"Here goes. *Deep breath* BIG NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!!!" Luffy shouted as everything felt frozen.
"No! I told you before that’s the worst thing you could’ve said to him!" Nami dreaded as the ninjas except the Dazzlings were confused.
"Straw Hat… You damned flashy idiot! I won’t stand for this! Give Aria back or we’ll take that ship by storm!" Buggy threatened.
"I thought you said they just pretended to be your friends, Aria." Leo said in confusion.
"I did." Aria responded, equally confused.
"Hold on! Let’s just talk first." Princess Twilight said.
"You want a fight, Buggy?!" Zoro hissed.
"Grr! Only if you force me to if you don’t give Aria back!" Buggy growled.
"Captain, let's just attack." Cabaji said.
"This is a rescue, not a robbery." Mohji pointed out before everyone heard a lion growling.
"All hands attack!" Buggy ordered as all the Buggy Pirates jumped aboard the Going Merry, weapons ready, with the Straw Hat pirates and Dazzlings readying for battle themselves.
"Okay everyone, STOP!!!" Princess Twilight ordered as she thrusted her arms out, only for the Buggy Pirates, Straw Hat Pirates and Dazzlings to be somehow suspended in zero gravity.
"A Devil Fruit wielder?!" Buggy gasped as Adagio noticed that everyone floating didn’t have a magenta aura on them.
"Looks like it. Princess Twilight has the powers of the Press-Press Fruit." Adagio informed.
"Chop-Chop Cannon!" Buggy shouted as he launched his dagger fist at Princess Twilight, before her horn glowed magenta as Buggy’s launched dagger fist glowed the same color and froze. "Psych! Richie, attack!"
"Richie?!" Aria gasped as everyone saw a huge lion jump aboard, extremely angry, before Richie charged toward Princess Twilight, but Fluttershy got in front of the lion, then Aria gave a sharp whistle and Richie immediately stopped. "Richie, Mama's home." Aria said as Richie looked at her and cried happily. "Twilight set me down." Aria ordered as she then suddenly went back to normal gravity. "Aw Richie, you missed Mama didn't you?" Aria asked, answered with Richie giving a sad nod as he kept sobbing into Aria’s arms.
Cabaji got free and attacked. "Acrobat Techinique: The Dance of a Hundred Kamekazi Tops!" Cabaji shouted as spinning tops flew from him before they suddenly froze with electricity buzzing around them.
"Look, let's talk about this!" Pinkie panicked before Mohji threw his whip and snagged her neck. But then the tops suddenly surrounded Mohji before everyone saw Sci-Twi pointing her weapon at them, while the metallic part of it was buzzing the same kind of electricity the tops were buzzing.
"Calm down. We don’t wanna hurt anyone." Sci-Twi said, but none of the Buggy Pirates listened as they attacked, making her sigh in disappointment. "I tried to warn them. Repel."
The kamikaze tops flew to each members of the Buggy pirates, except Richie, and exploded on impact.
"We're not your enemies." Leo warned.
"Then why do you have Aria?!" Buggy growled.
"Why do you even care? You guys pretended to be her friends!" Sunset responded as she was attacking Buggy.
"Chop-Chop Quick Escape!" Buggy shouted as he split into pieces, dodging Sunset’s slashes as he backed away from her.
"What the...!" Sunset gasped before Buggy kicked her into Usopp.
"If case you don’t know, I ate the Chop-Chop Devil Fruit, turning me into a Chop-Chop Man, which means I can no longer die by the blade!" Buggy informed.
"How'd did you beat him last time, Luffy?!" Raph asked.
"I just punched him." Luffy answered.
"Works for me!" Applejack smirked as a white ball of energy formed around Applejack’s left fist before Buggy recognized it.
"You flashy idiot! How do you have that power?! If you use it here, you’ll bring us all down! Even your friends!" Buggy panicked as Applejack stopped immediately.
"At least on that, we can agree on." Aria admitted.
"You're not so tough, big nose!" Rainbow Dash taunted, before she felt herself being lifted into the air while being choked by Buggy’s disembodied left hand.
"What? Who’s got a big nose?" Buggy growled.
"You had to say that." Nami groaned.
"Let her go!" Sanji ordered.
