One Piece: The Dressrosa Challenges

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Jupiter, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, and Rita © Me

Summary- The Straw Hats continue their voyage through the New World…this time with some new friends (and an enemy) in tow! After negotiations with Law, Doflamingo is forced to give up his title as Warlord in exchange for Caesar Clown! The Straw Hats find themselves on an adventure in a country of passion, fairy tales…and toys? However, things might not go as easy as they had planned, especially when Luffy and Blizzard enter a tournament where the prize is the late Portgas D. Ace's Devil Fruit: the Flame-Flame Fruit!

BEFORE WE BEGIN, I just wanna say this: I know I said I'd wait, but then I decided to at least get SOME of this up before summer's end. This arc is a REAL LONG one, okay? And I might be really busy in the fall.

Ch. 1- His Pace

When we last left the Straw Hat Pirates, Caesar had been abducted by a mysterious pirate known as Breed, who planned to turn all the world into animals using the SMILE Devil Fruits Caesar created and control them. However, Luffy, Law, Jupiter, Nami, Chopper, and Blizzard, along with the help of the Kung-Fu Dugong an his pirate crew of animals, make quick work of him. After parting ways with their new animal friends, the Straw Hats finally receive news of Donquixote Doflamingo's resignation from the Seven Warlords!

Now, all the world is an uproar. Even a great tidal wave that engulfs thee town starts off as a tiny ripple, lapping against the shore, unnoticed.

In one country, where explosions and cries of anger fill the atmosphere, two men are seen, trying contact someone on a Transponder Snail.

"Hey!" one man with a scar on his face shouted. "What does this mean for our weapons deal with the Donquixote Family?!"

"I'm trying to get in touch with them, I swear!" said another man with a bandana around his head. "But no one's picking up! What do we do?!"

"This all has to be a fucking joke! Without those weapons from Doflamingo, the war is lost!"

Outside…a huge war raged on. Men and even women fighting one another…and a little girl, her clothes tattered and full of holes, sobs as she holds her doll, unable to find her parents.

XXX

Somewhere on a snowy island, a familiar pink-haired woman is seen, sitting alone as she wears a brown, hooded coat…munching on a slice of pizza as she looks at the newspaper.

XXX

In a different town, the people are in an uproar about the news of Doflamingo's resignation.

"Those rookies from the Worst Generation are teaming up, now! You can't tell me he doesn't have something up his sleeve!"

XXX

In another part of the New World, Jimbei sits as he glares at the newspaper with shadowed eyes.

XXX

Somewhere else, a crew of pirates are also seen, panicking about the situation…but one with slicked-back hair remained surprisingly calm as he took a drag from his cigar.

"Doflamingo left the Seven Warlords!"

"But why?! Don't we have any more information?!"

"…Things are taking an interesting turn," said the mysterious, cigar-chomping man. "This is probably what you were saying two years ago…eh, Whitebeard?"

XXX

Meanwhile, at the Kidd Pirates hideout…

"HOW IN THE HELL DID WORD OF OUR ALLIANCE LEAK OUT?!" shouted "Scratchmen" Apoo. "JUST WHO THE FUCK IS THIS FREELANCE WRITER, ABSA?!"

"Anytime there's an exclusive scoop these days, he's behind it," said Basil Hawkins.

"I don't give a damn about the leak," said Eustass "Captain" Kidd, looking at the newspaper. "The real problem here is Straw Hat and Trafalgar! They're clearly after one of the Four Emperors, like us! The question is…which one?!"

XXX

In Dressrosa, the people are still gathered outside the palace, shouting out to Doflamingo.

"Your Majesty!"

"What's going on?!"

"Why did you resign from the Seven Warlords?!"

"Please, answer us!"

Inside the palace, Sugar squats in front of at least twenty Transponder Snails, which are ringing off the hook. Meanwhile, Doflamingo stands before the Transponder Snail that Law gave him.

"…Hey," he said with a toothy grin. "It's me…I quit the Seven Warlords."

XXX

The Straw Hats gasped as they heard Doflamingo's voice on the Transponder Snail.

"EEK!" Chopper cried. "IT'S HIM!"

"H-he actually picked up?!" Brook questioned.

"So that's Mister Mingo?" Aika asked, holding Robin's hand.

