Mist of Memories

by HeroR

Guilt, regret, if left alone these feelings will consumed even the strongest of souls. That is the reality the Strawhats face as they go into their captain's memories to save their precious crewmate. To free their captain's from his guilt, they must first understand the depths of his pain and loss.

14. Grand Line

Yeah, was able to get another chapter up on time. Thanks you all again for all your support with this story. Glad to see that I am able to keep interest up so far and hope this keeps going.

Now, to the chapter.

---

Chapter 14: Grand Line

---

No one spoke for several minutes. They were each replaying the scene that they had just been shown in their heads.

"So...that's what happened in that room," Usopp muttered, breaking the silence.

"I have never seen Luffy-san in such a state," Brook said slowly. "He was like a different person."

"Neither have I," Sanji said as he folded his arms. "I've been thinking about it and I can't remember a time that even came close. The closest I can recall is when we were fighting Shiki. Yet, even that..."

"I knew that guy's nose wasn't unbreakable," Zoro suddenly said.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything!?" Sanji yelled at the swordsman.

Robin turned towards the navigator. "Nami-chan, are you alright?"

Nami nodded. "I have always been grateful for what Luffy done for me that day. He freed me and my village from eight years of oppression. But to see Luffy do it, to see how well he understood everything despite knowing nothing...it just makes me want to cry in happiness." She began to tear up as fresh tears fell from her eyes. "When this is over, I want to thank him again."

Robin took Nami in her arms and gently hugged her.

After a few minutes, the next memory came to them.

Nami knew just by looking that they were still in Cocoyashi Village, except now they were on a cliffside. Genzo was there and he had his head bowed at a wooden cross grave. The moon was full, giving an earthly light to the scene.

Nami knew where they stood and she too bowed her head in respect.

"Who's grave is that?" Brook asked dutifully.

Nami didn't answer for a moment. "…It's my mother's."

When they heard her words, all the Strawhats gave a moment of silence to the fallen woman. Even if they didn't know her, any person that Nami would call mother deserved their admiration.

"Where're the tangerines!?" Luffy yelled, shattering the peaceful scene.

Genzo looked equally shocked as he turned to face the strawhat captain.

"Oh, there's nothing here," Luffy said in disappointment. He was holding three stacks of meat in each hand and had two in this mouth, which made him look like a walrus. "Guess I'll go back." He turned to leave.

"Wait, boy!" Genzo shouted, stopping Luffy in his tracks.

"Huh, a grave?" Luffy questioned as he turned his head. "Someone died?"

Genzo turned around and sighed. "Yes, a long time ago."

"Oh, that's unfortunate," Luffy said sadly, although it was hard to take him serious with the pieces of meat still in his mouth. "Then I say, my deepest sorrows. Or, was it my deepest apologizes?"

"Condolences," Genzo corrected.

"Yeah, that was it," Luffy said.

"Listen boy, I know Nami is going to sail with you as a pirate. It's a dangerous journey, and I know it can't be helped. That's okay," Genzo said, not turning to face Luffy. "But if you ever take away Nami's smile, I will hunt you down and kill you."

"Genzo," Nami whispered, near tears.

"Well, I don't plan on stealing anything, so…" Luffy started to say.

"Understand!?" Genzo shouted as he turned towards Luffy, startling the boy.

Luffy quickly nodded in agreement. "Got it."

The memory faded.

Nami started to smile. "Thank you, Genzo. I hope you and Nojiko are doing okay. And know that Luffy can never take away my smile."

The next memory appeared and they were now in a strange town. It appeared to be the main square of the city given the wide-open space and the amount of people walking around.

"Where are we?" Chopper asked.

It took only a moment for Zoro to realize where they were. "This is Loguetown."

Sanji's eyed widened in realization. "You're right."

"Loguetown?" Brook asked. The name sounded vaguely familiar.

"It's the final town in East Blue that pirates go before entering the Grand Line," Nami explained.

"Ah," Brook said in understanding.

Robin put her hand to her chin. "Loguetown, is that not the same city Gold Roger was born and executed in?"

Nami nodded. "Same one. Luffy was driving us all crazy for days the moment he learned what this city was."

"Wow, this is the hometown of the Pirate King!" Chopper exclaimed in excitement.

"Hey look, someone's on the platform!" someone yelled.

All the Strawhats looked up to see Luffy standing on a platform that was raised high in the air. He appeared to be overlooking the city.

"So, it was twenty-two years ago, huh?" Luffy asked in awe. "That the Pirate King died here!"

"What's that platform?" Chopper asked.

"Looks like an execution platform," Franky stated.

"That's exactly what it is," Zoro said as dread built in his stomach. He knew the events that they were about to witness. "The Pirate King himself was executed on that platform."

"Yeah, I remember Luffy yelling about wanting to find this place," Usopp said.

"Seems kind of morbid to want to go to a place where someone was killed," Chopper said. He had never seen an execution and he never wanted to.

"It is seen as a gesture of respect to travel to the place where a great person dies, especially since Gold Roger was never given a grave," Robin said as she stated at the platform. "In this town, over twenty years ago, a new age was born."

"Hey, you up there!" someone screamed through the loudspeaker, catching Luffy's attention. He was obviously an officer given his uniform. "Get down from there, right now!

"Why!?" Luffy shouted back.

"This is a historic landmark under the preservation of the World Government!" the officer yelled. "So, get down from there right now!"

"Oh, come on! Why do you have to be such a spoilsport, officer-pops!?" Luffy yelled in good good-nature.

"If you don't come down, I will arrest you!" the officer yelled. Before he could make good on his threat, a giant iron mace suddenly clobbered him. Needlessly to say, he was out cold.

"Sheesh, you guys can't go anywhere without something happening," Franky said as he looked at the knocked out officer.

Nami sighed and shook his head. "Tell me about it. Luffy just attracts trouble."

"Like vultures to a corpse," Usopp said as he rubbed his head.

The person who had hit the officer stood next to the fallen man and smiled at Luffy. She wore a revealing outfit with a large hat and had silky smooth skin. She was quite beautiful and strangely familiar.

"Oh, I remember that beauty!" Sanji exclaimed with hearts in his eyes. "She looks as lovely as I remember!"

"Strange, I think I've seen her before," Franky said as he rubbed his chin.

Brook tilted his head. "That mace looks very familiar."

"You'll have to wait your turn, little man," the woman said in a sweet voice.

Sanji raised his hand. "I want to be next!"

"Shut up, eyebrow!" Zoro yelled in annoyance.

Luffy was completely baffled by this turn of events.

"I've missed you, Luffy," the woman cooed. "It's been awhile."

"How does she know Luffy? Did we miss that memory?" Chopper asked.

"I swear I've seen her before," Usopp said as he rubbed his chin. It was just in the back of his mind.

Luffy raised an eyebrow. He didn't recognize the person at all. Then again, one had to make a strong impression for Luffy to remember someone.

"Now don't tell me that you've forgotten this face?" the woman asked sweetly.

"I can never forget you, my lovely angel!" Sanji cooed.

Zoro reached for his sword. He was going to kill the cook and put him out of his misery.

All the people in the square had hearts in their eyes like Sanji. They muttered about how beautiful she was. Even the women were taken by her beauty.

"Oh come on, she's not that hot," Nami said as she put her hand on her waist.

Luffy still didn't know who this person was. "I've never met anyone who looks like you. Who are you?"

"I will never forget. You were the first man to ever strike me," the woman said fondly.

"Luffy, how dare you hit a woman!" Sanji screamed in anger at his captain. "I'll kick your ass the moment you get down!"

Everyone in the square also scowled at Luffy.

"Huh, I hit you?" Luffy asked in disbelief. He was sweating hard as the crowd continued to give him glares that shot daggers at him.

The woman began to rub her stomach affectingly. "At that time, your powerful fist...it moved me."

"Oh, she's one of those types of girls," Franky murmured.

Zoro looked very unnerved by the woman.

Luffy also looked ready to run for it.

"My dears, who is the most beautiful person on these seas?" the woman suddenly asked the crowd, snapping her fingers.

"It's you, madam!" everyone in the crowd yelled gleefully as they pointed at her.

Nami's eyes widened in recognition. "No way... Alvida?"

"Huh, that fat, old hag that Luffy one-shot? That's the same girl!?" Franky asked in disbelief.

"My, she has cleaned up nicely," Brook said in awe. "I wonder if her panties also got prettier."

"Yes, it's me," Alvida said with a smirk. "There is not a man in the world that will not kneel before my beauty. And I love strong men."

Luffy looked very disturbed.

"How did Alvida change so much!?" Usopp exclaimed in shock.

"Maybe...a Devil Fruit?" Chopper suggested with uncertainty.

"There are some Devil Fruits that can alter the appearance of the user," Robin stated in thought.

"She either did that or went through some extreme surgery," Franky said.

"I don't think any surgery in the world could fix her up that well," Usopp said.

Chopper put his hoof to his chin in thought. "It would take a world-class surgeon to do that much change. Not to mention the months she would have to spend in recovery."

"You shall be mine, Luffy," Alvida cooed.

"Shut up! No way! Who are you!?" Luffy shouted, completely disturbed by what was going on.

"Luffy, don't talk to a woman like that!" Sanji yelled at his captain. He was so lucky to have such a lovely lady eyeing him like that. Who cares if she used to be a fat tub of jelly.

"You still haven't realized!?" Alvida exclaimed in annoyance, losing her patience.

"This is the police!" several officers yelled. "Ma'am, come along quietly."

"For openly assaulting an officer, you're under arrest!" another officer yelled before he turned towards Luffy. "And you, get off that damn platform!"

"My, my, who are you going to arrest?" Alvida asked smugly.

"Y...you!" the officer stuttered, taken in by Alvida's beauty.

"My dears, I wonder if you can?" Alvida asked sweetly.

Hearts appeared in the officers' eyes.

"Inspector, I can't. She's too beautiful!" one of the officers said.

"What a bunch of morons," Zoro muttered.

"So what if she's beautiful!" the inspector yelled with hearts in his own eyes. "Arrest her!"

They didn't have a chance to move before a cannonball nearly him them and destroyed the fountain they were standing in front of. The remains of the fountain hit Alvida, but the rubble slid off her like she was made of soup.

"What the heck!?" Luffy exclaimed in shock.

"Wasn't that a bit dangerous, honey?" Alvida asked a cloaked man walked beside her.

"Flashy apologies," the cloaked man said. "But with that Smooth Smooth skin of yours, you were completely unscathed. No worries, my fair Lady Alvida"

"Smooth Smooth Fruit, so that is her Devil Fruit," Robin noted.

"Huh, did that man say flashy?" Brook asked.

Franky gritted his teeth. "Don't tell me that asshole's back?"

"Alvida?" Luffy repeated in shock. The Strawhats saw a flash of Alvida's original form in the memory. "I don't see Alvida anywhere."

"It's me of course, you numbskull!" Alvida yelled angrily.

"You're kidding. You don't look anything like her," Luffy muttered.

Alvida smiled. "I changed somewhat after eating a Devil Fruit." She removed her heart cloak to fully reveal her new body. "It was the Smooth Smooth Fruit. Regardless of what kind of attack I come up against, my body won't suffer even a scratch."

