"So this is a movie?" Usopp analysed, holding his chin. He stared at the moving images on the TV, the screen was showing the movie 'Alien'. The scene were the chest-burster showed up, was about to play. Tani watched Usopp with a wide eyed grin.

*clunk*

"Gilbert? What's wrong?" one of the cast said, heading towards the convulsing man. His back on the table, chest being pushed upwards. Usopp leaned in closer.

Grunts of pain, a larger protrusion.

*Burst*

Usopp let out a scream, so loud it rattled the glass. Tani burst into laughter, slapping her fist on the coffee table with each breath.

"Tani! Do I look like I have the money to replace that table?" Tani's mum scolded from the kitchen, she was preparing a large scale meal. Already aware of Luffy's appetite, she had a big storm coming.

Brook was staring at the radio, it was playing something fast paced. A sound he'd never heard before, was laced with the background. He'd just discovered electric guitars.

Robin was reading through Tani's history text book. Her eyes ablaze with excitement, gathering knowledge that would only have value to her.

Luffy was running around the house, holding up this or that. Asking questions about anything that caught his attention. It was like watching a puppy. Tani adored it, ready to answer any questions asked.

"Hey, if you live here. Where do you sleep?" Luffy asked. Putting a photo frame with a picture of Tani holding up a blue ribbon, back onto the shelf.

"Down this hallway," Tani waved over. Luffy followed behind with excitement. This was fun! Like an adventure, he got to meet his favourite persons family, and see her home. This was so cool!

Tani opened the door, the space wasn't large. A single bed with a couple of plush toys and pillows on it, a chest of draws, posters everywhere, a window with curtains. It wasn't much, but it was home.

"It smells like you in here," Luffy commented. Wandering in with a big grin. He dived for the bed, shoving his face into the comfy sheets. Inhaling, yep! Smelled like fruity shampoo and whatever other smells made up Tani.

"Funny bout that," Tani huffed with humour. Taking a seat on the bed, her legs hanging over the bed. She twisted her torso to face Luffy, who was looking up at her with his face squishing into the pillows.

God he looked so cute, she wanted to scream.

"It's pretty lonely in here," Luffy mumbled. That struck a nerve, not one that would cause anger in Tani... But a wave of sadness.

"I don't have any siblings, it's always been me and my mum. Just the two of us." Tani explained, a sense of melancholy in her voice. "I didn't have friends either, so nobody would come to visit." she shrugged.

Luffy lifted himself into a seated position.

"That's why I was so scared... Waking up to find myself in my bedroom, all alone." Tani's hands curled around each other. A slight hiccup in her voice. "I didn't want it to be a dream," she whispered.

Tani felt arms curl around her waist, a head rested itself on the base of her neck. A warmth covered her back, breathing in time with her.

"I told you already. You can't feel pain in dreams." Luffy puffed, Tani gave a weak chuckle.

"You did. Doesn't make it any less scary, to wake up alone." she sighed. Leaning back into Luffy, his grip tightening.

"I hate waking up alone too. I hate being alone." Luffy admitted. Tani could feel the grin, blooming on his face. "That's why I'm so happy to have my nakama with me. So I don't need to be alone." he beamed.

Tani twisted herself around, Luffy lifted his head to find her own, oh so close to his own. A smile on her face, though small, was filled with so much relief and happiness.

She looked very pretty.

"Im happy you're all here too. It makes everything a lot less lonely." Tani said, wrapping her arms around Luffy. Holding him tight, as if letting go would break the spell.

"Tani! Did you bite your teacher today?!" came her mother's voice, followed by the click of a phone. Tani paused, recalling that she had indeed bitten the teacher.

"She started it! Teachers can't touch students, but she grabbed me aggressively." Tani called back. Tani's mum let out a sigh.

"That sounds like Tani, she bites literally anyone that grabs her." Usopp commented, his voice could be heard from down the hall. "Except nakama, because she likes us," he added.

"I'm gonna get a detention for sure, ugh." Tani groaned. Luffy lifted himself, resting his chin on Tani's shoulder.

"I'll punch them-"

"Woah woah woah!" Tani said, pushing Luffy off her a little bit, just enough to catch his eyes with her own.

