One Piece: Randomizer!

Raphael: <>

System: []

******

Previously...

Luffy cracked his knuckles, his grin widening. "Good. 'Cause I've been itching for a real fight," he said and rushed at Eldoraggo at blinding speed vanishing from his sight.

Eldoraggo barely had time to register his disappearance before—

BAM!

A fist crashed into his gut at blinding speed, the sheer force detonating the air around them. Eldoraggo's eyes bulged as he was launched through the jungle, trees snapping like twigs in his wake. The distant crash of his impact echoed through the island, shaking the ground beneath them.

Present...

Eldoraggo groaned as he peeled himself off the rubble of shattered trees and broken earth. His once-pristine golden armor was dented, his breath ragged. He snarled, golden eyes blazing with fury as he wiped a trail of blood from his lip. "Damn brat..."

Luffy landed a few feet away, rolling his shoulders before cracking his neck. His usual grin was in place, but his eyes gleamed with battle excitement. "You're still standing? Guess I'll just have to hit you harder!"

Eldoraggo's muscles tensed. His pride as a pirate wouldn't let him fall so easily. With a deafening roar, he opened his mouth wide, unleashing a massive beam of compressed sound. It tore through the jungle with devastating force, disintegrating trees and boulders in its path, the sheer pressure flattening the ground beneath it.

As the beam closed in, Luffy stomped the ground. In an instant, a massive crystalline wall erupted in front of him. The green diamond barrier gleamed under the sun, refracting light like a prism as the sound wave crashed into it, sending violent shockwaves in all directions.

CRACK!

The wall trembled but held firm, absorbing the brunt of the attack. Luffy smirked, then clenched his fist. Jagged spikes burst from the crystalline barrier, their razor-sharp edges catching the light ominously. With a flick of his wrist, the spikes shot forward like missiles.

Eldoraggo barely had time to react. He crossed his arms in front of him, his sturdy armor deflecting some of the shards, but several sliced through, embedding deep into his flesh. He gritted his teeth, snarling. "You little...!"

Luffy shot forward at insane speed, vanishing before reappearing right in front of Eldoraggo. His fist, now encased in a thick layer of jet-black Haki and crystalline spikes, drove into Eldoraggo's stomach with bone-crushing force.

BAM!

The impact sent Eldoraggo flying backward like a cannonball. He smashed through rock formations, carving a deep trench through the earth. The ground trembled from the force. Luffy didn't give him a chance to breathe. He shot into the air, forming a massive crystalline construct behind him—a pair of towering hands, each the size of a giant.

The enormous hands clenched into fists before slamming down on Eldoraggo like a divine hammer. BOOM! The entire island shook as a crater formed from the impact. Dust and debris flew into the air, momentarily obscuring the battlefield.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then—

A beam erupted from the debris, tearing through the dust cloud. Luffy sidestepped at the last moment, the beam scorching past him and detonating in the distance. Eldoraggo staggered to his feet, panting, his golden armor now cracked and his face bruised. He growled. "I won't be beaten by some upstart brat!"

Luffy tilted his head. "You're still not down? Tough guy, huh?" He grinned. "Alright then, let's finish this!"

He planted his feet firmly, summoning large crystalline structures around him, readying for his next attack. His fists gleamed with Armament Haki, making them an unbreakable combination of diamond and Haki. He raised both hands, and massive crystalline spears materialized above him, floating like weapons of war.

Eldoraggo's eyes widened. "Tch...!"

Luffy stomped forward, launching the crystal spears at blinding speed. Eldoraggo roared and swung his arms, his golden claws deflecting some of the projectiles, but several impaled into his armor, piercing through and locking him in place.

Then Luffy vanished—

And reappeared above him, twisting in mid-air. His leg was raised high above his head as well as covered in both crystalline layers as well as Armament Haki. And in the next moment brought it down on on Eldoraggo's head.

The force of the impact sent a shockwave through the battlefield, splitting the ground apart while the sound of bone breaking echoed loud and clear before Eldoraggo's body plummeted into the crater, blood pooling beneath his head.