"Sounds like a powerful ability," Nami said, taking note.

Robin nodded. "It would be troublesome to hit her."

Zoro snorted. "She went from a Class E pirate to a Class D with an ability."

"However, I'm sorry to say that I didn't become even more beautiful as a result," Alvida sighed in disappointment as she touched her cheek. "The only noticeable change was, yes, my freckles had disappeared."

This caused a round of silence from the Strawhats.

"More than just your freckles disappeared," Usopp muttered as he sweat-dropped.

"Yep, there were definitely no mirrors on her ship," Franky concluded.

"I think there's a name for this kind of disorder," Chopper stated, wishing he had his medical book.

"Uh, that's not the change I was thinking of," Luffy whispered as he stared at Alvida. The Strawhats saw another flash of fat Alvida.

"I was reborn," Alvida went on. "And in order to find you again, I joined forces with this gentleman." She pointed to the cloaked man.

From the cloak, a large red nose could be seen.

"Oh, it's Buggy," Brook said in a deadpan voice.

"Yes, it's Buggy," Nami and Zoro said together in annoyance.

Buggy laughed as he threw off his cloak, along with the rest of his crew. "The final act. My super flashy return! Monkey D. Luffy, starting from the day you sent me flying, I set out to seek revenge on you! But to do that, my crew and I suffered together. It was truly a great adventure!"

"That we don't give a damn about, you shitty clown," Sanji said in a bored tone as he smoked his cigarette.

Buggy started to sob along with his crew about the pains they went through together.

Luffy stared blankly at Buggy. "Uh, now who was it again...Boggy? No, Buggie? It's not Buhii. Oh yeah, Buffoon!"

All the Strawhats chuckled.

"Yes, Luffy, I agree," Nami snickered.

"Buffoon!?" Buggy screamed, enraged. "Watch your mouth! You're as cheeky as ever, you little bastard!"

"It's Buggy the Clown!" one of the people yelled in fear.

The people ran for their lives when they realized that pirates were in the square. They were stopped, however, when the Buggy Pirates pulled guns on them, trapping them within the square.

"I will now display my full terror and you will be watching!" Buggy proclaimed.

"Got it, you're Buggy!" Luffy yelled proudly.

"It took you that long to remember!?" Buggy screamed in frustration.

"Dude, you're not worth remembering!" Franky yelled.

Brook nodded in agreement.

While Luffy was distracted by Buggy's antics, a wooden board was suddenly slammed on top of him. Before Luffy knew what had happened, he was entrapped in stocks that firmly held his head and hands.

"What the...?" Luffy questioned in surprise and shock.

"Long time no see, rubberman," Cabaji greeted mockingly as he sat on the stocks. "Is Roronoa Zoro well too?"

"Luffy got caught!" Chopper exclaimed. He was closed to panicked.

"How did that guy get behind Luffy-san?" Brook asked.

"That idiot let his guard down," Sanji growled as he watched how this event unfolded.

Nami sighed as she face-palmed. "That moron. Getting trapped by Buggy of all people."

"Luffy seems to get caught quite often," Robin mused.

"Good, well done, Cabaji," Buggy praised as he began to laugh. "Behold, billions of people of the world! A most super flashy public execution is about to begin!"

Luffy attempted to pull his head out of the board, but the hole around his head was just a little too small to slide his rubbed head through. He also lacked the momentum and space needed to forcibly pull his head through.

When he realized that pulling himself free wasn't an option, he attempted to push the stocks off of him, but somehow Cabaji managed to embed the stocks into the executing platform. Luffy couldn't move it an inch.

"How's that holding Luffy down anyway?" Franky asked as he scratched his head. "What that guy do, super glue it down?"

"Must be some strong super glue," Usopp said as he watched as Luffy struggled to free himself.

"Monkey D. Luffy, you won't be able to squeeze yourself out of this!" Buggy bragged. "You should feel honored, Strawhat! You get to die in the same place as the Pirate King!" He laughed.

"He's going to kill Luffy in the same place as his own captain?" Brook asked. Something about that left a bad taste in his mouth. If he'd had taste buds, anyway.

"Buggy's an asshole, what more needs to be said," Nami stated dryly.

"He's going to execute Luffy!" Chopper shouted in fear.

"Like that idiot could kill Luffy," Franky said as he folded his arms.

Usopp nodded. "Yeah, Sanji and Zoro saved Luffy before Buggy could do anything."

Both Zoro and Sanji glanced at each other out the side of their eyes. There was an unspoken shame in their eyes.

Robin saw the looks the two men were given each other and became concern. She chose, however, not to say anything. Events would soon reveal themselves.

Luffy attempted to escape for a few more seconds before he finally gave up and looked annoyed. Above him, storm clouds began to rapidly form.

"That's one nasty storm coming," Brook noted. "It's so sudden too."

Nami nodded, remembering the fear she felt when she sensed the sudden storm. It was probably one of the worst storms in East Blue's history.

Soon, the sky was completely black and Buggy was now standing next to Luffy in triumph. Thunder could be heard growing closer in the distance.

"Pirate Monkey D. Luffy, I sentence you for the crime of laughing at my misfortune and pissing me off to a flashy death!" Buggy yelled as he lifted his arms.

The Buggy Pirates celebrated and shoot their guns into the air like it was festival.

Luffy, strangely enough, looked amused and excited. "Ah, this is the first time I've ever seen an execution!"

"It's your execution," Buggy informed him in annoyance.

Luffy's face became blank as he took in Buggy's words. It finally hit him. "What!? You're joking!"

"You're the one who's joking!" Buggy screamed at Luffy.

Luffy started to panic and call for help as he struggled to free himself.

"That idiot," Usopp and Nami said together in a deadpan voice.

"How dense do you have to be not to realize that you're about to be executed?" Franky asked in slight amusement as Luffy screamed for help.

Despite this being a suppose execution and Luffy was screaming for help, it came across as mostly amusing to most of the Strawhats. Luffy's cries for help sounded very childish and not particularly serious, making the entire scene humorous. It was sounded like a child asking for help because they were in trouble with their parent.

Sanji and Zoro were the only ones who were tormented by Luffy's cries. Luffy was calling for their help and they weren't there.

"And now, our main event!" Buggy yelled to the trapped crowd. "The flashy execution shall commence!"

Luffy eventually stopped struggling again and had a look that seemed to be a mixture of annoyance, boredom, and some sadness.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again. Please spare me," Luffy said in a monotonous voice. He obvious meant nothing that he said and sounded like a child forced to apologize after being caught doing something stupid.

"I'm not saving you, you idiot!" Buggy yelled in frustration.

"This is the price you pay for making us your enemies," Cabaji said with arms crossed.

"So, this is the end of the man I have searched for," Alvida sighed almost sadly.

Buggy took out a sword and stared at Luffy with a wide grin. "Any last words? We have quite a crowd here."

Luffy said nothing as Buggy stepped on his head.

"Well, well, looks like you're speechless," Buggy mused. "You're about to die, after all!"

Luffy said nothing for a moment as he took a deep breath. "I AM THE MAN WHO WILL BE THE PIRATE KING!" His voice ringed across the square and echoed through the sky.

The crowd stared at him in disbelief and began to muttered to themselves.

"It's about time to end this, don't you think?" Buggy asked in amusement. "Shitty rubber kid."

Luffy tried one more time to free himself, but it was in vain. There was nothing he could do now.

"You know, where are Zoro and Sanji?" Usopp asked, getting worried as he watched the memory. "Shouldn't they be here by now?"

"Well, we were pretty far from the square when we heard about the execution," Nami said in thought. She was also starting to get worried.

"Did they reach Luffy in time?" Robin suddenly asked.

"Of course they did," Nami said, surprised by Robin's question. "Luffy being alive is proof of that."

Zoro and Sanji both became more uncomfortable.

"This execution is cancelled!" Zoro in the memory yelled in the distance.

Everyone turned to see Sanji and Zoro standing near the edge of the crowd. They were both sweating hard, showing that they ran all the way there.

"Zoro, Sanji!" Luffy yelled in relief.

Chopper sighed in relief as well. For a moment, he thought Luffy was going to be killed.

"You really know how to make a ruckus," Zoro in the memory teased. "Aren't you taking this joke a little too far, Luffy?"

"If it's time for the sideshow, I guess I'll debut well," Sanji said in humor. "It looks like we just have to get past these shitty pirates."

Zoro was annoyed with his past self and the cook. Luffy was about to have his head chopped off and they were joking about the situation. Sure, they didn't actually believe Buggy could kill Luffy, being the moron that he was, but that wasn't the point. Even fools get lucky, after all.

The people screamed Zoro's name in fear and hastily abandoned the square, leaving only the Buggy Pirates.

"Huh, they're more afraid of Zoro then all the Buggy Pirates," Franky humored.

"Sanji, Zoro!" Luffy screamed again happily.

"Here at last, Zoro!" Buggy yelled cockily. "Pity you're just a tad too late!" He raised his sword over his head, ready to cut Luffy's head off.

Now, Zoro and Sanji were taking the situation seriously as they rushed towards their captain. They had one goal; destroy that execution platform.

What was simple in theory, turned out to be race against time as the Buggy Pirates mercilessly attacked them.

The two monsters of the Strawhat crew easily mauled over the Buggy Pirates, but they were still greatly outnumbered. Even if they could easily beat the pirates, they did their job of slowing them down.

Buggy laughed victoriously as he held his sword high. The thunder grew louder in the distance. "Try all you want, you can't stop me now! This is the end of your captain!"

The look on Luffy's face changed. It went from happiness, and relief, to pure horror as he realized that he was about to be killed.

The Strawhats watching the memory looked at the distance between memory Sanji and Zoro and the execution platform and they all came to the same realization.

"They're not going to make it in time," Nami whispered in disbelief.

"No way..." Usopp muttered. That couldn't be right.

"Unless one of them learns to fly or Zoro learns his projectile attacks, Buggy will behead Luffy before they can reach the platform," Robin stated in a matter-of-fact voice. Despite the coldness of her voice, even she sounded worried.

Sanji and Zoro in the memory were becoming desperate as they continued to fight through the horde of Buggy Pirates. They both looked scared and Zoro's eyes were bloodshot as he ran to save his captain. He actually looked close to crying.

Sanji in the memory wasn't much better, as his kicks became more frantic. This was one of the few moments that the Strawhats had seen Sanji so concerned over a male crewmate.

Zoro shook as he watched the memory. This was a failing. This was an absolute failing on all their parts.

Sanji felt the same way as he looked at Luffy, who was awaiting his death at the hands of an idiot. How he wished he knew Sky Walk back then.

Luffy looked down at his crewmates as he fully accepted that he couldn't be saved. Here, on this platform so close to the Grand Line, he was going to die. The look of absolution on Luffy's face was one that the Strawhats had never seen.

Their captain had faced danger and death many times, all with a laugh or a smile most of the time. This was the first time, however, that Luffy's death was a real thing. It was inevitable at this moment.

All the other times the Strawhats had seen Luffy close to death, he has been unconscious or least able to defend himself to some capacity. Here, he was completely unable to stop his own dismays and he was fully aware of it.

