Setting Sail For A New Adventure

[wolfrunner]

Its been years since the events of One Piece. Since that time Piracy has reached an all time high, so high that the World Government has all but fallen into a shambles being unable to contain it. Of course it’s not all bad nor does that mean that the world is a total mess of anarchy and ruin. Far from it as things are actually quite the opposite. The world is doing quite well under the control of the Four Emperors: Buggy, Shanks, Blackbeard and Luffy as the major powers that be….even though two are confirmed to be semi-retired.

However. While three of the Yonkos are still known to be in sailing operation, one of them has disappeared some time ago to who knows where. Though the Grand Fleet of the Straw Hats has still remained active in the New World, the core of the fleet hasn’t been seen in quite some time. With the King of the Pirates whereabouts unknown despite his fleet still being plenty active and picking up the slack of their Captain and Senior Officers, the public lack of the infamous Pirate King and his close-knit crew has had a fallout effect.

There are those in the World Government and the Marines that have been trying to stir things up wanting to start a war against the Yonkos and Pirates in general to return the world back to the way it was years ago.

There are others still that seek to move in on the Straw Hat Grand Fleet and eliminate them while their Captain and Senior Officers are MIA.

And then there are those that have no malicious purposes and simply have decided to take to the seas in search of adventure and glory for themselves.

Some still have gone out in search of the King of the Pirates and his crew determined to be the ones to prove rumors of their disappearance false by finding them.

Little does the majority of the world know that the Thousand Sunny hasn’t exactly folded her sails and disappeared into the realm of myth and legend never to be heard or seen from again just yet. Nope. After all. Fish and other sea life tend to migrate back to their waters of origin to spawn and raise their young, so why not Pirates?


This is a one on one roleplay with myself and rnalnstream. Feel free to read but don’t post. Our discussion thread is here - Forum/viewtopic.php?f=85&t=4938006

[rnalnstream]

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Amazon Lily was buzzing today.

While the wind never blows and not a storm would taunt their beautiful skies, this gorgeous island located deep within the Calm Belt was simply beaming with life. From the usual residents of Amazonians and all of their children, to the arriving ships that decorated the outer horizon line. Boa Hancock was walking to her ship, her subjects swooning and blushing as she would pass. "I need you to..." Demands were piling out to her pirates as well as other citizens, preparing to get the ship ready to gather up the various pirates that were coming for a meeting. Even in her old age, Boa Hancock was a major hit in the standard of beauty.

"Luffy, dear!" Hancock's voice called out, waving excitedly to her husband as he made his way to her side. The two of them walked and talked about the impending meet up, both excited as it had been some time since the whole crew was together. The climbed aboard their ship and made their way out to sea, Luffy taking his usual seat on the head of one of the venomous snakes pulling Hancock's ship. He was on the lookout for some different crew members, and he wasn't going to be satisfied until he laid his eyes upon them.

This event took about an hour, grabbing people as they would arrive and pulling them to shore swiftly and safely as Amazon Lily still had a reputation to uphold: ships were never allowed to grace her borders unless they belonged to the Kuja tribe itself. Familiar faces flooded around each other, beaming and chatting as they caught up with one another. It had been nothing short of years since all of the Straw Hats had been together, and you could tell on everyone's faces that they were excited.

Not only were the pirates all together, but their children were finally allowed to tag along on one of their adventures. Beaming faces could be seen off the beach, some younger children playing together as well as the older kids seeming to pine off in their own groups. Among them seemed to be Zoro's daughter, Franky and Robin's son, Nami and Sanji's daughter, and of course, the Prince of the Kuja himself, Luffy and Hancock's son.

Just what does this day have in store for the Straw Hat Pirates and their offspring? Only time will tell what troubles and mischief await them.

[wolfrunner]

The Calm Belt was called the Calm Belt for good reason. Even with advancements in technology not many decided to try and navigate these infamous waters. The lack of wind and large native population of sea monsters such as massive Sea Kings occupying the waters on either side of the Grand Line acting as decent deterrents for years. Natural protections against outside adventurers and invaders alike. And yet for one particular soul these calm but treacherous waters housed nothing short of  what had been his home for pretty much his entire twenty years. It housed the island of Amazon Lily. And it was this island where, tradionally, only women were welcomed that was currently uncharacteristically welcoming a literal fleet of ships to her harbors. It wasn't an easy feat to bring in and then hide so many, yet with a little cooperation of everybody's parts it was proving more successfull than one would think possible. Of course some feats were a lot easier when everyone was acting out of excited anticipation.

