The Secret of Warship Island
But the moment she left, Zoro's eyes snapped open. As a swordsman, though he enjoyed his drink, he was always alert.
Then Usopp, the self-proclaimed master of lies, stirred. He had known Apis was lying from the start and had been on his guard. After him, Sanji and Nami also awoke. Of the entire crew, only Luffy remained fast asleep.
They didn't move at first, not wanting to startle her. They waited until Apis had walked a safe distance away before they all stood up.
"I knew it," Usopp said, looking in the direction Apis had disappeared. "I knew there was something wrong with her."
"A little girl being chased by an admiral... to be honest, I can't believe it," Sanji said, taking a drag from his cigarette, his mind now clear.
"So, this little girl is definitely no ordinary child," Zoro added, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
"We'll know for sure if we follow her," Nami said in agreement. She then looked at the still-snoring Luffy and sighed. "But is that guy even a little bit vigilant?"
"Damn, that guy..." the others muttered, completely speechless. After waking Luffy up and explaining the situation, he finally understood, and his curiosity was piqued. The group quietly followed in the direction Apis had gone.
She wasn't moving fast, so they quickly caught up, watching as she struggled up the mountain, her small body dragging a huge bag of food. They followed her silently, up the mountain and into a cave. When they peered inside, they were stunned. Apis was giving the food to a massive, ancient dragon. "Oh my god, that's..."
At the same time, aboard the Going Merry, Moonlight, exhausted from a full day of training, had eaten the meal Sanji had left for him and was sleeping soundly on the observation deck. He was awoken in the early hours of the morning by the sound of crashing waves. He looked out to sea and saw a fleet of at least twenty large Marine warships approaching. In the lead was a massive command ship, and standing on its deck were two figures: Eric, and a Marine admiral.
Eric had returned.
Eric spotted Moonlight on the observation deck and a sneer spread across his face. "Just as I thought. The Straw Hats took Apis to Warship Island. Now we can catch them all in one go. Admiral, that's the Straw Hat crew, the notorious pirates. Sink their ship and capture them!"
"The Straw Hat crew?" the admiral said, surprised. This was the pirate crew that had been making a name for themselves recently, especially after the incident in Loguetown. He looked through his binoculars and, after confirming their identity, gave the order to fire. "Pirates ahead! All ships, prepare to fire! A warning shot first."
"Yes, sir!" the Marines responded, their cannons immediately taking aim at the Going Merry.
"Heh, the Navy and their pathetic benevolence," Eric sneered. "These are vicious criminals. What's the point of a warning? Just kill them."
The admiral frowned, clearly annoyed by Eric's insolence, but he held his tongue. He had his orders from Admiral Nelson.
"Forget it. I can't rely on you useless Marines to capture Apis," Eric scoffed. "Give me a boat."
"Give him one," the admiral commanded with a wave of his hand.
"Last time, you had the advantage of numbers," Eric said with a cold smile as he boarded a small, fast boat. "This time, I've brought my own army. The advantage is mine." The boat shot across the water towards the Going Merry. He had been forced to retreat last time because he was alone, but now, with a fleet of twenty ships at his back, he was confident of victory.
BOOM!
The warning shots exploded around the ship, the force of the blast shaking the small island.
"What was that? An earthquake?" the sleeping villagers on the island were jolted awake.
"Pirates ahead!" the Navy's voice boomed across the water. "You are surrounded! Surrender now, or face the consequences!"
"It's the Navy!" the villagers cried, their faces filled with a mixture of fear and determination. "We have to warn the Straw Hats!"
Meanwhile, Luffy and the others were still in the cave, staring in disbelief at the ancient dragon. It was a legendary creature, a Millennium Dragon, and it was dying.
Apis, seeing that her secret was out, confessed everything. Admiral Nelson of the Navy, having heard the rumor that the bones of a Millennium Dragon could grant eternal life, had been searching for it and had finally found her and the dragon.
"So that's why an admiral is after you," Nami said, a look of understanding on her face. Eternal life... who wouldn't want that?
BOOM!
The island trembled again, and Apis, who could communicate with the dragon, knew instantly that the Navy had arrived. "The Navy has surrounded the island!" she cried.
"The Navy is here?" Luffy and the others were surprised. They hadn't expected the Navy to be so persistent and to arrive so quickly.
"No, Moonlight is still on the ship!" Usopp shouted.
"You're right! In that case, Moonlight will be surrounded! We have to go back and help him!" Nami added, her voice filled with worry.
"There's no need," Zoro said with a faint, confident smile. "With that guy's strength, it doesn't matter how many Marines they send. It's just a gift." He understood Moonlight's power. Unless Admiral Nelson himself brought his entire force, anyone who came would be easily dealt with.
