Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Crocus had lived a long time. He was confident in the fact that not much could surprise him anymore. Sailing with a man like Roger would guarantee that. Living quietly alongside Laboon at the entrance of the Grand Line, Crocus couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been even taken aback. Yet, today he was at a loss for words. 

The last thing that he expected to see that morning was two buffoons plummeting down the rapids on what could only be described as a few planks barely held together. Maybe it was a respectable raft, once. But now? 

“Idiots,” Crocus muttered, unable to tear his eyes away as he watched with a mixture of disbelief and annoyance. Over the current, he could hear screaming. Or was that laughter? God, he thought he’d left this kind of madness behind with Roger’s crew. If anything was going to ruin his day, it was two idiots drowning on his doorstep. 

Then, Laboon emerged from the water. It was like time slowed down as Crocus watched the raft sail straight into Laboon’s oblivious mouth. This time, it was definitely screaming that he heard. Lord, give him the patience to deal with rookies. 

Rubbing his eyes, he prepared himself to go help the two idiots. If they lived, that is. He could at least point them back in the direction to whatever Blue they came from. From the looks of their raft, they’d have to swim. 

— 

Luffy had never been good with plans. Or thinking ahead. Aside from the fact he knew he needed to go to the Grand Line, he hadn’t thought about how he would get there. Everything always worked out for the best. 

With a bit of luck, everything fell into place. Sure, they’d lost the map that Nami had given them, but Luffy couldn’t read it anyway. And he was pretty sure Zoro wasn’t following it right. She’d told them to look for a mountain that goes up, muttering that it didn’t make sense but that’s what the map said. 

After weeks of drifting aimlessly and eating only fish, they’d finally found it. See, Luffy knew they’d have to go up the mountain to get to the Grand Line. He just hadn’t quite factored in whether or not their raft would survive the trip.

Sure, Rafty had been looking a little worse for wear lately: the walls that Usopp had repaired for them fell off after being rammed into by that Sea Beast, their mast had a hole in it that was patched up by Zoro’s shirt and they’d lost an outer plank or two from the decking. But she’d done the job so far. So why worry? 

It wasn’t until they were hurtling down the other side of Reverse Mountain, that Luffy wondered if they should worry. As quickly as the thought had popped into his head, it was gone as a laugh tore itself from his throat. 

“This is awesome!” Luffy whooped over the roaring of the water as their raft skipped into the air, clinging onto the mast as he glanced at Zoro. Zoro, who was clinging to the other side of the mast, looked at Luffy like he was crazy. 

The raft skipped into the air again, and a plank of wood snapped off, whizzing past them. Luffy blinked, glancing at Zoro for his reaction. 

Zoro shook his head, knuckles white as he held onto the mast. Luffy hummed, glancing at the stretch of mountain they still had left to go. They’d make it. He was sure of it. 

Just as the raft began to level out from its plummet, the water below split. Something was rising from its depths. A shadow surged upward. Massive. Wide. Unstoppable. 

A whale. The biggest whale Luffy had ever seen.

“What the hell?!” Luffy exclaimed. Before either of them could do anything, the whale’s enormous mouth opened, sucking in all the surrounding water. 

Neither of them had any time to stop it as they were pulled into the whale’s mouth as well, darkness consuming them. 

— 

“Let me get this straight, you two imbeciles really thought that scrap of wood was fit for sailing the Grand Line,” Crocus muttered, incredulous. He thought it’d been a mistake at first, maybe. They wouldn’t be the first people he’d met to sail over Reverse Mountain without realising it was the entrance to the Grand Line. 

It’d taken him a moment to recognise the Straw Hat. Could this really be the kid that Shanks had mentioned all those years ago? He supposed someone that shared Roger’s dream would have to be just as foolhardy. But still? This was ridiculous! What could Shanks have seen in this brat? 

“Why not?” Luffy asked, mouth full. Crocus had found them in Laboon’s stomach, with Luffy helping himself to the contents of Crocus’ vacation home’s pantry. Their pathetic excuse for a raft was down to two ugly planks and a soaked Jolly Roger that was currently occupying his neat lawn. This day was awful for his already too high blood pressure. 

