(heyo! so sorry for the suuuuper long wait for the update... senior year of high school claimed most, if not all, of my attention. I wanted to make sure everything was in place and that I had everything ready for when I graduated this past May. thanks for waiting and here's the update.)

26~ The Dragon's Nest

Mira

I fought to keep my balance as one right after another, cannon balls were shot at us. I gritted my teeth and adjusted at each struck, hoping and praying I wouldn't fall off. The going Merry swerved and swayed as we tried to avoid each and every ball shot at us.

"Are we gonna go or what?!" I shouted above the explosions.

"We need to get close enough to where we can get to one of the ships!" Nami cried back as she gripped the railing for dear life. "If we go now, there is a very high chance we'll be blasted out of the water!"

Apis suddenly cried out. "Apis, get inside! It's dangerous out here!" Usopp urged.

I turned and saw her standing from having fallen on the ground. "I can't leave Grandpa Ryu alone!" She insisted.

"Hey, wait!" He ran after her and I faced forward again. How can Luffy have such perfect balance sitting on the very front of the ship?!

Usopp suddenly cried out and fell back to the main part of the ship. "We've been hit from behind!" He cried out.

"You'll live!" I called back to him as the ship suddenly rocked and rolled violently.

"Sanji, we've been hit from behind!" He ran over to him, holding the back of his head. "We're done for! We're sunk!" He began bawling as he ran about the deck.

"Pipe down!" Sanji snapped. "We ain't been hit!"

"Eh?" He stopped running and turned to see Sanji casually sitting against the railing. "Seriously?"

"Yeah..." He rolled his eyes.

Usopp let out a sigh of relief. "I'm saved! Now, who the hell thought of this plan, anyway!" He shouted to us from where he stood and I rolled my eyes and slowly shook my head.

"It was you..." Zoro said accusingly.

Usopp twitched.

"That's it!" I looked back to Luffy. "Go!" He let out a laugh to show he was obviously having fun. Another cannon shot, another movement to avoid it, another time for me to adjust my footing. I stumbled a bit right into Zoro and he caught me.

"Thanks..." I stood and dusted myself. "Can't wait to see some action..." An idea suddenly dawned on me. "What if I suddenly froze time to help us get on there?"

"Hey!" Luffy suddenly cried out. "A ball's coming this way!" I whipped my head around to see the small but deadly black object coming right for us.

"I can't keep doing everything on this end!" I heard Nami shout. "Do something on your end!"

"Okay!" He jumped up from his perch and ran along the railing. "I've got it!" He swelled up into his balloon attack and when it hit him, it went right back to the ship that shot it and snapped its center mast.

"Nice shot." I complimented. I looked back out to the Marine ships surrounding us and spotted one way in the back. "Zoro, hold me." I leaped over the railing towards the main deck.

"Mira!" His hands gripped my ankles.

I plucked Usopp's goggles right off his head. "What the-?!"

I winked. "Thanks. Pull me up!" Zoro got me back onto the main deck and I rushed over to get as close to the edge as possible.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Zoro shouted from beside me. "You could have gotten seriously hurt!"

"I knew you'd catch me," I simply said as I placed the goggles on and zoomed in. Zooming... Zooming... Zooming... There! I focused hard on the large ship in the very back, taking in every detail. I was aware of Zoro demanding for my attention, but I was slowly tuning him out.

Those sails seem oddly familiar somehow... The way the giant 8 takes up nearly the entire space on all the sails. The way the ship is designed... Wait, what're they doing? Oh God...

"They're gonna launch a huge cannon at us!" I screamed, making Zoro suddenly jump back at my sudden outburst.

"What?" Luffy and Sanji came up beside me.

"There!" I pointed out the ship. "They're loading this huge-ass cannon and they're gonna launch it at us!"

Luffy cocked his head at me. "They have a huge ass for a cannon?"

I smacked him upside his head. "Focus!"

Nami finally came out from the steering room. "What the?! The way the wind is blowing and the angle it's at, a direct hit will blow the ship to shreds!

"We'll be fine!" Luffy said nonchalantly. "I'll just bounce it back again."

