Готовый перевод One Piece The Ship of Lust / Корабель хтивості: Второе дыхание

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Адреса змісту:https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11039217/2/Second-Wind

Аниме/Манга

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Один кусочек

Второе дыхание

Автор:

Пропавший самурай

Луффи и Зоро просыпаются в двух разных частях Ист Блю, оба с

одними и теми же мыслями. Защитите экипаж. На этот раз неудач не

будет, приказ капитана. По мере того, как постепенно раскрываются

кусочки неизвестного прошлого, которое разделяют два товарища,

остальная часть команды может только предполагать. Несмотря на

всю свою абсолютную решимость, они что-то скрывают. На перерыве.

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Художественная литература T

- Английский - Приключения/Юмор - Луффи, Зоро, Пираты

Соломенного - Главы: 70 - Слов: 278 212 - Обзоры :

6803

– Избранное: 12 214 – Читает: 12 181 – Обновлено:

03.02.2023, 05:23:10

- Опубликовано:

12.02.2015, 07:45:23

- id: 11039217

23. Strawhat and Firefist

This chapter's witty disclaimer joke is brought to you by The Patient One.

Disclaimer: Shanks' hair is red, Vivi's is blue, I don't own One Piece, it's

sad but it's true.

Chapter XXIII: Strawhat and Firefist

"Alright Strawhats, gather around!" Luffy yelled as his crewmates yawned

and made their way out onto the deck. "Nami tells me we're a few hours

away from Alabasta," Luffy began. "So I'd like to know how all of you are

progressing. The haki training is going about as well as I hoped, what

with having a new learner and all." Chopper had readily begun the haki

training when he was told of it, all too eager to join the rest of the crew

in their endeavors, however unconventional they were. "But none of you

have had any real breakthroughs yet, and you won't be able to rely on

that in the upcoming fight. Luckily we accounted for this ahead of time

and we've been playing to each of your strengths as well." He turned to

Nami. "How's the weapon that you and Usopp were working on coming?"

he asked.

"It's done," she answered. "We finished it last night." Usopp nodded in

confirmation.

"Alright, good. Make sure you learn how to use it though. You don't want

any surprises if you end up fighting someone who's a threat." Nami

seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding. Luffy turned to

Usopp next. "And how's the expansion going?" he asked the sniper.

Usopp grinned widely. "Oh it's going!" he said proudly. "I've once again

increased the intensity and area of effect of my explosive star. I also

consulted Chopper, and he gave me a variety of poisons that I've worked

into my arsenal. They won't see it coming!" Chopper had been reluctant

to use his medical knowledge for something like that, but had agreed

when he was told it was to help save Vivi's country, on the condition that

Usopp keep a variety of antidotes as well. Luffy seemed satisfied with his

answer and addressed Sanji and Chopper next.

"And how's your training coming along?" he asked the chef. Sanji

shrugged.

"About as well as it can be," he said. Luffy knew Sanji hadn't trained

much during the previous timeline, with the exception of the two years

that they had been apart. He had always seemed to keep up anyway

though, despite being more laid back about it. This time, Luffy wanted to

see how strong the chef could get if he devoted more time to increasing

his strength, so he had instructed him to start joining Zoro in his

individual training on top of the haki exercises. Zoro reported that his

kicks were starting to gain more power and that he was definitely getting

faster. This had been good news to Luffy, but he'd been especially proud

when Chopper had noticed them both during their training sessions and

eagerly asked if he could join.

Even disregarding Luffy and Zoro's strength, which, with the exception of

Zoro's duel with Mihawk, hadn't been pushed to the limits since they had

arrived in the past, the crew was starting to become significantly stronger

than it had been at this time in Luffy's previous life. Luffy and Zoro had

discussed it and agreed that they would have to keep it up. They would

be ready for anything when the waves got rough.

Even Vivi had been working on refining the skills she'd been force to

acquire while infiltrating Baroque Works. Once Chopper had confirmed

that she was fully recovered, Nami had guiltily shown her the newspaper

that she had been hiding. Upon reading that thousands of royal army

soldiers had joined the efforts of the rebel army, she had been distraught.

She was increasingly nervous on the route to Alabasta, and the Strawhats

could do little to comfort her other than come up with a plan.

"Alright, then we should talk about what we're going to do when we

reach Alabasta," Zoro said. "Luffy and I have talked about it with Vivi and

we all agreed on the course of action. Our first priority is to get in

contact with the rebel army. Vivi knows their leader, and she'll be able to

convince him not to engage in the civil war once he learns who is really

behind it all. Still, we don't want to put all our hopes into that plan.

Crocodile currently has Alabasta in a vice grip, and there's a good chance

that he'd find a way to start the war regardless. If that happens, we move

onto plan B."

"Plan B?" Nami questioned. "You guys are actually coming up with

multiple plans, as if one wasn't enough of a miracle?"

"That's right witch. We need to be prepared. We're going up against a

Warlord who has a lot of influence in Alabasta. Plan B is simple. Take

down Baroque Works and subdue Crocodile so that we can stop the war

without any of their meddling." Nami, Usopp, and Chopper looked a little

nervous about plan B, but simply nodded. Zoro sighed. Truth be told, if

he and Luffy had their way, that would have been plan A. But Vivi had

insisted that they refrain from doing something that reckless until she

was able to get in contact with Kohza. She was still pretty naive in that

regard, but the real problem was that she didn't want their lives to be at

risk fighting Baroque Works. But she had at least acknowledged that

Crocodile most likely wouldn't stand by and watch them stop the war, so

she had agreed to the backup plan.

It was another three hours before the Strawhats caught their first sign of

Alabasta...in the form of a fleet of Baroque Works Billions ships.

"This will be tough," Vivi said, as a bead of sweat rolled down her face.

"These guys are different than the hired bounty hunters. With that many

ships, if they notice us…"

"They won't be a problem," Zoro said. Vivi looked at him worriedly.

"Are you sure? This isn't like what happened in Whiskey Peak. We're at

sea, and they have us surrounded."

"Vivi-chan's right," Sanji said. "I have no doubt we can beat them all

eventually, but we'll just waste time and draw attention to ourselves. For

now we should just ignore them and get to the island. We only need to

engage if they notice us."

"No, like Zoro said, they won't be a problem," Luffy spoke up. "I just put

them all into comas. They'll be out for a week." The Strawhats' reactions

to this statement varied. Nami and Vivi looked disbelieving, Usopp and

Chopper looked awed, and even Sanji looked shocked, although he kept a

moderately neutral expression. Zoro just smirked at their reactions.

Chopper was the first to speak. "You can do that Luffy!?" he shouted.

"Was it with that haki stuff you told me about?" Luffy had already

explained what Conqueror's haki was to Chopper while going over the

basics of haki again before he joined the training.

"Yep, that's it," Luffy responded.

"So cool!" Usopp and Chopper shouted simultaneously, only to be yelled

at by Nami.

"Don't believe him so easily! How could he just knock out all those people

from all the way over here!?"

"How long will you continue to underestimate our Captain? He can do a

lot more than this," Zoro commented.

"That was only about 200 people," Luffy stated. "Even if they were spread

out, that's not enough to push me to my limits." Usopp was deeply

impressed.

"How many people can you knock out then!?" he gasped.

Luffy thought for a moment. "It depends. If they were all that weak, I

guess about 150,000?"

Usopp's eyes bugged out of their sockets, Chopper looked at him starry

eyed, Nami was clearly still disbelieving, and Sanji looked a bit

disturbed.

150,000? If that's really true, he could defeat the Alabastian royal army

singlehandedly if given enough time, Vivi thought. Could such a power really

exist? And without the aid of any devil fruit?

"That's ridiculous!" Nami said. "You could take down armies without

lifting a finger if that was true!"

"Why do you think they call it Conqueror's haki?" Zoro asked lazily.

"Disregarding the World Government and its affiliations, you'll find that

the most influential people in this world usually possess the King's Will.

That's not to say that it's an accurate measure of one's strength, but no

one can deny that the ability is what its name implies, a manifestation of

one's will to conquer. I can only think of a few exceptions...one of them

being this guy," he said as he pointed at Luffy.

"Really?" Usopp asked. "But doesn't he want to conquer the Grand Line?"

"I don't really want to conquer anything," Luffy admitted. "I don't mind

making a name for myself, but in the end that's not really my goal. I just

think that the person with the most freedom in this world is the Pirate

King. I plan on obtaining that freedom...and sharing it with anyone who

calls themselves my comrade."

Nami couldn't help but smile. She always wondered what Pirate King

meant to Luffy. There were two things she could say for sure that she

knew the value of: freedom and money. The world map that she would

one day draw wasn't just a means to both, but she'd be lying if she said

that the vastness of the open sea wasn't extremely alluring to her. She

had to admit, if she was told to choose between fame, power, and

freedom, she would always choose the last option. Now if one of the

choices was wealth on the other hand…

Usopp was actually tearing up. In a way, that was what being a brave

warrior of the sea was all about. It had never been the promise of wealth,

fame, or power that had attracted him to this life. Before he knew that

his father was on a Yonko's crew, and even now, it was always the

promise of freedom that lured him out to the sea. There was a reason

why before he became a true pirate, he could spend hours just staring out

at the infinite waters.

Sanji was thinking about All Blue. Yes, it was a chef's paradise, but now

he realized that it was more than that. Deep down, every human being

craved freedom. It was a basic human instinct. There was a reason that

he never felt completely satisfied on the Baratie, and it was the same

reason he had stayed there. Although his guilt regarding Zeff was slowly

releasing its grip on him, Sanji would never truly forget what he had

taken from the old man. But that was also the reason he had left. If Zeff's

search for freedom could even be partially fulfilled through him, Sanji

would make damn well sure that he lived free as can be.

Chopper continued to stare at Luffy in wonder. He thought back to his

days with Hiluluk and what the sakura tree really meant to him. He had

long since learned that it would take much more to fulfill his dream to

prove there was a cure to every disease, but there was a reason that the

sakura in full bloom was so appealing. He had grown up in a land of

eternal snow. As a reindeer, he was satisfied with that, but as a reindeer/

human hybrid, there was always a part of him that looked out towards

the sea in curiosity and wondered what else the world had to offer.

Hiluluk's Sakura was the first taste of the vastness of the world, and it

would always hold a place within his heart, even if it couldn't literally

cure diseases.

"Now, full speed ahead!" Luffy shouted, breaking them all out of their

thoughts. "To eat at the nearest restaurant! I mean, to save Alabasta!"

In the center of Nanohana, there was a crowd gathering around a local

restaurant.

"It's getting pretty noisy over there," a white haired man said as he

smoked two cigars.

"Yes, there seems to be quite the commotion," the blue haired woman

next to him replied. "Apparently a customer spontaneously died while

eating."

"Captain Smoker!" a marine yelled as he ran towards the marine captain.

"You're not going to believe who we found!"

The Strawhats had docked and were now debating what their first move

should be. Zoro suggested that they search the town for any intel on the

whereabouts of the rebel army. Vivi stated that there was no need, since

she knew their base was in Yuba, but Zoro insisted that they should try to

gather information anyway, seeing as she hadn't been back home in a

while. This led to Vivi acknowledging that her information could possibly

be out of date, and she agreed. Nami's eyes narrowed. She once again

found herself in a position where she couldn't fault his logic, but she still

couldn't shake her unfounded suspicions. Zoro usually thought things

through, but at best he was a big picture guy, not a detailed planner.

Every now and then though, he showed a surprising degree of attention

to detail that even she herself couldn't match. It was almost as if he knew

what to look out for. Was she imagining things? She turned to the rest of

the crew. None of them seemed to pay it any mind, except for Sanji, who

was staring at Zoro curiously.

Meanwhile, Luffy had been staring off into the distance, towards the

center of town, with an unreadable expression. Zoro broke him out of his

trance.

"You should go. We'll search for the rebel army and you can meet up with

us later," he said. The rest of the crew looked back and forth between

Zoro and Luffy in confusion. Luffy rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Yea, sorry. I'll be right back," he said.

"Where are you going?" Usopp asked. "Don't tell me you're just going to

the nearest restaurant to stuff your face."

"Believe me, this isn't just any restaurant!" Luffy said enthusiastically,

causing the entire crew minus Zoro and Sanji to face fault. Zoro tossed a

wave over his shoulder as Luffy took off in a high speed sprint toward the

center of town. Sanji stared after him.

When Luffy arrived at the restaurant in question, he slowed his pace to a

walk. He was close enough now that he could hear the familiar voices

inside.

"Hmm, what should I do?" one voice said.

"You could just sit there and let me arrest you," the second voice

suggested.

"Rejected," the first one replied.

Luffy paused in front of the door and took a deep breath, mentally

bracing himself for the coming reunion.

"To be honest, I'm not really interested in you. I'm looking for a different

pirate," the second voice stated.

"You could just let me go," the first suggested.

"I can't do that. So long as I'm a marine, and you're a pirate."

"What a stupid reason. Chill out man."

Luffy walked in. The sound of the door opening instantly gathered the

attention of both men and their observers. The two men, who had been

seconds away from a confrontation, now stared at the newcomer with

wide eyes as he casually walked towards the counter and sat down on

nearest stool.

"Hey old man, can I get a couple rounds over here?" he asked the

bartender. He then pointed to the dumbfounded man in the seat next to

him. "This guy's drink is on me," he said. The bartender looked back and

forth between the narcoleptic and the newcomer before nodding

frantically and pouring two cups of sake.

Luffy turned to his brother in all but blood and grinned. "So, how've you

been, Ace?" he asked. The Whitebeard pirate was now staring at him with

a deadpan expression.

"You always knew how to make an entrance Luffy, but that was another

thing entirely," he said as he rubbed his temples.

"Well, what can I say? I live to surprise you," Luffy replied. The bartender

set two cups in front of them, and the two of them exchanged cups as

their observers watched, before proceeding to chug their drinks.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Ace asked, reminiscing.

"Yea, but it just doesn't feel right until I snatch your food," Luffy said with

a smirk. Ace's eyes widened as he looked down at his plate, which was

now empty. He sighed in annoyance.

"As fast as always I see," he grumbled. He was about to say something

else, but they were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Stop ignoring me you dipshits!" Smoker shouted in frustration. Ace and

Luffy turned to him in acknowledgement.

'Oh yea. Forgot about him,' Ace thought.

"Jeez Smokey. If you really want a drink I'll buy you one too. Relax,"

Luffy said.

"I've been waiting for this, Strawhat," the marine captain said, completely

ignoring him. "Ever since Logue town." Smoke started to emanate from

his body as he pulled the jutte off of his back. Ace looked back and forth

between the two in amusement.

"You really want to do this? It'll end the same way it did in Logue town,"

Luffy said. "Calm down Smokey. Live life a little. Have some food and

chill out."

Luffy got his answer in the form of a pillar of smoke rushing towards

him. He and Ace both jumped out of the way, but soon found the entire

building filling up with smoke.

"Maybe we should take this outside Luffy," Ace suggested.

"Good idea. Gomu gomu no, pistol!" Smoker crossed his arms in front of

him and blocked the incoming blow, but it still pushed him back out of

the restaurant. Luffy quickly caught up to him with a quick soru while

Ace walked calmly behind them. A crowd was quickly gathering around

them, along with a squad of marine soldiers.

"Smoker-san!" Tashigi yelled as she made her way to the crowd. Her eyes

widened when she caught sight of Luffy. "Strawhat!?"

Smoker got his jutte ready again while Ace walked up next to Luffy. "I'm

surprised. You can already use haki," he commented. "I was expecting to

have to step in, but I guess you've got this."

"Yea, just sit back and relax Ace. I'll show you something interesting,"

Luffy replied.

"Well that's no fun. I was looking forward to fighting this guy, but it looks

like he's after you, which means I'm stuck with the cannon fodder," Ace

said, as he took note of the many marine soldiers loading their weapons

and taking aim at them.

Suddenly the two found themselves being riddled by bullets. Only this

didn't achieve the desired effect. The bullets passed harmlessly through

Ace's flame body and the marines ended up shooting each other. The

bullets that hit Luffy ricocheted off of him and also impacted with the

unfortunate soldiers. Now the only marines left standing were Smoker

and Tashigi. Smoker looked like he'd had just about enough.

"White Blow!" Luffy sidestepped Smoker's lunge and grabbed him.

Halting his momentum, he aimed a punch at the smoke man's torso, only

for a hole to open up in the spot where his fist occupied. The smoke

quickly closed around his arm, trapping him, and Luffy's senses reminded

him to be wary of a certain seastone jutte. He used a soru to jump back

and broke free of the smoke right before said jutte crashed down into the

pavement where he'd been standing. Smoker lunged at him again,

making multiple thrusts with the jutte, which were all dodged.

Tashigi tried to aid Smoker, but found her path being obstructed by Ace.

"Sorry, I kind of want to see how this plays out," the flame man told her.

"Would you mind not interfering?"

"You've gotten faster Smokey. And you've learned from our last

encounter," Luffy said. It was true. Smoker wasn't increasing the volume

of his body this time, choosing to rely on the speed provided by his devil

fruit to trap him. "But...it's still not enough." Luffy ducked under the next

thrust of the jutte and kicked Smoker in the face from below, sending

him high into the air. Smoker righted himself and hovered in the air

using his logia form as he turned back to his opponent. Only Luffy wasn't

on the ground anymore. There was no warning as Luffy's leg impacted

with his head from behind and he was sent careening back towards the

ground, making a small crater in the pavement. He tried to shake off the

cobwebs, realizing he probably had a concussion, but before he could

attempt to get up, Luffy's arm shot down like a rocket and imbedded

itself in his gut. Smoker coughed up a clump of blood and blacked out.

"Smoker-san!" Tashigi shouted as she tried to get passed Ace again. Ace

was quick to intercept her at every turn though, and in desperation, she

swung her sword at his neck. Ace did nothing to defend himself, and her

sword decapitated him, causing her eyes to widen. She quickly realized

that she had bigger things to worry about than her morals at the moment

though, and rushed over to where Smoker lay unconscious. He had a

concussion and a few broken ribs. She thought back to when she had

found him like this in Logue town. His injuries had been more serious

then, but to be honest, this situation was much worse. Their entire squad

was injured, and there was no way she could get them all out of here, let

alone cover their retreat.

Tashigi stiffened and turned around to see Luffy standing behind her. She

readied her sword again, her mind racing. She knew she couldn't beat

Strawhat. Captain Smoker was far stronger than her, and even he had

lost. She couldn't call for backup either. He'd just take that chance to end

the fight.

The sound of a raging fire drew her attention to the man she had just

unwilling killed, only to find him still standing. Her eyes widened in

horror as flames converged around his neck and his head reformed. He

was a logia user.

"Nice technique," Ace commented lazily. "But without haki it's useless.

And even then...you froze up when you 'killed' me. Have you ever taken a

life before?"

Tashigi gritted her teeth as she realized the situation she was in. Her

hands started to tremble from how tightly she was grasping her sword.

Luffy took note of this and raised an eyebrow.

"What, you too?" he said. "You and Smokey both need to lighten up. I'm

not going to kill you even if you hold some stupid grudge against me." He

turned and walked away, leaving Tashigi dumbfounded. "Hey Ace! Let

me introduce you to my crew. You're gonna love them!"

Ace's head perked up as he smiled widely. "Now that sounds like a plan.

They must be some fascinating folks if they decided to follow you," he

said.

"Sure are! They're really interesting to say the least. We even have a

talking transforming reindeer," Luffy said. The two brothers continued to

chat amiably as they walked down the street, leaving an extremely

confused Tashigi, an unconscious Smoker, and a squad of injured marine

soldiers in their wake.

A/N: Horray, Ace is back! How will he react to the changes he's seeing in

Luffy? Find out next chapter.

24. Preventing Wars and

Predicting Weather

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. I also don't own Dragonball Z

abridged. If you can figure out why I felt the need to say that by the end

of this chapter, good for you! If you can't, you need to get your ass over

to teamfourstar .com and start watching the best parody ever created.

Chapter XXIV: Preventing Wars and Predicting Weather

"Would you care to repeat that?" Nami asked with lidded eyes.

The Strawhat crew's faces currently conveyed a myriad of various

expressions which included confusion, shock, annoyance, skepticism,

excitement, awe, and just about any other emotion that you would expect

to see on their faces after their captain just said-

"This is my brother, Portgas D. Ace, who you probably know as Firefist,

Second Commander of the Whitebeard pirates," Luffy repeated for the

second time.

Silence. For a long moment, unyielding silence. Then…

"Stop doing that," Usopp said, causing Luffy to quirk an eyebrow.

"Doing wha-"

"Stop. Doing. That." Nami repeated, putting emphasis on each word. A

confused Luffy opened his mouth as if to respond, then paused in thought

for a moment.

"Ok. I'll just stop doing that then," he said, as if that would be the end of

the discussion. Nami would have none of it.

"And what are you going to stop doing?" she asked, with the tone a

mother might use to lecture a child, as Ace looked back and forth

between the two, wishing he had a snack for the show.

"How the hell should I know?" Luffy mumbled indignantly. "Why don't

you tell me? What do I have to stop doing?"

"You have to stop delivering shocking news as if you're predicting the

weather!" Nami shouted in annoyance. "Half an hour ago you told us you

could knock out hundreds of people with a single thought, and now you

casually mention that you have a brother, and that he just happens to be

Firefist Ace, a crewmate of the most powerful pirate in the world! Of all

the ridiculous things to behold, Usopp's lies are second only to your

truths, and he makes a spectacle of them...it's like you have no sense of

subtlety whatsoever!"

Nami started taking deep breaths, her rant finished. Midway through,

Ace had shot Luffy a questioning look, most likely in regards to the knock

out hundreds of people with a single thought part, but Luffy had just given

him a look that said later. Ace had just shrugged, but a ghost of a proud

smile could still be seen tugging at his lips.

"Oh come on Nami, name one other time I...actually, on second thought,

name five other times I've done this," Luffy said.

"You're just proving her point you know," Zoro commented, causing Nami

to turn in his direction and point an accusing finger at him.

"And I'll bet you knew about this, didn't you?" she asked.

"So what if I did?" he asked lazily. "You gonna charge me interest on my

debt of things I'm not obligated to tell you?" Nami was about to respond,

but was interrupted by Ace.

"Oh! So you did tell at least one of your crewmates about me," he said

jovially. "And here I thought you'd be an inconsiderate little prick and

not even mention me once. Well, once is better than nonce I guess."

"Oh come on Ace, that's not fair," Luffy whined. "I mean, does Whitebeard

know about me?"

Ace rolled his eyes. "Luffy, our entire crew knows about you. Said crew

has over a hundred times more people than yours, not including our

allies, and even the new guys learn about you within a few days of

joining. Whitebeard himself was in bed with a hangover the morning after

your bounty made the papers - congratulations by the way - in fact, the

only member of our crew who wasn't bedridden that morning was our

First Division Commander, and he has regenerative powers."

Luffy by now was rubbing the back of his head guiltily. "Ah, sorry Ace. I

guess I just like to save the news for the occasion. You have to admit, it's

pretty entertaining blowing their minds like that," he said as he motioned

toward his attentive crew.

"I knew it!" Usopp said enthusiastically. "He does do it on purpose! I'd tell

you to pay up Nami, but I know better than to take any money from you,

and I have no doubts that it would come back to bite my ass if I did."

"You're right. You'd end up paying me back 10 times over, maybe more

depending on my mood," Nami remarked absentmindedly.

"So anyway, where are the others?" Ace asked curiously. "Didn't you say

there were seven of you?"

"There are. A few of us, Vivi, Sanji, and Chopper, are out searching for

Alabasta's rebel army," Luffy replied.

Ace blinked. "I'd ask why one of your crewmates has the same name as

this country's missing princess, but I assume it has something to do with

why you're searching for the rebel army to begin with."

Luffy nodded. "We're here to stop a civil war." Ace stared at him

curiously.

"It's not really like you to get caught up in things like that. What brought

this on?" he asked.

"Vivi's our comrade," Luffy responded, without missing a beat. "If she

wants to save her country, we're with her all the way." Ace grinned and

nodded in understanding.

"Well, that sounds like it could be difficult. The rebel army is pretty

determined from what I hear. I'm not sure Vivi can persuade them, even

if she still has a good standing in Alabasta," Ace said.

"Vivi knows someone on the inside," Zoro replied. "But that's not the real

problem. We'll have to take down one of the Seven Warlords if we really

want to end the war."

Ace frowned. "You mean Crocodile? What's he have to do with this?"

"He's the one instigating the civil war from the shadows," Zoro said,

causing comprehension to dawn on Ace's face.

"That explains quite a bit actually. Well then," he said, turning to Luffy.

"How are you planning to beat Crocodile? Do you think you can take him

in a straight fight?" Usopp and Nami looked at Luffy, silently asking the

same question.

"Of course I can," Luffy said, before pausing. "I'll most likely be fighting

him in the desert though, so I'll have to be careful."

"You know about his power then," Ace said, with a hint of surprise in his

voice. "You're more prepared than I thought you'd be. You've changed

quite a bit since I last saw you."

Luffy smiled morbidly. "You have no idea," he muttered, causing Ace to

frown slightly. As quick as it came, Luffy's gloomy mood disappeared,

leaving Ace to wonder if it had been there to begin with. Luffy? Gloomy?

Was he imagining things?

"I've changed in more ways than one Ace," Luffy said in a slightly smug

tone. "It wouldn't be so one sided this time if we sparred."

Ace smirked at the unspoken challenge. "Oh really? Just because your

first bounty is higher than mine was, you think you can give me a run for

my money now?"

"I think I can do a lot more than just that," Luffy replied evenly, although

the nonchalance in his tone didn't match the enthusiasm on his face. Zoro

couldn't help but mirror their grins as he watched the two brothers stare

each other down.

"Well then," Ace began, the confident smile never leaving his face, "I'll

just have to put that on the list of things we need to talk about later,

along with how you awakened all three forms of haki so early, and why

both you and him…" he said, motioning to Zoro, "...are both suppressing

your auras." He paused. "And we might as well throw in since when does

Luffy think I'm an idiot while we're at it."

Luffy, for his part, was suddenly taking great interest in the clouds

overhead, while Usopp stared in confusion, and Nami in growing

suspicion. Suddenly, Zoro scoffed. "Believe me, that's going to be an

interesting discussion."

"Very interesting," Luffy added, still staring at the sky.

"Chopper, are you sure about that?" Vivi asked in a hushed tone as they

made their way through the crowded streets of Nanohana.

"I am," Chopper replied. "It's hard to tell because of all the perfume

around, but I can still make out the scent of gunpowder. It's really

strong."

"I'm not sure what that could be other than the rebel army," Sanji

commented. "Anyway, we're lucky. We came across a lead pretty fast.

Lead the way, Chopper."

Chopper nodded, and he took off through an alleyway in walk point,

Sanji and Vivi trailing behind him. It started to dawn on Vivi what this

could mean. If it really was the rebel army, then they were just a hair's

breadth away from preventing the war.

The relatively uneventful trip back to the ship consisted of Ace

dispatching of a group of overly ambitious bounty hunters, and beyond

that, awkward silence. While Luffy, Zoro, and Ace were content to put off

the annoying conversation they all knew was coming until they got back

to the ship, and Usopp accepted the state of confusion he was in, Nami

was inclined to send frequent, conspicuous glares in the direction of Luffy

and Zoro, making it quite clear that she was not a fan of being left out of

the loop.

Nami was a suspicious person by nature. She was never given the choice

to be anything else. But even though her philosophy was to have a

healthy skepticism for, well, everything, she also knew when to have

faith in something for what it was. But for better or for worse, having

faith in people wasn't something she had made a habit of until just

recently. She had faith in facts. She had faith in her experiences. She had

faith that there was a very limited number of things she could put her

faith in.

Her crew was one of them.

But to what extent did she trust them? It was a question she hadn't really

thought about. Did she trust them to the extent that she trusted north to

always be north, south to always be south, two and two to always make

four? There were some things in life that were constant and eternal. Was

Luffy one of them? Was Zoro? Could humans really be so consistent and

solid in their ways that you could have complete faith in them to never

betray you? The more she thought back on their journey so far, from that

small detour to Shells town all the way to Alabasta, the more she wanted

to say yes. But her mind kept coming back to one inescapable fact that

continued to draw ever closer to her line of sight: Luffy and Zoro were

hiding something.

It begged the question, what didn't they want the rest of the crew to

know, and why? Whatever it was, it seemed they were willing to tell Ace.

Whatever conversation they were going to have when they arrived at the

ship, she and Usopp were apparently not going to be a part of it, which

annoyed her to no end. Was he simply on a need to know basis, whereas

the rest of them weren't? Or did Luffy not trust them as much as he

trusted his brother? Nami's eyebrows furrowed. No, that wasn't right.

Luffy's trust in her had never wavered even when her loyalty was

questionable at best. If anything, he was too trusting. Did she even have a

right to question him for not telling her some things?

Nami sighed. She was being a hypocrite, no doubt about it.

When they got back to the Going Merry, Zoro led Ace to the training

room where they could speak in private. Luffy turned to Nami and Usopp

and rubbed his head rather guiltily.

"I'm sorry about this guys," he began. "It's just, there are some things…"

he trailed off, not really knowing how to put it.

Surprisingly, Usopp flashed a smile and gave him a thumbs up. "No

worries Luffy. If this is something between you and your brother, the

great Captain Usopp will respect your privacy...along with the rest of the

crew." He nudged their navigator. "Right Nami?"

Nami crossed her arms and pouted for a split second before nodding,

which caused Luffy to smile gratefully. "Luffy...it's fine if you're not ready

to tell us everything. I know I'm not really one to talk in that regard," she

said. "But just...never feel like you can't tell us something because of how

we'll react, ok?"

Whether because Luffy was surprised at her sudden change in demeanor,

or because she was spot on, her words seemed to strike a nerve in her

captain, whose eyes widened suddenly before he averted his gaze.

"I'll...keep that in mind," he said, before jumping up to the higher floor of

the ship and following his brother and first mate inside. He found Ace

waiting patiently, twirling one of Zoro's weights in his hand.

"So where should we start?" Zoro asked in a serious tone.

"Well, you can stop trying to hide your strength for starters," Ace

suggested. "I already have an idea of how strong you are anyway…"

He ended up eating his words when Luffy and Zoro both stopped

suppressing their auras, causing his eyes to widen, and almost causing

him to drop the weight in his hand. Luckily, he caught it.

"What…? How…? Why…? I have so many questions!"

"Well, start with whichever one you want Ace," Luffy said in an amused

tone.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Well that's comprehensive," Zoro said with a snort, causing Ace to glare

at him.

"This makes no sense," Ace said, rubbing his temples. You two just

arrived in Paradise and you both feel stronger than most New World

pirate captains. Where did you even learn to use haki? There's next to no

one in East Blue who can use it, and no pirate in the first half who can

use it as well you've shown."

"Where we learned is kind of a long story," Luffy said. "But let's just say

we both had very good teachers. As to why we're so good at it...it's

because we've been to the New World."

Ace looked up at Luffy in surprise. "What? Even if you had miraculously

survived a trip like that, there's no way you could have made it without

anyone noticing. Especially Gramps! When could you have-"

"It was over two years from now," Luffy said, answering his question

before he could finish.

Ace stared at Luffy for a full 10 seconds, as if trying to figure out if he

was being played. Then…

"Oh hell no," he said, finally speaking up. "You did not just talk about a

future event like it already happened. Luffy, I know you. You suck at

lying. You have no talent for it. You can hide the truth, you can refuse to

talk, hell, you can even keep quiet as a determined psychopath punches

you in the face with spiked gauntlets, but you can't lie. Still, if you're

serious about what you're implying...that you're…"

"We're from the future," Luffy confirmed, cutting off his rant. Ace groaned

and threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Oh sure, you're from the future. Yea, and I'm a park ranger." He sighed

and relented. "How did you do it? And why?" he asked finally.

Zoro was the one who answered. "As to how, let's just say we made it to

Raftel and leave it at that." Ace gave that some thought before shrugging

and nodding, and Zoro continued. "As to why...there are some things that

we want to prevent from happening."

"So in other words, you're playing God," Ace clarified.

"Call it what you want," Zoro replied. "We don't really care about the

ethics of it."

Ace turned to Luffy and raised an eyebrow, but his brother just shrugged

in agreement. "Alright Luffy, I get that we're not saints, but you're

meddling with time here. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Ace asked.

"At the time, I wasn't really sure at all to be honest," Luffy admitted. "I

just knew that I had nothing left to lose." That comment made Ace wince.

It wasn't something he wanted to hear.

"Was it that bad?" he asked. Zoro nodded gravely. "What...happened?"

Neither of them answered. As he looked back and forth between the two,

he took note of their behavior. They both had their fists clenched and

were looking down at the floor in...guilt? As he tried to wrap his mind

around that, he noticed something that shocked him. Luffy was

trembling. A sudden realization hit Ace.

"There's a reason why you're telling me all this." The second he said that,

Luffy looked back up at him. Only Ace was no longer looking at Luffy. He

was looking at a ghost, one whose expression rightfully haunted the

flame man to his very core. This couldn't be Luffy. He was too old, too

scarred. The happy go lucky 14 year old that Ace had left behind at

Dawn Island...this wasn't him. And yet, in a way that Ace couldn't explain

or describe, it was.

"Ace...it's been so long…" he said quietly. Ace took a few seconds to

gather his thoughts before responding.

"I died." It wasn't a question, but Zoro nodded anyway. "And you flipped

the world onto a different axis just to save me?" he asked with narrowed

eyes. This elicited a dry chuckle from Luffy.

"No Ace. That was just the beginning."

"It all started with your duel with Blackbeard," Zoro stated. Ace stilled.

"So I got done in by Teach?" he asked. Zoro thought he detected a hint of

annoyance in his voice.

"No, worse. He handed you over to the World Government," Luffy

replied, causing Ace's eyes to widen in recognition.

"If he did that…"

Zoro completed the thought for him. "Whitebeard wouldn't let them

execute you without a fight, but the World Government was determined

to do it, even if it meant…"

Ace covered his face with his hand. "War..." Luffy and Zoro gave him a

minute to collect his thoughts. He finally spoke again. "So where do we

go from here?"

"That's the part you're not going to like," Luffy said. "Whatever you do,

you can't confront Blackbeard. Not yet. In our timeline he became a huge

problem, but if we can prevent the War of the Best, he'll lose his chance

to gain the power he's looking for. You should know that he already got

the Yami Yami no mi from Thatch, and he's already someone to be

careful of."

"Yea I'll bet," Ace scoffed. "If he took me down, he's a force to be

reckoned with." He thought for a moment, then sighed. "You're right

Luffy, I don't like it. The old man warned me not to go after the bastard,

but I was determined. I still am. But if going after him is going to bring

my own crew to ruin, then I'll hold off on it...for now. At least until I'm

sure I can beat him."

Luffy's shoulders slumped in relief. The first big step had been taken to

shaping a better future. The Whitebeard War had changed a lot, and not

for the better. He would still have to pay close attention to make sure it

didn't happen though. He couldn't account for all the factors after all.

"Is there anything else you think I should know?" Ace asked.

"Well yea actually," Luffy replied. "Sabo is alive."

Ace didn't think he could ever sympathize with Nami more than he did at

that moment.

A/N: And just like that, Ace knows. Am I jumping the gun a bit? Maybe.

Whatever. Lost out.

25. Under the Undercover

Announcement: In case anyone is interested, Second Wind now has its

own TV tropes page, courtesy of my loyal fan The Patient One. Having a

TV tropes page about a story I wrote is almost as cool as saying 'my loyal

fan.' Guess I'm not quite use to either yet. Anyway, I've left a link in my

profile.

Disclaimer: If you own Heaven, you're either God, or a dude with long

earlobes and a God complex. If you own Hell, you're either the Devil, or a

large horned man who spends the majority of his waking hours on a

toilet. If you own Paradise, you're either a very happy man, or the Pirate

King, or both. If you own all three, you're either Eiichiro Oda, or the

creator of the One Piece world, or both. If you own none of the above,

then you have something in common with me, and the vast majority of

the world's population. You can make the world go round.

I don't own One Piece. Planet earth, keep on spinning.

Chapter XXV: Under the Undercover

"Guys, what the hell are we doing here?"

"I can't believe we're here right now…"

"He's going to kill us. We're so dead."

"What!? I don't wanna die!"

"Shut up you idiots!"

The two complaining voices were silenced by the third, but their defeated

expressions conveyed what they thought of the current situation perfectly

fine.

"Mr. 3," a fourth voice spoke up, "They have a point. What makes you

think the boss will spare us? Shouldn't we get far away from here?"

"You're talking a lot more now that our lives are on the line aren't you,

Miss Goldenweek? And I already told you, it doesn't matter where we go.

He'll find us. Our only choice is to ask for a second opportunity to get rid

of the Strawhats."

"Hey, isn't that jumping the gun a bit?" asked Mr. 5. "Even assuming that

he'd give us a second chance, he hasn't contacted us since he gave you

those orders! That means he probably thinks you're dead. We could

escape right now and he'd never know we survived."

"No, he'd find out," Mr. 3 said somberly. "Don't underestimate the boss'

ability to gather information. Especially when he has Miss All Sunday

working for him. He won't leave any loose ends."

"This is crazy," Miss Valentine said. "You're just going to walk up to him

and say sorry I failed the mission, let me try again? This is Mr. 0 we're

talking about!"

"I didn't ask for your opinion!" Mr. 3 hissed. "If you want to run, go

ahead. I never asked you to come with me anyway!"

Miss Valentine gulped. She knew he had a point, but she also knew their

chances of evasion, and by extension survival, were quite a bit higher

with Mr. 3 with them.

"That's what I thought. Now let's get going. The more time we spend

here, the more time we give the Strawhats to arrive in Alabasta. If they

interfere with Mr. 0's plans, we'll never escape his wrath."

On cue, the four undercover agents scurried down an alley towards the

center of Nanohana.

"Are we getting close, Chopper?" Vivi asked in mid-run.

"Yes," the human reindeer confirmed. "The scent of gunpowder is getting

stronger. I'm certain there's a high concentration of it up ahead." Vivi

nodded as she panted heavily. They had completely left Nanohana and

were now in the neighboring oasis town of Katorea, to the east. Vivi was

surprised Chopper's nose had picked up whatever scent they were

following.

"Hey Vivi-chan, the rebel army would be trying to stay hidden right?"

Sanji asked.

"Yes, that's right."

"So they'll probably have guards on the lookout won't they?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Because I just found some of that gunpowder."

"You two! Stay right where you are!" a voice spoke up from above them.

Vivi and Chopper looked up to find a man on a nearby rooftop aiming a

rifle at them. Sanji was not-so-coincidentally standing in between the

man and Vivi, whose eyes widened in recognition.

"Kebi!?" she practically shouted. This caused the man to temporarily lose

his rigid demeanor, but he quickly composed himself.

"How do you know me? Identify yourself." Vivi removed the white hood

from her head, and this time the man's eyes widened. He immediately

lowered his weapon. "Vivi!?"

Vivi was smiling in relief. She never thought she'd run into another

member of the Suna Suna clan. Well, other than Kohza. This made things

much easier.

"Vivi, what in the world is going on? You've been missing for over two

years and now I find you sneaking around in an alleyway? What

happened?"

"There's a reason I've been missing. I've been acquiring information, and

it's crucial that I give it to Kohza. He is here isn't he? Could you please

take me to him?"

Kebi considered this for a moment. Vivi was the daughter of the man

they were most likely going to war with soon. But she was also one of

them. They had long since thought her dead, but if she was alive, then he

was sure they could trust her. She had nothing to do with the origins of

the civil war to begin with. "Come with me," he said, before quickly

jumping off the roof and leading them through the streets.

They finally came to a run down building in a less crowded district of

Katorea. Kebi knocked six times on the door, and they were let in.

"Kohza-san, you're not going to believe who I stumbled across."

"Who is it?" came a voice beyond the wall, one that instantly caused Vivi

to inhale sharply. She decided to forego all formalities and ran into the

room where the voice had originated from.

Kohza sat up in the bed in shock, his eyes glued to the new arrival.

"Vivi...how…?"

"Kohza, I know this is sudden after all this time, but you have to put an

end to this civil war! You're being manipulated. My father wasn't the one

behind the Alabasta's ruin!"

"Whoa, Vivi, slow down alright? Just start by telling me where you've

been all this time."

Vivi took a deep breath. "I've been in hiding so that I could find out who

was really responsible for the current state of affairs in this country. The

one behind this civil war, the one who really stole the rain...he's the

leader of a criminal organization that's been working in Alabasta from

the shadows. Two years ago, I infiltrated the organization to gather

information and find out who the leader was-"

"You what?" Kohza asked in shock.

"I went undercover as a member of Baroque Works so that I could find

out what their motive was from the inside," Vivi said impatiently,

wanting to get to the point.

"Vivi, how could you do something that reckless? You could have been

killed!"

Vivi was taken aback by the audacity of his question. She gritted her

teeth "And you're any better? Here you are, about to lead our country into

a civil war, tear it to ruins, and play right into his hands, and you have

the gall to tell me I was being reckless?"

Kohza was pale. "What do you mean I'm playing into his hands?"

"His goal is to seize the Alabastian throne. That's why he framed my

father and planted the dance powder in his palace. His organization has

been behind everything so far, and the war will give them the perfect

opportunity to take control of the country during the chaos."

Kohza was silent for a moment. "Who is he? The leader?" he finally

asked.

Vivi sighed in relief. Now they were getting somewhere. "Crocodile of the

Seven Warlords," she replied. Kohza's eyes widened.

"This country's hero is the one leading it to ruin?"

"He's no hero," Vivi spat. "He just knows how to keep up a good public

image. He knows that not even my father will suspect him if he pretends

to have Alabasta's interests at heart."

"This is a lot to take in, Vivi," Kohza said, rubbing a hand over tired eyes.

"I know, but you have to believe me. If you don't call off the rebel army-"

"I believe you," he said quickly. "It's just that I can't tell them what you've

just told me and expect them to believe me. But we haven't made a move

yet, so there's still time. Does your father know about this?"

"No, but I can send a message to him," Vivi replied.

"Good. Tell him everything you just told me. I'll send a request to the

royal army to meet with King Cobra for negotiations. We'll make an

announcement to the public that we're signing a treaty. That should

throw a wrench in Crocodile's plans. Until then," he turned to Kebi.

"Nothing leaves this room." Kebi nodded.

Vivi let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank you," she

whispered.

Kohza was silent again before speaking. "I'm sorry, Vivi. For everything."

Vivi leaned forward and hugged him. "It doesn't matter," she said. "All

that matters is that we can fix this and prevent the bloodshed."

"What will you be doing in the meantime?" Kohza asked.

"I'll be keeping an eye on Baroque Works. Actually, I was brought here by

the Strawhat pirates. Without them, I wouldn't have even made it this far.

But with their help, I have faith that we can put an end to Crocodile's

plans."

Kohza raised an eyebrow. "I'll take your word for it. But be careful, Vivi."

Vivi smiled. "I will." She exited the room to meet Sanji and Chopper, and

Kohza followed after them. During the entire encounter, no one looked

towards a certain dark corner of the dimly lit room.

If they had, they would have noticed a lone crystal blue eye on the wall,

watching them from the shadows before it blinked out of existence.

A/N: Bwahahahaha! What? You didn't know how much of a ninja the

owner of that eye was?

I know that this chapter's on the short side. Sorry about that. I'll try to

update again soon. Until then, Lost out.

26. Big Allies and Small Disciples

Someone asked why Zoro has a "debt" to Nami in this fic. Well, he

actually doesn't. He was being sarcastic when he said "my debt of things

I'm not obligated to tell you." The joke he's making is that Nami tried to

get him in a debt trap, which he was able to avoid, so he's basically

asking if he owes a different debt now, of things she expects him to tell

her that he doesn't really think he has to tell her. Sorry, I know that's

kind of confusing.

But this phrasing wasn't really random to begin with. If you look beneath

the literal argument they're having and think about the underlying

meaning of the exchange, the reason Nami points to Zoro as someone

who would know about Ace is because she has already recognized him as

someone that Luffy chooses to confide in about pretty much everything.

A large part of chapter 24 was pertaining to the issue that Luffy and Zoro

are hiding something, which Nami and Usopp have just started to notice.

While Luffy actually feels pretty guilty about it, Zoro doesn't mind as

much because he thinks it's for the best, so really what he's subtly

conveying to Nami when he says that is that they don't have to tell her

everything, a conclusion that Nami comes to later in the chapter. Just

thought I'd clear that up in case any of you missed it. Enjoy chapter 26!

Disclaimer: If I owned One Piece, which I don't, I would brag about it, a

lot. Of that, I have no doubt. But I still wouldn't end up saying it nearly

as much as I have to say "I don't own One Piece" at the beginning of

every chapter.

Chapter XXVI: Big Allies and Small Disciples

When Vivi, Sanji, and Chopper arrived back at the ship, they were

greeted by the sight of Ace, who was introduced to them by Luffy. While

Sanji and Vivi were shocked to find out that his brother was a

commander of the Whitebeard pirates, Chopper just stared at him in

curiosity.

"Is Luffy's brother really famous?" he asked Sanji.

The chef blew out some smoke. "Yea, you could say that," he responded.

"He's a living legend among pirates, a menace among marines, and an

insurmountable goal to bounty hunters. He has a bounty of 550 million."

Chopper's eyes widened. "But that's over 10 times Luffy's! Is he that much

stronger?"

Sanji shrugged. "Beats me. They're both monsters. All it means is that Ace

is more of a threat according to the World Government."

While he was vaguely aware of the attention he was getting, Ace was still

preoccupied by the revelation that his long lost brother was alive. As

Sanji disappeared into the kitchen, Ace contemplated the many questions

that had suddenly arisen. Luffy had told him that Sabo was with the

revolutionary army. How had he ended up there? Well, Ace was sure of

one thing. The object of his search has just changed.

"Hey, Luffy." The rubberman looked up from the food he was eating.

"Yea? What's up Ace?"

"I was going to ask you to join the Whitebeard pirates, but I'm guessing

that would be pointless."

"You guessed right," Luffy said, grinning.

"Well then, I have another proposition for you. How would you and your

crew like to form an alliance with us?"

Several of the Strawhats collectively gasped, and Luffy himself was

intrigued by the suggestion. "Will old man Whitebeard be ok with that?"

he asked.

"I'm sure he will," Ace said, not really stressing over it. "But will you be? I

know you're aiming to be Pirate King. It would be a bit of a strange

agreement, but considering the circumstances, I think it could be a good

idea."

"I agree," Luffy said. "And I'm not really worried about our goals clashing.

If Whitebeard wanted to be Pirate King, he'd most likely have found One

Piece by now. Same with Shanks."

Ace's brow furrowed. He'd never thought of it that way, but now that

Luffy mentioned it so matter of factly, that made a lot of sense...did Pops

even want to be king? Questions for later.

"Well, in that case, take this," Ace said, handing Luffy a small sheet of

paper, which he took. "It's my vivre card. If you ever need to find me, just

follow it."

Luffy noticed that there was also something written on it. A number.

"This is…?"

"The number to Pops' transponder snail. I'm going to call him later and

explain that I'm going to be looking for Sabo instead of Teach from here

on. I'll also get his approval for the alliance, and fill him in on...recent

information."

Luffy nodded. They had agreed that Ace would tell Whitebeard about his

situation, but no one else. They could only imagine the headache it

would cause if word reached the wrong people, so for now, it was on a

need to know basis.

"Well then...until we meet again, Luffy," Ace said as he hopped off the

ship and into his devil fruit operated boat. "See you at the top."

As Ace sped off, Nami's mind finally caught up with her. "We're

allies...with the Whitebeard pirates…" she mumbled.

"Guess so," said Zoro with a smirk.

"That's insane!" exclaimed Usopp. "We must be the only allies they have

in this part of the Grand Line. Are we, like, really important now?"

"You're the crew of the future Pirate King Usopp," Luffy said confidently.

"We're already important." He turned to Vivi. "So did you guys find any

leads on the rebel army?"

Vivi gasped. After the excitement with Luffy's brother, she almost forgot

to tell them about what happened. As she explained that she had met up

with Kohza and that he would be conducting negotiations with her

father, Luffy and Zoro listened impassively. When she finished, Luffy just

nodded.

"Sounds like it went smoothly then," Zoro said. "I guess our next stop is

Alubarna. We can supervise everything from there." Vivi nodded eagerly.

She could hardly believe it. They had come so far, and finally, they were

making progress. She quickly tied a note for her father to Caru and

instructed him to deliver it to him. As Caru made his way across the

desert, Sanji's voice came from inside the kitchen.

"Lunch is ready!" As the Strawhats filed into the ship, Luffy and Zoro

stayed outside. Luffy spoke up.

"It won't be this easy, will it?" he asked.

Zoro grunted. "No, it won't. Especially not while Robin's working with

Crocodile."

Luffy pouted. "We should have just recruited her back in Sake Summit."

"Whiskey Peak. And I don't think that would have worked too well," Zoro

said, causing Luffy to pout more.

"I know. But it's really weird to have her as an enemy. Not to mention

annoying…" He thought for a moment. "What do you think Croc's next

move will be?"

"I'm not sure. But I wouldn't put anything passed him."

Luffy's thought process was suddenly interrupted by the growl of his

stomach, and the two went inside to eat with the rest of the crew. After

lunch, the Strawhats set sail to the north up the Sandora river. Their plan

was to drop anchor closer to Alubarna, as Vivi had suggested, before they

crossed the desert on foot.

In an underwater structure located in the center of Rainbase, Sir

Crocodile of the Seven Royal Warlords sat in a comfortable looking chair.

You wouldn't be able to tell, however, from the infuriated scowl on his

face as he stared at the transponder snail across from him.

"You're sure about this?" he asked in a deceptively calm voice.

"Of course. I had a hunch to begin with, but I've just confirmed it for

myself," said a melodic voice on the other end of the line.

Crocodile was silent for a moment. "Very well," he finally said. "I suppose

I'll excuse your absence from the meeting if you don't make it in time,

seeing as it would have been a minor setback had I not gotten this

information."

"You're ever so kind, Mr. 0," the voice said. Crocodile grunted. "So then

what are you planning to do about this?"

"That's for me to know," he said in annoyance.

"But of course. I suppose it wouldn't be my place to know if it happened

to have something to do with a certain crossdresser."

"Goodbye, Miss All Sunday," Crocodile said before hanging up. He looked

at the clock. 3:00 PM. The number agents would be meeting at Spider

Cafe in a couple hours. Minus Mr. 3 of course. That coward was no doubt

on the other side of the Grand Line by now. It suddenly made sense why

he hadn't been in contact since his report. The report had been false. To

think he would fail his mission, give a false report, and then run with his

tail between his legs. Crocodile hadn't thought highly of him to begin

with, but he definitely hadn't expected this. No matter. He'd find him

once Operation Utopia was over.

5:00 PM, coast across from Alubarna

"What is this thing? A turtle? Or a seal?" Usopp asked as he stared down

at what appeared to a seal in a turtle shell.

Vivi's eyes widened. "That's a kung fu dugong!" she exclaimed.

"A kung fu do-what now?" Usopp asked as he got into what he presumed

to be a kung fu stance.

"No wait! It'll take that as a-" Vivi flinched as the dugong beat the crap

out of Usopp in three seconds flat. "Challenge…" she finished. As it stood

with its arms raised over its head in a universal sign of victory, Vivi

closed her eyes and sighed, completely missing what happened next.