Luffy landed smoothly at the edge of the crater, exhaling as he gazed down at the unmoving corpse.

'Corpse of Eldoraggo?' Luffy raised a brow, a little weirded out by Raphael's sudden request.

'Sure,' Luffy muttered, storing Eldoraggo's body in his inventory. The request still felt odd, but knowing Raphael's talent and tenacity, he figured the results would be worth it sooner or later.

And with that, the final battle on the island came to an end. The Eldoraggo Pirates were completely wiped out, and their reign of terror was crushed.

Luffy meanwhile turned away from the battlefield, heading off to regroup with his crew.

******

"You took your sweet time," Uta smirked as Luffy finally regrouped with the crew, the last to arrive.

Luffy just shrugged, unbothered. His gaze flickered to Kaya, who stood off to the side, looking unusually downcast. He had a good idea of what was weighing on her, but he chose not to press, deciding to give her space to process her emotions on her own terms.

His attention then shifted to Kuina, who looked worse for wear—her clothes were torn, and bruises and cuts littered her body. "You look like shit," he said with a smirk while a vein popped on Kuina's forehead.

"Fucking jackass, try getting shocked repeatedly, and then we will see what you look like afterward," Kuina snapped at him, as a stinging sensation all over her body wasn't doing her mood any favors.

"Sorry, my bad," Luffy chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender. "In that case, why not have Kaya heal you?"

"No, it's all right," Kuina shook her head. "If we rely on Kaya's magic like healing too much, it might potentially hinder our body's natural healing process. So unless it is a very severe or life-threatening injury, or we have to face a gauntlet of enemies, we should be allowing our bodies to heal naturally."

"Good point," Luffy nodded.

"But then how is Kaya supposed to practice and improve her abilities?" Uta wondered aloud, arms crossed.

"That won't be a problem. The uninhabited island we usually take stops on generally has strong animals who don't take kindly to our intrusion. So after teaching them a lesson, we can have Kaya heal them as a way to practice her healing skills," Luffy explained. "Or we can capture those pretentious pirate crews that we encounter once in a blue moon and have her practice on them. The choice is Kaya's, whatever suits her taste."

Luffy finished speaking and looked up, only to find four people staring at him with varying degrees of deadpan expressions.

"...What?" he asked.

Instead of answering, Kuina turned to Uta. "Was he always this unhinged, or is the sea making him crazy?"

Uta let out a long sigh, shaking her head. "Honestly? I have no idea. He was an idiot for most of our childhood. Then, about a year ago, he suddenly got all serious and started training like crazy. I've just given up trying to figure him out."

"Hey! I'm standing right here, you know!" Luffy protested. "Besides, I wasn't gonna force Kaya to do anything. I was just suggesting a solution."

"But... isn't using humans as practice dummies kind of wrong?" Kaya asked hesitantly.

"So is using animals," Luffy shot back with a scoff. "And trust me, they're more innocent than the kind of humans I'm suggesting." His voice softened slightly. "But like I said, I'm not forcing you. If you're uncomfortable with it, just say so, and we'll find another way."

Kaya let out a small sigh of relief. "I... I think I need some time to think about this."

Luffy nodded. "Take all the time you need."

"Can we finally do what we came here for?" Zoro asked, arms crossed, sounding impatient.

"Right, Woonan's treasure," Luffy nodded before a smirk tugged at his lips. He turned to Zoro with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Hey, Zoro, why don't you lead the charge? With your sense of direction, we might even find One Piece buried somewhere around here," he said and the crew burst into laughter, much to Zoro's annoyance.

'Hey, Raphael, there should be a map of Woonan's treasure on Eldoraggo's body, right?' Luffy asked internally.

"Alright, guys, let's go claim our treasure!" Luffy said, retrieving an old, weathered map from his inventory and spreading it out for the crew to see.

