The Knables woke up in a forest, underneath mangrove trees.
"Where are we?" Diane asked, brushing her black hair behind her big mouse ears.
"I don't think it's 'where' so much as 'when'." Darryl said, adjusting his glasses "We went into a time machine, remember?"
"Stay here," Roy said to his wife and kids "and I'll see where AND when we are."
At that moment, they heard the sound of metal clashing.
Roy peered out from one of the trees, and saw two men fighting eachother with swords.
An old lady was watching them.
"I'm telling you," one guy said "I'M the one who will find it!!!"
"And I'm telling YOU," his rival said "that legendary treasure will be MINE!!!!"
As the two fought, they knocked over the old lady. "Hey!" she said "Why don't you youngsters take your fight some place else?"
At this, they both turned on her, and were about to cut her up, but Roy, seeing this, feeling it was not right, jumped in and blocked them with
his own sword he'd pulled out of his pocket.
At first, the two men thought this was a joke or something, but roy had years of fencing on his side, and even at his diminished size, he
wouldn't let them harm an innocent old lady!
He blocked every one of their swings with his sword.
The old lady watched, and so did Roy's wife, Helen, and his kids, Diane and Darryl.
Finally, standing there with a defiant look on his face (the kind anime heros often have), he told them "I don't know who you are, or what you're
fighting about, but don't involve innocent people. I want you to leave - NOW!!!" and at that last word, the men's eyes rolled back in their heads,
they both foamed at the mouth, fell backward, and passed out. Even Roy was shocked as he said "Cheese and crackers! What did I just do?"
"It looks to me," the old lady said, smiling as she walked over to him "like you awakened a bit of Haki there! Don't worry - they're not dead, but
they won't be going anywhere for a while! Hee-hee-hee! Thank you so much for stopping them. If it weren't for you, I would've had to get
rough with the punks! My name is Mikku. What's your name, brave warrior?"
"I'm Roy Knable." he said. At that moment, his wife and kids came to him. "The one with the blue fur is my wife, Helen, and these are my kids,
Diane and Darryl."
"What a nice family." Mikku said, smiling "Come with me, and we'll talk more at my place.
It was a small house in a village. They went in, and Mikku made them some tea.
"Thank you for letting us into your home." Helen said, sipping a bit from the cup as big as her.
"You sure you don't mind having mice in your house, especially talking mice wearing clothes?" Darryl asked "Don't you find that a bit strange?"
"My child," Mikku said, sipping some of her own tea "I've seen many strange things in my long life. Nothing surprises me anymore!"
"Why were those two guys fighting back there?" Diane asked.
"Those two were fighting," Mikku said "because they think one of them has what it takes to obtain the greatest treasure in the world. In order to
fully understand the situation, you need to know the whole story, but I'm sure you all have better things to do than listen to an old bat like me
weave yarns."
"No." Roy said "Please tell us." and his family agreed.
"Very well, I love telling this story, and you're the first ones I've told it to in a while." Mikku said, smiling "It all started 22 years ago. There was a
man named Gol D. Rodgers. He was a powerful pirate who had obtained everything the world had to offer. He was the Pirate King. He had a
vast amount of treasure which he had plundered from all over the world. One day, he found out he had a terminal illness that couldn't be
cured." "What did he do?" Darryl asked, the tea fogging up his glasses a bit "He did what any sensible man in his position would do." Mikku said
with a smile "He threw a big party!!! Just like all D's, he didn't seem to fear death, and because he knew he would die soon anyway, he turned
himself into the Marines. They took the credit for his capture, but people like me know better than that! So the execution took place in Rouge
Town. Many people had come to see it. Even as Rodgers was being walked up to the executioner's platform, he could be seen grinning all the
way! When he got to the top, many wanted to know where he had hid his treasure. To this, he answered with his final words: "You want my
treasure? Why it's right where it's always been! Search for it! I left all the world has to offer there!" Since that day, pirates have swarmed into the
Grand Line, searching for romance, adventure, and Gol D. Rodger's Treasure - the legendary One Piece! It lies beyond the Red Line, in the New
World. Whoever conquers that sea, and claims that treasure, will become the next King of the Pirates! This is the grand age of pirates."
"Pirates?" Helen asked, steam blowing from her mouse ears from the tea she'd been drinking "That just figures. Where exactly are we?"
"To be precise," Mikku said "you're in the 1st half of the Grand Line on the Sabaody Archipelago. This is the last stop for pirates who want to
enter the New World. Many have, but few return."
"A bunch of people willing to throw their lives away for treasure, huh?" Helen mused "And I thought I was the one going crazy!"
"It hardly seems worth it." Diane said, agreeing with her mom.
"It's worth it to some." Mikku said, smiling and taking a sip of her tea "I've got quite a collection of pirate bounties. You can look through them
if you like."
