Pony Piece: Yonko Journey

by Theblondeknight

8) Island of Despots: The Witch's Eye!

They were sailing away from the path part of Twilight was still begging to follow, but the obvious truth could not be denied, and they had begun treading these waters, there was no going back.

What was acceptable, however, was the necessary stop for food. The cuisine of the Red Force was a bit heartier than most of the ponies could yet tolerate. Additionally, not all of it was edible for the ponies, and with their own supplies lost in the battle with Buggy, they were in desperate need of a restocking. In fact, with two crews inhabiting the same ship, it was really getting crowded; it would be grand to find another ship, but this far into the New World, there weren't many places to buy ships, rather, there were plenty of places to lose the ones you already had.

But as it happened, one such rare place was not too far from the current path, and Shanks ordered the side stop. At the worst, it was a couple days off schedule, and that was factoring in the time to acquire supplies and, if available, a new ship for the Equestrian Pirates. It seemed like a pretty good deal, all things considered. And perhaps more hopeful than that, despite getting farther away from the place they needed to be, the map had not yet turned its back on them.

The only real dampening part of the day thus far were the gathering storm clouds overhead.

"Will we make it to the island before we run into the worst of that?" Twilight asked both Benn Beckman and Rainbow Dash, who were having a chat at the railing of the deck.

"Well, if the weather here works mostly the same as it does at home-"

"You'd be surprised," Beckman muttered under his breath.

"Then I'd say....we should reach the town just as we make into the eye of the storm. But we're still going to get tossed around a bit before that. It looks like a pretty big one. Bigger than almost any I've seen."

"We can handle it," the Red Hair pirates vice captain confirmed, "We've been through worse before."

There was a slight pause, and then he continued.

"But we should get prepared all the same. I'll have the men starting on that."

"Feel free to tell my crew to chip in," Twilight called after him as he strode away, wondering if that was how a good captain would do her part.

From this distance it looked rather fascinating. Twilight recalled fondly all she knew about storms and how they affected the seas. Equestrians usually didn't earn their sea legs, but there was a time when Shining Armor was rather fond of pirates, and from his admiration, Twilight found a small interest as well. How ironic that she would end up a pirate herself. She certainly wouldn't have ever imagined it as a filly.

"So," Rainbow started up with an awkward clearing of her throat, the fine red scar running through her cerulean coat becoming more and more noticeable as the days went by, "I don't suppose you know anything about this teacher? I figured the egg head underneath the Princess and the Pirate would be curious about that kind of thing," She joked with a slight smile.

"Well, actually...I wasn't wholly committed to the idea. I'm really still not. But I know this is right. We need to learn."

"Yeah, I was hoping maybe...you had some...pointers?"

"Pointers? About haki?"

"Yeah."

"Actually, well, I haven't used it. I've...I've tried but, I can't seem to grasp it. You should ask Applejack though."

"I did, but she's not quite sure how it happened in that sparing match. I didn't even see it, I wasn't in there."

"Well, I'm sure the teacher Shanks has lined up will be able to teach us all a lot."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I should just do my best to be prepared."

"Mighty egg head-ish of you," Twilight joked back.

They shared a smile, and then Twilight's attention was instantly hooked by Pinkie Pie from the entrance to the hull.

"Twilight! Twilight and Rainbow, come quick! Spike's up!!"

They shared another quick glance, and ran to meet Pinkie, then the three mares hurried down to find the baby dragon, just rising out of the bed, and looking well rested and relieved to be awake.

---

"Heh...what's the world coming to? Of all the lousy...why I never believed the Government could make such a mistake."

"Well, supposedly, they're with Red Hair."

"But look at them!" The first man protested, throwing down the small pile of wanted posters. Chief among them, and marred by many lines from being crumpled up and reopened many times, bore the name Twilight Sparkle, with a bounty of 360,000,000 berries.

Across the table flew posters with other names and hand drawn pictures of these horse-like creatures:

APPLEJACK 100,000,000

RAINBOW DASH 120,000,000

RARITY 100,000,000

PINKIE PIE 100,000,000

FLUTTERSHY 90,000,000

"It seems like a bad joke, I'll give you that...but if it happens to be true. No known origins, a sudden connection to a Yonko, and the defeat of a Warlord.....it would definitely warrant a bounty jump so incredibly high."

"A first bounty at over 300,000,000...this captain better be something really amazing."

