As they continued to sail, Luffy eventually recovered. Hearing how dreary things have been on deck and tried to cheer the group up by mocking himself when he got frozen. It actually did quite a lot to cheer up most everyone. As everyone began to become cheerful again, the oddest sight crossed their path: a large frog doing the front-crawl (or freestyle). They followed the frog, both out of curiosity and hunger, only to come across another extraordinary sight, the sea train Puffing Tom. They even watched the frog "fight" the train and lose. They had also meet a station manager named Granny Kokoro, and Earth pony whose cutie mark was a bubbly drinking mug, and her granddaughter Chimney, also an Earth pony and no cutie mark yet, and her pet cat (actually a rabbit) Gonbe. After explaining the sea train to the group as well as the frog Yokozuna, Kokoro pointed out the direction of Water 7: the Straw Hat's destination. Having become fond of the crew, Kokoro even handed them a map of the city and a letter of recommendation that would come in handy once in the city.
And after nearly half a day of sailing…
"Land ho!" shouted Luffy excitedly as he hung off the side and pointed out to what appeared to be a large tower.
What new adventure awaits our heroes now?
Luffy & Twilight: We're always shining, running, forever
Sharing the best adventures together
And as we follow our dreams however crazy they seem
We won't stop until we reach the end so
Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up heartbeat! We are the one! Go ahead!
My Little Pony
Nakama is Magic
The only rule that we obey is to run free
Mane Six plus Spike (chorus): We are best friends
Don't ever let a compass show you the way to go
Just pick the route that looks the most exciting!
Raise the flag and sail on full speed ahead
Straw Hat 7 (chorus): Go east, go west
It doesn't matter who or what's standing in our way,
We'll make it through them everyday
You won't get anywhere if you're waiting for the sun to rise
All(chorus): I can't wait
So spread your wings and meet it in the sky, leave earth below
Just follow its light and get going, go!
So as we're Shining, Running, Forever!
When all the pieces of our dreams have merged
You'll feel a joy inside that you can't explain
And that's the treasure we must find!
We're always shining, running, forever
Sharing the best adventures together
And as we follow our dreams however crazy they seem
We won't stop until we reach the end so
Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up heartbeat.
We are the one! Go ahead!
"The City of Water: Water 7"
When they sailed closer to this tower, the real sight of what was before them was breathtaking. At a distance, this island could look like a tower. When closer it looked like a water fountain. But when you're really close up, you could truly see that this landmark was a huge, bustling city. This was Water 7, and it indeed look like one huge, stone, water fountain. At this beautiful city's tallest point, it had a large and majestic fountain that drained down through the city in canals and emptied into the ocean like waterfalls. Around these large canals were building of all kinds. Most were behind giant walls with large numbered gates at the front with stairs, but there were many buildings outside the wall as well. Most of them looked as if they were sinking into the water and located around a large stone stairway going into the city itself. Truly, this was a beautiful city.
As they sailed closer to the island, a friendly civilian advised the group to dock around back even though he could clearly see they were pirates. The group took the pony's advice. As the sailed around, they soon found themselves within the city itself. Small canals literally littered the city. Twilight and Robin explained how this city was settled on a sinking island, and that the buildings were built on top of older ones. They were soon lead further, by another civilian no less, around the island to one of the few places where there is land. And while they docked…
"Pull up the sail, Zoro." Nami ordered.
"Yeah, yeah." Zoro said monotone as he manually pulled to tie down the sail. Unfortunately, whether by Zoro's strength or the damage Merry had previous received, the mast bent even with the metal plates around. Zoro gasped in shock. "Shit!"
"Whoa!" Rainbow Dash shouted and quickly flew up to help Zoro fix the mast.
"I can't believe how nice the locals have been." Spike commented recalling the two civilians helped the group dock. "I've always thought that most people would be afraid of pirates."
"This place is famous for its shipwright's, correct?" asked Rarity curiously. "I would imagine they would also get quite a bit of business from pirates as well."
"They probably have some strong fighters to keep those pirates in line as well." Robin added.
"Alright! Let's go!" Luffy shouted as he and Usopp jumped off the ship and dashed towards the city excited.
"Hold up!" Nami shouted towards the two excited stallions. "You two are coming with me!"
Luffy and Usopp stopped. Usopp looked back and asked, "Huh? Where to?"
"First, we need to a place to exchange the gold we got from Skypiea. Then, we'll take Granny Kokoro's letter and bring to a man named Iceberg. We'll ask him to fix our ship."
"Ah! Okay!" said both Luffy and Usopp understanding Nami's logic.
"Hey, Twilight! Spike! Gals! You wanna come along?" Luffy asked out curiously.
Nami and the other Straw Hats flinched hearing Luffy asked his question. While not against having the group come with them, they knew that the group was still a bit shaky since the Aokiji incident. This was also their first inhabited island since leaving Equestria, and even they didn't know if there were any potential dangers. However, they had to wait for their response before they could act on anything.
"Um, give us a minute, Luffy" Twilight said as she and her friends gathered around to speak. Twilight then asked, "So, what do you guys think? I'm sure it's safe…"
"I don't know…" Fluttershy said being the most timid of the group. "I'm still a little shaky after…you know."
"But this is our first city outside Equestria! We gotta explore it!" Pinkie Pie stated excitedly.
"I would definitely like to see the shops here." Rarity said with enthusiasm. "I wonder what kinds of fashion they have here."
"Is that all you can think about?" Applejack asked to Rarity sounding mad. "Not the potential danger we could be in?"
"It's not that I'm not thinking of it." Rarity stated matter-of-factly. She then looked over at Sanji, who was currently leaning against the railing distracted, simply to gaze adoringly at the gentlecolt. She released a heartfelt sigh before saying, "I'm just confident that Sanji-kun and everyone can protect us."