She leaned over the edge. "Don't be stupid!" I cast my gaze back out to the ship, Zoro soon following my lead. "I'll turn the ship around; you guys work on the rear sail!" We didn't move. "Hurry!" We ran off and I tossed Usopp his goggles again. Luffy, Zoro, and I tugged on the sail to try and get it to move so we could turn around.

"Eat this!" Usopp suddenly shouted and our own cannon went off. I followed the cannon ball as it went right for the giant ship. There was a massive explosion from that ship as it rocked, scrap metal flying everywhere.

Usopp gave a triumphant cheer. "How do ya like that?!" He shouted. "This is what happens when Usopp gets serious!"

"Not too shabby," Sanji complimented. "For a fluke..." Never mind...

"You're so full of it." Zoro said to Usopp and I rolled my eyes.

"What?!" He snapped. "I can do that anytime!"

"Oh yeah?" Sanji challenged. "I'd like to see-"

"You're so cool, Usopp!" Apis suddenly called up, holding her thumb up to him.

He winked and did the same. "Yeah!"

"Let him have his fun," I said to Zoro as I patted his arm. I walked back to the front of the ship, not liking the silence on the water. No one was shooting off cannons anymore. We were at a standstill.

"Mira!" Nami called me back to the back of the ship. I joined her and she gave a single, determination filled nod. "Now's our chance. Let's act quickly to cut some links and clear a path!"

"Yes, Nami." Sanji nodded back to her.

"How will we get over there, though?" I asked.

Zoro looked to Luffy. "Luffy,"

"On it." He launched his arm back and slung it out to one of the ships, latching on tightly. Zoro, Sanji, and I ran across. We leaped onto the ship, some of the Marines jumping back at our sudden appearance.

Just as Zoro and I turned around, Luffy came flying right at us. He crashed right into us, making all three of us crash into the wall. "Sorry, Zoro! Mira!"

"W-why you..." Zoro said, sounding out of breath.

"I'm gonna kill him one of these days..." I grunted.

"Me first..." Luffy finally got off us, only to be kicked right in his head by Sanji.

"Watch where you're aiming!" He kicked again. "You coulda hurt Mira-chan!"

"I'm fine, Sanji!" I got to my feet. "We gotta focus on our mission right now!"

"Right, Mira!"

We stood in front of the chains and Zoro tapped one. "Steel links, huh?"

"Think you can cut 'em?" Luffy asked as he and Sanji walked over to us.

"There's nothing I can't cut!" He said confidently.

"Great!" Luffy grinned. "They're all yours."

A door suddenly squeaked open and Marine soldiers started coming out of nearly every direction to surround us. They brandished their swords at us as they closed us in. I rolled my eyes and pulled my sword out. They think they can take us? Please...

"Talk abut coming out of the woodwork..." Sanji commented at the sea of Marines before us.

"I like it when things are lively!" Luffy said with a light chuckle. He's so carefree...

"Whatever..." Sanji sighed.

I turned my attention to Zoro when he began talking. "I'll leave the small fries to you."

"Got it." The three of us chorused as we faced the Marines once more.

"In the name of the Nelson Fleet, we won't let you break through here!" A Marine shouted. Wait, Nelson? I swear I've heard that name before...

"Mira, pay attention!" Zoro snapped. I looked up just in time to barely avoid being cut down by a Marine. When did they charge on us?!

"I saw him coming, Zoro!" I shouted over the fight. I kicked the Marine square in the stomach, sending him into another Marine. "Don't worry about me! I know what I'm doing!" I clashed swords with another Marine and managed to slice his arm open with my claws, distracting him. With a flick of my wrist, he was down.

"Didn't look like it!" There was a tremendous splash and I knew the first link had been cut. "Focus on your job!" I turned and saw him facing me. There were Marines running across the links towards us.

"Well, maybe you should focus on your job and not me!" I shouted back as I fought off two Marines at a time. "Can't exactly have your back if Marines are coming from your front!" He finally turned back around and saw what I was talking about. A few seconds later, he cut the links and the next chain fell as did the Marines crossing.

"I've got your back, Mira!" Sanji suddenly said as he kicked five men from me.