As Luffy came to accept his end, he lowered his head, covering his eyes with his hat. His body became relaxed and his face took on an almost serene look.

"You goddamned bastard!" Sanji in the memory screamed as he ruthlessly kicked pirates aside.

The thundering rumbling got closer as Buggy laughed again. He began to bring his sword down.

"Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Nami!" Luffy screamed at the top of his lungs, catching both the present and past Strawhats' attention. "I'm sorry, but...I'm dead," he informed them with a huge grin on his face as Buggy's sword came down.

It wasn't one of his usual smiles. It also wasn't a vacant, forced smile either. This smile seemed almost haunting. Luffy was about to die at this moment and he was alright with his fate. Even though he hadn't even reached the Grand Line and a moron was killing him, he was satisfied with coming this far.

The smile also came across as almost a thank you to his crew for supporting him up to this point. It was like he was telling his crew not to be sad for him because he died in peace fighting for his dream.

Perhaps the most unnerving aspect of the smile was that Luffy looked sincerely happy.

Robin's eyes widened when she saw that smile. Immediately, she saw Saul in her vision.

For the other Strawhats who had never witnessed this event, they all couldn't believe that Luffy was smiling like that in his final moments.

"No!" Zoro in the memory screamed in disbelief, realizing that he had failed.

"Don't say that!" Sanji yelled as tears filled his eyes.

Buggy's blade was just inches from Luffy's neck when the memory suddenly went white and the sound of thunder roared across the memory, causing the Strawhats to cover their ears. When the thunder began to die, they heard what sounded like a crashing noise.

When the white faded and the memory returned the execution platform was in shambles. It was torn apart and lying on the ground in a twisted heap of metal and wood. Lightning was now filling the sky and it was raining heavily.

Everything was quiet as the crowd stared transfixed, like they had just witnessed a holy event. Even Sanji and Zoro were standing perfectly still and stared at the ruined platform in utter astonishment.

From the sky, the Strawhats saw something beginning to fall. It took them a moment to realize that it was Luffy's strawhat.

It floated easily to the ground and landed next to its owner. Luffy stood in front of the rubble of the execution platform with his head still attached and completely unharmed.

He easily reached for his prized hat and placed it back on his head. In front of him was Buggy, who looked like he had been badly burnt by something and was clearly knocked out.

Luffy's carefree laughter broke the silence. "Hey, I'm alive! That's nice!"

"The...the hell just happened!?" Franky exclaimed when he finally found his voice. "What was that white light!?"

"Lightning," Zoro answered softy. "The platform was struck by lightning."

"Just moments before Luffy would have been beheaded, a giant lightning bolt came out of nowhere and struck the platform, saving his life," Sanji explained as he lowered his head. "We...had nothing to do with it."

"What, a lightning bolt hit the platform!?" Chopper exclaimed in disbelief.

"What...what are the chances of that happening?" Brook asked. If he had eyes, they would have undoubtedly popped out by now.

"Low...really, really low," Nami whispered, not quite believing what she just seen. "He...he should have died. He was also doubly lucky since he's largely immune to lightning." It was miracle. There was no other way to describe it.

Zoro nodded somberly. "Yes...he should have." He didn't believe in god, but he was forever thankful to whatever saved his captain that day.

"It is like fate itself intervened," Robin said softly mostly to herself.

Luffy walked up to his dumbfounded crewmembers, still talking about how lucky he was in a cheerful and childish voice. One would never have guessed he was just moments away from death.

Sanji in the memory was so stunned that his cigarette fell out of his mouth. He was literally trembling. "Hey, do you believe in God?" he suddenly asked Zoro.

"This isn't the time to ask about that. We have to escape," Zoro said, trying to regain his composure. He was obviously, however, shaken up by what he had just witnessed. "Looks like the danger isn't over yet."

The memory faded there and the Strawhats were back among the mist.

It took a moment of reflection before anyone could think to speak.

They had all seen Luffy near death, or close to dying before, but at that moment in Loguetown it was certain. Luffy should have died at that very moment. There was nothing that should have been able to save him, but he somehow lived. Whether it was through luck or divine intervention, no one knew.

"He…he smiled," Chopper whispered, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Did he know?"

"No, he knew at that point that he was going to die. He saw no chance of being saved," Zoro answered softly. His regret from that day returned in full force. "He braced himself and fully accepted his end without a trace of fear or regret. If anything, he only felt sorry for leaving us behind."

"I know Luffy doesn't fear death, but...how could anyone smile like that?" Nami asked as she hugged herself.

She remembered that her mom smiled just before Arlong killed her, but that final smile was filled with sadness and regret. Luffy showed none of that. He appeared happy. So happy and completely at peace that it was surreal that anyone could face death with that amount dignity.

"I supposed for someone like Luffy-san, death is just another adventure," Brook said in a soft voice. His crew died happy and smiling to the very end. But they died among friends doing what they love, not surrounded by those who wanted to kill them.

Usopp shivered, wanted to banished what he saw from his mind. "Let's...let's hope we never see that smile again." Seeing Luffy's death smile had unnerved him to his core. He was used to his crew staring defiantly at death, but never welcoming it with open arms when it did come.

The other Strawhats nodded in agreement, except Robin.

Robin was too deep in thought to speak. "Those who carry the Will of D. Why do they all smile at their point of death? It is like they sense they had fulfilled their purpose in life."

The somber mood was broken when a new memory engulfed the Strawhats and they were on-board the Going Merry. It was raining hard and the ship rocked violently against the waves.

"It's strange. It's been raining so hard, yet we're not getting wet," Chopper said as he held his hooves out.

"It feels like the ship is going to turn over!" Luffy yelled as excitedly as he looked over the side of the ship.

Despite the absolutely terrible weather, Luffy was practically jumping for joy. Even the memory Strawhats were unusually happy given what was happening.

"Look at that!" Franky exclaimed as he pointed to a light ahead.

In front of the ship was a lighthouse, flashing brilliantly in the storm.

"Look at that light!" Nami in the memory yelled.

"The island lighthouse?" Usopp in the memory questioned. He was holding the mast of the ship for dear life.

"That's our guiding light," Nami explained with a huge smile. "That light points to the entrance to the Grand Line!"

"The Grand Line is over there," Luffy said in a soft voice. This was the moment he waited ten years for.

Nami smiled and looked at her captain. "What now?"

"Are you really going to go in a storm like this?" Usopp asked worriedly.

Zoro nodded with a smirk on his face. Sanji smiled with his cigarette still lit in the storm, giving them a thumbs-up. Luffy just grinned as he held his hat. Nami returned his smile.

"Alright, let's have a little launching ceremony to mark the importance of our voyage!" Sanji yelled happily.

"Yeah!" Usopp exclaimed, excited by the idea.

"Good idea!" Luffy yelled.

"Let's do it!" Nami also shouted.

Within moments, a large barrel was placed on the deck of the ship and the Strawhats surrounded it.

Sanji was the first to go as he put his foot on the barrel. "To find All Blue!"

Luffy was next to put his foot on the barrel. "To become the Pirate King!"

"To be the world's strongest swordsman!" Zoro declared as he put his foot in.

Nami happily put her foot up next. "To draw a map of the world!"

Usopp hesitated, not sure what to say. "I'm..." He slowly put his foot on the barrel. "To become a brave warrior of the sea!"

They stood there like that for what felt like minutes, united together in their goals and dreams as the rain poured on them.

"Let's go to the Grand Line!" Luffy yelled.

"Yeah!" the Strawhats shouted in unison as they all smashed the barrel.

The memory closed in a fog of mist.

"Aw, that was so beautiful!" Franky cried as he wiped his nose with his small hands.

"You are all so close," Chopper also sobbed.

Sanji smiled in fondness. He forgotten about that ceremony. "Those were some good memories."

"A ceremony worthy of one's first journey into the Grand Line," Robin said with a smile.

"Indeed!" Brook sobbed as he began to play music on his violin. "I wish I was there to play you a song to send you off, like I did with my old crew."

Nami paused in thought as she listened to Brook's words. "We should have another one."

Everyone looked at her.

"We should have ceremony that includes everyone. To celebrate our return and our journey into the New World," Nami suggested with smile.

"Super idea, sis!" Franky exclaimed excitedly.

"Nami-swan comes up with the best ideas!" Sanji exclaimed with hearts in his eyes.

Chopper jumped up and down in excitement. "Yeah, let's do that!"

"We need to save our captain first," Zoro said, not forgetting their mission. "Otherwise, his dream will never come true."

"We will save him," Nami said confidently. They couldn't afford not to.

Chopper suddenly looked towards Usopp. "Why did you hesitate telling everyone your dream?"

Usopp coughed nervously. "Well, truth is...I didn't really have a dream when I set out with Luffy. I just wanted to go to sea and become a pirate and meet up with my old man." He looked down shamefully. "I made that dream up on the spot. It didn't seem right not to say anything after hearing so much conviction from the others."

"Does it matter?" Brook asked, getting the younger man's attention. "Whether a dream is desired for years or just a few moments doesn't matter as long as one has the heart and desired to achieve it."

Robin nodded. "It is a wonderful dream regardless if you just thought it up."

Usopp started to blush.

A new memory engulfed the Strawhats again and they were back on the Going Merry. This time, they were going up what looked like a waterfall.

Luffy was on Merry's head, laughing crazily as he held onto his hat.

Before the Strawhats could brace themselves, they felt their stomachs drop as the Going Merry suddenly descended rapidly. It took them a moment to regain themselves and their lunch once things started to settle down.

"What was that?" Usopp asked. It felt familiar.

"I think we just dropped down from Reverse Mountain," Robin informed, looking better than the rest of her crew.

"Reverse Mountain?" Chopper asked.

"It's the entry way into the Grand Line from the Blues. It's the only way to enter the Grand Line if you don't have a marine ship," Nami answered.

"The greatest sea in the world, the Grand Line!" the Strawhats heard Luffy shout from the figurehead. All they could see was white clouds in the distance. It was like a whole new world was opening up to them.

They quickly accelerated down the mountain.

"This brings back so many memories," Brook said as he looked over the side of the ship. "Hard to believe. It has been over fifty years since I've been down this mountain."

"It's hard enough to believe it has been two years since this happened," Nami said with a wide smile. "It feels like it only happened yesterday."

Zoro smiled at the memory. He was beginning to feel nostalgic.

They hit a patch of white clouds, which engulfed the entire Going Merry.

"This is the greatest!" they could hear Sanji in the memory yelled. He sounded like a little kid.

Even Usopp was laughing in the distance.

Nami also joined in. The entire crew sounded like small kids.

Robin smiled at the tender scene. It was moments like these that reminded her of how young and innocent her crew was. One would had never suspected that this was the same crew who decremented every strong pirate in their home sea.

A distance wail suddenly caught the current Strawhats' ears. Their counterparts in the memory, however, didn't seem to notice except Zoro.

"Did you just hear that just now?" Zoro in the memory asked.

"Huh, what?" Nami in the memory asked, still too busy enjoying herself to notice anything wrong.

"I heard a strange noise," Zoro said over the roar of the sea.

"Must have been the wind!" Nami said dismissively. "There are a lot of strange rock formations here that could have caused it."

