeping, but with Kuro's crew coming close, I don't want them to get it. I don't even know what it does!" he explained quickly before running off.

Meanwhile, in the mansion, Kaya was looking through her family's vast library, like she'd done every day after Usopp would leave. "What is that fruit?" she asked, setting down the last agricultural book she had.

Kaya's other butler, a man with white, sheep-like hair and horns atop his head entered the room, a tea tray in hand. "What are you looking for Miss Kaya?" He asked.

"Oh nothing Merry, Usopp just showed me this strange fruit recently, and I've been trying to identify it." She explained. Despite being told to keep it a secret, she felt that Merry could be of help to her, and he was her most trusted confidant, even more so than Usopp.

"Hmm… a strange fruit you say?" He walked over to one of the massive bookshelves. "I assume that's why you've been looking through all of the agriculture books." A small nod from Kaya confirmed this. "I may be wrong, but could young Usopp have found a Devil Fruit?" he said pulling a rather thin book from the top shelf and handed it to the young woman.

Kaya took the book and began skimming through it. She learned what a Devil Fruit, the types, and what the consequences of eating one were. Everything from that short conversation began to make sense. She stopped, finding a picture of the very fruit that was locked in her chest. Underneath it was a very general description.

The Plant Plant Fruit, a Paramecia Devil Fruit that turns the user into a Plant-Human. The fruit allows the user to control, grow, and become any form of plant. For this reason, it is still debated that it is a Logia. Also, while similar to the Grow Grow fruit, this Devil fruit is superior as it has many more capabilities. Is highly sought after for is practical applications in cooking and medicine. Estimated value of 250,000,000 Beri.

Kaya gasped, that amount of money was more than twice her family's fortune! Now she understood why Usopp wanted her to hide it. Looking over her shoulder was Merry, who was also surprised. "That sounds like a very useful fruit. Is that the one Usopp showed you?" he asked.

Kaya nodded, but her mind wandered somewhere else. "Merry, it says that this Devil Fruit has uses in medicine, do you think it could cure me?" She asked, hope pouring into her voice.

Merry was shocked the young miss would even suggest that. He sighed and responded. "There's no guarantee, plus you would never be able to swim again. Are you really willing to give that up?"

Kaya glared. "I already am stuck in bed! I can't go out! I can't even leave my room half the time!" She broke down crying. "I just want to feel better; I want to be free again."

Merry looked at the heartbroken girl. What's worse is that she was right. Ever since her parents passed, her health has deteriorated, and the village doctor put her on strict bedrest. At best she could move around the manor, but he often stuck by her side when she did so. Looking once again at the young girl, he sighed. "We'll ask Usopp next time he comes, I'm sure he'll give you the fruit if you ask." He carried the young girl up to her room and placed her in bed. Deciding to leave her be for now, he exited the large, rather empty room. One thought on his mind. "This room must feel like a prison for her."

Once the sheep-like man left, Kaya reached under her bed, where she stashed the chest, removing the key from her nightstand drawer, she opened the chest to reveal the fruit. She observed it for a moment before she made her decision. Lifting the pear-shaped fruit, she opened her mouth… and bit. Her taste buds were assaulted with the flavor of sawdust mixed with boiled rubber and rotten pumpkin, and she wanted to vomit, but managed to keep from doing so. She quickly felt something inside her, something that wanted to come out. She reached her hands to the side unconsciously and let out a scream, not one of pain, but one of effort. Wood and leaves erupted from her arms, enveloping the room, going through her open door and window, eventually encasing the entire house.

She stayed like this for a while, connected to the plants, feeling their power. She began to feel better, and she could feel her body healing. However, it wasn't long before she felt someone attempt to cut the plants outside, and because she was so startled, she sent a force to defend on instinct.

An hour prior, Usopp was running back to the village to get the Devil Fruit when he saw Klahadore walking towards the shore, a bag in hand. He remembered Kuro meeting with his first mate, so he decided to follow.

Usopp arrived at the cliff he used to spy on Kuro before, the one in the previous timeline. He was just waiting for a few minutes, watching Kuro stare out at sea. Another figure soon arrived though; it was the hypnotist Jango, whom no one had seen in the village. "So what did you call me here for?" Usopp heard Jango ask.

Kuro raised his glasses in his usual manner before speaking. "A certain brat is becoming suspicious, I feel like the plan can be moved up. I don't want to give him any time to discern my true identity. The ex-pirate responded.

Jango tensed seeing his old captain's habit; it told him that Kuro was still a trained and ruthless pirate who wouldn't accept failure. "I… I can have them re…ready in a couple of…of hours." He stuttered.

"Excellent, attack at sundown, but do not fail me." He warned. Kuro then turned back towards the village, once again adopting his Klahadore persona.

