Set Adrift: The Dragon of Legends
From high in the air, the jewel fields near Ponyville just looked like a brown splotch with a few tiny specks that glinted if you looked at it from the right angle. When Twilight first caught sight of the fields from the chariot, a hill appeared to have taken the fields’ place. When she got closer, she could make out arms, legs, and tail all as wide as the largest of oaks. Yet, it was the thick snout that shot out of the dragon’s chubby face that most resembled a tree, albeit a barren one.
The ponies gathered around the massive dragon made way for the chariot when it landed and Twilight stepped off it. Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all rushed up to Twilight.
“Alright, Twi, glad our message made it to ya,” said Applejack. “You think you can do something about this big old lumox?”
The ground rumbled when the dragon’s stomach rose up and then fell once more. Tiny shards of jewels rained down around the ponies. Twilight looked up and frowned.
“He may be too big even for my magic to carry. We’re probably gonna need all the unicorns in town to help out.” Twilight glanced over her friends. “Where is Rarity anyway?”
“She got super duper angry at the dragon for eating most of the jewels in the fields, so she went to the spa to destress,” Pinkie explained. “Want me to go get her?”
“That’s a good start.” Twilight looked up to Rainbow Dash. “Dash, help Pinkie out and get every unicorn in town gathered here.”
“On it.” Dash gave a salute and darted off to town.
“Wait!” came a cry.
Dash froze in midair and tumbled to the ground. Coughing up some dirt, she looked up to see Scootaloo and the other Crusaders flashing her sheepish grins.
“Sorry, Rainbow Dash,” she said before looking over to Twilight. “Twilight, before you try and carry him away, try talking to him.”
“Save for Spike, dragons haven’t had much to say in the past,” Twilight replied, “unless you count fire as words.”
“Mr. Usopp is different though,” said Apple Bloom. “Please, Twilight, I don’t know what happened to him, but before he got all big and stuff, he just wanted to get back his friends.”
“Just talk with him,” Sweetie pleaded. “Please?”
Twilight took a deep breath, but another rumble cut off her exhale. She shot her head up and paled seeing Usopp’s massive stomach looming over them even more and partially blocking out the sun.
“Woah nelly,” Applejack yelped.
“Change of plans. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, we’re going up now! Pinkie, get all the unicorns stat!” said Twilight. “If he keeps turning, he’ll smash Ponyville!”
Fluttershy turned white as a sheet. “W-what?”
“No time to worry, Fluttershy.” Dash swooped over and picked up Twilight. “C’mon!”
Dash bolted into the air with Twilight and tow. Applejack watched them ascend beside Usopp’s flabby bulk and then went off to clearing ponies away from the fields. Pinkie had already vanished and sped off to Ponyville. Fluttershy gulped and flew after Dash and Twilight.
Twilight and Dash crested over Usopp’s stomach and planted their hooves down near the base of his neck. Or rather, they landed near where his a fatty chin stretched down and covered his neck. The scent of dirt and smoke swirled around them. Tiny trails of smoke glistening with jewel shards rose out between Usopp’s fangs.
Twilight took a breath and then glared up at Usopp. “Sir?”
Usopp kept his head turned up. The scales beneath Twilight shifted and she felt herself slipping over to the left. Dash picked her up again. They spotted Fluttershy and the trio hovered together and looked over at Usopp. His eyes were only half-open and glazed over.
“Oh dear,” Fluttershy murmured. “He looks worse than Pinkie after a cupcake binge.”
“Rainbow Dash, bring me in close to one of his ears,” Twilight ordered. “Fluttershy, get where he can see you and get ready to stare.”
“I’m not sure I ca—”
“Ponyville is counting on us!” Dash exclaimed. “It’s just for a little, so you can do it, Fluttershy!”
“O-okay,” Fluttershy gulped.
Dash and Twilight now drew near the left side of Usopp’s head between his ear and his eye.
“Sir?” Twilight called again.
Both she and Dash felt sweat on their brows when Usopp lazily turned his sight on them.
“Oh,” he belched. “I’m a little tired. Could you bring more jewels?”
“Do we look like servants to you?” Dash huffed.
“Just bring some jewels, okay?” Usopp lurched further to the side, his titanic shadow stretching over the majority of Ponyville now.
“You ate all the jewels,” Twilight explained. “Now, I’ve heard you’re also looking for some friends, so why don’t you try getting up and go find them?”
“Huh? Get up?” Usopp snorted. “I’m fine here. Just need to sleep a little. Maybe have a snack.”
Usopp turned further. The vast girth of his stomach prolonged him flipping over fully. Beneath him, the ground sank under his flab and trees snapped like toothpicks against the advancing wall of fat.
“Fluttershy!” Dash called out. “Time for Plan B!”
Fluttershy took a breath breath and then landed on the base of Usopp’s nose. The itch from her hooves on it drew Usopp’s attention to her. With his massive serpentine eyes gazing at her, Fluttershy opened up her own. A chill first grasped Usopp’s head and then spread down the rest of his body. His shiver caused a small quake to resonate out from him.
“Now you listen here,” Fluttershy said in a commanding tone, “you may be a giant terrifying dragon but you are no—”
“Wait!”
Fluttershy’s concentration broke and everyone turned their heads to see the Crusaders clambering up Usopp’s stomach. With a collective gasp, they collapsed at the top.
“Urg, too many ponies,” Usopp complained. Everyone turned white when he raised up one of his claws and lowered it down to where the Crusaders were. “You’re making me itch.”
“Girls!” Fluttershy cried. She spun back around and unleashed the full brunt of the Stare on Usopp. Instead of a mild shiver, he was frozen on the spot. “Rainbow Dash, Twilight! Get the girls out of here! It’s too dangerous!”
The Crusaders got back on their hooves and scampered up to where Dash and Fluttershy were floating. Twilight shot a beam out of her horn and enclosed them in aura.
“What were you girls thinking?” Twilight asked.
“We saw you trying to talk to Mr. Usopp,” Sweetie answered.
“But it wasn’t working!” Apple Bloom added.
“So we decided to come up and help,” said Scootaloo. “Maybe Mr. Usopp is like Spike was and doesn’t remember much right now.”
“We only knew him a little, but we owe Mr. Usopp a lot,” said Apple Bloom.
Sweetie looked up to Twilight with wide eyes. “So just let us try.”
Dash and Twilight exchanged looks. They both looked over to Fluttershy, who remained unmoving with his eyes locked on Usopp’s.