"They honestly don't have to be," A woman said, joining them with another stack of wanted posters and adding them to the collection on the knife-hole ridden table.

YASSOP 400,000,000

ROCKSTAR 500,000,000

LUCKY ROO 535,000,000

BEN BECKMANN 880,000,000

SHANKS 1,575,000,000

"No matter who or what these new pirates are, and no matter where they came from or what their capacity is...if they can sail with these men, then we can't question the numbers," the woman added.

She sat down with her two male cohorts and poured half of her bottle into their empty cups.

The bar around them was filled with noise that somehow made their conversation all the more clear; the heavy scent of stale food and an overabundance of alcohol in the tavern was almost like a barrier. The rest of the bar was living life without a second thought, but these three looked grimly at the posters, as if realizing that they were proof of the end of the world.

"We can't hope to get to them if it turns out they're with a Yonko's crew," the more complacent and calm mannered man admitted.

"Damn. Of all the pirates to side with," the more complaint-prone pirate muttered.

"At the moment, we'll just have to wait and see if they live, try to pick off weaker pirates," the woman agreed, "I'm sure groups like us are meeting all around the New World right now. Looking at these images, sharing these words. Life's funny that way."

"Well, someone go back to the board and find someone else to target," The impatient man said, downing the rest of his cup.

"I'll go...I'm starving anyways," the woman said as she departed.

"Heh...at least some things won't ever change. That's Bonney for you."

---

For the trouble the devil fruit had caused him, you couldn't tell Spike was any different today. Twilight had brought him a keepsake from Equestria, a gem he'd been saving for a rather special occasion. She was sure waking up from a mysterious coma qualified, and present the young drake with the large ruby at dinner that night. He was just now bringing it to his lips, looking up at Twilight with the same happy and trusting look he'd given her when she hatched him all those years ago.

"I was really scared when things started going black...but now everything is different. I feel better than I ever have, but I can't figure out how to work this power...I can't even tell anything has changed, except in how different everything seems inside. Does that make sense?"

Spike had been going on and on about his experience with the devil fruit for over an hour, but Twilight was enthralled all the same. Were it anypony or anyone she knew less well, she might judge them for being over-talkative and too excited for their own good. Like Pinkie Pie gone on a sugar rush, Celestia forbid. But this was Spike, by rights and by time's judgement, her little brother. She could never get tired of what he had to say, especially when she thought she might never hear him again when he faded out and dropped the fruit for the first time.

"I look forward to seeing what you can do now...and I know you'll be a big help to us," Twilight replied, stepping away from her inner thoughts for a moment, "I was more than a little scared when you showed yourself for the first time. But I'm glad you're here now."

"I'm glad I can finally be useful," Spike returned, moving the gem away for a moment, "I couldn't fight, I couldn't get a word out to Princess Celestia...I was just a burden."

"No. You did your best, and that's what you always do. An assistant who does his best is never a burden."

"I'm glad you feel that way..." He almost wanted to slap himself across the face for asking, but he couldn't resist it, "You..you really mean that right?"

She smiled so warmly he moved his claw to do just that, but she grabbed it before he could finish it, and she moved the gem towards him instead.

"You know it. I don't give gems out just to be nice.....not outside of Equestria anyways."

He smiled and sniffed the tears back in, and happily devoured the gemstone and took in all that it meant. It was a sign of trust and admiration, and of gratitude. It was exactly what he was afraid he hadn't been earning, and it was the best possible time to receive it.

"Just be careful you don't fall overboard. Ever," Twilight warned.

"I'll have to be careful about sea stone too...that's what the weapon you stole is made of, you know," Spike said between crunchy bites.

"I did figure that out, I'll keep it away from you."

He seemed a bit too focused on savoring the last of the gem on his pallet, and there was no rush to put him on a strict regiment just because there were a few new hazards. Hopefully he'd learn all he could about using these new powers soon though. Much as she hoped otherwise, her gut was telling her something was going to be going wrong, sooner rather than later. For now, though, she settled herself into the meal, and laughed and talked and even sang with the others.

And it was at this time she decided she liked being a pirate almost as much as she did a student, a librarian, or a Princess. Almost.

---

Bedep bedep bedep bedep bedep........bedep bedep bedep bedep bedep......bedep bedep bedep bedep bedep

Something in the dark finally stirred.

Bedep bedep bedep bedep bedep....... bedep bedep bedep bedep - CLANK

"This is Angler."

"Any update?"