"Shhh~!" Usopp shushed. "E-e-everyone be quiet! He'll hear us!"

"HELLO?!" Luffy shouted, taking the receiver. "THIS IS MONKEY D. LUFFY, FUTURE PIRATE KING!"

"DIDN'T I JUST TELL YOU TO BE QUIET?!" Usopp questioned, smacking Luffy in the back of his rubbery head.

"HEY, MINGO!" Luffy shouted. "So you're the guy who's in charge of this bastard, Caesar, huh?! The one who's been all kinds of messed-up shit to Brownbeard, those kids, AND my little sister, Aika, right?!"

"Luffy, don't tell him that!" Nami shouted. "Another thing! Stop cursing in front of Aika!"

"We're giving Caesar back, since that was our deal!" Luffy shouted. "But if you ever pull that kinda crap again, I'll kick your ass from here to Kingdom Come! YOU GOT IT?!"

A pause…but then Doflamingo was heard snickering.

"What's with that snickering?" Blizzard asked with a sneer.

"Straw Hat Luffy…I've been wondering what happened to you during those two years since your brother's tragic death. So tell me…where've you been?"

"That's…none of your business!" Luffy answered. "Rayleigh told me not to say!"

"HE ALSO TOLD YOU NOT TO MENTION HIS NAME TO ANYONE SUSPICIOUS, YOU DUMBASS!" Blizzard shouted in comical anger.

"Hehehehehe…Straw Hat…I've been eager to meet you," Doflamingo spoke. "You see…it just so happens I have something for you…something that I reckon you'd be desperate to get your hands on."

A pause…but then Luffy swallowed as his mouth started watering and his stomach began rumbling.

"H…hey," the Straw Hats Captain said. "Tell me…how good is that meat you've got, huh?!"

"Stop it, Straw Hat-ya!" Law shouted, pulling Luffy away. "Don't give him to his pace!"

"One chunks of meat…two chunks of meat…!" Luffy said, drooling.

"Snap out of it, Luffy!" Usopp shouted, shaking him and slapping him in the face. "It's Doflamingo's deadly Pace Attack!"

"Usopp, no!" Aika cried. "Stop it! Don't hit Big Brother!"

"Sorry, Aika, but it's the only way!" Usopp rebuked.

"Don't you try and change the subject, Joker!" Law barked. "We'll give back Caesar, as we agreed."

"That's a smart move, for your own sake," Doflamingo spoke. "If you try and run away on me after all this, even you know what kind of shit you'll be in if you do."

"…Big Sis Nami," Aika said, nervously. "What does he mean?"

"I…I don't know, honey," Nami answered.

"Now then," Doflamingo started, "show me that my valuable business partner is unharmed."

Law nodded before pointing the receiver at Caesar, who is still locked in a cage.

"JOKER!" Caesar cried. "I can't believe you actually resigned, all for little ol'-"

"Eight hours from now," Law started, "we will be at Greenbit, the lone island just north of Dressrosa! On the beach of the southeastern shore, that is where we'll leave Caesar at 3 o'clock this afternoon. You may retrieve him at your leisure. There will be no further contact."

"Hehehe…what a shame!" Doflamingo spoke. "I was actually hoping to share a drunk with, now that you're all grown up-"

"QUICK! HANG UP!" Luffy shouted as he hung up the snail…his eyes turning into smoking slabs of meat. "Oh, man…that was close. We almost fell that 'pace' thing of his again."

"…Uh…Big Brother," Aika muttered. "Your eyes."

"Wait a minute!" Sanji exclaimed. "We didn't even specify the number of men he could bring!"

"Oh, crap, he's right!" Usopp cried. "What if he shows up with his entire crew?!"

"Even if he does," Law started, "it won't be a problem."

"What do you mean?" Nami asked.

"For the purposes of the plan," Law explained, "handing over Caesar is already just a decoy."

"So what you're saying is that the plan is to destroy that SMILE Factory of his while he's busy with Caesar?" Usopp inquired.

"Exactly," Law said, Jupiter standing behind him. "The problem is we don't know where it could be."

"How hard could it be to find something so huge as a factory?" Franky asked. "It'll be SUPER obvious! One laser beam, and BLAM! It's gone!"