Usopp ran, this wasn't like last time; he needed to get his crewmates together. He approached the tavern, where he told the crew to meet him. Bursting in he saw the seven pirates sitting in a booth. He walked over to them and sat down. "We need to prepare." He stated before downing a pint of sake.

The others looked at him confused. "What's bugging you?" Zoro asked.

"Kuro's crew is going to attack at sundown!" he exclaimed.

Nami widened her eyes. "When did you learn this?!" she panicked.

"Just a couple of minutes ago. I was running to get the… Devil Fruit… CRAP! I was so distracted by Kuro I completely forgot to get the Devil Fruit

Just then the Usopp Pirates, Ninjin, Piiman, and Tamanegi burst in. "Captain! Somethings going on at Kaya's!" they exclaimed.

Usopp was out the door faster than anyone could've thought, including the other Strawhats, who quickly followed. The group raced through the village to Kaya's mansion, which now looked like the entire property was a dense jungle. Kuro was outside, his cat claws on, and he was fighting what looked like people made of wood. The wooden figures were rather basic overall, as their faces were blank with a spiraling wood pattern that matched the rest of their bodies, and their limbs all ended with a point.

Upon reaching him the Strawhats began fighting the wooden people, all except Usopp who launched an attack at Kuro. "Green Star: Devil!" he yelled launching the seed.

The attack landed and a single Venus flytrap-like plant emerged, eating several wooden soldiers and trapping Kuro with its vines. "What did you do?" He asked the fake butler.

"I should be asking that. It is apparent that this attack on Miss Kaya is your work, as you are the only one present who apparently uses plants. But I guess I should have expected this from the son of a filthy pirate." Kuro responded, though to be honest, he was just as confused as Usopp.

"I don't care what you say about me, but my father is a proud warrior of the sea, something you would never know about, Kuro! You ran from the sea!" Usopp shouted. "But I don't care about that, I need to save Kaya."

Kuro's eyes widened. "So you knew, no matter, you'll all be dead before sunrise." He then managed to cut the vines restraining him and he ran for the coast, knowing that fighting eight people and a bunch of wooden… things, would likely end in his defeat.

Usopp and Luffy were about to chase, but Nami held them back, while Zoro, Carrot, Wanda, Brook, and Kuina were holding off the wood soldiers. "We need to think this through, we need to beat Kuro, and get through… whatever is going on here." She stated.

"These guys aren't very strong, the problem is the amount of them!" Zoro called. Slicing twenty more into pieces. Nami watched as the sliced beings were absorbed back into the mass of plant life before the same amount emerged.

She thought for a moment, before a revelation struck her. "It's the Devil Fruit, Kaya must have eaten in and her new power went out of control. Of course we don't know what her power is capable of, but we just need to reach her."

"But I told her not to eat it! Why would she?" Usopp argued, having full faith in his friend.

"I don't know Usopp, we just need to get her." She turned to those fighting. "Can the five of you get into the house? Don't harm anyone inside, just get them to stop, show them that you mean no harm." She ordered. Kuina, Carrot, Wanda, and Brook quietly agreed and headed into the property, trying to move fast enough to not get caught by the wooden beings. Zoro on the other hand decided to keep fighting his way in, but every time he cut down an enemy, another formed. Nami then turned to Luffy and Usopp, we have about half an hour before sundown, Kuro ran for the South, so we'll head there." She exclaimed.

The three rushed to the southern slope, seeing the Bezan Black pull up to the shore. Kuro was standing in front of it. As the ship stopped, Kuro jumped up. "Things have become more problematic." He turned around, having known Usopp would follow. "See those three at the top of the hill. Kill them and everyone else in the village, then my peaceful future will come to pass!"

Jango was terrified for a moment. "What about the girl? I need to hypnotize her; that was the plan!"

Kuro scoffed. "Don't worry about her; she'll be safe for the moment."

Luffy was getting pissed. "Oi cat guy! Don't think we're so easy to kill!" he yelled.

Kuro chuckled. "And what is a child such as you going to do?" He asked, his crew leaving the ship and grouping up on the beach.

The Strawhat Captain grinned. "We'll fight."

Kuro stopped smirking. "Very well." He looked down at his men from the ships figurehead, upon which he was standing. "Go on, charge. Prove your worth." The Black Cat Pirates began to charge, weapons drawn.

Usopp pulled out his slingshot, Kuro Kabuto, and pulled back. "Oh no you don't. Green Star: Bamboo Javelin!" he yelled, launching the seeds all along the slope. Massive bamboo stalks sprouted from the ground, knocking many up in the air and even piercing a few.

"Nice job Usopp, something tells me this will be a breeze." Nami said. She giggled a bit before brandishing her Sorcery Climate Baton, which she got from Franky via Marco. "Gust sword!" She called. A massive gust of wind blew down the slope, forcing the Black Cat Pirates, both grounded and airborne to fly back, many hitting their crewmates or their ship.