"Come on, Applejack." Rainbow Dash said confidently. "These guys wouldn't let anything happen to us. Plus, you and me have been trainin', remember?"
"Yeah, I remember. I'm just worried. They may have defeated Discord, but even they were nearly helpless against that ice fellow." Applejack stated.
"But he was with the Black Empire, right? This place isn't affiliated with that place, right?" Spike asked feeling slightly nervous.
"From what I've read, Water 7 is a neutral city, but it does a lot of business with the Black Empire since Equestria has remained isolated for much of its history. I doubt they would send someone scary to negotiate." Twilight stated.
"Then, I reckon there's not much harm going out." Applejack said begrudgingly.
"So~, does that mean we can go out?" Pinkie Pie asked hopeful.
"I don't see why not." Twilight said smiling.
"Yippee!" Pinkie Pie shouted jumping up and down excited.
"So…" Luffy asked grinning having waited patiently for his sister and friends to finish. "You coming?"
"Yeah." Twilight said happily.
"I wanna come too!" Spike said excited.
"If you like, you can come with us, Rarity." Robin suggested as she and Chopper looked ready to leave. "We'll be looking through shops as well."
"Well, if you don't mind, Ms. Robin." Rarity said sounding a bit nervous, but nonetheless grateful.
"Wait for me, mellorines~!" Sanji shouted out as he dashed next to Robin's group. He then stopped and asked politely, "I would be honored to join you ladies as I buy more food supplies."
Robin was about to speak, but then Rarity beat her to the punch. She spoke quickly, "Of course you can come, Sanji-kun! I could use a gentlecolt by my side."
"Yes~, Rarity-chwan~!" Sanji said completely enamored.
In seeing Sanji fawn over Rarity, and slightly Robin, Applejack frowned. She immediately walked over saying, "If y'all don't mind, I'll join ya too. Probably gonna need a lot of food to feed this group. I'll help ya."
"Thank you, Apple-chan." Sanji said grateful.
"I'll hang with you guys." Rainbow Dash said to Luffy and his group.
"Me too!" Pinkie Pie said hoping next to Rainbow Dash.
All that was left was for Fluttershy to decide. However, the shy and timid Pegasus get the feeling of worry and fear out of her mind despite knowing that Aokiji wasn't here. Even knowing that, she made up her mind. "I think I'll just stay on the Merry…"
Twilight smiled gently. "Okay, Fluttershy."
"Keep an eye on the Merry." Nami advised before pointing over to Zoro laying against the railing napping. "That guy's hopeless on guard duty."
"Oi!" replied Zoro apparently not sleeping yet.
"Um, okay." Fluttershy said with an uneasy smile.
Sensing that Fluttershy was uneasy, Chopper walked up to her in Walk Point form. He asked, "Hey, Fluttershy, do you want to get anything for you while I'm in town?"
"Oh, um…" Fluttershy said surprised blushing slightly. "I don't need much. But maybe, if you see an animal that isn't native to Equestria…you could tell me about it…"
"Sure!" Chopper said happily.
Robin watched the interaction amused. It was no secret Chopper had a crush on Fluttershy. The young mare chuckled softly as she readied along with the others to leave.
"We got the gold!" Usopp shouted as he came up from below carrying a huge bag of gold.
"Let's go!" Luffy shouted excited.
Soon, nearly everyone left the ship. The only that stayed behind was Zoro, who would be watching the ship but really sleeping. They soon reached one of Water 7's unique attractions; the Yagara Bulls. These unique creatures are the prime transportation for the city of Water 7. Chopper was instantly excited knowing for sure that Fluttershy not seen a creature like this. They were able to rent several bulls, buy and map, and begin travel. However, Robin, Rarity, and their group decided to walk the city. So we will follow Luffy's group as they explored Water 7 for the time being.
"Whoa! Look at this place!" Rainbow Dash shouted amazed flying above her group. "There's so many canals. We'll be lucky if we could even find out way back."
"Here let me check the map." Nami said from her bull with Twilight.
The bull, which was smiling even brighter, nodded his head. He then began speed forward taking the lead. Immediately, the other bulls and Rainbow Dash followed. After a while, the Yagara Bulls brought the group to the market district.
"Wow! Look at all the shops!" Pinkie Pie shouted excited from the bull with her, Luffy, and Spike. They were also carrying the gold, which Pinkie was laying on casually.
"Why did they bring us to the market?" Twilight asked confused.
"Maybe it's a short cut." Nami said thinking out loud. The Yagara bull she was on then turned its head. It neighed a while shaking its head in agreement. Nami smiled in response.
"Wow! These guys are smart." Spike said from next to Luffy with amazement.
"Whoa! Look at that bull!" Rainbow Dash said pointing to a very scary and big looking Yagara Bull. "That thing is big! We should've gotten one of them!"
"Hey, look." Usopp said as he looked at the ponies riding on the big Yagara Bull's back. "All those ponies are wearing masks? They look so high-class."
Suddenly, Luffy's bull became excited. Luffy immediately took notice and asked, "What is it?" The bull then sped off to the side surprising his riders. Luffy shouted, "Where are you going?!"
"Huh?" said the other group wondering where Luffy's bull was going.
The bull stopped right in front of a shop. The shop seemed to be selling some kind of fruit that was being kept in water. The shop lady soon greeted the riders. "Welcome! Would you like something?"
"I think he's hungry." Spike commented before his own stomach growled. "I'm pretty hungry too."
"What are these?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.
"Oh? These are Water-Water Apples and Aquamarine Gems. These are Water 7's specialty foods." The shop lady said informing the group.
