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Chapter Text

The skies darkened, thunder rumbling and lightning sparking alight; the sea raged, violent waves crashing against the shores and the wind howled, wailing a tale of misery and the sun shone bright, bright, bright for a disorientating endless minute before the world went silent, not even a leaf daring to fall.

Time collapsed on itself, rewinding to a point where things were still salvageable. What was happening defied the laws of the universe but what did that matter when their axis was no more, when the sun stopped shining? 

Nika was gone, his blood splattered on the walls of the ruins. Not that Imu had done much better, having fallen minutes before he had. 

Luffy had done it. He had reached Laughtale and found the One Piece. They had discovered the secret of the World Government and what had happened in the Void Century. Nika awakened again and his brethren, hearing his drums, stirred in turn from a long long slumber, waiting for their turn to rise again.

Nika woke up and Luffy remembered. 

He remembered how it was 800 years ago, the sound of laughter, the sound of drums and the sound of breaking chains. 

He remembers roaming his domain. He remembers dancing among strangers, never in the same place for long just as he remembers answering prayers and bringing liberation in his wake. 

He remembers that being the reason why he was the last one to fall when the betrayal happened. He remembers the agony of having been too far to help. Mostly importantly, he remembers the anger that was left in its wake, of the long fight that he refused to concede. 

In the end, he had been tired, too tired to persist after a century of fighting. But being the last, he could not and would not give up like that.

So when he, child of the universe, made his plea, the universe listened and they lulled him to a deep sleep, undoing him, until the right time came.

Imu won but barely - for it was impossible to kill a God if you were not one yourself and they were just a pretender reaching for things beyond their grasp. Power hungry and vain, not understanding the consequences of what they had done. 

Luffy remembered but he remembered too late. But he recalled enough to know how hard it had been as Nika to fight and fight and fight until he could not. So he did not underestimate his opponent. 

As he expected, so many fell, people he never knew and people he knew intimately. Marines, pirates, civilians, revolutionaries, they died indiscriminately. So many died, in fact, that it didn't matter when Luffy won  against Imu because too much had been lost already. 

But Nika remembered, albeit late, and that made a difference , because he knew what a bastard Imu was and he knew that the world might not have been ready for what would come.

He saw nakama after nakama die, grief, and old friend, coming again and again but still as cutting every single time, to the point where he knew nothing but agony and anger as he was the only one left standing once more.  

Third time's the charm though or so they say. So, Luffy, bleeding out in what he knows will be his last moments, musters what little remains of his strength and calls upon his right to make a wish as the one who reached Raftel. 

And

Time

Unwinds. 

In another place and in another time, Nika opens his eyes again and the world holds its breath. 

A storm is coming, and this time, it will not be stopped. 

Monkey D. Luffy, King of Pirates wakes up at the tender age of 7 with too much knowledge in his mind and the taste of rot in his mouth. 

A green-haired swordsman changes his stance and raises his sword to parry a blow he should not have been able to counter at this age, and especially not against this person. 

An orange-haired navigator straightens her spine despite the watchful gaze of a certain shark fishman and draws a map with the skill of an expert map maker.

A brunette sniper stops in his tracks on his way to wait for a pirate ship that will never come and turns around to go find the parent, who is still there.

A blonde cook jolts awake on a rock in the middle of nowhere and lunges forward to tear a sack and a lie apart, revealing the gold that lay underneath

A young reindeer, still so uncertain about his place in the world, is suddenly filled with determination and decidedly makes his way to a certain quack doctor's house.

A blue-haired princess stops in the middle of etiquette practice with her father before curtseying in the manner of a Queen and introducing herself by including a secret name she should have no knowledge of yet.

A black-haired woman stands in the wreckage of a burning ship, still reeling from the betrayal, when she suddenly doesn't feel so lonely anymore, knowing for sure she will find a family and a forever home someday. 

A blue-haired man drowning in self-recrimination and grief stops himself from starting another bout of trouble and turns around to go find his brother instead.

An afro-wearing skeleton, trapped in the dark, adjusts the bow of his violin and starts playing a song that should not have existed in this time yet to bid welcome to a new era.

A fishman with a top knot puts his papers down and orders his crew to change course from a marine base to go instead pay a visit to a wayward brother. 

A white-haired horned boy looks at the departing backs of three samurais and decides that, no, it will not end that way this time. 

A young boy with patches of white on his skin holds a letter in his hand and throws it into the sea before returning the way he came. 

A pink-haired boy wakes up in a village he barely has memories of on the shoulders of a man he never thought he would see again and bursts out crying. 

A blonde man with spiky hair fumbles for glasses he doesn't have yet, and as he stops in his tracks to stare at a ship full of people, he vows he will not lose them again. 

A man with striking tattoos on his face stops in the middle of a mission briefing and changes his orders. 

A greying marine trips in the middle of a sparring match, but he is fast enough to jump back, and as he registers who his adversary is, he doesn't hesitate a second to punch the man hard enough to break his nose.

A blonde boy wearing a top hat drops the latest treasure he had found for his pirate stash and lunges forward to tackle his brother in a hug.

A red-haired man with scars on his face stops in the middle of panicked yelling over the boy they affectionately call Anchor actually becoming an anchor and sees the man that the boy will become.

Chapter Text

“So, you lost?” Shanks says once everyone had gotten their bearings and accepted that this was not in fact a vivid hallucination but in fact Luffy's possibly only ever plan coming into play. 

“No.” The boy who replies is usually solemn but also clearly distracted, “I won but the price was too high. It was a vain victory for everyone.”

He doesn't elaborate but he doesn't need to. Everyone could hazard a guess as to what had happened after their deaths and given the state of the world at the time of their death, things could only have gotten worse. 

“What happens now?” It seemed strange for a veteran pirate to be asking for directions from a child but Luffy was tried and tested, a captain in his own right and even more than that . 

The rubber boy reaches for a hat that isn't there to lower over his eyes, pouting when he realizes its absence. His red haired companion laughs at him and takes the hat off from his own head to place it on the kid's. 

“This crown has been yours more than mine for a long time now. There is no one more worthy of it.”

Luffy laughs, a familiar Shishishishi ringing out in the bar before he finally answers, his eyes flashing red. “I don't know, I don't know. I'm not the only one back. There's going to be a big storm coming!”

“Luffy, what do you mean? Everyone who comes back won't mess things up for you. So why don't you know?”

But the boy only starts laughing again  like he heard the best joke ever. Finally, taking pity on them, it's Makino who answers their question.

“When Nika reached the place where the world first started, he woke all of us up. While before, we were just dormant potential, our souls remember now and with enough effort, we will have access to our domains again.”

The crew of pirates stare at the barmaid questioningly. “The place where the world first started?”

She smiles indulgently, ”You might know it better as Laughtale or Raftel.”

“And who's…we Makino?”

“I don't believe you have ever known  my full name. In this life I was born as Monkey D. Makino. In another life, I was known as Lyna, Goddess of Hearth and Friendship. As for who is ‘we’? Have you ever wondered what The Will of D was? It was a way Nika found for us to be able to come back. D. 's originally were demigods. It is because of the divinity that remains in their blood that we are able to rejoin the world.”

Shanks feels like his brain is overloaded with information. Getting facts from Luffy was like pulling teeth but for once he wished it had gone as usual and no one had jumped in to tell them the truth. 

“Ne Shanks.” And talk to the devil, or well he supposes, the divine. “You're thinking too much. I was still Luffy even after I remembered being Nika no? That's because I was always Nika. The others who will change won't change that much because they'll already be themselves!”

Parsing through Luffy’s words is not making his headache better but at least, if Luffy is right, they would not have to worry about drastic personality shifts in some of the most powerful beings currently alive. 

“We gotta kill Blackbeard though,” He continues in the same cheerful tone  swinging his legs like a child and Shanks is abruptly pulled back to reality with the dawning realization that that man is a D. too.

“He'll remember too?”

Luffy shrugs, unusually solemn. “Maybe, maybe not but he's a traitor. He's the reason the others fell the first time you know.” But then he laughs like he hadn't made a horrible revelation. Shanks really should be used to this by now. “Pineapple remembers though and a few others on that ship, so he and the giant ossan will take care of it themselves. We have our own things to do.” 

°•○•°•●•°•○•°

Zoro parries a blow he should not have been able to, his body moving on instinct. His hands shift to disarm his opponent before he even realises who he is fighting. However, defying his expectations his sparring partner - not an enemy as he had originally thought, noting the lack of killing intent - moves with the blow, and brings up their own weapon in a move that ends up with each of their blades training swords at each other's throats.

It is only when the match has drawn to an end that Zoro becomes aware of his surroundings and more importantly of who he was sparring. 

Luffy used the wish , is the realization that comes. And suddenly, he is immensely grateful that Kuina (Kuina!) somehow managed to deal with his last blow because it would not have felt right to beat her now, not when he has years and years of memories and experience unlike her. 

Despite himself, he feels his eyes well up in a way they haven't for years and he brings a hand up to scrub at them. “Zoro.” The girl breathes out in disbelief, her voice, a sound that he has long since forgotten but that still sounds like home.

Damn this childish body and reactions. He hasn't cried for years and through terrible tragedies. And this was a good thing, it was nothing to cry about. 

Unfortunately, his body doesn't seem to listen to logic and his tears only became more uncontrollable. When the girl falls to her knees beside him - and when did his legs give out - calling out his name again, he can't help but reach out to pull her in a hug as he mutters her name back in something that's almost reverence, “Kuina.”

This was definitely something he caught from Luffy and the other Strawhats, he thinks fondly, knowing that before them he would never have initiated a hug. 

But there are benefits to affectionate touches like this. Holding her close like this, he can hear her loud breath in his ears and feel her pulse beat under his fingertips from where he has surreptitiously placed his hand. It all serves to drive home the fact that this is very much real. 

Minutes later, when Zoro - finally assured that this is not a dream - pulls back, he doesn't quite know what to say or how to even begin to explain his behavior. He would not mind telling Kuina the truth. Before meeting his nakama, she had been his best friend, his rival and his sister even, the person he trusted and respected the most. It is only that he doesn't know if she would believe him or if at her age, she would even understand his explanation. 

Strangely though, Kuina doesn't ask for an explanation immediately nor does she use the opportunity to make fun of him. Instead when he looks up, it is to notice that she also has tears running down her cheeks, her eyes entire body ever so slightly trembling. It is so uncharacteristic of what he remembers of her that he is immediately worried. “Kuina?”

“Zoro. Zoro, is this real?” She spoke slowly, enunciating every word while she tightened her grip on her sword until her knuckles were white. 

And Zoro doesn't quite understand what's happening with her but he is all too familiar with panic or anxiety attacks from different members of his crew. So, it is with gentle hands - in a way he hadn't learned to be at this age and wouldn't learn for many more years - that he reaches for hers and eases the sword out of her grip, instead interlacing their fingers together. “It is real.”

She shudders and takes in a breath that's eerily similar to how he has seen many devil fruit crew mates take after a close call with drowning. 

“I'm alive.” She breathes out and Zoro's heart might skip a beat or five as her words register and she reaches her own conclusion. “Luffy turned back time.”

“How do you know that?” He asks back, refusing to acknowledge puzzle pieces present in front of him until he has confirmation.

The question seems to do the trick and she focuses up, becoming more like the girl in his memories, all focus and sharp edges. Yet she replies with a kind of vulnerability he remembers her showing only once, when she had repeated the words her father had said, that as a girl, she could never be a great swordsman.

“I remember di- falling down the stairs.” She speaks slowly, as though she, herself, was currently making sense of things. “And then I remember waking up to you making a vow with Wado Ichimonji on my name. “

Before she even completes her explanation, Zoro has an inkling of what's coming. After all the incredible adventures he has been on and all the impossible things he has witnessed, he shouldn't be surprised, but there is a small flower blooming in his chest that he doesn't know how to name yet - hope, gratefulness, joy?

“I followed you in all your adventures and I watched you as you reached the top.” The black haired girl is breathless in her excitement, an all too familiar spark in her eyes as she squeezes his hand. “Zoro, thank you for fulfilling our promise. Thank you for taking me with you and letting me live even beyond death.” She reaches forward and presses her forehead to his. 

Zoro closes his own eyes in response, just taking in the moment. He has carried her promise for a lifetime and had taken the spot of the greatest for the both of them. That had always been his belief and purpose. 

But to know that she had actually been there and had seen everything through with him. It was more than he could ever have hoped for.

Zoro has never believed in God. The closest he has ever come to was to have faith in his Captain. When he had found out about the Sun God Nika, he hadn't wanted to put that pressure on his straw-hatted companion. Afterall, even Gods needed a place to rest. But at this moment, he prays in thanks because he knows without a doubt that it is Luffy who has given him this impossible, beautiful gift. Thank you, thank you Luffy. 

°•○•°•●•°•○•°

Half of the time Nami thinks she's having a terrible nightmare. What else could it be when Arlong is there hovering over her shoulder?

The other half of the time, she thinks that the memories she has of being on a crew that doubled as family was just a beautiful dream her subconscious made up to escape from her cruel reality. 

She knows, of course, how she ended up here. She had known what would happen when Luffy had told them his plan - and of course the only plan that idiot would make would be something that defies the laws of the universe - but knowing and experiencing it are two very different things.

She is thankful though that for once Luffy had deigned to talk to them about what he was thinking because if she hadn't known beforehand. Because, if she hadn't braced herself for this, if she didn't know the plan already, she thinks she might have quickly lost her sanity.

The only proof she has that she is not slowly going insane is the fact that her maps are brilliant. One day her maps were good, the next day they could rival those of seasoned experts. Only by comparing her current works to her previous ones and noticing the vast difference, can she believe that yes she did live a whole life before this and yes this nightmare will come to an end one day. 

Until then though, she has to live through this again. 

Arlong has taken the jump in her abilities personally. He is convinced that she had been hiding the full extent of her capabilities from him because she looked down on him. 

The worst thing, she realizes, is that he might even believe it. At 9 years old, the first time, Nami was busy just staying alive to notice anything else. But at 9 years old, the second time, having seen all that she has, she can sort of understand where he's coming from.

Everytime she sees that sun tattoo on him, she remembers Jimbei's stories of how fishmen were treated in that horrible, horrible place that they are definitely going to burn down again and she might even understand how he turned out this way. 

But while she sees where he's coming from, she does not forgive him. Nami has seen many many people living the same or worse lives than him in her adventures and she has seen them come out of it kind and gentle, having made their experiences their strength .  

Meanwhile, Arlong has used his own experiences as a reason to justify his violence on others. He refuses to see anything that doesn't fit his distorted world view. Nami sees and she judges him for it. She does not forgive him.

And if in her memories, he was a taskmaster, it is nothing compared to how much he has her doing now. 

She draws until her hands shake and then until she can't see straight. Whenever Arlong thinks she can do better, that she's holding back or that she's looking down on him, he has her take a walk in the village with one of the fishmen and their weapons swing too close to the villager than anyone is comfortable with.

So Nami draws and draws and draws until even Arlong has to admit she physically can't anymore.

These days, Nami has taken to avoiding the fishmen's eyes. She knows that some take it as a sign of submission, of her losing her fire and reaching her breaking point but the truth is that if she looks them in the eyes, she knows she will not be able to stop herself from yelling at them for their hypocrisy. 

What's the difference between you and those Celestial bastards? Some days, she wants nothing more than to look them in the eyes and ask them what Fisher Tiger would think of their actions, or whether they think King Neptune and Jimbei would just let actions pass without consequence. 

She wants to ask them how they feel after building this pathetic imitation of Sabaody Park where the roles of fishmen and humans are reversed? She wants to ask them if they see the same people that once enslaved them when they look in the mirror. 

But despite having spent years with the more unhinged members of the Strawhats, she retains most of her survival instincts so she refrains from doing so. It's a close one though.