"Oh my, the Thief himself. Targets approaching. Multiple suspicions confirmed."

"Baltigo?"

"Not yet."

"We're not going to screw this one up. Are you in position?"

"Of course."

"Then just play your part. The Wild Card is up next, currently, Admiral Kizaru is on deck."

"Pardon my saying so, but...isn't that rushing it?"

"...We'll see what happens."

"Understood."

"Keep that Transponder Snail handy."

"Yeah."

"Righteous Thief out."

CLANK

Angler resumed his position. And then he waited.

---

"It's not much of a commotion, or rather, the tussle seems to be dying down, but I thought I'd let you know all the same," Applejack reported.

Since the destruction of the Star, and the loss of her regular duties, Applejack had been finding other ways to occupy herself. Being away from home was probably very hard on somepony so connected to her family. Twilight knew this wasn't the first late night shift she'd volunteered for since the transition to the Red Force, nor would it be her last.

"No, it's fine," Twilight replied, yawning into her hoof as the fire came into view in the distant darkness.

In the midst of the darkness, hidden behind the waves and the rush of the sea, a blaze was raging and it was not going to be stopped until at least one wreck of a ship was sent below. It seemed as though there were only two ships present, but even with a spy glass it was difficult to tell from this distance and in the veil of shadows, not to mention the storm which was overlooking everything, like an eager bully smiling down on two young kids.

"Well...I hate to leave anyone in need, but this is really none of our business. It would probably be best to just pass by and let whatever happens happen."

Was that what she really believed? Being a pirate, even for the sake and safety of her home, came at a cost. For all the freedoms she saw, she found just as many chains coiling around that younger and more naive Twilight in the Golden Oaks library. It wasn't a question of if she would be judged for these kinds of things, it was by whom...and she didn't want to know the answer yet. Every step in this journey was another piece of evidence for or against her.

"I was always taught to help those in need...but I can respect that decision. 'Sides, it doesn't look like anyone's asking for help," Applejack added her own sense to the matter.

"Exactly," Twilight agreed, grateful she wasn't alone in her opinion on the matter, "But keep an eye out. If anything changes, come get me again. Best not to take chances, we don't want the risk."

"Will do, thanks Twilight."

She was just stepping back down into the darkness when a desperate sound reached above the waves and the seas and the raging flames of battle.

The frantic bell that was screaming like a scared filly in the night was an unmistakable cry for help.

"Looks like I stand corrected," Applejack said as he ran to get a party together.

"I'll fly us over, but have somepony take a row boat as well!" Twilight ordered.

"Roger!"

Perhaps to give the distressed party some relief, or maybe just because she wanted to be as prepared as possible, in case this wasn't as clean and clear cut a situation as it seemed, she shot a flare of bright light over the waters. The dark waters became tinted with purple for a moment, and the flames on the ravaged ship became more clear. If she saw the victims more clearly, the aggressors lost what humanity they had in the glow, becoming more monstrous and blood-thirsty somehow. She quickly ran an assessment of the battle, and formulated the plan.

The first thing to do was put out the flames, easily enough done. The second priority had to lie in stopping the fighting. It was a nasty world on the seas, but it was worth a shot to try and quell the conflict. Better to engage it on your own terms too. If there was a deeper reason for the fighting, it might be better to acknowledge it as soon as possible. No sense in engaging without the intent to do anything less than completely stop the attack.

"I'm taking the boat!" Rainbow called as she jumped into the smaller vessel as let it fly down to the waves.

"Alright!" Applejack called with Pinkie, Fluttershy, and several other ponies; Ben Beckmann was also with them, but seemed to be on more of an observational capacity for the Red Hair Pirates. Or maybe he was always this stoic and reserved, that wouldn't really surprise.

He seemed more than a little uneasy when Twilight gathered them together and created an orb around them, lifting them through the air and sailing through the sky towards the ringing bell and the blazing flames. He did grow quickly accustomed to it though, and was the first of them to raise his voice as they drew nearer.

"Your heart is still soft. It's fine to help others when they need it, but if you go crusading to help everyone, you'll only end up killing yourself."

The clanging bell was cut short this time, and Twilight swallowed hard as the burning ship was becoming more real and ever closer.

"We just happened on them, and it sounds like they need help to me," Twilight returned, shooting them towards the deck a little faster.