"Looks like we've got a winner over here," Nami commented as Luffy

stood over the creature, posing in a manner that was very much similar

to what the small sea mammal had previously been doing.

"No, that's even worse!" Vivi objected. The kung fu dugong suddenly got

up and bowed to Luffy. "It's their custom to become the victor's

disciple…"

Quite abruptly, the shore became filled with a swarm of kung fu dugongs

who were all seemingly intrigued by one of their own losing a fight. One

briefly communicated with the original dugong before they all looked up

at Luffy with stars in their eyes. Luffy raised both eyebrows.

"Hmm, I think I can only take one disciple right now. Sorry."

"Who says you're taking any to begin with!?" Nami raged. The kung fu

dugongs evidently took his words as a challenge, however, and all

charged at him. In seconds, they were all defeated and bowing to Luffy

respectfully.

Did this happen last time? Zoro wondered. Seems familiar…

"See? That's why I said I can only take one," Luffy told them. We can't

bring all of you along." The dugongs sulked as Nami, Vivi, Usopp, and

Chopper listened in shock.

He's actually going to bring one along?

After a quick group lesson that Luffy was persuaded into, as well as a

tearful goodbye, the Strawhats set out across the desert on foot...along

with their new companion.

"So, you got a name?" Luffy asked as he walked alongside the dugong

that he had beaten first. He shook his head in a surprising display of

comprehension. "Ok then...I guess I'll call you...Seal!"

"What kind of name is that?" Nami mumbled. Seal on the other hand,

nodded enthusiastically, indicating that he was content with the name.

"Not to trample on your random and spontaneous decision making Luffy,"

Zoro began, "but can this thing even cross the desert?"

"Hmm, good question," Luffy said, before turning to Seal. "Can you?"

Seal nodding enthusiastically again, making punching motions with his

arms that seemed to say I'm tougher than you think!

"Kung fu dugongs are sea mammals, but they're also fit to survive in

desert climates due to their surroundings environment," Vivi said. "He'll

need to go back to the sea eventually, but he'll be fine for now."

Luffy, satisfied with the knowledge, proceeded to drill Seal on various

punches and blocks, as well as when to use them, as they continued their

journey to Alubarna.

A/N: It may be spontaneous and random decision making, but I honestly

couldn't resist. This is my story, and I say Seal is coming along for the

ride. So take that, common sense! I scoff at your restrictions! *Scoffs*

Lost out.

27. The Lone Agent?

How about that Doflamingo last chapter?

(⌐■_■)

( x_x) ⌐■-■

So, I've gotten pretty positive reactions to having Seal go with the

Strawhats, but here's the million dollar question. Should I add Seal to the

crew permanently, as maybe a ship guard or something similar? Or

should I just have him stay with them for the duration of the Alabasta arc

and then stay with Vivi after that? Seriously, answer the question and

you get a million dollars.

Disclaimer: You won't really get a million dollars. But anyway, if I say "I

don't own One Piece" out of context, does it still count as a disclaimer?

I've always wondered that, since the days when I first started writing

these disclaimers. You know, when I had fresh ways to say "I don't own

One Piece," and witty material that wasn't going stale. I mean, it's one

thing to just say, "I don't own One Piece," but when if I say it indirectly,

am I still liable to get sued? And as a following question, when's the last

time a fanfiction writer ever got sued for not saying "I don't own One

Piece?" Yea, I can just imagine Oda's lawyers reading this fanfiction in

English, scrolling through all the chapters, and then saying, "Aha! He

didn't say 'I don't own One Piece' that time!" Nah, screw that noise man.

I'll just stick to saying "I don't own One Piece" the way I know how.

Chapter XXVII: The Lone Agent?

"Stooop joooking around!" Mr. 2 yelled as he stood up in annoyance.

"How long are they gonna make us wait!? They could at least give us

some food in the meantime! I need horderves. Horderves!"

"Mr. 2, could you please sit down and wait quietly?" Miss Doublefinger

asked in a tone of false politeness.

"No way! I'm gonna spin until they get here!"

"Quit yer yappin Two! Yer makin' my hips ache!" Miss Merry Christmas

snapped. Mr. 4 started to say something as well, but it was slow to the

point of being incoherent, so no one paid him any mind. Mr. 1 simply at

the corner of the table, ignoring them all. But as Mr. 2 kept spinning, he

grew increasingly annoyed.

"You'd best sit down before I disembowel you," he said quietly.

Mr. 2 turned toward him. "This guy again! Was that a threat!?"

"Didn't it sound like one? I thought I was pretty clear," Mr. 1 said in a

bored tone.

"I think it's pretty clear that Mr. 0 will disembowel you both if he catches

you screwing around in here," Miss Doublefinger commented.

Surprisingly, this pacified both of them, and Mr. 2 sat down with a pout.

About 10 seconds passed before…

"Stooop joooking around! Wheeere are they!?"

Mr. 1 was thinking about a more painful way to kill someone than

disembowelment when his partner in crime spoke up again.

"You know, he has a point," she said. "I wouldn't know what to expect

from Mr. 0, but Miss All Sunday is usually pretty punctual. On top of

that, the Mr. 3 and Mr. 5 pair never showed up either. I can't help but

feel that we're out of the loop."

"I'm afraid none of them will be able to make it," said a deep voice from

the end of the table.

They all turned to the chair where the voice originated from in shock,

none of them having noticed his arrival. Mr. 1's eyes narrowed. When did

he…?

"A situation arose, and Miss All Sunday went to take care of it," the voice

said. "Unfortunately, she won't make it back in time for the meeting. As

for the other four...I'd advise you not to mention their names again. But

no matter…the time is near."

He turned around in his chair, revealing his face. "For your final mission -

Operation Utopia."

The officer agents stared in shock. Mr. 2's jaw dropped. "Cro-Crocodile!?"

"Oh good, so you know me," the man said smugly.

"Of course we know you, you're one of the Seven Warlords!" Miss

Doublefinger exclaimed. "But why would you be…?"

"You're our boss?" Mr. 1 said, more in surprise than disappointment.

"So we were following the orders of a government sanctioned pirate all

along!?" Mr. 2 exclaimed.

"Any objections?" Crocodile asked menacingly, immediately silencing

them all.

"None here," Miss Doublefinger stated, sweating a bit. "I'm just confused

as to why a Royal Warlord would go out of his way to form a criminal

organization."

"What I desire isn't wealth or fame," Crocodile replied. "It's power." The

officer agents listened intently. Seeing that he had their attention,

Crocodile smirked. "Allow me to explain...the real reason behind the

formation of Baroque Works. My true objective."

A few minutes later, after they all read over their mission orders, Mr. 2's

brow furrowed. "So I have a separate mission, huh?"

"That's correct," Crocodile confirmed. "Miss All Sunday was acting as a

spy and was able to uncover that Princess Vivi and the Strawhats have

met with the leader of the rebellion. As aggravating as it is, he now

knows of our plan, which complicates matters. That's where you come in,

Mr. 2." The number agents, who were all high up enough to know about

Mr. 2's ability, all widened their eyes in comprehension. "The rest of

you," Crocodile continued, "are to come with me to Alubarna during the

start of the operation, to deal with any pestilence. Until then, Mr. 2, your

role is key."

"Alriiiight! You can count on me boss!"

"Very well then. You are to leave-" Mr. 2 was already rushing out the

back door, doing spins the whole way. "-immediately," Crocodile finished,

sweat dropping.

"It's about time," Miss Doublefinger muttered. Mr. 1 grunted in

agreement.

"How unexpected. I never imagined that you of all people would be Mr.

0."

The number agents, Crocodile included, all turned to the source of the

voice. While most of them were surprised to see Mr. 3, seeing as he

hadn't shown up at Spider's Cafe, Crocodile's eyes just narrowed in anger.

"Mr. 3. You have some nerve showing your face here." Mr. 3 said nothing

under the heat of his glare as he continued walking forward, thinking

about the events that had led him to come here alone.

5:00 PM, Spider's Cafe

"There it is. The rendezvous point," Mr. 3 said quietly as he observed who he

assumed to be Mr. 1 calmly walk towards Spider's Cafe from a distance. He

was concealed under a wax dome that was painted to be the color of a rock

by Miss Goldenweek. Mr. 2 and the Mr. 4 pair had already arrived, so the

only one missing was strangely Miss Doublefinger, who should have arrived

with Mr. 1. Not that it mattered. "Ok, the plan is simple. Once they begin their

journey to meet Mr. 0, we follow behind them discretely. With any luck, they'll

lead us right to the boss."

"This plan is doomed to fail!" Miss Valentine hissed from behind him. The

woman was in obvious distress along with Mr. 5.

"She's right!" her partner agent agreed. "There's no way we can be that stealthy

as a group of four, and even if we somehow make it to the meeting place, the

chances of Mr. 0 forgiving us are slim to none. At worst, we get killed by the

Mr. 1 pair. At best, we get killed by the boss!" Mr. 5 paused to let that

information sink in. Mr. 3 said nothing, so he continued. "Listen, it isn't too

late to turn back now. Even if he sends Mr. 1 to track us down, our chances of

survival will still be much higher than if we walk into his base of operations

and offer ourselves to him on a silver platter!"

Miss Goldenweek was silent as she listened to the exchange. To be honest, she

agreed with Mr. 5's logic. Mr. 3 was being unreasonable. Irrational, almost.

He was always the best at calculating their chances for success on a mission.

Out of all of them, he should have been the one to come to that conclusion

first. That could only mean one thing.

"Survival isn't your only goal here, is it?" She suddenly asked, breaking the

silence. Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine looked at her in confusion.

"What are you…" Mr. 5 started to ask, before his eyes widened under his

sunglasses and he turned back to Mr. 3. "Are you serious?" he asked numbly.

His superior didn't even acknowledge the question, or turn to face him for that

matter.

"You want to finish the mission," Miss Valentine whispered in horror.

"So what if I do?" Mr. 3 finally answered in an annoyed tone.

"You've got to be shitting me!" Mr. 5 almost shouted. He was having trouble

keeping his voice under control now. "We all saw how strong Strawhat was!

He wiped the floor with us all! Even if by some miracle you got your mission

clearance, there's no way you can kill that guy! You'd risk all of us dying for

the sake of your pride!? Why would you risk your life for the damn mission!?"

"It's the only thing I would risk my life for!" Mr. 3 snapped, effectively

shutting him up. He turned around and matched Mr. 5's glare. "I already told

you guys that you don't have to come! You just followed me of your own

accord. If all you're going to do is complain, then why are you still here? What

am I, your babysitter? If you want to go, then go! You'll only slow me down

anyway!"

Mr. 5 was silent for a moment. Then, he got up. "Let's go, Miss Valentine," he

said. His partner agent didn't hesitate for more than a second before she rose

to her feet as well. She shot Miss Goldenweek an apologetic glance. "We're

slowing you down? It's ironic that you'd say that," Mr. 5 said. "I know you're

not really that blind to the situation. The only one here in danger of being

chased across the Grand Line…" he turned back to the wax man in apathy. "Is

you, Mr. 3. Miss Valentine may be officer agents, but we're not high up enough

to be a threat to the organization if left alive. Neither is Miss Goldenweek for

that matter. Even if she's your partner, she's not privy to most of the secrets

that you've been privileged with. The three of us aren't worth the resources and

time it would take to track us down. As long as we're with you, on the other

hand…" he trailed off as Mr. 3 narrowed his eyes.

"Do you know why we came with you?" Mr. 5 asked suddenly. "It's because

Miss Goldenweek asked us to. We were simply respecting the wishes of our

fellow agent and superior. One that we actually like, I might add."

This news finally evoked a reaction from Mr. 3, whose eyes widened as he

turned to the girl in question. She averted her eyes from him, staring at the

ground.

"No matter. We're leaving while we still have the chance," Mr. 5 concluded. "I

suggest you do the same, Miss Goldenweek." With that, he and Miss Valentine

left the dome and headed back the way they had come.

Mr. 3 gritted his teeth. "Go with them," he said to his partner agent. Her eyes

widened. "He's right. You're not the one in danger," he continued. "This is my

problem. So get the hell out of here." His voice was almost bitter. Miss

Goldenweek didn't move.

"But I-"

"Treat that as an order." Her eyes glistened as she slowly got up and

reluctantly left the dome as well. She turned back toward him on her way out.

"Good luck," she mumbled, before turning away and following behind the Mr.

5 pair.

Mr. 3 was jolted out of his thoughts by the voice of Miss Doublefinger.

"How did you even find this place?" the officer agent asked. "We didn't

even know where we were being taken until we arrived."

"I was tailing you all since Spider's Cafe. I hid in the back of the carriage,"

Mr. 3 explained, snapping back to reality.

"How clever of you," Crocodile said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Now would you kindly explain why you're here and why I should refrain

from gutting you?"

"I came to request a second chance on my mission," Mr. 3 stated.

"A second chance?" Crocodile repeated. "What do you take me for? I

always assumed you were content with my zero tolerance policy for

failure. Now that you've failed a mission for the first time, you expect to

receive special treatment?"

"It isn't that," Mr. 3 said quickly. "It's just that considering the

circumstances-"

"The circumstances aren't going to help you here," said Crocodile, his

voice raising a little. "If you were going to come here groveling for

forgiveness, then you shouldn't have given me that goddamned false

mission report! If there's one thing I hate more than a failure, it's a

coward!"

Mr. 3's eyes widened in shock and confusion. "F-false mission report? I'm

afraid I don't know what you're-"

"Stop making a jackass of yourself," Crocodile spoke in a low tone,

standing up from his chair. If the growing tension wasn't enough to make

the rest of the number agents flinch, this single action was. Only Mr. 1

seemed to be keeping his cool through the encounter. "You reported that

you killed the Strawhats and Princess Vivi in Little Garden! Because you

lied to cover your own ass, the Strawhats were able to meet with the

rebel army!" He began walking toward the stuttering wax man. "Now you

have 10 seconds to enlighten me on why I should continue to humor your

little request."

"Y-you must be mistaken! I didn't even use my transponder snail once on

Little Garden! I didn't give any report!" Mr. 3 defended. Crocodile froze

mid step, his eyes narrowed. He continued to stare at Mr. 3, as if

searching his face for any sign of deception, an act that unnerved the wax

man to no end. Eventually, his scowl lightened and then disappeared,

replaced by a chilling smile.

Wait...what? Mr. 3 rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing right as

Crocodile burst into laughter.

"Clever bastard," the sandman muttered. "I'll kill you, make no mistake."

It barely registered in Mr. 3's mind that Crocodile wasn't even talking to

him anymore before he was yanked off the ground by a disembodied

hand. In any other situation, he would have had enough clarity of mind

to notice the sand trailing behind the lone appendage. As it was, he was

busy gasping for air as he was suspended by his neck.

A series of emotions flashed through Mr. 3's mind at that moment as he

began to feel his throat drying up. They ranged from panic, to despair, to

resigned acceptance, and quickly succeeded each other. But there was

something else mixed in there as well.

Regret.

Not regret that he was dying. That he had expected to an extent. But his

mind kept flashing back to that conversation outside Spider's Cafe. He

had already known that his three fellow agents could have left without

him. That's why he had kept subtly telling them to stop following him.

But to find out that they all realized it as well. It meant that they hadn't

just been following him out of a need for survival.

They had been following him out of loyalty. At the very least, his own

partner had. No one had ever extended that type of courtesy to him

before. And he had spit in their faces. No matter how much he kept

denying it, that was bothering him. So it wasn't so much that his time

had come that made him feel this regret.

It was that his time had come, and he was so purely, hopelessly alone in

the world, just as he always had been.

"Shrivel up and dry," Crocodile said with a sinister grin on his face.

"Stop!" a new voice yelled. Crocodile turned his head in surprise to see

none other than Miss Goldenweek standing in the doorway. His eyes

narrowed and he quickly dispersed into sand to avoid the circle of paint

that was was splattered at his feet a split second afterwards, dropping Mr.

3 unceremoniously to the floor. His body reformed a few feet away, and

his countenance conveyed unspoken promises of murder.

It wasn't long before Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine came running into the

room. "So, you all want to join him?" Crocodile asked menacingly.

"Leave some for me, Mr. 0. I was getting bored," Mr. 1 said as he walked

towards the lower ranked agents, Miss Doublefinger following behind

him.

Crocodile scowled. "Kill each other for all I care." He was in a fairly bad

mood right now, and his venomous tone was indiscriminate.

Mr. 1 smirked. "I myself don't feel like dying."

Mr. 3 watched the scene unfold in shock. He had never really counted on

the slim probability of receiving a second chance to kill the Strawhats. He

was fully prepared to die here. He never expected that his fellow agents

would come after him, especially after their previous fallout. So why?

Why did they come back?

He didn't have much time to think about it as Mr. 1's arm morphed into a

blade before his eyes.

Supa supa no mi! Mr. 3 immediately recognized in horror. He instinctively

formed a wall of wax in between the blademan and his partner, sparing

her the fate of being pierced between the eyes. Mr. 1 scoffed in

annoyance. He turned toward Mr. 3 but was interrupted as Mr. 5 charged

towards him. His explosive fist met Mr. 1 dead on, and the blademan was

sent hurtling back by the force of the blow. He quickly righted himself,

however. The lower officer agents were horrified to see that there wasn't

a scratch on him. He almost looked bored.

"They're lining up to die," he commented as he walked back towards

them. Miss Goldenweek started to wave her brush again but was

interrupted by Miss Doublefinger. She was caught off guard by the

woman's ability and yelled in pain as her hand was impaled by a spike

that stemmed from the higher agent's finger. She dropped her brush to

the floor.

"You have quite the troublesome ability, if I remember correctly," Miss

Doublefinger drawled as she retracted the spike. She prepared to drive

another spike through the girl's head, but was blocked by a candle wall.

Another one simultaneously sprung up in between Mr. 1 and Mr. 5, who

was also saved the fate of being impaled by the durable material. Mr. 1

grunted as his steel arms rebounded off the wax.

Miss Valentine made the next move, jumping high above Miss

Doublefinger's speed and maximizing her weight. In a surprising show of

reflexes, the spike woman leapt out of the way as her assailant came

crashing down. "Neat trick," she commented as she walked up to the

crater her adversary had made. "But it does leave you ever so vulnerable."

In a split second, Miss Valentine's abdomen was pierced through by a

spike that grew from Miss Doublefinger heel. She screamed in pain as her

blood leaked onto the floor she was brutally pinned to.

Mr. 5 lost his head and ran at Miss Doublefinger, but Mr. 1 was right

behind him. Mr. 3 was forced to divide his focus as he attempted to

separate Miss Doublefinger from Miss Valentine and shield Mr. 5 from

Mr. 1. While he succeeded in the former, Mr. 1 anticipated the latter and

slashed across Mr. 5's back regardless. The bombman groaned and fell to

the floor. After only a minute, Mr. 3 was the only one in shape to

continue fighting. As Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger turned their attention

to him, he quickly created more wax.

"Candle Lock!" The quickly hardening wad of wax was fairly easily

dodged by both agents, who both ran in to gut him. Not knowing what

else to do, Mr. 3 surrounded himself with wax. Bladed and spiked arms

met the steel like substance head on, but barely left a scratch. While Miss

Doublefinger was beyond annoyed, Mr. 1 gave wore a frightening grin.

"I think you overestimate the power of that wax of yours, Mr. 3," the

blademan said. Suddenly, Mr. 3 could hear what sounded like a buzzsaw

coming from the other side of the wall he made. Soon afterward, he felt

an incredible force collide with it, and was horrified to realize that his

wall was being shaved away. He was slowly losing ground to the

spinning blades on Mr. 1's arms.

Miss Doublefinger smiled. "Well, while you're busy with that, I suppose I

should finish off the rest of them," she said, as she walked toward the

other three defecting agents. No longer in a shape to defend themselves,

they could only watch as spikes grew out of all of her fingers.

"Wait." Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger both halted what they were doing as

they heard the voice of Crocodile. They looked back towards him, and

noted with some annoyance that Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas were

sitting back and enjoying the show. Crocodile grinned menacingly.

"I have a better idea."

A/N: Well, there you go. An entire chapter dedicated to Baroque Works.

If you like them, then this was most likely enjoyable for you. If not, sorry

about that. I'll probably have the next chapter up some time next week.

28. A Rebel Army Masquerade

In case you're wondering, Seal is indeed the same dugong that Luffy beat

first in the original timeline. Too much of a coincidence? Sorry about

that. Well no, I'm actually not. Not really.

But anyway, 15 people have left reviews stating their preference in

regards to whether Seal should be a permanent addition to the Strawhats.

So far, I have 8 votes for him staying in Alabasta with Vivi, 4 votes for

him to go with the crew, and 3 people who were undecided or offered

another idea.

With that said, I am going to wait until the Alabasta arc is over to come

to a decision, so if you're into this story and/or have a preference, don't

hesitate to give your opinion. If you're wondering why I take your

opinions into account on these things, there are a few reasons.

I am genuinely undecided.

I like feedback on my writing, and anyone who cares about my story

enough to leave a review with their opinion (in compliance to my request

I might add) deserves to have their thoughts taken into consideration.

In case you haven't noticed, I get extra reviews this way. *Coughs* But

the other two reasons are more important. No really. *Starts to sweat*

Haha, anyway, onto the chapter! STOP JUDGING ME.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, the Strawhats, Baroque Works, or even

kung fu dugongs for that matter. I wonder if I own Seal though?

Technically he's not named in the manga, or on the wiki, and I did kind

of name him. So by name, that makes him a different character. Take

that lawyers! You just got taken to law school.

Chapter XXVIII: A Rebel Army Masquerade

Kohza frowned as he looked outside the carriage. They were on their way

to Alubarna, but they seemed to be straying off course a little. Was it just

his imagination? Deciding to ignore it for now, he pulled his head back

inside and faced Kebi.

"You're nervous," his follower commented lightly. Kohza sighed.

"How could I not be? What is he going to think of me? If Vivi is right

about his innocence...how can I face him?"

"Whether or not it's difficult, you're the leader of the rebellion," Kebi said

sensibly. "It has to be you. It would be an even greater insult if you sent

someone in your place."

"Don't you think I know that?" Kohza muttered irritably. Kebi was silent

for awhile.

"Something else is bothering you," he said.

Dammit, Kohza thought. That's what happens when you're right hand

man is also your childhood friend. Kebi read him way too easily…

"I just have a bad feeling," he admitted. "Like we should have announced

the ceasefire to the rest of the army."

"You know what would happen if we did that," Kebi argued. "They would

want an explanation, and if we released intel like that, it could reach

Crocodile. That man has already manipulated us as if we were puppets

tangled in strings. We can't risk it. We have to at least wait until after the

negotiations so the leaders of both sides can come to an understanding."

"Yea...you're right," Kohza said reluctantly. Suddenly, the carriage

stopped. Kohza and Kebi looked confused for a moment before they both

climbed out to meet the steerer, who had also gotten out.

"Hey, what are we doing here?" Kebi asked, looking around. "Why'd you

stop in the middle of the desert?"

The soldier kept a blank face. "I was ordered to," he stated. Kebi raised an

eyebrow and looked at Kohza, who had his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I never gave you an order like that."

The soldier smirked, causing both of the men's eyes to widen. "No, you

didn't," he said as he raised his rifle.

Kohza reacted immediately, raising his leg and kicking the gun barrel to

the side in one swift motion. The unloyal soldier looked surprised as the

shot fired off to the side. As he tried to aim the gun back towards them,

Kebi rammed into him with his shoulder, knocking him off his feet. He

proceeded to kick the gun out of his hands. The solder gritted his teeth

and tried to lift himself up, only to be roundhouse kicked across the face

by Kohza, who then kicked the gun up into the air and caught it, aiming

it directly at his assailant.

"Who are you working for?" he growled. The soldier just smirked again.

"I don't know. But he's far more intimidating than you."

"Don't screw with me!" Kohza shouted. "Who is it? Is it that damn

Warlord?"

Surprisingly, this elicited a reaction from the man, whose brows

furrowed. "Warlord?" he asked in confusion.

"Don't try to deny it," Kebi said. "We have intel that states he's your

leader." The soldier suddenly started sweating heavily, and not from the

desert heat, as his expression morphed into one of overt fear. "And

judging from the look on your face, I'd say we're right."

"Hey, stop! You don't know what you're talking about!" the man shouted.

Kohza wondered why he was just now showing fear when he had been

unfazed with a gun pointed at him point blank.

"I think we do," Kebi said, now the one smirking. "The Royal Warlord, Sir

Cro-"

"Shut up!" The man suddenly tried to lunge at Kebi. Kohza grimaced, but

didn't hesitate as he shot the man directly in the head. He was dead even

before he slumped back against the sand.

Kebi rubbed his eyes. "Just what was the point of all this?" he asked as he

raised his arms and gestured to the barren desert around them. "Does he

think we're stranded? That neither of us can drive a damn carriage

through our home country?"

"Look at the tattoo on his arm," Kohza said, ignoring the rant. Kebi knelt

down and looked it over, frowning.

"What is that? The mark of their organization?" he asked.

"Perhaps. But regardless of what it is, we need to keep an eye out for it.

From now on, anyone in the rebel army who is seen with this mark is to

be brought in for questioning." Kebi nodded as they both stood up and

started towards the carriage. Kohza froze, however, as he caught sight of

something, or rather someone, out in the distance. It looked like

a...ballerina?

"I'm...ha...gonna...ha...ha...die…" Usopp said miserably, his sentence

made choppy by endless pants.

"Not before me…" Chopper replied unenergetically as Zoro pulled him

across the desert sand on a sled. The reindeer human hybrid had been

reduced to a semi conscious, sizzling ball of fur. Being better suited to

colder climates, he could barely walk in the desert heat.

"At least Chopper has an excuse," Sanji grumbled. "You're just being

melodramatic Usopp."

"Hey, I sure as hell do have an excuse!" Usopp argued. "I've suddenly

come down with 'I-can't-walk-through-the desert-anymore-or-I'll-die-itis!"

"There's no disease like that," Chopper stated matter of factly.

Sanji smirked. "You heard the doctor long-nose. Keep walking."

Usopp's jaw dropped. Chopper, you traitor! As if to make his case more

convincing, Usopp suddenly collapsed backwards onto the sand, making

unconvincing wheezing noises. "I can't...go on…" he groaned, raising his

hand toward the hazy sky.

Zoro sighed in annoyance and walked back to him. "Don't make me carry

you too. Come on, do you want to fall behind?"

"I...won't make it. Go on without me...Zoro…"

"If you say so," Zoro said with a shrug, before leaving him there in the

sand and catching up with the rest of the crew.

Usopp suddenly bolted up onto his feet and ran after them. "Hey wait!

Don't leave me! Zooroooo!"

"Will you calm down you idiot?" Nami reprimanded. "All you're doing is

wasting energy that you should be using to walk. Keep it up and you're

just going to need more water, and that's something we can't spare right

now."

Sanji had to agree. Most of them weren't faring very well with the sun

beating down on them. Chopper was immobile, Nami refused to let him

carry her, saying he wasn't to be trusted (which was probably true, some

part of his mind supplied), Usopp was...well, he was Usopp, and he

himself was sweating heavily. Zoro was toughing it out, but Sanji could

tell even he was at least mildly uncomfortable. The only ones who

seemed to be beating the heat were Luffy, Vivi, and...well, Seal.

"You three don't seem to mind the hot climate at all," Nami commented,

voicing Sanji's thoughts as she looked at the three in question.

"Well, I was born and raised on this island," Vivi said, smiling. "You could

say I'm used to it. I'd imagine the same is true for Seal." Said dugong

nodded confidently before flashing Nami what could be interpreted as a

thumbs up...minus the thumbs.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," Nami said before turning to Luffy. "But

what about you? There aren't many deserts in East Blue."

"Nah, my home island had really good weather," Luffy replied. "The

reason I'm fine is that I can control my body temperature." This got the

attention of the rest of the crew, especially Chopper, whose head perked

up in interest despite his severe discomfort.

"You mean you can keep your body temperature steady at will?" Nami

asked in amazement. "Is that even possible?"

"I guess so. I do it with a technique called Life Return. It lets me stay cool

in the heat or warm in the cold...among other things."

"Life Return?" Chopper repeated in wonder. "Come to think of it, you

were walking around Drum Island in nothing but a t-shirt! Were you

using the same thing back then?"

Luffy nodded. "Yep, that's right."

"But what kind of technique is that?" Chopper asked. His discomfort

seemed to be momentarily forgotten, overshadowed by his interest in the

medical phenomenon. "It almost sounds like a type of biofeedback."

"Bio feed who?" Luffy asked, his mouth suddenly watering at the thought

of being fed.

"Biofeedback," Chopper corrected. "It's an ability that a select few people

can access through meditation and mental discipline. It allows them to

achieve a higher degree of control over the body by exploiting its

biological connection to the mind, gaining a greater awareness of bodily

functions that most humans wouldn't be conscious of, and in turn being

able to regulate them."

"Hmm, hmm," Luffy said, nodding sagely. "Fascinating."

"You didn't understand a word he said, did you?" Zoro inferred.

"Nope."

"What's wrong with you?" Nami asked in exasperation. "He's saying that

biofeedback is the scientific explanation for the technique you use, one

which you evidently don't understand."

Luffy stared at her, the conspicuous lack of comprehension evident on his

blank face.

"Basically it's a mystery technique Luffy," Zoro added.

"Ah," Luffy said, smacking his hand with his fist. "Why didn't you just say

so?" Nami looked extremely annoyed now, whereas Chopper was in deep

thought.

"Luffy," the reindeer suddenly spoke up. "What else can you do with that

technique?"

Luffy thought for a moment. "A lot of things actually. For one, I can eat

until I'm really fat and then turn all the food into pure muscle and

energy. That's really useful before a fight. In fact, if I'm injured, it'll heal

me to an extent."

Chopper looked like he was in candy land. His eyes were shining. "That's

amazing! You're manipulating the enzymes in your body in order to

convert the nutrients in the food to suit your needs! From the sound of it,

you can even speed up digestion! How did you learn to do that!?"

Luffy scratched his head. "I just sort of...did it one day," he admitted.

Come to think of it, when was the first time he did that? Was it in Impel

Down? No, maybe Shabondy? He remembered healing injuries by eating

meat since after his first fight with Crocodile, but that wasn't really an

effect of the technique. Life Return just let him do it faster.

"What else can you do?" Chopper asked eagerly.

"Well, I can increase my resistance to pain and fatigue..."

"So you can actively release adrenaline into your system?"

"Yea, let's go with that. I think I can also counteract some types of

poison…"

"By forcing your immune system to create specific types of antibodies?"

"Sure, why not. Other than that, it does let me automatically activate my

gears, and it also lets me maintain them longer."

"Gears?" Sanji interrupted. "What are those?"

"They're ways that I can enhance my fighting style by taking advantage of

my rubber body. Like this." Steam suddenly started rising from his body,

which took on a red tint. Chopper's jaw dropped as he sat up.

"Luffy! You're showing signs of a dramatic increase in heart rate!" he said

in a panicked tone. Luffy just nodded as he continued smiling.

"Yep, that's Gear Second. It increases my strength and speed." The crew

looked on in amazement. The one who was most impressed by far was

Seal, who shouted a series of high pitched barks that was unintelligible to

anyone other than Chopper...and evidently, Luffy.

"No, I can't teach you that. The only reason my body can withstand it is

because I'm made of rubber." Seal looked deeply disappointed as he let

out a noise akin to a sigh.

Chopper's medical mind was going haywire. "Are you insane, Luffy!?

Even if the increased blood flow enhances your bodily performance in the

short term, the long term effects could be catastrophic! You're putting

way too much stress on your body!"

"Ah, it's fine Chopper. When I first started using it it was exhausting, but

now my body is much tougher. Plus, with Life Return I can control how

much I increase the blood flow, and choose which part of my body to

direct the blood to. Like my muscles, or even a single limb." Actually,

when he first started using it, he didn't realize that the blood was being

distributed evenly throughout his body. It was before the crew was

separated in Shabondy that Chopper had informed him that most of the

extra blood he was pumping through his body was being wasted when he

fought.

"Luffy! You're still in Gear Second as you're talking! Stop doing that!"

Chopper shouted indignantly. Luffy, realizing that he was right, quickly

deactivated the technique.

"So is there a Gear Third then?" Sanji asked curiously. Luffy grinned.

"You bet!" He raised his arm, and the limb started to expand before their

very eyes, until it was the size of a giant's. The crew, minus Zoro, looked

on in shock. Usopp stumbled back. Seal pulled a quick 180 and was in

awe again.

"What the hell!? Your arm crew!" Usopp shouted.

"Yep, because I inflated my bones. Cool huh?" The crew stared dumbly

and he laughed, shrinking his arm back down to normal size.

"So is there another one after that, or is that the limit?" Usopp asked, his

curiosity beyond piqued at this point.

Luffy might have answered him, but Vivi chose that moment to point out

a large rock formation that they could use for shade. The crew

immediately rushed over to the rock, Usopp forgetting his own question

entirely.

"Man, it really is hot out here," Nami complained. "I wish we had

something to ride. Like a camel maybe."

"Not all of us would fit on a camel though," Vivi pointed out.

"You're right," Nami admitted. "A camel that only gave rides to us girls

would be nice."

Vivi's brow furrowed. "What kind of camel is that?" Nami shrugged.

"Is the plan in motion, Miss All Sunday?" Crocodile asked. His tone

contained a hint of impatience.

"It is," his partner agent replied. "Mr. 2 has reported that his infiltration

was successful."

"Good. Then our rebel friends should be arriving any minute now,"

Crocodile stated, turning around in his chair to face her. "Make sure

they're comfortable with our other guests. We're moving ahead of

schedule. Tomorrow, we move into Alubarna."

Miss All Sunday's features were carefully blank as she nodded. "Yes sir."

A/N: Looks like things are starting to heat up in Alabasta. Pun intended.

In case it was unclear, Luffy was using Life Return, a technique utilized

by CP9, since before the timeskip in this fic. I decided to use that to

explain some of his quirkier abilities as well as open up opportunities for

future techniques. Until next time. Lost out.

29. The Royals, the Rebels, and

the Ruffians

Damn, that mini flashback with Ace last chapter...did he really know?

The web site I read it on had a vague translation, so it's hard to tell. Still,

I get the feeling that this chapter just screwed me over. And the timing is

just typical.

On another note, if you haven't seen the new cover image for this story,

go ahead and check it out, because I spent half an hour getting it to fit

the size restrictions.

Disclaimer: One Piece, Two Piece, Red Piece, Blue Piece,

Black Piece, White Piece, Back Piece, Right Piece,

New Piece, Fun Piece, No Piece, None,

never own will Lost Piece One.

Chapter XXIX: The Royals, the Rebels, and the Ruffians

"It feels like it's warming up again," Nami said with a shiver as she

rubbed her hands together. Walking through the desert at night had not

been any more pleasant than doing so during the day. The atmosphere

dropped below freezing temperatures not long after sunset. Apparently,

even Vivi wasn't use to these harsh conditions, as most Alabastians knew

to avoid being outside in the desert at night. So this time, the only ones

completely unaffected were the reindeer human hybrid, the marine

mammal with a passion for martial arts, and the bio regulating rubber

man.

The only logic in all this is that they all defy logic, Nami thought enviously

as she snuck a glance at the last of the three, who was strangely looking

around for something.

"You lose something Luffy?" she asked, trying to distract herself from her

discomfort.

The rubber man pouted. "I've been looking for a stick, but there are no

trees in the desert," he said sulkily.

Nami looked at him oddly. "Why do you need a stick?" Usopp on the

other hand, gave Luffy a sympathetic look and clapped him on the back

in an attempt to console him...of what, most of the crew could only

guess. Chopper and Seal looked up at the two curiously while Nami felt

her brow twitch.

"Am I missing something here?" she asked.

This time, she was on the receiving end of an odd look from Usopp. "Isn't

it obvious?" he asked, as Luffy continued sulking. Nami's answer was to

glare at him in annoyance, and he sighed.

"Luffy has been looking for a walking stick since we started our journey

to Alubarna, but as he said, there are no trees in the desert. Now we're

almost there, and he still hasn't found one, so he's going to miss his

chance to use one." As he spoke, Luffy's head sagged, and Seal let out a

low empathetic moan.

"That's great and all, but you've failed to answer the original question.

Why does he need a walking stick?" Nami asked in exasperation. Usopp

sighed again.

"Because," he said, in a tone that suggested he was explaining something

rather simple to a small child who kept asking questions, "We're walking,

and it's a man's romance to carry a walking stick while going on an

adventure, or even just a hike."

"Really!?" Chopper exclaimed, as his eyes lit up in fascination. He wasn't

the only one. Seal immediately began his own fruitless search for a stick.

Unable to hold in his mirth any longer, Zoro burst out in laughter. Vivi

also giggled, and Sanji's mouth quirked up in amusement.

"Man's romance huh?" Zoro asked thoughtfully, before unstrapping one of

his sheathed swords from his hip and using it as a makeshift walking

stick. "Then, how's this?" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper looked at him

enviously, while Seal was still too busy with his search, too hopeful to

acknowledge the fact that there were indeed no trees around.

"Idiots…" Nami muttered.

The Strawhats were brought out of their antics when Vivi pointed at the

horizon, and they all looked ahead to see the city of Alubarna off in the

distance. "We're almost there," she whispered.

"Your majesty, I realize how severe the situation is, but what you're

suggesting-"

"I have no choice in the matter," King Cobra said gravely, cutting Chaka

off. "If negotiations are not to occur, out only choice is to move in against

Crocodile. I will not raise arms against the people of Alabasta, however

misled they may be in their assumptions."

"With all due respect," Pell began, "If we were to attempt to apprehend

Crocodile now, we would merely be adding fuel to the fire. It is a long

distance between here and Rainbase. Crocodile would easily be able to

read our intentions, and not only would our chance of success be slim at

best, but he would be able to avoid a conflict completely if he so wished.

He also has the backing of the people, regrettably more so than your

majesty at the moment." He paused. "Right now, the rebel army's actions

are unpredictable. If we were to move our troops to Rainbase now-"

"What would happen?" the king interrupted. "Would we lose more face?

Would the people denounce us? Would the rebel army take the palace? Is

that what you're so worried about? Pell, Chaka, I've told you many times.

A country is its people. Even if the royal army were to fall, so long as

Crocodile is defeated, Alabasta will be rebuilt. But if we were to take up

arms against our own people and walk right into that madman's hands,

the only one celebrating in the end would be Baroque Works! It matters

not whether we still have the means to suppress the rebel army

afterwards. They are not the enemy. My only target is Crocodile!" He

paused for a moment. "Perhaps my rule may very well come to an end

when all this is over. If that were to happen, it would be a small price to

pay."

Chaka's eyes widened. "Your majesty…" I underestimated his resolve. What

sheer force of will.

Pell, however, did not look so convinced, which did not escape the king's

notice.

"Is there something else I should consider?" he asked suddenly. Chaka

and Pell were his most trusted advisors, and despite all his experience, he

couldn't account for everything.

"Your plan is flawless," Pell began, "So long as we can detain Crocodile."

Chaka looked toward his long time friend in curiosity, while the king's

stony features remained blank.

"Go on."

Pell looked him directly in the eye. "Our enemy is one of the Seven Royal

Warlords. We all know the kind of power such an individual possesses,

even alone. To be perfectly honest, I don't think even the entirety of our

forces could take him on."

The king contemplated this for a moment. "Do you merely mean to point

out that there is no one in our country who can oppose Crocodile? If all

you have to say is that the situation is hopeless, I don't want to hear it,"

he said with authority.

"Not at all," Pell amended quickly. "What you said may very well be true.

The may not be anyone in Alabasta who can take him on. But that does

not make the situation hopeless."

The king's eyes widened as he caught on. "The World Government…"

Pell nodded. "I think it is of the utmost necessity that we enlist their aid,"

he said.

"I don't think that would work," Chaka stated. "Against a government

sanctioned pirate? You know how extensive the privileges granted to the

Royal Warlords are. We would need sufficient proof of such an

accusation, proof which we don't have. I'm not sure they would be

willing to help us without solid evidence."

"They might," Pell said. "You know as well as I do, Chaka. Due to the

unique history of the Alabastian throne, we are not just any affiliated

nation to the World Government. Our privileges run as deep, if not

deeper, than those of the Seven Warlords...all things considered."

Realization dawned on Chaka's face, and King Cobra almost looked

annoyed. "And you suggest we use this to our advantage?" he asked.

"I don't think he have a choice. It may be our only hope," Pell said

somberly. Nearly a minute passed as the king considered the idea. To

abuse such a connection...it would leave a very bad taste in his mouth.

But if the country could be saved, the benefit would far outweigh any

personal grievances he had. He opened his mouth and was about to

announce his decision when a guard stormed into the room.

"Your majesty!" he exclaimed, nearly out of breath.

The three were visibly startled. "What is it?" Chaka asked.

"It's Vivi! She's arrived!"

Pell and Chaka straightened, and Cobra immediately headed towards the

door. "Did you show her in?" the king asked.

"Yes your majesty, but she had unexpected visitors with her-"

"Pay it no mind. I will personally greet my daughter, as well as our

guests. Pell, Chaka!"

The two royal guard commanders followed him out.

When Vivi had told him that her traveling companions were pirates, King

Cobra's uncertainty was easily outweighed by his gratefulness towards

their unknown benefactors. He had many visions of what this pirate crew

would be like. This...was not one of them. Upon entering the lobby of the

royal palace, he was greeted by the sight of a small bipedal cross between

a raccoon and a reindeer, a long nosed man who was currently telling the

creature some outrageously outlandish story, a woman with beri signs for

eyes who was currently admiring a set of historical relics as though she

might swipe them at any second, a swirly browed man in a suit and tie

who was not so subtly hitting on her and being ignored, and a man in a

straw hat who was in the middle of what looked to be a sparring session

with a kung fu dugong. The only level headed member of their group

seemed to be a man with three swords strapped to his hip, who was

leaning against the wall with a bored countenance. If not for his vibrant

and unusual hair color, one might think he was the only normal one

among them. That is, if you didn't count-

"Vivi!" the king shouted as he dashed up to his daughter whom he hadn't

seen in over two years. She wrapped his arms around him, reassuring

him that she was ok. As much as he wanted to catch up, he knew there

were more important matters to attend to, which Vivi wasted no time in

addressing.

"Father, where is Kohza? Did he leave already? How did the negotiations

go?"

The room suddenly fell silent, and Vivi started to get worried. "Father…?"

"Vivi," Pell spoke up, "Kohza never came." The princess went still, as if

she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Many of the Strawhats had

the same reaction. The only ones from their group who didn't seem

surprised, Pell noted, were the man in the straw hat and the one with the

green hair.

"But...that can't…" Vivi couldn't seem to find the right words to convey

her disbelief.

"Vivi," the king began, "Yesterday, when the negotiations were supposed

to take place, Kohza and his guard never arrived at the palace. After

some time, we discreetly sent out a search party. All we found was an

abandoned carriage with no horse in the middle of the desert...on route

from Katorea."

Vivi's eyes widened, and after a few seconds, she sank to her knees.

"No…" she whispered. "Kohza…" Tears threatened to spill from her eyes

as the king, Chaka, and Pell tried to find words to comfort her. The

Strawhats all looked unusually somber. Beside them, Luffy and Zoro

shared a glance, and Luffy nodded.

"Vivi," he said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at

him. "Don't lose hope. We can still fix this."

"But Luffy-san," she protested weakly, "if they took Kohza…" she trailed

off.

"Then we just need to get him back," Luffy said firmly. After a long

moment, Vivi pulled herself together and stood up.

"You're right," she said, with newfound resolve. The king and his

followers stared in awe at the scene.

Are they really pirates? Chaka couldn't help but wonder.

"It looks like you two were right," Sanji said suddenly, motioning to Luffy

and Zoro. "Crocodile won't just stop, and he won't let us do as we please.

If we want to stop this war, we have to take him down."

"We were considering that," Pell said, fully willing to share their plans

with these pirates after the scene he had just witnessed. "But we can't

understand Crocodile's motive in this. Even if the rebel army was

unaware that negotiations were supposed to take place, they aren't likely

to act without their leader. No matter how angry a viper is, it can't bite

without its head. If anything, this should stall them."

"Maybe not," Zoro said, speaking up for the first time. All eyes turned to

him. "Vivi, are there any agents in Baroque Works who specialize in

impersonation?

Vivi's eyes widened. "Now that you mention it, Mr. 2 is rumored to have

an ability like that, but I've never met him." Pell turned to Zoro curiously.

"You think they mean to impersonate Kohza?" he asked.

"Most likely," Zoro replied. "We have to assume that this wasn't just an

act of desperation. We'll work with the assumption that they have a plan,

and then we'll plan accordingly. That way, we'll be prepared for the

worst case scenario." Chaka and Pell both nodded in approval of the

logic.

"So what do you propose?" Chaka asked.

"In order to unmask the imposter, we need the real Kohza," Zoro said.

"That's why one of our priorities should be to liberate him from

Rainbase."

"That won't be an easy operation," Pell commented.

"Which is why we'll be sending Zoro," Luffy spoke up. "He'll get it done,

don't worry." King Cobra, Pell, and Chaka looked uncertain, but nodded

in agreement.

"I'd like to go too," Vivi said. Zoro consented to the request. The king and

his advisors looked worried, but Vivi assured them that she would be

fine.

"I hate to bring this up," Chaka said, "But how do you know that Kohza is

still…?"

"We don't," Luffy stated. Though knowing Croc, he's alive for the moment.

"That's why our other priority is to take down Baroque Works." The king's

two advisors now looked at him like he's insane, but the king merely

stared at him thoughtfully.

"Do you think you can do that?" he asked. Luffy smirked.

"I know we can," he replied. "Just leave everything to us." Chaka and Pell

still looked skeptical, but the king simply nodded.

"Then we will rely on you. Sorry for the trouble," he said respectfully.

Luffy just grinned.

"Don't worry about it."

Zoro turned to Luffy. "There is one more precaution we should take," he

said. Luffy nodded, while the others wondered what they were talking

about. "Our enemy specializes in impersonation. If we succeed in

revealing him to the rebel army, he may try to impersonate one of us

next. So we'll need a way to ensure that we can trust each other."

Vivi agreed to the plan he proposed, and after all the Strawhats were

marked with the symbol of their comradery, she headed towards

Rainbase on Carue's back, along with Zoro, who, to his slight displeasure,

rode atop the back of one of the Super Spot Billed Duck Squad. The rest

of the Strawhats agreed to wait in Alubarna, seeing as Baroque Works

would most likely arrive there along with the rebel army. Today, the

conflict would be set in motion.

In a certain bar in an active district of Alubarna, a white haired man with

a large jutte strapped to his back sat in silence along with a blue haired

woman with a sword on her hip.

"Smoker-san?" Tashigi spoke up, breaking the silence. "Why do you think

that Strawhat is in Alubarna?"

"Just a feeling," the white hunter replied, taking a swig of his drink.

Tashigi was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Are you planning to confront him again?" she asked quietly.

"Why do you even need to ask?" Smoker said in an annoyed tone.

"Your injuries from last time just healed…"

Smoker glared at her, and she fell silent. Deciding it wasn't right to

misplace his aggression onto her, he turned away. "I have some questions

for him," was all he said, indicating that the conversation was over."

Tashigi took the hint and sipped her drink, leaving Smoker in deep

thought.

Strawhat...why am I still alive?

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this expository chapter. Next time on Second

Wind: the war is on!

30. Three Front Formation

Announcement: Currently 12 people have left reviews saying that they

want Seal to join permanently, while 13 people would rather he stay with

Vivi. I am literally keeping track on a notepad.

Disclaimer: A writer in court is quite bitter.

A lawsuit has quite a high cost.

So lest my integrity wither-

One Piece is not owned by Lost.

Chapter XXX: Three Front Formation

1 PM, outskirts of Alubarna

The sound of innumerable hooves simultaneously hitting the desert

ground could be heard as the rebel army rode towards Alubarna on

horseback, led by the man known to the rebel army as Kohza, the head of

the rebellion. The previous day, their decision to invade the capital had

practically been made for them. When Kohza had gone on a mission to

gather supplies, along with the second in command, Kebi, the rest of the

rebel army had not known what to think. After all, why would he take

the responsibility for such a task himself? He would be easily

recognizable and ultimately prone to fall into the clutches of the hostile

king. It was almost too predictable when he had disappeared that day.

The rebellion's fears had been realized.

But miraculously, Kohza returned that same night...only, without Kebi.

He was surprisingly calm when he explained that they had been

ambushed by the royal army. In a sudden act of aggression, they

assaulted both him and his second in command. According to him, he

had barely escaped with his life.

Kebi had not escaped at all.

This information had quickly galvanized the rest of the rebels, to the

point where, upon being led to a rather large vault in Nanohana which

was filled with a myriad of weapons, they didn't even think to question

it. They counted themselves lucky that Kohza's mission had at least been

successful. Now, they rode into the kingdom's capital with firm resolve.

Today, the royal army would fall, and the corrupt king would be

dethroned.

Or so they say.

"Kohza-san, unidentified individual, 12 o'clock!"

"Is that a royal army soldier? Why would he come alone?"

"He's not in uniform. Is he even an enemy?"

"Kohza" ignored the murmuring of the rebel soldiers and squinted at the

figure in the distance, frowning. The man looked familiar, but he couldn't

remember whether he'd really seen him before. From this distance he was

hard to make out, and it didn't help that his face was shrouded by the

straw hat atop his head.

Before he could even think about what was wrong with this image, let

alone figure it out, something strange happened. He suddenly felt his

horse veer off course. He tried to gain control over it, but it ignored his

commands as if possessed. For a split second he thought of jumping off to

avoid getting trampled, but a quick look back at the rest of the troops

revealed that they were having the exact same problem.

The sight of thousands of soldiers struggling and failing to regain their

bearings may be comical to him at any other time. Unfortunately, right

now, his mission was to lead them into Alubarna. And this complicated

things. Was was happening? The horses seemed to be dispersing,

spreading out thinly and coming to a stop. It was as if they were all

having the same exact thought. It almost looked like a planned

maneuver, however ridiculous that sounded. Of course, another

explanation was that they were possessed. In seconds, they had all come

to a stop and started looking in the same direction...towards Alubarna.

Mr. 2's eyes suddenly widened comically as he slowly turned around and

saw the same man he had seen before standing right in front of him. His

face was still obscured by that damn straw hat. Who did this guy think he

was, acting all badass while wearing a straw hat of all things? He was

acting like he just did something completely awesome, like…

Like stop an army.

Suddenly, he felt a wave of power wash over the area. That was the only

way he could describe it. It was as if the desert air had suddenly been

filled with an aura of raw strength, strength that was not to be trifled

with. He felt his hair stand on end, and was slightly horrified to note that

thousands of rebel soldiers behind him were falling off their halted

horses, completely unconscious.

He started sweating, not just from the awe inspiring sight, but also from

an unexplainable urge to get the hell away from this guy. Nevertheless,

he stood his ground.

"Hey, hey! Who the hell do you think you are, you straw hat bastard!?

Can't you see I'm trying to lead armies into civil wars here? Stop joking

around!" he yelled at the man, pointing at him in accusation and slipping

back into his normal persona. The man finally lifted his head, revealing

his eyes, and Mr. 2 felt that much more intimidated, for reasons he still

couldn't discern.

"You don't know who I am?" the man asked in a low tone, before

grinning. "What's wrong? Is Crocodile lacking intel?" Mr. 2's eyes

widened again. This guy not only knew who we was, but also who he

was working for. There was a moment of silence, then…

"Stooop joooking arooouund! Who are you!?"