I stomped my foot and glared. "Sanji, I can fight!" I cut down another Marine behind me without even looking. "I'm not helpless! I'm needed in this crew just as much as everyone else! I don't need to be babied!" More Marines charged and I cut them down with ease as I yelled at Sanji who was taking the majority for me.

"But you're a lovely lady!" He protested. "Ladies shouldn't get their clothes and beautiful skin sullied with dirt, sweat, and blood!"

I bared my teeth at him as a growl sounded from my throat. "There's this new thing invented! It's called washing!" I stated sarcastically, still angered that he's taking my battle from me. Then I thought up a quick idea. "Sanji, behind you! Quick!" He went to turn around, but there was no one there. I took this as my chance to run off in a different direction so I could fight on my own.

As I was knocking a few off the ship, I glanced up just in time to see Luffy launch several Marines off the back of the ship. I grinned as was about to take care of the last three when a black blur got them before I could.

My eye twitched. "I didn't need help..."

"One more chain!" Zoro called out. I rushed back over to him so we could catch our ship out of here when it came by. I watched as his shoulders bunched up as he prepared to cut the last chain and I couldn't help but admire them.

Just as he was about to cut the link, wind currents sliced the water right in front of our ship, nearly tipping it over.

"The hell just happened?!" I clung to the railing to try and get a better look. "Damn it... It can't be..." It's Sicko... And he's on a row boat heading towards us. The Marines he was with made a turn and they bumped into the raft where Apis and Ryu were.

My nails dug into the wood of the railing. "Damn it, no! Get away from them!" I began tugging on Zoro's arm. "We have to help them! Come on, lazy butt! Let's go!"

"What're we gonna do?!" He snatched his arm back. "There's no way we can safely get onto that raft without tipping it over! We can only help from afar at the moment!"

"How do we help from afar?!" I snapped. "We can't do anything from here! We have to go help them now!"

"What's wrong?" Luffy asked, coming up right behind us.

"Apis and Ryu are in trouble!" I turned to face him. "And Zoro won't let us do anything about it!

"It's him." Sanji said as he walked over to us.

Luffy finally got it when he saw Sicko. "Huh? What's he doing?"

"Looks like he's taking Apis hostage and stealing the dragon." Zoro stated.

My eyes narrowed. "I so wanna do something..."

"Not yet, Mira." I glared at Zoro.

"That's bad!" Luffy clung onto the rail and leaned over a bit.

"Exactly!" I agreed with a wave of my arms. "We should be doing something! Nami and Usopp are probably freaking out and not knowing what to do!"

Luffy began climbing onto the rail, but Zoro held him back. "Stop! If you lay a hand on him, he'll take out Apis and Nmi and the others with his technique!"

"Oh." Luffy got back on the ship. "Right."

"Well, I'm not going to stand here and do nothing." I lightly closed my eyes.

"Mira, no!" Hands gripped my shoulders and shook me, making my concentration falter.

"Zoro, get off me!" I swatted his hands away. "If I freeze time, I can get over there, save Apis, and push Sicko into the water! I can do this!"

"You can't go!" He insisted. "The second you touch someone who is frozen, things will return to normal and you'll be a target!"

"That's a risk I'm gonna have to take." I met his gaze evenly, not once backing down.

"Ah!" We focused back on Luffy. "Then I'll use my foot! That'll work!"

Zoro conked him over his head. "Listen better! That'll still make him hurt the others!"

I cast my gaze back to the waters to see Sicko rowing off with Apis and Ryu. I feel to useless not being able to do anything about it! I want to help them, but he's so close to Apis. One move from me, and Apis will get hurt and possibly me.

More cannon fire rang out and tremendous slashes surrounded the raft Apis was on. My grip tightened and I clenched my jaw. If Zoro won't do anything about it, then I'm going! He can't stop me if he's distracted by Luffy.

I closed my eyes once more and concentrated. Soon, there was no sound. My eyes opened and I found that everything was still. A small smirk graced my lips. Time to go.

