Well, I believe the best words to sum this update up are: it's about time because really, I've been away from for far too long AND I've not updated Search the Wind in over two years! Yeah...I suppose I may need a reason for this delay.

The main reason why this chapter took so long is because, well, I really struggled writing it. I knew what I wanted but not how to write it and thus I've been picking this story up, writing a bit and putting it down for a think for a long time. The end result is probably not my best work...but hey, at least it's a new part right.

Another reason for the delay is that since going to University, I've developed that terrible pesky virus called a social life (I know, terrible, isn't it?) and that, essay work coupled with a fair share of my own lack of focus on things and general life issues cropping up has led to a long delay in not only updating any of my stories but also not replying to the some of the awesome people who message me (you know who you amazing people are if you read this).

So, this next chapter of Search the Wind is for all of you. It's a thank you and an apology. A thanks for all the favourites, follows and reviews that have spurred me along writing and a terrible apology for the lack of updates and replies. I can't promise I'll update more because we all know how that will turn out...and I'm also working on my own stories and coursework and such but I will try and update more regularly.

Now without further ado...

It's shameless promotion time!

Say, do you like Fairy Tail?

Do you like Avatar: The Last Airbender, one of the greatest TV shows on the planet?

Have you ever wondered what would happen if these universes happened to collide?

No?

Neither have I.

But my Uni friend Pelthain has and he just so happens to have recently written a crossover about it called "An Avatar In Fiore". He's new to writing fan-fiction and also new to anime but his stuff is really good and I and he would appreciate it if you could check it out. We're probably going to even work together on a thing at some point.

So if you like either of the aforementioned things or just fancy reading something, check him out at the link below and thank you very much:

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Also, another Uni friend of mine (RoystonDA) has been writing a Star Wars fan-fic based around an old film series he tried to make with a few friends. With new characters and new adventures in store, all Star Wars fans who love some good Jedi and Sith conflict would be insane to pass up this good a read. Again, thanks for taking a look.

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Okay, sorry for the fake-out there. Seriously now though, without further ado to further undo, here is the next chapter of Search the Wind. I hope you enjoy.

Cover story: ?

Part 7: Meeting once more! The men from opposite paths!

The cobbled stone floor was cold. It wasn't the coldest thing in the prison of course, that being the ice plains on level five but that still did not change the simple indisputable fact that the floor was indeed very cold. The floor's smooth cobble tiles that sat in place were uneven and rough.

They'd existed for as long as the prison had and the forces of time had laid siege to them, denting their once perfect and even forms. The air on the bottom floor was also musky. It felt like it was full of something, though no-one could place exactly what. The air was thick, almost solid in texture. It was lumpy as well, meaning that breathing it in required the air to be chewed like a thick lean piece of meat before being digested.

On further notice, it smelled too. In fact, the whole area stunk. Of what, no-one was really sure of either. It could have been dead bodies or maybe even the smell of something far fouler but no matter what it was, it hung in the air, wafting around and crashing roughly into the nostrils of the unlucky prisoners.

It even managed to somewhat irritate the man with grey hair who strolled defiantly forwards but he was far more resilient against the smell than one could possibly expect. He was a strong and determined man and could easily brave any foul smell, no matter the cost for the right cause and the cause he was currently pursuing was one of keen interest.

It was a family visit.

As he walked forwards, each step tapping on the floor heavily, echoing out like a landslide. Snarls called out on all sides and the occasional hand would reach through the bars towards him in an attempt to snatch at him but the silver haired old man was not afraid.

His dark eyes had seen more in one life time than most families had seen in all their generations of living yet he still held a rather optimistic look about him.

There wasn't exactly a spring in his step but he walked more confidently and proudly than most would in prisons such as this.

Presently, however, the old man's walking quickly came to an end. He had reached his destination.

For a moment, he simply stared straight ahead, his eyes fixating on the sight in front of him. He wasn't exactly sure how to react or what to say. It had been so long since they had last seen each other.

The prison cell was quite large, though this was mostly because unlike the other cells which were full with prisoners of every shape and size, this prison cell only held two people.

One of these men glanced to him. His eyes seemed to contain a fragment of rage inside them but at the same time, he seemed rather peaceful. His light blue skin sparkled an inhumanly bright shine as the light from the torches hit him. The man wore a red kimono of sorts but the once clean scarlet was now dirty and worn from his short time in the prison. His golden eyebrow rose at the old man's watchful eye.

"…Ace, you have a visitor," Jimbei finally said, looking over towards the man to his side.

His cellmate remained stationary…not that he had much of a choice…

Portgas D Ace was chained to the wall of the cell by his wrists and his ankles, making movement for him impossible. He was slumped down against the wall, his messy black hair trailing over his eyes and lightly brushing against the freckles on his cheeks. Ace remained solemnly silent in the presence of his grand father, his eyes still staring at the dark locks that hung in front of them. He did not want to talk.

Garp, however, did not appear to be put off by Ace's antisocial behaviour. The old man groaned slightly as he lowered himself down onto the floor, his hands holding his knees in an attempt to stay stable. He let a sigh of relief when he had finally sat down, before crossing his legs and looking straight ahead into the cell.

"How are you Ace?" Garp began.

"Just who the hell do you think you are coming to see me anyway?" Ace snapped in a low voice, his patience wearing thin "Couldn't wait 'til the execution to see me in chains?"

"I'm good too, thanks for asking," Garp replied almost as if he hadn't heard Ace speaking. The black haired man, however, did not smile back at his grandfather, choosing instead to scowl at the floor. Jimbei stared in shock at Ace's sudden reaction and turned to face Garp. He felt awkward where he sat. It was clear that these two had quite the bit to talk about and they wanted to do it alone.

Unfortunately, it was almost impossible to have a heart to heart talk in a prison with hundreds of eyes watching you. Jimbei couldn't exactly leave the room either, meaning that the privacy he so desperately wanted to give them could not be given.

Luckily for him, Garp had chose to ignore the fishman's presence and was focusing on his grandson. The same went for Ace, who glared at the old man.

"It is such a shame," Garp sighed loudly, his fingers tightly gripping his white pants as he shivered. "To see you in a place like this." Ace didn't reply to those words. His dark eyes merely stared straight ahead, burning right into Garp in the dark.

"Old man…"

"You had to go against my wishes, didn't you?" the old man snarled with sudden anger. "You and Luffy had to go off and waste your lives playing pirates."

"You're still going on about that?" Ace groaned. "You know that would have ended in disaster gramps. You really think that the son of the revolutionary Dragon would have made a loyal and faithful marine?"

