A Different Journey

A Fairy Tail X One Piece Crossover

Summary: Fairy Tail throws an all-out party, in celebration of their victory at the GMG. Walking, like Kings and Queens, they reclaim their old kingdom and christen it the best way Fairy Tail know how. After the party begins, other guilds and their Masters begin to show up, escalating the party's madness, and destruction of the guild. During the middle of the party, Lucy discovers something horrible is to happen, and rushes to stop it. She doesn't make it in time, and is left alone in a land of death. Yet hope, the one thing always shining down on Fairy Tail, comes to her aid and sends her on an adventure of epic proportions.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or One Piece, but I do own this story idea and concepts that I created with my imagination.

I really hope you all enjoy this. This came to me randomly, so please understand I am insane.

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Chaos reigned and led the people of Fairy Tail, and the madness that took hold of the guild spread. Parties always grew out of hand, and this one seemed to take the top spot of chaotic parties. While, typically, a week long party would be in order for Fairy Tail, after winning the Grand Magic Games, and the Mayor returning the old Guildhall, no such party ensued upon their return. Well, the Master planned for such a party at first, but Lucy doubted the Guild Hall could last that long. Not while the destructive forces at hand battled it out in the Guild, her home, their home.

On the upper floor of the Guild Hall, towards the front doors in a corner farthest from the bar, and the brawling bodies below, Lucy gnawed on the ice in her empty cup of a strawberry milkshake, whole ice chunks added by Mira just as she knew Lucy loved it. Stuck staring at the mess below, she watched as her beloved nakama destroyed everything in sight. And she meant everything. The ceiling above already tallied a total of eight new holes, all of which would need to be fixed. And to be fixed Master would need to send them all out on missions and demand some form of payment.

Meaning the rent her Land Lady grouched over like a fiend, while comical to the rest of Magnolia, would take longer to pay off and rework.

Slumping down onto the surface of the wooden table she sat at, Lucy turned her face from the brawl below. Closing her eyes she listened carefully to her family, and the unwelcome guests that roared along with all the rest.

"Well, they definitely know how to enjoy themselves," Rufus said randomly, drawing her back into a sitting position to face him more properly. Not that she would with most, but Rufus's regal sense flared Lucy's old sense of decorum, from her time as an heiress. He just seemed the type of man people should respect enough to sit up straight for, even if at times he acted like an ass. Rolling her eyes in response and cringed and watched as Gajeel flung Rogue into one of the beams supporting the upper floor, and prayed that the second floor wouldn't collapse with her on it.

"Yeah well, I believe that their enjoyment should end soon. Before we lose the guild hall we just got back. Meaning all of you need to leave so I can mix in that special powder Mira has behind the bar into all the drinks so all of them will pass out. There are too many of you to use it on now, there won't be enough," Lucy grumbled and crossed her arms under her chest. An annoyed tick formed above her left eye, which she rolled until she looked at the mess before her.

Fairy Tail intended to party alone, to reacquaint themselves with their glorious home, and the party began. Booze poured down from the walls, drunk and enjoyed by everyone besides Wendy, Romeo, Asuka and her parents. The last two because dealing with a baby while drunk seemed something one should never do. The two left soon after the booze began to flow, happy to be back with family, but Asuka's sleep came first.

But with alcohol, came a side of the guild that not many outside saw. Besides in the case of Cana, who walked around in life drunk off her ass. Not that anyone really minded, they didn't. Cana being sober would signify the end of days, or Zeref becoming the wizard of angels and life.

And while yes, it took anyone a while to get so drunk off their own ass to start fighting without thought, add in another guild and liquor no longer became necessary to reach the end result. Competitive and dominating personalities figured all of that out alone. As such a case unfurled, as during the middle of the Master's opening speech to the party, where already most considered themselves tipsy, a whole new bunch of people entered.

Namely every other guild at the Grand Magic Games, besides Raven Tail, busted down the main door, and sent the guild into a chaotic swirl of action. Lucy didn't mind them at first, and she still enjoyed their presence. But when all of the other guilds reached a solid state of being drunk or tipsy, the fights began. And not just the usual fights that they could have laughed off, but singled out fights that grew personal as time past.

The first of which triangulated from Natsu, Gajeel, Laxus, Rogue, and Sting. An all-out Dragon slayer brawl, in which no one fought fair, and sometimes they hit themselves. Repeatedly. They took up the majority of the floor below, spilled over tables and the bar counter at random times, before they jumped back into the thick of battle. And while no one seemed surprised by the fight, Lucy included, one member did surprise everyone.

Laxus being that surprise. For the most part Laxus didn't care enough for guild fights to get himself involved, maybe it became personal with the addition of the two Sabers, but even that seemed unlikely. But the fact that he entered the fight, and slightly holding back, surprised them. Laxus didn't hold back, and he didn't stand for the destruction of his guild.

But he enjoyed himself, and that made Lucy happy for the moment. He deserved to be happy, and that rare smile of his looked nice.

But her eyes wandered over to the next fight. Which stemmed from the core of Gray's and Lyon's shared habit. They stripped over and over again, threw their clothes around before they retrieved them in a strange sense of modesty that came upon themselves after noticing how much they striped. Before they threw the clothes away once more. And this time a pair of boxer's, blue and definitely Gray's, landed on Juvia's head. Not only exposing himself completely so Lucy turned from him, but the amount of tears that flowed from Juvia's eyes flooded the lower floor.

Which caused a loss of footing for Natsu, who tumbled and slid across the floor like a penguin. Crashing into Lisanna's legs, his girlfriend's legs. Who fell on top of him and stopped his slide across the room. Instead of going back to his fight, Natsu checked on his intended mate, rolling her over so he laid over her. Checking her body for any injuries he may have given her, before a black tendril encircled him.

A Sitri Mira and hulked out Elfman glared down at Natsu, before the black tendril Mira encircled Natsu with flung him away. The throw tossed him between the fighting ice mages, and behind the bar, sending an avalanche of bottles down from their casings. An enraged cry from Cana and Bacchus, whose fight only pertained to who could drink the other under the table and not die, ended with the loss of their immediate liquor supply. If they wanted more they would need to venture into the dreaded back room, Mira's sanctuary.

With proper thought unbefitting for two drunks, they decided not to risk their own lives in the pursuit of alcohol, and broke into their private stashes. Home to some of the finest liquor in Fiore.

"Do you think they would give us some?" Rufus asked, tilting his wine glass in the direction the drunks. She looked up at him and rose one eyebrow, before refocusing on the two who drank merrily. The sight of them created a course of nauseous sentimentality through her. And not in a recognized manner. She didn't know who the two below reminded her of, couldn't think of a face to put them to. But she didn't think of Cana and Bacchus.