"Okay, so there are two points of interest on this island," he explained, tracing his finger across the map. "One is Woonan's castle, and the other is the actual location of the treasure. I think both spots are worth checking out."

"And how the hell do you know that?" Kuina raised a brow. "From what I've gathered, none of these chumps figured that out."

Luffy winked. "A little birdie told me."

Kuina's eye twitched in irritation. "Oh, for—" She swung a punch at him, but Luffy ducked with a chuckle.

In truth, Luffy had done his homework. After learning about the Eldoraggo Pirates and the legend of Woonan's treasure from the thieves, he pulled up the details of the first One Piece movie on his smartphone due to which he already knew how this story played out. Only after confirming that neither the enemies nor the Golden Island itself posed any real danger to his crew did he decide to make this side quest official. After all, there was a fine line between seeking adventure and walking into unnecessary trouble—especially when there was no treasure on this island at all.

"Alright, first stop—the castle!" Luffy announced, rolling up the map and leading the way while others followed behind him. 

The crew trekked through the dense jungle and eventually, they arrived at what was supposed to be their first destination—only to be greeted by a dead end. A massive dirt mound blocked their path, stretching wide and high like an artificial mountain.

"Wow, what a luxurious castle," Kuina quipped in mock wonder, folding her arms.

Luffy rolled his eyes. "Oh ye of little faith."

Without another word, he summoned a large crystalline hand holding a giant scooper from the ground and with an effortless motion, it plunged into the mound and began digging away the earth.

Within minutes, the towering pile of dirt was gone, revealing a hidden road leading deeper into the forest. The overgrown path looked untouched for years, vines creeping over the stones and moss covering the edges.

Luffy turned to Kuina with a smirk. "You were saying?"

She huffed, but a small grin tugged at the corner of her lips.

With their path now clear, the crew pressed forward. As they walked, the dense foliage gradually gave way to a grand yet abandoned-looking castle. The structure loomed ahead, its once-magnificent walls now worn down by time. Vines snaked up its sides, and cracks ran along the stonework, hinting at decades of neglect.

Luffy stopped at the entrance, tilting his head. "Well, here we are."

Zoro cracked his knuckles. "Let's see if this place has anything worth our time."

Without hesitation, the crew stepped forward and entered the castle.

What followed was an hour of exploration—wandering through dimly lit hallways, pushing open creaky doors, and kicking up clouds of dust with every step. The once-grand structure had long since fallen into disrepair, its walls cracked, and its wooden floors warped with time. Cobwebs clung to the corners, and the occasional scurrying of unseen creatures echoed through the corridors.

Eventually, the Straw Hats found themselves standing in the middle of the worn-down structure, in what must have once been a lavish chamber, gathered in front of a pile of old paintings, furniture, and various trinkets sitting abandoned, each item coated in a thick layer of dust.

Luffy whistled, stepping closer to inspect the pile. "Well, this turned out better than I expected."

"That's great and all," Uta said, eyeing the heap skeptically, "but is any of this actually worth anything?" She poked at one of the chairs, causing it to wobble unsteadily.

"I have no idea," Luffy admitted with a shrug. "But that doesn't really matter. The furniture is one thing, but if these paintings are authentic, we're not selling them."

"What?! Why?!" The crew collectively snapped their heads toward Luffy, staring at him in disbelief.

"You heard me," Luffy said, crossing his arms. "No matter how small, art is always a part of history. And I believe in preserving history." His expression turned determined. "So unless we're desperate for money, these paintings are staying with me. Someday, they're gonna decorate the walls of my super huge and awesome mansion!"

A brief silence followed before Uta suddenly burst out laughing.

"Luffy, what are you, an eight-year-old? How can you even say 'super huge and awesome mansion' with a straight face?" she teased, wiping a tear from her eye.

Luffy scoffed. "Well, I believe in being a child at heart."

The others exchanged amused glances, but no one argued further. With a casual flick of his wrist, Luffy began storing the spoils from the mansion into his inventory. "Alright, that's everything worth taking," he said, dusting off his hands. "Let's get moving. We still have another place to check out."