"Oooh." The group said together interested in the fruit and gems.
Luffy then ordered. "We'll take 15 apples and 5 gems!"
The salespony immediately sold the group their items. All three members tried either an apple or a gem. After just one bite, the group only had one thing to say. "So~ soft~! Yum!"
"Hey! Let me try one!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew down next to the group.
"Me too!" Usopp shouted equally as curious and drooling with hunger.
After trying the local delicacy, the group traveled further into Water 7. From the lower section, the group traveled to the upper part of Water 7 via an aquatic elevator. With it, they soon reached the center where the best shipyard and shipwrights in the world lie. As their bulls carried them further in, the group noticed a crowd over by one of the shipyards. From the crowd, the group learned that there was an incident with pirates, but the shipwrights of the Galley-La Company handled them easily. This impressed Luffy greatly. However, Nami urged him to wait as they traveled to the exchange.
Meanwhile, back at the Going Merry, Zoro was now sleeping peacefully. While he slept, Fluttershy was keeping an eye on the ship. For her, it was nice to have some peace and quiet though she wished she had her animal friends to comfort her. She tried calling out some bird calls seeing if there were any birds to befriend, but none came. It made her feel sad. This journey of theirs with Twilight's brother was turning out to well for her or her friends. She kind of wished Zoro was awake so she could talk to him a little, even if they really didn't have much in common. So, she settled with just sitting nearby him. Not too close, but just close enough to speak should he awake.
What she didn't know was that they were being targeted. Some creatures began to crawl aboard the ship out of Fluttershy's sight. There were a few creatures thin and lanky with pointy ears and noses; gremlins, and three large humanoid creatures with pig faces; orcs. These orcs were named, Zambai: with spikey, black hair, Kiev: with a brown beard and hair crest, and Tamagon: who had a very round body and wore a bow tie. All of them were wearing similar outfits like goggles and steel, bowl pants. They all moved about quietly and slowly across the ship. As they got closer to the ponies, they all unsheathed their swords ready to strike.
Fluttershy soon noticed the creatures as they climbed onto the deck. She immediately frightened by the sight and tried to call out to Zoro, but unfortunately her voice couldn't seem to get the volume she needed being so scared. "Z…Z…Zoro…"
"Now, now, my little pony." The orc Zambai said low as not to alert the sleeping swordspony. He wore a sinister smile much like his fellow invaders. He then pointed his sword out towards Fluttershy and spoke, "How about you just come here quietly and…"
"Zoro." Fluttershy continued saying trying to get more volume but could not.
"Hey!" shouted Zambai as he rushed forward to silence the Pegasus.
Fluttershy gasped and finally shouted, "Zoro!"
Just as Zambai went to grab the Pegasus, his hand was hit back. He stepped back seeing the swordspony now standing between him and the Pegasus. The spikey-haired orc Zambai grinned surprised. "Huh. I thought you were asleep."
"A warrior never leaves his guard down." Zoro stated very seriously. He then forced the sword and orc back. He then stood up drawing his other sword with his magic. He then glared at the group saying, "So…who the hell are you?"
The intruders responded by chuckling sinisterly. Zambai spoke confidently, "'Pirate Hunter', Zoro! We are the Franky Family! We are bounty hunters so tough that kids cry when they see us! Your 60 million bounty is ours! And once we defeat you, we'll use this ship to ambush the rest of your crew! Today is our lucky day 'cause we're going to be rich! Let's get him guys!"
Fluttershy ducked down covering her eyes. She didn't want to see what happened. She was far too scared to witness this fight.
Zambai rushed forward again ready to slash at the swordspony. As his sword came down, Zoro easily blocked him. The orc was completely surprised by the pony's strength. Zoro smirked as he responded back to the orc. "Lucky? More like unlucky." Zoro then sent the orc flying.
The intruders were shocked by the pony's power, but remained confident in their victory. A gremlin, who was taller and thinner than the rest of his kind, shouted, "Charge! We still have the superior numbers! Get him!"
"Nitoryu*…" Zoro said as he brought his swords up front and pointed them up. His aura began to take shape of a rhinoceros with his swords acting as its horns. He then spun quickly taking out all the intruders at once shouting, "Sai Kuru*!"
(** Two-Sword style: Rolling Rhino: it's also a play of words. 'Sai Kuru' sounds like 'cycle' XD)
The gremlins and orc flew through the air and landed in the ocean. He sighed commenting on his fight, "How boring." He then turned to see Fluttershy, who was still cowering. He asked, "Are you alright?"
Fluttershy looked up. She looked around wondering where all the creatures were, but was thankful that they were gone. She soon stood back up, and nodded her head timidly. "Y…Yes."
"That's good." Zoro said before sheathing his swords.
"You didn't…" Fluttershy said before cutting herself off. What she wanted to say she was unable to say. She didn't want to say it.
Zoro sighed knowing full well what the Pegasus wanted to say but couldn't. So he answered shaking his head, "No. I used the back of my swords. It'll hurt, but they'll live."
Fluttershy looked at Zoro surprised, but smiled warmly. "That was very…"
"I just didn't want to ruin my swords. Nothing so sympathetic." Zoro stated as he took a seat down where he had napping.
"Oh…" Fluttershy said now frowning depressed.
Zoro eyed the yellow Pegasus and saw her depressive state. He sighed and spoke again, "Look, I don't make it a point to kill. Only if they are weak will they die that easily."
"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked sadly.
Zoro then pointed to his scar that ran along his chest and the side of his body. He told Fluttershy, "This scar came from the world's greatest sword wielder. I barely stood a chance against him. He didn't hold back during our duel. I could've died, but I have a goal to reach and refused to die. In this world, those with strength will keep on fighting."