"I'd rather he'd be a marine chore boy than a reckless and wild pirate like he is now," Garp responded. "That's the problem with you two. Neither of you see the big picture of things. You're just too happy to charge recklessly into the world to cause chaos. Have you heard what Luffy's been doing recently? He declared war on the world government at Eines Lobby! I tried to teach the boy a lesson of self control with my fist of love…but…it didn't seem to help."

"Surprising," Ace muttered quietly. Garp ignored Ace's comment, however, and kept talking.

"After that he went and caused a lot of trouble on Saboady Archipelago. I wouldn't have expected any less from my own grandson." Garp laughed at the story but Ace remained rather stone faced. Quickly noticing how serious Ace was, Garp soon stopped his laughter and looked sadly upon the man in chains.

"…Ace…why didn't you boys listen to me?"

"Because we didn't want to," Ace replied as if it was obvious. "I and Luffy couldn't have been marines. We both have bad blood."

"Ace…"

"We can't escape our legacy's gramps," Ace stated firmly. "No-one remembers me for the brave woman who carried me for twenty months only to hold me for a second in her arms. All everyone cares about is my good for nothing useless father."

"Ace, your father…"

"Is Whitebeard and no-one else," Ace finished. "I refuse to accept that bastard as my real dad, so I've chosen a better one."

"Ace…"

"If all you came to do was lecture me then get going. You're already made your point," Ace interrupted, hanging his head once more so he was looking at the floor.

He was tired. His bones and joints ached. He'd only been in prison for a few weeks now but already he was beginning to feel the strain upon him. Garp stared at the boy before him, before sighing himself. Suddenly feeling older than he had in a long time, Garp stood up off the floor. Being no spring chicken, however, such an action appeared to put a great strain upon the hero of the marines. He let a small groan as he stood up, before stretching.

"It was nice seeing you again Ace," Garp said with a small smile.

"Wish I could say the same," came Ace's bitter reply. Garp managed to stay reasonably composed despite Ace's insult being a dagger stabbing into his heart and with a nod, he turned around…

However, he did not walk away…

"There's been a change of plan Ace."

"Excuse me?" Ace said suddenly, his head snapping upwards as Garp spoke.

"Your execution has been postponed," the black haired man instantly paled in the low light. Jimbei noticed him shudder slightly, before he looked upwards towards his grandfather. Ace bit his lip for a moment, before sighing loudly.

"Why?" he murmured into the cold air. "Is Sengoku just that much of an asshole that he really likes kicking me whilst I'm down?"

"There's a storm coming."

"He's afraid of Whitebeard?" Ace questioned, tilting his head to one side in confusion.

"No, I don't mean that Whitebeard's the storm, I mean a literal storm is coming." Garp explained, still turned away from Ace. "Several hours ago, a freak storm was reported as appearing to the East of Marineford. It appears to be heading this way and it also appears to be endangering a large amount of islands within the vicinity. Because of such the marines are not willing to endanger any of the civilians or their own forces to perform an execution."

"So…they're just going to leave me down here to rot?" Ace snapped back, glaring at the back of Garp's head. The vice admiral remained silent at the question. Unfortunately, a reply to Ace's question came from one of the dark cells nearby.

"This place isn't so bad Firefist," the voice called. "I mean, the food is terrible but at least you have good company right?"

From out of the shadows, other voices cackled out in loud irritating laughter, announcing their presence to the group. Garp didn't move as the voices cried out, remaining where he stood by Ace's cell. Ace glared at the darkness, his eyes alight with a fiery rage. Without another word, Garp continued to walk away. Ace turned to watch him leave.

"Is that it?" he shouted after the old man. "Are you just going to bring my world crashing down and leave?"

Silence was the response he received.

"Old man…" Ace gritted his teeth. He was stuck in hell. Just when he was now prepared for death, the option had been dragged out of reach. Now, he'd be left in false hope for ever longer. It was the worst sort of torture, especially to Ace. He kicked out angrily, his foot slamming against the hard stone floor.

"I hate you old man!" he cried. "I FUCKING HATE YOU!"

Garp was too far away for Ace to see at this point but the words still tickled the vice admiral's ear. Never the less, he kept steadily walking forwards through the darkness.

Luckily for Garp, the darkness hid his tears well.

Chapter 11: Faith

The way to the Serpent Shrine was a path that Hancock had always hated.

The road lacked the smooth stones that layered the rest of the walkways on the island. Instead, it was nothing more than a muddy track. The ground was uneven and gave way under the simplest of pressure.

Ambitious tree roots occasionally sprang out of the mud as well, grasping for the sunlight above. Weeds and moss were scattered all around and fallen twigs and branches had made the path their home long ago. Insects scurried away from Hancock as she stamped down on one of these branches with a shudder.

Navigating this path in heels was murder.

Never the less, Hancock struggled onwards alone.

She was on a mission after all.

Her great quest to the Serpent Shrine had a purpose beyond which was expected of the average person.

It was a destiny that had called to her through the mists of time, a fate that she could not avoid and yet she refused to step aside for. Her very purpose in life was to go the Serpent Shrine for one noble selfless purpose.

As Hancock reached the steps to the Shrine, she felt a rush of energy flow through her body. She dashed up the stairs and stood tall in front of the shrine. Her eyes closed to shield her from the raging sunlight, she opened her mouth and…

"Luffy my darling! I thought you would be hungry so I brought this perfect picnic that we can eat," Hancock shouted with a wide grin, showing off the basket filled with food she had carried with her. Of course, there was no better purpose than securing her proper place in her lover's heart standing beside the man who would become king of the pirates…

"Oh, good morning Snake Princess," a voice called…that was absolutely not the person she wanted to hear from.

Hancock opened her eyes and stepped forward out of the blinding sunlight…only to come face to face with three individuals who didn't look, move or talk like the man she loved.

Margaret had been the sweet voice calling to her as she had ascended the steps, whilst Elder Nyon had given the snake princess a courteous nod of the head.

The weather witch, however, didn't even pay any attention to her. Her eyes were shut tightly and she was sitting on the floor in a meditative stance.

Hancock was not best pleased with this result and scowled. Margaret seemed to shrivel up under her empress rejection, whilst Nyon returned the scowl with one of her own. The orange haired demon remained silent, looking far too relaxed with the world for Hancock's liking.

"Hey weather witch!" she called. "Where is my beloved?" The witch in question looked as if she hadn't heard Hancock's remark. Her eyes were still tightly shut and her face betrayed no emotion. The pirate empress ground her teeth together when she received no reply.

