At the Dock
Aria was the first to reach Drift.
"Hey, Drift, get ready!" Aria called out.
Drift immediately stood up, his metal frame whirring to life. With a smooth motion, he reached behind his back and pulled out a sleek metallic katana. His right hand shifted, transforming into a pulse cannon that hummed with energy.
"Finally! I've been waiting for this!" Drift said, excitement clear in his usually mechanical voice.
Aria raised an eyebrow, amused."okay… I meant be ready to leave, but if you wanna fight, go for it."
"Of course I wanna fight!" Drift said, practically vibrating with excitement as he tested his pulse cannon.
Aria chuckled, spinning one of her swords lazily in her hand. "Fine, just don't blow up the whole town."
——
Meanwhile, In the Streets
Elara and Sora were still sprinting through the crowded streets of Loguetown, dodging barrels, crates, and confused townspeople. Behind them, a group of angry Marines chased relentlessly.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" one of the Marines barked.
"RUN FASTER!" Elara shouted, glancing over her shoulder.
Suddenly, a commanding voice rang out, "OPEN FIRE!"
A hail of gunshots echoed, bullets whistling through the air toward them.
Without thinking, Sora jumped in front of Elara, crossing his arms. "Electric Field!" he shouted.
A crackle of electricity burst around him, creating a glowing barrier. The bullets struck the electric field — and immediately bounced back toward the Marines!
Several Marines got hit by their own bullets.
"You can have these back!" Sora said with a grin, sparking with energy.
Elara gave him a quick, breathless smile. "Thanks."
——
Kira vs Smoker
The plaza was filled with smoke and tension. Kira stood tall, resting his frost-covered Leviathan Axe casually on his shoulder, facing down the fearsome Marine.
Smoker's smoke billowed around him, the streets growing hazy. His sharp eyes narrowed. "You pirates… Always running your mouths."
Kira smirked, frost swirling around his boots. "And you Marines… Always thinking you can stop us."
Without warning, Smoker lunged — smoke boosting his speed, his Seastone-tipped jitte flashing toward Kira's side.
CLANG!
Kira met the strike head-on, his axe coated in a faint, shimmering haki-like aura thanks to Midas Touch. The impact shook the ground under them, but Kira held firm.
"You're not bad," Smoker grunted.
"You're not used to getting hit, huh?" Kira grinned wickedly.
Smoker snarled and turned into smoke, trying to slip around him — but Kira moved fast. Spinning on his heel, he slammed the Axe knob directly into Smoker's Chest.
The impact was real. Smoker solidified instantly, coughing and stumbling back, clutching his Chest with a grimace.
"Tch… What the hell…?" Smoker hissed.
Smoker gritted his teeth, visibly in pain but not backing down. He jetted forward again with another burst of smoke, furious now.
Kira ducked under the wide swing, the pulse of smoke barely missing his face, and countered with a powerful axe uppercut — Smoker blocked it, but the sheer force still knocked him back several feet, boots grinding against the plaza stones.
Marine soldiers watching from a distance were stunned.
"He hurt Captain Smoker?! How?!"
"Who the hell is that guy?!"
The civilians ran, screaming — a battle of monsters had broken out right in the plaza.
Both combatants charged again — smoke and frost clashing violently as the battle raged on.
Kira sidestepped, dodging Smoker's lunging jitte, and swung his Leviathan Axe low and hard at Smoker's exposed side.
WHOOOSH—
The axe phased right through Smoker, the marine's body turning to smoke.
[Midas Touch - Duration Ended]
Kira blinked. "Oops. Guess that's my cue."
Another ping echoed
[Side Quest Completed – "Stop the Smoke"]
Rewards:
• +7,000 EXP
• +4,200 Credits
• 3 Random Loot Boxes
"Perfect timing." Kira grinned.
He casually started sprinting backward. "Well, Smokey… looks like that's it for me. We'll meet again!"
"GET BACK HERE!" Smoker barked, giving chase, smoke fuming around him.
——
At the Docks
Sora and Elara were already sprinting up to where Drift stood — the giant robot towering like a silent titan by the hidden dock.
"Finally! Brought some company with you, huh?" Drift said, his metallic voice vibrating with excitement as he drew his gleaming katana and flexed his pulse cannon.
"We figured you'd want some action," Sora said, flashing a grin.
"You seriously can't not cause chaos, can you?" Aria muttered, folding her arms.