I leaped over the rail and landed on the water. I ran across the surface towards the raft, hoping I could get there in time. About half way there, my feet were beginning to sink into the water a bit further instead of staying on top. I pushed myself harder and faster.

I glanced up when the muted sound of a cannon ball sounded behind me. It was moving slower than molasses, just barely spinning in air.

The water was up to my knees by the time I finally got to the raft. My sights locked on Sicko and I charged. My foot caught on a lip from the raft and I fell. The force of the fall brought everything back full force and everything began moving at normal pace.

"Hm?" I looked up to see Sicko staring at me. "Looks like we have a stow away." A wicked grin claimed his lips and I stood, drawing my katana.

He threw his wind currents at me and I used my katana to block them. I grimaced when it connected with the blade, the momentum of the winds pushing me back a few feet. Apis cried out from below me and I quickly dispersed of the winds.

"If you don't want to get blasted to pieces, you'd better start rowing!" He called over his shoulder. The two Marines nodded and began rowing faster. "As for you, Neko, I suggest you get off this raft, or I'll do it myself." I remained silent, my katana in front of me in a defensive angle.

"Fine." He slid into his own stance. "If that's how you want to be, then so be it!" As he readied himself to attack again, I stood on my tip toes. He brought his hand back and soon, I was behind him, the tip of my katana at his throat while the blade rested over his torso.

"One move, and you're dead." I whispered into his ear. "I'm not joking around. Release the raft, or suffer the consequences."

As I kept an eye on Sicko, Apis stood with her hands clenched before her. "I'm begging you! Please don't harass Grandpa Ryu anymore! He hasn't done anything wrong!"

"I've got him, Apis." I assured her as I glanced back over to the Marines behind me, as if daring them to advance on me. They gulped and didn't move to attack me.

"I have to take him to the dragons' nest right away!" Apis continued. "Please stop this!"

In one swift movement, Sicko knocked me into the Marines and picked Apis up by the back of her dress. The Marine guiding the ship took my katana from me and pinned my arms behind me. I hissed and struggled to get away, but he only held me tighter.

"What'e you doing?!" Apis shouted and she flung her arms and legs. "Let go! Let go, I said!"

"Leave her alone!" I demanded as I snapped at a Marine. "Let her go, you Sicko! Put her down!"

"Listen girls," He addressed us both. "You're hostages. And I'm taking the Millennial Dragon."

"I'll never let you have Grandpa Ryu!" Apis glared hard at him as she swung at him. "Never! Never! You can't have him!"

"I've had enough, girl!" Sicko shook Apis and dug his fingers into her cheeks. "Anymore shouting and I'll chop you to pieces!" Apis freed her head and chomped down right on his hand. He cried out in pain and released her.

"Let go!" He flung Apis away and she smacked her head on the boat, knocking her out.

"Apis!" I swung my head back and connected with the Marine's nose. His hands flew up to it and I snatched my katana, then went to protect Apis.

"Leave her alone." I threatened as I kept my katana in front of me.

Sicko simply dusted off his hand. "Damn kids, giving me trouble. Sit down, Neko, or you're next!" I bared my teeth at him, but let my anger fall at the sight before me.

Ryu sat up and glared hard at Sicko, who seemed oblivious to the danger behind him. The Marines behind me screamed like babies and dove for the water.

Sicko glanced up to me, then slowly turned around. He froze in pure terror. I saw Ryu's wing twitch, then ducked as he swung at Sicko, sending him flying.

More cannons fired around us, the aim completely off. Ryu didn't see it as a threat as he leaned in close to check on Apis. I knelt down before her and felt her head.

"She's okay, Ryu." I assured him. "She's just knocked out. She'll be coming around soon; I promise." He didn't seem to be listening to me. "Ryu, she's alright! Trust me!" Still no response from him.

Just then, his eyes furrowed together a bit and he stood, releasing his wings. He let out a mighty roar and I had to cover my ears to block out most of the noise. I ground my teeth together and fell to my knees. Sometimes, it's not good being at ground zero...

The water around us rippled as his roar echoed around us, shaking the ships and rattling the chains. After several more minutes of this, Ryu stopped and tucked his wings back in. The water stilled and not a sound could be heard.

