4/4

Luffy was running around town back and forth, searching for Ganzack amongst all the attacking pirates but couldn't find him anywhere. Zoro and Ann in the meantime were working to stop Ganzack's men as they came across them finding that they weren't very tough but just a tenacious group instead.

Luffy had finally run all the way through town and found himself on the dock. Ganzack's ship was offshore in the distance and was making its way out to the open sea, its engines audible even from the dock. Luffy spotted Ganzack's distinct crab-like silhouette on the deck and gritted his teeth in frustration, the crab-guy was leaving! He needed to hit him again!

Luffy stretched his arm far out to the sea and grabbed the rail of Ganzack's ship, intending to fight out on his ship before Ganzack could try to run away. As soon as he began sling shooting his way over though he felt someone grab onto the back of his legs in order to go along with him. A brief glance back by him only to see Medaka. The expression on her face was clearly ready for confrontation and had him grin despite the serious circumstances.

As soon as they landed on deck and got their footing Medaka was on her feet rushing towards Ganzack while simultaneously drawing out one of her pistols as she shouted, "You're going to pay for eating my dad, you evil pirate!"

She was yanked back suddenly by Luffy who pulled her back to stand behind him as he yelled, "I don't think so. I'm gonna beat him first and then you can shoot him if you still want to."

Ganzack laughed again and said, "Go ahead and try it, you stupid Monkey brat. You failed before and you'll fail again!" He jumped up to the main deck up to the quarterdeck of his ship with Luffy right behind him a split second later.

"Take this!" The legs of Ganzack's armor began shooting out electrified pellets, blazing hot fire blasts, explosive mortars, and regular bullets but Luffy took all the ammunition he had and bounced it back causing severe damage to the mast and sails in the process.

"Rubber High Caliber Pistol!" Luffy swung his fist with all his might at Ganzack and managed to hit Ganzack in the face.

Ganzack wiped a bit of blood and saliva from his mouth and used the claws of his armor to block a second hit while he momentarily recovered.

Then with a twist of his arm, a bright pink thread shot out from one of the openings of his armor and wrapped tightly around Luffy, preventing him from moving. The crab-like claws on his armor changed from blunt edged to as sharp as one of Zoro's swords and Ganzack said, "I'll slice you into mincemeat and throw your remains overboard. No one can help you now!"

Medaka gritted her teeth from where she had been waiting and made her move.

"Goodbye!" Ganzack swung his claw right at Luffy's exposed neck - intending to take his head and his stupid hat. There was a sudden scurry and Luffy could do nothing but gape when Medaka jumped in front of him to take the hit.

There was a sickening screech of metal on metal and Medaka hit the deck ten feet away from him while the helmet rolled another five feet. Something red pooled in front of the armor and Medaka didn't get back up.

Luffy felt something weird in his body as he watched this happen while still bound up. It felt like he couldn't hear too good any more. It felt like time was sticking to itself and moving too slowly. His next heartbeat felt like it stung a little. Shanks had lost his arm and saved his life ten years ago - was he really so weak that he needed another red-haired savior to lose their life in order to help him?

"Oh? What a shame. I don't understand how she could've been important to Herring in the first place. She only ever caused problems and was always tracking sand into the house. Even in her death, she's giving me a mess to clean up." There was no remorse in his voice. Only spite and cruelty.

Something hot and angry bubbled into Luffy's blood and with a blisteringly furious glare, he didn't even speak for once. He hunched over and strained himself harder than he ever had done since his journey began and began to stretch.

The pink glowing ribbon, sticky and unbreakable, bulged out from his sides as he inhaled - and kept inhaling. The light of the thread began to flicker.

With a sound that might have been a roar he pushed out his arms and the threads snapped like they had been nothing but cooked spaghetti noodles.

"How dare you mock her! Bastard! Rubber Mallet!"

Luffy stretched out his arms while twisting them, and grabbed Ganzack by his throat. Ganzack had just enough time to regret running his mouth before Luffy lifted him into the air and then untwisted his arms, rapidly spinning Ganzack, before crashing him hard into the deck of his ship.

Ganzack's leg twitched once and then became still as Luffy took deep breaths in order to try to calm his inflamed emotions more. He regretted that the fight had been over so soon because he still wanted to hit Ganzack again. The sound of clapping however caused him to turn his head.