The wail came again, it was even louder.

Brook's eyes, if he had any, would have widened in disbelief. "I know those wails!"

A mountain began to appear in front of Going Merry.

"Nami-san, I see a mountain!" Sanji in the memory yelled to the navigator.

"A mountain? It can't be!" Nami yelled.

"But I see one right there!" Sanji screamed.

"Who cares!?" Luffy yelled, completely in his own world. "Let's go!"

"After Twin Capes, there should be nothing but ocean!" Nami screamed back at Sanji.

Another wailed was heard. It was much longer and louder than before.

Now Luffy began to look concerned and he squinted his eyes.

When they cleared the thick white clouds, the form of the 'mountain' came into view. It was huge and a bluish-gray. Whatever it was, it was no mountain.

All the Strawhats in the memory screamed in panic.

"It's a black wall!" Luffy screamed in fear.

"You're wrong! It's..." Nami in the memory shouted in horror.

"Then what is it!?" Sanji in the memory cut off.

"It's a whale!" Usopp in the memory screamed.

"It...It's Laboon!" Brook yelled as tears his non-existent eyes.

Laboon gave a thunderous wail, shaking the entire mountain.

"So, that's Laboon," Franky said. "Wow! He is huge!"

"He is just like those pod of whales we saw when we were going into the New World," Robin said. No wonder Brook was so moved.

"It sounds so sad," Chopper observed as he became teary-eyed. "He's crying. He's crying in loneliness."

Brook started to sob. "Laboon..."

The memory Strawhats were all screaming in a panic.

"W...wha...what do we do!?" Usopp screamed in blind fear.

"Fight it?" Luffy asked.

"Idiot, we can't fight that thing!" Nami screamed at her captain.

"The current is taking us right to it!" Usopp screamed in horror. "What're we going to do!?"

"Wait a minute, we've gotten this close and it's still just a wall," Sanji observed. "Where's its eye?"

"You're right, it may not have noticed us yet!" Nami yelled.

"If they do not act fast, they will smash into the whale and die," Robin observed bluntly.

Chopper screamed in horror. They were going to die!

Zoro in the memory agreed with Robin. "At this rate, we'll hit it dead on! Hey, there's an opening on the left side! Port! Hard Port!"

"The helm is broken!" Usopp yelled.

"How did you guys break the helm?" Franky asked.

"We broke it coming into Reverse Mountain," Usopp explained. "We nearly died coming here because we had problems steering Merry into the mountain's opening. We only survive because Luffy inflated his body and kept Merry from crashing into the rock face. "

Franky nodded. "Makes sense. This ship wasn't built to handle such rough waters."

"Hey!" Usopp growled.

"It's true, bro," Franky said as he held his arms up. "The Grand Line is no joke and this ship was obviously designed to never leave the Blues."

Usopp didn't want to admit it, but he knew the shipwright was right. It was still, however, a bitter truth to accept.

"Hard to believe we nearly died twice just getting into the Grand Line," Sanji humored. They really had some lousy luck.

"We have to do something, dammit!" Zoro in the memory screamed.

"Ah right, I've got an idea!" Luffy yelled as he jumped off the figurehead and ran into the ship's hull.

"Luffy!" Nami in the memory yelled after him. "What are you doing!?"

The current Strawhats followed Luffy and watched him as he quickly began to load the front cannon on Merry.

"What's Luffy-san up to?" Brook asked.

"Is he..." Robin started to question.

Zoro smiled to himself. When it counted, Luffy knew how to get things done.

Soon, everything was ready and Luffy waited until they were close enough to the whale. At the very last second, Luffy fired the cannon.

The impact of the cannon jolted Merry, but it did stop them from ramming into Laboon.

"Whoa, did we stop?" Luffy asked with a hint of relief.

A loud crack was suddenly heard from outside. Luffy turned around just in time to see Merry's head hit the deck next to the door.

Chopper screamed when he saw the decapitated sheep's head.

Luffy also screamed in horror as if someone has been murdered. "My Special Seat!"

The other Strawhats used this opportunity to start rolling Merry away from Laboon, who began to wail again, completely unaware of the small pirate band.

Everyone had to cover their ears to keep their eardrums from busting.

"Laboon, it has been too long," Brook muttered. He wished this wasn't just a memory. He truly wished that this were the real reunion between him and his dear friend. "You've become such a big boy."

Chopper attempted to listen to Laboon's cries, but listening caused his ears to bleed.

The memory Strawhats kept rolling until they were under Laboon's huge eye.

"Laboon, it's me!" Brook screamed at his friend, unable to control himself anymore. "It's me, Brook!"

"It's a memory," Zoro said softly. There was an air of tenderness in the other swordsman's voice. "He can't see or hear us."

Brook knew that, but he didn't care.

Luffy walked onto the deck, looking especially pissed. The Strawhats could practically see the steam coming out of his ears.

"Luffy?" Nami in the memory whispered, knowing something bad was going to happen.

"Damn you," Luffy yelled as he balled his fist.

"Oh, I remember when he did this," Sanji said dryly.

"Did what?" Chopper asked. He didn't have to wait long for the answer.

"My favorite seat, how dare you break it!" Luffy screamed as he punched Laboon right in the eye.

"Luffy, what are you doing to Laboon!?" Brook yelled angrily.

"You idiot!" all the Strawhats in the memory yelled.

Zoro began to laugh. Looking back at it now, it was quite funny.

Laboon's massive eye suddenly looked down at them.

"It sees us!" the crew screamed in horror.

Luffy was not in the least bit scared. "How you like that!? I'll kick your ass, jerk!"

"Don't talk to Laboon like that!" Brook growled at his captain. He sounded like an over-protective father.

Both Usopp and Sanji in the memory kicked Luffy in the head. "Shut up, dumbass!"

Laboon groaned before he opened his massive mouth.

"W…what?" Nami in the memory questioned near tears.

Merry drifted into Laboon's mouth. There was nothing the Strawhats could do to stop it. The sudden jolting of the ship sent Luffy overboard.

"Luffy!" Sanji in the memory yelled.

Luffy nearly went into the water, but he used his powers to save himself. He stretched his arms and wrapped it around one of Laboon's teeth. He swung himself around until he was on top of Laboon' scar nose.

"I'm not dying here!" Luffy growled as he held on for dear life. He began to climb his way up.

After a few moments, Laboon closed his mouth, swallowing the Going Merry whole.

"Did you guys just get eaten by a whale?" Chopper asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, we did," Sanji sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "It was one of our more awkward experiences."

"That's putting it lightly," Usopp sighed.

"That was so scary," Nami said. She thought they were dead.

"Not to mention strange," Zoro remarked in a bored tone.

"You all had quite an adventure even before you got into the Grand Line," Robin chuckled.

Nami shook her head. "Tell me about it. And to think, this was just a prelude to the strangeness to come."

Luffy sat on Laboon's head, breathing heavily and almost appearing to be in shock. Once he had regained his breath, there was a look of real fear on his face.

"What do I do?" Luffy asked, barely controlling his panic. "Everyone was eaten!"

Luffy punched Laboon repeatedly, demanded that he gives his crew back. All his efforts proved futile since Laboon barely felt him. Luffy was no bigger than a flea to the whale.

Whether out of spite or just bad luck on Luffy's part, Laboon began to submerge.

Luffy punched the whale harder and more frantically, telling Laboon that he was dirty for going under water and demanding him stop. None of that worked.

"We're going on an adventure together!" Luffy yelled, truly enraged now. "They're important to me! Give them back!"

"He's more concerned about us than he is about going under water," Nami said.

"That's just how Luffy is," Zoro said softly.

During his screaming, Luffy noticed that there was a hatch on Laboon's head.

Not sure what to make of it, Luffy ran to the hatch and quickly opened it before Laboon could fully submerge and kill him. He jumped in and quickly closed the hatch.

Luffy sighed for a moment when he was safely inside. Before he could fully rest, the entire area started to shake. As a result, Luffy was sent bouncing like a rubber ball all over Laboon, who strangely enough had a metal interior. He bounced around for a few seconds before he came to a sudden stop.

He slowly sat up and his eyes were spinning. He began to regain himself.

"Where am I?" Luffy asked himself. He looked around and saw what appeared to be a river next to him. "An ocean? A river? A pipe?"

The area shook again and the room tilted upwards. Luffy attempted to stop himself from sliding down, but it was all in vain. He fell down the hallway.

Eventually, the hallway straightened enough to stop him from falling, but it was too steep to stop him from running once he hit the floor. He literally couldn't stop himself as he rapidly picked up speed.

Luffy screamed in panic as he attempted to regain control of himself. He kept running and soon, he saw two people standing in front of a large metal door. They both were shocked to see him.

Within moments, Luffy slammed into them and pushed the metal door open with the force. They all went flying in the air.

On the way down, Luffy saw his crew, much to his relief.

"Luffy," Zoro in the memory muttered in disbelief as he watched his captain fly.

"You guys are okay!" Luffy yelled in relief before the graveness of his own situation hit him. "By the way, save me!" he yelled just as he plunged into Laboon's digestive juices, ending the memory.

There was a long silence among the Strawhats.

"Well...that was interesting," Franky said slowly.

"I didn't know Laboon gave you all such a hard time," Brook said. "I apologize. This wouldn't have happened if we were able to keep our promise."

"It's not your fault," Sanji said in comfort.

"Why was there metal hallway inside a whale?" Chopper asked. "Is Laboon a robot?"

Nami shook her head. "The person taking care of Laboon did it. He was the doctor of the Pirate King that Rayleigh talked about. He put all those metal tubes and passages inside Laboon so he could take care of him. He said it was the only way to treat Laboon given how big he is."

Chopper nodded. "Makes sense."

"Gotta say, that's one dedicated doctor," Franky said as he folded his arms. "I mean, it must've taken him years to build all these tunnels inside such a huge whale. He must have some shipwright skills."

"That woman that Luffy ran into, that was Princess Vivi," Robin suddenly said.

"You're right. Vivi was there when we met Laboon," Nami said, remembering her old friend. "She was still spying on Baroque Works at the time."

"Who's Vivi?" Franky asked.

"A princess from the kingdom of Alabasta that we helped," Nami explained with a fond smile. "She's also an honorary member of our crew."

"Really?" Brook questioned in interest.

"Yeah, Vivi's great!" Chopper exclaimed, excited to see his old friend again. She was, after all, one of the first humans to befriend him and not see him as a monster.

"You should see her in Luffy's memory soon," Nami said, also excited to see her other sister again.

Sanji began to dance happily. "I can't wait to see Vivi-chan again." He bet she became even more lovely these past two years.

A memory appeared and the Strawhats saw Luffy and their counterparts talking to Crocus.

He was telling them Laboon's history and how he was taken in by a group of pirates when he was separated from his family. He told the Strawhats that since the pirates were going to the Grand Line, Laboon couldn't go with them because of the dangers. They attempted to leave him in West Blue, but the whale followed them because Laboon saw the pirates as his family.

After staying at Twin Capes for a few months to repair their ship, the pirates left for the Grand Line. They had asked Crocus to take care of Laboon for a couple of years until they returned. They never came back. Fifty years had passed since then.