After all this would be the first time in years every ship and crew which was part of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet would be meeting up like this. And the Guests of Honor? No other then the fleet's Senior Members.

A smug grin pulled the corners of his mouth upwards as warm sun beat on him from a perfectly clear sky. He knew the stories. The rumors. He knew how everyone, despite all but their flagship being plenty active, thought that the fleet had dissolved itself and was only just hanging on. Knew even how others assumed that the fleet was myth or at least their flagship and her infamous crew were. He'd been out to sea a few times after all for various reasons and picked up on them during those times. When he heard them the dark haired young man had often to get up and leave for concern that he'd accidentally let slip information that could prove a huge mistake to let free. After all only certain persons were privy to the truth surrounding the currently visiting fleet to his island home as the Kuja weren't particularly known for their hospitality towards outsiders, though today was the one exception. Much like how he was the one exception to the rule that the members of the Kuja had daughters when they had children.

A long sigh of contentment escaped the young man as pair of equally dark eyes turned up to the clear sky before closing calmly. The young man leaned back against the trunk of the tree, one of many lining the edge of the shore, and listened to the familiar shouts all along the sand. Each one he knew no matter how long it had been. All the while coiled up in the warm sand at his side was an oversized light brown serpent with a thick band of darker brown scales running from the top of her head all the way down it's back to the tip of her tail. Not that young male Kuja was concerned by the serpent's presence. Not only was he quite used to snakes in general but this particular female serpent happened to be his very own so there was no cause for alarm.

"You know,", the male Kuja glanced over towards his left, "shouldn't a certain someone be doing her duty by helping in the kitchen right about now? I mean nine Pirate Crews for a total of over five thousand people? And thats not including the tribe. Thats a pretty tall order even for someone with Black Leg's skills, he should have his Sous Chef."

"Is that an order?"

The reply coming from the object of the dark haired young man's attentions who just so  happened to be a girl appearing to be in her upper teens. A girl clad in garb that mimicked that which the rest of the women of the Kuja tended to wear but in the color of the sea and without a cape which many of the tribe wore. She was tall and lanky in appearance yet none the less a female with a soft pale complexion. Her striped hat sitting on long orange tossed up into a ponytail as she lay on top of a large and fluffy cloud, arms folded under her head to support it. Grey-blue turning from the younger kids running around in the sea shallows towards the young man who'd spoken to her. "Dad has been planning the menu for this thing for weeks, like down to the last smallest bit of garnish. I know you've been away for a few years but I'd rather not get in the way of that. Besides he's got cooks from the rest of the fleet helping him, I'd just end up getting in the way.", the girl said though something that almost looked like a flash of longing passed in her gaze. It only lasted a second though.

Longing which was quickly replaced by a smile and the careless kicking of hanging bare feet hanging off the cloud. Toes scooping at warm sand with each kick. The teen not seeming all that upset by the thought of not being part of the sure to be mayhem going on elsewhere on the island as the longing was replaced.

The Kuja Prince chuckled knowingly. It may have been awhile since they'd all been together like this, true, but he knew very well each one of them shared the same thoughts on the matter. They all rather hang out with each other then help out in some way with their parent's meeting. "I feel sorry for anyone that tries to give you an order. It was just a thought.", the dark haired young man said closing his eyes adjusting himself against the tree trunk. A hand coming up to rest on the head of the oversized serpent wrapped up beside him. All the while the combined voices and presences of his friends surrounding him putting the male Kuja at an almost hypnotized ease.

[rnalnstream]

ꕤ 𝕂 𝕒 𝕟 𝕖 𝕤 𝕙 𝕠 𝕟 & 𝔸 𝕦 𝕤 𝕙 𝕒 ⊹ (Mentions Bellemere, Ace)

Zoro and Kikunojo were among the first to arrive to the island. The two of them walked close to one another, only seperated when Luffy interrupted with a brotherly embrace. "It's been ages!" He exclaimed to his friend, beaming as he looked to Kikunojo. "So glad you guys could make it out here!" While the two of them were catching up, Okiku turned her attention to a rather tall young lady with the same deep blue hair as her own. It was undoubtedly her daughter, eyes beaming brightly as she took in the land of Amazon Lily and each of their inhabitants. The two of them exchanged a few words before Kaneshon found herself running off through the sand to find the other children of her parent's friends.

