Logia Brothers Chapter 47 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of The Logia Brothers! The meeting between the Warlords that showed up and the upper ranks of the Marines in Mariejois begins. Who will have their hat thrown into the ring for the vacant seat? Luffy and Robin have to catch a South Bird quickly so that the Straw Hats can set sail towards the Knock Up Stream. They only have one chance to make it to Sky Island after all.

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 47 – Meeting, South Bird, Set Sail

-Mariejois-

“Hey! Cut it out!” Vice Admiral Stainless demanded as the hands of another Marine Officer grabbed his throat and began to tighten.

“It’s not me! I can’t control my hands!” The Officer shook his head, even as his grip tightened against his will.

“Stop! This is no time to be fooling around!” Stainless growled as he began to pry the Officer’s fingers from around his neck through a mix of raw strength and Armament Haki.

“He’s right. This is no time for fooling around. Behave.” An elderly woman spoke up. She was a tall, thin, old woman with gray hair tied in a bun. Her attire seemed to be less formal than the other high-ranking Officers’, considering that she left her shirt untucked, with the sleeves rolled up and a colorful tie around her neck, along with calf-length pants. The old woman had earrings made of beads, and wore two bracelets on her right wrist. The epaulets on her Marine coat were golden for the outer epaulets and purple with two white dots for the inner epaulets. This was the veteran Vice Admiral, Tsuru, also known as the ‘Great Advisor’ for her decades of experience and her sharp tactical mind. “Doflamingo, is this your doing?” Tsuru looked like a grandparent scolding a misbehaving child. “Be a good boy and stop that.” The tone of her voice left no doubt that she’d make him stop if he didn’t.

“Hehehe…be a good boy?” Doflamingo chuckled, his pink feather jacket moving slightly as he laughed. The tall blonde man in the pointed sunglasses sat on the railing of the balcony with a wide smile. “You’re something, Tsuru.” He raised his right hand into the air and moved his fingers like a puppeteer. “Then why don’t we get right down to business…Hehehe…and end this meeting?” The Marine Officer he was controlling drew his sword on Vice Admiral Stainless.

“That’s enough, you fool!” Stainless had his hand on his own sword, ready to draw it if necessary.

“Stop!” The Marine Officer cried out as his body moved against his will. “Make him stop!” He raised his sword and Stainless unsheathed the first few centimeters of his own blade.

“Doflamingo.” Tsuru narrowed her eyes at the Warlord, stilling the puppeteering hand.

The large doors to the meeting room swinging open caught everyone’s attention. But it was the man that stepped through them that ended the situation. One did not fail to recognize the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Sengoku. He was a tall, fair-skinned, and muscular man with a long, braided goatee and a mustache both matching the black color of his hair. His cap covered his hair, but if one were to remove it, they’d find his hair set in a large afro. The Fleet Admiral wore black-rimmed glasses and a white and gold full Marine Admiral uniform that was adorned with medals from his decades of service. The most distinctive features of his uniform were a life-size seagull on top of his cap, and his oversized Marine coat which he wore like a cape. His coat has the kanji for justice, in blue, emblazoned on the back, and had uniquely colored cuffs, both being white.

“Enough.” Sengoku spoke clearly and everyone in the room stopped moving. “Stop your antics. Did you come here to start a war?” He looked bored at Doflamingo, but the Warlord instantly stopped what he was doing, releasing the Marine Officer without a word.

“Baaa.” The goat at Sengoku’s side bleated and the little bell around its neck jingled. The Fleet Admiral was often seen with his pet accompanying him wherever he went.

“I should at least greet you.” Sengoku mentioned, his eyes still locked onto Doflamingo. “Welcome, sea scum.”

“Hehehe!” Doflamingo chuckled at the insult. “Oh, that’s not nice.”

“However, he’s right on target.” Bartholomew Kuma spoke up from where he was seated on a large couch reading the book in his hand. The other Warlord was an enormous man, being 689 cm tall, and was usually seen carrying a Bible. His overall appearance was reminiscent of a bear. His hat featured a pair of rounded ears, and, along with the grey fabric of his pants, was covered in brown spots. His dark-brown (almost black) jacket had a large white design reminiscent of a target cross-hair or a coda sign on it along with several white paw prints lining the bottom hem of the coat. His chin was also rather large and protruding and his eyes appeared to be hidden behind reflective glasses.