“I… I can do this for a few minutes.” A few beads of sweat streaked down Fluttershy’s face. “Just keep everypony safe.”
Twilight let out a deep sigh and floated the Crusaders closer to Fluttershy. “I’ve got you, so say what you want.”
“Okay.” Apple Bloom nodded and then turned back to Usopp. His eyes remained locked on Fluttershy’s but they remained blurry and half-shut. “Um, Mr. Usopp? It’s us, the Crusaders. I’m not sure if you can really talk right now, but you’re about to cause a lot of trouble.”
“Yeah,” said Scootaloo. “So could you, like, shrink back down and be a cool little dragon again?”
“What Scootaloo means is that if you stay all big like this you’ll probably have a really hard time moving around and finding your friends.” Sweetie titled her head to the side. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Jewels,” Usopp muttered.
“No!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Not jewels, your friends! The ones you told us you sailed all around the world with, did things nopony had ever done before!”
Usopp’s eyes cleared a little and his pupils lost their edges and started rounding out.
“How are you gonna command all your followers if you’re a fat lazy dragon?” asked Scootaloo.
“We know you’re not like that Mr. Usopp,” said Sweetie. “What would your friends think if they saw you like this?”
Usopp’s pupils fully rounded out and his vision cleared. Then a stream of tears erupted from his eyes. Everypony blinked, including Fluttershy and Usopp raised his claws up to his face and sobbed.
“They’d think I’m a weak!” he cried. “I couldn’t protect them at all! I deserve to be stuck like this!”
Usopp devolved into blubbering, his body causing the land below to ripple like water. Fluttershy, Dash, and Twilight all exchanged glances but were unsure what to say. At the very least, Usopp was now back on his back.
“So what?”
Usopp sniffled and stared down at Apple Bloom.
“You think you’re the only one that’s felt they weren’t strong enough?” she asked.
“Or the fastest?” added Scootaloo.
“Or that good at magic?” said Sweetie.
“Whatever happened to you and your friends sounds awful,” said Apple Bloom. “But they’re still out there.”
Scootaloo smiled. “And I’m sure they’ll want to get stronger too so they never lose you again either.”
“And this time hopefully avoid all the tree sap.” Everyone blinked at Sweetie. She blushed and tucked her chin. “Sorry, got a little caught up in things.”
“You’re right,” Usopp sniffled. A vision of a man with a wide grin a straw hat flashed before him. Seven other smiling faces filled his mind. A fire rose up from his core and filled his eyes. “I can’t just wallow here in self-pity. My crew needs me!”
A bright flash erupted off of Usopp. While everypony’s sight was still recovering a scream filled the air. When Dash’s vision cleared enough, her pupils shrank at the sight of a small dragon plummeting to the ground. She spread her wings wide and clenched her muscles.
“Hold on, everypony!” she shouted. “Twilight, get ready t—”
A blur of yellow tore through the air and swooped down. One second, Usopp was hurtling toward the ground, the next, Fluttershy had him wrapped in her hooves.
“There there, little guy,” she said. “I’ve got you.”
Far up above, everypony stared slack jawed while Fluttershy slowly floated back into the massive crater Usopp’s bulk had left in the fields.
Twilight glanced up at Dash. “Do you ever count yourself lucky she’d never try out for the Wonderbolts?”
“I think it’d be pretty sweet actually,” Dash and Scootaloo both said.
They stared at each other and then everypony chuckled.
“Well, I think it’s time we headed down.” Twilight surveyed the crater and the crushed trees. “We’ll still have a little cleanup to do.”
~~~
Usopp rocked back in forth in his chair. “I’m so screwed.”
“Relax,” said Spike. “At least you didn’t smash up half of Ponyville, just a little bit of Sweet Apple Acres, and you already helped clean up a lot the mess. I mean, so instead of being grounded for two weeks with no gems, Princess Celestia will deal out your punishment personally, but it’s not like she’ll throw you in a dungeon or something.”
“A dungeon sounds nice compared to what a pony who controls the sun could do!” Usopp yelped. Twilight and Spike stared at him and he sighed. He then took a shaky sip of the tea Twilight had provided while they waited at her house. “Okay, maybe I’m overreacting, but I really do want to get back to my friends as fast as possible.”
“Maybe the Princess can help you with that too,” Twilight suggested. “There’s not a lot of information on dragons in Equestria, but with her long life, I’m sure Princess Celestia can at least help a little.”
“That I most certainly can.”
Everyone jerked their heads up to the second floor. Usopp’s eyes widened taking in the pure white alicorn outlined by the light of a crescent moon. A certain pressure exuded off of her, the kind he had only felt before in the presence of his greatest foes. Yet the force flowing around her also reminded her a bit of Luffy when he had sent out that fateful punch that had landed him here. Spreading her wings, Celestia glided down to the first floor and gave Twilight a nuzzle.
“Thank you, Twilight,” she said. “I had faith you could do it.”
“Apple Bloom and her friends are the ones that really deserve your thanks.” Twilight smiled at Celestia. “They may be young, but they’ve already learned a lot about the magic of friendship.”
“And it seems they reminded your new acquaintance of it as well.” Celestia turned around and faced Usopp. “A pleasure to meet you. I’m Princess Celestia. Sounds like you’ve had quite the first day in Equestria... and made a name for yourself as a king of snipers with some of the local fillies.”
Usopp’s eyes went wide like dinner plates. He sucked in his lips and then glanced over to the side. “Uh, Sniper King? Wow, those, uh, fillies must have told you a lot of tall tales about me. Nope, I’m just a regular dragon who is really, truly, completely and totally sorry for the trouble I caused and in no way wants to offend you or any other celestial body controlling entities.”
The room was silent for a moment before Celestia let out a chuckle. Her horn lit up and she poured herself some time. “Oh dear. Twilight, have you been sharing study stories with your guest? You always make me sound far too strict in them.”
Twilight blushed deeply. “N-no, Princess, I swear I was ju—”
“Kidding, Twilight, I’m only kidding,” Celestia chuckled and then took another sip of her tea. “Now, there are a few decrees we have with dragons to deal with circumstances like this, so I’d like to discuss Mr. Usopp’s options in the matter.”
Twilight nodded. “Of course, Princess.”
“There’s some diplomatic bureaucracy involved as well, so if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to talk with Mr. Usopp alone for a short while.” Celestia’s lips curved upwards. “I believe I saw quite a few ponies gathering around Sugarcube Corner, so perhaps you could spend a little time there.”