With that, the crew left the old castle behind, stepping out into the open air once more, following Luffy toward their next destination.

******

"Who would have thought there'd be a house in such an isolated place?" Uta mused, gazing up at the lone structure perched atop the island's most striking feature—a steep, towering plateau that loomed over the landscape.

Ordinarily, climbing such a formation would be an exhausting and time-consuming ordeal, requiring ropes, endurance, and sheer stubbornness. But thanks to Luffy's mastery over crystals, he had effortlessly crafted a spiraling staircase along the plateau's edge, turning what should have been a grueling ascent into a simple stroll.

Stepping inside the house, they were greeted by silence and darkness. The empty rooms stood as sad remnants of a time long past, abandoned for who knows how many years.

After a few minutes of exploring, the crew gathered in the house's main hall.

"Luffy, maybe you misunderstood something," Kaya suggested, casting a doubtful glance around the decrepit interior. "I doubt there's any treasure here."

"No, there's definitely something," Uta countered, arms crossed as she studied the room with keen eyes. "My gut tells me there's more to this place than meets the eye."

Luffy shot her an approving grin. "Good intuition." Without another word, he casually walked over to the massive fireplace that dominated one side of the hall. Then, with nothing more than a gentle push of his hand, the entire structure rumbled and shifted aside, revealing a dark passageway leading underground.

Kuina's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "How!?" she demanded, staring at the hidden entrance in disbelief.

Luffy simply smirked and began descending the stairs, offering no explanation. 

Grinding her teeth in frustration, Kuina muttered a string of colorful words under her breath before following, along with the rest of the crew.

The staircase was long and narrow, and after a brief descent, they reached an old wooden door, its surface worn and brittle from age.

Luffy studied the door for a moment before turning to the others with a mischievous grin. "Anyone want to do the honors?" He made an exaggerated gesture, as if presenting a grand prize.

The crew exchanged glances before Uta stepped forward, rolling her shoulders. "Well then, don't mind if I do," she declared with a greedy grin. "Piles of gold, here I come!"

With an eager push, she swung the door open—only to freeze in place, her excitement vanishing in an instant.

The room was empty.

No mountains of gold. No glittering jewels. No extravagant treasure hoard.

Instead, a single wooden chair sat in the middle of the chamber, and upon it rested a skeleton, still clad in tattered pirate attire.

Uta paled. "What the hell is this!?" she blurted, pointing at the skeletal figure as if accusing it of scamming her.

Luffy stepped into the room, with a wide smile on his face. "That, my dear Uta, is the Legendary Captain Woonan." Then, he gestured to the walls, where crude yet deeply personal writings covered nearly every surface. "And that... is his life's story."

The rest of the crew followed him inside, their gazes drawn to the inscriptions. It didn't take long for them to realize what they were looking at— Woonan's deathbed letter, etched into the stone before his passing.

The message revealed the thoughts of a man who had spent a lifetime chasing gold, only to realize too late that the treasure itself had never truly mattered. The thrill of the hunt, the journey, the memories forged along the way—that was what his younger self had truly sought. With that understanding, he made one final decision: to return all the gold he had collected to its rightful owners, keeping only a single memento for himself—a torn pirate flag, the last remnant of a childhood spent dreaming alongside his long-gone best friend.

A heavy silence settled over the group.

"...So, there's no treasure here," Uta muttered, her shoulders slumping in disappointment.

Luffy, however, smirked. "Well, I wouldn't say that."

Uta narrowed her eyes. "I swear, if you say something like 'the real treasure was the adventure all along,' I'm kicking you in the head." She jabbed a finger at him threateningly.

Luffy chuckled. "That would be a good lesson, but no. What I mean is..." He folded his arms, tilting his head. "Remember the Eldoraggo Pirates' gold-plated ship? The one docked on the coast? Now, think about how obsessed their captain was with gold. There's no way he doesn't have a massive treasure stash on board."