What made the story even worse for Brook was that Crocus believed that they purposely abandoned Laboon. That they fled the Grand Line using the Calm Belt. The story for the most part was true, but it was only half of the truth.

"Laboon has been waiting for those guys for fifty years?" Usopp in the memory asked in disbelief when the story ended.

"So, that's why he bellows and rams his head against the wall," Nami in the memory said sadly.

By this time, Brook was in tears and sobbed restlessly throughout the entire story. The Strawhats spent the entire time trying to comfort him, without much luck.

"Laboon, I'm so sorry I hurt you like this," Brook said between tears. "You've waited patiently for fifty years, while..."

"Stop talking like that!" Sanji growled. "It isn't your fault that you died!"

Chopper patted Brook's shoulder. "It's okay now. You're here and soon you'll be reunited with Laboon again."

"I know that. But it doesn't make it hurt any less," Brook sobbed. "Especially seeing how Laboon has hurt himself, and he could have died. All because he didn't lose hope in us. We failed him. Death is no excuse for what I put him thought!"

The Strawhats, save for Robin, were so busy consoling Brook that they were not paying much attention to the memory.

"Luffy is doing something," Robin suddenly said, getting everyone's attention.

Luffy was running up Laboon's head with what looked like a giant mast on his back. It took them a moment to realize that he was carrying Merry's mast.

"Did...did he just break a part of the ship off!?" Franky asked angrily. He turned towards the mast to confirmed his fear. It was indeed torn in half.

Did Luffy have any respect for his own ship? No wonder the Going Merry was practically torn apart by the time they reached Water 7.

"Oh, so it's this part," Zoro mused as Luffy planted the mast into Laboon's nose, causing blood to gush everywhere.

"LABOON!" Brook screamed in horror.

"How could he do that!?" Chopper yelled angrily, going straight into his doctor mode. "After all Laboon been through, he doesn't need more wounds!"

Since Luffy had impaled Laboon in an area that was already injured because he had rammed his head earlier, Laboon felt the blow.

Laboon dropped into the water and cried in pain.

Luffy kept Laboon from flinging him off by holding onto the mast for dear life. Laboon, completely enraged, jumped out of the water and slammed Luffy into the coast. If Luffy weren't rubber, there would only be paste left of him.

Luffy got up and smiled cockily at the whale as Laboon came in again, prepared to smash him. Luffy jumped out of the way, but was nailed by Laboon's tail. The giant whale attempted to hit him again, but Luffy evaded the tail swing.

Luffy ruthlessly punched Laboon in the eye, causing him to flinch in pain. Laboon paid back the gesture by head-butting Luffy into the lighthouse on the coast. Luffy quickly recovered, however, and jumped into the air. He delivered a powerful kick to Laboon's head, stunning him again.

Laboon moaned for a moment before he once again rammed Luffy into the lighthouse. Luffy slumped to the ground and didn't get up this time.

Laboon moved in for the finishing blow.

"It's a draw!" Luffy suddenly yelled, surprising Laboon. He stopped in his tracks. "Pretty tough, aren't I?"

Laboon just stared at him.

"You want to beat me, don't you?" Luffy mocked as he sat up. "Our battle isn't over, so we have to fight again someday. Your family may be dead, but from now on I'm your rival! We'll fight against someday to see which one of us is the strongest! Once we finished sailing the Grand Line. I'll be back!"

Laboon was moved to tears by the declaration, along with most of the Strawhats.

"He..." Chopper said, unable to form words. He did all of that to give Laboon something to live for.

Franky began to cry. "That Luffy! What a guy! He just knows what to do make you feel all warm inside!"

Brook couldn't speak as tears rain down his bony face.

Robin smiled proudly at her captain. He may have a rough way of doing things, but he saved Laboon's life.

Nami and Usopp were also in tears. Although they've seen all this before, this scene felt so much more powerful now that they knew the full history.

"Then, we'll finish the fight!" Luffy declared.

Laboon cried and began to bellow again. This wasn't, however, a bellow of sadness and loneliness. It was a bellow of a challenge accepted.

Luffy smiled and some time later, he managed to 'draw' his pirate mark on Laboon's head. It was an ugly thing, but it wasn't like Laboon could actually see it.

"Looking good," Luffy said with a huge grin. He was covered in paint, but wasn't too bothered by his messy state. "This is our Fight Promise! So, until I get back, don't go hitting your head and rubbing the mark off!"

Laboon grunted in acknowledgment and the memory faded.

Brook stared blankly into the void for several seconds. He slowly put his hand over his chest and lowered his head as more tears fell. "Luffy-san...thank you..."

A new memory was upon them and the Strawhats were standing in some town in the dead of night. The bright moon cast a harsh shadow on everything, giving it a foreboding feel.

"Where are we?" Chopper asked.

"Whiskey Peak," Zoro answered. There was no mistaking it.

"What happened here?" Franky asked as he looked at the bodies scattered across the ground. All of them looked dead. "Looks like a war happened."

"No, just Zoro," Nami said dryly.

Brook looked towards the navigator. "Zoro?"

"Whiskey Peak was a town run by Baroque Works," Robin explained. "We used this town to trap pirates who enter the Grand Line by intoxicating them with alcohol and other forms of entertainment."

"Why did you guys trap pirates?" Chopper asked.

"Whiskey Peak was a bounty hunter town," Zoro said, getting straight to the point.

Robin nodded. "One-hundred bounty hunters from Baroque Works were stationed here. We used the bounties to fund our organization."

"Have the World Government fund a criminal organization, very clever," Franky praised. "I can only imagine the looks on their stupid faces when they learned the truth."

"But that doesn't explain what happen to them," Chopper said as he pointed to the unconscious bounty hunters.

"Zoro beat them up," Nami answered.

"Zoro, by himself?" Brook asked, greatly impressed.

"Pretty much," Zoro said with a shrug. "The rest of the crew was completely fooled and were out like lights."

Sanji growled under his breath. He hated being indebted to that moss head.

"Huh, I wasn't asleep," Nami said as she pushed her hair out her face. "I was out making us some money off a business opportunity." She went no further than that. She really didn't want to say that she tried to exploit Vivi out of one-billion belli.

"I found you!" Luffy's screams echoed in the air.

The Strawhats looked to see Luffy, who was extremely fat, confronting Zoro.

Zoro was standing between Vivi, who was on a spotted duck, and two other people. One of the people was a dark-skinned man with spiky black hair, wearing sunglasses and a long reddish-brown trench coat. His partner was a woman wearing a yellow dress with lemons on it along with a bizarre hat to match. She held an umbrella opened over her head, which matched her outfit.

Zoro in the memory grinned when he heard his captain.

Luffy, however, looked less than pleased to see Zoro. In fact, he looked outright pissed. "Zoro!"

"What is it now?" the female agent asked in mild annoyance.

"Luffy, thanks for coming, but I got his one," Zoro in the memory assured. "Unless that greedy brat dragged you into this too."

"You're talking about Nami-san, aren't you!?" Sanji accused their Zoro as he got right in the swordsman's face.

"And what if I was, eyebrow?" Zoro challenged.

Luffy huffed angrily. He would have looked intimidating, if he didn't look like an oversize balloon that was going to explode at any moment.

"How much did Luffy eat?" Chopper asked. Luffy usually burnt fat at an outrageous rate. Normally, he could compact and digest food in a span of a few minutes.

"Enough to put him a food coma," Nami answered in a deadpan voice.

"He ate until he fell asleep!?" Chopper asked in disbelief.

For a normal person, it was normal to feel sleepy after eating a huge meal. Luffy wasn't normal. He became energized from eating large quantities of food. For Luffy to eat to the point of falling asleep, he had to consume massive amounts of food. More than Chopper had ever personally seen him eat.

"If I remember correctly, he ate close to three months' worth of food," Sanji remarked off-handedly.

"Three months!?" Chopper shouted again. His mouth dropped in shock. "He ate three months' worth of food for a town of one-hundred people!? That's crazy, even for Luffy! His stomach should have exploded!"

"No wonder he passed out," Franky said in awe.

Zoro in the memory was confused by Luffy's anger.

"Although, what's wrong with Luffy?" Usopp asked, not paying attention to the food conversation. He looked ready to cave someone's skull in.

"You're going to pay for what you did!" Luffy yelled, completely enraged. He gritted his teeth like a wild animal. "I'll kill you!"

Zoro in the memory and most of the current Strawhats was confused by the outburst.

"What...what's going on?" Brook asked.

"What!?" Zoro in the memory exclaimed. "What kind of nonsense did you gotten into your head this time?"

"Shut up and get ready! Because I'm about to kick your ungrateful little ass!" Luffy shouted.

Sanji put his cigarette in his mouth. "Well, this is getting interesting."

"What's going on!?" Chopper shouted in tears. "Why are Luffy and Zoro fighting!?"

Nami sighed. "It was a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" Franky asked.

"Ungrateful?" Zoro in the memory asked in confusion.

"That's right," Luffy sneered. "Everyone here has been nothing but nice to us! They welcomed us, threw us a party, and gave us food! And you repaid them by cutting them all up with those swords of yours!"

Zoro in the memory gave his best 'what the hell' face. He attempted to explain himself, but he couldn't seem to form words.

Robin started to chuckle. "I understand. Luffy thinks Zoro was unkind to their hosts."

Zoro sighed as he rubbed his eye. Luffy could be such a moron.

"But Luffy must know that Zoro wouldn't do such a thing without reason," Chopper said fearfully.

"You would think," Nami answered dryly.

"I can't take this seriously with Luffy's belly is bouncing around like jelly," Sanji said.

"There's something you don't know," Zoro in the memory finally managed to say.

"Just shut up and fight me!" Luffy ordered fiercely.

"This guy is just a complete idiot," Vivi muttered to herself, not believing what she was looking at.

Her duck nodded in agreement.

"Hmmph, now they're fighting amongst themselves," the spiky-haired man mused. "How pathetic."

The woman laughed in agreement. "If we wait long enough, maybe they'll kill each other and we won't have to bother with them."

"Who are those two?" Brook asked, finally taking notice of the two agents.

"Mr. 5 and his partner Miss Valentine," Robin stated.

Zoro in the memory sighed in annoyance. "Hold on, Luffy. Can you just listen to me for a second? They were actually..."

"No excuses!" Luffy yelled as he walked towards Zoro. His belly jiggled with each step. He jumped into the air and was top of Zoro within seconds.

"He moves pretty fast for a fat boy," Franky mused.

"Wait, no!" Zoro in the memory yelled in panic as he evaded Luffy's Pistol.

The punch hit a nearby rock, which broke to pieces on impact. Zoro was understandably freaked out.

"He tried to hit Zoro with a punch that smashed a boulder!" Chopper screamed in shock. "Is he trying to kill him!?"

"Aw, the moss head can take it," Sanji said in amusement. He wished he had snacks.

"Are you trying to kill me!?" Zoro in the memory voiced Chopper's concerns.

"Yes, die!" Luffy yelled as he attempted to kick Zoro.

Zoro was able to dodge the kick, making Luffy hit a rock face. Luffy quickly followed Zoro's movements and attempted to head-butt him. Luffy missed again, but he left another giant dent in the rock face.