Twilight glanced to the side just as Usopp had done. A bit of sweat cropped up on her brow. “Uh, what could you be talking about? It not like Pinkie is throwing one of her signature ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ parties even though I told her Mr. Usopp probably isn’t staying too long but she said her Pinkie Sense was acting up and that she definitely had to throw a party for him!”
While Twilight gasped for breath, everyone else exchanged glances. Spike sighed and pushed Twilight over to the door.
“I’m just gonna assume no one understood that,” he said. He was about to close the door, but stuck his head back in. “Oh and you totally have to tell me more dragon pirate stories later!”
Spike shut the door, leaving Usopp and Celestia alone. It was quiet for a moment. Usopp then sighed and bowed his head.
“So how screwed am I?” he asked.
“Well, you helped clean up the mess you made and nopony got hurt, so I’m considering just having you on probation for the next two weeks,” Celestia replied. “The Rebels can probably get to you by then if I send out a message.”
“Well that sound f-What?!” Usopp screeched and flipped backwards. He clambered upwards and stared at Celestia in a daze. “The Rebels? As in, The Rebels? Led by Dragon?”
“As in your captain’s father?” Celestia asked with a mischievous grin. “Yes. It’s nothing much, I give them a small haven in the Frozen North, and they keep watch on the area and bring me information the outside world. Speaking of which, I was considering tacking on some community service to your ‘punishment’ but when I saw the news coming out of Marineford…” Celestia glanced down to her side while her smile faded away. A newspaper floated up beside her and over to Usopp. “Losing a sibling struck a chord with me.”
Usopp grasped the paper out of the air. He sucked in his breath reading over the text, trying hard to focus on the words rather than the somber picture of a man clasping a straw hat to his chest. Celestia waited in silence while Usopp read until he let out a sigh and set the paper aside.
“As I said before, I can arrange your transport back to the Sabaody Archipelago, but from there you wi—”
“I’d like you to add that community service to my sentence,” Usopp said with a determined look in his eyes. “The hardest stuff you’ve got.”
Celestia blinked and turned her head to stare at the newspaper. A grin returned to her lips. “What in Equestria did your captain do to change your mind?”
“He sent a message. I always thought Luffy would become the pirate king on his own.” Usopp breathed in deeply and clenched his fist. “But that’s not true. There are enemies out there he can’t possibly defeat. Even Luffy can lose!” Usopp lowered his head. His fist shook. “He’s been pushing himself so hard, but deep inside, he’s screaming. That’s why he needs me to help him!”
Usopp’s voice echoed through the library. A warm smile spread across Celestia’s face. “I never imagined a pirate of all people would hold such deep bonds of friendship.”
“Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were right earlier: I need to get stronger. If I rush back now, I won’t be able to help Luffy or the rest of crew!” Usopp bent his back and humbled himself before Celestia. “So please let me stay a little longer and train here!”
“Of course.” Celestia then glanced upwards and tapped her chin. “Now as for where you’ll stay…”
~~~
The hot sun glinted off of Usopp’s scales. He brought the hoe down with his cramping claws and drove it through the dirt. When the weeds were pulled from the soil and a nice row stood in its place, Usopp wiped the sweat from his face and leaned on the hoe.
“What a curious sight, seeing a dragon tilling the fields with all his might.”
Usopp jolted up and spun around. He came face to face with a zebra that appeared to have come out of nowhere. Usopp caught his breath, wiped off his right claw, and held it out to the zebra. She took it with a hoof and gave him a shake.
“You must be Zecora,” he said. “Apple Bloom’s been talking a lot about you.”
“And Apple Bloom often talks about you in your new room,” Zecora replied. “It if odd to think you were almost Ponyville’s doom.”
Usopp blushed a little. “Yeah, that first day was a bit rough. Cleaning up all the mess and helping out here these past few days has been good though.”
“It is good to see you forming bonds, for I hear you will be here a little long.”
“Well, that was the plan.” Usopp stared off into the distance. “Don’t get me wrong, you get a good workout from doing farm stuff, but I’ll need more than that if I’m gonna really help my friends when I see them again.”
Zecora tapped her chin and then glanced down at the satchel hanging from her neck. “I have a suggestion, if you would like to hear. There are certain tasks in the Everfree that are quite dangerous, I fear.” Zecora opened up the satchel and produced a few seeds of various shapes and sizes. “Too dangerous for a filly or a baby dragon, that much is clear, but for one seeking strength, the training method is clear.”
Usopp peered closer at the seeds. “And what do these do?”
“Some make can make even Earth ponies float, another can instantly grow and turn into a small boat,” Zecora answered. “In the Everfree, even more plants lie hidden away, awaiting an adventurer to find them some day. But I a word of caution to you, these plant’s improper use could cause great harm to you.”
Usopp shivered recalling his encounter with the manticore just a little ways into that forest. His body slackened and a cocky grin started to form on his face. A quick lie and he’d never have to set even one claw in that forest ever again.
“Get on board,” Luffy had said from the deck of the freshly christened Merry. “We’re a team, aren’t we?”
Usopp straightened his back and looked at Zecora with sharpened eyes. “Whenever you need help, I’ll be there. You can count on it!”
Zecora smiled. “For a dragon of such a young age, your determination swells like a blaze.”
????????????
In the time before romance dawned on the New World…
A blast of crimson light erupted out of the volcano the bloodstone scepter had been chucked into. It washed over all the dragons in attendance, purging them of the glow that had called them together. Only two dragons remained unchanged by the wave of light: the great Dragon Lord that loomed over all of them and the lanky dragon with an elongated snout that stood about a head taller than Spike.
Usopp took a step back as did Spike. They then both looked at at each.
“W-well, guess we’ll just go back to Twilight then,” said Usopp.
“Y-yeah,” said Spike. “I mean, two awesome dragons like us could get the scepter easy, but, uh, wouldn’t want to get in the way of all these other bigger, stronger, and meaner dragons.”
“Sounds like you’ve learned your place then, runt.”
Spike and Usopp turned to see a a red dragon sneering down at them. His glare lingered on Spike but then went over to Usopp. He snorted and blew some smoke down at the two of them.
“And what’s this?” he asked. “ I saw you not glowing. This a prissy little pony dressed up like a dragon?”
Spike puffed up his chest. “Don’t make fun of my friends! Usopp can sick his entire crew on you if he wants!”
