BOOK 4 - Fairy Tail (Pirates) AU: On Magical Tides

CHAPTER I: The Mission at Crocus

<<5 years after the maelstrom battle>>

Somewhere in the big capital city of Crocus, a royal prison carriage was carrying and transporting many criminals inside it. One of them was a small blue flying cat: Happy, Natsu Dragneel's loyal companion. Happy was cuffed and restrained. And when the carriage arrived at its destination, he was taken to the main court of the city.

The thing is that Happy had actually been mistakenly identified as the pirate called Natsu Dragneel: a famous pirate lord and former captain of the legendary ship, the Black Fairy. Therefore, the poor cat was just about to be judged as if he were an entirely different person.

Happy was placed in the middle of a big room with a dais and a jury at one side each. Many people around the crowd were demanding for the pirate cat to be executed immediately. But fortunately for him, that wasn't their decision to make at all. It was actually the judge's.

A few minutes later, the judge finally arrived. He was the one who was going to decide Happy's final fate. But something seemed completely off about such judge. His hair seemed fake, and his face turned out to be quite familiar to the flying cat. The reason for this is that the judge wasn't really THE judge, but actually an impostor. And the one behind the mask was none other than a 25 year-old pinkette pirate Happy knew very well: Natsu.

"Now... What do we have here?" disguised Natsu said with a smirk.

"Natsu?" Happy asked in surprise. But then, he was suddenly shutted up by a nearby guard.

Natsu then kept on with his hilarious act and decided to joke a bit with Happy. "Don't worry, guard. That's not necessary" Natsu faced Happy once more. "Now then... You were saying..."

The flying cat started arguing with the fake judge. He stated that his name wasn't really 'Natsu Dragneel' and even threatened the pinkette with identifying him in front of everyone in case it was necessary. However, Natsu didn't feel intimidated at all and kept on playing with Happy a bit, until he finally decided to put an end to the weird show.

"Happy, the exceed... The crime of which you've been found guilty of is being innocent of being Natsu Dragneel. Therefore, I hereby commute your sentence and order that you be imprisoned for the remainder of your miserable, moribund and mutton-chopped life"

The people began complaining about disguised Natsu's decision, but the court was already over. The pinkette left immediately as Happy was taken outside. In the meantime, the pinkette finally got rid of the annoying wig and outfit he was wearing and tossed it inside a wardrobe. A wardrobe where the real judge who Natsu had just impersonated was bound and gagged.

"Thanks a lot, mister" Natsu finally told the judge.

After that, the pinkette headed outside and met with Happy. The flying cat was taken inside a prison carriage, but Natsu actually barged in and got inside as well. Now both friends were on their way to the prison together.

"Great... Now we are both headed to prison" Happy said.

"Don't worry, pal" Natsu replied with a grin. "I bribed the one riding this carriage. In a few minutes, we'll find ourselves at Crocus's main exit. We'll meet with her there and get out of here in another carriage. After that, we'll just need to look for a ship"

"Wait... Her? You mean..."

"Yeah... Lucy is waiting for us. I bet you missed her too... hehehe..."

Happy exalted in joy after hearing that. Then, he actually switched the topic and asked Natsu how he and Lucy had been that whole time. As it turns out, Happy was suddenly captured by Fiore's armada and separated from Natsu and Lucy long ago during their journey to find the mysterious fountain of youth.