"You already know who I am," the man said quietly, face expressionless.

"They call me…" he paused.

Mr. 2 leaned forward, full attention on the one who claimed to know

him.

"...straw hat bastard," he finished.

Mr. 2 face faulted, horrified by the complete waste of buildup. He quickly

got up and growled.

"I thought I told you...to stop joking around!" he shouted as he attempted

a jump kick on the stranger, who moved his head out of the way with

practiced ease.

"But I'm not joking! Everyone calls me that! It's soooo annoying!" he

complained. Faced with the drastic change in demeanor, Mr. 2's jaw

dropped. This guy just went from intimidating, to mocking, to whiny in

less than 30 seconds.

Suddenly, Mr. 2 remembered where he'd seen the man's face before. It

was on a bounty poster, of a wanted pirate whose head was worth almost

as much as Mr. 1's. That pirate just happened to be the same guy who

had thrown a wrench into Mr. 0's plans.

"You're...Strawhat Luffy," he gasped.

Luffy cocked his head to the side. "Took you long enough," he said.

Mr. 2 got into a defensive stance. "How'd you know it was me?" he asked,

eyes narrowed.

"I know a lot of things," Luffy said, smirking.

Mr. 2 matched his smirk challengingly. "Oh? Then I guess I'll just have to

kill you."

Luffy hummed in thought. "Or you could betray Crocodile."

Mr. 2 raised an eyebrow. "And why would I do that?" he asked

suspiciously.

"...I'll be your friend," Luffy offered.

Mr. 2 froze. So that's it? A promise of friendship extended to an enemy? He

found himself getting slightly emotional despite himself.

"Actually," Luffy continued, "I'm not really sure why you joined Baroque

Works in the first place. But hey, I guess everyone's gotta put meat on the

table."

Rather than correcting the misspoken idiom, Mr. 2 focused on the first

part. Well, he had a point. Joining Baroque Works had been a spur of the

moment decision for him. To be honest, he only did it because he was

bored and being a secret agent sounded cool at the time.

"Interesting proposition," he said after a moment. "But I won't be swayed

by a few choice words! Once an okama has chosen his allegiance, he

won't defect so easily!"

Luffy hummed in thought. "Ok, then, how about this? We fight it out. If

you win, you can steal my identity and use it against my crew. If I win,

you have to help us fight Baroque Works. I'm going to kick Croc's ass

anyway."

Mr. 2's brow furrowed. "That's a win-win the way I see it," he admitted.

"I'd sure like to kick that Mr. 1's ass. But what makes you think I'll uphold

my end of the deal?"

"Because we're friends."

Mr. 2's jaw dropped. Such trust in someone he just met. I would shame

myself as an okama if I didn't match his resolve! "Fine, Strawhat! I accept

your challenge!" he shouted as he charged at the grinning pirate.

2 PM, Rainbase

"Hey bomb guy," Kebi said, quite nonchalantly considering the situation

at hand, "Haven't you learned yet that that's useless? The noise is starting

to hurt my ears."

Mr. 5 ceased his continuous battering of the cage bars to glare at the one

questioning him.

"Would you happen to have a better idea?" Miss Valentine asked in an

annoyed tone. She was constantly keeping pressure on the wound in her

abdomen, with limited success. Luckily it wasn't fatal, but that didn't

mean she could brush it off.

"If I did, far be it from me to keep it to myself," Kebi retorted, rubbing his

mildly concussed head. That crossdresser really kicked hard.

"He's right, Mr. 5," came the voice of Miss Goldenweek. "There's a reason

why Crocodile left you and Miss Valentine without cuffs. It's because he

was confident you couldn't escape from this seastone cage. The only one

who could really get us out of here is Mr. 3. The only reason I'm cuffed

myself is because Mr. 0 probably didn't know the full range of my

abilities. Even if you were fully healed and had more room to use your

power, you wouldn't make a dent. As it stands, you're just aggravating

your own wound and risking blowing us all up.

Mr. 5 grunted. "So are we just supposed to stand here and wait for our

deaths?" he asked.

"No, but possibly making the water flow in faster isn't the solution," she

reasoned.

Miss Valentine gulped as she took note of the rising water level in the

room. If it kept going on like this, they would drown within minutes. She

looked toward Mr. 3. He was usually the one who calmly analyzed the

situation and came up with a plan, but he looked just as hopeless as the

rest of them, and ever more despondent. There wasn't much he could do

with those handcuffs on him. It quite simply seemed like there was no

way out of this cage. And even if they did somehow get out, the room

was crawling with Bananadiles.

"There is something we could try," Mr. 3 said suddenly, though his voice

was subdued. They all looked at him questioningly, even Kohza, who

hadn't spoken a word since regaining consciousness. Mr. 3 gestured

toward the giant crocodiles outside the cage. "Bananadiles are said to be

able to chew through iron. Maybe if we can provoke one-"

"Hey! Get over here you goddamn banana!" Mr. 5 started shouting. "Make

yourself useful, you stupid reptile growing out of a phallic shaped fruit!"

The others didn't bother to correct him, opting to watch in anticipation as

one of the bananadiles trudged forward toward the cage, glaring at Mr. 5,

opened its jaws…

And broke all its teeth trying to bite the cage. Their high hopes

plummeting, the former Baroque Works agents and rebel army leaders

slumped back in defeat.

"We're all going to die aren't we?" Miss Valentine bemoaned. As the water

continued to flow into the room, Kohza looked down and gritted his

teeth.

"I've failed our country. Vivi, I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted!"

They all looked toward the source of the sound, startled. The voice had

come from outside the cage. They were shocked to see the Alabastian

heir wading through the water towards them. She wore a relieved smile.

"Kohza, Kebi, you're both ok! I'm so glad," she said.

"Vivi! How did you find us?" Kebi asked in amazement as Kohza simply

stared, as if doubting his own eyes. The agents all gaped at the sight of

their former enemy.

"Well, I had some help," she admitted, just as another figure came around

the cage and appeared next to her.

Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine stiffened. "Ro-Roronoa!?" the latter questioned,

rubbing the ghost of her scar from Whiskey Peak.

"What are you doing here?" Mr. 5 growled.

Zoro shrugged in apathy. "Saving your lives, evidently."

"You should save the smartass remarks for after you've found a way to

open the cage," Mr. 3 drawled.

Zoro responded by unstrapping one sheathed sword. "I'm not that good at

cutting seastone at this point," he admitted. "But I think I can manage.

Wax guy, I need you to come closer to the bars."

Mr. 3 blinked, but figured that he didn't have time to doubt any plan they

proposed, and stepped forward. Zoro stepped back and gripped his

sheathe as if he were about to draw the blade as Mr. 3 started to catch

on. If he was skeptical, he didn't show it. If he was worried about getting

his hands cut off, he didn't voice it. Something had changed within him

since the encounter with the higher ups of Baroque Works, something

that hadn't gone unnoticed by his partner and the 5 pair.

"Hey, are you crazy!?" Mr. 5 shouted. "What are you trying to do,

amputate him!?" Miss Valentine and Miss Goldenweek looked a bit

worried as well, but Zoro ignored them all as he committed his full focus

to his target. My technique will have to evolve. Faster, harder, sharper.

"For the lion to sharpen its fangs, it must first embrace its nature...the

reaping of the dead. It's roar is the prelude to carnage. To its prey, its

song is a chilling death chant."

Miss Valentine groaned. "What the hell is this dumbass talking abou-"

"One sword style...Lion's Elegy!" The swordsman drew his blade and

sheathed it in one fluid motion. The former agents and rebels watched in

awe as the cuffs on Mr. 3's wrists split cleanly down the middle and fell

to the floor with a clang. The wax man raised his wrists and stared at

them in shock. He hadn't felt a thing. He looked back to Zoro, who was

panting slightly.

"Make a key and open the cage," the swordsman instructed.

"R-right," Mr. 3 said dumbly, before forming a small rod with his powers

and inserting it into the cage's lock. The wax morphed to fit the

mechanism, and the lock clicked open. Zoro proceeded to open the door,

and they all filed out of the cage just as Mr. 3's strength started to be

drained once again by the rising water.

"Great, now how do we get out of here? There are four devil fruit users!"

Mr. 5 lamented as he struggled to stay above the surface.

"Three sword style...Rising Whirlwind!" The bomb man's question was

answered as they were all engulfed in a strong wind that blew the

surrounding water away. One might have assumed their plan was to clear

a path through the water, had the whirlwind not proceeded to carry them

up towards the ceiling, which was quickly cut open by the talented

swordsman. Soon, the four agents, the two rebels, and the two Strawhats

were making their way out of Rain Diners, ignoring the gobsmacked

expressions of the gamblers who had been witnesses to the event.

3 PM, outskirts of Alubarna

The Baroque Works officer agents that had not defected from the

organization felt the temperature of the desert air fall drastically as their

boss took in the scene before them. Thousands, thousands of rebel soldiers

were unconscious on the ground, as if they had all been the victims of

some type of chemical warfare. But from the looks of it, they were all

alive. It was a frightening scene to behold, but not as frightening as the

expression on Sir Crocodile's face.

"What could have done this?" Miss All Sunday wondered aloud, voicing

the thoughts of the other four agents.

"The question is not what," Crocodile said, more to himself than to

anyone else. "It's who."

Miss All Sunday's eyes widened. "You think the Strawhats…?" But

Crocodile payed her question no mind, lost in his own thoughts.

It couldn't have been Strawhat. A man worth 45 million, in this part of the

Grand Line, an awakened conqueror? Preposterous! But then who?

"This would mean that the rest of the rebel army has lost contact with the

vanguard," Miss All Sunday analyzed. "The next logical step would be to

have them send more, but Mr. 2 is nowhere to be found. Without him, a

large part of our plan is compromised."

"Thanks for the status report," Crocodile growled. "Do you think I'm

stupid?"

She wisely held her tongue.

"You four," he said, motioning to the 1 and 4 pairs, "Find Mr. 2 by

whatever means necessary. If you see any Strawhats along the way, I

want you to disembowel them." Mr. 1 smirked, satisfied with the choice of

words. "Miss All Sunday, you come with me. We're going to extract the

king and question him about the object of our search.

"Hey, Tashigi."

The marine swordsman looked up at the one who had addressed her in

question. "What is it, Smoker-san?" She didn't want to comment on the

fact that there had still been no sign of the Strawhats. It seemed to be

their style to cause a ruckus, so the fact that everything seemed normal

probably meant that Smoker's hunch had been incorrect.

"Do you find something weird about the state of this town?" Smoker

asked. Tashigi looked around, wondering what he meant. After a

moment, she turned back to him and shook her head. "Logically, there

should be a large concentration of royal soldiers stationed around

Alubarna," the smoke man elaborated. "Alabasta is in the midst of a civil

war, so the rebels could attack anytime. But there are no troops

anywhere. It's almost as if the king isn't expecting an attack or isn't

planning to fight back. Either assumption demands an explanation."

Tashigi nodded slowly, catching on. "So you think there is more going

on…?" she asked uncertainly.

"I think there's something that we're not seeing," Smoker confirmed. He

was silent for a moment. "I think we should take a trip to the royal

palace," he said finally.

Tashigi smiled lightly. "Is this another one of your hunches?"

Smoker just grunted.

"Two of them are coming," Luffy noted.

Nami looked worried. "Which ones?"

"The Mr. 0 pair," he said calmly, causing Usopp's eyes to widen.

"W-what!? Crocodile and Miss All Sunday are coming here? Why!?"

"He's after this country's throne. So I'd imagine they're coming for the

king," Luffy said. "It'll be bad to fight in the palace, so I'll go meet them

outside when they arrive." The others looked concerned but nodded.

"What about the other agents, Luffy?" Sanji asked.

Luffy's brow furrowed in concentration. "They've split up. They're

probably looking for you," he said, turning to Mr. 2, who had introduced

himself to the crew as Bentham.

Said okama hummed in thought, absently rubbing the rather large bump

on his head. Did he have a concussion? Karma really was a bitch. "Those

guys know they won't be able to find me if I don't want to be found,

especially since they know about my ability. That means they think I'm

still on their side, and that I've most likely been captured. If they don't

find me soon, they'll most likely come here, even if it's just to report to

Mr. 0."

"Well, we can't have that!" Luffy said jovially. "So you guys will just have

to take them on," he said, turning to the rest of the crew. "Luckily, our

new friend had all their faces memorized and was able to show us. Sanji,

bring Bentham with you and take out the blade guy."

Sanji grinned confidently. "Sure thing, Captain."

"Nami, you take out the spiky lady," Luffy continued. Nami raised an

eyebrow.

"Tall woman, blue curly hair, walks weird," Bentham supplied. "She'll be

close to Mr. 1, so I can help you find her."

Nami nodded, albeit a little nervously, and twirled her new weapon in

her hand.

"Usopp, Chopper, Seal, you guys take out the slow guy..."

"Big blonde dude with a giant bat."

"...and the mole lady."

"Short old woman, red hair, talks weird."

Seal let out a squeal of excitement. Usopp and Chopper were not so

confident. Chopper was nervous about his first real fight as a member of

the Strawhats, while Usopp legs were shaking, but he nevertheless tried

to hide his conspicuous fear.

"Just leave it to the great Captain Usopp!"

Maybe I can just take the mole lady.

"Alright men! Move out!" Luffy shouted.

"Right!"

As the 4 pair continued their fruitless search for Mr. 2, Miss Merry

Christmas grew increasingly annoyed. "This's ridiculous! How har' canit

be to fin' a man dress' as a ballerina!?"

"Heeeeeee coooouuuuld beeeeeeee diiiiiiiis-"

"What in tarnation ar' ya tryin'a say 4? Spit i' out already, ya idiot!"

"-diiiiiiisguuiiiiised," Mr. 4 finished. Miss Merry Christmas thought for a

moment.

"Disguised? Ya think he's hidin' from us?" she asked. Mr. 4 shrugged,

which took a total of 5 seconds. "Stop bein' so slow at everythin' idiot!"

"Certain death! Paralysis star!"

Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas both felt a stinging sensation in their

backs, and reflexively yanked out the objects that had penetrated their

skin from behind, although Mr. 4 took noticeably longer to do so.

"What the hell? Needles?"

"Paralytic agents," Chopper supplied. "Those needles are coated in a drug

that will weaken your muscles temporarily."

"Why the hell is this reindeer talkin' t' us?" Despite her disbelief, she

could already start to feel the effects on her body, and had to morph into

her hybrid zoan form to help stave them off. She noted that Mr. 4 was

still able to move due to his sheer muscle mass.

"Give up now!" Usopp shouted in what he hoped was an intimidating

tone of voice, despite his still shaking legs. "Or else my 8 million

followers will come and kick your asses!"

"This isn't getting us anywhere Mr. 1. If he wanted to be found, we'd have

found him by now," Miss Doublefinger reasoned as they walked down a

deserted road.

"It's as I thought," Mr. 1 said. His partner looked at him questioningly.

"He hasn't been captured. He's defected. As much as I hate to admit it,

he's not pathetic enough to be captured by the enemy while in disguise.

To begin with, there's no one that knows about his power other than us.

We have to assume that this was his plan."

"But why would he desert the organization? What's his motive?" Miss

Doublefinger asked.

"Hell if I know."

"Hey, you two!" a voice shouted from behind them. They were instantly

on guard, but relaxed when they saw the man in a royal army uniform.

"It's dangerous here! There are rumors that the rebel army is going to

invade! You should get back to your homes," the man continued as he

walked up to them." Miss Doublefinger couldn't' help but raise an amused

eyebrow.

"Don't worry about us," Mr. 1 said emotionlessly. "We're not civilians."

"Oh?" the soldier asked, his mouth contorting into a familiar looking grin

that instantly put Mr. 1 on guard. "Well that works out perfectly. Because

neither am I!" Mr. 1 had just enough time to turn his body into steel as

the "soldier's" leg impacted with the side of his face. He was sent crashing

into the side of a nearby building. Miss Doublefinger jumped back in

shock, but her face morphed into a scowl as she saw a familiar face

covered in makeup.

"Got ya!" Bentham exclaimed as he lowered his hand from his face.

Behind him, a blond haired man in a suit and tie walked out of an

alleyway wordlessly.

"Mr. 2. So you did betray us," Miss Doublefinger said, eyes narrowed.

"The name's Bentham now, honey. Feel free to wear it out." Miss

Doublefinger wasted no time and charged at the shapeshifter, spiked

fingers ready to impale, but she was suddenly sent rocketing back by

what felt like an incredibly strong wind.

"Air Pressure Tempo!" Miss Doublefinger looked around, searching for

the source of the disembodied voice, to no avail. What was going on?

From the broken wall of the nearby building, Mr. 1 climbed out of the

wreckage, exuding a frigid rage.

"I've been waiting for this, you scum. Now, what's your favorite internal

organ?"

"That would be your heart, shithead," Bentham said mockingly.

Mr. 1 let out an enraged roar and charged at him.

"I've been waiting for you, Croc."

Crocodile narrowed his eyes. "You're...Strawhat Luffy."

"Oh, so you know me. That makes things easier. Why don't we skip the

formalities and get right to the part where I kick your ass around the

block?"

Crocodile let out a low growl as Miss All Sunday giggled beside him.

"You're in over your head Strawhat. I've buried hundreds of rookies like

you. You're about to learn how out of your depth you are."

"Nice speech," Luffy drawled. "Is that what Whitebeard told you?"

Crocodiles vein was clearly visible over his forehead as he sent a large

wave of sand in Luffy's direction. The rubber man jumped over it and

landed smoothly.

"I'm going to enjoy impaling you, fool."

"Are you sure I'm the fool here?" Luffy asked with a grin, before slipping

into his Sanji persona. "Hello, you've reached the shitty restaurant. What

would you like to order?"

Crocodile's eyes narrowed in further outrage. Miss All Sunday, who had

been present during the conversation, couldn't contain her mirth any

longer and burst into a fit of laughter.

"Is something funny?" Crocodile seethed. "Perhaps I should kill you too,

Nico Robin. Don't test the limits of my rationality. Right now, I'm fucking

pissed."

"Do as you wish," Robin replied. "But whatever happened to your promise

not to call me by that name?"

"It's really too bad. Your real name sounds a lot better than that

codename you go by," Luffy commented, to her slight surprise. Crocodile

was much too livid to care at the moment.

"And you," Luffy continued, turning to the warlord. "You can say that I'm

a fool, that I'm a rookie with no idea what I'm getting into, that I'm in

over my head. But that changes nothing," He cracked his knuckles, and

his expression turned menacing before their very eyes. "You think you're

pissed? You don't know what pissed is." Crocodile watched in shock as

the rookie's fist darkened to obsidian.

Armaments haki?

"You make my crewmate cry, you threaten her country with war, you

plan to steal a force you can't hope to control, and you kill because it's

fun. You have made me very pissed. And you're gonna regret it." As

quickly as it changed, his fist went back to normal.

"She's so weak, but she tries her best to save everyone. She can't bear the

thought of loss, so she's always in pain. She wants this civil war to end

without anyone dying."

It took Crocodile a moment to realize that he was talking about Princess

Vivi. "There are many sentimental fools like that," he responded. "People

like her don't know death. They don't know the truth of battle. You're a

pirate, aren't you? You should agree with me, at the very least."

"Yea, I do," Luffy replied. "But…" His eyes hardened. "I'll let her keep her

naivety a little longer. I'll make her desire real. I'm going to save this

country, and I'm not going to let anyone get in my way."

Crocodile snarled.

"Whether it's you, the marines, or even death itself."

"Strawhat!" a voice shouted. Crocodile and Robin both looked up to see

Smoker, the White Hunter, standing on a nearby rooftop, along with a

blue haired woman with a sword strapped to her hip.

Crocodile's surprise grew. He knew they were coming. Observation haki too?

Then...could he have been the one who…?

His train of thought was interrupted as Smoker leapt down from the roof.

"So you were here, Strawhat. I had a feeling."

Luffy sighed. "You and your feelings Smokey. How are your injuries

healing?"

Smoker scoffed. "Fine, thanks for asking. Now I have some questions for

you."

"Can it wait 10 minutes? I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"Right, that's my first question. What the hell is Crocodile doing here in

Alubarna?"

Crocodile, meanwhile, was seething again. 10 minutes? Who does this

damn brat think he is!?

His anger seeking an outlet, Crocodile dispersed into sand and flew at

Luffy, who parried the swipe of the golden hook with his hand. It wasn't

long before Smoker and Tashigi joined the fray, while Robin stood back

passively and watched the battle ensue.

A/N: I was going to publish this chapter last night, but I spontaneously

decided to make it 2000 words longer. So whether you love me or hate

me for that decision, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Lost out.

31. Things Heat Up

Kudos to WolftheForsaken for being the first reviewer to point out that I

took a line from The Avengers. Though I'm guessing the vast majority of

you noticed. I just couldn't help myself. It fit so well!

Some of you were wondering why I'm calling Mr. 2 Bentham. Well...it's

because that's his name! Don't believe me? Look it up on the wiki. Bon

Kurei was an alias. Anyway, onto the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. But can at least own the rights to

funny disclaimers? No? Huh? What do you mean I'm not important

enough? What do you mean I'm out of material anyway!? Oh...yea.

Dammit.

Chapter XXXI: Things Heat Up

"Leave me alone, Smokey!" Luffy shouted as he dodged yet another jab

from the logia user's jutte. He was immediately forced to keep moving as

Crocodile's hand reached out to grab him. Well this is annoying. If either of

these guys land a hit, I'm crippled. He was broken out of his thoughts as

Tashigi jumped over his other two opponents and swiped at him with her

sword. He quickly caught her sword with his bare hand, a simple haki

coating ensuring that he didn't get cut, and pulled, using the weapon to

block Smoker's jutte. He then kicked Smoker out of the way, sending him

flying across the sand. Seeing Crocodile homing in again, he then

deliberately pushed Tashigi toward the sand man. She yelped in surprise

as her sword blackened in her hands, and Crocodile's eyes widened as he

swayed back to avoid the armaments hardened blade.

Meanwhile, Robin was watching the fight play out curiously. She could

tell that the Strawhat captain was playing with them, which surprised

her. She never thought she'd see the day when she saw a rookie pirate

treat a fight with a royal warlord like a joke. But that wasn't bothering

her as much as what he had said earlier. You plan to steal a force you can't

hope to control.

He was talking about Pluton.

But how? How could he possibly know that the weapon was hidden in

this country, let alone that Crocodile was searching for it? The warlord

himself was too angry at the moment to stop and think about the

implications of what he had heard. But if there was one thing Robin was

good at, it was keeping a clear head. She thought back to her first

encounter with Monkey D. Luffy, back in Whiskey Peak. He had known

who she was right off the bat, but what he said back then hadn't been a

threat so much as a warning. A warning not to underestimate him. It

wasn't even hostility, really. It was only natural given how she had been

antagonizing his new crewmate.

Yes, she had been playing games with the princess, allowing her to

discover Mr. 0's identity only to inform him later on. She had taken the

warning for what it meant: if she was going to play games, she would

lose. If she hadn't thought much of it at first, seeing him taking on

Crocodile and the White Hunter at the same time, along with the

revelation that he knew about Pluton, may have changed her perspective

a bit.

"What's wrong, Robin? Not going to join in?" came the man's voice. Robin

just stared at him. He wasn't mocking her, so much as...joking around.

Why was he acting this way around his enemy? She supposed he might

just not view her as a threat, but his tone was almost playful, as if it was

completely natural for him to act friendly towards her, of all the

ridiculous things in the world.

She suddenly wanted to test something out. Her curiosity getting the

better of her, she threw caution to the wind and crossed her arms, copies

of which suddenly sprouted all over the Strawhat captain's body. Smoker

and Tashigi suddenly stopped attacking. Smoker looked over to her, as if

considering her presence for the first time. Crocodile also stopped, and

shot an annoyed glare at her.

"Insufferable woman! He's mine to kill!" the sand man shouted. But Robin

made no other move against the pirate, who simply stood there,

seemingly trapped in her grip.

And then he smiled at her. "Well? Are you going to do it or not?" he

asked. "To be honest, I'd prefer if you didn't." Robin's eyes widened.

What is he playing at? There's no way I really have him beat. Why doesn't he

retaliate?

Suddenly, Crocodile lost his patience and lunged at Luffy. While the two

marines didn't want to attack him while he was seemingly immobilized,

the warlord was less hesitant as his arm morphed into a crescent of sand.

Later Robin would tell herself that the reason she let go was simply

because she was startled. But she had never been too good at fooling

herself. The hands dematerialized and Luffy jumped out of the way of the

attack that could have sucked every drop of water from his body.

Crocodile suddenly started laughing. "If you think you can save this

country by dodging all day, by all means try," he said. Smoker looked

over at Crocodile, curiosity piqued.

"Save this country? What are you talking about, pirate?" Crocodile shot

him an annoyed glare.

"Stay out of it, marine scum." Smoker's eyes narrowed.

"He was planning to overthrow this country during the chaos of the

rebellion," Luffy stated. "He's the leader of an underground organization

called Baroque Works. He goes by the name Mr. 0."

Smoker's eyes widened in realization at the sound of the code name. It

took him a moment to think things through. "So that's what's going on

here," he said quietly.

Crocodile growled in agitation. Suddenly, he removed the golden casing

on his hooked hand and revealed the poisoned metal underneath. "You

escort the princess here. You take down my agents time and again. You

take out the rebel army, foiling my plans one after another, and now

you've gotten the marines involved. It's time I treat you like the nuisance

you really are, Strawhat Luffy." A crazed grin manifested on the man's

face. "But for all of your efforts, you will not succeed. This country will

not be saved! And do you know why?"

"Is it because you hid a bomb in the clock tower?" Luffy asked.

Robin watched as for the first time since she had met him, Sir Crocodile's

eyes widened in shock.

"What…? When…? How…?"

"Your agent told me," Luffy said, grinning.

Crocodile stared dumbly before he realized what Luffy was implying, and

his face morphed into a menacing scowl. He stood there for a moment,

shaking with rage, as he tried to regain his composure. Meanwhile,

Smoker turned back to Luffy.

"What bomb? What are you talking about, Strawhat?"

"There's a bomb set to go off at 4 pm in the clock tower. If we don't stop

it, Alubarna will be engulfed in a blast big enough to level the city."

Smoker's eyes widened slightly, while Tashigi gasped. Luffy thought for a

moment. "Actually, this is perfect. Would you guys mind stopping the

bombing while I beat this guy up?" he asked pointing at the warlord.

Tashigi looked at Smoker uncertainly. Strictly speaking, protocol

demanded that they stay out of the affairs of the warlords unless ordered

otherwise. But if they waited for proof in this situation, there was no

telling what could happen. If Strawhat was telling the truth, a lot of

people would pay the price for their negligence.

"We're leaving Tashigi," Smoker said, seemingly coming to the same

conclusion. Tashigi nodded quickly and followed the marine captain, but

they were quickly cut off by Crocodile in his logia form.

"Did you think I'd just let you go?" he asked in a low tone as he aimed his

poisonous hook at Tashigi. Knowing that Smoker would be intangible, he

was hoping this would throw the smoke man off. His plan was foiled,

however, when Smoker blocked the hook with his seastone jutte.

Crocodile responded by grabbing the jutte by its shaft, which was made

of normal stone. The weapon suddenly dissolved into sand, causing

Smoker to grunt in shock. Crocodile swiped at him this time, but he

dissolved into smoke. As Crocodile raised his hook again, the smoke

homed in on him, but he too fell back into his logia form. Tashigi had her

sword up at the ready to block the hook, but she was unable to anticipate

the path of the disembodied arm.

"Gomu gomu no...Desert Eagle!" Luffy's blackened hand impacted with

Crocodile's face, sending him skidding across the ground until he finally

righted himself, looking disheveled and livid but no worse for the wear.

"Your opponent is me!" Luffy shouted as he appeared right in front of the

sand man again. His fist, which was pointed at his opponent, was still

blackened, but now they could see it had a red tinge to it, and it

appeared to be...steaming?

Crocodile raised a hand to the ugly red bruise on his face. When he

brought it down and saw the blood, his face darkened. "I've had enough,"

he said quietly, as all the sand in the area started to rise and swirl. Luffy

turned to Smoker and Tashigi and nodded at them. Smoker stared at him

for a few seconds before returning the nod. He signalled to Tashigi, and

they both left the scene.

"Are you sure?" Luffy asked, addressing the warlord. "Because I'm just

getting started."

"Why are these guys so weird!?" Usopp complained as he pushed himself

off the ground, attempting to recover from the near miss of the last

explosion. "They talk weird, they fight weird, and their cannon is a

frickin' dog! They're weirder than you are Chopper!"

"Take that back you asshole!" Chopper yelled indignantly.

"Why are you getting offended!? Fine, you're weirder! Are you happy!?"

"No!"

Seal let out a low whine, telling them to stop arguing.

"Seal's right. We have to focus on beating these guys. Usopp, give us some

cover!"

"Ok. The poison should at least slow them down enough for our plan to

work." To be honest, every fiber of his being was telling him to run away

from this forsaken fight. But he knew he could never look Vivi or any of

his other crewmates in the eye if he did that. He was a Strawhat too, and

he needed pull his weight. Soon after they had arrived, the Mr. 4 pair

had altered the field to their advantage, and now there were mole holes

all over the battlefield. The mole lady was digging around in them, which

was part of their plan.

When the dog shot another explosive ball at them, Usopp matched it with

an explosive star, causing it to explode before it reached them. Next he

pulled out a wide scale smoke bomb.

"Certain death! Smoke star!" he yelled as he shot it at the dog. The area

became shrouded in a thick veil, and the dog looked around on

confusion, not knowing where to aim as Chopper, Usopp, and Seal ran

around under their cover.

Their plan was impeded, however, as Miss Merry Christmas grabbed

Usopp's foot from below. "That won' work on me, bastard! I can smell

ya!" Usopp gasped as the mole woman pulled him towards a brick

building. He gritted his teeth, preparing for impact, and coughed up

blood as he impacted face first into the brick wall. He fell over

backwards, but Chopper quickly caught him in walk point.

"Are you ok Usopp!?" he shouted in concern.

Usopp wheezed. "I'm...fine…" he insisted. "Stick to the plan!"

"Right!" Usopp handed the human reindeer a tabasco star, and Chopper

used his nose to track down the dog. Miss Merry Christmas continued to

pester him as he ran, but seeing as he could smell her too, he was able to

avoid her in walk point. He quickly shoved the tabasco star into the dog's

mouth. The canine gun hybrid's eyes started to water, and right as he was

about to sneeze, Chopper went into heavy point and shoved his face

down into one of the holes.

A series of explosions could be heard beneath the ground, along with the

comparatively faint screams of a certain mole woman. When she climbed

out of the hole, smoking and burnt, but still conscious, Seal leapt at her

and punched her across the face, letting out what was probably his

equivalent of a battle cry. Miss Merry Christmas swiped at him with her

claws, but the damage from the explosions and the effects of the drug

were stacking up and taking a major toll on her, and Seal easily dodged.

He then launched into a furious combo that completely betrayed his

appearance. He ended with an uppercut that finally rendered the mole

woman unconscious.

"Way to go Seal!" Usopp shouted, regaining his bearings. Finally, the

smoke started to clear, and Mr. 4 was shocked to see his partner

defeated.

"Rumble!" Chopper ate a rumble ball, determined not to let up. The dog,

now over its fit of sneezing, shot another ball at the reindeer, who went

into jump point and leapt over it. As he switched in between jump point

and walk point, homing in on Mr. 4 all the while, the dog continually

missed him. Finally, the dog waited and took aim while he was in the air.

"Certain death! Explosive star!" The explosive projectile was shot directly

into the dog's mouth, courtesy of Usopp, and its eyes widened as both

bombs went off in its jaw. It didn't get up after that. Mr. 4 was still

processing the fact that he was alone now when he was hit across the

face by Seal. He recoiled, but brushed off the hit, and swung his bat,

which narrowly missed the kung fu dugong. He was then hit in the head

by another explosive star, leaving an opening for Chopper.

"Kokutei, Roseo!" Chopper implanted his hoof into the same spot, causing

Mr. 4 to groan in pain. Nevertheless, he swung his bat in one last act of

defiance. As he was in the air, Chopper had no choice but to use guard

point.

The hit was still devastating. If the monster of a man hadn't been

disoriented and weakened, Chopper was convinced he wouldn't be

getting up for a long time. Mr. 4 recovered momentarily and raised his

bat again, but his hand was hit with yet another explosive star, and he

dropped the bat. Seal took the chance to land another hit on his head,

and the force of the blow was finally enough to cause him to reel back.

He caught himself on his back foot, but couldn't recover in time to defend

against Chopper, who had recovered himself.

"Kokutei, Cross!" The finishing blow impacted with Mr. 4's skull, and the

man's eyes finally rolled back into his head as he toppled over onto the

sand with a loud thud, leaving the strawhat trio to collapse and pant in

victory.

Sanji leapt to the side to avoid another swipe of Mr. 1's bladed arms and

quickly swept his legs out from under him. Ignoring the pain of his legs

impacting with the steel, he took the opportunity to slam his heel against

the man's skull before leaping back. He took a few seconds to catch his

breath as Bentham swapped in and aimed a drop kick down on Mr. 1's

torso, but the only slightly disoriented man rolled out of the way and

crossed his arms as he got up before attempting to slash across the

okama's chest. Bentham ducked under the man's bladed arms and landed

an uppercut to his chin, sending him reeling back, but Mr. 1 righted

himself and headbutted him, which had a much greater effect given his

steel body and larger mass.

As Bentham was sent careening backwards, Sanji ran in and sidestepped

a bladed kick from before launching into a flurry of kicks aimed at any

body part other than the blade man's arms and legs. He finished with a

mutton shot, kicking his opponent through a house onto the other side of

the block.

"I hope you don't think that'll be enough to keep him down," came the

voice of Miss Doublefinger. The woman looked positively annoyed. Her

hair was standing up on end, as if she had received some sort of electric

shock, but Sanji wasn't sure how that could have happened.

So this is Nami-san's new fighting style. I think I'm falling in love all over

again. I'm not sure how, but it looks like she can turn invisible, so I don't have

to worry about her for the time being. I better focus on the steel guy for now. I

can't kick that spikey woman anyway.

Thus, Sanji was forced to dodge numerous attempts to maim him through

the use of the woman's bodily spikes. Bentham evidently realized he

wasn't attacking.

"Hey, what are playing at spiral cook? She just left a few openings for

you, in case you didn't notice!"

"Shut it you shitty ballerina! I won't kick a woman! I'd rather die!" he

shouted in response as he continued dodging. Miss Doublefinger raised

an amused eyebrow at his bold statement.

"Then you shall!" she claimed as she turned both her hands as well as her

head into spiked balls. She started swinging at him rapidly, throwing in

kicks of her own with her spiked heels, but Sanji simply kept dodging

her, playing a purely evasive game. She was started to grow annoyed as

it became more and more apparent that she couldn't land a hit.

It was then that she felt a sense of deja vu as the air around her grew

warmer, and then colder moments afterwards. She looked up and noticed

a cloud, much like the one that had shocked her earlier. She gritted her

teeth as she looked around for her assailant again, with limited success.

She did however, find where the source of the atmospheric disturbances

were coming from, seeing as they were visible and quite conspicuous.

Seeing this, she ran towards the location where the red and blue orbs

were originating from. "You won't fool me so easily a second time!" she

shouted in contempt.

"Nami-san!" Sanji shouted in worry, but soon found himself preoccupied

as Mr. 1 joined the fray again. Miss Doublefinger froze mid stride,

however, as Nami suddenly materialized off to the side, smirking.

What? She's over there? So it was a diversion? She immediately altered her

course off to the side just as Nami brought her staff up. Blue lightning

sparked in the cloud overhead, ready to strike. Sanji and Bentham

watched in horror as Miss Doublefinger's spiked fist impaled Nami's skull.

Only for her skull to fade into a haze around the limb. "What!?" Miss

Doublefinger exclaimed as she turned back to the spot she had previously

been running to.

"Fooled you," Nami said, sticking her tongue out, as the lightning struck

her opponent, who screamed in pain. She struggled to keep herself

upright after being struck by lightning for the second time that day. But

Nami wasn't done yet. "Beware of twisters!" she shouted as she ran

towards her opponent, staff at the ready. "Tornado tempo!"

Miss Doublefinger watched wearily as fake birds popped out of the staff,

which didn't seem to shake Nami's confidence in the slightest. "Is that

it!?" Miss Doublefinger yelled, getting ready to spear her through. But she

was unable to move her arms as the wired birds wrapped around her

arms and legs. The end section of the staffs started spinning, lifted her off

of her feet. She lost all orientation as she spun faster and faster, until

suddenly she was launched through a building and came out the other

side, much the same way Mr. 1 had been sent hurtling earlier. Only she

lacked the defense that came with his devil fruit and was already on her

last ropes. Landed on the other side of the partly demolished house, she

didn't rise again.

Mr. 1 watched in anger as his partner was defeated. "You bitch," he

hissed as he broke away from Sanji, who was panting from his constant

hit and run tactics with the blade man. Nami's eyes widened as Mr. 1 ran

towards him.

Not good. My time limit for mirage tempo is up, thunderbolt tempo needs time

to charge, and tornado tempo is a one time deal! She could do nothing but

raise her clima tact in a poor attempt to ward off his bladed limbs as

Sanji struggled to get there in time. She suddenly felt herself being

pushed out of the way, however, and she landed roughly on the ground.

She looked up to the horrifying sight of Bentham bleeding heavily,

having been impaled by Mr. 1's arm. She covered her mouth in shock.

"I told you didn't I?" Mr. 1 said in a low tone. "This was bound to happen,

one way or another, Mr. 2." He tossed Mr. 2 off of his arm like a rag doll,

and the okama landed in a heap on the side of the road. "Or whatever

you call yourself now." He moved in to land the finishing blow, but his

arm was stopped abruptly before it could meet its target.

Sanji's leg, raised in a block, bled profusely as he held Mr.1 at bay. The

officer agent gritted his teeth as he attempted to force Sanji out of the

way, but despite the pain he must have been in, Sanji wouldn't budge. He

simply glared at his opponent before redirecting his blow to the side and

roundhouse kicking him across the street. Nami took the time to look

over Bentham. He had managed to avoid a fatal injury, but he was still

bleeding heavily. They needed to get him help, and fast.

Sanji quickly jumped into the air above Mr. 1 as the man fell, ignoring

the blood seeping from his leg with every movement, and spun in a

vertical circle before finally bringing his good heel crashing down on the

agent's face. "Concasse."

He leapt back again as Mr. 1 got up, slightly unsteadily. The blade man

raised one hand to the bridge of his nose and brought it down. Blood.

Realizing his nose was broken, he did what no one would expect. He

grinned at Sanji.

"It's been awhile since an enemy has drawn blood from me. I suppose I

should thank you for the thrill of a decent fight," he said. Sanji said

nothing in response.

I have to finish this. The okama needs medical treatment, and this guy is

insanely strong. I wouldn't have even made it this far if not the training I've

been putting myself through. He braced himself as his opponent's arms

morphed into what looked like buzzsaws. He really didn't want to get hit

by those.

The two charged at each other, and Sanji leapt over him, kicking his head

towards the pavement. He landed behind him, and kicked him in the side

before he could get up, sending him hurtling down the street before he

righted himself, grunting. Sanji followed up, delivering a hail of kicks to

the agent's head, neck, and torso. Anywhere that he wouldn't injure

himself by kicking once his opponent turned into a blade. He had noticed

early on in the fight that his entire body couldn't turn into a blade edge.

Blades had two edges and two blunt sides, after all.

"Mutton shot!" he shouted as he thrust his leg forward. Mr. 1 was prepared

and took the hit, groaning as he slid back on his feet. Suddenly, they

heard another crackle of thunder overhead, causing them both to look

up. Another cloud had formed above Mr. 1's head, causing Sanji's eyes to

widen.

"Nami-san, don't!" he shouted. It was too late though.

"Thunderbolt tempo!" The lightning came crashing down on Mr. 1 as Sanji

shielded his eyes. When it cleared, Mr. 1 was still standing. Sparks of

electricity emanated from his body. He looked downright pissed, but

otherwise unaffected. Nami's eyes widened in realization. He's a

conductor!

Mr. 1 launched himself towards Nami. Sanji tried to follow after him, but

his leg chose that moment to fail him, and he dropped to one knee. Shit!

Not now! he thought frantically.

Nami's staff was knocked out of her hand a bladed arm. She ducked to

avoid another jab, but fell over onto the ground in the process. She

barely had time to move her head to avoid the next attack, but her

shoulder was pierced instead, pinning her to the ground and eliciting a

high pitched scream.

"This is what happens when you play with toys on the battlefield," Mr. 1

said emotionlessly. He was about to pierce her skull when he was sent

crashing into a house for what felt like the tenth time that day. Only each

time it was gradually getting more painful. As he picked himself up out

of the rubble, he could see why. The blond haired man had seemed to

gain an extra surge of adrenaline, and was now walking on towards him

effortlessly despite the injury to his leg. The glare Mr. 1 was faced with

threatened to burn a hole through him.

"You have spirit, I'll give you that," Mr. 1 said. "But your kicks aren't

enough to stop me. Anyone can see that you're wearing down." Sanji's

stopped in front of him before responding.

"You're right. I haven't been good enough. But…" he bit his cigarette in

half. "I'm a bit heated up now."

To Mr. 1's bewilderment, he started rapidly spinning in a circle with his

leg raised, fast enough that he was a complete blur. When he stopped, his

previously black leg was glowing orange, as if it had just been dipped

into a furnace, except the leg itself didn't seem to be burning.

"Cooking is a gift from the gods. Spices are a gift from the devil." He

lunged towards Mr. 1. "Have a taste."

The officer agent tried to block the blow by crossing his arms, but Sanji

anticipated the move, and his foot connected with his stomach anyway,

the pressure from the kick driving a searing heat throughout his

conductive body. He moaned in pain and stumbled backwards, clutching

his abdomen, which gave Sanji an opening to land another kick across his

face. He felt like his skull was aflame.

Sanji thought back to his conversation with Zoro prior to their arrival in

Alabasta. This technique will help you penetrate some of the toughest

defenses, but it will also damage your body greatly until you master it. Try not

to use it too much until you toughen up some more. The stress on your legs

could cost you the fight if you don't end it quickly.

Wasting no time, Sanji ducked under Mr. 1's defense and got ready to

finish it.

"Flamber: Anti Manner Kick Course!" Mr. 1 was launched up into the air by

Sanji's leg and howled in pain, but Sanji wasn't done yet. He jumped up

into the air above Mr. 1. Working passed the pain, the blade man took

the chance to launch one last counterattack.

"Atomic Dicer!" Two large gashes appeared across Sanji's chest as he

raised his leg, but he roared with determination and brought it down.

"Flamber: Reception!" His leg jutted straight down into Mr 1's already

damaged torso, and the blade man's defense shattered along with his ribs

as he was sent crashing back down to the pavement below.

Sanji landed in front of him, panting heavily. His leg shifted back to its

normal shade of black as he lit another cigarette. "Guess it was a little too

spicy for you," he muttered, before promptly collapsing onto the ground.

"Sanji-kun!" came Nami's worried voice as she ran towards him.

"Nami-saaaan," Sanji crowed weakly. "Did you fall in love with me even

more?"

Nami sighed. "Sure, why not. Good job out there." She helped him to his

feet, which instantly caused his eyes to be replaced by hearts. "But we

have to get Bentham out of here, and I'm not sure if I can carry you

both," she said. "Do you think you can walk?"

Sanji's face was slightly downcast as he trudged over to the okama.

"Right...I'll carry him," he said, causing Nami to look after him worriedly.

"Are you sure? You're injuries are worse than mine…" But this only

caused Sanji to go off on a hopeless rant about how he could never stand

by and watch a lady do the heavy lifting as he hoisted Bentham onto his

shoulder, careful not to aggravate the wound further. Eventually Nami

just sighed and relented, following beside him.

A/N: Get it? Heating up?

...

Yea! It's a pun! Ahahahahaha!

...No? Fine, whatever. *Throws hands up in the air* Lost out.

32. The Winning Side

Ok ok! The heating up pun is overused. I get it.

On another note, chapter 30 broke my personal record for number of

reviews, and it only took about a week. I was pleasantly surprised.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Chapter XXXII: The Winning Side

3:55 pm, Alubarna

Tashigi rushed to keep up with Captain Smoker as he glided across

rooftops using his devil fruit. They only had 5 minutes before the bomb

was fired. They had to get to the clock tower quickly. As the building

came within sight, Tashigi noted that it would take time for her to

actually get to the top, but Smoker could simply glide all the way up.

"Tashigi!" the smoke man yelled. "I'm going to give you a boost!"

"Right!" she consented, before grabbing hold of her superior's hand.

Smoker wasted no time and took them both straight to the top just as the

clock, which turned out to be a door, opened to reveal two eccentrically

dressed agents carrying pistols and laughing. Behind them, Tashigi could

see the cannon that they were going to use to fire the bomb. They

stopped laughing when they caught sight of the two marines flying

towards them, and started shooting, Smoker evaded the shots, but as they

drew closer, Tashigi took note of the match in one of the agents' hands.

Smoker saw the same thing and threw Tashigi into the clock tower just

the fuse was lit. Tashigi quickly drew her sword and incapacitated the

two agents before turning to the fuse and severing it. She let out a breath

she didn't know she'd been holding, but it caught in her throat as she

heard the ticking coming from the bomb. Realizing what was happening

immediately, Tashigi turned to Smoker, who had just landed beside her.

"Smoker-san, the bomb is timed!" she yelled frantically. Smoker froze as

he came to the same conclusion. He seemed to think for a moment before

he walked toward the opening of the cannon.

"Only one thing to do then," he muttered. In an impressive show of

strength, he pulled the bomb out of the muzzle and hoisted it over his

shoulder. Tashigi's eyes widened.

"Smoker-san, what are you-" But Smoker had already jumped out of the

tower and was rising into the air, carrying the bomb with him. It was

with horror that Tashigi realized what he was going to do. She screamed

after him as he flew higher and higher, the bomb ticking away all the

while. It was only when Smoker was far too high to hear her desperate

shouts any longer that the bomb detonated, and she had to cover her

eyes to shield them from the blinding light of the explosion that seemed

to block out the sky. When the sky cleared, Tashigi just stared up at it

numbly, not believing what had just happened. When it finally sank in,

she dropped to her knees, tears flowing down he cheeks. Sobs racked her

body as she wondered how he could just leave like that, without so much

as a farewell...no, how could he leave her at all? What was he thinking?

What-

"What are you crying about?" a voice asked from behind her. "You call

yourself a marine, you over emotional clutz of a girl?" Tashigi froze,

hardly able to believe what she was hearing. She slowly turned around,

towards the source of the all too familiar voice, to face Captain Smoker,

standing there without a scratch on him.

"Captain..." she said numbly.

"What?" Smoker asked in annoyance. "You do know I'm a logia right?

What the hell did you expect to happen?"

But Tashigi just tackled him in a hug, ignoring his indignant protests and

half hearted threats.

"Desert Sword!" Crocodile shouted as a long fissure appeared in the sand

below Luffy's feet, prompting him to jump over it to avoid being speared

and falling in. He quickly readied his own assault as his blackened fist

twisted behind him.

"Gomu gomu no...Ape Rifle!" The blow was dodged by the sandman, who

dispersed into sand a fraction of a second before it connected. Crocodile

reformed in front of Luffy and tried to gut him with his poison hook, but

Luffy deflected it with his haki imbued hand. He grabbed the warlord by

the arm and swung him over his shoulder into the air. Crocodile barely

had enough time to right himself before Luffy was in front of him again,

his arms reared back, ready to strike. "Gomu gomu no...Pan Bazooka!"

His attack hit dead on this time, sending Crocodile through the air like a

rag doll before he rolled to a stop on the sand below. He quickly

recovered and stood up.

Luffy knew that fighting Crocodile in the desert would be no walk in the

park. His victory last time had been due to a combination of luck and

overconfidence on the logia's part. Through sheer circumstance, he had

discovered Crocodile's weakness and had been able to exploit it. But it

wasn't until he had seen the former warlord in action during the War of

the Best that he had realized just how effective that weakness had been.

Coming into contact with water didn't just prevent Crocodile from

turning into sand; it weakened his body significantly. If it hadn't been for

that factor, Luffy knew that for all he had gone through in Alabasta, he

never would have kept the New World veteran down for long. But every

time Luffy had utilized water in his assaults, he had chipped away at

Crocodile's endurance and stamina until their encounter in the royal

tomb, where the warlord had been fighting at a small fraction of his

usual ability. Even so, he had lost twice before pulling off a victory.

Sometimes, looking back, he wondered if luck was actually a matter of

innate talent rather than probability. Was he just good at being lucky?

Even now he knew he had to be careful. His resistance to poison had not

reverted back to his younger body as far as he knew, and he wasn't

willing to find out the hard way. And then there was that whole 'dry you

up with a single touch' thing. Croc's fruit is stupid, he decided.

He was broken out of his musings as the sand beneath his feet gave away.

"Desert Sunflower!" Crocodile growled as Luffy jumped into the air and

used geppou to escape the range of the sinkhole.

Not just haki, but rokushiki too? Who is this rookie? His body dissolved into

sand again as he attempted to intercept the rubber man in midair. "Desert

Crescent!" Luffy ducked under the crescent shaped blade of sand and

aimed a kick at Crocodile. The sandman grunted as he blocked with his

forearm before dematerializing and reforming behind Luffy.

"Sables," he said as he caught the rookie in a miniature sandstorm. Luffy

was blown back into the sinkhole that Crocodile had made and landed in,

but as the warlord tried to bury him, Luffy escaped with his air walking

technique again. Crocodile grimaced, realizing that his home field

advantage was neutralized by the rubber man's mobility. He appeared

behind him again and tried to impale him through the back, but Luffy

twisted around the moment he materialized and redirected the jab.

"Gomu gomu no…" Crocodile's eyes widened as Luffy's body started to

steam again and his obsidian black arms took on a familiar red tinge.

"Eagle Bazooka!" The sandman was launched back through the air and

skidded along the desert sand, unable to right himself this time. He

finally rolled to a stop and groaned as he picked himself up. He suddenly

hunched over and coughed up a wad of blood. Before he could even

recover, his opponent was in front of him again. "Hawk Rifle!" The punch

impacted with his face and he was sent hurtling across the sand again. He

struggled to get up, and for a split second, the world around him turned

hazy before his vision cleared.

"No," he growled. "Unacceptable! I will not be defeated, especially not by

some run of the mill rookie pirate!" Luffy smirked at the statement and

spread his arms out in open invitation. Crocodile almost charged again,

but controlled himself. Instead, he channeled his focus into the

environment, into the surrounding desert. The sand around them began

to stir, and Luffy's eyes widened imperceptibly.

Suddenly, the desert seemed to rise, as if awoken from its slumber. Waves

of sand rose to incredible heights as the ground itself surrounded the two

pirates before it came crashing down on them.

"Desert Tsunami!" Crocodile shouted with a dangerous grin on his face.

Luffy did the one thing that would make sense in the situation, which

was to use geppou to ascend straight upwards, avoiding the tidal waves

of sand. But Crocodile flew into the air after him, and the colossal waves

followed behind as they took the fight to the sky.

He never used this last time, Luffy thought. Then again, they had only

fought in the desert once, and during that time Crocodile had controlled

the fight with ease, to the point where he probably had no need to.