Despite the impressive speech, Fluttershy still frowned looking depressed. She spoke sadly, "Then you must think I'm weak, and you're probably right. I know the others have moved on from that incident, but I can't seem to stop thinking about it and it continues to scare me. I must be pathetic compared to someone like you."
"It's not my place to judge." Zoro stated as he begun to relax. "We've meet a lot of different ponies and creatures along our journey. They all weren't physically strong, but they had their own strength that helped them through their ordeal. You all may not be as strong as some of us, but you can do the things we can't do. So, don't worry so much about it. We're friends."
Fluttershy was surprised by Zoro's response. It was comforting to know that her new friend didn't think badly of her or her friends. And, even though she still afraid of what may be out their beyond the Going Merry, Fluttershy felt a little better. Seeing how Zoro was now snoring, Fluttershy decided to take a seat next to him. She was closer than before, but still gave Zoro his space. It really was a peaceful day to rest.
Now, let's go check in on the other group. We actually return back to the market district which is where Robin, Chopper (still in his Walk Point form), and their group are. They were walking down the many pathways that were just as numerous as the water canals.
"Whoa! Look at all the masks!" Chopper gasped in in amazement.
"I wonder what they are for." Applejack questioned curiously.
"One of the stops the sea train makes is at a place called San Faldo. There seems to be a celebration there called Carnival. It's popular as a large costume party." Robin explained.
"Oh, how marvelous." Rarity said delighted. "The fashion on all those masked ponies is mysterious and elegant. Even festive. I would love to take the sea train to this event."
Applejack stepped forward walking up next to Robin. "How'd you know all that, Ms. Robin?"
"Everyone on the street is talking about it. I just listen in every now and then. It's a force of habit that I had picked up as a child…"
"I see…" Applejack stated unsure what to make of the information.
"Wow, Robin! You're awesome!" Chopper stated amazed.
"Isn't she~!" Sanji stated agreeing with Chopper adoring the mare.
Rarity rolled her eyes in disbelief as she continued to walk and looked around. She gasped when she noticed something across the canal. "Ooh! There's a clothing shop down that way!"
"There's some food stands over there too." Applejack said as she pointed her hoof towards the opposite side to the clothing stands. Luckily, there were several bridges connecting the sidewalks.
"Ah. We'll go there then." Sanji said smiling with gratitude. He then turned to Robin and Chopper, "We're going to split off for a bit. Chopper! Make sure you take good care of Robin."
"Right!" Chopper said with a salute to show his seriousness.
"Have fun, you three." Robin said waving the group off as she and Chopper continued down the same street. As they did, an upright creature wearing a feminine-like mask and wearing a very concealing cloak walked pass her and Chopper. The young reindeer was far too distracted to realize anything, but as the creature and Robin walked past each other the creature spoke low.
"CP9"
The deep but low tone male voice made Robin freeze after just a few moments. Her face expressed a sudden realization and fear that made the mare sweat nervously. She then quickly looked back to see if the figure was still walking. The figure was not. In fact, it looked almost like he never existed as no one else seem to notice the disappearance of the figure. This only made Robin even more nervous.
"Robin!" The mare's attention was drawn back into reality as she heard Chopper's voice. She looked down the sidewalk to see that the reindeer had gotten quite ahead of her, but not too far. He then asked out loudly, "This place is a book store! Can I go see?"
"Of…Of course." Robin called out sounding a bit surprised though this was covering her nervousness. She then stated, "Go ahead."
"Thank you!" Chopper shouted excitedly before rushing inside.
And with that, Robin was already gone. Disappeared just like the figure that had spoken to her just moments ago. What has happened?
Now, we return to the big group. From where the shipyard was located, it was just a quick ride over to the central district's cashing exchange. While it was unnecessary, everyone went inside to see the exchange. To most of their surprise, the exchange was mostly run by goblins*. They were much like gremlins except a bit shorter, pudgier, and a bit wicked looking. As protocol for these kind of exchange, a mustache goblin wearing a monocle took the group and their huge bag. Once inside the room, the Luffy dumped all their gold out on the table shocking the appraiser and the Twilight and friends. Of course, the goblin appraiser could easily tell the value of this gold, but the amount was just too great to give. He tried to sell them a deal stating that the gold was worth 100 million. While nearly all of them could accept such an amount, Nami was far from convinced.
(*Ten points to whichever house that guesses where I got this idea from)
"I have three things to tell you, Mr. Appraiser." Nami stated sternly. She then gestured towards Luffy sitting next to her stating, "First, this guy here. He has a 100 million bounty on his head. Second, I don't think your offer is good enough. And third, if you try lying to us again we'll cut your head off right here. Got it?"
'Whoa…' thought Twilight and her friends surprised while also feeling a bit nervous over her attitude.
After hearing all that, the goblin appraiser was now incredibly concerned with the life with these ponies. He nervously nodded his head in response to the yellow Pegasus' demands. "R…Right."
In a manner of moments, the goblin got the 'real' worth of the gold they brought in. The true amount was nearly breathtaking as they all shouted, "Three…300 million!"
The group soon left the exchange carrying three suitcases carrying 100 million each. The suitcases were then given to Nami, Usopp, and Twilight to carry being as they were the most responsible of the group. They then returned back to the shipyard they had spotted earlier. Of course, they had to be tactful about their approach. The number one thing they needed to do was find the pony named 'Iceberg'. However, Luffy was already on the move.
"Excuse me!" Luffy shouted as he proceeded to step over the small fence.
"Luffy!" shouted Twilight and Nami .