Medaka, now standing with the helmet knocked off from her shoulders, was enthusiastically applauding Luffy's work. The armor had been a little big for her so she had very fortunately only lost the helmet and not her head along with it. Her red hair was shiny, a little bit curly and fluttering a bit in the sea wind.

"You did it, Captain Luffy! You're amazing!" Medaka said with a bright and excited smile.

Luffy was at first stunned, but she was alive and that was the only thing that mattered right? Luffy smiled back at her and nodded.

There was a distant roar and the ship shook causing both Luffy and Medaka to stumble a bit before they watched in awe at the sky shatter and fall away above them. The ship shook again and there was another, closer roar as an extremely cut up and beat up sea monster lifted its head out of the water and hissed angrily at Luffy and Medaka.

Luffy, just as calm as the shore before a tsunami, spoke candidly to the sea monster, "If you're like Balloon you can understand me. You're going to take this ship, this crew, and this jerk to the furthest place away from this island as you can get or else I'll eat you."

The sea monster gulped sensing the Truth packed in Luffy's words. It would do as this person requested.

Up in the sky, Ann took a feather as a focus, and using all of the power she had remaining pouring into it she said, "Turn this barrier back into the sea, absorb it into the rocks and into the trees, send this barrier far away from me. With my familiar in support of me - Make it Be."

She pointed the feather into the air and a spear of black-and-white light shot up into the sky above themselves and the island. An instant later, there was a blinding flash, like sheet-lightning, and a huge wall of black and white flames branched out from where the lance touched the sky and spread rapidly outwards and down into the sea, leaving a ring of smoke to float more slowly after it. What looked like cracks in glass spread over the sky and shattered away without a trace.

The barrier had been huge and had been built over the course of six months, getting stronger each day, and even with Balloon's support Ann felt darkness encroaching at the edges of her vision. Balloon only had time for a quick landing before both he and Ann passed out in the middle of town. Zoro was quick to stand guard over their fallen forms as the townsfolk cautiously approached them and came back to their senses.

"Is Ganzack…?" The first few seemed a bit confused.

"What's going on? Why do I feel so...odd?" They looked like people waking up suddenly in the middle of sleepwalking.

"Pirates! We were attacked by pirates!" A voice called out and suddenly people were rushing about checking on each other.

"Pirates! There are pirates laying around everywhere in town and out of town! Tie them up! Tie them up quickly before they recover!"

"Someone call the marines! There are so many pirates! Wait - these folks are the ones who knocked them out!"

"It's Roronoa Zoro! His bounty hunter gang saved us!" the mayor said, sounding excited.

"Sorry, you're mistaken," Zoro said as he shook his head, "I never called myself a bounty hunter, it was just something I did in order to get food to eat while focusing on my true goal. Oh and I don't have a bounty-hunting gang. I'm a pirate. My captain stopped our ship outside this island to go fishing and Ganzack attacked us."

"We were saved from pirates by other pirates…?" the mayor seemed baffled and rubbed the top of his head in confusion, "This sounds like a story that ruffian Medaka would enjoy. Well, regardless of the circumstances you have my thanks."

After Ganzack's men were gathered up and taken to their ship which was then pulled along by a sea monster the people in town were quick to clean up and begin a party commissioned by the mayor to celebrate and thank the Straw Hats for getting rid of Ganzack and his men as well as for Medaka, who had helped in her own way all alone for months. Right before the party began the mayor pulled Medaka aside and apologized to her for how his grandsons acted towards her.

"I'm sorry you had to go so long without help from us. You weren't born here but I'm glad Herring and you made this place your home."

"He kidnapped me away from Ganzack when I was a baby," Medaka confessed, startling the mayor, "That's why Ganzack came after my...dad. I don't consider Ganzack my father though. I'll be a toymaker like my dad was and build only nice things - I promise. Just don't make me live alone anymore, please."

The mayor was silent for a while before he said, "Well I'm an old man now but Herring was a good man. I should have enough room for you to stay with me. I know my grandsons Geel and Iaana can be mean to you so I'll talk to them and in order to set them straight on their manners and if they can't be friends to just leave you alone."

"No!" Medaka said in alarm and then stopped and spoke again, "I mean... those two are the only kids who talk to me. Even if they are a little mean I still don't want them to be kept away. I don't have any friends."

