"Didn't ya hear? Vegapunk's come up with some sort 'a new invention! They say it can bring back the dead for a bit."

Nami set down her glass. She frowned upon hearing the man speak.

She didn't really know why she was in this bar in the first place. There were plenty of better bars in town, and to be honest there were better ways to spend money than on alcohol with no point. This bar was filled with thugs and pirates, and naturally they had many rumors to spread. But this rumor? This was the limit.

"The dead cannot be brought back to life," Nami said coldly, turning to the man who had spoken. "Vegapunk is insane."

"It's true!" the man protested, but Nami turned away, ignoring him.

As the man desperately tried to explain what he'd heard, the bar's door opened. One Roronoa Zoro walked through. The bar, which had been rather noisy earlier, fell quiet.

"This isn't the butcher shop," he muttered, scratching his head. "Oi, witch, where the hell am I?"

Nami studied her nakama. "Idiot, this is a bar. You turned left, not right."

"Shit," Zoro cursed and walked out- or, he started to. The man who had been spoken earlier shouted at Zoro.

"Didn't ya hear about Vegapunk's new invention, they say it can bring back the dead!"

Zoro stopped dead in his tracks. "...What?"

"Roronoa Zoro," Nami said evenly. "As much as I would love to bring back the dead, and believe me I have the dead to bring back, it is against the laws of nature. Not only that, it's wrong. No matter who you lost, don't even think about it."

Zoro frowned. "Witch, you don't control me."

"I thought you had gotten over calling me that. Apparently not."

"Whatever."

The rest of the bar sat in shock. Who was this woman, to be arguing so fearlessly with the one hundred twenty million belli bounty head Roronoa Zoro? Their musings, however, were interrupted by the purupurupurupuru of a Den Den Mushi. Specifically, Nami's Baby Den Den Mushi.

Nami took the Den Den Mushi out of her pocket, grumbling about something or other. "What do you want?" she asked, slightly frustrated, as she picked up the receiver..

"Yo, sis!" a voice trilled from the other end. "We have to get going soon, ow!"

"Fine," Nami replied, almost sounding disappointed. "I want to sleep."

"Nami-sis, we need you in a coherent state so you can navigate!"

"Franky," Zoro cut in to the conversation almost frantically, "I can't find the butcher shop and if I don't have meat the captain and the ero-cook will both have my head."

"Nami can take you, she's super enough!"

"Ugh," Nami groaned. "I was getting sick of him though. Fine."

Nami stood up, hanging up the Den Den Mushi and grabbing the swordsman by the back of his collar. He did not protest as she dragged him out.

Zoro allowed Nami to drag him along the ground, mostly because he knew she'd get lost if he wasn't there to help her find her way back to Sunny. Nami, however, did not ask for directions like he thought she would.

She dragged him to the butcher shop, and then after they finished their business there, took their haul back in the direction of their ship.

Zoro wasn't feeling very conversational, and thus did not speak, but their silence was broken when they had reached the Sunny. Luffy was standing on the rail and called out to them.

"Oi, Zoro, Nami!" he called, grinning. "Come meet stripe-ossan!"

Zoro and Nami proceeded to do so as the hopped aboard the ship. "Stripe-ossan" was a man with crazy, grayish-blonde hair that stuck out in all directions. His face was wrinkled, and he wore a pair of abnormally large goggles. He also bore a white labcoat with a blue mark on the back Nami couldn't quite make out and underneath that a blue and yellow-orange horizontally striped turtleneck. His pants were striped vertically and his shoes looked too big. Next to his feet was a large black box with a small hole on the top. A sheepish grin lit up on his face when he noticed Nami's studying.

He was best described as "weird".

"Hello," the weird man said. "I am Vegapunk, and the Resurrector wanted to visit you."

"Vegapunk?" Sanji asked. "The Marine scientist? Why should we trust you?"

"Because right now, I am not a Marine scientist. I am simply Vegapunk, and I created a Resurrector. The Resurrector shows me people who have lost a loved one, so that it may heal them. And it likes you. All nine of you have lost someone."

The nine pirates stared at him.

"Who shall begin?"

"I will." Brook did not hesitate to volunteer. "I have a close connection to the realm of the lost, being that I am dead myself."