“Shall we begin?” Sengoku questioned, moving to his seat for this meeting. “There’s no use waiting any longer. I doubt anyone else will show up. Two out of the remaining six is more than I expected.”

“No kidding. I wasn’t going to come.” Doflamingo admitted without a care. Both he and Kuma moving towards the large round table. “Business is booming on the island. But I was bored, so here I am.” He sat directly on top of the table instead of in one of the many chairs available.

“I see. That’s not welcome news.” Sengoku replied flatly to the information. “There’s nothing worse for us than pirates doing well.”

“Hehehehe! You’re so mean.” Doflamingo gave a mocking laugh. “I thought your nickname was ‘Buddha’…Fleet Admiral Sengoku?”

“What’s all this squabbling about?” Dracule Mihawk questioned as he strode into the meeting room. His black hat, black coat, and Yoru sheathed on his back made him instantly recognizable to anyone. “Perhaps I came to the wrong place?”

“Hah…hah…hah…Sir Dracule ‘Hawkeye’ Mihawk of the Seven Warlords has arrived!” A Marine announced after catching his breath. The Warlord had easily outpaced the man on the long trek up the various stairs that led to this meeting room.

“The two great powers of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and Marine High Command…but isn’t a roundtable meaningless?” His sharp yellow eyes took in the setup for the meeting. A roundtable implied equality among all parties, but the Marines barely tolerated the Seven Warlords and vice versa.

“I didn’t think you’d show up.” Sengoku admitted, his arms crossed over one another on top of the table.

“Well, well…this is a surprise.” Doflamingo chuckled at seeing the World’s Strongest Swordsman for the first time in quite a while.

“Hmph. I’m just here as an interested bystander.” The wide brim of Mihawk’s hat shadowed his hawk-like eyes. “I’m slightly interested about the pirates you’ll be discussing. That’s all.” His gaze locked onto a man that was sitting on the windowsill to his right. He may try to be sneaky, but Mihawk’s gaze was nearly impossible to fool.

“Then may I join in as an interested bystander too?” The man on the windowsill questioned. Every head in the room, barring Mihawk’s, turned to look at the speaker, some visibly shocked, other’s merely annoyed at the intrusion so deep into the building.

“Who the hell are you?” Sengoku demanded, his voice leaving no room for lies from the unknown man. “How did you get in here?”

“Well, maybe bystander isn’t quite the right word?” The man ignored the question as he stepped down from the windowsill. He was an incredibly pale, very tall, and slim man. He wore an off-white collared long-sleeve shirt patterned with yellow crosses and navy jumper pants. His most distinguishing accessories were his classic black top hat and the red wooden cane in his hand. “What an illustrious assemblage.” He looked over everyone in the room. “If all goes well, I hope to participate as well.” He informed the gathered people as he twirled his cane and tap danced with a grin.

“Huh?” Doflamingo didn’t look amused by the mystery man, a visible sneer on his face.

“…” Kuma remained silent in his seat, but it was clear he felt no need to intervene either.

“That’s why I’ve come!” He stopped his tap dancing and spun the red cane behind his back. “Since Sir Crocodile is no more, I thought you might be looking for someone to replace him.” He tilted the brim of his top hat down on one side.

“You’re Lafitte.” Tsuru spoke after looking the man over.

“You know my name?” Lafitte grinned and gave a slight bow. “I’m honored.”

“Who is he, Tsuru?” Sengoku looked at his old friend for an explanation.

“A former sheriff from the West Blue. He was notorious for his brutality and was subsequently banished and a price was put on his head.” Tsuru explained for the group at large.

“Ho ho…that’s such an old story.” Lafitte let out a small chuckle, an odd smile on his face. “But never mind me. I’ve come to recommend someone to be your new Warlord of the Sea. My Captain, Teach.”

“Teach?” Sengoku raised an eyebrow at the name.

“Yes, he’s the Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates.” Lafitte’s grin was still in place as he spun his red cane from his back to in front of himself.

“Never heard of him.” Sengoku replied with a shake of his head. “Without a bounty or any notoriety, how can he possibly keep other pirates in check?”

“I understand.” Lafitte agreed with the Fleet Admiral. “We have plans to amend that, so please give us a little more time.”

“Hehehe…sounds interesting!” Doflamingo chuckled as he dropped from the table and into a free chair. He promptly reclined back on the two back legs and placed his feet on the table without a care. “Let’s give it to ‘em, Sengoku. Hehehe.”