So despite what they might be thinking, her fire will not be doused so easily. However, if every morning she wakes up and utters a prayer to Nika for today to be the day that freedom comes, then that's between her and her Captain. 

That day, as usual, Nami begins her day thinking of a boy in a straw hat who has a smile brilliant enough to light up the four Blues and the Grandline and she tries to remember the feeling of freedom she had felt every time he had enveloped them in his Haki, the feeling of warmlovesunprotectfoodlaughterseafreedom. 

Unlike usual, however, she swears the sun seemed to shine brighter that day through the small window in Arlong's tower and she can hear a familiar laugh in the wind that has her bolting awake and scrambling to follow the source of the sound.

She doesn't get far however. She only manages a few steps before the shackles on her legs trips her up and she hates hates hates . But at the same time, she doesn't quite mind that much today because she had heard what the sun had to say and through the window, she can see a ship bearing the sails of a familiar sun heading in this direction. 

This nightmare, she knows, is going to come to an end soon. Her helmsman is coming for her. 

Chapter Text

According to Luffy - the second Pirate King and the reincarnation of Joyboy, the Sun God Nika - himself, one of Usopp's official positions on the crew is to be their liar. And Usopp is self-aware enough to know that he makes up stories a lot. But a good liar never gets caught up in their own lies; they know the difference between truth and untruth. 

So despite all the grand stories he tells and despite being known as God Usopp on my bounty poster, he knows that among the Strawhats, he is among the weaker members. 

((In this life, he is determined to change that. Not to become one of the strongest members of the crew because one needs to be a certain level of insane to be that strong and he loves his common sense, thank you very much, but this time, he will be stronger. He will help out more in fights. And when the day comes again that he will be called a brave warrior of the sea by others, he will not feel like an imposter.))

Usopp knows he's not useless to the crew. H e knows that even if he is considered one of the weaker members of the strawhats, if he was compared to other crews, he would also be a monster in their eyes. But this didn't change the fact that sometimes after fights when their frontline fighters were all recuperating, he felt like he hadn't done enough to help. He knows that Nami felt that way sometimes too, even as she griped about how the boys would not be able to survive a day without her.

So Usopp tried to help wherever he could. This habit of his meant that he had picked up a good number of skills that were not in his field of expertise. 

And at this moment, being back in the past, he could not be more thankful for them. His newfound skills mean that he can insist that his mother rest and as she indulgently lets him cook, bracing herself for a burnt dinner, he can wow her with the food he prepared. It's nowhere near anything Sanji can make of course but it was good to eat and to be good and that's more than enough for him. 

It also means that he can recognise certain symptoms she's displaying and give her basic treatment for that. It helps, but it's far from enough. He really wishes Chopper was with him right about now. 

Moreover, he can tell that she's starting to question the changes in his behavior. He could tell that, at first, she had been thankful that he had stopped his mischief of running across the village yelling that pirates had come. Equally she had been pained at the thought of the reason why he stopped his antics. He knew she thought that he had lost hope of his father coming back. Well he did, but it wasn't quite for the reason she thought. 

But recently, he could tell she was starting to get more and more suspicious of his newfound skills. Nothing could escape a mother's notice after all. So Usopp is left with no choice but to make use of his stealth skills, hard earned in battle, to escape her whenever he senses that she's going to start questioning him. Who knew observation haki could also be used for this? 

It is around that time that a pirate ship - years and years too late but maybe in time this time - is sighted approaching the island and Usopp knows exactly who to thank for that. He silently sends a quick thanks in prayer to Nika's way as he rushes back to his house.  

Hopefully his sorry excuse of a father will at least remember where their house is. If not, he'll figure it out. 

In the meantime, Usopp will have finished packing both for him and his mother.

His mother will survive this time even if he has to drag her to the best doctor in the world. And that's exactly what he's planning to do. He figures between Chopper and his mentor, the world famous Doctor Kureha, they'll definitely figure something out. 

As expected, when some time later, he hears people entering the house, Usopp doesn't go out to greet them until he's already packed everything he thinks is necessary for both him and his mom for a short trip. He does a second cursory check before he finally goes out. 

He doesn't quite know how to feel when he comes out to see his father tearfully standing at the side while his mother is being examined. He stays silently, unseen on the side until Hongo reaches the conclusion he already expected - that he doesn't know which illness this is. 

It is only then that Usopp makes himself known. “I've finished packing.”

Yasopp, hilariously, startles like he just only remembered that he had a son while his mother utters his name clearly confused. 

And maybe Usopp is his father's son more than what he would like to admit because he can't bring himself to look at her or offer any reassurances. 

He's so tired of pretending in front of her. He's so exhausted from looking at her and trying his best to seem unaffected. His last memories of her before this second chance was her slowly getting worse and worse, being helpless to do anything but to see her die day by day.

He is grateful, so grateful everyday to get this opportunity to do better this time. But sometimes, he looks at her and he doesn't know if he's seeing a ghost. 

((He looks at Yasopp and doesn't quite know when their relationship turned out like this either. He remembers waiting and waiting for him and finally setting a sea with the hope of finally being able to meet again once day. He remembers the love and admiration he had for the pirate. He doesn't know when the innocent expectation turned into jaded resentment.))

Still, looking at Yasopp is easier than looking at his mother and seeing a skeletal figure overlapping her image so he addresses his words to him. “Talk to her, tell her what she needs to know. I'll go talk to Shanks about where we need to go.” 

Usopp channels all of the Luffy-and-Zoro-when-they're-giving-an order-they-expect-to-be-followed he has in him when he speaks the words and it seems to work to some extent because none of the adults in the room says a word against him. 

Without looking back, Usopp strides forward and towards the Red Force, with a pack slung over his shoulder. 

He really really misses his nakama. At least, he'll get to see Chopper soon.

°•○•°•●•°•○•°

Sanji has been on this godforsaken rock for a week and it's already too much. With each passing day of just staring at the unchanging sea, the memories of the last bleed into his current reality. His only comfort are the obvious changes he has already made. 

While the blonde would have appreciated coming back in time at some point when he wasn't stuck on this rock, the good thing is that he was able to stop Zeff from being a self-sacrificial food who would cut off his own leg to feed on. 

After he had blown the older pirate's not-so-smart little ruse, the man had started with trying to pretend that he did not care about the food as long as the gold remained his. When that hadn't worked, he had resorted to trying to scare him off and even raised his foot up as if he was going to hit him. 

Sanji knew that his old man was a soft-hearted fool beneath all the bluster but he saw an opportunity to open up to the man in his actions and took it. So the younger man brought his own foot up and blocked the attack. And before the other could get over his shock, he kicked back, using a signature move that had once been taught to him by the very same man attacking him now. 

Zeff seemed to block on instinct, slightly slowed by the fact that he seemed flabbergasted but he managed to avoid any significant damage. Of course it also helped that Sanji's attack was far from being perfect or having any of the power it once held in the future. But he supposed that were the drawbacks of having a younger body. He would just have to work it up to his original, or well, its future state as soon as possible.

Sanji jumped back and waited for the other to come to whatever realizations he needed to and his once-future-?, damn this was confusing , father figure did not disappoint. 

“You fight with your legs.” He observed. “Why?”

Sanji hid a smile and replied with all the solemnity Zeff had when he had first explained his technique. “My hands are for cooking only, I can't have them be messed up during a fight.”

He met the probing stare head on and waited for the next question to come and as expected: “Brat, where did you learn that technique?”

This time, Sanji wasn't going to answer that easily though. He had to make sure the old geezer would believe what he had to say though. He told the old chef as much and point-blank asked him what he could do to make the man believe the absurd story he would tell him. 

What followed next was Zeff starting by asking him things about the Grandline. At least Sanji knew he was on the right track. And when the questions veered off into family recipes he should have no way of even knowing the existence of right now…well Sanji always knew the old coot was a cunning old fox.

At the end of their little game, Zeff asked him the same question. “Who taught you that technique?”

They both knew the answer before he uttered it but that didn't stop it from being so shocking. “You did.” 

Long explanations, a cry or two and several exclamations and commiserations about how the Grandline was weird as fuck brings us to the present moment, several days later when Sanji is being driven slowly insane wondering whether he just lost his damn mind and never left this damn rock in the first place. 

Vaguely, he thinks barely a week being stranded on this rock is way too soon for him to be going insane but he knows enough about trauma from Chopper that he understands why he is reacting this way. 

Still, that doesn't stop him from sending a prayer his Captain’s way, hoping the rescue will come sooner rather than later. 

Proving again that Luffy never disappoints and especially not when his nakama are at risk, the next Sanji something pings at the edges of his awareness which has him bolting upright from sleep. 

He can see a ship with familiar sails heading his direction. Absently, he notes that his observation haki really must suck right now for him to only have noticed the ship when it was already so neat before he turns to shake his old man awake. 

“Is that Akagami's ship? So you weren't lying after all.” The muttered remark isn't really meant for him to overhear so he doesn't bother replying, instead concentrating closer to the ship where he notices a very familiar haki signature. 

The ship is barely close enough to jump when a small body flings itself over the side of the ship - to the horror of several people judging by the panicked screams - and it was only because Sanji is so used to Luffy slingshotting himself at people that he is able to grab Usopp. 

The younger Strawhat has his arms around him in a vice grip and yeah Sanji could relate. He knows the plan of course but it is nice to have confirmation that he isn't the only one being subjected to this. 

“Sanji, Sanji. Thank Nika.” The long nosed boy is blubbering almost hysterically. “I'm so glad you're alive.”

Which leads to the realisation that maybe the other’s reaction is less about them reuniting after this shitshow they found themselves in and more about the fact that Sanji, as he had pointedly avoided thinking about, was one of the first Strawhats to die, taking the brunt of an attack they were unprepared for and Usopp had probably seen him die and mourned for him. 

It is a sobering thought to have. It makes all of this so real. And by the realisation settling in on the faces of all the adults around, he can tell that this isn't the case only for him. 

He cuts off Usopp's mutterings that have now turned into tearful apologies about not being good enough as soon as it starts. “We all have to be stronger this time.”

Because neither of them noticed the attack until it was too late. And they hadn't been strong enough to defend against it without casualties. This time they will have to be prepared. 

“We just…have to be better this time.”

And that's that really.

Chapter Text

Vivi was a bit disoriented admittedly at first. She had known about the plan but barely. There had only been a call over den den in a time where the world was in the middle of an all out war in all but name and it had been too risky for her crew to give her all the details on a line that was most probably compromised. 

So in the end all she had got was: “Luffy made a plan for the first time. We shouldn't have expected it to be anything less than absolutely insane. So if things go wrong…well you'll know what the plan is in due time. We will each have our role at that time. Just…remember you will never be alone. One of us will find you.”

The words had been vague at that time but she had held enough faith in the other's not to question it. Now years back in time, the words from a certain navigator certainly make sense. Or at least she hopes they do, she hopes that she isn't alone back in time, alone in knowing the nightmares they have to face, and being the only one who can stop a terribly bleak future.

If she has found any solace, it is in the fact that at least her father is with her (Alive again!). And since the moment she had, on instinct, introduced herself as a Queen with a name with which she should have no knowledge of, he had known something happened. 

Vivi knows that, should they have been more honest with each other, had he told her about her name sooner, certain things could have been avoided in the future she remembers. Vivi thinks of herself as rather capable of learning from others' mistakes so she does not hide things from him and recounts her experiences. 

He is in denial at first. The fact that he would believe her to be capable of joking on such a serious matter does not sting at all. But everyday Vivi continues to display knowledge she should not even have an understanding of at this age and everyday his willpower diminishes. 

In the meantime, without his knowledge, Vivi has taken to scouring the secret library of the monarch to learn more about their hidden history. 

Back then, the library had been raided and she could not find anything out no matter how much she looked. This time, she could not afford to be lax. She could not afford to wait for her father to give his permission.

And the more she reads about Nefertari D. Lili, the more she feels as though she knows the story already. Sometimes she reads things and she can picture things with even more details than mentioned. Other times, she reads a retelling and has to suppress the urge to throw the book at the inaccuracy. 

She does not know what is happening but somehow she knows her Captain will have the answer. 

Half-following the blurry memories that have started to emerge and half-following a habit she knows all the strawhats had picked up at some point in the future-past, she takes to whispering her thoughts to the sun, in hopes that Luffy will hear her prayers and give her answers sooner than later. 

Things come to a head when one day Vivi is reading alone in her room and someone steps through her window, which is found on the fourth floor.

After all the history between them, Vivi is unreasonably happy to see Nico Robin again. So when the young adult hops down from the windowsill with a “Forgive the intrusion Princess”, she does not hesitate to fling herself at the other and pull her in a hug. 

She is so relieved not to be alone. Moreover, she had long since come to terms that Nico Robin is also a Strawhat and she has seen Luffy's people sense at play enough to know that he would not just let anyone onto the crew.

She also has had enough time to digest the fact that Nico Robin was just a child thrust into an impossible, tragic situation and she had just done her best to survive, however other people may look down upon her actions. 

Vivi herself knows a thing or two about the unsavory things one needs to do to stay alive. She says as much to the teenager who has been holding herself stiff and the older finally relaxes enough to hug her back. 

It turns out that Robin comes bearing gifts - very useful information on the ways Crocodile has been slowly eroding Albasta at this point in time and a report on his future plans as she remembers it. 

With the presence of the other, her father finally accepts the truth he's been trying to avoid and reluctantly agrees to tell her the secrets of her family and to listen to her counsel. 

Vivi knows it won't be that easy in the end but she takes the win where she can get it. 

Robin is still a wanted woman only because of lies at the end of the day, so she cannot stay long. But she leaves some very enlightening words in her wake. 

“Nika said his brethren would wake up in time now once we had reached Laughtale. From our understanding, his brethren refers to those who carry the Will of D. I'm not quite sure how you will all be affected but since you are a carrier and in fact your family is the first known carrier of the Will, I strongly suspect you will feel some effects as well. It may also be that nothing will happen but I just thought you should know.”

Her nakama's words bring back a torrent of memories that leaves her breathless and reeling from the amount of things that finally make sense.

There is a lot of work for her to do. 

This time, things will be very different. Nefertari D. LiliVivi will make sure of that.

°•○•°•●•°•○•°

It has been a few eventful weeks if Chopper says so himself. 

The little reindeer had been lost, somewhere between the wild and civilization because there was no place for him in either when he had remembered his nakama, his family falling one after the other until he too fell and had promptly decided to make his way to find Doctor Hiriluk. 

This was a chance for Chopper to repay the man who was the closest thing to a father he ever had. Back then he was a foolish child who knew nothing. This time he would not fail. He had all the experience from his travels and all his expertise as doctor of the strawhats, his father would live. 

So that's how Chopper had found himself knocking on Dr Hiriluk's door. 

Sometimes you just have to have a little faith. Chopper had seen Luffy's trust in others pay off many times and it wasn't like these were strangers. This was Dr Hiriluk and Doctorine . 

Things were going to work out fine, he told himself. He ignored the little voice in his head who really wanted Zoro or Robin around with him while he did this. 

He had thought that convincing the man to come with him to Doctorine's house would prove to be a challenge but maybe his uniqueness had worked out in his favor as the man had easily allowed himself to be led. Convincing the fierce Doctorine to sit down and listen to him had been slightly more challenging but he had succeeded. 

What followed was him recounting an insane tale full of love and adventure. 

He could tell that the two doctors hadn't believed him immediately so he took their questioning in stride and cooperated until it seemed they had no more questions left. 

((A part of Chopper wanted to cry that two of the most important people in his life could not recognise him. At least, he consoled himself, he could and would make sure they both had a happy ending this time.))

By the end, they were still hesitant but decided to give him a chance. There was nothing for them to lose from this anyways. 

So Chopper had got to work. First he diagnosed Dr Hiriluk. He had encountered diseases of a similar brand in the future-past and there were several real remedies he had seen that had partially worked on them. Chopper had himself tried his hand at a cure, combining different components of existing medicine.