The young lady was dressed in a traditional kimono, a base color of black that faded into a deep red around her neck. It was adorned with imagery of carnations, Japanese cherry blossoms, and cranes in a traditional style that looked as though it had been painted on with ink. The hems of the fabric were a stark white in contrast to the rest, only matching to the beautiful white carnation tied amongst the black and red waistband. All of the darkness in her appearance brought attention to her pale skin, practically shimmering in the light. Her lips were painted red and a black and red eyeshadow sat on her eyes. On the back of her head was yet another carnation, a beautiful pearlescent white against her blue-black hair. When she finally laid eyes upon the others her face showed obvious excitement.

"Greetings, everyone!" Kaneshon's black eyes were big and shimmering as she came to a halt before the Prince of the Kuja and who would soon be their very own chef. "Bellamere, Ace! Glad to see you guys are in good spirits. A sight for sore eyes, indeed." The words came out sweet and sing-songy, unable to control herself as she spun on her heel and leaned over the darkened Ace, waving to the snake with a careless smile. "How has time been treating you, my friends?"

Not too much later, the arrival of Franky and Robin had everyone in an uproar- the newer generation of Kuja pirates swarmed the shipwright in admiration and awe of all of his robotic parts, hardly giving them space to walk across the island as the crowd grew. It seemed easily forgiven that they were running a little behind everyone else, easily being one of the last to arrive on the island of the Kuja. Walking with this large robot was his wife, Robin, trailed close behind by a rather scrawny looking adult, which could only be amounted to her son. His blue hair was spiked up in resemblance to his father, an open blue Hawaiian shirt covered in ghosts and gravestones exposing a tanned belly. Black ripped pants were fitted tight to his skin, a pair of tall boots riding up to his mid calf. He shared the same star tattoos as Franky as well, however they were fitted beneath his collarbones in groups of two on either side. Ausha was tall and confidence, standing above his mother but still shorter than his father. The two of them seemed swallowed in the crowd, meaning a rather perfect opportunity for the young man to slip away from them without a trace. While Robin noticed and waved him goodbye to see him off, the same couldn't be said for Franky who couldn't seem to catch a break.

It wasn't long before he had found the others, sliding in beside them with a mischievous grin. "What's up!" His voice was cracked with a level of static, bright blue eyes looking over the group of three standing before him. "Hope I didn't keep y'all waitin', hate to have to wipe away any tears." He turned to Bellamere with a snort, pushing her jokingly in an attempt to knock her off of the cloud she seemed so comfortable on. "That's no fair, hoggin' all the cool weather stuff, it's my turn now!" All Keshon could do was laugh at the other's antics as she took a seat beside Ace, arms folded neatly in her lap.

"They sure are a spectacle, don't you think, Ace?"

[wolfrunner]

As chaos ruled on the island where the Straw Hat Crew members were reuniting, along the beaches peace lasted though for a short amount of time. The young man had actually started to doze off sitting where he was, hand resting on top of the snake's head scratching it on impulse. It only took a moment of a shadow resting over him to wake him causing dark eyes to open meeting another dark gaze looking down at him. "Yeah? You're one to talk, long way from Wano. Looks like the sea didn't give you problems during your trip though." Raising his arms above his head Ace stretched arching his back up off the trunk of the tree. Sitting up right, the male Kuja reached up poking the new arrival welcomingly on the forehead with a light touch of a finger. "Hey Kaneshon.", Ace greeted the new arrival to the beach.

Hearing someone arrive appeared to have been enough to shake the orange haired teen from her restful state of being as well. For Bellemere twitched before lifting her head from her arms to turn in the direction of the other two greeting each other. "Finally Keshon is here, about time. Its been too long, here I was starting to get worried.", a look of relief fell over the girl's face as she kept her attention on her friends while settling back down into the cloud hoovering just over the sand. But the Samurai wasn't the only new addition who'd would be joining them. Bellemere was just too busy right then focused on her friends already there to notice the next arrival.

Until it was far too late that is.

One moment Bellemere was lounging around watching her two friends and the next she was being playfully pushed at in what was an attempt to get her off the cloud. The culprit just as familiar and welcoming as his predecessor, and a face it had been just as equally a time since she'd seen. Only, unlike Kaneshon, this face was far louder with announcing his arrival to their beach relaxation spot. Letting out a shout of surprise the girl actually rolled a bit almost rolling off before managing to stop herself from doing so. When she rolled back propping herself up on her forearms this time, "What tears and hes my mom's partner so that means I get first dibs! This is prime relaxation terratory and a young lady should have a spot like this! You're gonna push me into the sand if you keep it up!" Bellemere wasn't going to give up her comfortable spot without some convincing as too why she should give it up, no way. The girl refused to make this game easy for the older Straw Hat offspring.

