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Chapter Text

It was no surprise that Zoro found out first. It was after they beat Captain "Axe-Hand" Morgan, and were on their boat to the next island. "How old are you, kid?"

Bonney froze up upon hearing that question, before realizing that he hadn't figured out any of her other, more important, secrets. "Ten." Bonney said, reverting to her real age. There was nobody else out on the sea to overhear them, so it was fine. "What gave it away?"

"I knew a girl who had something to prove." Zoro said, gazing off into the distance. His hand hovered towards the Wado Ichimonji as he spoke. "And your Devil Fruit made me think you weren't my age. Either seven or seventy was my thought."

Bonney actually giggled. "Well, could you keep it a secret? I'm trying to find my daddy," Her thumb pointed to the piercing on her cheek, something Zoro figured was something her father would identify her by. "And I don't want the Marines figuring out who he is before I find him."

Zoro idly wondered who Bonney's father was that she'd be worried about the Marines, but didn't ever ask. He just nodded, and then just ignored it. She was his captain, and he'd follow her for now. That was what Zoro told himself, figuring he'd one day end up leaving and then moving on when it turned out Bonney wasn't strong enough to lead him.

That day never came.

Nami took some time to find out. It was after the battle of Arlong Park. Bonney had given Arlong the thrashing of a lifetime for what he did to Nami. Bonney decided she deserved to know about her first secret. The secret of her father was something to be left hidden for now, but her age wasn't that dire.

"I should've known. You do your makeup on your own, and only a kid would do it like that." Nami said, face buried in her hands in shame. She had developed a bit of pride in her ability to trick people, and to discover a kid managed to pull one over on her was... just a little humiliating.

Bonney pouted. "It-"

"I'll teach you, okay? That way you actually know what you're doing." Nami offered.

There was a moment where Bonney's pride wanted her to argue, but she ended up smiling and taking Nami's offer. 

Nobody ever questioned the way she did her makeup ever again.

Usopp took his sweet time finding out. For as smart as he was, the idea of her not actually being a twenty-something never occurred to him until right around the time Nami found out.

He accepted her in spite of her youth once he found out, though her mention of her father ended up being the thing he asked about.

"So, who is your dad, anyway?" Usopp asked. 

"He's really strong! And really cool! He's the best daddy I could ever ask for!" Bonney said. "But... I was really sick when I was a kid-"

"I think you're still a kid," Usopp ended up saying, and then felt bad for interrupting her.

"No way! I'm a big girl, I beat up pirates and steal from bad guys!" Bonney retorted. "But, daddy had to go away while I got treated, and he... he never sent any letters."

"He's a brave warrior of the seas, right? Maybe he's just been too busy to send a letter...?" Usopp offered, mostly to placate Bonney. He had no idea what Bonney's dad was up to, had no clue who her dad even was. But, he really doubted someone that Bonney cared so deeply for like that would just... ignore his kid like that. "Or maybe bad guys are intercepting his letters before they can reach you!"

Usopp always had a knack for dealing with kids. Bonney's down mood upon mentioning her father instantly faded, and they got to fantasizing about whatever Bonney's father was up to.

Usopp was like an older brother to her, and they were frequently seen admiring whatever cool things they came across in their journey.

Sanji somehow figured it out from the moment they met. When Bonney and the Bonney Pirates went to the Baratie, he flirted with Nami but pointedly didn't with Bonney. He was kind and friendly with her, but he clearly did not see her the same way he saw Nami. When she asked him about it, he answered simply.

"I can tell when a flower has... bloomed, so to speak." Sanji told her. "I could sense that you didn't carry yourself the same way Nami does, or any other adult woman. It's not enough to be easily seen, but for me... it's not especially hard."

Bonney didn't buy it at all. She chalked it up to him having super powers, like the Germa 66 guys from the comic books Usopp reads.

She ended up considering him like an honorary uncle. Sanji protected her at every step, and stood as her first line of defense. Even when she didn't need it.

Chopper found out before he joined the crew. She had gone out and dragged Nami all the way up Drum Island to get a doctor to treat her crewmate, and ended up unconscious on Kureha's doorstep. She had ended up reverting to her child form, and Chopper found out that way.

He didn't even really seem to care, which was nice. She thought he was a raccoon at first, but otherwise she thought he was cool. And considering a doctor was useful, she ended up with one extra crewmate as they left Drum Island. He quickly ended up being a good friend of Bonney's, on account of him being the closest to her in age among the crew. 

The pink snow was beautiful as they made their leave from Drum Island.

Robin had it figured out by the time she joined the crew, without being told.

"It's simple, really." She told her, after revealing that bit of information. "You use the Age-Age Fruit, and you don't act especially wise. You were either seven or seventy, and only the former makes sense." 

That explanation causes Bonney to give Zoro, of all people, a look. "I didn't say a damn thing!" He argued. "She's just..."

"You ratted out little Bonney?" Sanji questioned, a dark look in his eyes as he glared at Zoro. In spite of Zoro having literally not did that, first mate and cook ended up brawling on the deck while Robin watched in a mixture of amusement and bafflement.  

Bonney ended up de-aging Zoro and Sanji down to children to break up their fight, and then ended up taking in Robin despite not trusting her.

They ended up burning down Enies Lobby for Robin's sake.

Franky discovered it right after he properly joined. Sanji had basically told him after he showed up sans pants, chiding him for showing his junk off while there was a little girl around. Franky knew it couldn't be Robin, on account of knowing her Devil Fruit, and pretty quickly figured it out from there. After all, the girl who was constantly messing with the ages of everyone around her faking her age wasn't exactly farfetched.

Thankfully, Sanji's protectiveness eventually eased up, and Bonney... just thought Franky's robot stuff was really cool. Almost as cool as her dad, even! 

Bonney found it harder to look at Franky once she discovered the truth of her father's fate. She felt guilty about that, too. It wasn't Franky's fault her dad had become... that.

Brook found out within minutes. It wasn't through his wits, or even a happenstance. No, Brook found out because Bonney told him. See, after meeting him and deciding to get him as the crew's musician (Bonney thought the talking skeleton was cool just for being a talking skeleton), he asked a question.

"May I see your panties?" He had asked all of the girls on the crew this question. 

"I'M TEN YOU CREEP! DISTORTED FUTURE!" Bonney's response was to bulk herself up with her powers, and launch him into the sky with one punch.

Despite that awful first impression, she ended up taking him in anyway. Brook never made any comments of the sort in regards to Bonney after that point, and even seemed to rein himself in whenever Bonney was around. "To set a good example for children," He said when asked about it.

Zoro could do nothing but watch. Gecko Moria had exhausted the entire crew in the deadly battle of Thriller Bark, and it had taken its toll on everyone. Bonney especially, who was unconscious and bleeding. Chopper was out of action himself, so they were down a doctor. At this rate, Bonney could die. Zoro slowly dragged himself over, hoping to try to do something to save his captain's life. 

He saw... him. Bartholomew Kuma. One of the Seven Warlords. Zoro tried to grab his swords, to try and defend the child that became his captain. Each step was laborious, but Zoro kept pushing. If Kuma noticed Zoro, he didn't show it. He just approached Bonney, crouching down.

"You pushed yourself so hard, Bonney." Kuma quietly said. Zoro couldn't see his face from the angle, but he swore that Kuma was tearing up. "I... I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you. We won't be able to journey together."

Kuma used the Paw-Paw Fruit, forcing all of Bonney's pain out. Zoro saw the gigantic bubble of suffering, and could only watch as Kuma took it all in himself. The Warlord let out a scream of pain, wounds opening up all over his body. In turn, Bonney was healed of her injuries. Zoro wanted to say something. Anything. Ask this man who he was, how he knew Bonney.

"Roronoa Zoro." Kuma said. "Thank you for protecting Bonney. But, please don't tell her I was here."

And then he was gone. When the others showed up, finding the still exhausted and battered Zoro and the now pristine slumbering Bonney, they asked Zoro what happened.

"Nothing happened."

Chapter Text

Enies Lobby was a rush. That was just a fact in Kid's mind. Ripping through the Marines (oftentimes literally, Punk Gibson has probably claimed about thirty lives just today) got Kid's heart racing. With Killer at his side slicing apart Marines going for Kid's blind spot, Usopp (Sogeking, some part of him remembered) laying down suppressive fire to ruin any attempts at attempts of attacking Kid from range, Sanji and Chopper holding the rear, and Nami occasionally Lightning Tempoing the stragglers, anything short of CP9 was...

Well, lambs to the slaughter felt like it was putting it nicely. They were bugs in the way. Blueno wasn't much different, either. Last time, Kid was still reeling from Robin's betrayal of them, so his head wasn't in it. The hole Blueno put in his side ached at the memory, Chopper's work being the only reason why Kid could fight at all today.

Today, Blueno found out that Kid was basically holding back last time. Kid bull-rushed him faster than anticipated, doing an imitation of one of those 'Six Powers' the CP9 bragged about during their last battle, and gored him with a construct of a metal bull. That set the pace, and Blueno discovered just what Kid does to people who wrong him.

The only enemies that Kid didn't kill were Crocodile (funnily enough, it was only because Smoker forced Kid to get out of there, Kid was going to execute him) and Eneru (who fucked off to space or whatever after Kid made a lightning rod to counter all his lightning bullshit). Arlong? Ripped apart. Don Krieg? Weapons turned on him. Kuro? Well, having sharp metal blades attached to ones fingers wasn't going to be a great idea against a guy with the power of magnetism. Buggy?

Okay, admittedly Kid didn't kill him either, but he also basically forgot about that weird-ass clown until now anyway. Blueno was split apart not long after, metal forced inside him and then used to rip him apart from the inside out.

So they reached the threshold, that last gap between them and Robin. CP9, holding Franky and Robin, stood on one end. On the other... the Kid Pirates. Killer was, of course, at his side. They had started this journey to become Pirate King together, and they both resolved to fight together to the bitter end. Killer proved to be probably the best first mate Kid could ask for, being the one who reined Kid in when his violent tendencies weren't ideal, though they bickered on and off throughout the journey. Really, Kid couldn't imagine going through this without him.

Nami was one who initially joined thanks to Killer. He managed to get her to join, seeing as neither Kid nor Killer were especially good at navigation, and Kid... warmed up to her. She was still a total bitch, but he found a healthy amount of respect for her (and a decent amount of sympathy for her past with Arlong, he knew what it was like living under the thumb of crooks) as time went on. 

Usopp was... also Killer's idea. While they didn't need a sniper, Usopp was generally handy around the ship (their beloved Victoria Punk, which had gone through damage to the point where it couldn't be fixed much to the sorrow of both Kid and Usopp), and ended up being surprisingly easy to deal with. When he managed to conquer his fear, he could fight almost as good as the rest of them. Plus, he supplied Kid with the occasional gadget or idea on how to use the Magnet-Magnet Fruit more effectively. In particular, there was one new idea Usopp gave him that he's been itching to try out.

Sanji was actually Kid's idea, for once. Considering that none of them were especially good at cooking (except for spaghetti, Killer was a maestro when it came to making exactly spaghetti), they were absolutely in the market for a cook. Sanji happened upon them, he butchered Don Krieg with Sanji's aid. They ended up talking about their dreams, and Sanji actually expressed faith in Kid that he could become the Pirate King. Most didn't, and Kid usually responded by ending their dreams. In turn, Kid thought that Sanji could find the All Blue, or make it if it truly didn't exist.

Chopper was one that Kid absolutely never would have believed would join his crew. But, after both saving his life (short version, Kid got horrifically sick on a dinosaur island that he forgot the name of, forcing Killer to find a doctor) and proving to be a capable fighter in his own right... Kid ended up warming to the reindeer's presence. Especially since a doctor meant Kid could fight more, get hurt, and get back to battle with less issues. That alone was enough to justify Chopper's presence.

And then there was Robin. Kid was never really sure what to make of her. He never really trusted her, but he got the feeling... she was running from something. That feeling turned out to be true, when CP9 came for her. She betrayed them, and... Kid didn't feel as pissed as he usually would have. Killer suggested it was because she's trying to protect them, and Kid scoffed at the time. This entire ordeal was either hunting down and slaughtering a traitor, or rescuing an ally. It would depend on Robin's answer.

"Hey, Robin!" Kid yelled. As he spoke, he started to draw more and more metal to him. That new trick Usopp came up with would need a lot of metal to work, but the results... it'll be something to love. "First question! Do you love the Kid Pirates?"

This was... Kid's idea. He needed to know where Robin stood.