Apis stirred beside me and she sat up a bit, then stood. "Ow..." She looked up and gasped. Ryu was right in front of her, his massive head only inches away from us. "Grandpa Ryu! You can move!" She flung her arms around him and laughed.

I smiled a bit and stood beside her. As I did, Ryu gently pulled from her grasp and stood back up. "What?" Her smile fell as he spread his wings once more to full length. He brought them back down, a wave of air blowing around us. He beat his wings faster and harder.

"No way..." I breather as Apis cried out happily beside me. "He's really gonna fly..." The raft creaked a bit as he flexed his leg muscles. With a great push, Ryu was up in the air, our hair and clothes billowing around us.

Ryu was in the air and hovering above us. "You're flying, Grandpa Ryu!" Apis cheered for him and my smile widened.

In the near silence, my ears picked up the sound of someone shouting. "No! If the Millennial is just going to escape, then I don't care if we kill it! All I need it the Dragonite! Fire! Fire! Fire like mad!" I turned my head towards the sound and saw it was coming from someone on the large ship in the back.

So it's you I need to worry about... My eyes narrowed greatly. If I can take him out, then all of this will end...

Once more, the cannon fire breached the air. A few hit Ryu and he stumbled in the air. "Stop! Stop it! Grandpa Ryu, get out of here where the cannons can't reach you!"

"Stop it!" Luffy cried over the cannon fire. He slung his arm back and slammed his fist into a ship. My eyes scanned over the Marine ship I left as Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy took out as many Marines and ships as the possibly could around them.

What do I do? I asked myself. Do I stay here and protect Apis and Ryu? Do I go back and help the others? Or do I go and take out the main ship in the back giving orders? What do I do...? What do I do...?

My eyes flickered back and forth to the many battle scenes before me. Ryu was trying to dodge as many of the cannons as possible, while the other three were taking out as many Marines as they possible could to help reduce the amount of cannons being fired.

"Now's your chance, Grandpa Ryu!" Apis kept shouting at him. "Run! Get out of here while you still can!"

The boat suddenly began to tip as cannons from the main ship added to the attacks. Nearly every single one hit Ryu and a few landed around us. I clung on to Apis to keep her safe and tried to right the boat.

I know why Ryu isn't leaving. He wants to protect Apis.

"Ryu!" His gaze flickered to me. "Ryu, I'll protect Apis! I swear! Just get to some place safe and we'll come find you!" He turned his massive head away from us and began flying away, but he wasn't flying away from the action.

No. He was flying towards the main ship firing at us. "What the hell are you doing?!" I shouted at him. "Ryu, this is crazy! You're supposed to be flying away from the danger, not towards it!" But he wasn't listening.

Now that he was on the move, less of the cannons were hitting him. He let out another glass shattering roar right at the main ship and kept charging at them.

The closer he got, the more the cannons could fire and hit successfully. Soon, it was becoming too much for him and he fell into the water, feathers and smoke flying off of him.

I held Apis close to me and covered her eyes as I, too, looked away. "Don't look, Apis!"

"Grandpa Ryu!" Apis clung to me and tried to get to him at the same time. Her tears rolled in my hands a bit as they slid down her cheeks. "No! Grandpa Ryu!"

"Grandpa Ryu!" I looked into the sky as Luffy launched himself into the air right for Ryu. He landed right on Ryu's back and jogged over to his head so he could speak with him better.

I turned Apis towards me and let her cry on me. I got to my knees and help her tightly as she sobbed hard. "It's okay, Apis..." I tried to comfort her. "Luffy is with him. Everything is going to be alright. Sh..."

"Grandpa Ryu!" Apis clung on to me tighter as her heartbreaking cry sounded around the now quiet waters.

I kept her pressed firmly against me so she wouldn't see him slowly sinking into the water. "It's okay, Apis... It's okay. Grandpa Ryu is going to be okay. Luffy is with him and is going to make sure he'll be fine."

"No!" She shook her head and clutched at my shirt. "He's not okay! He's hurt! Grandpa Ryu is hurt! Grandpa Ryu..."