Ace chuckled watching the two messing with each other shaking his head. Ausha and Bellemere definitely were some of the more rowdy of their little group, he'd forgotten how much he'd missed it. "Yeah it doesn't look like things have changed but thats not a bad thing. Besides-", he looked over at the Samurai now sitting with him, "-we get free entertainment for awhile. But......how's things in Wano?"

[rnalnstream]

ꕤ 𝕂 𝕒 𝕟 𝕖 𝕤 𝕙 𝕠 𝕟 & 𝔸 𝕦 𝕤 𝕙 𝕒 ⊹ (Mentions Bellemere, Ace)

The dark-haired woman practically cackled when Ace's finger made contact with her forehead, a wide grin spreading across her crimson painted lips. "A long way from Wano, indeed. You barely had to take a trip to the beach, what an easy day it must have been for you." Kaneshon poked fun at him gently, nudging him with her elbow with a smile. Her attention turned to Bellemere, covering her mouth with a modest giggle to contradict her previous exclamation. "I assure you that I am alive and well, I apologize for any distress I may have caused. Wano will be Wano, after all, traffic in and out is not always an easy feat." She smiled fondly at the other woman, rolling her eyes as the other man's antics persisted.

Ausha laughed as he watched Bellamere struggle, letting out a sigh of relief and giving a shake of his head when she failed to fall off of the condensed air. "C'mon, that's no fair, I told you it's my turn!" Franky's son huffed, pouting out his lips as he began to force his way onto the cloud with her. "At least make some room for me, a lady like you don't need that much space." While it was all in good fun, Kaneshon seemed to squint at the other. "If anyone else belongs on that cloud, it's me," she remarked, looking back to Ace as he asked about her home. Ausha had completely ignored her comment, continuing to try and push his way onto the cloud. "Wano is well, thriving even. I think it is safe to say that we are doing far better than we have before." Keshon's eyes seemed to shimmer in the sun as she reminisced on where she came from. "Father fits in quite well, I think Sir Luffy would be quite happy to know that." The name had stuck from her days with Kin'emon, though she hardly noticed.

While she was had planned to continue speaking on the matter, a loud horn broke through the crowd and left the island in silence. It wasn't something that the Kuja had found, rather a treasure that Jinbei had found and decided to give to the aforementioned Luffy. Both Ausha and Kaneshon turned their heads to look, smiling wide as Straw Hat's voice spread across the beach. It was hard to miss, his voice could travel for miles. "Attention everyone! We will all be meeting on the Sunny for some much needed drinks and foooood!" The word was drug out as the Captain practically drooled, everyone laughing: typical Luffy, even in his matured age it seemed to be the only thing on his mind. As if on cue many of the members and Kuja tribe scattered through the beach began storming towards the ship, something Boa Hancock seemed to try and keep under control since it would be quite easy for others to be trampled in the ensuing mass of people. Ausha seemed to lose interest in Bellamere, gravitating towards the crowd. "Mmmm..." He licked his lips, a line of drool falling from the corner of his mouth. "Fooood..." His voice trailed off as he practically floated in the direction of Luffy's voice.

Kaneshon took her time getting to her feet, watching the blue-haired man drift off towards the ships with a small smirk. "Well, it appears that that may be our cue," she mused, adjusting her kimono and the swords on her hip before offering a hand to Ace. "Let us be on our way, yes?" Her eyes twinkled as she turned to Bellamere with a smile. "Your cloud, Bellamere, does it transport you as well? It is rather nice, I must say. We do not have such luxuries in Wano." She seemed hopeful for her own chance to ride, despite not being as direct as Ghost. Who wouldn't want to ride on a cloud, after all?

[wolfrunner]

"No!", the girl persisted fighting back retaliating trying to both keep the young man off her perch and stay on it at the same time.

Despite the antics of two of his friends, Ace appeared to ignore them tussling over room on top of the condensed air mass. Though his chuckling and side grin over at the two betrayed this. He knew full well that, eventually, Bellemere would give Ausha the room he wanted and things would quiet down again. "Thats good. A relief to hear and I'm sure Dad is going to be thrilled to hear it. He's been spending more and more time on the Sunny for the past few weeks but Mom just told me to let it go and I should understand.", letting out a sigh, "I think I get it now. All this time he's been worried about his friends. I'm not sure which one of us is happier to see you guys anymore."