"That makes it all the more interesting," Vegapunk muttered with a grin. "Just press this button right here."

The button he pointed out was small and black. Brook pressed it, slightly nervous, when a voice he had not heard in so long resounded through his skull.

"Yo!"

Brook glanced up to see a grinning blonde man with tattoos on his face that highly resembled upside down "F"s- this man was none other than Yorki, Captain of the Rumbar Pirates.

"Captain," Brook whispered in awe. "Captain, has your ailment healed?"

"Yep, about fifty years ago, or something like that," Yorki answered offhandedly. "I don't really pay attention to the date."

"Huh," Brook said. "Oh! I almost forgot. Yorki, meet the Straw Hat Pirates."

"Oh?"

"They took me in after I was alone for so long. They let me see the sun again. Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Chopper, Usopp, Sanji, Robin, and Franky. They are truly amazing."

Yorki studied the young people. "If Brook likes you, then I have to like you. It's one of the drawbacks to having such an amazing friend." He said it affectionately. "And Brook- thank you. Without you, the Rumbar Pirates would have died with me." Then, Yorki melted into the wind, and the machine stopped whirring.

Vegapunk smirked. "Who's next?"

"I am," Usopp said. "I guess I better get this over with." He reached up and pressed the button, nearly retreating in fear.

"My son."

The words entered the ears of the listening, and the Straw Hats saw that this time, the machine had produced a beautiful woman.

"Hey, Mom," Usopp said casually, but it still sounded slightly strained. His legs were shaking. "How's the afterlife?"

"Not bad," Bachina told him, thinking. "I've made some new friends, and it seems I can always see how you are doing with ease."

"That's nice to hear," Usopp replied, with a smile. "So... you know how Dad is?"

"He's fine," Bachina answered. "But I want to know how you are doing."

"Well..." Usopp trailed off, thinking of what he was going to say. "I'm a pirate now. I'm going to be a brave warrior of the sea."

Bachina smiled, closing her eyes. "Usopp. I love you. And my death was not your fault, my illness had been coming for a long time."

"Thanks," Usopp could hardly speak, he suddenly found himself so overcome with emotion. He had forgotten how much he missed his mother.

"No, thank you."

With that, Bachina melted into the breeze.

Vegapunk gestured to the machine casually. "Start a line."

Nami found herself being dragged toward the Resurrector by some unknown force, but that force actually turned out to be Robin using her Devil Fruit. After a quick questioning glance at the other female Straw Hat, Nami pressed the button.

"Nami!" a happy voice called before the figure was formed by the Resurrector.

"Bellemere!" Nami could't believe she had fallen for it. The dead should stay dead. As much as she would love to bring the dead back- and believe her, she has the dead to bring back- it's impossible.

A red-violet-haired woman was standing before Nami. Her hair was partly shaved, and the top was tied back in a mohawk-esque style. The woman, presumably Bellemere, grinned.

"C'mere kid," the dead woman said with a laugh. She hugged her daughter tightly.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered into her daughter's hair. "You are so beautiful and amazing, both you and Nojiko. I'm so thankful to have been your mother."

Nami exited the hug and clapped her hands onto either side of her mother's face. "You don't have to be thankful that you were, because you still are."

Bellemere felt tears rise to her eyes. "I love you, Nami."

Nami smiled. "I love you too."

Bellemere's tears fell, and soon Nami was crying too.

"Tell Nojiko I love her, and that I'm proud of her," Bellemere said through her tears. "Tell her I love her."

"Yeah," Nami sobbed. "Yeah, I will."

And the mother and daughter hugged each other, and they never wanted to let go. But eventually, Bellemere dissolved into the breeze, and Nami sank to her knees.

Vegapunk didn't waste a breath. "You," he said, pointing to Franky.

The shipwright stepped forward and pressed the button without showing his feelings. He knew exactly who he'd see.

"Franky, is that you?" Tom, the large fishman shipwright and the father of the Oro Jackson, asked, dazed.

"Tom!" Franky cried out. "I'm such an idiot stupid dumb dumb idiot!"

"If you're gonna be dumb, do it with a DON, that's what I always say!" Tom guffawed.

Franky laughed. "Yeah!" he echoed. "Do it with a don!"

"Not a don, a DON!"

"A DON?"

"Yes, that's it! A DON!"