"Not until you give Aria back!" Buggy responded.
"EVERYONE, STOP!" Aria roared, as everyone else saw her petting Richie. "Why are you guys here? You pretended to be my friends, attack my sisters, now you're trying to rescue me when I don't need it!"
"I didn't lie about being your friend!" Buggy said.
"Yeah right! After you men attacked my sisters for no good reason!" Aria scoffed.
"I wouldn't have attacked Adagio if she didn't try to turn Richie into a fur-skin coat!" Mohji responded.
"She what?!" Aria gasped in horror.
"I thought the fur would look nice. I'd have been the most fashionable pirate." Adagio explained as Rarity facepalmed, before the next thing the eldest Dazzling knew, Aria whacked her hard on the head, leaving a huge bump and caused Sonata to nervously sweat as she gulped down a lump in her throat.
"Aw Richie, did my mean big sister want to hurt you?" Aria comforted Richie as the lion hid behind Aria, confirming what Mohji said.
"Mine was an accident, I swear! I found this unicycle and sword, I figured I'd clean the rust off, and they broke." Sonata panicked.
"Wait, what?" Cabaji gasped in shock.
"I told you that your gear was rusty, Cabaji!" Aria deadpanned as Sunset checked Mohji's and Sonata's memories.
"They're telling the truth." Sunset confirmed.
"We then heard you three got nabbed by the Marines and we stormed in to rescue you." Buggy informed.
"W-What?" Aria gasped.
"We didn't care about some stupid misunderstanding, we just wanted you safe. Then we heard the gunshots..." Buggy paused as much to the Straw Hat Pirates and ninjas' surprise, Buggy started to cry. "We… We thought you were gone." Buggy finished as the rest of the Buggy Pirates started crying.
"When we saw the updated poster, it said that you were with Straw Hat Luffy. So we abandoned our goals of revenge to rescue you!" Cabaji explained as Aria said nothing while standing completely still before Richie brushed against her. The Straw Hats and Ninjas saw water drops on the deck next to Aria, but there wasn’t a single cloud near the ships.
"Guess it was a misunderstanding." Princess Twilight said in relief as Sunset sighed in agreement.
Aria was still silent, but tears flowed freely from her eyes.
"So, you still wanna kill me Buggy?" Luffy asked.
"Tch. Why bother? I still don’t like Shanks." Buggy responded while Aria tried to hold in her emotions, she ultimately failed as she started sobbing her eyes out.
"It's okay, Aria." Mikey said, but Aria didn’t respond as she kept crying on her feet.
A little while later, Adagio and Sonata were apologizing for ruining Aria's friendship.
"Sorry for wanting to turn this lion into a fur skin coat." Adagio apologized.
"Sorry for breaking your friend’s stuff." Sonata added before Aria simply hugged her sisters with tears still flowing.
"No. I’m the one who should be sorry. If I had only asked what happened instead of letting my emotions drive me, that would’ve never happened." Aria responded.
"Guess we're to blame, too." Cabaji noted.
"The important thing is that we solved this before things got ugly." Leo said in relief.
"I don’t think so." A female voice responded.
"Huh?" Everyone else wondered in confusion before a very slim and beautiful woman showed up while carrying a giant iron mace.
"Hello, beautiful!" Sanji awed as his right eye turned into a heart.
"Heh. Well whaddya know." Adagio smirked.
"Alvida?" Aria noticed.
"What happened?" Sonata asked.
"Alvida, you leave this to us." Buggy said.
"Sorry Buggy, I got a score to settle with them." Alvida responded.
"I’ll take care of this one." Adagio declared as everyone else back away from the two.
"Wait, let's not fight." Fluttershy suggested.
"Heh. Sorry, Fluttershy. No can do." Adagio responded.
"I've waited for this score for a long time." Alvida said as Sunset and Princess Twilight facepalmed.
"Ladies, please. I'm more than enough man for both of you." Sanji lovingly responded.
"Can I borrow this?" Applejack asked as she picked up Alvida’s club.
"To knock him out, why not." Alvida answered as Applejack proceeded on doing it.
"It's ancient history now, Alvida. Not too late to just leave." Adagio offered.