Unfortunately that was where all hopes of continuing the conversation ended. For as soon as his father's voice echoed over the still air of the beach, Ace noted the familiar figure of none other then Ausha taking off along the sand. The young man blending with the rest of the excited figures headed for where the ships had been docked. "Yeah. Sure is.", the male Kuja agreed reaching up accepting Kaneshon's hand letting her pull him to his feet. Picking up his coat then, he quickly pulled the black Captain's Coat with the Kuja symbol printed on the back on slipping his arms into the sleeves. Without a word or gesture from him, the snake which had been curled up beside him in the sand stirred picking up her head watching her owner pull his coat on. Afterwards the reptilian creature silently slithered around his one leg climbing upwards until she was coiled neatly about his waist and up his back. The heaviest part of her resting accross his shoulders drapped there with a comfortable ease. She was large. Quite large at just longer then Ace was tall, still though it was no place near the serpent partnered with the young man's mother even if the potential was there as she grew.

Once Ace was ready to go it was Kaneshon's voice that caught the attention of the girl who'd been previously scuffling for her right to remain on her fluffy unnatural perch. Turning from where she watched the Shipwright take off, "If Ace is ready to go then yeah. There's no reason he can't transport all of us, it'll be faster then walking or running to the ships." Glancing down at the cloud, Bellemere removed the hat she was wearing before setting it down in front of her adding, "Isn't that right Zeus?"

When the girl spoke using a name, the cloud she had been resting on started to move despite there being not the slightest breeze to make it do so. A split second later and a face appeared appeared on the cloud,, eyes turned back to watched the girl resting on him. And to say the the mass of air seemed less then thrilled at the idea of transporting what amounted to four small adults was an understatement. "Nami told me to keep an eye on you. That's all.", Zeus pointed out glancing back at the orange haired girl wearing his hat.

"Awwww come on~! Please!?", Bellemere almost sang as she leaned down closer to her mother's partner. Eyes wide in pleading trying to appeal to the sentient thundercloud. She was trying to worm her way onto his soft side by making herself appear cute and sweet. "You carried a monster like Big Mom forever, surely the four of us are nothing compared to her. Besides. I bet Mom has tons of Black Balls and Weather Eggs with thunderclouds in them just waiting back at the Sunny just for you. Wouldn't wanna miss that now would you?", she smirked moving to sit up right already knowing the sort of answer she was going to get.

And right on cue Zeus's mood seemed to brighten as though already picturing the promised feast that awaited him. Though the cloud seemed to catch himself realizing that his thoughts had changed all thanks to the girl's words. "No fair.", Zeus narrowed his eyes at the teen, "You're just as bad as Nami."

With a triumphant smirk the eighteen year old beamed replying, "I learned from the best!" Then turning to look at Kaneshon and Ace, "Climb on guys! Let's pick up Ghost and see if we can beat any of our parents to the Sunny!"

Meanwhile at said pirate vessel the deck of the Thousand Sunny, along with several other ships around it to accommodate the large number of people, had been transformed into nothing short of a floating large mess hall. Thanks to the combined efforts of the cooks of each ship in the fleet and some of the Kuja,  tables and seating had been neatly placed along the brigantine ship's decking. Everything was just so. Something that one would consider strange for a group of pirates but this occasion wasn't exactly a normal meet up between a group of ruffians and thieves. After all, aside from the fact this would be the first time in years that it was out of the waters of the East Blue, this would be the first time in years that the Thousand Sunny had every member of her crew together on her deck. While most of the crew had remained on the large ship over the years, Zoro, Robin and Franky had been in Wano Country and Water 7 respectively to raise their families. Even Luffy hadn't spent the entirety of the past few years on their ship despite going back and forth between Amazon Lily and the ship. The greatest, longest bulk of his time was spent on the Island of Women among with Kuja raising his son with Hancock. So to finally have all of the crew back together on her again?

Even with the salty smell of the sea, the air around the ship carried the strong distinct scents of food from butter to meat. The kitchens had been more then busy all day so it was only natural the pleasant aromas had overwritten those of the island the ships were docked at. On the deck of the fleet's flagship in the middle of that aroma storm, was a familiar head of long orange hair. It was a head of hair not unlike the one belonging to the teen who'd been resting on the beach with the other newer generation of pirates, in fact this was where Bellemere got her hair. Though this particular head of orange in question was long and loose as opposed to up in a messy ponytail while she busily walked along the table making sure there would be enough seating for everyone. Attached to her hip was what appeared to be a orange and white striped tube or short baton with ball-like rounded ends.

Bellemere's mother. Nami. The Straw Hats resident Navigator.