Even back then, when he had succeeded in curing them, he had thought back to his adoptive father and the similar symptoms. He hadn't been sure though until he was given this second chance and he wasn't going to waste it!

Once diagnosed, he set to concocting a remedy. Some of the original ingredients from his cure were not available easily anywhere near this part of the seas so he had to work around them and find alternatives. He also had to account for Dr Hiriluk's body specifically given the many experimental concoctions he had tested on himself. 

It isn't a walk in the park to say the least but Chopper is thankful for the work to keep his mind busy, especially since this is something he likes to do. 

And if everyday, the more he displays his expertise the more his two once-guardians believe him, he isn't complaining.

It is still stressful though, so whenever Chopper finds himself stuck, he finds himself whispering a prayer to Nika. He needs his Captain's strength if only in spirit and he could really use his ability to pull off miracles at that moment. 

He is getting so close though. Just one more ingredient he needs to find an alternative for and then the cure would be ready!

However, the monotonous routine he had fallen into these days was broken by an unexpected but pleasant surprise.

“Usopp! Sanji!” He cheers, not quite believing his eyes. Even if this was them, how and why would they be here?

“Chopper!” They both shouted back similarly and that was all it took for him to forget his questions and launch himself at them, trusting them to catch him. 

He doesn't know when he had started crying but Chopper thinks he has more than ample reason to. They had died. He had seen both of them die and he hadn't been able to do a thing to help them. (Sanji had been literally blown up, leaving a gaping hole in his side too big to patch and Usopp had resembled a tattered rag by the end from the many bullets that had pierced his body.) 

Chopper cries harder at the thought. His crewmates seem to understand a bit of what he feels though because they only hold him through it instead of gently teasing him like they usually would. 

Once the reunions are done, Usopp and Sanji explain to him the circumstances that led them here and he is introduced to Hongo, but not before he fusses over Sanji about possible starvation. 

“I've heard a lot about you little Doctor. Luffy loves talking about you and Usopp is absolutely insistent that you'll be able to find a cure for Banchina.”

“That doesn't make me happy at all you fool!” He shouts, in no way blushing at all and ignoring the fond looks traded between their sniper and their cook. 

Then he makes a realization and leans forward towards Hongo. “You's travelled all over the Grandline right? Do you happen to have some fleyrook roots on your ship?” 

Upon receiving a positive answer, Chopper all but drags Hongo with him to fetch it. He had hoped so, for the root, while rare around these seas, was a staple in medicinal brewing on the Grandline. 

By the time they returned, Hongo looked a bit dumbstruck and suitably impressed. He agrees with Chopper about the plausibility of his cure. 

On the trip to the ship and back, they had also gotten an opportunity to discuss Banchina's condition and Chopper had suggested many ideas that the older doctor had praised. “I see why Luffy speaks so highly of you now.”

His adoptive father would survive and now he had two of his nakama with him. Their arrival also meant solid proof to the crazy story he had told his guardians.

So things were looking up, everything would be just fine.

Chapter Text

Robin is 19, a teenager untethered since her only home burned down, travelling aimlessly, unable to trust her back to anyone and reeling from yet another betrayal and then she is Robin 19-and-30 who knows she has a family who would burn down the world for her. 

Her memories come back like a dam breaking free and are strong enough to bring her to her knees. The truth of the world is buried within her mind and the image of the deaths of her loved ones is seared behind her eyelids. 

It burns with a ferocity that would surprise her once, before she met her Captain how much she wants to track them down and see them all again, especially when she remembers how each one of them fell one by one. 

((She thinks that maybe she is in fact burning or more precisely she has not stopped burning since her death. And oh how she had hated herself in that moment, hearing her Captain's shout of her name in her eyes, to have let him witness another person dying at that wretched mutt’s hands.))

She thinks maybe she will not be able to joke about death so easily now, especially in regards to her nakama. 

Oh how she yearns. She wants to lie on the Sunny, reading with Nami while Brook plays the violin and Zoro takes a nap and Sanji serves then refreshments; Chopper, Usopp and Yamato getting into some mischief or the other while Jimbei watches over them and Franky showing off another of his inventions to an awed Luffy. 

The fact remains though that most of her crew are out of reach at the moment and even if she was able to find them find them, keep them safe, never leave them , she would not because she knows the notoriety that is attached with her name at this age and she her nakama aren't strong enough to watch her back yet. 

But not all of them are. And how convenient it is that she has a ship to her disposal at the moment. 

Having made up her mind, she sets course to her only nakama who might be even lonelier than her at the moment. It wouldn't do to leave him alone even though they both took to loneliness like an old friend. 

Locating Brook is easy but navigating the Florian triangle is less so but that isn't a deterrent for her. Her decision feels even more worth it when she finally greets the skeleton and he regards her with tears in his eyes, his jokes nowhere to be found for once.

“What a sight for sore eyes you are Robin-san. I was almost wondering whether everything had been a beautiful dream. “

Brook envelopes her in a hug then and she hugs back just as hard. Her bones under her touch are cold and Robin finds a relief in it as it grounds her to reality. Until the rest of her nakama set out, they'll have each other and that's enough for now. 

She has other plans of course. In the near future, she will track down the revolutionary army, she could trust Luffy's dad and the man could definitely benefit from the knowledge she now has. 

She needs to find some information to repay an estranged crewmate - hopefully that would be a start to making amends. 

Maybe, it would be a good idea for Brook to have another singing career as well. He had many fans last time and they could use his fantasy to spread the truth of the world. It was something to consider. 

The world was wide with infinite possibilities and thanks to Luffy, they now had a second chance to shape it to their liking. 

“I'll see you all very soon Captain.” She whispers her fervent wish to the rising sun and knows that Nika will hear her prayers and who knows, maybe the tides will change and bring the paths together a bit sooner than expected. 

°•○•°•●•°•○•°

Cutty Flam - no he's Franky to everyone now, he really had to get used to that - is planning another heist with the Franky family when the memories come back to him like a sledgehammer a feeling he is intimately familiar with as he remembers his limbs being slowly crushed to death.

The feeling brings him to his knees, gasping and struggling to breathe as pain overwhelms his body in parts where doesn't even have limbs not anymore at least.

When he comes back to himself, it's to being surrounded by the worried faces of his closest friends, clearly panicking and not knowing what to do. 

He doesn't quite know what to say to them which is why he is thankful when they just usher him to rest, the thought of any heist that day gone from their minds. 

((He tries not to think of the fate they might have lived in that future-past. The strawhats had heard of their home islands being targeted one by one when they were too far to do a damn thing. At that point, they had known they were fighting for something more important anyways. The lives of their family would have been forfeit anyways.))

Once alone, Franky tries to reorient himself to figure out what year it is and how many years he was sent back. 

He does not try to predict what his crew will do in their own situation because if there's anything he knows, it's that the Strawhats are unpredictable. He only has to do his part until it's time to pick them all up. He'll have to start working on a ship soon.

((He carefully does not think about Sunny and how she will never be. Franky is a damn good shipwright and he knows his work inside out. If he had to build the Sunny again, he could do it without a doubt but that would be just an imitation. A disrespect that his beloved ship does not deserve which means that the Sunny will never see the light again.))

When he finally puts together what where in the past he has found himself, he is dismayed to realize that it has already been years since CP9 has infiltrated Water 7. 

He has to remind himself that it's not too late. He has been given this super chance by his Captain and Franky will make the best of it. He has always been good at building marvels from scraps anyways and the foreknowledge and skills he now has at hand can in no way be called mere scraps. 

There's a lot for him to do now. First off though, he needs to track down  Idiot-burg. Thankfully, he knows exactly where the idiot will be. 

It's not a difficult feat to slip in undetected and wait in his brother's bedroom, having done the same thing many times in their youth. It helps that he has picked up some things from the one sneaky member of his crew. He tries not to think about Robin and how she must have felt seeing him die.

The way Idiot-burg jumps when he registers his presence in the room is worth all the time he had waited for the idiot to come back and is almost enough to bring a smile to his face.

Almost is the keyword. It seemed to work in his favor though because his brother takes in his unusually solemn state as he sits quietly waiting for him and knows that something is wrong. 

“What's going on?”

And. Maybe he's gotten too used to doing things at Luffy's pace because he only now realizes that he did not plan that far ahead. What should he say to this man? 

In the future, they had reconciled all their differences and Iceburg had given him his blessings to join the Strawhats. At this point in time, he was just a troublemaker and the death of their mentor father is still a wound that hurts. 

Some of that must show on his face because his brother calls his name in that same voice he had when Franky had just come back as Cyborg - concerned and so unbelievably gentle - and Franky gives in. 

“Sit down, I'm going to tell you a story and you can't stop me until I'm done.” And at the end of the day, Iceburg is one of the people who knows Franky best and whatever he hears in his voice is enough to convince him so he sits down without a word and gives all his attention to the man he once called his best friend. 

Franky still doesn't quite know what to say. He thinks of what Robin would say at this moment, a story should start at the beginning, so he does. He begins his tale with the Strawhats coming to Water 7 aboard the Going Merry and goes from there and does not stop talking until he has run out of words and the story is over. 

Well not quite over or he would not be here right now, he thinks as he looks down at his hands. When did they start shaking? He doesn't quite get the time to figure that out before he is pulled in a hug.

It's only when he registers tears falling on the cold metal of his shoulder plates that he realizes that Iceburg is crying. And when did that happen?

“You idiot, you absolute idiot Franky!”

At some point, he started crying too but he doesn't really have the strength to care at this moment. He had to ask has to know whether he will have to do everything that follows alone, whether he will have to plan around this man; he prays to Nika that won't have to. “Do you believe me?”

“You idiot.” His voice choked as he released the words. But then, “Yes, God I hate it and I wish it wasn't true but I know you well enough to know you're not lying. Not even you could come up with that absurd tale anyways. I believe you.”

And really, what else can Franky do but hold his brother tighter? 

It is only a while later, when they've both finally somewhat pulled themselves together that Franky says it. “This is super bro. Now that we know, they won't know what hit them.”

These words are enough to bring the older man to seriousness, even as he sighs tiredly. “Right CP9, you said. I trust you, but I'll have to confirm the people.”

Franky nods, as if this is a given. This belief, so easily gotten, is already more than what he expected. 

“We need a plan.” And maybe his Captain isn't big on plans but even he had made a plan when it was truly important and Franky has some expertise in planning.

He already has a lost of the most important things he needs to get done:

Firstly is obviously to get CP9 the fuck out of here. 

Secondly, he needs to get started on a new ship. One worthy of the Future Pirate King (Of Nika) and his crew. He already has so many ideas. It has to be bigger than the Sunny, big enough that he can give everyone of his crew their own space for their things but without losing any of the speed the Sunny had. And it needs to have as much defenses as it had attack power, he notes, thinking back to how much damage the Sunny had amassed in that last battle. It was going to need a lot of work but he was going to make it happen.  

Thirdly, he needed to settle the Franky Family. Now knowing that he was going to set sail in a few years, he needed to find something for them to do, to leave them with. Maybe his new ship will be somewhere to start. As super as he is, he won't be able to build her all alone. Maybe his brother can help give him some ideas too. The man was a super mayor in his own right too.

Things were going to be superrrr, he just knew it. 

°•○•°•●•°•○•°

When Brook comes back to himself, he almost thinks that everything has just been a long dream. 

But then he thinks back to the feeling of Luffy's haki, the feeling of being able to breathe again - even though he's already dead yohohohoho - the love and family he had found again and he knows without a doubt that it was real. 

((He also thinks back to that moment of encompassing gratefulness when he had died before Luffy acid melting away his bones so that nothing would be left to revive that at least this time, he would not have to watch another Captain die while he lived on. Having to watch some of his new nakama fall before him had hurt enough.))

When Brook comes back to himself, he's in the middle of playing a mourning song, a sea shanty to send away sailors back to the embrace of the sea. 

He plays the song to the end and then begins to play another one; a song that should not have existed yet in this time, a song that speaks of hope, of life and of freedom.

When the song ends, he lets his emotions guide him and he begins playing a new one, composing as he goes, a tune that tells of the adventures he lives. 

He hopes that if his first crew is watching over him, then they'll hear the tale he's trying to tell through music. 

Eventually though, the tale comes to an end and Brook decides to do what he hadn't had the courage to do the first time. 

He goes to each of his crewmates and prepares their bodies - or what's left of it anyway after all this time - to be laid to rest. This time he will give them a pirate's funeral. Once his new crew comes to find him ( because they will, there is no doubt about that), they will light this ship on fire and let their ashes sink down to the sea's embrace where they belong. 

It is an agonizing time as he goes to each body, rummaging around the ship to find their best clothes and dress them in it, placing their most prized possession with them so they can bring it with them to the afterlife. 

It brings back memories that he has been very careful not to recall. But it also feels right, like a burden is finally being lifted off his chest. It feels like his former crewmates are giving him their blessings on his journey forward.

Once he finishes this grueling task, he has to sit down again and play them farewell more. In the future-past, he had never thought that he would ever be able to stop mourning them. And while that remains true, he thinks that it will be easier now that he was able to do this properly this time. 

The days start to blend together. 

Brook takes to looking through the ship to see what items he would like to take with him this time. He chooses time and time again, wanting to take the entire ship with him but knowing that he can't.  

What's terrible about the Florian Triangle is the way time feels stagnant. He doesn't know how many days have passed and how much more time he'll have to wait. 

It starts to drive him insane. He starts to doubt the certainty that it had not been a dream. 

The sun doesn't quite rise in this place so he cannot pray to it. But he thinks of this oppressive feeling of being trapped in this place again and if there's anything Nika will respond to, it will be a plea for freedom, so he prays. Not that Luffy wouldn't help his nakama anyways. There is nothing in the world that can keep him away. 

So Brook sits next to his first crew and starts recounting the stories of his adventures like they are an offering. He speaks of his new crew and how wonderful they are, of the impossible deeds they did, of the miracles he witnessed and it feels easier to breathe. 

Then one day, a ship navigates its way to his old, crumbling one. It's not a ship he recognises and even though there is the scent of blood emanating from it, - although he doesn't have a nose to smell with yohohohoho - he feels a small bud of hope blooming behind his ribcage. 

When he sees Robin, he is not ashamed to say that he starts crying. He had known, of course, that it had been the truth but to have confirmation, he is so utterly thankful. Especially to a certain straw hatted boy who leaves miracles in his wake, just as he had performed a miracle for Brook when he took him from this dreary place and offered him a home. 

He doesn't waste time to follow his plan. He takes the items he has finally decided to bring with him to his new ship. He stands on the ship Robin has acquired - knowing what he knows about the woman's past, he does not ask more - holding the bow he had carved in those days waiting for someone to come for him and is ready to let go. He lights the arrow on fire and lets the shot fly to set the ship on fire. 

They stay there until the flames have died down. Robin leans against his side, bringing warmth to his old, cold bones, listening to him play Bink's Sake. 

Finally, finally, the musician of the Strawhats pirates is ready to leave and begin his third life. 

He welcomes it with a new song that speaks of beginnings and adventures awaiting.

Chapter Text

Ironically, Jimbei is reading a report about Arlong from the marines when he comes back to himself. 

He stares at the wanted poster of his brother the other fishman and then stares some more, unseeing, as he slowly makes sense of what has happened. 

He remembers his attacks being useless and the water turning on him as it became cold, so cold, freezing until it felt like burning, filling up his lungs and gills, and he knew no more.

He failed. He failed. 

Vaguely, he wonders whether this is how his Captain had felt at Ace's death before the thought is immediately buried. How can he compare his feelings to Luffy when he had died before him and left him alone too? 

Jimbei had failed. He will not fail again. 

He closes his eyes in prayer, brings to the forefront of his mind, his memories of how Nika feels and mutters his apologies, his convictions and finally a greeting for this new chance at life. And if he knows anything about the Strawhats, he knows it's going to be an adventure. 

