Chapter Text
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…May 28th, Evening, East Blue…
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Yamato tilted her head and squinted, “Hey Bones, does something look off about that island?”
Bones squinted and then pulled the map from the inner breast pocket of his coat. A quick scan of the map led to a nod and a smile, “Yep, there is something rather unique about that island. Oh I do hope we’re in time…”
Yamato looked over at him as he adjusted the sail to take them closer, “In time?”
Bones held up the map for her, “That there is Mirror Ball Island. Home to a massive annual dance festival, which if we’re lucky, and I think our odds are probably rather good, just might be around this time of year. If we do happen to be in time, it might make a fun date.”
Yamato blinked in confusion, “Date?”
Bones nodded, “Ah, new term?” Upon a nod from Yamato, Bones smiled, “Basically we go have a fun evening together. Little dinner, little dance…” Bones couldn’t help but blush as he added, “…fall a little more in love…”
Yamato had a blush of her own and glanced away before frowning, “Um…I…don’t know how to dance…”
“Well, that makes two of us I suppose,” Bones declared with a grin, “I’ve a rough idea of how but never had anyone to dance with. So, I guess we’ll just have to do what we always do.”
“Make it up as we go along?” Yamato asked with a grin.
“That’s the spirit!” Bones laughed, “As long as we’re having fun, who cares if someone else thinks we’re doing it right?”
Half an hour later they pulled into the docks at Mirror Ball Island, both hopping to the deck, Bones with a mooring line in hand. He quickly knelt and started tying the boat off while Yamato oohed and aahed over the sight of the islands namesake: A massive ball of mirrors as wide as the length of a battleship hanging above the town from a massive cliff that curved over the top of the island like it had been made for exactly that purpose. There were more on poles lining the streets, but that big one really took the cake.
Bones had traded the bicorn he wore for the Goa Bank robbery in for the tricorn he’d picked up on Park Island and the dull gray coat that matched it. Now that they had massive bounties on their heads, it wouldn’t do to go drawing too much attention to themselves. It was of course a moot point though, because while Bones could easily make himself as unobtrusive as a man over seven feet tall could be, Yamato by her very nature stood out.
Even with her horns concealed by her Zoan abilities, an ability she had developed very quickly at Bones’s suggestion to at least moderately help conceal her identity, she was still a gorgeous woman who stood a head taller than even Bones and would draw stares even if modestly dressed. As was, she was wearing a flannel shirt that was made for someone scarcely chest high on her. It could barely contain her bosom with the bottom corners were tied together as the buttons could not be even remotely trusted to be up to the task. This also left her washboard stomach and impressive musculature on full display. Her pants were denim and of the same sort as her shirt, that is, meant for someone scarcely chest high on her. As such, they had been far too small and Yamato had opted to simply cut off the restrictive material until it fit comfortably.
The overall effect was that of a farmer’s innocent but gorgeous daughter out seeing the world beyond the farm for the first time. Yamato’s bright eyed wonder at the world only aided that image, and Bones would’ve been a liar could anyone have somehow convinced him to say it wasn’t a look that made his heart skip and stutter like a scratched up record. Indeed, he found himself deeply wishing he didn’t have to keep his eyes on the knot he was tying. He’d much rather be looking at her.
Bones did look up though as he heard Yamato take off at a dead sprint with a little whisper of “No way...” Bones blinked in confusion and then snatched the knot tight. He twisted and lined himself up before leaping over the heads of the crowd Yamato had just barreled through in an attempt to keep her in his sight and maybe catch up a little.
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…Half an Hour Earlier, Nearby…
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“BWAHAHAHAHA! SURE! I LOVE A GOOD JOKE! SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!” Vice Admiral Garp laughed, it was late afternoon, getting on towards evening and he’d decided to go for a walk. The island was having a very famous dance carnival that evening beneath the well lit form of the gigantic mirror ball that gave the island its name. Garp normally didn’t get to attend such events, but as he was in the area, he’d decided to go for an enthusiastic walk.
This was a course of action which would’ve given Sengoku, Tsuru and everyone else who knew him a minor stroke. Nothing good ever came of Garp going for an enthusiastic walk.
His new chore boy and chore girl had followed along behind him, nervously wondering why Garp’s usual assistant Bogart had looked so smug about having someone else to send to keep an eye on the legendary Marine Hero. It wouldn’t have concerned them so much if the man hadn’t started outright cackling after giving them the assignment.
Now they found themselves standing before a man with heart shaped glasses wearing a top hat and blue suit. The blue suited man claimed to be a hypnotist, offering a night of madness and wonder for 1000 beris or their money back. Much to Coby and Mary’s chagrin, their superior and charge had just agreed to see what the man could do. A large part of them told them there was no way it was for real, but there was still that nagging little worry in their minds wondering what sort of horrors could be wrought if the man actually were able to hypnotize the legendary Vice Admiral.
The hypnotist raised a bladed ring on a string, “Now watch carefully, and on the count of Jango, you’re not gonna be a marine, you’re gonna be a priest. You’ll offer to marry any young couples who look clearly in love. You won’t arrest anybody no matter who they are because you’re a priest, and you’ll make sure nobody else does because forgiveness is the way of heaven. You’ll give to the poor and help those in need. Whenever you’re not performing priestly duties, you’ll happily dance the night away without a care in the world. You understand?”
Garp smirked, “Yeah right! Alright let’s do this!”
Coby and Mary swapped a glance, before turning back to watch Garp intently as the ring began to swing. “Alright, now one…two…three…FOUR…” the hypnotist quickly averted his eyes and Coby and Mary just barely managed to cover their eyes in time, “…JAAAAANGOOOOO!!!”
For a moment, it seemed like nothing had happened. Then Garp popped upright, drew a bible from who knew where, flipped it open and began quoting scripture. Coby and Mary paled in unison as the hypnotist bolted, Oh god…we’re SCREWED…
Unnoticed by the two young Marines who had just been saddled with a hypnotized superior, over a dozen figures in various disguises breathed sighs of relief before heading to their rendezvous point.
Twenty minutes later, three such disguised figures made their way down a dark alley towards the warm light of a hole in the wall bar. They were dressed in identical black suits, one with a fedora, one with a pompadour and scarf, and the third with glasses he didn’t need.
