Last chapter of this arc - we have 7 chapters left of another arc, and then Maria disappears from the One Piece dimension for a bit.

chaosrin - I was thinking, when I originally created Maria as a character, that she could be a Keyblade Wielder, I'll admit that. However, as I came up with Maria back in 2012...I'm not about to change who she has been for the last five years. I'm kinda stuck in that. And Maria doesn't normally summon Pokemon allies - this was...kind of an exception to that. This'll probably be a one-time thing, honestly, because she normally doesn't call on friends from other dimensions for help. It's...mostly been her using her abilities. And it's going to keep being her using her abilities, unless I feel the need to break the plot, which won't be often.

Chapter 162 (or 22) – Onto the New World!

Maria's POV

Well, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji apparently did manage to find the treasure in the end.

Lugia left before we got the news of what happened afterwards. I think that was a good thing, considering that he was going to tell others that I was getting myself into trouble all over again and Pika was going to be very annoyed with me.

As if having a helicopter Legendary was bad enough – that Pikachu could become just as worried!

Bad thing about what had happened was not only did Luffy give it away – much to Nami's ire – but we also ended up getting the attention of one of the Four Emperors.

And not just any one of the Four Emperors. I'm talking about Big Mam – Charlotte Linlin – the very Pirate Emperor who had been protecting the island before we got here!

"She said she was gonna destroy the island if she couldn't get her sweets!" Luffy snapped at Nami and Neptune. "Can you believe how crazy she is?! I mean – if it were meat, I could understand!"

I facepalmed at Luffy's words. Luffy, you're just as bad as she may as well be with the sweets.

"But don't worry," Luffy added. "I really stood up to her!"

"You stood up to one of the Four Emperors?!" Usopp, Chopper, and Brook were panicked about that, which I can't really blame them – we're talking about someone who is up at the top of the food chain in the New world; it's probably gonna be hard to stand up to them!

"You talked back to Big Mam?!" Jimbei yelped.

And his reaction was understandable, too, because he probably has seen what any one of the Four Emperors are capable of.

"Wow, you are so tough, Luffy-sama!" Shirahoshi marveled.

"That's not the point!" Usopp screeched.

…which only caused Shirahoshi to start crying. "Nose-pp-sama is scary!"

"My name is Usopp!" Usopp lost his anger. "Okay, I'm sorry!"

"Boy, that's not good," Jimbei muttered.

"You're telling me," I agreed. "The New World just got a lot more dangerous for all of us."

Jimbei muttered something else under his breath that I didn't catch before looking at Luffy pointedly. "You guys should not do anything to make Big Mam angrier!"

"We won't!" Usopp yelped. "We're all gonna get killed since she's one of the Four Emperors!"

"Well, he had no choice, though," Sanji commented casually.

"What's done is done," Zoro agreed.

"I guess it was a tit-for-tat situation so you couldn't help fighting with her." Nami approached Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy, and I made sure I was as far away from them as I possibly could be.

I'm glad I did, because she hit all three of them with her fist and a lightning bolt.

"Why did you give all the treasures away?!" Nami roared.

Yup. Of course she'd be mad about that. She was probably going to cry over the fact that we're going to be hunted by one of the Four Emperors sooner or later.

Luffy staggered to his feet, covered in bruises. "All right! Leff's go thew the New World!" His lips were swollen horribly.

"We have no future ahead of us!" Usopp, Chopper, and Brook were definitely already panicking.

I sighed and shook my head, folding my arms across my chest as Robin laughed. "Oh come on, guys…did you really think that things were gonna be that easy?"

"Apparently not," Robin remarked. She looked at me with a more serious gaze. "And what about your goal? Finding your counterpart who has been wandering about on our world?"

"I don't expect it to be hard, but after Marineford I think her resolve is going to be waffling a bit – especially since her crew is still alive despite everything that's happened." I frowned. "Still, though, to have her timeline loop around through mine like it did is…strange. The Continuum Shift I caused to stop that one group must have caused her timeline to go slightly unstable, which explains why Airam and Myra could exist at the same time. She must have ended up in the Shattered Glass dimension after we split, and then ended up in that One Piece dimension that the World Collision started from….Tch." My expression hardened. "Those Dark Arms really did a number on her, as well as the multiverse."

"I can't wait to see what it is that you plan on doing with her," Robin said with a knowing gleam in her eye.

We were given a ride to where Sunny was docked at the edge of the island on the royal gondola, which was awesome. Franky was already out there waiting for us because he needed to make sure he knew how to get us up to the surface.

In the New World.

I still couldn't quite believe it – we'd managed to get to the halfway point of Luffy's journey. There wasn't much left now, and things were going to get more fun – and more dangerous – from here.