Uta blinked. Then, realization dawned on her face. "You're right!" she gasped, her disappointment evaporating in an instant. A delighted grin spread across her lips as she grabbed Kuina and Kaya by the wrists. "Come on, guys! Let's claim the spoils of our victory!" she declared, dragging them along with her as Zoro followed at a more leisurely pace.

Luffy watched her go, shaking his head with an amused smile. "That girl..." he murmured.

Then, his expression sobered for a brief moment.

A part of him still couldn't believe how different this Uta was compared to the one from Film Red—the twisted, broken girl who had drowned herself in a fantasy world of music and destruction. Seeing her like this—smiling, excited, full of life—it was... better.

Much better.

Shaking off his thoughts, Luffy reached into his pocket and pulled out his smartphone, capturing pictures of the chamber and its writings before carefully storing Woonan's skeleton away. With one last glance at the pirate's final resting place, he turned on his heel and left the house, following his crew.

******

After dismantling and thoroughly looting the Eldoraggo Pirates' ship, the Straw Hats decided to spend the night on Gold Island, since the sun was already sinking beneath the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and violet. There was no sense in setting sail immediately.

The next morning, as the crew prepared for departure, Uta glanced around and frowned. Something felt... off. It didn't take her long to realize why—Luffy was nowhere to be seen. He wasn't at the ship, nor was he lingering around the camp like he usually would.

Her frown deepened.

Spreading her Observation Haki, she expanded her awareness until she pinpointed his location. A few minutes later, she found herself back at the hill with the fish statue—the same place they had visited the day before.

There, standing in front of a freshly made grave, was Luffy. He was hunched slightly, a crystal dagger in hand, carefully carving something into the surface of a large stone. 

"Luffy, what are you doing here?" Uta asked as she approached, her gaze flickering to the grave before shifting back to him.

"Oh hey Uta, good morning," Luffy greeted her without turning around from his work. "Give me a moment, I am almost done here," he said, and a moment later, he whipped the sweat off of his forehead before stepping back, giving Uta the proper look at what he was trying to do.

Upon looking at the stone carefully, Uta realized what Luffy was doing. "This..." she said, trying to find the right words. After all, etched into the rock before her was Woonan's story—the same tale they had found deep in the hidden chamber. Every word, every thought the legendary pirate had left behind, now immortalized on this stone for anyone who might one day stumble upon it.

But that wasn't all—Luffy had taken the time to carve two additional stones. One chronicled their own adventure on Gold Island, detailing the battles they fought, and the mysteries they unraveled. The other recounted the discovery of Woonan's treasure from his perspective, including his personal thoughts on the legendary pirate's final journey.

By doing this, he ensured that not only Woonan's story but also their own experiences on the island would be preserved, etched into history for anyone who might one day stumble upon this hidden place.

Luffy ran a hand over the carvings, as if making sure it was just right. "What do you think?" he asked, before finishing his work by planting Woonan's tattered flag at the head of the grave. "I wanted anyone who finds this island to know the story of the legendary Pirate Woonan. Honestly, I doubt anyone would've figured out where his final resting place was without the map we had, so... this is my little gift to the world."

He straightened, looking at his handiwork with a satisfied nod. Then, his tone grew quieter, more thoughtful. "The world's hell-bent on erasing history... and the people who made it. But some things shouldn't be forgotten."

For a long moment, Uta just stared at him.

Then, with a small chuckle, she shook her head. "You're such a weirdo, you know that?"

Luffy simply grinned, his usual carefree energy returning. Without warning, he grabbed her hand, tugging her forward. "C'mon! We've got more adventures waiting for us."

Uta let herself be pulled along, rolling her eyes but smiling nonetheless.

As they made their way back to the ship, the wind carried the fluttering sound of Woonan's old flag behind them. 

With the morning sun rising over the horizon, the Straw Hats set sail once more, leaving Gold Island behind as they continued their journey across the vast, endless sea.

To be continued...