Lucy frowned, pressing a hand over her heart. It beat sporadically and with little known reason, burned in a slow sadness.

"Highly doubtful, Rufus, look," Lucy responded and jerked her head over to the group of Masters, who lost their liquor in the Great Crash. They pawed around the drunks like pitiable vultures, wished desperately for a drop of their choice sustenance. But the two dogs guarded their bones in a huddled nest of two against the counter.

"Ah, how sad. Though I will remember this look on the Masters' faces." He chuckled, the feather on his hat falling over his face, a darkness unbefitting of shadows darkened his face. But he rose his head, and the shadows returned to normal. Lucy looked down at her drink, questioning if Cana spiked it. The Gods knew something similar happened on many different nights before. Pushing the empty glass away, fearing that maybe some potential liquor lived in the ice cubes, Lucy sighed. Heaven's knew she needed a drink, but they cursed her to not being able to drink and live with herself in the morning.

"Yes, if only Sting joined them," Lucy pouted sadly, then she would have material to blackmail him with. At this rate the Saber across from her would have a trough full of information of their perverted and drunk Master, who she loved as her grandfather.

"Sting can't drink much without making a fool of himself. Rogue monitors him," Rufus gave, smiling in a demure manner that fit his secretive and noble nature. She smiled back, loving their talk.

"I'll remember that." Nodding to each other they watched over the blood bath, unsure of what else to do, besides watch. No chance Lucy would join, ever. No matter how many times Mira said it, brawls would never be fun. At least not with her nakama. Too many of them scared her, like Erza, who in redemption of her lost cake, tortured the Trimen who killed it. Jenny and Ichiya squabbled over the prettiest girl in the guild hall at the current moment. While Jenny asserted herself as Queen, Ichiya defended Erza as the prettiest.

"Oh may the heavens smite us all now," Rufus moaned, his face dropped into the palm of his left hand. Lucy looked around for the cause of his pain, and found it on the second floor with them. But on the parallel side. Holding a mic, which he most likely attained from Mira's sanctuary, Orga readied himself. In his drunken stupor he stumbled and leaned against one of the pillars, but still grasped the mic and its stand.

"Please no," Lucy added, but raised her hands to her ears, which hovered there for a moment. Hoped and prayed he wouldn't, but clamped her hand down when the Lightning God opened his mouth and began to shriek. The intensity of the noise, along with however high he put the speaker's volumes to, added to the atrocity of his voice. Screwing her eyes shut as well, Lucy hoped to block out all vestiges of the man. Still some seeped through her ears, deafening her.

A hand tapped her on the side of hers, and Lucy prayed for a swift end instead of the continuation of his voice, and peaked her left lid open. Rufus took his hand away from her, and pointed across to the other balcony. Where Orga used to be, which looked destroyed. Orga's prone form on the ground, doubled over some tables, sat innocently below. And before him, Gajeel hovered happily with an iron clad fist.

"Thank goodness for stupid rivalries," Lucy muttered under her breath, happy to still hear. Rufus made a sound akin to agreement, divulging a deep seated truth that he didn't stand the other's singing either.

"But we still have to deal with that idiocy," Rufus added, pointing at the Raijinshuu, who fought together, but still separately. They all huddled close to Elfman, who Evergreen sat upon like the Queen she believed herself to be. And if the Take Over Mage didn't have a few gallons of alcohol in him to enjoy the treatment, Lucy might have felt bad for him. The other, more intellectual side, believe he would need to get used to the treatment when the two came forward with their relationship.

But still, as Elfman smashed tables and knocked around a number of mages, Evergreen shot off her Leprechaun. Laughing haughtily, the two continued their tirade around the guild, but still gave a wide berth to the dragon slayers. Even when Bixlow zapped them 'accidentally' with his babies, and forced Elfman closer to the death match. Only for one of his babies to shoot Elfman into the wrong direction, and crush the Seith Mage against a pillar, which crumbled under the force.

The other balcony would soon come down, only one pillar remained, supported by Levy and Droy. Both used their magic to strengthen the beam. Droy wrapping numerous vines around it, like the coating of a tree, while Levy created words of iron that stood alongside the pillar. Jet, the last of their reunited team, buzzed around the trio at high speeds, kicking away any who got near Levy and potentially hurt her. But since Jet couldn't fight well, he used his body as a shield. Now wounded badly, Lucy worried he would collapse.

"Lucy-nee," a shy voice broke in as Wendy appeared, huddled and crawling along the upper balcony towards her. The other girl, too young to drink and get mixed up in all of this, and not liking to fight much, must've suffered through the endeavor. Lucy felt guilty for not checking around for her, instead of assuming the other went to Porlyusica's. Like she usually did these days.

Behind her Chelia crawled as well, and Carla hovered above them both protectively. Happy and Panther took up the rear, Lector and Frosch dragged behind them. Lucy got up from her seat, and opened her arms, the younger girl running to her.

"Sorry for not helping sooner. I thought you went to Porlyusica's, you and Chelia," Lucy explained, apologizing to the other girl as well. Chelia hugged Lucy too, coming up from her crawl to do so. They all shuffled over to the small table Rufus and Lucy procured. The exceeds hopped on top of the table, then slumped there in an exhausted manner.

"It's alright, Lucy-nee. We all were headed there, but with all the fighting we couldn't get out without fighting ourselves," Wendy explained, sharing a small bench with Chelia, who nodded her head.

"I swear, those ruffians. They need to be more aware of their consumption, if they don't learn to pace themselves they'll end up with rotted livers," Carla huffed in agitation, while also smoothing down her fur, which puffed up in her worked up state. Even the ends of her tails stuck up, Lucy examined curiously.

"Fro thinks so too," Frosch said in agreement and raised his paw in the air, and a part of Lucy's heart melted. Reaching forward, both arms outstretched, she grabbed the exceed. Pulling him to her, and smothering him against her, she cradled the cute creature. Raising her head, she looked at Rufus across from her, who quirked the side of his mouth in amusement.

"Do you think Rogue would be willing to take Happy, and we can have Frosch?" Lucy asked and ignored the blue exceed, who squawked and sulked unhappily. And gained himself the attention of Carla, who tried to comfort him. But didn't scold Lucy. Everyone knew that he called her fat too often to be friendly or teasing.

"I wouldn't make that trade," Rufus said, veiled amusement hid itself in those eyes. "Though if you gave him or Sting one of your keys, to give to Yukino, they might be persuaded."

Defensively she cradled her keys and glared at Rufus. "I don't care about you needing to make it up to Yukino for all the crap you pulled. My keys are not objects to win her kindness with. And do that again, and I'll whip you."