Shirahoshi was tearful as always – especially since we were leaving and she didn't really want us to.

"We just became friends! Stay here at least one more day! No! A week! No! A year!"

"You've been crying since the first time we met, Cry-hoshi!" Luffy commented.

"I-I am sorry! I will stop being a crybaby!" Shirahoshi tried to pull back her tears.

I stood on the deck watching, but my gaze moved to Sanji as he started dancing around at Shirahoshi crying about us leaving.

"Sanji, don't make this out to be overly romantic," I said flatly. "She has to be younger than you by a couple years at least."

Sanji ended up ignoring me as he and Brook attempted to serenade the mermaids seeing us off in their own way before Zoro got Sanji's attention by calling him "Nosebleed-kun." It's pretty easy to guess how well he took that.

While Zoro and Sanji fought across the deck – I knew they would settle things between themselves eventually – I leaned over the railing and listened as the Minister of the Left told Nami about the new Log Pose that she was going to be using. Choices for multiple routes on account of how magnetic levels changed on the islands themselves?

That could be useful.

Or, in Luffy's case, simply tell us where we could go for our next adventure by taking the wiggling needle which the Minister of the Left said was where the danger was.

And he definitely saw that opportunity by wrapping his neck around Nami like a snake to get a closer look at the Log Pose.

"That one in the middle is wobbling a lot! That must be where the party is!" Luffy said cheerily as Nami cried in fear.

I shook my head from where I stood on Sunny's deck as Nami grabbed Luffy's neck and started to strangle him. Robin giggled from where she stood next to me as Zoro smirked.

"Sounds like we've got our destination set, huh?" I looked over at Robin.

"Indeed," Robin agreed. "Perhaps your friend is causing trouble there?"

"Hm. Maybe; I wouldn't put it past her to get involved in something that'd get Luffy's attention. Or cause something to happen that get our attention."

"All right, everyone!" Franky called. "We're ready to go!"

We looked over at Franky as he moved away from the helm to stand next to Den, the merman who'd coated our ship.

"Den-san taught me how to ascend too!" Franky gave a thumbs-up. "Shall we go?"

Luffy laughed. "Let's go!"

As everyone else not already on the ship scrambled up, Camie, Hachi, and Pappagg moved out of the crowd waving at us.

"I'm gonna help with repairing the factory!" Hachi called. "Are you gonna be okay without a guide?"

"We're fine!" Luffy replied. "We had a lot of fun on our way here!"

"Funny way of defining fun," I commented dryly.

Usopp and Chopper roared angrily about ending up in hell eventually; I rolled my eyes at their angry dramaticism.

"Everybody! Come visit someday!" the mermaids called from below.

"I'll come back!" Sanji called, lovestruck. "You're the All Blue of my heart!"

"What a cheap dream," Zoro muttered.

Fukaboshi came up next to our ship and shook Luffy's hand; our captain's hand disappeared inside the prince's. "All I want to say is 'Thank you'! I will pray for your safe trip."

Luffy nodded.

"Next time we see you, we will lead the strongest army on the sea floor!" Manboshi declared, popping up. "Ooh, Mambo!"

"He's right!" Ryuboshi popped up as well. "We will become greater than the Great Knight Neptune-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do!"

Luffy laughed. "Can't wait!"

I gave a thumbs-up and grinned.

"Jimbei!"

I turned my head at Luffy's call as the princes pulled back and caught sight of Jimbei standing near the shore, his usual gruff expression on his face before he smiled and nodded.

Luffy matched his smile with a grin, then turned to the rest of us. "All right! Spread the sail! Let's go!"

As one, we promptly moved about the deck, getting the ship's sails unfurled and started to move it towards Fishman Island's single entrance and exit as the crowd seeing us off waved and called their farewells.

The cheering had all but stopped – and then Shirahoshi suddenly surfaced next to Sunny. "Luffy-sama!"

"Cry-hoshi!" Luffy yelped as our ship rocked, sending him falling to the deck face-first while the rest of us managed to barely keep our balance.

"Shirahoshi-chan!" Sanji's "love tornado" legs were back in action.

"If I can see you again someday, I promise I won't be a crybaby!" Shirahoshi promised. "Take me out for a fun stroll again!"

"A stroll?" Luffy repeated. "Do you wanna go to your mother's grave again?"

"No, I wanna go somewhere further next time! I want to go to a real forest above ground!"

"Oh, yeah, you've never been out of the sea, have you?"

Never been out of the sea? Well, I could see why because who was going after her for the last ten years.

Luffy grinned. "Okay, fine! I'll take you there next time!"

Shirahoshi smiled, wiping her tears away as she held out her other hand, closing most of her fingers except for her pinky. "Will you promise?"