"I do! I loved sailing with you-" Robin answered. Kid smiled.

"Second question. Do you want to live?" Kid was quieter for his second question, but Robin heard him clear as day.

"I DO! I WANT TO LIVE!" She declared, crying. 

"Then get down!" Kid ordered, and began to assemble his new move. It was... a ginormous cannon made of scrap metal. He was looking forward to this. "DAMNED PUNK!"

Enis Lobby was going to burn.

Chapter Text

Bege had discovered Nami's plight, and resolved to deal with it. He walked right up to Arlong, and sat down at the table Arlong had been eating at. 

"G'morning, Arlong." Bege said, tipping his hat to the Fishman. It was a signal of respect neither Fishman nor Nami expected to see. It was also clearly meant as a signal of perceived superiority, that Bege could simply walk in and get an audience with Arlong. "We need to talk."

"What... do you want, human?" Arlong hissed, baring his teeth for Bege to see. It was only by virtue of his audacity that Bege hadn't had his throat ripped out.

"See, it has come to my attention..." Bege pulled the cigar from his mouth, ashing it... in Arlong's drink. "That you've been exploiting mi famiglia. Without my consent, without my knowledge. For that, I expect repayment."

Arlong was outright stunned by this, caught completely off-guard by Bege's brazen request... no, order. "I had her first." He eventually ended up saying. 

"But she works for me now, capiche? I don't particularly care for your operation here, one way or another, but I'm willing to let it slide if you can fork over some Berries. We're going to need some capital for my 'expansion' into the Grand Line." Bege said.

"Bege! He's going to-" Nami tried to say, only for Arlong's smashing the table apart to cut him off.

"How much do you think you're going to try to wring from me, human?" Arlong questioned, looking down on the gangster. 

"One billion Berries." Bege said. He knew he'd never get that money out of Arlong. He also didn't care. This was punishment. Making an example of someone who wronged his gang. He held out his hand, and a cannon popped out. Usopp had been put in charge of manning his armaments, as it was an easy fit for the sniper. 

A cannon ball blasted Arlong in the face. Arlong leapt out of the smoke, attempting to rip Bege to pieces. Blinded by rage, it wasn't hard to dodge the wild strikes and draw a flintlock. Since Usopp was only one man, arming the cannons would take time. Bege had left his old gang behind, wanting to start fresh with a new crew when he became a pirate (entirely his own amusement), so he was short of the many hands he was used to. The flintlock shot didn't hurt Arlong, but it was enough to stun him for a moment while Usopp got to work reloading.

"It's a shame you're a Fishman." Bege remarked. "I wanted to demonstrate one of my favorite methods of dispatching problems. Cement shoes. But alas, you can't drown." 

"You refuse to take me seriously?!" Arlong screamed. Getting blasted in the face with a cannon did a number on his sanity, apparently. 

Bege shrugged. "You make it pretty easy." He said, as Arlong attempted to rush him again. Bege had a lot of experience with fighting people bigger than him (on account of being fairly short, most people he fought were bigger than him), and Arlong wasn't any different. "I don't really care about your motives. Your goals. Even your methods. But you did something unforgivable."

Arlong attempted to clamp his teeth down on Bege's shoulder. It turned to stone as he used the Castle-Castle Fruit to partially morph his body, and this stone was... enough to hold up. It cracked under Arlong's jaws, but it was far better than having half his body ripped off by the Fishman. 

"You harmed my crew. My gang. Mi famiglia." Bege said, and Arlong felt cold metal in his mouth. He tried to run, but Bege grabbed hold and held him in place. "This is just business."

Usopp fired the cannon Bege had sprouted, and Arlong... his head went with the cannon ball.

"Remember this, Nami. I will always protect my crew. From any enemy, no matter who they are. But... I won't accept betrayal. I expect loyalty from here on out." Bege said, lighting up another cigar. The other Fishmen under Arlong's command had scattered to the wind in the wake of their leader's death, with Zoro and Sanji dealing with anyone trying to take revenge. It was how he dealt with enemy gangs in the past, and how he dealt with enemy crews now that he's switched to the world of piracy.

"I..." Nami knew Bege was... well, a gangster. She had no illusions about his brutal nature, far more violent than any of the pirates she ever stole from. And those pirates were brutes. He lamented not being able to use cement shoes to drown Arlong. But... "Where to, captain?" 

He had saved her. He was both cruel... and kind in his own weird way. The moment he discovered the truth, he went and helped her despite having no real reason to do so. The Arlong Pirates' ambitions weren't going to matter to him, not for a long time. He could have found another navigator, saved himself the trouble.

So she'd stand with him. Capone Bege was her captain, for better or for worse.

Bege chuckled, his cigar almost falling out of his mouth.

"Isn't it obvious? We're setting sail for the Grand Line."

Chapter Text

Law had been surprised at how quickly he'd come into conflict with a Warlord. Taking down Doflamingo stood as one of his end goals, so fighting them was inevitable, but...

It had been literally the first actual island they landed on. That was how long it took before taking on Baroque Works. It had been earlier that they encountered the organization, but it was the first island that they truly battled with it. They met Nefertari Vivi, who Law... accepted. She had useful knowledge, helped guide them, and admittedly Law had to start trying to fight actual threats. Easily dispatching random East Blue pirates wasn't exactly a challenge, and...

Doflamingo was an enemy, so he needed to know where he stood. It would draw attention Law didn't necessarily want right now, but it was better than coming into battle with someone stronger completely unprepared. Once they hit Alabasta, it was frequent combat interspersed with travel towards the royal palace. It was exhausting, but Law had expected exhausting. Usopp complained a lot, and Chopper complained some (Law certainly didn't envy him, going into the desert with a fur coat for cold weather), but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Things Law had more or less prepared for, basically.

What Law was unprepared for was Crocodile. The Op-Op Fruit's power was potent, but Crocodile had proved to be able to counter a lot of it. Turns out being able to disassemble a man literally piece by piece didn't matter if the man in question could just turn into sand. Law had gotten blindsided, and was defeated.

It had taken a very rushed job treating his own wounds, one that was almost certainly leaving a scar in his belly from the hook, but Law had gotten back up. This time, after taking a moment to think through how he could take down Crocodile, he came back to the battle and got ready to end this. 

A blast of sand shot out at Law, who narrowly rolled to the side. Room could handle movement, but he was already exhausted from the last encounter. He wished he could have spent more time resting, but Crocodile was going to kill Vivi and Cobra otherwise. So for now, it just has to be natural abilities. Law closed in, dodging under another attack. 

Law threw a water balloon made using a rubber glove. He had prepared about five, using what little materials he had on hand, and just had to hope it worked the way he thought it did. Crocodile had a sand Logia. Sand clumps when exposed to water. Law thrust Kikoku, aiming between fourth and fifth ribs. No point in pulling punches, or trying to spare this man. Crocodile was a vile man, and few would miss him. His eyes made Law think of... him. Everything about Crocodile just brought back memories, and not pleasant ones.

Crocodile held out his hand, catching the makeshift water balloon and absorbing all the moisture in an instant. Law opened a Room, warping himself backward (putting a rock in his original position) and just barely avoiding disembowelment on Crocodile's hook. He had... two Rooms in him at this stage, both small-scale (and sustaining a Room for longer than a couple seconds was infeasible). That meant he couldn't just drop his supplies at range before approaching (something he had suspicions wouldn't succeed regardless), and meant his escape would require just hoofing it.

Well, he got confirmation, at the very least. Crocodile could be harmed if he got wet. Otherwise he wouldn't have bothered to counter, considering it was just a water balloon. Nobody good enough to be a Warlord would bother otherwise. (In hindsight, Law would realize that most of the Warlords would have countered it, but at the time it was sound logic)

Four left, and... Crocodile was already out of Law's sight. He had dispersed into sand, and was preparing to ambush Law. Crocodile's hook was his weapon of choice, it was on his left hand, so that meant... there. Law brought up his sword, just barely managing to hold the golden hook at bay. He pushed Crocodile's hook towards the ground, and then reached to throw another water balloon. 

Crocodile scoffed, and Law didn't even seen the blast of sand coming. It ripped into Law's side, destroying all of Law's water balloons in one fell swoop and leaving a shallow wound. "Now what will you do?" Crocodile taunted, as Law stumbled back and out of immediate range. "Your little trick was clever, but I wouldn't be a Warlord if I couldn't see through it."

Law wracked his brain. He had no choice but to win here and now. Crocodile would send killer after killer after them, their entire trip to Alabasta would be for nothing, if he didn't. He needed to find some way to get Crocodile wet. Or... "I should've counted how much blood I lost." Law remarked, before cutting open his palm and giving his blade a bloody paint-job. "It should be fine. I'll harvest you for the replacement."

That was the answer he needed. Simple, effective, but risky. He should have done this from the start. Preferably with the water supply he'd been given, but blood works in a pinch. He made his approach, and Crocodile dashed around him. Law turned, parrying the hook and then landing a cut across Crocodile's chest. The blood worked. That emboldened Law, as Crocodile retreated. This ended now.

"Desert Spada!" Crocodile declared, creating several blades of sand that rushed at Law. It was his strongest move, and was his finisher for problem foes that needed attention at range.

A projectile was nothing to Law. "Room." He created a larger-scale Room, the last one he would need. "Shambles." 

Law vanished from sight, leaving a chunk of debris in his place. Crocodile pivoted, but just wasn't fast enough. Kikoku sunk into Crocodile's chest, piercing his lung. He had aimed for the heart, but Crocodile had just barely thrown off the aim as he moved. Crocodile tried to raise his hook, to take Law down with him, but ended up without the strength to do so. 

Crocodile had been slain. Law and the Heart Pirates had saved the kingdom of Alabasta. Vivi and Cobra tried to offer them a reward, but...

Trafalgar Law and his associates were already on their way the moment Law had recovered. Which was that night, only a few hours after the battle against Baroque Works.

"Are you sure, Law?" Nami had asked him. She was both navigator and treasurer (self-declared on the latter one, though Law hadn't argued) for the crew, so it was no shock she'd be the first one to question the decision. 

"I am. The Marines are going to be swarming after news gets out on Crocodile's death." Law said. "We will not be able to escape the inevitable blockade. Not without risk." And it never felt right for a pirate crew to leave an island with people cheering their names. 

Zoro made some remark about just cutting through them, which apparently annoyed Sanji. Law could break it up at any stage with Room, but the two never injured each other severely enough to bother. He was still feeling like crap after pushing himself against Crocodile. He needed to get stronger. 

He felt pain in his side. Law was out of action for the next few days, he knew that for certain. He opened his mouth, preparing to call on Chopper to help him with confirming the state of his injuries. While the crew didn't need a second doctor after Law, Chopper was capable in battle, made an excellent assistant, created useful redundancy (in case Law was out of commission), and... was about as talented as Law was. They respected to each other's abilities in the medical field, and Chopper definitely looked up to Law in general. 

Then he saw her. Miss All-Sunday. Or... Nico Robin. Law adjusted his hat, getting ready for another battle. "You refused to kill me before." Robin told them, looking directly at Law. "I want to join your crew."

Law had a feeling this was going to be a long night. 

Chapter Text

Urouge felt lightning course through him. His heart kept beating in spite of it, the rhythm staying in sync with his god. Both Nami and Eneru watched in utter shock as Urouge used that moment after the lightning struck him to just rush Eneru. He, Nami, and Eneru were on Eneru's ark, which was currently in the skies over Skypeia. 

Skypeia felt like home. It wasn't his home, but it was a Sky Island. But, just like back home... there was a sinner to slay. Urouge managed to land a punch on Eneru, internally thanking Usopp for providing him with rubber gloves for this encounter. They may not have been perfect, but they allowed Urouge to touch Eneru, and thus land hits. 

It was a shame he couldn't use a pillar to club Eneru's brains in, but the amount of material Usopp had on hand was limited. Urouge wound up for another strike, only for Eneru to retreat out of range. Urouge just kept his fists up, slowly circling Eneru as he waited for an opening. 

"Those gloves can touch me." Eneru whispered, as if saying it any louder would be admitting defeat. He quickly regained his composure, preparing to meet Urouge head-on. "But can you?"

Urouge knew that Eneru could predict every movement he made. He knew that he had limits, and even his Devil Fruit could only do so much to keep him standing, but...

"You are no god." Urouge stated, rushing Eneru once more. Another blast of lightning struck Urouge, and his Devil Fruit converted the pain into power. That changed the calculations on Urouge's movements, and that...

