Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“...Something feels different about this world. Something feels…off. I can taste it in the air.”

…

“...Oh, shit. Yeah, that’d do it. Crap, this world is gonna go to hell in the next few years…”

…

“...Damn it. Damn it, I can’t just leave this be. I know I’m not allowed, but…screw it, I know I can figure out a loophole…”

…

“...Oh. Oh, that could work. …A little unimaginative, but probably the only way to get them to come together like they were going to, without him to do it…”

…

“...Alright, so those nine…hm. Maybe a few extra? …Her, definitely…and he probably qualifies…and them for good measure…yeah. Yeah, that’ll work.”

…

“Okay then. Let’s get started.”

---

Zoro, sleepyhead that he was, took a moment upon waking up to realize he was somewhere entirely different.

…Honestly, he probably wouldn’t have noticed if not for the distinct shift in his surroundings. He’d managed to get a room at an inn, for once, but he wasn’t sleeping on a shitty bed - rather, he was resting on quite possibly the plushest floor he’d ever felt.

…Now, that did make him want to go back to sleep, but it was such an unusually comfortable floor for him that it actually put him on guard. He sat up, glancing around - and narrowed his eyes.

“...where the hell…?”

It was a room with a bunch of chairs. Not wooden chairs, comfortable chairs, like you’d see in some fancy house - but they were all lined up in a set of three rows, facing the wall. Zoro furrowed his brow as he stood up. How had he gotten here? …The only explanation was that someone had dragged him off here while he was sleeping, but…no, there’s no way he could let his guard down that much…

(...Actually, the other possibility was that he’d sleepwalked, and gotten lost. …Anyone who knew Zoro would tell you this was totally believable, but Zoro himself would fervently deny such a thing. …Thankfully for his reputation, this was not the case anyway)

Zoro put a hand on his blades. Unforgiveable lapse as it may have been for him, he was here now, and he needed to figure out who’d taken him here - and how much he needed to cut them.

…Well, it probably depended if they had a bounty. He was kind of wandering anyway, so if their body wouldn’t pay any cash, he might as well just figure out where he was -

Suddenly, there was a flash of light. Zoro was momentarily blinded, but despite being forced to squint his eyes shut, he readied his blades.

When he could see again, however, he saw two figures. One of them, looking around in a panic, was an orange-haired girl - the other…

…Zoro couldn’t help it. He blinked in surprise. The guy was…so nondescript. Seriously, Zoro looked at him, and he couldn’t think of one identifying feature about him. He was so normal, so boring, so plain.

…Granted, that made him incredibly abnormal to the eyes as well.

“Wh - what’s going on?!” The orange-haired girl was frantic, but as soon as she gathered her bearings, jumped away from the man who’d had a hold on her. “Who the hell are you?! How did you take me here?!”

“Sorry, no time for talk, I’ve got another dozen or so people to pick up,” the nondescript man said in a bored tone. He blinked as he noticed Zoro. “Oh hey, you’re awake. Just hold on a few, still working.”

And then he was gone in another flash of light. Zoro stared at the space he’d just been, mouth agape. What the hell?

It took a second to realize that the orange-haired girl was staring at him angrily - in fact, she’d taken out a staff for self-defense. “Answer me! Who are you, who was that, what’s going on?!”

“...Like hell I know,” Zoro spat out in disbelief. “All I know is that I woke up and I was here. That guy must have grabbed me while I was sleeping.”

…The girl narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “...Likely story. For all I know, you’re meant to keep an eye on me so that I don’t escape.”

Zoro raised an eyebrow, before smirking. “Yeah. Well, I might as well think the same thing. You’re meant to get me to lower my guard, playing good Marine to the other guy’s bad Marine. Am I right?”

…They stared at each other for a few seconds, not saying anything. …Then, finally, they both relaxed. “Fair point,” the girl said, surprisingly lightly. “Alright, truce. At least for now.”

“Right. …Still, your point about escaping…where do we go exactly?”

…For once, Zoro was not asking that cluelessly. The room had, in fact, no doors and no exits whatsoever. The girl grimaced. “...I mean, we have to have gotten in here somehow -”

“That guy can apparently teleport. No idea how, but it must be a lot simpler for him to not put any doors in his jail cell.” Still, that didn’t mean that Zoro was out of options. He approached the wall, readied Wado Ichimonji, and with all his strength, swung -

CLANG! Zoro gritted his teeth. “Figures. Steel, or something even harder. I can’t break out of here.”

“...Were you seriously going to cut the wall with a sword?” the orange-haired girl asked incredulously. Zoro shot her a look. “...Do you have any better ideas? It was worth a shot.”

“...Guess we’re stuck here, then,” the girl sighed in frustration. She crossed her arms and glanced at him. “...Suppose we might as well introduce ourselves. What’s your name?”

“Roronoa Zoro,” he answered. Then, belatedly, aware this was apparently the only moniker people knew him by - “Pirate hunter.”

“...Huh. Think I’ve heard of you,” the girl said, looking at him…surprisingly appreciatively. “Well, I’m Nami. I’m a thief. …Who only steals from pirates.”

“...Likely story.”

“Hey, it’s the truth! I’d just got done -” Suddenly, Nami stopped, eyes going wide as she gasped. “Wait, my -!”

That was when another flash of light happened. When it faded, there was the man again - holding onto a rather skinny young man with a long nose and goggles…who was promptly flailing and panicking. “AHH! What the - where did you take me?! Y-you…!” He tore himself away from the kidnapper and entered a…well, it would be generous to call it an approximation of a battle stance, arms and legs shaking like leaves. “D-don’t you mess with the great C-Captain Usopp! Once my 80 m-million men find out where you’ve taken me, then -!”

Zoro had just enough time to gawk at ‘Captain Usopp’ for such an unbelievable bluff before suddenly Nami had dashed up to the nondescript man (knocking the new arrival aside in the process) and grabbed him by the collar. “Forget that!!! My treasure! I had a whole bag of treasure I’d just taken from a pirate, and it’s been left unattended! Give me back my treasure right now, or -!”

“For the love of - ugh, fine, I’ll add it to the list,” the plain man said grudgingly, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was apparently unconcerned that he was being manhandled by the girl - for reasons made clear when he disappeared again in another flash of light, leaving Nami holding nothing and screaming at empty air.

…Well, so much for that plan. Apparently grabbing onto him wouldn’t do any good if he could just get out of your grasp like that.

Zoro groaned, before glancing at the also-groaning (in pain) Captain Usopp. “...Well, this does kinda make a pattern…Let me guess, he showed up, grabbed you, and warped here?”

“U-uh…yeah.” Usopp blinked as he got up. “What’s…going on?”

“Hell if I know. But apparently he’s not done.” Zoro would have said more, but he was getting kind of annoyed by the raging girl still yelling at thin air. “Will you stop shrieking like that? He’s gone, wait till he comes back to lay into him. What a witch…” He couldn’t help but add the last few words under his breath -

- which was apparently a mistake. Nami turned on him with fire in her eyes, fire that made even Zoro falter a little. “What. Was. That?” she growled.

Thankfully, Zoro was spared from having to answer. The plain man returned faster this time - a new flash of light, accompanied by yet another new arrival - a blonde man with a cigarette and a fancy-pants suit. Immediately, Nami zeroed in on her original target, glaring at him.

Even the nondescript man seemed a little worried, given how hastily he raised his hands. “Hey, calm down. Look, I got your treasure, I put it in an extra room. I’ll give it back once we’re done here.”

“Oh, yeah. Right. Sure!” Nami spat out. “Get real, I’m supposed to believe that?! Give me back my treasure right now or -!”

“Oh, for the love of - I don’t care if you believe me, it’s what I’m doing,” the man said impatiently. “Now shut up, I’ve got a whole bunch to get through -”

“Collier!” The man was interrupted as the blonde in the suit he’d just brought lashed out with a picture-perfect kick heading straight for his neck - of course, that didn’t help in the slightest, given he just disappeared in another flash of light, but still. Zoro had to admit, he was impressed - now this was a guy he could respect -

“Tch. Shitty bastard got away…how dare he talk like that to a lady,” the new arrival said through gritted teeth - and then he was on his feet, all smiles and with veritable hearts in his eyes as he gazed at Nami. “My deepest apologies, fair maiden! I swear, I will make that monster pay for -!”

…Never mind. This was the biggest idiot yet. Zoro could already tell he was going to hate him.

“...Well, thank you.” Nami seemed a bit off-balance, but the grin on her face that now replaced her rage made Zoro feel a little antsy inside - it was like she’d just spotted prey, and she was the predator. …This woman was not one to mess with. “I’m Nami. Can I get your name, Mr. Gentleman?”

The hearts in his eyes grew bigger, and Zoro fought the urge to retch. “Of course, Nami-swan! I am Sanji, sous chef of the Baratie. I swear to protect you from any evils that wretched monster tries to force on you!”

“Oh, how nice, that’d be lovely,” Nami fake-swooned, and Zoro actually retched this time. Off to the side, Usopp coughed awkwardly. “Uh…well, my name is -”

“Does it look like I care?” Sanji said with a glance to the side that was full of distate.

“Wha - don’t be rude! I’m the great Captain -”

Another flash. “Okay, I’m glad you’re all introducing yourselves, but I’d actually advise you hold off,” the nondescript man said idly as he tossed a new arrival, a girl with blue hair in a ponytail, into the room. Zoro was unsurprised to see Sanji immediately dive to catch her…though it did make his opinion of the guy fall even lower. “As I said, I’ve got a bunch of people to get through, so it just makes sense for you guys to wait till the end. …In fact…”

He snapped his fingers, and everyone jumped in surprise as the wall the chairs were facing lit up. Now emblazoned on it were the following words:

Hold off on introductions for now. Wait till all 15 of you are here.

Then the man was gone again in another flash of light.

The new girl gaped in confusion, before swallowing. “...Um…thank you for catching me…can you let go now?”

“Of course, milady!” Sanji helped the girl up, and stood away, still looking lovestruck. Zoro did his best not to focus on the guy and instead on the current situation. “...Okay, well, apparently we’re not supposed to introduce ourselves, but long story short - we’re all in the same boat. That guy came out of nowhere and grabbed us, before bringing us here.”

…The girl turned pale. “Oh no…could he be…?” That immediately got the others’ attention. “Do you know something?” Nami asked urgently.

“Well…I was thinking about why someone might want to kidnap me in particular, but…I don’t know about all of you,” the girl said, biting her lip. “...Have you…heard of an organization called…Baroque Works?”

Most everyone reacted with confusion at that name - except Zoro, who blinked in surprise. “Huh. Didn’t expect that name to come up.”

“You do know them?” the girl asked, worried. Zoro shrugged. “Eh. Only kind of. A guy called Mr. 7 tried to recruit me to that organization not that long ago. Turned him down, though. Then he got pissy and tried to kill me, so I cut him in half. Didn’t seem like that big of a deal, though.”

Silence fell. Nami looked slightly green, the new girl was visibly shocked, Usopp looked scared of him, and Sanji -

“You bastard…don’t say those kinds of things in front of ladies!” the man snarled as he stomped up to Zoro. “I’ll kill you for that!” Zoro glared at him. “Seriously? That’s what you’re concerned about in all this? Not the kidnapping situation?”

“All I’m saying is watch your tongue, mosshead!”

Oh, Zoro knew he hated this guy now. “Mind your own business…” he searched for a suitable insult as he stared at Sanji’s face, and to his pleasure, quickly found one. “...swirly-brow.”

The two of them glared at each other with gritted teeth while the others stared on in worry -

Another flash. “Oh good, some familiar dynamics are already starting to assert themselves. That’s promising.”  That was sufficient to get the two to break up their fight in favor of glaring at their captor, who was holding…a stuffed animal? He tossed it on the ground, and then was gone in another flash. Everyone stared at where he’d been, before looking to the stuffed animal in confusion -

…Which was moving. It got to its feet with a pained groan, glanced up - and then yelped and dashed for the nearest hiding spot, behind the row of chairs.

…Or. Well. It tried to hide. Slight problem, it was hiding the wrong way - rather than peeking out from behind the chair and hiding the rest of its body, it was peeking in behind the chair and making the rest of its body totally visible.

…Well, it certainly diffused the tension. Judging by a couple repressed giggles, the girls also found it adorable. Zoro, meanwhile, was just bemused. “...So, uh…what the hell is that weird raccoon thing?”

“S-shut up, human! I’m a reindeer, a reindeer!” the weird raccoon thing yelped - and that got a reaction. “IT TALKS?!” Usopp shrieked, jumping several feet backwards - the raccoon thing flinched and huddled in on itself.

“Hey, don’t scare it!” the blue-haired girl implored, before raising her hands placatingly. “I’m sorry…we didn’t mean to frighten you. We all got taken here out of nowhere. Are you okay?”

…Hesitantly, the racc - reindeer thing nodded. “...Mm-hm.”

“...Also, um…” Nami spoke awkwardly. “You’re hiding the wrong way.”

The reindeer thing tensed, and hastily switched positions. Zoro could only groan, and facepalm.

…Several seconds passed, and…

“...Hey. Shouldn’t that guy be back by -”

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and HEAT. Zoro was forced to step backwards, holding his hands up in front of his face to shield himself. There were shrieks and yelps of pain from all around him -

“Oh for the love of - will you STOP IT already?!”

Suddenly, the heat - no, the flames that had been suddenly raging fizzled out. Zoro finally looked up to see their captor holding onto a new figure - a shirtless man with a hat and a marking on his back -

…Wait. Zoro tensed. That marking -

“...Take these off of me,” the shirtless man snarled, and Zoro realized for the first time that unlike the rest of them, he’d been cuffed. Two heavy manacles had been snapped around his wrists.

“I will, if you promise not to be a lunatic and immolate everything around you,” the nondescript man hissed back, with real anger in his voice. “Look, you can try and set me on fire all you like, it won’t work. But if you keep burning everything around you, you’re going to kill innocent people. Understand?”

The shirtless man blinked and glanced around, apparently realizing his surroundings - and the people in them - for the first time. …Still, he narrowed his eyes, glancing back at the man cuffing him. “...And how do I know these aren’t just people you employ who are pretending to be hostages? Huh?”

…Well, that sounded familiar. Still, Zoro was too busy staring at the mark on the man’s back - a Jolly Roger with a white mustache…

“Believe what you want,” the plain man said with irritation. “But I am telling you this. I’ll let you attack me all you want, but if you hurt them, these cuffs go back on. Understand?”

“...Like you could catch me…”

“Oh trust me, I could. …Now, do we have an agreement?”

There was silence, before the shirtless man finally tsked in annoyance. “Fine. Whatever. Just take these off.”

“...Right. Well, here you go -”

Zoro didn’t actually see the man unlock them - but they were suddenly gone, and then the next second a blaze of fire blasted right through where the man’s top half had been.

…Of course, he wasn’t there anymore.

“Son of a…that bastard’s slippery,” the shirtless man snarled. Zoro’s eyes widened as he realized the fire was coming off of him, from every pore on his arms. The girls, Usopp, and the tiny reindeer shrieked in alarm, causing the man to blink. “What?”

“YOU’RE ON FIRE!”

“Huh? It’s just a Devil Fruit.” The man dispelled the fire with a shrug. “See?”

…

“...Devil Fruits are real? I thought they were just a myth,” Nami whispered in disbelief.

The shirtless man stared at them in confusion. “...Okay. Well, I suppose that’s a point in favor of ‘you all are clueless bystanders.’”

Zoro’s brow twitched in annoyance, even as the man turned around, glancing around the room. He approached a wall, and laid a hand on it. The edge sizzled, but…

…Minutes passed. The shirtless man gritted his teeth in annoyance. “Seriously? What kind of material is this, to not melt at my heat after this long…?”

“...Hey.” Zoro finally spoke, approaching the man from behind. There was no point being suspicious of him, he was in the same situation as all of them. “That mark…are you really a member of the Whitebeard Pirates?”

A hush fell over the room. Nami’s expression in particular grew shocked, then hateful. The shirtless man, meanwhile, looked up, sullen. “Yeah. What’s it to you?”

“...Nothing. Just, if that guy was even able to grab you…”

The shirtless man let out a sigh. “...Yeah. He came out of nowhere, and none of us could react. Next thing I knew, I was here.”

Zoro’s eyebrows went up. “Even Whitebeard?” The strongest pirate in the world, or so he’d heard -

“Nah, I wasn’t on the main ship.” For the first time, the man cracked a smile. “The guy’s lucky I wasn’t, otherwise Pops would have hit him with the full force of an earthquake.”

An earthquake? Zoro let that slide for now. “...This whole thing’s weird. What do any of us have in common that he grabbed us? You’re the only pirate even here, besides…” He glanced at ‘Captain’ Usopp, who swallowed, and after a moment, broke down. “OKAY, FINE, I LIED, ALRIGHT?! I’M NOT THE CAPTAIN OF A PIRATE SHIP!”

“I figured as much. So who are you?”

“NOBODY! I’M JUST A GUY!” Usopp yelled tearfully. “I DON’T KNOW WHY I’M HERE, I WANNA BE BACK HOME!”

“Yeah, yeah, so do all of we,” Sanji grumbled, pulling a lighter out of his pocket and lighting his cigarette. He was about to say something else, when -

Another flash of light. And then - “Wha - you!”

The blue-haired girl was on her feet, looking fearful and on-guard. She was staring straight at the new arrival as she wrenched herself out of their captor’s grip - as soon as she heard the cry, she turned, and raised an eyebrow. “...Oh. Ms. Wednesday? What a surprise to see you here. And…with some unfamiliar faces, I see.” …Her eyes roamed over each of the rest of them in turn…stopping briefly on the shirtless man.

The apparent ‘Ms. Wednesday’ (that rang a bell in Zoro’s mind, what was it?) swallowed, looking extremely nervous. “Ms…All-Sunday…I’m not sure how I or the others got here. We were all…taken by that man.”

…Ms. All-Sunday? Acquainted with Ms. Wednesday… Zoro narrowed his eyes. The latter had talked about Baroque Works before. He’d only met Mr. 7, but the guy had babbled on about codenames, and pairs of Mr.-Ms. Agents…

…That’s weird. Wasn’t she asking US if we’d heard of Baroque Works earlier? When we were debating who’d have a reason to kidnap us…Why would Baroque Works kidnap one of its own agents?

…Gah, this was confusing. Secrets upon secrets…He kept an eye on the new arrival, and specifically the look in her eye - cold, and wary, and, just like Zoro’s, assessing everyone as a potential threat.

…Yeah. Forget what he’d said earlier - this woman was a dangerous one. She seemed shockingly calm, too, compared to the rest of them. It was weirding some of them out, clearly (minus swirly-brow, who was fawning over her just like he had Nami and Ms. Wednesday).

…Still, that was only…what, 8 of them? Only half-way through, according to the message -

Another flash of light. “YOW! Whaddaya think you’re doing?!”

Oh boy, this new guy was loud. …In both appearance and sound. The guy’s hair was sticking up, and a shocking blue - but more importantly, he was wearing a vest and a speedo, and nothing else.

“Another weirdo showed up,” someone whispered in disbelief. That got the newcomer’s attention, and he whirled around (their captor disappearing as he did). “Ehhh?! Weirdo?! I’m a pervert, get it right!”

“That’s…not better,” Nami said, looking to be at a total loss. Sanji looked to be in utter disgust. “Hey, cover up already! You’re exposing the lovely ladies here to total degeneracy!”

“Ehhhhhhh?! You expect me to cover up this amazing bod?!” The newcomer then proceeded to pose dramatically, snapping his (unusually large) forearms together in the process. “This SUPER! amazing bod?!”

“...Just leave it, swirly-brow,” Zoro said tiredly as the blonde man looked to be on the verge of kicking the shit out of him. “What do you expect him to cover up with anyway? It’s not like he came with a change of clothes. Hell, maybe that disappearing asshole caught the guy going swimming.”

“Eh? Nah, I was out on a stroll.”

…Zoro was just going to ignore that.

“Well…hopefully he doesn’t bring anybody weirder than this next time,” Usopp said wearily.

---

…That turned out to be wishful thinking.

“Yohohohoho! Why, hello there! It’s been so long since I’ve seen other human beings, I can barely believe my eyes! …Not that I have eyes! SKULL JOKE, YOHOHOHOHO!”

…

“WHY IS THERE A TALKING SKELETON HERE?!” just about everyone yelled.

Usopp in particular seemed terrified, rounding on their captor with a paradoxical dose of bravery. “Y-you! Take this thing back where it came from, or so help me -” A flash of light. “AGH, HE’S GOOOOONE! Grrgh…” Whipping back to face the - yes, the literal talking skeleton - he held up his fingers in a cross formation. “B-begone, Evil Spirit! R-return to the h-hell from whence you c-came!”

“Yo ho ho…I would prefer not to, in all honesty.” The talking skeleton said mournfully. “I’ve been stuck there for fifty years, after all. Truthfully, I worry I might wake up at any second and discover that this is merely a dream where I finally managed to meet real people again…”

…Damn it, despite the fact that he was so weird, he seemed sincere. Zoro gave up trying to make any sense of it. The shirtless man (he still hadn’t gotten a name for him) just shook his head. “Just let it go, guys. Trust me, this isn’t the weirdest thing I’ve encountered sailing the seas.”

“Really?! I find that hard to believe!” Nami said in disbelief. “Just what exactly outmatches this?”

The man raised the brim of his hat and stared her in the eye. “...Do you really want to know? Really, truly?”

Silence. Then, after a minute -

“...N-no, thank you. I want to keep my sanity.” Apparently, Nami’s courage had failed her.

“That’s what I thought. You wouldn’t last a week on the Grand Line with that attitude, you know.”

“Well good! I don’t plan to go to that place, it’s way too dangerous! I’ll stay nice and safe in -”

There came another flash of light. Zoro mentally prepared himself for what weirdo this would be…

…And they certainly didn’t disappoint. The newcomer was a giant of a man, with blue skin and other inhuman features -

However, more than his appearance, it was two reactions that stood out to Zoro. Nami’s words were cut off with a sharp intake of breath and a clear expression of fear and hate, while -

“Wha - Jimbei?!” The shirtless man got to his feet, staring in shock at the newcomer. The strange humanoid apparently named Jimbei blinked in equal shock. “Ace? What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing! …Well, I don’t know, anyway, so I guess you don’t either…but that guy seriously took you too?”

Huh, so his name was Ace…truth be told, Zoro was relieved to finally be able to put a name to the face of this dangerous pirate. And apparently those two knew each other…

The two conferred for a while, during which the rest looked on - none of them were eager to get in-between a member of the most feared pirate crews in the sea and an associate of his. Then -

…Well, as you’d expect, another flash of light. This time was kinda a let-down, compared to the kinds of people who’d shown up since the reindeer thing (which was still hiding behind the chairs, unnoticed by the new arrivals) - granted, the guy was dressed a little weird, with that spotted hat of his, and he had a Jolly Roger on his shirt that Zoro didn’t recognize, but that was about it, and that was tame compared to the last few.

…He also seemed completely nonplussed as he stared at the other occupants of the room. “...What the hell did I just get dragged into?”

“Join the club in wondering, new guy,” the blue-haired speedo man scoffed. “Still waiting on…three more people, apparently.”

…Well, hopefully they would at least get some answers, though. Zoro, for now, focused on the new guy - who he realized had a sword at his side. Interesting…maybe he’d get a good challenge out of this.

The new guy, meanwhile, glanced around at the rest of them with narrowed eyes. “...So, none of you know who this guy is?”

“Nope.” “Nu-uh.” “Not a clue.”

“...It’s odd.” The white-hatted man looked intense as he spoke. “I’m…aware of someone with a Devil Fruit that allows them to teleport things…but even assuming we were all in the same general area, this is far beyond the range he was capable of. …And I’m assuming we weren’t,” he added, nodding towards Ace and Jimbei.

…Okay, everyone kept talking about Devil Fruits, and Zoro wasn’t sure what to make of that, but…

Of course, then came another flash of light. “Son of a - get OFF me, you @#$% @#$%^ -!”

…Holy shit, those were the worst swear words Zoro had heard in a while. Ms. Wednesday looked scandalized, the reindeer looked mortified, and the blue-haired guy looked faintly impressed.

…It was the last of these that the new guy seemed closest to - everything about the guy, from his face to his spiked-up green hair screamed ‘punk’ to Zoro. It was utterly predictable that he threw a punch at the guy immediately before he disappeared again - and not that surprising when he rounded on the rest of them and immediately looked ready to beat them all into the ground. “Come on, then! I ain’t afraid, I’ll take all of you on!”

“Calm down, dude, we’re all in the same boat,” the blue-haired guy said with a wave of his hand. “That guy grabbed all of us, not just you.”

The new guy didn’t look convinced - but even so, remained furious. “Oh yeah? Well, he’s going to regret messing with the leader of the biggest gang in the East Blue! All my boys’ll be coming after him!”

“...Yeah, somehow don’t think he’ll be worried,” Ace drawled. “Given he grabbed a Whitebeard pirate, and a War-”

“Eh? Wait, I remember you!” the punk yelled, pointing at Ace. “You came through Loguetown a couple years ago, and beat up my guys!”

“...Oh yeah,” Ace remembered after thinking for a moment. “Sorry, your name was…?”

“Why you…!”

Another flash of light. “Oh for crying out loud…can you wait? I’m nearly done here.” the plain man said as he brought in the second-to-last arrival, who scrambled away from him with a yelp. …Yeah, they were officially back in weirdo territory, because this one was a white-furred rabbit girl who looked terrified. “Wha - humans?! How did you get onto Zunesha?!”