“What we have planned will make you remember the Blackbeard Pirates in a way that’s impossible to forget.” Lafitte promised with the same odd grin on his face.

“If not for the boy’s inexperience, I’d have wondered why you weren’t considering the one that killed Crocodile.” Mihawk spoke up, making almost everyone turn to face the swordsman curiously.

“Monkey D. Luffy…” Tsuru sighed at the name.

“Wait…Monkey D. Luffy?” Doflamingo’s face broke out into a wide grin. “Don’t tell me…he’s old Garp’s grandson?! HAHAHAHAHA!” The man burst into raucous laughter. “The ‘Hero of the Marines’ Vice Admiral Garp’s grandson is a pirate?! That’s too funny!” He laughed loudly at the revelation, nearly tipping his chair over in the process.

“Indeed…” Sengoku confirmed, his hands clenching into fists at the trouble Garp’s brat had caused already.

“What kind of bounty did you slap him with for killing off Crocodile?” Doflamingo questioned with a wide grin.

“Two-Hundred-Million Beri.” Mihawk answered before anyone else could. He did what he could to keep up with the going’s on in the world and had already seen Luffy’s new wanted poster.

“Hahahaha! A Rookie with Two-Hundred-Million on his head?! That’s hilarious!” The ‘Heavenly Yaksha’ cackled to himself at the situation. “He was in Alabasta, right? The next island after that would be Jaya…I have an underling around there too, perhaps I should pay this newbie a little visit?” His grin made the eyes of every Marine in the room narrow.

“Regardless of Monkey D. Luffy’s actions, as ‘Hawkeye’ has already stated, the boy is a mere Rookie. To invite him to the Warlords, assuming he’d even accept at all, would be foolish.” Sengoku waved off the idea. Knowing Garp as well as he did, he doubted the man’s grandson would become a Warlord anyway.

‘Monkey D. Luffy…’ Lafitte mused over the name for a moment. ‘It seems like he won’t be in contention for the vacant spot. That makes things easier for us.’ He’d need to leave soon and report to his Captain that he’d successfully put his name into the consideration for becoming the next Warlord of the Sea.

-Jaya ~ Mock Town-

“Two-Hundred-Million…he wasn’t lying after all.” ‘Blackbeard’ Marshall D. Teach looked at Luffy’s wanted poster. “He barely looked like he was worth the Sixty Million though.”

“What’ll we do, Captain?” ‘Champion’ Jesus Burgess questioned with a grin.

“We don’t have time to deal with small fry.” Blackbeard grinned, showing the teeth he was missing. “This is the kind of bounty we’ve been looking for, One-Hundred-Million or higher! I’ve got a reputation to make!”

“Wheehahaha! We’re finally going hunting!” Burgess laughed, throwing his arms into the air.

“But, captain, we’re supposed to meet Lafitte here.” The crew’s gunman, ‘Supersonic’ Van Auger, spoke up. Like the rest of his crewmates, he was incredibly tall. He had light brown hair that hung down to his lower neck. He appeared calm his expression seemed generally emotionless. The left lens of the black glasses he wore was a normal, rectangular eyepiece, but the right side was circular and held what appeared to be a cross hair. He also sported a large black hat, protruding out to both sides. Its shape bearing an uncanny resemblance to an upturned boat's hull. The gunman constantly donned a long black cape, under which he wore a button-up, pale lavender shirt with loose sleeves, and simple black pants, with a maroon belt with an aqua outline that went over a small portion of his shirt. Ove his shoulder he carried a rifle that was as long as he was tall. Given that Van Auger was 340 cm tall, it was a rifle that no ordinary man could wield comfortably.

“That’s not like you, Auger.” Blackbeard side-eyed his subordinate. “If we miss him, we miss him. It’s fate! Zehahahaha!” He laughed heartily, freaking out some of the other pirates nearby.

“You’re right. A man’s no better than his luck.” ‘The Grim Reaper’ Doc Q coughed as he rode his equally sick horse beside Blackbeard.

“Now we just have to find them before they get too to that sky island they were talking about.” Blackbeard mentioned as he led his crew towards their ship. “They can’t have left Jaya yet; we need to find them before they get up to the sky. It’ll be nearly impossible to follow them afterwards.”

