In which Scouts learn the art of the Strawhats

Levi scowled.

His face was made for scowling.

It was what he did best, especially around the Military Police. He never had any respect for those men. With Nile Dok being the sole exception, all of these soldiers around here were wimps that had no other ability than marching around like they owned the place. They knew no combat, and because of that Levi had no respect for them.

He had even less respect for the military leaders or the King. His reputation as 'Humanity's Strongest Soldier' was the only thing that saved him from prison because of lèse-majesty.

Until now.

"Am I hearing this right? You still want to execute Yeager?!"

"He's a Titan", one of those ball-less wussies claimed. "Worse even! A Titan Shifter!"

"And, according to your reports, this so-called 'Female Titan' is another Shifter. Who says she's not working with Eren?"

"If you have read the report, she tried to capture Yeager", Levi snarled. "It was only the presence of those Pirates that she didn't succeed."

"We read this too. It sounds pretty much like a fairy tale from what you wrote about their powers. Aren't you sure it isn't just your imagination?" one particular scummy scumbag asked. Levi glared at him, making him shrink back in fear.

"I want Yeager", he demanded, "I want his power. If he can control his Titan Form, we could employ a new strategy. Send in the Titan. Let him slaughter the other Titans. We scouts will have his back and take out those that come too close."

"Wait", Nile interjected, "You want to use... a Titan... as weapon?"

"We got this weapon and we should use it", Levi replied.

"This is Madness! You can't hope to control a Titan!"

"Is it Madness? Is it?" Levi glanced at each man in turn. "We've been fighting- and losing- against those fucking retards and when we finally have the chance to turn the war in our favour you suddenly step back?" His gaze turned icy. "That makes me wonder who the real traitor is." He turned, leaving the uneasy men behind. "At any rate", Levi added as he walked out, "I will have words with the Pirate Captain. As stupid as he might be, he is an ally worth of keeping. I will ensure we have his help."

With a slam, the door fell shut. Grunting, one of the admirals turned to face a man who stood in the shade the whole time.

"Your brat is getting nosy", he mumbled, "You have to deal with him before he's making matters worse, Ackerman."

Thin lips arched upwards, revealing gleaming white teeth as the Serial Killer tipped his hat back. "Looks like I have to", he admitted. "It's a shame. That kid's got talent."

-OoOoO-

"You're learning fast. What is it that drives you?"

"I want to become stronger. I want to protect Eren at any cost."

"That's a good reason"

With a metallic sound Zoro sheathed his blades as he surveyed the training dummies he sicced Mikasa on. "You have talent and enough willpower to see through it", the swordsman eventually admitted. Mikasa nodded and allowed herself to take a small break to check up on the others. Sasha was with Usopp. Both were shooting at targets that stood at the other end of the courtyard. Within a few days the huntress increased her shooting range and accuracy dramatically under the Sniper's tutelage. Mikasa wasn't sure how this was possible, but then again her own strength and endurance had improved ever since she started training with Zoro. So far, she discovered she was going through the blades at a much slower rate, while effortlessly chopping through wood and even brittle stone. Armin was, as always, more interested in the technology than actual fighting. He was with Franky while the Cyborg explained to him how to repair and upgrade various pieces of equipment. Connie, Reiner, Bertolt, Jean, Ymir and Eren were more interested in hand-to-hand combat. This was why they had Luffy and Sanji show them some tricks. Mikasa noticed with some sort of pride that Eren was the best, capable of holding his own even against some punches the Pirate Captain threw at him. Christa sat with Nami and Robin, letting them show her some of their tactics.

The older Scouts were training their combat with Erwin.

Poor Keith Shadis sat in a corner and wept silently, because some Pirate Idiots did a better job at training the recruits than he did.

"Man! I wish I knew where they come from!" Reiner eventually stated, "Because it must be awesome where they live."

"Yeah", Jean admitted dreamily, "I feel strong enough to take out a three-meter class with my bare hands!"

"Why don't we just ask them?" Ymir inquired.

"..."

"...That's an actually good idea..." Connie mumbled. He turned to Luffy. "Hey, where are you guys from, anyways?"

"Oh, we're from the East Blue", the Captain replied grinning, "Well, Sanji's from the North Blue, Robin is from West Blue. Chopper, Brook and Franky are from the Grand Line."

"Uh..."

"And we just entered the New World, you know?" the Captain went on, "We were on Fishman Island which is an Island on the bottom of the sea. We rode on large whales and ended up where the sea was burning. That was really cool!"

"Burning Sea?"

"Giant Whales?"

"Fishman Island?"

"At the Bottom of the Ocean?"

"Uh..."

"But how did you end up here?"

Luffy frowned. "Huh... Ah, Right! There was this idiot! I have to punch him next time we see him!"

"Guy?"

"Apparently a Devil's fruit user", Robin explained calmly without looking up from her book, "He said he ate the 'Gate Gate' Fruit, which allowed him to open One-Way Gates between worlds."

"Right", Luffy nodded, "And suddenly we are on that river and those perverted idiot giants come running towards us."

"Then, how do you want to get back?" Bertolt asked. Luffy beamed at him.

"I have no idea, but we will figure something out. The One Piece will not run away anyways, so we have plenty of time to have some more adventures!"