"Peasant!" she shouted louder. Still, the peasant refused to even acknowledge that she was standing there.

Fuelled by her disappointment at the lack of Luffy's presence, Hancock reached into the picnic basket and scooped a random item of food before chucking it at the concentrating woman.

"I'm talking to you damn it!" she shouted as the fruit she had picked went soaring towards its target. It flew straight towards the witch…only for Nami to reach her hand upwards and catch the fruit in mid-air. The orange haired woman finally opened her eyes and looked at her hand in shock.

"Did I just…" she began. Nyon nodded in response and Margaret let out a cheer.

"One step closer to mastering observation haki. Way to go Nami!" she cried happily. However, the bubbling joy Nami felt at her success quickly simmered into nothingness as Hancock started to scream.

"Witch, I asked you a question. Where has my lovely Luffy gotten to? And give that back! It was meant to be a part of Luffy's lunch." Nami blinked at the demand and looked down at the fruit in her hands.

True to Hancock's word, it was a delicious succulent mikan.

Nami could hardly restrain the grin that came to her lips as she carefully unwrapped the fruit from its skin. Before Hancock could say a word, Nami had torn off a piece and had stuffed it into her mouth. The snake princess gasped and recoiled in horror as the juices of Luffy's dinner dripped down from this foolish girl's mouth.

"Thanks for the snack," she teased with a wide grin as she ate. "I was starving from all my training out here." Hancock's face went pale before burning a bright crimson at her words.

"How dare you!" she cried. "That was for Luffy you indignant commoner!" Nami remained calm at Hancock's rage and continued to munch on her mikan happily.

"Luffy wouldn't mind me eating some of his food," she reassured the pirate empress. "He eats my mikans all the time." Whilst Nami assumed this news would calm Hancock down, it appeared to have the opposite effect. The pirate empress stared at Nami in bemusement.

"Y-you cook for him?"

"Well, not exactly but he likes…" Unfortunately, Nami's words were lost on Hancock. Her sapphire eyes had glazed over and the warlord of the sea was considering the gravity of the situation.

If Luffy had eaten Nami's food then…then…

"Ah, I am so hungry," Luffy announced, his luscious black hair blowing in the sea breeze as he stood bare chested on the front of his pirate ship. His eyes sparkled like the ocean itself and his smile glinted like the sun.

"Oh Luffy my dear~" a sweet voice chirped through the air as the orange haired witch danced her way up the stairs towards him. "I have brought you some succulent mikans to eat.~" Luffy's handsome face turned in her direction and smiled. He walked over to her but instead of taking the mikans that sat in her palm, he grabbed her wrists and pulled her close to him.

"Why would I eat those my sweet…when I could so easily dig into you?" With those words, Luffy leaned forward and began planting kisses along Nami's neck. The woman let out a loud moan as he began to tenderly bite her neck.

"Oh captain~," she whimpered in ecstasy…

"You shall not have him! Do you hear me?" Hancock suddenly thundered, glaring down at the straw-hat navigator with all the hatred she could muster. Nami jumped at the snake princess' words and fumbled with the pieces of orange still left in her hand.

"Come again?" she asked cautiously, sensing the tension in the air.

"He's mine!" Hancock growled, bowing down to look Nami in the eye, before swinging her head backwards and pointing towards her. "I refuse to let you win!"

"That's nice and all…but I have no idea what you're talking about," Nami responded.

"I believe the Snake Princess was merely overreacting," Nyon commented, quickly jumping between the two. "Weren't you…"

"Where is my beloved Luffy hag?" Hancock snapped, ignoring the old woman's pleas. Nyon's face tensed at Hancock's words and she glanced away from her.

"Well, you see…" Nyon mumbled.

"Spit it out already!" Hancock shouted.

"He went into the cave at the back of the shrine," Nami put in, still chewing a piece of mikan in her mouth as she spoke. "Nyon said it was the fastest way to learn haki so now, he's in there trying to master the 'trials' or whatever." Nyon spun around and gawped at Nami. As much as she liked her, Nyon felt like reaching over and strangling the woman with her snake at this very moment. Hancock stopped and turned to Nami.

"Luffy…Luffy's?"

"In the cave over there, yeah," Nami said, gesturing towards the rear of the Serpent Shrine. "He's not come out yet and Nyon said he might be a while but…" Mid-speech, Nami glanced upwards towards Hancock. The pirate empress looked absolutely horrified. Her mouth was hanging open, her nostrils were flared and all of the colour had gone from her face. After a few seconds, it became clear that she wasn't even breathing.

"Hancock," Nami whispered. "Are you…" The fact that Hancock began to fall backwards revealed she was, in fact, not okay. Nami quickly sprung up from where she was and raced towards the falling woman. Margaret was up and by her side in seconds and together, the two steadied Hancock's fall. Nyon raced towards the three of them, wearing a concerned frown.

"Snake princess," she called in alarm. "Are you okay snake princess?" Hancock appeared dazed and instead of replying, she gripped her forehead and let out a groan.

"No, it can't be…he can't have…" The words shredded right through Nami to her core. Hancock's mumblings were filled with anxiety and the fear within led to a chill passing down Nami's spine. She trusted Luffy more than anything but she was finding that with every passing second, she was losing trust in the Serpent Shrine and the strange cave beyond it.

At first, she had approached Luffy's quest of gaining haki with the same optimism that her captain had. Luffy was the strongest person she knew after all and some stupid hole in a wall wasn't going to prove much of a challenge for him.

Now, she wasn't so sure.

Between Nyon's warnings, the scream she swore she had heard previously and the way Hancock was reacting to Luffy being in the cave, it seemed as if the straw-hat pirate had signed up for more than he had asked for.

Hancock let out a loud groan and seemed to gain some awareness of her surroundings once more. She used Nami and Margaret's hold on her to stand back up straight and snatched their hands away with a huff.

"Release me peasant," she spat, offering Nami her darkest glare. Nami returned it with ferocity.

"Yeah, you're welcome," the navigator growled, folding her arms across her chest. Hancock leered at Nami from the corner of her eye before turning to face Nyon once more.

"What you have done you ignorant fool!?" Hancock spat.

"What needed to be done," Nyon responded calmly. "The boy wanted to learn to control his haki."

"Why didn't you stop him?" Hancock questioned, ignoring the elder woman's point. "She's going to kill him in there like the others!" This got Nami's attention. Her mounting confusion regarding the cave ignited into an inferno of concern for her captain. Kenbunshoku haki would have to wait.