[rnalnstream]

ꕤ 𝕂 𝕒 𝕟 𝕖 𝕤 𝕙 𝕠 𝕟 & 𝔸 𝕦 𝕤 𝕙 𝕒 ⊹ (Mentions Bellemere, Ace)

An audible gasp escaped Keshon's lips as Bellemere began talking to the cloud, eyes transfixed on it like a spell as a face appeared before her very eyes. She would blink a few times, as if trying to make sense of the spectacle before chuckling lightly. The voice of the cloud turned her giggle into a laugh. "I nearly forgot about your mother's partner, Zeus. I do not believe we have met before, it's certainly a pleasure." She gave a modest bow to the cloud, hoping to help sway him with her courtesy. Though, it proved fruitless as she watched Bellemere convince him with the mere mention of Nami's weather wizardry.

Kaneshon excitedly climbed aboard the vessel, leaning over as they passed Ausha to grab him by the collar of his hawaiian shirt. With ease the woman seemed to plop him up onto the cloud. "Huh, what?" Ghost looked around in a daze for a moment before grinning wide. "Oh, dude, sick! It got bigger." Unaware of the fact the cloud was now a sentient being, he plopped down happily into the fluff and closed his eyes. "It's everything I could have dreamed of, I can die happy" the man practically sang, snuggling into it as Kaneshon laughed at him. "You are an odd one, Ausha."

Upon arriving to the sunny, it seemed to take the blue-haired boy no time to run off into the mess of people and lose himself in the crowd, almost as if the cloud he so eagerly wanted before meant nothing to him in the grand scheme of events. There was nothing that could separate Ausha from food. A heavy sigh would pass Keshon's lips as she watched him disappear amongst the various pirates surrounding them, attention turning to the others before settling on the mass in front of her. The sheer amount of people in the fleet was extraordinary, each one a different size, color, race- not one person on this ship couldn't be amounted to something mundane. Naturally Zeus had made it his mission to find Nami, desperate for the group of three to get off of him just as much as the cyborg that already managed to vanish.

It wasn't until they had come to a complete stop did Kaneshon see the Navigator of the Straw Hat pirates, but when she did her face twisted into an eager smile. She quickly climbed off the back of the cloud, bowing her head to him with a hum. "Thank you for your services today, Zeus." With that she turned to Nami, smiling with a bit of a nervous sweat. "I do hate to trouble you, Lady Nami, but it seems we have bribed your cloud here with a..." Her gaze floated to Bellemere with a sheepish grin. "A snack, was it? A weather egg?" At this the woman seemed to laugh, nodding at the group with a smug smirk on her face. "Is that so, Bellemere?" In one way or another it seemed like she was staring daggers into the young girl before she shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I guess we can't leave him waiting, huh? It's a special day after all, maybe he deserves it."

It seemed almost out of nowhere that she pulled the egg from, Keshon watching in admiration as the lady tossed the egg in the air, catching it in her hand each time like a pitcher waiting to throw a curve ball. "Shouldn't you guys be getting ready in the mess hall anyway? I'm sure everyone's looking for you." It didn't seem like she was genuinely telling them what to do, more so suggesting the place that would make the most sense for them to be. Nami was nothing short of proficient in mind games, and growing up on Luffy's crew really did a number on her ability to trick others. "Ah!" Kaneshon exclaimed, turning to Bellemere and Ace with a large smile. "We might just find Ausha there, as well. He does have quite the nose, after all." The dark haired woman laughed modestly, holding a hand over her mouth before turning her attention to the crowd.

After a moment of thought she reached a hand out to her comrades. "I'd hate to lose all of you to this sea of allies," she cooed. "Come now, it should not be a long ways from here." And with that, she began to lead them off.

[wolfrunner]

The girl turned giving Keshon a look of confusion when she appeared entranced by Zeus.

"Homies aren't exactly normal nor common place even on the Grand Line  Bellemere. They're created with a Devil Fruit's power after all remember?", Ace reminded the teen as he circled around the opposite side from the young Samurai and the one already perched on the cloud in order to climb on himself. He wished he could have said he was surprised that the living pocket of condensed air was tasked with keeping an eye on Bellemere, and by extension the rest of their little band, but he wasn't. The dark haired didn't bring it up but he hoped that they wouldn't be stuck under Zeus's watch the entire time their parents were busy. Climbing up onto the hoovering waiting cloud, "If you're not used to them or around them enough then its easy to forget they exist. Long time no see Zeus." the last comment was directed at the cloud itself as Ace climbed up taking his place in wait.

As soon as Keshon climbed on, the orange haired teen clapped her hands together with a newly determined look in her eyes. "Now that we're all here...onwards! Hold on tight you guys!", Bellemere warned.