"I don't know... this Luffy fellow sounds like he's pretty friendly even though he's a pirate. You know...you don't have to tolerate cruelty for companionship, Medaka. Have fun at the party, no curfew tonight for you."

The mayor and her probable new guardian left and Medaka paused for a moment looking between the crowd of kids who were gathering together in order to celebrate and the three people and two bird pirate crew. Luffy did know some fun pirate songs but she had been pretty bossy to him today. Maybe he didn't like her.

Luffy looked up and waved her over, "Medaka! Come on! Let's eat together already!"

The party lasted for hours, long into the night.

"When do you and your crew plan to leave this island, young man?" The mayor inquired, having made his way over to Luffy during a brief intermission between finishing his twelfth helping of barbeque and waiting for his thirteenth to be brought out. It was long past curfew for most of the kids but the adults were still celebrating their new freedom from the wicked pirates.

"After my ship Dawn is fixed," Luffy said with a grin as he expertly ignored the local butcher who seemed to be giving him a stink eye. His eyes were only on the meat waiters who were making their way around the party with their knives and skewers (and their meat).

The mayor seemed worried and he asked, "Was your ship destroyed by Ganzack then? I wasn't aware. We, of course, can provide you with a boat if you need one to leave our island."

"No, don't need one," Luffy said before pointing up at the green bird perched on his straw hat, "Dawn will take care of it. She'll be ready to sail again in the morning, right Dawnie?"

"That's right. I should be finished a little bit after sunrise so enjoy the party some more. I'll take up your offer on a boat though, Mr. Mayor - I don't want to waste energy to build one of my own if I don't have to. Just moor it to the dock and I'll fetch it later."

The mayor seemed mystified by her request but nodded his agreement anyway. "Of course. Anything to get you going as soon as possible. I'll even fill it with some dry provisions. Oh, look - the waiter came back. I'm off to arrange that boat your bird wants."

Luffy excitedly waived the waiter down and got started on his thirteenth serving - which may have been the best-tasting serving yet! The lure fluttered away from Luffy several feet away to where Zoro was matching Luffy's consumption rate and total volume only with the source being sake instead of meat. Ann sat opposite him and was a medium between Luffy and Zoro, eating and drinking nearly as quickly as them but much more politely and slowly, being only on her seventh serving. She needed to build up her energy from using so much magic again and was less self-conscious now about eating so much in order to replenish it instead of sleeping it off as she had previously done.

Medaka was in the middle of petting the (incredibly soft) feathers of Balloon while she excitedly chatted with the whole crew, "You're really chasing your dreams and are all so strong. I've always wanted to go out to sea, you know! I'd go anywhere the wind was blowing, sailing for adventure out on the deep blue sea."

Somehow Medaka's comment seemed to spur both Luffy and Dawn to sing (off-key but enthusiastically) and Zoro, not having heard the song before simply was amused when Ann and Balloon joined in (Balloon somehow sounding better than both Luffy and Dawn despite being unable to speak).

"~Hey ho we'll go ~Anywhere the wind is blowing ~Hoist the sails and sing ~Sailing for adventure on the deep blue sea ~We'll chase our dreams standing on our own ~Over the horizon to the great unknown~"

Medaka got up to grab some more juice from the counter and seeing the mayor was huddled close to his buddies in the town council quietly snuck over in order to listen to their conversation purely out of habit.

The mayor's voice made her freeze when she heard the discussion involved her father though.

"-will by no means clear her bloodline of being guilty of piracy. The curse of her father is obviously going to carry over onto his child. Our best plan after this will allow her to stay here on the island only if she never comes into town. I don't want her cursing my grandchildren and I'm certain you don't want anyone with a curse to be involved with your own children."

There were some murmurs of agreement but Medaka had heard enough. She got her juice and stood still for a moment in order to watch Luffy and his crew continue to have a great time, singing and merry-making as they enjoyed the banquet. She sighed to herself and after speaking softly to Ann walked out from the town hall and back towards her house.

It was time for her to go home.

A little after the sun rose the next morning Luffy hustled Ann, Zoro, and Balloon out of the Town Hall as he followed the sparrow lure Dawn had made to bring them to the dock. Ann was nursing a hangover and Zoro was just tired. As soon as he could manage it he would be taking a nap upon Dawn's deck. As they walked Dawn chatted excitedly to them.