Suddenly, Luffy paled, having realized that he'd forgotten about Robin. In

his haste to end the fight, Crocodile had done the same. Luffy quickly

locked onto her with his observation haki. He sighed in relief as he noted

that she had managed to take refuge on top of one of the buildings, but

the sand was still rising, and would reach her soon. In fact, if this kept

up, the civilians in Alubarna could be in danger as well. He had to end

this quickly.

As Crocodile ascended towards him, Luffy used geppou to speed up his

own descent. His haki imbued arms stretched out behind him, taking on

red tinge and then erupting into flame. "Gomu gomu no…" Crocodile

ignored this new development as he readied his own assault. The

widespread waves of sand surrounding him took on the shape of giant

blades as they were launched up at Luffy.

"Desert Rapier!" Crocodile shouted just as Luffy brought his arms down.

"Red Hawk Cannon!" His armaments and flame enhanced arms pierced

through the sand like a hot knife through butter. His fists made contact

with Crocodile's abdomen, resulting in a massive explosion that sent the

warlord hurtling down towards the ground. The impact caused

widespread destruction across the city block, and a couple of buildings

collapsed even as the previously rising waves of sand started to recede.

Luffy landed smoothly in front of the bloody, burnt, and unconscious

heap that was Sir Crocodile of the Seven Warlords. He reached for the

hat that was now dangling around his neck and placed it back on his

head. Off to the side, he heard Robin jump down from the building she

had taken refuge on and land with a soft thud. She stared at Crocodile in

shock. Which was understandable. It wasn't every day a rookie from East

Blue took out a royal warlord without so much as a scratch to show for it.

Luffy then turned towards Robin, who stiffened. He took a few steps

toward her, but stopped when she took a step back and crossed her arms.

He raised his arms in a placating manner. "Relax. I'm not going to attack

you." Clearly she didn't believe him. Luffy winced as fear rolled off of her

in waves. She was good at hiding it. Outwardly, she actually looked calm,

save for her rigid posture, but Luffy's observation haki didn't lie.

Suddenly, Robin let out a breath before slowly lowering her arms to her

sides. Her eyes lowered along with them, refusing to meet Luffy's. Her

posture was defeated, and her smile bitter.

"I'm on the losing side of this game," she recited. "So it would appear."

There was an abundance of things that Luffy wanted to do at that

moment. This was Robin. Crewmate, comrade, friend. Family. He wanted

to comfort her and tell her to hang in there. He wanted to run up to her,

grab her by the shoulders, and scream at her, telling her she wasn't alone.

In the end, he settled for the next best thing.

"That depends which side you're playing on. You haven't lost just yet."

Robin looked up and met his eyes, and was confused by what she saw in

them. It wasn't hate, or scorn, or even disappointment. She could pick up

on such emotions with a single glance. But this was different. The look in

his eyes was familiar, but it was something she hadn't seen in so long that

she almost forgot what it looked like. She almost found herself wishing

he would glare at her like everyone else. That way she'd be in familiar

territory. But a small voice in her mind, a part that had long been

silenced, suddenly spoke up for the first time in years, telling her that

this was better.

She suddenly laughed, dryly, humorlessly, and yet somehow still

melodically, as she considered his words. "I don't think there's a winning

side for me, Monkey D. Luffy."

"Well then," Luffy said, before a grin stretched across his face. "I'll just

have to prove you wrong."

Robin stared at him in open curiosity. "Not many have accomplished such

a feat."

Luffy's grin turned amused as he wordlessly pointed toward Crocodile's

fallen, defeated form. "And I'm guessing that's a first too."

Robin blinked, and a small, amused chuckle escaped her lips despite her

efforts to contain it, which caused Luffy's grin to widen.

"See? That's much better," he said cryptically. Robin stiffened, having

caught herself, and her mask fell back in place. Luffy pouted internally.

"What's better?" Robin asked in slight confusion.

"Your real laugh. I like it. It's much better than that fake smile you put

on."

Robin was silent for a moment. "Someone once told me that a fake laugh

is better than no laugh at all," she finally said.

Well crap, Luffy thought. Robin had told him the story of Jaguar D. Saul

once. He had listened very intently to every detail, and this was

paraphrasing at its finest.

"Then I'll just have to make you laugh for real from now on," he replied.

"Don't worry, I'll be able to tell the difference."

Robin's eyes widened, but then narrowed. "What are you planning,

Monkey D. Luffy?" she asked in suspicion.

At that moment, it was all Luffy could do to keep the hurt from entering

his features. He quickly recovered.

"Hmm, that's a tough question," he answered. "I'm not really a planner,

you see. But to give you the quick rundown, I'm planning to hand Croc

over to Smokey and meet up with the rest of the crew. Then you'll

become our crewmate, and we'll escape from the Marines, go on lots of

adventures, piss off the World Government a bit, make it through the

Grand Line, and find One Piece. I'll leave the details to you since you

seem good at that."

Robin was well and surely dumbfounded. She had received many

invitations to various organizations in the past, but never in such a

manner. She didn't know whether to laugh or run. The man whose

comrade she had wronged on so many levels was offering him a position

in his crew, and he seemed sincere. Almost like he had no ulterior motive.

She felt like there was danger, but she couldn't see it. His posture was

relaxed, even friendly, as she stared at her, waiting for her to respond. It

was as if…

As if he was indeed speaking to someone he considered a friend. There

was no pity in his eyes. He wasn't acting like he expected her to flee,

even if her experiences told her she should. Hell, he wasn't even

expecting her to decline. He just kept looking at her with that childish

(and yet somehow charismatic, her mind duly noted) smile of his, like

she was already one of his crewmates, and he was having a casual

conversation with a friend. Her mind screamed at her to rethink that, but

that was exactly what it seemed like.

This man...he had no hostile intentions whatsoever.

All these thoughts passed in the span of 5 seconds, and Luffy waited

patiently as she took another 5 to consider his offer. Robin's life was a

cycle of betrayals, each of which led her to the next betrayer. Such a life

was tiring, but that life had taken her far, and had ultimately led her

here, to Crocodile, who would have been next in line. Would have

been… if not for this strange pirate who claimed he could break the

cycle. But if her experiences were right, and they always were, then he

would be a part of it, no matter what his intentions were right now. So

why was she so tempted to accept?

"I'll...have to think about this plan of yours," she whispered finally, taking

a chance.

Luffy shrugged. "Suit yourself. Take all the time you need."

It was ridiculous. It would never work. Eventually the darkness of her

existence would come to shadow him and his little crew, and she would

have to either betray him or be betrayed. But would that be so bad? Even

Alabasta's poneglyph was a hopeless dream now. Her life...it no longer

had any purpose. She had seen with her own eyes the carefree nature of

the Strawhat pirates. Maybe she could pretend she could live that life,

just for a little while. Until things went downhill. Then...would she

finally accept her fate? Only time would tell.

"Well, for now," Luffy said, catching her attention. "Let's go find your

poneglyph."

Robin's eyes widened. "So you did know?"

Luffy smiled. "I know a lot of things."

Of course. He knew who I was ever since Whiskey Peak, and he knows about

Pluton as well. That means he knows what I'm looking for.

"You don't seem like someone who would be interested in the

poneglyphs," she said carefully.

"Your interests are mine," he said simply. Seeing her puzzled look, he

elaborated. "Now that I've invited you to the crew, I can't just disregard

your goals, can I?"

It wasn't quite that she couldn't figure him out. It was just that she could

barely believe he was real.

"You know what I'm after and you're willing to help me?" she asked

numbly.

"Well, I'm not exactly doing this for a history lesson...although it would

be cool to know what happened."

Robin felt a bead of sweat roll down her forehead as she let his words

sink in. Could this really be happening? Could she still have a chance?

Luffy's face suddenly turned solemn. "But don't put all your hopes into

this. You might not find what you're looking for." The words stung like

ice in Robin's veins. He was right after all. Even if they could find it, she

wasn't even sure that this was the Rio Poneglyph. In fact, if she were to

take an unbiased guess, she would say that it wasn't. But she was far from

rational right now. This was her last lead, and if she didn't find what she

was looking for…

Luffy hid his guilt, knowing what the outcome of this would be, as he

hoisted Crocodile over one shoulder. He walked up to Robin and tossed

her over the other, ignoring her gasp of protest, before taking off in the

direction of the royal palace using sky walk.

A/N: See ya later, shitty gator. - Mr. Prince

Tell me what you thought of Luffy's fight with Crocodile. I tried to make

it interesting despite the inevitably huge gap in strength between the

two. I feel like if I make it too difficult for Luffy it will just betray the

canon portrayal of his skill level, so I kept him at the level I felt he was at

in Marineford.

33. Hope in Disguise

Announcement: I thought I should mention that this is the last chapter to

vote for whether Seal stays in the crew or not. Currently the polls are 19

votes for him to stay with the crew and 21 votes otherwise. If you care

either way and haven't done so already, be sure to leave a review with

your preference.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Chapter XXXIII: Hope in Disguise

When Luffy arrived back at the royal palace carrying an unconscious

Crocodile and a resigned Robin over his shoulders, the Strawhats that

had gathered there already, namely Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, and

Seal, all had varying reactions.

Once Luffy landed, Usopp immediately started cheering. "Alright! You

beat him Luffy! I never doubted you for a second!"

Chopper chose to stare at Luffy in awe. "Luffy's so strong…" he said

quietly. Seal was especially enthusiastic, waving his arms in the air and

somehow jumping up and down despite lack of the necessary appendages

with which to do so. Although he didn't really know who Crocodile was,

he'd been able to piece together that he was the leader of the ones who

the crew was at conflict with, and therefore recognized this as a victory.

Nami, on the other hand, decided to focus on the fact that the one she

knew as Miss All Sunday was still conscious, and was now moving of her

own free will. "Luffy!" she yelled in panic. "What is Miss All Sunday doing

here!?" Meanwhile, Sanji was staring at Robin with glazed over eyes as if

mesmerized.

Luffy scratched his head. "Huh? What do you mean? She's here because

she wants to be."

"That's not what I meant!" Nami yelled, waving her fist. "I meant why did

you bring her here unrestrained!"

Luffy's face lit up in comprehension. "Oooohh ok, I get it." He then turned

to King Cobra, who, having caught on to who she was, was watching

Robin nervously, along with Pell and Chaka. "So anyway, king ossan, can

you-"

"Don't ignore my question!" Nami shouted indignantly. If she hadn't been

terrified of the warlord at his feet, she probably would have gone to bonk

him over the head by now. As it was, she was hiding behind Sanji while

shouting.

"If I may interrupt," Robin began, "I've already surrendered to your

captain, and even if I wanted to, it's not likely that I could do much of

anything with him here. So you really have nothing to fear from me," she

pointed out. Nami was still staring at her suspiciously though.

"Don't worry about it Nami," Luffy said dismissively. "I trust her. She

won't try anything."

"Monkey-san," Robin spoke up, addressing Luffy. All eyes turned to her,

and she closed her eyes. What she was about to tell them could change

everything. "Since you're helping me, I thought you should know...the

princess' friends from the rebel army were being held in Rainbase." She

looked down at the ground. "Though to be honest...I don't think they're

still-"

"Taken care of," Luffy said. Robin looked surprised, and Luffy grinned. "I

sent Zoro to help Vivi retrieve them. They'll be back soon."

Robin looked at him somewhat guiltily. "I'm not certain they'll be able to

help…" she stated.

"I am," Luffy said with a tone of finality. His sheer confidence surprised

her, but she supposed she shouldn't be shocked. He had been this way

from the beginning.

"Luffy," Nami began uncertainly, "What does she mean when she says

you're helping her?"

"Right, I was getting to that. But you guys kept interrupting me," Luffy

said with a pout. He turned back to the king. "Hey king ossan, can you let

Robin see the poneglyph you guys are protecting?" As soon of the words

left his mouth, Cobra's eyes widened considerably, while Pell and Chaka

looked at him in confusion. When the king got passed his shock, a bead

of sweat rolled down his brow.

"Not to come off as rude, but how do you know about that exactly?" he

asked carefully. Luffy sighed melodramatically.

"Why does everyone keep asking that?" he said, looking around at

everyone present. "For the last time, I know a lot of things. So? Can we

see it?"

Cobra looked uncertain as he snuck a glance at Robin, which neither she

nor Luffy missed. "I cannot express how grateful I am that you've saved

this country, but I'm not sure that would be a good idea. That stone is

kept secret for a reason. It is guarded by the Alabastian royal family so as

not to fall into the wrong hands." As he spoke, Robin tensed up.

Luffy hummed in thought. Then he did something no one expected. He

took his hat off and placed it over his heart while still facing the king.

"King Cobra, I swear on this hat as well as my life that neither I nor Nico

Robin will do anything to risk the safety of your country or the world

using anything we find under your guidance." He bowed his head. "I ask

you, not as the savior of this country, but as the captain of the Strawhat

pirates and Vivi's comrade, to grant our request." Everyone present now

stared at him with wide eyes, but none were as shocked as Robin.

The king's eyes had widened imperceptibly at the name 'Nico Robin,' but

now he simply stared at Luffy with an unreadable expression as Robin

waited with bated breath. After a few moments, it was his turn to

surprise everyone. He bowed low to the ground, much to the slight

exasperation of Pell and Chaka, and spoke.

"I acknowledge your good will, young one, and I will grant your request,"

he said, causing Luffy to grin widely. Meanwhile, Usopp turned to Nami.

"Do you have any idea what's going on here?" he asked quietly. Nami,

being just as lost as he was, shrugged. Sanji watched the exchange with

open interest. His gaze was now on Robin again, but there was no trace

of lust in his eyes now. He looked as if he was trying to piece together a

puzzle. Eventually, he just shrugged, figuring it was none of his business

anyway.

As Cobra led them to the underground tomb, Robin turned to Luffy.

"Thank you," she whispered. Luffy just grinned again and flashed her a

thumbs up.

As they were about to leave, however, they were interrupted by the

arrival of Smoker and Tashigi. While the latter was rather shocked once

she laid eyes on Crocodile's fallen form, the former just glanced at him

disinterestedly before turning back to Luffy.

"So you really did beat Crocodile," he commented.

Luffy nodded. "And you guys stopped the bomb," he acknowledged. "Do

you have any seastone handcuffs by any chance?

Smoker motioned to Tashigi, who had a pair ready. As she walked

towards the fallen warlord, Smoker turned back to Luffy. "I still have

some questions for you, Strawhat."

Luffy shrugged. "Fine with me," he said, before turning to Robin. "Give

me a minute?" She nodded in consent, and Luffy walked off, following

behind Smoker. As they left, the king turned towards her.

"Your name was Nico Robin wasn't it?" he asked. Without facing him,

Robin closed her eyes and nodded. The king was silent for a moment.

"And am I correct in assuming that you can read the ancient language of

the poneglyphs?" Robin sighed tiredly and nodded again.

"Then what I am about to do will not only disgrace the efforts of my

predecessors, but put the very balance of our world at great risk. Still, I

owe that man a great debt, not just as the king of the country he brought

salvation to, but also as the father of the girl he aided. So seeing as I trust

his judgement, I will fulfill my promise."

Robin said nothing in response.

"So? What did you want to ask me?" Luffy asked casually once the two

were alone.

"Don't pretend you don't know," Smoker said impatiently.

"Why not? It's more fun for me that way," Luffy said with a straight face.

This caused Smoker to growl, and Luffy smiled widely. "Lighten up,

Smokey."

"First of all, how long are you going to keep calling me that?" the smoke

man asked in annoyance.

"Until I'm dead," Luffy replied. "Ok, next question."

Controlling his temper, Smoker sighed and looked Luffy dead in the eye.

"Why didn't you kill me, Strawhat?"

"What do you mean by that?" Luffy asked.

"Don't play dumb with me. Not once, but twice, you defeated me, and

both times you let me live. I want to know why."

Luffy didn't answer for a moment as he stared at Smoker with an

unreadable expression. Finally, he spoke. "How many people have you

killed, Smokey?"

Smoker's eyes narrowed. "What does that have to do with it?" he asked.

"Humor me."

Smoker hesitated for a moment. "Twenty one," he answered finally.

"Sometimes they had hostages and had to be dealt with quickly. Other

times I had orders to kill. The rest…" he trailed off. "The rest did things

that I couldn't find it in myself to forgive. They don't always sit there and

wait to be arrested, Strawhat. But you should know that."

"But you haven't lost count," Luffy pointed out. "You haven't forgotten

about them...even the ones that you thought deserved it."

"No, and I'll cut my stomach open the day I do," Smoker growled

impatiently. "Now what's the point of this?"

"The point is that you need a legitimate reason to kill someone," Luffy

said. "So what makes you think I'm any different?" There was an

underlying tone of anger in his voice now. "What have I ever done that

makes you think I need a reason to not kill someone?"

Smoker found he had no answer to that, and Luffy continued.

"You ask me why I let you live. My question is, why do you need my

permission to live? A life isn't something I have rights to unless it's my

own, and it's not something I'll take away just for the hell of it."

There was a long pause. "That's all well and good," Smoker said, his voice

slightly more subdued now. "But I hope you know that the rest of the

world doesn't share your sentiments. With a bounty like yours, if I had

captured you before, you'd be dead by now, or worse."

Luffy shrugged. "That's your choice," he said as if it was inconsequential.

"And I know what the world is like. Believe me, I know."

Robin tried to stifle her anxiety as Luffy and Smoker made their way

back. It wasn't in her nature to be impatient, but this was a rare moment

when she couldn't help it. Her twenty years of searching had come down

to this. But despite how she felt, she knew she had no right to rush her

strange benefactor. Even disregarding the fact that she was in no position

to do so…

"Ready, Robin?" said man asked with a grin as he walked up to her. She

suppressed her initial reaction upon once again being addressed by her

first name as she nodded. She was slowly getting used to it, due to

Strawhat Luffy's general aura of ambiguity, if nothing else, but it still

surprised her enough that she had to keep herself from showing it.

Once Cobra led them to the courtyard, Robin wasn't surprised to see him

activate an underground stairwell that no doubt led to what she was

seeking. She had suspected that it would be near the palace. Anyone

could find it if it was inside the building itself, so that was out. That left

underground. As they descended the steps, Robin felt her heart beat

faster and faster. She was finding it more difficult to steel her emotions

by the second as her mantra of hope repeated itself within her head over

and over. This could be it. This could be it. This could be it.

When she caught sight of the stone and her mind started processing the

inscriptions, the first thing she felt was denial. It made sense for the

poneglyph to at least mention the ancient weapon. She had long

concluded that it was a topic relevant to the void century. But as she kept

reading, her denial, short-lived as it was also not in her nature, melted

and gave way to nervousness, then desperation, and as she read the last

words, grief.

It revealed the location of the ancient weapon, Pluton. Nothing else was

inscribed. She had failed. She had failed Professor Clover, and her

mother, and all of Ohara. She was a disgrace the name of The Last

Oharan. Tears flowed down her cheeks as her long lived shell of

protective indifference came crashing down. She payed no heed to the

bewilderment on King Cobra's face as he watched her shameful display. It

didn't matter anymore.

She suddenly felt a hand grasp her shoulder, and she turned to face the

sad eyes of Monkey D. Luffy.

"Why are you crying, Robin?" he asked gently.

It was strange, she reflected. A barrier twenty years in development, and

it been shattered so easily. For so long she had hidden her anger,

frustration, grief, and every other genuine emotion she felt, in order to

survive. Now, here she was, crying in defeat in front of the embodiment

of her unreachable dream, as her former enemy attempted to console her.

Whatever other twists life had to throw at her, she didn't want to see

them. She was tired. She was so sick and tired of it all. Enough. No more.

This was the end of the line.

"Robin," Luffy said, a little more forcefully. She looked back at him.

"I don't think you understand. This was my last lead. I have nothing else

to keep me going." She was silent for a moment. "Twenty years," she

reflected bitterly. "I lied. I killed. I betrayed. And for what? A beacon of

false hope."

"Is that what you think it is?" Luffy asked. "What you're seeing as false

hope, you should really be seeing as hope in disguise. You let doubt sway

you, convincing yourself that this was your last chance, when you really

should be asking yourself where you need to go from here. Tell yourself

that you have to work harder than you ever have before, but don't ever

tell yourself that it's over. Accept that it's not going to be easy, but don't

ever give up. If you keep going like that, one day, you'll find what you're

seeking. That, and more than you could ever hope for."

Robin covered her eyes with her hand. "You don't get it. I can't keep

going like this."

"Maybe not," Luffy agreed. "Not alone."

Robin looked up at him, and was once again taken aback by the endless

conviction in his eyes. Why was he so committed to her cause?

"Excuse me," Cobra interrupted. "But is this not what you were looking

for?" he asked.

"No," Luffy answered. "This one tells the location of an ancient weapon."

Cobra nodded. "That knowledge has been passed down through the

Alabastian royal family, but even we don't know the location. No one in

the world did, until now."

Luffy didn't really see the point in correcting him, so he said nothing.

"But then, what is she searching for?" Cobra asked, motioning to Robin.

"The Rio Poneglyph," she answered. "The one that tells the True History

of the Void Century 800 years ago."

Cobra's eyes widened. "Are you saying that the threads of that ancient

history can be woven together? But then…a bounty of 79 million...why

was such a large price placed on your head? It was my understanding

that you intended to reawaken those weapons, yet your goal is the

pursuit of knowledge?"

"The World Government doesn't care what her intentions are," Luffy

responded. "As long as she can read the ancient language, they view her

as a threat. In fact, I'd appreciate it if you kept this meeting a secret. It

would be bad if they found out she knows the location of Pluton." Cobra

nodded without hesitation as he looked at Robin in a new light. Said

woman was still staring at Luffy. She seemed like she was struggling to

come to a decision about something. She opened her mouth momentarily,

and then closed it.

"It still stands," he said knowingly. "My offer for you to join us."

She was silent for a long while. "I don't have anywhere else to go," she

finally admitted. "I have no home."

He stared at her intently. "Let's change that."

The rebel army had been pacified. Upon waking up, they had all assumed

that they had fallen under attack and resumed the invasion of Alubarna.

But before they had arrived at the palace, they had been confronted by

Kohza, who had briefly gone missing again. But that wasn't the surprising

part. He was being accompanied by three people. One was a mysterious

stranger with green hair and three swords. One was Princess Vivi, who

had been missing for two years. The last one was Kebi, who Kohza

previously claimed he had seen die. This had demanded an explanation.

And did they ever get one. Kohza and Vivi had explained everything right

then and there. From what had really happened with the dance powder

two years ago, to how Kohza had been impersonated by a devil fruit user,

and finally who was behind it all. After that, Kohza had personally

ordered them to drop their weapons and surrender to the royal army.

While the vast majority had done exactly that, a select few within the

crowd had drawn their guns and fired at Kohza, much to the shock of

everyone there. But even more shocking was the unknown swordsman

that had intercepted the gunfire and incapacitated the shooters within

seconds. Upon further inspection they were all seen to be adorning the

same mark, which Kohza and Kebi testified was the mark of the

underground criminal organization run by Crocodile. The unconscious

perpetrators had been apprehended on the spot.

Now, the rebel and royal soldiers alike stared in wonder as Kohza bowed

low in front of the king as a sign of renewed loyalty. What happened next

came as a shock to everyone. King Cobra didn't even hesitate before

offering him a place in his personal guard, claiming that it was a chance

for him to redeem himself. But most saw it for what it was, a gesture of

forgiveness and even trust.

But the really shocking part came next. Cobra had announced that the

group that had taken down Crocodile and the rest of Baroque Works, in

other words, Alabasta saviors, was a group of pirates led by Strawhat

Luffy. Upon becoming the center of attention, said pirate had looked

slightly uncomfortable and very annoyed, and eventually the king and

princess had ushered their crew into the palace. But not before the press

got wind of the situation and obtained a story that would make the

headlines of Alabasta's newspaper. Needless to say, Alubarna was in a

state of chaos.

And that was before the rain started falling.

A/N: Well, Alabasta is wrapping up nicely. What do you guys think of

Robin's character portrayal so far? She's on of my favorite characters, so I

like to think I did a good job conveying her motivations and the inner

workings of her mind. She's a complex character for sure, but that's what

makes in interesting.

34. The Road to Infamy

Announcement: The final poll is 27 votes for Seal to join and 30 for him

to stay with Vivi. And so, Seal will not be joining the crew, but will

remain an honorary Strawhat. Sorry to all of you who wanted him to

join. Your vote was appreciated nonetheless. It's good to know that

people are invested enough in this story that they give suggestions. So as

always, thank you everyone who reviewed!

Now, enjoy the last chapter of the Alabasta arc.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Chapter XXXIV: The Road to Infamy

The silence in the room was suffocating. Although it was quite cramped

in the infirmary of the royal palace, one could be claustrophobic and not

even give it a second thought, as whatever discomfort the lack of space

induced was dwarfed by the scene in front of them. The doctors were

visibly distracted from the work they were supposed to be doing as they

observed the conspicuous evidence of bad blood in the palace.

Vivi didn't glare often. She was much too reserved and polite...most of

the time. But there was no mistaking the scowl on her face as she refused

to pull her distrustful eyes away from Robin, who had been ignoring the

hostility since Vivi had first seen her in the palace.

Luffy wasn't really sure what to do in this situation. He sighed, and then

he turned towards Zoro and gave him a meaningful look. It was one that

Zoro had seen before, one that always meant one thing.

Zoro, cut it, was his captain's order. But he wasn't exactly sure what to do

with the command right now. He looked at Luffy quizzically.

Cut what?

Luffy motioned to Vivi and Robin in response. The tension.

Zoro rolled his eyes. You're an idiot, he conveyed back. Luffy pouted

childishly.

Finally, Robin sighed and turned towards Vivi, looking into her eyes

unflinchingly.

"If you think glaring will allow you to rid yourself of my existence,

believe me, you're not the first, and you won't be the last." Vivi didn't

respond, and although the room remained silent, Luffy winced upon

hearing the words, and Zoro stiffened as well. Finally, Vivi spoke, albeit

briefly.

"Where's Igaram?" she asked quietly.

Robin looked like she just wanted the day to be over, but she answered

the question. "I set up the bombs so that the explosions wouldn't reach

him," she explained. "I left him a Log Pose, so he should make it back

soon. But I can only guess when."

Vivi's eyes were narrowed, but she turned away from Robin to face Luffy.

"Luffy-san, why is she still here?" she asked simply.

Many people put in the same position would have hesitated to answer.

But Luffy was not one of them. "She's going to join our crew," he replied.

The crew's reactions varied. Although Seal seemed indifferent, Usopp and

Chopper fell over in shock, Nami looked like she wanted to protest, Sanji

looked like he wanted to celebrate, but suppressed the urge for the sake

of sensitivity, and Zoro just kept a blank face through it all. Robin, who

was subtly observing them all, was slightly taken aback at seeing the lack

of surprise on the swordsman's face.

But the most profound reaction was Vivi's. Her eyes had widened, and

her mouth was agape as she looked back and forth between Luffy and

Robin, wondering if she had heard right. Finally, her objection came.

"Luffy-san, you can't be serious! How can you trust her so easily!?" she

came close to shouting.

"Because she's already proven herself," he said simply. "With her power,

she could have helped Crocodile kill me, but she didn't."

Robin stared at him curiously. "You really couldn't have gotten out of

that hold?" she asked skeptically.

"I could have," Luffy admitted. "But I wanted to see what you'd do." Robin

nodded in understanding.

"That doesn't excuse what she's done," Vivi said. "She worked for

Crocodile and helped bring Alabasta to ruin! Am I just supposed to

forgive and forget!?"

"You worked for Crocodile too," Luffy reminded her. "And you tried to

kill us." Vivi flinched upon hearing that, and Luffy continued. "She had

her reasons just like you. I wont ask you to forget. Not ever. But I will ask

you to try and forgive." Vivi looked conflicted.

"Princess," Robin interrupted. "I won't try to make excuses for what I did.

I knew what the results of my actions would be, and yet I threw my

morality to the wind. I hardened my heart for the sake of my own

ambitions and condemned the world I thought had rejected me, and in

the process, I almost destroyed millions of lives, including yours. I won't

ask for your forgiveness. But all I want now is a chance to start over." She

paused. "I know I have no right celebrating with you. If you so wish, I

will leave your home. But unless I'm kicked out, I do plan on joining the

Strawhat pirates."

Vivi was silent for a long time, but finally she let out a breath. "You can

stay," she said quietly, before turning to Luffy. "And I'll try to forgive. For

your sake." With that said, she walked out of the room. Robin watched

her go with saddened eyes. Any protests that the rest of the crew had

died down as well. They figured that if Vivi could accept Luffy's decision,

then they had no right to go against it.

"So...how's Bentham doing?" Usopp asked in a subdued voice. The crew

welcomed the change of subject.

"He's still recuperating," Chopper replied. "He lost a lot of blood, so he

could still be out of it for a while, but he'll be ok."

"Well that's good to hear," Sanji said. "Give him my thanks when he

wakes up. We owe him one." Nami nodded in agreement with the

statement. "So, how long do you think we have before the marines come

after us? We'll be safe here in the palace so long as no one tells them

anything, but once we set out to sea, they'll be ready for us. We caused

quite the commotion."

"It will take some time for news of what occurred to get out," Robin

commented. "But we shouldn't wait too long. The marine captain who

patrols these seas is called Black Cage Hina. She's famous for her

organized assault formations. It would be best for someone to secure the

ship you came with. Otherwise, I give it until tomorrow before its taken."

"That's assuming they'll be leaving this to their local enforcement," Zoro

pointed out. "Unless I'm giving them too much credit, by now they'll

already know that we're not in the same league as the marines they have

stationed in this part of the Grand Line." He was careful not to use the

term "Paradise," since that was a word used by those who had seen what

the New World was like. Even so, Robin still looked at him curiously.

"You speak almost as though you've been through the Grand Line before,"

she said. Zoro thought back on his phrasing and inwardly sighed. She

was right. He did make it sound that way.

"No, but I know that the marines probably won't take us lightly after

this," he amended. "Crocodile was a lot stronger than any force they have

stationed near Alabasta, and given our recent win streak, I wouldn't be

surprised if Marine Headquarters decided to take this into their own

hands."

Robin silently contemplated this for a moment. It wasn't that she didn't

agree with his assessment. She did, fully. What she was wondering was

how he arrived at that conclusion. How would he know the level of

competency that the marines in this area had if he had just arrived here a

few days ago? She herself had been in this area for a while and knew that

he was right. No marines in these seas would be able to take on their

Captain from what she'd seen, and she had her suspicions about the First

Mate's prowess as well. In fact, even their chef would be more than a

match for Captain Hina, if his victory over Mr. 1 was any indication, but

the reports had said that he didn't attack women…

No, it wasn't his conclusion that she was curious about. It was the fact

that he was so confident in it, despite his apparent lack of experience in

the Grand Line. She suddenly felt an urge to question him about it, but

circumstances led her to hold her tongue. Perhaps another time. She had

questions for her new Captain too, after all.

"So then you think they'll most likely send a greater force to apprehend

us," she said. She almost missed the nigh invisible relaxing of his posture

once her short silence ended. Almost.

"Yea. I can't be sure, but we should be prepared for anything," he

answered. She nodded.

"Well, we can worry about that later," Luffy said. "For now…" Robin

looked at him in question, and he grinned widely. "Let's get this party

started!"

After Bentham finally woke up, the celebrations began. The royal feast

went as expected. At least from the perspective of the Strawhats. The

king and royal guards, however, were quite taken aback by their manner

of consumption. While the king, to his credit, kept calm through it all,

the royal guards had a hard time hiding their disgust. But as the feast

continued, with the Strawhat captain stealing food off of every single

plate (including those of the king and princess, they noted), they couldn't

help but become amused by the show, and they inevitably started

laughing uncontrollably at the sight of the man who had defeated Sir

Crocodile and saved the entire nation acting so down to earth. He

certainly wasn't one for formalities, even in a palace of all places.

While Nami, Usopp, and Sanji were raging at Luffy, Chopper was

marveling at how fast the food disappeared upon being set onto the table,

Bentham and Seal (who Luffy had insisted they set a plate for) were

cheering Luffy on, and Vivi was putting up with it with a resigned smile,

only two people were currently guarding their food semi successfully.

Zoro, being one of them, didn't seem to care that much, although he'd

occasionally jab Luffy's outstretched hand with his fork. Robin, being the

other, thanks in part to her powers, could only watch in fascination. They

were all so carefree. They knew full well what was coming once they left

the palace, and yet their greatest concern at the moment was keeping

their food out of their captain's reach.

Perhaps there was some credit due to them for living in the moment.

Robin had never given much thought to the lifestyle, always looking

ahead, thinking ahead, plotting ahead. She supposed she should be put off

by their complete lack of forethought, but strangely, she wasn't. In fact,

she almost found it endearing. As nonsensical as it was, she actually felt a

light smile forming on her face as she watched their antics, even as she

sprouted hands around her plate to keep the rubber man from snatching

her food. She knew their type. They were reckless, impulsive, and prone

to self destructive actions that were made solely based on their emotions.

She was quite the opposite. Maybe there really was some merit to the

notion that opposites attract? She couldn't deny that their outlook on life

had its appeal, after all. As she watched them, she could practically feel

all the tension in her life start to subside.

Ironically, that was what worried her the most.

After the feast ended, the royal guards were in for another surprise. True

to Robin's word, Igaram had arrived at the palace. When he asked for the

status report in regard to Baroque Works, assuming that Vivi would have

at least passed on the message to the king, he was shocked to hear that

Crocodile had been defeated by the Strawhats. He did not hesitate to

express his gratefulness, even if he was rather put off by the presence of

Miss All Sunday, or rather, Nico Robin, as he was informed. After his

arrival, the Strawhats were invited to the royal bathhouse.

As the king had somewhat come to expect, even bathing was made into a

party by the mysterious little crew. Luffy and Usopp had raced toward

the water and jumped right in, and were currently splashing each other

relentlessly, Luffy being unaffected due to the water being shallow. Their

shouts of certain death, splash star and gomu gomu no splash gatling could

he heard throughout the palace.

As Zoro washed Chopper's back, Sanji walked over to Igaram with a

devious look on his face. "So," he began casually, "where's the women's'

bath?"

"As if I would tell you, you damn lecher!" he shouted. "Princess Vivi is in

there!"

That was when King Cobra got up and made a show of pointing to its

location. "It's right over that wall!" he yelled.

"Your majesty, you bastard!" Igaram raged.

"Oh, I like your style old man!" Usopp commented as he almost everyone

else strolled towards the wall.

On the other side, Nami, Vivi, and Robin, who Nami and even Vivi were

slowly warming up to, were discussing their adventures through the

Grand Line so far.

"I still can't believe we got to see dinosaurs and giants in one day," Vivi

said in a nostalgic tone.

"Yea, that was pretty crazy," Nami commented. "I didn't think we were

going to make it off of that island alive, to be honest."

"Come to think of it, how did you all make it through Little Garden?"

Robin asked. "As I recall, it takes a year for the log to set there."

Nami smiled deviously. "Oh, I bet you'd like to know, wouldn't you, Miss

you won't make it to Alabasta?" she said in a teasing tone.

Robin smiled lightly and nodded. "I would," she admitted.

As Nami reminded her of the stunt Sanji had pulled, Robin couldn't help

but feel impressed. They had played Crocodile for a fool, and even she

hadn't realized it. She couldn't help but feel amused by the fact that they

themselves had provided the Strawhats with the means to make it here.

"We'll have to thank Sanji-kun for that one again later," Nami said with a

triumphant smile. Vivi nodded her agreement.

"Well, why don't you tell him now? He's right over there, after all," Robin

said in an amused tone. Nami and Vivi followed where she was pointing

and stared in shock at the sight of every man except Zoro and Bentham

peeping on them. Vivi was horrified, but Nami just sighed.

"You idiots," Nami muttered. "Alright, it'll be 10,000 beri each!" she

shouted, before pulling off her robe, much to Vivi's continued horror and

Robin's continued amusement. The reaction was instantaneous; they all

fell off the wall that they had scaled in a mixture of shock and

contentment. The only ones who didn't fall off were Chopper and Seal,

who had went along with what everyone else was doing and now looked

on in confusion, and Luffy, who burst out laughing.

"Just put it on my tab, Nami!" the pirate captain shouted before jumping

down, being followed shortly by Chopper and Seal.

"Idiots," Zoro grumbled, before turning to Bentham. "Well, at least you

held yourself back," he complimented. Bentham quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh, didn't you know? I'm gay. I'm fine right where I am! Ahahaha!" Zoro

started scooting away from him as he continued laughing.

Igaram cleared his throat as he wiped away his nosebleed. "How

unsightly," he admonished.

"Wow," Luffy said. "Our Sanji may be a pervert, but at least he's not in the

closet about it."

"Hypocrisy at its finest," Usopp agreed.

"Shut up you damn brats! I only went to stop you all!" Igaram yelled

unconvincingly.

"And a liar too," Sanji added. "At least Usopp is kind of good at it when

he wants to be."

"Thank you," King Cobra said, as blood dripped from his nose as well.

"Dirty old man", the Strawhats all said in unison.

"Not for that!" he yelled, before lowering his head to the ground. "Thank

you for saving the country I love," he said.

Zoro grinned. "Is it ok for a king to be doing that?" he asked, although

unlike Igaram, who voiced the same concern, he had no problem with it.

"Rank and status is worn on one's clothing," the king recited. "There is no

such thing as a naked king. So as a father, and a citizen of this country, I

would like to express my gratitude. Thank you, from the bottom of my

heart!"

Luffy grinned widely. "Anytime!"

Smoker sighed tiredly as Tashigi walked towards him with the

transponder snail. He really didn't feel like having this conversation.

"Smoker-san, it's Captain Hina," the Sergeant Major reported dutifully.

Smoker nodded in acknowledgement and took the transponder snail.

"It's been a long time, Hina. To what do I owe the displeasure?"

"You're as charming as ever, Smoker. That is to say, not at all. How I

sympathize with Tashigi's troubles. Hina sympathizes."

"Did you call to make small talk?" Smoker asked lazily. "Hurry up and get

to the point before our call gets intercepted by pirates." Hina was silent

on the other line. They both knew that pirates intercepting marine calls

was exceedingly rare, as not many had the knowledge and resources to

successfully attempt it. Smoker was either paranoid or had an annoying

sense of humor. Hina knew very well that both statements were true.

"Fine. I thought I should tell you that your report on the events that occurred

in Alabasta wasn't exactly received well by HQ. Let me mention that Strawhat

Luffy was being considered for the position of Royal Warlord to replace

Crocodile."

Smoker grunted. That made sense. If they couldn't cover up the events,

one way to save face was to make an ally out of the one who had toppled

one of the Seven Warlords. Not that he thought Strawhat would have

ever accepted. "Was?" he asked. "Does that mean they decided against it?

If so, they'll be short one warlord."

"They didn't have much of a choice," Hina said. "The decision had practically

been made to offer him the position at first, until the most recent outrage

occurred."

"Most recent outrage? What are you talking about?" Smoker asked,

feeling out of the loop.

"Oh, you haven't heard? You might want to pick up a global newspaper when

you get the chance. I'd hate to spoil the surprise, after all." Smoker sighed.

"Fine. Anything else I should know?"

"Actually, yes. I've been given some shocking orders."

"You mean you're going after the Strawhats? Godspeed," Smoker

commented.

"As much as I'm flattered by your lack of faith in me, that isn't the case. I was

fully ready to go after them, but it seems my authority in this area has been

overridden. As you can imagine, I'm rather disappointed. Hina disappointed."

Smoker's brow furrowed. "They're sending someone from HQ? I've seen

you fight before, and you're stronger than most rear admirals. The only

reason you're still a captain is because of your supposed lack of

experience. Who would they send that can do the job better?"

Hina blushed slightly. Smoker really could be charming...when he wasn't

trying to be. "Well, that's the thing. They're sending the Trio of Disciples."

Smoker's eyes widened slightly. "You mean they're coming to this part of

the Grand Line? But that's-"

"A huge waste of resources?" Hina interrupted. "Hina was surprised too. But

it seems the higher ups are convinced that we have to end this now, and so

they've committed an excessive force to take them down. My orders are to

back them up using my Black Cage Formation, but not to get in their way. In

short, Hina has been sidelined."

Smoker thought for a moment as he let smoke from his cigar fill his

lungs. Such an excessive display of force was unprecedented to go after a

rookie in the first half of the Grand Line. But that's not what he was

contemplating. The irony of the situation was not lost on him. Despite all

his experience suggesting that there was no way Strawhat was getting out

of this alive, something in his very bones was telling him that his

experience was wrong this time. Perhaps it was the lingering ache in

them…

"Smoker? Are you still there? I had a feeling that you wouldn't be alright with

this, but there's nothing you can do."

"Alright with what?" Smoker asked.

"Well, with Strawhat getting captured. I know you were dead set on being the

one to bring them in. I figured you'd be miffed that you lost your chance."

Smoker was silent for a moment as he blew out a puff of smoke. "That's if

he gets captured," he finally pointed out. He could hear a slight intake of

breath on the other line.

"You're kidding. Against the students of the admirals? I know you've dealt with

them before and know firsthand how strong they are, but are you seriously

saying that three vice admirals isn't enough to-"

"Like I said. Godspeed, Hina," Smoker interrupted, before hanging up. He

sighed. Whether or not they realized it, the Strawhats were walking down

the road to infamy. And there were only a select few places where that

road could lead.

The morning after their celebrations, the Strawhats were abruptly ripped

from their slumber by Igaram, who burst into the room shouting for them

to wake up. Most of them groaned.

"What is it, curly old man?" Luffy asked as he rubbed his eyes and

yawned. He noticed the newspaper in the man's hand and had a pretty

good guess what his was about, but at the moment, he really just wanted

to keep sleeping. They had walked all night through the desert without

resting, after all.

"What the hell did you all do?" Igaram asked as he panted.

"You mean the defeating a Royal Warlord part, or publicly humiliating

the World Government, or both?" Luffy asked sleepily. Robin chuckled at

his attitude.

"No, not that! I'm talking about...oh, just look for yourself!" he yelled as

he threw the newspaper onto the ground. They all looked in curiosity as

Nami quite forcefully woke up Zoro, the only one still asleep. Many of

them gasped as they looked at the front page. Contrary to what they

thought, Crocodile's defeat and the conspiracy in Alabasta had not made

the headlines, although they could see that it was on the second page.

"What did you do indeed," Robin said, visibly shocked. Nami groaned.

"How could we have forgotten about that?" she asked as she slapped her

forehead.

The headline, in big bold letters, read: Whitebeard declares Strawhat

pirates his allies.

A/N: Yea, I know you have questions. Ask away. Just don't expect to get

an answer yet. Haha! Until next time, Lost out.

35. Trouble in Paradise

Many of you had confusions about certain events from last chapter.

Hopefully this one will clear them up.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Chapter XXXV: Trouble in Paradise

"Seriously, how the hell did we forget about that?" Nami asked again as

the room erupted into a mix of joy and panic. "It's pretty damn important

now that you mention it!"

"Could someone please explain how this happened?" Robin asked. "It

would seem I missed something, having only now joined."

"Luffy's brother is Fire Fist Ace of the Whitebeard Pirates," Sanji

explained, causing her eyes to widen. "He asked Luffy if we wanted to be

their allies. Luffy agreed, and now...I guess Whitebeard must have agreed

to it as well."

Robin turned to Luffy. "Is that true? Portgas D. Ace is your brother?" she

asked. He nodded in response.

"Hey guys? Not to ruin the moment, but won't this make it harder for us

to leave?" Usopp pointed out. A few of them stopped to consider the

possibility. Being allies with one of the Yonko could make it much more

difficult for them to move around.

"That depends," Zoro answered. "The thing about the Yonko is that

they're powerful enough that even the World Government would rather

avoid conflict with them. In theory, this could cause the marines to back

off, but if they're determined enough to capture us that they'll risk

challenging Whitebeard, it means they'll be that much more willing to

commit their resources to taking us down. It's hard to predict which." The

room was silent again as the rest of them soaked that in.

"No," Robin said suddenly. "They'll be coming for us, without a doubt."

The rest of the crew looked at her in question. Luffy and Zoro seemed

visibly intrigued by her input. "Haven't you noticed something strange?"

she continued. "Not only has this crew toppled one of the Seven

Warlords, but now it's allied with arguably the most powerful pirate fleet

in the world. Normally after such an uproar, those involved would gain a

large increase in bounty." Luffy and Zoro's eyes widened in

comprehension as she gestured to the newspapers. "And yet none of you

have."

Suddenly, Luffy and Zoro both smirked, which confused most of the

crew. "Interesting," Luffy said. "Who do you think they'll send?"

"I don't know, but if they're that confident, they better not waste our

time," Zoro replied. Nami groaned.

"What are you all talking about? Why didn't your bounties increase?

What does this mean?" she asked impatiently.

"It means the World Government doesn't think it matters whether their

bounties increase or not," Robin answered in a worried tone. "It means

whoever they're sending after us, they're sure we won't be able to

escape."

"I guess that means we better get going then!" Luffy concluded, a little

too jovially. "We wouldn't want to prove them right, would we?"

Usopp looked at him oddly. "You seem unusually happy. I would have

thought you two would be bummed about not getting new bounties."

"Not really," Zoro replied. "All it means is that we'll get bigger ones after

this."

Vivi listened in trepidation as she recalled their conversation from the

previous night.

If you asked me, I'd say you should come with us. But something like that isn't

my decision. It's ultimately up to you. So we'll give you until noon tomorrow to

make your choice. If you decide to come, we'll celebrate, like pirates. If not,

just know that we will always think of you as a Strawhat.

She bit her lip. It was a tough decision. She loved being the princess of

Alabasta, but she loved being a Strawhat pirate too. Nevertheless, she

knew where she needed to be.

Luffy noticed her uneasiness. "Don't be nervous, Vivi. Just go where you

feel you belong. Like I said, we won't think any less of you either way.

You'll always be our comrade."

She smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Luffy-san. I'd love to come with you

and have more adventures. I really would. But I can't...because I love my

country."

Luffy smiled in melancholy. He didn't really expect it to be any different

this time, but it was still sad to let her go. "I understand," he said. "Then

all the best of luck, Vivi."

Vivi smiled back, but there were tears in her eyes. They all understood.

She was torn between two lives that she loved equally. But in the end,

her country simply had a more crucial need for her than the Strawhat

Pirates did. Seal stared blanky at her as she wiped her tears away. After a

moment, he looked up at Luffy.

"Kuoo!" he squealed, catching the Strawhat captain's attention.

"Oh, so you want to stay with her?" he asked. The kung fu dugong

nodded. Vivi seemed shocked. "I see. Ok then," Luffy said, though he

seemed even sadder now. "Make sure you two take care of each other,

alright?"

"Kuoo!" Seal punched the air repeatedly in a manner that suggested that

anyone who tried to hurt Vivi was in for some pain. Vivi smiled and bent

down to face him.

"So I guess we're both honorary Strawhats then?" she said. He nodded

again in agreement, and then did something that surprised everyone. He

held up the arm that still had the mark of the crew's comradery on it. He

triggered an instant reaction; the rest of the crew immediately did the

same. Vivi smiled widely as she held out her own arm, and Carue

mimicked her.

Off to the side, Robin and Bentham, neither of which had the mark, were

content to just watch. Bentham was near tears. "That...was beautiful.

Such bonds of friendship are rare to see!" he yelled.

"So what about you?" Luffy asked. "Did you want to join the crew?"

Bentham's jaw dropped in shock.

"So quick to offer me a place in your family! Strawhat, I'm touched! But

I'm afraid I must decline; you see, I have my own crew, and I cannot

simply abandon them!"

Luffy pouted. "Oh. Well there's nothing that can be done then. Oh well."

Robin, who hadn't spoken for a while, still seemed disconcerted about

something, until Vivi walked up to her. "Robin, I guess you had your

reasons for what you did. And I don't want things between us to end on a

bad note. We're both Strawhats after all. So...can we call it water under

the bridge?"

Robin seemed surprised, but she smiled. "I'd like that," she said. The two

shook hands, and Robin looked like a load had been lifted off of her

shoulders after that.

Zoro raised an eyebrow as he turned to Bentham. "Hey, if you have a

crew, shouldn't you be getting in contact with them?" he asked. "The

marines will be after you too since you were a member of Baroque

Works. You can't stay here for long."

Bentham's eyes widened. "Crap, you're right! Stop joking aroouuund!

Where's the transponder snail!?"

Hina leaned back in her chair as she gazed upon the ship of the Strawhat

pirates, which was docked at the bay and now swarming with marines

under her command. The ship was anchored, and was flanked by marine

vessels on all sides. The Disciple Trio were due to arrive soon, and when

they did, the pirates' chances of escaping would be negligible at best. In

addition, she had her Black Cage Formation on standby, so even if they

somehow got passed the blockade at the shore, they would have to face

another one at sea. Everything was going smoothly. So then why did

Smoker's warning keep repeating itself in her mind?

"Captain Hina!" the soldier on watch yelled. "Were we expecting Sir

Dracule Mihawk too?"

Hina turned toward the subordinate in question with a puzzled

expression. "Of course not! We haven't been able to recruit his help in

ages. He just does what he feels like!"

"Then what the hell is that!?" Hina turned to where he was pointing, and

her eyes immediately widened. For a brief fraction of a second, she

actually found herself wondering if Hawkeye Mihawk was here as she

watched a colossal blade of wind, easily towering over their marine

ships, head towards the blockade they had formed on the shore. Even

from this distance it looked intimidating.

Marine soldiers scrambled to jump out of the way as the attack tore

through two ships as if they were wet tissue paper. The marine vessels

stood no chance, and the marines began jumping overboard as they sank.

Hina looked on in shock. It was clear that they were under attack, but

who could have produced a slash of that magnitude?

The transponder snail suddenly started ringing, and Hina immediately

answered it. "Sergeant, report!"

"Captain, Demon Wind Zoro is attacking us!" came the panicked voice

from the other line.

It took Hina a moment to process that statement. Roronoa Zoro? Filing

away the unlikelihood of a rookie swordsman being able to do something

like that for now, she gave her order.

"Sergeant, open fire on the Strawhats' ship!" But there was no answer

from her underling other than a scream before the line went dead. She

watched as another marine vessel was cleaved in two and sank into the

water. She squinted as she looked towards the shore again. She grabbed a

pair of binoculars and was able to make out a man with a straw hat,

surrounded by several other individuals who were boarding the goat-like

pirate ship in the chaos.

The Strawhat Pirates had arrived.

Usopp cringed as he heard the screams of pain and fear from the nearby

ships. "Wow, he's not holding back is he?"

"Oh, he is," Luffy said. "Just not as much as usual. I think it's because he

hasn't seen as much action lately. He's been getting restless."

"Raise anchor and unfurl the sails!" Nami ordered. "We have to bypass the

next blockade!" But as the Going Merry pulled away from the bay, the

marine ships were already firing on them. Curiously, they weren't firing

cannonballs, but large black spears, which meant that Sanji would have

trouble kicking them away.

They needn't have worried, however. Zoro jumped back onto the ship

and started deflecting the spears with blasts of wind from his swords.

Between that and Luffy punching and kicking them away, none of them

were reaching the Going Merry.

Mounting their defense grew more difficult, however, as the eight marine

ships began surrounding them. Zoro was soon producing whirlwinds to

blow multiple spears off course while Luffy used gatlings to knock them

away. Meanwhile, Usopp readied the cannon, and was able to open a

hole in the marine's formation by hitting one of the ships dead center,

causing it to crash into the other ship subsequently cause them both to

sink.