Allowed Urouge to land another hit. This one was glancing, but it served to damage Eneru's composure. That was all Urouge could do for the moment. Just keep Eneru off-tempo, and hopefully he can snowball.

"Urouge, there is no such thing as 'hopefully'. Take your future in your own hands, don't leave things to chance." He remembered the words of... someone. It had been some time since he was home, so a lot of the names had blended together in the fog of years. This one must have been one of his teachers in the way of-

Eneru thrust a golden staff at Urouge, who just barely managed to dodge it. Pain became power, but getting his throat struck would do more bad than good. He almost considered reaching out to grab the staff, but remembered what else electricity could do and instead just swung another punch for Eneru's head. The false god tilted his head, then grabbed Urouge's head.

"Urouge!" Nami exclaimed, worrying for her captain's safety. While she rejected Urouge's advances at every step, he had grown to respect her and enjoy her company. Not enough to stop asking her consent in, well, partaking of his hobby, but enough that he just laughed it off when she inevitably rejected him. And she, in turn, just sighed and ignored it. 

Urouge felt millions of volts course through him. Anyone else would have died. He should have died. Eneru just keep unleashing lightning into Urouge, intending on just frying him to death then and there. Urouge's sight blurred. His body went numb. He couldn't hear anything. All he smelled was his own body as he was cooked alive.

But he knew where Eneru was. He felt in his heart. And his heart... it was beating to one rhythm. The drums of liberation. "The only god I believe in," Urouge managed to utter, grabbing Eneru's head and clamping down tight. His Devil Fruit was making him stronger and stronger, and now it was doubtful Eneru could ever dodge the next attack. "Is the Sun God,"

Urouge swung his other fist, one that became a blur to even Eneru. Nami would only ever see the aftermath, not the act itself. Eneru only barely saw it coming, and there was no time to dodge. 

"NIKA!"

Chapter Text

Enies Lobby was... a trial. Not of the legal kind, but of the moral kind. He had started his own crew as part of a lengthy deep-cover operation, catching multiple pirates in his journey to claim the One Piece (for the Marines). Buggy the Clown. Black Cat Kuro. Don Krieg. Arlong. Wapol. Crocodile, exposing the plans of Baroque Works and getting him excised from the Seven Warlords. He had the full intent of turning in Nico Robin at first, eventually. 

Then Skypiea happened (it was a shame he couldn't capture and turn in Eneru, but the Skypieans' safety came first). Followed by Long Ring Island, and that Davy Back Fight that was completely avoidable (he took some pleasure in getting Foxy caught by the Marines afterward). And then they hit Water 7, meeting with undercover CP9 agents. Drake hadn't known at the time they were CP9 at first, nor did they know he was undercover himself. They would destroy his crew and everything he worked to build. 

But Nico Robin took the fall for them. She willingly traded her life for theirs, even though this entire crew was built on a lie. Objectively, he should have left her behind. But none of the other members of his crew would accept it. He... found it hard to argue. Truthfully, Drake had questioned how the 'Devil Child' got her bounty, considering her age and power did not line up with the story he had been given. Never verbally, but it nagged him in the back of his mind ever since they properly met.

So he chose to get answers. He couldn't blow his cover, not when the goal was so much more than the worth of any one prisoner, and it would serve to sell the narrative that he truly has abandoned the Marines. None of his crew have since questioned his motives, choosing to side with him.

He caught up with CP9, and with them Nico Robin and Franky. He didn't need to act when he asked Robin if she wanted to come with them once more. Drake had... grown attached. To all of them, his crew. Zoro was loyal and strong. Nami was both kind and devious. Usopp was a coward, but he had a genuine desire to better himself and was far smarter than he gave himself credit for. Sanji's cooking alone made Drake have second thoughts about ever turning his crew in. Chopper had genuine belief in him, and his dream was one Drake really wanted to see come true. Robin had only 'betrayed' them in an effort to protect this crew.

Drake originally planned on turning the rest of his crew in once the mission was complete, but that was impossible. He could never find it in his heart. Instead... he would use his clout from getting the One Piece to either pardon them or give them positions in the Marines. Maybe... maybe instate them as Warlords? Something to determine later.

The trial that was Enies Lobby continued, of course. Despite Drake's nagging feeling that something was wrong, he kept going. Robin declared she wanted to live, to sail the seas with them once more. Usopp... burned the World Government flag. It wasn't anything Drake was personally angered by, but it was going to make things harder for them.

Eventually, as the battles went on, he found out his answer. To why. Why they cared so much about one woman. Why Robin was so afraid. Why this all happened. A Buster Call had been placed on Robin's home island of Ohara. Drake should have just struck the entire conversation from his memory then and there, if he wanted to be a good Marine.

But he had long since abandoned the title of Marine. He was a pirate. So he listened. Nico Robin was not a monster. Her only crime was existing (at the time of getting her first bounty, after that was admittedly her own sins). Being a living remnant of something the World Government wanted forgotten. She was just a girl, a child, when they branded her a criminal. Robin had told her some of the story before, just bits and pieces, but the details she left out...

They were the ones he needed to be convinced. Drake found bile rising in his throat whenever he thought about how... he worked for these people. Worked for monsters that would brand children as monsters just for the crime of existing. That would erase entire islands from maps if someone found something 'inconvenient'. 

Drake turned into a full Allosaurus. It was time for him to show them what a real monster looked like.

It ended in fire. Cannon fire, to be specific, when a Buster Call was sent to Enies Lobby. Drake... barely remembered anything that happened after shifting into his Allosaurus form. Not because of the Devil Fruit, but just because it was all chaos. He was fighting Lucci for most of the time, but they were tearing apart the entire tower through their battle. Drake dimly remembered passing by Zoro and Kaku, Nami and Kalifa, Sanji and Jabra, but it was a haze.

He remembered biting off Lucci's right arm. He remembered the wounds Lucci gave him across his side, a criss-crossing series of scars serving as a reminder. He remembered leaping back onto his ship with the rest of his crew, and then having to fight off the few Marines who managed to board them. 

They had escaped. He... had completely betrayed the Marines. This had gone well beyond the scope of maintaining his cover. Zoro had seemed to know he was hiding something, the way he occasionally stole glances at Drake after they got back from Enies Lobby. 

It wasn't until after they were sailing away from Water 7, with Franky now an official member of the crew, that he chose to come clean. He gathered them all on the deck of the newly enhanced Liberal Hind (courtesy of Franky and the Galley-La workers, they managed to turn it from an already formidable ex-Marine ship into a monster that will certainly be able to bring them to the One Piece), and spoke.

"I am the captain of SWORD, a secret Marine force." X Drake said. "I have formally resigned, but I still operated on their behalf. To catch pirates the Marines couldn't, and claim the One Piece, I went undercover as a pirate."

All of the Drake Pirates were silent upon hearing this. Zoro didn't meet Drake's gaze, Nami and Sanji turned away; hiding their faces, Robin's expression... didn't change (Drake wondered if she knew), Chopper and Franky were obviously reeling in shock from this admission, and Usopp was the one to break this silence.

"Uh... Drake. You're kidding, right? This is just an attempt at a joke to lighten the mood, right?" Usopp asked, nervously sweating. 

"I am not. I... once considered turning you all in. Then calling for pardons for you all once the One Piece was claimed." Drake admitted. "But I have lost faith in the Marines. In the World Government. The Buster Call on Ohara..."

"You realized that you couldn't support them." Robin said. "You fought to save me."

"I did." Drake said. "I wanted to know why they cared so much about one woman, that they were so desperate to take you." 

"Does anything change?" Zoro asked. "We're still going after the One Piece, right?"

"Of course. I am going to change the Marines, the World Government... and we're going after the One Piece." Drake said. Truthfully, he didn't need the One Piece. But he needed to be strong enough to claim the One Piece, so he could change the world. "I will still be turning pirates we defeat over to the Marines, but that is all I will be doing for them."

"Then there's no issue." Zoro said. "Nothing changes. We sail with you for all of our dreams. You turn in the pirates we defeat. If the Marines are a problem..." He slightly unsheathed one of his blades, making it clear what he meant. 

Drake considered arguing. Point out that this entire crew was created on a lie. He really did. But... seeing the faces of his crew, he realized that he was the only one who felt any amount of lasting anger. "You're right, Zoro. All that's changed is my goal."

"Then it looks like we're continuing on our course." Nami said. She hadn't actually looked angry at all on hearing his admission, despite her clear reservations. Drake immediately fought and defeated Arlong the moment he arrived in Cocoyasi Village, without even needing to hear of her plight. It wasn't a shock to Drake that she would side with him. She didn't care if this was a pirate crew, she cared that it was Drake's crew.

"Indeed." Drake said. "To new lands, and a new world."

Chapter Text

They were on their way to the Fishman Island (and the Sabaody Archipelago). Hawkins did his usual fortune-telling in private, a ritual before every island they went to. The worst fortune he had ever received before arrival was Water 7. The Hawkins Pirates had an average 13% chance of survival. It made him hesitant to set foot on the island, but he had no other choice in the end.

The cards were nothing good. The Tower. The Death. The Strength. The first two upright, the second reversed. A 1% chance of survival. He did another reading, altering his plans in his head to be as safe as possible. 

0%. Hawkins grabbed a bowl of animal bones, and started a small fire. He burned the bones, trying another method of divination. As he watched the bones burn, he saw the chances once more. 1%.

After almost an hour of divination, he came to a conclusion.

The Hawkins Pirates would fall. 

There was no way around it. Unless he found a solution, there was little chance of his crew surviving. He did individual readings, and chances rose. Into the tens, even twenty percent chance of survival for Chopper. Only Brook avoided death, and that was likely due to his specific constitution. But he was the one who always had a 1% (or less) chance of surviving. All he could do was work with this future. 

Sabaody was chaos. That kid with the straw hat, Luffy, had punched a Celestial Dragon out. Hawkins and his crew were trying to lay low, assessing the general situation of Sabaody and figure out why it was going to be so dangerous, when it was made clear. 

"Everyone, form up! Do not get separated!" 

"Hmph. Shitty cook, bet you I can take more down."

"Mosshead, we've got bigger fish to fry than a hunting contest."

"We're gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gonna die,"

"I'd be feeling a pit in my stomach right now, but I don't have a stomach! Yohohoho!"

In minutes, the entire archipelago was swarming with Marines. Those were normal. Even the presence of Kizaru was just dangerous. It was those... Pacifistas, that proved to be the real threat. There were too many. Hawkins did everything he could with Straw-Straw Fruit to dispatch them, but it wasn't enough. Him and his crew were surrounded. Zoro and Sanji were doing everything they could to keep the pressure off them, trying to make an opening for escape, but the Pacifistas were relentless. Usopp was having a panic attack as they closed in, the pressure having finally gotten to him as their fate became disgustingly clear.

"Basil Hawkins." A man spoke, and Hawkins looked up to see another Pacifista.

No. This was the real deal. Bartholomew Kuma. The man the Pacifistas were based on. One of the Seven Warlords. Hawkins was silent, just observing his face. His expression was inscrutable. 

"Your crew is not prepared for the New World." Kuma said. Hawkins realized what was going on. This was pity. "If you wanted to take a trip, where would you want to go?"

Hawkins... blinked in short-lived confusion. His thoughts immediately went to somewhere where he could improve his fortune-telling abilties, to be able to divine the future in combat on the fly. To find the strength to fight off the Marines. The sound of a battle, between Dark King Rayleigh and Admiral Kizaru, raged in the distance. Sentomaru was off elsewhere. It was just them. The Pacifistas weren't striking, having adapted to the Straw-Straw Fruit having done serious damage to multiple units. They would likely try to capture them instead, in a little bit.

Kuma's paw came down on Hawkins, and he had an inkling of what was going to occur. He'd heard the rumors. Of what the tyrant Kuma could do. "Two years! Gather here in two years!" Hawkins managed to call out, before vanishing. 

The Hawkins Pirates fell. As far as all authorities knew, they had gone missing (presumed dead) during the battle of Sabaody Archipelago. Hawkins had just barely managed to navigate the chaos, and practically lucking into the one outcome that saved his crew from death. He had defeated his own fate. The others might have survived if he died, but he only survived because Kuma happened upon them while searching for a certain boy with a straw hat. 

Hawkins felt a little bit of shame at this outcome, but upon arriving in a cursed forest miles upon miles away in the Grand Line... he had resolved to improve. To learn to read the fabric of fate instantly. He would make sure nothing like this ever happened again.