"YEAH, BOSS!" Usopp and Chopper cheered as they struck the "Franky Pose" together.

"However," Law started, "that was the only piece of information I couldn't glean."

"The factory must be important, right?" Aika asked.

"Yeah, there must be some kind of secret behind it," Nami added.

"Law-dono!" Kin'emon exclaimed. "You spoke of Greenbit, but-"

"Don't worry," Law assured. "We'll land the ship in Dressrosa."

"Hey, Traffy! Juppy!" Luffy said. "Have you ever been there before? Dressroba or whatever it is?"

"Dressroba?" Robin repeated, imagining an old woman in frilly dress.

"It's Dressrosa," Law corrected, "and no, we haven't."

"Yeah, as far as we know, it's where he rules," Jupiter added.

"In that case, we can think of a plan when we get there!" Luffy exclaimed, his hands behind his head in his usual devil-may-care style. "Shishishishi! I smell an adventure coming up!"

"Yeah! Adventure!" Aika exclaimed with Kumi barking in agreement. "I can't wait!"

"I hope we get to see that Wano place, too!" Luffy said.

"Idiot!" Law barked. "Don't go making decisions like that without making a plan first!"

"Hey, Sanji!" Luffy called as he ran to the kitchen. "I'm starving! What's for breakfast?!"

"Sandwiches," Sanji answered as he and the rest of the Straw Hats, plus Kin'emon and Momonosuke, followed.

"Ooh!" Chopper chirped. "Can I have a cotton candy sandwich?!"

"I'll have tea with mine," Robin added.

"And cola with mine!" Franky exclaimed.

"Can I have cookies with my sandwiches?" Aika asked.

"And I'll have milk with mine," Brook said.

"I'll have me a peanut butter sandwich," Blizzard added.

"What are these 'sandwiches' of which you speak?" Momonosuke asked, still in his Dragon Form.

A pause…but then Law seethed.

"I hate bread!" he shouted, only to gasp in comic shock.

"…I guess Joker's pace isn't the only thing we need to worry about, huh?" Jupiter asked.

XXX

Later on, the Straw Hats and company are in the kitchen, feasting on Sanji's sandwiches. As they did, Kin'emon told them of how he came to Punk Hazard to rescue his son.

"You were chased, Mister Kin?" Aika asked, eating one of those cream-filled sandwich cookies. "How come?"

"Forgive me, O fair Princess Aika," Kin'emon answered, "but I cannot reveal why I was being chased, but for the record, I first took to the sea to reach a location known as Zou!"

"Zou?" Law repeated, eating onigiri while Jupiter ate a raw sheep's shank.

"Hmm?" Kin'emon hummed. "Do you happen to know of it, Law-dono?"

"It's probably a coincidence," Law said as Luffy leaned out front of him, grabbing himself a handful of sandwiches before sitting back down. "After handing over Caesar to Joker and destroying the SMILE Factory, Jupiter and I were heading for Zou next. The rest of our crew is there."

URP! Brook let out a noisy belch, to Nami's irritation.

"Gross, Brook!" she shouted as she punched him in the face.

"Is this the truth?!" Kin'emon asked. "If that is the case, may I request that Momonosuke and I accompany you?!"

"Sure thing!" Luffy answered with his mouthful. "Then we can all go to Wano together, too!"

"Yeah! Let's go there next!" Aika said, giving a slice of ham from the sandwiches to Kumi.

"Wait a minute!" Law shouted. "Don't I get a say in this?!"

"There were once four of us, heading to Zou," Kin'emon explained. "3 samurai, myself included, and Momonosuke. However, fate cruelly shipwrecked us and only three of our group washed up Dressrosa."

"It was there that we were harangued by those Doflamingo vagabonds," said Momonosuke, "and I sought refuge by hiding on a most peculiar ship! On said ship, I met the children who were being taken to that accursed island, and before I knew it, the ship had set sail, taking me with it!"

A brief image of Momonosuke in his human form appears, standing at the back of the ship, waving out to Kin'emon.

"Father!"

"AAH! Momonosuke!"

"As I rushed after my son," Kin'emon continued, "my fellow samurai, Kanjuro, protected me and was taken prisoner!"