“Come on man, just do it! Next time he comes askin’, just tell him to fuck off! Come on we’ll back you up! Don’t tell me you’re scared of him,” the dark haired man in the fedora needled his friend with a grin.
“Nah,” his blonde companion with the scarf replied nonchalantly.
“Come on man, just tell him ‘Fuck you Teach, go make your own damn pie’,” the dark haired man pressed.
“Nope,” the blonde chef replied, “You know how it works Ace. I save things like that for when they’re well and truly earned.”
“He’s not gonna do it yoi,” the third man smirked, “Thatch likes it when people like his food.”
“Everyone likes Thatch’s food!” Ace declared, “That’s how he snagged that girlfriend of his isn’t it? Bake sale in disguise right? That’s a cool ability her sister’s got too. What did you say her name was again?”
Marco stopped in his tracks and looked at Ace before averting his gaze over to Thatch, “You didn’t tell him?”
Thatch kept walking, “He didn’t need to know.”
Ace’s head snapped around, “What?! I didn’t need to know what?! What the hell man?! You’ve been holding out on me?!”
Marco snagged Ace by the suit jacket they’d wrangled and conned him into and whispered who Thatch’s girlfriend was. Ace’s jaw hit the ground in shock, “BU-HULL SHIT! THATCH! You’re not!”
“Not what?” Thatch asked calmly without breaking his stride.
“Dating another Emperor’s daughter!” Ace demanded as he hurried to catch up where he could look his friend in the eye, “Especially one of Big Mom’s!”
“You haven’t really got room to talk yoi,” Marco replied with a crooked smirk, “What about you and Kaido’s girl?”
“How many times have I gotta tell you nothing happened?!” Ace exclaimed, “I don’t know why everyone thinks we hooked up! I swear on Pops’ best booze all we did was try to beat the crap out of each other and then sit around drinking and shooting the shit ‘til dawn!”
“Ohhh, is that what they’re calling it these days?” Thatch asked with a smirk.
“I’m telling you, nothing happened! We’re just friends!” Ace protested futilely, “Look even if I did see Yamato like that, I’m like chest high on her at most! There’s way too much of a size difference! I mean, I’m hung and all, but come on! As big as she is, you’d probably need to be the size of my entire forearm to satisfy a woman that size!”
“Careful talkin’ like that yoi,” Marco admonished him with a grin, “She’s liable to be right around the corner and hear you.”
Ace snorted, “Yeah right. Come on Marco, there is no way the person you guys dragged me all the way out to the East Blue all incognito to swear up and down I know nothing about the disappearance of is going to just magically pop up on the same island.”
“Thousand beri says she does,” Marco’s grin grew mischievously.
Ace opened his mouth to reply, then his instincts, finely tuned for danger, food poisoning and sucker bets went off. He looked at Marco suspiciously, “You seem awfully confident about that.”
“Wonder why,” Marco replied as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
“ACE!!!” Yamato exclaimed excitedly as she erupted around the corner and changed directions in an instant to tackle her friend with a hug. She immediately proved Ace’s point about the size difference between them by lifting him off the ground as easily as though the man were a toddler and squeezing him so hard she nearly triggered his selective intangibility, “What are you doing here?!”
“Looking for information about you!” Ace laughed, his feet dangling nearly a meter off the ground, “I can’t believe we ran into each other! If you’ll put me down, I’ll introduce you to everybody!”
Yamato quickly set him down and Ace grinned as he turned to his adoptive elder brothers, “Marco! Thatch! This is Yamato! Yamato, these are Marco the Phoenix, Whitebeard Pirates First Division Commander our crew’s best doctor, and Twin Blades Thatch, the Fourth Division Commander and head cook aboard the Moby Dick.”
Yamato bowed with a grin, “It’s very nice to meet you! I’m Kozuki Oden, better known as Yamato.”
Marco raised an eyebrow with a severely unimpressed look, “What was that about Uncle Oden?”
“In short she’s his biggest fan and wants to be just like him,” Bones replied as he dropped to the street behind them from the rooftops above, “She considers his name and identity to be synonymous with freedom and adventure, so she’s taken on that as part of her identity.”
“Make it sound all analytical why don’t you?” Yamato asked dryly before blinking and starting to grow more than a bit worried as Bones suddenly found himself facing two sets of flames and a pair of swords that Thatch had pulled from who knew where, “Um, Ace? What’s going on?”
“I’d guess they’re mad about my epic moustache,” Bones replied as he wiggled the moustache in question, “Look a bit too similar to your favorite one gents?”
“Nobody makes fun of Pops,” Thatch declared coldly.
“Who’s making fun?” Bones asked peevishly, “I consider that nickname the highest honor possible! Besides,” he reached up and plucked a hair from the moustache in question, grimacing as the hair felt like it was bringing half his lip with it, “Until I can find a good razor, I can’t exactly shave the darn thing. Liable to cut half my own face off without a good razor, and even with one, it’ll probably grow back in no time.”
“You mean…that’s real?” Marco asked suspiciously.
Bones simply reached up and tugged his tricorn off, revealing his hair curving up on the sides. If left to grow, it would eventually curve into twin horns that perfectly matched the sickle shape of his moustache. Marco, Thatch and Ace’s jaws hit the ground in unison. “W-w-wait…you’re really Pops’ biological son?” Marco asked in shock as he realized the resemblance to be even more utterly uncanny in person.
“I’m from a parallel world,” Bones replied, “A radically different one where this world is nothing but a story book, and this body is not the one I had there. I have no idea if my blood is the same as Whitebeard’s, but I haven’t faked anything since I arrived off the coast of Shellstown and met Yama-chan.
“I invoked Whitebeard’s image intentionally to get your attention so we could let you know that Yama-chan was safe and Sabo was alive,” he explained, “Also, the naginata’s a very good weapon and even if mine’s really just a sharp metal oar, I like it. You can all three shove right the hell off if you’ve got a problem with how I fight. If you think I’d ever disrespect Whitebeard though, then you can get it through your thick heads that there’s only one pirate in the world I respect as much as Edward Newgate, and if I have to pound that fact into your heads myself, I will.”
“Oh? And who do you think is equal to Pops huh?” Ace growled, flames licking along his fingers and the edge of his fedora.