"Ready to get going? I moved from the shore where I made landfall over to the town dock. I'll look a little different thanks to my alterations but you should be able to recognize me." Dawn said as she flew over the top of Zoro's head and fluttered teasingly around Ann and Balloon.

"Yeah. It's time to go." Luffy said and pouted, "Too bad there aren't any leftovers for us to bring along from the party."

"Knowing you there never will be leftovers after a party," Dawn said with a twittering laugh, "Where'd Medaka go? I thought she might want to say goodbye before we leave."

"She said she was going home around midnight," Ann answered, "I think she was getting sleepy."

"I don't think she's the type to cry over saying goodbye," Zoro said, "The kid seemed more like an angry crier than a sad crier to me."

"We're here! Take a look at me! How do you like my makeover?" Dawn said with an excited laugh as her lure flew onto the ship and merged into the hull seamlessly.

Luffy laughed with delight upon seeing Dawn's newest appearance. She still had a figurehead that now resembled some sort for feathered dragon instead of its previous scaled dragon appearance, likely a tribute to all the birds that were part of the crew. Her mainsails were now a creamy white and seemed to be begging for a pirate emblem to be painted onto it. Her hull was still a rich green but on her starboard side, a bronze-colored mark that resembled a lightning strike went from the top of the rail to somewhere below the waterline. She had enlarged from a twenty-foot boat with only room for a little bit of deck space up to a sixty-foot long fully equipped ship.

"Wow Dawn, You look great!" Ann said feeling amazed over the changes Dawn had somehow done throughout the course of only one night. It was enough to make her completely forget about her slight hangover.

Zoro eyed the lightning strike mark and nodded in agreement, "Do you choose the scars you want to keep?"

The ship flapped her sails in the living ship equivalent of a shrug before saying, "Kind of. The scars will show as either a different type of wood or some kind of metal but I can pick which material to use. I decided bronze would look neat so I primarily used that. I have space for everyone to live more comfortably on board now. Come aboard and take a look around."

Luffy was already on board before Zoro, Ann and Balloon could even come up the dock. The two humans shortly joined Luffy in taking a look around the 'new' ship. Though her hull was green the rest of the wood on the deck and masts was a rich warm cedar brown with shining brass metalwork and facenings. The main deck was just a little bit longer than the forecastle and poop combined. The railing on Dawn was now about a meter high but seemed to be hollowed out in different areas to make space for rich soil in order to start growing out plants.

The main mast came up from amidship and had two square hatches fore and aft that lead down to the lower deck. These hatches could be kept open to allow light and fresh air into the lower deck (in bad weather they would likely be kept shut). On one side of the main deck, just in the back of the forecastle, there was a lifeless ten-foot longboat, while the other side had a combination birdhouse and coop where Balloon and the chickens could roost in comfort. Mango-Tango and Very-Berry were already happily settled in. It conveniently had a latch that Balloon could use for himself to open or shut in order to enter and exit without anyone else's help. There was a fighting top and crows nest on top of the mainmast just above the large mainsail.

On the poop deck was a wheeled helm and benches built into the railing for people to keep whoever was manning the helm company if there wasn't work or play to be done. Behind that was Dawn's tail, the carved counterpart to the head at the front of the ship. Within the tail was a short cushioned bench for people to sit and look out the long, narrow windows both port and starboard side. Upon the forecastle, there was a shorter foremast which had two smaller triangular sails that were colored rich purple and creamy yellow.

Underneath the forecastle was the galley. The galley had an oven with a range on top of it along with a deep sink on one side and many shelves filled with pans, pots and cooking utensils opposite to the sink. On the far side of the sink, away from the oven was both a pull out icebox (not yet filled with any food or drinks) and a refrigerator with a combination lock on the handle. Everything necessary in a floating kitchen is there, including the rations the townsfolk had provided in the ten-foot boat, but it was otherwise empty of any other food. Though the galley took up the most room there were also four smaller cabins by the forecastle: a tiny first aid room, the head, a shower stall, and a little workshop.