"Thanks." Darryl said, looking at the posters. He'd always payed attention in school, but even in History Class, he'd never even heard of these
pirates. Jewelry Bonney, Scratchmen Apoo, Eustass Kid, X-Drake, Basil Hawkins, Urouge, Capone Bege, Trafalgar Law, but one in particular
caught his eye - a smiling black-haired boy with a scar under one eye, wearing a straw hat. Monkey D. Luffy: Bounty: $400,000,000 beli. "This
guy is weird!" he said "He looks so friendly, but that bounty? What kind of pirate is that?"
"That is Straw-Hat Luffy." Mikku said, smiling "He's the captain of the Straw-Hat pirates. He may not look as frightening as the others, but it's
not for no reason he has that bounty on his head. Two years ago, he defeated Crocodile, declared war on the World Government, destroyed
Enies Lobby, punched St. Carlos in the face, and even after being separated from his crew, he masterminded the mass prison break at Impel
Down, got involved at the War of the Best at Marineford, came back there with Reyleigh and Jinbe to ring the Ox Bell 16 times, and has not been
heard from since! He is also the son of the leader of the Revolutionaries, Dragon, and grandson of the now retired Marine hero Garb. His
crewmates are nothing to sneeze at either!" and she showed him their posters too. "Even THAT one?" he said, pointing to Tony Tony Chopper
who was only worth $50. "I don't think they're giving HIM enough credit." Mikku said "Poor little guy. Incidentally, the word on the Sabaody
Archipelago is that the Straw-Hats are back here on this island after 2 years, and are recruiting new members, but the Straw-Hats I've seen
don't match the posters at all! Between you and me, I think they're fakes! The nerve of some people, am I right? Oh! I also heard that the world-
famous musician Soul King Brook is performing here today. He's quite the singer considering he's nothing but bones!" She showed them a
picture of a skeleton with a black afro, dressed up as a rock-star. "I even have one of his songs with me on a tone dial. Would you like to listen
to it?"
"Sure." Roy said, deciding they could use some relaxing music. So Mikku pressed the center of it, and it played this song:
Yo-ho-ho-ho Yo-ho-ho-ho,
Yo-ho-ho-ho Yo-ho-ho-ho.
Yo-ho-ho-ho Yo-ho-ho-ho,
Yo-ho-ho-ho Yo-ho-ho-ho.
(interlude with piano)
Going to bring Bink's Sake,
let the sea breeze lead the way,
all our days upon the waves, across the salty sea.
The sun above is floating high,
painting circles in the sky.
Seagulls sing and brass bells ring upon our floating home.
Say "Good-bye" to all you know,
head into the sun's warm glow.
Singing loud, and sailing proud, we sail into the night.
Waves of gold and silver splash
upon the ship and mizzenmast
We float on all with a song to the ends of the sea.
(interlude with piano)
Going to bring Bink's Sake,
just like any other day.
Like a stone, our boat skips on, and slices through the seas.
On clouds above, we'll rest our head.
The rocking ship will be our bed.
On our flag, the skull and dagger show we're to be feared.
If the waves dare dance too high,
if dark clouds obscure the sky,
beat the drum and never run, live for that fateful dance.
If in fear you turn away,
You'll never see the break of day.
Just hold out, without a doubt, the sun will surely rise!
Yo-ho-ho-ho Yo-ho-ho-ho,
Yo-ho-ho-ho Yo-ho-ho-ho.
Going to bring Bink's Sake,
and find our dreams along the way.
Wave good-bye, try not to cry. We'll never meet again.
If the sun should cease to shine, everything will still be fine.
In the dark, we'll sail our bark by the light of the moon.
Going to bring Bink's Sake.
A pirate's job for pirate's pay.
Listen now, from aft to prow, to this song of the seas.
Everyone meets Davy Jones.
One day we will all be bones.
Until then, we'll sing again, and bring Bink his Sake.
Yo-ho-ho-ho Yo-ho-ho-ho,
Yo-ho-ho-ho Yo-ho-ho-ho.
Yo-ho-ho-ho Yo-ho-ho-ho,
Yo-ho-ho-ho Yo-ho-ho-ho.
"That was.... kinda morbid at the end." Roy said, as soon as it ended.
"But you've gotta admit, the song's pretty catchy, right?" Darryl told his dad.
"A singing afro skeleton. Sure, why not?" Diane asked "At this point, I'll believe anything!"
"Even though I don't drink," Helen said "Bits and pieces of that song actually made sense."
"If you really want to see him," Mikku said, smiling "you could sneak into the concert since you're so small. Then again, for that same reason
you could also sneak in to see if these 'Straw-Hats' are the real thing. It's up to you, of course."
After discussing among themselves, what do the Knables decide to do?