"You can not, under any circumstances. Hit someone from this world," she demanded. "No matter what they do, these people are just as weak as I am, maybe even weaker." she explained. "This world is like a china shop, and you're the bull. I'm genuinely surprised you haven't destroyed something yet," Tani said. Luffy gave her a tilt of the head, his eye brows furrowed.

"But they're gonna detention you! That sounds painful." he whined. Tani gave a bark of a laugh.

"It just means I need to sit in silence for all of lunch break. Nothing too painful," Tani promised. Luffy dropped his head onto her chest.

"That sucks, this sucks." he complained. Tani laughed, yeah it does suck.

"It's the weekend tomorrow, so I don't need to worry about a detention for at least two days." Tani assured. Luffy perked up. "Actually, if we give you a change of clothes. We can go explore town for a day. While I'm still figuring out how to get us back," Tani suggested. Luffy's eyes couldn't have been bigger, he was so excited.

"I wanna go to one of those movie places you talked about. They're your favourite!" he requested. Tani gave a nod.

"We can do that, I'll ask mum for some money." she agreed.

"Dinners ready!"

The conversation died, Luffy was already out the door. Leaving Tani in her room, staring at the empty space that was Luffy.

The room didn't feel so lonely anymore.

...

"No demon fruit powers, at the dinner table," Tani's mum warned, holding up a fork. Her face threatening, mum means business. This was more directed towards Luffy, his hand already stretching over the table to grab Usopp's food.

Dinner went off without a hitch, conversation starting up, food being scoffed down, laughter flourishing. It felt so lively and fun! Like all dinners on the Sunny.

It came as a shock to everyone, that the meal managed to satiate Luffy's appetite. Usopp asked the woman how she did it, hoping to get notes for Sanji. Tani's mum just snickered, whispering that it was a mother's secret.

Usopp hung around Tani's mum, asking about the dish washer, or the microwave. Taking down notes, or sketching the shapes and designs.

"Since Franky isn't here, I have to take down as many notes as I can. So we can improve the Sunny even more." Usopp said sheepishly. Tani's mum continued to share the wonders of technology.

"Hey? Do you think the others are here too?" Tani asked, sitting on the couch. She hadn't watched TV in so long, right now there was a showing of 'Wacky races', the Foxy resemblance wasn't missed.

"If they are, they're doing a marvellous job at hiding." Robin remarked, flipping the page of her book.

"Someone like Franky or Chopper, wouldn't be able to hide. They're not human enough to be considered anything but, an anomaly." Tani sighed.

"That's dumb," Luffy said simply. Tani agreed.

"Tani, would you be a dear, and help me get all the blankets and pillows out of the cupboard?" Tani's mum requested. Oh right! Everyone's staying the night. Tani jumped up off the couch, running to meet with her mum at the other end of the house.

Leaving the rest of her crew to talk among themselves.

"So, have we got any idea on how to get home?" Usopp asked. Robin closed her book.

"It's really up to Tani, this is her power that brought us here." the woman stated, "She is very talented though, so it won't take her too long to figure it out." Robin grinned.

"Yeah! We gotta believe in nakama," Usopp nodded. "I just hope the others are ok." he hoped. Luffy slung an arm around Usopp's shoulder.

"They'll be fine, they're on my crew. That means they're super tough," Luffy beamed.

Tani and her mum walked back into the area, a huge pile of blankets and pillows piled so high, you couldn't see either of their faces.

"So... Sleep over party?" Tani grinned, poking her head to the side.

...

Soft snores, loud snores, all the snores, filled the darkened room. A large pillow fort was built up, enough room for all the straw hats to rest in. Tani, Usopp and Luffy were snuggled up to each other, tangled in blankets. Tani was drooling on Luffy's face, he didn't seem awake enough to notice.

Robin and Brook stayed awake, unable to fall asleep. A nasty habit learned from years of tragedy. The pair of them watched over their younger crew mates.

"It's been such a long time, since I've had living nakama." Brook whispered. Robin remained silent, turning to look at the skeleton. His eyeless sockets still looking at the sleeping pirates. "I thought I would go mad, never finding Laboon, never finding my shadow... Doomed to an eternity of solitude." he said with a rattle in his voice.