"These people are scary." One random pirate yelled to his crewmates.

"I don't know if we can beat them." Another added.

A shadow overcame them. "Don't forget about me!" they heard. Several looked up, only to see the straw hat wearing guy above them. "Gum Gum Stamp Gatling!" he called as many of the pirates were kicked.

Kuro was upset at how bad his men were losing… no, they weren't just losing, they were being humiliated. "Jango, do something." He said calmly, which terrified the hypnotist.

Jango just nodded before jumping down, just behind the cannon fodder. Once they all were looking at him, he began to use his talent. "One the count of Jango you will be fearless, unstoppable, and you won't feel pain. One. Two. Jango!" he said. All of the Black Cat Pirates' eyes glazed over, and as a collective, they let out a massive roar.

Nami looked at the powered up pirated and began sweating. "I think this just got a little harder." She turned to look at her two comrades, only to see Usopp. "Wait… don't tell me." She looked back down the slope to see Luffy running towards the pirates, letting out a roar of his own. "THAT IDIOT GOT HYPNOTIZED AGAIN!?" she yelled, watching as Luffy knocked many of the Pirates out.

As the three battled the pirates, the rest of the Strawhats were having a much more difficult time, as they had managed to get into the house, but they were still swarmed by the wooden figures. "Ah! There's no end to them!" Kuina yelled, taking down more of the opposing figures.

Zoro grunted. "Yeah, but we need to find the one whose making them. Brook, can you freeze them?"

Brook laughed. "I can certainly try." He said. He channeled his devil fruit into Soul Solid, causing the air around the blade to chill and become visible. "Soul Parade: Ice Burn!" he said, drawing and re-sheathing the cold steel. The floor of the entire room froze, freezing the plants and wood figures." Seeing that there were no more enemies to fight for the moment, the group took a minute to catch their breath.

"Okay, now that we have a moment, I can sense two people, one upstairs and one downstairs. Brook, me and you will get the guy downstairs. Kuina, you, Carrot, and Wanda head upstairs try to calm the girl down." Zoro ordered, as Luffy and Nami weren't present, he was in charge. Everyone nodded and split up into their groups.

Brook took the lead, using his speed to dispatch any wooden figures, and eventually the two made it to the kitchen, where a guy who looked like a sheep, stood terrified. "Who… who are you people?" he stammered.

Zoro raised his hands as a show of no harm. "Calm down, we're friends of Usopp, we're here to get you out of here.

Merry calmed down hearing they were friends of Usopp, but became increasingly worried about Kaya. "Oh no, Miss Kaya! I need to reach her!"

Brook looked at the man. "No worries, our female companions are already heading to her, they'll get her to calm down and retract her Devil Fruit ability." Brook said. The man again calmed down… until he realized that a massive living skeleton just spoke to him, and he promptly fainted.

Zoro sighed and picked the man up. "Come on, we'll meet the others outside, then we'll go fight Kuro."

Upstairs, the girls were having much better luck; it seems that most of the wooden figures were drawn towards Zoro and Brook, who had started cutting down more figures upon the split up. The hall wasn't even that densely covered compared to the jungle outside and the large foyer filled with wooden enemies. Carrot was listening carefully, and approached a doorway completely blocked by plants. Kuina was about to cut her way through but Carrot stopped her. "Hello?" she called sweetly.

"Who's there?!" a panicked voice responded.

"My name is Carrot, I'm a friend of Usopp's" Carrot responded.

The plants moved out of the way, revealing a young girl around seventeen with honey blonde hair. "Hello, my name is Kaya." Kaya said nervously. She was surprised by the appearance of Carrot and Wanda, but Usopp had told her of a country full of people that looked like animals.

"Hello, this is Wanda, and Kuina." Carrot said, introducing them.

Wanda stepped forward. "Would you kindly retract your Devil Fruit abilities, the entire property is
covered and the wooden soldiers made getting in very difficult." She said calmly.

Kaya looked at her confused. "Wooden soldiers?" she asked. She was feeling strong enough to walk around freely now and the group began walking towards the front. Wanda just pointed to one of the figures, which had gone limp due to Kaya no longer feeling frightened. "I made that?"

Kuina nodded. "They weren't very good at fighting but the fact that more kept appearing was really impressive." She said.

"But… but… I didn't mean to make them. I just ate the fruit then plants started growing from my arms… speaking of which I don't know how to retract them!"

Wanda just placed a hand on her shoulder. "Just relax, and think about them retreating." She instructed.

Kaya did so, and even though she was no longer physically connected to the plants, they still receded; you could barely tell they were there. She stared down at her hands. "Wow." She muttered.