-The Next Morning ~ Cricket’s House-

“That’s so cool!” Luffy and Usopp both marveled at the Going Merry’s new additions. Reinforced with steel plating over a good portion of the hull, and with wings added to each side of the ship, the Going Merry looked quite different than it had the night before.

“This does make me uneasy though.” Nami eyed all the reinforcement added to their ship. The Knock Up Stream must be insane beyond her imagination if this much was necessary just to have a chance of surviving it.

“Yeah, wouldn’t a pigeon fly better than a chicken?” Zoro remarked of the chicken-like attachment to the sheep figurehead of the Going Merry. It was clearly styled after a chicken’s head crest and waddle.

“That’s not the point, Zoro.” Vivi shook her head from her place beside Nami. How could the swordsman overlook the danger they were about to get into?

“Don’t worry, ladies, I’ll protect you all!” Sanji promised with a smile as he and Mikita served up some breakfast.

“You’re going to protect us from a current powerful enough to launch ships into the sky?” Mikita raised an eyebrow at Sanji. “Or are you somehow going to protect us from crashing into the ocean if this goes wrong?”

“Both!” Sanji declared with heart-shaped eyes.

“Protect us too, please!” Chopper looked at Sanji with wide eyes at being left out of the offered protection.

“Well, we have to wait until Luffy and Robin get back with the South Bird before we can even set sail.” Usopp reminded them as he watched the forest. In the early morning sunlight, it was easier to see, but he still couldn’t see too far into the dense woods.

“As long as Robin is with him, I’m sure Luffy will at least stay on task.” Nami sighed as she accepted a plate of food from Sanji.

“Between their abilities, it shouldn’t be too hard to catch a bird, I would think.” Vivi accepted her breakfast from a happy Sanji and thanked him with a smile.

-Forest-

“Joh, joh, joh….” The odd bird call rang throughout the trees.

“Hmm…” Luffy closed his eyes and extended his Observation as far as it could go without using his Devil Fruit. “Over there.” He pointed his right hand at a large tree several meters away. “There’s a ‘voice’ that’s a lot ‘louder’ than the others.”

“Veinte Fleur.” Robin crossed her arms and to Luffy’s perception, small amounts of Robin’s ‘voice’ appeared around them. Looking at one of the spots, he saw and eye identical to Robin’s appear on one of the trees. Another appeared in the line of sight from that one, and then another in the line of sight of the second eye.

“Joh! Joh, joh!” The South Bird’s call rang out and a buzzing was heard a few seconds later as two large, green mantises flew between the greens towards the pirates.

“Skreee!” The mantises shrieked as they raised their sharp forelimbs to slash at Luffy.

“Hmm?” Luffy didn’t move, merely tilted his head as the two mantises slashed him into thirds. The instant they did so, however, both lit up in bright white-blue light as electricity poured into their bodies.

“KEEEEE!!!” The mantises dropped to the forest floor twitching and smoking; their exoskeletons blackened by the heat of the lightning that they’d just touched.

“I see it.” Robin smiled as her bloomed eyes had surrounded the area that Luffy had pointed at. “As long as I can see it…” She trailed off as a pair of her arms bloomed from the South Bird itself (freaking the animal out at the sudden appearance) and then restrained it. A third hand sprouted from the tree and shoved the purple-feathered bird off the branch it had been on.

“Shishishishi! Nice one, Robin!” Luffy laughed as he picked up the restrained bird easily.

“Joh! Joh, joh, johhhh!” The South Bird called out loudly. There was a noise, like dozens of hurried footsteps and the brush of the forest being swept aside. What burst into the area through the trees and underbrush was a small horde of massive grasshoppers! Each of the bizarre insects stood upright like a human at a height of roughly a meter, their four upper limbs making punching motions as they rushed Luffy to free the South Bird.

“You’re funny!” Luffy grinned widely at the horde as he raised his left hand, and with a spark, a blast of lightning was released. The swarm of enormous grasshoppers was taken out instantly, all of them collapsing to the forest floor twitching, burnt, and some possibly dead.

“J-joh…” The South Bird’s eyes were wide at seeing the decimation of the grasshoppers. It seemed like the bird was sweating, even though that wasn’t a thing for birds.

“Now,” Luffy smiled at the South Bird, making it flinch. “Are you gonna behave?”

“J-Jo-joh!” The South Bird nodded rapidly as Luffy held it by its legs with one hand.