"Yeah, trust me!" Luffy swung his pinky around Shirahoshi's large finger. "I promise!"

"Hey, Luffy!" Nami called. "We have to help you keep that promise!"

"Luffy-san, a promise is something you have to keep ay any cost," Brook agreed.

"I think he knows that, guys," I commented. I moved forward and put my pinky against Shirahoshi's. "But I'm gonna promise, too."

"Maria-sama!"

The others came over and put their pinkies against Shirahoshi's as well.

Robin smiled. "We all promised her, so—"

"—We won't let her down!" Brook finished.

"We promise!" we chorused.

Shirahoshi's tears were falling freely. "E-everybody!"

"So don't cry anymore!" Luffy said.

Shirahoshi wiped away her tears again. "Okay!"

Shirahoshi let go of the boat and pulled away, letting us move towards the main entrance and leave Fishman Island behind.

Sanji sighed happily and collapsed onto the deck. "I had a wonderful time! The Mermaid Paradise!"

I laughed and shook my head. "Yeah, it was a nice place to stop and get some rest before we kept going."

"Now everybody, pull yourself together!" Nami called. "There is no safe place once we sail out!" She looked out at the water that – once again – surrounded our bubbled ship. "We have to pass through dark water again!"

Franky smirked and threw a bunch of wooden blocks connected together by rope out into the water, which only got me to look at him in confusion.

"What's that, Franky?" Usopp asked.

"I'm gonna make the ship float with buoyant square logs of hollow Banyan," Franky explained with a grin. "I can adjust the speed by how many I put out."

"That's pretty cool," I commented.

"What's the matter, Luffy?" Zoro looked over at Luffy as he stood at the figurehead.

"If we ascend here…" Luffy took off his hat and looked at it. "We'll be at the sea where Shanks is!"

Ah, yeah – the pirate who had given Luffy his hat…and the guy who had been at Marineford right when we were leaving. A part of me wondered what he was going to be like, when we finally found him.

"I wanna see him!" Luffy declared. "Once we pass through this deep sea, we'll get to the ultimate sea!"

"Finally!" Zoro grinned. "I'll cut everything away!"

"Wait for me, Laboon!" Brook called. "One more half to go!"

"Count on me!" Nami smirked. "I'll navigate you anywhere you want!"

"That's right!" Franky declared. "The Sunny can do it!"

"I'll heal you no matter how wounded you are!" Chopper called.

"We'll never go hungry while I'm here," Sanji added.

"You've got the warrior of the sea here too!" Usopp yelled.

Robin laughed.

"Wait for me, Airam," I said with a determined look. "I'll get you back what you've been missing – and hopefully bring you back to your senses!"

Luffy laughed and threw his arms back. "Let's go, guys! To the New World!"

Space Rip

::And you're certain that these devices will keep them in check::

"Absolutely."

::Hmm…I am going to need test subjects, you realize::

"Well, obviously. Zihi! And I can think of a few people who you might be able to get as excellent guinea pigs. They should be coming up through to the New World and reach this island soon. I could bring them here if you wanted me to."

::…very well. Do what you must::

"Zihihihihihihihi! You won't regret it, Vegapunk!"

Space rip – Maria's POV

Getting back up to the surface was…interesting.

"What the heck, guys?" I came back up from the stores belowdecks, carrying a small booklet with me that I'd found on one of the crates. "Can't we get to our next destination without getting the ship tossed around? What just happened?"

"Maria!" Nami glared down at me from one of the upper decks. "Where were you when these morons decided they wanted to go deep-sea fishing, and then we ended up getting caught up in a Whitestrom?!"

"A what?" I frowned. "I was checking something out – Shakky said she'd found a way to make something with the Berries that were on my trees in the last couple of years; I just wanted to know what it was! How was I supposed to know that they were gonna pull something like that?"

"Hey, what's that black wall?"

I turned my head at Luffy's question, only to wince as loud screams of fear rocketed across the deck when a large eye opened up and looked down at us.

"A monster!" everyone screamed.

I winced at the screams; it'd been a lot more quiet down in the stores with the crates of food and drink.

The eye looked at us for a moment, then closed and the "black wall" moved out of the way, flapping a fin at us.

Wait, a fin?

Robin had caught on. "Wait, don't tell me it's—"

A loud, low tone echoed through the water, causing me to wince at it and cover my ears.

"I can hear it singing!" Nami's voice was muted over the noise. "It must be…."

The large sea creature moved far enough away from us that we were able to see what exactly it was – a large whale. And there wasn't just that one, either.

"Wow, it's a pod of whales!" Luffy marveled. He noticed one whale in particular. "Oh, those scars! Wait – Laboon?!"