Admittedly Jimbei had been one of the last members to join the dysfunctional little pirate crew but they had grown on him so quickly. And how could they have not when they had so easily welcomed him among their midst? When he had found his place there without even needing to try? And now he misses them. It's not even been an hour since he's back but he wants to see them again. 

Ah but they must be children at this point in time, he thinks looking at the dates on the papers. Luffy must be on Dawn Island with his brothers (and Jimbei is so happy and the realization, his Captain deserves all the joy in the world). Zoro must be in Shimotsuki village learning to wield a sword. Nami must be - 

The realization draws him to a stop and he looks down at the picture again and reads the information given by the marines. The report tells him that the shark fishman has stationed his pirate crew on an island in the East Blue, cohabiting peacefully with the islanders. 

Jimbei reads the report and feels sick. 

He remembers the navigator of his crew, a fierce young woman who could so easily wrangle their crewmates at their most troublesome. 

As helmsman, he had to work with the ship's navigator most out of everyone else in the crew. When he had first joined the crew, everyone had welcomed him, Nami included. But sometimes, when he would appear behind her, she would flinch with something like fear. 

And Jimbei had been slightly sad that even his crewmates held a prejudice against fishmen. But he hadn't spoken up about it because even if she did, she was trying to work past it and that mattered. Harmony between fishmen and humans wasn't going to come in a day anyways. Trying mattered at that was enough. Other than that, Nami didn't treat him differently anyways.

At least that's what he had thought but apparently he had not hidden his thoughts as well as he had thought because one day Nami had approached him, her face half wary and half determined and sat him down, telling him that there were some things that he needed to know if they wanted to move forward in their relationship. 

That day, he had been regaled with the tale of a nightmare because what else could it be if not a nightmare? He had passed his fingers over the ginger's tattoo and felt the stab marks there and he had felt utterly incompetent once again. 

He had known what Arlong had done, of course. Too late perhaps but he had known. But to hear it from someone who had lived that torment everyday, it was worse. What made it even worse is that Nami was someone who he knew and cherished as his nakama, she wasn't a faceless person. He would never forgive himself for his incompetence. 

How had he let this pass? How could Arlong, a man he called his brother but no longer, never again have caused such horror under his banner. (Because it was under his banner, had Jimbei not been a warlord, it would not have been easy for Arlong to commit his atrocities.)

Him and Nami had both cried that day and he had uttered many apologies for his oversight. It would never be enough, he knew. But after that day, she flinched less but whenever she did flinch, he would notice the smile that followed once she registered who he was and as much as it filled him with warmth, he felt unworthy. 

He was unworthy. Wasn't that why he had jumped at the opportunity to abandon his own title as Captain? He certainly didn't miss the burden. But there he was, once again, carrying the same mantle on his shoulders. 

Hopefully, he would be better at it this time, until the time came for him to pass it along again and he knew exactly where to start. 

It wouldn't do for his navigator to suffer because of a mad shark afterall.

~

He chooses a few fishmen to accompany him under the guise of paying a visit to their brother after a long time. He chooses those closest to him, those he knows for a fact live by the philosophy of Fisher Tiger and who will be equally as horrified as he was when they learn the truth.

He chooses a small ship so that they can be discreet. It wouldn't do if his fellow fishmen noticed their arrival from afar and managed to hide the evidence of their wrongdoings and silence the villagers. 

He passes it off as not wanting to intrude on his brother's territory and wanting to surprise him. He knows that they all think he's acting strangely, but thankfully they pass it off as a whim and follow his lead.

Their arrival to Cocoyashi village is followed by children rushing inside, slamming doors and an unnatural silence. 

It tells him everything about how the villagers view Arlong and the sick feeling in his stomach that hasn't abated since he made the realization only becomes more prominent. 

“Something is wrong here.” Aladine states. “Doesn't Arlong live peacefully with them? So they should be used to fishmen already.” The others murmur in agreement but Jimbei says nothing.

When they reach Arlong Park , the sick feeling in his stomach only intensifies because this is very obviously a parody of the amusement park in Sabaody. 

What Arlong thought he would gain by building this, he doesn't know. He is thankful that his Captain tore the damn place to the ground the first time and he is even more thankful that he will get the opportunity to do it with his own hands this time. 

It is Hatchan who notices them first - Hatchan, who had come back to Fishman Island after the Arlong pirates had been defeated and had recounted his shame to Jimbei - and  immediately pales in fear. 

“Hatchan,” he says, his voice sounding like sharp steel, giving away the underlying anger that he is trying very hard to suppress at the moment. “What's going on here?” 

The octopus fishman crumbles immediately like he was waiting for an opportunity like this and tells them everything. A forgiving part of him notices this acknowledges that at least he knew what he did wrong. Another part of him, who remembers his dear navigator and her pain even years after the fact, thinks that it does not matter; everyone will have to assume the responsibility for their actions.

He watches the horror slowly bloom on his comrades' faces and let his own horror - that he has been desperately hiding since the realization came that Nami is under that utter disgrace of a fishman's hand at this moment - show on his face. 

Jimbei alone was more than enough to deal with the likes of Arlong. The only reason he had brought other fishmen along with him was so that he could have more witnesses. That assured, he has no more qualms about walking further in the park to find Arlong. 

As he does, more and more fishmen notice him and he makes note of them in turn - Kuroobi, Chew, Pisaro, Take, Kaneshiro, Shioyaki - as they come forward to greet him.

At first, they are visibly happy. Only some of them notice that something is off with him and those accompanying him and maintain their distance. Eventually, the others must notice something too, whether it's the way Hatchan trails behind them unwilling to meet any of their eyes or the way anger is rolling off of them in waves. 

“Where is Arlong?” He asks only once and the threat in his voice must be clear enough that they point him in the right direction. 

He turns to Aladine and asks him to stay behind and talk to the others while he deals with Arlong. He knows the subtext for Aladine to gather information and evidence is received when he gets a brisk nod in return and he makes his way up the tower where Arlong supposedly is. 

The sight that greets him is something that he knows will appear in his nightmares in the future. Knowing how the Strawhats are, he shouldn't have been surprised that Nami had understated her horrific experiences. 

Arlong sees him and a surprised smile appears on his face, guilt nowhere to be found, like there isn't a little girl chained to the floor with a brand on her shoulder and greets him like any other day. “Brother Jimbei, what a nice surprise.”

He says something else but Jimbei doesn't really hear it, his attention completely captivated by the small ginger who has a tired smile on her face, full of relief. Jimbei does not feel worthy of it. Her hands are clasped around a quill, her fingers bloody and her eyes bloodshot like she hasn't slept in days. Next to her are dozens of maps, some of the same place, that she has no doubt been forced to draw again and again. But still, she manages to smile as her mouth moves to form the shape of his name. 

Jimbei wants to cry. The sick feeling in his chest has been steadily increasing until it has morphed into something like rage. 

Somehow, he finds the words to ask. “Arlong, what is the meaning of this?” 

The shark fishman laughs like there is something funny about this. “Oh you mean that thing? Don't worry, Nami is part of my crew. It' s not bad a map maker either. “ And. Jimbei. Sees. Red. 

The next thing he knows, he has summarily punched the daylights out of Arlong. The shark fishman goes flying and lands groaning at little Nami's feet. 

“Jimbei, how dare-” Arlong shouts even as he is sitting up but before he can understand what's happening, in a move very reminiscent of the woman she will one day grow into, Nami uses the chains on the legs to wrap around his neck and pulls . 

He starts struggling, at first pulling uselessly at the chains, until he realises those won't work and tries to swipe at Nami. It's a stupid move because the next second Jimbei is there and his hands are being crushed. This goes on until he loses consciousness. 

Jimbei lets go of his limp hands but Nami does not release the grip on his neck. He knows that it isn't enough, it will never be enough and he would be more than fine to let her kill him but he also remembers a conversation he once had with Nami. She had told him that she wished that they had gotten sentenced according to Fishmen's laws. She wished that someday Arlong would look at himself and realise that he was the same as those celestial bastards. That would be the most cutting punishment she could have imagined for him and Jimbei has every intention of making that happen. 

So, he gently calls out her name and her grip instantly goes limp and she gasps, like she's taking her first breath of air after drowning. 

“Jimbei!” She sobs and Jimbei doesn't know what else to do but kneel down and take her in his arms. She is so small that she is completely engulfed in his embrace as sobs wracked her body and he doesn't understand how Arlong could have even thought to hurt her. 

Later, Aladine will come up and find them still like this. He will see her shackles still around her ankles and he will be as furious as Jimbei had been. 

He will demand the key to the shackles and will be exceedingly gentle with Nami as he frees her. The navigator of the Strawhat pirates will refuse to be separated from her helmsman. The others will believe that it is because she bonded to her saviour and they will not correct them. 

Nami will remain perched on Jimbei's shoulder as she points out everything they can use as evidence against Arlong and gives them a summary of all of his atrocities. 

Even more later, when the villagers will be informed that the Arlong pirates have been defeated and that they are free and someone asks what makes them so different from other fishmen and why should they believe them, it will be Nami who replies.

“Just like there are good humans and bad humans, there are good fishmen and bad fishmen. The Arlong Pirates are a minority. Race doesn't determine whether someone is good or evil.” 

The villagers will look at the little girl, still perched on a fishman's shoulder,  and remember everything she had willingly sacrificed for them. And if Nami, who had suffered so much at Arlong's hands believed that, then who are they to say otherwise? 

Unanimously, they will let down their guard and thank the fishmen for their help, welcoming them in their midst. 

Jimbei’s companions will have tears in their eyes at the easy acceptance that came from a little girl’s words and their resolve that they had done the right thing will strengthen. Meanwhile, the Arlong pirates will watch on and start questioning their past actions. 

And even later, Aladine will propose teaching Nami fishman karate as an apology and she will accept, determined to grow stronger this time. In time, they will also discover that she has a natural gift for armament haki but that's another story. 

However, all that would come later. For now, Jimbei holds Nami and they each take comfort in the presence of their crewmate being there with them. 

°•○•°•●•°•○•°

“....20 years is a bit too long for us.”

Awareness comes to Yamato all at once. He is Yamato, 28 years old, a Strawhat pirate and he dies defending the land of Wano and then suddenly he is Yamato, a 10 years old who still insists that he is Oden and who's about to watch the rare few people who've cared for him die. 

He watches the backs of the departing samurai and knows instantly where he is, instantly knows what the outcome of their actions will be. Yamato refuses to see that future again. The Strawhats have always been a little selfish so Yamato will be selfish this time too because he wants to go to sea and fight with his nakama dammit and he won't be able to do that if he has to stay back and protect Wano again. 

“What if you don't have to wait 20 years? What if you only have to wait 8 years?”

The Samurai turn back to look at him as one and Yamato stares back, determination burning in his veins. At this age, he hadn't known himself.  He had seen the injustice his father had committed and he had thought the best way to solve things was to become Kozuki Oden and free Wano. 

Now, older, he knows that he does not have to be anything other than Yamato to fulfill his ambitions and dreams.

It had been a difficult conclusion to come to. Yamato remembers asking Luffy to be on his crew and receiving the very straightforward answer of: “I don't need an Oden knock-off on my crew. My nakama are gonna live their own adventures!”

It hadn't been until Yamato had come to understand that he was Yamato and he was only defined by his own actions that Luffy had asked him to join the Strawhats. 

Maybe the difference that Luffy had seen in him back then is apparent to the Samurai as well because they seem to have forgotten about their plan as they turn to him. “You're different than you were before. Who are you?”

He takes a deep breath because how to explain everything that will happen, the incredible, impossible story with a tragic ending? But lying at this point, to these people, was never an option so he looks at them in the eyes and says, “I am Yamato, sworn brother of Kozuki and Hiyori Momonosuke and I have seen the person Oden was waiting for. “

The purple haired Samurai looks at him in a way that is very reminiscent of Zoro. So Yamato continued speaking, “And you are Shimotsuki Ushimaru.” This was information that he hadn't known before many years. 

The man seems to realise that too or he seems to see something more in him in the way that Samurai do because he decides that Yamato is speaking the truth and after a glance shared between them, the three come back to settle down in front of him again. 

“We believe you but what do you mean we will only have to wait 8 years?” 

“Kozuki Oden predicted correctly.” He answers the unasked question first. “They did come in 20 years. But that was the first time around. Right now, most of the key players of that fight are back in time and if I know anything about my Captain, it's that he's not gonna be waiting for the right time when he knows his friends are suffering. Wano-kuni will be freed sooner than later.”

“Well I'll be damned.” The purple haired swordsman barks out laugh that once again reminds him of a certain someone and Yamato can't help but stare. (He misses his nakama. Despite never having gotten the opportunity to sail with them, the little time they had spent together had been more than enough for them to find a place in his heart. He misses his Captain the most, the way just being near him could make him feel freefreefree . And right now, looking at this Samurai, he misses the first mate of his crew fiercely.)

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Do you have a kid?” He can't help but ask. Uncharacteristically, the purple haired samurai chokes while his two companions laugh and Yamato can't help but grudgingly admit, if only to himself that maybe he could have worded that a bit better. 

“Sorry, sorry but you remind me of someone.”

“Oh?” 

Yamato can't help but smile fondly. “The person who Oden was waiting for. His name is Luffy and he's…” How can words describe the brilliance that is Luffy, Yamato does not know. He is tempted to say Nika but he can't spoil all the fun yet. “...a pirate captain. Roronoa Zoro's his first mate. You two look identical.”

And maybe some of what he didn't say showed on his face because they didn't ask more about Luffy. Instead, “Tell me more about this Zoro kid.”

Yamato brightened up because admittedly, Zoro was one of the coolest people he knew. “Zoro had just become the world's greatest swordsman before I came back. He looks exactly like you but with green hair and he has a scar over his left eye so he can't use it. He wields three swords in battle - Wado Ichimonji, Sandai Kitetsu and Enma, though he used to wield Shusui first. And he has a really powerful attack called Asura where he can wield nine swords. He took down King and he was able to attack Kaido hard enough that he bled and left a scar.” 

“Those are some swords and to be able to wield all three at the same time…and the world's greatest swordsman you said?” He asked in interest. “Where did you say that boy came from again?”

“He's from East Blue…I don't know the name of his village.”

But this information seemed more than enough for Ushimaru because he grinned sharply. “Shimotsuki Village.”

Yamato recognised the name as the clan name of the man in front of him. “Ah…so he is…”

“He's probably my grand nephew. The family resembled has always been strong across generations.” The purple haired swordsman admitted. “You make want to meet him now “

“You can.” Yamato straightened up. “I know what you're planning to do but don't throw your life away. After Kaido is gone, Wano will still need you, more than ever before even. I stayed behind to protect it last time but my strength can be better used elsewhere. You can protect it and you can help the people here to live again.”

Ushimaru stared at Yamato and Yamato stared back unflinchingly. Finally, the older sighed, “Even if I wanted to, we won't survive here without food for long.”

Taking it for the capitulation it was, Yamato grinned wickedly as he looked down at his chains. “How do you feel about playing dead?”

Yamato didn't know how he looked at that moment but Ushimaru looked amused and he could feel a bit of bloodlust in response to his own. “If I take these off, there'll be a big enough explosion to bring the cave down. We can use the distraction to escape while leaving enough behind to fake our deaths until it's time.”

It was as good a plan as any so the Samurai agreed and started discussing the best way to go about it.

If Yamato privately prayed to Nika that the ceiling wouldn't come down fast enough to crush them all or that his father wouldn't discover their ruse, well that was between him and his Captain.

He was gonna make the best of these coming years to help Wano and when his nakama finally came, he would have no regrets to leave with them. 

He couldn't wait. 

Chapter Text

Law comes back to himself gradually at first. He is 12 and he has been asked to deliver a message to a certain marine and with every steps he takes, there is a prominent feeling of something being wrongwrongwrong . 