They landed in the shadows of chaos, the fire having blackened the now lifeless bow of the ship, but the bell near the wheel caught a ray of dashed moonlight, and Twilight saw the specs of blood splattered on it. She noticed all too late the blade that was also shining ominously in th scattered moon beams, and lowering into her skull. By the time she eyed the blade, it was already being re-directed into the water, and the attacker was completely at Beckman's mercy.

"More invaders!?" Someone screamed.

"Who are these pirates??" Someone else shrieked, and subsequently gurgled with the sound of falling overboard.

"Douse the fire, or we'll all sink!" Twilight ordered, which elicited a smile from the Red Hair Pirates' Vice Captain, prompting a follow up, "What's funny!?"

The ponies scattered into small teams, the unicorns lighting the way and providing eyesight of the defenders and attackers. The defenders were pirates, no doubt about it, and gravely outnumbered, but it could have been that they were the ones who started the conflict and couldn't finish it. Either way, the fight was over, it was all a matter of saving lives now. Punishment was due in some form, she was sure, but killing was...rarely the necessary step. This surely couldn't be any different.

Benn Beckman suddenly brought the butt of his rifle down to the darkness besides them, and another pirate fell over, bleeding heavily from his mouth and nose, "Nothing...just interesting to see you work."

Twilight decided she was a little too occupied to answer back, and began channeling spouts of sea water onto the flame ridden deck, aided by a few other unicorns while Applejack, Fluttershy, and co. went to work on separating the fighting groups. Beckman seemed to stay true to his position as an observer, merely lending a hand when somepony was backed into a corner, or acting when a pirate was going after him; it wasn't long before the aggressors decided that was not a smart thing to do.

Before long, the weakened defenders were completely behind the ponies and Beckman, while the standing attackers looked apprehensive about engaging the new line of protection. They eyed Beckman with extreme reverence, and Twilight distinctly heard the words "Yonko" and "Red-Hair" used in their whispers. She was met with much more curiosity, but a couple of them seemed to recognize her. Pony pirates were becoming a more usual sight in the New World, or so she was led to believe by their behavior, and she wasn't sure she liked that.

"You've clearly defeated these pirates. But you don't have to slaughter them. Let them come with us, and be on your way," She reasoned.

A man with a black bowl cut, a very round and large nose, quite like Buggy's, but less comically natural and of normal coloration (plus gut to match) stepped forward, into the light of unicorn magic glow.

"I am Mu, leader of the envoy you stand against. Leave these scum be and hand them over to us....Beast Wizard."

Beast Wizard? Was this a name she would be known as? It was very disappointing next to names as simple as "Red Hair"....Beast Wizard. That had to go. Definitely.

Another man stepped forward beside Mu, this one was much skinnier and slightly taller, had a very block-like and rectangular nose, and wild hair on the sides of his head, but a buzz cut in the middle, "Rari, second in command."

Then a third, "Kari, vice-vice captain."

Kari was the tallest, but halfway between being as fat as Mu and skinny as Rari, and his nose was most akin to a triangle. He was bald, with a tattoo of a bulldog on the side of his head.

"Mu, Rari, Kari....I'm afraid I have to stop you. I won't let you shed anymore blood tonight."

"You can't do that!" Kari burst out.

"I can. Take them into the boat!" Twilight ordered.

The bleeding and heaving pirates were escorted into the boat Rainbow had just noisily rammed into the half burnt ship, and Applejack and one of the taller crew members in the party stepped beside Twilight to match the three stooges standing opposite to them.

"Thank you...stranger..." One of the retreating pirates said with happy tears in his eyes as he hurried down into the row boat.

"Just a minute!" Mu shouted, "do you know who we are?"

"Sure they do!" Kari answered.

"Shut up and let them answer, stupid!" Mu scolded, slapping his larger partner upside the chin.

"How could they not know us?" Rari asked, the rhetoric being lost upon his partners, each of whom walloped a side of his face, and he dropped to his knees thereafter.

"...Should we know you?" Twilight asked.

"Of course!" Mu answered.

"We're famous in local waters!" Kari added.

"Feared by men, women, and children of all ages!" Rari topped off.

"We are the one and only...the mighty....San Baka Kaizoku!"

"...The...Three Idiot Pirates?" Twilight parroted.

"Clearly the irony is lost on her," Rari told his partners, both of whom nodded in agreement.

"We don't have time for your nonsense, and we've ended this fight. Go back to where ya'll came from!" Applejack told them.

"Nonsense? Nonsense she says!" Mu told his group, disappointment written all over his face, "How's that for you? We try and be decent-like and get told off by this of all things!"