"Alright Usopp!" Luffy yelled as the shooter stared in shock at his results.

"That's why you're our sniper!"

Usopp quickly recovered and puffed out his chest proudly. "Of course!

This was nothing. That's what happens when you mess with the great

Captain-"

"Set a course for the opening you idiots!" Nami interrupted. The marines

were scrambling to account for the change in their formation when the

sound of more cannonfire was heard in the distance. Zoro acted fast and

cut the cannonball from a distance as it flew towards the Going Merry.

There was a large explosion from above the ship, which was rocked back

and forth by the shockwave.

Usopp started panicking. "Bad news guys, they brought a warship too! It's

coming in fast!" The rest of the Strawhats saw that he was right. The

marine ships that were keeping them on their toes before were now

making way for another, which easily dwarfed them all in size.

Zoro's eyes narrowed. "It looks like their backup has arrived."

He shared a quick glance with Luffy, who was no doubt sensing the same

thing he was, and they both nodded. Luffy turned towards the rest of the

crew. "Guys, don't try to fight them. You're not strong enough yet. That

means you too, Sanji."

"Who are they?" the chef asked in bewilderment.

"Vice admirals," Robin answered as she uncrossed her arms and opened

her eyes. "Three of them," she added. "Doberman, Momonga, and

Onigumo. They're said to be the disciples of the three marine admirals

themselves." She was visibly worried.

Usopp started freaking out. "Are you kidding me!? What are they doing

here then!? Don't they have bigger fish to fry!?"

Nami was distressed as well. "Luffy! We can't fght those guys! We should

just focus on getting away," she reasoned.

"They wouldn't just let us do that," Zoro said. "Take a look." The

Strawhats looked and saw that the three marines in question were

actually approaching them through the air.

"They're flying!" Chopper exclaimed. "Just like Luffy! They can do that

too?"

Robin looked at Luffy curiously. "Captain-san, where exactly did you

learn that technique?" she asked.

"Uh, I learned by watching someone do it," Luffy said. Robin looked like

she wanted to ask something else, but she simply nodded. Luffy, for his

part, had conveniently neglected to mention that the person he'd learned

from watching was standing right next to them.

When the three vice admirals arrived within the vicinity of the Going

Merry, they immediately began raining long ranged sword slashes and

rankyaku blades down on the ship. Zoro immediately drew his three

swords and began deflecting them, while Luffy launched off of the deck

and went on the offensive.

The other Strawhats could do nothing but watch, and even that was

difficult given that their movements were a blur. They could make out

that Luffy's arms and legs had blackened as he dished out numerous

assaults on the three high ranking marines. From the deck, Zoro

supported him with a hail of fast and deadly long ranged slashes.

Although the two were outnumbered, it seemed as though they actually

had the advantage.

But with the two of them preoccupied with the three vice admirals,

Captain Hina was now free to continue her assault, and one of the black

spears finally got passed Sanji, embedding itself into the Going Merry's

hull. Luffy took notice.

"Zoro, can you hold them off?" he yelled.

"Of course I can, go!" he swordsman shouted back. Luffy landed back on

deck, noting that Sanji was still tied up deflecting the spears.

"Nami, try to navigate us out of their formation. Usopp, keep firing on

those ships, that should make it easier for her. Chopper, get below deck

and patch that hole. Robin, you get the cage lady. Break!" He then

jumped off the ship again, heading towards the marine blockade.

"You won't get away, Strawhat!" Momonga shouted, following after the

pirate captain. Zoro let him go, knowing that one of them wouldn't be a

problem for Luffy. Once the Strawhat captain got in range, he let loose a

blast of Conqueror's haki, targeting the ships that were blockading them,

and immediately felt hundreds of weaker auras lose consciousness. Before

he could concentrate enough to make it stronger, however, his

observation haki alerted him to an attack. He quickly spun around and

used armaments hardening on his arm, blocking a sword slash from

Momonga. "So it's true," the vice admiral said. "You can use all three

forms of haki. And here I thought those were just rumors. This is utterly

ridiculous."

Luffy grinned. "Did you come here thinking this would be easy?" he

asked.

As the two fought their midair battle, the rest of the Strawhats were

carrying out their orders. Chopper was successfully attending to the

damage below deck, which wasn't particularly strenuous considering

there was only one hole, and the unconscious marines had stopped firing

on them. Above deck, Usopp had sunk two more marine ships now that

he had time to focus, which left a notable opening in their formation for

Nami to work with.

One of the marine ships were now pulling up beside the Going Merry.

The Strawhats could make out Captain Hina and two others that were

slightly familiar. Hina immediately jumped across to the Going Merry,

startling them, and was engaged by Robin. Hands sprouted all over her

body in an attempt to subdue her. They were immobilized by her caging

ability only to disappear, before more sprouted and attempted to clutch

the marine captain. Hina attempted to get close, but Robin kept her at

bay using more hands that sprouted from the ground.

"Demon Spawn, Nico Robin," Hina acknowledged with widened eyes.

"You've joined the Strawhat pirates?"

"It would appear so," Robin replied with a genuine smile.

"I've been waiting for this, you damn cook!" Fullbody shouted as he

jumped over to the Going Merry as well. "Now I'll take my revenge! I've

gotten stronger since last time."

"Really? So you've been promoted?" Usopp asked with his head tilted to

the side. Fullbody's face darkened, indicating that the sniper had hit a

sore spot, and he lunged at Usopp, who shrieked and readied his

slingshot. Before either of them could act, however, Sanji casually kicked

Fullbody in the face, sending him flying back over to the marine ship,

where he landed in a bloody, unconscious heap...again.

"Who was that guy?" the chef asked in annoyance. "He was acting like he

knew me…"

"You bastards! How dare you do that to my partner!" Jango shouted as he

pulled out his hypnotic ring. "Take this! When I say 1, 2, Jango, you will

all fall asleep! 1…"

"Certain death, explosive star!" Usopp's projectile hit him dead on and

sent him overboard. He landed in the ocean with a loud splash. "That was

from Kaya, dickhead!"

Meanwhile, Hina was having trouble keeping up with her opponent. The

arms that were caught by her cage ability immediately disappeared only

for new ones to appear. Robin watched her every move with a well

trained, scrutinizing eye. Hina was under even more pressure as she had

to avoid the limbs that grew out of the ship's deck as well. She was a

close quarters combatant that simply couldn't get close. If anything, she

was being pushed back.

Finally, she slipped up. In her haste to avoid the many hands in front of

her, she didn't notice the ones that had sprouted up behind her, and leapt

backwards into them. Hands wrapped around her legs and were quickly

caged, but didn't disappear this time. More hands grabbed her arms and

shoulders, pulling her backwards towards the wall. She caged the hands

that were touching her, but could do nothing to stop the ones that piled

on top of those, and she was pinned to the wall by a myriad of

disembodied limbs. Once she was immobilized, two of the hands went for

her neck and started choking her. She struggled in vain to escape from

the numerous arms holding her arms and legs in place as she was

deprived of oxygen. She sent a glare of defiance towards the heavily

wanted woman before her. "Hina...has failed…" she groaned before her

vision grew blurry and she blacked out.

"That was...scary…" Usopp commented, as Robin released the marine

captain and carried her back to her own ship. Nami nodded in

agreement. They both made mental notes not to get on their new

crewmate's bad side.

"3 sword style...1080 Pound Cannon!" They turned to see Zoro still facing

off against Doberman and Onigumo, who both dodged the flying slash in

midair. Onigumo landed in front of him, wielding eight swords at once

through the use of a zoan devil fruit. Doberman landed behind him.

"So you're a haki user as well, Roronoa," Onigumo said.

"What a troublesome crew," Doberman commented. "We will end you all

right here, in the name of Absolute Justice!" They both sent rankyaku

attacks at him, which he deflected with two swords. They then used soru

to get close and attempt to cut him in half, but he blocked their swords as

well and pushed them both back with whirlwind.

"As much as I've enjoyed this, I have to end it quickly," Zoro said. "Sorry,

but I won't hold back anymore."

"Don't get cocky, pirate!" Doberman shouted as he sent off another flying

slash in Zoro's direction. Zoro barely payed it any mind as he deflected it

to the side.

Suddenly, Zoro's arms, legs, and head multiplied. The rest of the crew

watched in confusion, but Sanji's eyes widened as he recognized the

move from when the swordsman had fought Mihawk. Zoro leapt toward

Onigumo, whose eight swords blackened as he met the attack halfway.

"8 sword style, Spider Demon Blade!"

"9 sword style, Asura!" The two swordsman passed each other by, and the

crew watched with bated breath. "One Mist Silver!" Zoro whispered,

before the extra limbs around him vanished. A large wound opened

across Onigumo's side, spraying blood all over the ship's deck. The vice

admiral collapsed. Doberman stared in shock at the scene before Zoro

turned to him, three obsidian swords still drawn.

"3 sword style, secret technique," he said as he leapt towards Doberman

next. The vice admiral's sword blackened along with his entire body in an

attempt to ward off the attack.

The vice admiral's sword was cut into four separate pieces as they

clashed. His eyes widened in shock, but he used a tekkai as a last

measure of defense.

"Three Thousand Worlds!" Zoro shouted, as three long gashes appeared

along the marine's abdomen. Doberman coughed up a wad of blood.

"Defeated...by mere...rookies…Akainu-senpai...I'm sorry…" was the last

thing he said before he collapsed.

Once he was sure they were both down, Zoro looked back to Luffy, and

sighed upon seeing that his captain was taking his time. Momonga was

barraging him with sword slashes, numerous rankyaku, and even a

shigan here and there, but Luffy was comfortably dodging it all, even in

midair. "Giving up yet?" the rubber man asked. "You won't beat us."

"It isn't over yet, Strawhat," the swordsman growled.

"Actually, it is," Luffy said, pointing down below. Momonga looked back

to the Going Merry, and his eyes widened upon seeing that his two

comrades had been defeated. Preoccupied by his own fight, he hadn't

noticed their auras dim. He gritted his teeth. He didn't like those two, but

they were still fellow marines, and they had still fought and bled

together. This battle really was over.

He flew back to the ship, Luffy following behind him, and landed in

between Zoro and the two other marines. He quickly picked up his two

associates and flung them over his shoulders before leaping off of the

deck again, back in the direction of the warship. Luffy watched him in

interest as he left.

"Well, at least that one knows when to retreat," he commented. Zoro

shrugged.

"Whatever, let's get out of here."

The Going Merry finally made its way down the Sandora river

unopposed, sailing out to its next adventure.

A day later, in Foosha village of the Goa Kingdom

The village was in an uproar. The entire town was in celebration of a

certain pirate's rise to fame, much to the annoyance of Major Whoop

Slap, who admonished them for their support of a criminal. Said mayor

plopped himself down on a stool in Makino's bar in frustration. "Those

idiots," he muttered.

"They're just excited for Luffy," Makino replied.

"What's so great about a pirate originating from our town?" Whoop Slap

asked. "That Luffy's gone and made a criminal out of himself."

"But that's his dream," Makino pointed out with a gentle smile.

Whoop Slap sighed as he stared at the wanted poster on the wall. "His

dream, or his fate?"

In a certain dojo in East Blue

A tall sword master with dark hair and glasses rubbed his head in

exasperation as his students crowded around him.

"Hey Koshiro-sensei! Is it really true that Roronoa Zoro trained in this

dojo?" one asked.

"Yes, he did," Koshiro replied. I forbid you to look up to him though."

"Huh!? Why!?"

Koshiro looked towards Kuina's grave in melancholy. It looks like you're

still chasing that dream of yours, Zoro. I may question your methods, but so

long as you always treasure your kendo, I will fully support you.

In Shells town

In a certain bar not far from Marine Branch 153, little girl stared up at

two bounty posters in excitement. "Mom, it's really them! Can you believe

it?"

"Yes, it seems they've become quite famous," Ririka replied with an

exasperated smile. As much as she was conflicted about her daughter's

admiration of wanted pirates, that swordsman had really helped them,

and they would always owe him for that.

"But Mom," Rika continued as she stared at a third flyer curiously.

"Whose this other guy that was in the newspaper with them?"

In Syrup village on the Gecko Islands

The village's local trio of infamous liars rushed toward a mansion on top

of a hill. "Kaya!" they shouted in unison as they ran up to the door. The

blond haired girl, used to their daily visits by now, opened the door

welcomingly.

"Hello you three. How are you doing today?"

"Kaya! Look at this!" they shouted, each thrusting a wanted poster in her

face.

"Oh, I see. So those two have gained new bounties. And...who is this

gentleman?"

In the sea restaurant, Baratie

"Those fools are giving me a headache," Owner Zeff complained. "What

are they so excited about anyway?"

"Oh, you mean you haven't seen yet?" Patty asked in disbelief. Come with

me. You're going to love this!"

In Cocoyashi village

"Gen-san!" Nojiko shouted as she ran up to the village leader. "Have you

heard the news yet?"

"Yea, I have. That kid has really done it this time. All I can say is, he

better keep his promise."

"I'm sure he will," Nojiko said, grinning. "It's not his style to go back on

his word. I could tell!"

In a castle atop the Drum Rockies

"Those brats are really in for it now," Dr. Kureha commented as she

looked down at the newspaper.

"What could they have even done to earn bounties that high?" Dalton

asked in wonder.

"They must have rattled the government's cage quite a bit," Kureha

replied. She was silent for a moment. "Hey Dalton, have you ever heard

of the Will of D?" she asked.

The village chief's brow furrowed. "Will of D? I'm not familiar with the

term," he admitted.

"It was something said to have been possessed by Gol D. Roger himself."

"Gol D? You mean Gold Roger?"

"Is that what they're calling him now?" Kureha cackled before taking a

swig of her sake. "Well, mark my words. That kid will become a legend.

There's something about him that I just couldn't ignore when he made a

ruckus here. Still, if he doesn't keep his promise, I'm going to hunt him

down and gut him!"

In the holy land, Mariejois

"Gaaaarp! Get in here!" Sengoku shouted in fury. It wasn't long before the

legendary vice admiral came crashing through the door, not bothering

himself to open it.

"What is it Sengoku? Are you hungry? I brought rice crackers!"

"Garp, that blasted grandson of yours is the bane of my existence!"

Sengoku shouted.

"Ah, you too? I know the feeling! Still, he's pretty badass isn't he? I guess

it should be expected. I raised him after all! Hahaha!"

"Stop it! Stop being proud this instant!" Sengoku yelled. "That brat's a

menace! Not only did he defeat one of our warlords, which by the way,

we've failed to cover up, thanks to Alabasta's damn press getting wind of

it before us...no, that wasn't enough for him, he had go and ally himself

with the God fucking Whitebeard pirates! Now we can't even pursue him

without risking war with a Yonko!"

"Ahahahaha! What did I say? Badass!" Garp said, still laughing.

"Dammit Garp! Take this seriously!" Sengoku shouted. "As if all that

wasn't enough, he even defeated the Disciple Trio. Three vice admirals!

What rookie pirate in the first half of the Grand Line can defeat vice

admirals!? They've even reported that he was using all haki and rokushiki

fluidly! I'm beginning to think you had a hand in this, Garp!"

"Who me? I barely trained him at all! You kept stationing me in the New

World, so I didn't have time," Garp defended with a huff.

"Well, someone had to have taught him! Rookie pirates don't just master

all three forms of haki before they even arrive in the Grand Line! It defies

all logic!"

"Ahahaha! That's my grandson!"

"Shut up Garp!" But Garp just kept laughing merrily while chewing on his

rice crackers.

"Gimme those!" Sengoku shouted, before snatching the rice crackers

away.

"Hey, you can't hog them all!" Garp protested. Sengoku turned away and

started chugging the whole bag, much to Garp's horror. As they fought

over the bag, they knocked the wanted posters on Sengoku's desk to the

floor.

On a raft in the middle of the most dangerous sea in the world, a bearded

man with piercing eyes stared down at three wanted posters with a

chilling smirk. They read:

Black Leg Sanji - 55 million berry

Demon Wind Zoro - 95 million berry

Strawhat Luffy - 175 million berry

A/N: So yea! The Disciple Trio are canon characters. I just decide to give

them a group epithet that they didn't have in canon, as well as a

relationship to the admirals that was never mentioned but that I think fits

quite well. In case you were wondering, for the sake of this story,

Momonga was mentored by Aokiji, Onigumo was mentored by Kizaru,

and Doberman was mentored by Akainu.

And if you're wondering why Whitebeard would declare the Strawhats

his allies to the world and make them bigger targets, then I suggest you

go back and read chapter 26 very carefully. Until next time.

36. The Mind's Eye and the

World's Voice

Now that the Baroque Works saga is over, I have to say that I'm

pleasantly surprised at the increase in attention this story has been

getting. I've actually been keeping track to an extent and I'm pretty sure

my view count has doubled in the past couple months. For anyone that

cares to know, I've had over 180,000 views now. Taking into account

that I started doing this in February, that's quite the growth curve. My

reviews are increasing exponentially as well. Just to give you an idea, of

the 35 chapters I've published before this one, the last 3 make up over

20% of my review count so far.

As much as I enjoy gloating, my primary purpose in saying this is to

express my gratitude. Just like all stories, this fanfiction began as a spur

of the moment piece of inspiration that had little recognition but

boundless potential. A story may not exist without the writer, but

without the reader it has far less purpose. You all have brought this work

of mine up to the top 20 most followed One Piece fics on this site. And to

me that's a big fucking deal.

So thank you and enjoy the beginning of yet another saga of Second

Wind!

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Chapter XXXVI: The Mind's Eye and the World's Voice

The Going Merry sailed smoothly through the Grand Line in a rare

moment of serenity. It had been over a day since the Strawhats had

escaped the marine blockade, and they were still adapting to the

relatively relaxing endeavor of sailing without incident. Looking back,

their time since coming to the Grand Line had been wrought with danger,

and while their adventure happy Captain and adrenaline junky First Mate

had no problems with it, the rest of them were enjoying the sudden lack

of tension.

"Hey Usopp!" Luffy shouted excitedly. The sniper turned from where he

was working on his weapon designs to face said captain, and saw with

much mirth that he had hands growing out of his head, which closely

resembled horns. "Look, I'm a tanuki!"

Chopper, who was watching the scene, immediately took offense. "You

mean a reindeer! Tanuki don't have antlers!" Luffy and Usopp fell over

laughing at Chopper's expense, which only made the doctor angrier.

Luffy controlled his laughter and addressed Chopper's objection. "Of

course they do Chopper. I mean, why else would you have antlers?" he

asked.

Chopper easily rose to the bait. "Because I'm a reindeer!" he shouted

indignantly. This time, Luffy looked at him like he was in idiot.

"Are you stupid Chopper? Reindeers don't walk on two legs," Luffy

replied. Chopper's jaw dropped upon hearing the logical fallacy.

"NEITHER DO TANUKI!" he shouted, too gullible to realize that Luffy was

doing this intentionally. Usopp, who had just gotten up, fell over

laughing again, while Robin let out a laugh of her own as she watched in

amusement.

Luffy paused to consider Chopper's argument. "Hmm, you're right," he

acknowledged. "I guess you must be half human half tanuki then."

"I'M HALF REINDEER!" Chopper yelled, waving his arms up and down as

if he was throwing a tantrum.

Luffy's eyes lit up in comprehension. "Oooohh! So you're half reindeer

half tanuki half hu-" Luffy was cut off from his calculated taunting as a

hand bloomed out of his shoulder and covered his mouth. Luffy turned to

Robin and pouted. She smiled innocently.

"Sorry Captain-san. But Longnose-kun is going to pass out from lack of

oxygen soon," she said as the hand disappeared.

Luffy turned to Usopp, who was gasping for air, and smiled sheepishly. It

was then that Sanji announced that he had snacks ready. Usopp rushed

toward the kitchen, Chopper following behind him. Luffy, surprisingly,

didn't go. He stared toward the kitchen longingly but instead turned to

Robin, who looked back at him curiously.

"There's something you've wanted to ask me since we left Alabasta," he

said, not beating around the bush. Robin blinked, surprised by both his

directness and his observational skills. She liked to think she was good at

concealing things like that from the attention of others. It was one of the

skills she had developed over the years. And yet in the brief encounters

she had had with her new captain so far, he had always managed to read

her somehow. If any of her previous superiors had ever shown that

capability, it would have been a cause for concern. Crocodile had been

good, but not this good. She would have been dead long ago if the

warlord could tell what she was thinking this easily. And yet, for some

reason it didn't really bother her that Luffy could see more than what she

generally allowed people to see.

The scary part was that she knew it should.

"There is," she responded. "A few things, actually."

Luffy smiled good-naturedly. "Well, you can ask whenever you feel like it.

We don't care that much about formalities on this ship."

Robin nodded slowly. She had expected as much, but old habits died

hard. "Captain-san, I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I was

wondering why you invited me to your crew," she said carefully.

"Are you happy here?" was Luffy's immediate response. Robin didn't even

hesitate before nodding.

"I haven't been with you all long, but yes. Happier than I've been in a

long time," she answered.

"Well that's why," Luffy said simply. As much as Robin's heart wanted to

accept the answer, her brain urged her to probe for more information.

"But why would you go to such a length for me?" she asked insistently.

Luffy smiled at her again.

"Robin, you're always trying to see passed the outer layer of everything.

I'll admit that's an important thing to do, but in this case you're looking

for hidden meaning that isn't there. I know that you're a good person who

was dealt a bad hand, and that it drove you to do things you regret. I

wanted to make you happy for a change. That's really all there is to it."

Robin stared at him wide-eyed. As far as she could tell, he wasn't

deceiving her. He meant every word. The idea of someone striving to

make her happy without any ulterior motive was so utterly foreign to her

that she wasn't sure what to do with it.

"Thank you, Luffy," she said quietly. She had broken out of her formal

habits and addressed him by his first name, immediately causing his grin

to widen.

"So you said you wanted to ask something else right?"

Robin nodded, quickly gathering her wits. "I noticed that you seemed to

know beforehand what the poneglyph in Alubarna would reveal. Is there

a reason for that?"

Luffy paused for a moment, thinking about how to something like that to

Robin. He wasn't going to lie, but he wasn't going to tell her the full truth

either. Not yet.

"Captain-san?" she asked after he was silent for a long moment. He

rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Sorry, it's just that that's a bit complicated, and I'm not that good at

explaining things," he said. "So I'll just give you an explanation that

someone once gave me. The first thing you should know is that

everything in the world gives off a certain evidence of its presence, one

that transcends the perception of the 5 senses we humans use to interact

with our surroundings." At this point Robin could tell that he was indeed

repeating this explanation from another source, seeing as he didn't

normally speak like this. Nevertheless, she eagerly listened, despite

wondering where this was going.

"Some people refer to this as a voice. Others call it a feeling. In reality it's

neither of those, but people have their own way of interpreting what they

perceive." Robin nodded in agreement, and Luffy continued. "For our

purposes, let's just say that every object in the world gives off an aura. In

living beings, this aura is far more noticeable than in inanimate objects.

In living beings that can think and feel, the aura becomes that much

stronger. Beyond that, the aura gets even stronger depending on the

strength of one's mind. In humans and other animals, the aura is strong

enough that people can develop the ability to pick up on it by unlocking

a sort of sixth sense. Most people call that sixth sense observation haki."

"Observation haki?" Robin repeated. She was visibly intrigued by this

explanation, and decided to forget about her original question until they

got to it.

Luffy nodded. "Observation haki is an ability that any sentient being can

learn. It may be worth mentioning that Zoro and I can both use this

ability. The best observation haki users can sense the presence of any

living being if they focus hard enough. But sensing the presence of an

inanimate object is an ability that's unreachable to most. Still, there are a

select few who are born with an advanced perception and can do it.

There's a special name for that ability."

"And that is?" Robin asked.

"The power to hear the voice of all things."

Robin went through the explanation again in her head. It all seemed a bit

farfetched. She wasn't one to think she had seen everything the world

had to offer, however, and she saw no reason for the captain to lie about

such a thing. "Do you know anyone who has that ability?" she asked

suddenly.

Luffy grinned. "Well, for starters, me," he replied. Robin simply stared at

him, and Luffy finally addressed her question.

"Poneglyphs, for some reason, have a really strong presence among

inanimate objects. But it's more than that. To me, it almost feels like a

human's aura was somehow ingrained in that stone, but it's diminished to

the point where normal observation haki users can't sense it. To a certain

extent, I was able to pick up on what it was conveying before I even

entered the tomb."

Robin's eyes widened when she heard this. If what he was saying was in

any way accurate, the implications were awe inspiring. Could the ones

who left the messages of the poneglyphs have left more than one form of

link to the Void Century, one that was untraceable to the vast majority of

the world? She would have to think more about this.

"Well, if that's all, I'm going to go eat some of those snacks!" Luffy said

excitedly as he raced towards the kitchen, leaving Robin to her thoughts.

After the Strawhats ate lunch, Luffy announced that it was time to get

back to their haki training, a statement that was met with resigned

acceptance to all but Zoro and Robin, the latter of whom raised an

eyebrow. "Haki training?" she asked.

"Oh right, new crew member," Luffy acknowledged, before turning to

Zoro. "Alright, who has to explain this time?" he asked. Zoro responded

by holding out his hand in a fist. Luffy looked amused. "Really?" he

asked. Zoro just looked at him expectantly, and Luffy shrugged. The two

played rocks paper scissors. Zoro chose rock and Luffy chose paper. Zoro

looked down at his hand, wondering what he'd done wrong this time,

before shrugging and turning to Robin. Nami's eye twitched.

"All right. There are three types of haki. Conqueror's, armaments, and

observation," Zoro began.

"I've already explained observation to her," Luffy chimed in. Zoro

hummed.

"Alright then, one thing to know is that not many people can use

Conqueror's haki. In fact, only about 1 in a million can. It allows you to

overpower the wills of weaker individuals, bending them to your will or

even knocking them out. Someone with mastery of this technique can

crush armies without lifting a finger.

Robin's eyes widened in comprehension. "The rebel army in Alubarna,"

she breathed.

Zoro nodded. "Luffy has mastered Conqueror's haki," he said. Robin was

dumbstruck. The captain possessed two rare abilities of that nature?

What star was he born under?

"But you guys can't use that from what we can tell," Zoro continued, "So

the last one to explain is armaments haki, which is basically a

weaponized manifestation of your willpower. It's allows you to coat

yourself or an object in an invisible suit of armor that strengthens both

attack and defense. It also lets you bypass some devil fruit defenses," he

recited from memory.

"Devil fruit defenses?" Robin asked. Zoro decided to elaborate.

"Crocodile was a logia. His devil fruit let him turn into sand. If you were

able to use armaments haki, you would be able to bypass his intangibility

and attack him anyway," Zoro explained.

"So that's how you were able to hit him," Robin said to Luffy. "I always

wondered if there was a way to counteract those abilities. I guess this

would be it."

"That's not all it can do," Luffy said. "Robin, try using your power on

Zoro." Robin looked stunned by the suggestion, but Luffy just grinned.

"Go ahead, don't hold back. Pretend you're trying to put him out of

commission." Robin looked hesitant but complied. She crossed her arms

and hands grew out of Zoro's body in an attempt to clutch him.

Immediately the sprouted hands were blackened to obsidian, and much

to Robin's shock, she couldn't move them. Upon further inspection she

realized that her real arms were also blackened and completely

immobilized.

"What is this?" she asked.

"That's armaments hardening," Zoro said. "It's an advanced form of

armaments haki that can be applied to solid objects. When your arms

came in contact with me I used it on them. Since my armaments haki is a

physical manifestation of my will, it overrode your control of your limbs,"

he explained. "Against someone who doesn't know any armaments haki,

doing that is fairly simple. If you could use it to an extent, it would be

harder, and if your armaments haki was equal to or stronger than mine, I

wouldn't be able to do it at all."

"This seems like an extremely useful ability," Robin commented.

"All three types are," Zoro replied. "But most people have a natural

disposition towards one of the types. Luffy's is Conqueror's, and mine is

armaments. If I had to guess, I'd say yours is observation."

"How would you know that?" Robin asked.

"Your aura, your personality, and your fighting style are all big

indicators," Zoro responded. Robin nodded in acceptance. After that, Zoro

explained the many uses of observation haki. When he mentioned that

sensing emotions was one of them, Robin's eyes widened slightly.

Outwardly she showed no other signs of it, but inwardly she just realized

why Luffy could read her so easily.

The rest of the day was spent training in armaments and observation

haki. Robin was able to pick up on the fact that they had been doing this

for a while but were having little to no progress. Despite this, Robin

found that she wanted to participate. It wasn't so much that she thought

she could learn the techniques or even had a deep desire to. It had more

to do with her desire to take part in the endeavors of the Strawhat crew.

It was starting to get dark, and most of the Strawhats were calling it a

day. Sanji, on the other hand, had wanted to keep going, determined to

make at least some headway. The chef was currently blindfolded and was

working on awakening his observation haki. This essentially involved

Zoro standing behind him and hitting him over the head with a stick.

Robin could tell that he was getting more frustrated after every hit that

he failed to dodge. He had been at this for long enough that he had

actually figured out a pattern in Zoro's consecutive swings and had

started dodging based on that, but the swordsman had quickly caught on

to what he was doing and switched up his pattern.

A loud thwack signified that Sanji had yet again failed to predict one of

Zoro's random swings. Luffy was trying hard not to laugh as Sanji rubbed

his head in barely withheld frustration.

"Hey cook. You need to dodge or else you'll get hit by the stick," Zoro

said unnecessarily. Despite not being able to see him, Sanji turned to him

in outrage.

"No shit, dick with a stick!" he shouted, causing Luffy to burst out

laughing and Zoro to hit him again for good measure. Sanji was

grumbling something about shitty swordsmen and their sticks when Zoro

swung again.

Only this time Sanji moved his head out of the way. Luffy stopped

laughing and looked at Sanji with widened eyes while Robin looked on

curiously. He was still blindfolded, and Zoro's attack had not followed

any particular pattern. It really had seemed like some form of

precognition.

Zoro smirked. "Hey cook, why'd you dodge?" he asked.

The question seemed to infuriate Sanji, who spun around again. "Because

I didn't want to get hit you shitty moss head!"

Luffy started laughing again, and Zoro seemed annoyed at the return of

the nickname he hadn't heard since his previous life. He stifled his

annoyance though.

"What I meant was, how did you know you were going to get hit?" Zoro

asked.

"Because you were-!" Sanji stopped mid sentence and thought about what

he was about to say. Because you were thinking about swinging. Although

he was blindfolded, none of his observers missed the comprehension that

dawned on his features, followed shortly by the look of triumph.

Sanji had awakened observation haki.

A/N: A lot of things on at once, even though this is pretty much an

exposition chapter. As usual, tell me what you thought.

37. Monkeys vs Monsters

I missed a review earlier in regards to the beginning of chapter 31, asking

if Tashigi awakened armaments haki. To put it simply, no. I admit the

way I wrote that was a bit vague, but what actually happened was that

Luffy grabbed her sword and used armaments hardening on it before

pushing her towards Crocodile so that the latter would have to dodge.

To those wondering about whether the power to hear the voice of all

things as introduced in this story is canon, yes and no. The existence and

concept of the ability are both canon, while the specific explanation as

told by Luffy is my own theory. While I'm aware that it may be

completely disproven later on, that's one of the drawbacks of having a

fanfiction character know a lot more than the canon character does.

Since I'm on the topic, I might as well address the issue. Eventually this

fanfiction will contradict the canon story to the point where, if held to

the standards of said canon story, will have even more plot holes than

One Piece itself. So taking into account the rates of progression of both

One Piece and One Piece: Second Wind, there will come a time when I'll

have to treat this as as an AU not just in regard to the time travel, but

also in regard to various canon facts that I'll be forced to ignore. Just

thought I'd tell you ahead of time so that when I get the anticipated,

"Lost, Kaido/Big Mom/Dragon doesn't have that devil fruit! You did it

wrong," I can say, "Talk to the phone bitch, cuz I called it." So now that

I've wasted your time with over 200 words of commentary, enjoy the

next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Chapter XXXVII: Monkeys vs. Monsters

The next morning, the Strawhats awoke to the revelation that Sanji had

awakened his haki. Usopp got excited and immediately suggested that

they help him refine it by having him dodge some attacks. Nami pointed

out that he was still new at it and asked if he should take it slow, but

Sanji politely assured her that he'd be fine. Luffy, Zoro, and Robin knew

that Sanji was even more excited than Usopp even if he didn't show it. He

had stayed up all night after his first breakthrough, content in simply

getting a feel for all of the Strawhats' auras. He found that suddenly

having a way to reassure himself of their presence was gratifying. He

was, after all, one of the stronger members of the crew, and took it upon

himself to protect the others, even if he didn't admit it when it came to

the male members. So being able to reach out with his senses and find

them, something which he was able to do more and more successfully as

the night had progressed, was something he appreciated. Luffy and Zoro

had understood perfectly and had left him so he could practice.

Now Usopp suggested that he try to dodge some of Chopper's punches

with his eyes closed. Sanji consented. At first he was having trouble

dodging multiple blows, and a few punches would connect every now

and then, much to Chopper's concern, but Sanji insisted they continue,

neglecting to mention that the reindeer hybrid's punches didn't hurt

much anyway. A few minutes passed, and gradually less blows began

getting through as Sanji's dodges became smoother and more purposeful.

He was starting to know what to look for in Chopper's aura in order to

anticipate his movements. From the intent that drove his body to move,

to the rise of his arm, to the area that he was targeting with his punch,

Sanji knew what Chopper was going to do a split second after he decided

to do it. While he was a novice in training to the eyes of Luffy and Zoro,

the rest of the crew watched with fascination and awe as Sanji danced

around all of Chopper's blows without ever opening his eyes. Once Sanji

lasted a solid minute without taking any hits, they stopped.

"That was awesome Sanji!" Usopp yelled. "What should we try next?"

"Why don't you try hitting him with your slingshot?" Luffy suggested.

"Just use normal pellets." Usopp nodded and put some distance between

himself and the chef before pulling out his slingshot. Sanji closed his eyes

again and focused, but as Usopp got ready to shoot, Sanji's brow

furrowed. The chef moved prematurely to dodge, but the sniper adjusted

his aim in a flash, and the pellet hit Sanji in the forehead dead center.

Luckily it wasn't any special type of ammo, and only resulted in a small

twinge of pain. Sanji hummed in thought.

"I get it," he mumbled. Luffy grinned.

"Learn anything?" the captain asked. Sanji opened his eyes.

"Dodging projectiles is different than dodging punches or kicks," the chef

said. "With Chopper I was able to follow the path of his arm as he swung

at me, but I can't sense Usopp's pellets, so I have to predict where he's

going to aim and dodge before he shoots. Usopp is too good of a sniper

though, so he was able to adjust his aim."

"So how can you get around that?" Zoro asked, although he knew the

answer already.

"The easy way is to open my eyes, but that would defeat the purpose,"

Sanji said. "Sometimes I'll have shooters in my blindspot and that would

put me in the same situation. Another way is to simply move faster so he

can't keep up, but if I ever fought someone with my speed and reactions

who was wielding a gun, I would face the same problem." He thought for

a moment. "Let me try something," he finally said.

Usopp readied his slingshot again, and this time, Sanji moved at the exact

moment that Usopp fired, successfully dodging the pellet. He told the

sniper to keep going, and like before, it took a while before he got used

to it, with a few pellets hitting him every now and then. Soon he again

reached the point where none of Usopp's pellets were hitting him. It

wasn't that he lacked the speed to dodge the various attacks; he had

simply needed to get a feel for his new ability before he could utilize it

effectively. When it was clear that none of his attacks would connect,

Usopp stopped shooting.

"Damn Sanji. You're really getting the hang of this quickly. Are you a

genius or something?"

"He seems to have a strong affinity for observation haki," Zoro

commented. "That's why he learned it so early and quickly. Most likely

when he learns armaments he'll have a harder time. That's how I was,

only in reverse. I got the hang of armaments really quickly but struggled

with observation for a while."

Robin turned to him. "I was curious about that actually. When did you

two learn these haki forms?" she asked.

Zoro thought for a moment. "We started learning over two years ago," he

said. Robin absently noted that he had said 'we,' which meant that he had

known Luffy back then.

"So you both learned while in East Blue?" she inquired.

Zoro inwardly sighed as he nodded. Unlike Luffy, he could lie just fine,

but he still didn't like deceiving his crewmates. He'd have to have a talk

with Luffy later about when they could come clean about all this.

Although he had a pretty good idea of what the captain had in mind, and

if he was right, then they'd have to put up with this for a while longer.

"You said it was over two years ago," Nami said. "That was after you two

met, wasn't it? Does that mean you learned it together?"

Luffy raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know when we met?" he asked.

"Zoro told me. I was curious and asked, and he said you met over two

and a half years ago," she answered.

Luffy tried his best to suppress his laughter at the irony, something which

didn't escape the crew's attention. "Oh, he told you that?" he asked, with

a hint of mirth. "Well, we didn't train together or anything, but we

learned it at the same time, and I knew he was going to be learning it. I

assume it was the same for him."

Zoro nodded in confirmation. "Actually, he's the one who told me to learn

it," the swordsman said, providing extra information so as not to seem

like he was being withdrawn with it.

Luffy scratched his head. "Yea, in a sense." The crew seemed to accept

this easily enough.

"So guys, guess what?" Luffy asked excitedly, changing the subject. "I was

going to make an important call, and I wanted you all to listen." As he

spoke, he picked up a transponder snail from the deck. Zoro smirked.

"An important call?" Usopp repeated. "To who?"

"Whitebeard," Luffy answered, grinning. The crew went silent for a

moment before all hell broke loose.

"You've got to be kidding! Why now!?" Nami yelled.

"Are you crazy Luffy!?" Usopp asked frantically.

"The strongest man in the world huh? Wonder what he's like," Sanji said.

"Is he scary?" Chopper asked fearfully. As they all quarrelled, Robin

cleared her throat, and they turned to her.

"I can understand why you'd be nervous. In fact, I'm a little disconcerted

myself. But it does make sense, doesn't it? We're their allies now. It's good

to communicate every now and then, and we still haven't gotten in touch

with them after his declaration a few days ago." she reasoned. Nami and

Usopp still didn't look convinced. Zoro scoffed.

"If you guys are that afraid of hearing his voice, you don't have to listen,"

he said.

"A-afraid? Whose afraid? I-I'm not afraid, y-you idiot." Usopp stuttered.

"If you're going to lie, lie better," Sanji said. Nami sighed in defeat.

"Fine, but don't make a bad first impression, you hear?" she said as she

pointed accusingly at Luffy, who laughed lightheartedly.

"Ok, sure!" he said. With that, he pulled out Ace's vivre card from his hat

and dialed the number written on it. The crew waited with bated breath

as it rang. On the fourth ring, someone picked up. The crew heard a

rather deep voice speak up at the end of the line, but it was partially

drowned out by background noise. The crew was able to recognize the

distinct sound of loud music and yelling.

"You've reached the ship of the Whitebeard pirates." Nami, Usopp, and

Chopper gasped at the confirmation. "Sorry about the racket, we're in the

middle of a party, and everyone's drunk." the voice said.

"Drunk?" Sanji asked. "Isn't it a bit early?"

"Early?" the voice asked. "Where are you calling from?"

"First half of the Grand Line," Luffy answered. Sanji's eyes lit up in

comprehension.

"Oh, well that's rare. We don't get calls from Paradise often," the voice

said. "What can I help you with?"

"Hey, I wanted to have a chat with old man Whitebeard!" Luffy shouted.

"Who is this, by the way?" Some of the Strawhats thought he was being

way too casual, but didn't voice it, not wanting to interrupt the

conversation.

"This is 5th Division Commander Vista," the voice said. "If you want to

talk to our captain, we're gonna need to know who you are at least."

"Oh yea," Luffy said. "This is Monkey D. Luffy." The other end was silent

for a moment before the division commander started laughing.

"Ah, our new rookie brother! Sorry about that. Give me one sec." Most of

the Strawhats let out breaths they didn't know they'd been holding. "Hey

Pops!" they heard Vista shout. "It's the Strawhats!" It wasn't long before

the crew heard an ever deeper voice start to speak.

"So, you finally contacted us. I was surprised when Ace called and

requested that I ally your crew." Before the Strawhats could fully adjust

to the fact that they were speaking with Whitebeard, Luffy answered.

"Yea, I'm guessing you don't have many allies that you haven't met face to

face," he said. "We'll try to get over there as quickly as possible."

"I'm not surprised," Whitebeard replied. "Your crew has risen to fame

even faster than that Red-Haired brat's back in the day. We had a good

laugh after reading the newspaper a few days ago. We were expecting the

headline, but the second page silenced any and all complaints amongst

the crew about 'snot-nosed rookie brats' being allied with us."

"Why do those sound like your words?" Luffy asked in a deadpan voice.

"Because they were," Whitebeard replied, before erupting into a fit of of

deep, throaty laughter. The crew's eyes bulged out of their sockets. "So

anyway, have you seen your new bounties?" he asked.

"Ah, no we haven't," Luffy replied. "Don't tell us yet. I like the surprise."

"Gurarara! Fine. So was there something else you wanted to talk about?"

"Actually, yea there was." Luffy said. "What should we do if we run into

Teach?"

The other line was silent for a moment. "Hmm, Ace has given up his

search for the time being. You're all my children now, so no one would

hold it against you if you took him down, however, I'd prefer if you

didn't. Ace feels largely responsible for Thatch's death, despite what

we've told him, and I think he needs the closure. But if that conniving

little brat attacks you, then by all means, give him hell."

"Ok, got it," Luffy said. "In that case, I'll let you get back to being drunk."

Whitebeard scoffed. "I don't get drunk, brat!"

"Shishishi! You're just like Zoro," Luffy replied. "Oh, by the way, I'm

gonna become the Pirate King. That ok with you?"

"Well, I don't want the title," Whitebeard responded. "I was planning on

giving it to Ace, but he recently told me that he isn't interested either. So

I guess it's all yours. Good luck on your journey brat." He hung up.

Luffy got up. "Well, that's that then." He turned to the his crew, and was

confused as to why they were all gawking at him. "What?" he asked.

"'What' my ass!" they shouted.

The rest of the morning was smooth sailing for the Going Merry. That

lasted until the afternoon, when it spontaneously started raining galleons.

When that passed, the Strawhats realized that the Log Pose was pointing

up at the sky. Nami started panicking, thinking that it was broken.

"I wouldn't say that," Robin interjected. "It's locked onto another magnetic

field. It must be a sky island."

"Sky island?" Nami asked, clearly not believing it. "Come on Robin.

There's no way something like that could exist, even on the Grand Line."

"That's where your way of thought falls short, Navigator-san. Common

logic can't be applied to this sea. The only thing you can trust is the way

the needle points. If it's pointing at the sky, then there's an island up

there. Although, to be accurate, what's floating up there is a sea of

clouds, not just an island."

Nami sighed. "Ok, but that still doesn't help us. The fact remains that we

have no way to navigate to the next island while the log is pointing at the

sky."

"Alright, here's what we do!" Luffy interrupted. "I'm the captain, and I say

we're setting our course for Sky Island!" Nami's eye twitched.

"This isn't the time for your weird whims Luffy! We don't even know how

to get there!" she reasoned.

"What's the big deal?" Luffy asked. "Just point the rudder upwards. Jeez,

you're stupid Nami."

He was promptly sent crashing head first into the deck by Nami's fist. He

quickly rebounded and jumped to his feet. "Alright! To Sky Island we go!"

Usopp and Chopper cheered in agreement. Nami huffed in annoyance

before turning to Robin.

"See what I have to put up with?" The archaeologist smiled good

naturedly.

"He does have a point though," Robin said. "Our next course of action

should be figuring out how to get to the sky. Perhaps we can ask for

information somewhere. The only problem is that we can't get to the

nearest island while the log is already set."

Nami nodded. They were in a difficult position. As she was deep in

thought, Luffy snuck up behind her.

"NAMI!" he shouted, causing her to jump.

"What!?" she shouted in annoyance. "Don't make me hit you again!"

"But I have an idea!" he said.

"Oh joy. What is it this time?"

"Well, that galleon fell from Sky Island right? We should salvage

whatever was on the ship to see if there are any clues about how to get

up there."

Nami blinked. "That's...a good idea?"

Robin nodded. "It's the best we have to work with for now," she agreed.

"Alright! Onward to Skypeia!" Luffy yelled. Nami and Robin looked at

him curiously.

"Skypeia?" they asked in unison. Luffy nodded.

"That's what the island is called," he said, pulling out a piece of paper.

See?" The two looked at it in shock. It was a very old map of an island in

the sky called Skypeia.

"Luffy, where did you get this?" Nami asked, bewildered.

"It was in the wreckage," Luffy said, pointing at the galleon, which was

now mostly sunken.

"So there really is a sky island!?" Chopper asked in excitement. Nami

sighed.

"Maybe," she admitted, causing Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper to cheer.

"Wow, there's so much air down here now," Luffy commented. He was

currently underwater along with Zoro and Sanji. Nami had sent them

diving down to the ocean floor to find whatever they could from the

wreckage. So far they had found a lot, but nothing that would help them

get to Skypeia. Luckily, Luffy and Zoro now had a plan for that. The aura

they had both locked onto came bursting through the wall.

"Who the hell are you guys!? What are you doing in my territory!?" the

man shouted.

"Oh look, it's a monkey," Luffy said.

The monkey like man immediately blushed. "Do I really look like a

monkey?" he asked.

"You are a monkey," Luffy replied.

"Aw, you're just saying that!"

Zoro peered at him closely. "I don't think he's really a monkey," the

swordsman said. "He just looks like one."

The monkey like man's demeanor immediately changed. "You bastard!

Why don't you try saying that again!?" he shouted. Sanji stared in apathy.

"Hey monkey guy, who are you?" Luffy asked. His expression became

friendly again.

"Oh, me? I'm the salvage king, Masira! There's no ship my crew can't

salvage!" Suddenly, he took note of the many items that Luffy, Zoro, and

Sanji had collected. "Hey, what are you guys doing with those?" he asked

menacingly.

"Oh, we were looking for clues on how to get to Sky Island," Luffy said.

This caught Masira's attention.

"Hmm? Sky Island you say?"

"Yea, we wanna go there!" Luffy said enthusiastically.

"Well, you're in luck. I happen to know someone who can get you there,"

Masira said. "I can take you to him, but I demand those artifacts you've

collected in exchange," he said.

"You've got a deal, monkey guy!" Luffy yelled, causing Masira puff out his

chest. "Oh, can I keep the armor though? I don't think it will fit you."

"Armor?" Masira asked, before catching sight of what he was talking

about. "Hmm, I see. You're a real man. But you'll have to fight me for it."

Luffy grinned. "Ok!"

"Um, guys? Am I imagining things, or is there something in the water?"

Nami asked nervously. Usopp took a look for himself and started

sweating bullets at the sight of the underwater silhouette, which dwarfed

the Going Merry in size a hundred times over.

"I think it's safe to say you're imagining things," he said, still sweating.

"Are you sure?" Nami asked. "Because that looks exactly like-"

"Yep, definitely just your imagination! There are absolutely no monsters

under the surface other than our very own monster trio-"

"It seems to be the silhouette of a colossal sea creature," Robin said

calmly. Her comment seemed to shatter Usopp's barrier of denial, and he

immediately began freaking out.

"Aaaaaauuuuuggghhh! We're gonna diiiieeee! Get out of there Luffy!" he

screamed frantically.

Masira rubbed his sore head, attempting to shake off the cobwebs. "Man,

that was one hell of a punch, I tell ya! You know, you're alright! You can

keep that armor."

"Shishishi, thanks! But man, you really look like a monkey!"

"Nah, you're just saying that!"

What's with this conversation? Sanji thought. Zoro sweatdropped.

"So, how about we raise this ship up to the surface?" Luffy suggested.

Masira rubbed his head in embarrassment. "Oh, well you see I was going

to do that, but then I came down here to investigate."

Luffy just grinned. "Don't worry about it. I have a better idea."

Nami, Usopp, and Chopper shivered in fright as massive waves rocked

the Going Merry, displaced by gargantuan creature that was currently

rising to the surface. As it emerged from the Grand Line waters, they saw

that it appeared to be a...turtle. A really big turtle.

That surprised them almost as much as the sight of Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and

Masira riding on top of it...along with the sunken galleon.

"Heeeeyy! Guuuuys!" Luffy yelled happily. "Look what we found!" Their

jaws collectively dropped as the smiling monster swam up to the Going

Merry. Luffy grabbed Zoro, Sanji, and Masira and jumped down onto the

ship, slowing his descent with geppou before landing.

"How…" was all Usopp said. Luffy grinned ecstatically.

"I tamed him!" he said in enthusiasm. They were silent. Even Robin

looked dumbfounded.

"Again, how?" she asked.

"Conqueror's haki," Zoro said simply. Nami facepalmed.

"How about a warning next time?" she said.

"You sent us to the sea floor of the Grand Line," Zoro retorted. "What did

you think would happen?"

"Damn, that was badass bro!" Masira practically shouted. "I thought we

were in deep when I saw that thing! Then you just hold your hand out

and it's practically at your beck and call!"

Nami looked at him in annoyance. "And you're still here...why?" Masira

looked terribly offended by the question and huffed.

"He's gonna show us how to get to Sky Island...apparently," Sanji said.

"Really? You'll help us?" Usopp asked in excitement.

"You bet! I'll be taking you all to the manliest of men, the dreamer

amongst dreamers himself: Montblanc Cricket! He lives on an island

called Jaya, and he can get you there for sure!"

Sanji's eyebrow furrowed. "Montblanc? Where have I heard that name

before…?" He was broken out of his thoughts as the sky turned dark. The

Strawhats and Masira blinked in confusion. It was nowhere near

nighttime yet. Was this another spontaneous Grand Line occurrence?

Luffy and Zoro shared a glance. Something about this seemed...familiar.

Suddenly, both of their eyes widened. Slowly, they turned their heads

toward the fog in the distance, and soon everyone else followed suit.

Their blood ran cold.

Submerged in the fog were the silhouettes of...well, monsters. There was

no other way to phrase it. They were shaped like humans, but they were

kilometers tall, easily dwarfing Luffy's newest "pet" in size. The silence

lasted all of five seconds before all hell broke loose.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Luffy yelled as chaos ensued on the Going Merry.

Most of the crew were scrambling to get the hell out of there.

"Stop standing around and help us get the ship to safety you idiots!" Nami

shouted at Luffy and Zoro, who were standing still.

"If you would just wait one second..." Zoro began before getting cut off by

Nami's shouting.

"Why the hell should we wait!? We're gonna die if we stay here!"

"I...don't think so?" Luffy said uncertainly. "Everyone calm down.

Captain's orders." The Strawhats grudgingly stopped scrambling around,

wondering what Luffy could possibly be thinking, ordering them to stay

here of all places. Luffy turned to his first mate. "Zoro, do you notice

something weird about those things?" he asked. The monsters were

currently standing still, towering above the clouds, but immobile. Zoro

nodded.

"They don't have auras," he replied. The Strawhats stared at the two in

confusion.

"What do you mean?" Usopp asked.

"He means they're not real," Robin breathed in realization. Luffy nodded

slowly, as if he had just now come to the same conclusion. True to

Robin's words, the silhouettes in the fog soon dissipated as if they had

never been there to begin with. Luffy erupted into laughter as everyone

collapsed onto the deck in relief. Zoro scoffed.