"Loneliness truly is a curse." Robin whispered. "However, the straw hat crew will never let you feel such a way." Robin promised. Brook nodded.

"I've never felt so alive... Except I'm dead. Yohohoho~" he joked.

"Derashishi~" Robin joined in.

"Those are some lovely laughs." came a whisper. The pair looked up to find Tani's mum walking into the room, dressed for bed. Her eyes looked tired, but content. "Mind if I sit with you?" she asked. Taking a seat beside them.

"I've never seen her so happy..." Tani's mum sighed with content. Her gaze on the child she called her own. "My little girls growing up." she sounded proud, with hints of sadness.

"She's always talking highly of you," Robin smiled. Tani's mum gave a soft laugh.

"I would hope so, I've raised her for 17 years." she joked. Her gaze shifted to the other two, cuddling with her daughter. "I'm glad that she found your crew, as much as I want to object to her putting herself in danger... You guys are giving her reason, does that make sense?" she smiled. Robin nodded.

"Luffy has a way, of giving everyone some kind of purpose." Robin said, adding a laugh at the end. "Without him, most of the crew would have perished," she added.

"There aren't many people like that, full of stubborn determination. That's a mindset that could only lead to wonderful things." Tani's mum concluded. "Still, can't believe he managed to get Tani out of her shell." she snickered. Watching as Luffy's hand slapped down on Tani's cheek, the girl scrunched her face.

"They're truly the most adorable couple on the crew... Then again they're the only couple on the crew." Brook pointed out.

"When's the wedding?" the mother teased. A small choir of laughter rang through the room.

They sat there, talking among each other, sharing stories to pass the night away.

...

"Are you guys sure you don't wanna tag along?" Tani asked, fixing the strap to her bag. She was wearing a sleeveless button up shirt, with shorts. A jacket in her bag, in case it gets cold. She was ready to go out with Luffy to the movies.

"I'm still taking notes for Franky," Usopp waved off.

"Robin and I are going grocery shopping," Tani's mum grinned. "Something about wanting to understand our culture." she explained.

"What about you Brook?" Tani asked. The skeleton pointed to his face.

"I believe my lack of skin is far too scary for your people. Unless you can somehow give me a face again," he yohoho-ed. Tani would keep that request in mind.

"Can we go now?" Luffy begged. He was wearing one of Tani's button up shirts, somehow it managed to fit him (thank you, lanky body shape) and a hooded jacket. There was only so much, that Tani could do with someone as stubborn as Luffy. He refused to remove his hat (understandable) or his sandals (not so understandable).

"In a second-"

"Go on Tani, we'll be here when you're back. Go live a little," her mother encouraged. "Do you have enough money? Would you like some more?" she asked, already pulling out some notes. Tani shook her head.

"No, no, we'll be fine. Just the movies, some snacks. All that stuff," she assured. Her mum looked elated.

"Can I get a photo? Before you go on your first date? Please?" the mother begged.

So here she was, standing next to Luffy. The pair giving big smiles, followed by silly expressions, and a few more random shots.

"Ok! We're going now. Bye everyone!" Tani said with a wave. Grabbing Luffy by the hand and leading him out the door. He held her hand back, excited with the hand holding. Her hands are so soft and squishy... Hehe squishy squish.

"So... Um, I've never been on a date before." Tani said. "Wanna go grab snacks first-"

"Let's get snacks! Come on let's go get snacks!" Luffy said with starry eyes, already feeling his mouth water at the thought.

"Ok, ok. Come on," she tugged him forward. "I know a place that has cheap snacks," she grinned. Luffy followed.

They began walking, Tani taking the lead. She didn't have the money for a bus fare, so walking was all they could do... No, Tani was not letting Luffy wear skates ever again. Their footsteps fell in sync, their fingers intertwined with one another.

This felt like a real date, Tani had to keep reminding herself that it was.

"What's that?" Luffy asked, pointing at a park. Kids were playing on the swings, slides, whatever else there was in a park. Mothers would chat with one another, sharing the latest gossip or scandals from their circles. Fathers teaching their children how to ride bikes, or play football.