Crocus’ gaze flickered over to the boy’s companion, the pirate hunter, Zoro, who was leaning against the wall, arms folded. He met Crocus’ eyes challengingly, stepping in front of Luffy. Crocus suppressed a huff, impressed. 

“And you… I thought you were a pirate hunter,” Crocus accused, narrowing his eyes. He recognised Zoro from the description in the papers. Hadn’t Shanks said Luffy wanted to be a pirate? 

“So?” Zoro challenged. His hand hovered above his three swords as Luffy continued to eat in the background, unbothered. The obnoxious chewing was starting to get on his nerves. 

Shoulders slumping, Crocus shook his head. So much for getting an answer. He still couldn’t believe they were real. Or that they were still alive, somehow. And eating his food. 

Then, Luffy stood, wiping his hands off his shorts. He turned to Crocus. Crocus tensed as a beat passed, bracing himself. Then: 

“Old man, you’re out of food,” Luffy said, licking his lips. Zoro huffed, gaze flickering to Luffy fondly. 

Crocus blanched. “WHAT?!” he exclaimed. The supplies down here were meant to last him months. Beneath the annoyance, he felt a strange sense of nostalgia at the fact it’d been consumed in mere minutes. 

— 

As Luffy painted his Jolly Roger onto Laboon’s scarred head, Crocus hummed. He was beginning to understand what Shanks had seen in the kid all those years ago. 

Crocus cursed beneath his breath, trying to ignore the fondness he felt. Despite himself, he wanted to help the brat out. From the looks of it, the two of them had made it this far by sheer dumb luck. He was so similar to Roger that it hurt. 

Thinking of the extra log pose he had, and his own raft gathering dust inside the lighthouse, Crocus already knew what he was going to do. He’d spent so many years living a quiet life, shooing rookies away from the Grand Line. But now? He was going to throw these two into the depths of it. 

They were still weak, that much was clear, but Crocus had a funny feeling that these two wouldn’t sink. It’d been a long time since he’d believed in anyone to swim. 

Chapter Text

“How does this work again?” Zoro grumbled, frowning down at the log pose on his wrist. He tapped the glass, arrow drifting before snapping back into place. Crocus had explained it to them but navigation had never been Zoro’s strong suit. 

Luffy was still moping, staring at the waters outside Crocus’ much sturdier and spacious raft. Unlike their previous raft, this one actually had a small cabin. “Rafty would’ve made it,” Luffy lamented, flopping onto the deck with a sigh. “She was a good ship.” 

Zoro winced, picturing the two waterlogged planks they’d left laying on Crocus’ lawn. There was no way in hell that those planks would even float, let alone sail. Still, he knew there was no point in voicing those thoughts. At the very least, they still carried Rafty’s Jolly Roger with them, painted by Usopp. 

“Sure,” Zoro agreed, squinting at the horizon. It was clear skies as far as the eye could see. He thought the Grand Line was meant to be more than this. So far, Zoro was disappointed.  

Looking back down at the log pose, Zoro narrowed his eyes. It couldn’t be that hard to figure out. He’d been doing good with the map until that gust of wind had blown it out of Luffy’s slippery fingers. No matter what Luffy had said about them going in circles, he was wrong. 

A beat. 

“Oi, Zoro!” Luffy exclaimed, jumping up, “Is that a thundercloud?!”

Zoro didn’t look up. “No way,” he huffed. It had been clear skies a moment ago. 

Then, a flash of light, followed by a thunderous crack. Zoro’s eyes snapped up. The raft was on fire.

Before Zoro could move to do anything, it was put out. In a matter of seconds, the heavens opened and the ugly floral shirt Zoro had borrowed from Crocus was soaked. 

A sudden gust of wind hurled them forward. Zoro lunged, grabbing onto Luffy, who had tumbled head-first overboard in the sudden jerk. His other hand clung tight to the railing. 