Every time he blinks, he sees images burned on the back of his eyelids. A polar bear looking like it had been torn apart, other humans around him in various states of injury, the life-force fading. 

It remains like this until he sees the marine insignia and then it's like a bolt of lightning going through him and it comes back all at once. 

Migiwara-ya , he thinks instantly, Luffy-ya , and then, Nika as he is himself overwhelmed by another wave of memories from an era long forgotten. 

In fact it isn't quite accurate to say that his memories had been forgotten for eons. He had remembered after all, once he had awakened in his second life. 

All through his second life, he had felt alone, different from others. People looked at him and felt unsettled and he himself felt like he was missing something that was just out of reach - it nearly drove him insane. 

He had grown to accept this as normal eventually though until , until a foolish boy with a straw hat and a smile larger than life, the God of the Sun and Freedom - not that he knew it then - catapulted himself into his life, that things changed. 

At first Law hadn't understood the bond he had felt with the other captain. Why the other felt so familiar, like companionship and home. But after he had awakened his devil fruit, it was like a dam had burst in his mind; a dam that had been holding back his memories from another life and they flooded through his mind. 

How do you kill a God, and a Death God at that? The simple answer was that you didn't. Edis had simply fallen into a deep slumber, his powers zapped away from him while he was at his weakest. It wasn't until he had made his vessel strong enough to resonate with at least some of his divinity that he remembered. 

(And then too, he hadn't been able to access his whole self until after Luffy had reached Raftel and called their brethren back to this plane. )

Thus, when he had seen his fellow D after the fight with Kaido, he had hugged the man for a long time, knowing all the sacrifices it must have taken on his part for them to reach here.

D will bring a storm indeed. He should have known that Nika would not have just accepted all of their deaths so easily. 

Nika, just like Luffy, has always acted like a child. This made a lot of people write him off as a fool. What they didn't understand was that it was a representation of his domain . The freest people in the world were children after all.

Law - in another life, Edis God of Death and Healing - had never underestimated him, knowing very well how domains could affect Gods. And Nika for all his playfulness was smart, so it really shouldn't have surprised him that he had found a way to bring them all back. 

Admittedly not at once but imbuing part of their souls in devils fruits thus allowing them to gain devotees - even if the devotees in question remained unaware of it - and allowing the rest of their souls to enter the cycle of reincarnation to replenish their divinity until it was time was a stroke of genius honestly. 

So he had listened to Nika's - no Luffy’s absurd plan to take down Imu once and for all and it had paid off. Being given this second, not to mention a third chance at life was more than he ever hoped for. 

And now he had one more chance. Albeit, he couldn't save everyone, the chance to save someone at least. 

He sends a mental greeting to Nika, letting the other God know that he is awake and receives a wave of warmth and the echo of a laugh in return. Close to the other, he feels the presence of Deirys and Heitr , two more of their kin.

It makes it hard not to think of his own sister, born as siblings in all their lives - Lami in this life, Eira Goddess of Life and Sickness in another. 

But she would reincarnate again, he reminds himself, and this time, Law will be there to welcome her and protect her until she could handle herself.. 

But at this moment, there was someone else he has to protect. He looks down at the letter in his hand and chucks it into the sea, turning away from the marine base. 

He needs to find Cora-san and convince him to leave the island. As for the remaining part of his soul - well now that he remembers his true name , it wouldn't be a difficult task to call it to himself. He can sense it isn't that far anyways, if Cora'san hasn't already gotten his hands on it.

He needs to get Cora-san away from this place and find the rest of his crew. And if Doflamingo tries to stop them, he will find out what Death is. 

But one thing at a time, the rest will come later and whatever does, Law - Edis will be ready for it. 

°•○•°•●•°•○•°

Koby's memories hit him like one of Garp's punches - unexpected and hard - leaving him gasping for air. 

Koby remembers being 20, barely an adult, but having seen too much of the truth behind the world. He remembers the war that had broken down between those trying to oppress and those fighting for freedom. He remembers realising that he hadn't been fighting on the side for freedom.

In the end, he had been the last one standing with Luffy. It was poetic in a way since Luffy had also started his journey at sea by meeting him, it was only fair they ended it together. He shouldn't have been the one with Luffy at the end, it should have been another Strawhat who had been with him much longer. Not that he had lasted for much more after the others.

Honestly, Koby sometimes wished he had died long before he had learned the bitter, bitter truths of the world. At that point he could not remain in the marines with a clean conscience. He had known before them that the marines weren't stainless but he had believed with all his heart that it was still possible to reform the system, to change things from the inside. He would make a difference - like Garp had. 

Little had he known that the marines had been too far gone and his mentor on his deathbed had confided to him his regrets of having a life spent in vain, licking those…those…those beasts ’ asses. 

So Koby had done the only thing he could have done at that point, he left and tracked down his savior. He was grateful when Luffy had let him join the Strawhats even though in the end, he had not been able to spend a lot of time with them. 

And then…and then…Imu had begun her grand plan and Nika had to step up to fight back (and of course, of course Luffy was Nika. He had freed him and so many others from chains shackling them down, bringing a smile to everyone he met. He was the most fitting person to be called the warrior of liberation). And at his back, his allies rallied, it had been endlessly long years of horrific war until things had reached a point where they all agreed that even if they won, too much had already been lost. 

It had been then that Luffy had come up with his plan which led him here - here with a second chance at life.

So, when Koby's memories come back at only 6 years old, he cannot help but burst out crying and remains inconsolable for a long time. 

His father, who had been holding him on his shoulders, starts freaking out in turn, and tries to calm him down desperately. But it is to no avail because once Koby realises who the man is - his father! His father! He had forgotten what he looked like - he starts crying even harder. 

Thank you Luffy , he prays, turning his head towards the sun and thinking of Nika's marvelous power, countering Imu's; Thank you for this chance.

The next few days are spent in a half daze, as he tries to relearn a life long forgotten and tries to decide what direction he wants his future to take. 

In his first life, it had been far, far too late for the marines to be able to be anything good. The Red Dog had ruined anything worth saving. 

But, at this point in time, the marines were still salvageable. They could still be turned into something good. But then again, could Koby really join the marines again even after knowing what he knows about the people running it? 

He procrastinates his days while he tries to make a decision. Meanwhile, he learns for the second time the way his mother's hugs feel, the way his father's voice sounds and the way his sister (because he has a sister!) patiently sits with him and reads together with him. And he persistently ignores the increasingly worried looks they shoot him when they think he is not looking.

Koby has known her for only a few days but he understands now why Luffy had braved a battlefield for even a sliver of a chance to be able to save his brother. Koby resents himself for trying to stand in Luffy's way that day. How could he ever have thought that someone deserved to die for the sins (and had he even sinned?) for a man who had long been executed?

Koby learns to appreciate his lost family and procrastinates his decision day by day. He even wonders if he can't just feign ignorance and remain here. But he knows the answer to that himself. Koby knows too much to be able to live a normal life.

When Luffy had announced his plan, all the Strawhats had made rough plans for what they wanted to do. Only Koby hadn't known and Luffy hadn't pushed, telling him that whatever decision he made, he would always be a Strawhat. Koby is not ashamed to say that he had teared up. 

Koby procrastinates until he can't anymore and fate forces him to choose. 

On a bright day, like every other, his father places him on his shoulder and takes him to the market. 

They pass by a marine speaking on a den den mushi when Koby hears the cruel words and his blood freezes. Initiating Protocol 93 in 3 hours. Orders confirmed.  

Koby knows too much but at this moment he is thankful that he does. 

He tugs on his dad's hair and asks him to put him down. Amidst the crowd, he is clearly unwilling but at his son's stubbornness, he can't help but give in. 

By then, Koby has lost sight of the marine, so as soon as his feet touch the ground, Koby doesn't think of anything else and bolts heedless of his name being called in the background.

Catching up to the man does not take long and it is oh so very convenient that the man just so happened to have ducked in an alley. 

Koby is very aware that he is an untrained five year old right now so he will need to play this smart. Thankfully Koby has a lot of practice being smaller and weaker than his opponents. 

So Koby does not hesitate to coat himself with haki (that he still had the power he had worked so hard to master had been a pleasant surprise when he had been able to active it a few days back when he he was about to trip face first into the ground) run headfast towards the man legs and bowl him down. Without giving him a chance to react, Koby hit his neck and made him pass out. Then, just to be sure he hits him again, because Koby is very small and very weak right now.

By the time he’s done, Koby is panting and he has to take a few seconds because By Nika, his insane plan has worked!

He starts patting the man in front of him and finds his den den mushi. Koby hadn't noticed it before but it is a white den den which he is so grateful for. 

Koby really hopes that Garp still has the same den den number as back then - or well, as in the future.

Koby knows that he has started shaking while waiting for the call to go through and when a familiar voice answers the phone, he nearly slumps down in relief. 

“Captain Bogard.” He breathes out and is gratified when the man seems to recognise his voice in turn. 

“Koby?” 

“Yes, yes it's me. Captain, I don't have time. Someone is going to set off Protocol 93 in my town.” His voice sounds mildly hysterical even to himself, not helped by the fact that he sounds like a child, but he thinks he can be forgiven given the circumstances. 

He is thankful when Captain Bogard takes his words seriously. “Protocol 93, are you sure?”

“Affirmative. It's supposed to happen in 3 hours.”

Captain Bogard swears. “I'm going to try and buy you some time and send Garp your way. You're lucky he's already in the East Blue.” He pauses. “I know it will be hard in your situation but try to get as many people away as you can. What's the name of your town?”

Koby doesn't think there can be a worse moment for him to realise that he does not know the name of his town. In his first life, he hadn't remembered anything before Alvida. He had been on a small fishing boat when she had found him but when he had come from before that he hadn't known. 

His doctors said that his memories were suppressed so he could survive, that maybe missing his life before was driving him so insane that his mind decided it would be better to forget actually. 

Now Koby is starting to think that his memories were suppressed but maybe for another reason altogether. Maybe his memories before Alvida were horrible enough that his mind sought to protect him from it. 

All that to say that, he hadn't known the name of his town in his first life and some his time back, there hadn't been an opportunity or a reason for him to find out either. He regrets that now. 

Koby has almost made up his mind to just grab a random person and ask, hoping they'll be kind enough to indulge a child when someone grabs the den den out of his hand and speaks in it. “We are in Vermillion Town, on Cheval Island.” 

Bogard pauses for a second, not recognising the voice but there was nothing he could do at the moment. Koby could take care of himself, he had to call his errant VIce-Admiral. “I'll go call Garp. Take care of yourself Koby.” 

But the two people who hear the words barely pay attention to it, their eyes locked onto each other. Koby stares at his father, shocked. 

Clearly he had put too much faith in his observational haki because he hadn't even sensed the man approaching. 

“How long have you been here?” He finally musters the courage to ask.

Koby’s father looks at him for a long time and Koby, perhaps for the first time since he has come back, feels like a child again. “You have very little legs. I saw you knock the marine out and then search him for the den den and not only did you know how to use it, you knew who to call and the person on the other side called you by your name and is talking about sending Garp the Hero to help you.”

His father kneels down in front of him and Koby wants to run and hide like he hasn't wanted in a very long time. “Koby I don't know what's happening but you've been acting strangely lately. Your mother and I will want some answers later but for now, this seems urgent so I'm willing to follow your lead on this. What's Protocol 93?”

Koby takes a deep breath. His father believes him enough to talk to a 5 year old like an adult so Koby will award him the same respect. “Protocol 93 happens when some place has something that the World Government classifies as a threat. They eliminate it by bombing the place while ensuring that no witnesses will be left alive.”

And maybe his voice is dead enough because horror starts blooming on his father's face and the latter's voice shakes when he speaks again. “So, what can we do?”

“One and a half hours before the bombing is due, the soldiers will leave so they aren't caught up in the blast. We'll have to use that time and evacuate as many people as possible on the opposite side outside the blast range. It's the only chance we have.”

“Okay.” His father nods and picks him up but Koby taps his arm. “Wait, let me down.”

He rushes back to the fallen marine and rummages through his pockets again to find his wallet. He takes the money from it and discards the wallet on the ground before walking back to his father. 

“He'll wake up soon.” He explains without prompting. “This way, he'll think whoever knocked him down only did it to rob him and only took his valuables.”

His father is watching him with a certain look in his eyes that Koby doesn't want to examine closer as he picks him up again and starts off as a run. There are more important things to worry about right now anyways. 

~

Five hours later finds themselves with dozens of people safe - not everyone but probably more than had survived last time and that has to count for something, it has to - an explanation overdue and his mentor pulling him a hug for the first time in two lifetimes, Koby finally makes a decision. 

It's true that Koby knows too much. But maybe he can use that to his advantage like he did today. The marines can be saved but it will require force, Koby will leave them no choice but to do what is right. He will tear the current institution down with his own hands if he has to and build another one in its place. 

Koby is part of the Strawhats pirates after all and tearing down corrupt institutions is what they do best. It's about time Koby starts acting like them.

The sun seems to shine warmer on him and he takes it as his Captain approving of his plan. 

Koby will make the marines better this time and he thinks his mentor will be more than happy to give him a hand. He knows just where to start. 

Chapter Text

Garp is in the middle of a friendly sparring match with a promising marine when it happens. His memories come back like a light being switched on - in the span of a second, the darkness is replaced by light and he remembers everything.

So when he sees the person who he is fighting, he understandably loses his rationality for a second and sends them flying through a wall. 

The room is drop dead silent as they stare at him and Garp forces himself not to go after the man again until he's dead. He barks out a laugh that sounds too rough even to his own ears. “Ah my bad, I started thinking about something else and I forgot my strength for a moment. You youngsters need to train more.”

Garp is almost saddened to see the mutt man pick himself back up but at least his nose is definitely broken. “Thank you for your instructions.” The words are muttered through gritted teeth and the older holds back his snarl as he turns away. 

“We should call it a day.” He ignores Tsuru's concerned look as he makes his way to the docks. Fuck bureaucracy, Garp needs to get out of here as soon as possible before he goes on a rampage. 

It is only when they've sailed a good distance awareness from Marineford and he is alone in his cabin does he let himself go through his memories. 

Vernos has lost himself. Once he had been a proud God of Justice and War but somewhere after his reincarnation, he has forgotten the true meaning of the concept he was born from. Or maybe, he thinks of Akainu's idea of Absolute Justice, it's just that the concept has lost its meaning, distorted at the hands of the crowds. 

Garp shakes as he thinks of his second life - one spent in vain - and he starts to sob when thinks of his precious grandkids ( Does he even have the right to call them that when he had forsaken them? When he had sat by and waited for Ace to be executed for the sin of being born? When he had heard of Sabo being blown up by those Celestial bastards and had done nothing? ) . 

It's even worse when he thinks of Nika, who had watched everyone die and was left the last of the Gods to fight a war that had spanned centuries before he had given his all to offer them all a chance to come back. 

Garp hadn't remembered in his second life. Why would he have? He had lived a life so far from the meaning of his own existence that even his soul could nor recognise him. Fake Justice and Meaningless War had ruled his life so much so that he had spent it in vain, only acting with purpose when their brethren had forcibly pushed him closer to his true self. 

He remembers God Valley. He remembers the God of Balance living in a world so unbalanced that he was driven mad. (And, in retrospect, it makes sense now why Rocks - Tala - had acted the way he had. His true nature had led him to try and fix the balance forcibly, too far gone to think clearly.) He remembers an old enemy, who had died for another era to start - fitting for Priath, God of Beginnings and Journeys - and his wife whose stubbornness could outwait a mountain - Zenia the Goddess of Hunting and Protection.

Even though they had died early, they had all lived their lives as close concepts and they had all died, fulfilling their purpose. In comparison, Garp is a man unfulfilled. He has spent a life running towards what he thought was his truth, only to realise it was a poorly concealed lie instead. He had simply been willfully blind. 

