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The entire time Luffy spoke Ann listened but fixated her eyes on the smiling lizard-like plant. It flicked its vine-like tongue out at her and Ann couldn't help but smile. "It does smell really nice. The scent actually reminds me a little of spikenard. So she's your treasure, huh?"

"Yep. Though I don't know what spikenard is." Luffy said even as he twirled his hat with his free hand in a playful mood. "What's yours?"

"If that's the case then mine's Balloon," Ann said with a satisfied smile.

Luffy within a millisecond after asking his question, however, was already now distracted by a fantastic sight out the porthole window. "Oh wow, a whale! I've never seen one before!"

"Listen for the answer when you ask a question, idiot!" Ann yelled before deciding it would be in her best interest to ignore Luffy for the time being before she actually did start to actively plot how to murder him out of irritation.

Luffy watched the whale pass by and followed that by trying to find ways to entertain himself. He started off trying to be active by pacing the cell and squeezing the plant lizard's tail which caused a pleasant floral scented spray to mist out and freshen up the stale air but lost the enthusiasm to do so after a few minutes. Then he pretended to play an imaginary accordion but couldn't figure out how the keys went. He played with the plant lizard again by repeatedly moving his hands around a foot away from each other to let the lizard lump from 'ledge to ledge' before winding down and letting it settle up on his hat again. He did a handstand for about thirty minutes before the blood rushing to his head gave him a headache and made him stop. He demanded to Dawn to tell him a pirate story which was fun and interesting enough to capture Ann's attention for a while. Following the story of "The Treasure Planet," he sang an extremely out of tune version of one of the songs from said story. He practiced trying to picking the lock on the door for a few minutes and then finally fell face down on the floor and tried to take another nap. After only ten minutes he decided that napping wasn't working.

"...I'm bored and hungry. I'm getting out of here to find something to eat and then I'm going to go back to Dawn." Luffy announced as he yawned and stood up.

Ann sighed and said, "Stop dreaming, there's no way you can leave."

"Oh, that's true. Dawnie stayed behind so it might take a while for her to get here." Luffy realized. "I'm still hungry though."

"What I meant was that we can't get out of this cell." Ann corrected even as she rolled her eyes at him. She then noticed him standing outside the bars of the cell and shouted. "What!? How did you get out? Let me out too!"

"The keys are right here," Luffy said and he picked the keys off the ring by the door and tossing them back to her. Ann caught them and unlocked the cell door to free herself.

"Hey, so does this mean that you can do magic like Spiel?" Ann asked with curiosity.

"Nope. It's not magic though it might be similar. Where are you going?" Luffy asked noticing Ann going back towards the deck of the ship.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to rescue Balloon. Will you help me?" Ann asked.

"Not right now. I want to eat." Luffy rejected turning away from her.

"Help me!" Ann demanded.

"No, I'm hungry. Do it yourself if he's so important to you." Luffy said before he began to sniff at the air to find the ship's food storage over the scent of the now flowery scented brig.

"Stingy!" Ann shouted at Luffy as she made her way angrily out to the deck of the ship.

"Some people can be so impatient and demanding. Have you ever met anyone like that Dawnie?" Luffy complained up to Dawn as he made his way to the food storage hold.

The plant made a huffing sound and said, "Maybe once or twice in this life."

Back on top of the deck of the ship, Ann crept around as carefully as she could to get close to Balloon's cage and grinned with delight upon seeing nearly the entire crew laying around in the late afternoon sun.

"Now's my chance to get Balloon," Ann whispered but stiffened when she heard the sound of a sword being drawn.

"You're craftier than I thought girl." Spiel said as he smirked mockingly at her and motioned for one of his men to step forward. "I'll make you a deal, girl. If you can defeat my bosun in combat with a cutlass then I'll give you the key to the roc's cage and let the both of you leave."

Ann narrowed her eyes and took a look at the stocky huge bosun smirking at her. She would free Balloon with this challenge no matter what so she nodded her head once in acceptance. "Fine. Give me a cutlass and I'll fight then."