"That's a public park, we can check it out later? When it's less busy." she suggested. "Don't want you accidentally breaking some kids spine." she shivered. Luffy gave a nod.

"I wanna try that thing," he pointed at the seesaw. Tani gave a snicker.

"Sure!" she promised. "We should hurry up and get those snacks-"

"Snacks!" Luffy shouted, dragging Tani in a random direction. The girl laughed the whole way, before redirecting him.

They arrived at a small discounted snack store, it's where all the not-quite-right products go, factory defects, Limited Edition items, the works. Her mum would take her here, everytime they went to the movies. Always making sure to buy only popcorn from the cinema.

Luffy went ham on the store, grabbing as many things as his rubbery hands to get, shoving things into his pockets, Tani's pockets, Tani's bag, under his hat, you name it. Tani hated having to break his heart, and tell him to put things back.

"We're pirates, let's just steal it-"

"No, that's not how we work in this world. People get hurt if you steal," Tani warned. "If you steal that bag, that employee," Tani pointed at the middle aged man, standing at the counter. "Could lose his job, putting his whole family in danger of going hungry, or losing their house." she explained. Luffy looked confused.

"I'll let you have... Five snacks. Grab the ones you want the most." she told him. Luffy wanted to protest, but he looked back at the random guy. He didn't even know him, so why should he care? Luffy wants snacks... But Tani would be upset, if he stole... Man, this is hard! He likes Tani being happy, but he wants snacks.

Tani?

Snacks?

Tani?

Snacks?

"I'll share my snacks with you?" she offered.

Tani it is then!

He tossed five colourful packets at the girl, she put her own snacks in the pile. She walked to the register that the middle aged man was on. He greeted her with a friendly smile, striking up a pleasant conversation.

Luffy watched as Tani pulled out the notes, he swore he'd seen one of those before...

"Ready to go?" she asked, breaking him from his head space. She was holding two plastic bags, tilting her head towards the mystery doors, that open on their own! Like magic.

The cinema was only around the corner, Tani could already feel herself growing more excited by the second. It's been such a long time since she'd last been to the movies. She'd missed them so much.

That is... She would have felt excited, had she not noticed the tall, pink haired woman that was yelling at a group of people. She had a wanted poster in her hand, one with a picture of Luffy on it.

Tani paused in her movements, Luffy stopped with her. Confused by her strange actions, he looked around for anything that could have spooked her. From whatever a detention was, to someone with a dangerous weapon. She was very easy to fright, if not prepared for something. Luffy thinks that's dumb, but he doesn't care, because he likes Tani a lot, so she can be dumb if she wants.

He followed Tani's sight, that's when he recognised the woman from before.

She's the one that almost killed Tani!

He wanted to kick her ass, but Tani's hand held onto his tighter. Her face wasn't that of fear, but a face of determination.

"Don't do anything stupid," she instructed Luffy. Pausing, only to add, "Unless, she attacks me. Then you can go wild." to the end of the instruction. Luffy gave a nod, keeping his hand in hers.

Tani started walking towards Hina, a casual form in her step. The woman let out a frustrated groan.

"How has nobody seen Straw hat Luffy. Hina is annoyed!" she said with a groan.

"Ma'am, please calm down. You're making a scene," a man said, holding his child away from the scary woman. Hina gave him a death glare, she looked like she was about to hit him. Only to stop herself, calming her nerves with a newly lit cigarette.

"Miss Hina! Oh, thank goodness we found you." Tani called out with a chipper voice. The pink haired woman snapped her neck up to stare at the girl. "We were so worried." Tani sighed with relief. Hina was confused.

"What is Tani playing at? Why is Tani speaking so casually to Hina? We are enemies," the woman said, taking on a battle ready stance.

"Not in this world we aren't." Tani said with an air of mystery. Hina, knowing something was very off about this world (her observation haki wasn't working at all). Yet this Tani girl, she held an air of knowing.

"Follow me, I have some explaining to do." Tani said with a tilt of her head. Hina didn't fully trust her, nor... Was that Straw hat?