"Did you really think something that huge could sneak up on us?" the

swordsman asked. Nami sighed.

"I guess not," she admitted.

"That...was terrifying," Chopper said.

"I-it w-wasn't that s-scary," Usopp stuttered from his seated position.

Chopper looked at him in admiration. The crew soon recovered from

their fright and remembered their destination.

"Hey monkey dude! Before we see this grasshopper guy, can we stop at

the nearest town for supplies?" Luffy asked. Masira nodded in consent

and said they could stop at Mock town. Nami's eyes widened.

"S-since when do you think about supplies?" she asked. Luffy looked at he

quizzically.

"What do you mean? I'm the captain," he said. She looked at him wearily,

but Luffy ignored her. "Next stop, Jaya!" The two ships started following

Masira's Eternal Pose towards the island as the giant turtle followed

behind.

In a bar in Mock town, a man in a black hooded cloak ignored the

skirmishes of the numerous pirates around him as he took a sip of his

wine. To an observer, it would seem as if he was waiting for someone. It

wasn't long before a similarly dressed individual entered the bar and

walked up to him. "Sir, they should be arriving soon according to our

calculations."

The man nodded in acknowledgement. "I've got eyes on them right now,"

he said. He took another sip of his wine and grinned. "Let's see what you

have in store for us...Monkey D. Luffy."

A/N: Who are these mysterious individuals awaiting the Strawhats? Find

out next time, on Second Wind! (It's not a Tv show, but to hell with it.)

38. Linked Through Legend

Stop crashing damn server! I want to upload this chapter already!

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Chapter XXXVIII: Linked Through Legend

Somewhere on the Grand Line

The Big Top, flagship of the Buggy pirates, sailed aimlessly, the crew

having no destination in mind. On deck, said crew were giving the

captain a wide berth, lest they risk being blown away flashily. Buggy the

Clown was persistent; he had followed Strawhat Luffy into the Grand

Line, seemingly having no fear of the legendary sea, and even going as

far as to speak of it with an air of nostalgia. And yet, it seemed that for

all his seemingly endless flamboyance, even Buggy the Clown had limits;

limits that most would refer to as a sense of reason.

When the Buggy pirates had first read the newspaper article describing

the alliance between Whitebeards and Strawhats, they weren't sure how

their captain would react. But his reaction was certainly not what they

had expected. They were expecting a fit of flashy rage, and based on his

prior exploits, maybe even heightened determination. What they didn't

expect was him to fall into a state of depression. For the next couple

days, he had done little other than eat, sleep, and sulk. When an

underling had finally summoned the courage to ask why they weren't

going after the Strawhats, he had almost been killed by a Muggy Ball.

Buggy had then started going on a rant about how one never assaults a

Whitebeard pirate or even one of their allies unless they were looking for

a swift death. The crew had been baffled; after all, Captain Buggy had

never been intimidated by a daunting or even impossible task before, so

why now? But Buggy had seen things that they hadn't, images that were

still fresh in his mind to this day.

For all their loyalty, his crew was naive. They didn't know what an

enraged Edward Newgate was like. No, even Buggy the Clown could be

rational at times, and that was his greatest shame.

"He needs to get over it," Alvida said as she leaned back in her chair.

"Either risk defying Whitebeard or pick a new target. I don't care which.

Anything's better than sitting around doing nothing."

Cabaji said nothing. Although he agreed with her, he had to sympathize

with his captain's predicament. He had had his sights dead set on

Strawhat Luffy and Roronoa Zoro, and now he was being forced to give it

up. Perhaps the rest of the crew was optimistic, but Cabaji had no

delusions of invoking Whitebeard's wrath and surviving. He sighed.

"We'll just have to wait for him to pull himself together. If I know him,

he'll find some treasure to preoccupy himself with, and then he'll bounce

right back. As much as I hate to admit it, going after Strawhat is suicide."

Alvida looked up at the sky. "Too bad. I was pretty interested in him too.

I wonder if we'll ever see that annoying brat again." She smiled. "He

packs one hell of a punch."

"He really does doesn't he?" came an unfamiliar voice. "But you should

have seen him when he was a kid. He could barely move his fist in a

straight line."

Alvida, Cabaji, and Mohji turned around in shock to find a complete

stranger sitting on deck and eating their food. Alvida reacted with

hostility. "Who the hell are you, bastard!? What are you doing on our

ship!?"

"Ah, forgive me. I should have introduced myself earlier. My name is

Portgas D. Ace. I was investigating a lead when I was lured here by the

wonderful smell of your feast. Nice to meet you," he said with a formal

bow.

Alvida was taken aback by his politeness. "Uh...pleasure's all mine...I

guess..."

Cabaji on the other hand, was turning pale. "Portgas...D...Ace?" he

repeated slowly. "Whitebeard's second division commander…?" Alvida's

eyes widened.

Ace grinned widely. "Oh, so you know me? I'm flattered."

That was when the surrounding Buggy pirates started screaming in fear

and generally creating chaos on board the ship. Ace looked at them with

a raised eyebrow. "What's with them? You'd think the circus was in

town." He looked back at Cabaji. "Then again, maybe it is. So? Where's

the clown?"

Cabaji gulped. "Um...h-he's…unavailable...at the moment."

"Ah, really?" Ace asked. "Too bad. Marco once told me something

interesting about the captain of the Buggy pirates, and I wanted to ask if

it was true."

Before Cabaji could inquire what he meant, the door to the cabin burst

open. "What's with all the commotion, you flashy bastards!? Can't I sulk

in peace!?" Upon catching sight of Ace, more specifically, the mark of the

Whitebeard pirates on his back, Buggy's expression went from outrage, to

shock, and then back to outrage as he came to the wrong conclusion. "Oh

you've gotta be kidding me!" he yelled as he lunged at Ace. "I haven't

even touched that Strawhat bastard!" He put his full weight into the

swing and punched Ace in the back of the head. The commander's head

only budged an inch.

Mohji and Cabaji's jaws dropped as the rest of the crew went deathly

silent and Alvida looked on with interest. Ace's face was expressionless,

his eyes shadowed over. Before anyone could so much as let out a breath,

the crew heard snoring, and were shocked to see that the Whitebeard

pirate had fallen asleep.

What the hell?

In a bar in Mock town

"Looks like you've got nothing left," Roshio commented with a smug grin

as he reached out his hand to grab the remaining pile of beli on the table.

"So unless you want to bet your ass now, this game is over."

Before he could take the money however, the man sitting across from

him grabbed his arm firmly. He looked at the man in contempt. "Hey,

give it up. It was a fair game. You lost, get over it." But the man just kept

staring down at the cards with a sickening smirk on his face. Roshio

started to feel unnerved. He just happened to be playing with the one guy

in town with a bounty higher than his own of 42 million. He'd rather not

pick a fight with Bellamy the Hyena.

"I think you cheated, friend," Bellamy said quietly. Roshio's eyes

narrowed.

"Don't try to cause trouble. When did I do something like that?"

"You definitely did," Bellamy insisted. "Am I right, Sarkies?"

The one he was addressing turned around in his chair. "Huh?" he asked in

confusion, before he saw the cards on the table. "Oh, yea. That guy

cheated for sure," he said nonchalantly. Upon hearing this, Roshio stood

up in indignation, not ready to let something like this go. Bellamy also

rose to his feet, and everyone in the bar could feel the tension in the air.

Just then, someone ran into the bar in a panicked frenzy. "Captain

Bellamy! We've got trouble!" he shouted. Bellamy looked at him in

annoyance.

"What is it, fool? I'm in the middle of something."

"There's a giant turtle at the coast!" the man shouted. Bellamy was not

amused.

"What."

As his underling fumbled over an explanation, Bellamy noticed that

Roshio was taking the chance to reach for his gun. He'd soon learn what

a mistake that was.

"Sorry, Shelly! It looks like you can't follow us any further," Luffy said as

the Going Merry dropped anchor. The town sized turtle stared down at

him sadly and let out a roar of farewell that shook the entire island and

had the Strawhats covering their ears. "Shelly" then turned around,

creating waves the height of large buildings in the process, and started

swimming away from the island, back into deeper waters. Usopp turned

towards Luffy.

"Luffy, you know Shelly is a girl's name right?" he asked. Luffy looked at

him blankly.

"Well, yea? Shelly is a girl after all," he said. Usopp sweatdropped, having

had no way to determine the gender of that thing.

"Right. I'll take your word for it," was all he said.

"Um, Luffy?" Nami spoke up. "I think we just drew some attention to

ourselves." Luffy turned towards the town and saw that she was right.

People were flocking out of the bars and casinos in droves to see what

the commotion was. Some were still able to catch sight of the colossal

creature before it disappeared into the sea. Many were now pointing and

whispering in awe at the pirates who had just waved the monster off.

Needless to say, rumors were already circulating. It probably wouldn't be

long before they were identified.

"Ah, so we have," Luffy said, not seeming to care as he kept staring out

towards the center of town.

"So what else is new?" Zoro asked with a yawn. "Isn't this how things

usually go?" As he walked towards the deck though, Luffy nudged him

with his shoulder, and the two locked eyes. Zoro's expression soon

became focused, and he closed his eyes. Robin was the only one who

noticed this exchange, and as she debated whether or not to ask about it,

Luffy addressed the crew. He told Chopper to guard the ship while Nami,

Usopp, and Sanji went out for supplies. The doctor consented and began

making a list of medical supplies they needed to restock on. Sanji could

handle the cooking ingredients himself, while Usopp could find materials

for some ship repairs and Nami could handle the expenses. After that,

Luffy turned back to Zoro, who shook his head. The captain sighed.

So he's not here. And to make things more complicated, those guys have

shown up again.

"Hey Robin, could you come with us?" he asked the archaeologist. Robin

blinked and then nodded before following the captain and first mate off

of the ship. As they walked, Luffy spoke up.

"Do you think you could search for information on a man named

Blackbeard? We need to know if he's been through here," he said. Robin

was baffled but nodded.

"It shouldn't be too difficult," she replied. "May I inquire why you're

looking for this man? I don't believe I've heard of him before."

"He used to be a Whitebeard pirate," Luffy said. "But he betrayed them

and killed a crewmate."

His voice was calm, but Robin could see the underlying anger in his eyes.

Her eyes lit up in understanding. "So he's the one you were talking about

on the transponder snail," she clarified. Luffy nodded.

"My brother Ace was looking for him, but something came up and he had

to abandon his search. Since Blackbeard was spotted in Drum, and Ace

was looking in Alabasta, I thought maybe he would come here next."

Robin nodded slowly. Assuming that their log hadn't spontaneously

locked onto Skypeia as well, this would be their destination.

"Are you planning on going after him?" Robin asked, remembering what

Whitebeard had said about the matter. Luffy thought about it.

"Maybe. I haven't decided yet," he said.

"Very well then. What should I do if I happen to find him?"

"I don't think you will, but if that happens, don't go near him," Luffy said.

"Just go back to the ship and we'll meet you there."

"Roger, Captain-san," she said with a smile. "By the way, you're being

followed," she informed them as she gestured towards the rooftops.

"Yea, I know," Luffy said. "Don't worry about it." Robin raised an amused

eyebrow but ignored her curiosity as she walked off towards the center of

town. Once she was gone, Luffy turned toward the source of the poorly

concealed auras and addressed them.

"That was my archaeologist. And in case you were wondering, she can't

use observation haki. Now why don't you guys stop embarrassing

yourselves?"

Several figures in black cloaks descended from the rooftops and began

walking towards them. "I'd say that's not exactly your standard measuring

stick," the one in front commented. "Especially considering that we've

been searching for that woman unsuccessfully for 20 years." As he

removed his hood, they got a good look at his face. He had shoulder

length black hair and green eyes. Red markings originated from beneath

his eyes and ran down his cheekbones.

Zoro smirked. "And you still thought we wouldn't notice you?" he asked.

The man, who they assumed was the leader of the group, smiled good

naturedly. "More like I wanted to see if you would. My name is Mavric,

chief of the Revolutionary Army's Cipher Division."

"Let's skip the small talk," Luffy said. "You've been tailing us ever since

Alabasta. Why?"

The man's eyes widened, but the amused smile didn't slip from his face.

"You knew? No, don't answer that. Of course you knew. You know a lot

of things, isn't that right, Monkey-san?"

Luffy's eyes narrowed.

"But to answer your question, I think you nevertheless underestimate

your own ability to draw the attention of an organization like ours. He

especially has taken an interest in you."

Luffy looked annoyed. "So in other words, he sent you after me. His

curiosity must have gotten the better of him back then."

"If you're referring to your meeting in Logue town, I'd say it's more than

that," Mavric said, before pausing. "You know, not many of us know his

full name, but for those who do, it's difficult not to draw

certain...connections.

"Point taken," Luffy said in a bored tone. "So? How much do you know?"

"Well, not much, if you consider how much we still don't know. But we

have picked up on a few things. Such as the fact that you've mastered all

three forms of haki, you knew far more about Crocodile's plans in

Alabasta than we did, and you know about the poneglyphs, as well as

Nico Robin's ability to read them." He paused. "This next one is a stretch,

and more my personal hunch than anything, but I'm also inclined to

believe that you're most likely aware of one of the ancient weapons'

location, something that we ourselves are in the dark about."

Luffy stared at him with a slightly bored expression, before unleashing a

focused blast of Conqueror's haki on him. The man collapsed to one knee,

and then to all fours, as his followers stiffened around him. None of them

could feel the mental assault, which meant the full brunt of it was

focused on their leader.

"Man you guys are annoying," Luffy said. "Why don't you mind your own

business?"

Despite his current predicament, Mavric was still smiling, even if it was a

frightened smile. "You...asked…!" he managed to gasp out from his

position on the ground. The pressure on his psyche seized, and he rose

shakily to his feet.

"Fine, I asked," Luffy said. "So then, what do you want? I'm not telling

you where Pluton is. Do you have any idea how much crap Robin went

through to make sure that thing didn't wind up in anyone's hands?"

"It's nothing like that," Mavric assured him. "We, too, desire to keep the

ancient weapons hidden. Contrary to popular belief, we don't enjoy war."

"Is that why you were looking for Robin?" Zoro asked suspiciously.

"There were a couple reasons for that," the revolutionary acknowledged.

"But we never planned on using her like that. We wanted to keep her out

of the World Government's hands, and perhaps give her a place to belong

again. After Ohara rebelled against the World Government, the boss

thought that she could relate to our cause, and that in turn we could help

her achieve her ambitions." He rubbed his head sheepishly. "But she

turned out to be quite elusive, and we could never actually find her.

Some of us thought we should commit more resources for it, but the boss

didn't want to send the wrong message."

Luffy took that in for a moment. "So why are you still following us then?"

"Well, we were hoping to learn more about you, as was our mission, but

something tells me that won't work out from now on-"

"If I see you again I'll kick your ass," Luffy interrupted.

"Right," Mavric said. "For now, just consider us allies. We learned about

the coup in Alubarna while we were tailing you, and we were prepared

to prevent it ourselves, but evidently you didn't require assistance. You

kept Alabasta out of Crocodile's hands, and for that we're grateful." He

handed Luffy a piece of paper with a number written on it. "We won't be

able to commit a force to aid you, but something tells me you wouldn't

want us to anyway. Still, if you ever need anything, just call."

Luffy thought for a moment. "Actually, I do have a question. Has my

brother found you guys yet?"

Mavric raised an eyebrow. "Brother? I wasn't aware-"

"Not by blood. You know Portgas D. Ace right?"

"Firefist? I don't know him, but I know of him. Indeed, he was turning

over stones trying to find us. The boss wanted to know what a

Whitebeard commander wanted with us, so he's having our second in

command meet with him."

Luffy's eyes widened. "Second in command? So he's meeting with-" He

stopped suddenly, realizing what he'd just implied. To his right, Zoro

palmed his face in frustration, while Mavric just stared at him wide-eyed

before breaking out into a triumphant grin.

"And then there's the fact that you know who our second in command is!

On one hand, that's a massive blow to our pride. On the other

hand...jackpot!"

Luffy glared at him, and he fell to his knees again.

In a local restaurant

Most of the customers in the establishment were losing their appetites as

they watched a girl with pink hair and purple eyes stuff her face,

emptying out the restaurant's stock of food in the process. Next to her lay

the bodies of multiple unconscious men.

"Damn, is she still eating?" one of the waiters asked quietly as he watched

the scene in front of him.

"Yea, and that's the third bounty head she's knocked out," another

whispered. "Just don't piss her off, whatever you do. Rumor has it that

girl has a bounty of 70 million."

"Hey, are you serious? That's even higher than Bellamy's! Who is she

anyway?"

"They call her the Glutton…" he began, before getting hit in the head by

a thrown plate.

"Hey, stop whispering about me over there! Go get me some more pizza

before I eat you instead, you useless dipshits!" The waiters scrambled to

do as they were told so as to not incur the wanted pirate's wrath.

"Captain!" a man shouted as he ran into the bar, panting. "It's the guy

you've been looking for, he's here in town! Their ship is docked at the

coast!"

"Dammit! I haven't finished my meal yet!" the girl shouted. "But

whatever. I found you, Strawhat Luffy!"

A/N: A few of you guessed correctly that the guy from last chapter was a

revolutionary. Care to guess who this person is? (If you can't, you're

either thinking too hard or not thinking at all.)

39. Small Ripples, Big Waves

A notice to all: Now that I'm back in school, my updates will most likely

be less frequent than have been recently. Even this chapter's upload was

affected by the move-in to my dorm. Just wanted to give you guys a

heads up.

People who are asking how Luffy was in the sea in chapter 37 need to go

back and read/watch the manga/anime. Usopp made them diving suits!

Out of barrels!

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Chapter XXXIX: Small Ripples, Big Waves

Zoro took a long swig of his sake and motioned for the bartender to pour

him some more. Luffy sat beside him, his drink untouched. One thing

Zoro had noticed about Luffy was that he never drank alcohol unless he

was happy or wanted to celebrate something. He didn't drink for the sake

of forgetting his problems, or even getting drunk (which, with his body's

metabolism and general disregard for realistic human biology, he could

barely do anyway). In this way he was the polar opposite of the average

binge drinker. To Luffy, alcohol was in equal parts a symbol of the pirate

life, a medium for his friendly rivalry with his first mate, and a fun way

to let go during a party. But never was it an escape from his troubles.

So when Luffy left his drink untouched, it was hard for Zoro not to miss

that he wasn't in the best of moods. The unsettled feelings rolling off him

in waves, which were not missed by the swordsman's passive observation,

also made it abundantly clear. He sighed before turning to his captain.

"There's no point dwelling on it you know. Until we meet up with Robin,

we won't even know if he's been here, much less where he's going." Luffy

nodded, but he was still disheartened.

"I'm just worried. I know things won't turn out like last time - we won't

let them - but the fact that the bastard is still out there doesn't help

anything."

Zoro stared at him curiously. "What would you have done if he was here?

Provoked him?"

Luffy shrugged. "There would be no need. You know what position he's

after. If we were both on the island, he would have aimed for me the first

opportunity he got." He clenched his fist. "But there goes that plan."

Zoro thought for a moment. "Still, there aren't that many bounty heads

which would guarantee him that position in these seas, and unless Ace

confronts him, which he told us he wouldn't yet, I doubt he'll be able to

make his move at this point. I don't know why he's not here, but most

likely, you're still his prime target."

Luffy thought about the logic for a moment. He agreed with it, but he

still couldn't shake the unfounded apprehension in his gut. He sighed and

resolved to stop worrying so much. It wasn't really his style.

"But even if it doesn't go as planned," Zoro continued, "We'll prevent the

worst of it. If it somehow escalates to that point, we'll follow him to

Marineford if we have to." He looked at Luffy meaningfully. "All of us."

Luffy couldn't help but smile. He picked up his glass. "In the meantime,

let's make sure it doesn't," he said before chugging. He was admittedly in

a much better mood after that reassurance. Even if the scars on his body

had disappeared once he had come to the past, the scars on his mind

would always linger to an extent. He didn't want to storm Marineford

again, and he didn't think he would have to, but if it absolutely came

down to it, he would, and the thought that he wouldn't be alone was

welcoming.

Luffy and Zoro heard the sound of the bar doors opening behind them,

accompanied by the feeling of a stronger than average aura walking in.

That alone usually wouldn't make them bat an eye. It was the fact that

they instantly recognized the presence that caught them off guard. They

shared a glance, both asking each other the same question. Was she here

last time?

Luffy fought the urge to turn around in his seat and instead waited as she

walked up to the counter and sat down on the stool next to him.

"Bartender! I'll have a glass of wine over here," the familiar voice spoke.

Luffy snuck a glance at her, and was assaulted by memories that almost

made him recoil in guilt as he met her inquisitive eyes.

Luffy sat in front of Ace's grave for the first time. He had never gotten a

chance to pay him a proper visit, and the fact that he was finally getting that

chance when the encounter with his late brother's betrayer was likely days

away was fitting in the most twisted of ways.

It was the calm before the storm.

Beside him, Jewelry Bonney sat in silence as she payed her own respects. She

hadn't known Ace for that long, but Luffy could still feel the overwhelming

grief radiating from her. After what seemed like hours, Luffy stood up, and

Bonney slowly did the same as she wiped a few stray tears from her eyes.

"We have to go," Luffy said somberly. She simply nodded.

"Give that bastard hell, Strawhat," she said with conviction.

Luffy looked at her carefully. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know you wanted to go

after him too."

Bonney shrugged nonchalantly, although Luffy could see the disappointment in

her eyes. "Can't be helped. Trafalgar's taking heavy heat. One of us has to

back him up, and I have no delusions of my crew taking on Blackbeard alone."

Her voice was bitter as she said that. She had learned her lesson the last time,

and the Yonko crew had gotten far too powerful since then. Still, if Luffy

didn't have just as much business with Blackbeard, if not more, than she did,

she'd probably be throwing a fit about these arrangements. "Still, I didn't think

the remnants of two defeated Yonko crews would band together just to take

you down. Big Mom's remaining followers seem relentless."

"That's only natural after I killed their Captain," Luffy said quietly.

Bonney looked at him in slight annoyance. "Will you stop acting guilty? That

bitch killed Jinbe. Did you forget?"

"No," Luffy whispered. Jinbe's death was still fresh in his mind, as was their

most recent loss. "Ace, Jinbe, and now Marco. I wasn't supposed to let this

happen."

"You can't be everywhere at once," Bonney argued. "If you guys hadn't helped

us with Big Mom, I'd have bitten the dust. Count your blessings, not your

failures." That made Luffy smile. The third member of their alliance had just

unwittingly paraphrased the words Jinbe had spoken to him at his darkest

hour. "If it enrages you so much, channel that fury and unleash it onto your

enemies. I've seen you do it before," she continued.

"And I'll do it again," Luffy said.

Bonney looked at him worriedly. Her eyes were uncharacteristically soft. "But

keep an eye out, Strawhat. I have a bad feeling about this one," she said.

"I'd be surprised if you didn't. It's Blackbeard." Luffy replied. Bonney could

only nod.

"The balance of power in the world is shifting rapidly. There's no telling what

could happen. Just...be careful, alright?" she requested.

Luffy looked at her and smiled. "I'll be coming back, Bonney. You just make

sure Trafalguy does the same."

So many broken promises.

Luffy was broken out of his memories as Bonney spoke. "So you're

Strawhat," she mused. "You know, for some reason I thought you'd be

taller. You sure don't look like someone who could beat Crocodile," she

muttered.

Luffy recovered quickly and smiled in good nature. "Looks can be

deceiving. Croc learned that the hard way." Around them, murmurings of

disbelief were breaking out in the bar. Whispers of "THE Strawhat," and

"outrageous rookie" were abundant.

Bonney hummed. "If you say so. I still say it was a fluke."

Luffy simply smiled wider in response to the obvious taunt. "It's hard to

fluke your way to victory over a New World veteran, though I'd be the

first to admit that it's not impossible. Anyway, you're free to believe

whatever you want."

Bonney huffed. "Not gonna rise to the bait? I wanted to see if you really

earned that huge bounty of yours."

Luffy scratched his head. "Huge bounty huh? I still haven't gotten a

chance to see the posters, so don't tell me."

Bonney raised an eyebrow before pulling out three posters and handing

them to Luffy, who took them and looked in interest along with Zoro.

Sanji had gotten a bounty early this time, Zoro's was higher than last

time, and his own most likely put the other future supernova's to shame.

Still, from the numbers he could surmise that the defeat of the three vice

admirals had been covered up.

"Looks about right," Zoro said with a grin. Luffy on the other hand, raised

an eyebrow.

"Have you been searching for us by any chance?"

Bonney shrugged. "Maybe a little," she admitted. Luffy inwardly laughed.

Yea, only so much that you altered your course.

"So then what can I do for you?" he asked.

Bonney grinned. "Fight me," she said. Luffy stared at her quizzically.

"Huh?"

"You heard me. To be honest, I don't really care that much that you beat

Crocodile. But that didn't even make the headline. Somehow, you got

Whitebeard himself to acknowledge you. I want to know what that old

man was thinking."

"Ah, so that's it," Luffy said. Bonney had always looked up to the

Whitebeard pirates. He wasn't that surprised that her curiosity had gotten

the better of her. "Ok then. I guess I'll fight you."

"Not in here you won't," the bartender said. "Take it outside, will you?"

As the two made their way out of the bar, Zoro following lazily behind,

Luffy noticed another aura outside. Oh great, another one.

"Hope you're ready," Bonney said once they got outside. "I won't take it

easy on you."

"I'd be insulted if you did," Luffy replied with his hands in his pockets.

Before they could begin, however, the presence that Luffy had noticed

earlier shot towards him from within the crowd. Luffy moved his body

out of the way as Bellamy passed by him, his momentum enhanced by his

devil fruit. The pirate landed on the other side of him and turned to face

him again. Bonney looked annoyed that they'd been interrupted.

"Who the hell are you, asshole!?" she shouted. "We were in the middle of

something!" Bellamy looked at her in disinterest.

"Shut it, bitch. I have no interest in you," he said. Bonney's eye twitched,

and she glared at him darkly. Luffy got the distinct feeling that Bellamy

would be crippled for life if he didn't intervene in...whatever this was.

"Since you attacked me, I assume I'm the one you're after," Luffy said.

"Can we just hurry this up? I have places to be. Like Sky Island, for

instance." His words silenced the crowd. He heard the sound of poorly

suppressed giggles from some of those watching, but payed in no mind.

Bellamy was staring at him like he'd just told the funniest joke known to

man. Even Bonney looked slightly amused, although she didn't laugh at

him.

"Oh, that's rich! You really believe in that children's tale? I was curious to

know what you were actually like, but this is just too much!" Bellamy

said, laughing.

Luffy looked at him in confusion. "Why are you acting like you know

me?" he asked. Bellamy grinned.

"It's hard to not hear any of the rumors circulating about Strawhat Luffy.

I wanted to know if they were true or not. But now that I've heard you

say that, I can tell it was all a load of bullshit. You're just another

hopeless dreamer! I'll enjoy crushing you. You see, I have a win streak

here, and it's not good for my reputation for some overly hyped rookie

punk like you to just come waltzing right in! For whatever reason, your

bounty is higher than mine, and I won't settle for second best!"

Bonney was now looking at Bellamy like he was some sort of annoying

insect that she was debating whether or not to squash, while Luffy stared

at him blankly. "Good thing you aren't second best then," he said. At the

look of confusion on Bellamy's face, Luffy elaborated. "Even if you don't

count my crew members, she's stronger than you," he said, pointing at

Bonney.

Bonney blinked, wondering how he could know that when they hadn't

fought yet. Bellamy on the other hand, grinned in amusement.

"I'm starting to think you got that bounty for pissing people off with your

bad jokes, kid." That was the last straw for Bonney, who promptly sent

him skidding across the pavement with a kick to the face.

Bellamy picked himself up and touched the side of his face, which was

covered in blood. His shock was quickly replaced by rage. "You'll pay for

that one, bitch!" he shouted, turning his legs into springs. "Spring Snipe!"

Bonney rolled out of the way as he launched by her. This seemed to

infuriate him more as he skidded to a stop, before launching himself

towards the nearest building, pushing off, and then bounding off the

ground again. He was soon bouncing off the walls and ground at every

turn, gaining momentum quickly. Realizing what he was about to do,

Bonney just smirked and raised her fist in the air. "Spring Hopper!" he

yelled as he rocketed towards her.

Faster than either of them could see, Luffy jumped in between the two,

catching Bonney off guard, and planted his fist into Bellamy's face as he

came. The spring man's body was imbedded into the pavement below,

and he had a fist shaped imprint on the side of his face that hadn't

already been damaged.

"Come back and try again when your ambition is stronger," Luffy said. He

hadn't used any haki and had held back immensely so as to not cause any

permanent damage, but it was still enough to send Bellamy into

unconsciousness after he heard the words.

Bonney stared at him incredulously, surprised by not only his speed but

his audacity. "What the hell, moron!? I wanted to do that!" she screamed.

"You took too long," Luffy replied. "Now where were we?"

"I was about to kick your ass," Bonney growled.

"Oh that's right. You were about to try," Luffy responded. "Whenever

you're ready."

Bonney didn't hesitate and aimed a roundhouse kick at Luffy's face,

which he didn't bother dodging. She looked slightly dumbfounded as he

didn't even budge.

As expected, she hit much harder in the future, Luffy thought as he

remembered their first encounter in the New World. Bonney soon

recovered from the no sell and aimed a jab at his face, which he casually

leaned his head out of the way to avoid. That led her to launch into a

furious combo of punches and kicks, the speed and power of which could

have rivaled Sanji. Nevertheless, his body seemed to flow around the

attacks like water. Luffy caught her fist in his hand on the last strike, but

soon let go and jumped back upon feeling a familiar sensation stemming

from her arm, as well as the intent of what she was about to do. She

stared at him in speculation.

"You knew exactly what I was about to do," she stated in an accusing

tone.

"That's not true," Luffy defended. "Whether you were trying to increase

my age or lower it, I can only guess." This caused a tick to develop over

her eye.

"You knew about me beforehand," she grumbled, as if it was breaking

some sort of rule. Luffy couldn't stifle a laugh at the irony. If only she

knew...

Zoro was grinning in amusement as well as he watched the skirmish, and

this only left Bonney more indignant, causing her to charge recklessly at

Luffy. In a flash, he was behind her. She let out a startled gasp as her arm

was pulled behind her back and she was pinned to the ground.

"Give up yet?" Luffy asked while she attempted to wriggle free with

limited success.

"You wish!" she yelled, before beginning to shrink before his eyes. In the

form of a child she had more room to maneuver herself into a position

where she could squirm free. Luffy jumped back again to avoid the next

barrage of kicks, but Bonney soon followed, reaching out to use her devil

fruit power again. Luffy avoided her hand and touched two fingers to her

forehead. Her eyes widened as she struggled to move but couldn't.

"What...the hell?" she said out loud.

"You have strong will, but you haven't learned to make use of it yet,"

Luffy said, before pushing her backwards. "You lost this time."

Bonney looked like she might try again as she regained control of herself,

but instead took a deep breath. "Ok, so maybe it wasn't a complete fluke,"

she grumbled. "I guess Whitebeard would know what he was doing."

"Well thanks," Luffy replied. "But it was Ace who recommended me."

Bonney looked surprised. "You know Ace?" she asked curiously.

"He's my older brother," Luffy affirmed. It took a while for her to process

that before her eyes widened.

"You're Ace's brother!?"

So she already knows him. He nodded in confirmation. When her shock

subsided, she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Funny. He didn't mention you," she said.

"When did you meet him?" Luffy asked in interest. He thought he saw the

faintest tinge of red on her cheeks.

"Just a few days ago," she responded with a slightly sheepish tone.

"Well that makes sense," Luffy said. "I met up with him in Alabasta, but

he didn't mention you either. I guess you two met after that." He smiled.

"And he was probably getting back at me for not mentioning him to my

crew." He heard Zoro stifle a laugh.

Bonney paused for a moment. "Just out of curiosity, do you know if

he's…" she trailed off.

Luffy stared at her in confusion. "If he's what?" he asked dumbly. The red

on her face seemed to intensify.

"Um...it's not important. Never mind." She paused awkwardly. "So...what

did you mean when you said you were going to Sky Island?" she asked,

trying to change the subject. "Isn't that place a myth?"

"No way!" Luffy said assertively. "It has to be real because I say it is!"

"That makes no sense."

"No really! I know this guy who's been there once!"

"Right. And I'm the Pirate Empress."

"I know her too!"

"Of course you do."

Luffy glared at her childishly. He had yet to tell a single lie. With a pout,

he turned and walked away. She glared after him.

"Where are you going?" she asked as Zoro followed him.

"To the sky!" he yelled determinedly. As he walked along with his first

mate, Zoro sighed.

"Well she's exactly the same," he commented.

"Yea. Just as hotheaded as ever," Luffy replied.

"That wasn't quite what I meant. She feels the same way towards Ace. I

guess some things don't change."

Luffy stared at him quizzically. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Zoro sighed again.

"You can't be serious," the swordsman deadpanned.

Luffy stared at him. "Bonney and...and Ace?"

"I'll tell you when you're older," was all he said. Luffy grew annoyed.

"You're not that much older than me!" he objected. "And you don't know

anything about relationships either!"

Zoro scoffed. "There's a difference between ignoring something because

it's distracting and being completely oblivious to it."

Luffy smirked. "You're right. I ignored Hancock's marriage proposals for

two years because they were distracting, while you have a fetish for long

and pointy things."

A crowd gathered around as the two started brawling in the middle of the

street.

When Luffy and Zoro got back to the ship, everyone was already there.

They were surprised to see them both covered in dirt and light bruises.

"What the hell happened to you two?" Nami asked. They pointed at each

other.

"He was being an idiot," they said simultaneously. Nami shook her head.

"Whatever. We're all good for supplies, so we can leave at any time," she

said. Hearing this, Luffy turned to Robin, who already knew what he was

going to ask.

"Sorry, Captain-san. There was no information on a man named

Blackbeard. It seems he hasn't been through here." Luffy nodded. He'd

expected as much.

"Alright," he said, turning to Masira. "Let's go meet this Cricket guy then."

As the Strawhats rose anchor, Luffy thought about what Teach's absence

could mean. Although he'd expected it from the beginning, it was quickly

becoming apparent that the changes made to this timeline would not all

be according to his own intentions. He didn't really mind that to be

honest. Some things would just be too boring if he knew exactly what

was going to happen. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what had

changed in this case. Meeting Bonney early had made him realize that

any small ripple could become a big wave and throw off the course.

There could be a multitude of reasons why Blackbeard would change his

course from Mock town. Like the log picking up on another magnetic

field. Like another bounty head catching his interest, or inversely…

Like losing interest in the bounty head that led him to Jaya in the first

place, for fear of pissing off a certain Yonko even more if he took it.

The alliance.

A/N: Ah, the butterfly of doom. It had to rear it's head eventually. Tell

me what you thought, as usual. Lost out.

40. Knocking on Heaven's Gates

Hey, I'm back! Despite the fact that I can't hear it across the internet, I

will nevertheless take immense pride in the chorus of applause that is no

doubt taking place around the globe as a result of my glorious return.

Hey...hey does anyone have an ice pack? My entire head is swelling for

some reason.

Delusions of grandeur aside, I do hope you enjoy the 40th chapter of

Second Wind. Now that I've gotten this far, I've been brainstorming

something special I could do for chapter 50. After much thought, I

decided on an omake, which depicts an alternate version of events during

the Baroque Works saga, and how it would have played out had they

followed canon more closely. After much more thought, I decided to

forgo the formalities and simply post it this chapter, partially because I'm

not good at waiting. Like, at all.

But you guys probably won't judge me for that, since you get 150,000

words of content in 7 months as a result. Now without further ado, I

present to you, my wonderful world of Peggy Sue.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Alabasta Omake: Mr Prince

Luffy twitched in agitation in the face of the situation he was currently

in. He was trapped in a cell surrounded by seastone at all sides. He had

considered using geppou to get out, but the ceiling was seastone was

well. How troublesome. On the other side of the bars stood none other

than Crocodile, and on the inside sat Smoker, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and

himself. The fact that they were all in this cage again was extremely

frustrating. From Zoro's annoyed expression, he could tell that they were

both thinking the same thing. How the fuck are we here right now? It was

ridiculous. The chances of them ending up in this situation again were

lower than the chances of either one of them losing to Croc in a fight.

Usopp hummed thoughtfully. "A most cunning plan indeed," he said with

his arms crossed.

"My ass," Luffy mumbled.

"I think you're hardly one to refute that claim Strawhat, seeing as you fell

for it," Smoker pointed out. Luffy turned to him with an outraged

expression.

"Like I give a shit what you think! You're the reason we're in this stupid

situation, Smokey!"

"Stop calling me that!" Smoker shouted.

"No!" Luffy yelled stubbornly. "Go get high on your smoke somewhere

else, you stupid cloud! Why do you even smoke two cigars!? It makes no

sense! If you weren't a smoke logia your lungs would be tumors by now!"

he ranted. "Fucking White Blunder!" He stopped and caught his breath.

"You done?" Smoker asked emotionlessly.

"Yea…" Luffy said, taking a deep breath and exhaling. "Yea, I'm done."

"Let's not fight amongst ourselves," came the smug voice of Crocodile. "As

prisoners doomed to the same fate, you should make peace with each

other. Hell, you could even-"

"And you!" Luffy shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Crocodile. "Stop

being such a Croc! Always walking around with your I'm such a Croc

attitude! It's annoying!" Crocodile looked extremely amused by the fact

that his prisoner was shouting at him.

It was then that Robin walked in with a captive Vivi and set her down on

the chair in the middle of the room. Crocodile welcomed her and finally

explained his plan to her, smirking all the while, just to upset her. It was

working. "Wipe that shit eating grin off your face, Sandman," Luffy said.

"This was a complete and utter fluke! The chances of this plan of yours

actually working were less than the chances of you actually getting a hit

in on Whitebeard!" Crocodile was seething at this comment, but Robin

spoke up before he could retaliate.

"Doesn't that just make you look even more foolish, Monkey-san?" she

asked.

"And you," he said, pointing at her with a pout. "Stop being mean, Robin."

She sighed. "Will you stop calling me that?"

"No!" he yelled stubbornly.

"You know, I find it amusing how you go along with your antics as if the

threat of death doesn't even concern you," she said. "Perhaps you're a

little oblivious to the situation you're in? One could even say you're on

the losing side of this game," she said with a smile. Luffy developed a tic

over his eye at this comment, but then took a deep breath and sat down.

"Fifteen minutes," he said simply. They both looked at him in confusion.

"I give you fifteen minutes at most, and then we're out of here." Zoro

smirked at his wellfound confidence.

"What kind of nonsense are you spewing?" Crocodile asked with an

annoyed expression. Evidently he was still irked about the Whitebeard

comment. Luffy just looked at Robin.

"Fifteen minutes," he repeated. "Set your watch." Robin raised an eyebrow

and checked the exact time just to humor him, smiling all the while.

Crocodile seemed even more annoyed by this act, but then he just smiled

as well.

"If you plan on getting out of here, I suppose you'll need this, now won't

you," he said, holding up a gold key. Luffy looked at it indifferently, and

Crocodile threw it into the water through a trap door. Vivi looked on in

horror as a Bananadile swallowed it. She frantically relayed this news to

the rest of them, and Crocodile laughed again. "I guess you'll have to

choose, Princess. Your country, or these pirates." He pressed a switch,

and water started flooding out from a larger trap door into the room,

reminding them that they were underwater.

Soon, a Bananadile crawled out of the tank, baring it's fangs at Vivi. Vivi

seemed to be getting ready to defend herself as it made her way towards

it, but then it stopped. Vivi looked confused as the beast turned towards

the cage with wide eyes, as if there was something there that had caught

its attention. Crocodile and Robin of course noticed, and the former

frowned at the lack of human consumption. But then he shrugged and

started walking away, and Robin followed. Before they could leave

however, the ringing of a transponder snail made itself known. Crocodile

frowned again, not expecting a report, as Robin answered it.

"Hello?" she greeted.

"Hello? Hello," a voice which the Strawhats all recognized came. "Is this

thing on? I've never used one of these mini ones before..."

"Yes, I can hear you just fine," Robin said. "Are you one of the Millions or

Billions?"

"Yea, sure, let's go with that," the voice said, not indicating which one.

Crocodile grew impatient.

"Do you have a report to make? Spit it out already," he said.

"Ah, now this voice I recognize," the voice said. "Hello, you've reached

the shitty restaurant."

Crocodile immediately understood who he was talking too, and his

expression darkened. "Who the hell are you," he growled.

"Oh, me? Well, I don't feel inclined to tell you my real name," the voice

said. "But all things considered, I think I'll go with...Mr. Prince."

"Fine then, Mr. Prince, where are you right now?" Crocodile asked in a

harsh tone.

"I don't feel inclined to tell you that either, now that you mention it."

"Yo Prince!" Luffy shouted. "We're in a bit of a bind! Mind getting your

ass over here?"

"Hmm, that voice sounds familiar too. Alright Sir Crocodile, tell him I'll

be there in a-"

Suddenly something that sounded like a gunshot came from the other

end of the line. Everyone stiffened as the silence became oppressive.

Then, another voice came over the transponder snail. "Hello, is this Mr.

0? Billions agent reporting in. I've just apprehended our attacker in front

of Rain Dinner's. He was a tough bastard, but I finally got him."

Usopp and Nami went into full on panic mode at those words, but Luffy

and Zoro just wore satisfied grins, leaving Smoker to look at them in

suspicion. He kept silent though.

Crocodile strode out of the room followed by Robin, determined to satisfy

his vindictive urge to impale something. Luffy watched until they were

gone, then turned to Vivi. "Vivi, follow after them but stay in the casino.

Sanji isn't the type to lose to cannon fodder." Vivi's eyes widened,

realizing what he was implying. She glanced nervously at the

Bananadiles that were accumulating in the room, but none of them made

a move against her. They were all just staring at the cage hesitantly. She

ran up the stairs and out of the room.

Crocodile and Robin looked at the scene before them, one in fury, and

the other in wonder. Crocodile turned to one of the few Millions who was

still awake. "Who the hell did this?" he asked quietly. "M-Mr-P-Prince…"

he managed before passing out. Crocodile's expression turned murderous

as he saw a tall, well built man watching them from afar. The man

dashed away, and Crocodile glided after him in rage. Robin stared after

them. Something about this just didn't feel right to her.

Back in the flooding room, Nami and Usopp were still panicking. They

rounded on Luffy and Zoro. "Why the hell are you two so calm!?" Usopp

shouted.

"In case you haven't noticed, we're all about to drown!" Nami added.

Luffy ignored them, seemingly lost in his own world.

"First, I'll shove that cigar down his throat," he said to himself. "Then I'll

rip that hook off his arm and hit him with it repeatedly. And then I'll…"

He was interrupted by Smoker, who spoke up for the first time in a while.

"Strawhat. How much do you know about Crocodile's plan?" he asked

slowly.

Luffy stared at him. "Enough," he said simply.

"That woman who was with him has been on the run from the

government for 20 years," Smoker continued. "She has a bounty of 70

million, if I remember correctly."

"79 million," Luffy corrected. Nami and Usopp looked shocked at this.

"From the moment those two joined forces, this became something much

bigger than a plot to overthrow a nation. If left alone, this situation could

develop into a global catastrophe. That woman is dangerous," Smoker

said.

Luffy stared at him for a long while before turning away. "Do you believe

everything that stupid government of yours tells you?" he asked.

Smoker's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?" he asked.

"I just meant that you seemed smarter than that," Luffy said. "Rather than

just believing everything you're told, why don't you actually think for

yourself?"

Smoker seemed to actually contemplate this before they heard a voice

call out.

"Sorry guys. Did I keep you waiting?" Sanji asked as he stood in front of

the cage and blew out a puff of smoke. Vivi strolled behind him, panting

for breath.

"No, you're just in time," Zoro said with a satisfied smirk. Nami and

Usopp looked like they were about to cry at the very sight of him.

"Sanji," Luffy said. "I need you to make that Banana throw up," he said as

he pointed to the Bananadile on the far side of the room. Smoker turned

to him.

"Is something wrong with your ears, Strawhat? That one's growl is

wrong." Luffy shook his head.

"I doubt that was the real key Croc threw. He doesn't take any chances."

Smoker nodded at the logic, but was unconvinced.

"So then how will going after a different one help?"

"Anti Manner Kick Course." The Bananadile on the far side of the room

retched as it was thrown up into the air, and when it fell back down, it

vomited a large white ball. The ball cracked before it opened up like an

egg, and Mr. 3 hatched from it, breathing deeply.

"Finally!" he gasped. "I thought I was really gonna die!" He took long

gulps from the water until he was refreshed, and finally turned towards

the cage. His eyes widened. "Aaaaahhh! Strawhat!" he shouted.

"Yo! What's up 3? I need you to make a key to this lock so we can

escape." Mr. 3 slowly took in the situation they were in before smiling

deviously. "Oh? And why should I do such a thing?" he asked in a low

tone.

After Sanji explained to him through non-verbal means exactly why he

should do such a thing, leaving out the boring parts, Mr. 3 relented and

picked the lock using his powers. The cage door opened. "Oh, nice job

wax guy," Sanji complimented. Mr. 3 rubbed his head sheepishly before

he was knocked out by another one of Sanji's kicks.

"Thank you Sanji-kun! You're the best!" Nami shouted in relief. Sanji

grinned widely.

"I'll bet you're falling in love with me all over again, huh?" he said.

"Sure, whatever."

Crocodile made his way back into the room with Robin in stride. "So all

that was to lead me away from the room and buy them some time? As if

it matters," he said in an annoyed tone. "Even if they managed to get that

key, I have the real one with me."

"Oh, quite cunning," Robin commented. When they arrived back at the

room, Crocodile was greeted with the most infuriating sight his eyes had

ever been forced to perceive. The room was flooded, but the door to the

seastone cage was wide open. Mr. 3 was floating unconscious in the

middle of the room. Attached to his shirt was a piece of paper that read,

See ya later, shitty gater. -Mr. Prince...p.s. What's our time? Robin looked

down at her watch.

"14 minutes, 32 seconds," she said in a slightly awed tone. "And that's

including the time interval between their departure and our arrival," she

added analytically. Crocodile was barely listening though. The veins

bulged in his forehead and the key in his hand dropped to the floor.

Chapter XL: Knocking on Heaven's Gates

On the way to find Cricket, the Strawhats and their guide had run into

another monkey like man named Shoujou, who was introduced as

Masira's brother. For obvious reasons, the Strawhats were not surprised

by this, but a couple of them, namely Nami and Usopp, were wondering

if they were just supposed to accept the existence of monkey human

hybrids and move on. Not so surprisingly, that's what ended up

happening.

When Masira and Shoujou led them to their destination, most of the

Strawhats were taken aback by Cricket's house. That is, until they

realized that it was a cardboard cutout of a mansion, at which point, they

were even more baffled. The house seemed to be quite literally cut in

half, with the other half being nowhere in sight. When asked why the

house was like that, the Saruyama brothers replied that they honestly

didn't know; it had been like that since they had arrived and they had

never asked Cricket about it. At this point, Sanji was getting slightly

frustrated. He could have sworn he'd heard the name Montblanc before,

but he couldn't remember where. When he asked if this Cricket guy was

famous, Masira and Shoujou's eyes lit up in recognition.

"You must be talking about Cricket's ancestor, Montblanc Norland! He

was known by the world as a famous liar!" Hearing the description

jogged Sanji's memory, and he recalled the tale of the man he had heard

growing up in North Blue. The crew was surprised by this, seeing as

they'd assumed he was born in East Blue. Sanji was not the suspicious

type, but he couldn't help but sneak a subtle glance at Luffy and Zoro,

and wasn't that surprised to see that neither of them had reacted to the

revelation of his origins. Curious. Unknown to him, Robin, who was very

much the suspicious type, had done much the same thing. The two didn't

seem to notice, and the moment passed when attention shifted back to

the Saruyama brothers, who explained the story of Montblanc Norland,

and how he had died maintaining that the City of Gold must have sunken

into the sea as a result of a severe earthquake.

"But I'm telling you, Norland wasn't a liar!" Masira shouted with passion

once they finished recounting the tale. Shoujou quickly agreed with him,

telling the Strawhats about everything that Cricket had found diving to

the ocean floor. The two were very enthusiastic about proving the

existence of the City of Gold.

"So is that why Cricket dives every day?" Usopp asked. "To prove his

ancestor's innocence?"

"Actually, Cricket doesn't believe one way or another," Shoujou

responded. "He says he does it because he wants to come to terms with

his lineage. He says that whether or not Norland lied, he just wants to be

sure one way or another."

"And we'll support him to the end no matter what happens!" Masira

added. "I know it exists though! I can feel it in my bones!"

It was then that a figure emerged from the sea and climbed onto the

island. Upon catching sight of the Strawhats, the man tensed up, but once

he saw Masira and Shoujou, he visibly relaxed.

"What? You two brought guests? Who are these people?" the man who

was presumably Cricket asked indifferently.

"Boss!" Masira shouted. "These guys are trying to get to Sky Island! Since

they're good people, I thought we should help them!" This caused Cricket

to raise an eyebrow as a ghost of a smile crossed his lips.

"Sky Island huh? What a bunch of fools...then again, I'm not really one to

talk."

"So can you get us there?" Usopp asked hopefully. "We need to get there

before our log adapts to this island."

"Well, I myself am not sure if it exists," Cricket replied. "But if it does, I

know a way you can potentially get there." Cricket explained the natural

disaster that was the knock-up stream, from its mechanics, to its

frequency, to its tendency to occur in different parts of the ocean. "If you

want to get to the sky, that's the way to do it. But if Sky Island really is

just a legend, you will fall back to the sea and die," he said. "The key to

this is timing. Above these seas there is a cloud called Millennium

Cumulonimbus. It is, for all intents and purposes, a liquid cloud. The

chemistry behind its formation is unknown since no one has been able to

sample it, but what we do know is that it's a form of water less dense

than air that retains the ability to support buoyant solids. This is the

theory that accounts for the possibility of an island in the sky."

Luffy hummed. "So in other words, it's a-"

"Do not say mystery cloud," Nami interrupted.

"...I'm still gonna think it," Luffy said defiantly, before turning to Cricket.

"Hey, Diamond-head-ossan, did you say this knock up stream happens in

different parts of the sea?" Cricket nodded in confirmation, and Luffy

leaned back against the ground, getting comfortable. "And how powerful

is it?"

"Like I said, it's a natural disaster," Cricket said. "But it's more powerful

than almost any earthquake. You'd be knocking on the door to the

heavens if you actually plan on riding it."

Luffy smirked. "So let's say, one day, the knock up stream happened to

occur underneath the island of Jaya…like, I don't know, maybe 400 years

ago?"

Cricket's cigarette dropped from his mouth as he heard those words. His

eyes were wide, and his entire body was tensed up. Around him, the

entire room was silent as the rest of its occupants absorbed the implied

meaning behind the words. Cricket himself was speechless. "Holy…" he

trailed off, and raised a hand to his head. "That's...quite the theory kid."

He paused for a moment. "For so long, I've been searching the ocean

floor. All this time, I never even thought…and it explains so much. Why I

never even found a trace of the other half of the island. Why the sky

completely darkens under the Millennium Cumulonimbus. Even why this

damn house that I found was cut in half!"

The Strawhats were looking at their captain in surprise. There it was,

another of his amazing insights coming out of left field. Could what he

was implying really be true?