“Monkey D. Luffy,” Bones enunciated clearly, his expression clearly daring them to laugh, “He’s an idiot but he’s the idiot who’ll be Pirate King, and I’ll have his back the entire way if he’ll have me.”
“You…you know Luffy?” Ace asked in shock as Marco and Thatch’s swapped bewildered glances.
“We’re actually on our way to Loguetown to join his crew,” Yamato declared, “Bones says we’re both a lot stronger than he is right now, but we don’t care. Luffy’s heading for the Grand Line, that means adventure.”
“We both crave adventure, so of course joining the most powerful rookie in the East Blue for a run at the Grand Line is a perfect opportunity,” Bones added, “And if he won’t let us join his crew, we’ll just find a ship and go make a run of the Line ourselves.”
“I don’t know,” Thatch grumbled, “I’m still not sure about this whole parallel world thing.”
“Nah, that checks out actually.” Bones, Thatch, Marco, Ace and Yamato turned to see a young woman in white with mint green hair and a spare elbow on each of her very long arms, blue eyes and a mischievous smirk making her way down the street towards them. Behind her were a tall, strikingly attractive woman with pale lavender hair and a silver dress, and a dark haired man in a black suit with his face obscured by a tattered white scarf who, while shorter than Bones would’ve expected, was still as tall as Yamato.
“Our brother has a similar ability,” the taller woman declared as Bones’ eyes widened in worried recognition. He slid back into a subtle combat stance with alarm bells screaming in his head as several pieces of the puzzle before him fell into place in his mind.
“I see you are both well informed and perceptive,” the dark haired man with the scarf declared before Bones could voice his deductions as the mint haired beauty leapt to embrace and kiss Thatch quite enthusiastically.
“You’re rather unmistakable,” Bones replied.
“Very well informed,” the dark haired man added a moment later, once again anticipating what Bones was about to say before he could say it, “Katakuri, and I thank you for not bringing up the translation. It’s nice to meet you.”
Bones breathed a sigh of relief and straightened, “It’s very nice to meet you too. This is already turning out to be quite the illustrious gathering.”
“One we like to keep quiet I’m sure you understand,” declared another voice that made Bones snap around in surprise. “It’s important to keep some things out of the public eye,” declared Dracule Mihawk.
“Of course,” Bones nodded, wondering if he needed to go get his suit since he was the only man there not wearing one. An appropriate dress for Yamato could be arranged as well he supposed, although at this time of night it would be difficult. Really though, Yama-chan would probably be just as pleased with a suit, Bones mused before nearly getting a nose bleed at the images that train of thought conjured in his mind.
“Hey guys what’s the hold…oooh! New friend?” asked a tall woman in a cream-colored dress with green hair, green eyes and a forked tongue flickering out of a smile that could snatch a man’s heart and soul out in passing. Bones blinked, She is a LOT prettier than I expected her to be…
“How interesting that the primary subjects of our intended discussion would show up of their own accord,” declared a normal sized woman with dark hair and sharp maroon eyes that Bones immediately identified as Ain joining the tall green haired woman in the doorway, “It’s honestly a touch worrying.” SHE on the other hand is exactly as hot as I expected her to be, Bones mused as he noticed how very fetching the gold dress looked on her.
“I do not think it any cause for alarm,” Katakuri declared calmly, “Our mystery man is as shocked and confused as any of us. I believe this is merely a fortunate coincidence.”
“Indeed,” Mihawk agreed, “He’s been shocked by every new arrival though he is concealing it well. Even if he wasn’t expecting us, he knew every one of us on sight. Miss Yamato on the other hand I do not believe knows who most of us are.”
“YAMATOOOOOOOOO!” A woman suddenly shouted, prompting Yamato to duck and throw a kick out behind her just in time to intercept a purple haired woman in black who was about to tackle her from behind.
Yamato twisted in wide eyed shock as her would be assailant went flying backward, “ULTI?!”
“Nice to see you too,” grumbled a purple haired man in a floppy white hat and rumpled gray and white striped suit as he strode past Yamato towards the door.
Yamato did a double take, “Page One?!”
“You were expecting maybe Sasaki?” Page One asked dryly before fist bumping the green haired woman in the door, “How ya been ‘Sonia?”
So assuming Mihawk’s going to tell Shanks everything, nearly every major faction in the New World plus the Navy and the Kuja are here huh? Bones thought to himself with a faint but very nervous grimace, This ought to be an interesting evening…
Then what felt like a freezing cold towel draped itself over his shoulders, “Well, you’re much more handsome in person…I bet you know all sorts of interesting things to be able to sneak into Wano so effortlessly…Wanna tell me about it?”
The chill that shot down Bones’ spine had nothing to do with the weightless and half formed but nevertheless extremely pretty snow logia cheerfully flirting with him, And the Donquixote Doflamiglia too…joy…
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…The Next Day, May 29th, Baratie…
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A glass fell to the floor and as everyone in the restaurant turned to see what had shattered a scream ripped through the dining room. “IT’S DON KRIEG!” the woman at the window screamed.
Her date was backing away from the window, pale as a ghost, “Those hourglasses next to the skull mean time has run out for their enemies!”
Someone else dashed to the window, “There’s no doubt! It’s the Krieg Pirates!”
“WHAT DO THEY WANT?!” someone shrieked as the terrified customers bolted for the other door and the ship that brought out diners from the nearest town.
Outside aboard the Going Merry, as the massive galleon loomed nearer, Reiju froze halfway into leaping over the railing to get into the restaurant and avert another of Bones’ predicted fiascos, He was right agai…wait…
Reiju turned as she remembered one of the things Bones had made absolutely certain she understood the importance of, “Everybody except Nami into the restaurant! Hurry!”
Nami was far from the only one blinking in surprise, “Wh-what? Why not me?”
“You’ve got somewhere to be,” Reiju replied sharply, “THE REST OF YOU, MOVE IT! I’LL BE RIGHT BEHIND YOU!”
It really said something, she noted with a small amount of satisfaction, about how much her new crew, no, her new family respected her judgment that Zoro caught Usopp and leapt with Luffy to the Baratie’s deck immediately with Johnny and Yosaku hot on his heels.