Elara just sighed. "We tried being subtle. We really did."
"Hey — we're pirates, right?!" Sora laughed.
Behind them, a squad of Marines screeched to a halt.
"What the hell is that thing?!"
"Is that even human?!"
Drift didn't hesitate. He swung his sword in a wide, booming arc — scattering marines like bowling pins, their weapons clattering to the ground.
"YEAH, DRIFT IS FIGHTING!!!" Sora cheered like a kid at a festival.
"Impressive," Aria said coolly.
Elara just shook her head, but a small smile crept onto her face.
——
Back to Kira
Kira raced through the alleys, Smoker hot on his heels — the Marine still clutching his wounded shoulder, anger burning in his eyes.
Kira skidded to a stop.
Dead end.
An abandoned, crumbling building loomed in front of him.
He turned around calmly, facing Smoker.
"You've got nowhere to run," Smoker growled, gripping his Seastone-tipped jitte tightly. "You know you can't defeat me."
Kira just smirked. "I know, but he can"
Suddenly — a huge metallic figure dropped down behind Kira with a ground-shaking THUD.
DRIFT's pulse gun glowed — BOOM!
The shot exploded into the alley, blasting smoke and marines everywhere.
Smoker staggered backward, reforming his body with a snarl.
"Tch… what the hell was that…" he growled, seeing the crew already retreating.
——
Back at the docks
The crew regrouped quickly. Kira vaulted aboard as Drift transformed smoothly into ship mode.
"All aboard!" Kira barked. "Time to leave!"
They all climbed on as Dirft's engines whirred to life.
From the battered plaza, Smoker watched — holding his injured shoulder, smoke rising around him.
"Great," he muttered, teeth grinding.
"Exactly what we need. Rookie pirates with a damn metal titan."
The ship form shot away from the dock, disappearing into the horizon — leaving a stunned Loguetown behind.
On the deck of Drift — now sailing away from Loguetown — the crew gathered around.
Kira leaned back against the rail, arms crossed and an amused smirk on his face.
"What did you do wrong, I wonder," he said, raising an eyebrow at Sora.
Sora scratched the back of his head, a sheepish grin on his face.
"Wasn't that bad…" he said defensively.
Elara, standing off to the side, gave him a flat look. "You literally told a marine you were a pirate."
Aria sighed, shaking her head with an exhausted smile. "Classic Sora."
Kira chuckled. "Anyways, it's done. And now…"
He straightened up, a glint of excitement in his eyes.
"It's time for the Grand Line."
The entire crew seemed to perk up at those words.
Kira turned to Elara, nodding.
"Alright, Elara. You're the smart one. Tell us — how do we reach the Grand Line?"
Elara pulled a rolled-up map from her pouch, unrolling it on the deck floor.
"First, we head to Reverse Mountain," she said, tapping the map. "It's the only way to enter the Grand Line properly from here. We'll have to sail through a strong current that leads up the mountain — then drop down on the other side."
Sora leaned over, eyes wide. "We're going up a mountain?"
"That's insane," Aria said, though her tone was almost intrigued.
"Completely insane," Elara agreed calmly. "But it's the only way."
Kira grinned, feeling his blood pump with excitement.
"Perfect. Sounds like an adventure."
Drift's voice boomed from the ship's core, "Adventure detected. I am ready."
The crew laughed lightly, the tension from Loguetown already starting to fade.
——
The next day
It was a lazy morning on Drift.
Everyone was minding their own business — Sora was flipping something in the kitchen, Aria was sharpening her swords, Kira was half-asleep in his room talking with the system, and Elara was leafing through a newspaper.
Until she froze.
"…Guys," Elara called, standing up. "You need to see this."
The crew slowly gathered around her as she pulled out a stack of bounty posters from the latest news.
"Wait, are those… bounties?" Sora said, eyes wide.
"Did we get one?! Tell me i got one!"
Elara smirked and showed the first one.
Raven D. Kira — The Black Raven
Bounty: 55,000,000 Berries
Kira took it, raising an eyebrow.
"Fifty-five million?" he said, almost amused. "They're catching on."
Sora whistled low. "Daaaamn, Captain. That's a lotta berries."
Aria just gave a small nod, like it was obvious. "They must've seen you with that frozen axe trick."
Elara handed the next one to Aria.
Veyra D. Aria — The White Shadow
Bounty: 25,000,000 Berries
Aria stared at it for a second.