"She? Who's she and what does she have to do with Luffy?" Nami asked. Hancock ignored her as did Nyon. The two seemed engaged in their own battle and were not in a mood to answer her questions.

"It was a risk that had to be taken," Nyon responded. "There is no natural way he could learn to gain access to his abilities in just a simple month. We don't have the time to waste. This was the only option."

"I could have tutored him personally," Hancock stated, prodding the old woman in the forehead. "I would have found another way."

"There is no other way to learn haki that quickly," Nyon replied bitterly. "Besides, the boy willingly chose this path. He was aware it had some risks."

"Some risks?" Hancock shrieked. "That woman is going to rip out his mind and use it as her own personal jumping rope!"

"And never the less, Luffy accepted the challenge. His navigator told us he was capable of conquering the cave. We must merely have faith in him." As Hancock swivelled around on her heel to face Nami, the straw-hat navigator quickly realised she had just been dragged into an all-out warzone.

"So this is your fault," Hancock snarled. "Why am I not surprised?"

"My fault?" Nami wondered aloud, gesturing to herself. "You think…"

"Of course it's your fault," Hancock interrupted. "I wouldn't be surprised if the whole reason you and Luffy were separated from your crew was your fault! Stupid and stubborn as you are, I bet you didn't even care when your captain wandered in there like a lamb to the slaughter! From what I've seen, you clearly have no respect for him and the other members of your crew…"

Nami's expression hardened.

Hancock had just crossed the line.

She stamped forwards, closing the gap between her and the snake princess.

Margaret reached out to stop her, but Nami shrugged her hand off.

Hancock sneered as the navigator approached.

She raised her hand to point accusingly at the peasant.

"N-n-now listen here witch," Hancock began.

"No, you listen to me for once," Nami snapped, stunning Hancock into silence. "I've been putting up with your shit ever since we got on this island and now I've had it. You can treat me like shit, call me a failure, even feed me to that panther thing…but don't you ever, EVER, question my loyalty to my crew. They mean everything to me and I will do whatever it takes to keep them safe."

Nami glared straight into the snake princess' eyes. Cool cobalt met burning brown as they met one another's gaze.

Hancock's face was white as a sheet, shock appearing over her features.

The look in the navigator's eye was imprinted in her own gaze.

It was familiar.

This kind of passion in Nami's eyes was the same kind she had shown for her sister's and for her people: the people she wanted to protect at any means…even if that meant forming an alliance with the marines as a warlord of the sea.

Eventually, Nami released Hancock's hand. Seeing some sort of understanding on the pirate empress' face, Nami sighed in relief.

"I'm not your enemy Hancock." The snake princess stared at her, saying nothing. "We need to have faith in Luffy," Nami continued in the moment of calm. "I know he can do this."

Hancock remained quiet.

After a brief pause, the woman turned away from the shrine and steadily descended the steps.

As she reached the bottom, the snake princess stopped and looked back up where she had been, her eyes burning into the straw-hat navigator's own.

"Tell me then…Nami, how is faith going to help him against himself?"

And with that, the pirate empress had clearly had enough of interacting with them for the day. She spun on her heel and began to strut back towards the city. Nyon sighed, massaging her brow with her left hand whilst her right clung protectively to her staff for support.

"Interactions with that woman are always…bracing," she grunted, before turning to Nami and Margaret once more. "Now, before any further interruptions appear, I suggest we get to your haki lessons Nami, don't you agree?"

Nami didn't react to her words. She was too busy watching Hancock depart with a bemused expression on her face.

"She just called me Nami," the navigator muttered to herself. This was certainly turning into an eventful day.

Luffy was running towards the next challenge. Ancient rune covered walls and stones draped in moss whisked by the straw-hat captain as he bolted forwards.

A mocking laughter clung around him as he went but Luffy ignored the voice. He felt strange at the moment. The last chamber had left him dazed and hurt as memories and possibilities swarmed into his head.

In every right, he shouldn't have been moving at that moment, especially considering his futile attempts at second gear in his child-like form.

Yet, as he raced along, tree roots and stones jutting out at random to block his path, the raven haired man felt an odd sort of lightness about him. He slipped easily past each obstacle and despite the fact that he had been running for a long time, he didn't yet feel tired.

His whole body was tingling but he wasn't exactly sure why.

Luffy's sprint ground to a stop once more as the tight corridor suddenly opened up into another large chamber. This room was different from the previous one as not a single bit of greenery lay in sight. Instead, the room was made of what appeared to be a peculiar red stone.

Being a simple minded fellow, the straw-hat captain paid little attention to the rare colour of the room around him and instead, pounded on his chest.

"Okay, I've made it to the next challenge!" he announced, hoping the strange voice would hear him. "Can we get this done with soon? I'm hungry." An amused cackle showed that indeed the voice had heard him.

"Eager to die, are we Monkey D. Luffy?"

"I'm not going to die," Luffy replied in a matter of fact manner. Medusa paused.

"We shall see."

As the voice faded into silence, the dark room began to glow. Glancing towards the source of the light, Luffy noticed a doorway blooming out of the wall that had previously went un-noticed. Framing the passageway was a bright light that shimmered and shifted in an invisible wind. With a wide smirk, Luffy moved to approach it, only to find himself glued to the spot.

Confused, the raven haired man studied the dancing light only to realise it was not just light at all. It was fire. Bright multi-coloured fire flared in the doorway, draping the entire entry in a blazing rainbow. Colours Luffy had never imagined swirled in the flames

As the flames lashed out, shadows rose from them, raging and burning upon Luffy's eyes. Silhouettes roared into existence, flickering against the wall in a foreboding manner.

"So, you're going to become king of the pirates?" a shadow with a big nose croaked.

"The mere notion of a brat you doing that is ridiculous," the half cat-half man shadow mocked.

"You lack the iron fist that a pirate king demands," the monolithic armoured shadow agreed.

"How can you be the king of the ocean when you can't even swim?" the sharp nosed shadow agreed.

"It's embarrassing how you continue to pursue such a worthless frivolity," a broad shadow spoke, his cloak fluttering on the wall like sand in a breeze.

"Some like me are destined for godly greatness and you are not boy," another shadow spoke, his voice like thunder and his words sharp as lightning.

"Surrender to your fate and suffer at the hands of justice," a hulking leopard shadow growled.

"I was right Straw-hat," a fat shadow screeched. "You are not strong enough to face the monsters of the new world that await you!"

"Why fight when you will fail?" the largest of the shadows questioned.

Luffy said nothing.