Beneath the poop deck where the two new crew quarters instead of one large single captain's quarters. The cabins both had square windows that could be opened and the walls were warm brown and had green vines blooming with real flowers that freshened the air and were very vibrant. Each cabin had three windows that looked out to the blue water along with low hanging cushioned futons to be placed where desired and each cabin had enough room for five or so people to stay in. The crew's 'treasure chest' was in the middle of the port side cabin.

The lower deck of Dawn could be accessed from one of two hatches in the main deck. The bulk of the lower deck seemed to be taken up by the crew's common area, where the crew could relax, eat, work out, row during times of little or no wind if it was necessary. There were storage chests that also acted as benches on either side of the ship containing supplies, blankets, oars and were otherwise currently empty. There were portholes on either side of the ship, one for each chest, where long oars could be extended from the ship.

Running down the center of the lower deck, in between the benches, was the cargo pit. It was an open area that ran almost all the way down to Dawn's keel. Down in there could be kept all manner of non-perishable foods and supplies. She had some sort of narrow bronze pipes that was actually a filtration system that had the appearance of winding branches that could pipe fresh water from below up to the galley, shower, and the head.

At the aft of and slightly below the lower deck was a low cabin that could be used as guest quarters or a very comfortable brig in a pinch. There were several low, thick round windows in this cabin, designed to be at or below the waterline and thus were permanently closed, unable to be opened.

Having thoroughly explored both the deck and common area Balloon settled up on the top of the crows nest, making himself a comfortable seat. Ann checked on the birdhouse and was amused to see that both Very-Berry and Mango-Tango seemed to be pleased with their new 'cabin' and were playing with each other in their upgraded accommodations. Zoro wandered around up on the main deck for a little bit and was satisfied that there seemed to be more than enough room for him to train or maneuver in a fight if it was ever necessary.

It was only Luffy and Dawn who noticed a small figure approaching the dock while looking at the new ship with interest. The curly red hair indicated from a distance that it was Medaka. She was wearing a mismatch of both the castle and pirate mannequin's clothing from her home which resulted in a lot of bright mismatched colors and layers. In addition to the clothes she also was wearing a belt that holstered the pair of pistols she had been using in the fight the day before, a leather pouch busting at the seems but cinched shut, and a pair of sturdy but comfortable looking deck shoes. She was also carrying an oilskin bag nearly as big as she was filled up to the brim over her shoulder. Despite her departure from her previously knightly appearance Luffy called out a cheery good morning.

"Medaka! Did you come to see us off?" Luffy asked.

There was a stubborn expression on her face as she called up, "Luffy! Let me join your crew!"

"What? The kid wants to join?" Zoro asked out loud and Ann exited the birdhouse to look over the railing in concern.

"Eh? Why?" Luffy asked before suddenly remembering that her dad wouldn't be around to watch her anymore. Weren't the townspeople going to take her in after all she had gone through in order to rid the island of pirates and find her dad? Especially after they had thrown them such a nice party for kicking Ganzack off their island.

Medaka fidgeted nervously for a moment and spoke again, "Everyone in town knows I'm the daughter of a pirate now and since I'm too rough with their kids they said I need to look after myself now. I could do that fine but I'd rather have some people to be with. I don't want to be alone anymore and being a pirate is in my blood! I've always wanted to be a pirate but I don't want to be a bad pirate like my father was - I'd rather be a pirate like you. I'll work hard to be a good pirate apprentice, so please take me with you!"

Luffy seemed to be deciding what to do and while Zoro decided he wouldn't mind having the kid around (considering she seemed to be pretty resilient) Ann decided she needed to voice her own concern.

"You aren't trying to run away are you?" Ann asked cautiously, "Luffy wants to be the Pirate King and it will be very dangerous to be with us - especially once we get to the Grand Line. You'd be safer on this island."

"Please take her."

Luffy didn't want to believe what he was seeing, but sure enough, the town mayor had appeared on the dock, standing behind Medaka while giving her a cold stare. "We, the people of this town and island, want nothing to do with Medaka. We'll even pay you pirates to take Medaka as an incentive if you wish."

Medaka scowled fiercely and averted her eyes away from watching Luffy (and to keep him from seeing how hurt she was over the people of her island rejecting her.)

"I refuse." Luffy said and Medaka closed her eyes. She wouldn't cry - she knew there was a chance that Luffy wouldn't take her when she asked. She wasn't good enough for her own father so why would some people she'd only known for less than a day want her to be with them?