"He really is trying to kill Zoro!" Brook yelled in disbelief.

"Luffy is quite serious," Robin noted.

"He's gone crazy!" Zoro in the memory exclaimed as Luffy turned his sights on him again. "Luffy, stop this!"

Luffy was beyond words and he attacked Zoro again. Luffy rapidly punched at Zoro, who was barely able to dodge.

"How did this happen?" Brook asked in complete bewilderment. "All this over misunderstanding…"

"That's because Luffy is a moron," Nami said as she rubbed her forehead.

"It is interesting," Robin said as she rubbed her chin. "One would think that Luffy would have more trust in his crewmates."

"What do you mean?" Usopp asked, finally able to speak.

"This misunderstanding happened because Luffy believed Zoro was capable of murder without good reason or cause. He never bothered to let Zoro explain himself," Robin said. "This streams down from an underline lack of trust."

"You actually think Luffy doesn't trust Zoro?" Usopp asked in disbelief.

"If Luffy truly trusted Zoro, would this fight have happened?" Robin asked instead.

Zoro listened to the conversation as he watched Luffy and him fight. He tried not to think about it, but it always bothered him that Luffy didn't trust his judgment. Instead, he trusted the words of some stranger over his own crewmember. Even more, he didn't believe Johnny when he said that Nami had killed Usopp and Johnny was Luffy's friend.

He could justify Luffy's naivety by him simply being allured by the bounty hunters feeding him, but even that felt flat. Did Luffy truly believe he was as cold-hearted as those hunters led him to believe? Did him fighting Mihawk when he was supposed to go after Nami cause some kind of a rift that he never noticed before?

Damn, he should have asked Luffy these questions instead of just letting the entire incident slide.

"Hey, tough guy, stop running away!" Luffy yelled as he kept trying to punch Zoro.

"Quit screwing around!" Zoro yelled as he kicked Luffy viciously in the stomach, sending the rubberman flying.

By some strange twist of luck, Luffy flew right into Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine when they attempted to move in to kill Vivi. All three of them crashed into a building.

Mr. 5 slowly stood up as he rubbed his head. He wasn't amused by the current events. "Now you and your friend really managed to get in the way of our plans."

"What happened," Mr. Valentine asked in a daze. "What's going on?"

"Since you two want to kill each other so badly, I'll tell you what. We're going to do you a favor," Mr. 5 said as he lifted up his glasses. "We'll kill you both ourselves, okay!?"

Luffy didn't seem to care and he stared at Mr. 5 from his place on the floor.

The 'fight' was short, lasting only a minute. Even with his Devil Fruit ability, Mr. 5 was easily beaten by Luffy. The little scuffle helped burn the last of the fat in Luffy's body and he was now back to his skinny self.

"So, that was a Baroque Works' agent," Franky said as he watched Luffy drag Mr. 5's semi-conscious body out of the ruined building. "That was anti-climactic."

Robin shook her head at her former comrade. They overestimated themselves.

"That was a good workout," Luffy said as he patted his now flat stomach. "I finally managed to digest some of that food."

"Some of it?" Sanji mused.

"I envy Luffy sometimes," Nami muttered.

Luffy turned his attention back towards Zoro. "Alright, now let's finish this."

"Okay Luffy, just calm down and hear me out," Zoro said calmly as Miss Valentine floated above his head. "Everyone who lives here on Whiskey Peak is really a bounty hunter. Which makes all of them our enemies."

"Hey, pay attention to me, you jerk!" Miss Valentine yelled from the sky, where she'd been talking at the same time as Zoro.

"You're just lying!" Luffy screamed as he dropped Mr. 5. "Enemies wouldn't give us tasty food!"

"What kind of shitty logic is that?" Sanji asked.

"Luffy really is too naive," Usopp murmured as he shook his head.

"Taste my Ten-thousand Kilogram Press!" Miss Valentine shouted as she suddenly dropped towards the ground rapidly.

"Fine then," Zoro said neutrally as he moved to the side a little, causing Miss Valentine miss him. She slammed into the ground and buried herself in the road.

Robin sighed.

"Was that an ability?" Brook asked.

"It was not anything important," Robin said neutrally.

"It looks like there isn't any sense trying to talk to you," Zoro said as he removed his bandana and wrapped it around his head.

Luffy growled at him.

"They're both getting serious!" Chopper yelled fearfully.

"Oh, so we'll finally see that moss head get his ass kicked," Sanji said in amusement. Now he really wished he had snacks.

Zoro glared at his rival in annoyance.

"You know, you're really a moron!" Zoro in the memory yelled. "This time I'm not going hold back!" He removed his swords. "It will be your own fault if you die."

"Sounds good to me!" Luffy yelled as he pumped his arms.

"Just a sec. What is going on here?" Vivi asked in confusion. She'd been frozen in place the entire time by these bizarre events. "I thought you guys were on the same side?"

Luffy and Zoro charged each other. When they clashed in the middle, they left a giant shockwave of power in their wake. The two fighters were lock in a stalemate as they attempted to overpower each other.

"Let's see which one is stronger," Zoro grunted. "Your rubber hands or my steel. What do you say?"

"Can we put money down?" Sanji asked in humor.

"Yeah, let's settle this once and for all," Luffy sneered, taken up Zoro's challenge.

Zoro did a quick spin and sent Luffy flying into the air on a whirlwind.

Luffy quickly righting his body. "Gum Gum Pistol!" he yelled as he nailed Zoro in the face, sending him flying back.

They both crashed into buildings from each other's attacks. Luffy and Zoro quickly recovered, however, and were back on each other. Their fight destroyed the surrounding area.

"How...how did we miss all of this?" Usopp asked out loud.

"You're putting up a super fight there, Zoro," Franky said as he watched the battle. "You're completely even with Luffy!"

Zoro had to admit; it was very fulfilling fighting Luffy at that moment. Since Luffy never wanted to train with him, that was the first time he felt Luffy's power firsthand. Too bad the situation was utterly stupid.

Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine were back on their feet and not happy about being beaten so humiliatingly. They charging into the fray where Luffy and Zoro were fighting, which proved to be a mistake.

"You can't beat us!" Mr. 5 yelled. "Prepare to die at the hands of Baroque Works officer agents!"

Both Luffy and Zoro stopped their fight and glared murderously at the agents, freezing them in place.

"Shut up and go away! You're interfering with our fight!" they yelled together and they knocked Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine into the air. They flew until they crashed into some buildings, taking them out for good.

Robin sighed again as she shook her head.

Sanji growled. "That rubber shit head hit a lady."

"Damn pests," Zoro in the memory grumbled.

"Messing with our fight," Luffy growled.

Zoro glared at Luffy. "Shall we continue?"

"Yeah," Luffy said with bloodlust in his eyes.

They glared at each other for a moment before they moved to kill each other. Before either of them could hit each other, Nami walked up behind them and punched them both in the face.

"Stop!" Nami screamed as she sent both Luffy and Zoro flying.

Chopper and Usopp screamed in fright.

"Well, guess we know who the strongest in this crew is," Franky joked.

"Nami-san is by far the most frightening person on this crew," Brook murmured.

"Nami-swan knows how to handle those morons," Sanji cooed as he spun around.

Zoro said nothing, but he was obviously annoyed by the entire thing.

"You two, what the heck do you think you're doing here!?" Nami yelled, like a parent scolding two naughty boys.

The memory shifted at that moment and the Strawhats were now in a different area of Whiskey Peak. They were standing by the shoreline of the town. Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Vivi were all huddle together by the sea, discussing something.

Now that the action and drama had ceased, Chopper could finally get a good look at his old comrade.

"That's Vivi? She looks different," Chopper said as he tilted his head in wonder.

"When she was working for Baroque Works, Vivi had to act and portray herself in a certain way," Nami explained. "For the lack of better words, she had to play the bad girl."

"And she did a good job of it. Even Crocodile was completely fooled by her," Robin said. "Too bad she could not hide herself from me. After living a life of deceit, you learn to see through other people's lies."

"Why is Nami so freaked out?" Franky asked as Nami in the memory practically had a meltdown and violently shook Vivi.

Nami sighed. "Vivi revealed who was behind Baroque Works by accident. That's partly how we got mixed up in all of this."

"In any case, the three of us have been added to the Baroque Works' Death List," Zoro in the memory said a little too gleefully.

Luffy began to laugh. His eyes were practically sparking. "This is so exciting!"

"Leave it to Zoro and Luffy to be excited about being on someone death list," Usopp muttered.

"Going by Luffy's childhood, he's probably used to it," Nami said dryly.

"Although, the two made up quickly after such a fierce fight," Brook noted.

Zoro shrugged. "It was water off a duck's back." Although, he still needed to talk to Luffy about this.

Nami in the memory, meanwhile, was sulking on the ground with Vivi vainly trying to cheer her up.

"Do not worry!" someone yelled.

The Strawhats turned to see a fairly tall, muscular man standing before Luffy and Zoro. In his arms, he held three stuff dummies and stared intensely at the group of pirates. For some reason he was also dressed as a woman. A really ugly woman.

"Who the hell is that?" Franky asked, not quite believing his eyes.

"Igaram, Captain of the Royal Guard of Alabasta," Robin stated. "He accompanied Princess Vivi in spying on Baroque Works."

"He's a captain? Alabasta must have quite the dress code," Brook said. He inwardly shivered at the thought of all the guards dressing like that.

"Fear..." Igaram coughed. He started to hum scales before continuing. "Fear not, I have a plan!"

"Igaram!" Vivi exclaimed. "What are those clothes for?"

"Oh thank goodness, those aren't his normal clothes," Franky sighed.

"But to even get into them..." Sanji muttered, remembering his own terrible experience where he was practically mind-raped to cross dress.

"Mister, you'll fool everyone by wearing that," Luffy said as he looked over the outfit.

Chopper nodded in agreement. "That's a good disguise. He looks exactly like Vivi."

"Really?" Usopp muttered dryly as he looked between his captain and Chopper.

"Princess Vivi, please listen carefully," Igaram said seriously. "Baroque Works' information network will soon receive the report. Once they have learned that we are the ones who know their boss' true identity, you understand what will happen."

"As many as thousands of hunters could be coming for us soon," Vivi said gravely.

Nami in the memory turned several shades of blue hearing this.

"A thousand bounty-hunters!? I didn't know Baroque Works was that big!" Brook exclaimed in shock.

"Crocodile spent more than three years building his organization in the shadows. He had many people working under him from all the seas, excluding East Blue," Robin said, remembering her time at Baroque Works.

"That is why I dressed in the manner of the princess. I will depart with these dummies and travel on a course straight to Alabasta," Igaram explained.

"These are us?" Luffy asked as he poked one of the dummies.

"Given what dummies Zoro and Luffy are, it fits them," Sanji said.

Zoro gave a loud growl at the cook.

"Decoys," Igaram stated. "Once they have begun perusing me, Princess Vivi and yourselves will leave safely for Alabasta."

"Now, wait just a minute!" Nami in the memory screamed. "Who said we would take the princess anywhere!? We don't have a contract."

"Take the princess?" Luffy asked as he stared at Vivi. "What's that about?"