Luffy had already eaten all the dried meat left down in the hold and was crunching his way through an armful of apples including the cores even as he carried a bigger sack filled to bulging with even more. As he wandered through the interior of the ship he sing-songed cheerfully to himself feeling especially pirate-like. "~Shiver my timbers, shiver my sides ~Yo ho, heave ho ~There are hungers as strong as the wind and tides ~Yo ho, heave ho ~Found food, good food.~ Ready to go Dawn?"

The lizard on the brim of his hat grinned again and said, "Yep, I'll be at the ship in half an hour or so. Try not to drown before I get there."

"You always say that and I never do," Luffy argued. "Does the lure-y need an apple?"

"Nah, you can let it wind down. I know the lure is almost out of energy but I can see the other ship from where I'm at so if it doesn't work I can still find you. See you again soon, Luffy."

Luffy shishishi-ed and shoved another apple into his mouth. Time to go back up to the deck then.

Ann in the meantime had laid out her opponent in their match with the cutlasses. She felt a lot of pride in her victory and said, "You looked down on me, 'cause I'm a teenage girl, didn't you? Now let Balloon go as you promised."

Spiel made a motion with his hand and Ann had to jump back when her downed opponent suddenly combusted into flames. Ann's eyes were wide and nervous thinking she might be set on fire too but Spiel's ire seemed only to be directed towards his subordinate as he chillingly hissed. "Scum. Losing to a little girl like that. I have no use for someone like you."

The rest of Spiel's crew stood as still as possible while still quivering and as a whole hoped their captain wouldn't turn his ire over on them. Instead of another flashy magical attack though the faint sound of clinking was heard as a key was dropped onto the deck in front of Ann. "One key to the winner as promised."

Ann smiled with delight as she picked up the key, not stopping to notice the malicious grin on Spiel's face as she practically skipped towards her caged friend. "Yeah! I did it Balloon! I'll let you out now!"

Craak!

Right as she reached the front of the open-air cage the sound of the gun firing reached Ann just before the bullet did and in a split second decision Ann allowed the bullet to hit her instead of Balloon. She landed face down on the deck just in front of Balloon who was distressed and screeching towards her in panic and worry. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she heard Spiel's crew laughing and mocking her even as Spiel loudly shouted, "Ahhahhahhah! Who's gonna let you take him out when we finally have him? Fool!"

"Huh, what's going on out here?"

The drama of the moment reached its peak just as Luffy emerged from the hold of the ship, a sack laden with stolen food slung across his shoulder and no sign of the ten apples he had just consumed. Luffy's eyes zeroed in on the prone form of the girl in front of the cage and his expression went eerily blank as he dropped the sack of food at his feet.

"And just where are you heading off to, youngin'?" Spiel demanded drawing Luffy's attention over to him.

Without a single blink, Luffy said, "It looks a bit like a mayfly. Your head, I mean."

While the jaws of everyone dropped again Luffy ignored them and walked over to where Ann lay belly down on the deck. "Hey, why are you trying to take a nap when you're still bleeding?"

Ann sat up, pointed to the bullet wound in her arm, and shouted. "I was shot and fell down! I thought if I played dead for a little while I'd have a chanc-"

Luffy looked up and jumped in front of both Ann and Balloon even as, with a rat-a-tat-tat, Spiel unloaded all of the shots he had in two pistols at the annoying teens, all of them striking Luffy in the chest.

"Oh no!" Ann cried out as she covered her mouth with her hands and tears pricked her eyes again. She hadn't wanted the charismatic boy to get hurt, let alone killed on her behalf.

Spiel arrogantly scoffed and said, "Learn your place, fool."

Luffy exhaled and the bullets bounced off leaving him completely unfazed. Spiel broke out into a cold sweat and stuttered out a shaky, "Wha-?"

Ann was equally astonished. "What just happened?"