In two years, the Hawkins Pirates would return. And when they did... fate would be theirs to control.

Chapter Text

Nami hadn't really any idea how Apoo would react to Brook. After arriving on Thriller Bark (against their will), they ended up joining with the pirate Lola and company in defeating Gecko Moria. She had only met Brook partway through the incident, and despite mixed first impressions (he dispatched an entire squad of zombies by himself, and then immediately asked to see her panties) she warmed up to him. But Apoo had a lot of pride in his music, and she anticipated a rivalry.

Apoo and Brook had only met during the final battle. The gigantic Oars had been given Apoo's shadow, creating an extremely noisy goliath that served to be equal parts of powerful and annoying. Like Apoo, he loved singing and music. Unlike Apoo, he couldn't hold a key in the slightest due to somewhat rotted vocal cords. So while he was currently trying to crush the life out of them, he was also singing the most grating song imaginable.

"Apapapapa!" Apoo laughed, as they retreated from another crushing punch. "He could use some music lessons!"

"My ears are ringing. But wait, I don't have any ears!" Brook said, unleashing yet another Skull Joke upon the On Air Pirates. "I'd love to show him what a real musician sounds like, but I misplaced my violin."

"Wait, skeleton, you're a musician?" Usopp asked. They had barely even met by now, but he figured Brook was an ally judging by how he was trying to fight Oars alongside them. A plan began to form in his head, though it was hard to hold onto it in the wake of the godawful singing Oars was subjecting them to.

"A musician, you say?" Apoo asked.

"I am, though I can't demonstrate." Brook said. "Unless you happen to-"

Apoo threw him a violin, supplied from... somewhere. Every member of the On Air Pirates had no clue where Apoo kept it, or where he found it for that matter. He had no need to carry instruments on his person, thanks to the Tone-Tone Fruit, but he always seemed to have one on hand whenever the situation somehow called for music. "Show me."

As they ran from another attack by Oars, Brook demonstrated with a somber violin piece. "Are you sure you should play something so sad while we're running for our lives?!" Usopp questioned, glancing to Apoo.

Who was crying. "Beautiful..." He sniffled. 

"Now if only we could make that music useful for something!" Sanji remarked, as Oars tried to crush them. He kicked Oars' arm, knocking his attack off course and saving the entire crew.

"That's it!" Usopp declared. "Oars has Apoo's shadow, and acts like our captain! That means we can distract him the same way we could with our captain! Music!"

The gears in Apoo's head started turning. "Brook, I've got a tune for ya. Let's make a duet he'll never forget."

Oars eventually caught sight of Apoo and Brook, standing atop a roof. He moved in, but Apoo turned teeth into a piano. He began playing a tune, and Oars stopped. 

"It's close to midnight,
Something's lurking in the dark," Brook sang. Apoo only needed to tell him the lyrics once, and he instantly had it memorized. When it came to music... Apoo had found a worthy rival. As Brook got to singing, Oars just... listened. He was waiting for them to finish, so he could show them how it's really done. 

As the song went on, the rest of the On Air Pirates moved. The plan had been simple. While Apoo and Brook distracted Oars, they'd sever Oars' spine in one move and thus disable him completely. It didn't matter if he couldn't feel pain, couldn't die. Him not moving was all they needed.

"Under the moonlight,
You see a fright that almost stops your heart!" Brook continued, keeping his gaze on Oars. He really enjoyed having a partner in song for once, after fifty years absent one. 

The song went on. It was right at the climax of the chorus that the On Air Pirates moved. Franky and Usopp fired explosives to soften flesh while Nami shot lightning to assist in that effort, Sanji and Chopper used their might to smash through muscle and expose bone, and Zoro was put in charge of cutting bone. Robin offered her aid in giving him footholds so he could properly wind up.

"'Cause this is thriller,
Thriller night!
And no one's gonna save you,
From the beast about to strike!" 

Bone was sliced through. The On Air Pirates had defeated Oars.

The rest of the battle of Thriller Bark was destructive, and just as deadly. "Apapapa! You really are a maestro!" Apoo complimented, as he and Brook walked off the battlefield. It was over. They could see the sun, and now... it was time to go their separate ways.

"You're not half bad yourself." Brook said. "Out of curiosity, do you have any openings on your crew?"

Nami watched this exchange with bated breath. She had wondered about Brook joining, he seemed really lonely and had no real home any more. It wasn't that she wanted him to join, or not join either, but just... a thought. She had thought about it. "A chance to have a performer of a lifetime on my crew, my most worthy rival in my best field? You think I'd ever pass that up? Welcome aboard!" Apoo said, taking in Brook with open (long) arms. 

And that was how the On Air Pirates got a second musician. 

Chapter Text

Sabaody had started pretty pleasantly. The Bonney Pirates had arrived on the archipelago without too much issue. Sure, they got into a fight a little before, but it wasn't anything too intense.

Then that boy in the straw hat (one Bonney felt bizarrely interested in) punched a Celestial Dragon. The archipelago erupted into outright war. The Eleven Supernovas (or Supernovae) had been embroiled in a battle against the Marine forces sent, trying to get out of there. They could chew through the rank and file Marines without issue, so Bonney was only worried about-

A streak of gold light shined in one of the other groves of Sabaody. Admiral Kizaru had shown up. That was one of the worst case scenarios. Sanji was in front, so they didn't have to worry about anyone short of Kizaru ambushing them, but that didn't mean much with an Admiral on the battlefield. He would simply take down every single pirate there one by one, and still be done in time for dinner.

Bonney's stomach grumbled, and she remembered she hadn't eaten in a while. It was definitely not the time for meals, though. As she returned her gaze to straight ahead, she saw him. Bartholomew Kuma. He did not look the same as she remembered him, especially with those lifeless eyes, but it was undeniably him. 

Sanji got ready to engage him. "We're a little busy!" He yelled, crouching down.

"That's my dad!" Bonney called out. "Don't hurt him!"

Sanji stopped himself from attacking. Kuma opened his mouth, and Bonney expected to hear her father's voice. Instead... "Get down!" Zoro yelled, forcing Bonney onto the ground. She heard the sound of an explosion behind them, and looked up to see smoke coming out of Kuma's mouth. Zoro picked himself up. "Bonney, does he usually fire laser beams from his mouth?"

Bonney shook her head, standing up. She changed to her true form, looking up at Kuma. "Daddy, please. It's me, Bonney! You recognize me, right?" Bonney said, tearing up. Kuma remained stone-faced. His mouth dropped open, and shining light in his mouth signalled he was charging up another laser blast. She had no idea what her father had gone through. 

The ground shook. Bonney glanced towards the source and saw another Bartholomew Kuma. The same stone-faced expression, the same dead eyes. "That's not Kuma." Zoro stated, as everyone present came to that realization. "Captain, what's our plan?"

Bonney was frozen, completely unmoving. Too many thoughts were racing through her mind, and it resulted in her just freezing up. 

"Captain!" Zoro yelled. "Do we fight or run?!"

"She is unresponsive." Robin said. "Zoro, it's your call as first mate. Do we fight them off first, or just make a break for it?"

Zoro grit his teeth, weighing their options. On one hand, there were two- three Kumas present. "Just run! We'll figure out how to get past the Marine ships when we get there!" That was the time for the three Kumas to move to block their path back to their ship. They all began charging up more laser beams, and Zoro got ready. "Shitty cook, we're going to hold them off! Break a path through!"

Zoro didn't really like trying to be a tactician for the whole crew. But desperate times called for desperate measures. Sanji moved to Zoro's side, clenched teeth cutting through the cigarette in his mouth. "If anyone gets hurt, I won't ever forgive you." Sanji told him. Zoro didn't make any retort.

Franky was the one who picked up Bonney, hoisting her over his shoulder. "Sorry about this, captain, but it's do or die!" He apologized, getting ready to make a break for it. "Weapons Left!" Gunfire from his left hand laid down cover fire for Zoro and Sanji's advance, as the trio of Kumas began firing. Nami and Usopp did the same, using their respective abilities to keep pressure on at range. Chopper and Robin were there at Franky's side, the last line of defense for their catatonic captain. Explosions rang out all across the battlefield as the Bonney Pirates mounted their last stand.

Zoro and Sanji quickly discovered a truth about these Kumas (whatever they actually were). They were near indestructible, and were disgustingly capable in battle. The tyrant Kuma was powerful, and these lookalikes were dedicated to copying him. The only thing they lacked was Kuma's Devil Fruit, which made one thing clear.

"Bonney! None of them are the real Kuma!" He yelled, hoping to finally get through to his captain. 

That... actually managed to do so. Bonney snapped out of her funk, realizing that his words are right. None of these people were Kuma. She had no clue who they were, if they even were people, but she had a feeling she knew who made them. "Then we're getting out of here." Bonney said, jumping out of Franky's grip and aging herself back to her usual adult guise. She didn't want to fight her dad, or even an image of him, but... she had to. If it meant getting out alive, living long enough to find her real father, then she'll do what she had to. "Distorted Future, Future like Nika!" 

Zoro and Sanji dropped to the ground and laid flat, right before a gigantic rubbery fist smashed all three Kuma lookalikes. Bonney let her arm retract, shrinking down to its usual size and returning to just being normal flesh. All three of the fake Kumas had been bowled over, which gave them their opening to make their escape.

"Huh. I s'pose I did hear that Kuma's kid was waltzing around playing pirate." Kizaru remarked, appearing in front of them. He moved too fast to keep up with, and there was nobody to help them. 

Bonney froze up for the second time today. This time, it was just fear. She could practically feel his strength from here, and they had no escape. Bonney had no clue how they were beating him, and negotiation clearly wasn't an option. Sanji took a single step, and Kizaru thrust a kick in his direction. A beam of light just narrowly missed taking Sanji's head off, and it was only because of Kizaru being too lazy to bother properly aiming. 

Kizaru took a single step, about to turn into light, when one of the Kuma lookalikes managed to touch him. Bonney blinked, and Kizaru was gone. There was no sound of destruction behind her, so she hadn't just missed Kizaru's attack. The Kuma lookalike approached, and Bonney realized.

"Daddy!" 

This was no lookalike. This was the real Bartholomew Kuma. Bonney turned to her real age, jumping at her father and giving him a hug. He reciprocated, holding her gently. It was as if he thought anything more would turn her to dust. "I'm sorry, Bonney." He said, as she cried into his chest. 

"You never did send any letters." Bonney said, tears stopping as relief washed over her. In spite of the chaos still raging around them, they were finally reunited. 

Kuma blinked. "I... did. Did... did they not reach you?"

Bonney paused for just a moment. "That bitch..." She muttered, realizing who was responsible.

Kuma opened his mouth, about to admonish Bonney for swearing, but a distant explosion stopped him. 

"Maybe we should get out of here first?" Usopp said, breaking the short silence. "Mister, uh, Bartholomew, please tell me you know a way out of here."

Kuma's smile dropped, as he remembered what he was here for. "Bonney, the New World is... too dangerous for you as you are. I cannot come with you, either." He said, letting go of his daughter. 

Bonney's heart shattered. "Daddy... what are you saying?" She questioned, the tears coming back.

"I can send you somewhere safe." Kuma said. "You became a pirate to find me, right?"

That gave Bonney pause. "I want to find the One Piece." She said. While her initial goal was to find her father, she also just wanted to complete this journey for her own sake. "Daddy..."

"I'm sorry, Bonney." Kuma said, and then held out his hand. She saw the soft paw pads on his hand, and realized what was going to happen. "But this will be the last time we ever see each other."

The Bonney Pirates vanished from the earth on that day. Few were especially concerned with them in the immediate weeks after their disappearance, even with a sighting of Bonney defacing a Marine outpost that made the news about a week after, which meant they could go into hiding without issue. Two years. In two years, the Bonney Pirates made their return.

Bartholomew Kuma never got the chance to see them.

Chapter Text

When they ended up on Thriller Bark, aiding the skeletal Broook, Law had decided to go with Chopper and Nami as part of the advance team. It was more or less a whim, or just the result of a gut feeling. Law trusted in their abilities to escape from danger, but it wasn't like those two were going to complain that Law was with them.

After dealing with a handful of zombies, they ended up finding their way to a mansion. "You... you don't think this place is haunted, do you?" Nami nervously asked, gripping her Climatact tightened. They were standing at the doorstep, weighing their options. 

"You sound like Usopp. There's no such thing as ghosts." Law told them. "Those zombies are the product of Devil Fruit powers, not the supernatural."