"Go after Momonosuke!" a voice called in Kin'emon's memory. "Spare me not a single thought!"

"It was he who made it possible for me to track down Momonosuke!" Kin'emon exclaimed with tears in his eyes. "Therefore, I must return to Dressrosa and save him before all is lost! I am honor-bound to do so!"

"BWAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Franky and Chopper sobbed. "WHAT A MAN YOU ARE, KANJURO!"

"I'm in!" Luffy exclaimed. "Let's go save that guy!"

"Yeah!" Aika chirped. "Let's save him!"

"Now hold on!" Law shouted. "Don't lost sight of why we're really going there!"

XXX

Meanwhile, in the New World, close to the Red Line, where the new Marine HQ is located, Commodore Brannew is speaking with his Marine comrades about the recent news.

"The Seven Warlords of the Sea," he began, "are named so because there are only 7 in the world! They are pirates, chosen by the World Government and given license to pillage without retribution by the authorities, and in return, they must provide two things: overwhelming strength and great infamy! Their association with the Government is meant to serve as a threat to other pirates of the world! First, we have the World's Greatest Swordsman, Dracule 'Hawkeye' Mihawk. Next, we have the current King of Dressrosa and the so-called Champion of Evil, 'Heavenly Demon' Donquixote Doflamingo. Then, there is the Government's human weapon, Bartholomew Kuma 'the Tyrant'. Then, we have the reigning sovereign of Amazon Lily, 'Pirate Empress' Boa Hancock. Next, there is the member of the Worst Generation and mastermind behind the Rocky Port Incident, 'Surgeon of Death' Trafalgar Law. Then, there is commander-in-chief of the Pirate Temp Agency, the living legend, Buggy 'the Genius Jester'. Finally, there is the man I had previously described to you, which makes seven."

Everyone nodded their heads.

"However," Brannew spoke, "that was only until this morning! Doflamingo has now resigned from the Seven Warlords! Depending on what he's up to, Law's title may also be stripped! One of the 3 great powers alongside Marine Headquarters and the Four Emperors is teetering in the balance as we speak-"

"I know, Brannew."

"F-Fleet Admiral!" Brannew exclaimed…turning to face Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, formerly known as Admiral Akainu…the man who killed Ace, two years ago. For some reason, he gave off an ominous aura, one that made every single Marine in the room nervous.

It was possibly due to the fact that a certain Vice-Admiral had let a certain little Wolf Girl escape with her older half-brother and had yet to report.

"I will not allow Straw Hat or Trafalgar to get into any funny business under my nose!" he declared. "I already had Smoker down in G-5, screeching my off in his reported yesterday. We'll just sit back and watch for a full day…I've got Fujitora on the case."

Everyone gasped at this.

XXX

Back in Dressrosa, the people are still in an uproar, calling out to Doflamingo and asking questions as to why he resigned.

Inside the palace grounds, Baby-5, who has a small bandage on her face, walked around, as if looking for someone.

"Master Trebol?!" she called before she looked at Sugar. "Sugar, have you seen Master Trebol anywhere?"

"Nope," Sugar answered, eating grapes off her fingers.

"What do you supposed the Young Master's plans are?" asked Jora.

"If the Marines invade, then I'll be rarin' for a fight!" exclaimed Machvise.

"As in all matters," Lao G spoke, "just follow the Young Master's lead."

At that moment, Baby-5 spotted someone, sticking to the clock tower.

"Oh, there you are, Trebol!" she called.

"Hey there, Baby-5!" called Trebol a bedraggled, literally slimy looking man with his black hair in a bowl haircut. On his face is a pair of tiny sunglasses and a flat, runny nose, as well as a tiny stitched-up scar on his right eyebrow. His teeth are rounded with little gaps in between each of them. His coat, which is a light blue with navy blue ring patterns on it, looked as just slimy as him, and in his hand is a golden scepter with a club suit design.

"Get down here!" Baby-5 called, and Trebol soon landed with a squelching SPLAT!

"Behehehehehe!" he laughed. "The kingdom sure is in a panic! More than likely, the rest of the world is in an uproar, too!" He then got all up in Baby-5's face. "By the way, Baby-5, I hear someone lost yet another fiancé! Behehehehehe!"