He simply glared down each shadow in turn and the spectres dissipated easily. The bright fire faded slightly.

Beginning to feel his feet once more, Luffy moved forwards. His steps were slow but with each one he made progress.

Voices hissed at him as he walked, sliding up beside him to claw at his ears.

"Death awaits you."

"Your dream is a lie."

"Some captain you are."

Each whisper came and went but Luffy continued to stride forwards, disregarding every word said. He was standing near the raging inferno now, examining the bright colours.

Over the crackling of the flame, part of Luffy's mind thought he heard a growl of disappointment but it disappeared quickly to be replaced with an amused chuckling.

Medusa had changed her strategy.

The shadows on the wall flashed for a moment and Luffy recoiled from the sudden brightness as the flames leapt higher into the air.

When he looked back, the shadows were no longer shadows at all.

They were faces and forms, familiar faces and forms at that.

His crew was staring back at him.

Luffy felt his heart leap for joy and took an eager step forwards.

"Guys! What are you doing here?" Luffy shouted with glee.

The crew said nothing at first. They just watched him. Then, all at once, the shadow began to crumble into nothingness.

"I would rather be dead than continue serve on your crew," Brook spoke as his skeleton faded away. Luffy stopped, staring at the melting shadows with confusion in his eyes.

"Brook," he whispered helplessly as the words stung into his brain. He closed his eyes tightly. "This isn't real," he muttered to himself.

He had learned that much from the previous cave. Despite that, the words still ripped his heart to pieces.

Medusa was far from done.

"What kind of captain leaves his crew behind? I can't believe I let myself become your shipwright," Franky groaned, fading into ash.

"You are an imbecile of a leader," Robin spat in a venomous voice unlike her own. "Why did I believe you could convince me to live in this world?"

"You failed us Luffy," Chopper mournfully expressed, bowing his head in shame. "I thought you could beat anything."

"Once a shit-head, always a shit-head," Sanji cursed. "Why can't you do anything right?"

The words bounced right off Luffy's straw-hat as he hung his head.

This wasn't real.

He kept telling himself that.

Whatever was happening, none of it was really happening…but why was it that these words still made him so sad and angry?

Usopp came next.

"I wanted to become a brave man of the sea but how am I supposed to do that with a loser like you as a captain? And to think, I used to respect you." The long nose faded as Luffy's first mate stepped forward. The sneer on his face buried into Luffy's forehead.

"You're pathetic. I warned you that you shouldn't stop me my own ambitions by following you. How are any of us supposed to succeed in our dreams now? Your promises are worth nothing Luffy. You will never be the king of the pirates." Zoro's voice cut sharper than his swords.

Little by little, Luffy felt the words of his comrades wearing him down, carving piece after piece off of him. After weathering each harsh word, he focused upon the last remaining shadow.

Nami stood watching him in the flames, her silence deathly un-nerving.

She was the one person he hadn't failed yet.

He'd let everyone of his crew slip away except her.

For some reason, her words still remained important to him.

The straw-hat captain cautiously took a step forward.

A loud hiss called out above.

Instantly, Nami's shadow burst out into a glare, lurching forward from the colours dancing in the flames.

"Monkey D. Luffy, I hate you." The words froze his footsteps to the floor.

A knife cut had joined Zoro's slashes on his heart.

Luffy's whole body tensed as he looked the fake Nami straight in her chocolaty gaze. The swirling balls of emotion that gazed back looked so real.

"I absolutely despise you. You're incapable of anything on your own. You said you'd keep us safe, that the crew was your family and you'd do anything to save us."

"That's right," he replied, more to reassure himself than to reassure the imposter who stood before him.

"How can you save us if you can't save your real family?" the shadow Nami countered, leaning forwards so that her face was directly in front of Luffy. He could feel the hot flames that birthed her on his face. "You're useless as a pirate captain AND as a human being."

"You're not real and you don't really hate me. We're Nakama." He wasn't talking to her but to himself once more.

"No Luffy, you mean nothing to me," the shadow Nami taunted. "You are and have always been NOTHING!"

As the shadowy siren shrieked her final words in his face, she began to morph into something new.

This new face continued to state at him, right in his eyes.

Gone was the smile that Luffy had always remembered there and absent was that look of pride or love that he remembered.

It was bitter disappointment.

"Why didn't you save me?" Ace asked, exploding in sparks as the words left his mouth.

Luffy's expression hardened. He had had enough of this sick game.

Before he could stop himself, he plunged forwards straight into Ace's flames. His brother's body melted as he moved through it, twisting once more into the multi-coloured flames that barred his path.

Heedless of the bright flames, Luffy charged straight onwards, allowing the bright warmth to engulf him. Nothing in here was real. Luffy knew that and yet he was still surprised that the flames weren't hurt him. They were hot but the warmth proved to be soothing, not scalding. Medusa's shrill laugh filled the hot air as he ran down the corridor of fire. It only took a few steps for Luffy to figure out why.

A sudden flash of the fire struck up towards his face. Whilst it shocked him, he continued moving. He was not expecting to be hurt by it. He was wrong. As his face passed into the fire, it flashed black. Luffy grunted as he felt his head start to burn.

The blades sank into Ace, one to each shoulder. As they pierced out the other side, his brother let out a cry of absolute agony, blood leaking from his mouth and his sides. They'd gutted most of his vital organs. His last second alive was the most painful moment of his existence.

Luffy leapt backwards, grabbing his head at the new throbbing sensation in his min.

"What was…" he started, only for another black flame to shoot out at him from the ceiling.

Nami was lying beside a bloodied corpse, her hands beating down on its chest as she cried.

"Please, please wake up!" she begged. The corpse refused. She hit the chest again, screaming to the sky for the body to awaken.

Her cries fell upon deaf ears.

Monkey D. Luffy was already dead.

He limped forwards, still clutching his forehead. All of the blood and the pain he had seen in this images burned into his mind. He felt himself growing weaker every second as the black flames. Once more, another of the multi-coloured flames turned back and slashed at Luffy's head.

The Thousand Sunny had burst into a raging inferno. The bubbles of Saboady Archipelago reflected the fire all around the area as marines stood stoically watching the burning ship.

This time, as the black flame lurched away from Luffy, the straw-hat captain let out a scream. His skull felt like it was on fire. The inferno all around him flashed a dark colour. He collapsed to his knees, the flames still lapping up around him and striking him with their sparks of doubt.

"And to think, I thought you were special," Medusa taunted from unseen area. "You turned out to be as dull as everyone else. Most fell at the first hurdle, you just chose to stumble at the second."