"After the fortune you cost me, not a chance!" Alvida responded as she attacked Adagio.
"Well, I tried." Adagio said and she cracked her knuckles.
As they fought, Buggy talked with Luffy.
“I can't stay enemies with you if you’re Aria's friend, Straw Hat.” Buggy admitted.
“Really? Then why attack that old man’s village? Besides, I still don’t trust those two for what they did to that doggie’s treasure.” Luffy pointed out as he glared at Mohji and Richie.
“I'm just proposing a competition. First of us to get to the One Piece wins. Loser has to admit to the winner that he's the King of the Pirates.” Buggy offered.
“Ya sure? It’s a pretty big risk.” Luffy asked.
“It's fair game. And it ensures we'll meet again. I want to know why Aria befriended you.” Buggy responded.
“Really?” Luffy added another question.
“Yes. Do we have a deal?” Buggy asked.
“Fine.” Luffy answered.
Later that day, Aria looked at her Serpent-Blade knife and her new knife, which looked like Buggy's with his Jolly Roger carved on both sides on it.
“I thought Knife-Thrower Aria had a nice ring to it.” Buggy noted.
“Hehe. It does.” Aria agreed as the Buggy Pirates loaded an unconscious Alvida aboard their ship.
“Even though she has devil fruit powers and her skin being slippery as an eel, things haven’t changed a bit.” Adagio smirked, despite comically being bruised all over her body and having bumps on her head as Richie whimpered at Aria.
“It’s okay, sweetie. Mama will always love you.” Aria said to Richie.
“Aww! So cute!” Fluttershy gushed at that as the Buggy Pirates sailed away, before Buggy looked back.
”Next time we meet Straw Hat, it won't be as enemies.” Buggy noted as Luffy on the Going Merry smiled, knowing he meant that.
“Hehehe! Right!” Luffy smiled with a snicker.
"You okay, Aria?" Sunset asked.
"Better than I had been in a long time." Aria smiled.
"We're really sorry about ruining your friendship with them." Sonata apologized.
"It’s okay, I already forgave you and Adagio." Aria responded as Usopp was looking a spyglass.
"Ah, I can see it now. Thousands of people from Little Garden are cheering and waving as they flock to greet the great captain Usopp and crew! Listen to the girls’ high-pitched cries as they blow kisses to the brave captain! *As Zoro, Rainbow Dash and Raph grabbed some apples* Ah, I’m so popular and adored by all, that it really should be a crime. No, do not fall in love with me, my sweet one. You’ll only end up getting heartbroken." Usopp fantasized as Zoro, Rainbow Dash and Raph took a bite out of their apples while walking by him.
"Hey guys, if Buggy's crew found us out with those updated... Who else do you think found out?" Mikey asked.
"To be safe, you-know-who, Arlong, Big sis Hancock, and Shanks." Aria answered.
"You’re totally delusional." Zoro scoffed to Usopp.
"I bet you're a lousy marksman." Raph added, agreeing with Zoro.
"I heard that, Zoro and Raphael! Who’re you two calling delusional and lousy?!" Usopp growled.
"Knock it off! Can’t you please just be quiet for once?!" Nami asked in anger as she, Vivi, Rarity, Donnie, April, Princess Twilight and Sci-Twi were in the kitchen at the table, going over maps.
"That was wild." April noted.
"Agreed. But what was my Devil Fruit Power called?" Sci-Twi responded.
"Aria said it was the Magnet-Magnet Fruit." Rarity answered.
"Those morons… I’m sorry. What?" Nami asked.
"Oh, yeah. So I was saying is that if you just look over here, *While Sanji and Applejack are cooking some food as Usopp peeked in and saw them cooking* in this area, there aren’t any island, but you have to be careful of the reefs because they can get pretty tall." Vivi informed.
"Wow..." Sci-Twi awed in amazement.
"Wow is right." Princess Twilight and Donnie agreed.
"Okay… Thanks a lot. That was a big help." Nami said in gratitude.
"Of course, you’re welcome. Wow, that smell." Vivi noticed.
"Sanji knows how to take a beating." Sci-Twi whispered to her pony princess counterpart, who giggled in agreement as Sanji and Applejack showed up with food.