"White Shadow," she repeated, deadpan. "Because my hair's white? Genius."
Sora snickered. "At least it sounds badass."
Aria shrugged. "Could've been worse."
Next came Sora's poster.
Sora — Feedback
Bounty: 12,000,000 Berries
Sora grabbed it instantly, holding it like it was made of gold.
"TWELVE MILLION !" he shouted.
He then paused and frowned.
"…Wait. Feedback?"
Kira laughed. "It suits you. You are a feedback."
Aria asked, "what does it even mean ?"
"Hey! It's a cool name!" Sora protested.
Elara smiled and revealed her own.
Winslow Elara
Bounty: 4,000,000 Berries
Elara blinked, almost confused.
"I barely did anything…" she muttered.
"Your family name's enough," Kira said, crossing his arms. "Your father was a pirate after all."
"Or they're just scared of you because you actually think," Aria added dryly.
Finally, Elara hesitated and pulled out the last one.
Drift
Bounty: 100,000,000 Berries
There was a full second of stunned silence.
"…I'm sorry, what?" Kira said flatly.
Sora's eyes went huge. "One hundred million?! For Drift?!"
"Figures," Aria said with a smirk. "He's a metal giant. Of course they panicked."
From across the deck, Drift's voice rumbled proudly,
"Acknowledged. I am terrifying."
Sora laughed. "Dude, you're gonna be a legend before we even reach the Grand Line!"
Elara tucked the posters neatly together.
"Well… guess the world's already talking about the Raven Pirates."
Kira looked at his crew, a grin slowly spreading across his face.
"Good," he said. "Let 'em talk. We'll give them plenty more reasons to."
——
The Going Merry gently rocked over the waves, the Straw Hat crew minding their own business.
Sanji was in the kitchen, Zoro napping on deck, and Usopp fiddling with some gadgets. Nami lounged under the sun, flipping through a freshly delivered newspaper.
"Hmm… new bounties," Nami muttered, scanning the pages. Her eyes widened slightly. "Hey, Luffy, look! Here's someone with a bounty even higher than yours!
and he has a 'D' in his name too. Are you two related or something?"
"Huh? What?! Let me see!" Luffy jumped over like an excited kid.
Nami held up the wanted poster.
The Black Raven – Raven D. Kira
55,000,000 Berries
"It's the guy with the cool ship!" Luffy grinned, recognizing the name.
"You know him?" Nami asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah! He's the guy who showed up at the Baratie and punched Don Krieg So far!" Luffy said, laughing.
"And there were two beautiful women with him," Sanji added dreamily, appearing behind Nami.
Nami flipped through the next posters and held up two more: Veyra D. Aria and Elara Winslow.
"These two? Another 'D' too," Nami said, noticing Aria's full name.
"YES!" Sanji snatched Aria's poster, hearts practically in his eyes.
"A goddess with a sword!"
Zoro cracked one eye open from his nap.
"Huh. That woman with the sword… we saw her at Shell Town. Remember, Luffy?"
"Not really," Luffy said, scratching his head. "Maybe?"
Usopp peeked in, spotting another poster.
"Hey, look at this guy! He's got a Devil Fruit!" Usopp said, pointing at the poster of Sora.
Feedback – Sora
12,000,000 Berries
"Feedback?" Usopp muttered.
Nami kept flipping until she stopped — her hands trembling slightly.
"W-What the hell…?" she muttered.
"What's wrong?" Luffy asked, peering closer.
Nami held up the last bounty:
Drift
100,000,000 Berries
No picture. Just a black silhouette.
"ONE HUNDRED MILLION?!" Usopp shouted, nearly falling off the railing.
"A hundred mil and no face?" Zoro said, frowning. "That's not normal."
"Did we meet this guy?" Nami asked, looking around.
"Nope," Sanji said, lighting a cigarette. "Didn't see him when we met the others."
"Maybe he's their secret weapon," Usopp said, shivering. "Or a monster…"
"Sounds awesome!" Luffy shouted, punching the air. "I wanna fight him!"
Nami slapped Luffy upside the head. "Don't say stupid things!"
The crew went quiet for a moment, the Going Merry slicing through the ocean.
Above them, the sun burned bright, and the winds of the Grand Line whispered promises of chaos and adventure.
They would definitely cross paths again.
———————————————————
Thank you for reading — it really means a lot!