But before Luffy could get to the other side, he was suddenly stopped by a creature appearing from almost nowhere. It was a satyr, a mix of goat and human with a lower half of a goat and upper body of a human though the head had goat horns and ears. He wore a high-collared jacket with a white hat with the words 'Galley' written on the front. He also had a rather unique feature of looking square especially his long nose. He had olive tan skin and orange hair. His lower goat half was covered in fur. The pony soon spoke to Luffy in a friendly yet old tone with his finger poking the Earth pony's head.
"Hey. Hold on. You must not be from around here. How about we talk outside first before barraging in impolitely. After all, this area is for employees only."
"Wow. I've never seen a satyr before." Twilight said amazed.
"Just call me Kaku. I'm a shipwright here." The satyr said being friendly.
"Oh. That's good, we would like to meet with a 'Mr. Iceberg'. We have a letter of recommendation." Twilight said as she used her magic to bring forth the letter. She then handed it off to Kaku for him to read it.
The square unicorn just gave the letter a glance before looking back at the group. He then gave the letter back handing it to Nami. He spoke sounding somewhat surprised, "Ah! It's from Granny Kokoro of Shift Station. You sure know the right people to ask for help."
"So, do you know Iceberg?" Twilight asked curiously
"Of course. How can I not know him? He's the mayor of Water 7." Kaku stated.
"Whoa. That's pretty high up." Rainbow Dash said surprised.
"Not only that, he's also the president of the Galley-La Company and manages the sea train."
"Whoa! Talk about multitasking." Spike said impressed.
"He sounds like a very important pony." Nami commented amazed.
Kaku nodded agreeing with the yellow Pegasus. He then stated, "But he is also a very busy stallion. So what is it that you need from him?"
"We need our ship, the Going Merry, to be repaired." Usopp stated eagerly.
"I see…" Kaku said intrigued. He then stepped over the small fence and removed his belt that had many wood chipping tools. He then began to stretch his legs out. He counted, "1, 2, 3, 4…" He then switched sides stretching the other side the same way. "1, 2, 3, 4… Oh! By the way, where's your ship?"
"Huh? It's docked by one of the small islands." Usopp stated sounding confused.
"Okay. I'll go there and check out the ship's condition. That way things will go faster when you talk to Iceberg and hopefully negotiate a price. I'll be back in 10 minutes." Kaku said as he finished stretching.
"Ten minutes?!" Pinkie Pie gasped amazed. "Do you have a Yagara Bull that can go that fast?"
"Oh heavens no." Kaku stated chuckling. "That'll take way too long. My way is much faster."
"Your way?" Rainbow Dash questioned confused.
The group then watched as the satyr suddenly sped off in a flash. Everyone was amazed at the speed, even the speed demon Rainbow Dash was impressed. They then watched as Kaku fearlessly jumped off the edge of the central district. They all gasped shocked.
"He…He jumped!" Rainbow Dash shouted shocked.
"Don't worry. He does that frequently."
A new voice spoke from behind the group gaining there attention. Behind them were two ponies, one male and one female. The Earth pony stallion had a blue mane and an orange coat. He wore a red-striped jacket with a chest pocket carrying a tiny white mouse. His cutie mark was a hammer and wood chisel crossed against each other. The unicorn mare standing next to him had a strawberry blonde mane tied in a bun and a white coat. She wore glasses and was carrying a book with her magic. Her cutie mark was a rather thorny rose. The stallion continued to speak about the other unicorn.
"Well, around here, people call him Yamakaze, 'the mountain wind'. He's also our chief shipwright here at Dock Number One of the Galley-La Company. That is Kaku."
"Sir, I have a report." The mare stated as she pushed up her glasses with her hoof. Her magic was holding the book. She then began to report, "Their name is the Straw Hat pirates. They started out near Equestria and originally believed to have seven members. They currently have three crew members with bounties; 'Straw Hat' Luffy, 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro, and Nico Robin. Their bounties combined are worth 239 million beli."
"Equestria, huh? We don't often do business with anyone from that kingdom." The stallion commented as he petted the mouse in his shirt pocket.
"Who are you?" Luffy asked.
"Ah, right. I am the mayor of this city, Iceberg. And this mouse I adopted recently is called Tyrannosaurus." The pony said towards the group introducing himself. He then turned and spoke to his assistant. "Kalifa, could you please get Tyrannosaurus some food and a cage."
"It is done, Mayor Iceberg." Kalifa said assured.
"Whoa, really? You're like a shooting star, Kalifa." Iceberg commented surprised.
"You flatter me, sir!" Kalifa replied grateful. She then flipped through her book. She stopped and relayed a schedule. "Also sir, may I remind you that you have a meeting with the owner of the glass factory at the Chiza Hotel. After that you have a speech at the Liguria Plaza. After that you need to meet with Mayor Bimine of Pucci, the city of cuisine, in a press conference for the newspapers. And after that there are some documents in your office that you need to go over."
"Wow! What a full schedule!" Spike stated amazed.
"She's…" Twilight said as she was nearly brought to tears of joys. "She's so organized. Like the perfect assistant."
"Hey!" Spike shouted feeling insulted.
Twilight ignored everyone's stunned expression. She then commented blissfully to the mayor, "You must be the best…"
"I don't want to!" Iceberg shouted childishly.
"Okay. I'll cancel all of that." Kalifa said without even a hint of disagreement. She then began writing in the book.
"What?!" shouted most all the group especially Twilight.
"What? For me, refusing to do those things is just one of my privileges." Iceberg stated without much care.
"Wow…" Rainbow Dash said stunned.
"What a bad mayor." Usopp stated.
"This guy doesn't sound reliable. Is he really the guy the Monster Granny told us about?" Luffy asked to Nami.