“What the hell?!” Zoro yelled, struggling to keep up with the absurdity of the rapid weather changing. Luffy was out of his mind. Rafty would’ve exploded the second lightning hit. 

—

Thankfully, it didn’t take them long to reach the first island. It came into view the following morning and the rapidly changing weather settled the closer they got. Crocus had said something about the weather being dependent on an island’s climate. 

From the looks of things, they’d ended up at a normal enough island. At least, by Grand Line standards. 

It was extremely windy, sure, Luffy’s hat had flown off his head twice before being grabbed by a rubbery limb. But at the same time, the temperature was perfectly boring. Zoro hoped the island itself would be more exciting. 

“Adventure, Zoro!” Luffy exclaimed, bouncing on his heels as their raft drifted closer to the island, time seeming to slow down as they approached. “I’m so excited!” 

Zoro huffed, smirking. He hoped the island had some stronger opponents than the zeroes they’d been fighting in the East Blue. He needed to get stronger if he was going to beat Mihawk. Their fight at the Baratie had proved that. His still healing scar itched beneath his shirt. 

An eternity and 20 minutes later, they reached the docks of what looked to be a small shipping town. In the centre of town, a clock tower stood tall above all the other buildings, crowned by a brass fish that glinted in the wind. 

Luffy hopped off the boat, peering around the dock. There were a few workers scattered about, but it was remarkably empty. The few people there didn’t even raise their heads at Zoro and Luffy’s arrival. 

Undeterred, Luffy took off running into the town. “Something smells good!” he yelled back at Zoro, already halfway across the dock. 

Zoro made a noise of protest behind him, springing into action to chase after his captain. If there was one thing Zoro was sure of at this point, it was that he didn’t have to go looking for trouble. All he had to do was stick with Luffy. 

They trailed Luffy’s nose through winding cobbled streets and scattered alleys before the plaza finally opened before them. 

Sure enough, Zoro had followed Luffy straight to the centre of town, a cobbled plaza with the clock tower at its centre. Colorful food stalls and game booths surrounded the clock tower. A festival. 

So many different smells and foods that Zoro had never seen before on display. A little boy ran past, laughing loudly with a chocolate ice cream in hand. 

The quietness of the dock was beginning to make sense with the crowded town centre.  

“Fried fish! Get your fried fish here!” 

“Gather around to glimpse into your future! Buy two readings and get one free!” 

“Cotton candy! Try our new flavours!” 

Zoro glanced at Luffy, whose mouth was agape, awestruck at the sight. “Zoro!” Luffy yelled, eyes shining. “This is so cool!” 

Huffing, Zoro couldn’t help but agree. “Yeah,” he muttered, shaking his head. This had been the last thing he expected from the Grand Line. He’d been preparing for bandits, monsters or towns full of pirates. 

Anything but this. The town was disarmingly normal. A street performer blew bubbles beside the clock tower, each one shimmering. 

“MORE FOOD! NOW!” 

The atmosphere was shattered by the loud yell. Zoro blinked, thinking for a moment that Luffy had run off. Yet, his captain was still beside him. 

Cocking his head, Luffy bounded off in the direction of the shout. Cautiously, Zoro followed after him. This all seemed too good to be true. Yet, anyone that met his gaze merely smiled. It didn’t sit right with him. Was this really an island on the Grand Line? 

Sitting on the stool of a ramen stand, a pink haired girl, who couldn’t have been older than ten, was surrounded by at least a dozen bowls. Yet, she was still slurping down noodles like she’d never tasted food before. 

“Woah. You eat a lot!” Luffy exclaimed, laughing loudly. Zoro’s eyebrow twitched at the irony, sighing softly. 

“The hell?” the pink haired girl scowled. She didn’t even pause to chew as she spun to glare at them, cheeks stuffed, noodles dangling like fangs from her mouth. “So what? I’m hungry!” 

“Me too!” Luffy replied, sitting on the stool beside her. The middle aged man behind the stall looked to be near tears. “Yo, old guy! I want noodles too. With meat. Lots of it!” 

