1 A Strange Egg

"What" Nami growled as she handed a 500 Beri coin to a News Coo "Don't you think it's getting a bit expensive?"

"Caw" the seagull awkwardly scratched the back of its head in apology.

"Whatever" Nami yanked a fresh newspaper out of the pouch hanging around the birds neck. "Raise the price again and I won't be buying your papers anymore" she scoffed.

"What're you getting so riled up about" Usopp wiped the sweat off his forehead as he worked on his latest project on a small table nearby "It's just a newspaper?"

"Daily expenses like this add up quickly for your information" Nami huffed.

"But, I thought you were done saving up money?"

"Don't be stupid" she smacked his head with the rolled up newspaper "I just get to save up money for myself now instead of that asshole Arlong. If I'm forced to be a pirate than I'm going to make damn sure I'm not a pennyless one!"

"Okay okay I get it" Usopp shooed her away "I'm in the middle of making my new Tabasco Star! So keep away! Any enemy that gets this in their eye will be rendered completely helple-"

"Aaagh" a shadow came flying across the deck and smashed into Usopp making him spill a bottle of Tabasco in his eyes.

"For the last time Luffy" Sanji walked down from the top deck and took a short drag from his cigarette "STAY AWAY!"

"Oh, come on can't I just have a one" Luffy jumped up and yelled at the cook as Usopp wailed in agony behind him.

"NO LUFFY THESE ARE NAMI'S BELOVED TANGERINE TREE'S! I WON'T LET YOU LAY EVEN A SINGLE FINGER ON THEM!"

"Oh, well I'm in a good mood so I'll drop it then" Luffy shrugged and leapt up to his spot ontop of the Going Merry's figure head.

"REST ASSURED NAMI-SWAN" Sanji yelled "MY DEFENSE POWERED BY MY LOVE FOR YOU IS INFALLIBLE AND WILL STAND FOREVER!"

"Yeah, yeah good job" Nami waved him off more interested in her paper than anything else going on.

"What a tool" Zoro muttered while enjoying his nap lying against the mast.

Aside from the ongoing cries of Usopp who was still rolling around in pain on the ground the ship sunk into a momentary calm. Of course the quiet was short lived as it usually was on the Strawhats ship as Luffy who was enjoying the cool breeze on the figure head spotted something in the distance.

"What's that" Luffy held a hand up to block the sun and narrowed his eyes. "Is that" he glared even harder? "It is" he shouted out in joy!

Jumping to his feet the rubberman grabbed his bicep and pulled his arm back in preperation.

"Gumu Gumu no Grab" He shouted as his arm stretched out hundreds of feet before grabbing onto the strange object and reeling it in!

He grinned while holding his newfound treasure and not wasting a second he rushed back over to Sanji in excitement.

"Hey Sanji! I found an egg can you cook it for me!"

"Hmm" Sanji examined the strange egg? And began thinking about if he could make with it. It was unlike any egg the chef had seen before, it was big at least the size of a person's head and had a beautiful white color with large blue spots dotted around it.

"And you found this floating in the ocean?"

Luffy nodded.

"Well I'll have to check and make sure it isn't rotten first but, I don't see why not it's better than letting you try and steal Nami's Tangerines." Sanji began walking to the ship's kitchen to see what he could do with this giant egg. However, at that exact moment Usopp who was still rolling around in tears had an epiphany.

"Milk!"

He shot to his feet and sprinted towards the kitchen desperate to make the pain end. Unfortunately he was still blinded by the Tobasco sauce and didn't see Sanji also making his way to the kitchen.

"Crash!"

"Ahh, damn it ! Watch where you're going long nose" Sanji cursed!

"Sorry Sanji" Usopp apologized but, didn't stop to help him up and continued on to get his milk.

"Bastard" Sanji stood up and blinked in confusion before realizing something. "Crap, I dropped the egg" he sighed knowing that he would have to be the one to clean up the giant mess it left.

"Crack!"

Sanji's eyes widened as he looked down and saw what was happening, the egg didn't go "splat" and was actually hatching instead!

The sound of cracking got louder and louder as a spiderweb of cracks weaved it's way around the egg's shell.

"Oy, everyone look the egg's hatching" Luffy screamed completely forgetting that he wanted eat it.

Zoro didn't move from his spot but, slightly opened one of his eyes to watch the commotion, while Nami put her paper down also curious about what was going to come out of the strange egg.

"Ahh" Usopp walked out of the kitchen milk still dripping from his face and stopped to see everyone staring at his feet. He blinked in confusion before looking down.

"Crack crack crack" it broke more and more until finally the shell exploded sending shards of itself flying in all directions. The crew had to shield their eyes from the small blast.

"Raw" a small voice squeaked catching everyone's attention.

Standing where the egg had been was a small birdlike creature with gleaming silvery-white scales and bright blue spines around it's eyes and along it's back.

There was silence as the crew just stood and stared at the tiny creature even Zoro had woken up from his nap to look at the thing but, the quiet only lasted a moment before.

"Cool it's a Dragon" Luffy screamed with stars in his eyes!

"It certainly looks that way" Sanji held his hand to his chin " So . . . do you still wanna eat it" he asked?

"Like hell you will" Nami screeched and punched Sanji in the face sending him flying back! Before looking down at the little 'dragon' that was still looking around in confusion and terror while struggling to stand on its legs. "Poor thing" she smiled as her maternal instincts kicked in and carefully picked it up.