Wanda looked at the young woman. "You have a lot of power now, and you will need to learn how to use it properly. Can you tell us what exactly happened after you ate the fruit? We need to understand how your ability works. Kaya then explained from the plants growing from her arm, to how she could detect someone trying to cut through the plants, eventually getting to the part they showed up. Wanda thought for a moment. "It seems your control over plant life is tied to your will, when you felt threatened your plants started to defend." She said, figuring out the girl's power. "Of course you can train with the power so incidents like this won't happen again. Now come on, let's meet up with the others." She said, stepping outside, where Brook and Zoro had the unconscious Merry.

"Great, Now that everything here's taken care of, lets meet up with Luffy and the others." The swordsman said, causing the group to head for the shore, only stopping in the village to drop Merry off at the doctor. Kaya adamantly stayed with the group.

Back at the slope, Kuro was becoming even more frustrated with his subordinate's performance. This idiot was beating the hell out of them, and the other two were sniping off any others that got too close.

He growled before turning to his first mate, jumping off the figurehead and onto the deck. "Get Sham and Buchi, then sneak by as they distract the two up the slope, I'll handle the last one." He said. Jango quickly did so before returning to his captain's side. The two then heard a crack. Taking a look over the railing they saw the straw hatted teen gripping the bottom of the figurehead. There was a loud crack and the entire chunk of wood was ripped from the ship, being brandished as a club. Kuro then had an idea. "Jango, hypnotize him again. His strength could be… useful."

Jango got the idea and jumped into action, swinging his Chakram. "On the count of Jango you will destroy the two at the top of the hill, and anyone else that joins them. One… Two… Jango!" He yelled.

Luffy stopped and turned toward Nami and Usopp. The two paled, as the thought of fighting Luffy wasn't all that appealing.

As Luffy was heading up the hill, they turned to run, but instead they saw the rest of their crewmates. What's happening?" Kuina asked urgently. She noticed that her captain had a blank look in his eye.

The rubber man brought his fist back and launched it forward, causing the group to dodge. "He's been hypnotized! He's fighting for the enemy!" Usopp shrieked as he dodged another one of Luffy's fists.

Zoro took command. "Carrot, Wanda, you two help me with Luffy." He had already noticed the two were blocking his captain from getting closer. He continued. "Brook, I'm trusting you to handle Kuro." Dodging another punch from his captain, he turned towards Nami, Usopp, Kuina and Kaya, with Usopp yelling in surprise to see her there. "You four handle the hypnotist and the other two in the ship." Most looked confused before two figures, one extremely thin and the other the exact opposite, appeared on the deck of the ship.

With the plan having been formulated, the Santoryu user rushed towards his captain, closely followed by the two mink girls. "Come on Luffy, snap out of it!" He yelled. He had drawn all three of his blades and coated them in Haki. Seeing his words had no effect he prepared to attack. "Oni… Giri!" he shouted, using the flat of his blades in an attempt to knock his captain out. Of course the attempt failed as Luffy managed to dodge. Zoro did notice however that Luffy was fighting the hypnotism, and as such wasn't using any of his gears or more powerful attacks. Zoro was then slammed into the cliff face as Luffy used Gum Gum Whip.

Using the opening, Kuro, Jango, and the Meowban brothers rushed past and split up, failing to notice Kaya who had hidden in the forest with Usopp. The island natives followed the hypnotist, Brook followed Kuro, and Kuina and Nami pursued the brothers.

Wanda and Carrot were worried. Luffy was always kind to his friends and would never want to hurt them. On top of that, they both had crushes on the man they were fighting. Wanda saw a moment when Zoro was slammed into the wall and took a chance. "Tempest Kick!" she called. The flying blade of wind hit Luffy in the back, but it did nothing but knock him forward, as he used a weak layer of Armament Haki.

Carrot decided to follow up and put on her gauntlets. "Shave!" She called. She slammed into her captain and pinned his arms. As she sat on top of him she tried to break through to him. "Come on Luffy! Snap out of it! We're you're friends! Remember!" she yelled, tears forming in her eye.

Luffy roar and threw her off of him. He jumped up and rushed toward Zoro, who had just gotten up from his crash. Despite Luffy holding back, he still packed a punch. "Oh no! Not this time!" he said. He positioned his swords so that the two he were holding went above Wado Ichimonji. "Tora Gari!" he yelled, his swords intercepting Luffy's punch and knocking him back.

Luffy went flying towards the two mink women, both using Moonwalk to stay airborne. "TEMPEST KICK!" they both called.

Luffy dodged and used Moonwalk to reach the two. Grabbing them he through them hard to the ground, knocking up a huge dust cloud.

Upon landing he was face to face with Zoro. "You made me do this Luffy. 108 Caliber Phoenix!" he said, sending the powerful flying slash toward Luffy. Using Moonwalk once again allowed Luffy to dodge in midair, and he rushed towards the swordsman, only to be intercepted by Carrot, who had charged up a ball of Electro.