Reiju exhaled with relief and then quickly crossed over to Nami. She laid a hand on the younger woman’s shoulder, “Nami, take the ship and the treasure and go home. NOW.”
Nami’s eyes went wide, “Wha…? But Reiju!”
Reiju’s gaze was firm and steady, “Nami. If I wasn’t here, and you didn’t know about the things Bones told me, you would be doing that right now. We’ll be right behind you, but you need to get there first and make sure Arlong doesn’t suspect anything’s coming! I know you can act. I know you can pull this off! Please, trust me and go! Quickly!” She gave Nami a hug, “Be safe.” Then she turned and took a running leap over the rail to the Baratie’s deck before hurrying inside.
She arrived just in time to see a man with purple hair and a bandage wrapped around his forehead grab Gin by the shoulder and casually crush his collarbone with a squeeze of his hand. Reiju’s eyes widened and then she spotted Sanji, laid out flat at the man’s feet.
The man said something, Reiju didn’t hear him through the sudden buzz of rage in her ears, and wouldn’t have cared what he said if she had. In a motion too quick for an untrained eye to see, practiced and perfected over a lifetime of military training, the revolver Bones had left with her slid from her hip holster. In the time it took everyone else in the restaurant to blink, Reiju’s eyes, wide with murderous fury, drew a bead on the eye of the man who had harmed her brother.
Maybe Don Krieg’s instincts managed to scream through his pride, maybe he saw the barrel pointed at him. Either way, his eyes widened just in time for the POW! of the gun to herald the bullet racing through his eye, already beginning to expand as it met resistance. By the time everyone had finished blinking from the near universal flinch the unexpected shot triggered, the top quarter of Don Krieg’s skull, along with everything unfortunate enough to be in his brain cavity, was splattered across the entrance of the Baratie.
As what was left of Krieg collapsed, everyone turned in shock to Reiju, whose gun was still ready, the next bullet already chambered and ready to fire again in case Krieg somehow got back up. Upon seeing Krieg collapse with nothing left where his brain should be, Reiju holstered her pistol and strode across to Sanji and knelt to check on him. “Are you alright? Where did he hit you? You’re bleeding… Jaw? Let me see your eyes.”
Sanji’s eyes were properly wide for Reiju to check for the dilation that would indicate a concussion, “Ok good, no concussion. Any significant pain or loss of movement?” she asked as she gently probed Sanji’s jawline with her thumbs for fractures or breaks.
Sanji blinked at her slowly, “You…killed him…”
Reiju huffed as the restaurant erupted with murmurs, whispers and general shock and excitement at the sight of the second most infamous pirate in the East Blue being so casually dispatched, “Of course I killed him! He attacked you and was about to lead all hundred of his men in here to sack the restaurant and try to kill everyone here! I could kill him immediately or wait half an hour for Luffy to do it. Gin if you don’t stop staring at my ass, I’m going to have to hurt you.”
Gin started at the offhanded warning, “N-no! I swear I wasn’t! That gun is incredible! I’ve never seen a handgun that could completely obliterate a human head like that! What caliber is it?!”
Reiju blinked at him, “Oh. It’s a forty five caliber double action revolver loaded with hollow point rounds.”
Gin blinked in confusion and craned his head, “But…where’s the flint? And, what’s a hollow point round?”
Reiju blinked and then grimaced before explaining quietly, “Oh yeah, forgot most of the world doesn’t know about centerfire rounds. Ah, the bullet comes prepackaged with a detonation cap and a cylinder of powder. No flint needed, just the concussion of the hammer dropping. Hollow points are a special type of bullet meant for inflicting maximum damage to soft tissue. Not so great against armor, but for a marksman of my capability, that’s rarely an issue especially at such close range, and there are other types of bullets for armored enemies.”
Gin sat back, his eyes wide at the implications. “That’s…that’s incredible…where did you get something like that? The Grand Line?”
Reiju graced him with a small smirk, “Gin, if you can ever gather your courage enough to visit the Grand Line again, you will find so many things that’ll make something like this seem like just a run of the mill thing. Is your shoulder alright? It sounded like he broke your collarbone.”
Before Gin could answer, Reiju spotted a very large figure making its way to the door. She looked up as Chef Zeff passed with a bag of food almost bigger than he was slung over his shoulder, “Chef? Where are you going?”
Zeff snorted, “There are a hundred men out there starving. I’m a cook. I feed the hungry.”
Sanji picked himself up, “Yeah, shoulda figured you’d already be on top of it. Let me see it, I’ll deliver it. Gin, if you can walk, you come too. They’re more likely to accept it from a face they know.” Gin straightened up from where he had crouched next to Reiju to examine her gun, “Of course.”
“Don’t bother,” a cold voice declared that made spiders of ice race down the spines of everyone who heard it, “They are not hungry anymore.”
The sound of a pair of boots hitting the Baratie’s deck was swiftly followed by the sound that would likely haunt Gin’s nightmares for the rest of his life. It was the sound of a ship being bisected, and it announced the arrival of The World’s Greatest Swordsman.
“I was told this was the finest eatery in the East Blue,” Mihawk declared as calmly as if he’d just come from reading a book on agriculture rather than slaughtering the final starving dregs of an infamous pirate crew, “and I also heard that one Roronoa Zoro was here and wanted to fight me after lunch.”
Zoro was profoundly glad he’d used the toilet not so long ago, else he was certain he’d have shat bricks as the remains of Don Krieg’s flagship collapsed sideways into the sea. HE came looking for ME?!
He took only a second to recover and then grinned, “Yeah, I’ve actually been hunting you for years now. You coming to me just makes it easier.”
Mihawk nodded, “I see.” He stared at Zoro with a gaze that made the younger man feel an inch high, but Zoro didn’t look away. Mihawk smirked, “Excellent, then as soon as I’ve eaten, you shall have your duel.”
Then he looked around and spotted, “Ah, and you must be Reiju. You should really consider giving Fleet Admiral Sengoku a call, Cipher Pol and the Marines have an all points bulletin out trying to find you to ensure your safety. Speaking of calls, I just remembered,” he added almost as an afterthought before turning to Zeff, “Do you by chance have a transponder snail I could borrow? I have a call I need to make.”