Her voice echoed off the walls, her hollow haunting words passing straight through Luffy. His mind was too consumed by visions.

"I suppose I can't complain though," Medusa continued. "It's my own fault for overestimating you. I get so few visitors you see. Those who cannot pass my trials are so mentally broken that their body is zapped of all movement." Laughter filled the straw-hat captain's ears.

"We're done here straw-hat," Medusa said. "There's nothing more I can do for you."

As she finished speaking, Luffy fell forwards, keeping himself kneeling by pressing his hands against the floor. He let out a soft groan.

"Hey."

Luffy's head launched upwards to the source of the voice.

He hadn't heard this voice before…or at least, he thought he hadn't.

As he raised his head, Luffy found himself face to face with the person who had spoke his name.

He was short.

So short, in fact, that when kneeling Luffy was eye level with him.

His hair was a deep black and stuck out at every angle.

A new straw-hat clung to his head.

There, right before his eyes, stood a seven-year old Monkey D. Luffy, bruise on his left cheek and a plaster over his nose. The child Luffy grinned. Luffy found himself grinning back.

"What's happening?" Medusa's voice suddenly hissed. The multi-coloured flames rose higher and higher, lapping at the ceiling. "How did this happen? How are you doing this? What is going on?" The child Luffy ignored her questions and reached out his hand to his grown up counterpart instead.

"We never give up, right?"

A hand gently patted Luffy on his back.

"Luffy." The raven haired man tensed. It was the voice of the skeletal musician. The one who had denounced him in preference of death. The voice was soothing though, a gentle encouraging whisper. Another hand, large and heavy, pushed down on his back.

"Luffy," Franky called. A gentle hand fell upon the side of his back.

"Luffy," Robin's voice chirped. A hoof pressed on him.

"Luffy." Chopper. Another hand and another voice.

"Luffy." Sanji.

"Luffy." Usopp.

"Luffy." Nami.

"Luffy." Zoro.

Then the last hand came, this one resting on his hat. A firmer strong hand.

"So, you still think you'll be better than me?" Shanks asked. Luffy didn't need to consider his answer.

"Go!" his crew shouted, pushing him along as he pushed his heels hard against the ground. Springing up from the floor, Luffy shifted into a run. The fire around him rose in contempt for his new found second wind and began lashing at him once more. Luffy shrugged off each attack and continued charging straight. All the while, Medusa's voice cried out over the flames.

"You can't be doing this! How are you doing this? You were beaten, you were weak. Where is this…this strength of will coming from?"

Luffy didn't reply. He dug his heels deep into the ground and kept running. Eventually, he began outpacing the flames completely. They tried striking him down but he dodged each flame with a sidestep.

As Medusa let out a scream of rage, a wall of flame rose above before Luffy, attempting to completely block his way. The rubber man didn't falter for an instant and plunged straight forwards through the flames.

As he sprang through, the multi-coloured flames shattered into pieces. The light in the corridor vanished. Luffy tumbled through the flames into the darkness, rolling and bouncing off the floor like a ball.

Eventually, he came to a stop on the hard floor. The heat from the flames had been pulled from the rock, leaving a faint numbing chill to the stone. It sent a shockwave through Luffy's cheek and his whole body shuddered.

Panting, the straw-hat captain tried to heave himself off the floor.

As he did so, Medusa's voice came floating overhead once more.

"After accepting his limits, a king must be able to break through those limits. Though he must learn from defeat, a king must also be resilient enough to continue on despite the pain. If his will can be strong enough, his inner strength shall shield him from all harm. That is the truth of Busoshoku haki, the ability to perceiver even the strongest powers." As she finished speaking, a loud cackle echoed through the hallway. Luffy ignored the voice. She still wasn't making any sense and he was getting hungry. All he had to do was beat these challenges and then he could eat. As if hearing his plight, his stomach roared in agreement.

"Hungry!~" he groaned.

"I know!~" a voice replied.

Luffy blinked and his eyes shot upwards.

Standing before him was a small boy with dark black hair and a noticeable scar under his right…left…whatever eye that was.

Luffy had never been one for directions. That was Nami's business.

Never the less, Luffy couldn't shake the feeling that the child before him was very familiar.

Ignoring his confusion, the child Luffy smiled.

"Welcome back."

Luffy blinked. The fire had gone…but…

"You're…real?" Luffy muttered. A curious finger prodded his younger form's forehead. The boy yelped and clamped his teeth firmly down on Luffy's finger in response. The rubber man grunted, planting his hand on the boy's head and pushing him away.

"Ah! That hurt you brat!"

"I'm you, so you're the brat!" the little Luffy remarked, wiping his mouth. "We really don't taste nice." Luffy tilted his head at the small version of himself however.

"You…you're me?"

"Yeah."

"But you can't be me, I'm me."

"Well, I'm you too."

"But I'm already me so I can you be me."

"Because I am!"

"But I'm me!"

"Well, I'm you too."

"So does that mean I'm you?"

"…I think so…" The two Luffy's paused for a moment, staring at each other. Both stood up to full height. They leaned left. They leaned right. They circled around each other, hands cupping their chins in thought. They let out a unified grunt, another turn and then, together, they let out a gasp of understanding and hit their fists with their palms.

"Then if you're, like, a vision of a younger me…" the larger Luffy began. He paused in thought before pointing at the small boy's chest.

"Can you poop?"

The small Luffy paused in thought.

"I…don't know." Luffy grinned.

"Cool." The two Luffy's laughed and punched the air in victory.

"Oh yeah, we're going to be King of the Pirates!" Suddenly, the child Luffy stopped shouting and his face snapped into a troubled frown.

"We don't have time, we have to go." He grabbed Luffy's hand

"What? Why?"

"The lady has woken him up," the child Luffy commented. Luffy could only tilt his head in confusion.

"What?"

"Just come on, we need to hurry." Luffy shrugged, deciding that complaining to his younger self wasn't going to get anything done and instead, allowed the child to pull him deeper into the cave, closer to the next trial Medusa had in store for him…

Hancock's mood had been quite shaken by the latest news of her beloved's whereabouts.

The only way the snake empress found to calm herself down was to retire to the hot springs once more. The steam left her body tingling and no doubt the water would leave her more wrinkled than a piece of dried fruit but the heat proved pleasantly calming to the troubled ruler.

The coliseum battle, the call to the warlords for aid, the floating island appearing in the sky.

Hancock let out a gasp of air, her frustration slowly beginning to evaporate. Amazon Lily had not faced so many drastic changes so close together before the arrival of these strangers upon her land.