"I…think so?" Nami said slightly confused.
These comments did not sit well with Kalifa. The young mare shouted angrily, "You ill-mannered brats!" She then jumped forward and begun sending swift kicks at the group. However, most of them were unharmed though stunned. Usopp had taken at least one of the unicorn's swift kicks. The action also caused for Usopp and Nami to accidentally let go of the money suitcases. Kalifa then shouted, "How dare you speak with such disrespect to the world's best shipwright! I'm sorry that I lost my cool, but Mayor Iceberg is a hero to this city. Please show some respect."
"Please do not make Kalifa angry otherwise all hell breaks loose." Iceberg warned the group as he too had been hit by his assistant's wild kicks.
"Most of those kicks landed on you!" shouted Luffy and Rainbow Dash .
"Ah! Sorry, sir." Kalifa said as she bowed apologetically
"Um, so, we have a letter for you." Nami said cheerfully while handing the letter to Iceberg.
Iceberg opened the letter. He chuckled as he saw what was written on it. It was only a words; 'Check out their ship' followed by a lipstick kiss mark, but Iceberg knew who it was instantly. "Ah, so it's from Kokoro…" He said before ripping the letter up.
The group screamed in shock.
"Wait! Please!" Twilight shouted as she stepped forward. "My brother and his crew came a long way to get their ship repaired. It's very precious to them. If you can find it in your heart…"
"No problem." Iceberg said immediately.
"…Oh." Twilight said surprised.
"What?!" Usopp shouted surprised. He then shouted out confused and angry, "Then why did you rip up that letter?"
"I didn't like the lip mark." Iceberg stated with mild disgust. He then spoke seriously, "But I trust Granny Kokoro's judgement. We've been drinking partners for a long time. So, how about I give you a tour of the shipyard."
"Sure! Sounds fun!" Luffy stated excitedly. He then pumped his hoof into the air cheerfully shouting, "Let's go see the shipyard!"
"Ah. We almost forgot our money." Usopp said as he realized they were missing their suitcases
"I got it!" Pinkie Pie stated cheerfully. She then turned to get the suitcases. However, she stopped as she saw a group of strangers around their two suitcases.
You see, after their defeat at Zoro's swords, the group of Franky Family members had wondered the town looking for another way to get money. Their best idea was to head to the center district wear the exchange center was located. They had spotted the group and noticed their suitcases. Instantly, they sought out to take their money. When Kalifa had accidentally made the group's handlers release the suitcases, they saw their opportunity to strike. Unfortunately, they were a little slow in the getaway as to check the cash.
"Hey! Robbers!" Pinkie Pie shouted alerting nearly everyone within shouting range.
"What!?" shouted Nami shocked.
"Run!" shouted Zambai to his comrades. The group then took off taking the suitcases with them jumping into their Yagara Bulls.
"Stop! Give that back!" Usopp shouted desperately.
"Thanks for the money!" shouted the spike-haired orc in mocking gratitude as he and his group escaped on their Yagara Bulls.
"Oh no you don't!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she quickly flew after the group.
"Whoa! She's fast!" shouted the spikey-haired orc. "Protect our money, guys!"
The gremlins quickly covered their suitcase the moment their leader spoke. One of the other orcs, the round Tamagon, moved to protect his suitcase, but was not fast enough. Rainbow Dash had already been aiming for that orc. She grabbed the suitcase, but struggled to get it out of his hands.
"Give me back our money!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"No way!" responded Tamagon.
On land, Luffy and the others were running after them to hopefully intercept the group and help Rainbow Dash. At the same, on the other side, a male Earth pony with a slicked-back yellow mane and a tan coat wearing a denim jack over a yellow target shirt. He also had a cigar in his mouth and wore a pair of orange goggles over his forehead. His name is Paulie and his cutie mark was of a rope styled as a lasso. He was running away from two goblins in suits shouting at him about paying his debts. To escape his debtors, the pony jumped off the bridge he had ran onto. He had spotted the Yagara Bulls and the Franky Family members and took his chance to escape.
"Rope Action!" shouted Paulie as rope sprouted from his sleeves.
Zambai heard the shout. He looked up to see the pony and gasped in shock. "Oh no! It's that carpenter from the Galley-La Company!"
"Sorry, guys. I need to borrow your bulls." Paulie said grinning cunningly. The rope stretched out and caught all the Franky Family members.
Rainbow Dash flew back surprised, now having one of the suitcases in her possession. She watched on amazed. "Whoa!"
"Round Turn!" shouted Paulie as he pulled the two ropes. This action pulled all the Franky Family out of their bulls, leaving behind the other suitcase, and collide into each other. Paulie then landed on one of their bulls as the Franky Family fell into the water. The stallion chuckled while patting the bull saying, "Perfect timing, Friend."
"Dammit" shouted one of the goblins from above on the bridge. "He got away."
"Ha ha! Try again next time." Paulie shouted to his debtors laughing at them mockingly.
"Thank goodness." Nami sighed as she and everyone stopped seeing how their money was now safe.
"Hey, pal." Rainbow Dash said as she floated over to Paulie smiling. "Thanks for the help. That money is really important to our friends."
"Money?" Paulie said surprised. He then looked down to see the suitcase with part of a bill sticking out of it. Paulie was completely surprised, but he was also ecstatic. "Oh, yeah. Um…bye!" He said before making his bull take off quickly.
Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped in shock. She then shouted, "Hey!"
"What the hell?!" Usopp shouted in shock.
Iceberg face-palmed. "That Paulie…"
"What an idiot." Kalifa said without hesitating.