Franky grinned. "Tom, I just... thank you. For everything. For everything everything everything everything everything."

"Was that six 'everything's?"

"Yes!"

Tom laughed, and gave his son a pat on the head. "Oh, and Franky? You look awesome, you do this yourself?"

"Yeah, I did!" Franky said, pleased by the compliment. "Uh, I used Vegapunk's plans for the coolest stuff though..."

"That makes it even better! A pirate stealing from Marines, how classic!"

"How'd you know I was a pirate?"

Tom silently pointed at the Thousand Sunny's sail.

"Oh."

"Franky, I have to leave now. But always, always remember that you're in the same boat as me now." With that, Tom melted away into the wind.

Vegapunk pointed at the next Straw Hat, beckoning him with his finger. The swordsman, Zoro.

When Zoro pressed the button on the machine, a young girl appeared. Her navy blue hair was cut short, and the pirates thought she looked oddly familiar.

The girl did not say a word. Silently, she walked over to the green-haired pirate. He crouched down, to be on her level, and she kissed his forehead. She disappeared, and Zoro walked back to the others.

"Who was that?" Usopp asked.

"A friend," Zoro answered. He didn't say anything else.

"Actions speak louder than words," Robin mused, a small smile inching its way onto her face.

"Next!" Vegapunk interrupted loudly.

"Is that me?" Chopper asked. "I guess it is... Robin can go after me..." Robin smiled affectionately at the reindeer.

Chopper pressed the button carefully.

"Hey, Chopper!" Hiluluk said as he sprang to life out of the machine. "What've you been up to?"

"Doctor! Doctor, it's really you!"

"Yeah, it's me!" Hiluluk said with a smile.

"I'm sorry about the mushroom! And Wapol's been defeated!" Chopper didn't want to cry. He really didn't.

But he was.

"It's fine, Chopper, I don't blame you. And by whom?"

"ME!" Luffy yelled from behind Chopper, grinning. "I'm his captain, Luffy!"

"Captain?" Hiluluk asked.

"I'm a pirate, Hiluluk!" Chopper said, grinning through the tears. "A real pirate!"

Hiluluk grinned, sweeping his son up into a hug. "That's amazing, Chopper!" With that, the man faded away.

Robin stepped forward as Chopper moved backwards, grinning and wiping at his cheeks. The oft-taciturn woman pressed the button, wondering who of her island would appear.

"Robin, is that you?"

Professor Clover's words were jolting and brought her back to reality. "Professor Clover..."

"Robin, my dear. We all love you and miss you."

"Clover..." she whispers, overcome with emotion.

"Outta the way, Clover!" someone yells from somewhere Robin can't see. In Clover's place, a woman is standing, looking almost exactly like Robin save for her wavy, stark white hair.

"Robin!" Olvia said. "Oh my, Robin, you've grown up..."

"Twenty two years, right?" Robin asked cheekily. "Of course I've grown up. I must have been seven when you died."

"Very true... Even then, the last time I saw you properly was when you were two!"

Robin chuckled. "That's right."

"You became a full archaeologist when you were seven, right?" Olvia asked. "I think that's incredible. I was about twenty before I even started studying for it. You have no idea how proud I am of you."

Robin looked up into her mother's eyes. "I wish I could have known you better," she replied, holding a steady gaze. "I idolized you for so long... but I think what I see is better than what I imagined."

"Olvia, I want a turn!" somebody else yelled, and Olvia kissed Robin on the cheek, whispering something to her daughter. In Olvia's place, a large man appeared.

"Robin, you're so big!"

"Saul," Robin said, smiling. "It's been a while." Saul nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, definitely. Robin, have you found them?"

Robin's mouth opened slightly in surprise, but she closed it again. "...Yeah," she said. "I found them. And you know what, Saul? It's beautiful."

"I'm proud of you, Robin," Saul told her. "I'm glad you found something to live for."

Robin felt tears coming on, but she blinked them away. "Yeah," she said, laughing. "Yeah, so am I!"

Saul hugged her. "When you find your true nakama, life becomes more beautiful." With that, Saul melted into the wind.

"Who's left?" Vegapunk asked as Robin moved back.

"Luffy and Sanji," Usopp said.

"Sanji first," Brook said suddenly. "The afterlife wishes to speak to him."