“A Mink?” The white-hatted man seemed to recognize her in surprise. “Damn, his range really does reach far. That’s all the way in the second half of the Grand Line…” He sighed, leaning against the wall. “Sorry to break it to you, but I don’t think you’re in Zou anymore. The guy’s probably taken us all somewhere entirely different.”

“...Different? I…oh no…” The rabbit girl teared up, looking frantic. “I’ve never been off Zou before…how am I supposed to get back?”

“Never fear, my darling!” Like lightning, Sanji was in front of her, causing Zoro to roll his eyes in distaste. “I swear to you I will liberate you from our wretched captor, and personally ferry you back to your homeland!”

“Oh, uh…t-thank you?” It was unsurprising that the rabbit girl seemed nonplussed…though it was surprising when she suddenly brightened. “Actually…I’ve always wanted to see the outside world! Maybe I should stay out a little longer!” Sanji face-faulted at that, while a few others face-palmed, including Zoro.

…Regardless, there was only one arrival remaining, so hopefully they would get some answers soon…

---

…It took a while for this one. Zoro was starting to get antsy, but at last, there was a flash of light. “Alright, that should be everyone…hm?” Their captor had paused, glancing at who they were holding onto.

…This woman was tall, especially when you took into account the horns atop her head. White hair streamed down her back, turning blue halfway-down - …and despite her tall stature, she was confusingly cringing away with her eyes shut. Even the nondescript man seemed confused. “...What are you doing?”

…Slowly, the woman opened one eye, then the other. She stared down at her wrists in shock. “They’re…not exploding?”

Only then did Zoro realize she was cuffed, like their captor had done to Ace when he arrived. The difference being, this man didn’t seem to be the cause of her plight - as proven when he looked down and made a noise of understanding. “Oh, right, let me take those off for you…” He reached out, tapped them, and - they disappeared into thin air.

The woman gaped. She held up her hands, whose wrists displayed the markings of having been bound for a long time, and stared at them in shock. Then, tears welled up in her eyes. “I’m free…I’M FREE! Whoever you are, thank you!” She leapt at the man, engulfing him in a hug even as the rest of them looked on in disbelief, none of them having dreamed that one of them would thank their kidnapper for what they’d done.

…However, none of them were more surprised than Ace, who stared at the new arrival in shock. “Wait…Yamato? Is that you?”

The girl in question whirled around - and as soon as her eyes landed on Ace, they lit up once more. “Ace! Oh, I can’t believe this!” She ran over and bowled the Whitebeard pirate over in a hug, causing them all to gape even further. Ace let out an ‘oof’ as he hit the floor, even as Yamato chattered on. “You actually came for me, didn’t you? I can’t believe you managed to take me out from under my father’s nose! Thank you! Thank you so -”

“Ah - Yamato, hold on!” Ace spluttered. “I…this wasn’t planned. I don’t know who that guy is, he just grabbed all of us and took us here against our will.”

Yamato blinked, pulling back. “Wait…what?” She glanced at the plain man, who was watching them patiently. She looked between him and Ace several times. “So…he’s…a bad guy?”

Ace winced. “I mean, yeah, but…” He forced a smile. “I’d say he did a good thing along the way. I’m glad you’re here, Yamato.”

Yamato’s good cheer reasserted itself - before their captor coughed. “Everyone’s here, now…I expect you all want answers?”

That got everyone’s attention. They were all on their feet, facing the man, within instants - a range of hostility on their faces and in their stances. The nondescript man cleared his throat.

“Now. You’re probably wondering why I’ve gathered you all here today.”

…There was a pause. Then, the plain man snorted. “What’s so funny?” Sanji challenged angrily.

“Nothing, just - can’t believe I’m actually saying that line…”

“GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!”

“Alright, alright! Now, first off, you can call me…ah…hm…” The man tilted his head in thought, and right as Sanji was about to yell at him again, shrugged. “Call me ‘Proxy’. It’ll do.”

“I take it you’re not going to give us your real name, then?” Ms. All-Sunday asked pointedly. The man shrugged. “Well, it’d be beyond your comprehension, so…no.”

“‘Beyond our comprehension’?” The green-haired punk scoffed. “Get real -”

“Hm. So you’re actually claiming to be some kind of higher being, then?”

Everyone looked at Ms. All-Sunday in surprise at her words. The shockingly-calm woman raised an eyebrow. “I realized within a few seconds of arriving here that this room is…abnormal.”

“No kidding. I can’t even melt it,” Ace said with a shrug. “What’s your point?”

“A point that you don’t fully grasp, I’m afraid. I don’t simply mean that the walls are seemingly unbreakable - I’m saying that even with my powers, I cannot discern what lies on the other side of these walls.” The others stared at her - none of them knew what her ‘powers’ were, but she seemed to be speaking seriously. “So, either these walls are thick enough that the other side lies out of my range - which would be very thick walls indeed - …or nothing lies beyond them.”

“...How astute. You are correct on the latter.” Proxy smiled as he was met by expressions of shock and disbelief. “Let me explain. This is a pocket dimension that I have created - think of it as a mini-space that I control the dimensions and contents of. As for what I am…well, you could call me a god, but as unlimited as my powers are, my ability to use them is not. There are rules I must follow. I cannot interfere with the events of the world personally. At most, I may guide others, and only for short periods of time.”

“...Okay, assuming I believe that, then what the hell do you call this?” Ace asked incredulously, gesturing at the room around them. “Kidnapping isn’t interfering?”

“Oh, I’m not kidnapping. I merely took you here with the intent to guide you - and, rest assured, when you are released from here, no time will have passed in your original universe.” Jaws dropped further. “And, to be clear, I will not keep you against your will - I simply ask that you listen to my proposal. If you still wish to be set free, I will let you go.”

“...Okay, I have no clue what you’re going to tell us that you think will let us agree to being confined here, but I think you’ve got another think coming,” Ace growled after he finally composed himself. “You can take this proposal and shove it up -”

“Um…Ace…” Ace stopped when Yamato spoke up awkwardly. “I get you’re not happy about this, but…” She gestured at her own wrists, which still bore the mark of having been cuffed. “I’d…really rather not get sent back to where he grabbed me from…”

…Ace looked suddenly chastened at that, before glaring at Proxy, who rolled his eyes. “Fine. If you listen to my proposal, then whatever decision you make, I will make sure those in undesirable situations get transported somewhere else after being released. It’s a small interference, but I shouldn’t get in too much trouble for it.”

“Yo ho ho…unfortunately, that will not work for me,” the talking skeleton said, causing them all to jump. “I am rather unable to leave the Florian Triangle currently, as much as I would like. Doing so would cause my demise.”

“Wait - you’re in the Florian Triangle?!” Ace spluttered in surprise, while Proxy hummed in thought. “...A fair point. Well, with luck, you’ll all accept my proposal, but even if you don’t…I’ll work something out with you, I promise.”

“...Okay, fine, just give us your proposal already,” the white-hatted man spoke tiredly. “I want to know what exactly is the point of all this.”

“Right, yes. Ahem. If you would all direct your attention to the screen…” Proxy snapped his fingers, and upon the wall that had formerly displayed instructions, now there was an image of a globe, slowly spinning. “Your world - the Grand Blue, as it is commonly called among my kind - is one of many. And I don’t just mean one of many different worlds, I mean one of many Grand Blues. Different actions and decisions cause the divergence of history, leading to worlds that fall down different paths. …Are you following me so far?”

…Some seemed to be, but Zoro was having a little trouble, and Usopp and the blue-and-green haired guys looked at a total loss.

“...Right. Well, the point is, your world in particular became of notice to me, because something went wrong. Some nine or so years ago, a boy died who was supposed to live - a boy of great importance. That boy would have grown up to be a very important man, who would touch the lives of each and every one of you - …if you all were wondering what on earth was the connection between all of you, he was it.”

Zoro furrowed his brow. “...Okay, so a guy died who wasn’t supposed to. What’s the big deal?”

“...A vast oversimplification, but…” Proxy grumbled briefly, before shaking his head. “He didn’t just touch your lives. To be frank? Without that man, this world will go to hell starting in a year or so. Chaos, carnage, and millions of lives lost.”

There was silence. After a minute, Proxy sighed. “You don’t believe me, of course. Well, let me state a few names. Drum Island. Skypeia. Alabasta. Fishman Island. Dressrosa. Zou. Wano. Lulusia. Those are the kingdoms that I can confirm will suffer as a result of his death.”

None of those names meant anything to Zoro - but he didn’t miss several people flinching all around him. Proxy continued. “And those are just the kingdoms that will suffer. Whether it be a village…a close friend…a restaraunt…a crew…a family…or simply your own life or sanity, each of you will feel the results of this. I promise you that.”

…Now the whole room was on edge. Zoro didn’t feel it as strongly as the others, but everyone else’s worry was rubbing off on him nonetheless. Proxy sighed. “I apologize, but I need to stress the importance of this to you. Without that man, so many things will start to go wrong. You might think such a thing is impossible - but without a certain man 21 years ago, the Great Pirate Era would never have begun. You get me? A single man out of place can make all the difference in the world.”

More silence. After a minute, the man in the white hat finally spoke. “Alright. You’ve made your point. But what do you want from us?”

“...What I want is to save this world,” Proxy said without a trace of insincerity. “Unfortunately, my abilities in this regard are limited. I am not allowed to interfere. The most I can do is guide, and I’m not allowed to hang around someone for a year on end.”

“...However, the rules have loopholes. Nothing prevents me from taking a set of people out of time if I plan to put them back. Nothing prevents me from stretching out a single moment into all the time I need. And nothing prevents me from imparting all that those people would need to know in that single moment.”

Yet again, there was silence. Finally, Ace spoke with a twitching eye. “Alright. Pretending I believe this…what are you going to do? Tell us exactly how to ‘save the world’?”

“Ah, well…not exactly.” Proxy looked actually awkward at that question, scratching his head. “I’m not able to foresee all outcomes. I can’t tell you exactly how to save the world, because more than likely something will go wrong with whatever plan I give you.”

“Then…what?”

“...What I can do - with the help of a friend of mine who specializes in this kind of thing - is show you the adventures of that man who will never be,” Proxy said, moving over to the wall with the globe on it and tapping it. “I can show you exactly how he touched each of your worlds. I can show you how he prevented so many disasters. I can show you how he changed everything. …That, I hope, will be enough to direct your actions.”

“...Alright. And what’s the catch?” the white-hatted man asked in annoyance. “There’s no way it’s as simple as ‘watching an adventure’. You have some reason to think we’d refuse this.”

…Proxy winced. “Yes. Well…the problem is, due to this man touching the lives of each and every one of you…it means you are all featured. Your lives. Your dreams. …And your pasts.”

Once again, Zoro felt people tense all around him. Proxy sighed. “...I understand it might be uncomfortable for…quite a lot of you to have your darkest secrets aired out to a crowd of strangers. But let me be honest and say this is necessary. I chose all of you for a reason - because your connection to this man changed your life, and without him -”

Proxy cut himself off, and sighed. “...No, it’s all empty words, isn’t it? That’s why I want to show you. …I understand if you all have reservations. Talk it over amongst yourselves. At the end, if things aren’t unanimous…well, we’ll work something out.”

He was gone in another flash of light.

“...Okay, none of you seriously believe this crap, right?” Ace said after a moment, gesturing at the place where Proxy had been. “He was just bluffing with all that.”

“...Those names…I don’t think those were a bluff, Ace.” Yamato raised her head, looking worried. “Skypeia - that name was in Oden’s logbook. Not just anyone would know about that. And Wano…” She trailed off, but given Ace’s expression tensing, he got whatever she was intending to impart.

“...I hold no shame in saying I worry over the fact that he mentioned Fishman Island as well,” Jimbei said with a steely tone. “If something threatens my home, I must know the truth.”

There was a small ‘tch!’ from next to him, and Zoro looked over to see Nami looking at Jimbei with distrust - as soon as she realized his gaze, however, she schooled her expression.

“I…I also think that we should listen to him.” Ms. Wednesday looked shaken as she spoke. Ms. All-Sunday looked at her curiously. “Oh. And why is that, Ms. Wednesday?”

“Ah - …I…it’s just a hunch?” Ms. Wednesday looked worried at the other woman’s gaze. Ms. All-Sunday’s face gained a brief, faint smile, before looking back at the rest. “...I will admit I worry over my past being exposed. …However…I must admit I am curious as to just how the world would be thrown out of order with the death of one central person. …This does not mean I trust that man - but I believe I am…neutral on the matter for now.”

“Well, good for you,” the green-haired punk scoffed. “Personally, this all smells like bullshit to me. Who’d believe even a second of that?”

“...I’ve already encountered plenty of outlandish things even during the short time I’ve been on the Grand Line,” the white-hatted man mused. “I don’t know if I believe him, but…one of those names caught my attention. That’s all.”

“...Y-yeah…” the rabbit-woman whimpered. “Zou is my home…if something happens to it, then - I need to know!”

“U-um…” Several people jumped as the reindeer-thing spoke up. “It’s…the s-same for me…for another name. I think…we might want to listen.”

“...Holy SUPER! crap, where the hell did you come from?!” the blue-haired pervert yelled. The reindeer-thing flinched, before hiding again.

“He’s been here a while, just hiding,” Nami sighed, shaking her head. “Personally…yeah, I can’t bring myself to believe all this. But…” She bit her lip. “...Damn it, I can’t get what he said out of my head. If something happens to my - I mean, to me, then…I need to know.”

“...W-well, personally, I think it’s all one big lie!” Usopp yelped. “There’s no way I can believe all this! It’s way more outlandish than even anything I’ve said! And -” He whimpered. “...t-there’s no way the world’s gonna end, right? RIGHT?!”

“...He didn’t say it was going to end, just that it was ‘going to go to hell’,” Sanji said quietly, struggling to light his cigarette. “...And I know for a fact that even when things seem alright, things can go to hell in a single moment. …So yeah. I’m not sure I believe all that about him being a ‘god’ or whatever you want to call him, and I can’t forgive him for manhandling the ladies…but I don’t think his warning should be dismissed out of hand.”

“...I believe you already all know my stance,” the talking skeleton said quietly. “I’m not sure I believe what he says about the world either…but I know that I would rather this dream not end just yet. So I would accept his proposal.”

…That was nearly two-thirds of them that wanted to accept, a full two-thirds if you counted Ms. All-Sunday’s neutral position. After a minute, the blue-haired punk growled in aggravation. “Gah, fine! I think this is bullshit too, but if there’s the slightest chance my family might be in trouble…I gotta know! Fine, I’m for it.”

Something in what he said got Ace’s eyes to widen, and he looked down, gritting his teeth. “Damn it. Damn it, you’re right. I hate it, but…I gotta accept too.”

That left only Usopp, the green-haired punk…and Zoro himself. Zoro sighed. “...I’m not worried about other people, like the rest of you. But I don’t have anything to hide. If you all need this that badly, I’m not gonna stand in your way. I’ll accept. If it turns out to be bullshit, I’ll just catch up on my sleep.”

All eyes turned to the last two holdouts. …Zoro wasn’t really in the mood to deal with the hassle of bringing them around, so he decided to force the issue. “What about you two? You scared of spilling your secrets?”

“Wha -” The green-haired punk made a strangled noise. “Like hell! I’m not scared of anything! And I don’t have any secrets to spill! Fine, I’ll accept this bullshit! Don’t think I won’t!”

…Well, that was easy. And Usopp…he was biting his lip, suddenly looking ashamed. “G-gah…a-alright, fine! But I still think this is all a lie! It’s gotta be!”

“...Huh, that actually went faster than I thought.” Everyone jumped as Proxy reappeared in a flash of light. “I thought there would need to be more cajoling, or some people wouldn’t be convinced at all. Well, I’m not complaining.”

“...Well, you’ve got your answer. We accept.” Zoro crossed his arms. “What now?”

“...Well, first off, might as well introduce yourselves to each other,” Proxy said with a shrug. “I felt it was better for you all to wait till you were all here, but now seems like a good time. Just name, occupation, where you come from…that sort of thing.”

…Geez, this felt juvenile…but he had a point. Zoro sighed. “Fine, I’ll go first. The name’s Roronoa Zoro. I’m…well, technically I’m a bounty hunter, but I only really do that to make a living. Couldn’t get back to my home, Shimotsuki Village in the East Blue, but I want to prove myself as a swordsman.”

Prove himself was a little bit of an understatement, but Zoro wanted to make the introduction as short as possible. He looked to Nami next, who pursed her lips. “...I’m Nami, no last name. I’m…a thief, who steals from pirates.” She looked around, as if daring anyone to respond to that. No one did, even when she followed up - “I hate pirates, and I like money and tangerines. I’m from the East Blue. …Next.”

…Damn, I didn’t realize I didn’t have to say my exact hometown, Zoro cursed internally. Usopp was next, and he swallowed nervously. “I-I’m…the Great Captain - er, I’m Usopp. Just Usopp. I come from Syrup Village in the East Blue, and…I’m unemployed? That’s…kinda it.”

…Geez, he really was a nobody. Next up was that swirly-brow blondie, who sighed as he pulled out his cigarette. “Sanji…no last name. I’m the sous-chef at the restaurant Baratie, in the East Blue.”

“Baratie?” That got a reaction from Ace, who looked surprised. “Huh, Pops has talked about that place, he says it’s owned by an old friend of his.”

“Really? Zeff’s friends with -” Sanji looked even more shocked, his cigarette nearly falling, before he closed his mouth. “...Guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Well, yeah. It’s a shitty restaurant, but I make good food. I’d love to see any of you ladies drop by.” …The men, naturally, went unaddressed. Yamato seemed briefly confused, but she was cut off before she could open her mouth by Ms. Wednesday, who took a deep breath. “I’m…Ms. Wednesday -”

“Oh - hm, I should have said this.” Everyone jumped when Proxy suddenly interjected. “...I’m not going to make you spill all your secrets right here, but…no pseudonyms. Real names, please.”

“Ah - but -” Ms. Wednesday looked frantically between Proxy and Ms. All-Sunday, whose eyes had narrowed. Proxy sighed. “Look, your names will come out before long anyway. Just trust me on this.”

…’Trust’ was kind of a big ask for this guy, but eventually, Ms. Wednesday took another deep breath, and spoke. “I’m…Vivi. I’m…currently a bounty hunter. I’m from the earlier part of the Grand Line.”

“...Wait, there are people who live on the Grand Line?” Nami asked incredulously. Ms. - no, Vivi looked at her in confusion. “...Yes? There are islands there. People are born there. Why wouldn’t they live there?”

…Nami looked embarrassed, and shut her mouth. Next was the hiding reindeer thing, who looked scared out of its wits, but eventually ventured out from behind the chair it was cowering behind. “I-I’m…Tony Tony Chopper. I’m a reindeer who…ate the Human-Human Devil Fruit. I’m from Drum Island, in the Grand Line, and - and I’m a doctor in training.”

…Zoro wasn’t sure what he was most surprised by - the Devil Fruit, being from Drum Island (that explained why he’d accepted) or the fact that he was a doctor. It probably would have prompted more questions (the white-hatted man in particular looked intrigued), but Ace spoke up next before any could be asked. “...Name’s Portgas D. Ace. I’m a crewmember of the Whitebeard Pirates. …Fairly new, I’ve only been there for the last year, but still. And I’ve been going around the New World with him.”

…Not much he didn’t already know, though the name rang a bell - he must have seen the wanted poster at some point. Next, Ms. All-Sunday cleared her throat - though Zoro was unsurprised when she gave a different name. “My real name is Nico Robin. I’m an archeologist by trade, though I’m currently…under different employment. I’m from the West Blue, originally…though I currently reside in the Grand Line.”

Zoro didn’t miss how Vivi kept her eyes on Nico Robin through her explanation, or how Jimbei’s eyes widened when she said her real name - though neither spoke up. The next was the blue-haired punk, who cast a gaze at Proxy before speaking. “...My name is Franky. I don’t care that wasn’t my original name, it’s my name now, and it’s the only name I go by. Happy?”

Proxy shrugged. Franky continued. “Anyway, I run the underground on the island of Water 7, in the Grand Line. The Franky Family also demolishes ships. ‘Nuff said.”

Next was the talking skeleton…and geez, that still made Zoro doubt his sanity. “My name is Brook, and in life, I was the captain of the Rumbar Pirates. My ship was attacked in the Florian Triangle, and I and the rest of the crew lost our lives - however, I had eaten the Revive-Revive Devil Fruit, which allowed my soul to return to my body. …I’ve been…stuck ever since, however.” He paused, putting a hand to his chin and turning to Proxy. “Pardon me, but - if you were able to find me, and knew of me, how long was I stuck there?”

“...Next year it’ll be fifty years,” Proxy said, sounding surprisingly sympathetic. Brook did not respond at first, merely lowering his head. “Fifty years…would this nightmare have finally been over, were I to meet this man you speak of?”

“...Yes. It would have been.”

“...Then I curse the fates that took him as a boy,” Brook said somberly. None of them quite knew how to follow that exchange up - eventually, Jimbei spoke in a rumbling tone. “...My name is Jimbei. My home is Fishman Island, under the Red Line - and I serve as both captain of the Sun Pirates…and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.”

That got quite a few reactions. Ace seemed to already know all this, but the white-hatted man tensed, and Vivi went white. “W-wait, you’re - you’re that Jimbei?!”

“I am, yes. …And I believe this speaks to the power of Proxy, that he was able to grab and take me so easily,” Jimbei spoke, nodding in the direction of the man in question.

There was a sound of grinding next to Zoro - Zoro realized it was Nami’s teeth right before she stopped, her face stony.

“...Well, I can’t really follow that up with much,” the white-hatted man said tiredly. “The name’s Trafalgar Law. I’m captain of the Heart Pirates, currently sailing the Grand Line. I’m from the North Blue, originally.”

He didn’t say more than that, and looked to the green-haired punk, who grinned. “Bartolomeo, at your service! I’m the kingpin of a crime ring that runs through over 150 towns in the East Blue! Loguetown’s where I was born and raised, though.”

Zoro rolled his eyes in distaste, which Bartolomeo didn’t see. Next, the rabbit girl meekly raised her hand - er, paw. …Wait, that was just on one hand, was that a gauntlet??? “Um…I’m Carrot? I’m training to become a Musketeer when I get old enough, and I come…from, er, Zou. …I’ve never been outside it.”

“The Musketeers are a combat force for Zou, right? Bepo told me about it,” Law remarked, and Carrot nodded. However, Sanji paled. “...’old enough’? …Um, how old are you?”

“Hm?” Carrot tilted her head. “I’m 12, why?”

That sent Sanji white as a sheet, apparently realizing he’d flirted with a twelve-year-old. Zoro rolled his eyes and directed his gaze to the last person in the group, Yamato, who straightened up - before suddenly faltering. “Oh. Um…” She glanced at Proxy, who sighed. “...You can say who you want to be, but also say who you are now.”

“...Right. Um, so…I was born Yamato…daughter of the Emperor, Kaido -”

If Jimbei’s announcement had gotten people tense, this one got them ashen - particularly Law, who was gripping his sword so tightly that Zoro was legitimately worried he might break it -

“But! But, I don’t want to be Kaido!” Yamato said frantically, pulling something out of her pocket. It was a tiny book, which she held like a prized possession. “I want to be Kozuki Oden, writer of this logbook! The rightful shogun of Wano! I want to live as him, not as that - that monster!”

“...Guys, trust me on this,” Ace said firmly, drawing everyone’s attention. “Yamato hates Kaido with a fiery passion. If you can trust anyone to not follow in their parents’ footsteps…” He nodded in Yamato’s direction, who visibly relaxed.

Zoro wasn’t surprised when Sanji spoke up to defend Yamato - however, he was surprised by what the man said. “...No one should be defined by who their birth parents are. If Yamato wants to be different, then we should believe in that. And if anyone has a problem with that…” Sanji’s gaze smoldered as he glanced around the room.

…No one voiced any objections, and with that, the introductions were done. Proxy stepped forward, clearing his throat. “Right. Now, let me set a few ground rules. First, while I know some roughhousing is to be expected, I will step in if anyone attempts serious harm on another. …I would normally attempt to prevent anyone from using their Devil Fruit powers, but considering at least one of you needs those powers to live, I’ve decided against it. Still, reign yourselves in, or else.”

“Next - the adventure in question will be displayed on this screen.” He tapped the wall which the chairs were facing. “...As I mentioned, I had to entrust someone else with putting this all together, I’m not very experienced with that kinda thing…so there may be some…eh, ‘quirks’. I apologize for that in advance.”

“Now, I do want to make sure you all get the information of importance out of this, so the screen will automatically stop if not enough people are paying attention to it. …I know that expecting 100% of you to retain your attention 100% of the time is a fool’s errand, so instead, the threshold is two-thirds. If more than five people stop paying attention, it will stop.”

“Finally, breaks. Staring at a screen for a long period of time isn’t good for your eyes, so I’ll be having you take breaks every so often. I’ll set up rooms for you to rest in, and I will also accept other requests if asked. Any questions?”

No one had any questions - at least, not until Proxy bent down to press something, at which point Usopp blinked as he realized something. “...Wait. Breaks? How long is this thing going to go on?”

…Proxy froze, before resuming what he was doing. “...A while.”

“...O-okay, but how long is ‘a while’? …Like, we’re not going to be watching literally every second of the adventure, r-right?”

“Of course not, that would be ridiculous.”

Usopp laughed awkwardly in relief. “...Okay, so…how long is it?”

“...It’s…a long story, alright?”

“Okay, but HOW long?!”

“Okay, starting now!”

“DON’T IGNORE ME! This isn’t going to take forever, right? …Right?!”