A snail was quickly brought out as Mihawk was shown to a table. After his drink order for a light but dry red was taken, he set his hat on the back of his chair and began dialing. A few moments later, the snail grew strikingly red hair and three scars across its eye to ask grumpily, “Yeah? Who’s this?”
“Hungover again Shanks? I’m surprised you put the rum down that long,” Mihawk drawled.
The snail’s eyes perked up, “Oh hey Hawkeye, what’s up?”
“Those two persons of interest you asked me to keep an ear out for, I met them last night,” Mihawk replied casually, “By sheer luck it seems, they actually turned up at the island where I was to rendezvous with my contacts.”
“You’re kidding,” Shanks replied, “That’s awesome!”
“Yes…it was quite the wedding,” Mihawk replied.
Shanks did a double take, “Wedding?”
“Hmph, yes,” Mihawk smirked, “I’ve only rarely seen two young people so clearly smitten with each other. Once the alcohol started flowing, they could hardly keep their hands off each other! A very nice wedding dress was procured with a little help, quickly tailored to fit her, and they were married within the hour. The entire island got in on the party. It was easily the biggest I’ve ever seen. Of all the people we could’ve found for it, by means of a little trick I hired a man to play on him, we got Vice Admiral Garp to be the one to officiate the ceremony! I don’t know what he was on the island for, but he was nearly in tears at being asked to officiate. Sorry it took so long to call. I was sure you’d want me to enjoy it to the utmost in your stead.”
He paused to let Shanks reply and there was a long stunned silence, “Red-hair? Are you still there?”
Shanks jolted back to life, “ALL HANDS GET US TO HALFWAY BETWEEN TOTTOLAND AND WANO! NOW! HAWKEYE YOU LUCKY BASTARD I CAN’T BELIEVE I MISSED IT! God, now I’m going to have to throw an even bigger party! I can’t let amateurs outdo us! Thanks for the update! I owe you two bottles of that nasty red stuff you like so much!” Ka-lick!
Mihawk hung up with a self-satisfied little smirk, “Let the games begin. Ah, menu, thank you.” He accepted the menu and began to peruse it calmly, cheerfully feigning obliviousness to the immense curiosity his conversation had aroused.
Reiju thought for a moment and then sat down across from Mihawk, not for the first time reluctantly grateful that her father’s operations had stripped away her capacity for fear. She sat forward, “If you don’t mind my asking, which two persons of interest were you searching for?”
Mihawk looked at her over the top of his glass, “Whitebeard Jr. and World Tour, their presence in the East Blue has caused quite a stir in the New World. Shanks heard I was heading this way and asked for any information I might come across during my trip out here.”
“And…they got married last night?” Reiju asked cautiously.
“It was quite the party,” Mihawk replied, “I’m sure you can understand, neither wants to risk being a political bargaining chip for Big Mom. While many of her children are far from unhandsome, there are also many who are quite unpleasant, and that’s not even taking the woman herself into account. I expect her fury will be quite terrible when she hears about last night.”
“So, it’s just a marriage of convenience?” Reiju asked with a quirked eyebrow.
“Oh no, the young bride and groom were very clearly in love,” Mihawk declared calmly, “I do have to wonder at your curiosity on the matter. You disappeared at the same time as Yamato, may I assume it was to the same place?”
“You may,” Reiju replied.
Mihawk took another sip of wine, “Then may I also hazard a guess that you are upset by the thought of them being married?”
Reiju bit her lip and couldn’t meet his gaze, “…No, I’m...actually not.”
Mihawk raised an eyebrow, “I see. Well, then I’m sure you’ve nothing to worry about. They are still quite determined to join young Strawhat’s crew at Loguetown, so you will have plenty of time to sort out your feelings with them.”
Reiju exhaled slightly with a bit of a stormy look in her eyes, “I see. Thank you for your time, Mr. Mihawk.”
Mihawk nodded, “My pleasure.” He turned to Sanji who had been the only one brave enough to take his order, “I would like to try the ‘Catch of the Day’ if you’ve any left.”
Sanji nodded, acting every bit the consummate professional as he accepted the menu back, “Of course sir, we’ll have it out to you shortly. Reiju?”
Reiju just shook her head as she strode past Sanji. Sanji and Mihawk watched her go, Sanji with concern and Mihawk with an ever so subtle attention to the sway of her hips. He was far from alone in noting the eldest Vinsmoke’s beauty, every man in the restaurant had long since made note of it to the chagrin of their lady friends.
There was only one man in the restaurant who was paying her absolutely no heed.
Zoro was sitting cross legged in a corner, sharpening his blades with iron focus as he examined the edges relentlessly, steeling himself for the fight to come. Every fight, every minute of training his entire life had all led up to this day. Kuina, today’s the day.
So intense was his focus that he didn’t notice Reiju until her hand rested gently on his shoulder, “Zoro, can I trouble you to help me try something out right quick?”
Zoro paused as the familiar voice snapped him out of his laser like focus and looked up, “Yeah, what’s up Rei-JU?!?!” He suddenly felt something very soft firmly press into his lips, and as his jaw dropped in shock, Reiju’s tongue slipped into his mouth. Zoro reacted on instinct, unsure what was happening but doing his very best to make it as good a kiss for her as he could.
A moment later, Reiju came up for air and her eyes were watery as she gently set her forehead against his. Her eyes closed, “I’m sorry. That was really selfish of me.” She gently kissed him on the forehead before admonishing him, “Don’t die.”
Reiju straightened up and walked away. Zoro was so stunned that he didn’t even notice the roar of “DIIIE MOSSHEAD!!!”
Sanji would’ve gotten that kick in completely free if Reiju hadn’t caught his foot in one hand. Sanji almost fell before managing to plant his back foot to glance at Reiju in surprise. Right then he realized that something was very, very wrong as she told him quietly, “Let it go Sanji, just…let it go. I’m…going to go get some air.” She let his foot drop and walked off...towards the bathroom rather than either of the exits.
“What the hell was that all about?” Zoro asked, still in a mild state of shock.
Sanji bit his lip as he watched Reiju go, “Something bad, Mosshead. Something very, very bad.”
Sanji started slightly as Koala laid a hand on his shoulder, “I’ll go check on her. I… think I know what’s happening.”
“Do you?” Sanji asked seriously, any joy he might’ve felt at the beautiful woman’s touch muted by concern for his sister.