“Shishishishi! Great!” Luffy laughed at the bird’s compliance. “Man…look at all of these cool bugs though. I bet they have stag beetles and stuff around here too! Do you think we have time to try and catch one, Robin?” He looked over at the archaeologist curiously.

“I don’t think that would be wise, Captain.” Robin shook her head, a slight giggle escaping her at Luffy’s question. “We are on a deadline.”

“Aww…” Luffy pouted a bit at not getting to look for a stag beetle or maybe even a Hercules beetle. “Alright.”

“Fufufu…let’s get back to the ship.” Robin turned and walked back the way they’d come. Luffy was quick to pick up on the sway in the woman’s hips. The way she was walking wasn’t overly exaggerated or anything, merely a slight sway to her hips that made watching her ass in her purple pants very enjoyable.

‘She must want me to follow her. That’s the same kind of walk that Nami and Mikita do when they want me to follow them to my bedroom.’ Luffy realized and followed after Robin. The fact that he didn’t assume it meant Robin wanted to lead him to his bedroom was equal parts Luffy’s dense nature and his lack of expectation when it came to women. He simply didn’t expect anything like that from any woman he didn’t know.

Robin simply led her current Captain through the forest with a knowing grin. Luffy may not be one to fall for seduction tactics, but he was still a man and as his new nakama, his eyes were beginning to follow her. She could feel his gaze on her rear and knew she had his attention. It should make keeping Luffy from wondering off a bit easier at least.

-Cricket’s House-

“Hey! We’re back!” Luffy called out as he and Robin emerged from the forest. “We caught one!” He held up the South Bird to show them all.

“Joh…” The South Bird looked morose at having been caught so easily.

“That was quick!” Masira nearly gaped at how quickly the two pirates had caught a South Bird.

“You haven’t even been gone an hour!” Shoujo agreed with his sworn brother.

“Sanji! Breakfast, please!” Luffy called out with a wide smile as he handed the South Bird over to Cricket.

“Yeah, yeah, I already made your portion, you glutton.” Sanji pointed over to a huge platter piled high with various egg dishes, meats, fruits, along with plenty of juice and water.

“Enjoy~” Mikita kissed Luffy gently as he sat down to eat. “I made the pancakes.” She grinned as Luffy quickly tore into his breakfast.

“Yum!” Luffy cried out as he ate. The meats were great, the fruit was fresh, the eggs were perfect, and the pancakes were light and fluffy. “You’re amazing!” He praised Sanji and Mikita as he devoured the platter of food.

“Did you tell him he couldn’t have breakfast until he caught the South Bird or something?” Nami raised an eyebrow at Robin.

“Oh no, he seemed to remember breakfast once he smelled it as we got closer.” Robin grinned at the navigator. “He wanted to see if he could find a stag beetle in the forest since it was filled with all sorts of large insects.”

“Of course.” Vivi couldn’t help but giggle at Luffy being Luffy.

“Typical…” Usopp heaved a sigh at Luffy’s antics. “Even when we’re on a deadline, he wants to go off and have fun.” Not that the gunman would’ve minded seeing a stag beetle. He’d done plenty of bug catching as a boy back in Syrup Village.

Once Luffy was done with his breakfast, the Straw Hats were ready to go. They boarded the Going Merry and prepared to set sail.

“Hurry up, now.” Cricket called out as the Saruyama Alliance prepared to depart to help the Straw Hats. “You don’t want to miss your chance to go up to the sky.”

“Thanks for working on the ship for us!” Luffy called back loudly, his huge grin shining bright.

“Let’s go, you guys!” Masira called out from the bow of his ship. “We don’t want to run out of time!”

“We’ll guide you out! Just follow us!” Shoujo waved to the Going Merry.

“Saruyama Alliance!” Cricket’s voice boomed out and all of the members perked up. “Don’t mess up! No matter what happens, give it your all for these guys!”

“Aye aye, sir!” Masira, Shoujo, and every member of their crews shouted back in unison.

“All right! Let’s go!” Luffy cheered with a bright laugh.

“Set sail!” Nami called out as the crew got the Going Merry ready to sail.

“Yeah!” Usopp and Chopper both cheered.

“Aye aye, Nami!” Sanji noddled across the deck with heart-shaped eyes.

“Boy!” Cricket called out to Luffy as the Going Merry began to float away from the shoreline. “This is where we part ways. Let me tell you one thing that I’m certain of!”