"What?" I blinked in surprise as Brook started tearing up.

"Laboon! You got so much bigger!" the skeleton cried.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Usopp replied. "Laboon should be in the first half of the Grand Line. He's gigantic! He can't fit through a hole in the Red Line!"

Ah.

"It's like a miracle to come across a pod of Island Whales," Robin marveled.

"Some of them have scars like Laboon," Zoro noted.

"Yeah, the scars look the same!" Luffy agreed. "I can't believe it! But it's not Laboon?!"

Brook started tearfully singing Binks' Sake. "Laboon! Stop! Listen to me! It's me from the Rumbar Pirates! Brook!"

"Come to your senses!" Usopp shook the skeleton. "That's a different whale!"

"Laboon!"

"We're not a whale watching crew!" Sanji burst out. "It's still dangerous out here! Let me call roll to make sure no one got lost in the whirlpool! Nami-san!"

"Yes!" Nami called.

"Maria-san!"

"Right over here, cook," I replied, giving a nod from where I stood near the main mast. I knew where this was gonna go.

"Robin-chan!"

"Here," Robin replied calmly.

"Okay, we gotta get out of here now! The ship will be destroyed if those giant whales crash into us!" Sanji pointed ahead dramatically.

"Why didn't you call our names?!" Chopper cried.

"Sanji-kun!" Usopp cried. "Six more of us are alive and well here too!"

"Nami-san, what should we do?" Sanji was really trying to take action here.

Nami considered his question, then answered, "Let's not do anything."

"Yeah, we shouldn't do anything, fools! Let's watch the whales now!"

I facepalmed with the booklet I'd found in the storeroom.

"What's that, Maria?"

I looked up at Usopp's question. "Oh, this? It's something that Shakky left me in one of the storerooms. Apparently, she found out a way to make my Berries into alcoholic drinks and left me the instructions." I lifted the booklet as proof.

Zoro's head nearly turned one hundred eighty degrees to stare at me with that gleam in his eye he gets whenever anyone mentions booze. "I think I'd like to try some of that."

"Later," I said. "I think we don't need you inebriated while we're trying to get up to the surface."

"These giant whales are creating a current, so it'd be dangerous to go against it," Nami called. "Tighten the sails! Turn the ship in the direction the whales are heading!"

We quickly moved to do just that as Brook started calling to the whales, asking if they'd lost a calf fifty years ago and telling them that Laboon was doing okay on the other side of the world.

And, once we'd managed to get the ship going in the fight direction, we could hear Brook singing Binks' Sake from the mast on the back of the ship.

The whales certainly seemed to like it – one of them even bumped up under us and let Sunny rest on his head like when Surume had brought us down to Fishman Island.

"Looks like they're going upward too!" Nami commented.

"Lucky break for us, then," I commented. "We'll be up at the surface in less time than if we were just trying to get up there on our own."

Nami nodded in agreement as Brook finished up his song.

It didn't take long before the sea started to lighten up; I could see beams of sunlight coming down above us.

"It's the New World, the final sea of the Grand Line, up above us!" Nami exclaimed.

"I can't wait!" Luffy grinned, then ran up and jumped onto the figurehead.

His excitement was infectious.

"Let's do it, guys! Ten!"

We started counting down as we very, very quickly started to reach the surface.

"Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"

We exploded out onto the surface—

And we were instantly pelted with rain and lightning as the surface of the sea rocked with the force of a storm.

"We're out!" Luffy called.

"In the New World!" the rest of us joined together over the calls of the Island Whales.

"We did it!" Luffy exclaimed.

"We finally made it!" Franky called.

"This isn't time to celebrate yet!" Usopp yelled.

The bubble popped.

We dropped down to the ocean's surface, very quickly getting us all sopping wet from the force of the water raining down on us.

"I had heard about it, but it's more than I expected!" Usopp yelped. "The New World has really bad weather!"

Brook laughed. "The sky is filled with thunder!"

"The wind is so strong!" Robin said with a smile.

The sea is very rough!" Franky called from the helm. I could tell he was grinning.

"The needle is going crazy!" Nami reported as she looked at her new Log Pose.

"I can see red waters ahead!" Chopper reported.

"A raging ocean of fire!" Sanji was grinning.

"It's like we're standing at the gates of hell!" Zoro's grin was just as wide.

I cracked my knuckles, grinning. "Let's see what monsters are waiting within to welcome us here!"

"Bring it on!" Luffy crowed from the figurehead.

Well, hello, New World. Let's see what you've got waiting for us!

And that finishes this arc! The next one is going to be an original arc, called Dark Tech, for reasons that you are going to learn about when we get there.

7 chapters - 1 more this week and then 2 more weeks. I'll have this done by the end of the first week of January.