"That guy must be the most trusting idiot in the whole wide world" The scouts thought startled. It seemed that at least half of his crew actually thought the same, at least judging from their facial expressions.

The quickly snapped their attention to the entrance of the courtyard, where Levi just arrived. "We got the permission", he exclaimed coldly.

"Wonderful", Erwin replied, "What did you have to do for it?"

"The usual: Glaring, threatening, insulting and questioning their morale."

"What permission?" Luffy suddenly threw in.

"A new strategy", Erwin answered proudly. "Everyone, please gather around. We have new orders."

The scouts scrambled to stand up straight, while the pirates merely lifted their heads in curiosity. Since these were the Strawhat Pirates, Erwin knew he had to skip everything and get to the point immediately. "We have been accredited to change our strategy concerning the Titan Battles. Eren Yeager, you are going to become our spear head."

"What does that mean?" Connie asked.

"To put it simple", Levi explained, "Yeager is allowed to change into his Titan Shape, jump into a fray and tear open asses."

"Wait- isn't that kind of dangerous for him?"

"Look around- what do you see? We got a shitload of highly-trained scouts capable of killing Titans. It is going to be our duty to keep Yeager safe in these skirmishes."

"Hey, that's a SUPER idea!" Franky shouted, "C'mon! This has to be celebrated!"

"Yay! Party! Sanji, I want meat!" Luffy cheered along with his shipwright.

"Sorry, Luffy", Eren threw in, "But you guys have to wait for your party."

"Why?"

"Because I am still too weak. I can't do anything at this current stage."

"Ah, but that's no problem", the Pirate Captain grinned, "We can help you! You know, Zoro helped Kasa already a great deal!"

"Yeah... and that was quite successful..." the Shifter trailed off as his gaze moved over to a chest-thick tree that has been cut off in a single swipe- Mikasa's first victim after starting her training with the green-haired swordsman.

"Good", the Scouting Legion's Captain finished. "Go and get your shit together, Yeager. We need you in best condition."

"Uh- Yes, Sir!"

-oOo-

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Eren asked.

"It's the best way to train your Titan form", Chopper replied.

"But... Attacking you?!"

"Don't worry. You'll need a big target for practising. After that, you can try fighting the smaller ones."

"...Big Target?"

"I will attack you", Chopper declared as he took his position at the other end of the field. "You have to either defeat me or manage to stall me for three minutes."

"Three minutes", Eren frowned, "I guess I can give it a try."

"Fine", the small reindeer beamed. "Go on. Transform."

Eren nodded, focussing on fighting the little reindeer before he bit down on his hand. A mighty flash of light erupted from his body and the boy was simply swallowed up by his own, suddenly appearing Titan form. With a growl, the Rogue Titan got in a fighting stance. The reindeer nodded before lifting something small up. "Don't forget, Eren. I can only hold this form for three minutes. One of us both has to win within this time."

Eren snarled in understanding. Chopper flipped the small object up, catching it with his teeth.

"Rumble"

He shattered it.

The Rumble Drug only needed a short moment to work and when it did, the little reindeer changed into a new, Titanic Shape.

The Eren Titan made a strangled noise, similar to the gasps his friends uttered as Chopper became a truly massive Reindeer Monster. He stood at least twenty meters tall, with giant, branched antlers that added another three or so meters to his height. A thick, dense mane covered most of his chest, throat and shoulders. His feet had hooves, his hands five fingers.

With a wordless grunt he moved forwards, signalling that he was ready for battle. Eren wasted no time, launching his body towards the Titandeer. Chopper reeled back, arm poised for a strike. Eren dodged in time, spinning to deliver a strong kick to the reindeer's ankles. Chopper stumbled, but caught himself long enough to send a powerful elbow into the Titan's shoulder. Eren did not manage to hold his balance, so he crushed into the floor. The reindeer didn't waste any time to throw another, much more devastating punch towards the shifter. His 'Carving Hoof' easily tore through Eren's shoulder, separating his arm at the joint. Eren roared in pain, thrashing on the ground. The Titandeer froze before jumping back in shock. "AHHH!" he screamed in his deep, monstrous voice, "I ripped off your arm! Is there a doctor around to fix this?!" He paused, then quickly realized: "Right. I'm a doctor."

In that moment Eren lashed out with his foot, hooking it behind the deer's knee and knocked him off balance. Chopper hit the ground hard and suddenly found his arm pinned to the ground by the Titan's foot.

"I appreciate your concern", The Rogue Titan claimed with a toothy grin, "But Titans can regenerate their bodies without any greater troubles." He shrugged his shoulder to show the healing process. By now, he had grown back about half of his upper arm.

"Great!" Chopper beamed back up at him. "And I guess you've won. Great work Eren!"

"...Really?"

"Really!"

The Titan frowned before pumping his fist in a triumphantly pose. "Yesssssssss!" He whipped around. "Did you see that, Mikasa? I just beat one of them pirates!"

"That's nice, Eren", his sister replied, "Just a question: You do realize you are still in your Titan form right?"

"So?"

"You're making conversation with me."

"Oh..."

"It's okay. Just make sure Hanji won't notice that you can talk."

"ASFGELLFHGDSFGDTSSA" *foam*

"..."

"Too late..."