"Weren't you listening to them?" Zoro in the memory asked impatiently as he stood up. "The old man here wants us to take her home."

"Oh, so that was what they were saying," Luffy said after a moment of thought. "Okay."

Nami in the memory completely lost it. "Crocodile is going to try to kill us!"

"This Crocodile, is he really that strong?" Luffy asked Igaram.

"He is currently one of the Warlords," Igaram said. "Though, as a government-sanctioned pirate, he is no longer on the wanted list. Before he was sanctioned, however, he had a bounty of eighty-one million belli."

Luffy and Zoro looked impressed. This was the first they had encountered such a high bounty.

"Eighty-one million, that's more than four times larger than Arlong's!" Nami in the memory screamed in panic. "Turn him down!"

"Will you accept?" Igaram asked Luffy.

"Sure," Luffy answered with a huge grin. "Sounds like fun."

Nami in the memory looked like she was going to burst into tears.

Nami sighed at her past self. "I should have know that there was no stopping him."

Usopp also sighed. "Once Luffy makes up his mind, there's no reasoning with him."

"You have my utmost gratitude," Igaram said gratefully.

Within a few minutes, Igaram was on a ship, ready to depart.

"Well then, I, Vivi, should be leaving now," Igaram said as he attempted to alter his voice to sound more feminine, which made some of the Strawhats cringe.

Luffy began to laugh. "Mister, you really sound like her!"

"Like who?" Zoro in the memory asked as he glanced at his captain.

"I swear, Luffy can be fooled by a paper doll that looks like a person," Sanji muttered.

"Now Princess, please hand me the Eternal Pose," Igaram said.

Vivi very reluctantly gave Igaram the pose. The two looked at each other for a moment.

"Princess Vivi, after making a few stops, please hurry to Alabasta," Igaram said. "I have never done it myself, but I am certain if you follow the Log Pose two or three times, you should reach there." He turned his attention towards Luffy. "And with that, I leave everything to you."

"Sure," Luffy said cheerfully.

"Igaram..." Vivi started to say something, but her words died on her lips.

"I think this journey will be dangerous. Please be careful along the way," Igaram said in a gentle voice.

Vivi wanted to argue, but nothing came out of her mouth. She finally just held out her hand and Igaram took it. "You too."

Igaram then sailed off. The Strawhats watched him leave as they discussed what had happened. Then, the unexpected happened.

There was a bright light and everyone on the coast looked up in shock as Igaram's ship exploded. The light was blinding, forcing everyone in the memory to look away from the explosion.

The newer Strawhats who were watching, except Robin, gasped in shock.

Usopp and Sanji, who weren't around during this scene, were also left speechless. Even though they knew Igaram survived what happened, it was still shocking. It was just so sudden.

"It can't be!" Nami in the memory exclaimed once she found her voice. "They've already come!?"

"That... who set that bomb!?" Brook screamed in outrage. "That was completely cowardly!"

Robin's face remained blanked.

Luffy said nothing as he turned around and walked down the coast. He grabbed his hat, which was blown off by the explosion, and firmly placed it back on his head.

"He was a great man!" Luffy yelled as he ran towards his ship. Zoro soon followed behind him.

"Luffy, get the other two!" Zoro yelled. "I'll get the ship!"

"Right," Luffy answered.

Luffy kept running until he reached the building where Sanji and Usopp were sleeping. After a brief look around, he found them still dead asleep on the floor, unaware of anything. Luffy grabbed Usopp's nose and Sanji's leg, waking his two drowsy crewmates.

"We're leaving!" Luffy shouted as he ran out the door. The door, however, was only big enough for one person, so Sanji and Usopp went through either side of the wall.

"That shit head," Sanji groaned as he watched the memory. "Remind me to kick that rubber bastard's ass once we save him."

"I hurt looking at it," Usopp said as he rubbed his nose.

Their memory counterparts were also not too happy as they screamed in pain as Luffy dragged them across the ground.

"What the hell are you doing, Luffy!?" Sanji in the memory screamed.

Luffy completely ignored him as he continued to run at his top speed.

"You're going to break my nose!" Usopp screamed in agony.

When Luffy reached the ship, Zoro was already raising the anchor.

"Hey, I got them!" Luffy screamed to the swordsman.

"Get on, we're ready to go!" Zoro in the memory yelled.

Luffy turned around to check on his crewmates and saw Usopp and Sanji laying dazed in his grip. "Huh, you guys still asleep?" He shrugged and dragged them onto the Going Merry.

"Jerk," Usopp muttered. He was going to get Luffy for this one day.

The sails were opened and the Strawhats sailed away from Whiskey Peak.

While they were sailing away, Vivi told them how many hunters would most likely be after them, while Sanji and Usopp complained about wanting to stay another night at Whiskey Peak. Nami 'discussed' what had happened to them. According to her, she skipped the boring details, which made current Sanji and Usopp rub their heads in remembrance.

It was close to morning by the time they cleared the island. It looked like they made a clean escape.

"Well, it is a good thing you got away from your pursuers," an unfamiliar voice said.

"It sure is," Nami in the memory said in a relieved voice.

"Watch out for shallows so you do not strike the hull," the voice continued.

"You can count on me!" Nami shouted confidently. She slowly realized that she didn't recognize who the speaker was. "Um, what that you, Luffy?"

Luffy gave her a baffled look.

Nami paled as she slowly turned around.

"Nice ship," said a woman who was sitting comfortably on the railings.

Seeing the stranger startled Nami, while Luffy gave her a blank stare.

Vivi gasped in horror.

"Who's that!?" Zoro in the memory demanded, touching the hilt of his sword.

The woman was wearing a rather revealing purple outfit with a cowboy hat to match. Her eyes were somewhat hidden under her hat, but the Strawhats could clearly see that she was staring at them.

"Hm, so Robin finally makes her appearance," Franky mused.

"I've never seen you wear that outfit before," Brook said with a note of disappointment. At just the right angle, he could see her panties.

Chopper blinked. It was Robin, but like Vivi, she looked different. There was an aura of almost vicious cruelty around her. She also looked smug, not a personality trait he would connect with Robin.

Robin stared blank faced at her former self. To her, it seemed like a lifetime ago since she had seen that person. She was not missed.

"You, you're...!" Vivi stuttered in shock and fear.

"I saw Mr. 8 not long ago, Miss Wednesday," Robin in the memory informed coldly.

Vivi's eyes blackened. "You killed Igaram!"

Franky and Brook stared at Robin in shock.

"You killed that man, Robin-san?" Brook asked in disbelief.

Robin sighed, ashamed of her past action. "No, I just set it up to look that way."

"Well, that was one hell of setup job you pulled. How did anyone survive that?" Franky asked.

Robin chose not to answer.

"Even if you did, why the hell are you on my ship?" Luffy demanded. "Who are you?"

"What are you doing here, Miss All-Sunday!?" Vivi screamed.

"Miss All-Sunday?" Nami questioned. "Which number partner is it this time?"

"Mr. 0, the Boss' partner," Vivi said gravely.

"Crocodile's!?" Nami screamed.

"So, she's a bad guy," Luffy growled.

"She's the only one allowed to know the Boss' true identity," Vivi explained as she continued to glare hatefully at Robin. "We shadowed her in ordered to find out who he really was."

"She shadowed Robin?" Franky asked before he laughed. "Is such a thing even possible?"

The Robin in the memory confirmed, no. "Or, more precisely, I let you shadow me."

"Oh, so she's a good guy," Luffy said brightly.

"I knew it. And then the one who informed the Boss of his exposed identity was you!" Vivi yelled.

"Correct," Robin said in a bored tone.

"So, she's the bad guy," Luffy finally concluded, pouting.

"Just stay out of it," Zoro said dryly.

"Just what are your intentions!?" Vivi demanded.

Robin sighed. "Who knows, but you sure are serious about it. I just had to cooperate. A Princess who actually thinks she can make enemies out of Baroque Works and save her country, it was so ridiculous."

Brook narrowed his eyes at Robin's cruel words. This didn't sound the person he had grown to respect and care for. It was like listening to a different person who had the face of his friend.

Vivi gritted her teeth in anger. "You shut your mouth!"

Just as Vivi screamed, Sanji and Usopp came. Sanji held a gun to Robin's head, while Usopp had his slingshot ready.

"What, Sanji's pointing a gun at Robin!?" Chopped exclaimed in disbelief.

"I thought you couldn't hurt a woman," Brook said.

"I can't," Sanji said as he smoked his cigarette.

"But…" Brook started.

"He was bluffing," Zoro said. "The cook could never hurt anyone of the opposite sex. He's just trying to scare Robin."

"Still, to even hold a gun to a lady..." Franky said, still not quite believing what he was seeing.

Zoro and Nami also got their weapons ready while Luffy stood on guard.

Robin looked annoyed at all of them. "Would you mind not pointing such dangerous things at me?"

She used her powers to toss Sanji and Usopp off the railing, while she disabled Nami by knocking her staff out of her hands. Zoro also lost his sword before he knew what was happening.

"A Devil Fruit!?" Zoro in the memory exclaimed in shock.

Zoro sighed at his past self. It was a dishonor how easily he had lost his sword. His inexperience with fruit users was so transparent.

"What? What kind of ability is it!?" Nami in the memory asked, frightened.

Sanji in the memory finally laid eyes on Robin and hearts came out of his eyes. "Wow, looking from here, she's a beautiful woman!"

Robin chuckled at him. She turned her attention back towards Vivi. "Really, do not be in such a rush. I am not under any orders at the moment. So, I have no reason to fight you."

While she was talking, Robin used her ability to casually steal Luffy's hat. She caught it and spun it around lazily in her hand.

"Robin stole Luffy's hat!?" Chopper exclaimed. Robin really was different.

"Damn Robin, did you have a death wish?" Franky asked.

Usopp nodded. "There's no easier way of getting on Luffy's crap list than doing that."

"It's strange seeing you like this again," Nami said to the older woman.

"I must agree. It is like looking at another person," Robin said softly.

"So, you are the famous Strawhat captain," Robin in the memory mused as she looked over Luffy. "Monkey D. Luffy."

"Give back my hat!" Luffy yelled enraged. "You want to fight!"

"You're not welcome here, so get off this ship, you jerk!" Usopp yelled from his hiding place behind the mast.

"What bad luck," Robin in the memory said as she mockingly put Luffy's hat on her head. "You pirates picked up a princess that Baroque Works wants dead and that princess is being protected by such a small number of pirates. Your worst luck, however, is the route your Log Pose is pointing."

Nami looked at the Log Pose in horror.

"The name of the next island is Little Garden," Robin revealed. "My dears, even if we do nothing to stop you, you will not make it to Alabasta. You will be destroyed."

"Who cares, give me back my hat!" Luffy screamed.

"Rushing towards a place where you will die sounds awfully foolish," Robin in the memory said as she tossed something towards Vivi. She also returned Luffy's hat.

"Was Little Garden that bad?" Franky asked.

Nami put her hand on her chin. "We did run into some problems and we were almost killed. Can't say, however, that it was any worse than some of our other adventures."

