The Merry was floating on a river, a river that seemed to be flowing up a mountain. The sky was a strange, misty-gold color. The island—or continent—was a massive, vertical caldera, a world hidden inside a volcano. The air was thick, humid, and smelled of ozone and... something else. Something ancient.
"This," Ben breathed, his eyes wide, "is... magnificent."
"The plants are... big," Usopp noted, staring at a flytrap the size of a wagon, which snapped at a passing bird.
"And a little... bite-y," Sanji added, as a vine tried to snake its way around his leg.
"Ryu says... he can smell them," Apis whispered, her voice full of awe. "He can smell... home."
"Ben," Luffy called from the figurehead. "The river is too slow! Can you do the... fwoosh thing?!"
Ben sighed. He was becoming the crew's outboard motor. "AQUA-ERUCTO!"
With a roar of magical propulsion, the Merry shot up the river, banking hard on turns, drenching the crew.
"WOO-HOO!" Luffy howled, holding his hat on his head.
"I'M GOING TO BE SICK!" Usopp screamed.
"MY CIGARETTE IS WET, YOU DAMN WIZARD!" Sanji complained.
They burst through a final curtain of mist and into a vast, hidden plateau. It was a dwelling of the gods. Waterfalls fell into still lakes, giant, glowing crystals pulsed with light, and the air was filled with... roars.
A shadow passed overhead. It was sleek, red, and had a wingspan of at least fifty feet. It circled the Merry, its cry a sharp, intelligent SKREEEEE.
"SOOOOO COOOOOOL!" Luffy's eyes were literal stars.
Zoro's hand was on his sword.
Sanji, ever the pragmatist, was already checking his spice rack mentally. "I wonder what it tastes like... grilled... or maybe... à la broche..."
Nami was staring at the giant, glowing crystals. "Are those... are those gems?! We're rich! We're unimaginably rich!"
Ben, however, was in a state of academic ecstasy. His "mad scientist" brain had completely taken over.
"Fascinating," he whispered, his wand out, already casting diagnostic charms. "Draco Ignis. A classic Fire Wyvern. The scales must be magically resistant to heat. The blood... oh, the blood must be a potent alchemical reagent. I need a scale. And blood. And possibly a tooth. And maybe a tissue sample."
"EVERYONE SHUT UP AND HIDE!" Nami shrieked. "IT'S LOOKING AT US!"
The Wyvern landed, blocking their path up the river. It was beautiful, territorial, and looked very angry.
"Right," Ben said, his entire demeanor shifting. He was no longer a wizard; he was a researcher. "New plan. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji—you three are 'Distraction and Large-Scale Protection.' Usopp, you are 'Spotter and Precision Retrieval.' Nami, at the helm. Apis, stay with Ryu. I... am going shopping."
"Shopping?!" Usopp yelped. "It's trying to eat us, and he wants to go shopping?!"
"Fire!" Luffy yelled, as the Wyvern opened its mouth and spat a massive, rolling fireball at them.
"PROTEGO MAXIMA!" Ben roared.
A massive, shimmering dome of blue energy flared to life around the Merry, the fire washing over it harmlessly, sizzling and splashing like water on a hot pan.
The dragon blinked, clearly confused.
"NOW!" Ben yelled. "Luffy! Distract it! But don't hurt it! I need the samples... pristine!"
"Shishishi! Got it! No hurting!" Luffy rocketed himself onto the plateau. "HEY! BIG, SCALY, UGLY GUY! LOOK AT ME!"
The Wyvern, insulted, turned its full attention to Luffy, who proceeded to lead it on a merry chase, stretching and bouncing around the crystals. "Gomu Gomu no... Dragon... Taunt!"
"Zoro, Sanji, if it gets past Luffy, you're up!" Ben commanded. He then turned to Usopp. "Usopp! I've enchanted this—" he handed Usopp one of his slingshot pellets, which now had a sharp, hollow needle at the tip and a small, magically sealed vial attached. "It's a retrieval pact. You shoot the dragon, which will draw a few samples of blood, and then return to my hand. Can you do it?"
Usopp's legs were knocking, but his eyes were sharp. "The Great Captain Usopp... can make any shot! Especially... a... uh... phlebotomy shot!"
"Good man! Aim for the thickest part of the hind leg! Now!"