"Yeah, I don't know how strong he is, but from what we've seen, he'll be fine," Sanji agreed, lighting a cigarette and exhaling a smoke ring. If there was anyone on the ship he trusted completely, it was Moonlight.
"Apis," Luffy said, his attention still on the dragon, "you said this dragon wants to go back to his home, right? As long as he gets back, he won't have to worry about anyone coming after his bones, and he'll remember his past?" He seemed completely unfazed by the Navy's arrival.
The others were speechless. Was their captain really this dense? Apis was equally bewildered. "Did you not hear me?" she thought. "Your crewmate and your ship are surrounded by the Navy! Aren't you worried at all?"
But she nodded in response to Luffy's question. "Yes. The dragon was just separated from his companions. If he can get back to his home and find them, he won't have to be afraid of anyone, and he'll be able to remember his past and return to his old life."
"The home of the dragons? You mean there are more of them?"
"I'm really looking forward to it! I never thought dragons were real! I thought they were just legends!"
"Me too! If we can see the home of the dragons, that would be incredible!"
"Is it in the sky?"
Nami, Usopp, and the others were suddenly filled with excitement. A real dragon! How many people in the world had ever seen a real dragon, let alone their home? The thought of it was thrilling.
"Alright, I've decided!" Luffy declared. "We're going to help this dragon get back home!"
"Okay," Usopp and the others nodded, this time in unanimous agreement with Luffy's decision. To see a legendary dragon before heading to the Grand Line... what an unforgettable experience that would be.
"Thank you, everyone! Thank you so much!" Apis said, overjoyed. She had never expected the pirates who had saved her to be so kind and enthusiastic. "But... the dragon is too big. We have to find a way to get it down the mountain."
"Don't worry about it! We're friends!" Luffy said with a bright, sunny smile.
"I think I know how we can do it!" Usopp suddenly exclaimed, pointing to a steep slope outside the cave.
"Good idea!" everyone's eyes lit up.
"Scythe Wind!"
Back at the ship, Eric had already launched his attack. His speed was incredible, the air accelerating around him as he leaped into the air and kicked, sending a razor-sharp, sickle-shaped current of air slicing towards Moonlight. It was so fast it was almost instantaneous.
CRACK!
Moonlight drew his sword and slashed, and the air in front of him shattered as if it were a solid object. The surrounding sea was scarred with straight, clean lines, as if it had been cut by a giant blade.
"You've got some skill, to be able to block my Scythe Wind head-on," Eric said with a frown, surprised that Moonlight had been able to counter his attack so directly. He was the user of the Sickle-Sickle Fruit; his entire body was a weapon. For Moonlight to block his attack meant that his strength was considerable. "But that's as far as you go, kid. This next blow will be your last."
His eyes filled with a cold, murderous light. He spun in the air, his body becoming a huge, human-shaped sickle, concentrating all his strength into a single, devastating downward slash. The air itself seemed to split in two before his attack, a fierce, unstoppable force that was impossible to dodge at such close range.
"Your sword is strong, but how strong can you be?" Eric sneered. He knew the sword in Moonlight's hand was a masterpiece, and his own abilities were useless against it. But what about the man himself? How could mere flesh and blood stand up to his power?
"No, get away from there!"
"What kind of attack is that? It's splitting the air!"
"My God, Mr. Moonlight!" the villagers who had gathered on the shore cried out, seeing Eric's terrifying attack.
"This man... though he is arrogant and unruly, he certainly has the strength to back it up," the Marine admiral said, having paused the shelling to watch the fight. He was surprised to see such a powerful attack. In the Navy, strength was always the top priority, and though he disliked Eric, he had to respect his power. The other Marines behind him nodded in agreement. They had all been annoyed by Eric's arrogant attitude, but seeing his strength, they all fell silent.
"Hehe, can't move? I won't hold back. Die!" Eric sneered, seeing that Moonlight was standing perfectly still, seemingly frozen in fear. He brought his attack down with all his might.
CLANG!
But to his utter shock, his attack was stopped. A dull, metallic sound rang out as his sickle-like leg connected with Moonlight's hand, as if it had struck a solid piece of steel. Moonlight had caught his full-power attack with a single, open palm. A dark, shimmering luster covered his arm.
It was Armament Haki. At level 4, it was no longer a simple external reinforcement; he could now gather his Haki and use it to strike from the inside out. Eric's attack, though fierce, couldn't even scratch him. Instead, his leg was caught in Moonlight's iron grip, and he found himself completely immobilized.
"How is this possible?! He... hiss..."
"He blocked that terrifying attack with his bare hand? Is he even human?"
"He's too strong! Just how powerful is his body?" the villagers on the shore gasped, their faces a mixture of shock and disbelief. Eric's attack had been so powerful it had scarred the very sea, yet Moonlight had blocked it with his physical body alone. Was he even human?