"Sh..." I held her tighter as the tears kept falling. My ears suddenly picked up the sound of something being fired. I lifted my head, my eyes widening. No... A harpoon! "Luffy, look out!" I cried out to him.

He lifted his head slightly, stood, then grabbed the harpoon in mid air, stopping it cold. "What are you doing?!" He called out in the direction of the main ship.

A hard chuckle greeted him as the owner of the voice spoke loud enough for him to hear. "You've no idea of the value of the thing you are standing on right now!" Another chuckle punctuated his speech. "All I want are the Millennial Dragon's bones! Once I have its Dragonite, I can attain everlasting life!"

"Why you...!" My eyes widened as Luffy turned the Harpoon around and launched it right back where it came from. The harpoon flew with blinding speed, faster than when it was first fired. It collided with the ship, just beside the one who had been speaking.

"Grandpa Ryu isn't a thing!" Luffy growled at the one on the ship. "He's our friend! He's a dear friend who is on a journey with us!"

The man recovered. "What utter nonsense! In that case, you can sink to the bottom of the sea with you friend! How dare you try to harpoon me! Fire at that brat!" He ordered. There was a bit of silence, except for the wind and the waves. I waited, my stomach in knots, for the first cannon to fire.

I have to find a way to keep as many of the cannons from being shot at Luffy and Ryu. I focused my gaze on the main ship. Starting with you...

"Apis, listen to me." I pulled her back a bit and made her look at me. I wiped at some of her tears as I spoke. "Luffy is making sure that he is doing everything in his power to keep Grandpa Ryu alive. I'm going to help, too."

She sniffed and wiped at her nose. "How? Grandpa Ryu is..."

"I'm going on to the main ship." I explained. "He's the one giving the orders to the others. If I can take him down, the Marines won't know what to do until someone takes charge, and they usually have to go through the ranks for that. That process takes a while. It'll be plenty of time to get Ryu back up and safe. Can you wait here for me?"

She nodded slowly. "I'll be fine here."

"Good." I gave her one last hug before pulling back and standing. "Stay safe." I shut my eyes once more and concentrated. Soon, everything was silent.

The main ship is quite a distance from here. I took a deep breath, then slowly stood on my tip toes. With a quick movement of my feet, I was standing on the water near Luffy and Ryu. Then I was in front of them. Closer... Closer... There! I leaped at the ship and dug my nails into the wood. I gritted my teeth and quickly climbed up the ship and onto the main deck.

Just as my feet touched solid ground, I allowed time to flow normally once more. I kept my head lowered a bit, the wind lightly plying with my hair.

"Eh?" I heard the main guy question. "How did she get here?"

I lifted my gaze to where I was looking right at the one who was giving all the orders. He was on a sort of throne that needed to be carried, and man was he HUGE! Like, near whale sized huge!

"It's no wonder he shot the harpoon at you." I said loud enough for him to hear. "You look like a whale. I'm surprised he missed, given how large you are."

He slammed his fist on the arm rest. "How dare you speak like that to me! I aught to have you killed! Men! Attack her!" The ones around the leader charged at me. I combined my fighting moves with the foot maneuvers I learned from Kuro and took down the men in only a matter of thirty seconds. The leader stared at me, flabbergasted.

"Leave Ryu alone." I hissed at him, glaring daggers at him. "All we want to do is take him home. If you get in our way, we'll kill you." I aimed my katana at him. "Am I understood?"

The leader stared hard at me. "You seem familiar..." But he didn't get to say much more, for right then, the entire ocean began to tremble from a sudden, tremendous force.

I remained stationary, but everyone else on the ship was swaying with the tremors. "What's happening?!" The leader demanded. "There shouldn't be any underwater volcanoes around here!"

I glanced over the edge of the ship. Ah, so that's what it is... Something is rising from under the waters...

"No matter!" I focused back on the leader. "Fire! Fire! Fire!"

"No!" I cried out in defiance as I charged at him. I leaped over men and railings, and soon I was in front of him. "No more of this!"

Cannon fire rang out. "It's too late, girl! Soon, that dragon will be mine!" At those words, my ears flattened against my head as Ryu let out yet another powerful roar. I clenched my jaw and fought to think straight. It went on for minutes, but it seemed like he had been going for hours.