"That's enough!" Twilight spoke up with a betrayal of temper, noticing Ben Beckmann's mix of amusement and impatience, "You're going to let this go, and that's that."

"How do we let it go? They've already gone!" Rari pointed to the waters, and Twilight could vaguely hear the laughter of deceit vanishing with the mists and air bubbles floating to the surface.

When she realized they had been fooled at Rainbow Dash's expense, she divided the waters over 30 feet deep, where Fluttershy and a pegasus pirate flew to rescue their compatriot. While most of the ponies hovered over Rainbow as she let out a distressed fit of coughing, Beckmann gazed into the dark mist, then closed his eyes. By the time Rainbow had finished and was nodding to Twilight's questions, he opened them again and spoke his mind.

"We were duped."

"...I know," Twilight replied.

"They all got in and before I could get a few rows away then hit me over the head and dumped me over the side," Rainbow recalled, "...there's no way we can track them down?"

"They're a bit far off now...besides I want to let them go," Beckmann answered.

"A smarter move than I made."

It was here the Three made their presence known again.

"Hold up!" Mu questioned, "you want to let them go?"

"Just like that?" Kari followed up.

"We'd heard rumors the island in these waters where strong-wood ships were being made had gone to hell....I had a hunch this was a result of that," Beckman told them.

"That it is," Mu answered, scratching his chin in a way a wise old man would, "We're not pirates by trade you see, little known fact...we used to build ships."

"'Till our town got overrun by a gang of mare-do-wells," Kari explained, drawing confused looks from the ponies.

"It's na're-do-wells, baka!" Mu corrected with a jump and a slap upside the face.

Kari whimpered and closed his eyes before risking a slap in return. Mu dragged Rari by the hair and moved his face into the perfect position, causing the middle man to be knocked on his butt again and grab his hair screaming from the attacks on all sides. Mu chuckled and Kari joined in, causing Mu to try again, but fail and fall to his face. Rari and Kari then both laughed at their leader, who was about to deliver retaliation when Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow, and Beckmann all cleared their throats loudly.

The trio paused and made truce between themselves, switching back to their explanation.

"We was top rate ship builders, the galleons used to go leagues and leagues," Mu started.

"Down, that is, nyek, nyek, nyek," Kari interrupted.

"Quiet!" Mu threatened another slap, "Anyways....our town was prosperous and happy, and everything was swell. And then one day a raft came in with a couple of bad fellows."

"We didn't know it at the time," Rari picked up, "We took them in and provided them a new ship and supplies to get to the next town. Not one month later and they returned with an army of pirates-"

"Including some of those guys who you stopped us from taking out," Mu interjected, "We tried to fend them off, but we're not pirates or warriors by trade. We got kicked out of our homes and our families were run off...or taken captive."

"Then we owe you an apology...and our regrets that this happened to you," Twilight told them.

"Do you know who these pirates were?" Rainbow asked almost immediately after her captain had finished.

"They were wearing disguises when we took them in, and when we came back none of us saw their faces. Their army made sure we never got close to them. They took over our businesses and started making underground deals. All we know is the name we hear his goons use to speak about him: Fisher." Mu went on.

"We can't get close to our old town now," Kari noted with a plain sadness.

"We're trying, but we can only do raids in the night. If we tried to stand up to them in an open battle we'd be killed for sure," Rari said.

"Well.....if what you say is true, we'll gladly help you free your town of these miscreants," Twilight offered, noting the storm was suddenly growing and getting very close.

"We have ants? Mystery ants? Hey Mu, what's a mystery ant?" Kari asked.

"Baka, she said miscreants, you know, scum!" Mu chided.

"Oh...that sounds nice. Yeah, that really picks me up!" Kari smiled.

"Pipe down!" Mu scolded again, elbowing the taller man in the gut.

"Gentlemen!" Twilight raised her voice, "If you are your men want to stay close by us while we endure the storm, we'll start working out how to get rid of these villains for you...and when that's done, you can craft us a new ship. Do we have a deal?"

The three looked at each other, shaking heads and nodding in an unrecognizable pattern, or perhaps pure random, and finally all nodded towards them in sync, extending their hands. Twilight, Applejack, and Beckman all shook them.

"Very good," Twilight said, smiling at the turnaround of the situation and then turning to frown at the storm growing ever colder and louder in the far distance.