"Get your snot-nose outta my face, you slimy swine!" Baby-5 barked. "How many times are you gonna keep rubbing that in my face?! So fucking persistent!"

"Persistent, am I?" Trebol asked. "I'm persistent, but what?! Are you trying to say you're falling for me? Is that it?!"

"Shut your pie hole, you slime ball!" shouted Baby-5. "The Young Master is calling you! He wants the you-know-what! Now get away from me, you fucking pig!"

"Ah, why don't you just stop picking men Doffy will get rid of and just marry me instead?" Trebol asked. "Just kidding! BEHEHEHEHEHE!"

A pause…but then Baby-5 turned to Trebol with a blush on her face.

"He…needs me…?!" she whispered.

"CUT THAT OUT!" Jora and Lao-G shouted.

XXX

Inside the throne…four thrones in a dark hallway: a clubs suit throne, a heart suit throne, a diamond suit throne, and a spade suit throne. Doflamingo stands in front of a window with Rita at his side, purring as he pets her. Outside, they could hear the roaring cheers of people.

"The coliseum is booming as always…thanks to you, Diamante," said Doflamingo.

"Nonsense," said a voice. "It is a product of your charismatic royal lead, Doffy."

"No, no," Doflamingo answered. "It's all due to your skill."

"Oh, stop treating me like some kind of hero."

"You are a hero."

"No, seriously. Please, stop."

"All right. I take it back-"

"IF YOU SO INSIST, THEN FINE! I ADMIT IT!" the voice suddenly boomed. "YES, I AM THE HERO OF THE COLISEUM!"

Just then, BLORP! A bluish blob fell from the ceiling and landed in front of Doflamingo.

"Hey, hey, hey!" exclaimed Trebol as he got in Doflamingo's face. "I brought you the you-know-what, Doffy!"

"You and your snot-nose are too close, Trebol," Doflamingo growled.

"I'm too close…but?!" Trebol asked.

"Just give it to me and sit down, already," Doflamingo ordered.

"Hey!" Trebol said as he gave Doflamingo a small chest, and then sat down in the clubs suit throne.

"Once he learns I have this," Doflamingo started, "Straw Hat Luffy will be hell-bent on getting his hands on it and that alliance that he and Law have set up will just turn out to be a set of shackles!"

He then approached the figure sitting in the diamond suit throne.

"Diamante…I entrust this to you," he spoke.

"Wait a second, Doffy!" said Diamante. "I can't take this!"

"But I want you to have it."

"Stop it. Don't treat me like I'm some kind of a genius!"

"But only a genius like you can keep it."

"I mean it. Please, stop."

"Fine. I take it back-"

"IF YOU SO INSIST, THEN FINE!" Diamante shouted again. "I ADMIT IT! I AM A GENIUS! THAT'S RIGHT! AND WHEN THAT STRAW HAT SCUMBAG COMES LOOKING FOR IT, HE'LL BE IN FOR ONE HELL OF A SHOCK!"

Doflamingo snickered as he opened the chest…and took out a peculiar-looking fruit…a peculiar-looking, orange, flame-like fruit.

"There's no way that Straw Hat won't come for it," Doflamingo said. "This…is the Flame-Flame Fruit, the power of his late brother! He'll tear apart anyone who tries to get to it before he does!"

He then snickered some more before letting out a loud cackle.

XXX

Meanwhile, the Straw Hat Crew observes the island's silhouette…

"Whoa!" Luffy exclaimed. "Check it out!"

"It's huge!" Aika said, sitting on Luffy's shoulders.

"What's up with that brawny-looking island?!" Franky asked, heaving his arms.

"This is it!" Luffy shouted. "We made it! It's Dressrosa!"

"Don't shout, moron!" Usopp barked. "What if Doflamingo hears?!"

"He won't hear us, idiot," Zoro said. "We're too far away."

'So damn paranoid,' Blizzard thought.

"Stay strong, Kanjuro!" Kin'emon called out. "I shall rescue you, posthaste!"

Before the Sunny, there is an island, surrounded by huge, rocky cliffs, and beyond that, the crew could make out the silhouettes of buildings in the distance.

This is the Island of Passion of Love…Dressrosa.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Review, please!

Oh, and I'll do Wake Up and Hard Knock Days another day.