"Oh, how dominatrix of you," Rufus responded, but placed his hands up defensively. Understanding that he crossed a line that no respectful Celestial Mage, like Yukino and Lucy, ever wanted to hear leave another's mouth.

"Only to those who deserve to be punished," Lucy said, leaning back in her chair and crossed her legs. Her right foot, resting against the ground, tapped quickly and harshly against the floor beneath her feet. The shifting man before her, now uncomfortable and awkward, no longer met her gaze. Sighing and blowing out as much of her steam, Lucy uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, closer to the other. "Just don't say those things ever again. And if you want to be good with Yukino, you'll have to remember never to say things like that in front of her either."

"I'm sorry to have crossed that line. I know they are not just tools to you," he began, seeming to be nervous and rambling. Something she would have found amusing, if not for the current topic. "Not that they are. I've memories of multiple instance in which Yukino's, and your own, spirits showed themselves in a friendly and personal way. I know how real they are."

"Good, and always remember that. Of course, if you see a Celestial Mage who doesn't see that, then they most like work by the old ways of handing over their keys when defeated. Mostly they do it because they don't believe in keys that won't win for them, and see it as relinquishing baggage. So defeat them, and give them a better home," Lucy said, smiling to the other man. He met her gaze again, smiled and nodded.

A roar, shaking the hall tore through Lucy and the rest of the guild, gaining the attention of anyone not raddled by alcohol. Of course, the roar came from the central fight, a fight that Jason of Weekly Sorcerer would have killed to see. In the middle, a growling Laxus caught Rogue and Sting within his grasp, both boy's attacks fizzled out as the Lightning Dragon looked down on them. The large dragon slayer spun and threw both boys, causing them to crash into opposing pillars. And the balcony that supported them began to tilt.

Grasping the glasses on the tables, so as not to shatter during the fall, Lucy and Freed did the best to straighten the table. Though they couldn't stop the avalanche of exceeds that tumbled off. Happy at the bottom of the pile, with Frosch on top. The only female cat, Carla, choose to fly instead of fall down. Saving herself from the pile of exceeds.

"This is getting too out of hand. Are you sure there is not enough of that sleeping powder for everyone?" Rufus asked, his smile disappearing into a grimace as the chaos grew to terrifying expenses. Her expenses for rent and clothes, those expenses. Groaning and hitting her head against the counter of the table, which tilted slightly towards Rufus due to the busted balcony they sat on.

"If we used all that we had and dispersed it in a way for everyone, they would just get drowsy. The stash consists of packets of sleeping powder, one for every Fairy Tail Guild Member. Mira restocks whenever she runs out completely." Lucy remembered that method needed to be employed in dealing with the last party Fairy Tail threw. And boy, waking up after that powder seemed like waking from the dead, but it saved the smaller guild on the outskirts of Magnolia after they got back from their seven months on Tenrou.

"The drowsiness would only make them dangerous to themselves more than others still," Wendy panicked, thinking back to all of her lessons with Porlyusica. Obviously Wendy's innate affinity for healing helper her speed along in the lessons she took. It also helped that Polyusica only like Wendy in the entire guild, only allowed the little girl into her home for long periods of time without screaming.

"We must help them. That's love," Chelia resolved and nodded her head, Wendy going along with her friend.

"If you two wish to enter the mess below, go ahead," Rufus said with little concern for the girls, and just rolled the wine glass around his hands. The boredom began to get to him, Lucy too, but he liked the arrangement of his face enough to not go down there.

"Perhaps if we get to the masters." Lily pointed down at the group, who continued to act like vultures around Cana and Bacchus.

"Yeah, cause they aren't drunk either." Running a hand though her hair, she pulled on a tangle. Pulling it over to the front she plucked at the knot, hoped to detangle it from the nest it created. Or maybe the stress of this party created the knot. Lucy really didn't know anymore.

"I say we just leave them to their own boorish ways, go have some tea," Carla offered, her little paws crossed over her chest. Happy and Lector agreed to the idea, willing to follow the white cat anywhere she went. Looking around the table, they all nodded their heads. Nothing they did now would help, best to escape now before the Rune Knights showed up from destruction of property.

Standing, Lucy made her way over to the side of the balcony and peaked over. No clear path to the front of the guild existed, not even if the exceeds flew them there. But the back seemed much better. The stairs let off closed to the back hallway, attached near the bar, and accessed the back door.

"Come on, the back door is the best option." Falling into line, with Lucy at the front for some reason, they went in order. Rufus trailed after her, then Chelia, Wendy and the exceeds. Crawling along the floors, they did their best not to make noise. The slight sound of the creaking wood they padded on caused Lucy to cringe every time. In a guild filled with Dragon Slayers, it only seemed natural to be wary of every sound she made, or the others made.

Halfway to the stairs they reached a break in the side paneling of the balcony, which would expose them to the eyes of the others. Looking behind her, Lucy nodded her head and looked forward again. Bracing one hand on the side of the broken pieces, she pushed forward and ran past the break as fast as she could, then slid across the floor several feet before she stopped herself. Looking back, Rufus allowed the two younger girls behind him to go first, in order to cover them should they not go very fast.

Chelia and Wendy ran together, rushing past as fast as they could, before sliding into Lucy's arms. The force of their combined weight nearly pushed Lucy back, but she stayed steady and supported them. After their heats calmed down, they peeled away from Lucy, thanked her for catching them, and turned and watched the next runners.

Lily, in his larger form, scooped up all of his exceed companions in his large and muscular arms, then dashed across the break in the balcony. But unlike the three females that came before him, he slid only a few feet before righting himself. Letting go of his companions, who dropped to the floor with shaken ease, he returned to his smaller form.

Lastly, Rufus dashed across the opening, the feather of hit hat bobbed with the motion. And in a hairbreadth of shaken notice, a pole of iron skimmed the feather. He threw himself against the floor, and laid still, waiting for the pole above him to move. It retracted slowly, achingly so, before it left their sight and returned to Gajeel.

Shifting over the taciturn floor, he crawled the rest of the way on his belly. The buttons of his jacket ripped from the floorboards, then came to the other side with them. Reclining against the balcony, the all waited for Rufus to calm his breathing, before he nodded in acquiescence and they moved forward. Each movement forward, after such a close call, orchestrated horrible thoughts and reactions to every movement. Dreading be found out, behind heard or seen by the rabid dragon slayers.

At the top of the stairs, she gauged when the proper time to run would be. But the rowdy tables and people below gave a proper cover to their escape. Even all of the Dragon Slayers, who faced towards the stage in horror, assured Lucy of the plan. The stairs ended by the bar, which situated itself next to the hallway leading to the back door. Turning back to the people and exceeds behind her, Lucy decided then would be the only opportunity. A small portion of sweat formed on the back of her neck, where the hair stood on end.