"That doesn't make me feel any less worried..." Chopper said, before the doors swung open. A man and a woman looked at the three members of the Heart Pirates. The woman looked vaguely familiar to Law (though she was clearly a zombie of some sort, judging by that complexion and all the scars), but the man...

"Doctor Hogback?" Law asked. A world-renowned surgeon, a genius that pretty much any doctor in the world had at least some level of respect for. That was who Doctor Hogback was. Law was... a little star-struck. He noticed that Chopper was practically vibrating out of this plane of existence in his excitement, and smiled. 

"In the flesh! Fosfosfos!" The man told them. "I see you travelers are weary from the dangers of this place. Cindry, dinner is about ready, correct? Let's treat them!"

And that was how Law, Nami, and Chopper found themselves eating spaghetti with Doctor Hogback. Well... there were some issues. For starters, not one of them actually trusted this meal, considering Thriller Bark's general state. Even if they were willing to trust Hogback, they didn't necessarily trust anything they could eat there to be safe.

The other issue was that the spaghetti was just dumped onto the table without any form of plating. A table that looked dirty in the first place. The Heart Pirates resolved to just... not eat this. They still had some field rations on hand, so it wasn't like they were starving otherwise. Law was still on-guard, and Nami looked like she was about to quick-draw Lightning Tempo the moment anybody made a sudden move. Chopper, on the other hand, was bombarding Hogback with questions about medical science and surgery in particular.

Law listened, of course. He would be a liar if he claimed he wasn't interested. A lot of Hogback's words were familiar to both doctors of the crew, things they've learned in their own studies. It attested to Hogback's knowledge, and confirmed he was at least a real surgeon. Nami had made a remark about him possibly not being the real Hogback (quiet enough that the man in question hadn't heard it, though Law certainly noticed), and Law had heard enough to think he was the real deal.

"So, what brought you to this place, anyway?" Chopper asked.

"Why, to study the zombies, of course! If it could ease the pain of the broken hearted, then it'll be well worth the trouble." Hogback said. 

Law didn't... disagree. He had severe doubts in the effectiveness of any treatment that could be derived from a Devil Fruit power in the hands of anyone but the person with said power, but if it were truly possible to bring back the dead... Then it'd make things easier for doctors the world over. 

"So, Hogback," Law calmly said, blade pointed at Hogback's throat. It had been some time later, when the battle of Thriller Bark finally heated up. Law wanted to confront Hogback on why he was working with Gecko Moria, so he and Chopper went out to deal with him. It would not take long to deal with him, and then rejoin the others to deal with Moria. "Where were you when the people of Flevance were suffering from Amber Lead poisoning?"

"Oh, those people? One of their leaders called me, but it was a lot of busywork for little payoff. It was too much trouble-" Hogback said, only to find Kikoku pressing against his neck. "What's it to you, huh?"

"There were children." Law said. "Children dying because you didn't even try to treat them. The Amber Lead wasn't contagious, you could have gone out and tried to help. It's a doctor's duty-"

"Spare me that doctor's duty spiel. A doctor's duty is to further medical science. And what are you doing to that end, hmm?" Hogback retorted, opening his mouth to call for zombie reinforcements.

"Room. Amputate." Law said, cutting through Hogback's neck. Hogback's head hit the ground, unable to speak but completely alive. "The weak do not get to decide how they die. The people of Flevance weren't given that mercy, and neither will you."

Chopper had barely even had the chance to question Hogback at all. He just watched this, and came to a realization about his captain. He actually knew very little about his captain's life before the Heart Pirates.

The battles in Thriller Bark weren't easy, but Law managed to guide the Heart Pirates through it with no casualties, few injuries (mostly from situations Law wasn't present in, like Zoro's battle with Ryuma), and a new crew member in Brook the skeleton. While the rest of the crew was partying on the deck, as they sailed away from Thriller Bark, Law sat up above them on a railing, just watching. 

"Hey, Law." Chopper said, walking up to him. "When you were talking about the people of Flevance..."

"I was one of them." Law said. "The only survivor, as far I'm aware."

His tone was neutral, quiet. He simply kept it to be matter of fact statements. "Oh... I'm sorry if I..."

"You did nothing wrong, Chopper. Even most doctors couldn't heal my condition." Law said. "It took the Op-Op Fruit to finally come up with an answer, and that took... sacrifice."

Chopper hopped up onto the railing. "Family?" 

"Not blood family." Law said, looking up at the sky. "Cora-san."

Chopper nodded in understanding. He knew exactly what it was like to lose someone who wasn't 'family', but meant just as much. "What happened?"

Law didn't look Chopper in the eye. "He betrayed a monster. And for his efforts... he was put in a coma." He said. Just thinking about it made his heart twist in sorrow, while his blood boiled with rage. "It was a miracle he lived at all."

"If he's still alive, then there's hope, right?" Chopper said.

A faint smile appeared on Law's face. Chopper was a true doctor, through and through.

Sengoku sat down in his office in Marineford. He had been called away to deal with an incident for the past couple days (nothing violent, but it had taken some time negotiating things down), and had only just returned.

Not a moment later, a lower-ranked Marine stepped into his office. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Donquixote Rosiante has awakened. We tried to send you a message, but..." The Marine speaking didn't look Sengoku in the eye, clearly having more to say.

"I understand." Sengoku said. All those tears, the years he spent wondering if Rosiante would ever awaken... it was over. Rosiante was awake! Trafalgar would be thrilled to hear this, though... considering the nature of what he had recently done with Crocodile, Sengoku doubted that those two would ever get a chance to reunite. Maybe for a few minutes, before Law is sent to Impel Down. Sengoku stood up, walking out of the room.

The Marine blocked his path. "Apologies, sir, but you can't see him."

"Oh, is he not well?" Sengoku asked. It had been years, so that wasn't necessarily a shock. "When will I be able to?"

"That's the thing, sir." The Marine said. "We're under orders to execute him in the coming days. You won't be able to see him until..."

Sengoku paled. It... it couldn't be. Why? What reason could there be to execute a Marine who had fulfilled his duty?

Doflamingo laughed, riding his ship to Marineford. He had been called in to prevent any interference with the execution, which was to be done publicly in Marineford in roughly a week. The stated charges were 'leaking confidential World Government secrets', a crime punishable by death. 

This was all a lie, of course. Rosiante had never done anything of the sort, and the charges only being pressed now clued in anyone who would care enough to know about Rosiante that this was a sham. But the only truth that mattered was that of the victor.

And Doflamingo played for keeps.

Chapter Text

Kid fell. He had only barely defeated Rob Lucci in battle, delivering a few hopefully crippling hits to the bastard's limbs, and then stumbled into the sea. The other members of the Kid Pirates jumped after him, even those who would couldn't swim. 

They all landed on the crumbling Victoria Punk, which had... it had come back for them! Eustass Kid swore, as his body started to give out and he faded into unconsciousness, that he heard a girl's voice. Not Nami's, not Robin's, not the ugly mermaid, not that CP9 bitch, but one he knew by heart regardless.

"You always did have a knack for getting into trouble."

And that was the last thing Kid heard, as his crew managed to make their escape back to Water 7.

When Kid awakened, the question remained of what to do with the Victoria Punk. The ship was now completely unseaworthy, and could never sail the seas with them again. 

"We build a new ship." Kid said. He, his whole crew, Franky, Iceburg, and Paulie were all gathered in a hospital room, where the Kid Pirates were recovering after their battle with the Marines in Enies Lobby. The fact that they made it out with only one casualty, one that was already on her way out of this mortal coil, was nothing short of a miracle. "Killer, I need some time alone. Handle it."

And then he stepped out of the Water 7 hospital the crew (and Franky) had been recovering at. Killer sighed, frowning underneath his mask. "Franky, Iceburg, let's talk. We need a pirate ship that's... what was the thing Franky said?"

"You want a SUPER!" Franky did his signature pose, though he only pulled it for a couple seconds before groaning in pain from straining his injuries. "Pirate ship?"

"Exactly. You saw our old ship." Killer said. "And you know what we need."

"Should... should one of us follow him?" Chopper asked, looking at the doorway Kid went through.

"Kid can walk. That means he can fight off anyone short of a Warlord." Killer said. "I don't think you should go after him right now, though. He needs time to cool off."

"I'll tail him." Usopp said, confident. "In case anyone sends trouble his way."

Killer nodded. "Do what you will." 

Kid sat down on a ledge, overlooking the remains of the Victoria Punk as the sun set. She was barely even holding together at this point, and there was no doubt in Kid's mind that they wouldn't ever be able to sail the seas together again. The figurehead had already been removed, and the Galley-la employees were currently preparing to disassemble the rest of the ship for wood. In spite of the damage, a decent amount of the ship's raw materials were high quality. It only made sense. If something was no longer useful, then you take whatever still works and discard the rest.

He punched the ground next to him. Why was he so mad about this? His heart was twisting into a knot, and he couldn't do anything about it. The people responsible were either dead or gone with the wind. It was a boat. Just one stupid boat that doesn't work anymore.

"Hey, captain." Usopp said, sitting down next to Kid. "The ship?"

"They're gonna take her apart." Kid said. "Today's the Victoria Punk's funeral."

Usopp nodded. At this stage, there really wasn't any choice in the matter. "Who was Victoria, anyway?" He asked. 

"A girl."

Kid remembered. He remembered those times with Killer and Victoria, where they ate curry udon together (he couldn't eat the stuff anymore, and even the smell pissed him off). He remembered when they laughed at her, and she beat them up for it. He remembered having taken over a local gang, engaging in vicious warfare with rivals. 

He remembered finding Victoria's dead body, a message sent to him by a rival. He remembered butchering every single criminal on the island trying to find the culprit. He remembered never figuring out who was truly responsible. 

He remembered having the Victoria Punk made, a last memorial to her namesake. He remembered setting sail as a pirate with Killer, creating the Kid Pirates. 

Kid was crying. "Don't tell anyone about this." He said.

Usopp smiled. "Wouldn't dream of it, captain." He said. "So... any words you want to say to the ship, while it's still here?"

Kid stood up, and took a breath. "YOU WERE THE BEST SHIP I EVER HAD!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

Days passed, the Kid Pirates recovered from their injuries, and their new ship was built. It still had the figurehead, the dinosaur skull mounted on the front of the ship, which made Kid smile on seeing it. That thing was one of his favorite parts of the Victoria Punk. The ship was otherwise visibly a different beast altogether. Much bigger, much sturdier. 

"So, what're you gonna call it?" Franky asked. "It's your ship, after all."

Kid smiled. "'Sunshine on Victoria'."

Franky nodded. "Good. Well, I think I'll just take my-" He tried to walk away, only to feel his entire body get dragged back. 

"The Kid Pirates need a shipwright." Kid said, smirking. He enjoyed watching Franky squirm in his magnetic grip, nervously sweating. "And you're the guy who built this thing."

"Captain." Killer said, and Kid released Franky. "We do need a shipwright, though. Usopp's talents won't be enough if things go badly. And your talents are second to none."

Franky mulled it over.

"Also you are going to be hunted down by the Marines no matter where you go." Robin added. "I'd think sailing with us would be preferable to Impel Down, myself."

"Ah, screw it, count me in! Let's see this ship sail to the ends of the world!" 

And that was how the Kid Pirates were blessed with a proper shipwright. 

Chapter Text

Bege took a drag of his cigar, keeping his head down. It had been two years since he and the Fire Tank Pirates were separated by the paw of Bartholomew Kuma. They were not ready for expansion into the New World, and trying to muscle in on Emperor territory as they were would only result in a massacre. So, before anyone could make their way back to Sabaody, he managed to discretely get the word out to his crew.

That had left him with two years to figure out how exactly he was going to get stronger. He was certain there was a secret that people like Mihawk or Rayleigh were using. To just say it was raw strength and skill on its own was a clear lie. He managed to see Rayleigh land a hit on Kizaru, a Logia user. That was clearly impossible, no matter how strong you were. They had a trick, a technique that let them do the impossible.

During Bege's search, he came across a woman. A lady with pink hair, a true beauty with a staggering resemblance to a pirate he had met in his travels before. She was the child of an extremely powerful pirate, dumped off in Paradise for a reason Bege never pried about. She was the one who both told him about and taught him the secret of Haki. 

She also ended up marrying him after about a year together. "The ship's still intact." Bege remarked, as he reached the section of the archipelago where the Nostra Castello was moored. A few members of his old gang were gathered in and around it, the people responsible for protecting it. "All that's left is for the rest of the crew to get here."