Luffy, admittedly, was a welcome change. His kind heart and noble spirit called to Hancock like a lighthouse to a lost ship. Just thinking about him left her trembling.

The Weather Witch, on the other hand, left her seething hotter than the hot springs where she currently sat. The woman infuriated her and not just because of her closeness to Luffy. Granted, that was part of her source of rage but so far, the straw-hat navigator had proved utterly confusing to Hancock. She was rebellious, strong willed and irritating, but yet, when the girl abandoned that she was much more pleasant. There was a kindness to her, a subtle understanding as if she had been in Hancock's position once before.

It made her…slightly less repulsive than Hancock had originally believed. Hancock tensed, pulling her legs closer to her chest as she gave a deep sigh.

The situation was just far too confusing.

Hancock liked it a lot more when the world was as black and white as it originally been.

Men were evil.

Women were good.

Now, she had met a man who she worshipped for his kindness and a woman who brought her close to insanity. The change was making her more stressed than she had previously been. Running a kingdom was by no means an easy feat and now she had the added pressure of her land's most recent visitors to contend with. Life had certainly not been easy for her but she had to brave the situation never the less.

"Snake princess?" Sandersonia's voice called from outside the room. Hancock's head sprang upwards at the voice, her whole body tensing.

"What is it?" Hancock asked.

"There's someone who wants to see you out here." Hancock's brow furrowed.

"Who dares believe that they may speak to me whilst I'm bathing?" she yelled.

"Er…the weather witch dear sister," Sandersonia replied. Hancock's eyes widened. Nami? The girl had actually sought her out? For what purpose?

"I could come back later if…" There was the weather witch's voice. There she was again, assuming she was on par with the pirate empress herself. It made Hancock seethe with rage…but, at the very least, she appeared to be acting more polite.

"No, that's fine," she found herself saying as she stepped up out of the pool of water. "I shall be with you momentarily." And true, to her words, Hancock did not take long. She didn't even dry off properly. She simply slipped into a purple fluffy robe that sat near her and wrapped it around her body. Usually, this fluffy device would also double as a towel but Hancock was less concerned with drying off at the moment. She steadily walked towards the door and thrust it open.

As surprising as it seemed to the pirate empress, Nami had come alone. She was still wearing attire closely resembling that of the other citizens of Amazon Lily with a bear pelt bikini and a matching animal fur skirt. She was fitting in nicely. It made Hancock's skin crawl. The weather witch appeared stunned at her appearance as well, her eyes widening as she realised what she was staring at. Hancock glanced down at herself. A smile came to her lips.

Yes…yes she did look gorgeous didn't she…maybe…

"H-Hancock…" Nami began, only for the snake princess to interrupt her by stamping forwards and placed her hands together in a heart shape, pointing them straight at the peasant before her.

"Mero mero mero!" Hancock commanded, her devil fruit power flowing through her finger tips.

A ray of hearts shot outwards towards Nami.

The straw-hat navigator tensed and took a step backwards in surprise. The pirate empress grinned as her powers made impact with her.

Now, she would never have to worry about this orange haired witch charming her love with her strange brand of weather magic. She would release her beloved from this witch's curse and gain his eternal gratitude and love.

She smiled, imagining the navigator's pale delicate skin changing into the rough and grey granite of stone.

How every single blemish upon her physique would be outlined by cracks in the rock.

How…nothing was happening.

Hancock blinked.

Nami was still standing, her whole frame recoiling away from Hancock and now looking bemused at the pirate empress' strange form of greeting.

The two stared at each other, unsure of how to continue.

Luckily, Nami's anger always new how to take control of a situation.

"Did you…did you just try and zap me with something?" Hancock's cheeks bloomed a bright scarlet.

"N-no!"

"You did! You just tried to zap me with something!"

"Listen here, you weather witch, I would never…"

"And just when I thought we were making progress," Nami muttered. "I don't believe this."

"Well, you can't blame me for trying!"

"Yes I can!" Nami retorted, shooting the Kuja ruler a glare. "You were trying to turn me to stone."

"I was just satisfying my own curiosity on the matter…"

"By trying to turn me to stone."

"I was just testing…"

"If you could turn me to stone?"

"You keep harping on about that."

"Because you tried to turn me to stone!"

"What do you want?" Hancock snapped, pulling her robe tighter around herself to hide her bare skin. The frustration of her failed attempt was written all over her face but Nami decided to ignore bringing up the situation again. She had bigger things to discuss.

"Well, you see, I was just wondering. Back there at the Serpent Shrine you said how you didn't want Luffy going into the cave because 'she' was going to kill him. You never explained about that and I was wondering…" The snake empress visibly trembled as Nami spoke.

"It does not concern you," Hancock replied, shooting a scathing glare at the Navigator. Nami didn't falter and took a step closer.

"Well, considering it's my captain in there risking his life, I kinda think it does concern me…so are we going to talk about this? You at least owe me that much."

"I owe you nothing!" Hancock replied, advancing towards Nami in turn. "Ever since you arrived on my island, there's been nothing but chaos! Men, storms, floating islands…"

"And I'm sorry for that," Nami continued. "I genuinely am. I know this situation must be troubling for you-"

"Troubling?" Hancock shrieked. "Troubling is when the marines call upon me to serve upon my commitment to the seven warlords. This has been disastrous!"

"And, again, I'm sorry for that. I will find a way to pay you back for the ways we've inconvenienced you…" In the back of her mind, a part of Nami snapped, begging that she wasn't implying money but the straw-hat navigator pressed on. "But right now, I need you to tell me what my captain's up against. Please."

Hancock stared at her. As she had spoke, the glare had subsided into a look of another kind. If Nami were a betting woman, which she was when the odds were in her favour, she would have thought it was a look of curiosity. Silence ruled over the corridor for a brief moment before Hancock once again gained control.

"…Very well. I suppose you should be aware of the danger your captain faces. I will answer any questions you put before me." Nami was pretty sure she could have matched any of Luffy's smiles at that moment but she hid it by quickly bowing.

"Thank you so much." The bow surprised Hancock at first though. Soon, a smile appeared on her face.

"No problem…Nami…"

Luffy had no idea what was going on. One second he was fighting his brothers, then his grandfather, then the bear guy and then fire was transforming into his friends and hurting him.

Now, he was chasing after a smaller version of himself down another dark corridor.

It was all really confusing.

His head was hurting and his stomach was roaring in demand of food. Every step he took his legs felt like they were going to drop off beneath him.