Dashing down the stairs, Lucy hoped that the horror of Gajeel and Orga on stage blocked out all other senses. Like sound. The herd Lucy led made enough noise to wake the dead, even in the chaos. But nothing stopped her, Lucy made it to the bottom step and turned sharply, headed for the back hallway just a few feet from the side bar.

When she ran past, so did the rest of them, all headed down the hallway where the back door situated itself. Feeling a gaze trained on her, Lucy turned to see Laxus. His gaze focused intently on her, only on her. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Lucy watched as he stalked over. The thunder of his feet against the ground brought him closer with every large stride. And Rufus as he stopped and checked on Lucy. The others were already out the door, while she waited for the Dragon to get her.

"Rufus, go," Lucy ordered, her eyes screamed at him to leave now. A drunk Laxus looked and acted bad enough to scare a flock of wyvern, but right now his possessive nature also kicked in. Their talk, spoken during the Ball the King and Princess threw them, rattled around her brain. His smoldering seriousness at the time replayed in her mind, when he told her what he wanted.

The memory mage nodded his head and turned, just as the other blonde reached her. Orga and Gajeel's singing the worst back up music to Laxus's arrival, which she took as a good sign that his drunk nature may not originate from alcohol. Battle drove people to drunk natures all the time. She'd seen it with Natsu and the rest of her team hundreds of times before.

"Where are you going, Blondie?" While he asked the question, Lucy didn't doubt he would make her answer him.

"I'm going to go have tea with the rest of them. It's too crazy here for me to relax," Lucy responded, and felt unsure if the answer sufficed. Laxus crossed his arms over his chest, lightning crackled and jumped around his eyes and arms. Danger, her mind tried to warn her to get away. But Dragon's loved a good chase.

Finding herself pulled closer to him, his arms wound around her middle in a vice grip, and he buried his nose in her neck. "Stay." The words seemed more like an order than a request, and Lucy tried to push away. He growled at her, and she wanted to do the same back, but lacked the proper vocal cords for such a sound.

"No, Laxus, I have to go. Before I inadvertently end up a victim of this stupid brawl. Or the Guild comes down on everyone." Still pushing away from his, he refused to let her go. His arms grew tighter and tighter with every second, and caged her to him.

Lucy, you need to get out of here, Loke's voice rang through their connection, and muted the rest of the world. Laxus's response didn't matter in comparison to Loke's panicked and scared voice, two things the lion never acted like, or allowed himself to show. Fiore is going to go up in smokes in a minute, you need to get here. A dark curse is coming. The shadow that twisted over Rufus's face earlier popped into her mind, sending her heart into over drive. All of Fiore would die, her nakama, her family and friends.

Panic, cold and jarring, ripped through her frame, before her struggling against Laxus returned with vigor. She needed to warn them. Her panic resonated with Laxus, who in his surprise released her from his hold. She bolted from him, through the fighting masses towards the now empty stage, Orga and Gajeel jeered off sometime before then.

A running start allowed her to vault onto the stage, and scrambled for the mic. Her thoughts rushing to Wendy and the others, outside and potentially too far away to hear her. Her spirits fought to break through their gates and ended up stopped by Lucy's resolve to warn her nakama. Screaming into the mic she grabbed, gaining the attention of everyone, she warned them. "Everyone, take cover under something! I know you're all drunk, but please, listen to me! A dark curse is coming!"

The sound of ripping cloth permeated the air, dragging attention to the Lion Spirit, Loke. He ran to Lucy, who tried to get away. But he grabbed her, causing the blonde to drop the mic, which clattered against the ground loudly. Across the room, Laxus roared in outrage and stormed towards the stage. Mages moved from his path, parting for him. But before he could make it to the stage, Lucy vanished with the Lion.

No one moved or said anything, too confused to understand what Lucy said. What she tried to warn them about. And Laxus, who shook with rage at the Lion, stared at the spot where the woman he chose vanished, mocked him with his inability to get to her quicker.

"Brats! What's going on?!" Makarov yelled, confused with the rest of the Masters, who whispered among themselves. Yukino, across the room, gasped and ran for a fallen table. She dove underneath, just as the world begun to shake and tilt. Shadows rose from the ground, and window, those left, blew from the guild's frame. "Never mind! Take cover!"

Everyone scrambled for a place to hide, piling under tables and benchs; watched as shadows broke from the ground and rushed upwards towards the sky, breaking down the roof of the Guild Hall. A large black spear revealed itself outside, hovered above the land, and taunted them all with its mystery. Numerous strands of black attached themselves to the sphere, seeming to have reached from all around the land to join with the sphere of darkness.

In the span of time it took to blink, the blackness above them, the darkness, fell swiftly. It crushed them all under the weight and pressure of a world, and they knew their cover served no purpose. No escape existed in such a scenario as the one they found themselves in.

In the world of the Celestial Spirits, by the grand door which allowed humans to cross over and out of the realm, Lucy beat her fists. Screamed and cried for her spirits and the King to let her out of their realm, but nothing could be done. They watched in mixture of horror and fear as a great hole of darkness fell upon Fiore, engulfing the land and its people.

Fallen against the doors like a lifeline, nothing more could be done. Curling into herself, she sobbed and shied away from all attempts to console her. Nothing would end this ache, it pierced too deeply and bled profusely.

Once again Lucy found herself all alone. None of her family remained, an emptiness swallowed her whole, as if she could feel every loss as it happened. Her warning gained her family no time to prepare, when in reality nothing could be done to prepare for such a catastrophe.

Everyone screamed, piece by piece they felt their magic be torn from their bodies. A whirlwind of debris sliced into them, sending pain through the body and mind. The darkness, like a living murderer, forced everything in their body out. Blood soaked through the wooden floors, after oozing from wounds that could not be healed. The end came for them, and no one would survive. They felt death taking them across, into his land. Cold fingers and hands gripped them tight, refusing to let go.

The bell of a celestial spirit's arrival pierced through the haze of pain, and they watched as Horologium appeared. Lucy, who he carried within himself, burst from her confines. Tears streamed down her face, though they couldn't see her very clearly. The way her shoulders shook told much of her pain, along with the wheezing breaths she took.

The after effects of the blast didn't allow them to move, and trapped them to watch Lucy break in front of them. No one dared lie to her, they couldn't. Lucy's wellbeing mattered to them all, and the blonde already figured out that no one could save her family and friends. She surrendered herself to the facts, and allowed her mind to shut down with pain. Pain that shunned the rest of the dying land, and focused solely on the pain at hand.

Soon enough she would die, nothing motivated her to live now. Nothing made Lucy want to live. Death seeped in through her bones, hollowed out her insides and left her rotting. Nothing but a sure miracle would fix this, but Lucy couldn't make miracles. Falling to her knees, surrounded by her dying family, she surrendered herself to whatever dark force still existed in the area. Begged for it to take her too, so she could follow them into the dark.