The sentient thundercloud sighed looking back at the trio he was carrying. "Hey watch it. Its been awhile since I've carried this many people.", said Zeus mostly to the younger of the three despite a small grin. The next moment the Homie had taken off in the direction of where Luffy's voice had echoed down the beaches, only slowing down a bit for them to nab Ausha and drag him up before continuing full speed.

The trip itself wasn't all that long. In fact in no time at all all four of the Straw Hat's offspring and their temporary guardian arrived on the lawn deck of the lion-headed vessel. The all too familiar observation deck-crow's nest rising above the rest of the ship which were paired with the furled up double sails, the largest main being plain aside from bearing the crew's Jolly Rodger and the smaller rear black and red stripped sail, being dead give aways to those approaching the line of docked ships. Unfortunately though, while Ausha had run off before they even stopped,  they weren't first as the kids had aimed to be. "Hey Mom!", Bellemere greeted sliding off of the hoovering sentient thundercloud before promptly ducking behind her friends. She peeked out cautiously from behind the two looked up at the Navigator with large grey-blue orbs trying to act as small as possible. Though her friends did provide some physical space between the adult and her, they did little to prevent Nami's glare from burrowing into her like she'd just burned herself on the stove. "I needed a way to get him to carry all of us here so....yes? I may have bribed Zeus just a little.", the teen admitted while keeping behind the Samurai and Prince just in case telling the truth was a bad idea.

Nami's rage was something to behold and another to experiance. Luckily though the Navigator didn't seem to be opposed to upholding her daughter's bribe as an large egg poped out from one end of her baton. An egg which caught the Homie's attention right away as he started asking Nami for it.

Ace, however, rolled his eyes reaching back to put a hand on top of his friend's head feeling her flinch a bit but relax under his palm not a moment after. Though before he could say anything to her, both he and the orange haired teen were dragged off by the kimono-clad member of their group in the direction of the brigantine's mess hall.

Upon arrival though the mess hall was packed. Perhaps tighter then it had ever been and not even the entirety of the fleet was packed into it. The only ones currently housed within the ship's hall were the entire ten person crew, the four offspring of her crew, Hancock, Hancock's sisters Marigold and Sandersonia, and the seven Captains of the fleet. The remaining body of the fleet were enjoying themselves along with the rest of the Kuja pirates and tribe on their own ships at the moment. But that didn't mean that the spred was no less divine. Despite his words earlier to a certain teen, Ace couldn't honestly say that he was surprised that the meal was a total success. The aroma in the air surrounding the ships had hardly been a decent indicator of the sheer quantity and quality of the spread lay out before them just patiently waiting to be indulged in. And it had been some time since the Kuja Prince had indulged in the cooking of the resident Cook of the lion-themed ship so needless to say even the dark haired young man fidgeted having a hard time restraining himself from beside his mother as Luffy got to his feet. Forcing himself to stay calm and quiet was not an easy task right then.

He found himself wondering how in the four blues Ausha was managing so much self control. It was lost in such thoughts that he was shaken from at the feeling of movement next to him. The male Kuja's father was getting to his feet.

The youngest of the four offspring at the table was situated between her parents when she felt a gentle yet pointed nudge to her side. Once everyone had taken their seats in the hall, Sanji had joined them to enjoy the feast and festivities as well. The Cook looking relaxed even with all the cooking he'd been doing and planning in order to be able to pull the feast spred off as he sat with his family. Bellemere watched the blond man for a moment before turning towards where he pointed in time to see Luffy getting to his feet.

"Welcome everyone! I'm glad everyone could finally make it!"

The room fell silent immediately as all eyes fell on Luffy. Ace and Bellemere among them watching the fleet's Senior Captain who held both their attention with long gained ease. The man who gave the fleet it's name himself though appeared distracted as he turned his head looking about the mess hall.