“Your order better not slow down mine, bastard,” the girl snarked, pointing her chopsticks into Luffy’s face. The ramen chef flinched. 

Zoro huffed, impressed by her guts despite her age. Staying a few steps back, he watched the people passing. None of them rang any alarm bells. Zoro pressed his lips together. Was he imagining things? 

Gaze flickering back to Luffy, Zoro narrowed his eyes. Luffy was glaring down at the child. 

“No way! Your order better not slow down mine,” Luffy retorted, voice raising as he jumped up. A single tear trickled down the ramen chef’s cheek as he furiously cooked noodles. 

The girl threw her now empty bowl at the ground with a growl. It shattered. “I was here first!” she exclaimed, hopping off her own stool to square up to Luffy. It was hard to be intimidating when her head was in line with his waist. 

“I was here second!” Luffy shot back. 

“That doesn’t make sense, dumbass!” the girl yelled, stomping her foot. 

“Yeah, well, I’m older!” Luffy pointed out, folding his arms over his chest defiantly. 

Zoro rubbed at his eyes, exhausted by watching the pair. 

The girl narrowed her eyes, cheeks flushed red in anger. “Oh yeah?” she huffed, frustrated. In the blink of an eye, the girl was gone, replaced by a fully grown woman with the same pink hair.

“What about now, asshole?!” the woman snapped. A stunned beat followed. Even the ramen chef stopped stirring. Then, she froze. Her eyes widened. 

Luffy’s mouth was hanging open, anger gone from his face, replaced by awe. “That’s so cool! How did you do that?!” 

“Shit. I forgot again,” the woman muttered, chewing at her lip as her eyes darted around the crowd. Then, she looked up at the clock. “What time is it? How much time have I wasted again?!”

Zoro narrowed his eyes, hand hovering over his swords. “What the hell?” he muttered. She didn’t even cast him a sideways glance. 

“I don’t like you but… do yourself a favour and get off this island. Doesn’t matter if your log pose hasn’t reset,” the girl, now a woman, said to Luffy. She shook her head, clenching her fists. “Take your chances at sea. Trust me, okay?” 

Then, she took off running, talking rapidly beneath her breath. Zoro only caught a few words of it: “…reset…inn…forgot…mayor…” 

Zoro frowned, eyes narrowing at her back as she disappeared into the crowd. Whatever this island was hiding, it wasn’t as peaceful as it seemed.

Luffy watched her go before looking over at Zoro. His eyes were shining. In the background, the ramen chef had crumpled, sheer relief radiating from him. 

“Absolutely not,” Zoro said, before Luffy had even opened his mouth. 

“She’s joining our crew!” Luffy exclaimed.

Chapter Text

Light filtered in through the small window of their ship’s cabin. Luffy yawned, rubbing at his eyes as his brain kicked into gear. Zoro was still snoring beside him.

He didn’t even remember falling asleep. Stepping out of the cabin, he faltered.

“ZORO!” Luffy yelled, looking around, alarmed. His mouth opened and closed like a fish. The deck creaked beneath his feet, sun-warmed and slightly damp.

Zoro ran out, door clattering open, his eyes bleary and swords in hand. He scanned their surroundings, looking as confused as Luffy felt.

“We made it to an island!” Luffy exclaimed, blinking. Luffy didn’t remember docking the ship, but then again, he didn’t remember a lot of things when he was hungry.

Their ship was docked perfectly at a quiet dockyard framed by a small town. At the centre of the town stood a tall clock tower, a small brass fish glittering in the wind.

“Didn’t we already…” Zoro trailed off, swords lowering marginally. He narrowed his eyes at the clock tower, shaking his head. “How the hell did we end up here?”

Luffy shrugged. “Mystery,” he supplied unhelpfully. Confusion already forgotten, he hopped onto the dock, ready to explore. The sun illuminated the dock in streaks of orange and yellow.

A few workers moved in practiced silence, unfazed by Zoro or Luffy’s arrival, like they’d seen it all before. They kept to themselves, quiet in the morning light.