Usopp’s pleas went unanswered as they began filing into their seats. …There were more than fifteen available, curiously, but it was probably for the best - Jimbei took up more than one seat in the first place, and it allowed there to be some space for those who obviously weren’t keen on interacting.

Zoro was sat next to Law on one side, and Nami on the other - who was visibly giving Jimbei a wide berth. Jimbei was sitting next to Ace on one side, and surprisingly Brook on the other, who seemed to be glad that he wasn’t being avoided by everyone. Yamato was on Ace’s other side, looking plenty excited.

On the other side of Nami was Vivi, who was clearly avoiding Nico Robin - she was sat next to, of all things, Chopper, who looked nervous, but Robin was actually giving him a surprisingly gentle smile. Next to Chopper, Usopp finally filed in after grumbling a whole bunch. Sanji sat next to Vivi, clearly interested in being as close as possible to the pair of women.

On the other side of Law was Carrot, who seemed to have decided on her position due to Law’s status as the only one who knew much about Zou. The final two, Bartolomeo and Franky, were sat next to each other, which was…actually rather unsurprising, they were apparently both criminal bosses.

Proxy, after starting whatever he was starting, didn’t take a seat, but rather stood at the back, waiting for the main event to start -

- and start it did.

Chapter Text

The screen began to show a small harbor village, with the caption ‘12 years after the death of Gold Roger’. Panning to show a pirate ship in the harbor, a section was added - ‘1 year ago, a pirate ship made this village its base’.

Nami frowned in anger. She could already expect what she was going to see - bloodshed and carnage. That was what pirates did, after all…

However, Ace and Jimbei were suddenly on alert, as they recognized the Jolly Roger - that was the mark of “Red-Haired” Shanks. They exchanged a look, and Ace spoke under his breath. “Was Shanks an Emperor by this point?” Jimbei shook his head. “Not yet. If this was twelve years after Roger’s death…it’d be another six years before Shanks was acknowledged as such. But he was already deemed an incredibly powerful pirate by this point…”

Suddenly, a pirate on the ship called out. “Hey, Luffy, what’re you up to now?” It panned up to show a young boy standing on the figurehead of the ship, holding a knife in his hand. A caption appeared, declaring this boy as from the village, and labeling him ‘Monkey D. Luffy’. “Hmph! I’ve had it with you guys! Now you’ll HAVE to take me seriously! THIS IS HOW TOUGH I AM!”

Nami blinked in shock, and let out a noise of frustration. “Seriously, what’s he doing trying to impress pirates? He’s lucky they don’t throw him into the sea.”

“Some kids just like that kinda thing, apparently,” Zoro shrugged. “Never really got it myself.”

Ace, meanwhile, blinked. ‘Monkey D.’...was this kid related to Garp? …Nah, there was no way. It had to just be a coincidence.

Although his face wasn’t visible, a pirate with a straw hat laughed. “Ha ha ha! Just get on with it already. Whatever it is…” Another shrugged. “Don’t know what he thinks he’s doing now, but it ought to be fun to watch.”

“...Is this kid a regular visitor? Do they seriously not mind him climbing all over their ship?” Law said in disbelief. That was just asking for him to try stowing away in there when they set sail…

However, the pirates’ mirth was cut short - quite literally - when the young boy took the dagger and stabbed himself right below the eye, the blade sinking in. The pirates cried out in alarm. “Wha - you idiot, what are you doing that for?!” Luffy yelled in pain as they rushed to grab him.

The pirates’ cries were mirrored in the viewing room - Chopper let out a yelp, and Usopp cringed away, while the more hardy members of the room still yelled in shock. “That - idiot!” Nami cried out. “What was he doing?!”

“...My guess? He was trying to stab his eye out so he could get an eyepatch,” Law groaned, facepalming. “What a moron…”

“Hey, it’s not that bad,” Bartolomeo shrugged, causing everyone to stare at him. “The kid’s got guts! I like him.”

“...You have got to be kidding me,” Nami stated blankly. “Don’t tell me you’d encourage this kinda thing?!”

Bartolomeo shrank back slightly at her rage. “W-well, no, but - come on! You can’t tell me you all didn’t do stupid things as a kid…”

Silence fell. Zoro reflected on his many idiotic attempts to take on Kuina. Nami bit her lip as she remembered stealing a book from a bookstore. Usopp found himself thinking back on his many tall tales…that he was still telling. Sanji recalled trying to take on Zeff. Vivi remembered her fights with Koza. Ace thought about his own misadventures with Sabo. Franky remembered the warships he’d built. Yamato thought of her talking back to her father. Even Law remembered how reckless he’d been under Doflamingo.

Bartolomeo, satisfied, crossed his arms. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Besides, that’s not even close to the worst thing I did as a kid!”

“...I shudder to think what kind of terror you were,” Nami said, deadpan.

As they returned to watching, the scene cut to the inside of a bar. The pirates were rejoicing, toasting to Luffy’s bravery.

“...Oh great, and now they’re encouraging it,” Law groaned. “That kid’s going to turn into a terror of his own at this rate.”

…Nami, meanwhile, was watching, dumbfounded. What kinds of pirates were these? Sure, they were rowdy, but they were treating the kid like a friend, and they weren’t causing any mayhem.

“It didn’t hurt a bit!” Luffy proclaimed with a bandage under his face and tears in his eyes - earning a retort from the straw-hat pirate sitting next to him. “LIAR! That was a foolish thing to do, Luffy!”

“I’m not afraid of getting hurt! Not at all!” Luffy raised his arms into the air with childlike glee. “Take me on your next voyage! I want to be a pirate too!”

Nami recovered from her confusion and scowled. …No matter what kind of pirates these were, they were only encouraging more of them. That, she couldn’t forgive. Not more of those monsters…

The straw-hat pirate next to him laughed aloud again. “You?! A pirate?! Get real!” As a caption underneath him labeled him ‘Red-Haired’ Shanks. “Luffy, we call you ‘anchor’ for a reason. You can’t swim! You sink like a rock! What good is a pirate who can’t swim?!”

With that caption, those who were aware of Shanks’s name but not his symbol, like Zoro, Usopp, Robin, and Law, straightened in shock. Yamato, meanwhile, gasped in delight. “No way! Is that the same Shanks who -?!”

“Ah…Yamato, I’m gonna have to cut you off there.” Proxy stepped forward, drawing their attention away from the screen. “Look, I know you’re excited, but if you interrupt this every time you recognize something from Oden’s logbook, you’re going to spoil it for everyone else.”

Yamato started pouting. “But…”

Proxy sighed. “Think of it this way. Do you remember how you felt when you first read Oden’s logbook?” Yamato brightened, and nodded. “This is going to be an experience like that for at least some of these guys. Imagine how it would feel if someone spoiled the ending of it before you got there.”

Yamato’s eyes widened in horror, and she clamped her mouth shut, nodding frantically. Proxy glanced over the room. “That goes for the rest of you too. Obviously you can share information if you want, but don’t try to dump a whole bunch of exposition on people, alright?”

That garnered a few raised eyebrows and shrugs, but no one disagreed. With that, they turned back to the screen, and the tale resumed.

“But if I don’t fall overboard, then what does it matter if I can’t swim?” Luffy protested. “Plus, I’m a strong fighter! I’ve trained so that my punch is like a pistol!”

Shanks merely raised an eyebrow. “A pistol, huh? Really now.”

“WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!”

The pirates nearby laughed. “Cheer up, Luffy! Let’s just party!” “Yeah, we’re always partying! Exploring the seas and all the islands…we keep on running into stuff to celebrate!” “Yeah, being a pirate’s great! You’re free to do whatever you want!” Luffy’s smile grew wider and wider.

Nami, meanwhile, wanted to retch. “They’re filling his head with dreams when being a pirate is nothing like that,” she said in disgust.

Law nodded, while Jimbei sighed. “As far as I know, that’s how Shanks’s pirates have always been. He has a lot of dreamers on his crew.”

…Nami didn’t like the fact that she was being backed up by pirates and fishmen, so she merely huffed and looked back at the screen.

“Come on, you guys…stop filling his head with all that stuff,” Shanks remarked with a sigh.

“Thank you,” Nami burst out - before freezing. Wait, why am I agreeing with a PIRATE?!

“But it’s true! Right, Captain?”

Usopp blinked and did a double-take. Had that guy just had a headband with ‘Yasopp’ on it?

…Damn, he was gone now. …Maybe it had just been his imagination. There might be more than one Yasopp out there anyway. …And it wasn’t like he’d recognize his father on sight, anyway…he sighed.

“Come on, Captain,” one of the pirates cajoled. “Why not take the kid with us for once?” The other pirates laughed and agreed, causing Luffy to gasp in excitement. Shanks raised an eyebrow. “Alright, but one of you will have to stay behind. You guys alright with that?”

There was a pause, then -”

“Welp! Sorry, lad, looks like you’re on your own!”

“HEY! I thought you guys were trying to help me!”

Law shook his head. “Any pirate that would actually take a kid of that age on their ship has a screw loose. Either they’re endangering them, or they’re endangering themselves. Whichever way you look at it, it’s not a good idea.”

Nami remained silent. …She’d been of a similar age when she’d joined Arlong’s crew. …Then again, it’s not like they’d ever taken her on their ship. …Or like they would have cared about endangering her, anyway…

“You’re just too young, kid. Give it 10 years, maybe I’ll reconsider,” Shanks joked.

“Come on, Shanks! I’m telling you, I’m NOT a little kid!”

“Hey, hey, don’t get so upset. Want some milk?” Luffy’s face lit up when Shanks slid a glass of just that across to him. “Oh yeah! Thanks!” He started drinking it, prompting the pirate to burst out laughing. “HA! See?! You are a kid!”

“Wha - SHANKS! That was a dirty trick!”

“...He gave you milk, how was that a trick?” Vivi said in confusion.

By this point, everyone was kinda wondering how this was supposed to be important. Still, it wasn’t as if they were having a bad time. …Even if Nami kept having to remind herself ‘these are pirates, stop finding them funny’.

“Hmph. And after I even stabbed myself to get you guys to let me join…” Luffy sulked.

“Calm down, Luffy,” a man lighting a cigarette with a match, calmer than the rest, said. “The Captain’s just doing what he thinks is best for everyone.” Luffy blinked. “First Mate, what d’ya mean?”

The first mate in question put out the match and responded. “He’s responsible for the safety of the entire crew and the ship. It’s not all fun and games, you know - if you want to be a pirate, you gotta pull your weight, be it through pillaging, raiding…or. Well. Swimming.”

Luffy grumbled, causing the first mate to continue. “And the seas are full of dangers…which the captain knows well. It’s got a thousand ways to kill you, so he wants to keep you safe. It’s not that he wants to crush your dreams.”

“...I don’t buy it,” Luffy said petulantly. “I think Shanks just likes making fun of me.”

“HEEEEY, ANCHOR!” Shanks called at Luffy, cackling. Luffy pointed. “See?!”

Nami could only facepalm. Except for the first mate, these pirates were so…juvenile!

“Captain Shanks! I’m glad to see you and your crewmates enjoying yourselves.” A woman walked in, a caption labeling her as Makino, the proprietor of the tavern. “Luffy, would you like something to eat?”

…Nami’s jaw dropped. …Seriously? She’d assumed the pirates basically just had the run of the town, but this woman was just - walking up to them and feeling completely unconcerned?!

Ace, meanwhile, blinked. Makino? The name…and that face…seemed familiar. Where? He couldn’t place it…hm. Maybe he’d been to the island before.

“Yeah, I would! Put it on my treasure tab!” Luffy said happily. Shanks snorted. “Treasure tab? Hey, kid, don’t swindle the lady.”

Luffy pouted at him. “Hey, I’ll become a pirate, find lots of treasure, and pay her back! What’s the problem?”

“...So many problems,” Vivi said despairingly.

“I can’t stand him treating a lady like that,” Sanji remarked in annoyance.

“Hey, he’s just a kid,” Nami said with a sigh. “...Though even if he was an adult, I’d never accept that kind of deal.”

Makino merely giggled, however. “Well, we’ll celebrate together when you return. Alright, Luffy?” Luffy laughed along with her.

During his meal, Luffy turned to Shanks. “Hey…Shanks. How much longer are you gonna stay at this village?”

“Hm? Well, let’s see…” Shanks thought about it. “It’s been about a year…after two or three more voyages, I think we’ll leave here for good and head north.”

“I see…” Luffy seemed pensive as he ate. “Two or three trips, huh?” Makino looked at him with a sympathetic stare. Luffy came to a decision. “Then, I’ll learn how to swim by the time you leave!”

“That’s good, kid,” Shanks said disinterestedly. “Do whatever you want.”

“He really…wants to impress him, huh.” Chopper could relate - but he could also tell that Shanks didn’t intend to take him along no matter what. It was different than with him and Dr. Hiriluk.

“Yeah…” Usopp could honestly imagine himself acting the same way, if his dad’s pirate crew came back to Syrup Village.

However, it was then there was a sudden SLAM as someone kicked one of the bar doors off its hinges, the object traveling into the center of the room and clattering on the ground. “Hey, hey…what’s all this? So these are pirates, huh? First time I’ve seen them, and they’re such a sorry lot too.”

The room went quiet as a scruffy man followed by a gang of white-clothed thugs walked in. The only sound was a couple people eating - Luffy, and one of the pirates still chewing on his meat bone.

Among those watching, only Brook noticed something odd - the fruit Luffy was eating had a strange pattern on it.

Don’t tell me… What were the odds that he would just be eating a random Devil Fruit? …Or perhaps he’d mistaken it. There were all sorts of fruit in the world, after all…

The scruffy man, named by a caption as ‘Higuma the Bear’, leader of the mountain bandits, approached the counter. “Oh, don’t go crying. We ain’t here to tear up the place. Just give us ten barrels of grog, and we won’t injure anyone…much.”

“...Oh, great. Wonderful deal,” Nami groused. Now this was more what she was used to. …Granted, it was bandits, not pirates, but what was the difference really?

“...I dunno if it’s a good idea for them to walk in like they own the place while the pirates are already there,” Sanji remarked with a raised eyebrow. Bartolomeo nodded. “Yeah, even my boys know to be wary of pirates. Like, there are lots of small fry out there, but you never know when you’ll run into a big fish.”

“Oh…I’m sorry,” Makino said uncomfortably. “We just ran out of liquor.”

Higuma narrowed his eyes, glancing around the silent tavern. “Hmm…oh yeah? That’s strange. What are all these pirates drinking, then? Water?”

“It’s the last of it, I’m afraid.”

The mood in the room was tense, preparing for a brawl. Zoro found himself with fingers on his swords’ hilts unconsciously - he’d seen more than one bar fight break out over the last bottle of booze…

“Hey, sorry,” Shanks said amicably. “I guess we drank up all the booze. Feel kinda guilty for that. Here.” He grabbed a bottle next to him and offered it to the bandit. “This one’s unopened, you can have it if you still want some.”

Despite Shanks’s surprising friendliness, no one in the audience had any faith that the man would accept the offer - but his response was even more violent than they anticipated.

Drawing his arm back, Higuma suddenly smashed it through the bottle, spraying the booze onto Shanks and getting both his hat and his clothes soaking wet. The bar’s inhabitants reacted with shock, while the bandits laughed.

“You think I’m gonna accept one bottle of booze? What the hell do you take me for?” Higuma snarled. “Don’t try to make a fool out of me.”

“...For crying out loud…I get being annoyed, but you don’t have to waste a perfectly good bottle like that,” Zoro grumbled. “Now you don’t get any booze at all.”

Shanks, meanwhile, seemed completely unconcerned about the bandit, mostly looking down at his clothes. “Jeez, what a mess…”

“...Is he really not going to do anything?” Ace muttered to Jimbei. “Even Pops would get mad if you did that.” Jimbei shrugged.

“Look at this,” Higuma said with a smug look, pulling out a wanted poster with his face on it. “I’ve got an 8 million berry bounty on my head. Wanna know how I got it? I killed fifty-six people…a lot of them were fools like you who disrespected me. If you’re smart, you’ll sail away from here right now.”

Silence in the room - then…sniggers. Despite the tense situation, several people were snickering.

“...I can’t believe he thinks 8 million berries is a high bounty,” Bartolomeo chortled. “Even in the East Blue, that’s small potatoes.”

“I don’t think I’d even go to the trouble of turning him in,” Zoro chuckled. …Well, maybe that was an exaggeration, more money was good, but still.

“More than that, what kind of guy carries around his own wanted poster?” Law rolled his eyes. “Talk about an ego.”

“Besides which, he’s just asking for trouble if he shows that off,” Nami sighed, shaking her head. “Even with his gang, you know someone’s gonna try something if he keeps boasting ‘you can get money for turning me in!’”

Ace glanced at Jimbei with a grin. “How much was Shanks’ bounty by this point, actually?”

“...Honestly, I have no idea, I didn’t keep track,” Jimbei admitted, smiling himself. “But I’m certain it was far bigger than 8 million.”

Despite Higuma’s words, Shanks merely got up, bent down, and picked up a piece of the broken bottle. “Sorry about the mess, Makino,” he said to the shocked bartender apologetically. “If you give me a rag, I can clean it up.”

“Ah - no, you don’t need to worry about that…”

…They had been surprised before, but now everyone was shocked at how casually Shanks was treating this matter. It was like he didn’t care in the slightest. Nami in particular couldn’t believe her eyes. What…kind of pirate is he supposed to be?

Higuma, of course, didn’t take kindly to being ignored. Rather than attack Shanks, however, he merely swept his sword across the counter, sending plates, bottles, and juice falling to the ground and forcing Shanks to huddle against the counter to avoid them.

“You like to clean, huh? Well, that ought to make you happy, then. Clean all you want.”

A few of the watchers found themselves angry at how Higuma was treating Shanks, but most were just watching, waiting, trying to figure out the latter’s character. Why did this man not react in the slightest?

“So long, cowards,” Higuma remarked as he and his bandits left. Outside, they began complaining about the lack of booze, and decided to go to another village.

Robin’s eyes widened. I see…so that’s why he didn’t fight back.

Inside, Makino rushed to Shanks’s side. “Captain Shanks! Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. No harm done.” Shanks let out a breath and smiled - which was apparently the cue for everyone in the bar to burst out laughing. “HA HA HA HA! Captain, he got you good, didn’t he?!”

Shanks, too, started laughing. “Ha ha! He sure did!”

“WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?!”

It took a second for the watchers to realize two people had said that - Luffy on-screen, and Nami off of it. The latter realized that she had spoken in unison with the boy, and sank into her seat, embarrassed.

“He made you look like a weakling!” Luffy shouted, indignant. “Why didn’t you fight him? Sure, there were more of them, and - and they looked kinda tough, but - what kind of pirate lets himself be treated like that, and then laughs?! You’re not a proper pirate, you’re not even a man!”

…Nami slumped, putting her head in her hands. …Why was she agreeing with Luffy? Why was she mad that these pirates weren’t acting like the ones she was used to? What was she hoping for?

“...Luffy, I know you’re upset, but he only spilled some booze on me,” Shanks remarked with a raised eyebrow as he put his hat back on. “...Hm, maybe when you’re older you’ll get it, but…fighting when you don’t need to doesn’t make you a man.”

Before Nami could feel even more frustrated, a new voice spoke - which actually didn’t help her mood at all.

“And he’s leaving one thing unsaid,” Jimbei rumbled as he stroked his chin. “Think about what would have happened if he and his pirates had fought back.”

The room blinked in surprise, and thought about it. Ace was the first to speak. “...Well, I get that Makino and Luffy would have been in the crossfire, but…honestly, I still don’t get it. I can tell Shanks is much stronger than that bandit. He and his crew could probably subdue them without any trouble at all.”

“Ah, but what would he do with them then?” Jimbei asked, raising an eyebrow. “He can’t turn them in and collect the bounty, he’s a wanted man himself.”

“...W-well…” Usopp tried to think about it. “I mean, if he beat them up so bad they wouldn’t be willing to mess with him again -”

“Then what would happen when the crew left?” Robin interjected pointedly. “They aren’t around the village all the time. The bandits would wait until they were gone, then take their revenge.”

…No one could deny that, but… “Then why wouldn’t he just kill them?” Zoro asked bluntly. He got a lot of looks at that, but just shrugged. “Hey, if that’s the only option, it’s the only option. No one’s going to miss a bunch of bandits.”

Ace swallowed the retort he wanted to give at that (he’d been raised by bandits, after all) but Jimbei had one of his own. “Then think how that would look to the town. It’s clear that the Red-Haired Pirates enjoy their time here - even if it is just Makino and Luffy that like them, they would look at the crew very differently if there was a massacre in that bar. It would damage that relationship irrevocably.”

…Nami, off to the side, did her best to tune out the fishman’s words. She didn’t want to hear this. Why did these pirates have to be so confusing? Why did this fishman have to sound so…reasonable?

“So…” Everyone blinked at Yamato’s muttered words. Then -

“So COOL!” she burst out, stars in her eyes. “I can’t believe he was willing to take all that on the chin for the sake of his friends! Ooh, Shanks grew up to be amazing…!”

Luffy, apparently, didn’t think so. He turned in a huff and began to walk towards the door. “Hey, where are you going, Luffy?” Shanks asked, grabbing his arm to stop him. “I’m gonna find a new role model!” Luffy groused as he kept walking -

And kept walking, even as his arm stretched.

The crew’s spit-takes and yells of surprise was mirrored in the reactions of the watchers - even those with Devil Fruits were taken off-guard by the sudden shock. Brook was the first one to recover, making a noise of understanding. “Oh my…so that was a Devil Fruit he was eating earlier.”

“Wha - you’re serious?!” Ace gaped. “What are the chances he would just eat one then?!”

“So - that’s what a Devil Fruit does to you?” Carrot asked, unable to take her eyes off the screen.

“Well, this one, at least…”

The crew, predictably, was yelling in shock - while Luffy was absolutely terrified. “AAH! WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME?!”

Robin couldn’t help but subtly wince. She herself had freaked out when she’d first used her Devil Fruit abilities unconsciously…and the reaction of others hadn’t helped either…

Chopper, too, shivered - not only had he suddenly turned different after eating that fruit, but everyone had turned against him…if he had to watch that again…!

A particularly fat crew mate realized what was going on first, and rushed over to a box on the counter - an open box. “It - it’s not here! The Gum-Gum Fruit we took from that Marine ship!”

“...Wait. That was their fruit?!” Ace asked in disbelief. “Why didn’t they lock that thing up properly?!”

Jimbei groaned. “My guess? They were too drunk to do so…that always seems to be the excuse with them.”

“Luffy! You didn’t eat that fruit, did you?!” The crewmate held up a hastily-assembled drawing of the fruit in question, causing Luffy to nod. “Yeah, I had it for dessert. …Tasted yucky, though…”

Shanks gritted his teeth as he grabbed onto Luffy’s shoulder and brought him close. “That was the Gum-Gum Fruit! A Devil Fruit, one of the secret treasures of the sea! It makes your entire body become like rubber, and - if you eat any Devil Fruit, you won’t be able to swim for the rest of your life!”

That got Luffy’s attention. “WHAAAAAT?!”

“YOU IDIOT!”

…By now, no one was doubting that Devil Fruits were real - Ace’s actions and Brook’s appearance were proof of that - but this was the first time they were getting it spelled out for them.

“...So these Devil Fruits really are a thing?” Zoro asked. “How common are they?”

“Common enough that if you’re a skilled enough pirate, you’re gonna run into someone who ate one eventually,” Law remarked. “They become way more common in the Grand Line, though. I think I’ve come across more crews with a Devil Fruit user than ones without by this point.”

“...I can’t believe they’re still thought of as legends, if that’s the case,” Sanji mused as he took a drag of his cigarette. Law shrugged. “Couldn’t tell you why. I think the Marines might try to keep the knowledge from spreading - don’t want people hunting those fruits trying to become pirates, after all.”

The scene transitioned, after a caption popped up saying it was now several days later.

“Hey, Fishmonger! Gimme some fish!” Luffy yelled joyfully. The bandage had been taken off, revealing a small scar below his eye in its place.

That…provoked a lot of raised eyebrows. “He’s…awfully chipper after that debacle,” Vivi said in confusion.

“Hey, Rubber Boy!” the fishmonger called back, also pretty joyful. “Why’re you in such a good mood? Didn’t the pirates just set sail? And I heard you’re never gonna be able to swim again.”

“Hey, it doesn’t matter if I sink, I’ll just be a pirate that never falls overboard!”

“...Oh, huh. I suppose the pirates must have explained to the village about Luffy’s Devil Fruit,” Law said thoughtfully. “A good thing, too. I’ve heard a lot of people see the effects of a Devil Fruit on a person and label them a monster without a second thought.”

Robin remained silent, while Chopper whimpered quietly. Their mood didn’t improve at Luffy’s next line.

“I’m glad I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit! Look at what I can do now!” He demonstrated by stretching out his cheeks wide.

“...You think being gawked at like a freak is a good thing, boy?” A short, somewhat elderly man walked up in a huff, prompting a few local villagers to greet him with ‘Good morning, Mr. Mayor!’ “Well, this village doesn’t need any more idiots, son!”

“...Well, I suppose some attitudes are going to stick regardless,” Law muttered. Still, something odd about what the mayor had said stuck with him. Any ‘more’ idiots?

“Now, for the last time, Luffy, you are not going to be a pirate!” the mayor began ranting, causing Luffy to plug his ears and stick his tongue out. “It’ll make the village look bad! The captain…well, he’s an alright fellow, but stay away from those pirates, darn it!”

“...Well, at least one adult is giving him reasonable advice,” Nami huffed. “...Even if Luffy’s not going to listen. …And even if it’s clearly from self-interest - ‘make the village look bad’, seriously?!”