Next to him, his wife was nervously fidgeting. Charlotte Chiffon had well and truly fallen for Bege, and anyone who was a friend of Lola was a friend of hers, but she was at least a little nervous about meeting the Fire Tank Pirates.

"Relax, sweetiekins. They'll love you." Bege said.

"I know, but I still feel like I'm intruding." Chiffon said. "They're basically your family."

"Mi famiglia includes you too." Bege said, taking his cigar out of his mouth to give his wife a kiss on the cheek.

Some time later, and after knocking a few heads, the Fire Tank Pirates were gathered on the Nostra Castello, reunited after two years. "So, boss, who's the new girl?" Zoro asked, pointing at Chiffon.  

"You didn't get hitched, did you?" Usopp said, mostly as a joke. 

Bege chuckled. "I did. Everyone, meet Chiffon. My wife." He said, and just smiled as the shocked reactions came in. A cavalcade of congratulations ensued, and a lot of questions quickly followed. "One at a time, please."

"She looks a lot like Lola." Nami noted. "Is there a relation, or...?"

"We're twins!" Chiffon said. "You must be Nami."

Nami and Chiffon quickly started talking about Lola, and Franky approached Bege. "Not bad, boss. You found a lovely lady. How did the two of you meet?"

"Found her on my travels. She taught me a certain technique, and we ended up hitting it off." Bege said. "How much have you heard about Haki?" 

"Isn't that a sport?" Chopper said. "I think I saw people playing it back home."

Bege actually laughed at that one. The kid was always a bit naive, and... well, it wasn't like Bege could blame him for not knowing. "I'll show you some other time. It's a fighting move." 

That did remind Bege that he should see about getting Chiffon to teach the other members of the crew. Her ability with Haki was, in her own word, pretty poor, but she was good enough to teach Bege. Being able to wipe out Logias without the need for any weakness exploitation is something that this crew needed. 

Sanji approached Chiffon, and Bege got ready. This was the one Bege was worried about. Would Sanji be jealous of Bege? He doubted it, but Sanji had also been away for two years. Anything could have changed. "Lady Chiffon," Sanji started, and Bege actually reached for his flintlock. He had no intent of actually shooting Sanji, but he wasn't about to let the man flirt with his wife in front of him. "Do you have any allergies? Or anything you absolutely hate eating?"

"Uh..." Chiffon stared at Sanji, utterly dumbfounded. Bege had spoken about Sanji's... way with women, but this was entirely unexpected. "I don't like fondue." 

"Duly noted." Sanji said, before turning to Bege. "Captain. You've found a good one. Don't you dare hurt her."

"We've been married for a year!" Bege said, and then pulled a flintlock.

After almost murdering Sanji and having to be held back by the rest of the crew, Bege eventually calmed down. After fielding a few more questions about their relationship, the subject switched to their plan going forward.

"We've got four Emperors in our way." Bege said, putting down several wanted posters on a table on the Nostra Costello's deck. "'Red-Haired' Shanks isn't a concern for the moment. He controls no territory we should be passing near, and the only one to be a threat is the man himself. Blackbeard is an unknown. The stunt he pulled at Marineford is threatening, but he's in the same boat as us."

"And then there's Big Mom and Kaido." Robin said. "I heard some rumors in my travels, of them considering an alliance."

"They're rumors." Bege said. "We can't trust them. What we can trust is that both are going to be in our way, and that they're extremely powerful. Chiffon has intel on the Big Mom Pirates, but Kaido is where we're flying nearly blind."

"How does Chiffon know about the Big Mom Pirates?" Nami asked.

"Big Mom is my mother." Chiffon said.

"WHAT?!" A chorus of eight all exclaimed in unison.

Bege knew this was going to be a long day.

Chapter Text

It had started rather comfortably, relatively speaking. After Thriller Bark had pushed the Heart Pirates to their limits, they reached the Sabaody Archipelago without any further incident. Law welcomed a lack of anything important, though he felt antsy. A metaphorical storm was brewing, and all he could do was wait. He hated when he wasn't the one in control, and hated being uniformed. The newspaper hadn't shown up at the Polar Tang in over a week, thanks in part to the Florian Triangle's oddities, so all Law knew about the world was that something was going on.

But that wasn't enough to go on. After they docked, intending on picking up a special coating to let the Polar Tang submerge deep enough to reach Fishman Island, Law saw people, Marines, setting up Visual Transponder Snails around the archipelago. 

"A public execution." Law stated, informing his less-knowledgeable crewmates. "The Marines have caught a pirate that they want to make an example of to the entire world."

He had no earthly idea who said pirate could be. His best guess was an Emperor, since they're the biggest and baddest pirates to sail the seas, but he couldn't say for certain. There were rumors of Gol D. Roger's child being alive, but he never took any stock in them. The only other person Law could think of that would warrant a public execution was, funnily enough, himself. After burning down Enies Lobby, he certainly earned the Marine's ire.

But all that was irrelevant. There was work to be done. The New World was so close, and the first half of their journey was almost over. After some talking with locals to get directions to someone capable of giving their ship the modifications needed, the Heart Pirates were on their way.

And it was on their way that Law saw a familiar face, sitting at a table outside eating shaved ice. He only knew one polar bear Mink in the world, and he knew that this wasn't a case of mistaken identity. "Bepo?" Law asked.

"Oh, hey, Law!" Bepo said, waving. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Neither did I. Living the pirate life, I'm guessing?" Law said.

Bepo nodded, before pointing to a boy wearing a straw hat. "Monkey D. Luffy's my captain. I'm his navigator."

Law smiled. "Well, let's see if your skills can get him to the One Piece before me." He said, before realizing that Bepo's crew had gotten here first. "Out of curiosity, would you happen to know who's been executed?"

"Some Marine, apparently. A brother of a Warlord, I think?" Bepo answered.

It... Law tried to rationalize it, to avoid confronting the only real possibility. Surely one of the other five living Warlords had brothers. Surely one of those brothers he never heard of. He went down the list. Gecko Moria's past was hazy before his life as a pirate, and he had his doubts that Moria would have any living family at this stage. Boa Hancock was arguably the most likely to have a brother in the Marines, considering the Kuja tribe's attitudes towards men, but the rumors concerning the lack of men born in Amazon Lily at all made it doubtful. Bartholomew Kuma was too new among the Warlords, and Law felt that he would've been made aware of any family the man had. Mihawk's past was a mystery, but rumors had circulated about him having been 'betrayed' by the Marines. Jimbei was the only one he could rule out, being a Fishman would've been memorable enough for Bepo. 

"Oh! I think his name was Rosinante!" Bepo said. 

And that brought the worst case scenario crashing down on Law's head. There was no way around it. Corazon was going to die today. He knew that Marineford was close, and he had enough time if it was just a matter of getting there. But... he didn't believe the Polar Tang had any way of getting there in time through the Marines' defenses.

Then he would have to fight off at least one Fleet Admiral, on top of however many other Marines were there. And that's ignoring the horribly likely possibility that a certain Warlord was present, or any other Warlords. 

He almost broke apart then and there, but the sounds of screaming and violence pulled him away. The battle of Sabaody Archipelago had begun.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood on the execution platform, flanked by a handful of Vice Admirals... and Donquixote Doflamingo. Sengoku knew he was responsible for this. Rosinante had something on him, proof that would allow the Marines to move in and deal with him for good. A pirate will always be a pirate, Sengoku had said when asked about the Warlords, and Doflamingo was living proof. Problem was, Sengoku couldn't provide any evidence of such, and the World Government probably didn't care.

Sengoku could hardly look at Rosinante, either. The man had decayed while in his coma. He was always rather thin, but now he was barely anything more than a skeleton. It was doubtful he could walk, or even speak for that matter. Rosinante was conscious, but looked... resigned. He had given up.

Truthfully, Sengoku could have saved him. He even wanted to. But even barring his duty... where would they go? There was nowhere in the world where they would be safe if Sengoku pulled him from his execution. Every place that could defend them from the Marines was pirate-run, and no pirate was going to harbor Sengoku. Or Rosinante, for that matter. He would likely receive torture that would be far worse than any execution.

So Sengoku made his choice. He would stand by Rosinante in his final moments. That was what he could do. And that's what he did.

Though... it was taking longer and longer to actually get to executing Rosinante. Every hour, the execution was delayed further. The Vice Admirals were growing impatient, and Doflamingo... 

Was smiling.

It was chaos. Luffy had apparently found a Celestial Dragon while the rest of his crew weren't looking, and punched him in the face. That got the Marines called in, which apparently included sending an Admiral. Kizaru alone posed an enormous threat to getting out of there alive. And then there were the Pacifistas, robots made in the image of Bartholomew Kuma (or something to that effect, Law had only barely heard what Sentomaru said about them). 

Law was back in action, at least for now. He couldn't die, not until Doflamingo went first. And his crew was counting on him. Even if Corazon is executed, it had to strengthen his drive to end Doflamingo. Anything else would be tantamount to insulting Corazon's memory.

"Room."

Just a moment ago, three Pacifistas had tried to surround the Heart Pirates as they headed for the Polar Tang. The Marines were disorganized by the extremely sudden call, and the Eleven Supernovas were powerful enough to force all hands to be focused on the actual battle instead of cutting off possible escapes. 

"Amputate." 

And just like that, all three Pacifistas were cut down the middle. He made sure to hack off the rest of their limbs with Amputate, and then closed the Room. Law needed to save his strength, in case he was actually forced to fight someone serious. 

Law saw another Pacifista approaching them, and gauged his options. The Pacifistas were strong, but had no counter to the Op-Op Fruit's power. But the goal wasn't to defeat Pacifistas, it was to escape the archipelago. "Sanji, Zoro, knock it down and we'll make a break for the Polar Tang!" Law ordered.

The two grinned, stepping up. "Don't fall behind, shitty cook." Zoro remarked, drawing all three swords. 

"Could say the same to you, mosshead." Sanji retorted, and then the two rushed the Pacifista.

Law had never personally seen Bartholomew Kuma. He had heard many tales and rumors concerning the most recent member of the Warlords, of his ability to send a man flying for three days and three nights. Law had done some level of research, as he did with all of the Warlords, but never came up with anything concrete. Even his appearance was hard to get anything on outside of his old wanted poster.

So when Zoro and Sanji were both met with the Pacifista's palm, and vanished from sight, he realized quickly had happened. "You're the real Kuma." Law said, before glancing back to his crew; who were despairing over the seeming deaths of Zoro and Sanji. "Blessed with the power to send others across the world with your Devil Fruit."

The other Heart Pirates calmed, and got ready to fight. They'll find Zoro and Sanji, wherever they went, after this was over. Law opened a large-scale Room, catching Kuma in its range. He looked to Usopp, who instantly recognized what Law was planning. "Shambles." 

Usopp and Kuma's positions were switched, and Law had won. He swung, going for a Radio Knife that would sever both of Kuma's hands and split him in half. Kuma was not fast enough to dodge, but Kikoku didn't cleave through him like it should have. Instead, the blade met flesh and just stopped. Law stepped back, looking up at Kuma's face.

"If you were to go on a trip, where would you want to go?" Kuma asked. He... he didn't look like he wanted to be here. At all. Law wracked his brain for an answer, hoping that a correct one could avert combat entirely. And then he came to a realization.

"Marineford." Law said. It was the only option. "Please. There's someone there I need to see."

Kuma nodded. He saw the look in Law's eyes, and saw the same desperation he had felt once upon a time. "Very well."

Impel Down was never safe. Prisoner, guard, warden, the prison was a hell for everyone within. Today was an exception. As pitch darkness took over, as screams filled the halls, as the smell of death filled the air...

The prisoners were given a slice of heaven.

Law managed to land with no injury within Marineford, and quickly got his bearings. Security anywhere but the execution platform was light, and he quickly managed to subdue a Marine and steal his uniform. It made it easy to get closer to the execution platform, and from there he saw what he was up against.

A half-dozen Vice Admirals. Law was growing a bit more doubtful in his ability to dispatch them, with how Kuma could inexplicably block Amputate, but they likely wouldn't be hard to get away from. Assuming their Devil Fruit powers weren't actively preventing his escape, anyway, but Room could handle that if worse came to worse. Law wondered where Aokiji and Akainu were, but figured they were off somewhere else and couldn't get here quickly. 

Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Even from behind, Law could tell he was conflicted. He doubted Sengoku would let him go, but he also doubted the Fleet Admiral would kill him or Corazon once he made his move. 