"Lucy," Erza called out, as best as she could, regaining some of her strength by sheer will. The knight rolled over and pushed herself onto her hands and knees, then crawled to Lucy. Lucy met her sister half way, in the middle of the old Guild Hall. Erza collapsed as Lucy closed the distance between them, and the blonde caught her as she began to fall.

"Erza, don't move…please. I'm so sorry, I didn't warn you in time, I could have…I should have." In a fit of hysterics, Lucy sobbed against Erza's red hair. Smelling the vanilla scent of the cream Erza's favorite cake carried. A slight tang of metal and polish soaked through as well, and stung her eyes with the sharp undertones.

"There was…nothing you could do. Your pain, is ours. Your sadness, is ours. Your love and joy, the same as ours. You are the Light of Fairy Tail, and the Princess of the Stars," Erza coughed, spraying blood from her lips that soaked into Lucy's hair, and would forever. "No matter where this darkness takes us, your light will guide everyone here, in all of Fiore, back. So, you must live."

"I can't, I don't know how to. I love you all, don't ask me to live without you, without my family," Lucy replied, her hot tears hitting the red strands she buried her face in. A shaky hand stroked the back of her hair, slowly combing through and pulling on the knot Lucy couldn't get through before. It pulled apart in a simple manner, under the gentle care of the other.

"We'll always be with you, Luce," Natsu added, and Lucy looked up and found him in a pile of bodies. He held Lisanna in his arms, and Lucy could tell she had already passed on. He still held on tight to his dead mate, but held onto life to be with Lucy for a little longer. Mirajane, in the pile below them, sprawled out in an awkward angle, her fingers reaching for Fried, and one hand clasping Lisanna's. Elfman cradled them all in his lap, Evergreen tucked into his side like a doll, her glasses broken. "So long as you're alive, we'll never leave you. So you better get all fired up, ya here?"

"So long as you are alive, there is light in this land, Lucy. That's why, you have to live, for all of us. It'll be hard, but you've been a light all your life, for every person you meet, so don't think too hard about it. And just be yourself," Gray broke in. She swiveled around, looking for him, and found him naked, and in the arms of Juvia. The rain woman clung to Gray in a tired manner, but smiled at Lucy.

"Love Rival, no, Lucy…Juvia wishes for Lucy to find happiness again. Find love like Juvia, and bring him here one day for us all to meet," Juvia rasped, then moaned in pain as Gray shifted slightly. Lucy knew she should listen to all of them, listen to their last words for her and heed their advice. Live the life they wanted for her, but the pain drowned everything else out.

The slapping of feet took her attention though, and found Porlyusica. The woman ran down the street towards the Guild, looking no worse than ever, but haunted beyond her years. Lucy watched as she came, bursting in through the old door frame, the actual doors blown out, and took in the sight of everyone. Her eyes landed on Lucy's, those red eyes met her own.

"So one of you survived," the woman's tired voice sounded weak from the running and the exhaustion of the scene she witnessed. "That makes things easier, and yet more difficult for the little lamb."

"What?" Lucy asked, not understanding the other woman's words. She didn't understand anything, and she wanted answers. "How are you still alive?"

"I knew this would happen." Sitting herself on a cluster of fallen stones, and dusted them of fallen debris, the healer sighed. "I didn't know this would happen so soon. Makarov, didn't I give your some dark wards years ago?"

He didn't reply though, his limp and small figure taunted the older woman. His body ended up twisted and completely broken, Laxus stuck by his dead grandfather with a large wooden beam pierced through his right side. The blonde looked so broken then, trying to piece together something to say, but couldn't. Their eyes met, and Lucy smiled as best as she could through her tears. He smiled back, but unlike the one he wore while fighting, this one looked so weak and helpless.

It looked wrong on him.

"What's going on?" She raised her voice, having turned back to the situation at hand, and gained the attention of the older woman at last. Who looked her up and down and stiffly nodded her head, as if coming to some acceptance. "Lamb, do you want to save them? All of Fiore? We are the only two left in this land, and in the coming day's things will only get worse. If you agree, then you will have to fight Zeref. This is an ancient curse of his, don't take this lightly, or you'll die and none of your friends will live anyway."

"They won't be alive in a few minutes anyway. Their magic is…draining away, fading." None of them would survive, the world knew that.

"But this curse, it can be undone, and all life returned to the land. Just as it was. All of them will return, yes they will die, but they can come back from it." Standing, the older woman crossed the floor and came closer to Lucy. Every word she spoke drew Lucy in like a moth to a flame, and she knew she'd be burned. But for her nakama, her family, Lucy would walk through hell if need be. She didn't fear anything if it meant saving her nakama.

"I'll do it, no matter what it is. I will save them." Fallen tears still rushed down the apples of her cheeks, but she wiped her eyes and focused herself on whatever the healer said. No matter how ridiculous, Fairy Tail never lost. Especially with nakama on the line. She gripped Erza's hand, which fell next to hers, and squeezed. Conveying the truth, no matter the price she would save them, she didn't fear anything with a mission as important as this.

"Years ago, Makarov and our team found a book of ancient curses, their casters', and their reversals. It foretold this curse in a prophecy, I though many more years would pass before it came to be, but I was mistaken. But the reversal for this curse is an object, some kind of wonderful treasure. It is called, One Piece." Porlyusica stomped around the room, puzzling herself. "I haven't been able to find even a hint of its location in any book before though. But every other thing the book's said has been true, so this One Piece must as well."

The pained look in the other's eyes told of her frustration at not having a clue. But Lucy knew, she knew those words. And a well of memories, locked away somewhere before this moment, bubbled up from beneath her skin and over took her mind. Fed her numerous faces and ideas, showed her people she forgot long ago, though she didn't know how.

At the forefront of her memories stood Shanks, she remembered him vividly and with great color and passion. The nostalgia she felt upon watching Cana throwback drinks, and the pain she felt when looking at Gildarts, who Shanks looked like all those years ago, all connected to him. To him and his crew, who took up a special place in her heart, but vanished from her memory years ago. Like they never existed in the first place.

Their promise came to mind next, and filled her with a sadness and resolve she couldn't dispute, but confused her to no end. The promise they made ensured she would become the Pirate Queen and attain One Piece, she would one day be strong enough to do so. But Lucy knew her magic, and she knew her limitations. At the moment, Lucy seemed pathetic, even trying to compare herself to Shanks, her savior. But she could change that, and resolved to begin training to become stronger as soon as possible. She decided to honor her promise to Shanks, no matter what. And in the same manner, save her family.