Learning to master his haki definitely wasn't as fun as I thought it was going to be.

"Where are we going little me?" he shouted over to his smaller counterpart.

"Places," the smaller Luffy yelled back. "The mean lady is going to make you do the final challenge."

"Final challenge?" Luffy asked aloud. "What's that?"

"Some mind games I'm guessing," the smaller Luffy replied. "She ate the mind-mind fruit, it allows her to peer into the mind of a person and mess with it. It's how I managed to find you."

"And you are?"

"You. Well, part of you...I think."

"I don't get it," Luffy concluded, picking his nose.

"Same," the smaller Luffy agreed, copying his elder self. "But by kicking her ass, we can learn haki fast and save Ace!"

"Good plan little me," Luffy commented. "So, how do we do that?"

"If we find him, we'll find her," the smaller Luffy replied.

"And the him is?"

"Us." Luffy tilted his head.

"Okay, I'm lost again."

"It doesn't matter, we're here."

Here, as it turned out, was a large empty cavern that appeared suddenly out of the passage.

Luffy stamped into the ground, attempting to ground to a halt. The floor was wet and because of such, it was difficult to get a grip. In the end, he only managed to stop when the younger Luffy started pushing him in the opposite direction, causing the two to fall over onto one another. Luffy groaned under the weight of his younger self and quickly popped his head up to take in the surroundings.

In front of him, the cavern stretched wide on all sides in a curved motion, as if it had dug by some strange creature. At the end of the room, a large stream of water cascaded down creating a large wall of water. A lake had been formed beneath it though the water never seemed to rise despite the additional torrent. From the rocky area where Luffy had ground to a stop, there was only one defining mass of rock. A large curved stone stretched upwards from the ground, reaching to touch the water and stopping just at the edge.

Medusa didn't need to signpost where Luffy needed to go at this point.

The straw-hat captain stood to his feet, helping his smaller self up off the floor before approaching the wall of water himself. The pressure from the cascading steam was breath-taking. Luffy was sure for a moment he'd lose his straw-hat to the burst of air coming from it but the hat remained firm on his head. The smaller Luffy had stopped before the ascent but still watched and waited as Luffy patently walked up to the wall of water.

Upon reaching the top, the black haired captain stopped, digging his feet deep into the ground and stared at the water in front of him. A laugh called from above once more.

"Haoshoku haki," Medusa's voice slithered in from the ceiling. "Known as the king's disposition. Kenbunshoku haki teaches wisdom and Bunshoku haki teaches strength. Haoshoku haki is something that cannot be taught. It must be something you are born with for that the power of Haoshoku haki is will, sheer will and that sheer will of control that a king possesses can only be possessed by just that: a king. Whilst a normal person can master their strength and their wisdom, only a king can master the will to control."

"You sure do talk a lot lady," Luffy observed, popping his hands in his pockets. "And you don't make any sense."

"Sense is optional," Medusa hissed in return. "I am not interesting in sense. I am interested in unlocked potential and those are willing enough to unlock it."

"So, what's with the water?" Luffy finally asked. "Is this another one of your challenges? I want to finish it quick so I can get some food." His stomach spoke out in agreement. Another chuckle floated down.

"Very well, Monkey D. Luffy, your final test is upon you. If you don't understand, then I shall explain."

"Okay but Nami says that my attention span isn't very…oh ceiling rocks!" Luffy smiled upwards at the stalactites above. Water dripped from them like a sweat drop.

Medusa did not appear as amused by the stones as Luffy did.

"You see Luffy, through these trials I have hoped to test your very spirit and I have done so. With each challenge you have faced, I have been peeling back the layers of your mind like an onion…"

"Hmmm, onion." Luffy drooled. His younger self was no different. Medusa ignored him.

"You see haki is based on pure will, pure spirit and thus to help people access it in its most purest form, we need to remove all of those things limiting you for a time. As you have progressed, I have begun to break down your mind to its most primal basic state. I have forced you to remove your memories of the past…"

Luffy's eyes widened. Ace. Sabo. Garp.

"Your attachments of the present…"

Luffy flinched as he remembered staring down his own crew.

"And your fears of the future…"

The visions flashed briefly in Luffy's mind but he shoved them aside.

"I have stripped your mind bare for the soul purpose of you confronting the power within yourself. In order to gain control of your haki, you must gain control of your inner-"

"Okay, you lost me again," Luffy admitted. Medusa sighed.

"I am going to give you a shortcut into learning haki."

"I don't want a shortcut!" Luffy shouted in reply, his sulking face mirrored in the water. "I want to learn haki properly."

"And you will…but to do it in so little time, I have to help you along a little. It's why I'm opening the floodgate for you, allowing you to master it quickly."

"I don't want to cheat! An adventure is no fun if you have shortcuts!" Luffy complained.

"Well then, I suppose Ace is just going to die then." Luffy's whole body tensed. "I didn't think so…I know this is against your own personal beliefs…but if it makes you feel better, you're still going to have to work for this power-up. You'll just have to two years of training in the time you have." Luffy's eyes widened.

"Two years in one month!?" he asked.

"Well, only a year or so, maybe ten months. I can work miracles, not impossibilities," Medusa announced. "So whilst it seems you're taking a cheat sheet…you're still going to have to do all the work to control it yourself, so really I'm all I'm doing is giving you a harder difficulty of training." Medusa's words finally clicked.

"Hard training? Count me in!" The snake woman let out a sigh of relief.

"Good…because this final challenge is going to be difficult. You'll be fighting your worst enemy."

Luffy smirked, looking at his grinning reflection in the water.

"Really who?"

Luffy's answer revealed itself as the sheet of water in front of him suddenly shattered into pieces. Water droplets sprayed in every direction, soaking Luffy and the cave. The rubber man remained standing, ignoring the sudden splash of water despite how his whole skin tingled from the touch. Luffy opened his eyes and, sure enough, there was his opponent staring right back at him. A bright red shirt with a golden crown upon his head. A fancy captain's coat flowing from his shoulders. The unmistakable grin underneath the hat. Luffy could only stare in surprise as Medusa cackled once more from above.

"You."

To be continued in Chapter 12: Memories

Luffy's final challenge in the cave of the Serpent Shrine is at hand. Whilst Luffy fights an all-out battle against his own ambition, Nami learns more about Medusa. Is the mind manipulator all that she seems? Will Luffy conquer his final trial to learning haki? And what does this strange haki training entail? It's straw-hat vs. straw-hat next time on Search the Wind.

Until then, I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I am not dead yet!

Please review. Positive criticism is welcome.