"Wait a minute!" Nami yelled suddenly. "If Luffy's theory is true, that

means there's a city full of gold where we're going!"

Luffy sweatdropped. "Well, yea…"

Nami's eyes morphed into beli symbols as the other Stawhats watched in

exasperation.

"Why did Nami's eyes change?" Chopper asked innocently.

"Because the eyes reflect the soul, and Nami is really greedy," Usopp

replied, only to get kicked by Sanji. Robin giggled in amusement as the

two started bickering.

"Well this works out perfectly," Luffy said suddenly. "Diamond-head-

ossan, if you show us the way to Sky Island, we'll find a way to signal you

if we find the City of Gold."

Cricket's face now morphed into a wide grin. "Well aren't you the

thoughtful one? Even after I already agreed to get you there. Fine, you've

got a deal kid. Wait here." He walked into the house, and after a short

while, came back out with a small gold ornament in his hand. It looked

just like a bell made of pure gold. "This is one of the many pieces of

evidence I found on my trips to the ocean floor. In Norland's log, he

mentioned a giant golden bell, the ringing of which would echo

throughout the seas. If you find the city of gold, ring that bell, and we

should be able to hear it even from down here. That'll be all the proof I

need."

"A golden bell huh?" Luffy said, reminiscing. "Sounds interesting. I'll be

sure to ring it!" The two shook hands, and the agreement was set.

After that Cricket went through the details of the plan to get them to

their destination. The knockup stream would connect the sea to the sky

at noon the next day. Until then, they Saruyama brothers would work on

remodeling their ship so it could reach the sky, and then at morning

they'd set sail and position their ship above he knockup stream, directly

south of Jaya. At that point, Zoro spoke up.

"How are we going to get there though?" he asked. "The log can't take us

to a destination without a magnetic field." Cricket perked up in

realization upon hearing this, and told them to wait while he ran into the

house again. Meanwhile, the other Strawhats excluding Luffy and Robin

were giving Zoro a wide berth. Zoro looked puzzled by their behavior.

"What?" he asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

"You...you're thinking ahead when it comes to navigation now?" Nami

asked incredulously.

"I wouldn't have guessed that you knew how a regular compass works,

much less a log pose," Usopp mused.

"What have you done with that shitty swordsman?" Sanji mumbled.

"Give Zoro back you asshole!" Chopper shouted.

Zoro began sputtering indignantly. "Of course I...I'm not...I mean I am...!"

Sanji peered at Zoro closely. "His aura feels like the shitty marimo. Then

again, I'm still pretty new at this…"

"I'm not the shitty marimo!" Zoro shouted, annoyed that his nickname

from his previous life seemed to be catching on again somehow.

Usopp pointed at Zoro in accusation. "Aha! A confession! So you really

aren't Zoro!"

Zoro turned to Usopp menacingly, causing him to gulp in fear. "Usopp,"

he said in a low tone. "One more word, and I'm going to cut off your

defining appendage." The other male Strawhats paled upon hearing this,

but none more than the sniper himself, who fell back onto the grass and

covered his face with his hands.

"No! Not the nose! Anything but that!" Now the crew looked at Usopp in

equal parts bewilderment and amusement.

"Usopp," Sanji said carefully, his lips quirking into a barely restrained

smile. "I don't think that's what he-"

"Zoro!" Chopper shouted in interruption. "How could you threaten to cut

off Usopp's nose! Are you really an imposter!?"

Zoro groaned, while Nami and Robin failed to suppress their laughter,

and Luffy didn't even try.

Cricket, who had already gotten back, cleared his throat. "If you're

done…" The laughter slowly died down and Luffy nodded at Cricket.

"Alright then. This is what's called a southbird," the man said, holding up

a golden model of a rather odd bird. "They have the ingrained instinctual

habit of always pointing their heads to the south. You need to capture

one of these so it can guide you to the knock up stream. They can be

found in the forests of Jaya."

With a plan finally in mind, the Strawhats made their way into the forest

to find a southbird while Masira and Shoujou got to work on the Going

Merry. This time tomorrow, they'd be knocking on heaven's gates one

way or another.

Ace twitched in agitation as another haki imbued sword slash assaulted

him, only to phase through his body again as the injured vice admiral's

armaments was cancelled out by his own. "Like I said..." he muttered in

annoyance in between swipes. "I'm not here..." he charged up a fire first

in less than a second, and unleashed it onto the outmatched marine. "To

pick a fight!" His actions seemed to contradict his words in that moment

as the charred form of Vice Admiral Comil crashed through the walls of

the marine branch that Ace had infiltrated. He didn't get up this time.

"What an annoying bastard," Ace muttered. "Then again, I'm not much

better. Go to the G2 branch I said. They could have intel on the

revolutionaries I said. They might not even recognize me I said. Seriously,

when did I start acting like Luffy?"

He sat down on the floor to think for a minute, wondering how he was

going to find who he was looking for, and what he was going to do when

he did. He thought back to what Luffy had told him in Alabasta. He won't

remember you right away. You'll have to jog his memories. Well, how was he

supposed to do that? He doubted it would be as simple as saying, 'Hey,

it's me Ace, your long lost brother. Hurry up and remember!' He sighed.

This was all becoming very troublesome. At least Luffy's journey was

going well, highest bounty among the rookies of his generation and all...

Suddenly, Ace's head perked up as he felt a powerful aura approaching. It

was much stronger than the vice admiral's. In fact...it rivaled his own.

Who did the marines send? He could have sworn he cut off their

communications once they caught wind of his infiltration. He slowly got

up and made his way out of the ruined building, ignoring the

unconscious marines everywhere, and prepared himself for a fight. When

he got outside, what he saw surprised him. There was a lone man in a

hooded black cloak walking towards him, but his intentions didn't seem

to be hostile. In fact, he seemed...curious? Relaxing his guard slightly,

Ace met him halfway. "If you're here to harass the marines, I'm afraid I

may have beaten you to it, revolutionary."

The man under the hood chuckled in good nature. "No...that's not why

I'm here. I just heard you were looking for us, and my curiosity got the

better of me."

Ace raised an eyebrow. "You're well informed. I actually have a

connection to someone in your ranks, and I was hoping to find them."

"Usually we'd know if one of our members was acquainted with a

Whitebeard commander, but I suppose I'll give you the benefit of the

doubt," the revolutionary said.

Ace grinned sheepishly. "So you know who I am. At least introduce

yourself then. Or should I just call you Hood-and-cloak guy?"

"Ah, my apologies." He removed his hood, and Ace's eyes widened to epic

proportions. "I am Sabo, the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff."

Ace's mind went blank for a moment, then...

What the actual fuck?

A/N: Yep, just gonna leave you hangin' off that cliff for now. Have fun

and don't fall! Lost out.

41. None Shall Pass

Welcome back everyone! I finally hit a thousand reviews, which is an

honorable landmark for any writer on this site. So thanks again for your

continued interests. Enjoy the next chapter of the Skypeia saga.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Chapter XLI: None Shall Pass

Sabo sat across from Firefist - no, Ace, he reminded himself - in silent

contemplation. He had a lot to take in. From being told stories of his past

that he he himself didn't remember, to finding out he had two

brothers...not by blood, but what did that matter when none of his

greater connections in life were not blood related to begin with? Just the

fact that he had family, whether by blood or otherwise, was more than he

could have claimed waking up in the morning. At first he was hard

pressed to believe everything he was being told, but it soon became

evident that Ace knew too much about the circumstances of his incident.

He knew he had lost his memories off the coast of Dawn Island. He knew

he'd been shipwrecked by the Celestial Dragons, information which only

the boss and some higher ups of the Revolutionary Army knew. But

above all, Sabo knew that the look of shock, nostalgia, and happiness that

finally settled onto Ace's face upon seeing his own had not been faked.

Not a day normally went by when Sabo didn't think about his life before

that incident. Now, he had some idea of what it had been like. He had

been conceived by nobles - oh, the irony - but had grown to despise the

suffocating lifestyle. He had met Ace in the Grey Terminal, and they had

dreamed of becoming pirates together. Later on they had met a boy

named Luffy, and eventually the three of them would become brothers

through spilling blood sweat and tears together. They had even

exchanged cups of sake. Even though he couldn't remember it, these

thoughts brought a warm feeling to his stomach that he couldn't quite

explain. It was as if his unconscious mind remembered...which, come to

think of it, it probably did. He was no expert on amnesia though.

Ace was giving him space, which he was grateful for, but he could tell

that the only thing the guy wanted to do at this moment was envelop him

in a bone crushing hug. From what he'd been told, he couldn't really

blame him. If he had lived for 10 years thinking his brother was dead

only to later find out that he was alive, he would be feeling sentimental

too. But for the life of him, he just couldn't remember. No matter how

much his thoughts would attempt to penetrate though the sea of

blackness that haunted his dreams, he could not recall anything prior to

the suffocating murky depths.

He was starting to think that an inability to breath, whether literal or

metaphorical, had been a defining trait of his previous life.

"Ace?" he spoke up. The flameman's head perked up at the sound of his

voice breaking the silence. "I'm glad I met you," Sabo said. "But I need

time to adjust. And I don't think I can be a pirate...not now."

Ace flashed him a grin. "Whatever you decide is fine with me, Sabo. I'm

just glad to have you back, even if you can't remember it all. Take all the

time you need."

Sabo grinned back. "Actually, there is one thing I'd like to ask."

"Anything," Ace replied.

"Do you think I could meet Luffy?"

"What the hell is wrong with this bird?" Nami screeched in frustration as

she ran from the forest's abnormal wildlife. The hunt for the southbird

was going smoothly…at least that's what Luffy would say. Said rubber

man was currently using his haki to tame any animal that he found

interesting while he left the rest of the crew to their own devices. If Nami

wasn't so busy running away from giant centipedes, she'd be giving him a

piece of her mind right about now. What was so funny anyway? Wasn't it

enough that she had a goddamn bird laughing at her? Why did Luffy

have to join in?

Robin was faring better, watching in amusement as everything unfolded

from atop a high branch of a tree she had cleverly scaled with her

powers. Of course, if it looked like anyone was going to get hurt, she was

ready to intervene, but somehow, she didn't feel the need at the moment.

It was just so funny.

The southbird had ambushed them. There was no other way to explain

their current predicament. She was mildly curious to know how smart

such birds would have to be to have known they were coming and

prepared for them. She giggled as Usopp scrambled up a tree himself in a

panic as he was chased by a man sized praying mantis. He may not have

her devil fruit ability, but no one could tell him he wasn't a good climber.

Sanji seemed to be the only one actually fighting right now, content in

protecting Nami from the animals that were assaulting her. Robin noted

with interest that he visibly cringed every time he kicked a giant insect.

Was he afraid of bugs? If he was, it seemed he was too devoted to his

chivalrous ways to care at the moment.

Chopper was the only one the various animals weren't trying to attack.

Robin guessed that they probably viewed humans as hostile but didn't

consider a talking bipedal reindeer a threat. The reindeer was attempting

to convince them not to harm the crew, but his pleas were being for the

most part ignored.

Every once in awhile one of them would sneak up behind Zoro, who was

leaning against a tree with his eyes closed. But then he would shoot them

a glare and they would scurry away to find a less intimidating target.

"Cho!" came the familiar yet strange call of the southbird, which Robin

instinctively knew was mocking them all. She looked out at the sun

through the trees and noted that it was setting. Seeing as they had a

deadline, it was probably intervention time. She closed her eyes and

focused on the area that the bird call had originated from, and sprouted

two eyes on a nearby tree. Seeing the bird, she sprouted two arms around

its body and gripped it before pushing it out of the tree. It fell onto the

ground below with a thud, struggling and cursing loudly in bird language

all the while.

Robin jumped down from the tree and calmly walked over to the bird

before picking it up. It glared at her, and she smiled apologetically back

at it. "Captain-san!" she called out. Luffy looked up from the mantis that

was being compelled to shake his hand. "The sun is getting low. We

might want to report back to Cricket-san soon."

Luffy pouted, but nonetheless nodded his head before releasing his haki.

Immediately all of the animals that he hadn't tamed dropped like rocks

into unconsciousness. Zoro yawned and got up, stretching his limbs. "So

quiet," he commented. "Is it time to go?"

"Yeah, they've had their fun. But we came here for a reason," Luffy said

with an infuriating smile. Nami walked up to him and predictably

bonked him over the head before grabbing him by the collar and shaking

him angrily.

"Why didn't you do that earlier, stupid captain!?"

"Because Nami! It's training! Survival trai-" he was cut off as her fist made

contact with his head again and he plummeted to the ground.

When the Strawhats arrived back at Cricket's home, they were in equal

parts impressed and puzzled by the new appearance of the Going Merry?

"Is it supposed to be a chicken?" Chopper asked in confusion.

"Who knows?" Usopp replied. "But Merry is still Merry. If she can fly now,

I'm not complaining."

As it turned out, they still had a few hours to kill before they had to set

sail for the knockup stream, so they ended up spending the morning

partying. When Luffy noticed that the southbird was pouting inside its

cage, he walked up to it and said he'd let it out if it promised not to fly

away. Much to everyone's surprise, it agreed, and much to their chagrin,

Luffy, the ever trusting buffoon, let him out. Robin was resignedly

prepared to catch it again, but was surprised when it stayed put. Chopper

asked why it was so cooperative now, to which the bird vaguely

responded that it had been listening to their plans and had its own

reasons for wanting to find Sky Island. Whatever that meant.

As noon approached, the Strawhats got ready for their departure. Once

they packed everything onto the Going Merry, they raised anchor.

"Hey kid!" Cricket shouted from ground level. "Don't go falling out of the

sky now!" Luffy grinned and flashed him a thumbs up in

acknowledgement.

"Why is this whirlpool so big!?" Nami and Usopp shouted fearfully. The

false night had already fallen, and they were currently getting sucked

into the biggest whirlpool that could be found in the first half of the

Grand Line. The only ones who seemed unperturbed by this were the

monster trio and Robin. While Luffy and Zoro knew what was going to

happen, Sanji was simply too busy comforting Nami (who wasn't paying

attention to him) and Robin (who didn't need comforting) to care. And

Robin...well, she was Robin.

Soon the whirlpool disappeared completely, leaving most of the

Strawhats dumbfounded. After about 30 seconds, they were wondering

whether they were in the wrong place. After another 10 seconds, they

were retracting that doubt as they were violently blasted off of the

surface of the ocean by the monstrous current.

It was quite the experience, even for those who had lived through it

before. But soon, the ship started to slip from the vertical current, which

was pointed out by a slightly distressed Sanji. Nami soon proved herself

as their navigator, however, telling them to unfurl the sails so they could

catch the rising wind and ride it up the stream the rest of the way. It

wasn't long before they finally ascended through the surface of the

clouds.

Most of the Strawhats were sprawled out across the deck. Luffy was the

only devil fruit user who had managed to keep his footing despite having

been momentarily sapped of his strength. Zoro and Sanji had also kept

upright, so the three of them walked around and helped the rest of the

crew regain their bearings. After everyone had recovered, they took a

look around, and were shocked beyond belief.

"It's...amazing!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Beautiful," Robin agreed.

"We really are floating on the clouds," Sanji commented. "How is that

possible?"

Luffy glanced at him quizzically. "Of course we can float on them...they're

just clouds," he reasoned. Nami shot him a mild glare.

"I think you need to get your facts straight," she mumbled, to which Luffy

smiled innocently.

"Do I really though? Take a look around you," he said in a smug tone that

didn't match his expression, causing Nami's eye to twitch in the way it

often did.

"So then," she said in annoyance. "That makes this the sea of the sky.

Cricket-san said that it was less dense than air, like a cloud, but could

support buoyant objects, like the sea. That explains how our ship is

floating on it. My question is, how could it support an island?"

Robin hummed in thought. "One with a magnetic field no less. It does

seem bizarre. Perhaps there is another natural formation holding the

other half of Jaya up?"

"Another formation?" Nami questioned. "What do you mean?"

"I'd imagine it's like a ship and its cargo," Robin reasoned. "Be it

passengers or supplies, ships are designed to carry things that wouldn't

normally float over the water safely." Although it seemed she was stating

the obvious, the rest of the Strawhats soon caught on to her analogy.

"So then the island is the cargo," Nami stated. "And the ship is something

solid enough to support an island like Jaya, and either light or buoyant

enough to float on the sea of the sky."

"That would be my guess," Robin confirmed.

"Nami-san and Robin-chan are so incredibly smart!" Sanji swooned.

"So...it's a mystery ship!" Luffy concluded happily.

"Navigator-san, perhaps you should check the log pose," Robin suggested.

"We still don't know which direction we're headed from here."

Nami looked down at the log and was shocked. "It's still pointing up!" she

exclaimed. "Does that mean we need to go higher?"

"That would mean there is another layer of Millennium Cumulonimbus

cloud above this one," the archaeologist stated calmly. "The only question

is, how do we get higher?"

"You guys need to lighten up!" Usopp shouted. "Enjoy the adventure and

we'll figure it out as we go! I for one, am looking forward to going for a

swim in the sea of the sky!"

Luffy instantly grew serious hearing that. "Usopp, don't do that," he said

in a surprisingly stern voice.

"He's probably right," Sanji stated. "We still don't know much about this

sea. It's best not to fool around."

"Oh come on! A sea is a sea!" the sniper insisted, leaning over the railing

to get a better look. Before he could go any farther, however, Luffy

pulled him back. "Hey! What's your problem, Luffy?" he whined.

"Usopp," Zoro spoke up, "How far are you planning to swim?"

"How far?" Usopp shrugged. "I just wanted to see if I could touch the

bottom. I can hold my breath really well, so it shouldn't be a…"

"Bottom?" Zoro repeated.

There was silence for a moment as the Strawhats' caught on and their

eyes widened. Usopp gradually grew pale and started sweating, and

Chopper screamed in panic. "Usopp, don't swim! Please don't swim!" he

cried.

Nami smacked Usopp upside the head. "You idiot! You could have fallen

right out of the sky! This is why we need to gather information first!" she

shouted.

Usopp went into a corner to brood. "Sky Island is scary…" he muttered

quietly.

Suddenly a loud splash of water was heard, and the Strawhats turned to

see a large, purple, eel like creature advancing toward the ship.

"Sky Island is scary!" Usopp repeated loudly.

After Sanji knocked out the sea monster, or rather the sky monster, it

coughed up a small, oddly shaped fish. Robin walked over and picked it

up. "So then this is a skyfish? It seems that since there is no seafloor here

and the sea cloud is much less dense than water, they must have

undergone various adaptations to survive." As she was speaking, Luffy

came over and grabbed the fish out of her hands. Robin, assuming he

wanted to observe it, said nothing. Moments later, he was eating it out of

a plate happily.

"I sauteed it," Sanji stated absently.

"We weren't done looking at it yet!" Nami shouted in aggravation,

although Robin didn't seem to mind much.

Meanwhile, Chopper was staring out at the expanse of cloud through

binoculars. "It's so white…" he said dreamily, catching Luffy's attention.

"See anything Chopper?" Luffy asked with a grin.

"Yea! There's another ship!" Chopper reported eagerly. "And...a person?"

Luffy watched as Chopper gradually paled, then started panicking.

"Aaaauuughh! He blew up the ship!" he shouted, dropping the binoculars

and running around the deck frantically.

"Chopper, what's wrong?" Usopp asked, having broken out of his

depressed stupor.

"There's someone coming! He's gonna sink our ship!" the reindeer said in

distress. The Strawhats looked out over the sea cloud and saw that there

was indeed someone riding towards them on what looked like...skates?

Luffy thought back. That's...the bazooka guy. Wiper I think.

As the Shandian landed on the deck of the Going Merry, Luffy let loose a

liberal blast of haki. He could see Wiper's eyes narrow under his mask,

indicating that he had noticed the mental assault, but he seemed unfazed

by the unidentified attack.

"Your mind games have no effect, Blue Sea dweller! I shall reject you!" He

swung his bazooka at Luffy, who leapt to the side to avoid it, and then

made a beeline for Sanji, who blocked his kick with his leg. The chef was

pushed back though, and had to catch himself by doing a backflip to

regain his balance. Seeing him gasp for breath, Luffy and Zoro

remembered that it was everyone's first time in the thin air. Sanji would

normally be up to the task, but he was struggling to keep up. They were

getting ready to intervene when they heard a shout from the distance.

"That's quite enough!" the weird knight that Luffy identified as Gan Fall

shouted, aiming his spear at the Shandian. The spear was blocked by his

shield, but Wiper, realizing he was outnumbered, took his leave and

disappeared over the clouds again.

"Who the hell was that?" Nami asked, before turning to Sanji. "And what's

with you?"

"Sorry Nami-san," Sanji said, recovering his breath. "My body feels weak

for some reason."

"It must be because of the low air pressure up here," Robin surmised.

"Ah, you must be residents of the Blue Sea then," Gan Fall stated.

"Blue Sea? Who are you old man?" Usopp asked.

"Ah, forgive me. I am Gan Fall, the Knight of the Sky, and this is my

partner, Pierre. Those who are born below the clouds are called Blue Sea

dwellers."

"That would apply to us then," Zoro confirmed.

"It can't be helped then. This is the White Sea, 7000 meters above the

Blue Sea. Above us still is the White White Sea, 3000 meters higher. It

will take a while for your bodies to adjust to the atmosphere.

Sanji got up from his seated position. "No problem. I think I'm getting

used to it now," he stated, throwing a few experimental kicks at the air.

"No, no, I'm afraid that's not possible," Gan Fall said. "It takes more time

than that to grow accustomed…"

"Ah, don't worry about it old guy!" Luffy assured. "If we can handle the

knock-up stream, we can handle some thin air!"

Gan Fall's eyes widened comically. "The - the knock-up stream!? You

mean to tell me you actually arrived here on that monstrous current!? To

think there would still be some brave enough to make that venture…"

Nami was growing more teary eyed with every word. "I knew that

couldn't be the normal route! Luffy! If we had just gathered more

information, we could have gone the safe way! I blame you!"

Luffy scratched his head. "Does it matter? We're here anyway, right?"

"Have you lost any of your crew?" Gan Fall asked.

Luffy's body went completely rigid hearing that question. "No." he said in

a neutral voice, a little quieter than usual. But the only ones who noticed

his behavior were Zoro, who closed his eyes, and Robin, who's eyes

widened slightly.

"I see," Gan Fall said. "The other routes would not have been so forgiving.

The knock-up stream is a life or death gamble. Either everyone lives, or

everyone dies. Many do not have the heart to make that gamble these

days. Those who do, I view as the most courageous of sailors." He sighed

in resignation. "Be that as it may, I fear you all have come at a bad time.

You will most likely not be welcome here with open arms."

"We're kind of used to that," Luffy said. "We're pirates."

"Pirates?" Gan Fall asked. "How nostalgic. Nevertheless, I fear for your

safety. This land has not taken well to visitors recently, ever since…" he

trailed off. Luffy's brow furrowed. That was...different. Ever since what?

But Gan Fall didn't elaborate, choosing instead to drop a whistle onto the

deck. "This is a service. Blow the whistle once, and I will come to your

aid. After that, each blow will cost you 50 million extol. I have to make a

living, you know."

"Extol, what is that?" Nami asked.

"Extol are the currency of the sky islands. You Blue Sea dwellers use

Berry, correct? I believe 1 Berry is worth 10,000 extol. If that is all, I will

take my leave. Best of luck to you all."

After the revelation that his bird was a devil fruit user and could turn

into a bird/horse hybrid that looked a lot like a pink pegasus, the

Strawhats were left in the middle of the White Sea. They soon decided to

head towards a waterfall that they saw in the distance. They sailed under

a sign labeled Heaven's Gate, and were soon surrounded by large bundles

of cloud on all sides. Luffy stretched his arm out and commented that

they were solid, which led to him, Usopp, and Chopper taking a detour to

bounce around excitedly on the dream-like substance.

They sailed under a waterfall and were met by a short old woman with

what appeared to be a camera. "Hello there, may I ask where you are

from and what your business in Skypeia is?" she asked.

"We're from the Blue Sea," Usopp said. "And...I guess you could say we're

sightseeing."

"Oh, I see. In that case, none of you are permitted to enter," she stated

with a neutral expression.

There was silence for a moment, before her statement registered.

The fuck?

A/N: Sorry about the relatively long wait. I've been pretty busy keeping

up with schoolwork this semester, and as a result I haven't had as much

time to spare. It didn't help that this chapter was kind of hard to write.

Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed it. See you next time!

42. Divine Logic

Last time on Second Wind!

Amazon: None shall pass.

Strawhats: What!

Amazon: None shall pass!

Sanji: I have no quarrel with you Madam, but we must cross this cloud!

Amazon: Then you shall die.

Luffy: I command you, as captain of the Strawhats, to stand aside!

Amazon: I move...for no man.

Zoro: So be it! (Draws sword)

Ok, that didn't really happen, but I'll bet you wish it did, if only for the

nostalgic feels. Onto the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

Chapter XLII: Divine Logic

"What do you mean we can't enter? We came all this way!" Usopp

reasoned. "We can't just turn back now!"

"Be that at it may, the Almighty God Enel has decreed that Blue Sea

dwellers are no longer permitted to enter White White Sea. His word is

law."

"God Enel?" Nami repeated. "Who's he? The ruler of Skypiea?"

"He is as He sounds," the old lady replied, still showing no trace of

emotion. "God."

Most of the Strawhats blinked. God, as in the God?

"You mean God lives here!?" Chopper asked in shock.

"I guess that would kind of make sense, since this is Heaven, right?"

Usopp mused.

"No, that makes no sense at all," Sanji grunted.

"Whether or not it makes sense, the fact remains that we're not allowed

to enter. Seems problematic doesn't it?" Robin commented.

"Does it matter?" Luffy asked lazily. "We're pirates, so why should we

obey the law?"

Nami slapped her forehead. "It's not that simple Luffy! We don't even

know how to get there without help, so how can we-"

"No, he is correct," the old lady stated, causing the Strawhats to look at

her in confusion. "While the word of God is law, I am neither a Priest nor

an Enforcer. Therefore if you insist on entering, I will not stop you."

Usopp still looked confused, but slightly hopeful. "So...you'll show us the

way then?" he asked.

"That is correct," she replied.

Luffy smiled as if it should have been obvious. "See? Simple."

Nami looked dismayed. Inwardly, she ranted. I should have known not to

argue logic with a guy that defies logic in a place that defies logic!

Robin giggled. "Don't be too easily fooled. All this means is that we can

enter, but we'll be labeled criminals and hunted down by whatever law

enforcement is active here," she surmised.

"Correct," the old lady said once again, showing emotion for the first

time. She almost looked impressed. "You may either turn back, or I can

take you to Angel Beach and you will be treated as a criminal from then

on. The choice is yours."

"Easy choice," Luffy said. "Take us there, granny!" The indignant protests

from some of the other Strawhats were cut off by Zoro.

"What are you all complaining about? We need to get to Skypiea for the

log to set, so it's not like we can just turn back now. It's like Luffy said,

we're pirates. We're used to being criminals anyway."

Nami sighed. "Still, it would have been nice to avoid that just this once,"

she bemoaned.

"So then...how do we get up?" Sanji asked curiously. Suddenly, the Going

Merry rocked as if hit by a large wave. The Strawhats looked overboard

and saw what appeared to be a giant shrimp holding onto the ship. They

barely had time to question this before the ship was propelled forcefully

up the windy path of sea cloud.

Amazon smirked. "To the Almighty God Enel, and the Priests who serve

Him, seven illegal entrants have trespassed into the White White Sea.

They now await Heaven's Judgement."

Now then, the stage has been set. Enel's grip has weakened, and it will only

take one more push for the sky to slip through his fingers. Will these Blue Sea

dwellers bring his reign of tyranny to an end, or will they too fall victim to the

Ordeals of Heaven?

When the Strawhats reached the light at the end of the clouded tunnel,

they gasped in awe at the scenery. They had wondered what Sky Island

would look like, but this put their imaginations to shame.

"Amazing! It's like a tropical paradise!" Nami shouted in glee.

This caused Robin to frown. "Tropical?" she thought aloud.

"Something wrong, Robin-chan?" Sanji asked.

"I just thought of it now, but how can it be so warm up here?" Robin

asked. "We are, after all, 10,000 meters above sea level. This place should

by all rights be colder than the peaks of the highest mountains, and yet it

is not only able to support entire civilizations of life, but actually has a

tropical climate. How is that possible?"

"The same way the knock up stream forms underneath an island," Luffy

said sagely. Robin turned to him curiously.

"I was wondering about that as well," she admitted. "It's not as if islands

float on the sea after all."

Luffy desperately wanted to exclaim that it was a mystery island, but

knew that while he was content in just enjoying the ride, Robin actually

showed genuine interest in knowing and understanding these types of

things. He rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Sorry Robin. I don't actually know. I was just saying that neither of them

really make sense."

Robin blinked and smiled lightly. "Oh, I suppose I should have gathered

that. I guess I'm just too curious."

Nami was giving serious thought to the question, but was broken out of

her theorizing when Luffy shouted. "We've reached land!"

"It's...an angel!" Sanji shouted. Normally Nami would facepalm upon

hearing this, but she had to admit that the exclamation had merit. The

girl had wings, much like the old woman who had allowed them to enter.

The fact that they were currently on a sky island made the concept of an

angel almost credible.

Said girl turned to them in surprise, but soon smiled. "Heso!" she greeted,

confusing the Strawhats with the unfamiliar speech.

As it turned out, the girl, who introduced herself as Conis, and her father,

who arrived shortly afterwards, were both inhabitants of Angel Island,

which was the part of Skypeia they were currently in. Looking closely,

they could see that the entire island was made of the same solid cloudy

material that they had come across in the White Sea below, which Robin

claimed must have been how Jaya would be able to float on it. It was

supported by what Conis confirmed was called island cloud, while the

island cloud floated on the White White Sea.

"I'm sorry," Conis' father, who had introduced himself as Pagaya

interrupted, "But where is Jaya? I've never heard of such a place."

"Oh, sorry!" Nami said, realizing they were excluding Conis and her

father from the conversation. Jaya is an island on the Blue Sea, where we

came from."

Suddenly Conis turned pale and fell backwards onto the beach, causing

many of the Strawhats to frown. Pagaya had a grave expression on his

face.

"Conis-chan," Sanji said worriedly, "Are you alright?"

"You all," she gasped, "You're from the Blue Sea…?"

"That's right," Luffy said blankly, but inwardly he was wondering what

was wrong. Conis hadn't reacted this way last time. Was it because

of...oh.

Zoro turned toward Luffy. "The old lady did say we would be criminals

from the get go," he reminded everyone. "Maybe we shouldn't be staying

here. We might get Conis involved."

"You...entered illegally?" Pagaya asked. "But how...the milky road can't be

traversed without the-"

"That old lady let us in," Usopp interrupted. "She said we could come, but

we'd be treated as criminals. Maybe this was a bad idea in retrospect…"

Conis started panicking. "You have to leave here immediately! You're all

in terrible danger!"

"Why? You guys haven't had visitors from the Blue Sea before?" Zoro

asked calmly, despite knowing that wasn't the case.

"That is precisely the problem," Pagaya said. "Just recently a band of Blue

Sea dwellers caused a lot of trouble here, causing God Enel to decree that

none from the Blue Sea would be granted entrance to Skypiea any

longer."

"What happened here? Who got him so mad?" Luffy asked, curious as to

who could have rattled Enel's cage to the point where the usually

uncaring Skypiean would become this opposed to having company.

"I'm sorry. It is forbidden to discuss that incident," Pagaya said. "You all

must leave here before He takes notice of your presence. Otherwise, I fear

for your safety."

"It's a bit late for that," Luffy said. "He's already noticed us."

Chopper turned to him in shock. "What? But how? We just arrived here!"

"Observation haki," Luffy said.

Sanji's eyes widened in shock. "How far away is this guy?" His own senses

were getting stronger every day, but they barely stretched out passed the

Going Merry unless he focused them.

"God Enel sees all," Conis said in a subdued voice. "If he already knows

you're here, then there's no escape." She was visibly dismayed.

"But how?" Chopper asked fearfully. "What can he do if he's not even-"

He was interrupted by a sudden flash of lightning above their heads,

which was accompanied by a loud clap of thunder. The lightning struck a

nearby formation of island cloud, utterly destroying the less than durable

substance and leaving Chopper gaping.

"Chopper," Usopp said in a false tone of serenity that somehow didn't

belie his inner feelings. "Please shut up." Chopper nodded dumbly.

"A devil fruit and observation haki?" Sanji concluded. "Sounds like a

troublesome bastard."

"He sucks at hiding his aura though," Luffy stated. "Even worse than me."

On God's Shrine, at the top of Giant Jack in Upper Yard, a certain

lightning logia was deeply amused.

"Ahahahaha! What an impudent little mortal. But still, it's rare to see a

Mantra user from the Blue Sea. I wonder, what it this aura he speaks of?

Is it the same as what we call a voice? Well, no matter." He turned to his

nearest servant. "Alert Captain McKinley and gather the remaining priests

below. I want these sinners dealt with."

"Yes, Enel-sama."

Back on Angel Island, the Strawhats had decided that their vacation time

was over. They asked Conis and Pagaya about Jaya, and they nervously

responded that the only island that fit the description was Upper Yard,

the island made entirely of vearth, which had arrived in the sky 400

years ago. Apparently it was God's land and they were forbidden to set

foot there. When Nami stated that the island was their destination, they

looked resigned, but didn't protest, which caused Robin to narrow her

eyes. She was debating whether to voice her suspicions when what

seemed to be the local law enforcement arrived...crawling on the ground

quite conspicuously.

"You there!" called a voice from afar. The Strawhats turned to see a group

of men in white berets. "You are the seven illegal entrants from the Blue

Sea, correct?"

"Yep, that's us," Luffy said, causing Nami to yell at him in reproach.

"By word of the almighty God Enel, we, the White Berets, are here to cast

Heaven's Judgement upon you! For the class 5 crime of illegal entry, you

are to be stripped of all your money and belongings, and sentenced to

cloud drifting!"

The Strawhats could feel the temperature in the immediate vicinity drop

10 degrees, and turned to wearily face Nami, whose face had darkened.

The more observant of them noted that there was a cloud slowly forming

over the heads of the White Berets.

"Could you repeat that?" Nami asked quietly.

Captain McKinley raised an eyebrow. "We are here to cast Heaven's

Judgement upon you-"

"No, the part after that," Nami clarified.

"Ah, the penalty, of course. You are to be stripped of all your valuables

and sentenced to-"

"I'm going to stop you right there," the navigator said, smiling sweetly.

"Thunderbolt Tempo!"

A bolt of lightning struck down from the cloud that had already formed,

eliciting screams from that White Berets, who had been bunched up

together, as the electricity coursed through their bodies. They finally

collapsed in an unconscious heap. Sanji had hearts in his eyes, and Luffy

started laughing hysterically.

"Hahahaha! Nice one Nami!" the captain praised.

"Oh dear…" Pagaya said.

"You guys...what have you done?" Conis asked, pale as ice.

"What? They were going to take our money! It was self defense!" Nami

proclaimed, causing her crewmates to snicker at the logic.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid the consequences for this transgression will not

be as forgiving," Pagaya said gravely. "Incapacitating the White Berets is

a class 2 crime."

"You fools!" McKinley shouted, having regained consciousness. "Are you

trying to invoke the wrath of God Enel!? The White Berets are the most

forgiving of God's enforcers! The rest will not hesitate to make you repent

for your sins!"

Luffy scratched his head. "Ok then. What's the penalty for a class 2

crime?"

McKinley looked surprised that he was asking. "Well...you're to be taken

to Upper Yard to face the Ordeals of the Priests…"

"Ok, take us there," Luffy said with a shrug. "We were going to go there

anyway."

McKinley gaped at him.

"Holy, sit," a bald man with sunglasses said. The giant dog immediately

stopped pounding the dead man who had fallen victim to the ordeals. "It

seems we have news." Another tall man with a strange hairstyle and a

permanent angry glare on his face walked up to him and started

speaking. Ohm couldn't understand a word he was saying, however. "You

poor soul," Ohm said. "Having to constantly be reminded to open your

mouth when you speak. Were you not a Priest, I would personally act as

your salvation and end your miserable existence."

Gedatsu's jaw dropped in shock. "How careless!" he exclaimed. "As I was

saying, we have orders from God's Shrine. There were seven illegal

entrants who have committed a class 2 crime. We are to deal with them

once they arrive."

Ohm hummed. "More wretched souls that need saving. Very well. Let's

go, Holy. We shall prepare the Ordeal of Iron." The dog obediently

followed him into the underbrush on its hind legs.

"Luffy, are you sure this is a good idea?" Usopp asked nervously as he

watched the giant lobster grab hold of the ship again.

"Nope, but it should be fun! Now let's go!"

"So let me get this straight. God wants to kill us, and we're just going to

march right into his home so he'll have an easier time?" Nami asked.

"City of gold," was all Luffy said in response.

Nami's eyes turned to Belly signs as she pumped her fist into the air.

"Onward to Jaya!" she shouted as the ship started moving towards Upper

Yard.

A/N: Short chapter, I know. I originally planned on stopping here the last

time, but I had more work to do so I decided to split it up. I'll try to have

the next chapter up soon.

43. Ordeals, War Meetings, and

Bonfires

Welcome back everyone, and enjoy chapter 43.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Chapter XLIII: Ordeals, War Meetings, and Bonfires

When the Strawhats arrived at Upper Yard, they were taken aback by the

size of the wildlife. It seemed that plants and animals alike on the

displaced half of Jaya had evolved drastically in the past 400 years.

They didn't have much time to ponder that, though, as their ship was

soon deposited on what appeared to be some sort of altar.

"If Heaven's Judgment is just to leave us here with no way to get to land,

I'm not impressed," Sanji commented, standing at the edge of the steps

and staring out at the sea cloud. "I can already think of five ways to get

out of here." Suddenly, an oddly shaped shark surfaced from the depths

and lunged at him, forcing him to jump backwards onto higher ground.

"Make that four," he corrected.

"The easiest way is probably to use those," Zoro said, pointing to the

vines hanging from the trees above the altar.

Nami hummed in thought. "I have a better idea. Luffy, tame those sky

sharks with your Haki and have them give us a ride across!" she shouted

triumphantly.

"Nami-san's a genius!" Sanji declared.

"You can do that if you want," Luffy said nonchalantly. "I'm gonna swing

from the vines."

Nami looked at him quizzically. "Why? You're a Devil Fruit user. I'm not

going to help you if you fall in!"

"If I fall I can just use Geppo. Not that I will. And besides, swinging from a

vine is also part of a man's romance."

Nami palmed her forehead in frustration as Zoro and Usopp nodded

sagely. Not this shit again!

Luffy grabbed onto the vine and cleared his throat, before swinging

across and letting out a yell. "Ahhhh - ahhhhhh - ahhhhhh!"

"What was that supposed to be? A call of the wild?" Nami muttered,

before walking up to the vine. She stopped in her tracks when she saw

how high it was, and how many sky sharks there were below. While she

was debating whether or not to make the swing, Zoro spoke up.

"We should probably split up. The ship will be in danger if we leave it

unattended. Usopp and the Cook, you guys can stay here in case one of

those priests we heard about shows up. The rest of us will go looking for

the City of Gold. Usopp, try to repair the Merry as much as you can. She's

probably taken some damage on the way here," he said. Usopp saluted,

before rushing below deck to get some supplies. Zoro turned to Sanji.

"And Cook—"

"Yeah, yeah, kick the crap out of whoever comes. I got it," Sanji said.

"You do that." Finally, he turned to Robin, Nami, and Chopper. "You two

should probably come with us. We have enough members here."

"All right! Let's find some gold!" Nami agreed easily.

"That works for me. I'd very much like to see what sort of history this

island harbors," Robin said thoughtfully. With that, the three of them

swung across the vine one by one, Zoro echoing Luffy's call of the wild in

the process.

In God's Shrine, atop Giant Jack, three men were gathered together, in

the middle of a heated argument.

"You poor delusional souls. Actually believing that your petty trials can

compare to my Ordeal of Iron," Ohm said condescendingly.

"You're the one who's delusional!" Satori exclaimed. "The only reason

your ordeal has a higher mortality rate is because it bores your victims to

death!"

Gedatsu attempted to provide his own input in the conversation, but no

one could understand him because he once again had his mouth closed.

"Open your mouth when you talk, you dimwit!" Satori yelled.

"How careless!" Gedatsu said in shock.

"It's not carelessness! It's stupidity, plain and simple!"

"Enough of this nonsense! Do not forget that this is the place where God

resides!" Chief Enforcer Yama scolded. "Stop making fools of yourselves!"

"Where God resides?" Ohm repeated. "So then, where is God exactly?"

"Everywhere," came a voice out of nowhere, startling the priests. They

were suddenly shocked by a mild electric current that ran through the

air, stopping when it reached the nearby throne and materializing in the

form of a man. That man was easily recognizable as God Enel.

"Ahahaha! Your mantras still need work! Unless you can keep them

active even in the middle of your petty squabbles, you won't be able to

sense my approach."

"Did you call us here just to tell us that?" Ohm asked lazily.

"Actually, the main reason is that I was bored. But there is something I

wanted to discuss with you. Are you aware that seven Blue Sea dwellers

are on Upper Yard as we speak?"

"Yama told us about it," Ohm answered. "So, I assume you called us here

to take care of them?"

"Partially. As of now, they've split up. Their ship is still at the sacrificial

altar, so I'm sending one of you to bestow Heaven's Judgment upon the

two of them. The remaining five can be dealt with during the survival

game I'm planning."

"Survival game?" Satori asked curiously.

"That's right. A survival game. Between my forces, the Shandians, and the

Blue Sea dwellers. I myself will be participating. The reason for this is, of

course, because the Maxim is almost completed. So, starting tomorrow,

your boundaries in Upper Yard are to be abolished. You are free to do as

you wish. After that, we'll depart. To the dream world."

"So then, which of us will go to the altar?" Gedatsu asked.

"Decide amongst yourselves," Enel answered. "Play rock-paper-scissors if

you have to." The priests looked at each other and shrugged before

holding their fists out. "Oh, and one more thing. Be careful not to die

while fighting the Blue Sea dwellers. There's something about them that I

can't quite place. Two of them have slightly similar voices to one of the

other Blue Sea intruders who faced Shura's Ordeal of String not too long

ago. Of course, they're no threat to God, but do be careful, won't you?"

He took a bite out of his apple.

"After all, it would be most troublesome if we lost another priest."

In a certain village hidden amongst a vast array of island cloud, a little

girl scurried through, attempting not to be sighted. It was the hideout of

the remaining Shandians, the tribe of people who had been living on

Jaya when it was blasted into the sky. The little Shandian girl looked

down at the bag in her hands and smiled in satisfaction before starting to

run again.

"Where have you been?" a voice spoke out, startling her enough that she

tripped and fell over.

"Ka-Kamakiri!"

"You went to Upper Yard to get vearth again, didn't you, Aisa? You're

going to wind up dead at this rate."

"So are you!" the girl named Aisa yelled, sticking her tongue out

childishly. "Everyone knows you can't beat Enel!"

Kamakiri narrowed his eyes at her, causing her to yelp and run away.

"Little punk…" he muttered.

Aisa arrived at the center of the clearing, where there was a war meeting

being led by the Shandian chief and the most influential of their warriors.

It was the latter of those two that had a tendency to terrify her. The War

Demon, Wiper. She focused intently on what they were saying inside.

"As the Knight of the Sky, Gan Fall has never lifted a hand against us," a

voice that sounded distinctly like Laki stated. "In fact, as of now, he has

been the only one of the Skypieans opposing Enel head-on. You said

yourself that he was aiding Blue Sea dwellers, didn't you?"

"Great. If we're lucky, he and the priests will kill each other," Wiper said

in disinterest.

"That's not the point! I'm saying that we share a common enemy in this

war!" Laki tried to reason.

"So what? Are you saying the enemy of our enemy is our friend? Grow

up! The second Enel falls from power, he'll attempt to take back Upper

Yard for the Skypieans! Whether it's Gan Fall, Enel's enforcers, or the

Blue Sea dwellers, we'll take them all down!"

Aisa gulped when she heard the anger in his voice. He was always angry.

Why was he always so angry?

"Aisa."

Aisa tripped and fell over herself again, before turning and glaring at

Braham. "Why do you guys always do that!?" she yelled.

"I wouldn't eavesdrop right now," the Shandian gunman advised. "Wiper's

in a bad mood."

"Isn't he always?" Aisa muttered.

Braham smiled. "Point taken. But he's especially high-strung about the

Blue Sea dwellers that have just arrived."

"Is it that big a deal?" Aisa asked. "They're just Blue Sea dwellers."

Braham raised an eyebrow. "And are you forgetting what happened the

last time Blue Sea dwellers set foot on Upper Yard?" he asked

rhetorically.

Aisa visibly shivered. "No…" she admitted. She could never forget. It was

hard to forget the most terrifying voice she had ever heard.

It was hard to forget a voice more terrifying than God's.

"Hey, Nami!" Luffy called from one of the lower branches of a tree. "Look

what I found! It's old man Cricket's house!"

Nami's eyes widened. "What?" With Robin's help, she was able to make it

to the same branch Luffy was on to get a better vantage point. She

gasped. "You're right! That's the other half of the house we saw. Well,

there's our irrefutable proof of your theory. But how did you even know?

It doesn't seem like you to think of something like that."

"Maybe I'm just smarter than I let on," Luffy replied.

"Or maybe you're just too lazy to think most of the time," Nami suggested

as she surveyed their surroundings from atop the branch.

"Hey, thinking is hard!"

"Case in point," she said, finishing the rough outline of the map she was

drawing. "All right guys, take a look." Luffy, Zoro, and Robin looked over

her shoulder. They had decided early on that if they wanted to find the

City of Gold, they would have to orient themselves. "This is where the

Going Merry is," she said, pointing to the altar. "And this is where we are

right now. In his logbook, Noland said that he found the City of Gold 'in

the skull's right eye. That's here," she said, putting the individual maps of

Jaya and Skypiea together to form a skull. "That means that we need to

go directly South of here. First, though, let's get back to the Merry. It's

getting dark out, so we should wait until tomorrow to make the trip."

"Sounds like a plan," Luffy said. "And if God tries to stop us, we'll just

kick his ass along the way!"

"I am Satori! I am here to judge you, oh despicable sinners!"

Sanji stared at the round man in disinterest. "No," he said blandly.

Satori looked taken aback. "No?" he repeated, never having gotten a

response like that before. "What do you mean—?"

But Sanji had already turned around and started walking away. "Hey,

where do you think you're going?" Satori asked, jumping off the orb of

cloud he was sitting on and landing in front of the chef, who grunted in

annoyance.

"Listen, I'm gonna be honest with you. I may not look it, but I am

rightfully pissed right now. After being separated from Nami-san and

Robin-chan, I am by no means in the mood for this shit today. So, why

don't you just do everyone, including yourself, a favor, and get off our

ship?"

Satori stared at him open mouthed. "Why the hell would I do that!?" he

exclaimed. "It is my divine duty as a Priest to bestow judgment upon

you!"

Sanji raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you're one of those priest guys?"

"Hoho! That is correct, Blue Sea trash!"

Sanji sighed. "I guess there's no avoiding it then." Before the priest could

ask what he meant, Usopp came out onto the deck of the Going Merry.

"Hey Sanji, what's the commotion? Who's this guy?" Usopp asked.

"It's one of those shitty priests," Sanji said.

"What? Him?" Usopp asked, having pictured a priest to look differently.

"Who are you calling a shitty priest!?" Satori raged, charging at Sanji with

an open palm thrust. Sanji ducked out of the way and narrowed his eyes.

He could tell there was something weird about this guy's attacks. Usopp

readied his slingshot, but Sanji waved him off.

"Stay out of it. I can take this guy no problem." Usopp shrugged and

lowered the weapon.

Sanji leapt at Satori with a kick at the ready, but the priest just smiled. "A

kick with your right leg," he said, before dodging out of the way. Sanji

grunted again.

"So, that's your game," he said.

Satori came forward with another palm thrust, and Sanji smirked. "A

shock wave…from the device on your hand." Satori was completely

caught off guard by this, and Sanji weaved out of the way of his attack,

aiming another kick at him. Satori predicted his movements with mantra

and dodged accordingly again, but was surprised when the move ended

up being a feint, and was unable to dodge the next kick aimed at his face.

He was sent careening off of the ship, only to be caught by his orb of

cloud.

"What…it can't be. A mantra user!?" Satori asked in bewilderment,

clutching at his bloodied face.

"Mantra…that's what Conis' father said too. Is that what it's called here?"

Sanji wondered aloud, before charging forward with another kick at the

ready. Satori was able to dodge this one by jumping back onto the ship,

and when Sanji turned to face him, he wore a sinister grin. He pulled on

a thread, and the orb he'd been sitting on came rushing toward Sanji. The

chef, deeming it little thread, kicked it into the air, which turned out to

be a mistake when he was caught in the resulting explosion. Caught off

guard, he was unable to regain his bearings before Satori rushed him

again.

"Impact!" he shouted, as the dial connected with the chef's torso. Sanji

coughed a wad of blood and fell back onto the deck.

"Sanji!" Usopp shouted in worry, as Satori laughed victoriously.

"Hoho! That's what you get when you underestimate the Ordeal of Balls!"

he said with glee, but was promptly silenced when Sanji got up again,

looking thoroughly pissed. "You're still conscious!?"

Sanji ignored his shock as he glared at him. "Time to fry the dough," he

muttered.

When Luffy and company arrived back at the Going Merry, they were

only slightly surprised to see the bloody beaten form of what they

assumed to be an enemy lying on the deck of the ship.

"Who's this guy?" Chopper asked him.

"One of the priests. He was annoying to deal with," Sanji answered.

Indeed, he was covered in bruises, which only became more obvious once

he removed his shirt as Chopper instructed. As the doctor tended to his

wounds, Zoro yawned before leaning against the wall.

"So, how was the fight cook?" he asked lazily. The chef understood what

he was being asked though.

"He could use Observation Haki. That was really the only thing he had

going for him. He was better at using it than I was at first, but once I got

a couple kicks in he freaked out and lost control of it. It ended quickly

after that. Still, what an annoying bastard."

"You're telling me!" Usopp shouted. "That guy had no regard for ship

maintenance! What was he thinking, lighting an explosion above the

deck of the Merry! How am I supposed to repair this!?"

"No use worrying about it," Sanji replied. "At least he's quiet now."

"The question is, what do we do with him?" Nami said. "We can hardly

just leave him on the ship."

Luffy walked up to the priest and hoisted him up. The crew watched

blankly as he threw him off the ship, past the altar, and into the forest.

"That takes care of that," Luffy said. "So, guess what we found out!"

After Luffy explained their findings on the City of Gold, the Strawhats

were surprised by the sight of Gan Fall flying toward their ship. When

asked what he was doing on Upper Yard, where he apparently hadn't set

foot in years, he explained that he heard from an Angel Island citizen

that they had come to God's land, and wanted to make sure they came

out of it all right.

"That must have been Conis," Nami reasoned. "To be honest, I'm a bit

worried about her. Couldn't her regard for our wellbeing mark her as an

accomplice?" she asked anxiously.

"Not to worry," Gan Fall replied. "I've moved her to a safe location, where

even Enel's mantra does not reach. Still, I was surprised to hear that you

all came to Upper Yard willingly. Are you sure you know what you're

doing?"