Sweat spilled down Usopp’s face. Garble let out a roar of laughter. He then jabbed a claw at Usopp and flicked his nose.
“Only losers need help or crews or whatever,” he snickered. “Now why don’t you run along home? Not that it’ll be there for long. Once I get the scepter, you and those stupid ponies are all toast!”
Garble spread out his wings and took off cackling. His laughter rung in Usopp and Spike’s ears while they stood there amidst all the dragons moving to the starting line.
“What are we gonna do?” asked Spike. “We can’t let him win, but…”
“But we won’t let him.” Usopp clasped the large slingshot clasped across his back and planted one end on the ground beside him. “No one insults my crew, and I owe you and everypony back in town too much to see it get burnt to a crisp. Besides, this is just a race, right? It’s not like we’ll actually have to fight him.”
Spike managed to form a shaky grin. “Yeah. How bad could a race be?”
The ground rumbled and a pillar of lava erupted out of the volcano the scepter had been thrown into. Massive chunks of molten rock crashed down into from the sky and into the sea below. The waters churned and boiled while geysers of steam shot up from it. Spike and Usopp both gulped.
“How durable are dragon scales again?” Usopp chattered.
~~~
A short while later, all the dragons—save for the princess Spike and Usopp had seen arguing with the Dragon Lord before storming off—stood on the edge of a cliff the looked over the roiling sea and the smoking volcano. Usopp and Spike felt the Dragon Lord inhale deeply and then unleash a blistering blast of flame over their heads.
“Go!” he bellowed.
Before the word could registers, a tail whipped into Spike and Usopp and sent them careening into the waters below.
“See you losers!” Garble cackled and took to the air.
Spike yelped but Usopp managed to pull his slingshot in front of him. “Green Star: Boaty Banana!”
A tiny seed flew out of the slingshot and splashed into the water. A second later, the area it had landed in exploded and a small boat rose above the waves. Usopp and Spike sighed in relief. They then both belly flopped about a foot away from the boat.
After a second of silence, they emerged from the water and heaved themselves onto the boat. Usopp launched four more seeds into the sea, producing two sets of oars. Above them, dragons filled the air. They each took a breath and focused on the volcano and the path ahead of them.
“Well, no dragons to compete with down here at least,” said Spike.
A nightmarish titan of a fish rocketed up out of the sea ahead of them, sending a slew of dragons into the water. Spike and Usopp stared wide eyed as the fish sunk back below the waves only for another one to emerge and send more dragons spiraling out the sky. Usopp scrambled into a seat by the bow. Spike did the same at the stern.
“Row, row, row!” Usopp ordered.
“Rowing, rowing, rowing!” Spike yelped.
The two plowed the oars through the chaotic waters, taking violent turns whenever the sea bubbled near them. Geysers and fish erupted all around them, showering them with the scalding water, but they managed to keep surging ahead. Dragons were dropping like flies but quickly emerged from the sea and took to the air once more.
They were somewhere past the middle of the sea when a dragon splashed nearby, sending the boat rocking. Usopp and Spike leaned in the opposite direction of the spreading ripples. A bit of water spilled into the boat, but the two managed to right it before it took on too much.
Usopp got back into position and sighed. “Geez, only the first part and we—”
Spike leapt out of the boat. Usopp’s eyes nearly shot of his head and he lunged over to the side of the boat sweating bullets.
“Oh crap!” he yelped. “I should’ve known this would be too much for him to handle. Everypony is going to kill m—”
With a great gasp, Spike emerged from the sea with the other dragon in tow. Usopp leaned over the side and helped them into the boat. When they were all fully back in it, Spike and Usopp fell to the deck and caught their breaths. In its thick armor, it was hard to tell what the third dragon was doing, but they could at least hear shallow breaths escaping through the slits of its helmet.
Spike clasped his oars. “Let’s get to shore. It’s too dangerous to stop here.”
A fish burst through the nearby water and arced over their heads.
“Aye-aye!” said Usopp. “... and that doesn’t make you captain.”
After navigating through the remainder of the sea, Usopp managed to navigate the boat into a small cove hidden in between the spiky outcroppings and cliff-faces that surrounded the volcano. With a grunt, he and Spike hefted the armored dragon onto the beach. Spike remained close and pulled off the dragon’s helmet while Usopp turned away and stared at the dragons flowing up above.
He placed a claw against his spine and arced his back. “What sort of dragon even needs armor?”
When Spike didn’t reply he turned around. Spike was staring with a gaping mouth down at Princess Ember. Usopp’s jaw dipped low to match Spike’s expression. Ember slowly opened her eyes and then coughed up a bit of water.
Spike let out a sigh. “Good, you’re awake. I was worried for a second.”
“What?” Ember growled and then narrowed her eyes. “You’re those two little dragons.”
“I at least grew a little here,” Usopp grumbled.
Ember furrowed her brow and stood up. “Whatever, just stay out of my way. I’ve got a scepter to get.”
Usopp glared back at her. “Now hold up a minute, we just saved your scally butt from becoming monster fish food. I think you owe us a little something.”
“Usopp, go easy on her,” said Spike. He then looked up to Ember. “Look, I know winning that scepter is important to every dragon here, but there’s some really nasty ones that we can’t let win.” Spike extended a claw up to her. “So how about we at least work together for a little?”
Ember stared down at Spike’s claw and then swatted it away. “Dragons don’t work together.”
“Usopp and I do,” Spike said with a smile.
Does that count as a technicality? Usopp thought.
“Well…” Ember glanced away from Spike for a second. She placed her hands on her hips and then glared back at him and Usopp. “You two are just whelps. I honestly even thought of asking my dad to keep you out, but he’s always about tradition. I swear he’s half the reason we have so little births.” She saw Usopp and Spike giving her blank looks and shook her head. “I’m saying I’m not a little dragon like you, so I’m gonna prove my dad wrong and get that sce—”
A rock crashed down in the water near the coast and sent a wave crashing down on them. Usopp blow some water out of his mouth while Spike and Ember pulled off seaweed. All three of them looked up and saw a platoon of feral dragons with catapult-like tails sending boulders flying through the air. Behind them was a cavern that led into the depths of the volcano, but their volleys created a virtual gate around it. More rocks were also cascading down on Usopp, Spike and Ember. Ember’s chest swelled with fire when it looked like a rock was coming right down on them, but she quelched the flame when she saw Usopp pull back on his slingshot.
“Green Star: Sargasso!” Usopp yelled.