"Hina doesn't trust Tanisha at all." she said with her arms crossed. Tani shrugged.

"I don't trust you either, but you won't be getting home any time soon, unless you follow me." the girl stated. Hina didn't really have many options, this place was weird. Pride aside, these two are the only people she knows.

"Fine, Hina will form temporary truce with Straw hat Luffy and Tanisha." she huffed, holding out a hand to shake. Tani took the hand.

"You're that mean lady that tried to kill Tani," Luffy said with a glare, "Don't even think about trying it again." he growled. Hina felt herself shiver. What an intimidating kid.

"Now... Let me catch you up on what's happened,"

...

Hina was caught up on what they knew, and she took it pretty well. Not letting the whole "transported to another dimension" stuff get to her.

They were sitting at the park, the crowd dying down as the night drew closer. It was like 4:00pm.

"So, Hina would have killed Tani. Which caused a reality shift, to save Tani," she reconfirmed. Tani nodded.

"I've only been able to find half the crew, and I don't think the others are here." Tani sighed. Hina stood up, closed her eyes, and let her senses work their magic.

"Hina only sees four other life forces, meaning Tani is correct." she answered.

"What? How would you know?" she asked curiously.

"Observation haki, let's Hina see other life forces. Tani's people don't have life force, neither does Tani herself." the woman replied.

"Is that, that mantra stuff? Remember that ball guy? Who couldn't see you." Luffy added. Tani gave a nod.

"Smart observation," Tani complimented. Luffy gave a big grin, soaking up the praise. "Anyway, that's off topic. Right now, we're trying to figure out, how to get back." Tani stated. Hina gave a nod.

"Does Tani need to be in a life threatening situation? Hina can-"

"Don't even think about hurting Tani," Luffy sneered. Uncharacteristically hostile, Tani gave him a ruffle on the head. He melted at the relaxing feeling of her fingers rubbing his scalp.

"Don't mind him, he's being a little bit odd right now." Tani assured. "I don't think a fatality would send me back. If anything, I think this is the only world I'm able to die in." Tani theorised. "So... It's gotta be something else."

"How did Tani first arrive?" Hina asked. Luffy jumped into the conversation again.

"Oh! I know this one. She appeared on my ship, waking up on the deck because she used her mystery magic." he grinned. Tani nodded.

"That's true, but there's a little more to it." she snickered. "I found a magic bell, the moment I touched it. I fell asleep, and appeared in your world." she answered.

"Then Tani, needs to find the bell again." Hina shrugged.

Wait... That made sense.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Tani said with shock. Such a simple solution.

"It's because you think too much, dumb dumb," Luffy jabbed playfully. Tani poked her tongue out.

"At least I have a brain," she teased back. Luffy laughed. Hina was not amused.

"Can love birds stop, Hina wants to go home. Hina thinks this world is boring, and weak." she complained. Luffy agreed.

"Well, let's go then."

...

Tani returned from the bush, with nothing but twigs in her hair, and dirt on her knees.

"Well?" Hina said with a tap of her heel. Tani shook her head.

"It's not there... It must have relocated. If this is dragon ball rules, then we're screwed." she sighed. Hina was confused, but didn't say anything.

"What do we do?" Luffy asked, picking his nose. Tani dusted her knees off.

"We don't have any leads, so I'm stumped." Tani shrugged. Hina gave an annoyed sigh.

"Is Tani sure, that Hina can't try to kill her again?" Hina asked with dead seriousness. Luffy made an angry noise of protest.

"No, that would probably just, actually kill me," Tani said with a nervous tone. "Why don't we head home? That why you can rest up-"

"But Tani, we were going on a date." Luffy pouted. "I wanna go on a date." he declared. Hina looked at them with amusement.

"Hina can find her way back, Straw hat crew are all together. Hina can find them." she claimed, flicking her burnt out cigarette into a bin.

"You sure?" Tani questioned. The older woman huffed.

"Hina is 32 years old, Hina doesn't need little child to tell Hina how to live." she complained, turning on her heel and wandering away. "Hina wishes you, a fun date." she waves.