“...You never know,” Ace muttered. “Sometimes the Marines will bring hell down on a pirate’s hometown.”

“...What I want to know is where are Luffy’s parents?” Vivi asked worriedly. “Why is the mayor the one giving him this advice instead?”

“He’s probably an orphan,” Franky said with a shrug. “It’s common enough, anyway.”

The scene cut to Makino’s bar, where Luffy was the only one inside other than the bartender herself. She spoke, asking Luffy a question. “The pirates have been out at sea for a while now…are you missing them, Luffy?”

“No way!” Luffy denied petulantly. “After the way they let those bandits treat them? I couldn’t care less!”

…Well, that’s a clear lie, quite a few people thought to themselves.

Luffy, however, remained firm in his stance. “I really thought those guys were brave and tough,” he grumbled into his glass - literally, as he let his face smush against it. “But they were just a bunch of wimps! I had them all wrong…”

“Are you sure about that?” Makino asked with a gentle smile. “Maybe sometimes it takes more courage to not fight.”

Usopp blinked, trying to digest her words. More courage to not fight? Huh…

Franky thought back on how Tom got arrested, gritting his teeth. Jimbei, meanwhile, reminisced on the actions of Queen Otohime, doing his best to hold down his emotions.

“You just don’t get it, Makino,” Luffy whined. “A real man has to stand up for himself, no matter what?” Makino giggled. “Is that right? Yes, I suppose I don’t get it.”

“That’s right, you don’t,” Luffy huffed.

Sanji sighed lovingly. “Ah, what a kind soul Makino-chan is…indulging this brat’s idiocy…” Quite a few blank stares were sent at him for that.

Their odd little exchange was interrupted as the bar doors swung open - and who would walk in but Higuma, to the shock of Luffy and Makino. “Oh? No pirates today, huh?”

A hush fell over the viewers, before Ace slapped his face in frustration. “Damn it…so much for the bandits not coming back while the pirates are gone…”

“There must not be many villages on this island,” Robin said with a frown.

Higuma sat down in a chair, putting his feet up on the table. “Well? What are you waiting for? We’re customers! Serve us drinks already!”

Sanji tsked in annoyance, fiddling with his cigarette. “It’s my policy to serve whoever’s hungry…but these guys would get tossed out of Baratie by Patty or Carne in no time flat.”

The scene faded, and the next thing the viewers saw was Makino barging into the mayor’s house. “MAYOR! We have a problem!”

“Eh?! What’s wrong, Makino?”

“It’s Luffy - and the bandits!”

The mood in the room grew tense. Law frowned. Luffy might have a Devil Fruit, but that was hardly the game-changer many thought it was. Depending on what it was - especially if it was a Paramecia - learning how to use it effectively would be a whole challenge in and of itself.

Indeed, Luffy was at the mercy of the bandits - who were treating him more as a curiosity than an actual threat. “What a weird body this kid’s got…we can’t hurt him at all no matter how much we kick him.”

I suppose that fits, with the qualities of rubber, Robin thought to herself as she watched with an externally-calm expression, in contrast with the rest of the viewers.

“Hey!” a villager whisper-yelled to another from inside their house as they gazed out the window fearfully. “We gotta help Luffy!”

“No way, those bandits would kill us!” the other villager said anxiously. “B-besides, Luffy’s the one who started the fight!”

“Those stinking…” That roused Nami’s anger. “Who cares who started it?! That kid’s in danger!”

“Some people are just cowards, I’m afraid,” Zoro said with a huff.

Usopp swallowed, well aware he’d find it hard to move in the very same situation.

“Damn you! You’d better take back what you said!” Luffy yelled as he charged at Higuma, even while the bandit had a hold on his stretchy face. “You jerk!”

“Man, I guess there really are all kinds of weirdoes in the world, huh, rubber boy?” Higuma mocked, before using his hold on Luffy’s face to hurl him to the ground, the rubber boy bouncing along it. “OW! D-damn you! I’ll get you for this!”

“I seem to have discovered a new life-form, boys,” Higuma joked to his men. “Hmm, maybe I’ll sell you to a freak show…I bet they’d pay good money for you.”

Jimbei’s grip on his seat increased hard enough that it was a shock it didn’t break - even if the man said he would sell to a freak show, it didn’t change the fact that this man was willing to trade in bodies. Slavers…if I could only stamp you all out for good…!

Realizing he was unable to harm the taller man with a punch, Luffy grabbed for a large stick, rushing towards the man with a battle cry - however, Higuma just huffed and kicked at him, knocking him to the ground. “You stubborn little brat!” He pinned the boy to the ground with his foot. “I don’t get you. I was just drinking and talking with my men. I didn’t say anything to insult you.”

“Y-yes you did!” Luffy cried out. “You’d better apologize!”

Those who already had a good grasp of Luffy’s character realized what the boy was probably referring to. He insulted Shanks, huh…

Nami gritted her teeth. Come on…you’d already realized that they weren’t what you thought! Why did you have to go fighting this guy over it?!

“Grr…get your foot off me, you stupid bandit!” Luffy struggled in vain, before -

“Let the boy go!” It was the mayor who’d called out, who’d just arrived on the scene with Makino. He was visibly terrified, but even so, he addressed the bandits. “Please!”

After the bandits turned to look, the mayor got down on his knees. “I don’t know what the boy did to offend you…and I have no intention of fighting you people! But if it’s money you want, you’ll get it! Whatever you want! Just don’t hurt the boy, please!”

Luffy stared in shock at the mayor, who’d been yelling at him just earlier that day. “Mayor…!”

“...At least the guy cares,” Franky said quietly. Next to him, Bartolomeo nodded grudgingly. “I’ve seen a lot of mayors who’d sooner kick a street urchin than stick out their necks for one.”

Unfortunately… “Nice try, old man,” Higuma said appreciatively. “You get how this works. …But I’m afraid it’s too little, too late. You can’t save this brat now. He’s done the unforgivable - attacked me, called me names…I’m not gonna take that from this little rubber freak!” He stamped on Luffy’s head a couple times - thankfully, the rubber meant that he wasn’t hurt, and Luffy’s spirit was undaunted. “YOU’RE the one who started this…you mountain ape!”

Higuma growled, and drew his sword. “That does it, brat. I’m not gonna sell you. I’m gonna kill you!”

“LUFFY!” “Please! Forgive him!”

…As much as Jimbei knew that was in some ways a better fate, he couldn’t help but growl in anger at the screen - and much of the other viewers were the same way. Usopp, Chopper, and Carrot were already looking away in utter fear of what they were about to see -

“Oh…? I was wondering why no one came to greet us at the harbor…so this is what was going on.”

The tension bled out of the room at Shanks’s voice - Jimbei and Ace visibly relaxed, knowing he could absolutely take care of the bandits and save Luffy.

As for the others, well -

“Oh, it’s you bandits again!” Shanks greeted Higuma casually, before glancing down at Luffy. “And Luffy! I thought you said your punch was as strong as a pistol…?”

“Can you take this seriously?!” Nami raged at the screen. Shanks was still so far away from the bandits, and had none of his crew to back him up - Nami didn’t care about the pirate, but if he got the kid killed by his lazy attitude, then -!

“Calm down,” Zoro said next to her, causing Nami to glare at him. “...That guy’s strong. I can tell. He won’t let the kid die.”

Nami growled, but returned to glaring at the screen, clearly unconvinced.

“Hmph. So you pirates were still here?” Higuma leered, undeterred by Shanks’s presence. “Taking a break from your cleaning duties to see the show?”

Shanks began walking forward without responding, causing Higuma to speak again. “I don’t know what you think you’re going to do, but you’d better back off before you get hurt. Come any closer and you’ll get hurt…coward.”

Shanks still didn’t respond - and as he approached Higuma, a bandit stepped up and levelled a pistol at the side of his head. “Didn’t you hear the boss?! Not one step closer - or I’ll blow your head off!”

Even Zoro was beginning to lose a little confidence - Shanks was acting so casual, so unconcerned, that it was hard to believe he understood the gravity of the situation.

Jimbei and Ace remained resolute, and Law and Robin felt that one of the four Emperors had to have a trick up his sleeve to deal with this - but even the latter two were a little uncertain…

As the bandits laughed, Shanks glanced right at the gun. “...Now that you’ve drawn that pistol…you’ve put your life on the line.” The bandit blinked in bemusement. “Huh? What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m saying…” Shanks, still undaunted, raised a hand and poked a finger at the tip of the gun. “...that these aren’t for threatening people.”

BANG!

Just about everyone in the viewing room jumped at the sudden noise. A few people even thought that Shanks had seriously just died (despite the fact that he was still an active pirate and this was nine whole years ago) -

But the screen cut to show the bandit falling to the ground, a bullet wound in his head - and smoke rising from the gun held by the fat crewmate of Shanks’s, still chewing on a piece of meat, not even looking at his target.

“...Wha…” Everyone was in shock. Even Ace was surprised. He, Robin, Law, and Zoro had assumed that Shanks himself would protect himself, considering how unconcerned he was -

- but no. He’d just had trust. Complete and utter trust in his crewmate to take care of it.

“...Where…where did he even come from?” That was all Nami could utter in her shock. The street had been completely empty of anyone beside Shanks, Makino, the mayor, and the bandits. How on earth had someone so fat moved so silently and quickly, so that no one had noticed him?!

Of course, the rest of the street was in shock too. The bandits took a moment to stare at their fallen comrade before rallying and glaring up at Shanks, and his crewmate -

…No, his crewmates. Suddenly, the street was full of them. They’d appeared out of nowhere, but they were now there, staring the bandits down. Suddenly, they were matched in numbers.

“You…now you’ve done it!” One of the bandits blustered. Another yelled in anger. “What the hell! That wasn’t fair!”

“Fair?” The sentiment was echoed by both one of Shanks’s crewmates, and by several people in the viewing room with a scoff. “Did they seriously expect pirates to play fair?” Law asked with disdain.

The thought was also expressed on-screen. “Stop whining, you land-lubbers,” the first mate drawled. “What, you thought you were dealing with saints?”

“We’re pirates,” Shanks emphasized, putting a hand on his chest and pounding it. “We don’t play by the rules.”

Nami slumped in her seat. …In a way, she’d been proven right. These pirates had proven they were just that.

…And she’d never been so glad.

“Shut up!” one of the bandits cried angrily. “This was none of your business!”

“Listen close. You can pour drinks on me. You can splatter food on me. Hell, you can even spit on me,” Shanks listed calmly. “I’ll just laugh all that stuff off. However…”

The pirate captain raised his head, glaring. “No matter the reason…if you hurt a friend of mine, you’ll pay!”

A chill shot over the room. For the first time, Shanks felt like an actual threat.

…It only lasted for a second, though.

“SO COOL!” It wasn’t just Yamato who yelled it this time. Usopp, Chopper, Franky, Bartolomeo, and Carrot also had stars in their eyes as they stared at their new hero.

“Man, I don’t think I’ve ever met a pirate as cool as that!” Bartolomeo exclaimed, his starry-eyed look in total contrast with his rough experience.

“He’s a real man, that’s for sure!” Franky agreed with gusto.

The others mostly rolled their eyes…but none of them could really deny a slight note of respect in their hearts.

(except Nami, who merely huffed and looked away, trying to tamp down on her emotions)

Higuma, proving himself a fool, was unintimidated. “Ha! Nice speech, very frightening. You pirates…you spend all your time floating around in your little ships, while we raid every chance we get! You can’t stand up to us! KILL THEM!”

…That got a moment of disbelieving silence. “...Does this guy know nothing about the sea?” Sanji asked in utter distaste.

“You have to wonder why he didn’t become a pirate himself, if he thinks it’s so easy,” Law rolled his eyes.

As the bandits charged forward, Shanks’s first mate stepped up. “Let me handle this, captain.” As the first bandit arrived, he effortlessly avoided his first sword strike - and put out his cigarette on the man’s head for good measure.

A few people winced, while Sanji whistled in appreciation. I’ll need to keep that in mind…

As the bandit rolled on the ground in pain, the others raised their swords - but the first mate merely hefted his long gun - as a club - and began beating them to a pulp.

There were several more winces, although Bartolomeo seemed just as impressed at this action as the actions of Shanks earlier. “Damn, that’s some good violence. The whole crew’s cool!”

When said violence ended, no bandits were standing other than Higuma. The first mate leveled his gun at him, putting a new cigarette in his mouth and lighting it. “You were saying something about the difference between pirates and bandits…? Well. If you want to fight us, next time, bring a battleship.”

Not that that would likely be close to enough, against Red-Haired Shanks’s crew, Ace, Jimbei, and a few others thought to themselves.

As Luffy and the villagers watched in awe, Higuma panicked. “B-but - the brat’s the one who started it!”

There were a few snorts at the cocky bandit suddenly sounding like a petulant child.

As for Shanks, he shrugged. “You’re the one with the price on his head. Given how much you liked showing it off, you were prepared for the consequences, right?”

Higuma trembled in fear - but then…he went for his pocket, took something out, and hurled it at the ground with all his strength.

“Wha - Smoke bomb!” Shanks shielded his face to avoid breathing it in, as did his crewmates.

“What the - is this guy a ninja or something?!” Zoro said in disbelief. Yamato shook her head. “No chance! No self-respecting ninja of Wano would stoop to open banditry!”

“W-wait, is the guy going to get away with Luffy?!” Usopp panicked, pointing at the screen. Ace shrugged. “Calm down. I’m sure Shanks has got this.”

When the smoke cleared, Higuma and Luffy were gone, and -

“OH NO!” Shanks panicked. “I let him escape with Luffy!”

“YOU WHAT?!?!” several people bellowed. The rest smacked their hands against their face, including Ace. “...I stand corrected,” the Whitebeard pirate groaned.

“Calm down, captain!” the fat crewmate declared hastily. “We’ll all spread out and search for him. We’ll find him in no time!”

The first mate hummed in thought. “Captain. I might have an idea…”

The scene cut to the open sea, with a lone rowboat. “Ha ha ha! What a brilliant escape! No one would ever expect a mountain bandit to escape to the sea!”

Recovering from their prior shock, several people gaped at Higuma’s actions. “What the hell kind of logic is -” Law cut himself off, thinking. “...Actually, considering how much disdain he displayed for pirates and seafarers in general, I would be surprised to find him escaping by sea. …Still idiotic, though.”

As for Luffy, he was released from Higuma’s grasp as the man stared down at him. “I brought you along because I figured you might be useful as a hostage…but it looks like I’m home free. I no longer have any use for you. And I’ve already killed 56 people…what’s more?”

Although a few didn’t realize the issue, most did - and paled. “Oh no...his Devil Fruit,” Vivi groaned. Bartolomeo looked around, confused. “What about it?”

“Don’t you remember? He can’t swim.”

Bartolomeo blinked. “Oh. …Crap.”

Luffy, of course, wasn’t about to lay down and die - but once again, as he charged at Higuma, Higuma merely lashed out with a kick - and launched him overboard.

As Luffy sailed through the air, he glared at Higuma, cursing him - “This guy…he’s scum! Damn it! And I didn’t even get one hit in…!”

He flashed back to when Higuma and his bandits had been in the bar - and they’d turned to talking about the last time they’d been in there.

“Remember those pirates’ faces? They were terrified!”

“No kidding. I broke a bottle over his head, and not one word of protest? Ha ha ha! How pathetic!” Higuma took a swig of his booze, and let out a breath. “I honestly wanted to kill him, though. Cowards like that make me sick. Pirates…they’re all talk.”

“TAKE THAT BACK!” Higuma blinked, and turned towards Luffy, who was steaming mad and being held back by Makino. “Take that back about Shanks! He’s NOT A COWARD!”

“Luffy, stop!” Makino cried - but Luffy didn’t listen. Face contorted in fury, he yelled - “STOP TALKING BAD ABOUT SHANKS!”

The watchers in the viewing room looked on, and the few who hadn’t made the connection about what Luffy had been mad about understood. “So that’s why…” Usopp looked down. He couldn’t help but get angry when someone talked bad about his absent father, either.

Bartolomeo couldn’t help but begin to feel a kinship with the boy. He’d been so inspired by Shanks after that scene before - and anyone who knew Bartolomeo could tell you that if you dissed something he liked, he would respond with pure fury. …I wish you could have taught that bastard a lesson, kid…hell, I want to do that myself.

However, it all came to naught as Luffy splashed into the water. He flailed, only the violent motions of the waves allowing him to keep aloft rather than sink like a stone. In the distance, Higuma laughed -

Right up until something rose from the waves behind him. A huge beast, with red eyes and a gigantic maw. Higuma turned, and - “What the - AAAAAAAARGH!”

Several people screamed in terror as the beast unexpectedly engulfed the whole boat - Higuma with it. Nami and Vivi held onto each other with terror (Sanji pouting that he wasn’t the one latched onto) while Chopper and Usopp did the same. Law was in the unfortunate position of being Carrot’s partner in this matter, as he struggled to get free from the terrified Mink. “WHAT IS THAT?!”

“A Sea King?!” Franky gaped. “What are the chances of that?!”

“...Not that bad, honestly,” Ace grimaced. “There are lots of islands with a Sea King or two that makes its nest nearby. Hell, my home island was like that too.”

“Still, this guy should’ve known about it if he…lives here…” Franky facepalmed. “Right. He apparently knows nothing about the ocean.”

“Well, serves him right!” Bartolomeo chortled, prompting a glare from Nami. “Have you forgotten that Luffy’s about to get eaten too?!”

“...Oh, right.”

Indeed, the Sea King was already turning its gaze on Luffy, who was terrified and flailing in a panic. He would have sunk long ago if not for the waves provoked by the Sea King’s movement - and as it dashed towards him, it seemed like his life was about to end -!

In the back, no one noticed Proxy close his eyes, an expression of resignation on his face.

There was a CHOMP as the Sea King’s teeth gnashed closed around something - but it wasn’t Luffy, as Shanks had appeared out of nowhere and tugged him out of the way.

“SHANKS!” quite a few people yelled in relief - even Nami, who was relieved to see anything rescue Luffy, even a pirate.

The Sea King refocused its attention on Shanks, eager on claiming another meal, but -

Shanks glared. “Get. Lost.”

The Sea King froze -

And so did the watchers. None of them could move. Even through the screen, every single one of them could feel the pirate’s unbelievable pressure -

Conqueror’s Haki… Jimbei, Ace, and Yamato were the only ones who could withstand it, and even they felt a primal fear in the back of their minds…

…Of course, the Sea King could not withstand it. After a few moments of staring, it turned, and dove under the sea to get away from this predator.

After a few moments, someone whimpered. “What…was that?” Nami uttered, terrified.

“...Something only a select few have,” Jimbei said quietly. “Whoever has it is destined for great things…”

On the screen, Shanks turned his attention to Luffy, who was sniffling in his grasp. “Thank you, Luffy. Makino told me what happened. You stood up for us, huh?”

As Luffy continued to sniffle, everyone relaxed - it was only natural that the boy would be terrified, even if he had been putting on a brave face.

No one understood just what he was crying about, yet.

“Hey, stop crying!” Shanks teased with a big smile. “You’re a tough guy, aren’t you?”

“B-but, Shanks,” Luffy blubbered. “Shanks…what about…!”

“WHAT ABOUT YOUR ARM?!”

This was the deadest silence yet. As the camera panned out to show the bloody stump where Shanks’s left arm had been, no one could say a thing. A few people turned green. Others turned pale. Nami stared, her mind struggling to comprehend why this pirate would have sacrificed his whole arm for a random kid. Sanji’s cigarette fell out of his mouth as he was suddenly back on a stony island, staring at a bloody stump -

But none of that compared to Jimbei’s reaction. He was staring at the screen with complete and utter bafflement. “But - that isn’t -”

Suddenly, his eyes widened. Something had just clicked inside his head, and he understood.

Collecting his face into a grim expression, he turned around, staring at their host - who met his gaze, unflinching, and utterly unsurprised. “...Proxy. This is what you were talking about, wasn’t it?”

Proxy inclined his head in a nod, as everyone else stared at Jimbei in confusion. “Jimbei?” Ace asked in bemusement. “What -”

“Proxy said that a boy died who wasn’t supposed to,” Jimbei responded firmly. It took a second for the dots to connect in most people’s minds - even once it did, however… “Wait, but how do you -”

“I’ve seen Red-Haired Shanks before. I’ve met him. The Shanks I know…has both of his arms.”

Suddenly, everyone whipped their head around to stare at Proxy, who took a deep breath before speaking. “...You are correct, Jimbei. In the universe you know, this event never happened. …Or rather, it did - and because of a difference of just around a minute, it went so much worse.”

“I cannot say for certain what spawned that difference. Perhaps Luffy ran his mouth a bit more than he did before. But rather than taking the time to gloat, Higuma launched him off the boat as soon as he could - and Luffy attracted the Sea King’s attention first as a result.”

Several people looked ill as Proxy continued. “Shanks is fast, but due to him dropping the ball earlier, he couldn’t make it there fast enough to prevent the tragedy. He ripped the Sea King to shreds, certainly - but to no avail.”

Jimbei lowered his head. “...I see. So…”

“Because of this event that went wrong, Monkey D. Luffy will never grow up to become a man. He will never change the lives of the fifteen people here. He will never make his mark on the world, a mark that was to be bigger than you could possibly know.” A little bit of emotion was leaking into Proxy’s voice - as soon as the man noticed, he collected himself, and sighed. “...This is what I need to correct. I cannot bring Luffy back from the dead. But if I can, perhaps, help him change the world from beyond the grave…to touch the hearts of the people he was supposed to…”

“...I see.” Jimbei nodded, and sat back in his seat. He cast a gaze to the rest of the viewers. “...I believe I am convinced of Proxy’s words. If Shanks himself saw something in Monkey D. Luffy that was worth losing his arm to save…then I believe this boy would have grown up to change the world. I will see what he would have been.”

…One by one, the others sat back down in their seats. Some were beginning to understand the full scope of this - a couple, aware of the significance of ‘D.’, were kicking themselves for not noticing sooner. Just as the show was about to resume -

“...We…we still don’t know that this is even real,” Nami said quietly. She looked up, glaring at Proxy. “How do we know this is real?”

Proxy raised an eyebrow. “...Well, aside from the fact that it would seem utterly banal of me to concoct a story that would take -” Usopp perked up - “...a very long time to go over…” Usopp slumped. “...I did mention various secrets you all possess will be revealed in the course of this viewing, did I not? I’m happy to let things just play out, but if you really need to know the veracity of this right now, I can list all of them -”

“T-that won’t be necessary!” Nami said hastily, waving her hands. She sat back down, looking pale.

…Proxy shrugged, and motioned for everyone to look back at the screen.

Shanks looked down at the boy he’d saved with a soft expression. “It’s a small price to pay. Just an arm…is worth it to make sure you’re okay.”

With that, Luffy broke down, bawling - his cries reaching the heavens.

There were a few sniffles from other parts of the viewing room, but Nami could only stew in her own confusing feelings. It…would have been so much easier to think this was all fake…that way, I wouldn’t have to wonder…

…Why on earth a pirate would be this selfless…

At this point, there was a voiceover. “Luffy now understood why Shanks wouldn’t take him out to sea. The dangers were too great…and he was not yet strong enough. But most of all, Luffy realized what a great man Shanks was. He vowed to be just like him one day.”

Bartolomeo suppressed a sniffle of his own. …Man…if Luffy grows up to be half as good a guy as Shanks is, I really get what the guy means about losing him…

The scene faded to several days later, at the harbor. “So - you won’t be coming back to the village after this voyage?” Luffy asked, shocked.

“That’s right,” Shanks confirmed. “We’ve been using this harbor as a base of operations for a long time. Maybe too long.”

…Jimbei couldn’t help but hum to himself in thought. It was, indeed, a disadvantage for a pirate crew to stay in one place if they weren’t powerful, like the Four Emperors - eventually, the Marines would hunt them down. And if the place they were staying at had civilians who assisted them…the Marines wouldn’t be kind to them, either.

…Which begged the question - why stay so long? It wasn’t just that they were having a fun time…

…Did you see something in Monkey D. Luffy, Shanks? When did you see it? How long did you know he was important?

“Are you sad?” Shanks asked Luffy. Luffy shook his head. “Yeah, but…I’m not gonna ask you to take me with you anymore. I’ll become a pirate on my own!”

“Hey, it wouldn’t do you any good anyway, you’re way too little!” Shanks teased, sticking his tongue out. “You’ll never be a pirate!”

“OH YES I WILL!” Luffy yelled back, incensed - loud enough that the whole harbor heard him. “One day, I’ll have a ship, and a crew WAY better than yours! And we’ll get the biggest treasure hoard in the world! And - and I’ll be the KING OF THE PIRATES!”

…For a second, everyone in the viewing room felt something. It happened only for a short instant, but…it was like they’d just felt something momentous.

“Hm…King of the Pirates, huh? And better than us?” Shanks grinned. He put a hand on his hat, taking it off. “Well, then…”

He bent down, planting the hat on Luffy’s head firmly. “I’ll leave this hat with you. Do me a favor, and keep it safe, alright?”

Luffy let out a noise of surprise as Shanks continued. “This hat means a lot to me.” Tears began to stream down Luffy’s face as Shanks walked away. “Promise me that you’ll return it someday…but only after you’ve become a great pirate.”

…Now tears were flowing freely in the viewing room too. Usopp, Chopper, Franky, Bartolomeo, Carrot, Yamato…even Ace couldn’t deny he felt a bit misty-eyed.

“Aaaaggggh…” Franky sobbed as he leaned on Bartolomeo’s shoulder, the both of them bawling their eyes out. “Shut up! I’m not crying, you’re crying.”