So now, what does he do? What is the correct path for him to take? He has already spent a life fighting a useless battle and dying with regrets. Can he take the same path again? If he stays in the marines, will Vernos not forget himself again?

Answers don't come easy and time does not wait for humans and he is only the pale memory of a God long dead right now. 

It takes some time for him to register the knock coming from the door and the call of his name. “Vice Admiral Garp?” 

“What is it?” 

“Captain Bogard is on the den den. He says it's urgent.” 

Knowing his friend's personality, the words do the trick to make him get up and open the door. 

He ignores the officer's wide eyed look of surprise and takes the den den from him and then closes the door again. 

“Garp! You're back too aren't you?” Oh , Garp had to take a second to thank Nika that his friend had also come back with him, he suddenly feels less alone. 

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Bogard carries on like he had already known but was asking just in case. “Koby called me. He heard the marines ordering Protocol 93 in his town. You need to go help him evacuate.”

Garp's heart starts to beat fast. Where to even begin to understand this? His student is back too? His student's town had been destroyed by the marines in the past? Was he in danger?

How can Garp look him in the eyes again after this? After knowing this truth, will Koby decide to join the marines again? 

He feels shaken and unsettled but the prospect of having a goal to achieve also soothes him. 

He knows there will be hell to pay if the higher ups find out that he interfered in something they deemed important enough to call on Protocol 93. 

But maybe, it's time Garp stops listening to other's orders and starts listening to himself again. Maybe this time, he will be able to fight a war which would have real reason to happen and bring true justice to life.

°•○•°•●•°•○•°

Marco’s memories wash over him much like how haki washes over a person; it encompasses yourself until you can feel care for nothing but it. 

The feelings and memories that fill him up feels like a prayer answered and Marco knows exactly who he has to thank for this even as his hand absent-mindedly reaches up for glasses he does not have. Glasses that will not be needed again as long as his crew is alive; afterall it's not like a phoenix could sustain any damage if they didn't want it.

The first commander of the whitebeard pirates has never really thought about whether he believed in the divine or not. He's always been too busy for that. Afterall, Marco has been many things in his life, a stowaway, a cabin boy, a first-mate and a survivor when his family were dead. But after Wano and everything that came after, Marco would be a fool to deny the truth, Gods exists and Marco might actually count as one of their friends. 

Marco looks at the deck in front of him and sees his sibling goofing off happily and he turns his eyes to look at his father who somehow already has his eyes turned towards him and he smiled, not even trying to stop the tears that well up in his eyes.

He knows exactly who to thank for this so in a way he had seen many of the Strawhats do in the past, he turns up his face to the sun, closing his eyes and lets himself feel the warmth as he whispers words he knows the wind will carry to its recipient. “Thank you Nika.” 

He knows he can't ever repay this debt and Marco will happily spend his life fighting any battle the second Pirate King wants as long as he gets to keep his family. 

Marco has had the curse of watching his family fall one by one. He has lost and lost and lost and remained the last one standing, not even being able to die because of his devil fruit.

And though the world may have called him an honorary strawhat given all the battles he had fought by the side, he knew the truth. He remembered his father's last order and he remembered his true family. 

Having them back is much more than he had even hoped for and he will make sure that nothing can ever threaten them again.

For that to happen though, Marco thinks as his eyes catch on a brother turned a traitor, he has some things he needs to deal with first and he will gladly get his hands dirty even if Pops might not understand his actions.

°•○•°•●•°•○•°

Fortunately and unfortunately, Dragon's memories come back to him in the middle of a very important mission briefing. 

Fortunately, because he now remembers that this particular mission had gone epicly to shit the first time around and so he can give preemptive orders to avoid thay catastrophe. 

Unfortunately, because it means he cannot promptly freak the fuck out like he deserves to be able to do because holy shit, holy shit- no, no, meeting first and freak out later. 

So, Dragon bears through the meeting who seems to go agonisingly slowly just to spite him and then the minute he can get away without freaking any of his friends and subordinates, he secrets himself away to his quarters not to be disturbed bar the building being on fire. 

It is only then that Dragon lets himself go through all that he now knows. He remembers once being called - Xehvos, God of Storms and Chang e - and doesn't it make sense now that he would start a revolution? And he remembers how his second life came to an end. Nika used the plan then.

He had remembered his true self in that future-past after Luffy had reached Raftel. But for some reason, while the thought of Nika having gone through all of that pain had not hit him that hard, the thought that Luffy had died at Imu's hand affected him much more. Frankly, he knew why. It was because Nika had only been a distant friend while Luffy was his son, even though he knew they really were the same person. 

He remembers his own death at the hand of that traitor Diotos , a disgrace in the name of their kind both the first and second time and he silently marks his name down as too dangerous to leave alone. Dragon knows that there are some people on Whitebeard's ship who have also come back but if they are unable to take care of him then he will be more than happy to. 

He also wonders what happened after his death. Had Sabo taken charge in his place? 

But nevermind, this is a new era, Xehvos can sense it, the Gods are rising anew and the winds of change have already started blowing. 

Dragon will do what he does best. He will use all the information and resources at his disposal and he pushes for change that is long overdue. (Something tells him that he's going to get help soon. His son has never been one to sit still, especially when Freedom is at stake and the companions he had chosen were quite something as well.)

A storm is coming and Dragon can't wait. 

For now though, he thinks, he should start planning a small vacation to the East Blue. There are many of their kind there whom he wants to get reacquainted with. After what had happened the first time, it would be a good idea to keep each other close this time. 

Each of them had been so taken with their own respective domains that they had not known what had happened to the others until it was their turn. Their solitude had been turned against them. So as much as Xehvos loves his own peace and quiet, he thinks that this time an effort should be made to be more involved with one another. 

The winds of change are blowing. Xehvos closes his eyes and infuses a little of his power in them, just enough to make sure that the change will be in their favor. 

What happened before will not happen again. The cycle will be broken and a different time will come.

Chapter Text

Sabo's memories come back just when he has found a nice addition for their pirate stash. But suddenly that's not important at all because he can hear Ace give a triumphant cry somewhere to his left. He raises his head and then he can see his brother through an eye that had long since been damaged beyond use. 

He knows what's happening here. He knows this is a miracle gifted by his little brother. He knows what this means - this is not another guilt-induced hallucination or dream…Ace is alive! His brother is still here with him!!!

Suddenly, the treasure in his hands does not seem to be so important and he has no qualms in dropping it to instead tackle his brother in a hug. It is only when Ace starts spluttering and struggling, that he realises they had not been the touchy kind at this age, but he ignores it and only holds his brother tighter as unbidden tears start welling up in his eyes. 

Sabo just holds Ace and basks in the presence of his twin again. And they are twins, real twins, is the subsequent realisation he makes as he remembers fragmented dreams. Deirys and Heitr were born at the same time and shared the night sky as their domain, him having the moon and his brother the stars and oh there's a reason why it always felt so right when Luffy would grab a marker and join the freckles on his face into constellations.

Sabo doesn't want to let go, does not want to pull back and has to face a brother who does not know everything he does. It is then that he notices that Ace has gone uncharacteristically still, his entire body weight resting on him. Sabo had heard that Ace developed narcolepsy later in life but to his memory, it definitely did not have the condition when they were still kids. 

“Ace?” He calls out tentatively and when there is no answer, Sabo is definitely not panicking as he lays the boy on the ground and begins to check him over. Thankfully, there seems to be nothing wrong except for the fact that he is unconscious.  

Sabo looks around and decides that maybe it would be a good idea to wait for Ace to wake up somewhere other than Grey Terminal. He secures his brother on his back before grabbing the treasures they found and Sabo makes his way to the spot they would have once built a treehouse in the future-past. 

He is thankful for that because when Ace wakes up, he does so while gasping and scratching his chest, clearly disorientated and Sabo has to spend the next few minutes wrestling with the idiot until he has him immobilised with Ace's back to his chest and his wrists in a grip as he tries to get him to match his breathing. 

“Sabo,” Is the sob that comes eventually. “Sabo, you're here.” 

The blonde has always been observant so he had seen the signs when Ace had started clawing at his chest in the same spot there had once been a hole but he had held back his hope. But it was getting harder to do so when his brother called his name like that. If this Ace was the Ace that he was thinking of, then he must have thought Sabo to be dead. 

“I'm here.” He let go of his brother's wrists only for the latter to immediately turn around and pull him in another hug. “And you're here too.”

It takes them a while to stop crying and start speaking coherently enough for them to figure out that Ace remembered dying and for Sabo to break the news that he had not actually been dead but amnesiac. 

A brawl later, Sabo informs that the reason they're back is because their little brother is a mad genius. 

“So he made it? Luffy became Pirate King?” Ace's voice is full of awe and pride and Sabo wants to cry again, just a little bit. Luffy had told him all about what an amazing older brother ( but more of a parent really ) Ace had grown into and while Sabo never disbelieved it, at this moment, he really sees it shine through. 

“He did that and so much more. and this time, you'll be there to see him do it all.” 

Ace has a pleased smile on his face before he frowns. “But wait, why do I remember? Even if Luffy wished for his allies to come back, I was already dead by then.”

Which is…a very good point, Sabo muses but then he thinks about how he also has memories he shouldn't have and a theory starts to form.

“Ace…” He begins, hesitantly. “Does the name Heitr mean something to you?”

His black haired twin winces almost immediately, a hand coming up to clutch at his head. “It was…is it my…my name? And you're Deirys!” 

Ace jumped up and touched Sabo's neck where he remembered Deirys had died of an arrow wound. 

Sabo lets him inspect it to his heart's content before he speaks again. “And Luffy's Nika.” Ace's eyes snap up at him in recognition of the name. Their little brother in all their lives.

“I don't think he ever died.” Sabo continues somberly. “He fought for a long time against Imu and when he couldn't anymore, he did…something and went to sleep.”

Ace interrupts his recounting with a few words that seem like a suckerpunch to the stomach. “Oh…that's why Luffy doesn't like to be alone…” 

That's right, is the realisation that comes, their baby brother had seen them and all of their friends die one by one, leaving him alone. 

Ace and Sabo share a look, coming to a mutual agreement to spoil their baby brother rotten, before Sabo continues talking.

“When Luffy found Raftel, all of the Old Gods began stirring. That's why we remember being the moon and stars. The devil fruits hold fragments of our soul. After you died, I ate the Mera-Mera. It's not my soul but we are twins and we were born of the same energy. We have enough of each other that your memories of us started bleeding through to me. I guess it's because the mera-mera held enough of your soul too that you remember. You were technically on that Island when Luffy chose his allies to come back in time.”

“Huh...” Divinity is always a complicated matter to contend with, sometimes it has solid rules while other the way things happen are impossible to explain. Maybe things would make more sense if they had their entire souls…

…now that's an idea. “Heitr.” He says urgently, “Call your soul to you.” Deirys closes his eyes to do the same, not waiting to see if his twin understood.

Because since remembering, Deirys knows which fruit is his and recalling whose hands it had fallen in the last time makes him shudder. There will never be an opportunity for that to happen this time, thank you very much. 

He opens his eyes just in time to see the Yami-Yami No Mi bloom from a nearby tree. Next to it is an orange fruit he recalls once having eaten. The fruit still feels familiar to him but knowing what he does now, he recognises that it's because it's his twin's soul. His own fruit feels much more enticing. 

Sabo knows the reputation of his fruit, knows that it's been called ‘The Most Evil Devil Fruit’ but that's only because no one who can handle his fruit has been born yet. While his brothers leave hope and freedom in their wake, Deirys leaves peace but mortals have short memories and are so easy to forget that Gods live in extremes. 

While people might think that peace is enviable, most aren't quite able to deal with everything that it entails. Because this world is far from peaceful and Deirys felt all of it. 

He was born as the moon after all. 

The moon, that for all its known for shining bright in the night, is actually dark, and only glows because he reflects back the light of his brothers. 

The moon which is connected to the primordial entity that is the ocean, sharing their domain, as he controls the ebb and flow of tides. 

Deirys could control the darkness, affect gravity and inspire peace in people as much as he could do the opposite. All that he entailed was difficult for a mortal to handle.

People have always underestimated the moon but Deirys, Heitr and Nika have always been some of the most powerful Gods out there for a reason. Their powers have never been so easy to control. 

Had someone other than him or Luffy eaten the Mera-Mera, they would have been unable to control that power too. 

Heitr was the Stars after all. He was hope incarnate, inspiring lost souls and guiding them to the right path. He shared his domain too with the elemental primordials by lending them his strength to ensure their continued existence and with Edis as the dead who did not enter the cycle of reincarnation took their place among his constellations. 

Sabo turned to look at his brother to see him already staring back. “Ready?” 

“Like I was born for this.” He joked and tacitly they both reached for their fruits at the same time and took a bite. 

It didn't matter if it was his fruit or not the taste was still vile but Sabo continued to eat it and with each bite, he felt a bit more like Deirys. Long forgotten memories started taking their place in his mind and he felt his divinity coming back, his connection to the moon and tides easing back in place. 

An indeterminate amount of time later, he realised that at some point he had sat down and closed his eyes, his brother having done much the same. 

If he concentrated, somewhere to the North he can feel the distant presence of Edis, to the West was Vernos, to the South is Xehvoc. Further away, he can faintly sense Eira and much closer to him, he can feel Lyna and Nika. 

As soon as the thought passes his mind, a wave washes over him. A glance at his brother shows that he is feeling the same thing. It feels like freedom and joy and warmth. It feels like their little brother is welcoming them back home. 

Ace grins at him, his voice dripping with fondness. “Let's go find our little sun, shall we?” 

And really, how can Sabo turn down such a tempting invitation?

°•○•°•●•°•○•°

“Thank you for loving me.”

Ace remembers dying. He remembers his last words to his little brother as he broke their promise. He does not expect to see the sunshine of a little brother again. 

But contrary to expectations, Ace wakes up again. 

He wakes up to an alive Sabo and a tale so ludicrous he has no choice but to believe it's true. Of course , Luffy would create a miracle like this. 

Even then, he only half believes it until Sabo says that name, his name and memories come rushing back to him. 

They're incomplete at first, Ace can make out that much. He can only remember his identity and his brothers. He also has vague memories of what happened after he died. It takes a few seconds for him to realise that it's because he's seeing what Sabo had seen - what the part of his soul that resided in the mera-mera had seen through his twin's eyes. (And what a relief it was that Sabo was the one who ate his fruit.)

His memories are incomplete until they aren't. Sabo has the brilliant idea to call their fruits to them and they eat it. 

((Ace sees the familiar fruit in his twin's hand and his murderous intent towards a certain traitor D intensifies. How dare he? How dare he take his brother's fruit - his brother's soul - and taint it with his slimy presence!? Heitr will make him pay.))

If possible, his devil fruit tastes even worse than he remembers. But it's worth it because as soon as he does, he feels a familiar power surge through him. It's a similar feeling to the first time he ate the fruit but it's also so much more because he can feel his threads of divinity and the presence of his domains. 

He is also assailed with memories of their first life and oh , they've put their little brother through hell, haven't they? Nothing they do is ever going to be able to make it up to him for the crime of having him watch them die leaving him all alone.

Nika seems to sense them in turn because he spikes his presence towards them. It fills him up with warmth and joy and makes him feel free . He knows it's his little brother's way of saying hello.

Suddenly, Ace wants nothing more than to find Luffy and hug him for the next week maybe. 

Sabo seems to share his thoughts because they make quick work of getting to the village and bursting into Makino's bar. 

“Luffy!” 

“Ace! Sabo!” A sticky little boy slingshots into them and Ace's head rings as he hits the ground but it doesn't matter because his baby brother is in his arms sobbing something incomprehensible. All he wants to do at this moment is take Luffy - take Nika - away and hide him from this world that had hurt him so much. 

By now, he knows that the three of them are hopelessly tangled up on the floor as Luffy's arms continue to wrap around them. “Sorry, sorry Luffy. I love you.” His little brother sobs harder at his words and Ace doesn't know when he, himself started crying but there his cheeks are wet. 