She slammed the ball into the ground. "Electrical Luna!" she yelled. As Luffy was directly in front of her, he was hit by the shockwave as well as blinded by the flash.

Disoriented but unharmed by the attack, the young pirate captain staggered backward. He wildly swung at the air around him, hoping to hit his enemy. He remained blinded for a couple of minutes before his sight slowly returned. Once fully capable of seeing again, he failed to see Zoro, Carrot, or Wanda. He walked forward a couple of steps, continuously looking around him. He heard a noise behind him and turned around.

Zoro had tied his bandana on his forehead and was rushing toward his captain with two swords pointed in front of him. "Ushi Bari!" he called.

Luffy jumped back but Carrot used Shave to get right in front of him. She grabbed the front of his vest and with all her strength through her towards the Bezan Black, where Wanda was waiting. The dog mink jumped up and did a flip. "Legacy of Zou: Crater Kick!" she called, bringing her foot, lightly coated with Armament Haki down on Luffy's head. Her captain crashed into the ground, and true to the name, a crater formed on the beach. Carrot, seeing Luffy down, rushed to their small ship and grabbed a pair of seastone cuffs, quickly returning and putting them on her captain. The three Strawhats released a sigh, as the cuffs should sap away Luffy's energy and make him unable to fight. The Black Cat Pirates that were awake were terrified; they knew that they would be no match for the three.

Kuina and Nami were chasing the odd duo of the Black Cat Pirates Buchi and Sham. The two realized they were being followed and continued to run, hoping to lose their pursuers. This failed however, when they ran into a clearing. The two women stopped, realizing that their opponents had nowhere left to hide. "Milky Ball!" Nami called, using her Sorcery Climatat Baton to create a ring around herself, Kuina, and the Meowban brothers.

"Ah! What's this?" the Skinny one, Sham, asked in shock.

"Nowhere left to run you two. Now how about you stop acting like cowards and fight us." Kuina said, drawing her katana.

The two brothers exchanged a glance. "It seems we're stuck brother." The other one, Buchi, spoke.

"Indeed, but how can we compare to warriors of such strength." Sham feigned.

The two approached the two Strawhats, and kneeled before them. "Please spare us!" they begged.

A tick mark appeared on Nami's head. "Do you think we'll fall for that? I'm a professional thief; I know the false cowardice tactic." She said.

"Then die!" the two yelled, slashing their claws at the women pirates. But, to their confusion, they passed right through their opponents. "Huh?"

A laugh was heard behind them. "Did you really think I would let you get close?" A disembodied voice said. Nami and Kuina then shimmered into existence, having been hidden by Nami's Mirage Tempo.

Kuina readied her blade. "You two aren't very powerful; all I need is one attack. One sword style: Angel Parade!" she exclaimed. Sham and Buchi couldn't believe what they were seeing, as Kuina had moved so fast, multiple afterimages surrounded them, each striking from a different angle. They were unable to dodge and were soon covered in gashes, but they were still standing.

"Is that all you got?" Buchi asked, panting.

"You didn't even knock us down. What happened to only needing one attack?" Sham added, also breathing heavily.

Kuina smirked. "All I said was I only needed one attack. I never mentioned Nami." She said.

The two Black Cat Pirates looked around for the orange haired girl, noticing three dark clouds around them. They spotted Nami on the other side of Kuina, smiling widely. "Thunder Trap." Was all she said, causing the clouds around both Meowban brothers to spark with lightning. When lightning jumped from the clouds to the brothers, the only thing they felt was pain. It only lasted for a couple of minutes before both brothers were unconscious. Nami sighed. "I guess we better drag them back to their ship." Nami sighed. Kuina nodded. The navigator swung her Climatat Baton twice, once to remove the Milky Barrier, and the second to create another cloud. Kuina looked at it in confusion. "It's a solid cloud." She explained, jumping up on it to prove her point. "It's sturdy enough to hold a ton and light enough to move with minimal effort." Kuina was awed. They then loaded the two unconscious pirates onto the cloud and began pushing them toward the coast.

Jango was wandering around the forest, looking for the long-nosed sniper. Said sniper, along with his childhood friend, was hiding in the bushes not far away. "What do we do Usopp? Who are these people?" Kaya asked.

"They're the Black Cat Pirates, led by Kuro, or as you know him, Klahadore." Usopp answered.

Kaya gasped. "I… I don't believe you, Klahadore would never…" but she was cut off.

Usopp glared at her. "Yes he would. Kuro is a bad man who has been using you for his plan ever since he showed up on this island." He whisper-yelled.

"But why?" she asked, also in a hushed tone.

"He want's your fortune." Usopp answered.