“Hmm?” Luffy leaned over the bow at the man’s words.

“No one has ever proved that the city of gold or Skypiea doesn’t exist!” Cricket grinned at the younger man.

“Right!” Luffy grinned at Cricket’s high spirits.

“People may laugh and say that they’re silly legends…well, let them laugh!” Cricket threw his arms wide. “That’s what makes it a great adventure!”

“A great adventure!” Luffy agreed, throwing his fist upwards with a huge smile.

“Don’t go falling out of the sky now!” Cricket gave the crew a smile as they started to sail away.

“Bye old man!” Luffy waved as they got farther from the shore, sailing between Masira and Shoujo’s larger ships.

-Blackbeard’s Ship-

On a ship that was more immense raft than proper ship, the Blackbeard Pirates scanned the horizon for any sign of the Straw Hat’s ship. They’d spent most of the night sailing around Jaya after not seeing the Straw Hat Jolly Roger on any of the ships still remaining in the harbor of Mock Town. It was morning now and they still hadn’t seen a trace of the Straw Hats, much to the annoyance of Burgess.

“Are they really going to a sky island?” Burgess called out, looking through a telescope to try and spot their targets.

“Aye, that’s what they said.” Blackbeard grinned as he scanned the horizon with his eyes. “It’ll be hard to chase them up if they get up there. So, we’ll have to settle matters before they go.”

-Going Merry and Saruyama Alliance-

It had been an easy morning for the three ships as they sailed. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper had been playing with the South Bird, delighting in its nature to always face True South. The bird hadn’t been a fan, but it couldn’t fight its nature for long and returned to facing south. Luffy had, as expected, ignored most of the explanations about the Knock Up Stream, leaving that to Nami as the navigator. He'd simply encouraged everyone to relax until they got to the right spot, which had led to the lazy morning they’d all had.

Unfortunately, their lazy morning was interrupted when one of the watcher’s on Masira’s ship called out the approach of ‘night’.

“What?!” Masira was by the man’s side and looking at the approaching Emperor Cloud in seconds. “What time is it?!”

“It’s only ten o’ clock, sir!” One of the others called out.

“This is bad! We weren’t expecting it this early!” Masira pounded his fist against the railing of his ship. “Can we make it Shoujo?!”

“Utan Divers, submerge immediately! Check the currents!” Shoujo ordered and the divers were quick to leap out of the specialized doors in the side of their ship and into the ocean.

“That’s the Emperor Cloud?!” Nami gaped at the massive cloud formation and the darkness beneath it. “How did we miss that the last time?!”

The Emperor Cloud was a massive thing, surrounded by regular cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds as if the Emperor Cloud was a planet and they were trapped by its gravity. It was more like watching a storm front move in than anything else. No one on the Straw Hat crew could fathom how they’d missed this the last time it had been overhead. Even watching Masira’s salvaging shouldn’t have distracted them from this massive phenomenon!

“Woohoo!” Shoujo activated his voice-powered sonar for his divers to read the currents below the waves. It didn’t take more than a few moments before a diver came to the surface with a report.

“Reverberation confirmed! Giant current discovered at twelve o’ clock!” The diver yelled up to the deck.

“Reverberation confirmed!” A second diver emerged a bit away from the first one. “Giant creature detected at nine o’ clock! Possibly a sea monster! It’s moving further away at a rapid pace!”

“Reverberation confirmed!” A third diver nearly breached the surface with how fast he swam up to report. “Wave detected, ten o’ clock, coming against the current! Possibly a giant whirlpool is about to form!”

“That’s it!” Masira bellowed loudly. “Turn the prow to ten o’ clock, that whirlpool is a sign of the Knock Up Stream! Head for the whirlpool!”

“Utan Divers, return to ship!” Shoujo ordered and all of the divers quickly climbed the ladders on the side of the ship and secured themselves behind the specialized doors.

All three ships jolted strongly a few moments later as the waves began to pick up in size and intensity.

“What the hell?!” Zoro struggled to steady himself as the Going Merry rocked violently.

“The waves are getting huge!” Vivi warned as she and Nami held onto the railing on the upper deck.

“Aaagghh! We’re gonna sink!” Usopp cried out as the Going Merry was literally launched off one of the large waves and threw up a huge spray of water when it landed in the rough sea again.

“It’s the tremor before the explosion! Watch out!” Masira’s warning was yelled just loud enough for the Straw hats to hear.