"Dragon's Blood Star!" Usopp yelled. He fired. The pellet flew true, a perfect, arcing shot. It pricked the Wyvern's leg. The dragon didn't even notice; it was too busy trying to stomp Luffy, who was now hiding behind a crystal.
A second later, the pellet flew back and slapped Ben in the palm. The tiny vial was full of bright, ruby-red, steaming blood.
"EXCELLENT!" Ben cackled, pocketing it. "Now, the scale!"
"It's... kinda... on him, Ben!" Usopp pointed out.
"Precisely!" Ben raised his wand as the Wyvern, frustrated with Luffy, flew straight up. "DIFFINDO!"
A tiny, silver, invisible blade of magic shot from his wand. It hit a single, loose scale on the dragon's underbelly. The scale, the size of a shield, was neatly clipped and fell, spinning, toward the river.
"ACCIO SCALE!" Ben yelled.
The massive red scale changed direction mid-air and flew into his waiting hands with a thwump.
Ben was beaming, his face flushed with success. "Sample One: Draco Ignis! Blood and scale! Oh, this is a glorious day for science!"
"BEN, YOU MANIAC!" Nami screamed. "IT'S COMING BACK! AND IT BROUGHT... FRIENDS!"
Two more Wyverns were diving, and Luffy was still on the shore, laughing.
"Right! Time to go!" Ben yelled. He pointed his wand at the river behind them. "DEPRIMO!"
A massive, crushing jet of magic blasted the riverbed, creating a huge wave that surged forward, launching the Merry (and Luffy, who grabbed the railing at the last second) up the river.
"My... my samples," Ben whispered, lovingly cradling the scale and vial. "Precious..."
They sailed deeper into the hidden world. The wonders, and Ben's shopping list, only grew. They entered a vast, glowing crystal cave, where the water was clear as air.
"Look!" Nami whispered, pointing.
Slithering through the water and in and out of the crystal walls was a serpent. A dragon, but with no wings, its body made of what looked like pure, living amethyst.
"It's... beautiful," Nami breathed.
"It's rare," Ben corrected, his eyes gleaming. "Luffy. I need you to... ask it for a shed crystal. Politely."
"How?" Luffy asked.
"I... don't know! Just... try!"
Luffy leaned over the railing. "HEY! SPARKLY SNAKE-DRAGON! CAN WE HAVE ONE OF YOUR... SPARKLES?! PLEASE?!"
The dragon stopped. It raised its head, its eyes two bright sapphires. It seemed to assess Luffy. It found him... wanting, apparently, because it opened its mouth and shrieked. The sound was high-pitched, and the crystals in the cave began to vibrate. But they managed to get a few samples.
They continued. They found a family of large, lumbering, triceratops-like dragons with plates on their backs that crackled with lightning.
"Okay, this one I am not messing with," Ben said, watching them from a distance. "That's pure, condensed, natural energy. One wrong move and we're fried."
"But... the sample," Sanji mocked, blowing smoke. "Don't you want its... electric... toenail?"
"I do, actually," Ben said, dead-serious. He turned to Usopp. "Usopp. New plan. Homing Star."
"Got it!"
Ben handed Usopp a small, enchanted metal disc. "Just get it on its back. I'll do the rest."
Usopp took aim. The Dragon was a quarter-mile away. The wind was tricky. He fired.
The disc flew. It arced. It almost hit.
Then a small Wind Drake, a creature the size of a hyperactive, scaly poodle, zipped out of the sky, caught the disc, thought it was a toy, and flew straight for the Merry.
"Uh, Ben?" Usopp said, his voice very small.
"What?"
"The sample... is being delivered."
"Excellent!"
"By a very fast, very angry... poodle-thing..."
The Wind Drake landed on the deck, dropped the disc, and then saw Luffy. It decided Luffy was also a toy. It began zipping around Luffy's head, yipping and sparking.
"GYAAAAH! GET IT OFF! IT'S... IT'S CUTE-ANNOYING!" Luffy yelled, flailing.
Ben, ignoring this, picked up the disc, which was now covered in Wind Drake saliva. "Well... it's not a Thunder Lizard sample, but! I'LL TAKE IT!"
He scooped the small dragon up in a magically-conjured net. "And I'll take you, too. For... observation." He put the yipping, furious drake into a cage.
"Sample Three: Draco Ventus! Acquired via... pure, unadulterated chaos. This crew is a viable, if unconventional, research method."