"Why does he do that?!" The leader cried.

"Commodore Nelson! Look!" A Marine pointed at the sky and I followed his gaze. My eyes widened in wonder at what I was seeing.

More dragons.

Answering cries soon followed Ryu's as the dragons came closer. They were huge, graceful, and magnificent. There must have been hundreds of them! They seemed to have just came from no where to help us out! They flew over our ship and the front Marine ships, their flight pattern aimed at this ship.

"Dragonite!" The leader, Nelson, cried out gleefully. "It's the mother load!" I gasped through my teeth and ducked just as one dragon rammed into the ship then flew up right at Nelson, making him and the ones holding him up tip back.

A cry behind me alerted me and I turned to see a dragon coming right for me. In the split second I gazed into his eyes, I knew what I had to do. With one last glance at Nelson, I raced to the edge of the ship and jumped, landing expertly on the dragon who had called for me. He gave a powerful beat of his wings and soared high into the shy, the wind currents making Nelson's ship tip and rock.

"Shoot them!" Nelson squirmed and wriggled like a turtle trying to right itself. "Shoot them down!"

I smirked. They can't reach us at this height. The dragons circled the ship, one or two suddenly diving at the ship to try and tip it. They were moving with such grace and speed that the Marines weren't able to adjust the cannons in time to shoot at them. The pattern for diving was random; they couldn't pin where the next strike was going to be.

I squealed and clung on tightly to my dragon as it was his turn to attack the ship. He rammed his shoulder into the side of the ship, then took off back into the air, delivering a sneak attack to the back of the ship.

The dragons suddenly stopped with their attacks and continued to circle instead. They gave off little cries to each other, as if communicating.

"ROCKET!" I turned to see Luffy stretch his arm and latch onto a dragon. He flew through the air and landed on the one he grabbed. He swung around, then threw his leg high up into the air. "BATTLE AXE!" The dragons swiftly moved out of the way as Luffy's leg came crashing down the middle of Nelson's ship, splitting it in two.

Cries and screams of fear rang out into the air as people and wood were thrown in every direction. Luffy landed on a sturdy piece of the ship that was floating, stood, then glared harshly at what remained of Nelson's ship.

The water that had been shot into the air fell back down, making it rain on a cloudless day. The Marines began freaking out on their decks as they began to comprehend that their leader had been defeated.

But something nagged at the back of my mind. He said I looked familiar. Could it he that he, too, knew my father? What did my father do that warranted him to be killed my Nelson?

I didn't even notice until now, but the dragons had started to circle in a target shaped formation. Well, I don't have anywhere to land, so I might as well stay where I am until we find a way to land.

I looked over the edge of my dragon to see the Marine ships breaking formation, some even crashing into each other. They really don't know how to react when they lose their leader...

Just then, Luffy's cry rang through the air once more as he borrowed the same dragon's neck, then launched himself at the ship. Of course, right at Zoro. You know, that's actually quite funny when you're not on the receiving end! No doubt Zoro is swearing that he's going to kill Luffy.

The ocean began to shake once more, and from this height, I was able to see what was trying to break through the water's surface. I could see where large masses of land were getting close to breaking through. A large gust of wind flew from the center, blowing the debris of the wrecked ship outward.

I looked back to see Warship Island starting to rise. My mouth opened slightly and my eyes slowly bugged. Warship Island is the Lost Island! In fact, it's the same island! Grandpa Ryu had been there the entire time! It was all just a matter of waiting for the island to rise from the water once more!

I watched, awestruck, as the island that had sunk who knows how many years ago began to rise once more. Dozens of peaks of mountains sprouted from the water, sending sprays of ocean into the air. All the while, the dragons circled, almost seeming to be chanting something to one another. It was haunting, yet it had a sort of melody to it. I closed my eyes and listened, lightly humming along with the dragons once I picked up the tune.

It took several minutes for the land to finally resurface, and when it did, the dragons adjusted themselves to prepare for landing. I clung onto my dragon, not wanting to fall. I had a chance to live when it was just water, but now that there's land involved, I'd most likely be a flat Neko.