For a marine, that attempted to murder Tani (unintentionally), she isn't that bad of a person. Carrying herself with confidence. Tani was glad, it wasn't hard to convince her to play nice.

"Hopefully Robin and the others, don't try to attack Hina." Tani laughed. Luffy joined in.

"I don't care. Let's go on our date now!" Luffy said with excitement. Grabbing Tani's hands and dragging her back to the movie theatre.

...

The movie tickets were sold out, apparently the movie they wanted to see (The Lion King) was extremely popular. All the other movies looked too violent, too complicated to keep Luffy's interest, or gross.

They decided to eat their snacks at the park. It was cleared of all the small kids and their parents, only the occasional passerby would appear.

Tani jumped straight on the swing, a bag of salted caramel candies in her hand. She swung gently, while putting the treats into her mouth, and crunching in them.

Luffy sat on the swing beside hers, shoving all five of the bags he picked, into his mouth. Tani let out a laugh as he spat out the colourful packaging, noting that she'd need to clean that up later.

The pair sat in a comfortable silence, similar to the one they had during their confession. Tani still couldn't believe that she had the guts to do it.

Luffy watched the way Tani kicked her legs, the swing moving back and forth. He wanted to swing as high as he could, so he mimicked the way she moved.

Tani turned to look at Luffy, who was kicking his legs back and forth. The swing wasn't moving, probably because he wasn't using his body weight to push the seat part. She gave a soft laugh.

"It's more like this," she said softly. Grabbing his attention, she leaned back, kicking her legs forward. The swing going up. She then tucked her legs back, before leaning forward, flying past Luffy. Building up speed, until she was at level with the bar, that held the swings chain.

Luffy studied the moves, catching on to the body movements. It didn't take long for him to be swinging as high as she was.

They swung in sync, and Luffy couldn't help but really take a look at how pretty, Tani looked.

She shone bright against the street lights, having this glow that looked sunny and warm. Which she was, she was the sunniest person he knew. He can't think of a time, he's ever felt like this for someone.

He's loved people before, he loves his brothers, and Dadan, and Makino. He loves all the friends he's made on his adventures, from Cody, to that Lola lady that he'd met on the last island. He loved his nakama, all of them meaning the world to him. Tani though...

She made his heart race, his stomach flip, he'd even had Zoro yell at him for not focusing, because he was worried about Tani... How is Zoro doing? Has he woken up yet?

What was Luffy thinking about?

*Clink*

Luffy's mind clicked back to the present, watching as Tani went flying off her swing. There wasn't any flailing, her legs bracing for impact.

She skidded across the golden bark, leaving a trail of dirt. Tani turned around to flash him a big smile.

He wanted to give her kiss... He was gonna give her a kiss.

Luffy followed her example, jumping off the swing. Tani made a move to get out of his way, but he didn't want that. Luffy stretched his arms to grab around her, pulling her towards him. She gave out a yelp, not expecting... This is Luffy, she should expect the unexpected.

The pair rolled in the tan bark, with Luffy landing on top of Tani. His iconic grin, plastered to his face. The smile started to shrink down, why-

Luffy crashed his lips onto hers, Tani's eyes widened with shock. His delivery was rough, inexperienced, like he was fighting a battle with an opponent he needed to figure out. Tani though...

She had no idea what to do, the movies told her to open her mouth, but that sounds gross. Should she move? That seemed like the right thing to do-

Luffy was already lifting away, Tani's lips giving little chase. Did she blow it? Did she do something wrong?

Luffy gave her a pout. Oh god she did something stupid-

He gave her a light smack to the forehead.

"Stop thinking, you look funny." he scolded. Tani rolled her eyes.

"Can't help it, Luffy-Lu," she teased. Luffy giggled, Tani joined him.

Time for a surprise attack!

Tani leaned up, Luffy wasn't ready for the motion, tumbling backwards. Tani grabbed him by the shoulders, dragging him back up. Her lips connected with his own.

Her kiss was much calmer, slow, testing the waters. Luffy reciprocated, letting her take the lead. She tilted her head one way, so their noses didn't squish together. Luffy wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning into the kiss.