“What are you saying, dumbass!” Bartolomeo blubbered. “You’re the one who’s crying, I’m just fine! Aaaaah…”

“...Idiots.” Zoro rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the unsteady feeling in his chest. Jimbei merely looked on, confirming what he’d already thought - Shanks knew there was something special about that boy. That straw hat, too, was something that was different, as Shanks still had it even today - he wouldn’t give it up lightly.

As Shanks boarded the ship, he passed by his first mate, who remarked - “That kid’s gonna make something of himself someday, isn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Shanks responded with a smile. “He acts just like I did when I was his age.”

Turning to the rest of the crew, he raised his voice. “Weigh the anchor! Raise the sails! We’re off with the tide!”

As the ship sailed away, there was another voice-over. “Luffy’s own adventure…would begin 10 years later from this very spot.”

A thought hit Ace as the others watched the screen fade to a new scene, and he turned to Proxy. “How old was Luffy, anyway?”

“Seven, if I recall correctly.”

“Seven, huh…” So he’d be seventeen when he set out. …Huh. Same age as I did, what are the chances.

“Ten years,” Robin mused. “So one year from today?”

“Give or take a few months,” Proxy confirmed. “I haven’t checked the exact date.”

Indeed, there were visible signs of aging on Makino and the mayor as they looked out to sea. “Well, he’s finally setting out, huh mayor?” Makino asked the man, who only huffed. “I’ll miss the little guy…”

“Yeah, sure…but if he becomes a pirate, he’ll bring shame to the village,” the mayor groused half-heartedly. Next to him, the villagers chattered excitedly. “I never thought he’d really do it…!”

Indeed, out at sea, there was a single rowboat - not unlike the day when Higuma had kidnapped Luffy. Inside…

“Wow…it’s a great day to set out to sea!” The carefree voice belonged to a familiar young man, now wearing a straw hat proudly.

As he rowed, however, the seas parted - and up rose a familiar Sea King, glaring at the boat.

“AAAAAAGH, NOT AGAIN!” Usopp and a few others screamed. Law merely rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah, the boy who’s going to change the world survived that event ten years ago only to die the minute he sets out to sea. Come on, be serious.”

“JUST LET US BE SCARED, OKAY?!”

“Our local sea monster!” Luffy cried out with a big grin, unconcerned. “Sorry I have to do this…but I’ve got an attack I’ve been perfecting since we last met?”

A few people leaned forward with interest. Those proficient in Devil Fruits were curious to see how the user of the Gum-Gum Fruit had now adapted his power for fighting…

As the Sea King charged, Luffy reared up on one leg, draggin an arm backwards. “GUM-GUM…!”

And then, with a mighty impact, Luffy punched, his fist rocketing forwards and sending the Sea King reeling. “PISTOL!”

Jaws dropped as the watchers saw just how much Luffy had grown over the course of the past ten years. …A few of them felt weirdly proud, as if they’d just watched their kid grow up over the course of twenty or so minutes.

As the arm snapped back into place, Luffy grinned in satisfaction. “That’s what you get, you darn fish! Now…first things first, I’ve got to get a crew.” He hummed in thought, gazing out over the sea. “10 men should do. Ooh, and a pirate flag!”

“...Ten men? That seems…” Usopp started, before trailing off, wondering if he’d maybe been REALLY overestimating how many men he was supposed to have under him…

“Really small,” Nami finished, leading Usopp to slump in relief. Oh good it’s not just me. “Don’t most pirate crews have way more?”

“Yeah, but I think it really depends on the quality of your men,” Law said with a shrug. “I’ve only got twenty or so men under me, and I think I get by fine.”

Luffy’s grin grew wider as he addressed the sea. “Look out, world - here I come! I’m going to become…”

“THE KING OF THE PIRATES!”

TO BE CONTINUED

Before the others could react to the ending declaration, Proxy spoke up. “Alright - at this point, we’re officially entering the point where things are in the future. You probably don’t want me hanging around forever, so I’ll leave you to it - but I’ll take requests, if you need something or another.”

He snapped his fingers, and bells appeared next to the individual groups sitting together. “Just ring that, and I’ll come answer your request. …Just don’t abuse this, please, I won’t be happy. Oh, and also…”

He snapped his fingers again, and something landed next to each of the watchers. Nami picked hers up curiously. “...Notepads? And pens?”

“I know not all of you are the type to take notes, but I figure some of you might want to keep track of things for when you get out of here,” Proxy offered. Robin and Law seemed particularly interested in this. “...Oh, actually, also also…”

Once again, a snap - and now - “Tissues?” Ace asked, baffled.

“...Some of you might need those, too. Alright, I’m out for real this time. Just hit the button on the wall when you want to proceed to the next part. …Though, obviously, you’ll want to take breaks.”

“...Wait, you never answered how -” Usopp slumped as Proxy disappeared in a flash of life. “...long this is…”

“...So, are we continuing?” Sanji asked, taking a drag of his cigarette. “Or do we want to discuss this more?”

“I definitely want more!” Yamato said, starry-eyed. “I can already tell - this’ll be an adventure on the level of Oden’s logbook! I can’t wait to see more!”

“W-well…” Bartolomeo seemed to be trying to play it cool, but… “...I…kinda wanna see more, too…”

There was a chorus of agreements from several sources - most of the holdouts seemed more concerned about when they would get stuff relevant to them. Still, waiting wouldn’t make that any easier…

…As for Nami, she still seemed determined to stay in a bad mood. …Shanks and Luffy are one thing. But before long…Luffy’s going to learn that being a pirate isn’t the fun and games he thinks it is. …He’s got to.

As Chopper pressed the button to continue (which he seemed oddly enthused about doing) she ignored the part of her brain that whispered but what if you’re wrong?

Chapter Text

The fifteen watchers had all prepared themselves for the first proper part of Luffy’s adventure - however…

Music began playing as a scroll was unrolled across the screen. “Wealth, Fame, Power - Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates, attained everything the world had to offer.”

“The hell is this?” Bartolomeo said, nonplussed, as they stared at the stylized version of the King of the Pirates’ execution.

“Oh, for the love of -” In a flash, Proxy reappeared, even though he’d just left, causing them all to jump - and he sported an irritated expression on his face. “I specifically told her to not include this, it wasn’t necessary! God damn it…”

“...Something you want to tell us?” Zoro asked slowly. Proxy sighed, facepalming. “...Look, like I said, I’m not good with setting up this kind of viewing, so I had to ask a friend of mine for help. …She’s skilled, but she’s also got some…quirks.”

“...Quirks like what?”

“Quirks like ‘oh, you can’t have them just watch stuff back-to-back, you gotta have fun stuff’ in there’,” Proxy mimicked a nasally female voice as he did, looking more exasperated than any of them had seen him before. “I knew she was going to sneak some stuff in there, of course, but I specifically told her to leave. This. OUT!”

“...And what is ‘this’, exactly?” Law gestured at the screen.

“Uh, well…basically, she likes styling these things like a TV show.” Proxy was greeted by blank looks. “...Right, you don’t know what that is. Basically a fun, visual adventure story. …In this case, complete with a theme song.”

“A theme -?!” several people started incredulously.

“A THEME SONG?!” the rest yelled over them, stars in their eyes in utter excitement. Proxy stepped back in surprise. “Uh…yeah, that’s what I said. I…was going to say I’d go get her to take it out, but…I take it you still want to watch it?”

Zoro, Nami, and others tried to make their opinions heard, but they were powerless against the likes of Usopp, Chopper, and Franky eagerly clamoring to hear the ‘theme song’. Meanwhile, Law didn’t say anything, trying not to show his slight curiosity at hearing it himself.

“...Well, okay then…I suppose it is less work to keep it in…though I swear, if she left spoilers in…” That last bit was grumbled to himself as they looked back at the screen, and the opening continued.

“The words he uttered just before his death drove people to the seas.”

The scroll showed Gold Roger’s grinning face with shadowed eyes. “My treasure? If you want it, you can have it! Find it! I left everything this world has to offer there!”

The scene cut to sails unfurling, and pirate ships sailing off to the horizon. “And so, men head to the Grand Line in pursuit of their dream! The world has truly entered a Great Pirate era!”

While this had several people leaning in with anticipation, others, like Nami, were about ready to complain about how this was romanticizing the troubled times they were living in -

{Gathering up all of our dreams~!} Luffy ran towards the edge of a cliffside, jumping off of it with an excited grin.

Everyone was blindsided by the sudden switch to music, stopping any protests in their tracks.

There was a quick cut to four silhouettes that couldn’t be deciphered -

(unnoticed by everyone, Proxy slumped in relief, muttering “Oh thank god she did cut out the spoilers. She’s not completely irresponsible..”)

{Going to search for our desires~!} Luffy stretched his arm across the skies, grabbing onto a pirate ship with a straw-hat logo and a sheep figurehead.

(“...I stand corrected. …Well, I suppose that’s not too bad, no one would recognize the ship…”)

{One Piece~!} The screen showed a logo saying exactly those words.

“...Oh my god this really is a ‘theme song’ for the current era,” Nami muttered, slumping in her seat. “Kill me now…”

“Are you kidding?! This is awesome!” Usopp said in wonder.

{Compasses only cause delays~…filled with excitement, I take the helm~...} As the same ship sailed across the sea, giant Sea Kings swam alongside it.

It was a mark of how into this they all were that Usopp, Chopper, and Carrot didn’t react to the size of the Sea Kings in question. …Nami and Vivi were another matter, as they flinched at the sheer titanic size of them.

{If we can prove the dusty old treasure map~...} Hanging upside down from the figurehead, Luffy gazes off over the sea with that same excited smile.

{Then it’s not a legend anymore~!} It cut to the ship sailing over a stylized map, seemingly bouncing with excitement itself.

{It’s alright if our personal problems~...Get on someone else’s nerves~...} Luffy ran across the deck of a ship, dodging blows and weaving past hits from every random pirate around him., until he reached the head of the ship -

{Because we think about them too much~!} As the Sea King from the first part approached, Luffy reared up and punched it, before three ominous silhouettes flashed in unison.

{Gathering up all of our dreams~!} Luffy landed back on the ship, glancing up at the sky with a grin, before another four silhouettes flashed.

{Going to search for our desires~!} The straw hat Jolly Roger waved in the wind steadily.

{A coin in the pocket~...and do you wanna be my friend~?} Luffy spun his straw hat on his finger as the screen zoomed in, only to pull away with Shanks wearing the hat and walking with his crew towards the horizon.

{We are…we are, on the cruise~! We are!} Luffy gazed off into the distance, accompanied by the waving Jolly Roger and his ship sailing towards the horizon, before the screen finally faded out.

There was a moment of silence as the music, and then -

“THAT WAS AWESOME!” The exclamation was predictable at this point, and several people had clamped their hands over their ears in preparation for the outburst. Usopp, Chopper, Franky, Bartolomeo, Carrot, and Yamato were all ecstatic at what they’d witnessed - not only that, Brook seemed rather enthused as well, humming the theme song to himself, and Law seemed to be attempting to hide his own enjoyment of the song.

The others, meanwhile, turned their face blankly towards Proxy, who held his head in his hands in embarrasment. “...I apologize again for this,” he groaned. “I’d normally say this wouldn’t happen again, but…” He turned to stare at the currently-fanboying (and fangirling) viewers, before glancing back at the rest of them, who were looking resigned. “...I think they might have something to say about that.”

“...It’s fine, we’ll suffer through it,” Zoro said with an aggravated sigh. “It’s only a minute or two, we can handle it.” The others reluctantly agreed.

“...Right. Well, fair warning, there’s also going to be an ending theme for each part as well, probably.” Proxy was met by a new round of frustrated sighs, at which he winced. “Yeah, I know. Well, I’ll leave you to it - I’m gonna go interrogate my friend to figure out what other ‘quirks’ she snuck in…”

Proxy vanished in a flash of light, and after a moment of exchanging blank looks, the group returned their attention to the screen. …It took a while for the others to stop gushing, but eventually they settled down - and the screen resumed.

“Wow, what a great day!” The screen showed Luffy in his rowboat, happily humming to himself with his eyes closed, feeling the sun on his face. “The weather’s so nice! Who’d have thought this voyage would end in disaster so soon?”

“Oh? Interesting,” Robin noted in surprise. “I thought that we might jump ahead in time after his departure, but apparently not. …At least, not more than a few days.”

“Aaagh, I knew it, this really is going to take forever,” Usopp groaned. “Stupid Proxy and his stupid avoiding the question…”

…There was a pause. “Wait, did he say disaster?”

“Hard to believe that I’m getting sucked into this giant whirlpool…” The screen zoomed out to show the whirlpool in question - which, indeed, Luffy was caught on the edge of. “Maybe I was a little careless…”

“A WHIRLPOOL?!” several people reacted in shock. Nami facepalmed. “That idiot! I thought it was stupid enough to set out on a rowboat all on his own, but did he learn nothing of navigation in that time?!”

“Well, he apparently spent his time training,” Zoro noted. “I guess he figured the rest would work itself out.”

Nami groaned in agreement - at least, until she registered Zoro’s understanding tone, before she turned her attention to him, deadpan. “...Please don’t tell me that’s what you did.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Zoro scoffed. Nami sighed in relief. “I set out on an actual ship. …I mean, it turned out it was the wrong one once I got to the next island, and it left before I could get back on it -”

“Please. I’m begging you. Stop talking.”

“I could use some help, but there’s no one around…oh well, can’t be helped. Down I go, I guess.” Luffy turned around, holding a hand to his chin in dissatisfaction. “Too bad I can’t swim, too…”

He cut himself off with a laugh, hitting his palm with his hand in realization. “Ha! What am I thinking? In a giant whirlpool, it doesn’t really make a difference if you can swim or not!”

…Everyone stared at the screen in complete bafflement. The same thought was running through all their minds.

…THIS is the man who’s supposed to ‘change our lives’?!

“When he was little, his…attitude made sense,” Vivi managed to get out. “But it’s like he hasn’t grown up at all!”

Zoro glanced next to him at Law, who was massaging his forehead. “...Is this the part where you say ‘he can’t die, he hasn’t done what he’s supposed to yet’?”

“...I suppose so, but…” Law groaned. “Even I have no idea how he’s getting out of this one…

No miraculous rescue seemed to come, as a whirlpool swallowed up Luffy’s rowboat, the rubber-man in question letting out a yelp.

…No one said anything, wondering if this was really how things were supposed to end…

…Proxy didn’t show up to say anything, though, so all they could do was keep watching.

The scene cut to an island, with a caption stating it was uncharted. Beside it, a rather…feminine pirate ship was docked.

Nami perked up - before deflating as she realized that even if she knew where Luffy had been, finding this island to chart it would be a challenge. …Even if she did chart it, Arlong would take the chart…

…Though she would like to find that pirate gang to steal treasure from, potentially. A thought occurred to her, and while the others were talking about the weirdness of a pink pirate ship with hearts on it (though Law warned ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’) Nami picked up the notepad next to her and decided to take notes - starting with what showed up on the screen next.

A Jolly Roger of a skull facing sideways with a heart symbol in the center waved in the wind, before the screen cut to a dainty hand with insanely sharp fingernails trailing along the ship’s bulwark. “...Why am I finding dust here, exactly?” a voice said from off-screen.

“A - a thousand pardons, Lady Alvida!” a pirate panicked, holding up his hands as if to ward off her anger. “I-I thought I’d cleaned every inch of this ship!”

Sanji lit up at the prospect of a lady pirate, eager to see the beauty for himself.

“I promise, I’ll clean everything all over again! Please -!”

“Please…what?” a shadowed figure asked, the edge of her hair the only thing that was visible.

“PLEASE, NOT THE IRON MACE! I DON’T WANT TO DIE -!”

Everyone flinched at the loud impact and squish that followed, the death itself thankfully offscreen. Nami, still with her notepad in hand, gritted her teeth angrily. Now this was the kind of pirate she was more accustomed to…

“Oh, what a shock! Alvida-swan, I never imagined such a pirate could exist!” Nami snapped her head around at Sanji’s swooning, gaping at the love-hearts in his eyes. “She just killed a man! Did you not see that?!”

Sanji, unfortunately, was too busy fantasizing about what the lady pirate looked like in full. …Nami and Vivi visibly scooted away from him in distaste.

“Coby! Who is the fairest throughout all the seas?” Alvida’s question was addressed to a short, pink-haired boy with glasses, who cowered under her attention.“Ah - w-why, you are, L-lady Alvida! No one compares to you!”

“Correct! Which is why I shall not tolerate anything dirty! The ship I sail in must be as beautiful and clean as I am. Understood?”

Law let out a snort. “Funny, I’ve never heard anyone pronounce ‘Boa Hancock’ in such a weird way. What a delusional woman…”

“Watch your tongue!” That fully snapped Sanji out of his fantasizing, the man leaping out of his seat to face Law angrily. The man in question blinked up at him, bemused. “...What? You’ve never heard of the Pirate Empress?”

“Of course I have! And I dream of seeing her beauty one day!” Sanji declared without shame. “But just because she exists, it does not mean an undiscovered diamond in the rough does not exist somewhere out on the seas! Someone comparable to her may truly live, unbeknownst to all! And even if she is wrong! Even if! It does not give anyone the right to disparage a woman’s own natural beauty!”

“...Okay, okay, calm down, I’m sorry,” Law said with concealed irritation, trying to cool the man down. The chef in question huffed and returned to his seat, staring at the screen.

“Remember, Coby, were it not for your vast knowledge of these seas, I would have fed you to the sharks long ago!” Alvida threatened Coby. “Don’t push your luck!”

“Y-yes…that’s very k-kind of you, milady…”

“Other than those skills, you’re worthless to me! Now, shine my shoes!” Alvida kicked at the boy before planting said foot on a crate.

“Y-yes, Lady Alvida! Right away!”

Nami suppressed a hiss of anger as she held onto her notepad. That does it. She couldn’t ignore the parallels to her own situation…she never thought she’d think this, but she hoped those pirates were currently active. She was going to track them down and rob them blind…and hopefully get that kid away from them.

…In fact, she should probably make a note to do just that. …Though it was hard to focus with Sanji’s annoying swooning -

“I don’t want to see even one speck of dust on this ship!” “Aye aye!” The scene cut to show Alvida in full -

The effect was instant. Sanji stopped dead, his jaw dropping - and then his eyes rolled back into his head, he coughed up blood, and fell over onto the ground, twitching.

“AHHH! WHAT HAPPENED?!” Chopper yelled in fright upon seeing what happened to the chef. In a flash, he was out of his seat and running over to the insensate man, shaking him ineffectually. “Sanji! Speak to me! Aaah! Someone call a doctor! This man needs help!”

…For a few seconds, Law stared at the reindeer in utter bemusement, before sighing and getting to his feet -

“...Oh, wait. I am a doctor!”

…and then sitting back down and letting out a sigh. Never mind.

…As Chopper began administering first aid, Nami and Vivi suppressed giggles - it was, perhaps, a little cruel to be happy over Sanji’s predicament, but…it was funny to see the incredibly ugly woman revealed and take the wind out from under his sails…

The others were pretty astounded by Alvida’s appearance too. “Man, I’ve seen some crones in my day, but that takes the cake,” Bartolomeo remarked in horrified fascination. “I can’t believe someone that ugly has guys praising her.”

“...Are we sure she’s human?” Yamato remarked uncertainly. “She could be an Oni…she even wieldes a kanabo like myself and my father…”

“...Nah, I’m pretty sure she’s human,” Ace said with a shake of his head. “...A human with some really bad eating habits…among other issues.”

As she watched the men clean, Alvida glanced down at Coby, before tsking. “That’s enough! You’re pathetic!” She kicked at the boy, cracking his glasses and causing his nose to bleed. Even so, Coby only chuckled apologetically. “Heh heh heh…sorry…”

“If you’ve got time to grovel, then you’ve got time to scrub the toilet! Get to it!”

“Heh heh…yes milady! Right away!” Coby laughed, putting on a brave face. As soon as Alvida turned, it faded, and Coby looked down, frustrated. “Right…right away…”

…And there went Nami’s good mood. …Yeah, she was going to rob this fat sea cow for all she was worth.

As the scene changed, Sanji finally began to recover. Chopper let out a relieved gasp. “Sanji! You’re awake!”

“Uuugh…what…what happened?” Sanji glanced up at the screen. “I…could have sworn…”

“You saw Alvida’s true form and fainted,” Nami said in a deadpan tone, unsympathetic.

Sanji visibly flinched, before promptly curling up in the fetal position. “N-no! It was a nightmare! There’s no way that was real!”

“...Ugh, seriously? Whatever…” Nami returned to watching.

The scene showed the Alvida Pirates’ base on the island, with Coby rolling a barrel towards a wooden hut with noises of exertion. He was greeted at the doorway by one of the pirates. “Hey, Coby, whatcha got there? Did a barrel of rum wash up on the beach?”

“Um…I think so?” Coby said uncertainly, gazing down at it. “It feels full…I wasn’t sure what to do with it…”

“Well, bring it in here!” the pirate crowed eagerly, backing into the hut where two other pirates were. “I know what to do with it! Let’s drink it all up!”

“Hey, are you sure? If the captain finds out, she’ll have our heads!” another pirate said nervously. The third pirate laughed. “Oh, she won’t find out. We’re the only ones here - us three and Coby are the only ones who know about it.”

“I guess you’re right,” the second pirate conceded. The third pirate glared at Coby. “And you’re not gonna tell a soul, right, Coby?”

“R-right! I haven’t seen a thing! Heh heh…”

The mood in the room only soured at the treatment of Coby. “Ugh. Idiots,” Bartolomeo scoffed, digging a finger into his ear. “If they seriously think they can drink that whole thing of rum and not get drunk enough to be caught by that cow, then they’re screwed in the head.”

“I mean, a hundred berries that they’ll say Coby was responsible if they do get found out,” Franky huffed.

Nami scoffed under her breath. Yeah, I wouldn’t take that bet.

“Yeah, they do look like a bunch of lightweights,” Zoro remarked. The others stared at him and blinked. …Lightweights???

However, just as they were heading to the barrel to crack it open -

CRASH! Of all things, Luffy burst out, with a loud yawn and a yell - “That was a GREAT NAP!”

“WHAAAAAT?!” The exclamations were mirrored between the screen and the room - honestly, they’d kinda forgotten about Luffy with all the Alvida and Coby stuff.

“He stuffed himself into a barrel?!” Usopp exclaimed, throwing his hands up in disbelief.

“...Well, considering the situation, I suppose it was kinda the only thing he could do,” Law said with grudging acknowledgement. “...What I’m baffled by is how he fell asleep.”

“...well, I mean, what else are you going to do in the barrel?” Zoro said with a shrug. That earned him another stare. …What is up with this guy???

“Hmm, look like I survived somehow!” Luffy remarked happily. “Still, I was so dizzy in there - I thought I was gonna barf!”

“...Does…does this guy not care if he dies?!” Usopp yelled. Chopper gaped at the screen. “He’s so uncaring of his own well-being…”

It was at that point that Luffy - still standing in the barrel - noticed his surroundings…and the four people staring at him in shock. “...Who’re you guys?”

“THAT’S OUR LINE!” the pirates yelled back. One stomped up to Luffy, growling. “What were you doin’ in there -?!”

“BACK TO WORK, YOU SCURVY DOGS!” Alvida’s mace spiralled through the air, crashing into the building - and blowing it apart, causing everyone inside to yell.

“What the -!” Several mouths fell open. “She blew that whole hut apart with her mace!” Vivi yelled. “How strong is she?!”

Franky shrugged. “Eh. It looked pretty shoddily-constructed to me. That blow should have only blown a hole in the wall.”

“THAT’S STILL STRONG!”

“Whoa! Ow!” Luffy exclaimed as his barrel was sent rolling down the hill behind the hut. In the wreckage, the three pirates lay insensate - at least until Alvida walked up, looming over them. “You lazy idiots! Who’s the fairest in all the seas?!”

“L-lady Alvida! You are, of course!”

Over to the side, Sanji coughed out a new bout of blood, causing Chopper to panic. “AHH! Sanji, don’t relapse!”

“N-no…it was real?!”

Ignoring him, Zoro rolled his eyes. “So Alvida’s really got them trained like her dogs, huh?”

Nami blinked. “Wait, where did Coby go?”

“And yet, you dare to defy me?” Alvida leaned in, causing one of the pirates to panic. “Wh-what?! Never! Not in a million -”

“Don’t play dumb! I could hear that yell all the way from the ship! Which one of you morons had such a ‘great nap’?!”

The pirates gasped as they realized Alvida had heard Luffy’s yell. Hastily, they sought to divert her attention. “C-captain! That was - we have an intruder!” “Yeah, that good-for-nothing Coby brought a strange guy here!”

“Aww, what did I just say?” Franky groaned. “Except this is even worse…”

Alvida blinked, refocusing on the new issue. “What?! Could he be a bounty hunter…after my head?! Coby, you traitorous runt…!”

Bartolomeo blinked. “Huh, that’s weird. I’m surprised she believed ‘em. If one of my boys had tried to get out of trouble with that, I would’ve thought they were lying for sure.”

“She must be paranoid,” Jimbei rumbled. “It fits in with how often she asks for people to tell her how great she is…”

“But the only bounty hunter bold enough to come here…” one of the pirates uttered fearfully, causing another to cut him off. “That’s ridiculous! The Marines have him locked up!”

“But if he’s as cunning as they say, he might have escaped,” Alvida mused. “And they say the infamous Roronoa Zoro is cunning indeed!”