"Don't worry about us, weird knight. We've been in worse situations than

this," Luffy replied. "Thanks for everything you've done, though. Wanna

join us for the night? We were going to set up camp."

"I'm afraid I cannot. There is a matter that has come to my attention, and

while I appreciate the offer, I must attend to it."

Luffy shrugged. "Suit yourself. Good luck, then." As he flew off, Nami

turned to him.

"Are you sure we should set up camp? We're in enemy territory; it might

be better just to stay on the Merry."

Luffy stared at her as if she had said something absurd. "Huh? That's

stupid, Nami. How can we light a bonfire on the Merry? Are you trying to

burn down our ship?"

It took a moment for Nami's mind to register that. "Wait, we're gonna do

what?"

Robin couldn't help but feel a little disconcerted at the moment. While it

was practical to light a fire to cook their food, one this big was

completely unnecessary, and it was even less prudent to keep it going

through the night. But apparently, that was their plan, if it could be

called such a thing. To throw a party around a bonfire in the middle of

enemy territory. Strategically, there was no advantage to such an

endeavor at all, but she had already learned that her little crew didn't

always think rationally. Even Nami had ultimately just let out a resigned

sigh and smiled tiredly before joining in on the fun, while Robin was

content to sit back and watch.

Would she too settle into this carefree mindset one day? It was a

daunting thought, yet an appealing one. Being able to let down her

guard, relax and enjoy life…she didn't think about it often, but that was

something she had desired for 20 years now. And now that she finally got

the chance, she still couldn't help but feel paranoid. Supposedly some

habits were too deeply ingrained.

So, here she was, sitting on the sidelines as her crew danced with wolves

(were those wolves? Yes, those were wolves) around a bonfire. She

couldn't help but smile fondly.

Absently, she became aware of Luffy walking toward her. She watched

him as he sat down on the log next to her and sighed contently, patting

his stomach.

"So," he began, "Not much of a dancer?"

Robin leaned back and closed her eyes, feeling the nightly breeze blow

against her. "I guess not," she replied. "I never really learned."

"Neither did I, to be honest. But hey, what's to learn? Just keep moving."

Robin raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Are you asking me to dance,

Captain-san?"

Luffy pouted. "I'm asking you to have fun. What are you doing here by

yourself, anyway?"

"Someone has to keep watch," she defended.

"Keep watch for what?" Luffy asked, grinning. "Wolves? Good job."

Robin giggled. "Enforcers. Priests. Self-proclaimed deities, perhaps?"

"Robin, you know I'm like, really strong, right?"

Yes, she knew that. In fact, she couldn't stop thinking about the fact ever

since he took down Crocodile with barely a scratch to show for it. She

hummed in response, silently asking what his point was.

"And you know I can sense any enemies coming with Observation Haki,

right?"

Yes, she knew that as well. She closed her eyes again and smiled,

suddenly feeling slightly ridiculous. "I guess old habits die hard," she

admitted, voicing her thoughts from earlier.

Luffy grinned again. "Well, come on then! If you don't want to dance,

Zoro could use a drinking buddy."

Robin allowed herself to be led closer to the campsite, where she was

greeted warmly, and for the first time, partied the night away as a

Strawhat pirate.

A/N: Well, soon is a relative term anyway. Nevertheless, I hope you

enjoyed the chapter.

44. A Strained Voice Manifests

Happy new year everyone. I'm in a pretty good mood today since, not

only has New Game Plus been updated, but DuncanIdaho2014 gave me a

shoutout! It brightened up my day so much that I was able to publish this

chapter a full HOUR early. Well, more or less. Give or take a couple

hours. Anyway, on to the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

Chapter XLIV: A Strained Voice Manifests

A thick fog encompassed the forest clearing, making it difficult to see

much of anything in the dreary dark. To those who relied heavily on

their sight to survey their surroundings, such as snipers for instance,

these conditions turned even a quick trip to pee into a perilous journey

fraught with danger.

At least, that's what said sniper argued when he went to wake his

captain.

"You're saying I should come with you so you don't get blindsided?" Luffy

clarified, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"That's right," Usopp confirmed.

"Oh, so you're scared of the dark. Ok then," Luffy deadpanned as he got

up from the ground.

"Don't say it like that!" Usopp complained. "It's a precaution! Who knows

what kind of scary creatures lurk in the dead of night?"

"You mean like the wolves that we shared our booze with?"

Usopp opened his mouth to argue further, but decided to quit while he

was ahead and simply follow after Luffy, who had started walking passed

the trees already.

"You know, it's not the animals I'd be worried about," Luffy said suddenly

as they faced opposite directions and started emptying their bladders.

"What do you mean?" Usopp asked. "What else would attack us? Man

eating plants?"

"Or maybe something a little less natural?" Luffy suggested with a grin.

"Or as they say...supernatural."

Usopp paled. "Y-you mean like g-ghosts?"

"Or zombies."

"Zombies!?"

"Or talking skeletons."

"Don't even joke about that!" Usopp whispered loudly, looking around

frantically. "I'm perfectly fine with not encountering anything of an

undead nature, thank you very much!"

"Don't get your hopes up. By the way, do you hear that?"

"Hear wha-" Usopp became silent as he heard what Luffy was talking

about. It was coming from the direction of the Merry, and it almost

sounded like the banging of a...hammer?

Luffy's brow furrowed as he reached out with his observation haki.

Immediately his eyes widened. "That can't be right…" he muttered in

amazement.

"What is it? You sense something?" Usopp asked fearfully.

"It feels like...you?"

"What? But I'm right here. Are you sure that's right?"

"Not really. Because it also feels like me. Also Zoro, Nami, and Sanji. I

even feel traces of Chopper and Robin."

Usopp was growing more confused by the second. "So whatever this thing

is, it can mimic our auras?" Luffy was silent for a moment before

speaking.

"I think we should go see what it is," he said. Usopp nodded hesitantly. If

this thing was on the Merry, then they probably shouldn't just leave it be.

As they drew closer to the ship, they were able to make out a figure

through the fog. Usopp was growing more pale by the second, while

Luffy was simply in awe. He thought he knew who this was, but he was

growing more sure by the second.

"Captain," came a juvenile voice from the ship which seemed to resonate

through the fog.

"G-G-Gh-Gho-" Usopp stuttered, unable to form the word.

"Merry," Luffy breathed, causing Usopp to nearly forget his fear and turn

to Luffy in concern.

"Merry? What about Merr-"

Usopp was interrupted as Luffy grabbed hold of his arm and jumped

across the ocean cloud and onto the deck of the ship. Usopp, on full alert

now, turned warily towards the mysterious figure, mallet in hand, that

was now facing them, while Luffy just continued to stare in reverence.

The figure's face suddenly spread into a wide smile. It seemed to be as

delighted to see them as a ghostlike figure could possibly be. "Captain

Luffy! Usopp!" It's childlike voice shouted in glee.

"Who are you? How do you know our names?" Usopp asked, voice laced

with a curiosity that overpowered his usual apprehension.

The small figure's face lit up with a mischievous countenance. "Guess!"

the child challenged.

Only then did Usopp start to take in the child's appearance. It was that of

a young girl, one with white shoulder length hair. Her face shone with a

childlike innocence, but one that belied the infinite wisdom that was

reflected in her deep brown eyes, hidden beneath the surface. It was as if

she had felt all the pain the world had to offer but still had the heart to

keep going.

"Merry..." Usopp whispered, his voice caught in his throat. It defied all

reason. There was no explanation as to how this girl could be their ship,

and yet...he just knew.

Luffy swallowed thickly. His observation haki was being barraged by the

very essence of his crew. He could sense a myriad of qualities in Merry's

aura which he could easily identify the sources of. From his own

unyielding determination, to Zoro's undying loyalty, Nami's playful

mischievousness, Usopp's natural curiosity, Sanji's fierce protectiveness,

Chopper's optimistic enthusiasm, and Robin's sharp intelligence. They all

blended together so naturally it was almost beautiful, and he could feel

tears coming to his eyes. He had never had the chance of observe Merry's

aura before. In fact, he wasn't even completely sure a ship would have

one. But now that he could sense it for himself, he knew that it was

something he would never forget. It was surreal.

Merry laughed. "You guessed right! It's me," she said.

"Wait, so you're a girl?" Usopp asked randomly, causing Luffy to break

out of his daze and snicker at the timing of the question.

Merry scratched her head. "Well...yea? You guys always refer to me as

'she,' so I'm a girl!" she declared as if it was a simple concept.

"Makes sense to me," Luffy agreed.

"Well...ok then," Usopp said, not quite understanding how that worked

but readily accepting. "So basically you appeared to repair yourself? Do

you do this often?" he asked. There was a hint of guilt in his voice, and

Luffy suddenly paled.

Merry laughed uneasily. "No, this is the first time," she admitted.

"Merry," Luffy spoke up. "Are you going to be ok?" Usopp looked at him

in confusion.

Merry looked down at her feet, reluctant to answer. Finally, she spoke.

"I'm just a caravel. The knockup stream was too much," she said quietly.

Luffy gritted his teeth in grief upon hearing the answer as Usopp looked

back and forth between the two in worry.

"Hey, what do you mean it's too much?" he asked. "No, I understand.

We've been pushing you too hard, right? Are you saying the repairs won't

hold? Because if so, tell us! I promise we'll get you to a professional

shipwright as soon as we can!"

Merry met Usopp's eyes and shook her head sadly. Usopp's widened. "You

mean…"

Luffy closed his eyes. How had it come to this again? He had tried to be

careful. He had done his absolute best to stop their ship from being

damaged, and up until the knockup stream, he would have sworn blind

that he had succeeded. Were there some obstacles that Merry simply

couldn't overcome? And in the previous timeline, had she powered

through all of those injuries despite the fact that the knockup stream

alone had been too strenuous for her?

"I'm sorry, Merry," he whispered. "I tried…" he trailed off. Merry shook

her head.

"Don't blame yourself, Captain," she said. "You did your best, even from

the very beginning."

Usopp looked toward his captain, thinking back to all the times Luffy had

defended their ship with an uncharacteristic perfectionism that bordered

on obsession. "Luffy, did you...know?" he asked.

"Deep down, I did," Luffy said truthfully. "Merry was built in the East

Blue. She wasn't designed to endure the Grand Line."

"But just look at us!" Usopp said defensively. "Almost all of us are from

East Blue, and we made it just fine!" he protested.

"But as much as she's our comrade, Merry isn't human," Luffy reminded

him. "Our injuries will heal, but hers will just pile up." Merry nodded

soberly. There was an oppressive silence for a while before she spoke up

again.

"You're going to need to find a new ship eventually," she said. Usopp's

eyes widened again.

"What? No! We can't just abandon you, Merry! There had to be another

way! We can-"

"No, Usopp," Merry said, her voice uncharacteristically stern. "You have

to promise me you'll move on. I want to go on more adventures with you

all, but I know my limits, and my time is running out. You have to let me

go. I…" she paused, and her voice grew quiet again. "I don't want you all

to sink with me."

Usopp looked at her in defeat. "Promise me," she repeated.

"Ok," he said reluctantly. "I promise."

With that, Merry gave them one last heartfelt smile, and then

disappeared before their eyes.

When the Strawhats awoke the next morning, Luffy gathered everyone's

attention, saying there was something he needed to tell them all.

"Does this have something to do with your trip to the altar last night?"

Robin asked knowingly.

"Oh, you were awake?" Luffy asked.

"I'm a light sleeper," she answered.

"Yeah, it does," Luffy confirmed, before taking a deep breath. "It's about

the Going Merry." Nami, Sanji, Chopper, and Robin listened curiously,

while Usopp stared at the ground, and Zoro closed his eyes, already

knowing what this was about. Luffy went on to explain the situation and

what had happened during the night. Any skepticism that they had seen

the spirit of their ship was forgotten in light of the revelation that Merry

was dying. Even Nami knew they wouldn't joke about something like

that.

"So, there's nothing else we can do?" Nami asked in a subdued voice.

Luffy shook his head. "I don't think so. Let's not worry about this right

now. There's nothing we can do until we get back to the Blue Sea. We'll

figure something out then."

Nami gave a subdued nod.

About an hour later, the Strawhats were ready to start their journey. This

was initiated by an argument between Luffy and Zoro in regards to which

way would go.

"What are you doing Luffy?" Zoro asked, annoyance evident in his tone.

The City of Gold is in the skull's right eye. That means we have to go to

the right, which is this way," he said, holding out his right arm.

Luffy stared at him incredulously. "What kind of idiot are you!? Left and

right is different depending on which way you're facing! You've always

sucked at navigation, so just leave this to me. We have to go south, which

is the direction that feels the warmest! That's this way," Luffy said,

unwittingly pointing to the rising sun.

"Excuse me, if I may interject," Robin interrupted, as Nami was busy

banging her head against a tree. "Captain-san is correct in stating that left

and right is relative to where one stands, but orienting yourself based on

which way feels warmest is not an accurate method of navigation. The

east only feels warmer because the sun is rising. So south would be that

way," she said, pointing to Luffy's right hand side.

"Hmm, I don't really get it, but ok! Let's go!" As he was walking, he

picked up a small branch from the underbrush and started using it as a

walking stick. Chopper looked on in interest.

"Luffy, that's a nice stick!"

"Hmm? Oh yeah. I couldn't find one in Alabasta, but this place is full of

them. Try finding one."

As Chopper set out to do just that, Luffy chuckled. "That reminds me, I

wonder how Vivi and Seal are doing."

Elsewhere

"Vivi-sama…?" Igaram's slightly confused voice shook the Alabastian

princess out of her thoughts. "Would you happen to know why Seal has

taken to carrying a stick around with him in the palace?"

At Vivi's surprised expression, Igaram grew more confused. "Is something

wrong?"

"He...actually found one?" Vivi mumbled. "The vegetation here has been

steadily increasing again…"

At Igaram's questioning look, she shook her head in fond exasperation.

"You're better off not knowing."

"My name is Kotori!"

"My name is Hotori!"

"We are God's elite enforcers-"

"-here to pass judgement upon you-"

"-as well as gain vengeance-"

"for our fallen brother!"

"Prepare yourselves!" the two priest lookalikes shouted at once.

The Strawhats stared in silence at the duo who were so out of their depth

that even Chopper was looking at them as if they were idiots.

"Well then!" Luffy's mock authoritative voice spoke up. "Since this isn't

even remotely fair, I guess we're going with Battle Formation SH2!"

Nami groaned as she realized that Luffy was probably going to make

some kind of training exercise out of this. As the crew huddled together,

Kotori and Hotori looked on in incredulity.

They were playing rocks paper scissors.

"Wait, how is this a battle formation!?" Kotori asked.

"You're just playing a children's game!" Hotori shouted.

"Hey you!" Luffy shouted, already out of the game. "Don't underestimate

Battle Formation SH2!"

"No, feel free to underestimate it," Nami scoffed. "He only calls it that so

people will think we have multiple battle formations. When it reality,

we're just deciding who's going to fight."

Luffy gave her a hurt look. "Don't say that Nami!" he whined. "Our battle

formations will fall into place once we get one or two more crew

members!"

Nami rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Meanwhile, Hotori and Kotori were astonished at the insolent Blue Sea

dwellers who were treating them like a mere nuisance. Before they could

collect themselves though, the Strawhats finished their game, Nami and

Usopp being the winners.

"You know, I can't help but think this was rigged somehow!" Usopp

pointed out.

"He's right. What are the chances that the two weakest crew members

would have to deal with those idiots?" Nami asked, jerking her thumb at

the sputtering duo of enforcers.

"Oh come on! How could I rig rocks paper scissors anyway?" Luffy asked.

"If you want to blame someone, blame the lost samurai."

Nami and Usopp simultaneously turned towards Zoro, who grimaced in

annoyance. "Not me!" he sputtered.

"Oh dear, that wall just came crashing down," Robin commented.

Chopper looked up at her in question, not following the present

conversation at all.

"What wall?" he asked innocently.

"The fourth one," Sanji muttered.

I still don't get it, Chopper thought.

Hotori and Kotori, having had enough and enraged by the earlier insult,

lunged at Nami, who yelped and dove out of the way. Sanji took a step

forward, seething, but was held back by Zoro.

"Don't Cook, they need the experience. Even our training won't be enough

if they don't fight any real battles."

"Battle my ass! They tried to gang up on her!" Sanji shouted. "If Nami-san

gets hurt, I'll blame you, shitty swordsman!"

"If either of them get hurt, blame me," Luffy interrupted. "But they won't."

Meanwhile, Nami was having trouble forming a lightning cloud while

trying to fend off her assailant's attacks. Usopp had been quick to take

one of them after their initial assault, and was now using hit and run

tactics against a disorganized Hotori (or Kotori, really, who knew?). But

strangely, though almost all of his attacks were hitting dead on, some of

them were being harmlessly stopped by the enforcer's hand as if their

kinetic energy had suddenly vanished. At the same time, Nami was

fending off attacks with her staff, and although she parried with a grace

that belied her lack of confidence and constant shrieks, each block she

was forced to make interrupted her efforts to form a cloud overhead.

The entire crew had been warned about the strange devices that the

priest had worn on his hands by Sanji. Robin had speculated that it was a

prevalent form of combat in Skypiea, so both Nami and Usopp were wary

of getting too close.

"You can't dodge forever!" Kotori taunted as he lunged for Nami again.

Nami was forced to block his blow with her clima tact, but to her

surprise, it wasn't a normal blow. When the enforcer's open palm met her

staff, a metallic clang was heard, and a sharp pain travelled up her arm

from the force that would have resulted in a grievous wound had it

landed. Kotori's eyes widened as the recoil left him off balance. The axe

dial couldn't cut it? What's that thing made of!?

Nami, wincing in pain but not to be deterred, quickly capitalized on the

opportunity, twirling her staff and swinging it directly at his head. Upon

impact, the staff released a force far greater than the blow itself would

bestow, and Kotori was blown off his feet by the gust of wind, only to be

stopped by a tree. He rose to his feet in a daze, and when he touched his

head, he felt a warm red liquid. Angered, he prepared to use his flame

dial to roast Nami from a distance, but could only stare in shock as she

disappeared from before his eyes with another twirl of her staff. Looking

around frantically, he could find no trace of her. Unnoticed by the duo,

the cloud overhead now began rapidly increasing in size.

"Stand still you little coward!" Hotori's high pitched and frustrated voice

rang out. Once he realized he couldn't get clear shot to his torso or head,

Usopp had started aiming for his legs. As a result, Hotori was now

limping heavily due to his knees having taken damage. As it was, he

could barely position himself well enough to block with the impact dial,

much less land a hit with it on the constantly retreating sniper, who by

the way, was much faster than he looked. An opportunity prevented itself

when Usopp backed into a tree. Kotori, not one to waste it, lunged at

Usopp, although noticeably slower now, with impact dial at the ready.

Usopp, thinking fast, aimed another shot at his head, forcing Hotori to

abort his assault in favor of blocking once again with the dial, and

thereby missing Usopp, who ducked out of the way and rolled before

gaining more distance. The sniper's eyes bulged as he surveyed the

damage done to the tree he had backed into by the dial. The trunk had

been blown apart, causing the tree to topple over. He had been right to

be cautious and not get hit by that.

Hotori, realizing he had to switch tactics, used his other dial, the breath

dial. A hissing sound was heard, and Usopp's eyes widened as he realized

that some form of gas was being released into the area. Although it was

clear, his keen sense of smell was able to pick up on it. But this guy's

dials were the shock wave one and the breath one. Could he use flames

as well? He had to assume at least one of them could, otherwise the gas

would be pointless.

It was then that he noticed Hotori's eyes drifting to the side to meet

Kotori's, and inwardly cursed. The other enforcer, forgetting about his

fruitless search for Nami at the moment, instead aimed his open palm at

Usopp, who realized he had to get out of the gas now. Knowing they

wouldn't set themselves on fire, he ran towards the two enforcers.

He wasn't quite fast enough.

As it happened, Nami was.

Usopp only had time to register the strong gust that blew passed him, not

strong enough to lift him off his feet, but enough for its purposes. He let

out a relieved breath as the subtle smell of gas faded, and rolled out of

the way of the oncoming flame, making a mental note to thank Nami for

the save once this was over. Ignoring the explosion of flame that, while

close, didn't reach him, he let an uncharacteristic smirk manifest on his

face. This fight was almost over. Casting a subtle glance upwards, he

noted that the lightning cloud overhead still wasn't ready due to the

constant interruptions. He also made a note to find a way for Nami to

multitask with the clima tact.

"What was that? Your aim is terrible," he said to the shocked duo. "Stop

trying to hit me and hit me! I'll send it back to you twice as strong!"

"Funny how you're talking trash when you're about to die!" Kotori

shouted. In their anger, the two enforcers foolishly obliged Usopp's

request, readying another combination attack. Usopp silently prayed to

whatever god was listening other than Enel that Nami had gotten the

message he'd been trying to convey. His trust was rewarded when, after

the gas was released, he felt another strong breeze, this time blowing in

the opposite direction, back towards Hotori and Kotori. The two must

have noticed, because their eyes widened comically as they realized what

was happening.

"The cloud overhead was formed by the humidity in the area," Usopp said

with a smirk. "As a result, the air is much dryer. They say those who play

with fire get burned," he said, aiming his slingshot at the enforcers and

letting his exploding star fly. It detonated inside the small area of gas,

resulting in an explosion twice as big as the previous one, which

swallowed the two enforcers whole. "Luckily for me, I'm not playing."

As he turned around and walked away, he felt something that felt a lot

like Nami's staff impact lightly with his head. As he rubbed the aching

bump, Nami materialized in front of him.

"You sure seemed confident that the explosion wouldn't hit me, especially

for someone who didn't know where I was!" Nami yelled, glaring

halfheartedly.

"Well, I trusted that you would get out of the way in time since you were

the one directing the gas!" Usopp defended.

"Whatever," Nami said, though Usopp thought he saw a ghost of a smile

on her face. "Just remember you owe me one," Nami huffed.

Usopp sighed. "Yea, ok…" Suddenly, his head perked up and his eyes

widened. Nami only had time to wonder why he had grown pale before

he raised his slingshot and fired a pellet over her shoulder. Nami turned

around in time to see Kotori (or Hotori, really, who knew?) clutching his

face in pain as he fell over just short of reaching her. They both leapt

back instinctively, noting that the enforcer, while covered in third degree

burns, hadn't taken nearly as much damage as he should have.

Nami, getting over the fact that she probably would have died had Usopp

been any slower, raised her staff to the sky.

"Looks like I'll get to use this after all. Thunderbolt tempo!"

The massive bolt of lightning reached the ground where their opponent

was struggling to get up faster than one could say "overkill."

Needless to say, he didn't get up again after that.

"Damn, that was close," Usopp said. "He must have used that weapon he

had to absorb the force of the explosion and most of the flames."

Nami nodded, a little shakily, then smiled lightly. "Thanks, Usopp."

Suddenly they heard clapping, and turned to see Luffy and the rest of the

crew making their way towards them.

"See? Not a scratch," Luffy said, a little too smugly, only to be kicked in

the face by Sanji.

"That was too many close calls. What would you have done if they

weren't fast enough?" the chef grumbled.

"I would have intervened, obviously. But I didn't need to," Luffy argued,

before turning to Usopp. "Hey, let's go loot them. Those weapons they

were using looked useful." Getting an enthusiastic nod from Usopp, the

group took the dials from the two unconscious enforcers.

"Hotori and Kotori have been defeated," Enel said in a bored tone, much

to the surprise of his servants.

"First one of the priests and now this?" one spoke up. "Will you intervene,

God?"

"Now why would I do that? The survival game has already begun. If my

forces can't even handle a group of Blue Sea dwellers, they don't deserve

to come with me to the dream land." He smirked. "Of course, that's not to

say I'll stand idly by. I am a player in this game as well." And with that,

Enel disappeared in a bright flash.

A/N: Sorry for not updating for a month and all. For some reason this

chapter was hard to write, and I needed to wait for inspiration to strike.

Tell me what you thought, as usual. Lost out.

45. Clash of Heaven and Earth

Look! Up in the sky!

It's a bird! It's a plane! IT'S A SECOND WIND UPDATE. We're saved!

On a less conceited note, my beta reader, The Patient One, is writing a

One Piece story called Changing the Future (redone). It's a time travel fic,

but not quite like this one; the premise is Luffy and company jumping

around in time rather than going back once. Everyone go read it, and

then start your review with the heading "LOST BROUGHT ME HERE."

I said less conceited, not completely lacking conceit. Anyway, chapter

time.

Disclaimer: It's been a year since I started this story and I still don't own

One Piece? Like, wtf?

Chapter XLV: Clash of Heaven and Earth

As the Strawhats made their way through the thick undergrowth of

Upper Yard, Luffy couldn't help but feel amused. They were in the middle

of a philosophical debate, something that didn't happen often. It had

started when Chopper asked an innocent question: 'Is this place the real

Heaven?' And from there, it had escalated quite satisfactorily.

"Like I said, there's no this place is actually Heaven!" Nami argued. "I

could just as easily put a sign up over Cocoyasi Village that says the same

thing, but that wouldn't make it true."

"I agree with Nami-san!" Sanji announced with ease of practice.

"To be fair, Navigator-san, your home island isn't floating on clouds

10,000 meters above the sea," Robin said with a smile.

Nami glared at Robin, knowing full well that she didn't think this place

was the Heaven either.

"I agree with Robin-chan!" came Sanji's predictable response.

"Hey, you can't agree with both of them!" Usopp sputtered. "Not when

they have differing opinions! And really, we shouldn't be talking about

this! Enel could rain lightning down on us at any time!"

It was a valid point. The only reason they were willing to have this

discussion was that they had Luffy and Zoro on lightning patrol. Once

they had been assured that Enel wasn't even bothering at this point, the

debate had dragged on for the next 5 minutes, in which Usopp would

argue that Skypiea was Heaven, most likely so he could brag about

having gone there later, and Nami, ever the voice of reason, would argue

the opposite, while Robin would play devil's advocate in order to keep

the debate going, most likely because she found it funny, and Sanji would

agree with whatever Nami and Robin said.

"Look, all I'm saying is that we already know we're not the first Blue Sea

dwellers to visit Skypiea," Usopp stated. "Who's to say that the name

'Heaven' didn't come from here originally? For all we know, this could

have been the inspiration for it. That would mean that for all intents and

purposes, this place is Heaven."

Chopper listened on curiously. What did I start?

"I guess it's possible," Nami conceded grudgingly. "But it still seems

unlikely."

"Luffy, Zoro, what do you guys think?" Usopp asked. The two hadn't said

a word yet.

"Don't care," they replied in unison.

"Really?" Usopp asked. "You guys aren't curious at all?"

"I don't believe in God, so I couldn't care less," Zoro stated.

The rumble of thunder overhead either went unnoticed or was ignored.

"What about you, Luffy? You always seemed like the type to believe

things for no reason," Nami said with a smirk.

Luffy grinned. "I don't pretend to know either way," he replied. "If he

exists, that's fine with me, but if he doesn't, I won't lose sleep over it. I'll

just do my own thing like always."

"That's an interesting viewpoint, Captain-san," Robin said. "So you're an

Agnostic?"

"A what-now?"

"Are you guys so captivated by your meaningless conversation that you

wouldn't notice a giant snake sneaking up on you?" Zoro drawled.

The Strawhats stilled. Luffy's grin only widened as the others looked

around cautiously. Sanji reached out with his Observation Haki, and the

cigarette fell from his mouth. "Son of a..."

"Oh, dear," Robin commented as one of the oversized vines nearby started

slithering. Soon, a colossal python was looming over them, jaw wide

open.

"Scatter!" Luffy shouted, before grabbing Nami and leaping out of the

way. Usopp was unceremoniously kicked out of the way by Zoro, while

Sanji and Robin leapt aside and Chopper scurried away in Walk Point.

The crew looked back and shivered. The snake's fangs had left a huge

indent in the tree behind them, which continued to erode from its venom.

"That could be a problem," Robin stated. "I hope none of us get eaten...or

skewered...or liquified."

"Stop it!" Usopp shouted. "Come on, we need to retreat!"

Luffy had other ideas as he walked straight up to the python and looked

it in the eye.

"Hey, snake!"

The snake's eyes narrowed as it hissed at Luffy.

"Isn't he going to use Conqueror's Haki?" Usopp whispered. "That thing

could really eat him alive!"

But Luffy's next words stopped the snake short. "We're looking for a

golden bell! Have you seen it?"

Before the Strawhats could fully comprehend the idiocy of the question,

they were taken aback by the snake's reaction. It was still staring at Luffy,

but its eyes were wide. It seemed to have a faraway look in its eyes.

Luffy smirked. "You're looking for it too, right? If you want to find it, go

wait for us under the giant beanstalk. I assume you can find your way

there."

The snake evidently understood what Luffy was talking about better than

the Strawhats did. It looked at Luffy suspiciously for a little while longer

before raising its head to the sky and letting out an unusual hissing noise.

"Ssuuuulaalaalaalaaaa!" it hissed loudly, almost as if it was trying to say

something, or perhaps imitate something that had been said. Immediately

afterwards, it turned around and started slithering rather quickly towards

the Strawhats' destination.

"What was that all about?" Nami asked.

"Tell you later," Luffy replied, still grinning.

Robin's suspicion that the captain knew something about this place that

the rest of them didn't was now solidified, but she let it go for the

moment.

As they made their way deeper into the forest, the crew began to hear the

unmistakable sounds of conflict faroff in the distance.

"It sounds like there's a battle going on here," Sanji commented.

"But how? This is Upper Yard. Aren't we supposed to be the only

intruders?" Usopp asked nervously.

Zoro closed his eyes for a moment. "The status quo has changed. There

are around 80 people on the island at the moment. They're all fighting.

Some of them are already down for the count." He opened his eyes. "It's

war."

"War?" Robin repeated. "So it's a rebellion against Enel's reign?"

"It's unlikely that all of Skypiea would accept his rule," Zoro replied.

"You're right. Most likely, the conflict was already in the making. It could

be that our presence here has galvanized the resistance," Robin

speculated.

"I don't think it was just us," Luffy spoke up, drawing the crew's attention.

His brow furrowed. "Do you guys remember what that weird knight guy

said? There was another group of Blue Sea dwellers that caused trouble

here recently. And now, we come along and take down a priest. It kind of

mucks up Enel's image, don't you think?"

Sanji nodded. "It makes him look vulnerable. That's why they're acting

now. Whoever showed up before us must have been a Grand Line pirate.

Our own success aside, they were no pushovers if they did so much

damage."

Luffy's frown deepened. And whoever it was, they weren't here last time. I

have a bad feeling. I hope I'm wrong. It couldn't be…

He looked at Zoro, who met his eyes for a brief second. His countenance

was nearly as grim. This did not bode well.

"Hey, we've got incoming," Sanji said.

Luffy snapped back to attention. There was another aura approaching

them. Relatively weak, but stronger than the last two. He smirked.

"So, who gets this one?"

Chopper stood frozen in shock. Oh, no. Did he just win? That's not fair! I

have hooves! I can only choose scissors! How did I win!?

"Looks like it's all you, Chopper," Luffy said, grinning. "Give him hell!"

Chopper nervously turned toward the priest Gedatsu, who had been

watching them in bemusement.

"What is this? You're choosing a tanuki to fight me? Why do I feel that

you're not taking me seriously?"

"Shows what you know! He's not a tanuki!" Luffy retorted. "He's half-

reindeer half-tanuki half-human!"

"Shut up, Luffy!" Chopper cried hysterically.

"Well, not that it matters. If you so wish, I will take you all down one at a

time!"

"Don't hold back, Chopper! You can do this," Luffy encouraged. "Just use

the Rumble Ball and do what you usually do. You'll be fine."

Chopper gulped and nodded. He held up a pill, and with barely a

moment's hesitation, popped it into his mouth. "Rumble."

"What's this? Eating during a fight? How careless," Gedatsu admonished.

Chopper didn't bother to respond, knowing his time limit had already

started. He quickly approached the priest in Walk Point. Gedatsu's eyes

widened at the unexpected burst of speed but managed to dodge thanks

to his Mantra, floating above the ground using the Dials on his feet.

Chopper went into Jumping Point and pursued him, but the priest

managed to propel himself out of the way again. His increased mobility

in tandem with his mantra was proving a problem, so Chopper landed on

the ground and went into Brain Point as his opponent was retreating.

Scanning Gedatsu for weaknesses, he quickly came up with a plan before

the priest capitalized on the opportunity.

Gedatsu's hands started leaking a milky white substance which formed a

cloud. He hurled it at Chopper, who went back into Jumping Point and

leapt out of the way. Although it was just cloud, he didn't know what it

was supposed to do, and decided to play it safe. Before he could get close

though, Gedatsu followed up using the jet dial on his elbow.

"Jet Punch!"

Chopper was barely able to dodge, even in Jumping Point, and looked on

in worry as the attack blew a hole into a nearby boulder. Gauging the

strength of the attack, he decided to take his chances. As the priest

turned around and used another Jet Punch, Chopper launched himself

forward in Jumping Point before quickly switching to Arm Point and

meeting the blow head on.

"Kokutei, Roseo!"

The clash resulted in both combatants being blown off their feet. Chopper

went into Guard Point to cushion the impact, but Gedatsu took the full

brunt of it as he collided with a tree. Chopper wasted no time and went

back into Walk Point. Hoisting himself back onto his feet, Gedatsu tried

to propel himself back into the air, but Chopper jumped after him,

switching into Heavy Point and grabbing him by the feet. He pulled the

Dials off of his shoes, effectively grounding him, and they both

plummeted to earth.

As Chopper rolled away, Gedatsu slowly got back to his feet. He used

another Jet Punch, but Chopper went into Horn Point and caught the

blow in his antlers. Digging his hooves into the ground and gritting his

teeth through the pain, Chopper slowed to a stop and bucked, sending

Gedatsu flying through the air to collide painfully with the ground.

Before he could get up again, Chopper capitalized on the opportunity and

ended the fight with another Kokutei, Roseo. Confident the priest

wouldn't get up again, Chopper let out a heavy breath and turned back

towards his comrades, who all congratulated him.

Luffy smiled to himself. Everyone's training was really paying off. They

would have to keep this up.

Ohm scowled. Gedatsu's voice had just fallen silent. The idiot had

personally volunteered to subdue the seven Blue Sea dwellers whose

voices now continued to approach Giant Jack, and now he had been

taken down, easily in fact, if the lack of any other voices falling quiet was

any indication. It was one thing to be the only competent priest left, but to

be the only priest left period? At times he actually missed Shura, if only

for his success rate, and that was just worrying. He'd always hated that

string bastard, but at least he got the job done a good 97% of the time. It

wasn't quite up to par with his own 100%, but it was a level of reliability

he didn't make a habit of expecting from the other two. Well, no matter.

He was the only one left, which meant none of their enemies would be

escaping from this point on.

Enel may have been omnipotent, but he was far too lax at times in Ohm's

opinion. He didn't really care for avenging his fellow priest. The

miserable being was better off dead than continuing his wretched

existence, as were all human mortals. But letting that crew of insolent

misfits escape just because their foolhardy leader had survived a couple

dozen half-assed El Thors? The stubborn ones who clung to life were the

ones that needed to be freed from their misery the most. If he didn't

know any better, he would say that God Enel had been afraid.

Good thing he knew better than to think that, much less say it.

Oh, well. It was not as if he could go after the Blue Sea dwellers...yet.

They were most likely coming to him anyway, so there was no reason to

abandon his post. He extended his mantra and noted that the Shandians

were making their way to God's Shrine as well. Soon it would be time to

save some wretched souls.

Enel looked up from the scorching form of the Shandian warrior,

Kamakiri. Absentmindedly noting that his attack had unwittingly hit

several others traveling on the milky road, both foes and allies, he

extended his mantra towards Giant Jack. Ohm was still there, but

Gedatsu was gone...oh wait, there he was. Unconscious, on the path to

the altar. He must have run into the Blue Sea dwellers who were now

nearing the ancient ruins. That was another priest down. That left

himself, Ohm, Holy, Yama, Skypiea's former God, the Master of the Sky,

the seven Blue Sea dwellers, the War Demon Wiper, and a handful of

Shandian warriors and his own enforcers. Not to mention the Shandian

child who had been born with mantra who was sneaking about. 24

participants in total. This game was getting interesting.

"Luffy?" Nami's deceptively sweet voice addressed the Strawhat captain,

causing him to sweat a bit.

"Um...yeah, Nami?"

"Cities of gold...they usually have gold, don't they?" she questioned

rhetorically, in that same dangerously mellow tone.

"Not in my experience," Luffy replied, boldly evading the question. The

thing about Nami was that when she asked you a rhetorical question, she

expected you to answer it, and answer it right. As it happened, his

answer, while truthful (he had only ever seen one city of gold in his life,

and being the exact same one, it had no gold either), was not the right

one.

This was what he liked to think of as the calm before the storm. And the

retort had barely left his mouth before he realized that he was essentially

poking the storm with a stick.

The thought alone made him drop the stick he was still carrying.

As Nami's eyes darkened, Luffy hastily pointed in the direction of the

nearest aura.

"Hey, look, there's a guy over there! We should go beat him up! He can

probably tell you where the gold is, unlike me."

Nami's eyes narrowed. The distraction was weak at best.

"Navigator-san," Robin cut in, struggling not to erupt into a fit of giggles.

"It's been 400 years since the City of Gold was last accounted for. It

makes sense that the gold would have been moved. But seeing as Skypiea

is relatively small and this land is a restricted area, there are only so

many places it could be. I suggest we take Captain-san's crudely phrased

advice and question one of Enel's underlings as to its whereabouts.

Nami hummed. "So, in other words, Enel probably took the gold. And to

get it back, we'll most likely have to kick his ass."

"Did I mention you'll need me in one piece for that?" Luffy saw fit to ask.

"Not really," Zoro disagreed emotionlessly. "I could beat him nearly as

easily as—"

"Zoro, the next time you start wandering off in a random direction, I'm

letting you get lost."

Zoro scoffed. "As if I'd get lost with this huge ass beanstalk as a

landmark."

"You would get lost even if you had a walking compass following you

around and trying to get your attention."

As the two bickered, Robin observed the ruins closely. They weren't

nearly as large as she'd imagined. Was this really everything? As she

surveyed her surroundings, inspiration struck her. They were still

standing on cloud, and this was Upper Yard. That meant they weren't at

ground level. There was more underneath. She was about to pass on this

information to her crewmates when they heard a loud crash. She turned

and noted with dread that a Shandian warrior had just crashed into one

of the nearby ruins. That was ancient history lost to mankind. She might

have attacked the man if not for the knowledge that it had been someone

else to send him crashing into the artifact...and the fact that he was now

unconscious, his cannon lying useless on the ground next to him.

She turned with a cold glare towards the heavyweight man who was

approaching them.

Luffy saw the look on her face and winced.

"You know, Robin, I think we can just skip the rock-paper-scissors this

time."

Only a nearly imperceptible nod of agreement indicated that the

archaeologist had heard him.

"So, you are the seven illegal entrants who have caused so much havoc

on Upper Yard. The priests must have been slacking. What a disgrace.

Even Satori was defeated," he snarled. "As God Enel's Chief Enforcer, I,

Yama, will end this little nuisance now!"

Yama charged recklessly at the Strawhats, but Robin used her Devil Fruit

powers to grab his legs and trip him. He fell face first, but quickly

bounced back onto his feet and turned towards Robin with a furious

glare.

"You first, then? Very well."

"Show some respect. These ruins are priceless, and you're stumbling

around destroying them like a neanderthal," Robin said coolly.

Yama snorted. "The ruins? You think I care about the past? Here's what I

think of your damn ruins!"

He made to kick at a nearby slab of rock, but a couple dozen hands

sprouted out of the ground and held him in a choke hold. Grunting in

pain, he tried to break out of the hold. Robin, who was exerting herself

keeping hold of the giant brute of a man, realized that his size made a

simple clutch impossible as she couldn't get a good enough hold on him.

Seeing as she had no qualms about the method used to incapacitate a

hostile, several more arms sprouted out of Yama's back and continued

choking him.

Yama, gasping for air, did the only thing he could do and fell backwards.

His dead weight was too much for Robin to support, and most of the

arms dissipated, lest they be crushed beneath him as he fell. She

concluded that this was a wise decision as the ground split apart beneath

him. Noting that he had axe dials on his back and abdomen, she

summoned more hands to hold him down.

This time, however, Yama caught one of her sprouted limbs and

attempted to crush it. The flash of pain disrupted her focus and the rest

of the limbs disappeared along with it. Now free, Yama rose to his feet

and looked at Robin cautiously.

Luffy grimaced. Robin wasn't fighting as she usually would. She was

trying to protect the ruins from being damaged any further.

"Robin! Don't worry about the ruins. I've got it covered. Just focus on

kicking this guy's ass!"

Robin turned to Luffy in surprise, but then nodded to convey that she

trusted him. She quickly scurried away from Yama, leading him towards

a rock formation without any markings on it. Yama chased after her, but

as she suspected, the brute had a one track mind. Once he realized she

was determined to protect the ruins, he was persistent in his attempts to

exploit the disadvantage.

Which is why he veered off to the right and flew headlong into a ruin.

Robin's eyes widened. She tried to use her Devil Fruit powers, but was

too late as he collided with the stone structure…

And was repelled violently. He fell back onto the ground, cursing in pain

and clutching the newly formed bruise on his head from the collision

with the stone, which, upon closer inspection, was now blackened like

volcanic rock. Robin followed the trail of black across the ground and

met Luffy's eyes curiously. He had one obsidian hand on the ground,

which acted as a medium for the physical manifestation of his will.

He grinned at her. "Continue."

Robin turned back to Yama, and several arms appeared on the ground

next to his arm. A couple seconds later, the arm was broken at the elbow,

eliciting a new round of curses from the heavyweight, who charged at

Robin in a blind rage, all thoughts of the ruins forgotten.

"Axe Mountain!" the brute shouted as he attempted to bodyslam the

archaeologist.

Robin activated her power while dodging out of the way so that the only

thing in Yama's path was the large boulder she had chosen. Yama seemed

unconcerned with the impending collision, but this was proven to be a

rather poor decision as blood spurted from his stomach where the axe

dials had been turned around to face the wrong way. Yama coughed up

blood as he lay in the pile of rubble. A dozen arms now sprouted around

the defenseless man, who was unable to resist the hold this time.

"Clutch," Robin's emotionless voice broke the silence, followed by the

cracking of bones. Satisfied that the man was not getting up under his

own strength any time soon, Robin walked calmly back toward her

crewmates.

After thoroughly exploring the ruins, Robin was able to decipher some of

the writing, and the Strawhats were led below the veil of clouds to the

city of Shandia underneath. They couldn't find the golden bell, which

meant that either it didn't make it to the sky, it was lost during the

ascension of Jaya, or Enel had it. Luffy was still determined to ring it,

and Nami was still determined to find the gold, but neither had objected

to Robin teaching Yama a painful lesson before they could question him,

oddly.

As it turned out, this wasn't much of a problem, since another of Enel's

minions met them at the base of the beanstalk, along with a giant dog.

"Welcome, Blue Sea dwellers. I am Ohm, the last of God's priests. The

Ordeal of Iron has begun. You will not leave here alive."

"The last 5 guys all had the same idea," Sanji said. "Can we just get on

with this?"

Ohm adjusted his glasses. "As you wish."

Several things happened in the next minute. A bearded man who the

Strawhats recognized as Gan Fall flew in on his winged horse. The

Shandian warrior who had assaulted them when they first arrived in the

White Sea also made an appearance, along with a couple other Shandian

warriors.

Most shockingly to those who weren't the Strawhat pirates, a giant snake

slithered around the base of Giant Jack, attracted by all the commotion.

The snake looked at Luffy expectantly, and the Strawhat captain gestured

towards the other arrivals, who were staring each other down. The

tension was palpable as Ohm readied his sword, Wiper his bazooka,

Braham his flash guns, Gan Fall his lance, and the snake her fangs.

Strangely, the snake, whom the Skypieans knew as the Master of the Sky,

was hovering over the Blue Sea dwellers almost protectively.

"So, you're all alright," Gan Fall stated, greeting the Strawhats. "That's

good to know. I was beginning to fear the worst."

"I'm surrounded by people I'd love to kill," Wiper growled. "But first

things first." He turned to Ohm. "Where is Enel? I'm here for his head."

"Foolish mortals. You will all be freed from the illusion of life's grandeur

soon enough," was all Ohm said.

"Suuulaalaalaalaaaa!" the Master of the Sky hissed her input.

"So, then," Luffy's spoke up. "I guess it's a battle royale."

"How exciting," a new voice, accompanied by a crackle of lightning,

drawled. "I do hope I'm invited."

Everyone turned to face none other than God Enel, who was smirking at

them all. "Of the original 80 participants, 16 fighters remain. How

frustrating. Let's trim that number down, shall we?"

A/N: Ugh. I wanted to post this chapter on Tuesday, but work caught up

with me. I feel as though it was a bit rushed to be honest. What did you

guys think of the pacing? Or do you just want shit to happen already?

46. To Reject God

Hello again everyone! Since the Skypiea arc is coming to a close soon, I

thought I'd address an issue I've been pondering. Multiple people have

expressed a desire to see the Water 7/Ennies Lobby arcs sooner rather

than later. While this is certainly understandable, considering that the

latter is commonly considered to be one of the best arcs in the series, I

cannot, in good conscience, speed through an arc like this one. I feel that

if I did that people would be inclined to do the same while reading it,

and I don't want any major arc to be uninteresting to the readers.

I knew when I began this story that some arcs inevitably be less eventful

than others. Skypiea in particular is vulnerable to this trend because it

takes place in a setting isolated from the rest of the One Piece world.

Even in canon, one of its only redeeming factors for a lot of people is an

overpowered villain, and in a story like this one that point is moot. This

foresight was one of the reasons why Second Wind has been partially a

humor story from the beginning, as I feel that comedy can go a long way

to make a chapter more interesting.

I was also planning to spend a chapter or two on G8, since it was my

favorite filler arc. Let me know whether you'd like to see that or not. If

there's an overwhelming response to the negative, I'll reconsider it.

With that said, enjoy the climax of the Skypiea arc.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

Chapter XLVI: To Reject God

There was a moment of calm under Giant Jack as the 16 participants

stared each other down, waiting for someone to make the first move.

Between the Shandians, the Priest, the Knight of the Sky, the Master of

the Sky, and the God of the Sky, tensions were high.

The Blue Sea dwellers, on the other hand, had varied reactions to the

new development. Zoro looked utterly bored, Sanji was needlessly

assuring Nami and Robin that he'd protect them, Nami was rolling her

eyes at Sanji, Usopp was holding his slingshot above his head in a sign of

false bravado that belied the trembling of his legs, Chopper was asking

Luffy what a battle royale was, Robin was looking utterly bored, and

Luffy was explaining to Chopper what a battle royale was in a rather

grandiose manner, utilizing the term "man's romance" multiple times.

"As amusing as this little byplay is," Enel continued, raising an eyebrow

in amusement, "You all really should focus on the matter at hand. You

see, only 5 of you can come with me to the Holy Land. The rest of you

will be returned to the Blue Sea along with the rest of Skypiea. You may

either decide amongst yourselves, or battle for the right. It is your

decision."

The Shandians and Gan Fall were silent as they took in what Enel had

just implied. Gan Fall had already had a sneaking suspicion, but this

confirmed it.

"You demon," the knight growled. "You plan to destroy Skypiea, along

with all of its inhabitants!?"

"That is the natural order of things, is it not?" Enel replied, sounding

almost bored. "God is a destroyer. His job is to restore order. For mortals

to live above the clouds, to thrive in the sky like gods...it's heresy, don't

you think? It is only right that I return them to their natural

environment."

Most of the Strawhats stared incredulously at the declaration. He spoke

so casually about what could practically be considered genocide. Even

Ohm looked surprised at this news, having heard nothing of it

beforehand.

"Now," Enel continued, "which of you will come with me to Fairy Vearth,

and which of you will return to the Blue Sea?" The tension skyrocketed as

all parties involved gripped their weapons.

"I'll return to the Blue Sea," a voice spoke up, and everyone turned to

stare at Luffy, who was cracking his knuckles. "After I kick your ass from

here to Fairy Vearth, of course."

Enel looked amused. "How insolent."

"But before that, I have a question for you," Luffy continued. "Who was

the other Blue Sea dweller that came here before us?"

Enel raised an eyebrow. "Why does that matter? Do you presume to know

him? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You both have a tendency to

provoke powers far beyond your understanding."

"You can tell me, or I can beat it out of you," Luffy said nonchalantly.

Enel stated laughing. "Oh, I'll definitely enjoy beating that out of you,

mortal," he exclaimed. "But if you really must know, I am not aware of

his true name. Only that, if I remember correctly, he went by the moniker

of Blackbeard."

Robin's eyes widened, while Zoro's narrowed.

"So, it's true then," Luffy muttered. "But that doesn't make sense." He

looked at Enel as if trying to solve some sort of puzzle. "How are you

even alive right now?"

Enel looked annoyed for the first time hearing that question. "Are you

implying that he was a match for me? That fool never even made it to

Giant Jack. Once he took down Shura, I found that my patience was

beginning to wane, and decided to intervene. I'll admit, it was impressive

that he survived my El Thor that many times, but in the end, he and his

pathetic crew retreated back to the Blue Sea like so many others." Enel

cracked a smile. "I never had to leave God's Shrine!"

Surprisingly, this caused Luffy to start laughing. Enel grew confused at

this reaction, but soon his annoyance returned.

"You'd be wise not to laugh at omnipotence, foolish monkey," he growled.

Luffy calmed down and looked at Enel again.

"That explains it," he said. "Haki was never his strong suit. The idiot

never even found you. I wonder if he even knew someone was attacking

him, or if he just thought it was raining lightning over his head." Enel

only scowled in response.

After that, the tension broke. Wiper made the first move, aiming his

bazooka at Enel, but Ohm was quick to intercept the cannonball that he

shot, which exploded against a large wall of iron that protruded out from

his sword handle.

"God does not need to be bothered with you mortals. I'll be enough to

finish this."

Wiper growled as he switched his bazooka to its 'burn' setting. Before he

had a chance to fire it off, however, Ohm's iron cloud sword was chasing

him, and he was forced to dodge out of the way. As the two got ready to

clash again, they heard a loud hiss, and turned their heads upwards to

the sight of the Master of the Sky glaring down at them. Wiper aimed his

bazooka at her and fired, but the barrage of flames barely left a mark on

the snake's scales as she swept her tail towards the two at an astounding

speed. Wiper used his waver skates to maneuver out of the way, but Ohm

wasn't as fast, and resorted to blocking with his iron cloud.

It didn't work.

The weapon shattered, barely cushioning the blow enough for Ohm to

remain unharmed after being thrown off his feet. His mantra screamed at

him, but he wasn't fast enough to prevent the fangs of the giant python

from sinking into him.

Enel was, however.

Nola hissed in agony as she was hit by a lightning bolt and every muscle

in her body started to spasm.

"It would seem that this is a little above your pay grade, Ohm," Enel

mocked as he appeared next to the slightly shaken priest.

"You don't pay me," he retorted. The self proclaimed god laughed.

"Fair point," he conceded as he charged up another lightning blast, aimed

at the still twitching python. There was a loud clap of thunder as he

released it, and it shot towards the Master of the Sky in the span of a

millisecond.

Enel's brow furrowed as he observed the result of his divine intervention.

His lightning had stopped short of her. It had simply dispersed. But how?

His eyes widened as the dust cleared, and two figures stood almost