Spiel's crew collectively began to have a nervous breakdown as they screamed. "He bounced back the bullets! Is it black magic!? Is he a black magic user like the captain!?"

"Magic hammer!" Spiel shouted transforming his broom into a giant mallet and crushing Luffy flatter than a pancake onto the deck of the ship.

Luffy decompressed instantly when the hammer was lifted and he crossly picked off the flattened lizard shaped lure off of his hat and crossly warned. "Cut that out or I'm gonna get mad. You're lucky this doesn't hurt Dawnie."

"No way!" Spiel shouted and climbed up the mast to the crow's nest to escape Luffy in five seconds flat. "Get away from me you devil!"

"You're the one that started it," Luffy warned as he drew back his fist. "Oh and climbing up there is pretty useless."

The next thing Spiel saw was Luffy's fist just as it hit dead center on his face. Spiel and his broom fell with a clatter back onto the deck. Ann got to her feet and cautiously approached Luffy as Spiel's crew chattered in fear around them.

"Did you see it?"

"His arm, it stretched!"

"Are we having a dream?"

"What is this guy?"

It was Ann who he answered as she hesitatingly asked, "W-what exactly was it that you just did?"

Luffy's grin was as wide and bright as ever as he replied. "Isn't it funny. Just remember what I told you earlier. Before I got my hat I ate the Rubber Devil Fruit. So now I'm made of rubber from head to toe in exchange for not being able to swim."

"You skipped that part in your story!" Ann shouted as she freaked out and watched Luffy stretch his cheek out approximately two feet to the side of his face.

"R-rubber man!?" Spiel's crew shouted even louder as they flipped out again.

"Gwaaah! Gwaaah!"

"No! Balloon!" Ann called out as she looked up.

Luffy and Spiel's crew followed the direction of her gaze up at the distressed bird noises to see Spiel up in the sky on his broom while holding Balloon captive with a chain. Up came the calls of his subordinates. "Captain!"

"Don't bother calling me that any longer. I have no use for you or this ship anymore. You stretch yourself there for the rest of your (short) life youngin'. I got the treasure I wanted and even though I was a little disgraced by your actions I'm going to excuse myself now." Spiel's face twisted into a maniacal smile as he growled one last time. "Farewell rubber man. You can sink with the ship!"

Spiel formed a gesture with his hand and with a crash what seemed to be an explosion cracked the giant galleon in half causing the crew, Ann, and Luffy to fall down into the ocean water below.

"Uwa! Water! Dawnie isn't here with a net- I'm gonna drown!" Luffy shouted and uselessly struggled for a bit before sinking into the sea.

"Balloon!" Ann cried looking up to where her friend was being led further and further away into the sky. Ann hesitated for a moment but turned her gaze back to the sea and dove down under the waves.

There were thirty seconds of relative silence while Spiel's surviving ex-crew found their way to surviving lifeboats and then with a large spray of water Ann heaved Luffy up onto the barely floating deck of the destroyed galleon.

Luffy sputtered and blubbered as he gratefully thanked her. "I was saved! Thank you, thank you so much for saving me! Dawn would've killed me if I drowned when she told me not to!"

Luffy's grateful thank yous stopped suddenly when he heard a tear splash down next to his head onto the deck and he looked to see Ann weeping with her hands pressed up to her eyes beside him. Not sure what to do since he hadn't ever encountered a crying girl he simply asked. "Hey?"

Ann broke down and explained as she sobbed. "Balloon...Balloon is probably the last roc that exists. A roc's blood is supposed to carry great magical power so that's what Spiel was after... that's why I was kidnapped because Spiel knew Balloon will always come after me when we're separated. I wish he wasn't magical or rare! Even if he wasn't special he'd still be my treasured best friend!"

Luffy stood up and as he wrapped his arm multiple times around the exposed mast of the cleaved ship said. "It's not over yet. Don't give up, you said it yourself, right? He's your treasure. I'll always help protect my crew's treasures."