A series of seeds flew out of his slingshot and embedded themselves into the wall. Vines erupted outwards until they interlocked with each other and formed a massive net. The boulders lurched into it while the trio below remained unscathed. Both Spike and Usopp grinned spotting Garble momentarily stuck under a boulder before it rolled away and took Garble with it.
Usopp turned to Ember. “How about this? It’ll take Spike and me too long to climb up to that cavern and those boulders could easily take you out. If you give us a ride up, we’ll cover you.”
Usopp held up a claw to Ember. Ember clenched her fist, but then sighed and gave Usopp’s claw a shake. “We have a deal… now hurry up and get on before I change my mind.”
Ember crouched down on all four and Spike and Usopp clambered onto her back. They locked their legs around her torso while she spread her wings and took to the air. They sped past Usopp’s crumbling Sargasso and entered into the air where all the other dragons were. Usopp loaded his slingshot and then sent out a volley of attacks that struck the boulders and exploded in a shower of rubble.
“On our left!” Spike called out.
Usopp swung around and blasted the incoming boulders out of the air.
“Up front!” said Ember.
Rocks turned to pebbles in front of the trio and they sped forward. Other dragons took advantage of the freed up space and buzzed Ember’s sides. They soon found themselves bound in vines that had sprouted out of thin air or with smoldering holes in their wings from a well placed jet of green flame. One ambitious dragon that managed to latch onto Ember’s tail was bathed in flame and then found himself staring at a very confused Celestia.
With a great flap of her wings, Ember raced over the dragons launching all the boulders and into the cavern. A collection of stalagmites and stalactites gnashed together in front of them and Ember swerved to the side. Usopp and Spike dug their claws into her armor and the three of them skimmed through the obstacle and spiraled through to the other side. They went into a tumble and were spread out across the floor.
With a groan, Ember managed to raise her upper body off the ground. She froze and then growled when she spotted Usopp aiming his weapon right at her. Flames rose up the back of her throat. “I should’ve kno—”
“Green Star: Trampolia!”
The shot smacked into the ground below Ember before she could launch her fire. A bubble-like plant explode up underneath her and launched her back. A second later, a massive stalactite skewered the plant and the ground below.
The cavern shook from the impact, sending Usopp back to the ground. More stalactites were also loosened right above Usopp and Spike. Ember pounced off the ground and unloaded a blast of flame, leaving no trace of the rocks save for a few small trails of smoke. All three of them let out a sigh.
“You could’ve gotten ahead.” Ember glanced at the path snaking through bubbling pools of lava nearby. “Why waste time like that?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” said Usopp.
“It’s just what friends do,” Spike answered.
Ember crinkled her snout. “Dragon’s don’t do friends. That’s why we have the gauntlet. One scepter. One Dragon Lord. It’s every dragon for themselves.”
Spike lowered his head and frowned.
“Well that’s a pretty crappy way of running things.” Usopp kept his head up and his words make Spike raise his head as well. “A real leader cares about his men and works with them.”
Ember turned away and spread out her wings. “I got you two into the cavern, so you’re on your own now.”
She launched into the air and disappeared into one of the small openings the cavern branched out into. Usopp stared at where she’d vanished for a moment before he sighed and turned to Spike, who once more had his head lowered.
“So much for working together,” Spike muttered.
“Don’t let that stuck up princess get to you.” Usopp laid a claw on Spike’s shoulder. “Let’s get that scepter and prove her wrong.”
Spike took a breath and put on a brave face. “Yeah!”
The two then marched ahead, jumping left and right every now and then when some lava sputtered up like a geyser. The path eventually branched out into a spiderweb of rocky paths. Countless tunnels filled the cavern now. Spike took a whiff of the air and then pointed to a single tunnel. Usopp followed after him. Midway through the tunnel though, Spike slowed.
“Hey, Usopp?” Spike turned back to look at him.
“What? Is it a new obstacle?” Usopp tightened his grip on his slingshot. “I’m actually feeling pretty confident now that you know the way, so I can probably take it.”
“No, it’s just…” Spike looked forward again and then back at Usopp. “What do we do if one of us actually wins?”
Usopp raised an eyebrow at him. “We become Dragon Lord. The old one made that pretty clear.”
“Yeah, we’ll be the new Dragon Lord.” Spike bit his lip. “Won’t that mean we’ll have to stay here and do Dragon Lord things?”
“Huh, didn’t think about that.” Usopp rubbed his chin and then snapped his claws. “Well, if one of us wins, we can just make a order for dragons to not cause any damage to Equestria and then do whatever we want.”
“Isn’t that a little irresponsible? I mean, I don’t know that much about dragons, but if Princess Celestia did something like that, Equestria would go crazy. Just look at what happened when the Everfree went wild.”
Usopp shuddered. “Don’t remind me. I still have nightmares about those cragadiles.”
“Exactly, imagine that but with dragons!” Spike yelped. “So what are we gonna d—”
Spike stepped through air where the ground had sloped down and rolled onto the floor. Usopp jumped out the tunnel, raced down and helped Spike up. Spike brushed off some dust and coughed.
“You okay?” Usopp asked.
Spike stared off into the distance.
“Spike?” A little sweat beaded up on his brow. “Please don’t be broken. Twilight’s already mad enough after the Stink Berry mix up.”
“Usopp, we’re here.” Spike pointed and Usopp turned to see the scepter lodge in a mass of crystals up ahead. “Plus, I’m pretty sure saving Equestria from a hoard of dragons will make up for that.”
“Too bad that’s not happening.”
A tail slammed into Usopp and sent him flying into a wall. Garble grinned seeing Usopp slide out of the cracked imprint he’d left in the rock and slump against the wall. He then turned his sights on Spike and hoisted him up by his tail. He extended his arm out and dangled Spike over the abyss that surrounded the path.
“If only your stupid pony friends were here to see this,” he cackled.
“How about a dragon one instead?”
Ember slammed into Garble, knocking Spike out of his grasp. Garble snarled and locked claws with Ember. The two dug their feet into the rock and growled at each other.
“Arg,” Garble roared, “It’s always the stupid princesses!”
“That’s future lord to you!” Ember snapped.
“Ha! If that were true, you would’ve grabbed the scepter while I was dealing with these losers!”
Garble whipped his tail around and slashed at Ember’s legs. She titled to the right and Garble plowed his fist into her gut. The force of the punch slammed her backwards and into a wall. Spike could only watch when a pile of rocks cascaded down from the ceiling and onto her. Smoke curled past his gritted fangs and he flew at Garble.