“Let's go, Zoro! I smell something good,” Luffy urged, stomach rumbling. He bounced up and down, getting more energetic by the second.

Sheathing his swords, Zoro stepped off the boat, a lot more cautiously. He frowned. “Something isn’t right,” Zoro muttered, fixing Luffy with a stare.

Luffy hummed, cocking his head. “Maybe,” he replied, unbothered. “Let’s go find food!”

Zoro’s shoulders slumped. He couldn’t put his finger on it but this all felt eerily familiar. If Luffy shared his concern, he didn’t show it.

Not sure what else to do, Zoro followed after Luffy who, as usual, was following his nose. It didn’t take long before the plaza finally opened before them.

Sure enough, Zoro had followed Luffy straight to the centre of town, a cobbled plaza with the clock tower at its centre. Colorful food stalls and game booths surrounded the clock tower. A festival.

The quietness of the dock was beginning to make sense with the crowded town centre.

“Fried fish! Get your fried fish here!”

“Gather around to glimpse into your future! Buy two readings and get one free!”

“Cotton candy! Try our new flavours!”

Zoro glanced at Luffy. His mouth had dropped open, eyes shining. “Zoro! This is so cool!”

The swordsman was about to agree when he paused. Scrubbing his eyes, he pushed the sense of deja vu away. This was getting ridiculous. He would remember it if they’d been here before. Right?

“Yeah,” Zoro muttered, off put. He scanned the crowd warily. In the moment Zoro had been distracted, Luffy had disappeared.

Cursing under his breath, Zoro looked over the growing crowd of people but Luffy was nowhere to be seen.

“Damn it, Luffy,” Zoro scowled. He stepped forward, intending to go after him when something—someone—ran straight into his leg. Zoro scowled, looking down.

He softened at the sight of a young boy, chocolate ice cream melting down his hand and into Zoro’s pants. The kid looked up at him, teary eyed and halfway terrified.

Zoro’s brow ticked. He wasn’t that scary. “Sorry, brat,” Zoro mumbled, pushing away his annoyance. Hadn’t he run by as well yesterday?

Pausing, Zoro frowned. What the hell was he thinking? They weren’t here yesterday. They’d only docked overnight. Had they drifted close enough that one of the dock workers tied them up?

The faint ticking of the clock tower echoed above the noise of the festival, rhythmic and relentless. Zoro sighed. He needed to get more sleep. But first, he should find Luffy.

They couldn’t let their guard down just yet. This was the Grand Line, after all.

—

Distracted by the food, Luffy hadn’t even noticed that he lost Zoro. Munching on some cotton candy, he wandered around the different stalls. This plaza was huge! For a town so small, they sure knew how to celebrate.

Pausing by the sandwich stall, Luffy hummed as a thought occurred to him. “Hey! Sandwich guy. What festival is this anyway?” Luffy asked, cocking his head.

The brown haired man behind the sandwich stall looked up with a friendly smile. “Not from around here, are you?” he asked, regarding Luffy curiously. “It’s Tocktown’s yearly Founding Day festival! The best part of the year for sure. I wish it lasted longer than a day.” He blinked, taken aback. “Huh. Funny, I always say that.”

Looking over the sandwiches, Luffy’s sticky fingers pocketed one with ham. The man didn’t seem to notice, too busy rambling on. “The new young mayor’s speech is at noon, you know. Between you and me, he’s so dreamy. You should come!”

Satisfied, Luffy nodded and wandered off, still eating his cotton candy. The streets were so packed. How was he meant to find Zoro in this? The swordsman shouldn’t have gotten lost.

“GET BACK HERE!”

Luffy blinked at the commotion behind him, turning around. A familiar looking pink haired woman was being chased through the crowd by two local guards, a determined look on her face. Where had he seen her before? Maybe it was just that her hair was the same colour as his cotton candy?

Briefly, they met eyes. As Luffy tilted his head, her expression hardened. Then, she had passed, guards not far behind her.