Koala nodded, “Yamato told me.”
Sanji snorted, “What? Not Bones this time?”
Koala smirked, “Nah, he was off buying a guitar, but Yamato was able to give me the gist of it. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her.”
Sanji nodded, “Thank you.”
A moment later Koala gently rapped her knuckles on the door, “Reiju? You in there?”
Reiju opened the door, her face a study in neutrality, “Of course. My apologies, I just needed to adjust my make up for a moment. It’s all yours.” She stood to the side and attempted to edge past Koala.
“Bullshit and we both know it,” Koala declared sharply as she held out an arm and pinned Reiju with an unflinching gaze. Reiju opened her mouth to protest but Koala cut her off, “I’m your friend. I’ve been through Hell too, and I can tell you from experience that you’re not going to feel better if you don’t talk about it.”
Reiju thought about it for a moment and then stepped back into the bathroom, “Well then, let’s talk.” Koala stepped in and closed the door.
Reiju sat down on the lid of the toilet and sat forward, lacing her fingers with an unnervingly blank expression, “What do you want to talk about?”
Koala sighed and started undoing the buttons of her top. Reiju raised an eyebrow of curiosity and then Koala let the top drop off her shoulders before turning to show Reiju her back. Reiju’s breath caught in surprise as she took in the sight of a sun emblem, permanently etched into Koala’s flesh. It was no tattoo, but rather the raised and angrily crimson ugliness left in wake of a blazing iron brand.
“You know what this is?” Koala asked quietly with a glance over her shoulder at Reiju.
Reiju exhaled and cautiously guessed, “You were…” There was only one reason for that brand: to cover up a much more horrible one.
Koala scowled, “A child at the time? Yes.” She flipped her top back up over her shoulders and began redoing the buttons, “And so afraid of being tortured or killed in horrible fashion for those sick fucks amusement, that I had almost completely forgotten how to do anything but smile and grovel.”
“You’re not a monster Reiju,” Koala declared firmly, “Monsters choose to be monsters. A monster tried to force you to be one, and I’m sure you’ve done things you’re not proud of to stay alive. I know I have, and I hate, hate, HATE that I ever groveled like that. I hate that I stood by and let it happen to others. I hate that I never stood up for myself or anyone else because I was too afraid. If I were ever in that situation again I’d bite my own tongue out before I let those…those monsters have their way again. I don’t know what you’ve done, I don’t know how much blood is on your hands and I don’t care. As far as I’m concerned, there’s only one question regarding you that either of us needs an answer to.
“Have you chosen to be a monster Reiju?” Koala asked quietly as she turned back around, “I don’t think you have. I don’t think you ever would if you had any other option. I know you could be a monster, that you could kill me out of hand right now and then everyone else here. I can also see plain as day that that’s not who you want to be. Me?”
She looked Reiju right in the eye, “I could be a lot of things. I could be painter, a singer, a chef, a marine, a pirate, a trophy wife or a whore…the possibilities are endless. I’m none of those things. I’m a Revolutionary because now that I’ve got the option to be and do what the hell ever I want, I want to make sure nobody ever has that choice taken away from them ever again.”
“You’ve got options now Reiju,” Koala smiled, “You can be whoever you want.”
“Can I?” Reiju asked quietly, “I’m guessing Bones told you about what was done to me?”
Koala shook her head, “Yamato actually.”
Reiju snorted, “I’m honestly getting kind of tired of people knowing my secrets.”
“Would you like to know what Bones thought about you?” Koala asked with a knowing little smile.
Reiju raised an eyebrow, “I’m pretty sure I know already, but go ahead.”
Koala smirked, “Bones thinks you have difficulty feeling complex emotions like love and forming attachments. He also figured you haven’t even tried to love anyone since you helped Sanji escape Germa out of worry over what Judge would do.”
Reiju put her head in her hands, “…Go on.”
Koala crouched down to look Reiju in the eye, “He also thinks you’d be one of the nicest people a person could hope to meet if you had the option.”
Reiju set her hands down and looked at Koala in confusion, “What?”
Koala smirked, “How did he put it?” She dropped her voice into a low octave in an attempt to mimic Bones, “’A person forcibly remodeled into a perfect war machine who still chooses to be compassionate and kind when given the chance, despite having absolutely no reason to and even quite a bit of reason not to, was clearly a one in a hundred million angel beforehand, and beyond any shadow of a doubt has a moral compass stronger than mine will ever be.’
She took a breath and declared softly, “I don’t know what all he’s seen. I don’t know what all he knows, but he’s utterly convinced that you’re a good person at heart.”
Reiju snorted with a small smile, “What a delusional idiot.”
Koala’s smile and eyes narrowed slightly, “He also told me you’d think that if you ever found out he’d said so, and he doesn’t care unless you prove him wrong. Are you going to?”
Reiju opened her mouth to reply with a smug look and then stopped short as she realized something: she actually didn’t want to prove Bones wrong.
“It’s your life now Reiju, make the most of it.” Without another word, Koala straightened up and left the pinkette alone with her thoughts.
.
…~~~…
.
Zoro stood across from Mihawk on the deck of the Baratie, only the Strawhats, Sabo, Koala, Johnny, Yosaku and Chef Zeff allowed on the deck with them. Gin was there too, but he was hiding behind everyone he could put between him and Mihawk. The chefs and customers were gathered at the windows under the strictest of orders to keep quiet so as not to throw off one or the other of the combatants. More than a few bets had been exchanged.
The difference between the two swordsmen was a stark one.
On the left, clad in black and magenta paisley was Mihawk, as still and calm as a stone. His outfit was flashy, there was no denying it. This was a man who would be remembered no matter where he went even if nobody knew who he was.
On the right, tense as a bowstring, wearing a plain white T-shirt and dark pants with the only flavor to his appearance the swords at his side, the haramaki holding them and the three earrings in his ear, was Zoro. Many had mistaken him for a harmless drifting drunk, only to be carved to ribbons for their mistake, and though his name was infamous, those who didn’t know him very well might never realize who he was.
Lethal simplicity was faced with a man who had earned the right to be as flamboyant as he wanted with the blood of who knew how many foes.