"Don't worry, Boss." From behind Iceberg and Kalifa, came a high-pitch voice promising to retrieve Paulie. Standing behind them was a male Earth pony with a long, black mane and a light-yellow coat. He wore a black top hat with a white band and on his shoulder was a pigeon wearing a tie. The pony's cutie mark was a top hat similar to the one on him.
"Lucci…" Iceberg said.
Oddly, it was the pigeon that spoke in response. "I'll get him."
Immediately, the pony Lucci dashed quickly towards Paulie. He then jumped and landed exactly on the bull Paulie was on. Paulie was shocked to suddenly see Lucci. The yellow pony then bopped the tan pony on the head before turning the bull around. The pigeon then scolded the pony and the pony shouted back. When they came back, the money was returned to the group this time given to Usopp and Spike. Iceberg apologized and explained the group known as the Franky Family, a gang of scrappers that occasionally do bounty hunter work. The members of Galley-La Company then forced their troublemaker Paulie to apologies. He did so kind like an asshole asking for 10% of the money as reward. This started a small fight with Lucci, which ending quickly enough. Iceberg then finally gave the group a tour of the shipyard.
Inside, it was truly a busy place. The whole yard had mostly ponies and other pony-sized creatures; griffons and gremlins mostly, working together on their projects. As Iceberg and his group lead the group around, Usopp and Spike had gotten a sidetracked. Both had been distracted by a few gremlins working on an impressive looking cannon. Neither of them noticed that the Franky Family was sneaking up behind sinisterly.
"Usopp? Spike?" Twilight called out as she looked around for her friends. However, she did not see them. She instead saw their suitcases on the ground. Twilight huffed a little bit mad. "Why did they leave the suitcases here? Someone could have stolen it again."
"Twilight!" Pinkie Pie shouted from down the path. "That Kaku guy came back! We gotta bring the money so we can repair the Merry!"
"Alright!" Twilight called back. She then picked the suitcases up with her magic and carried them to where Pinkie Pie led her.
The group, now minus Usopp and Spike, gathered before the Galley-La Company president, his assistant, and the head foreman now including Kaku. Luffy and Nami were quite excited to hear what the satyr foreman had to say as they clearly had enough money to pay for anything. Unfortunately, the news they got was far from pleasant. The Going Merry could not be fixed. Its keel, which is the 'life line' of ships, was far too damaged and impossible to replace without making a new ship entirely. Even remaking it was not an option. Of course, Luffy could handle this truth yelling at the shipwrights angrily. Nami was entirely shocked. Twilight and her friends felt bad for their friends as well as a bit sad themselves. After all, they too had sailed with Merry and heard of how she came to life via Discord's chaos to save Equestria. And as there only means of transportation back home, what were they going to do?
Now we return back to the market district. Sanji and Applejack had found all the food supply they needed plus some interesting food items that were sold here. In turn, Rarity had found many interesting clothes and clothing pieces. With their shopping done, the group went to find Robin and Chopper. However, they could not find Robin.
"Shit…" Sanji said with a cigarette in his mouth frowning. He and his group were looking around for Robin, but had yet to locate her.
"I'm sorry, Sanji." Chopper apologized tearing up a bit in guilt. "I was too focused on reading those books, and…"
"You don't need to apologize, darling." Rarity stated comforting the poor reindeer. "It's easy to lose anyone in unfamiliar places, but I'm sure we will find her."
"She's a very capable mare. I'm sure she's around here somewhere." Applejack said as she tried looking for said mare.
"I just hope nothing is wrong. I have this strange feeling in my gut…" Sanji stated.
"Should I take a look?" Chopper suggested not understanding what Sanji meant.
"I'm not sick!" Sanji shouted.
"What do you mean then?" Applejack asked concerned.
Sanji calm down. He told the group, "I've been feeling uneasy since we ran into Aokiji. Those things he said about Robin's past and that we'll regret having her. I really don't want to be thinking about it. Let's just head back to Merry. Hopefully, she will be there."
"Yeah, I think you're right." Applejack said sounding a bit uncomfortable. Remembering that pony with ice powers didn't sit well with Applejack.
The group then continued to walk back to Merry where they would eventually receive some terrible news. And as they walked out of the market district, none of them saw Robin now walking with the cloaked creature she had meet earlier. What is she doing with that creature?
Returning back to the Dock 1, Luffy was being so adamant about not getting rid of the Going Merry. This made Iceberg concluded talks feeling no respect for the captain in his current mindset. Kalifa then offered the group catalog to potentially pick a new ship. An Earth pony then called out for Iceberg about some Black Empire officials wanting to meet with him. This pony had a muscular build with a tan coat and a short black mane with a little bit of his mane sticking out straight. He also had a black mustache, wore sunglasses, and had tattoos etched across his chest and forelegs. His cutie mark was a hammer and board. This is Peeply Lulu.
"Well… Tell them I'm not here." Iceberg said annoyed. He then stated to Lulu, "Also, did you comb your hair this morning?"
"Oh. Sorry, Boss. Excuse me." Lulu said as he pushed the part of his mane sticking out down. But oddly enough, it just reappeared on the other side surprising Iceberg greatly. The stallion knew no difference and responded to Iceberg's earlier comment, "Then, I'll tell them to come back another time."
"Hold on, Iceberg!" shouted an Earth pony in a black suit and hat. He had a scar going down his right eye. He had a tan coat and a dull blonde mane, sideburns, and mustache. His cutie mark was a dog head. Around here another two taller Earth ponies in similar suits.
"Hey, hide. Those guys are with the Empire." Paulie said to the group.