Usopp's Observation Haki then warned him in time for him to tackle Kaya to the ground as a Chakram went over both their heads.

"There you are." Jango said. He then noticed Kaya. "Oh, and there's the girl I was supposed to hypnotize. Why don't you cooperate and this will all be over that much quicker." He said.

Usopp growled. "You're going to have to go through me first!" he exclaimed, pulling out his Kuro Kabuto. "Gunpowder Star!" he yelled, launching the exploding pellets.

Jango lunged forward, a Chakram in each hand, and managed to avoid the explosions. Kaya, worried for her friend wanted to do something. She put her hands on the ground and willed, causing two trees to spring up from underneath both Usopp and Jango. As the two were launched skyward, they both let out a yell. Once both men started to descend, Usopp pulled out one of his Pop Greens. "Green Star: Trampolia!" he called, launching the pellet at the ground. A massive flower bloomed, cushioning the snipers landing. Once back on the ground, the teen turned towards his friend. "Run Kaya! You don't know how to use your powers, so get away from here!" he yelled.

Kaya got angry. "Why should I?! I can help, I have this power…"

"BUT YOU CAN'T CONTROL IT!" Usopp snapped. Kaya was about to respond, but Usopp continued. "I don't know what compelled you to eat it after I told you not to, but I don't have time to deal with this right now!"

"BUT I CAN HELP! WHY WON'T YOU LET ME?" Kaya yelled.

"BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT YOU!" Usopp shouted.

"Aww, how sickeningly sweet." The two heard. They turned to see Jango spinning his Chakram on his fingers. He had somehow landed safely after Kaya launched him.

Usopp put himself between Kaya and the hypnotist. "Don't you take a step closer!" he snarled. He already drew his slingshot and loaded one of his stars while Kaya ran and hid.

"Oh! Let me guess, you like her, that's why you're trying so hard to protect her." Jango said dramatically. Usopp could only blush in response, as he did like Kaya, but he wasn't going to let it distract him. "Listen kid, I can either kill you now or you can step aside."

"I would never betray Kaya like that!" Usopp exclaimed. He launched his attack. "Green Star: Platanas Shuriken." He called. Several star shaped leaves erupted from the pellet and launched at Jango, who used his Chakram to deflect the projectiles. He then threw his Chakram at Usopp, who barely managed to avoid the razor sharp blades.

Kaya watched as the two began to attack each other from a range. She wasn't far from them, but she was definitely out of the line of fire. She watched as each attack was either dodged or deflected. She knew she had to do something, but she didn't know what. She put her hand on a nearby tree trunk. Instantly feeling the tree, every part of it, she recalled what happened earlier, and focused. The tree warped, a wooden figure stepped out; looking over it for a moment before speaking. "Help Usopp!" she commanded. The figure didn't respond, nor did it hesitate, it simply did as commanded. She remembered what she read earlier and raised her arm in front of her, willing it to turn into wood, then an entanglement of vines, then a rose, and finally returning to her normal arm. The girl grinned, amazed at what she could do. Running back to the battle, Kaya shot her arm forward, once again letting it turn into vines.

Usopp was surprised when a wooden figure attacked the hypnotist. He wouldn't question it though, as it gave him a chance to hit the creep with an explosion star, damaging the man, but destroying the wooden soldier. A moment later he saw Kaya running towards Jango. She stopped short, but her arm turned into a mess of vines, which grabbed Jango and took all his Chakrams, effectively trapping him. She swung her arm, and smashed the Black Cat Pirate into the ground, knocking him out. He turned to his childhood friend. "Kaya, that was amazing!" he praised, forgetting his earlier anger.

"It was?" she asked, she wasn't use to fighting, so she had no point of reference to compare.

Usopp smiled. "Yeah. And with more training you can become really strong." He then got all serious. "But a Devil Fruit doesn't make you instantly strong; strength requires creativity, experience, and of course effort. There's no taking this ability from you, so you're going to have to learn how to use it." Usopp said, hefting the unconscious pirate over his shoulder.

Kaya understood, she knew that she wasn't experienced with these new abilities of hers, but there was already improvement. However, there was one thing she heard during the battle she couldn't take her mind off of. "Um… Usopp, about what he said." She pointed to the pirate slung over Usopp's shoulder. "Do… you really like me?"

Usopp blushed. "Uhhh… yeah. Listen I really like you, the only reason I snapped at you earlier was because I didn't want you to get hurt, and going into a fight not knowing what you're capable of is a good way to get hurt or die."

Kaya looked a little guilty. "I understand Usopp, and maybe you're right, I just need to train and practice more with my abilities. But Usopp, I care for you, but not like that. To me, you are my best friend, my most trusted ally, but you are closest thing I have to a brother."

Usopp was crushed. "Really?"