---

"Hey...it's been a while since we've seen you here!" The bartender greeted a fatigued traveler, who set his bag down and ordered a drink.

"Yeah...been roaming around a lot, passed by on my way to the next stop."

"Busy times, huh?" The bartender asked, putting down the glass he'd been wiping out and getting a cleaner one for his guest.

"In more ways than one."

"Well you're welcome here any time."

"Thanks," The wanderer said, taking his drink and staring in it for a moment before pushing it back, "Can I get some ice in this?"

"Oh, sure thing, sorry," said the bartender, correcting the error.

The traveler took it and drank it all in one gulp, smacking his lips together and savoring the after taste. He then got himself lost in deep thoughts while the bartender catered to the needs of his other customers. Somewhere along his trip down the rabbit hole he was shaken out by a woman who saw him and dropped her mug, spilling her drink.

"Oh my," The traveler noticed, and ordered another for her, "It's on me. For old time's sake."

The woman stayed quiet and stared at the man, like all the others in the candle lit bar. He sighed, and handed over another few coins, "Buy her a leg of meat too."

"...You..." She muttered through her teeth.

"Now, now...let's not get tough on each other...Jewelry Bonney."

The woman grabbed the plate of food and the free drink and scurried back to her table. The man didn't so much as move a muscle for several minutes, recollecting their last meeting only a couple years back. He then stood up rather suddenly and inquired about a room to stay in.

"Yeah, we've got the one you usually use ready to go. I'll walk you up."

"Thank you."

Jewelry Bonney watched the man until he was completely out of sight, and only then dug into her confections.

"You...You know him?" One of her associates asked with respect.

"NO! I....we met once, on Sabaody."

Her friends grinned, but she took no notice. She was still watching the door, just to be sure that person wouldn't come down. She knew she couldn't stay at this bar anymore.

---

"It's going to delay us," Shanks advised.

"I know, but I think it's worth it...sorry for holding us up that much longer."

"Don't be. Your work here shouldn't come at the cost of taking away who you are."

Strange as it was, Twilight hadn't thought he'd say that. By now she was almost used to thinking in the mindset of expecting the unexpected, but for someone who called himself a criminal and a renegade by his own society's standards...well, that was looking at it all from a very general and impersonal point of view. Shanks was a pirate, but for all it was worth, he was as insightful as Princess Celestia had ever been. She didn't hesitate to confirm that truth to herself. They were very lucky to have found him before anything serious did.

"You're right. Thank you."

He smiled his very Shanks-like smile and asked his next question, "And what of these Three Idiot Pirates?"

He chuckled.

"You like them?"

"I do. I bet their quite fun to drink with."

"Well, they seemed to have handled Fisher's thugs well enough. But still...."

"Don't get into that mindset. Leave the paranoia to someone it suits better...like Ben Beckmann."

As if his insides had warmed at hearing his name, the man himself shot a wry smile to his captain from across the deck.

"Either way...we shouldn't have much of a problem. We just have to flush them out and scare them off," Twilight said.

"It's rarely so simple. But let's stick to simple for now anyways."

"Okay," Twilight agreed.

---

"Yes sir...it was them...the....ponies."

"The Equestrian Pirates?" Fisher mocked, "Bah...what's the New World come to? Hmmmm...but Akagami no Shanks is with them, as the rumors say."

"Yes sir. We saw Ben Beckmann with our own eyes."

"That complicates things...I need to rethink some things. Leave."

"Of course, Fisher-sir."

When they had gone, the man moved his hand to his hair and leaned back in his chair, looking to the pictures on his wall of possible New World encounters. Right there in the middle were the new posters printed just the other day. Six ponies. Six creatures right out of a fairy tail. It wasn't their appearance that bothered him so...it was their sudden arrival and jumpstart to fame. Like those damn Supernovas....overrated trash. But trash guarded by one of the Four Emperors....

Author's Note:

Well, this chapter is the start of this story's evolution into something less cut and paste and more...One Piece-ish. I hope so anyways. Oh, I changed the pictured because the previous one, and the one before it, just didn't get as much recognition; the previous version of the story (Emperor's Territory) had a cover picture of Shanks, so I figured I would try to amp up the views with the same technique.

Don't judge me.

ALSO please note that at the current time it is impossible not to diverge from canon in some way, so from here on I'm playing things my way. Don't expect world events to play out like they do in the manga/anime.

I hope you enjoyed, rest assured more is on the way. Thanks for reading, I'll see ya later.

-TBK