…Now that got everyone’s attention. For the first time, one of their names had been mentioned on-screen. Instantly, everyone’s attention was on the green-haired swordsman, who looked a little confused. “...Well, good news, I’m still alive in a year. Bad news…I’m apparently a criminal?”

“Well of course you’re alive, Luffy wouldn’t be able to ‘change your life’ if you weren’t,” Law remarked.

“Well, I -” Brook was cut off by Zoro’s next words. “Yeah, but I don’t have a clue how I’d end up locked up like that. …Hell, I don’t know what Marine base could lock me up.”

There was a noise of amusement at that, and Zoro glared at Robin. “Something you want to say?”

“Merely that you greatly underestimate the amount of power the Marines have at their disposal,” Robin said with her same usual knowing smile. “Still, they wouldn’t dispatch them to the East Blue for a mere pirate hunter…”

“I mean, there’s the guy who commands the Marines in Loguetown,” Bartolomeo said grimly. “Captain Smoker - you don’t mess with that guy. Though I dunno if he ever leaves Loguetown…”

“What I’m more concerned about is why they locked you up,” Nami interjected pointedly. “Have you ever done something to get the Marines mad at you?”

“...Not that I can think of,” Zoro said with a shrug. “I mean, I intimidated a guy who was being an ass about paying out the bounty, but that’s about it.”

“Well -”

“...Here’s an idea - how about we keep watching?” Ace remarked in annoyance. “It’s no point speculating if we can just find out what happened.

There were some grumblings, but people settled back in to watch.

The scene cut to Luffy in the barrel, lying on the ground in the forest - and Coby walking up to him. “Um…are you okay? After being knocked around that much -”

“Ha ha ha! I’m just fine!” Luffy laughed. “Just a little surprised, is all. Hey, my name’s Luffy! Where am I?”

“So Coby followed Luffy? I wonder why…” Vivi murmured, before shaking her head. “Still, Luffy really is…carefree, huh?”

“He grew up to be a real weirdo,” Nami said bluntly, causing Vivi to wince. “You’re…not wrong…”

“This island is the hideout of Iron Mace Alvida, the lady pirate. And…I’m Coby, her cabin boy.”

“I see…well, none of that really matters to me,” Luffy remarked as he got out of the barrel, causing Coby to slump. “Oh…”

Nami’s eye twitched, before she took a deep breath, reminding herself Luffy didn’t know what Coby had been through. All he knew was that Alvida was a pirate, and Luffy had a…somewhat more generous opinion of pirates than the average person. Plus, Coby hadn’t explicitly said he was there unwillingly yet. Still, Luffy’s nonchalance got on her nerves…

“You wouldn’t happen to have a dinghy, would you?” Luffy asked Coby. “Mine got sucked into a giant whirlpool.”

“A whirlpool?!” Coby exclaimed, while Luffy nodded with a huff. “Yeah, it caught me by surprise!”

“You’re lucky to be alive! But…if it’s a dinghy you want, I have one…sorta…”

“Wait, if you have a dinghy, why haven’t you left?!” Ace exclaimed. Nami sucked in a breath. Sometimes, it’s not that easy…

…Though, as it turned out.

“...What’s this?! A coffin?” Luffy stared at the dinghy in question, which…was less than impressive.

“Hurk!” Franky doubled over, holding a hand over his mouth. Everyone stared at him in confusion, but he held up a finger and relaxed. “Right, I don’t actually have the ability to throw up in my mouth anymore…that was just a reflex impression of reflux…”

He shook his head, staring sorrowfully at the screen. “Man..still, that’s a sorry-looking dinghy. I mean, it can’t have been easy to build, but still…”

“I built it myself…it took me two years,” Coby said mournfully. Luffy whipped his head around. “Two whole years?! And you don’t want it?!”

Coby looked down with a sad smile. “...I really don’t need it anymore. I built it out of some hope to escape this place…” He sighed. “But I just don’t have the courage to try. I guess it’s my fate to be Alvida’s cabin boy for the rest of my life…so much for my original dream…”

Luffy stared at him blankly. “Why don’t you just escape?”

“N-no way! Absolutely no way!” Coby began shaking his head back and forth at lightning speeds. “Just thinking about what Alvida would do to me if she caught me…! It’s too frightening! I can’t risk it…!”

“...So he’s just a coward, huh?” Ace remarked bluntly.

“Hey!” Nami shouted over at him in annoyance. “Not everyone has a Devil Fruit to rely on, Mr. Whitebeard Pirate! They have to make do with regular weak human bodies!”

Ace rolled his eyes. “Geez, alright, sorry…”

“I’ll never forget that fateful day…I just wanted to go fishing,” Coby remininsced with a mournful look on his face. “...But I boarded a pirate ship by mistake…”

Silence. Everyone turned to look at Nami, who hunched in her seat. “...Okay, I don’t have a defense for this one,” she groaned. Seriously? Like, I still feel bad for him, but…

“How do you even do that?” Sanji said in disbelief. “A fishing boat looks totally different!”

“Nah, I get him,” Zoro said nonchalantly, causing everyone to whip their heads around to stare at him. “That kinda thing happens sometimes.”

“HOW?!”

“That was two years ago. In exchange for my life, I’ve worked for them ever since as their cabin boy,” Coby finished. And Luffy…

“Man, you’re kinda clumsy and dumb, huh?” Luffy said bluntly. “And you’re a wimp, too?” He burst out laughing. “Man, I hate people like you!”

“...You don’t have to be that frank…” Coby despaired.

Vivi facepalmed. “Luffy…” she groaned. Even if he’s…not wrong, you don’t SAY that.

“Huh.” Not for the first time, Ace felt a weird connection with Luffy. Well, he’d need that kinda courage if he actually wanted to be King of the Pirates…

Nami ignored Luffy’s…really careless words, and focused on something else as she began writing on her notepad - Coby had been the Alvida pirate’s cabin boy for two years. He’d built that dinghy during that time, during which he couldn’t have dragged it along with him anywhere, so that base had to have been in use during that time. Which means, if I can just find that island…

“...You’re right, though. I don’t have the guts to float around at sea in a barrel like you did…” Coby sighed. “...Luffy, why did you go out to sea, anyway?”

Luffy’s face split in a wide grin. “Me? I’m gonna be King of the Pirates!”

Coby stared at him, mouth gaping. “K-King of the Pirates?! But - that’s a title given only to someone who obtains everything the world has to offer! Wealth, fame, power - …you’re - you’re after Gold Roger’s lost treasure, the One Piece?!”

“Thank you for the succinct summary, kid,” Ace muttered. Still, Ace had to admire Luffy’s spirit - he could say all that without a trace of doubt.

“Do you want to die?! Every pirate in the world is after that treasure!” Coby exclaimed.

“Yup, me too.”

Brook chuckled. “He has a point. I may not know of this ‘One Piece’ -”

“Wait, you don’t?” Ace asked in shock, before blinking. “...Oh, wait, that’s right - you were in the Triangle for fifty years, huh? I guess it’d make sense you don’t know…” He trailed off in thought.

“...Quite. In any case, if every pirate is hunting for this treasure, it only makes sense that every single one thinks that they are capable of obtaining it. Refusing to go after it simply because ‘everyone else is doing it, there’s no way I can succeed’ is the height of folly.”

Everyone stared at Brook in surprise, not expecting the skeleton to come out with such a reasonable-sounding statement.

Coby, meanwhile, wasn’t nearly as optimistic. “No way no way no way no way! Absolutely no way! There’s no way you can stand at the top of this Great Pirate Area! It’ll never happen -!”

BONK. Suddenly, Coby was on the ground, cradling his head. “Ow…why’d you hit me…?”

“You were being annoying,” Luffy said bluntly.

“Luffy!” Vivi said in indignation, only for Nami to put a hand on her shoulder and shake her head. “Vivi…even if I feel sorry for Coby, sometimes people do need to be taught a physical lesson before they’ll shut up.”

For some reason, several people in the room felt a chill at that.

“Right, I get it…I’m used to it,” Coby mumbled. Luffy, however, didn’t seem to care. “Coby. It’s not about whether I can or not.” Luffy took off his hat as Coby stared at him, uncomprehending. “I’ve decided to become King of the Pirates. So if I die fighting for that…then that’s fine by me.”

Silence fell in the room. A few people stared at Luffy with new respect - others found his logic baffling. And a few…

“Oh, wow…” Yamato breathed out, stars in her eyes. “He really has a spirit on par with Kozuki Oden! I can’t believe it!”

“Damn right! I mean, not that I know who that is,” Bartolomeo declared, but he was staring at Luffy with worship in his eyes. “But this guy’s got courage like nobody I’ve seen before!”

“Unbelievable…” Usopp and Chopper whispered in unison.

Coby, too, was spellbound. What guts…what determination! “You’re…not even afraid to die?!”

Robin blinked. “Hold on. Were we hearing Coby’s thoughts just there?”

Everyone stopped as they realized Robin was right. “...This thing can even hear thoughts? That’s…” Nami shivered. “Kinda scary.” It also boded poorly for those ‘secrets’ Proxy was talking about…

“...Maybe…maybe I could be like that,” Coby muttered quietly, drawing Luffy’s attention. “If I’m willing to risk my life trying…maybe it’d be possible. Luffy!”

“Huh?”

“Do you think…do you think I could join the Marines?!”

“The Marines?!” Luffy and several other people said in surprise. No one had expected the timid boy to declare such a dream.

“We’d end up being enemies, I know…but I’ve always wanted to join the Marines and fight bad guys!” Coby declared with tears in his eyes. “It’s been my dream since I was a little kid!”

Although the others were still stunned, Law sat back in his chair and let out a small sigh. Yeah…he knew where that kind of desire came from. Back when he was a kid, before he’d seen it for the propaganda it was, Sora, Warrior of the Sea had inspired that same kind of desire in him. Every kid in the North Blue had wanted to join the Marines, him included…

…Before cold hard reality eventually hit him…

“Luffy! Do you think I can do it?” Coby demanded of the rubber-man, who merely chuckled. “How would I know?”

“Well…I’m gonna do it! What have I got to lose!? I don’t want to just be a miserable cabin boy my whole life! I might as well risk my life to try and achive my dream! I’ll escape, join the Marines, and the first thing I’ll do is capture Alvida -!”

“WHO exactly are you going to capture, you runt?!”

With a scream of surprise, Coby just barely managed to dodge the hammerblow that came for him, the mace swinging past and absolutely pulverizing his boat.

“Damn it, the boat!” Nami knew it wasn’t exactly seaworthy, but she still felt frustrated - that was an example of the tiny bit of defiance Coby had built up over the years he’d been an unwilling servant, and now…

“My boat!” Coby cried in despair.

“You little rat! Did you really think you could escape from me?!” Alvida yelled angrily, glaring at Coby. After a moment, she turned her gaze to Luffy, looking unimpressed. “Is that the bounty hunter you hired? Well, he’s certainly no Roronoa Zoro…so I’ll give you one chance to repent.”

She grinned. “Who is the fairest throughout all the seas?” Narrowing her eyes, she bellowed. “ANSWER ME!”

“She’s asking that even now?” Zoro scoffed. “Talk about a one-track mind.”

“Her vanity outstrips her paranoia, apparently,” Jimbei surmised.

Immediately, Coby reverted to his old behavior. “Heh heh heh…well, Lady Alvida, that would, of course, be y-”

Luffy, bemused by the conversation, pointed at Alvida and interrupted. “Hey, who’s this big chunky lady?”

Jaws dropped on all sides.

There was a pause. Then some snickering. And then -

“Pffft…ha HA HA HA HA!” Bartlomeo was the first one to break down laughing, which broke the dam and caused most of the others to crack up to some degree or each other. “‘Chunky lady’! That’s the perfect way to describe her!”

“He certainly cut to the heart of the matter,” Law chuckled under his breath.

Sanji, meanwhile, was busy sulking in the corner and waiting for the horror on the screen to pass.

Alvida looked apoplectic, veins popping in her head as she growled. Her pirates reacted in horror - as did Coby. “L-Luffy! Take it back, quick! Throughout all of the seas, Lady Alvida is -!”

Something in Luffy’s blank, undeterred expression seemed to strike a chord with Luffy. All of a sudden, he recalled the man’s words from just a few minutes ago, his lack of any fear of death - “Lady Alvida is…”

Coby took a deep breath, and yelled. “Lady Alvida is - IS THE MOST UGLY, CRAGGED OLD HAG OF ALL!”

The laughter came to a halt. And then, after a second - was replaced with cheers.

“Yeah, you tell ‘er, Coby!” Franky yelled in appreciation. Bartolomeo let out a whoop, while Usopp stared in awe at the boy who matched him in demeanor standing up to such a terrifying opponent. Even Nami was cheering, grinning ear from ear, unable to suppress her satisfaction even if she tried.

Luffy, too, seemed to be just as happy about Coby’s resistance, if not more so - even as Alvida loomed over both of them, causing Coby to gulp, Luffy was laughing long and loud. That only seemed to set Alvida off even harder, as she yelled with a boomy voice and raised her club - “YOU LITTLE -!”

Coby clutched his head and screamed - but even then, thoughts ran through his mind. No regrets! NO REGRETS! I said it, I’ll fight for my dreams, even if -!

Luffy recovered from his laughter, and pushed Coby aside with a grin. “Well said, Coby!”

“L-Luffy -!”

Alvida was already raising her club, gritting her teeth with pure rage. “I don’t care which one of you is first…I’ll kill BOTH of you!!!” Her mace slammed down on Luffy’s head with a loud impact.

“Luffy!” Nami, Usopp, Vivi, Chopper, and Carrot all cried out. A few others, however, rolled their eyes.

Luffy just grinned, his eyes hidden by the shadow of his hat. “That didn’t hurt~...because I’m rubber!”

“Wh-wha?! Impossible! No one survives my iron mace -!”

“...Oh.” The panicking watchers slumped in their seats. Ace glanced over at them with a bemused expression. “...Did you guys seriously forget about that???”

“N-no!” Usopp blustered. “I was…simply showing concern! That thing has spikes!”

“Well, the spikes apparently weren’t powerful enough to damage the hat…” Law pointed out. “They’re probably mostly for show - it’s just pure strength and weight that gave it most of its killing power.”

“I mean…it would still hurt to get hit by that!”

“Again, not if you’re rubber.”

As everyone reacted in shock to Luffy’s survival, he took action - shaking off Alvida’s blow, he pulled back his fist, and - “Gum-Gum…PISTOL!”

Alvida barely had time to react with a “What the -?!” before Luffy’s arm stretched and clocked her clean across the face, sending her tumbling to the ground, completely unconscious.

“...Wow. Apparently she can’t take a hit,” Bartolomeo said in surprise. “Like, I wasn’t expecting much, but just one?”

“Y-yeah, but he defeated a Sea King with that!” Vivi pointed out in disbelief.

“Yeah, but I dunno how she got to be a pirate captain without ever learning how to take a few punches.”

“H-his arm stretched…like rubber!” one of the pirates reacted in horror. Another shook Alvida ineffectually. “C-captain! …He beat Lady Alvida…he’s not human!!!”

Luffy didn’t pay any attention to their panicking - instead, he pointed a finger at them firmly. “Give Coby a boat!” he stated, leaving no room for questions. “He’s gonna join the Marines!”

…The pirates swallowed in unison. “Y-yessir…”

…The viewers stared at Luffy for a second - there was a shocking amount of subtext to his words there. He wasn’t interested in getting a boat for himself, he asked for one for Coby - and stated that the boy was going to join the Marines without any concern for the consequences of that.

(...he also hadn’t asked for the boy’s opinion on the matter, but perhaps that was for the best in this instance)

…This kid…really is a strange pirate, huh? Nami reflected. Strangely, she was no longer conflicted about rooting for him. …She supposed seeing the tears of gratitude that streamed down Coby’s face on the screen played a large part in that.

The scene cut to the open sea - with Luffy and Coby in a boat that was, thankfully of a higher quality than the dinghy he’d constructed. “So you ate a Devil Fruit…incredible…!” Coby muttered.

“...Wait, so…did Luffy just leave the pirates there?” Bartolomeo asked in confusion. “He just punched out the leader and left?”

“...Seems so…that does seem rather reckless,” Vivi muttered. “They could go right back to raiding afterwards.”

“Not necessarily,” Brook pointed out. “From the sounds of it, they were mostly bound together due to fear of their captain - the spoils they got from raiding was merely the carrot accompanying that stick.”

“Huh?” Carrot looked up in confusion.

“Ah, not you, my dear.”

“Yeah, it’s likely the crew will fall apart now that Alvida’s not leading them. They might abandon her entirely,” Law added.

“...Still, I think it comes down to the fact that Luffy doesn’t really care about making sure they’re defeated,” Zoro surmised. “He just wanted to get Coby out of there, not crush them.”

…Nami’s good cheer faded slightly at the idea that Luffy’s irresponsible nature might leave those pirates raiding…still, she supposed she couldn’t blame him. Going around punching them one by one wasn’t exactly a good solution. …Though she would have advocated taking their treasure at least…

…Oh well, that’s something I can look into at least…

“But, Luffy…if you’re going after the One Piece…” Coby gulped. “That means you’ll have to enter the Grand Line.”

“Uh-huh!”

“...They call that place the Pirate Graveyard, you know…” Coby shivered.

“Ugh…” Vivi shook her head in annoyance. “I kinda hate that it’s labeled that in the Blues…it’s ignoring people other than pirates who live there just fine.”

“Well, to be fair, it is a pretty nasty place to navigate if you’re going island-hopping,” Law pointed out. “The islands can range from peaceful to deadly, but the seas are the part that make the Grand Line the terror that it is to people from the Blues.”

“Yeah, that’s why I’ll need a strong crew,” Luffy affirmed, before pausing and thinking. “...Hm, that pirate hunter guy they said was imprisoned at the marine base…what was his name?”

“Roronoa Zoro, you mean?”

Once again, people sat up alert at the mentioned name, including Zoro himself…and when Luffy spoke his next words, that only increased.

“If he’s a good guy, I’ll let him join my crew!”

“...Oh boy…” Zoro could only put his head in his hand, realizing just what he was in for.

“Now you’re talking crazy again! No way no way no way! That’ll never happen, that guy’s a demonic beast!”

“How do you know?”

“NO WAY!”

TO BE CONTINUED

The screen faded to black - before suddenly shifting, and the others remembered Proxy’s words about an ending theme.

The ending theme played over a mostly static shot of Luffy staring out at a sea colored yellow by a sunset. {When I was little, I had a vision of a treasure map~...and I always searched for that miraculous place~...before someone else could beat me to it~. If the world is going to change~...before I can even attain my dream~...then take me to the time I knew nothing~...so my memories won’t fade~.}

The reaction to the ending theme was a fair bit more subdued - only Brook seemed to enjoy it just as much as the opening, but no one disliked it overall. Once it was done, the screen faded to black once more, indicating the end of the part. Nami sat back in her seat with a sigh, glancing at the exasperated swordsman next to her. “...Well, if nothing else, I guess this part confirms this takes place in the East Blue…”

“That was pretty obvious from the start, to be honest,” Law muttered, causing Carrot to glance at him in surprise. “Eh? How come?”

“...Really? Remember the introductions,” Law said, gesturing at the rest of them. Robin nodded. “Although many of us come from different seas, where we are currently is confined to only one of two - we are either on the Grand Line, or reside in the East Blue.”

“Right. So, if Luffy’s to encounter all of us…” Law trailed off, as if he were an impatient teacher expecting an answer.

Thankfully, Brook provided. “He would have to start out in the East Blue, then travel the Grand Line. …I see. It is rather simple, when you lay it out, yohohoho!”

…Nami had to admit, she was a little ashamed she hadn’t figured that out herself. Glancing around, she checked to see if everyone was ready for the next part - …they all were, with the exception of Sanji, who was still sulking, are you serious? Leaning past Vivi, she gave him a slap upside the head. “Hey, you can stop moping now, the sea cow’s gone.”

“Ah - oh, Nami-swan!” Sanji immediately regained his morale, hearts in his eyes. “Your touch was just what I needed to awaken from that horrible nightmare!”

…Gah, now she was wishing she hadn’t done that. “Just - press the button for the next part, already,” Nami groaned.

“As you wish~!” Sanji bounded over to the screen and pressed the button in question before returning to his seat, visibly glowing.

…This is going to take some getting used to…

Chapter Text

After the opening -

(which the viewers watched with pretty similar reactions to last time)

- the scene immediately picked up where the last part had left off. Luffy hummed in thought. “A demonic beast, huh?”

“They call him ‘Zoro the Pirate Hunter’,” Coby said in a low tone. “He’s like a bloodthirsty hound…roaming the seas, hunting men for the bounties on their heads! He’s like a demon in human form!”

“...God, I can’t stand listening to this,” Zoro groaned. Law snorted, and actually patted him on the back. “Well, you may be a pirate hunter, but trust me, pirates can relate to that kinda thing. I got labeled the ‘Surgeon of Death’...which is ridiculous. I don’t kill my patients.”

“W-wait, you’re a doctor?!” Chopper stood up on his seat in surprise, staring at the pirate with something approaching awe. Law glanced back at him, bemused. “...Yes? …I gather I forgot to mention that.”

…Chopper didn’t say anything at first, just staring in awe. “...A pirate doctor…” he whispered. …Law turned back to the screen, a little unnerved.

Luffy was still humming in thought, prompting Coby to speak up again. “Luffy, he’s a pirate hunter! Pirate hunters don’t exactly mix well with pirates!”

“Well, I still haven’t decided whether I want him on my crew or not. If he’s a good guy, then -”

“He’s in prison because he’s NOT a good guy!!!”

Once again, eyes turned towards Zoro, and once again, Zoro groaned. “Look, I said this before, I don’t know why I got looked up. …As for whether I’m a ‘good guy’, well…I wouldn’t say I’m a bad guy, I guess…”

“...Normally, I’d think a pirate crew would want bad guys,” Nami muttered. “But Luffy’s…weird like that.”

The scene faded to a new location as they arrived on an island - a properly civilized one, with buildings and a pair of towers labeled ‘Marine’ rising in the background. “We’re here!” Luffy crowed in victory. “We made it to the marine base!”

“...Huh, that’s Shells Town, I think,” Nami ventured, studying the scene. “I visited there once. Zoro, you ever been?”

“...Doesn’t look familiar,” Zoro said with a frown. Still, he’d been to a lot of towns.

“...Well, either way, I hear the Marine Captain in charge of that base is a real hard-ass,” Nami said with a shrug. “If you’re in jail, you probably pissed him off by saying the wrong thing, rather than actually committing a crime.”

…Zoro wouldn’t dispute that, if she knew the area - but what confused him more was why he was still in jail. He only became a bounty hunter out of necessity - he didn’t have any love for law and order, or for the Marines, for that matter, so he wasn’t about to quietly serve his time…

“Coby, you’re amazing!” Coby was startled out of his reverie, staring up at the Marine logo, turning to glance at Luffy. “Huh?”

“You actually got us to our destination!”

There was a loud SLAP sound as fourteen palms met faces in quick succession (and a CLONK as a skeletal hand met a skull). “...I absolutely cannot believe this guy,” Ace groaned. “Why is that such a miracle to him?!”

“O-of course I did!” Coby said, bemused. “That’s…the minimum requirement for people that sail the seas…” After a moment, he made the connection, and sighed. “...Luffy, if you keep randomly floating around, you’ll never become a pirate. You should find a navigator for your crew…”

“Yeah, that’s what I’ll do!” Luffy declared, not seeming overly concerned. “Now, let’s eat!”

…Nami felt a shiver go up her spine. Zoro had been the first brought here…followed by her…

…No, let’s not jump to conclusions. That could have just been a coincidence. And it was very unlikely that everyone here would join Luffy’s crew…

The scene cut to a restaraunt during the aftermath of the two’s meal. “Well, Coby, I guess this is where we go our separate ways,” Luffy said happily. “I hope you become a great Marine!”

“T-thank you Luffy!” Coby said, wiping a few errant tears that threatened to leak out. “And I hope that you become a great pirate! …E-even if that means we’ll be enemies…”

“...It’s rather unexpected to see such camaraderie between a would-be pirate and a would-be marine,” Jimbei said with surprise. “I can’t help but find it admirable.”

“...Yeah…” Ace couldn’t help but recall his own past run-ins with Isuka - even that had been less tolerant than this one, as Isuka had repeatedly tried to get him to stop being a pirate…whereas he felt neither Luffy nor Coby would try to steer the other off their path.

…Wish Gramps had been more tolerant like that…

After that exchange, Luffy paused. “So, you said that Roronoa Zoro guy is at the base -?”

The effect was immediate. Loud crashes echoed around the restaraunt as the customers and waiters leapt in fright, pressing themselves against the wall as if desperate to get away from Luffy and Coby, who stared at them in surprise.

“...What the hell?” Zoro asked, gaping. “What the hell did I do to these people?” He’d almost have thought he’d gone on a drunken rampage, except his tolerance was way better than that.

Nami and Vivi stared at him in suspicion - which caused Sanji to join them too, and he was forced to defend himself. “Look, whatever this is, I haven’t done it yet! Don’t look at me like that!”

“...Maybe we shouldn’t say that name out loud here,” Coby whispered to Luffy. Luffy tilted his head in confusion, before shrugging. Coby sighed. “Well, anyway…I’ll also be heading up there to enlist. I think I remember this base has someone named Captain Morgan -”

The customers and waiters, who had been cautiously returning to their meal, abandoned it once again with a CRASH.

“...Okay, what the hell?!” several people yelled. Everyone was utterly confused - although Chopper seemed to find it a little funny, giggling.