"Order up, y’all!" Applejack called out.
"Now then ladies, I present today’s desert, Tarte aux Poires." Sanji introduced.
"And some mighty fine apple fritters." Applejack added.
"Bon appetit." Sanji said.
"*Gasp!* Yummy!" Vivi, Nami, Usopp, Sci-Twi, Princess Twilight, Donnie, Rarity, April and Casey awed in amazement before everyone in the room backed up from Usopp and Casey a bit.
"Donnie, Usopp, Casey, your deserts are over there!" Sanji angrily informed.
"Hmm… Oh yeah!" Usopp cheered.
"Nice!" Casey agreed.
"Okay." Donnie responded as he, Usopp and Casey went off.
"Jeez… Hmm? Where’d Luffy go?" Sanji noticed as Karoo, Fluttershy and Shini arrived.
"Him? I asked him, Pinkie, Mikey and Sonata to draw some water earlier. I need it so I can take a shower. They’re probably at the water-drawing machine." Nami answered before Rena showed up.
"It’s true." Rena confirmed.
"So that’s why he’s being so quiet now." Sanji noted before everyone heard a crash inside the ship.
"Huh?" Most of the group wondered.
"I spoke too soon." Sanji deadpanned as a door outside on the deck opened, with Pinkie, Mikey and Sonata coughing while they exited it with Luffy.
"Whoa, that was a close one. That thing is kinda scary!" Luffy admitted as everyone in the kitchen went outside to see what was going on.
"What happened?" Applejack asked.
"Gah! Luffy, look at that! You broke it!" Usopp realized.
"Come on, it was a mistake. *As Usopp dropped down to investigate* We were just trying to draw the water faster." Luffy said.
"This is bad... The belt's been burnt up and it's broken completely." Usopp informed.
"Right. That's strange, huh?" Luffy asked before Nami jumped down as she bonked Luffy on the back of the head.
"No it's not, considering your freakish strength! Jeez..." Nami groaned.
"Now what?" Sci-Twi deadpanned.
"Luffy broke the water-drawing machine since he had too much freaking strength." Croven informed.
"Can it be fixed?" Vivi asked.
"Yeah, but we need to stop somewhere to get the materials." Usopp answered as he closed the door.
"For now anyways, it’s probably better if I don’t ask Luffy to try it again. Usopp, will you go get me some water from the other water-drawing machine? I still need a shower." Nami requested.
"Yeah… *As Nami walked away* Hey, Nami! Have you ever thought about doing it yourself, maybe?!" Usopp growled.
"Huh? Oh, I can smell some food!" Luffy noticed.
"Me too!" Pinkie, Mikey and Sonata agreed.
"And you, can’t you at least say you’re sorry?!" Usopp asked Luffy in anger.
"Okay, I’m sorry. But there’s another one, so what’s the big deal?" Luffy shrugged off.
"Hey girls, look." Vivi noticed.
"Hmm?" Nami, Rarity and April wondered as they and everyone else saw a newspaper delivery bird on the mast.
"A bird?" Raph asked in confusion.
"Try something like saying you’re sorry!" Usopp said to Luffy.
"Shut up! I’m trying to get some sleep here!" Zoro growled at Usopp and Luffy.
"Oh, it’s the newspaper." Nami noticed.
"Weird." Leo said.
Later, everyone else was in the kitchen having food while Usopp was on the other water-drawing machine.
"Why can’t Nami do anything herself…?" Usopp asked in disbelief.
Meanwhile in the kitchen, Nami opened the morning newspaper.
"Seriously, I can’t believe the morning paper doesn’t get here until the afternoon." Nami sighed in annoyance.
"Wait, the updated is only a measly extra 500,000?!" Adagio gasped in shock and anger.
"Looks like it for the three of you, since the Government thinks you’ve weakened over all this time. Besides, it certainly can’t be easy delivering the newspaper on time in the Grand Line. I should really just be thankful that we get the newspaper here at all, you know." Vivi answered.
"I guess that is true, huh." Nami agreed.
"This is insulting!" Aria growled as Sonata banged her head against the table in embarrassment at that while Nami froze at seeing something in the news.
"Did you notice something interesting in there?" Vivi asked before Nami started looking at a different page.