“You jerk!” he screamed and flailed his claws at Garble.
“Ow!” Garble hissed when Spike’s claws rent through some of scales across his chest. He snarled and backhanded Spike across the face. While Spike was dazed Garble fell upon him and wrapped his claws around Spike’s neck. “Go on. Try that again. Or do you want to call for help from your stupid pony friends?”
Spike let out a guttural noise while he tried to breath. Garble smirked and tightened his grip. Something then slammed into the back of his head. His eyes spun in their sockets for a second and then he collapsed to the ground. Spike coughed and sucked in fresh air. His vision focused and he saw Usopp standing over Garble with the scepter in hand.
“I think dragon friends will be enough for today,” Usopp said with a smile. He then extended his free hand out and helped Spike up. “You okay?”
“I think I’ll be,” Spike rasped. His eyes then shot over to the pile Ember was buried under. “C’mon we’ve go—”
A teal claw burst out of the rock pile. With a grunt, Ember emerged with her armor dented and a little blood trickling from her left temple, but managed to stand up and make her way over to the Spike and Usopp. She turned to Usopp and sighed.
“Guess it’s over, huh?”
Usopp blinked and then looked down at the scepter. “Oh. Guess I was just thinking of something that I could reach that jerk with. So now what?”
Ember bent a knee before Usopp. “Whatever you wish, Dragon Lord… guess you were right about friendship after all.”
“Well, having a bigger stronger dragon princess helped too,” Usopp chuckled.
More dragons streamed into the cavern and upon seeing Usopp bearing the scepter bowed to him. Usopp held it aloft and then slammed it into the ground beside Garble. He looked up at him with a dazed look. His pupils shrank and he scurried back but his retreat was blocked by all the dragons in attendance.
“H-hey” he stuttered. “I was, uh, just kidding about all the burning Equestria stuff.”
“Silence!” Usopp demanded, imitating the tone of the previous Dragon Lord. “I, the Great Dragon Lord Usopp shall now pass my first proclamation!” Usopp leveled the scepter at Garble. A devilish grin spread across his face. “You, stand at the ready!”
Garble straightened up and shook like a leaf. “P-please…”
“I didn’t want to try this on Spike or myself, so you get to be my test subject.” Usopp set the scepter down and picked up his slingshot. He loaded a bullet into it that glistened with a light blue glow. “Now stand still! Here comes Blue Star: Poison Pandamonium!”
Garble yelped and tried to flee, but the dragons around him wouldn’t budge. The bullet slammed into his back and exploded into a cloud of shimmering blue smoke. Garble was left coughing until the smoke cleared. He looked back at Usopp and Spike and sneered. Save for the slash across his chest still aching, nothing felt different.
“Ha! Is that the best the new Dragon Lord can do?” he sneered. “I can still take that scepter from you right now!”
Garble was about to fly at Usopp when he paused. Usopp was snickering, trying not to burst into full laughter and Spike was gazing at him with an slackened jaw. Garble glanced left and right and saw that the other dragons wore similar expressions. He also noticed they all seemed taller now. He blinked and realized that he must have fallen onto all fours when the attack hit him. He reared back up onto his hindlegs and then collapsed his side.
He whipped his head around trying to find out what had knocked his off his balance. He turned white as a sheet seeing four hooved legs sticking out of where his claws had been before. Spike’s attack now marred Garble’s soft and furry underbelly. He glimpsed the edge of a feathered wing sticking out of back. All over him were blue spots that clashed with his red fur.
“For someone that was making fun of ponies, you make a pretty good pegasus,” Spike chuckled.
“That’s quite the reaction.” Usopp pulled some more seeds and bullets out the satchel around his waist. “I wonder what the other ones will do.”
“No!” Garble screeched. He lept up and tumble through the air, thumping a few dragons along the way out. He crashed to the ground beside the crowd and half-galloped, half-stumbled out into a tunnel. “I’ll make you pay for this!”
“Not unless he knows all the ingredients for a cure.” Usopp put his ammo away and strapped his slingshot across his back. He picked up the scepter and turned to Ember. “And now time for my second proclamation. I, the Amazing Dragon Lord Usopp declare Princess Ember my new successor!”
All the dragons gasped.
“What?” said Ember. “But you won!”
“Yeah, but as awesome as being Dragon Lord sounds, I’ve already got a crew that’ll need my help soon.” Usopp smiled. “Besides, I’ve got the man who will be King of the Pirates as my captain. Even Dragon Lord can’t compete with that.”
“And I’m sure you’ll be just as good a Dragon Lord as either of us would’ve been,” Spike added.
“Well, I did get some good advice on how to lead from a certain pair of odd dragons.” Ember smiled back at them and clasped the scepter.
The other dragons erupted in a cheers. “Hail, Dragon Lord Ember!”
“Quiet!” Ember roared exactly like her father. “Okay, I promise that’s that first and last time I do that. Anyway, before we got tell dad the good news, I have one order to give.” All the dragons leaned closer and Ember waved the scepter over Usopp and Spike. “These two brave dragons showed me that dragons don’t have to work alone or fight with each other…” She glanced down at Spike. “...or ponies for the matter. So if these two are ever in need of help, we dragons shall gladly give it!”
A great beam of light shot out of the scepter and the skeptical crowd broke out into cheers once more.
“Oh man, Twilight is gonna love hearing about this!” Spike exclaimed and then turned to Usopp. “Bet your friends will love it too.”
“Yeah…” Usopp smiled at Spike but was also sweating a little. Luffy must never know. He’d be worse than Discord here.
~~~
Twilight set her pen down and looked up from her journal with a smile. “Sounds like quite an adventure, but I’m glad you were able to handle it on your own.”
“Nothing a brave captain of the sea and fearless dragon can’t handle,” Usopp beamed.
“Yeah!” Spike added.
“Well, someone is certainly becoming a brave young drake.” Twilight came over to Spike and gave him a hug. “It’s good to have you home though.”
Spike blushed but returned the embrace all the same. “It’s good to be back.”
Twilight then looked over at Usopp. “And consider yourself forgive for the Stink Berry.”
“Glad you managed to reconstruct City Hall while we were gone.” Usopp let out a shaky chuckle and glanced out the window. “Anypony still mad about it?”
“Rainbow Dash might still be a little sore about her mane, but it’s almost got all its color back,” Twilight answered.
“So aside from damage control, did we miss much while we were gone?” asked Spike.