Lucy looked up into Porlyusica's eyes and nodded her head in understanding. "I know where One Piece is, roughly. In the Outer World, where I grew up as a child, on the Grand Line, there is a great treasure called One Piece. It's actually considered the Greatest Treasure in the World. The man who found it last became the Pirate King, a title I respect, and left it on a secret island on the Grand Line. Anyone who finds it will become the next Pirate King, or Queen." Lucy supplied the healer and thought about how to dissolve the issues as best as she could.

But as a Fairy Tail Mage, after everything she'd been through with her nakama, a deep rooted knowledge and will rose up. No matter the odds, no matter the chances, finding One Piece and becoming the Pirate Queen became her new dream again. Another driving force added itself to her reason, other than becoming the freest woman in the world.

A wet hand plopped down onto her shoulder, drawing her back to reality for the time being. His usual playboy smile broke from the blood that covered him, it stained his suit and entire wardrobe in bits of red that looked wrong on him. She realized the wet feeling to his hand, came from his own blood that oozed down his arm from a gaping wound near his shoulder, which ripped the sleeve of his jacket and shirt off.

After he collapsed behind her, and placed his hands near her temples, he began to shake with his own exertion. But using the last of his magic, called forth his archives, which hovered around the room in monitors and portions, and scooted over to anyone still alive. "Anyone who is still alive make some noise. I know as well as you all that from our knowledge the Outside World is filled with demons. So to help the Princess, using my magic as a transceiver, we will give our magic to her. So if you are still alive and able, let me know so you can give her this gift," Hibiki said as he used his magic and called out to all those alive.

Not many responded, Lucy knew from the feel in the room that even those who were still alive at that moment, wouldn't be for long. Their fluttering magic gave the image of birds trying to take to the skies once more. And Lucy acted as their sky. Screens of the archive fluttered over to a number of people, and not surprisingly, most of the survivors turned out to be Dragon Slayers, though she didn't believe Wendy included herself on that list, having been outside during the first blast. The others being Erza, Gray, and Juvia. The archive screens flitted over to their bodies and hovered, the gold glowing down on their faces, which lost color after the curse fell and became the color of ash.

Matching them, eight screen circled Lucy, showing the download of their magic, as it changed to hers. A deep pain filled Lucy's body, the limits of her own magic breaking apart under the other's weight, and rebuilt itself. Into what, Lucy didn't know. But their feelings travelled with their magic, poured into every crevice of her being and reaffirmed her. Built her back up, like a house after it crumbled.

The screens, up for a mere minute, disappeared and Hibiki collapsed behind her, his fight finished. He entrusted her with the future, as did the rest of them. Accepting the future, which hung dauntingly before her, she pushed through the pain as the magic integrated itself. Slowly, and with deep care, her own magic accepted the new paths before it, and settled on something different. She felt her magic reshape itself, became something similar yet infinitely more powerful.

With one last shuddering breath, and the only smile she could muster to her dying nakama, she collapsed among them. Knowing that when she awoke, she would fight a new battle, something complicated and far beyond her imagination.

Lucy woke up on something soft and got up to find herself in a small house carved from a tree, if the wood around her indicated anything. A sliced apple with a note telling her to eat when she awoke greeted Lucy, the hand writing looked familiar. A picture of her maid popped into her head, but from Lucy's magic she could not feel a tether holding the spirit out. Virgo came on her own power, most likely.

Knowing eating would heal her quicker, she reached for the plate of apples, which glistened deliciously under the light of magic lacrima. Her strained body refused to move though. And she found herself stranded in a bed, with no way of eating. Hunger gnawed at her belly, and demanded to be fed. Forcing Lucy to try again for the apples, and she stretched farther, slowly closing the gap between her and the prize. But as she brushed her fingers along the plate edge, not having paid attention to her place of the bed, she rolled off and crashed against the floor.

A door clattered open and she looked up to see Loke frowning down at her. She expected Virgo, but instead got a lion. Both left the Celestial World in order to help her, she believed as the only thing that made sense at the time. Though the lion also looked relieved at seeing her awake, and made her wonder how long sleep took her.

He rushed over to her, the sleeves of his old green jacket cushioned her against him, softly embracing her in warmth. Picking her up like a princess, and depositing her on the bed, he frowned at her. Clearly upset over something, so she broached the subject carefully. "What's got your tail all in a knot?" She asked, her voice a terrible and hoarse mess that croaked when she spoke. Coughing into her hand, and hoping to alleviate the gnarled feeling at the back of her throat, she looked to him for answers.

"Lucy, you've been asleep for one weeks. We thought you wouldn't wake up, and Porlyusica tried everything. I'm so glad you're awake." Loke said and walked away from the bed, grabbing a pillow from a spare cabinet, and walked back to her. Propping her up with the added pillow, Loke sat down on the corner of the bed and picked up the apple plate. He raised a one of the apples to her mouth, and she took a small bite of the juicy fruit and moaned at how the juice felt against her dry throat.

"Was it because of the magic transfer that Hibiki did, it's the last thing I remember before blacking out," Lucy asked as she remembered Hibiki's spell, his magic, and the transfer process itself. The feeling of the magic within her as it changed to something unkown, but still hers. It felt that way to her then too, but relaxed and ready to follow her commands again. Like a steady stream that waited for a waterfall to send it all into action.

"Normally, yes, but the large intake of magic power into your body was quite dangerous. The magic shredded your normal reserves, which have grown to something completely different. Your magic is different now, and you can't feel us because other than Capricorn and myself, who are sworn by oath to you, the change in magic broke all your other contracts. The change your body is undergoing, to match the new magic also took a lot from you," Loke explained as he continued to feed his Princess. She nodded her head in understanding, piecing together his words to the best of her ability, before she commanded magic to flow through out her.

Gasping in pain the magic revolted and scattered around the room, creating rivers of cosmic and celestial light that flowed all around. The mesmerizing sight entranced her, but also scared her. Besides in meditation, she never created something even close to this. And still more power brewed deep within her, and clawed at a desire in her to destroy something with it. The force seemed dark and powerful, completely different from her usual self and magic.

Though as she continued to think, she felt more desire for a fight well up within her. And she knew why she felt empty before, growing up as a child. Somehow she'd forgotten her love of fighting entirely, as well as having forgotten Shanks. Now the desire, no longer locked away, wanted Lucy to engage in hand to hand combat. She didn't fight the desire, but accepted this old part of her life.

"You don't know how to control this magic, but it's still yours. You have evolved, into a new form of Celestial Mage, and yet you aren't that either any more. What you need to understand is that whatever power you have now, it is yours. What Hibiki did, it gave you access to a new magic, something yours and new. Therefore you will need to discover what it is, and what it means, on your own," Loke explained and set the rest of the apples away, then pulled out a napkin and wiped his hands of the juices that stuck there. "Though strangely enough you adopted a second magic, Erza's requip magic. The others just lumped themselves together and evolved with your old magic."