My dragon soon found his place to land. He flapped his wings a few times for a smooth landing, then tucked them in once he was on solid ground. I slid off, thanked him, then went to wander and find my crew.

During my wanders, I saw an oddly shaped rock not that far from me. Curious, I walked over to it. When I got close enough to it, I realized it wasn't a rock. It was Nelson. And he's still alive.

I knelt down before him and poked his cheek, which had a pink spiral on it. He grunted then coughed up some water. His eyes were half opened when he slowly turned his head to look at me.

He let out a soft sigh. "Kira..."

I hissed at him and gripped the front of his uniform, bringing him up to eye level. "How do you know my mother's name?" I demanded.

"Mother...?" He questioned with another cough. "Oh... It's no wonder you looked familiar... Hello again, Mira... My, you've grown so much..."

He grunted as I roughly shook him. "How do you know me?! How do you know my mother?!"

He coughed again and took in a shaky breath. "Y-your father, Josten... We... we were best friends growing up... We considered each other as brothers... We... We did everything together... But... but when I wanted to become a Marine, we drifted apart... He said being a Marine wasn't for him..."

"What else?" I growled out, not letting him go.

He drew in another breath and gazed at the sky. "Just a week before I was going to gain a promotion, your father came and found me... He brought your mother... She was so beautiful..." His eyes glazed over a bit. "And... in her arms... was you, only a few months old. Josten was proud of what he managed to accomplish since the two of us parted, that he came to show me."

He swallowed. "I had been used to getting what I wanted, so when I demanded your mother and you, he instantly denied. I wanted the two of you because I could see something in the two of you that could have helped me gain what I wanted today..."

"We fought an intense battle." He blinked slowly. "I had years of training under my belt, but I was no match for your father. I stood there on my knees before him, bleeding and bruised, begging him to deliver the final blow. Before he did, he told me that I could have been an uncle. Then it came, but it merely knocked me out. I vowed that one day, I would collect you and his wife, but I never found him..."

"And now you lay before me." I released him and stood. "Barely breathing and slowly recovering from near death. You lay here, close to your victory, yet so far. You're unarmed, and I'm with my gifts that were given to me at birth, as well as a katana. I could finish you off and finish what my father started." He stared up at me, then shut his eyes, expecting the end.

"But I'm not going to." He jerked and his eyes flew open. "I will leave you to lay here and rot, just as my father did. You will lay in close reach to what you wanted to obtain, never to be able to touch it. Goodbye, Uncle Nelson." With that, I turned and left him there. The dragons will probably pick him off. One less person to deal with.

But his words still rang in my ear. My father was proud of what he did. He was proud to have my mother and I. But... why did he act like he hated me? Why did he want nothing to do with me? Why didn't he show that he was proud? Why didn't he love me...?

"Mira!" I looked up a bit startled. There stood the crew and Apis waving at me. "Come on, Mira! We're heading back to the village! Hurry up or we'll leave you behind!"

I chuckled and quickly swiped at my eyes. "I'm coming!" I raced up the slight slope and joined the rest of them. Everyone began engaging in conversations about the dragons and the land, talking about how it would be impossible to extract the elixir from the dragon statues. How this place was mainly a place for the dragons to be reborn again.

"Hey," I looked up to see Zoro walking beside me. "You alright?" He asked with light concern.

I sniffed and wiped at my nose. "Yeah, yeah I'm alright."

"What's wrong?" He asked as he lightly took my hand. "I can tell you've been crying."

Way to say it bluntly... "I'm just... in awe of this place... How something like this could even exist. I just... Wasn't expecting the emotions it brought." He stared hard at me, but let it go. No doubt later tonight he'll come into my room and demand the truth. When it's just the two of us, I'll tell him what Nelson told me.

I jumped as a loud cry filled the air around us. We all whipped around, each one of us in shock at who we saw. For some, the shock turned to hate, me included. The one before us ran his fingers through his hair, piling it high on his head before letting it curl at the end. Slowly, he lowered his arms, the water dripping steadily off him.

Sicko man has returned.