It felt just right, no colourful fireworks, or dramatic rock operas. No angels singing their praises, or flashy cameras to capture the moment forever.

It was simple, wonky, but fun. Luffy was having a great time, taking the reins a bit, but still going at a pace that Tani wasn't freezing up at.

A perfect middle ground.

They pulled away for air, with a pop. Leaving the pair as a snickering mess, pulling each other into a crushing hug.

Tani never wanted to stop feeling this happy.

They couldn't stop laughing, pure happiness from an emotion that they both shared, bubbling from deep within. Something they couldn't quite identify yet. Not that it mattered, they were living in the now. No over thinking, or controlling the situation.

Just teenagers, being teenagers.

...

Tani blinked away the gunky blur from her eyes, staring at the neon blue colour of...

"IDCS? Huh?" she wondered sleepily.

When did she get here? Where's Luffy? Where's the world?

She stood in a black abyss, the only source of anything, being the IDCS in front of her. She gave a shrug, might as well enter. Clearly this was a dream sequence moment, like in the movies!

The familiar chime, alerted the clerk that a customer was present. They turned their head to greet Tani.

"Welcome back," they grinned, Tani wandered over to the counter. "How my I be of service?" the clerk asked.

"I'm not sure," Tani admitted. The clerk continued to flash their customer service smile.

"Then I can't help you," they said simply. Tani gave a hum, what could she ask?

"Um... How are you?" she started, awkwardly.

"I'm feeling fine, thank you for asking." the clerk answered. Tani gave a nod.

"Uh, you wouldn't happen to know... How to send me back to the pirate world, would you?" Tani asked.

"I do know the way," they smiled.

"Can you tell me how? Please." Tani asked politely. The clerk held up a finger.

"Excuse me for a moment miss, I'll be right back." they said. Tani watched with awe as their body phased through the ground.

"Back!" the Clerk's voice called from behind Tani. The girl gave a small jump, turning around to find a brochure being handed to her.

It was for the Star tower, a tourist attraction for the town of Ranae's city zone. It was a short train ride there... Why would she need this?

An echoing sound, vibrated the room. A blur of booming, and someone's words. The clerk gave a clap of their hands.

"It appears our time is up, till next time." they waved. "Thanks for stopping by,"-

Tani groaned, a morning sun slicing over her eyelids. She lifted them lazily, finding the roof of her living-room.

Right, she'd gone to bed in the pillow fort again.

"Yohohoho~" came a joyful laugh, followed by the pleasant sound of a violin playing... Was that Elton John?

"Hina thinks it's too early for music," came a grumpy voice. Tani lifted her head, spotting bright pink. Hina was sipping on a cup of instant coffee, next to her was Robin, with a mug of coffee in her hands.

Usopp was eating breakfast, he had about ten pieces of toast. Not because he was hungry, he was just interested in how the toaster worked. Luffy was there to help him get through all the toast.

"Good morning, hun," Tani's mum greeted, giving the girl a kiss on the cheek. Tani smiled happily. "What's that you got there?" the mother asked, grabbing the brochure that was in Tani's hand.

"Oh, the magic clerk gave it to me." Tani yawned. Stretching her arms. "Something bout finding things or something." she babbled.

"Clerk?" Hina questioned. Robin was quick to inform her.

"Tani has a magic place, that she can travel to. The clerk is the only other resident of that location." she explained. Hina just rubbed her head, taking another swig of the coffee.

"Well, I guess you lot are going to the Star tower." Tani's mum stated, as if that meant anything to the foreign crowd.

"The faster Hina can go home, the better." the marine woman grumbled. Robin let out a laugh, Hina blew bubbles her coffee.

"Guess I'll get changed." Tani declared. Getting up off the ground, and heading for her room.

They had a long day ahead of them.

(A/N: OK I lied, there's another chapter after this one! It'll probably be shorter than my normal chapters. But it was too much to add into one chapter? If that makes sense.

Anyway, this is really hard! I can't believe it's taking up so much energy to get this arc rolling. I've been looking up writing tips online, and boy are they helpful!

Sorry these are a bit lackluster and slow, I'm really doing my best. I thank you for your patience, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!)