Lucy nodded in understanding as she chewed. It made sense, and this way she would have to become better adapted to the magic that now grew inside of her, which still originated from the stars. This new magic became her new hope, it would lead her into the future, and would act as her guide. She hoped everything worked out properly.

"Loke," Lucy started as she broke him out of some thought of his. She giggled a little at his startled face, and a happy grin broke out on it after he recovered. Glad to hear her laugh after she experienced something traumatic. He nodded his head, egging her on, so she continued and spoke her mind. "I wanted to say thank you for always being here for me. But I wanted to know if you would train me, and the others spirits as well of course. I want to be stronger to handle this task with my new power." Lucy couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed asking for training now, but not once did he laugh or think her silly, he never did. Instead he agreed to her plan.

"Of course Lucy, and I have a few surprises for you that will help with those thoughts of yours! But first I should tell you what your magic has evolved into, just so you have some idea of your new abilities. Like I said, most of the magic combined with your already there Celestial Magic, but a number of the magic that poured into you was Dragon Magic, pure unrefined Dragon Slayer Magic. So you aren't a slayer, you're actually a dragon, or partly one now. Your body is no longer completely human, and your body is shifting with that change. Your senses should hone themselves over the next few days," Loke explained and offered her brain more thoughts to form around. The prospect of being something so different and unknown scared her, built a pressure around her that she both hated and wanted to challenge and defeat. And only one path took her forward.

The only door in the room creaked open, and Virgo slid through the small opening in the door, and curtsied. "Princess, I am glad to see you awake. I have the medicine to help you acquiesce to the change in your magic and body. Shall I be punished?" Lucy shook her head at her spirit, who just nodded her head and gave one of her rare smiles. Then she handed Lucy a glass vile that held a pink fluid inside. "You should take one now, it will also help open up your budding senses."

Lucy uncorked the top and sniffed, wondering if her sense of smell changed. But only a faint odor wafted up from the bottle. Nothing yet, but she knew how difficult a keen nose could be, Natsu demonstrated the downside to his own nose on many occasions.

Lucy downed it quickly, remembered all the other liquid medicines in the past and hoped to end her suffering quickly. But the liquid held no real taste, besides a hint of something earthy. "I will return with some clothes for you to wear shortly, Princess." And with that the spirit left and disappeared, shimmering gold light faded away slowly after her departure.

Lucy turned her head and saw Porlyusica, who entered the room after Virgo, staring at her intently. Lucy readied herself for the old woman to start screaming, but found herself surprised when she pulled up a chair besides Loke. "Girl, you said that One Piece is located in the Outer World, and that you grew up there. But to our knowledge no Outer World humans, those without magic, can enter this magical island. Obviously you have music, so how did you end up outside, and return?" Porlyusica's question made sense, but she knew one of her Spirits already visited the Outside World in the past.

"I was born on the magical continent, but I'm a little different. My father is not Jude Heartfilia; I don't know who my real father is. But I know he is not a part of the Magical Continent. My full name till I was seven years old was Monkey D. Lucy. I was raised in the Outer World, with no idea of the magical continents until I returned at the age of seven. But, a man name Gold Roger out there, he was known as the Pirate King before he was executed. He was said to possess something that he and everybody else called the One Piece. They called it the Greatest Treasure in the Entire World," Lucy explained and watched as the shock etched deeper and deeper into the twos' faces.

"But then how are you here? And how is your mother a mage if your father is from the outside? And do you know where it is?" Loke asked as he stared at the Lucy in fascination, a sense of wander over took his features, and Lucy wondered how long it would last.

"Like I said I was raised out there, but I never knew my father or my mother. Monkey D. Garp, my grandfather, raised me…sort of. He knew my mom's name to be Layla, and that's all I ever knew about my mom for the longest time. I don't know how my father and mother met, unless my father stumbled upon magic in the outside world and therefore was able to enter the magical continent," Lucy explained and thought about the mystery that became her life. Garp loved her in his own twisted way, though she couldn't really remember what he looked like, but his role as her grandfather seemed absolute. He only ever wanted the best for her, even if he didn't always know how to do the best for her in the past.

Time seemed to be of the upmost importance, so Lucy decided to begin again. "I know One Piece is somewhere on the Grand Line. A place called by the Outer World people 'The Ship Graveyard'. It's known to be a place which destroys all sense of navigation and natural laws of the world. Also, if you want to know a little more about the Outer World ask Capricorn. He is the one that found me as a child, and brought me to Fiore. He knows more about it since I was just a kid."

Loke jumped up and marched to the desk that sat parallel to her bed, where he gripped Capricorn's key and started communicating with the other spirit. Capricorn came down in an instant and smiled warmly at Lucy, his goat face scrunching happily. "Lucy-sama, how are you doing?" The Goat-man's concerned, yet soft, voice relieved Lucy, who nodded her head and assured the Spirit of her wellbeing. "What may I do for you, Leo-sama?"

"Capricorn, tell us about the Outer World and the day you found Lucy." Loke said, but the order rang through in the words.

"The Outer World is not as we know it. In Fiore's eyes, the outside is a world of darkness and struggle. Where everyone is divided and trying to kill each other. And that is true, there is much strife, prejudice, segregation, inequality, and corruption. But Fiore cannot truly talk, the Outside encompasses an entire world, we are secluded and small in comparison.

"It is a dark world, but there are shining lights that grow there, that seem to shine even brighter from the struggles. It is a place where the people learned to survive, even with hardships. Every day I struggled to be out there, but I found myself learning and growing stronger with each day, and each encounter.

"But moving on to Lucy, the day I found her is the day I completed my mission from Layla-sama, to retrieve you and bring you back to Fiore. Your biological father, a man from the Outer World named Dragon, kidnapped you after your birth. Knowing your mother's pain over your loss, I went and retrieved you. Searching the outside took a long time, but when I felt a spark of magic, the trail led me to you. Crying in the middle of the woods. I took you home to Layla-sama, and reunited you two," Capricorn finished explaining, but his story only confused Lucy more. Her father kidnapped her, only to leave her with Garp. Never once visited her, or checked on her. Why kidnap her at all?

"Why didn't you mention any of this, Lucy?" The lion rocked forward in his seat, towards her. His face screwed in pain, and doubted her faith in him. She placed her hand over his and squeezed, they tangled their fingers with each other.