"I knew that Baroque Works' agents were on the island and I honestly did not believe you could handle them. I also knew that it would have taken the Log Pose over a year to reset and you would be trapped without an Eternal Pose," Robin explained before she paused for a moment. "Plus, the giant goldfish would have mostly killed you if attempted to leave."

Nami nodded in understanding. If it wasn't for Dorry and Brogy, that giant fish would have ate them whole.

"An Eternal Pose," Vivi whispered as she looked at the object in her hand.

"With this, you can avoid Little Garden," Robin said with a smug smile. "This needle points towards Nanimonai Island just short of Alabasta. Since none of our members know this route you will not be followed."

Nami in the memory looked at Robin in shock, while the older woman continued to give her a smug look.

"You know, Robin, I'm been meaning to ask you this for a while, but what exactly is Nanimonai Island?" Nami asked. "I've never seen it mentioned on any sea chart."

Robin lowered her eyes. There was a strange expression on her face. It was a look that Nami had never really seen on the other woman's face. After a few seconds, Nami recognized what the look was. Robin was embarrassed.

"Robin..." Nami started.

"It is nothing to be concern about," Robin said slowly. "I will say that when I gave you that Eternal Pose, I was both testing and demeaning you."

This confused Nami even more.

Luffy walked over to Vivi and grabbed the Eternal Pose out of her hands. He then proceeded to crush it into nothingness. Once nothing remained of the Eternal Pose, he turned to glare defiantly at Robin.

Nami promptly kicked Luffy in the face, knocking him to the deck. "Idiot, are you completely stupid!? She just told us the best way to go! What if she was trying to help us!?"

Luffy stared up at Nami for a moment before he turned his eyes once again towards Robin. "You don't decide the course of this ship!"

They both stared at each other for a few seconds. Neither one of them moved, as if sizing up the other.

"Oh, how unfortunate," Robin in the memory said in amusement, although she did not sound very surprised. In fact, she sounded almost pleased.

Robin gave a small smile, knowing what her past self was thinking. It was the reaction she was expecting from him. She expected no less from a man who carried the name of D.

Nami in the memory was still very upset.

"She blew up the cross-dressing guy. I hate her," Luffy said bluntly.

Robin flinched when she heard Luffy used that word. It hurt hearing how much Luffy disliked her, although she did everything possible to make herself as unlikeable as possible. How times had changed her.

Robin in the memory began to walk off the ship. "Well, I do not like those high spirits. If you survive, let us meet again."

"No," Luffy said bluntly.

This earned a chuckled from Robin.

"Hard to believe how much Luffy went through to save you, given your first meeting," Franky said as he thought about Enies Lobby. His dislike for Robin was almost as bad as his first meeting with Luffy.

"It is something to see," Robin said with a soft smile as she looked at the younger boy. "I guess it shows that once he has accepted you as part of his crew, nothing of the past matters anymore."

Franky nodded. "I also know that for a fact."

The Robin in the memory jumped off the Going Merry and onto an awaiting sea turtle. She sailed away from the Strawhats pirates and the memory ended.

---

Another eventful chapter. We wrapped up the loose ends in East Blue and we are in the Grand Line. We also got the introduction of Vivi and Robin. Of course, all this equals to another ridiculously long chapter. Once again, please do not expect this length to be the norm. I wanted to get so much out of the way since Drum will be coming up and I want that arc to be the primary focus.

Bluebird42, thanks you for your review. I love reading about how my stories are looked forward to and it shows I am doing my job as a writer to keep you coming back for more. I also want to make sure that I give my utmost respect to the source material. Also, you do not need to read my other stories. I just have this habit of connecting everything I write if I can. I think it is because I started writing original series before I began to dabble in fanfiction. I also want this story to be one of those fics that you read again after it is completed to get the full impact that I think is missing when you read per chapter.

whitespiderlilly, thanks for the feedback. If I do use any of the movies, I want to save it as a surprise. Although, movie 6 would be interesting to write. It seems to be a fan favorite despite the general mixed reviews it received from fans. Also, as I rule of thumb I used, I do not mind using filler as long as it does not conflict with the main One Piece story. Kind of like how you will never see me use movie 3 for example.

youshouldn'tneedtoknow, thank you for your feedback. Yeah, I did all of that, hope you like it :)

Mon Esprit Libre, thanks for the review. Also, thanks for the high compliment. I really did put a lot of work to bring to life the Arlong arc given how important it is to the One Piece storyline. It is also one of my favorite story arcs in the series.

Walt-Disney and Anime, thank you for your review and continued support. The Sabo and Nami connection came to me the moment Ace asked the question, 'why didn't we go back for him?". When Ace said that, I immediately thought, 'that's why Luffy never leaves anyone behind'. I could be reading too much into it, but Sabo's death really affected Luffy on many levels that we have seen throughout the series, but never knew the source. To me, that is a mark of a good storyteller when you can look at a series with new eyes after getting a certain piece of information.

As for why didn't I put more interaction in the last chapter with the Strawhats, it happened because Arlong Park is a really emotional story arc and I could not imagine the Strawhats saying much doing those intense moments. So, everything came out as private reflections with me showing the aftermath later. Hope that makes sense.

paws-bells, thanks for the long review. Do not worry, I understand how it feels to be swamped with work. For your review, there was not much I could do with the emotional aspect of the Baratie arc. The flashback with Sanji and Zeff would be Sanji's memories, not Luffy's. I also purposely do not go into detail about every aspect of how the Strawhats joined Luffy. Mostly because this is from Luffy's point-of-view and he tends to skip the little detail. Really, the Strawhats learning more about one another is more of an after effort than a primary focus since this is them trying to know Luffy better and explain his emotional breakdown later on. But I understand your feelings fully about the Baratie.

As for Arlong arc, I knew I would get complaints about not showing all of the Arlong fight and that particular storyline only getting half of a chapter given its important. The reason I skipped the fight except for the map room was because I was trying to keep the emotional-high from Luffy walking into Arlong's Park. I thought the feeling would be somewhat lost if I went into detail into the actual fight given that it did have a lot of humorous moments. For me, personally, the thing that made Arlong Park was that moment in the map room and I wanted to focus on making that the scene to remember. I was not trying to rush, although, I did not want East Blue saga to eat another chapter. I could have made the Baratie arc shorter, but I could not do that since it is Sanji's introduction arc and, unfortunately, Sanji does not have many personal moments with Luffy. Compared to Nami who already had a big introduction chapter with Buggy. So, it was kind of a trade-off.

Neko-VongolaPrimo, thanks for the feedback. Yeah, that part would have been nice; to write about Luffy saying how he depends on his crew. I do kind of regret skipping that part, but I had write out the entire fight with Arlong to get to it, which would have forced me to make another chapter, which would upset some people. Win some, lose some.

Pokabu, thanks for the feedback and telling me about your name change. I would have been saddened to know that one of my long time readers lost interest in this story. I love parallels too and tend to look for them whenever possible. But I think that is because I over-analyse everything to the point of being obsessive. Which is why this fic is so long. I have to admit, I did not realize that parallels of Nami's room with Luffy's house. Looking back, you are correct. He would be especially pissed at Arlong for trapping her in a dead room that mirrored his childhood home.

Lightningblade49, thanks for the review. Glad the fight in the map room made up for the lack of showing the rest of the fight.

blacklightningwolf, thanks for your review. Yeah, the part with Genzo made it :)

spoons-are-evil, thanks for your feedback. I did not really consider Zoro disobeying either until I re-watched the episode when I was preparing for this story. Zoro was on the boat to leave for Nami and he blow Luffy off to fight Mihawk. Looking at the entire series, this is the only time I have seen that he had ever put his personal interest or feelings before Luffy's orders. Maybe I missed a scene, but I cannot find any comparisons. It does, however, highlight the growth of Luffy and Zoro's bond that began to develop in that moment. I also agree with you, I hate Krieg's face. It is so stupid looking.

Chocobaby, thanks for the feedback. Glad you loved the next chapter. Chopper's part will be coming soon. For now, please enjoy Robin and Vivi.

Ruby890, thanks for your feedback. No, there will be no shipping in any kind in this story. If there appears to be a strong underline hint of Lu/Na, it is Oda's fault. I did not add anything in Arlong Park that was not already there to underscore. There is a reason why I thought Luffy and Nami were going to be the official couple when I first started watching One Piece.

Starfire67, thanks for your review. Yeah, the pool scene would not have made it even if I wrote the fight since Luffy kind of died there. Although, I could have traumatized the current Strawhats by making them watch how Luffy downed in that pool. I am twisted like that *cough*. I have no problem with filler unlike some fans, but I will not be including them mostly for time reasons and to make the story more streamline. As for movie 6, yes I have watched it and it currently my favorite One Piece movie, although I have not seen Movie Z yet, which I will once it is subbed. I also hope my writing of Loguetown reached your expectations.

LazyFoxLover, thanks for the review. Sorry that Luffy's wanted poster did not make it. I did not feel that scene was that important given the theme of the story. It does underscore how Luffy became infamous, but that is not the main point of the story. Hope the scene with Genzo makes up for the loss.

MysteriousEyez, thanks for the review. Well, when you write popular stories of this nature, people have certain expectations. Some people want more detail, while others want to go to the main event. I just try to make a story I like to read and can look back on in five years without feeling embarrassed. Although, too bad you are not a fan of the Arlong arc, but we all have our favorites. As for why the Strawhats were shocked at Luffy decking Kreig through spikes, you have to remember that the Strawhat do not see Luffy fight very often. The only time the entire crew watched Luffy fight from beginning to end was against Moriah. Arlong would be the next one with three of the four current Strawhats watching and the last part happened where they could not watch. So, the know Luffy can be stupid and reckless, but they don't see it often enough in his fighting to be immune by his recklessness. Those are my thoughts anyway.

Darkspider, thanks for the feedback. I do agree that Luffy is not as close to Sanji as some of the other Strawhats. I would actually put Nami up there with Zoro in terms of closeness and then Chopper and Usopp. However, I think this happened because Sanji tends to be off-scene more often than naught. Anyway, East Blue was fun because of the lighter moments, but I do look forward to getting to the heavy stuff.

Shiningheart of ThunderClan, thanks you for the feedback. I love that moment too. Although, Robin's 'I want to live' moment is up there too for me. I still get teary eyed watching that moment, especially in the anime with that build up music. One of my favourite of One Piece's tracks.

My Guest reviewer, thanks for the feedback and hope you enjoyed.

SawadaTsukimi, thanks for your feedback. I do agree that the Baratie too was long for my liking, but I think it worked out. Glad you loved the Sabo's part.

Recordatio001, thanks for the review. I agree that the Strawhats were not that talkative last chapter, but they were caught in in the moment. When a scene is particularly emotional, I cannot imagine the Strawhats talking. Hopefully, they were more chatty in this chapter.

EmD23, thanks for the feedback. Yeah, our favorite crew was truly born in Arlong Park. The subtle Luffy/Nami was not on purpose. I try to stay away from shipping. If I had to classified Luffy and Nami's relationship, I would say Luffy sees Nami as the sister he never had, which is why he is kind of protective of her and exploded in Arlong's face among other things.

My other Guest reviewer, thanks for your review. Glad you think my story is good so far. Hope you keep reading.

With that, until next chapter.