Finishing his cotton candy, he threw the stick into a nearby bin before taking off after them. Luffy had the funny feeling that following them might lead to an adventure. Zoro would catch up.

—

Bonney doesn’t know how long she’d been stuck on this godforsaken island. Judging by her scribbled notes it was weeks at the very least, months at the most. At first she thought she’d been going crazy, doubting her own memories. Doubting herself.

But, she knew one thing for certain at this point. Whenever she changed her age, her memories came flooding back. Bonney didn’t know why but this island was stuck in a goddamn loop. Forever replaying the same day over and over again. And she was the only one who could remember it.

Changing the ages of others didn’t reset their memories. Bonney didn’t know why she was the only one. It gave her a crippling sense of responsibility.

It was easy some days: she’d follow the instructions scrawled in her handwriting and change her age, remembering everything. Other days? She ignored them, suspicious and unwilling to take orders from a bedside note. She’d wasted so much time.

Today? Today was an easy day. She’d followed the instructions and regained her memories straight after waking up. Now, she had a full day to break the loop.

Sure, at first, she’d considered leaving. Her log pose had been reset for god knows how long. Yet, something in her couldn’t leave the townsfolk trapped in this loop forever. She’d break the loop, and then she was getting the hell off this island if it killed her.

—

It wasn’t hard to run after the cotton candy woman and the guards. The crowd behind them had parted in their wake and all Luffy had to do was follow the empty space. It didn’t take long for him to reach a dark alleyway, coming to a stop in front of it.

The smell of roasted fish faded as he stepped into the alley. It was quiet, the kind of quiet that pressed in around your ears.

“You’re under arrest for breaking into the Mayor’s house!” the guard on the left yelled, closing in on the woman.

Luffy hummed, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. The pink haired woman had her back to the wall, the two guards looming in front of her.

“Fuck you!” she yelled defiantly, arms folded as she glared at them. “I’m trying to help you bastards, you know!”

“Hey!” Luffy interrupted, stepping forward to approach them.

The two guards jolted, whirling around to point their batons at him. Luffy tilted his head, ignoring them as he stared at the woman.

“Have we met before?” Luffy questioned, frown deepening. He’d definitely seen her somewhere before. But where?

She huffed, shaking her head. “Didn’t I already tell you to get the hell off this island?” she snarked, narrowing her eyes at him.

The guards hesitated, clearly unsure who to focus on now that they were sandwiched in. Then, the pink haired woman moved forward, slapping them both with a single hand.

Luffy blinked, awestruck. In the place the guards had been standing, two babies were wailing. He was so distracted by the sight he’d already forgotten what the woman had said.

“WOAH!” Luffy exclaimed, crouching down to flick one of the babies. They were swimming in the guards' clothes, batons on the floor beside them. “That’s so cool! You should join my crew, Candy.”

Frowning, the pink haired woman looked down at him. “You don’t look like a pirate,” she accused, raising an eyebrow at him. “You’re too stupid looking. And my name isn’t Candy! It’s Bonney, dumbass.”

Humming, Luffy stood up in a fluid motion. “Alright, Boney,” he nodded. “Join my crew!”

“It’s Bonney!”

—

There were no signs of Luffy anywhere. Zoro expected to find some of the telltale chaos that seemed to follow Luffy around, but the island was eerily still. Wandering down an empty street, Zoro huffed.

It was quieter here, away from the town centre. Turning a corner, he paused at the sight of an old man sitting alone on a bench, muttering to himself. His suit was rumpled, white hair frazzled. A small pin in the shape of a fish was stuck to his chest.

“You see a kid wearing a Straw Hat?” Zoro asked, stopping in front of the elder.

The man’s head jerked up, eyes widening. “My speech!” he exclaimed, stepping up from the bench as he looked around frantically. “Oh dear, young man! What time is it?! I have to go!”

Zoro took a cautious step back, watching the man fret. What a weirdo. “Crazy old bastard,” Zoro muttered before taking off in the opposite direction.

The sooner he found Luffy and they high tailed it off this island, the better. Something wasn’t right about this.