Something glistened in Twilight’s eyes. “I’m glad you asked, follow me.”
The three of them made their way down the crystal halls of the palace, curved around a few corners, gave a friendly wave to Starlight while she was in the midst of reading a book on public speaking, and finally came to one of the many rooms Twilight had filled with scientific apparati. Twilight lit up her horn and summoned over a container. Popping open the top, Twilight showed Usopp and Spike contents: a lone fruit that appeared to be a giant fusion of a chestnut and a lentil with swirls covering its rind.
“Fluttershy found it while helping out Zecora out in the forest,” Twilight explained. “I’ve run some tests and it’s not poisonous, but it’s also got no method of reproduction. Zecora was stumped too and even the Royal Canterlot Archives had nothing on it. I wish I could ask Princess Celestia about it, but she’s busy dealing with some diplomatic transportation issue.”
“Well, if you’ve done all that research only one thing left to do.” Spike snatched up the fruit and took a bite. With a mouth full of the fruit, he said, “Plus, I was starving.”
Twilight went white. “Spike! There could’ve been more I needed to know about that!”
Spike swallowed and coughed. He thumped on his chest while his cheeks gained a shade of green. “Like it tasting like someone poured an outhouse down your throat?”
Twilight’s face grew red and she glared at Spike. A bit of sweat formed on Spike’s brow.
“Well, you got more information now at least.”
Usopp sighed at Spike and then peered down at the remains of the fruit. He narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin. Hmm, where ha—”
A ball of pink up beside Usopp and locked him into a hug.
“I knew some dragons were back in town!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Oooh, you gotta tell me all about it! How were the other dragons?”
“C-chocking!” Usopp coughed.
“Oops!” Pinkie unleashed Usopp but kept her face pressed close to his. “So come on! Tell me! Tell me, tell me, tell me!”
Usopp shook his head and sighed. “I swear you are worse than my captain.”
Pinkie’s arrival had broken Twilight and Spike away from their argument. Twilight chucked and looked down at Spike.
“Well, sounds like you caught a break,” she said. “We’ll talk about your punishment after the party.”
“Okay…” Spike let out a nervous chuckle and raised up one of his legs to scratch at his side. Everyone was already streaming out of the room, so Spike didn’t have time notice the oddity of his new quirk.
◆◆◆
3D2Y
“You there! Woman!” a portly thug in a straw hat bellowed. “Don’t drink alone! Come over here!”
Nami closed her eyes and sighed. “No thanks. I’m waiting waiting for a man.”
The barkeep paled and drew close to the Nami. “Hey, listen! That’s Straw Hat Luffy!”
Nami propped her head on her hand. “Really?”
Her expression remained unchanged when a the muzzle of a gun was shoved right in her face. She look up to see it held in the hands of woman in cheap polka dot dress with a head like an egg.
“You got two choices. Accept Captain Luffy’s invitation or die,” the woman hissed. She jostled the gun a little and smirked. “By the way, I have a bounty too. I’m the Cat Burglar. I’m Na—
“Blue Star: Discordant Vines!”
Thick black vines appeared out of nowhere and coiled around ‘Nami’ like massive snakes. While she screamed for help and her crewmates also became ensnared in the vines, a young man with a bushy head of hair partially covered in a wide brimmed hat took a seat next to her. A purple husky with reptilian eyes took up the seat next to him. Nami blinked at the display, but a massive smile came to her face when the man raised his hat, fully revealing his face and lengthy nose.
“Hey,” he smirked. “Will you have a drink with me?”
“Usopp!” Nami flew out of her seat and pulled Usopp into a hug. “It’s really you! You’ve really grown!”
“So have you,” Usopp said, his voice muffled by having his head shoved into Nami’s chest.
“This is the one Rarity would like?”
Nami broke off her embrace and stared at the dog. It was looking straight at her with its head corked to the side.
“I mean, it’s more than ponies, but she’s not wearing that many clothes,” it said.
“Usopp…” Nami looked back and forth between the dog and Usopp. “Where exactly have you been training?”
“It’s a long story.”
The thug in the straw hat burst free of a enough of the vines to lunge at the group. “Hey! Hold it!”
“Nevermind.” Nami clasped Usopp’s arm and pulled him towards the exit. “Let’s talk somewhere else.”
Spike bounded after them but took note the black bubbles filling up the air. He sped up when he saw some of them crackling with electricity. Just a few paces outside of the bar, he felt the air buzz a second before thunder tore through the air. He looked back to see the bar was now a crumbling shack with smoke flowing out the windows.
“Usopp!” Spike barked. “You lied. She’s way more like Rainbow Dash!”
~~~
“So you’re not actually a talking dog?” Chopper asked with Nami and Usopp peddled along on their bubble bike with Chopper and Spike at the rear.
“I mean, right now I technically am,” said Spike. “But Usopp and Twilight both said if I looked like a really did, it might cause trouble and I already had to make a lot of promises just to come here.”
“So what are you really?”
Spike grinned. “A dragon.”
Chopper’s eyes glistened like stars. “Really? Can you shoot fire?”
“I can, but Twilight said only in an absolute emergency.” Spike glanced over at Nami. “I heard she likes to scold people if they break the rules.”
“Yeah, Nami is scary if you make her mad.” Chopper tilted his head to the side. “Or if you walk into the bath on her.”
“Huh, is that just a human thing?”
“I’m not sure. It’s only when one of the guys does but she’s fine when it’s Robin or me.”
Spike shook his head. “Weird.”
~~~
“Fire!” a marine captain ordered from the shore of the Sabaody Archipelago.
A few leagues out at sea, a grand ship with a lion masthead was sinking below the waves. At first, the marine and his platoon had thought that their cannon support was a good backup plan, but an unnecessary one with all the forces stationed on the island plus the battleships encircling it.
Then the calls had come in. Perfectly precise rain and lightning soaking one platoon. Another platoon utterly crippled by depression. A group of girls with bizarre powers and some unholy fire spewing hellhound going toe to toe with Sentomaru and his forces. Pacifistas taken out like scrap metal by the reunited Straw Hats. A legion of crossdressers descending on another platoon. It had been the perfect storm of chaos to annihilate the marine’s plan to finally capture Straw Hat Luffy and his crew. The marines stationed by the sea had been a final line of defense, save for the battleships.
For a moment, all the marines at the shore could do was stare slack jawed as the Pirate Empress herself had cruised into the path of the battleship’s fire. The captain had managed to regain his wits and shot out a slew of orders and had the cannons trained on the Straw Hats’ ship.