Mihawk studied Zoro for a moment, then glanced at Zoro’s friends. As his gaze returned to Zoro, he raised a hand, “A moment if you will.”
Zoro paused tying his bandana, blinked and then nodded. Mihawk casually hopped almost two hundred feet across to the floating wreckage of Krieg’s ship like it was nothing. Zoro was far from the only one who watched him go in confusion. A moment later he returned, a sheathed cutlass in his hand.
Mihawk drew the weapon, “You have not yet earned the right to face Yoru, so instead I will face you with this blade.”
Zoro blinked and then nodded, “I see.” He set Wado Ichimonji in his mouth before declaring as he drew his other two blades, “I will make you draw that sword.”
Mihawk smiled condescendingly, “I look forward to it.”
Zoro scowled and then shot forward, his three blades crossed for “ONI! GIRI!” The move which he had casually cleaved boulders with…was brought up short as Mihawk extended his borrowed cutlass with what some might’ve called contemptuous ease. The more experienced fighters though noticed that Mihawk’s gaze was trained on Zoro like a hawk on a mouse. Even as Zoro went ghostly pale and struggled to advance and free his weapons, Mihawk’s gaze was not that of a man laughing off his opponent.
Zoro sprang back, desperation and disbelief flaring in his eyes as he shot forward again, swinging with all his might. RIGHT! LEFT! THRUST! BOTH HANDS! JUMP SPIN AND ONE TWO THREE! HARDER! FASTER! ONE!TWO!JUMPAND- “GUOHHH!” Zoro went tumbling to the ground as the cutlass casually swept his blades aside. He rolled back to his feet in a whirl of blades and found Mihawk calmly watching him, that blasted cutlass still at the ready. Zoro knew very well Mihawk could’ve had his head off right then if he’d wanted.
He’s toying with me!
Then Zoro noticed something and his eyes narrowed, “Is this some kind of trick? Your blade hasn’t got a single nick in it!”
Mihawk inclined his head ever so slightly, “Nor should it. It is not the quality of the blade, but the quality of the swordsman which is important.”
Zoro’s brow furrowed in confusion and then his eyes widened. He sheathed two of his swords and pulled the third from his mouth with a vicious glint in his eye before sheathing it, “I see.”
He untied Wado Ichimonji’s sheathe from his haramaki and spun it, his eyes closing for a brief second, “Shi-shi…” It couldn’t have been a more obvious attack. It was a draw slash so easy to read a child could’ve seen it coming. Mihawk knew the younger man had to know that. So why…?
Zoro shot forward, “SONSON!”
Mihawk slid out of the way of the attack, his eyes ever so marginally wider, “Indeed you do.”
Zoro’s draw slash cut through the timbers of the Baratie’s deck and out into the surf, plowing a trench into it nearly a hundred meters long and half a dozen deep.
Deciding he’d seen enough, Mihawk’s lightning quick counter attack left a rent only two inches deep and twelve long…
…right below Zoro’s ribs.
Zoro stumbled and almost collapsed as the wound registered with him. It wouldn’t kill him if he got medical attention quickly, but the message was clear as crystal: Mihawk could’ve rent him in half with that strike, and the blood loss would end this fight very soon.
Zoro straightened and turned, returning Wado Ichimonji to his mouth and drawing his other two blades as blood began to course down his side. His eyes went wide as he saw Mihawk sheathe the cutlass and set it aside, his hand instead going to the monstrous blade on his back.
“Boy…” Mihawk said softly, “state your name.”
Zoro grinned as he set his blades for what would be his final technique of the fight, “Roronoa Zoro.”
Mihawk grinned as he rose to his feet, the massive sword coming free from its resting place and twisting into a ready position, “I’ll remember it. It’s been quite a while since I’ve met one like you. I’ll honor the swordsman’s code and sink you with the world’s strongest Black Blade.”
Zoro grinned and began to spin his swords, “Santoryuu Secret Technique…” Mihawk shot forward, his eyes going wide as he realized what Zoro was about to unleash. Zoro slashed out, “SANZEN SEKAI!!!”
As the words left Zoro’s mouth, in the breadth of an instant, Mihawk seemed to teleport to the other side of him. In wake of his passing, only Wado Ichimonji remained in tact as the two lesser blades were rent to pieces hitting against Yoru’s edge. The wound in Zoro’s side seemed to magically triple in length, opening from his left side to his right shoulder in the split second it took Mihawk to pass him.
Zoro took the blade from his mouth and sheathed it. His mouth twisted in grim resignation, he turned to face Mihawk as the World’s Strongest Swordsman turned to finish him. Mihawk’s eyes went wide in shock at the younger man spreading his arms to accept the finishing blow, “What are you…?!”
“Scars on the back are a swordsman’s shame,” Zoro stated simply, a small grin on his face.
“Well said,” Mihawk declared with an extremely pleased smile before bringing his massive blade down in a flash of dark steel that opened Zoro from shoulder to hip.
Zoro staggered backwards but managed to catch himself, only to find Reiju and Sanji suddenly holding him up as Luffy launched himself at Mihawk, “YOOOOOOOOU!!!”
His howl of rage was cut off as Mihawk effortlessly sidestepped, leaving his path unobstructed to crash into the floating wreckage of Don Krieg’s ship. Rather than something dignified, Luffy wound up getting his head buried in the wood siding and pulling with all four limbs to dislodge his head as his neck stretched unhelpfully. Sabo sighed exasperatedly, “Come on Luffy, how many times have we gotta tell ya to look before ya leap?!”
Luffy finally yanked his head free a moment later, and he was about to have another go at Mihawk when Reiju shouted, “Luffy! He’s alive!”
Then she started snapping orders as she ran her hands along the edges of the wounds leaving trails of numbing venom in their wake, “Usopp! Stitches and needle! Koala! Hold pressure! Sanji, help me hold him. Johnny! High proof alcohol! Yosaku! Bandages!”
Then she switched to a calmer more polite voice, “Thank you Gin, I know this isn’t easy for you.” Gin nodded, his brow beaded with terrified sweat and his knees threatening to buckle or carry him into the sea to flee. He didn’t flee though. He stood firmly between Zoro and Mihawk, his fists raised to offer whatever futile resistance he could if Mihawk came even one step closer.