"You're really protective, you always put my wellbeing before your own, and I'm glad, but I don't want to depend on you. I want to rely on myself. So, while I'm flattered, I hope we can just remain friends." Kaya explained.

Usopp looked down for a moment, but it didn't last long. "Alright, I'll try to be less protective, and I'll even help you develop your powers so you can fight your own battles. Plus, there isn't anything that would make me stop being your friend, even if that's all. Besides, the sea is the one my heart aches for!" he exclaimed. The two shared a laugh; glad this revelation hadn't ruined their comradery, before heading back to the shore with the unconscious Jango.

Brook had followed Kuro through the village to the other side of the island. They hadn't been seen due to their speed, a feat that Kuro was surprised by, as even he could barely keep track of where he was running, but this skeleton had not only been able to keep pace, he hadn't even seemed to try, like moving at speeds matching or possibly exceeding what Kuro was capable of was easy.

Kuro stopped, standing on the northern slope of the island. He turned to face the skeleton. "I'm surprised you could keep up." He stated calmly.

Brook remained stoic, watching his opponent for a moment. Finally, he spoke. "Why?"

Kuro raised an eyebrow. "Why what?" he asked, confused by the question.

Brook clenched his boney fist. "Why would you run from the sea? It's shameful."

"You want to know why? I was tired of running, tired of fighting, and most of all…" he slashed his cat claws at Brook, who jumped over the strike. "I'm tired of dealing with idiots! I left to live a peaceful life of complete solitude, and after my plan succeeds, I'll have the wealth to live it."

Brook drew Soul Solid, preparing it for a strike. "You should know that there is no peace in isolation." He stated, walking forward.

Kuro began to sway. "How would you know? Out of the Bag Attack!" Kuro began moving at a rapid pace, though Brook could easily tack him, and managed to block each strike that was aimed at him, though the majority slashed at the ground or cliffs.

Brook deflected one of the attacks into the ground, Kuro's blades sinking into the soil. "How would I know?" He stated, his bony face portraying anger. "I live for years alone, trapped on a ghost ship, cursed to drift for decades."

Kuro looked up at the man, a look of realization on his face. "I know you. You're the Humming Swordsman Brook, former captain of the Rumbar Pirates. I heard stories of you as a child. A pioneer of the Grand Line." He stated.

Brook looked at the man. "That is who I use to be, a man who had everything and lost it. Now, I am a Strawhat Pirate, the Soul King, and a man with renewed vigor!" He started to walk away. "You ran from the sea for your own selfish desires, I cannot be defeated by a man like you."

Kuro pulled his claw out of the ground. "Then don't turn your back on me!" he exclaimed, calling out his next technique. "Nine Lives Slasher!" He charges at Brook using the Pussyfoot Maneuver, slashing with all of his blades.

His attack failed to land however when Brook disappeared. The skeleton appeared behind him, and began to sheathe his sword. "Three Verse Humming… Arrow Knot Slash!" Kuro was slashed multiple times, Brook moving faster than he could track. "You will never truly know peace until you return to the sea, but until then reflect. Reflect on your actions, your life, and your morals. Rediscover yourself like I did." Brook said. That was all that the pirate captain heard before losing consciousness. Brook looked at his downed enemy before sighing. He picked up the lanky man and ran across the island, once again joining his friends.

It was getting late into the evening, with the moon high in the sky. The Strawhat Pirates had been offered to stay at Kaya's mansion, an offer that was graciously accepted. The Black Cat Pirates had run off as soon as they saw the four strongest members of the crew, which wasn't saying much, had been defeated. The Pirates, excluding Luffy, who was fast asleep but was no longer restrained by the seastone cuffs on, were sitting in Kaya's living room. Zoro was napping on the couch, Brook was admiring a beautiful white grand piano with gold accents, Wanda and Carrot were chatting with Merry due to his possible mink heritage, and Nami, Kuina, and Usopp were talking to Kaya about her Devil Fruit. "So you can control and make ANY type of plant?" the blue haired swordswoman asked.

Kaya nodded. "The book didn't go into much detail, so I'm unsure what all of my abilities are." She said.

Nami spoke up. "Either way, you need to train these abilities, and from our experience." She began, motioning between Usopp and herself. "Devil fruits are rarely so straight forward, Paramecia types especially. All it really comes down to is the user's imagination."

The heiress frowned, slightly worried. "So what would you suggest I do?" she asked.

Usopp smiled. "Come with us of course!" He exclaimed.

Kaya was shocked, but the looks on Nami's and Usopp's face made her think it was the most obvious conclusion. She didn't even want to question it, but her mind was racing. "I… I'll think about it." She said. She excused herself and headed up to her room, the pirates going to rest shortly after.