“Alright, this is getting weird,” Nami said worriedly. “I remember people complaining about Captain Morgan’s laws last time I was there, but now they’re outright terrified of him…”

As the scene cut to outside, Luffy seemed unconcerned, laughing away. “Ha ha ha! That was a great restaurant! I wanna go back there!”

Coby, meanwhile, was actively looking around with a worried expression. “Everyone is so jumpy here…I’ve got a bad feeling about this!” He swallowed. “I can understand the fear of Zoro, but why were they nervous about hearing the captain’s name?”

“Maybe they just like jumping around?”

“WHY WOULD THEY?!” Coby groaned. “I’m trying to think seriously here…”

“...Well, this bodes poorly for the well-being of the people in this town,” Jimbei muttered. It was rather extreme - while there were plenty of places that lived in fear of the Marines, there were usually other factors involved. For instance, a kingdom might live in fear of the Marines because the Marines supported that kingdom’s tyrannical ruler. Sabaody Park suffered under the Marines because the Marines turned a blind eye to slavery and even supported the Celestial Dragons and others that made the business so profitable.

It was absolutely not normal for Marines to be the cause of a town’s fear in and of themselves.

The scene cut to the entrance to the Marine base, towering over Coby and Luffy as they stood outside the gate - the former nervously, the latter in awe. “Wow, it looks so big up close!”

Luffy turned to his companion with a grin. “Well, go on in, Coby!” Coby jumped. “W-what?! B-but I haven’t mentally prepared myself yet…and those people sure were scared when they heard the captain’s name…” His words trailed off into a mumble.

“...Well, it’s a good thing he’s prepared for the worst,” Nami whispered, biting her lip. She remembered when Cocoyashi Village had still held onto hope that the Marines would save them from Arlong…only to be faced with the horrid truth of corruption and vice.

Luffy, not paying any attention to Coby’s mumbles, climbed up onto the wall - garnering Coby’s own attention. “L-Luffy! What’re you doing?!”

“I wonder if I can see that demonic guy from here,” Luffy hummed to himself, glancing around.

“That…seems very unlikely,” Jimbei sighed. “I suppose I didn’t think about it, but if Luffy wants to meet Zoro, he’ll have to break into the base -”

“You won’t find him just by peeking over the fence,” Coby said in exasperation as Luffy let himself down. “He’s probably deep within the bowels of their prison…”

“Oh yeah? Well, there’s somebody over there! Maybe it’s Zoro!”

“What?” Coby asked in astonishment.

“ - what?” Jimbei cut himself off, echoing Coby’s exclamation. Brook, next to him, chuckled. “Yo ho ho…so much for that, I suppose!”

Jimbei just stared as the screen displayed a familiar face shrouded in shadow. …That doesn’t make sense…

“There he is!” Luffy crowed in triumph as he poked his head over the wall further down. Coby followed him nervously - and then let out a cry, falling back to the ground outside? Luffy glanced down at him. “What’s wrong?”

“A dark green bandana and a haramaki sash…” Coby swallowed in fear. “That’s really him! It’s Roronoa Zoro! He’s as menacing as they say…!”

The screen cut to show the yard in full - and what was unmistakably Zoro, tied up to a crucifix and laying out there in full view.

“What the hell?” Zoro stared at his own prone form with confusion (a little bit unnerved as well. He was seeing his future self, ater all). “How the hell did they manage that?! I could break out of those ropes, easy.”

Jimbei was equally confused, for other reasons. “Why on earth would they tie such a dangerous man up out in the open rather than locking him in a cell? I may not know Marine procedure by heart, but that’s definitely not the norm…”

No one had any answers, so they were forced to keep watching.

“Oh, so that’s him! Hmm…” Luffy hummed in thought. “I could just untie those ropes and set him free.”

“THAT’S SUICIDE!” Coby yelled in fear. “If you let him loose, he’ll kill us, then he’ll wreck the whole town!”

“For the love of -!” Zoro threw up his hands in frustration. “What do people think I am at this point?! A pirate?!”

“Well, to be fair…some bounty hunters have methods even worse than the pirates they hunt…” Vivi ventured - only to be silenced with an ‘eep’ by a glare from Zoro. That naturally got Sanji glaring back at Zoro with a growl, but the swordsman was already ignoring him, staring at the screen like he could bore a hole in it.

“Hey, brats.” Evidently, the tied-up Zoro was both awake, and could hear Coby’s yell. He raised his head, glaring at the two of them. “You’re an eyesore. Get lost already.”

…Geez, if it had been weird to see himself like that, it was even weirder to hear himself talking. Zoro sighed. At least I don’t seem any different…though how would I even tell that from the outside?

“H-he’s talking to us…!” Coby panicked, before turning to Luffy. “Luffy, you don’t want someone like him on your crew! As soon as you untie him, he’ll kill us and get away, I just know it!”

“He won’t kill us,” Luffy said confidently. “He couldn’t. I wouldn’t let him.”

In a weird coincidence, both Zoros raised an eyebrow in response to Luffy’s declaration. Zoro knew that Luffy was strong, but he considered himself plenty skilled - and nothing at all like the pirates, bandits, or sea monsters Luffy had met so far in his life.

…Sure, the rubber thing made him unpredictable…but Zoro was pretty confident he could cut rubber.

…He couldn’t deny, he was curious to see what made Luffy so confident in himself.

He’s got way too big a head! Coby despaired mentally.

However, before he could resume trying to convince Luffy of how foolish his plan was, he was interrupted by a thunk from his side - a ladder, laid against the wall. To both Luffy and Coby’s surprise, a small girl climbed up it - and when she saw them, she put a finger to her mouth and shushed them, before climbing into the yard.

There was a moment of silence - and then -

“What is she DOING?!” several people yelled.

Nami put a hand to her head, worried. “She’ll get in so much trouble with the Marines…!”

“F-forget that - if she gets too close, she might get killed!” Usopp yelled in fear.

That prompted Zoro to jump up and turn around, glaring at Usopp. “What was that?! Hey, say that again!” Usopp let out a scream - as well as Chopper, who was nearby - and both dived behind their chairs in fear. Next to Zoro, Law shook his head with a sigh. “Roronoa…you’re not helping your case.”

On-screen, Coby was just as worried for the girl’s well-being. “Hey! D-don’t go down there, it’s dangerous!” However, the girl ran as quietly as she could over to Zoro without fear. The tied-up bounty hunter glared down at her. “...What do you want?”

“Luffy, do something!” Coby shrieked. “She’ll be killed!” Luffy glanced over to him blankly. “Why don’t you do it yourself?”

…Something about Luffy’s lack of concern caused Zoro’s anger to recede. …It was like this guy knew she was in no danger, despite Coby’s panicking…

Of course, the Zoro on-screen wasn’t as charitable. “Get lost! Do you want to get killed?”

However, to everyone’s shock, the girl was also undaunted. Unwrapping the fabric she’d brought, she presented two lumps of rice. “I made thse rice balls for you! I thought you might need some food!”

Silence occurred - both on-screen and off-screen - due to sheer shock. The girl continued. “It’s the first time I’ve ever made rice balls. I hope you like them.”

“I’m…not hungry!” the on-screen Zoro eventually managed to bluster out. “Now beat it, and take that stuff with you!”

“...B-but…” The girl wilted, still offering the rice balls.

“I won’t want it! Now get out of here, or I’ll stomp you!”

“Damn mosshead…!” Sanji was burning with rage as he got to his feet, glaring at Zoro. “How dare you speak to a poor little girl that way!” For once, Sanji wasn’t as much of an outlier as usual - there were a few others who were glaring at Zoro, too.

The swordsman barely paid them any attention, just staring at the screen. …He knew himself, so he was trying to figure out what he was thinking. …Much as he hated to admit it, even to himself…this reeked of pride. But also -

“Now, now, Roronoa Zoro!” A new voice emerged as the gate to the side swung open - a voice full of arrogance and smugness. “You shouldn’t pick on little girls, you know. I’ll tell my father on you!”

The young man that walked out was dressed ostentatiously, and sported an abysmal blonde haircut - as well as two Marine bodyguards, flanking him on either side. A caption labeled him as Helmeppo, Captain Morgan’s son.

“Who’s that weirdo?” Luffy asked bluntly. Coby sighed in relief. “He must be some high-ranking Marine officer. Now that little girl will be safe.”

…Off-screen, however, no one was nearly as confident. The man screamed self-importance, and the caption stating his status didn’t help matters.

“...I didn’t know Captain Morgan had a son…but this reeks of nepotism,” Nami growled.

“‘High-ranking Marine officer’? Get real.” Ace scoffed, shaking his head. “No self-respecting Marine officer would dress like that.”

“Or have that haircut,” Bartolomeo added, retching.

“...That too.”

“Hmph.” The on-screen Zoro eyed Helmeppo with distaste. “Well, if it isn’t the idiot son, flaunting daddy’s wealth.”

“Did you just call me an ‘idiot’?” Helmeppo sneered, raising a hand to his ear as if he couldn’t believe what he’d heard. “A man in your position should guard his tongue better…or he might lose it!”

Glancing over at the young girl, Helmeppo adopted a sickly-sweet smile and tone. “Little girl…did you bring those rice balls for me? Ooh, how thoughtful.” He snatched one up, causing the girl to gasp. “H-hey, give it back!”

“That bastard…” Sanji’s rage immediately switched targets, and he gave a death glare to Helmeppo. “Stealing food from a little girl?! He’s scum!”

However, no sooner had Helmeppo taken a large bite of the rice ball that he retched, spitting it out. “Blech! Disgusting, it’s too sweet! This is - sugar?! Rice balls are supposed to be seasoned with salt, not sugar!”

The girl looked ashamed. “B-but I like sweets…so I figured sugar would be better…!”

There were a few snorts at Helmeppo’s reaction to the taste - however, they immediately faded upon his next action.

“These are COMPLETELY inedible!” Helmeppo snarled, grabbing the remaining riceball and throwing it on the ground, before stomping on it mercilessly, while the girl watched in horror. “S-stop! Please! You’re ruining them!”

Sanji’s cigarette fell from his mouth. He stared at the screen, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He didn’t hear the others yell at the screen in anger. In his head, he remembered something from his past -

Zeff didn’t tolerate mistakes in the kitchen. If you messed up, he was liable to get you a beating with his peg leg. However, there were a couple times when guests with an interest in cooking asked for help, and he always told them this - ‘Don’t be ashamed of your mistakes. Learn from them. Beating yourself up will just make cooking lose its luster. I’m harsh on my cooks because we have customers to please - but people who are learning cooking for the first time deserve the chance to mess up, and become better because of it.’

If Sanji had tasted that rice ball, of course he would have been honest about the taste. Even for the sake of a lady, he wouldn’t lie about cooking. But he still would have been thankful for it regardless, and kindly guided her in her future cooking efforts.

Right now, though…his rage was building at a fever pace, and soon -

“How evil…! That girl worked really hard on those rice balls…!” Coby said in disbelief. Luffy watched on with a blank expression.

Helmeppo stood back up, smiling as if he’d just done something enjoyable. “Don’t worry…I’m sure the ants find them delicious. Ha ha ha!” AS he laughed, he ground his foot into the remains of the rice ball, now covered in dirt. The girl stared at it, at a loss for words - and began to cry -

DING!

Everyone jumped - it took them a second to realize that Sanji had stepped over to the nearest bell Proxy had left for them, and slammed his hand onto it with all the strength he could. In a flash of light, Proxy appeared, raising an eyebrow. “You know, I can hear you just fine if you tap it -”

“Shut it,” Sanji interrupted, his words filled with fury. “You said you’d take requests if we need things, right? Well, I need something to kick. A lot.”

Proxy stared at him, before glancing at the screen, and letting out an ‘ah’. “Fair enough. Let’s see, here…” He snapped his fingers -

- and there was a new flash of light behind the viewers. They all turned to see that what looked to be a training dummy had manifested - …granted, a training dummy that had been given a very distinctive blonde haircut.

“It’s plenty durable…though don’t worry, you’ll see the effects of your blows just fine. Satisfied?”

“No,” Sanji ground out, bringing a new cigarette to his mouth and lighting it. “But I will be soon.”

He stalked off to the back of the room, stopping in front of the training dummy, before taking a drag of his cigarette - and then launching what could only be described as a vicious assault on the dummy with his kicks. Several people winced at the sound of the blows. Proxy coughed. “You’ll…probably want to go back to watching. He’ll be doing this for a while.” He vanished in a flash of light.

…Slowly, the others decided to do just that, turning back to the screen.

“Oh, stop that crying,” Helmeppo sighed in aggravation, putting a hand to his face. “This is why I hate kids…!”

“...I think I might need to ask Sanji to leave some of that training dummy for me,” Nami growled, making a new note on her notepad. Several people made noises of agreement.

“It’s your own fault, you know! Can’t you read this sign?” Helmeppo pointed to a sign nearby Zoro’s post. “‘Anyone found aiding a prisoner shall be found guilty of the same crimes he has committed.’ Signed, Captain Morgan.”

“Seriously?” Vivi asked in disbelief. Jimbei sighed, shaking his head. “Unfortunately, that’s not such an unordinary punishment from the Marines…”

Helmeppo bent down to meet the girl’s gaze, glaring at her petrified face. “I’m sure you’ve heard just how scary my father can be!” he growled. “If you were an adult, you would be put to death!”

He stood up, glancing at one of his bodyguards. “You there! Throw that brat over the fence!”

“What?!” Several people stood up angrily. In the back, the sounds of pummeling increased, indicating that Sanji, despite his focus, had heard at least some of what was going on.

The Marine made a noise of protest, but Helmeppo grabbed onto his lapel. “I’m ordering you to throw that little brat over the fence! Are you going to disobey a direct order?!” he yelled. “I’LL TELL DADDY ON YOU!”

“Y-yes sir…right away!”

Unnoticed by most everyone, due to their raging at Helmeppo, Robin’s gaze darkened. As much as she knew Helmeppo was the real problem here, the Marine’s decision that he had to follow orders no matter the lack of morality stirred up an…unpleasant feeling in her…

The girl was tossed over the wall by the Marine, witnessed by Coby and Luffy - the latter of whom thankfully threw himself backwards to catch the girl before she hit the ground.

“A-are you okay?!” Coby asked in worry as he rushed to the girl’s side, Luffy getting up and brushing himself off. “What a horrible man…!” Luffy stared back at the wall, that same blank expression on his face as before.

“...I wish he’d react to some of this…” Vivi said quietly. “It’s hard to tell what he’s thinking.”

Jimbei didn’t say anything, but he internally disagreed. Just because someone was stoic didn’t mean they weren’t reacting - and given how expressive Luffy was normally…

The scene cut to back inside the yard, with Helmeppo talking to Zoro. “My, but you’re a stubborn one…”

“You’ve got that right. I’m gonna last the entire month!” Zoro snarled confidently. “You just keep your end of the bargain…”

“Ha ha ha! I won’t dream of breaking my word!” Helmeppo declared casually, turning for the exit with his escorts following behind him. “If you survive out here for a month - then I’ll let you go. It’ll be my pleasure, I’m sure…”

Zoro stared at the screen, frowning. …Well, this gave him some insight. It wasn’t just a case of deciding to wait out the month he was sentenced for, he was too impatient for that - Helmeppo had promised him something in exchange. …What, he couldn’t imagine…

“...What kind of offense only gets you one month?” Yamato asked Jimbei in curiosity. Jimbei shrugged. “Just getting in a fight, or something similar, I’d say…but that would still involve a cell, rather than the yard. …Though I can only presume, if that Helmeppo is involved, he wants to teach Zoro a lesson of some kind…”

As the on-screen Zoro returned his gaze forward, however, he noticed something - Luffy was standing right there, in the yard, gazing back at him with. “...You’re still here?” Zoro asked incredulously. “You better not let Helmeppo or his father catch you.”

Luffy only grinned. “I’m looking for good men to join my pirate crew.”

“Pirate crew?” Zoro’s incredulity increased even more. “You think I’d lower myself to that level? Get real.”

Luffy frowned in consternation. “Becoming a pirate’s my dream! What’s wrong with it?!”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe the fact that pretty much everyone knows pirates as heartless raiders and murderers?” Nami sighed in consternation. She had a feeling that even if Luffy could have heard her talk, she’d be getting nowhere, though…

Zoro ignored the question. “You seriously think if you untie me, I’ll join your pirate crew?”

“...Well, I haven’t decided if I’ll ask you yet,” Luffy said, back to grinning. “You’ve got a pretty bad reputation, you know?”

Zoro scoffed. “Bad reputation, huh? …Well, anyway, I don’t go for that kind of deal. I’ve got my own plans for the future. …And I don’t need your help. I can get out of here on my own. All I have to do is last for a month here, then I’m a free man…that idiot son promised me.”

There was a sound to Zoro’s left, and he and the others looked to see Sanji settling back into his seat. “Finally got that out of my system…what did I miss?”

“A bunch of pointless male posturing, mostly,” Nami said, causing Zoro to glare at her. “Basically, Zoro’s staying there for one month because he’s stubborn.”

“That’s not -” Zoro groaned. “Nevermind.”

Luffy studied Zoro’s face, humming in thought. “Hmm, I see…I don’t think I could last one week without food.”

“Well, me and you are different. I’ve got willpower,” Zoro boasted.

“...I see your point, Nami-swan,” Sanji said, but he notably didn’t have the fawning tone he usually did when addressing her. “He’s a fool if he’s making light of a month without food.”

“Oh shut up, will you, swirly-brow?” Zoro said in annoyance. Sanji merely stared at him - the lack of any reaction to the insult surprised Zoro. “I’m serious. You just don’t get it yet.”

…Unnerved, Zoro turned his gaze back to the screen.

“So anyway, go look for a crew elsewhere,” the on-screen Zoro finished. Luffy shrugged, but as he turned to leave -

“Hey, wait.” Luffy turned back in surprise. “Huh?”

Zoro was gazing down at something on the ground. “Pick that up for me, will you?”

Luffy went to where he was gazing, and gaped in astonishment. He bent down, picking up the sludgy remains of the riceball. “...You’re not going to eat it, are you? It’s more of a dirt ball than a rice ball now…”

“Shut up!” Zoro said angrily, opening his mouth wide. “Just shut up and feed it to me! And don’t miss a single grain of rice!”

Everyone gazed in surprise at the screen. Zoro was surprised too, wondering what was possessing him to do such a thing.

However, one viewer’s surprise quickly changed to understanding…and a small amount of respect. Sanji stole a glance at the swordsman sitting a few seats away…wondering if perhaps he’d been too hasty to judge him.

…Or maybe he just doesn’t understand yet. Sanji put a cigarette to his mouth, lighting it as he thought. …I suppose this is what Proxy meant. He wants to make sure we still get the experiences and lessons that might never exist now…

Luffy shrugged and did as he asked. As it landed in Zoro’s mouth, the swordsman chewed - choking at several points - but he swallowed, coughing heavily afterwards.

Several people cringed at the sight, imagining themselves in that situation. Others remembered their own bad situations in the past, where they had to eat anything to survive…

“I told you…it was mostly dirt,” Luffy said in disbelief, watching Zoro cough his lungs out. “Are you trying to kill yourself?”

“Guh…tell the kid…”

“Huh?”

Zoro lowered his head, not meeting Luffy’s eyes. “...Tell her I said it was delicious. And…that I ate it all.”

Luffy’s eyes lit up, and he laughed in appreciation.

“...So that’s why…” Zoro muttered. …When did he get such a soft heart?

“...Guess I judged you wrong,” Nami said quietly.

…Sanji couldn’t deny it - he was looking at the swordsman in a new light. …Granted, he still didn’t like how he talked to the ladies, but he understood both the pain of starvation that led to desiring any kind of food, and the desire to give a little girl a little bit of happiness after the horrible time she’d had.

The scene cut to the town, where the girl from before excitedly exclaimed - “Really?!”

“Yeah! He ate it all up!” Luffy said with a laugh. The girl smiled, looking genuinely happy. “I’m so glad…!”

Coby looked uncertain. “...Is Zoro really as bad as everyone says?”

The girl whirled around. “He’s not a bad guy! Everyone in town is afraid of him, but - but he hasn’t done anything wrong!”

She took a deep breath, sighing. “...He got thrown into prison because of me…”

The screen changed, showing an image of Zoro with a sword and bag fighting off a beast with Helmeppo and Rika in the background. “Captain Morgan’s son had a bunch of mean dogs! They attacked me…but Zoro saved me! Besides, thsoe dogs were running loose and scaring everybody in town!”

Zoro sighed, relieved that he’d finally gotten an explanation as to why he’d been locked up.

“...Man, I knew he was an asshole, but this Helm-whatever guy is an idiot, too,” Bartolomeo spat. “What kinda guy just lets his pets do whatever they want?!”

“I don’t even think those are dogs…” Carrot said, looking closely at the screen. “They look more like wolves.”

“...Geez, no wonder they were running loose,” Usopp said, disturbed. Chopper stared at the screen, feeling a little bad for the wolf cut by Zoro, who clearly hadn’t been being fed right.

“That’s why Zoro is in prison - because he hurt that guy’s dog to save you?” The little girl nodded at Luffy’s question. Coby let out a noise of understanding. “That makes sense! Zoro’s really scary, but he only goes after people with a price on their heads…and he wouldn’t get thrown into prison for that!”

“Oh, sure, now you realize that,” Zoro grunted. “Still, I have no idea why I accepted that guy’s deal…”

“Most likely? That bastard threatened the little girl, said she’d get executed instead,” Nami groused. “The one-month time limit was to exonerate both of you.” Zoro let out an ‘ah’ as it clicked.

“...Wait, if Zoro went into custody voluntarily, why is he all…bloody?” Carrot asked in confusion.

“Because Helmeppo is a sadistic guy who likes lording his power over people,” Law answered. “Zoro’s probably had a beating every now and then.”

“Captain Morgan and his son are the bad ones!” the girl huffed angrily. “They put people to death for no reason at all! Everyone’s afraid of them…”

“These are some of the worst Marines I’ve ever heard of,” Nami growled, as others nodded in agreement.

“Ha ha ha! You’re not bowing your heads low enough, scum! I’ll tell my father on all of you!” A familiar, high-pitched, grating voice reached Luffy’s ears, and he glanced out of the alleyway he and the other two had been sitting in. Helmeppo was sauntering arrogantly down the main street, flanked by his Marine bodyguards, and with townsfolk lined up and bowing on their hands and knees in pure terror.

…As if the hatred of Helmeppo wasn’t high enough in that room, it spiked even higher. I can’t believe it - he’s acting like he’s a king - no, like he’s a Celestial Dragon! Jimbe stared in complete revulsion. It’s honestly shocking - the man’s father is only a Captain. Forget a real Celestial Dragon coming down, a mere Commodore would outrank him, and yet he apparently has no idea of his place in the food chain.

Helmeppo laughed again as he jeered at the prone townspeople. “Do you want to be jailed like Roronoa Zoro? Huh? He should serve as an example to you all! I can hardly wait for his execution in a few days!”

Luffy started. “A few days…?”

“...That son of a…” Zoro growled, gripping his swords tightly. “Of course. I shouldn’t be surprised that he didn’t intend to honor that promise at all.” The only reason his future self likely took it seriously in the first place was because he hadn’t yet realized just how morally bankrupt the man was - by the time he did, he was too hungry to think straight.

…That didn’t stop him from feeling irritated and shameful for ending up in such a situation. And with the way things on-screen are going…I’m going to have to be rescued by that idiot pirate…ugh.

“An example…I suppose that’s why he’s strung up in the yard rather than left rotting in a cell,” Jimbei muttered. “I’ve been wondering that since the start.”

“You made a promise to him, though! You said you’d release him!” Luffy stepped up towards Helmeppo without fear, causing the townspeople around him to gasp and stare in shock. Helmeppo himself blinked in confusion. “Huh? Where did you hear about that?”

After a moment, Helmeppo puffed out his cheeks and laughed. “Well, it doesn’t matter. That promise was just a joke! He’s the stupid one for believing it! Ha ha ha!”

Zoro’s determination flashed in Luffy’s mind - and in the face of this man casually spitting in the face of that -

POW! “Aaaaah!” Luffy ran up, grabbed Helmeppo’s colloar and punched him across the face without a second thought, so hard that his straw hat flew off.

Cheers immediately erupted in the viewing room at seeing Helmeppo get his just desserts. However, underneath that, a few perceptive people noticed something…odd. Interesting… Robin thought to herself.

“L-Luffy! Calm down!” Coby grabbed Luffy’s arm and shoulder, trying to hold him back, even as the boy tried to go in for a second blow. “This guy is scum!”

“Come on! You don’t want to make an enemy out of the navy, do you?!” Coby implored as Helmeppo fell to the ground, insensate.

“...Not all of them, perhaps,” Robin muttered - perhaps a little too loudly, as Law glanced over at her. “You noticed it too, huh?”

“Huh? What?” Usopp glanced between them in confusion.

“...Those ‘bodyguards’ of his. They didn’t do anything to stop Luffy, did they? Even now, they’re not arresting him,” Robin pointed out lightly. “It seems not everyone’s on-board with this family’s tyranny.”

“W-well yeah, but…” Nami trailed off as she thought about it. “Huh.”

“My guess is that those bodyguards of his are more concerned with making sure Helmeppo doesn’t get an excuse to execute anybody,” Law surmised, rubbing his chin in thought. “Think about it. If they can prevent somebody from attacking Helmeppo, they prevent retaliation, even if they’d rather let him get what he deserves.”

“I see…I guess you could be right…”

“Coby…I’ve made a decision,” Luffy declared confidently, getting Coby - and the viewers’ attention. “I want Zoro to join my crew!”