“Nami! What about the Log Pose?” Robin called out to Nami as she grabbed the railing on the stairs to keep her feet underneath her.

“It’s pointing straight at that cloud!” Nami confirmed after a second to line the Log Pose up with her eye.

“The wind is perfect! The Emperor Cloud is heading straight for the whirlpool!” Shoujo called out as the three ships were rocked by the harsh waves.

“Huh?! What whirlpool?! Where is it?!” Usopp didn’t see any whirlpool at all!

“Looks like we hit the mark, brother!” Masira called out to Shoujo.

“It’s all up to the current now!” Shoujo hollered back over the pounding waves.

“Can we do it?!” Luffy shouted over the raging water of the ocean.

“Aye, we’re gonna make it!” Masira yelled back as two tow lines were latched onto the Going Merry. “We’ll tow you to the whirlpool!”

“And then what do we do?!” Nami questioned the salvager.

“Sail into the current! If you can make it to the middle of the whirlpool, you should be fine!” Masira instructed as they crested the edge of the mindbogglingly large swirl of water in the ocean.

“It’s a giant whirlpool!” Mikita nearly screamed at the insane sight. They hadn’t even been able to see it past the edge it had made in the sea from its sheer size!

“No one said anything about sailing into a whirlpool!” Nami yelled at seeing the whirlpool that indicated the Knock Up Stream.

“It’ll be alright Nami!” Sanji yelled to the orangette. “I’ll protect you and the ladies!”

“I’ve never seen such an enormous maelstrom before.” Robin mentioned as she kept herself coolheaded as best as she could in the situation.

“I’m starting to think this was a bad idea!” Usopp yelled, his entire body shaking in fear.

“Too late for that, Usopp.” Zoro shook his head as they got closer to catching the whirlpool’s current. “There’s no turning back now.”

“Sky island, here we come!” Luffy cheered loudly with his fists raised above his head.

“All right, you guys are on your own from here! Good luck!” Masira disengaged the tow lines attached to the Going Merry as his ship used its paddles to escape the current of the whirlpool.

“Thanks for everything!” Luffy waved to the two ships outside of the whirlpool.

“Wait!” Usopp cried out in terror. “I admit it! I’m scared! Terrified! I want to go home! We’re gonna die!”

“What?!” Chopper cried out at hearing Usopp’s words.

“It’s night!” Vivi exclaimed as the pitch darkness of being under the Emperor Cloud covered them.

“We’re being sucked into the whirlpool!” Mikita called out as the Going Merry was taken further towards the center of the swirling void.

“Sky island really was just a dream within a dream!” Usopp cried out as his whole body shook.

“A dream within a dream! Now that’s a great adventure!” Luffy beamed at his crew with sparkles in his eyes. “If we don’t do this, we’ll regret it for the rest of our lives!”

“He looks so happy,” Nami couldn’t help the bright smile that formed even amidst all of this danger. “I can’t take this away from him.”

“What?!” Usopp’s eyes bugged out at Nami’s declaration.

“Hey, when you’re finished whining, you might want to look at this.” Zoro pointed over the edge of the ship just as Merry crested the water into the center of the whirlpool. The caravel seemed to hang in the air for a moment as everyone came to terms with what was about to happen.

“We’re falling!” Chopper screamed in panic.

“We’re going to be swallowed up!” Usopp yelled as he grabbed onto the mas for dear life.

“I’ll hold you ladies!” Sanji had his arms wide open for the girls.

The fall turned out to be anticlimactically short, however. The massive whirlpool vanished and the sea was mostly calm again.

“What happened?!” Luffy asked as he looked around in confusion.

“It’s gone?” Zoro blinked at the sudden disappearance.

“We were in the center of that giant whirlpool though?” Usopp looked completely bewildered.

“No…” Nami’s eyes widened as she heard the sounds coming from below. “It’s already started. We’re right on top of it!”

“HOLD IT!!!” A voice boomed over the sudden quiet. A massive raft with to masts, the main one bearing black sails with a Jolly Roger on them of a three skulls side-by-side over three crossed bones was being sailed and paddled towards the Going Merry.

“Hey, Zoro, it’s that old guy again.” Luffy pointed at the approaching raft ship.

“We caught up with you, ‘Straw Hat’ Luffy!” Blackbeard yelled out to the younger pirate.

“That guy’s from Mock Town.” Nami remembered the large man from the bar.