And Doflamingo. If Kuma could block Radio Knife, Law had little doubt that Doflamingo could do the same. There had to be a trick they were using. Kuma's Devil Fruit, from what Law had managed to gather, shouldn't have been able to counter Radio Knife. Doflamingo's String-String Fruit... probably could, but Law also had no intent of giving him the chance. He had one last technique that he hadn't even used, one that could almost certainly kill anyone subjected to it. Doflamingo was a relatively known quantity, both to Law and the world at large. He was the Warlord with the most political power, and extremely powerful even for a Warlord.

If it came to combat, Law would lose. He knew that much. But this wasn't a fight. It was a rescue mission. He focused on the execution platform, and Corazon's binds. The cuffs attached to Corazon's wrists and ankles were made of Seastone, but the actual chains appeared to be plain iron. The execution platform was high up, but nothing he couldn't reach.

All Law needed was a distraction. Something to cut the three worrisome elements down to two or even one. There was myriad of possibilities thanks to the Op-Op Fruit at his disposal, and even just getting the Vice Admirals away would be well worth the trouble.

Law weighed his options, until he saw the Gates of Justice. The distant gates were something Law had ignored, as they wouldn't open for him and he would only need to figure something out after he had gotten Corazon out of the way of being executed. 

Well, they were opening now. Law wasn't clairvoyant, so he couldn't see what was going on with the guards there. If it was pirate or Marine, he had to make his move now. Law closed in on the execution platform, trying to get just a little closer. This was going to drain him severely, but it would be worth it.

"Room." 

He opened the biggest Room he had ever created, one big enough to encompass a significant portion of Marineford. That was the easy part. Two Amputates came next, cutting through the chains binding Corazon. He couldn't affect Seastone with his powers no matter how hard he tried, so that just had to be ignored. He would figure out a solve for that later. Corazon's Devil Fruit wasn't going to be that helpful for this specific situation anyway, and he doubted Corazon was in fighting shape regardless.

Sengoku and Doflamingo were both already turning, seeing Law's face. He let himself smile, and then used Shambles a good... thirty times. Two of them were to relocate himself and Corazon elsewhere, and the rest were just to scramble Marine positions to sow chaos. The Vice Admirals were all scattered across Marineford, and only Sengoku and Doflamingo were left in place.  

When it was over, Law closed his Room and fell to the ground in exhaustion; hiding out in a random house. He was pushing himself harder than ever. Just that stunt alone probably cost a year of his life. "Cora-san..."

Corazon didn't say anything, but his tears made his feelings clearer than words could ever tell. 

"We need to move." Law said, and then hoisted Corazon onto his back. The man was still quite a bit taller than him, even after so many years, but now Law was strong enough to carry him. He wanted to cry, to tell Corazon all about his adventures, to just be with the man who did so much for him, but they didn't have the time.

The tearful reunion had to wait.

Sengoku took a breath, steeling himself. The Marine battleships coming towards Marineford were not being piloted by Marines. He wanted to go after Law, to at least talk to him, but there was no choice. "Doflamingo," Sengoku hissed.

"Oh, I'll deal with brother dearest." Doflamingo said. "I can't make any promises, however."

Sengoku hated this. He knew exactly what was going to happen the moment he let Doflamingo leave. He would kill Rosinante. "Bring him back alive." Sengoku ordered, and could only hope that was enough. He knew he was playing into Doflamingo's hands, but the pirates coming to siege Marineford were of a higher priority. 

Doflamingo's strings clung to the clouds in the sky, allowing him to take off into the air in search of Law. 

Sengoku put his feelings aside, and focused on the task at hand. These pirates were certainly bold to go for a direct assault on Marineford, he could give them that. He transformed, becoming a golden titan, and leapt into the battlefield. 

After all, allowing those pirates to come anywhere near landing would just be embarrassing for the Marines as a whole.

Law was moving. After they got out of the house they had teleported into, he had figured out the plan. With the Gates of Justice open and everyone distracted, he could steal one of the smaller Marine vessels docked off in one of the less exposed parts of Marineford. From there, it was a matter of sailing as far away as possible, and then figuring out where the hell to stop.

Corazon was silent. It was nothing new, but it hurt Law to not hear him speak. The sound of his breathing was labored, and Law knew he wasn't in anything resembling good shape. Being in a coma for that long meant severe muscular atrophy, and the fact that he survived it at all was a miracle. It would take months to years of physical therapy to get Corazon back into a healthy condition.

And that would require them to escape this alive. Law kept moving. He got down to a dock on the eastern end of Marineford, fairly out of the way. A few Marines were present, but nobody worth worrying about. All that was left now was to get onto a boat, and get out of there.

Law threw himself to the ground. He had not seen what was coming. He had not heard what was coming. He felt it. Not with the Op-Op Fruit, but just with a form of intuition that he had never once felt before. What he would later discover was Observation Haki. 

A spear of string ripped through the air he and Corazon previously occupied, and Law instantly got back up. "Doflamingo." Law said, setting Corazon down. It was coming down to a fight after all. 

"Yes, Law. I've waited all these years for you to come back, and you took my bait." Doflamingo said. "I saved you the Heart seat." 

Law just grit his teeth, drawing Kikoku. He had no words for him, not yet. There was too much at stake, and any delay could spell Corazon's death.

"ZEHAHAHAHA! ZEHAHAHAHA!" 

Blackbeard laughed. This was a rush. With Ace not showing up even after all the bait he set up, he decided to do something ballsy for the sake of a big power play. He brought about thirty Devil Fruits he had gathered up, enough to make the world's most powerful fruit salad, and then invaded Impel Down.

It had taken a lot of luck, but he got out with every single prisoner in the infamous hell. With the added bonus of killing every single guard within. By his side was a who's who of villainous pirates. Buggy the Clown, who was shaking with excitement at the idea of charging Marineford and painting the place red with Marine blood. The remnants of Baroque Works, sans their deceased leader, were on Blackbeard's ship. Dozens of horrible convicts, each more depraved than the last, who were given the Devil Fruits Blackbeard had gathered once he made certain they were his crew. And of course, his original crew in Jesus Burgess, Van Augur, Laffitte, and Doc Q. 

The only ones who hadn't gone with him were Ivankov and their team, but Blackbeard had bigger things to do. Like Sengoku, who had just boarded his ship. "So, you're the pirate who broke through the Gates of Justice." Sengoku said. "How did you do it?"

Blackbeard smiled, showing off all his missing teeth. "Sorry, but a man's gotta have secrets. Let's just say that Impel Down is closed."

Sengoku sighed. "So you managed to kill Magellan." He said, as his golden radiance seemed to shine even brighter. "Then I suppose it's up to me to inflict the punishment you deserve."

Blackbeard just brought out the power of darkness, and unleashed a blast of darkness upon Sengoku.

Law could barely stand. Doflamingo was playing with him, only throwing lazy strikes that were easily dodged even by an exhausted Law. He saw a string lashing out towards his leg, and Law stumbled back and barely out of range.

He had trust in his finishing move's power. He had trust in his own ability. It was possible. Strange secret power or not, Law's finisher would be able to kill anyone. Only a Logia could possibly survive, and it would require an instant realization of what was going to happen, so all he had to do was land it. Law opened his final Room. 

"There it is. You've spent all these years cultivating that power." Doflamingo said, giving Law a slow clap. "It was impressive what you pulled to get my brother away from his execution."

God, just hearing Doflamingo's voice was making his blood boil. "You knew I was there." Law said, just trying to buy time. He needed to figure out how he was going to actually land his finisher.

"Not at the time, but hindsight is twenty twenty." Doflamingo said. "Once we were gone, I realized just what had gone. How he pulled the wool over my eyes." The way he clenched his fist, shaking with anger at the memory, Law knew he was a lot angrier than he wanted to let on. Law intentionally smiled, trying to fake confidence.

Doflamingo's face, in turn, twisted into a malevolent grin. He had been waiting for this day for years, just as Law was. "Takt." Law uttered, and several supply crates in his Room floated into the air. Doflamingo swiped his fingers through the air, strings cutting through the crates as they came at him. "Shambles."

It was a simple approach. Doflamingo had predicted it, knowing what he did about both Law's abilities and Law himself. He'd teleport in place of one of the crates, and then he'd do whatever he was after. 

Law appeared above Doflamingo, dropping down with blade pointed straight at his head. Doflamingo created a net of strings, and Law warped again. They swapped positions, and Law charged up his finisher. A blade of energy appeared in his hand, barely a dagger in length. Gamma Knife. An extreme application of everything he learned, guaranteed to destroy the victim from the inside. 

Doflamingo got overconfident, and Law swore he saw his chest turn black before the Gamma Knife even landed. Law only caught it for a moment, but it struck true regardless. It hit, piercing Doflamingo's body and ripping apart his organs. 

"You brought people together, called them 'family'." Law stated, looking over the horribly injured Doflamingo. No external wounds, but the internals were torn to shreds. Only Law himself could save Doflamingo at this stage. "Just to make an attempt on your own brother's life when he tried to stop you."

Doflamingo, even in his injured state, smiled. "I could have finished him off."

"But you instead used him as bait." Law said, shrinking the Room down until it was just him and Doflamingo in the space. "Die, you devil! Counter-Shock!" He thrust his hand down, intending on electrocuting Doflamingo until his body gave out. 

Doflamingo's hand shot out, punching Law into some crates. "It doesn't work as well as your little tricks, but I can pull some emergency treatment too." He said, picking himself up. "My strings are putting my organs together as we speak. Good thing you got hasty with your special attack. Now, time to come home, Law."

A gunshot rang out, and Doflamingo's shoulder sprayed blood. "Stay... away... from him." Corazon said, standing up with a stolen flintlock in hand. Just standing was taking a lot out of him, and speaking wasn't helping. 

"Oh, right. You're still here." Doflamingo said, and then pointed at Corazon. A burning lance of strings pierced through his chest, piercing Corazon's... no, Donquixote Rosinante's heart. 

Law was unable to do anything but watch. He tried to stand, but found no strength. He had been pushing himself all day, and all that fatigue was catching up. So he did the only thing he could do in this scenario. Cry. Tears ran down his face as he realized that the end was coming. 

Sengoku was taken by surprise. He knew to not underestimate Blackbeard or any of his allies, if they managed to escape Impel Down, but that didn't mean he couldn't get blindsided. Several of them knew Haki, and even the ones that didn't were still able to slow him down. 

If Sengoku wasn't a Devil Fruit user, he simply could have split the ship in two like Garp would, but he wasn't about to risk that. The idea did cross his mind a few times throughout the all-out war between the Impel Down escapees and himself. But with so many pirates, all of which were the worst of the worst, it came off as a rash decision.

He felt Blackbeard's gravitational pull, and tensed up his Armament Haki. While he didn't know exactly what Blackbeard's power could do, he was certain that letting Blackbeard touch him was a bad idea. Sengoku slammed Burgess into the deck, putting a hole in the boat, and weigh his options. Blackbeard was now on a sinking ship, so it was probably better to move to one of the other ships.

"Liberation."

And then three more fully intact Marine battleships were above them. Blackbeard had released them from his darkness, and it forced Sengoku to smash through them lest he be crushed.

That was his final mistake. Blackbeard managed to get in, grabbing hold of Sengoku's chest. Sengoku's Zoan transformation crumbled, and he was immediately met with a hail of bullets. Even his Haki was failing him, the power of Blackbeard's Devil Fruit proving to be the ultimate in anti-defense weapons. Sengoku's body was filled with lead, and he felt his organs shutting down. 

"Rosinante..." Sengoku managed to whisper, landing one last punch on Blackbeard's face. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you."

He died standing, a mixture of rage and sorrow on his face. Sengoku the Buddha met his end in the battle of Marineford.

"Zehahaha!" Blackbeard laughed, approaching the corpse. "I was hopin' to steal Pops' power, but I think yours will work just as well." 

The tarp went over the two of them, and when it was raised...

Blackbeard had become a golden god. A Buddha.

Doflamingo looked down at the broken Trafalgar Law. Law barely even seemed to be aware that Doflamingo was even present. This was the entire goal of Doflamingo's plan, of having Corazon executed by the Marines (by framing him for leaking intelligence). All to get Law back into his hands, and shatter his will to live. To give him no reason not to perform a certain surgery, to give Doflamingo immortal life.

Sure, he had gotten far too careless for his own good once it came down to capturing Law (his injuries attested to that), but Doflamingo wasn't about to go all-out to swat a fly. Now, all that was left was to take Law to Dressrosa, and then finish taming him.