Quickly, Luffy and Nami ran around the corner to hide. The others stayed right in front of them to keep their cover just in case. Good thing too. The leader of this group of officials, Corgi, seem to have a nose for sniffing out pirates. Anyway, the pony wanted to talked with Iceberg privately about something important. So they left to talk inside the Galley-La Company Headquarters. Meanwhile, our two pirates waited for the officials to leave. However, Luffy noticed something off with their suitcases.
"Hey, Nami." Luffy said in normal volume.
"Shush!" Nami said in response.
Luffy lowered his voice stating, "The suitcase feels light."
"What? Don't joke around. That's 100 million beli in there. It can't be that light…" Nami said as she took the suitcase. She then opened the suitcases and found nothing in two of them.
"AAAAAAAAAH!" screamed both Luffy and Nami.
"Hey!" Twilight shouted as she and her friends ran around the corner. "Why are you screaming? The official could still…"
"Our 200 million beli is gone!" shouted Luffy and Nami shocked.
"What?!" responded the group now just as shocked.
"Wait? Wasn't Usopp and Spike in charge of those suitcases?" Rainbow Dash stated in realization.
"You don't think the Franky Family guys came back and took them, do you?" Pinkie Pie asked sounding a bit worried.
"Oh no!" shouted everyone shocked.
"Luffy, go find them!" Nami and Twilight said hurriedly
"Okay!" Luffy shouted as he ran with all his might in a direction.
"Wait! Do you know where you're going?" Nami shouted as she realized that neither of them knew where to find the group.
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight shouted quickly. "Take the money and head back to the Merry!"
"And if the others are there, tell them to help search for Usopp and Spike!" Nami added quickly.
"And look out for Luffy!" said Twilight and Nami together.
"Yeah! I'm on it!" Rainbow Dash said hurriedly before taking the suitcase. She then zoomed off into the sky as fast as possible.
"Hey!" Nami said shouting towards Paulie. "Where do the Franky Family live?!"
Paulie was a bit surprised being asked that, but responded with an answer nonetheless. "The Franky Family lives on one of the scrap islands. From where you guys docked they're northeast along the beach. You can't miss it."
"Thank you!" Nami said as she and her group took off for their bulls.
"What's the plan?" Twilight asked to Nami as they ran to the bulls.
"Luffy's already out in the city, we'll just have trust him not to get completely lost." Nami stated almost begrudgingly.
"Woo-hoo!" Pinkie Pie shouted as she jumped onto her Yagara Bull. "Search party!"
Nami and Twilight soon got into their other Yagara Bulls. Nami spoke to her friends, "You guys should look for Usopp and Spike. I'll head back to ship, drop off the money, and get the others to help find them."
"Right!" Twilight and Pinkie Pie said before their Yagara Bulls took off.
Nami did the same speeding in the opposite direction. Twilight and Pinkie Pie searched through the streets calling out for Usopp and Spike hoping either one of them respond. Luffy was running and jumping wildly from roof to roof doing the same. Rainbow Dash flew as fast as she could scanning the city while doing so. As Nami's Yagara Bull sped through town trying to get back to the rental bull shop, Nami caught sight of a crowd. However, what Nami saw within the crowd shocked.
"Wait! Hold on Yagara." Nami said making her bull stop. She then took off flying down from the bridge way her bull had stopped on. When she landed on the sidewalk below, she rushed through the crowd. She then shouted, "Spike! Usopp!"
Usopp and Spike both laid in the immediately of the street both nearly unconscious. When they had been kidnapped by the Franky Family, both had tried to put up a fight to protect the money and each other. Unfortunately, this gang was far stronger than either of them. Usopp ended up getting the most bloodied. Spike had also gotten pretty beaten up as well. Nonetheless, Nami was horrified by the sight.
"Spike! Please be okay?" Nami said going to the baby dragon first. She tried shaking him awake, but the only response was only a moan. Nami frowned guiltily. She then moved to Usopp doing the same. "Usopp! Wake up!"
Usopp released a weak wheezing sound showing that he was still conscious. He spoke weakly, "I'm…sorry…Nami…"
"Usopp! Did the Franky Family do this?" Nami said worriedly.
"I…couldn't protect…Spike… I couldn't…stop them from taking…the money. I'm so…useless. I'm sorry…" Usopp said crying tears of hopelessness and disappointment in himself. He moved his head limply trying to look a Spike, who was still out. The unicorn chuckled, but was still shedding tears. "P…Poor Spike… I told him to run…but he said he…wouldn't abandon a friend. That brave little guy…he didn't stand a chance."
"Usopp…" Nami said sadly.
"I'm so sorry. Our friends…Luffy's sister…they were all so frightened by that Navy pony…and now this… They'll be horrified…and I wouldn't blame them. Equestria is so peaceful…"
"Usopp." Nami said trying to be strong emotionally.
"And look at me…I couldn't even protect a friend… I'm so useless. We were finally able…to fix the Going Merry…but I had to loss the money… I'm a completely failure! I'm so sorry!"
"It'll be fine, Usopp." Nami said to Usopp trying to keep him calm. Once he did, she then told him confidently, "Don't worry. We're going to repay those guys…100%!"
Usopp couldn't respond to Nami as he grew tired. Nami laid the unicorn against the wall to support him. She was afraid to move the pony seeing how injured he was, but she could take Spike. She told Usopp to stay put and that she would return with help. She flew back up with Spike to her bull. Now with an unconscious Spike, Nami asked her bull to hurry and return back to the shop. She was in such a hurry that she didn't look back. Though Usopp was severely injured, he still had a strong will. He forced himself to stand. He then used the wall to support himself as he moved slowly. His face was shadowed over, but anyone could see that this pony was angry. Usopp only had one thing in mind as he pushed himself forward slowly; find the Franky Family.
TO BE CONTINUED…