The feeling of an arm winding around her waist and a hand grabbing onto her shoulder caused her eyes to pop back open but she was airborne and at Luffy's side before she could do anything other than yelp in alarm. She looked up and saw that Luffy was looking at the mayor with a similar glare (but not exact) of anger that he had often shot towards Ganzack and said, "I refuse to take any of your stupid money because she's worth more than anything you could pay anyway."

Medaka startled when Ann placed her own hand on her shoulder and with her own glare at the mayor said, "Anyone willing to sell a child to anyone deserves much worse than a pirate invasion."

"You won't be getting the kid back." Zoro agreed as he placed a hand on Wado Ichimonji and sent his own glare towards the mayor. The kid was part of the crew now, he definitely would start improving her fighting skills as soon as possible, or else she might get crazy ideas as Kuina did for a short time about 'girls become weak when they grow up'.

"Let's go, Dawn. We won't ever return to this island again," Luffy ordered as he turned away from the mayor - he didn't even want to look at him anymore. Since he'd shared meat with Luffy the night before he had thought the mayor was a good guy and Luffy did not like being wrong about someone. With Dawn's anchor weighed and without any delay though with some unnecessary but welcomed work from the crew Dawn adjusted her sails and the Straw Hat pirates left the little island without looking back.

Medaka was covering her eyes so no one could see her cry but Luffy picked up on it instantly, "Ah! Medaka! You might be a kid but so was Shanks when he started and I bet you'll be a better apprentice than he ever was because you're my apprentice. So don't cry now! The official cabin girl of the Straw Hat's isn't a crybaby, is she?"

Medaka ineffectually punched Luffy in his chest and shouted, "Shut up, you stupid Captain! I ain't crying. I just got seawater in my eyes!"

"An apprentice, huh?" Zoro said with a teasing smile, "I'll show you using a sword properly isn't just about pointing the sharp end at the other person."

"I'll teach you how to sail properly," Dawn said causing Medaka to yelp in alarm - she hadn't really thought that Luffy actually had a living ship, she still had thought he had just been telling a story.

"And I'll show you how to keep an eye out for trouble and how to get out of dangerous situations," Ann said with excitement before bending closer to whisper, "and if you turn out to have any magic I can help you learn how to use it properly and safely."

"Well, I'm gonna teach you how to eat, fight, and how to be a great pirate!" Luffy said pumping his fists into the air, "And how to play real pirate games! Come on! I want to show you our treasure chest! We'll have a pirate party to celebrate you joining the crew!"

Luffy reached his hand out to Medaka and with an exuberant laugh pulled her over in the direction of the cabins and Medaka echoed it with her own laugh filled with a mixture of relief and excitement. Being with these people was sure going to be interesting.

Meanwhile back on the island, a different celebration was beginning to take shape.

"Are you sure this was the right way to get her to go?" The barkeeper asked as the mayor made his way back to the bar where the town council had gathered in the early morning to complete their plans for getting Medaka to go with the pirates.

"If we didn't make sure to do something like this they might have left her behind." The mayor said with regret.

"Wouldn't that have been fine?" The butcher asked again feeling a bit mopey over all the meat that had been used for the party but was glad in the end that the pirate occupation of their island was now over for good.

The mayor sat at the counter with a grunt and said, "She would have been safe here...but she wouldn't have been happy. I'm happy just knowing she's with people who will protect her and give her the adventurous life she's craved all the years she's lived here. Our kids don't have the grit for a pirate's life but Medaka sure does. Medaka may be a ruffian but Medaka isn't stupid, after all."

The barkeeper nodded and said, "Even if she never returns I'll be sure to keep a look out for any news about these Straw Hat pirates. They'll be famous one day, I'm sure of it. Come on, let's have a sunrise toast to the Straw Hats!"

"Cheers!" The town council called out as they clinked their drinks together.

To be continued…

Up next: Does anyone know how to get anywhere on this crew? In honor of Camille Saint-Saëns this writer is proud to present an island with a real carnival of animals feeling to it.

Thank you for your patience, those who have been following this story. It is greatly appreciated and I am having a good time with this so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it! To those who celebrate, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope your future is bright! I'll post again as soon as I get the next chapter done.