Luffy tightened his hold and just barely heard Ann ask, "When did I join your crew, exactly?" before he launched high, high up into the sky in a direct arc towards the escaping Spiel.

Spiel in the meantime was congratulating himself on a job well done, "Ahhahhahhah! I sure know how to make an exit! Even if I fought a Devil like that kid it'd do me no favors. All I need is the roc's blood and my power will increase tenfold!"

"Gwaaah! Gwaaah!"

Spiel felt tugging on the chain holding the roc and he scowled and turned to the roc as he scolded. "Hey now stop struggling, we've already come this far."

Luffy sat perched on the back of Balloon and waved his left hand at Spiel. "Yo!"

"What!? How did you-!?" Spiel sputtered but Luffy was already leaning over Balloon's head to touch and mess with the bristles of Spiel's flying broom.

"I envy you since you can fly. How's this thing work anyway?"

Spiel punched Luffy ineffectively in the head, displacing his hat by knocking it askew as he shouted. "Stop messing with things you don't understand youngin'!"

"Hey!" Luffy's left hand shot up from the broom bristles and caught Spiel's wrist in a vice grip. Spiel took a look at Luffy and his pallid complexion went even greyer as he unconsciously dropped his end of the chain that held the roc. The expression written across Luffy's face was a promise of a lot of pain. With the chilling voice of a truly dangerous pirate, Luffy growled. "Don't you dare touch my treasure!"

Spiel suddenly realized he wasn't holding Balloon any longer and yelped. "Ack! The roc!"

"Don't worry, it'll be here soon," Luffy announced with a mischievous smile he had probably learned from his brothers.

"What will!?" Spiel despaired as tears of fear dribbled down his face.

"My right hand," Luffy said. "Rubber High Caliber: Pistol!"

There was the sound of rubber smacking into a face after traveling a thousand yards and with a twinkle in the sky, Spiel flew away, this time without his broom. The broom fell and so did Luffy but Balloon swooped down and saved him from taking a long dive into the sea.

"Thank you for not letting me fall but isn't there a better way for you to carry me?" Luffy asked, his head once again compressed like a beach ball in Balloon's beak as he returned to Ann who was waiting on the deck of Dawn since the galleon that had once been Spiel's ship had vanished already beneath the sea.

Balloon released Luffy when he was twenty feet above Dawn's deck and Luffy landed on his feet with a short laugh as Balloon settled down next to Ann with only the sound of a pleased croon upon his landing. Ann immediately clung to Balloon with a happy shout while Luffy looked on pleased with himself. The dragon figurehead of Dawn held a grin that was both cheery and proud.

While Balloon was preening gently at her wounded arm Ann, though she was thrilled to be reunited with her best friend, turned to look over to Luffy and asked, "What exactly are you trying to imply by claiming me as a member of your crew, Luffy?"

Luffy smiled and with excitement said, "Well since we're friends now and you're a nice person I thought you could be my second crewmate. You said you wanted to free Balloon and never feel caged again right? Balloon can join too."

"You realize you're asking me to become a pirate right?" Ann asked with a raised eyebrow and tone of skepticism in her voice. "Why would I do that when I can have Balloon fly me to a new island and not live a life on the run from the marines?"

"Aw, but that would be so boring. We should have too much fun together instead of trying not to have too much fun together like earlier." Luffy complained with a pout.

Ann stared was confused for a moment before she remembered what the pirate that locked she and Luffy up together had said before leaving the room and blushed as red as a setting sun. "You idiot! You actually listened to what the guy imprisoning you told you to do! You'll be caught by the marine's tomorrow without living more carefully!"

"We don't have to know what tomorrow holds. That's why we need to live our fullest lives today." Ann startled when the figurehead of Dawn twisted around to speak to her.

Balloon on the other hand, in reaction to the movement, floofed out his feathers and curled out his wings in the imitation of a frightened owl while making a startled "Gwark!"