Sanji blinked in surprise. "Wait, but let's think about this, Luffy's captain, he should go-"

"NOPE!" Vegapunk yelled and shoved the cook forward. Sanji ungracefully fell face-first on the button, giving him a nosebleed and a dead visitor.

"Sanji?"

The voice was soft and sweet, reminding Usopp of Kaya. A blonde woman stood above the machine. She had long, wavy blonde hair slightly darker than Sanji's, with a brownish tinge. She had Sanji's blue eyes as well, and his signature curly eyebrow. She smiled when she saw him.

"Yes, that's you!" she said excitedly. "Sanji, it's been so long!"

"Gack!" he choked as the woman glomped him.

"Sanji~~!"

"Get offa me!" he cried. "Mooooom!"

"But Saaaanjiiii," she moaned. "I don't wanna, it's been years..."

"NO." He decided to shut her down now. "How did you even die anyway?" he asked as he stood up and brushed himself off.

"Disease," she answered. "Like Yorki and Bachina."

"...Who?"

"Brook's visitor and Usopp's visitor."

"Ah."

Zoro finally noticed the situation between Sanji and his mother fully. "Pfft!" he held back laughter. "The ero-cook's finally found a woman he can't hit on!"

A few other Straw Hats giggled.

Sanji's mother finally noticed the Straw Hats. "Red shirt kid is kinda cute," she said, squealing softly. "I just wanna glomp him..."

Sanji grimaced. "Mom," he said shortly. "That's my captain."

Sanji's mother stood slackjawed for a moment, then she glomped Luffy. Luffy laughed.

"Your mom is silly, Sanji!" Luffy said, and patted the Black Leg's mother awkwardly. She giggled.

"Sorry," she said. "Anyway, Sanji, I have to say. You've far surpassed my expectations. You are incredible and I wish I could taste your food."

Sanji nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I wish you could eat it too. Even ghosts don't deserve to be hungry."

She smiled, and said something like "that's my boy" before melting into the breeze.

"The one you haven't been waiting for!" Vegapunk said blandly. "The one, the only, rubber kid!"

Luffy stared at Vegapunk for a moment before pressing the button.

"H-H-Hey, I got it!"

The Straw Hats were greeted with Fire Fist Ace balancing a blond kid on his shoulders.

"We got us both in!" the kid yelled, grinning. "Hey, Luffy!"

Zoro was shellshocked. He had never, not once, seen his child captain cry.

"Ace!" Luffy sobbed. "Sabo! I missed you both so much! Why did you have to die?"

Sabo frowned. "Sorry, Luffy," he said. "I thought I would be sailing out to sea. It didn't occur to me I'd never reach it."

Ace shrugged, sending Sabo flying. "It was either me or you, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you were dead. I'd hurl myself into the ocean, and I'm not kidding."

Luffy rubbed at his eyes uselessly. "I love you both!" he said. "I see you two every day up in the sky, just staring at me silently, and you never say a word. But do you feel the same way?"

Ace and Sabo hopped down from the machine. Sabo silently pulled Luffy down to his level and kissed him on the cheek. Ace ruffled his little brother's hair, which the straw hat had decided not to cover, and gave it a little peck.

"Idiot," Ace said, smiling. "Why wouldn't we?"

Luffy grinned through tears. "I really am dumb, aren't I?" he said.

"Yeah, you are," Sabo replied. "But that's why you're the younger brother."

"And we came to say, don't beat yourself up about our deaths," Ace added. "We died free, because we wanted to. I died to save you, and that's the best way anybody could ever die, okay, Lu?"

Sabo smiled. "Don't cry any more. No nightmares. No guilt. It's not your fault."

Luffy didn't say a word, but extended his arms around his brothers and his nakama, pulling them all into a crushing hug.

"You are my world," he whispered, his voice so low only Zoro was able to hear it.

Vegapunk decided it was a good time to take his leave. The Ressurector would come when it pleased.

He was delighted when he never saw it again.

Here I am with a one-shot! I have a few things to say about this. One, Sanji's mom was really, really fun to write. Two, this was written after I read chapter 731 and I really didn't feel like changing it. And three, there is a little side thing I wrote that will probably come up eventually. Other than that, I hope you enjoyed! Please review and tell me what you thought!