Doflamingo was relaxed. At this stage, he didn't believe anyone was coming to help Law. Those pirates out front didn't seem to be after him or Rosinante, and his ship was in this dock. He hadn't brought any of his strong subordinates, since there wasn't anyone in Paradise who could threaten him.

And that was still true, even as a rubber fist punched him in the face while his guard was down, and a second rubber hand grabbed Law. Doflamingo crashed into the wall behind him, feeling all the force of pistol hitting him square in his unguarded face.

Doflamingo saw the ship of the 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy, which was now officially sailing away from Marineford. Doflamingo shot strings into the sky, preparing to give chase, when an explosion rocked the ground next to him.

"ZEHAHAHAHA! Burn this place to the ground, men! Don't leave a single survivor!" Blackbeard cackled, projecting his voice loud enough that it could be heard across Marineford. 

Doflamingo then felt Marineford get rocked by a punch. He used his Observation Haki, and saw exactly what had happened. Sengoku had been defeated, and his opponent... had stolen his Devil Fruit. Doflamingo glanced to the growing distant ship of the Straw Hat Pirates, and then made his decision. Law could wait. If he tried hunting him now, Blackbeard would take notice and come for both of them. And while Doflamingo was powerful, he also was smart enough to know that messing around with someone apparently capable of killing Fleet Admiral Sengoku was not worth the risk.

"Next time, Law." Doflamingo said, smiling. For everything, it was at least cathartic to clean up a loose end after so many years of waiting.

Law woke up. He had been barely responsive since... Doflamingo. At some point on the deck of the Luffy's ship (the "Bear! Polar Bear! Lion!", he would later discover it was called), Law had passed out from all the stress and fatigue accumulated. 

"Hey, you're awake, Traffy!" 

The very first thing he saw was Monkey D. Luffy, who had his face literally inches away from Law's own. Law jolted upward on instinct, smacking their skulls together and causing Luffy to stumble back and laugh. 

"Law, are you all right?" Bepo asked, helping Law up onto his feet. 

Law physically felt fine. His injuries weren't severe, since Doflamingo had been holding back to not... damage the goods. Just thinking about that made bile rise in his throat, realizing just how far Doflamingo was willing to go. "I'm fine." He said, eventually. It wasn't a lie, just a half-truth.

He wasn't sure if he had any reason to live, though. Perhaps it would be better if just died, and kept the Op-Op Fruit out of Doflamingo's hands. 

"Hey, Traffy." Luffy said, putting a hand on Law's shoulder. "You've got a crew, right?"

Law just curtly nodded. 

"Don't give up on them."

And then Luffy turned away, to party with the rest of his crew after their escape from Marineford. Law stepped away from the festivities, choosing to stay with his thoughts again. The straw hat kid was... right. He had a crew who believed in his ability. They knew he wanted to take down Doflamingo, and that...

Cora-san wouldn't want him to give up. He did so much for him, fought to save him even when it put his life on the line. 

"Where are we heading?" Law asked, approaching Bepo. He knew one thing. He needed to get stronger, to figure out the secrets of power that Kuma and Doflamingo held. To figure out the secret behind his own premonition when Doflamingo snuck up on him. 

"Dark King Rayleigh gave us a Log Pose after he heard we were going after you." Bepo said, checking the one he was carrying. "Ten degrees starboard!" He called out to the helmsman. "We're heading there."

Well, a former member of Roger's crew might know. No, he has to. Law couldn't come up with anyone else who would be both aware and willing to teach him.

That day was the darkest day in Marine history. Almost every man, woman, and child in Marineford had been killed in a vicious attack by the newly dubbed 'Fifth Emperor Blackbeard', Marshall D. Teech. The survivors amounted to Doflamingo and his crew (who had high-tailed it after discovering Sengoku's death and Blackbeard's seeming taking of his Devil Fruit, choosing to instead live to deliver this information to the rest of the Marines), and one Marine who was left alive to send the message by Blackbeard's crew.

Said Marine didn't actually manage to survive long enough, instead choosing to take his own life from the trauma. 

Marineford itself was burned to the ground. By the time Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru got to the scene, they were left to witness the flames burning the remains of Marineford, with Blackbeard's crew (now joined by a significant portion of Impel Down's prisoners, including Baroque Works and Buggy the Clown) gone with the wind. 

(The following is an excerpt from the World Economic Journal, dated at roughly one week after the battles of Sabaody and Marineford)

BREAKING NEWS

"Hundred million Beri pirate at a Marine funeral?!"

"Yesterday morning, a funeral was held at the remains of Marineford to mourn the losses of lives at the hands of the Fifth Emperor Blackbeard. The attendees included many Vice Admirals and those below them, while the three Admirals are still hunting after the man responsible. 

And one of the infamous Eleven Supernovas, leader of the Heart Pirates, Trafalgar Law. He silently mourned with the others for roughly thirty minutes before being noticed. Acting Fleet Admiral Tsuru refused to answer as to his relation to the Marines when we asked for her comment, saying "A man who wants to mourn should be allowed to mourn without anyone asking questions."

Trafalgar Law himself escaped the Marines' attempt to arrest him, and his whereabouts are currently unknown."

(The image provided shows Law running from the Marines, with a strange charm hanging from the sword he was carrying with him. The charm, on further inspection, appears to have "2W2Y" engraved on it.)

Chapter Text

"You knew my father?" Bonney asked, cautiously keeping her eyes on the Revolutionary Dragon. After having been sent off to a distant corner of the world, Bonney had quickly encountered the Revolutionaries. She had nothing against them, so she at least was willing to talk to them. Pirates and Revolutionaries may not have been allies, but they weren't enemies either. They shared a common enemy, at least.

"He was one of us, back in the day." Dragon told her. He looked... somber. Like he was mourning Kuma. "Still is."

Bonney was quiet. "What's... what happened to my father?" 

Bonney arrived on the Sabaody Archipelago. She wasn't sure if she was the first of the Bonney Pirates to get there, or the last, but she was there now. First things first was... finding the rest of her crew. The ship would be fine. The person protecting it would make sure nothing would happen to it until the Bonney Pirates were back together. If she could stave off that for just a little longer...

She heard music, and went towards the source. "I'M ALL BONES!" Brook declared, performing in a concert venue. Bonney snuck in, and stole some merchandise on her way in to better blend in with the crowd. It was the first time Bonney had ever been to a concert.

For the first time in two years, Bonney was able to just kick back and have fun. No training, no enemies to fight, nothing to worry about for the moment.  She was able to just be a kid for once.

Eventually, the concert came to a close. The Soul King Brook pointed out Bonney specifically, calling her up onto the stage. "It's with a heavy heart that I have to bid you all farewell. Today... is my last concert." Brook admitted. "This darling young lady is my captain, the captain of the Bonney pirates."

Some in the crowd, those who remembered the Eleven Supernovas from two years ago, gasped. 

"And I am Humming Brook, the musican of her lovely crew!" Brook declared, and then unleashed his soul to scare off the crowd.

Bonney ended up coming to an agreement with Dragon. After he told her of her father's fate (or what he managed to uncover of it, thanks to Ivankov and the Paramount War), and she told him of her goals (to find the One Piece, to find Nika, and to find and now rescue her father, she ended up temporarily joining the Revolutionaries. This would never be a permanent arrangement, Bonney's spent enough time hunting for those things with her crew that she wouldn't ditch all that to join the Revolutionaries, but for now...

It gave Bonney something to do. Dragon explained the concept of Haki, and even trained her in it when he could. Every time he did so... he came off like he felt guilty. It was in relation to her, but he never told why or what it was. The other older members of the Revolutionaries also seemed to know (like Ivankov, who was really nice), but they all refused to tell her.

Obviously, this bugged her, but it ended up being mostly forgotten as time went on. She had other people to get angry at, who were directly responsible for what happened to her father. Vegapunk, the World Government, the Marines, all of them were going to pay.

Bonney and Brook walked out of the concert venue, laughing together. "That was fun!" Bonney said, watching the last few dregs of the audience rushing off to go... probably try to call the Marines. 

"Only the best for my captain." Brook said. "It is a shame the Soul King is retiring, but between him and the musician of the Bonney Pirates, it's not much of a choice."

Bonney smiled, and then stopped walking as her Observation Haki warned her of an incoming projectile. Some dude ate dirt in front of her, and they saw the people responsible. Nami, Usopp, and Chopper. "Captain!" Nami called out, running up to Bonney. "You've finally made it."

As Bonney and Nami hugged, Bonney noticed a whole bunch of people running out of the bar Nami was in. They let go of each other, and Bonney realized what those people in the bar looked like. They were trying to disguise themselves as the Bonney Pirates. A raccoon dressed up like Chopper, someone poorly trying to imitate Robin, a horrific attempt at looking like Zoro... "Did they...?"

"Show up trying to pretend to be us? Guess how old their 'Bonney' is." Nami said. "Over/under how you look right now."

Bonney took a moment. "Under." She said, and then out walked an old woman who managed to look more skeletal than Brook. The pink wig and the piercing on her cheek made it clear who it was supposed to be, and Bonney just frowned. 

"Looks like you were wrong~!" Nami sang. "Usopp, pay up."

Usopp sighed, pulling out a Beri. "We had a bet on which way you'd guess. I thought you'd guess right, she said you'd be wrong."

The Revolutionaries found Nico Robin around a week after the separation of the Bonney Pirates. Bonney and Robin reunited, the first two members of the crew to get back together, and they both ended up getting lessons in Fishman Karate (of all things) from Koala. Bonney was not a... great practitioner of the art, but Robin picked it up surprisingly well.

They both met a boy by the name of Sabo. He was the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionaries, and apparently he knew that kid with the Straw Hat. Monkey D. Luffy, the son of Dragon and a pirate of Bonney's caliber. He was a childhood friend of Sabo's, until a big traumatic event for Sabo that left him believed dead.

Bonney wasn't sure if she actually liked Sabo, but she didn't hate him either. He just talked a *lot* about Luffy, and she grew annoyed about it. She had interest in Luffy, something about him seemed special, but she didn't really care about his childhood.

There was also Ivankov, who helped out Bonney with learning more about make-up and fashion. It was a practical thing, since it helped Boneny better disguise herself with her Devil Fruit. Ivankov was also just a fun person to be around, and probably Bonney's favorite Revolutionary (barring her father, of course).

Bonney, Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Brook, and Sanji leapt onto the deck of the Jewelry Margherita, pursued by a small crew of pirates. "Screw off already! Distorted Future," Bonney pulled her arm back, coating it in Armament Haki as it swelled multiple times its original size. "Future like Nika!" 

And then she swung, sending all of them flying with one sweeping strike. Her 'Future like Nika' felt duller recently compared to how it was before, but Haki made up the difference well enough. Her arm retracted, and she looked around. She had been hoping a certain someone would be there. "Captain!" Franky cheered, picking up his captain and pulling her into a hug. 

Once Franky let her go, Bonney asked the burning question on her mind. "Did you see my father?" Franky looked down, unable to meet her gaze. 

"I did." Zoro said. "He was guarding the ship. Once I showed up, he left. I tried to talk to him, but he didn't acknowledge me."

That confirmed it. Bonney clenched her fist, shaking with anger... and then let out a breath and calmed down. There would be a time to do something about her father's condition. There would be a time to punish those responsible for what happened to her father. "Franky, are we ready to go?" Bonney asked. The entire Bonney Pirates crew was gathered on the ship, so all that was left was to get going. 

Franky grinned. "What, you think I spent my time doing nothing? I finished up all the upgrades we'll need while I was waiting for you to show up. All that's left is to set sail."

"To Fishman Island!" Bonney ordered, and everyone got moving to set their course for the Fishman Island.

"Today is the last day." Doctor Vegapunk solemnly said, working on preparations to conclude his work on Bartholomew Kuma. The Warlord in question was simply awaiting his fate, sitting on the operating table. "I'm sorry it had to be like this."

"You aren't the one I'm angry at." Kuma said, giving the scientist a reassuring smile. "You remember what I asked of you, right?"

"I did. You will protect the ships of the Straw Hat Pirates and the Bonney Pirates until their crews can return to protect them." Vegapunk said.

"Thank you." 

"No, Kuma. Thank you."

It was the last day Kuma would ever be human. Some say that Vegapunk cried while performing surgery. Others say he was stone-faced throughout the operation.

The truth would likely never be known. And Kuma...

He died on that day.