“Who?” Sanji questioned.

“He talked to us after Luffy beat the pirate with the highest bounty in Mock Town.” Mikita gave a brief explanation.

“We’re gonna take that Two-Hundred-Million Beri head of yours! Give up!” Blackbeard declared with a loud laugh. “Hey…why is it only dark around this area?” He asked quietly to his crew, none of which could give him an answer.

“We’re going to sky island!” Luffy shouted back to the man claiming that he was going to take his head. “Don’t get in the way!”

“You’re staying right here!” Blackbeard yelled back with a vein throbbing on his temple.

“I said…” Luffy raised his right hand into the air. The limb turned into a bolt of lightning that flew into the gathered clouds surrounding the Emperor Cloud. Thunder rumbled loudly and bright sparks of lightning could be seen flashing rapidly within the dark clouds. “Don’t get in the way! Raiu Keihō: Raijin!”

A titanic bolt of lightning fell from the black clouds. The darkness below the Emperor Cloud was suddenly brighter than day. The raft ship was the sole target of Luffy’s attack and was blasted apart by the god-like surge of electric power. The ocean flashed into steam from the sheer heat and caused a minor steam explosion. Then the thunder hit and shook the very air. Everyone, even the Saruyama Alliance at the distance they were from the raft ship, felt their very bones vibrate from the thunder. Only by sheer expectation of Luffy’s Devil Fruit powers did the Straw Hats clap their hands over their ears to keep from being deafened.

When everyone could see again, all that was left of the raft ship was broken pieces strewn over the ocean.

“L-Luffy?” Vivi gaped at what her lover had done. “What was that?!”

“That was what Ace taught me while we were growing up.” Luffy smiled at the princess turned pirate. “Sabo taught me and Ace how to ‘make’ things with out elements. Ace taught me and Sabo how to amplify our elements and get more power out of them. He calls his version Daienkai (Great Flame Commandment), so following his naming scheme I call mine Raiu Keihō (Thunderstorm Warning).”

“Can you do that anytime?!” Usopp stared at Luffy with his eye nearly popping out of his head.

“No, Ace is way better at it than me, he can do it any time, but I need clouds to use mine.” Luffy pointed up at the clouds surrounding the Emperor Cloud. “Within the clouds my lightning can build up and exceed the natural limit of my Devil Fruit’s output. I can drop a bolt of lightning five times stronger than normal pretty easily.”

“Hey, you guys!” Shoujo’s booming voice called out from his ship. “Pay attention!” He warned them as the sea started to bubble beneath the Going Merry. “It’s coming! The Knock Up Stream!”

The sea literally rose beneath the ship, raising the Merry higher and higher.

“Everybody grab onto something secure or go below!” Sanji called out as the Straw Hats rushed to secure themselves.

“The sea’s gonna blow!” Usopp was tying himself to the main mast with rope as fast as he could.

“Whoa…” Luffy held tightly to the Going Merry’s sheep figurehead.

The sea blasted upward with a roar almost as loud as Luffy’s last attack! The Merry was sent rocketing upwards by the insane current so quickly that Zoro was able to stand on the railing of the upper deck sideways as if it was normal. The pressure was so intense that it broke the hold of gravity itself!

Cricket watched the Knock Up Stream from his home, the towering column of water punching a hole into the Emperor Cloud. Next to him a small pile of cigarette’s that he’d smoked to ease his nerves until this point.

“Make it to the sky island, you guys!” Masira and Shoujo yelled at the top of their lungs as the Going Merry vanished into the clouds.

-End Chapter-

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With a thunderous boom, the Blackbeard Pirates are sunk!

Did Luffy just kill Blackbeard and his crew?

Come on…we all know that jackass survives the impossible. Otherwise, being burned alive by Ace would’ve killed him in Canon. The Devil’s Luck you could say.

Now the Straw Hats are riding the Knock Up Stream straight towards the Emperor Cloud! Skypiea here we come!

The meeting of Warlords went slightly differently this time. Mihawk mentioning Luffy and Doflamingo easily understanding the connection the rookie pirate has to Garp. Now he’s got a reason to head to Jaya!

But he’ll be a little too late to do anything when he gets there. But Bellamy and crew are still there and they lost spectacularly. That merits punishment in Doflamingo’s eyes. Will Bellamy even be awake to receive it?

What’s next for our favorite pirate crew?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!