"This ship...its special. Years ago seven of us had to say good-bye to a special friend that had carried us through our earliest adventures before we actually knew what we were doing. We were nothing but a bunch of trouble-prone rookies from the East Blue running rampant through Paradise back then and it showed. Yet with everything we put her through she had each and every one of our backs up until the day she used the last bit if strength in her to save us one more time when we would have otherwise had our journey cut short by the World Government. We wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for her." Luffy turned from looking around the hall to grin wide at Franky then. "I'm sure I'm not the only one that had my doubts before meeting her but a certain eighth member of our crew somehow managed to capture every bit of the Going Merry into this ship. Though thats not what makes this ship special. Its not special because of what she can do." The hat-wearing man turned back eyeing everyone gathered around the mess hall table watching and listening. Each set of eyes focused on him a set of friendly familiar ones holding shared memories of good and not so great times on the seas. Some of those moments as a group, while others still were a bit more personal. "Shes not special because she's the ship we found the One Piece with. Shes not special because she's the ship the world sees as our ship. Shes not special because she carries on the spirit of Merry in her own way. This ship is where we welcomed three of our crew  and had adventures with so many friends gathered here on Amazon Lily today. This ship is where four new members of our family were born. This ship is home and she belongs on the sea, which is why-", Luffy's smile  widened to a giant mischievous smirk turning knowing eyes towards the Captains of the other ships in the fleet, "-when the fleet heads out leaving Amazon Lily for the New World you all won't be going alone."

Sanji, Brook, Chopper, Jinbe, Usopp, Cavendish, Sai, Ideo, Leo, Bartolomeo, Hajrudin, Orlumbus and Bellemere all looked up startled at the Senior Captain's words.

Ace, meanwhile, looked to his mother and aunts whom all appeared perfectly calm as if they knew beforehand  this was going to be the Pirate King's announcement.

[rnalnstream]

ꕤ 𝕂 𝕒 𝕟 𝕖 𝕤 𝕙 𝕠 𝕟 & 𝔸 𝕦 𝕤 𝕙 𝕒 ⊹ (Mentions Bellemere, Ace)

The mess hall was decorated with velvet red curtains and a golden hem, supplied and crafted by no other than the Kuja tribe. Everything was elaborately decked out in treasure and expensive wares, giving each of the guests nothing less of a VIP experience. Ausha had found himself there sooner than the others, the smell of food a simple trick as the man reached the main entrance and noticed that the tables were completely empty other than silverware, plates, and glasses at each seat. His nose had carried him through many people, various pirates shouting at him to watch where he's going in the process of making it there, so to say it was a disappointment was nothing short of an understatement for the blue-haired man. It wasn't long before he was pulled to a seat between Franky and Robin, the two parents seemingly excited to see he had made it there. "Where are your friends at?" Robin inquired upon her son's lonely arrival. Despite the food being brought out to be placed on the table before his very eyes, Ghost could do nothing but drool and complain about his hunger as he waited to devour the course before him. His stomach was nothing short of Luffy's bottomless pit- it seemed as though he could eat forever.

By the time Keshon and the others had arrived, the room was bustling with far more people as the aromatic smells filled each pirate's nose. They couldn't help but gravitate there, and just in time it seemed. As Keshon took her seat beside her mother and father Luffy began his raised glass speech, leaving the once bustling room in an echoed silence as the captain's voice bounced across the dining room.

To say everyone was in shock was an understatement. "Whatdya mean, Mister Luffy?" Bartolomeo's voice was the first one to break the silence, face showing obvious distress as the other captains looked toward the rubber man. "There's no 'what I mean'!" Luffy exclaimed boldly, looking to his crew with a sparkle in his eye. "My crew and I are going out one last time, for old time's sake." While some of the members seemed to light up in excitement, others looked at each other in distress- two of which being Franky and Robin. Their attention quickly turned to their son who wasn't paying to anything but the food set before him. However, Kaneshon turned to her friends with excitement at the idea. Her parents also seemed delighted, Zoro sharing a few words with Kikunojo quietly.

For a brief moment there would be an awkward silence, but of course, Luffy would be the one to break it. "C'mon, guys, it wont be that bad! Cheer up a little bit, think it over with some music, food, and drinks!" Luffy's gaze turned to Brook who, without hesitation, began to play the piano. Seems like the Soul King was also in on it, as there was no look of worry or concern over the skeleton's face. "Now, let's get this party started!" The captain declared, slamming a cup down loudly on the table. Everyone relaxed a little bit at the notion, gathering around to grab food for themselves. Ausha was devouring any food that he could reach, grabbing lots of extras before running off from his parents to find a good spot to sit. Kaneshon on the other hand watched him retreat, taking it upon herself to find both Ace and Bellemere and show them to where Ausha had created a mini stockpile of food.

After they were all settled and eating in their corner away from the table, the samurai spoke up. "So what did we think about the announcement?" She started, taking a small bite of rice from her plate as she looked between the three members. Ausha waved her off to continue eating, though she was sure the others would at least offer a response. "Our friend doesn't seem to have noticed what happened, but Ace, were you aware of these events? I was certain that they were ready to retire from these seas, father has not spoke of leaving Wano in many years."