"Oh! No, it’s nothing. Really…" Nami nervously answered.
"Oh." Vivi simply said before Luffy gasped with his mouth closed and full of food as he looked over Nami’s shoulder at the newspaper in excitement.
"What?!" Pinkie gasped.
"Oh, what is it?" Nami nervously asked.
"Come on, Luffy!" Mikey added.
"Yeah! Tell us!" Sonata agreed.
"Hold on a sec! Zoro, Wolflood! Rena! Come look!" Luffy urged.
"Hm?" Zoro noted.
"Huh?" Rena wondered.
"What is it?" Wolflood asked.
"At what? It’s just the picture of some Marine guy." Nami simply said.
"Yeah, but it isn’t just any Marine they took a picture of." Luffy pointed out as they looked at the picture closer.
"Hm? That’s Coby, right?" Zoro noticed.
"Yeah!" Luffy answered
"Wow! Coby’s on the news!" Rena awed in amazement.
"Kudos to him following his dream as a Marine." Wolflood smiled.
"Coby…? He’s that friend you were talking about the other day?" Nami asked.
"Yeah! So what’s the paper say about him?" Luffy responded.
"Let’s see… Uh, here it is." Nami noticed before she started reading the article. “Vice-Admiral Garp arrived with his crew at Marine Headquarters. The picture shown here was taken just after they crossed Reverse Mountain. Garp of course, was relaxed and in control; some young Marines didn’t fare as well as their commander however, they sat huddled together on the deck, their faces frozen in fear.”
The Dazzlings froze at the mention of Garp.
"Whoa… So Coby’s here in the Grand Line too." Luffy realized.
"And it said at Marine Headquarters. Not bad for the kid." Zoro added.
"Hahahahaha! The boy’s getting better and better!" Wolflood laughed happily.
"Yep, Coby’s gonna be a Marine mayor one of these days." Luffy agreed.
"No, he’ll be an officer, idiot! The Marines don’t have mayors!" Zoro corrected.
"Yeah, that’s what I said." Luffy said.
"Coby’s getting closer to his dream already!" Rena smiled.
"This is great! I bet Coby’s working really hard right now." Luffy wondered.
"G-G-Garp!" The Dazzlings gulped.
"You know him?" Fluttershy asked.
"He's the most feared Marine Officer we know." Adagio asked.
"Are you sure?" Karai checked.
"Yeah, he fought Gol D. Roger!" Aria confirmed.
"But have you three fought him before?" Croven asked.
"Heck, no. Anytime we saw his troops, we ran away!" Sonata answered before Rainbow Dash smirked.
"What was that? Did I just hear that the Dazzlings were actually scared of someone? I’m surprised that they’re scared of anything." Rainbow Dash taunted as the Dazzlings’ ears twitched at that.
"Dash, what’re ya doin’?!" Applejack whispered.
"Trust me on this." Rainbow Dash whispered back.
"If valuing our lives makes us cowards, fine." Adagio said, but Aria started growling in anger.
"Aria, what would you do if we face Whitebeard?" Sonata asked.
"Ha! I bet they’d run with their tails between their legs!" Rainbow Dash mocked before Aria punched her.
"We’re not cowards!!! If we encounter Garp or Whitebeard, I’ll prove I’m not a coward by fighting them!" Aria roared.
"We're dead." Adagio dreaded as Sonata gulped in agreement.
"Now that’s the spirit!" Rainbow Dash cheered.
"Wait… You got me riled up so we wouldn’t be afraid, right?" Aria asked.
"Yeah." Rainbow Dash answered.
"Hate to admit it, but that worked on me." Aria said.
"How's our course?" Leo asked as Nami checked the Log Pose.
"Looks like we’ll be at Little Garden by tomorrow." Nami informed.
"Sweet!" Mikey and Pinkie cheered.
Later, it was night and everyone was asleep, before Nami woke up in the girls room with Karoo, Spike and Dog Spike in it and silently tip-toed to the cabinet and hid the newspaper in there before looking at Vivi in concern.
Meanwhile, in the boys room…
"Let’s go! Now! Onto Little Garden…" Luffy declared in his sleep.
"Yeah…!" The other boys agreed while they were sleeping.