The next morning all the pirates were walking towards a cliff with Kaya and Merry. The sheep like man happily chatting as they walked. "I'm not sure how we could ever repay you for what you've done for this island." He told the pirates. "However, young Usopp has been helping me with a project for quite some time, and it only seems right that I give it to you." He said. The cliff came into view, and to the surprise of everyone, excluding Usopp, Kaya, and Merry, there was a ship. "I present to you the Going Merry!" the butler said.

It was just like the Zoro, Nami, and Luffy remembered, except instead of a steering pole in the galley, it had a steering wheel on the bow, just behind the figurehead. They wasted no time climbing on, a sense of familiarity washing over them. Nami even broke into tears of joy. She turned toward the butler. "Thank you! We'll take good care of her!"

Once the entire crew had looked over their new ship, Luffy and Usopp turned to Kaya. "So Kaya, what's your decision?" Luffy asked, confusing Merry. Usopp had mentioned offering Kaya a position on the crew and Luffy had wholeheartedly agreed.

Merry looked at his charge. "What does he mean Miss Kaya?" he asked.

Kaya looked up at the man who cared for her with sorrow in her eyes. "I'm sorry Merry, Usopp asked me to join the crew, and I'm going to accept." She said, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "I need to go, not just to learn about my new abilities." She grew a rose from her palm. "But I want to learn medicine and see the world with my own eyes. I have written over my family's fortune to you. I hope you have a good life." She said.

Merry had started crying as well. "Miss Kaya… I… I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything. I'll miss you, but I need to do this." She said, wiping her own tears away. Merry could do nothing but nod in understanding.

It took until noon before everything was loaded onto their new ship, even taking the time to tie their original boat, now dubbed the Merry Lamb, to the Going Merry's side. Usopp had also gotten Wanda, Carrot, and Brook, to help move his secret garden onto the ship, and told the Usopp pirates goodbye. The three children were sad to see him go, but they understood why he was leaving. Finally, the crew of now nine set off.

It wasn't long into the voyage that Nami realized there was a problem. "Uhh guys?" she called on the deck.

All eight of her crewmate soon stood before her. "What is it Nami?" Kuina asked.

The navigator took a deep breath. "I think this ship is a little small." She said. It was true, no one really thought about it, but who knows how many crewmembers they would pick up before Water 7. Added to the fact that Brook kept his piano from Dawn Island, which took up just about half of the space in the Merry Lamb, it was already kind of crowded. The other crewmate's eyes seemed to widen at the realization.

Kaya looked down, this gift from Merry, which she had already grown attached too, already needed to be replaced. Bending down she placed a hand on the deck. How she wished she could do something. Then she had an interesting thought. Could she manipulate the wood as she had back in Syrup? Willing the ship to increase in size, she realized that already existing pieces began to change. She could feel the keel getting longer and wider at the bottom of the ship, the siding growing with it. After a short while, the Going Merry had grown about four times the size, and another level had been added. There was now a men's room that could hold close to twenty large humans, the women's room being a bit bigger to include a library, which Kaya had made extra shelves for, the galley could now easily fit thirty people plus Brook's piano, the anchor room was also much bigger, and the storeroom was at least three times as big. Kaya couldn't do much about the kitchen or restroom except increase the size, though she expected Usopp could once he got the supplies.

Once she was done she collapsed, breathing heavily. Usopp rushed to her side. "Kaya, that was amazing!" he said. The rest of the crew could only stare in shock at her power.

Nami ran up and hugged her. "Thank you! Now we don't have to buy another ship!" she exclaimed.

She looked at the orangette. "There's still some work left to do though, mainly the kitchen and galley

Usopp helped her up. "Don't worry about anything else, you've already been a big help. I can take care of those when we get more supplies." He said, leading her to the galley to get some rest.

The rest of the crew quickly got back to work doing their various jobs. Carrot had gone up into the crows nest to watch for ships. She quickly spotted a small rowboat and alerted the crew. Pulling up next to the dinghy, the crew was surprised to see a battered and bandaged Kuro lying unconscious.

So yeah, long chapter. I hope I did a good job with the fight scenes (though I'm still working on my fight scenes, I just think I did a better job than my last attempt). As for the changes to the Merry, I couldn't have Usopp build a different ship, but I couldn't leave it the same size, due to the number of great characters that could possibly join the crew.

As for Kaya's Devil Fruit, I understand it's similar to the Grow Grow Fruit from Film Z, but in the movie it seemed like Binz couldn't grow the plants directly from his body, so I thought, "What about a fruit that could turn the users body into a plant?", and it kinda evolved into a pseudo-logia, minus the intangibility. also, why have I never seen the word pseudo-logia in this fandom before? I just made it up.

I understand some of you don't like Kuro, but I could see no reason his crew would keep him around, especially since we see that Jango joins the Marines by Alabasta. But I do have a plan for him.