Without missing a beat, Reiju turned back to her patient and snapped, “Roronoa Zoro you are going to lie your ass still or I will make sure you can’t move even to wipe your own ass for the next three days!”
Mihawk couldn’t help but chuckle, “You all did very well to let him fight that battle on his own.” Then all the mirth drained from his face, “My name is Dracule Mihawk! It is too soon for you to die Roronoa Zoro! Learn about yourself and the world around you! Grow strong Roronoa! However long it may take, I’ll wait for you to come and take this title from me. Defeat my sword with the fierce mettle of your spirit! Become better than me! You have to!”
Everyone was quiet for a moment, then Zoro raised his arm, still with Wado Ichimonji clutched tight in his grip as he pointed it straight to the sky, “Luffy! I guess I worried you there, but hey, you’ll accept nothing less than the best swordsman there is right? So I won’t let you down! Until the day I defeat him, and become the World’s Strongest Swordsman, I’LL NEVER LET MYSELF BE DEFEATED AGAIN! MARK MY WORDS, I’LL NEVER BE DEFEATED! IS THAT ALRIGHT, KING OF THE PIRATES?!”
Luffy’s jaw was far from the only one dropped in surprise, but he was the first to recover with a chuckle, “Shishishi! YEP!”
Zoro grimaced, “Sorry for making you worry Reiju. Thanks.”
Reiju flicked his nose before accepting the thread and needle Usopp handed her, “I knew you’d be alright. You’re welcome, now don’t make a habit of it.”
Mihawk tilted his head and glanced over his shoulder as he heard that, Should I be offended?
“Don’t worry, Reiju could probably have fixed him up even if you had lopped off his head,” Sabo declared with a grin, “Germa’s crazy like that ya know?”
Mihawk snorted with a small smile, “I see.”
It wasn’t until Zoro was fully stitched up that Luffy realized he didn’t know where Nami and the Going Merry were.
.
…Half An Hour Later…
.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku and several other of the Marines’ highest ranking officers were in the middle of trying their very best to remain calm. This was made extremely hard by what many considered a worst case scenario attempting to play out before their very eyes. Three of the four most powerful pirates in the world on a conference call, with not a single one even trying to encrypt or conceal the communications. It was as blatant a middle finger to the World Government as could be.
“Kaidooooo…Newgate! Why did neither of you tell me you had such handsome children?!” the pirate known as Charlotte ‘Big Mom’ Linlin asked with a smile clearly displayed by the transponder snail sporting her hair and lips.
Sengoku was far from the only one who grit his teeth, She said it! The obvious worry of course was that Big Mom would attempt to marry the children of Kaido and Whitebeard to her own, thus creating a unified force of the three strongest crews in the world, each capable on their own of matching every scrap of military prowess the World Government could bring to bear. If such an unstoppable union were to form, it would be a disaster beyond compare.
“Probably because I’d never seen that brat before in my life prior to Thatch handing me his wanted poster,” Edward Newgate, the Strongest Man in the World replied bluntly. Sengoku felt a little of the tension ease, if Whitebeard wasn’t claiming this ‘Bones’ that the Bounty Office had dubbed ‘Whitebeard Jr.’ then Big Mom wouldn’t consider marrying one of her daughters to him a valid alliance.
Big Mom’s eyes narrowed, “So you’re saying he’s not your son? Newgate, the boy looks just like you. I’ll grant the chin’s a bit different, but other than that…”
“Linlin, I told you, I don’t know who that brat is,” Whitebeard declared sharply, “If he wants to be my son, then he’s welcome to join my crew, just like all my other sons and daughters. Blood or mud, you know I don’t care. We always have room for more family.”
Big Mom snorted, but didn’t comment. Her view that only blood family counted and could thus be trusted was well enough known that she didn’t have to.
Instead she turned her gaze to, “Kaido you cheeky little brat! How come you didn’t tell me you had a daughter?! She’s so cute! And you’re not about to tell me you don’t claim her given your little rampage a few weeks ago when she went missing.”
The snail mimicking Kaido made a strange motion that Sengoku took a second to realize was the Strongest Monster in the World drinking before the aforementioned beast replied, “Little shit’sh been claimin’ ta be Oden for twenty yearsh, sho I treatsh her like Oden. Wantsh to be a man and open Wano’s bordersh. That’sh fine, I wanted a shon anyway. You can’t have her Linlin. She’sh gonna be shogun one day. I’m gonna make thish country into a lawlessh pirate paradishe and she’sh gonna run it for me after I beatsh the shit out of her for running away like that.”
Then, before Big Mom could reply, Kaido’s expression darkened, “Hey Newgate, how come my daughter turned up with your brat huh? First that Fire Fist brat of yours breaks in and gets her all riled up, now she’s somehow halfway across the world with your mini-me. HOW DARE YOUR MINI-ME STEAL MY MINI-ME?! I OUGHTA KICK YOUR ASS YOU OLD BASTARD!”
Whitebeard opened his mouth to reply with a grin, likely to dare Kaido to try his luck. He was cut off before his challenge could be issued though as Big Mom’s snail suddenly changed hair and developed three very distinct scars that made every eye that saw the change bug out.
“GUYS! IT’S SHANKS! DID YOU HEAR THE NEWS?! WHITEBEARD’S MINI-ME MARRIED KAIDO’S DAUGHTER LAST NIGHT! I JUST HEARD FROM MIHAWK AND HE SAYS IT WAS THE BIGGEST PARTY HE’S EVER SEEN! HE TOLD ME THAT THEY TRICKED FREAKING GARP INTO OFFICIATING IT! OH MY GOD I CAN’T BELIEVE I MISSED IT!” *ka-lick!*
The snail changed back to mimicking Big Mom, who along with Kaido and Whitebeard, looked completely and utterly pole axed.
.
…In The New World…
.
As close to evenly halfway between Tottoland and Wano as they could position the ship, Shanks looked at his crew and held up three fingers, grinning absolutely from ear to ear, 3…2…1…
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!”
Shanks and his whole crew fell to the deck howling with laughter as Big Mom and Kaido’s wordless screams of fury rang out in unison loud and clear.
.
…Marineford…
.
Sengoku took off his freshly shattered glasses and handed them to an aide, “Someone get Garp on the snail. NOW.”