Luffy's body shakes with the force of his sobs and he can feel Sabo shaking beside him too. It's so comforting to have both of his brothers here with him, and it's so terrible that they, especially their youngest, had to go through such a tragedy. But at this moment, everything is perfect and Ace never wants this moment to pass. 

“I'm really, really sorry I broke our promise Luffy.” Because now that Ace understands why Luffy hates to be alone, it is so much more devastating. So he apologises, even if he must sound like a broken record at this point. 

“Shishishi, Ace doesn't have to apologise.” His little brother finally manages to say in between sobs and Ace is out to refute him and explain when he continues speaking. “I already got even with him.” 

This makes him pause because Nika's idea of payback has always been…interesting if not extreme. Before he can ask, his brother satiates his curiosity. “I stole your boyfriend. Yamato's on my crew now.” He even speaks proudly, the little shit.

“You-you-” Ace splutters, feeling heat rush to his cheeks. Yamato and him had never…became…boyfriends. There had been something there but they had both known that it wasn't the time to start anything yet. But if Luffy knew then…that meant…Yamato talked about him?

“Ace needs to visit often if he wants to see his boyfriend.” Luffy continues self-righteously heedless of his brother slowly melting into a puddle. Next to him, Sabo's sobs has turned into laughter.

Ace can't even be mad they're making fun of him. He's glad Yamato and Luffy had each other after and he's not about to turn down an excuse to visit his little brother more often. Maybe, they can drag Sabo along and make it into regular brotherly meetings. 

Maybe, it's his connection to his domain that fills him with hope for the future or maybe it's his brothers’ warmth seeping into him but Ace feels so content at this moment. 

Third time's the charm after all so perhaps, they'll make it this time. They'll live happily ever after together and they won't ever let anything tear them apart again, Heitr will make sure of it.

Chapter Text

Banchina isn't quite sure what's going on anymore. Well, she does know technically because her husband gave her an explanation but Banchina isn't sure if she can believe this outrageous story.

Banchina does not want to believe it at least, but despite herself, the signs point towards it being true. 

First, there was the fact that Yasopp was back. When she had first seen him, she wondered for a second if this was it, if her sickness had progressed far enough that she was hallucinating. But no, her Yasopp was there and he seemed heartbroken at her state. 

Then came Usopp. Her little boy, who had changed so much recently. He seemed to have grown up overnight, no longer running through the village, calling that pirates were coming. Instead, he sulked around the house, doing chores like cooking and preparing her medicine with much more skill Banchina had known him capable of and whenever she wanted to question him, he seemed to conveniently disappear. 

When he had seen his father, Usopp hadn't reacted like she expected. He seemed to have already known that Yasopp would come and the way he had basically ordered them to get her caught up on everything and meet him at the ship all while avoiding her eyes…it was so unlike her sweet, shy son. 

It was enough for her to not completely disbelieve Yasopp's story. 

In the next few days, more and more things happen to lend credence to his tale. 

To begin with, there's the fact that Yasopp had been entrusted with a bounty poster for their son. One that Usopp had wasted no time to give to Kaya's parents. Apparently their newest butler had been a dangerous presumed dead pirate. Further examination by Hongo showed that they were being slowly poisoned by him. There was no reason for Usopp to have known all of that. 

Then, when they finally took to sea, Usopp seemed to take to ship life like someone who had been at it for years. Banchina would know, she had done her fair share of travels before she had gotten pregnant. 

The Red-Haired pirates seemed sympathetic to whatever her son was going through - she didn't know what because he would not talk to her - because they indulged him by letting him help around and…Usopp was good at whatever he was helping with. 

Banchina almost had a heart attack the first time she had seen him in the rigging but he handled himself and the rigging like someone who had done it a thousand times. 

Then, there was the blonde kid they had picked up on a rock on the way. Because somehow they had known they had known there were two people stranded in that specific place.

Banchina didn't like him and no, it had nothing to do with the fact that Usopp had thrown himself off the side of the ship to get to him and that he had spent the next hour crying, while refusing to let go. Nor did it have anything to do with the fact Usopp had seemed noticeably more relaxed by the kid's side and - how had she not noticed that he was tense before? Nor did it have anything to do with the fact that he made stupidly good food, better than anything Banchina could ever come up with and still complained about his skills to her son who was happily acting as his sous chef and tasting his dishes. 

It certainly had nothing to do with the fact that Usopp still refused to talk more than a few words to her, definitely not. 

Things took a turn when they were attacked by some rookies who didn't even recognise the pirates they had decided to attack. To their credit though, none of them had noticed their approach until they were under attack. 

By then, it had been too late for Banchina to retreat below deck and Yasopp kept her to his back as he took out any stragglers with his gun. 

The blond kid seemed to be faring well too. He remained on the outskirts of the fight, only responding to the few that dared to bring the fight to him but even Banchina could see that he was doing damage, leaving broken bones in his wake. 

Usopp was behind him, thankfully, just - wait… was that a gun? Why did Usopp have a gun? Where did he even get a gun? And how was he shooting with so much accuracy??? 

Because much like Yasopp was doing, Usopp was also shooting people and they seemed to be going down after one shot. What in God's name? What?

Maybe some of her hysterical mumblings were heard because Yasopp turned to look at her and then followed her gaze to their son. 

“Huh…so he can use a gun. I almost thought he couldn't.”

And Banchina couldn’t help herself. “What the fuck Yasopp? Why are you not surprised at our baby killing people?”  

Her husband had enough awareness to look apologetic even though she could also see the pitying look he had in his eyes. She didn't want his pity, she wanted her baby back!  

“He's been a pirate for a long time Banchina. He even had a higher bounty than me.” And that was news, she repeated, what the fuck? “But if it makes you feel better, he's not killing them off right now, he's aiming at their nerves, just cutting off their ability to fight.”

That did not particularly make her feel better since she could guess the amount of skill that that would require. Killing was easy, incapacitating non-lethally was much harder. 

After the short battle, Usopp did not seem rattled at all. In fact, he tossed the gun back to his father when he questioned where he had gotten a gun, telling him that he had dropped it. They all knew that was horseshit, a sniper would never treat his weapon so carelessly which meant that Usopp had stolen it and they hadn't noticed.

Banchina was starting to believe that her husband’s tale was not so far fetched as she once believed. She didn't quite know what to do with that and so began her turn to start avoiding her son. 

When they finally reached Drum island, only to meet a talking reindeer who also somehow knew her son and the blonde kid, she was at her limit. Not to mention, that the reindeer who was also a doctor apparently, had managed to make a cure even Hongo had not thought of. 

Banchina gave up and admitted the truth. Her little boy was gone and in his place stood this strange young man whose eyes were hardened and who looked at her like she was a ghost. 

He was still her son but Banchina strangely felt like mourning him. Things would never be able to go back to how it was before. 

Her baby was gone.

°•○•°°•●•°•○•°

Corazon Rosinante does not know what the fuck is happening and he is very stressed. This is important because he has been very stressed for a very long time and it is only now that he is feeling the need to state this out loud. 

And in fact, the irony is that what is stressing him out is that his stressors are getting away from him. 

Even a week ago, Coraz Rosinante had been stressed about many things. Law was getting closer and closer to dying everyday, no doctors agreed to treat him, he was on the run from his brother, he was on the run from the marines and he was no closer to finding the Op-Op no mi. 

A week later, Law has somehow acquired the fruit and seems to already exercise perfect mastery over it and they are both secreted away on an island, with no traces left behind. Law even seems to have made friends with a polar bear mink and two other boys. Moreover, he appears to be negotiating with an old man about getting a submarine. 

Since when is Law so friendly? And how had he known that Vergo was a traitor? And, and how did he steal a ship and know to come to this island? Where did he even find the fruit? Why a submarine of all things? He has so many questions. 

Things are going well, too well and Cora Rosinante is very very stressed because things never go this well. 

But he can still cope with all of this. After all, Law is a very smart boy and maybe getting close to death or overhearing Vergo - if that's what actually happened, Law refuses to tell him - being a traitor made him go on the defensive. Maybe even that now that the Amber lead was out of his system, Law could think even clearer. What does Co Rosinante know? He isn't a doctor, he does not know the side effects of that poison. 

At least, he can tell that Law seems to have found a purpose to live again. That's more than enough to keep him happy for now.

However, it turns out that he is very very wrong. He is not prepared to find out what was actually happening. Oh no . 

It is an ordinary day, while he and Law are having lunch when a little white haired boy pops out of nowhere with an unfamiliar shriek of “Ediiiiiiss.”

The white being slams into Law and they go tumbling onto the floor. Corazon Rosinante is up in a second and aims his gun at the thing that is possibly attacking Law. 

Before he can do anything however, Law speaks up in a panicked voice. “Wait Cora-san!” He flinches despite himself. “Don't shoot, I know him.” 

Corazon! Corazon! Rosinante lowers his gum but he leaves his finger on the trigger just in case. 

Law sighs in relief while the other boy somehow remains oblivious to their exchange, still hugging Law. 

Corazon Rosinante takes  the opportunity to study him. He really doesn't look human, in fact, he almost looks otherworldly even though his appearance is that of a little boy. Something doesn't quite seem right about him and the longer Rosinante looks, the more, he feels like he hears drums in his ears and he feels…lighter. Not to speak about the hagoromo cloud around his shoulder. 

Whatever that boy is, he definitely is not human. Moreover, didn't Law call him Nika? And hadn't he called Law Edis? Those names remind him of something.

“Nika-ya,” Law chides as he gently pushes the boy away, “what are you doing here? Didn't we agree not to meet yet?”

And what? They had plans to meet? This is Coraz Rosinante's first time hearing about this. He starts to pay more attention to their conversation. 

The boy pulls away so fast a breeze literally appears. Again what? “Right, right I have something super duper important to tell you before I vanish again.”

“You know last time I wasn't trapped in sleep like you guys were right, I could wake up if I wanted to.”

“Yes, but you couldn't tap into this form because your body was not ready to hold all of…you yet. It would cut off your access to this part of you as well, until you were replenished and strong enough.”

The boy offers a sheepish grin. “Weeeellll, I used it once before.”

“Luffy-ya!” Law scolds. “That could have been dangerous.”

“But I had a good reason, I promise!”

His ward looks completely done but also completely used to this, which is…intriguing. “Fine, then let's hear it.”

The ever present smile on the younger boy's face slips away and it feels strangely wrong without it. When he speaks again, he seems serious unlike before and is almost gentle in his mannerism. 

“You know how mine and Eira's domains are interconnected?”

Law's face immediately pales two shades whiter but he gives a brisk nod. “Back then, I felt her life-force fading, so I went to find her but she was…already badly hurt. So I put her in stasis until she was strong enough to heal herself.”

There are tears streaking down his son's face at this point and Rosinante can't understand why; he can't even understand what the hell they are talking about. 

“Last time around, she should have woken up in a few years but I was…so spent from that one excursion that I don't know what happened to her.”

The boy brings his hands up to cup Law's face and touches their foreheads together. Rosinante doesn't think either of them notices that Nika's form seems to be becoming more and more translucent. “But right now, Eira is still alive and she's going to wake up soon. You need to go find her Edis. ”

His son uncharacteristically pulls the other in a hug of his own. “ Thank you Nika-ya.”

“Shishishishi, it's okay. I love Eira very much too. Oh, nii-chan is pulling me back now. Bye Torao, bye not-Cora-.” 

Just in time, the boy vanishes in thin air, much like the way he had appeared leaving nothing but a dumbstruck Law to prove that he had ever been there. 

“Why did he call you not-Cora?” Law asks and Rosinante wants to protest because he's the one who has questions right now okay? 

But the observant little shit does not give him the chance to say anything as he continues speaking. “Do you not like being called that? You flinch sometimes, I call you that. I can call you something else if you want.”

Rosinante does not answer. He rather thinks Law knows the answer anyways. Instead he decides that it's high time he gets some of his own answers. “Law, you've been acting strangely lately. I think I deserve an explanation of my own.” 

Because despite everything strange, that's still his Law, he's sure of it.

There is a pause while his son ward offers him a measured look. “You once told me that the D. In my name was very dangerous but do you know the meaning of it?”

Cor Rosinante does not but he does not have the opportunity to say so as Law continues speaking. “The D. stands for Divine.” 

His brain decides that this is a wonderful time to remind him where he had heard those names before. Nika, Edis and Eira were all names of the old Gods, though he can't quite recall what their domains were. 

Some of his realisation must show on his face because Law is looking at him knowingly and fuck, he needs a cigarette. 

He has a feeling that this is going to be a long conversation. 

°•○•°°•●•°•○•°

Koushiro is a learned man but at this moment, he feels rather lost on what's happening to his children. 

One day Zoro and Kuina had returned from their sparring matches in the forest and they were just…different. Had it been simply renewed determination or ignited ambition, Koushiro would not have paid it much mind but no…his kids seemed to have irrevocably and vastly changed and Koushiro cannot think of anything that could have changed them so much in such a short amount of time. However, the changes cannot be denied. 

Zoro is more...calm. when before, he had been a spitfire of a child, he thinks, recalling when the boy had burst into the dojo and challenged him to a fight or the times he had thrown his training swords onto the floor after losing a match against Kuina. But now, Zoro feels…centred, like he knows exactly who he is and isn't looking to prove himself any longer. Strangely, he reminds Koushiro of a drowsy tiger. Worryingly though, he seems to have lost his grin, only rarely smiling and only at his daughter who he gazes at like she is a miracle. 

Kuina, on the other hand, seems to be more confident. Koushiro knows his daughter and for all of the arrogance she shows, he knows that she is deeply insecure. He's aware that this is something that is probably caused by his words but he does not regret it; the sooner her foolish notion of becoming the world's greatest swordsman as a woman is destroyed the better. But whatever happened seems to have stripped all and any hesitation from her bones leaving behind only determination. Where his adopted son reminds him of a lazy tiger, his daughter reminds him of an unsheathed blade most days. She worries him too in the way her edges seem to have become sharper to everyone but her sworn brother who she looks at with something like admiration now. She doesn't even have the patience for him these days. 

It made him think back to his late wife's words. Maybe Kuina could be a great swordswoman even though she would never be the greatest. 

There are new things they have in common too. Sometimes, he'll catch them talking about people he does not know - which should be impossible because Koushiro knows everyone in the village - and other times, he'll find them, with their faces tilted towards the sun with their eyes closed, a peaceful expression on them. Each time, he feels like he is intruding on something deeply personal. 

Their training sessions have increased as well. If Koushiro thought that before they were fanatic about training, he had not seen anything yet. These days, they train until someone - most of the time, him or his father - has to go fetch them from the mountains. 

His father had been intrigued the first time Koushiro had requested he fetch them. Unlike his expectations, they had not been sparring but had each taken a part of the clearing and were going through katas. “Like relearning how to walk,” had been his father's commentary on the matter. Koushiro had dismissed it as another one of his father's cryptic comments. Soon after, they had started sparring with each other again anyways. 

And if all this was not enough, they both seem to be improving at a frighteningly fast pace. Koushiro did not have the time to fetch them everyday so he only saw the results of their training intermittently which made it so much more stark. Watching them spar is like watching a fish swimming in the water. They do it like they had done it for years, coming up with moves on the spot and moving so fast that any untrained person would not be able to keep track of their moves. 

Soon enough, Koushiro thinks, they might even be able to defeat him. 

Surprisingly though, they seem to be evenly matched. He hadn't known that Zoro had reached Kuina's level yet. Every match of theirs he observes ends in a draw even as they both grow more skilled each time.

This proves his point though - girls would never be able to match boys. Zoro must have started puberty and Kuina was unable to keep her place as winner. They are drawing for now, but for how long would that last? Maybe, his stubborn daughter would listen to his words this time.

However, Koushiro quickly finds out that he is very wrong to think that when he says as much to Kuina. Her response surprises him though.