"Of course I don't want to eat it" Luffy piped up "It's a real life Dragon it has to join our crew!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Line Break ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I didn't know what was going on or where I was, and every time I tried to remember a piercing pain shot through my mind. All I knew was that I had died somehow and now I was floating in some kind of endless abyss. I didn't know how long I was floating in that sea of darkness with my mind in a permanent haze. But, for the first time in what seemed like an eternity something was actually happening! It felt like I was being ripped through the void by a strange force.

Then I started hearing strange voices

"Hey S . . . I f . . egg . . . . cook . . me!"

I didn't catch everything but, what I did hear filled me with fear. Somehow I knew that whoever was talking was refering to me when they mentioned cooking an egg. Panicking I did my best to thrash around and escape my prison I was so terrified that it didn't even realize how strange it was that I was inside an egg in the first place.

"Crash!"

"Something happened, I think I was dropped?"

Feint cracking sounds came from the walls around me.

"This is my chance!"

I struggled with all my strength bashing myself against the walls! They bulged and cracked but, no matter how hard I tried they just wouldn't break!

"No!" I mentally screamed as a strange power started flowing through my body and exploded out from me smashing my prison. Light flooded into my eyes for the first time and I let out a roar of victory!

I had no time to waste though because I had no idea where I was or what the people around would do to me. Looking around I saw that they were still stunned by my dramatic escape, I needed to move now! Unfortunately no matter how hard I tried my newborn legs weren't strong enough to hold me and I just collapsed to the ground anytime I tried.

"Cool it's a Dragon" one of the the people around me yelled!

"It certainly looks that way" another held his chin " So . . . do you still wanna eat it" he asked with a menacing look in his eyes?

Knowing I was too weak to do anything to defend myself I curled up in fear trying to look as small and weak as possible hoping they might take pity on me.

"Like hell you will" a girl screamed and punched the evil looking blonde one in the face much to my relief "Poor thing" she smiled and picked me up.

Curious I looked up at her, she was a pretty girl with short orange hair and had a kind smile on her face. Though she seemed oddly familiar for some reason but, no matter how hard I tried to think I couldn't place her and ended up tilting my head in confusion.

"Kawaii" she jumped and pulled me in for a tight hug.

"Shishishi" I heard a laugh from a kid with a strawhat "you guys match!"

I looked up at the girl and saw that she was wearing a white short sleeved t-shirt with blue stripes going across it.

Then I craned my neck around to finaly get a glimpse of my new body and my first thought was "Huh, we do match" and my second thought was "Holy shit I'm a Lugia!"

Seeing those familiar blue spines going down my back, pure white scales, and my weird hand/wing things it was impossible not to immediately recognize what I was. I don't know how I remembered that when I couldn't even remember my own name but, I was getting vivid memories of myself playing through all of the old Pokemon games.

"I guess that settles it then" a guy with a long nose nodded sagely "It's Nami's dragon then."

"What" the straw hat kid complained!? "But, I'm the one who found it!"

"Yeah, but Luffy do you have any idea how to take care of a pet" the evil cook dismissed him.

"I can learn" the boy named Luffy stamped his foot indignantly! And why does that name sound familiar? In fact now that I'm looking at them all of the people around me looked somewhat familiar.

"Luffy" the green haired guy with the swords spoke up "If you want it as your pet then you'll have to share your meat with it."

"Nami can have it" he immediately gave up.

"So what are we gonna name it" long nose asked?

"Well, is it a boy or a girl" evil chef asked and reached out to touch me "We have to know that first."

"Like hell you're checking my junk" I snapped at his finger and growled.

"He doesn't seem to like me" the chef stepped back rubbing his slightly red hand.

"Well you did threaten to cook it and then try and look at it's no no place, Sanji. I'd be mad too" long nose guessed.

I looked back up at Nami.

"I do have an idea for a name but, we really do need to know if your a boy or girl first" she smiled down at me.

"It's a boy" Luffy mumbled while ripping a chunk off a piece of meat.

"How could you possibly know that" Sanji asked?

"Dunno, just do" the boy shrugged and took another bite.

"I should know better than to ask by now" Sanji's shoulders slumped before he jumped back up and glared "Luffy where did you get that meat?"

"I-I found it floating in the ocean" Luffy lied.

"I really doubt that" the chef stomped towards him.

"I found a dragon in the ocean why can't I have found a piece of meat" Luffy argued back!

"That's it" Sanji leapt towards him "I've told you to stay out of the fridge a million time! It looks like if I want you to learn I'm going to have to beat it into you!"

"Those idiot's" Nami shook her head and watched as the two got into a heated brawl.

"So about that name" long nose reminded?

"Hmm, let me think . . . How about Blue" she asked?

"Because of his color?"

"Yep" she nodded.

"Blue" I tried out the name. It wouldn't have been my first choice and sounded a bit too much like a dogs name for my tastes but, it's not like I had a better choice. Besides it did make a bit of sense considering the deep blue I had on the spines going down my back. And looking around at Sanji and Luffy who were still fighting, the green haired swordsman who had laid down and started taking a nap at some point, and the long nosed guy who was covered in milk for some reason. I didn't think and better names would be coming.

"Hey, I see an island up ahead" green hair casually pointed out in front of the ship.

"Hmm, did you say something Zoro" Nami shifted her attention away from me and looked over at him.

"I said there's an island" he repeated making everyone stop and look.

Seeing the island Nami lightly smirked "That island is proof that we're finally getting close to the Grand Line!"

"Really" Luffy grinned!

She nodded "On that island is a place called Loguetown it's also known as the town of the beggining and the end. It's the birthplace of the Pirate King Gold Roger . . . as well as his execution sight."

"So that's where the Pirate King died, huh" Luffy whispered and looked towards the island with a determined look.

"So then" Nami brushed a strand of hair behind her ear "Shall we go?"