The fuses connected with their payload and the salvo blasted out at the ship. They didn’t get more than a few meters before claws snatched them out of the air. The marines all paled while their minds raced to understand how an entire army of dragons had swooped down and caught every one of the cannonballs.
Ember chucked the ball she had caught up once and then tore a chunk out of it like it was a ripe apple. She scrunched up her face and then spit out the chewed up bits iron. “Like I’d let crap like this take out a former Dragon Lord.”
~~~
“So everyone was a magical horse?” Robin asked while the Sunny flowed along through the deep depths of the ocean.
“Well, not everyone,” Usopp answered. “Like I said, I was a dragon and there were all sorts of other crazy creatures.”
“It’s quite hard to imagine such a place without seeing it,” Brook commented. “Even though I have no eyes! Yohohoho!”
“Keep it down, Brook!” Usopp shouted and pressed finger to his lips. “Who knows what sort of deep sea creatures you’ll wake up?!”
“I wouldn’t mind keeping one as pet,” Robin stated.
“Don’t get started, Robin!” said Usopp.
While the Straw Hats searched from Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy and tried to navigate through the lightless sea, a barrel creaked open and a man literally oozing filth peeked out at the Straw Hats and grinned.
“Kehihihihi! Treating me like a regular pirate. Fools! I’ll wait for my chance. The Straw Hat will never see it coming!”
“Oh, are you going to surprise them too?”
Caribou turned to his left and was greeted with a young girl in a white blouse poking her head out of the barrel next to his.
“Sweetie, get back down,” came a voice with a drawl from inside the barrel.
Another girl in an orange t-shirt popped up and shoved her head down on Sweetie. “Yeah, they’re gonna se—”
The girl paused and stared back behind Caribou. He glanced back to see Franky staring at all of them.
~~~
“Gah! Let me out!” Caribou shouted from within the sealed barrel. “I’m sorry! Really!”
“What an idiot.” Franky gave the barrel a kick. “We got lucky though. He could’ve been trouble otherwise. As for you three…”
Franky and the other remaining Straw Hats turned their attention onto the three girls sitting on the ground with their head lowered. Staring at them too long without blinking produced an odd effect where their bodies appeared to waver or a horse’s leg or head would replace a part of their body.
“We can’t turn back,” said Nami. “The currents won’t allow it.”
“So we’ll have to go to Fishman Island no matter what.” Usopp shook his head. “You realize your sisters and friends are worried sick about you right now, right?”
“Yeah,” the Crusaders all whimpered in unison.
“We just wanted to see what it was like on a real pirate ship though,” said Apple Bloom.
“And it was so cool how you stopped that avalanche!” Sweetie Belle added.
“And the huge attack your captain used!” Scootaloo’s eyes shined bright with excitement. “Your crew really is the coolest, Mr. Usopp!”
“Well, obviously.” Usopp smiled for a second before shaking his head. “That’s beside the point though. We’ve still got no way to contact everypony else or get you back to the surface for a while.”
“Perhaps that Jinbei fellow Luffy mentioned could help,” Brook suggested. “Maybe he co—”
The air in the middle of the deck crackled. Everyone jumped or scooted back before a burst of purple aura momentarily blinded everyone. When it cleared, four women were standing on the deck. The one dressed in a skirt with wings draped at her side went to her knees and gasped for breath.
“Made… it,” she huffed.
The other three women darted over to the Crusaders and glared down at them.
“”You are in a world of trouble, little missie,” said the woman in the stetson hat.
“I’ll double whatever punishment father and mother give to you!” the woman in bedazzled jeans and a glistening white shirt growled.
“Hope you’re ready, squirt.” The rainbow haired woman cracked her knuckles. “Cause you just earned yourself a week of elite Wonderbolt level training. And trust me, it’s exactly the opposite of how awesome it sounds.”
“And one more thing,” said all three women.
The Crusaders bunched up against each other. “W-what?”
The women reached out and pulled the Crusaders into a hug. “Thank goodness you’re safe!”
The fourth woman had recovered her breath and managed to stand up. “Are we good to go then?”
“Yes, let’s.” Rarity glanced out ocean. A fanged fish with glassy eyes stared back at her. “Please.”
“Okay.” The area around Twilight’s forehead grew bright and the rest of the girls gathered around her. She caught sight of Usopp and smiled. “Sorry for the trouble, Usopp.”
Usopp smiled back at her. “I’m just glad you managed to get the girls back.”
“Right well have fun,” said Applejack.
“Best of luck, Mr. Usopp,” said Rarity.
Dash gave him a thumbs up but stared at it and then at Usopp. “This is what humans do when they’re leaving, right?”
“Yeah!” Scootaloo raised up a thumb as well.
Sweetie smiled. “Come back some time, Mr. Usopp.”
“You’re always welcome as an honorary Crusader,” Apple Boom exclaimed.
“Oh and be careful of that volcano,” said Twilight.
“And you all be safe too.” Usopp gave them all a wave.
There was a great flash and then all the girls were gone.
Chopper stared at the spot where they had all vanished and then up at Usopp. “Usopp, they smelled kinda like horses but they looked human.”
“Well, when I explained everything to the— did she say volcano!?”
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What devil fruit did spike eat some kind of dog Zoan i'm guessing?
This was the best one so far, even the part with Spike eating the Devil Fruit. I almost thought Twilight pulled a Caesar Clown and made it herself.
I think Spikes canin form as a HounDoom would be the best, those curving horns couldve given Ember all sorts of ideas.
If he can do a randomisation or alternate position with his MailFire move though, things could get hilarious.
Imagine that though, using cheap bad tasting metal for the weaponry, its enough to make a Dragon break into teh armouries and strip them looking for the good stuff. Maybe the high tensile steel of the barrels will be better quality?
This, this was good, real good! I started this one off bored because you were basically doing the Usopp chapter again (Wich was the only reason he was a dragon) and that was my least fave of the Star hats arcs. But, then, when Celestia came in and she was in character, that was when things sarted to pick up! Usopp mattered to this story now, and it felt like he was actually a character. The part with the dragon lord was different and unique, because Usopp did things that made the story different from the rest. This was the story I wanted all of this time!
I hope you make more versions of 'Set Adrift' Mainly where they become different species or arrive at different seasons.
I can see Zoro as a griffon or a dragon. Or Robin taking Thorax's place.