“Maybe, your words are true. There are differences between men and women after all but that does not mean I can't beat them. If I can't be stronger, then I can just be smarter. Vice-Admiral Tsuru who is said to be equal with Vice-Admiral Garp is a woman. Charlotte Linin, one of the four emperors of the sea, is a woman, one who also wields a sword at that. Perhaps I will be defeated one day or perhaps I will hit a wall I can't surpass as you say. But that hasn't happened yet. Maybe I won't be able to become the world's greatest swordsman  but I will decide when to give up.”

She stood up to take Wado Ichimonji from its place and drew the sword, slicing her hand on it. Koushiro raised his voice to protest but he was summarily ignored. Kuina looks at him defiantly, as she declares her ambition. “I will carve my name in history as a swordswoman who can rival the strongest people to ever grace this earth.”

Her voice rang with power and surety. Koushiro found it very hard to refuse her. He hadn't figured out what to say yet when she took the choice out of his hands. 

“You are so concerned about puberty holding me back, aren't you? So this is my proposal. When I reach thirteen years old, I will challenge you and when I win, you won't be allowed to object to any of my decisions.”

“And if you lose?” He forced himself to ask. 

“I won't lose.” She said confidently. “But if I do, I will challenge you each year until I win and then I will take my destiny in my own hands.”

Her words were suffused with something Koushiro did not know but it made him believe that her words would be true. Ryou a small voice in the back of his head said but it couldn't be possible, could it? Even he himself didn't have ryou after so many years of training. 

Koushiro dragged his attention back to his daughter. She still held Wado Ichimonji in her hand and the sword seemed to fit in her hand in a way it never had in his. Its spirit seemed calm as well. It made him feel better about what he was going to say, despite his hangups. 

“I accept your terms.”

Koushiro looked at his daughter and for the first time, he hoped that she would prove his previous words to be wrong. 

Chapter Text

Time is like a river, it flows on the carved path until the riverbed erodes and a new tributary is formed. This new path may have a very short life and eventually taper off into a dry brook or it may fight against its obstacles and carve itself its place in the earth.

No one would accuse Gods of being of the former kind though one might wonder if someone who always has power at their fingertips would know how to struggle to build their own path.

But what are Gods actually? Some describe them as merciful and just, others as merciless and greedy. The truth of their nature is unknown. Perhaps it is neither and they are distant beings or perhaps it is both as they feel things to the extreme. The only thing that is certain is that they are long-lived entities who have witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties, the best and worst of people. It is only normal then that they keep those lessons close to heart.

What would happen now if the Gods were betrayed? If they died and then got a chance to live again, to avenge their deaths? What would they do? In fact, there is no one answer for that because different Gods would do different things and most probably then, the world would fall into chaos as it tries to keep up with the warring Gods.

But what if there was one God responsible for their return? One God, who they were all grateful for and it just so happens that this one God was the only one who never died and therefore the only one who retained all his power. What then? 

Let me tell you then dear readers what would happen. The other Gods would sit back and follow that one God’s lead. They will let him decide how to shape the world and in turn they will just lend him their strength. And perhaps, they will recognise the loneliness he has lived through during this long endless time and they will offer him a gift to show their gratefulness.

Some souls are bound together. They will find each other in each reincarnation. It is not a surprise then that such a brilliant God would find the same souls to keep as nakama and entrust his back to in different lives. 

When the other Gods had been dead, the last God only had these brave souls by his side. Then wouldn’t it be a fitting gift to let these souls remember their time together just like the God they rally around does?

This is why, one night as the moon shines brightly, not too long after time was rewound, a certain group of individuals start having dreams of past lives spent in the company of a man they now know by a different name - not that they don’t know his other names. 

This knowledge proves to be a strength because as the wise have once said: Knowledge is Power. These souls were already exceptional to begin with but now that they knew what all they were capable of in this life and others, their growth, their path to the top could not be stopped. Day by day, they start to grow more powerful.

The souls were definitely the kind to fight their way through all the barriers standing between them and their goal. This is why, eons after, the names of these souls would become known as the first beings who were not born divine but instead became so powerful during their time alive that they achieved immortality. 

But there’s still a long time before then. For now, we should get back to our story.

Chapter Text

Why is it that when you are doing something you love, time passes by so fast but when you are waiting for something impatiently, days seem to go by so slowly.

Luffy has experienced both things before, but this might be the first time he is experiencing both at the same time. He loves, loves, LOVES having his brothers back with him, spending all their time together and he does not look forward to the time when each of them will have to go their own way again. But at the same time, he misses his crew, his nakama who has been with him at his loneliness and he couldn’t wait until they are all reunited again. It will be awesome and they will all be stronger than ever, he just knows it!

The only thing that keeps him from using his powers to go visit them is that they talk to him everyday. Some of them sit by the sunrise and tell him their plans for the days, others watch the sunset and recount how their day went by and yet others just murmur a comment in passing, like Luffy is right by their side doing whatever they are doing with them.

Luffy loves it! Luffy loves them. He is so lucky to have nakama who knows him so well that they take the time just to talk to him even though if anyone sees them, they would think them crazy.

When Luffy had made the plan, they had all decided that it would be too dangerous to meet when they were younger since chaos had a tendency to follow them and it would surely attract notice that they were not ready to deal with yet. He grudgingly admitted that Imu was annoyingly perceptive. The safest plan of action would have been to wait until Luffy was 17 like in the first timeline but Luffy had vehemently objected, not wanting to be apart from his brother AND his crew for two more years. 

So they had agreed then that they would meet up when Luffy was 15. If by that time, they were strong enough, then they would head to Wano to beat up Kaido. If they were not, then they would lay low until they were ready to make a grand entrance into the world..

((Well, that was the official plan but none of his nakama doubted that they would be strong enough to take down Kaido when they set sail. HA! The strongest pirate in the world taken down by a crew led by a teenager! The world wouldn’t know what hit them! Shishishishishishi :D Luffy wonders how high of a starting bounty they’ll all get this time.))

And they weren’t wrong to think so because Luffy can sense their presence growing stronger everyday. Luffy is so proud. 

For the most part, things are going according to plan. Except when they don’t - like when Luffy had tagged along with Sabo and his dad to the revolutionary base and met Robin and Brook; or when Jinbei had swum over to Dawn Island for a visit with Nami; or when he had popped over Shimotsuki village to talk to Zoro and Kuina because she wanted to talk to him (She had been in his sword and on all of their adventures with them, how cool! This totally meant that she was part of the crew already, Luffy doesn’t know why she had to ask something so obvious); or when he and Ace had visited Wano because he missed Yamato and it wasn’t fair that he was all alone; or when Marco had called him and he had to go help out to deal with that traitor Teach; or when he had gone to keep Eira company and make her stronger until Edis got there; or when he went to see Franky to decide what figurehead their new ship would have; or to attend one of Brook’s concerts; or…or…or…

Okay, so maybe Luffy hasn’t done a good job staying in place and not interfering. But in his defence, he isn’t the only one! And he has still done a good job because the world government still does not know he exists okay!

Moreover, Luffy is strong! Much stronger than he had been at this age last time since he had access to his divine powers now, much stronger than any of the other Gods anyways. Okay, maybe they are depleted from time travelling but the best way to get it up fast is to spend a lot of time with the other Gods and he couldn’t do that if he stayed on Dawn! Everything there is too weak for him anyways and if he wants to get stronger, he needs challengers like that Earlobes guy he punched again last week - Luffy does not understand how anyone could have thought he was a God hmph.

But still, things are going well and Luffy isn’t bored because he keeps finding things to do. He makes the sun rise and fall everyday and time passes. 

Soon, he’ll see his nakama again! He can’t wait. 

Chapter Text

Three months before Luffy’s fifteenth birthday, Yamato shows up at Water 7 on a boat completely made up of minks and follows the sound of laughter only he can hear to find a fellow crewmate. When the laughter stops and he finds his destination, she is surprised to see that the cyborg isn’t the only one he knows.

“Robin! Brook! Franky!”

The three in question turn to him, equally if not more surprised to see him. “Yamato!” 

Only after the greeting hugs are done, that they ask him. “I thought we were going to come to Wano to you? It is unexpected that you are here instead.”

“Ahhhh Luffy came to visit me a few years ago. I was sloppy and Kaido discovered that I was alive.” He grinned sheepishly. “After that it was pretty difficult to stay in Wano and actually get things done. My staying there was more harmful to everything we were building so Luffy took me away to Zou and we decided that I would meet back up with you guys when it was time.” Yamato beams and the rest could not help but beam back, the boy is so full of energy and so similar to their Captain in some ways. It is hard not to love him.

“And that idiot Captain decided that it was a good idea not to tell us, what if we had left without you?” Franky’s voice is fond even as he complained and the rest can’t help but laugh. 

Luffy isn’t even here yet but they all feel the same thrumming excitement that comes before he’s about to drag them in some crazy adventure. And in some sense, that feeling is not wrong, because they are about to embark on a grand adventure spanning several lifetimes. Not yet though, not when most of their nakama are still missing. Well nothing to do but to go pick them up!

“Let’s set sail!”

~

Their next stop is at Alabasta to pick up a certain Princess. Like last time, Vivi will not be able to join them for all their adventures, a greater responsibility calling her name. But it is only fair that she is there to welcome their Captain back on the seas. She will allow herself this much before she has to go back and become Princess Nefertari D. Vivi of Alabasta Kingdom again.

Besides, it’s not like she’s going to be idle. The time spent with her crew will be used to plan how to gather the other allies they have among nobility and how to systematically start to take down the Celestial Dragons. Vivi knows that her crew is more than capable of taking care of the Gorosei themselves but the aftermath will be for her to deal with and she is not going to disappoint.

They will take the world by storm and destroy it so that they can rebuild a better one upon its ashes.

For now though, Vivi settles back within the crew, getting to know these people she had not had the chance to last time. Brook is so talented and she can understand Luffy’s insistence on getting a musician last time because his music never fails to draw her in. Franky is funny and a genius and the ship he built is a work of art (She does not cry when she realises that there is a space kept aside for her on the ship). Robin and her have settled in a somber sort of understanding and have a friendship where they share the feeling of knowing too much. Yamato and her get along great as well, both understanding what it means to have to stay away from the crew - though Yamato is lucky not to have to do that again in this life but she does not begrudge him for it, knowing that their childhoods were much different.

She can’t wait to see the others again!

~

They briefly stop by Drum Island to pick up Chopper and they all smile when their departure is greeted by a shower of pink sakura blossoms, having heard the story in passing at least once and therefore knowing what it means to their youngest. 

Thankfully, Wapol had not been an issue, having been taken care of by a certain reindeer years ago. 

Chopper also informs them that Sanji and Usopp often stop by when the Baratie comes this way. Usopp apparently has been constantly hopping between Drum, the Baratie and Cocoyashi after Banchina had decided to travel with Yasopp. And wasn’t that a surprise? Those who knew how he felt about his parents made a mental note to talk to him about how he felt about this when they had the opportunity. Thankfully, Usopp had had his nakama with him during this time.

Finding the Baratie had not been difficult as Sanji had left coordinates with Chopper, in anticipation of their meeting. Usopp had greeted them all with hugs and Sanji had done the same, adding a kiss on the hand for Robin and Vivi. Unlike last time, Zeff sent him off with his full blessings and dry eyes, knowing that only greatness awaited his son. The kids would be alright with their crew. 

~

They were surprised at first when they found both JImbei and Nami at Cocoyashi but it made sense when they thought about it. Jimbei had refused to meet them at Water 7, saying that he would catch up with them on the way. They all knew that Jimbei had taken care of Arlong so it should not have been a surprise that he had used that incident as an excuse to visit Nami frequently.

Nami’s leaving was met with half support and half skepticism. None of the villagers forgot what Nami had been through for them and they all knew that after having gone through what she had, there was no way that she would live a normal life. And from the many times Jimbei had visited, they knew him as well and trusted him but they didn’t quite know what to do with this crew that came out of nowhere? Wasn’t Jimbei a Captain so why was he joining another crew?

Nevertheless, Nojiko bid his sister farewell after instructing Jimbei to watch over her.

~

Shimotsuki Village was a surprise to everyone but Yamato in how much it resembled Wano. What was also a surprise was the way their first mate came aboard with a girl that looked eerily similar to the marine Tashigi announcing that she was joining the crew.

All too used to the way Zoro was, they badgered him for an explanation until finally it was the girl - Kuina, and oh hadn’t they all heard that name at some point even if they didn’t quite know the entire story behind it? - answered their queries.

She bowed in the traditional way Samurais did before introducing herself, “I am Shimotsuki Kuina. Zoro is my sworn brother. Last time, I died when I was still young and Zoro carried Wado Ichimonji in my name to fulfill our dream of becoming the World’s Greatest Swordsman. My spirit was attached to the sword so I already know all of you even if you do not know me. Luffy said that means I’m already part of the crew.”

Well, if Luffy had given their permission, then who were they to deny him. Their Captain wasn’t wrong to say that Kuina had been part of the crew if her spirit had been around - even longer than them all even if she had joined along with Zoro. “Besides, we could use some more estrogen on this ship.” Nami added to the twin chuckles of Robin and Kuina. 

((If there was a badly hidden man watching them from behind the nearest trees, then they followed the sworn siblings’ lead and ignored it until when they set sail again and they both bowed in that direction.))

“Ah but if your sister carries Wado Ichimonji in this life, you’ll have to find another sword in this life no, Swordsman-san?” Robin asks, eying the swords at Zoro’s hip in curiosity.

The green-haired man grinned, “There’s an old man in this village. He’s the one who forged Enma and Sandai Kitetsu. This time, he forged me swords that were mine from the beginning.” He lifted his blades, introducing them to his crew. “This is Kogarasu Maru, Onimaru Kunistuna and Juuchi Yosamu.” 

The blades were all black, which was telling of the level he had achieved. None of them were surprised though, Zoro was their first-mate and the World’s Greatest Swordsman, just like in another life, he had been the King of Hell. 

“Well, let’s go. Our Captain is waiting.”

~ 

They pick up Koby on the way, the pinkette having been the one to track them all down, having hitched a ride with on a fishing vessel of all things. 

He’s accompanied by a man who looks very much like the person he will one day grow up to be and two women who share his hair colour - most probably they were his family. He bids them goodbye with a hug each before he simply jumps over to their ship. Some of them wonder what he told him for them to seem so okay about the idea of their son joining a pirate ship.

Once all reunited, the Strawhats take a moment to just look at each other, seeing them as they currently were and remembering what they were in different lifetimes. It feels so right to have them all here, together again. There’s one person missing though and the next destination is to find him.

~ 

On Luffy’s fifteenth birthday, he wakes up knowing that his wait is over. He bids farewell to Dadan and the bandits and makes his way to Foosha where Makino wishes him happy birthday before also saying goodbye and waving him off with her blessings. 

Luffy makes his way to the beach, the sound of freedom beating in his ears, when he spots a familiar figurehead approaching - an elephant in tribute to an old comrade who still walks this Earth but who has done so alone for so long. The Eternal Liberty is a brigantine, easily thrice the size of the Thousand Sunny but Luffy knows she is as if not faster than her predecessor and she is beautiful.

But more than everything, she is home, carrying his nakama to him. NIka can sense their presence coming closer, all as excited as he is and Luffy really can’t wait anymore. 

He grabs two trees and prepares himself. “ Gum gum slingshot!”

He overshoots and lands in the ocean. It doesn't really matter anymore because the ocean greets him with familiarity, wishing him well on his voyage as she pushes him to the surface. Zoro jumps after him anyways and drags him onboard where he is greeted with laughter and fond rebukes. 

Luffy laughs and laughs even as he stretches his arms long enough to be able to pull everyone in a hug at the same time. He is so so so so so happy that he thinks that everyone in the world must be able to feel it.

This is going to be the most fun ever!