"I didn't remember. The first seven years of my life, after returning to Fiore seemed to vanish. Or end up locked away. Not only that, but my personality as well. Like I became a blank slate when I came back. Now my personalities are meshing together again, I'm remembering things I liked as a child, but stopped liking with the loss of my memory. Like, I remember loving to fight, did it every day. It's strange, I don't know of any amnesia that works like this," Lucy mused, tensing her hand around Loke's and searched for comfort.

"You really can't remember? Maybe it has something to do with the magic of the land and you being suddenly forced to coalesce with it. Porlyusica-san?" Loke asked, confused by the whole thing. The doctor looked puzzled as well, and an idea seemed to literally pop into her head. She went to the back and got out a clipboard with paper and a pen.

"No, someone would've had to of remove the memories purposely for such a clean job. Though no one has journeyed to the Outer World, there were experiments done with the barrier, and no one who exited and reentered had any problem with magic or memory. Someone purposely made you forget, perhaps your mother, or her husband. Perhaps even the council," Porlyusica told, not concerned by the tampering of memories in such a way. "For now we should check your memory, see how much you're remembering. A broken spell will slowly peel away and reveal everything you lost. For now tell us what you remember, it will help break apart the leftovers of the spell."

"I remember Shanks, the most amazing man I've ever known, even from Fiore. He inspired me, in ways no one else ever could. And even now I feel so indebted to his presence in my life.

"Shanks led a group of pirates, the Captain of the Red Haired Pirates, named after his red hair of course. Garp raised me to believe all pirates did evil things for no reason, but I never believed him. Because deep down they always seemed…wonderful. Their free lifestyle and all that. And Shanks and his men never did anything evil, don't get me wrong he lived no life as a saint, but not evil. He acted like a relaxed goofball, and drank himself blind every day, drinking the bar clean. Actually, Cana's drinking habits always made me have this nostalgic feeling that I could never place, and Shanks looks like Gildarts, it's kind of creepy.

"Anyway I always found pirates cool and wanted to be one. Shanks exceeded the limitations of cool, into a league of extraordinary and wonderful. When he came into town I was about five or so.

"He didn't come into town demanding anything, he walked into Party's Bar, where I lived with someone, and sat himself down in a chair and asked nicely for some sake for his comrades and himself. He told me stories of his adventures and I always came to his boat to see him if he didn't come into the bar. He allowed me free reign on his ship and let me explore to my heart's content. They accepted me, and I thought of them as family.

"I wanted to go with them whenever they would leave, but Shanks always said the sea would be too rough a place for me at the time. Actually that's how I got this scar under my eye; I stabbed myself with a knife on his ship to try and prove to prove to him that I was tough. I blubbered like a baby right after, and he got so worried and panicked it made me a little happy. He teased me after, but he always did that anyway. I idolized Shanks. And I even had a little crush on him.

"One day somebody picked a fight with Shanks, some monkey bandit. He spilt sake all over Shanks, humiliated him. But Shanks didn't fight back, just wiped the sake off the floor and picked up the glass shards like he dropped the bottle himself. The man left and Shanks and his crew laughed, but I felt furious, not just at the bandits, but at Shanks. I yelled at Shanks for not being the man I believed him to be. I pretty much pulled an Elfman and said he was 'un-manly'. Shanks explained that since nobody got hurt, no reason existed for him to fight a petty battle, so it was all good and nothing to get upset over.

"He left the next day to go traveling around before coming back. But on the day he said he'd come back the monkey came into the bar again, treating the bartender like crap and laughing at Shanks. I defended Shanks, as the man I respected more than anyone, and attacked. Didn't stand much of a chance though against them. They took me down to the pier and beat me, even resolved to kill me for offending them. A woman – what is her name? – got some old man who tried to bargain for my life, but the monkey wouldn't stop since I insulted him. I thought I would die that day.

"But Shanks came out of nowhere with his entire crew, played off the entire thing and tried to resolve everything peacefully. I remember his eyes though, how furious he got from my treatment. And when it became obvious that words wouldn't help, he moved to his sword. The rest of his crew decimated the bandits, but I ended up captured still and taken out to sea during the head bandit's escape. Thing is the bandit didn't know the cove housed a Sea King, the King of the Coast. Destroyed the boat and ended up eaten before my eyes. I nearly became the next meal.

"Shanks saved me. Pushed the Sea King away with one arm and then scared the beast with a look.

"It would have been the most amazing thing…if Shanks hadn't lost his arm saving me. I cried, but Shanks just told me that it was just one arm, a cheap price for my life. He carried me all the way back to shore where he immediately got treatment.

"A few days later and Shanks and his crew prepared to leave for good. Said they stayed long enough, and he needed to move on. I felt sad he was leaving, but I didn't ask to go with him that time. I decided I would become a pirate on my own. Shanks teased me and said I couldn't become a pirate no matter how hard I tried. I didn't realize he meant it as a joke, so I got mad and yelled that I would head out to sea one day, gather a crew that would beat his, find One Piece, and become the Pirate King. Shanks gave me his precious Straw Hat to take care of until I became a great Pirate, said to give it back when I did.

"I considered that promise the most sacred thing in my life. I treasured that hat like no other. I don't think that it came with me though," Lucy finished with a bubbling smile, and thought of the man she once idolized.

Those around her gaped. Capricorn, while surprised by her story, understood more of the words than the others. Like Sea Kings and how different bandits and pirates set themselves. "Oh…the woman's name was Makino, she raised me for Garp over those six years, and she continued to raise me till I went to go live I the mountains with someone else, the old man was Mayor Woop Slap, and the monkey was a mountain bandit with a bounty. Huh, that story did bring some things back."

Porlyusica wrote down the details of the events, plotting a somewhat stable timeline with names and notes, then handed it over to Lucy, who examined it carefully. "Do you remember what these people look like?" Lucy nodded her head, prepared to reply, but felt a little dizzy from the motion of her head. Loke saw this and helped her lay back down. "Being up must be taking a lot out of you with your changing body. Go to sleep, when you wake up we'll talk about your plan of action, and your lion can show you something." Lucy nodded her head again, still filled with thoughts of Shanks and her past with him. She wondered vaguely what he was doing at that moment. Her thoughts continued to center around him, until sleep claimed her tired body.

Hope you all enjoyed this, this is a rewrite of the first attempt. Finished (07/18/2015). My latest chapter, chapter 43, will have an explanation of the rewrite process and any changes. So if you continue to read, which I hope, you'll understand without needing the go back as I change things. I know I write long chapters, so it would be a pain to do so.

Still feel free to do so if you like however.

Also, I will have a few surprises in the next chapter brought by Loke and Virgo. Also the SPIRIT KING will be making an appearance, along with a certain Black Dragon. Also, Porlyusica will be explaining the whole destruction thing.

Please Review and give me ideas of what you want to see.

Please no flames, but helpful criticism is welcome.

Thank You!

Please Review!

~Stay Free