TO BE CONTINUED

The screen faded to the ending, provoking two different reactions. On the one hand -

“Wait, so this is still going into the next part?” Ace asked in surprise. Brook chuckled. “I suppose not everything can be cleanly wrapped up after just ten or so minutes, yo ho ho ho!”

On the other -

“...Gah, I’m in for it now,” Zoro groaned, putting a hand on his face. “That idiot’s set his sights on me.”

Nami cast an uncertain gaze towards him. “Do you…think you’re going to accept?”

“...Honestly, I have no idea. I’m not a die-hard pirate-hater like most, but I’ve fought against them long enough that I have no desire to be one,” Zoro said with a frown. “...The main issue is, I have my own goals that I need to get stronger for - I don’t have time to be playing pirates with him.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” Zoro blinked, glancing at Law on his other side, who was giving him an appraising glance. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m saying that if you’ve garnered such a reputation in the East Blue - said to be the weakest of the four seas - then you’re probably on the verge of hitting your limit as far as your training can go,” Law said firmly, causing Zoro to still in surprise. “You need strong opponents to improve, right?”

“...Well, yeah…”

“Then let me tell you this.” Law raised his head, smirking at Zoro. “I’ve only been on the Grand Line for a few months. But none of the foes I faced in the North Blue came close to challenging me as much as what I’ve seen on the Grand Line since day one. If you want to be pushed to your limits? That’s the place to go…and Luffy is undoubtedly one of the rare few that would be willing to take you there.

…Zoro fell silent considering this. He remembered his goal - his intention to find the man known as Hawkeye, the strongest swordsman in the world.

He’d never taken the idea that the East Blue was a weak sea all that seriously. He himself was there, after all. But maybe the Grand Line really would be what he needed to improve his skills…

…And, well. That was the kind of thing that might make going pirate worth it for him.

Chapter Text

After the opening, the screen showed the citizens’ shocked reactions to Luffy’s punch. “H-he really just did that…?” “He punched him! Captain Morgan will be furious!”

Coby was still restraining Luffy. “Luffy, stop! Are you trying to pick a fight with the whole navy?!” Luffy responded with a growl. “Scum is scum…no matter who their father is!”

Helmeppo, meanwhile, had come to, and was holding his cheek in pain and horror while his bodyguards attended him. “Y-you hit me! You actually hit me?! No one has ever hit me! Not even Daddy!”

“Yeah, well, it clearly didn’t come soon enough, spoiled brat,” Sanji muttered, attempting to light his cigarette.

Helmeppo’s horror soon faded in favor of fury - tears in his eyes from the pain, he yelled at full force. “I’M CAPTAIN MORGAN’S BELOVED SON! I’M TELLING DADDY ON YOU!”

The citizens recoiled in terror, gasping. Luffy, however, remained resolute. “Are you going to go running to your dad?! Face me like a man!”

“Luffy, please stop!” Coby pleaded.

Supported by his bodyguards, Helmeppo turned in the direction of the Marine base. “You’ll die begging for mercy…you’re a walking corpse, you hear me?!” As his bodyguards pulled him towards the base, he yelled at Luffy from the distance. “Father will kill you! You - you snot-face!”

With that immature insult, he was finally far enough away that Coby felt safe releasing Luffy - the pirate reaching for his straw hat with a huff. “He’s not worth hitting,” Luffy decided firmly.

“Now you’ve done it…” Coby groaned.

“Honestly, I don’t think there was a chance of Luffy getting out of this place without pissing off the Marines, given the way they’re acting,” Franky said, rubbing his chin.

The little girl came rushing up to Luffy, beaming. “You were great, big bro Luffy! Watching you made me feel better…”

“Really? Then I wish I’d punched him a few more times!” Luffy laughed.

“Rika!” A woman shouted at the little girl, looking worried. “Get over here, now!” She grabbed Rika and pulled her away from Luffy. “You shouldn’t be talking to that person! If they think you’re his friend…they’ll kill you too!”

“But mama, he’s a good person! And Zoro is a good pers-”

“What are you saying?! You didn’t go to the Marine base again, did you?!”

“Um…no…”

Her mother sighed. “Just - hurry up. Let’s get inside…” Rika cast a worried glance back at Luffy, who merely waved cheerfully as the door was shut behind her.

“...That’s awful…” Carrot frowned, looking upset. “They both just did the right thing. Why are they getting shunned for it?”

“Honestly, it’s something Luffy’ll have to get used to as a pirate,” Law uttered without pity. “The people who’ll treat him for what he is are few and far between.” Ace’s brow darkened, unnoticed by anyone.

“More to the point, her mother’s just scared,” Nami said sadly. “She doesn’t want Rika to get hurt, that’s all.”

After a moment, Luffy walked towards the base, causing Coby to panic again. “They won’t let you get away with this, you know? Captain Morgan has the whole navy behind him!”

“Yeah, whatever. I need to talk to Zoro.”

There were a few snorts at that. “The whole navy? For a single captain?” Robin chuckled. “He seems to be blowing things a bit out of proportion.”

Then again, Jimbei thought tiredly. Helmeppo did act like he was a Celestial Dragon…throwing the weight of the Marines around is par for the course for them.

The scene cut to the Marine base - specifically, to an office inside, where a man smoking a cigar sat looking out of the window, his back to the viewers. “...I am…great!”

Immediately, the majority of the viewers slumped in their seats. “...Oh, no, he’s just as bad as his son,” Vivi despaired, putting her face in her hands.

The Marine behind him immediately saluted. “Yes sir! You certainly are sir! The great Captain Morgan!”

“...Then why are the tributes from the townsfolk below…getting smaller?”

“Tributes?!” several people exclaimed, aghast. Jimbei especially was incensed. He’s even aping the Heavenly Tributes?! This man’s ego truly matches the worst of those in Mariejois…

“Y-yes sir…regarding your tributes…” the Marine stuttered, clearly attempting to figure out how to placate his superior. “The townspeoples’ wallets do have their limits…”

Captain Morgan turned his head slightly, glaring back at the soldier. “It’s not a question of how much money they have…it’s a question of their respect for me…!”

“Oh yeah? Well, here’s how much respect I have for you!” Bartolomeo gave the screen two middle fingers and stuck his tongue out.

Jimbei clenched his fist. Every time he thought the people in charge of Shells Town couldn’t sink any lower…they proved themselves to be just like the Celestial Dragons in the worst way.

“Daddy!” Helmeppo slammed the office door open, causing his father to turn his head. “What is it, Helmeppo? Why the commotion?”

Helmeppo gritted his teeth as he held a hand towel to where Luffy had punched him. “There’s someone I want you to kill!”

The scene cut to outside, where Luffy casually walked up to Zoro. “Hey!”

“You again…” Zoro growled in annoyance. “If this is about me joining your pirate crew, my answer is still no!”

“Call me Luffy!” Luffy declared cheerfully. “I’ll untie you if you’ll join my pirate crew, alright?!”

“...You aren’t listening…!”

The real Zoro groaned, facepalming. “This guy doesn’t seem to understand how to convince someone…”

“Eh?” Yamato looked over at Zoro in confusion. “I mean, it makes sense to me. He saves your life, so honor would mean you would join him, right? That’s what any proper samurai would do!”

“...Okay, first off, my future self -” Zoro paused. “Man, that’s weird to say…My future self has no idea his life is actually in danger. He still thinks Helmeppo’s gonna keep his word. Secondly, I’m not a samurai, I’m a swordsman. There’s a difference.”

Yamato tilted her head in confusion, clearly struggling to process the idea that honor wouldn’t demand you repay such a debt.

“Anyway, I’ve got my own missions. So you can forget me becoming a criminal with you.” Zoro spat out.

“What’s wrong with being a pirate?” Luffy asked, offended. “Anyway, you’re already a ‘demonic beast’ of a bounty hunter.”

Zoro scoffed. “I don’t care what people say about me. I live by my own code…I’ve never done anything I regret. And I don’t intend to, ever.”

Nami glanced at Zoro. “...That’s rather a different tune. Weren’t you just complaining earlier about everyone thinking you were some kind of demon?”

“...Well, it’s a little different when I have no idea what my future self did in the next year,” Zoro admitted. “Besides, not caring about how people view me doesn’t mean I don’t find it annoying.”

“...Fair enough.”

Meanwhile, several people were impressed by Zoro’s conviction. “Wow…” Chopper said in awe. Yamato, meanwhile, was considering Zoro’s own ‘code’ and comparing it to the samurai one. It’s different, but…I think he does have his own sense of honor.

“So if you think I’ll be a pirate, forget it!” Zoro finished as Luffy watched, blank-faced. And then -

“Sorry, but I’ve made up my mind! You’re going to join my crew!” Luffy declared.

“I don’t CARE what you’ve decided!!!” Both Zoros yelled in annoyance.

“Talk about bullheaded,” Law groaned. Was this how Luffy planned to recruit every member of his crew?

Luffy hummed in thought. “I heard you can use a sword!”

The on-screen Zoro blinked, blindsided by the sudden change of subject. “...Well, yeah. Hmph, if I wasn’t tied up, I’d teach you firsthand…”

“...Okay, it’s not surprising at all that you’re considered a demon when you threaten to cut people like that,” Nami drawled. Zoro rolled his eyes with a huff.

“So, where are your swords now?”

“That idiot son took them from me. …Next to my life, those swords are my dearest treasures.”

Zoro had already suspected as much, but he couldn’t help but tense as it was confirmed, gripping onto the three at his side tightly.

“Hmm…treasures, huh? Too bad they got taken…” Luffy thought for a minute, before grinning. “I know! I’ll get your swords back from the idiot son!”

Zoro blinked. “What?”

…Well, I suppose if he wants to endear me to him, that’s a start, the real Zoro thought idly.

“Then, if you want your swords back…you’ll HAVE to join my crew!” Luffy laughed.

“YOU LITTLE RAT!” Now that set the real Zoro off, on his feet in a second, looking for all the world like he was about to cut the screen to pieces. Nami gaped at him for a second, before sighing in exasperation, standing up, and dragging him back down into a sitting position. “What do you think you’re going to do? You can’t get at him.”

Zoro growled, but settled for glaring at Luffy with all the hate he could muster.

“Man, I thought he might be a little naive, but he can drive a hard bargain when he needs to!” Franky laughed.

Luffy took off runing, prompting the on-screen Zoro to yell after him. “Hey! Come back here!”

“See you soon!”

Zoro gave up yelling, staring after his would-be captain. “He’s going straight for the fortress…that’s one dumb pirate…”

“...I must admit, I’m curious,” Brook said, addressing the room at large. “What do you all think of Luffy’s chances?”

“Eh? Whaddaya mean?” Bartolomeo asked incredulously. “We’ve seen him in action!”

“True, but that was against a Sea King and a single pirate captain. Taking on a whole Marine base is another matter.”

“Well, if there’s no one ranked higher than captain there…” Ace mused. Jimbei shrugged. “Captains can vary in strength wildly, however. It will very much depend on Captain Morgan’s strength.”

Arrogance didn’t necessarily mean weakness, after all. Either way, it seemed clear this would provide a new benchmark for Luffy’s prowess…

The scene cut to the top of the Marine base, where -

“Okay, steady! Stand it up!”

“Are -” Nami was at a loss for words. “Are they putting up a statue of Morgan?!”

“Just when I thought he couldn’t get more arrogant…” Jimbei groaned.

“It’s idiotic,” Law said with distaste. “Pretty much everything else Morgan’s done could conceivably be covered up if one of his superiors came to investigate, even if it would require a lot of intimidation. But if someone saw that monstrosity…”

Carrot, meanwhile, was distracted. “...Wait, what’s that on the statue’s hand…?”

At the same time, Helmeppo was complaining. “Daddy! Why aren’t you hunting the brigand who hit me?! Even you’ve never laid a hand on my beautiful-yet-masculine face before!”

Sanji let out a noise of disbelief. “...Trust me, shithead. No one’s ever thought either of those adjectives about your face.”

“...Do you know why I’ve never hit you?” Captain Morgan uttered, unheeding of his son’s distress.

“H-huh?” Helmeppo was taken aback by the question. “B-because…I’m your son -?”

“I’ll tell you why...”

Suddenly, Morgan lashed out in a heavy blow that sent his son flying with a yelp of pain. “It’s because you’re a USELESS SON WHO’S NOT EVEN WORTH HITTING!”

Several people flinched at the blow, while others narrowed their eyes. Not all of them had had parents that refrained from hitting them - but in a way, that just made Morgan and Helmeppo’s relationship worse. At least their parents cared about how they behaved enough to punish them when they acted out - Morgan, as he implied, didn’t care in the slightest.

Yamato, meanwhile, clenched her fist. She couldn’t say Morgan was anywhere near as bad as Kaido was…but it stirred up bad memories in her all the same.

The camera zoomed out to show Captain Morgan in full for the first time - he was a menacing figure, with an axe in place of his right hand and a metal jaw attached to his face. A caption revealed he had the epithet ‘Axe-Hand’.

“Why should I fight your battles?” Morgan intoned with irritation. “You’re big enough to wipe your own bottom.” He let out a ‘tch’. “I don’t mind if you use my status…but don’t make the mistake of thinking I’ll protect you.”

He leaned in close, causing Helmeppo to shrink away in fear as Morgan’s cigar smoke blew in his face. “Don’t fool yourself…You are not the great one! I am great!” In a low tone, he repeated for emphasis - “I am the great one.”

There were a few gulps from the more cowardly members of the group, while the rest looked on in anger. None of them had any love for Helmeppo, but seeing Morgan intimidate him like that made it clear he was just a little fish compared to his father…

“Now…” Captain Morgan stood up and turned away. “I heard a little mouse snuck into my crucifixion yard. Is that correct?”

“The…little girl?” Helmeppo seemed to be struggling to keep up after the shock of his father hitting him. “I - I dealt with her already -”

“So she’s dead, then?”

A hush fell over the viewing theater, as everyone processed Morgan’s words with horror.

“How terrible…” Vivi had tears in her eyes. “He’d really kill a little girl just for sneaking into the base?”

“I’ve met some scumbag marines, but killing a little girl…I’d like to think most would balk at that,” Franky snarled.

Robin stayed silent. …You’d be surprised. She still remembered that hell, the evacuation ship going up in flames…

“W-what?!” Even Helmeppo was shocked at that. “No - I, uh - she was just a little girl, and I - she didn’t even know what she was doing -!”

As Helmeppo stuttered to try and justify himself, Morgan turned away from him, ignoring him. He pointed at a random Marine standing nearby. “You! Find her, and kill her! Now!”

“Huh?!” The marine was aghast as Morgan justified himself. “Child or not, anyone who defies me must suffer the penalty!”

“...No wonder everyone’s living in fear, if this is what goes on in Shells Town on a regular basis…” Zoro said quietly. Several people were shivering, worrying they were going to see Rika get killed -

“But captain! She’s just a little girl…” Thankfully, the Marine had more integrity than his superior. “I won’t obey such a cruel order!”

Morgan’s eye glinted as he drew closer. “Oh, wouldn’t you? …You’re a lieutenant, huh? But I, a captain - I am still your superior officer, am I not?”

The Marine lieutenant gulped. “Uh…yes sir…”

“Then you are duty-bound to obey me! If I say kill her, then you will kill her!!!”

“I -” The lieutenant stood his ground. “I won’t murder a little girl!

Morgan’s axe-hand lashed out in a flash - with a yell of “MUTINY!”, he struck down the lieutenant, blood spurting from a large wound in his back. Helmeppo screamed in shock. “You - you didn’t have to kill him!”

“Lieutenant!” the Marines nearby cried.

There were similar cries of shock from inside the viewing room. Although a few reacted stoically, used to such brutality, even others who had seen death before couldn’t help but react at the sudden murder in front of them. The more sensitive among them - like Usopp, Chopper, and Carrot - were shrieking with utter horror. “HE KILLED HIM! JUST LIKE THAT!” “SCARY!”

Eventually, one person in particular had had enough. “Will you all shut up already?!” Law bellowed, causing the room to fall in a sudden hush. Just for a moment, though, before several people began talking over each other, berating Law. “What do you mean, ‘shut up’?!” “Come on, a guy just died!”

“For the love of -” Law massaged his forehead. “Alright, FIRST - you’re aware this is a tale about a pirate, right?! You’re probably going to see a lot worse than just a single person dying on-screen!”

People quieted at that - although the cowards of the group seemed even more despondent.

“And second - the guy’s not dead.” Everyone blinked in shock as Law pointed towards the screen, rolling his eyes. “The idiot son jumped to conclusions. It’s a nasty wound, but if he gets medical attention, he’ll be fine.”

“Huh? Wait…” Chopper stepped up to the screen, looking carefully - and then he gasped. “Oh, you’re right! Thank goodness…”

Some of the tension bled out of the room at that realization - though Law (and a couple others, like Zoro and Ace) looked a little annoyed. He’d just said that they’d probably see way worse than this before the tale was over…

“No matter. The townsfolk must be taught respect,” Morgan growled. “I’ll handle it personally.” He clutched at his axe-hand, reminiscing - “For years, I labored to achieve this rank…and I did it by my own merit - at great personal cost! Because rank means everything in this world!”

Ace resisted the urge to spit at the screen. Rank…that’s the reason Sabo went through all that he did…! The reason he died…!

“My rank is the highest on this island - which makes me superior to everyone else here…” The screen zoomed in on Morgan’s eye. “That means everything I do is right!!! …Is that clear?”

Several Marines snapped to attention. “Yes, sir! You are the greatest, sir!”

“...I’m beginning to think we need a drinking game for every time this guy praises himself,” Zoro drawled. Nami glanced at him in bemusement. “With what? We don’t have anything to drink.”

“We could ask Proxy for some booze.” Zoro suggested. In contrast to his usual serious tone, there was just a little too much eagerness, causing the people around him to stare at him in suspicion.

“You’re not seriously suggesting we get drunk while watching this, are you?” Vivi asked incredulously. Zoro didn’t respond, but actually looked a little disappointed at how much people apparently disliked the idea.

“And this is a monument to my rank and power!” Morgan bellowed as he pointed his axe-hand at the massive statue the Marines were struggling to stand up. “It took years to build, but today it is finally complete. Now, raise my statue! Let it stand at the highest point of this fortress as a symbol of my greatness!”

“...I do actually get the mosshead’s point, though,” Sanji acknowledged, ignoring the glare Zoro shot at him. “If I have to listen to more of this shitty bastard boasting without some kind of outlet, I’ll go crazy. Beating up the dummy helped, but leaving my seat all the time won’t work…”

“...Maybe…we could throw stuff at the screen?” Usopp suggested awkwardly.

“Hey, I’m all for heckling, but I wanna be able to see the action,” Bartolomeo protested.

“Yo ho ho…! Well, why not stick with the old classics?” Brook’s proclamation was met with confused looks. “When in doubt…boo him! Boo him, I say! Boooooo!”

…There was a brief moment of bemusement before several people eagerly joined in with Brook’s booing of Captain Morgan, while the rest sighed in exasperation.

The scene cut to Luffy at the base of the…base, looking around in confusion. “That’s weird…there’s no one around. …Maybe they’re having lunch?”

Luffy put a hand to his chin in consternation. “No one to help me find Zoro’s sword…or the idiot son…”

It cut back to the hoisting of the statue, where they were slowly but surely making progress - however, the hand clipped the entrance to the stairwell, causing the Marines to freeze up - and one in particular to let out a whimper of dismay.

“You there…!” Morgan approached the Marine angrily. “What was that?! Did you just bump it?!”

“S-sorry, sir! I apologize -!”

The viewers were annoyed by the scene only briefly cutting away from Morgan, and when the booing resumed, it was now the majority of the room joining in. A few didn't join in, including, surprisingly, Franky - though that was more because he was particularly annoyed. “For crying out loud - if the statue clipped the building, it’s because you didn’t plan out its raising properly! You can’t just blame the one guy when everyone was pulling it!”

The scene cut back to Luffy, who’d heard the yelling, and looked up at the roof. “Huh? I think I hear voices up there…” He grinned, pulling his arm back. “Better go check it out!”

He launched his rubber arm up all the way to the top of the base, where it latched onto the edge of the roof. “Gum-Gum…ROCKET!” It was followed by Luffy himself as he was launched upwards after his limb.

Several eyebrows went up in astonishment. “...well, you can’t say he’s not skilled with his Devil Fruit,” Ace said with grudging admiration. It took me a while to figure out how to propel myself with fire…

The scene cut back to Morgan again. “Swine! Do you know how long I’ve waited for this statue to be finished?! And you’ve already scratched it!”

“I-I’m sorry, sir! Please, I’ll pay to have it fixed -!”

“You don’t get it…this statue is like my own person! Scratching it is the same as attacking me!”

…Well, now, just about everyone was joining in with booing Morgan, even the more taciturn folks. Granted, the booing faded slightly when Morgan raised his axe again and people realized they were about to witness another bloody assault -

“Let this be a warning to all!” The Marine shrieked in horror at Morgan’s actions - and at the same time, Luffy flew up into the air over the roof. “W-whoa! I went too far!”

This thankfully distracted the Marines, including Morgan. “What’s that?!” “It came from below!”

Luffy grabbed on to the nearest thing he could to prevent his ascent - which turned out to be the ropes on Morgan’s statue. …However, the force of Luffy’s jump actively dragged the ropes out of the hands of the Marines, leaving the statue to stand there for a second - …then fall.

“...Oh, no way…” Nami put a hand to her mouth as she realized with a strange feeling of giddiness the catastrophe she was about to watch -

With a thundering crack, the statue broke in half on the lip of the roof. The Marines watched in horror, Luffy with shock - and Captain Morgan himself with absolutely stunned despair.

…There was silence, then snorts - then everyone burst into laughter.

“HA HA HA HA! Serves you right, you arrogant jackass!” Bartolomeo jeered.

“I feel sorry for the sculptor who had to make all that - but I’m glad to see Captain Moron here watch his prize get brought down to earth!” Franky guffawed.

In the midst of all this, Vivi paused, furrowing her brow. “...This feels familiar. Didn’t we have a moment like this with Luffy before? When he insulted Alvida? We all reacted similarly too…”

“Hey, if it means Luffy’s going to make a habit of tearing vain assholes like this down to size,” Nami giggled. “Then I’m all for it.”

For a second, no one reacted - other than Luffy awkwardly raising a hand. “Um…sorry.”

Then, the top half of Morgan’s statue impacted with the ground, breaking apart with a deafening CRASH, and the captain himself erupted. “SEIZE HIM! I’LL HAVE HIS HEAD!”

The Marines snapped to attention. “Y-yes sir! Aye aye, sir!” Meanwhile, Helmeppo gasped, pointing at Luffy and staring at Captain Morgan. “DADDY! That’s the ruffian who hit me! If you had agreed to have him killed, this never would have -”

“Oh hey! I’ve been looking for you!” Helmeppo let out a high-pitched shriek as he was grabbed by Luffy and dragged away. “L-let me go! DADDY! HELP!”

Surprisingly, the laughter actually got louder at this point. There had been previous expressions of concern over Luffy’s ability to take on the Marines, but now, seeing him unconcerned and manhandling the idiot son like that, it was oddly hard to be worried about that.

As Luffy ran, dragging Helmeppo behind him, the Marines yelled after him. “He’s entering the fortress! Get him!”

However, one Marine, staring over the edge of the roof, called out as he pointed down. “Captain! Someone’s entered the crucifixion yard!”

“WHAT?!” Morgan bellowed, breathing heavily with anger. “All these rebels defying me…Kill them all!”

“Wait, the crucifixion yard?” Nami paled. “Oh no, don’t tell me it’s Rika again…” If she had to see that little girl die…

However, it was in fact Coby, who was now speaking to Zoro. “What?! Luffy ran into the fortress?! Agh, why is he so reckless?!”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed. What’s his deal, anyway?” Zoro’s question went unanswered as Coby stepped up to the post and began working on untying him. “Wha - hey! Now you’re the one being reckless, idiot! If they catch you freeing me, they’ll kill you!”

“I can’t stand it, though! The Marines…they imprisoned you unfairly!” Coby didn’t stop what he was doing, gritting his teeth as he focused. “I…I’m going to become an honorable Marine! Just like Luffy’s going to be the King of the Pirates!”

…Ace couldn’t help but feel a twinge of respect for Coby. Decent Marines were few and far between…but that boy just might become one yet.

“What?!” Zoro gaped. “King of the Pirates?! Does he even know what that means?!”

“Heh…I was shocked when he first said it, too,” Coby laughed quietly. “But he’ll do it or die trying! That’s just how he is -!”

BANG!

A spurt of blood erupted from Coby’s shoulder as a bullet slammed into him, knocking his glasses off of him and sending him falling to the ground.”

“Wha - no!” Nami had been worried about seeing Rika get killed, but Coby being killed wasn’t any better…! The viewers gritted their teeth as they tried to discern whether Coby had survived or not -

The screen flashed between several scenes - Morgan glaring down from the top of the Marine base where the shot had come from, Zoro glaring back up at him - and Luffy, running through the halls with Helmeppo. “Where are Zoro’s swords?!” he demanded. Helmeppo responded immediately. “I-I’ll tell you! Just stop dragging me!”

TO BE CONTINUED

As the ending played, there was a pause - then an eruption of dismay. “What?! Come on!” “You can’t just leave it at that!” “It ended?!”

Robin, surprisingly, giggled. “How amusing. It seems Proxy’s set up some cliffhangers.”

Law groaned, putting a hand to his forehead. “Now that I think about it, you’re exactly right. I wonder if he’s trying to entice us to keep watching…”

“Well, it’s working on me!” Yamato declared in an upset tone, jumping up and marching over to the button by the screen. “I’ve got to know what happens next!” She slammed on it with all her force and returned to her seat.