Luffy was nearly falling over as he laughed at Balloon's own over the top reaction which caused the tension to finally leave Ann's frame. She took pity on her friend and soothed him with a few gentle strokes on top of his head. Balloon's instincts would have already kicked in and he would be pushing her to leave if he had sensed she wasn't in a safe place. How strange was her life that the first safe space after being attacked by a black magic using pirate would be on the ship of a devil fruit using pirate?

Ann stretched out her hand towards Luffy and said, "Fine. From your words, I will seal the deal, our promise's symbol is a lark. Our word is true and not to break. We speak these words: a promise we make. As long as you never betray Balloon or me. As long as you keep your word to gather a crew, find the greatest treasures, have the greatest adventures, and become the Pirate King. I will stay on your crew with these conditions. I will be permitted to leave should you break your promise to me."

"I promise," Luffy said with certainty and shook her hand to seal the deal. After releasing their hands from each other Luffy wiggled his fingers in amused curiosity and snickered. "Shishishi, cool my fingers feel funny. Dawn did you see that! I got a crewmate! Now let's go find an island of adventure! I'll be King of the Pirates before you know it! Ann, do you know where another island is?"

Ann shrugged and said, "Since we're in the Goa Region there are a few islands around that we can get to within a day or so. There's Goa Island, Goat Island, Goaf Island, Goal Island, Goaves Island, Goanna Island, and Dawn Island - which ironically is where the Goa Kingdom is located instead of on Goa Island. Goaf Island was where Spiel kidnapped me from so there wouldn't be much to see there aside from survivors fixing up a husk of a village. Where do you want to go?"

"Goat Island sounds like it has meat there!" Luffy declared. "Let's go there and eat goats! Go to Goat Island Dawnie!"

The figurehead of Dawn was facing forward but turned left and then right as the ship sensed the different directions before adopting a sheepish expression and said, "I don't know how to get there. Do you happen to know where Goat Island is from here, Ann?"

Ann sighed heavily and hopped onto Balloon's back before saying, "Let me look around. How will we find each other after I find it though?"

"Here," Dawn said and smiled with the figurehead while from the top of the mast a lure made to look like a bird fluttered down like ripened fruit coming off a tree. It seemed to be shaped like a swallow, was predominately green but had purple and yellow flower patterns like the lizard shaped lure Luffy had used. It settled on top of Ann's head and Dawn's voice spoke from it when its beak opened. "This lure can go ahead with you. Just be sure to feed it something in about four hours or it will just become a bird-shaped plant figurine. If something seems fun or exciting please don't finish up without giving Luffy a chance to experience it or he will pout and be a passive-aggressive pain until something fun happens to distract him again."

"Gotcha." Ann acknowledged and nodded her head at Luffy who was busy poking at Balloon's beak. "See you again soon, Captain."

"Just call me Luffy since we're friends." Luffy insisted on to which Ann nodded and took off with Balloon up into the sky. He watched a bit enviously for a moment before saying, "I want a bird friend to carry me one day too. Do you think Balloon will let me fly with him again soon?"

"Probably, just let him get used to you first. He is Ann's treasure first after all. She's laughing up there and he is too."

"Good. I like my crew to be happy. Now let's go to Goat Island! Meat ahead!" Luffy cheered as he pointed his hand towards the horizon and adventures to be had next.

To be continued

Up next: Luffy is disappointed to learn Goat Island doesn't actually have any goats. There are just pink things.

Thank you for picking this story to read, it really is appreciated. As you can tell from this chapter this SI-esque AU version of One Piece is already a little off the rails canon wise. Will the canon straw hats appear in this story? Of course - though not all of them will be met in the way we met them in the original story. There will be a bit of bending of One Piece material but I can at least say that anyone joining the crew will have shown up in some form or another of One Piece media. Expect more AUness, more world exploration, a pinch of magic, more adventure, and random references both obscure and not. Please review and let me know what you think of the beginning.