Warnings: nothing explicit, violence and cursing

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

YOU CAN SEE ART FOR THIS AT-

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I am a mediocre cactus in need of validation, read this chapter

Chapter 25 – The Sniper

Vivi sits in a patch of afternoon sunlight and watches the strawhats. Watching them is slowly becoming one of her favourite pastimes – watching the smile that lights up Nami's face in their presence, watching their easy, natural conversation. Not for the first time, she finds herself wondering just how they got this close within only a few months. They all seem to work as seamlessly as some mismatched machine, moving in strange tandem, reacting to each other in ways so well-used and well-known that they almost seem worn with time.

Today, however, none of them are smiling. Zoro's face is masked with a permanent scowl directed at the note, as if it's the source of all of his problems. Luffy looks a strange mixture between shaken and curious, hands folding and unfolding in his lap, fiddling with the edge of his t-shirt as if he can't bear to keep his hands still. The others look somewhere between scared (Chopper), disdainful (Sanji) and disturbed (Franky and Brook).

Nami's face, however, draws Vivi's eyes immediately. The thief is staring at the slip of paper in the centre of the table with a distinctly contemplative look, as if she's trying to decide whether she should say something. Vivi knows one thing straight away; she knows something.

"What do you think, Vivi?"

The blue-haired girl jumps, shaken out of her thoughts by Luffy's question. She hadn't expected them to ask her about it – she's not exactly a part of the group. Still, she answers, "I don't know. But if somebody managed to get past all of you and get a note into the sheath of that katana, then the chances are they're very quick. They might have left the island already – Bushido-san, when was the last time you unsheathed your sword?"

Cocking an eyebrow at the nickname but making no comment, Zoro replies, "A few days ago. But I haven't left it alone, even when I'm sleeping. There's no way anybody could've gotten to it when I was awake, so…"

"So they must have been invisible!" chips in Luffy, looking carefree again, as if the shock that previously emanated from him is gone.

"No – the mosshead must have been sleeping, dumbass!"

"Guys, let Vivi talk!" Nami interrupts, sensing an argument about to break out. "So if it could have been a couple of days since the note was planted, then they should be far away from Kaira by now, right?"

"Yes – that is, unless they only planted it a few hours ago. Last night was the most recent time they could have gotten to it without detection."

"Should we scour the island?"

"Just to be safe, I think that would be the best option. Should we-"

Before Vivi manages to finish her sentence, there's a sharp knock on the door. All the strawhats and Vivi are sitting in a circle on the dusty floor of the old warehouse where, years ago now, Vivi and Ace made plans to usurp the head of the feudal dictatorship that once ruled her island. After all this time, it would seem that her diplomatic flare has never faded, nor her talent for tactics and levelheadedness.

Vivi stands to open the door but before she can, it is sent flying inwards. On the other side, a teen with purple hair is panting slightly, looking urgent. She nods to Nami in assent, as if they know each other quite well.

"Carina?" Nami asks, standing and tucking her orange hair behind her ear. "What is it?"

"We caught somebody trying to sneak off the island – we're holding him in Kohza's basement. The others want to see you all," Carina replies hurriedly, before stepping back from the door to let the strawhats file out. Brook has to duck comically just to keep from hitting his head on the doorframe, and Franky barely fits, but they manage it in the end and set off towards the house of whoever 'Kohza' is.

When they arrive, the hallways of the house are congested with what looks like the entirety of the village's population, all lined up to see what all the drama is about. Holding onto each other like some kind of snake, the strawhats, Carina and Vivi edge through the crowd and towards a flight of wooden stairs – then down, through a door and out into a cellar.

It takes a moment to take in the sight they're met with. A few villagers, assumedly the leaders, stand around a form bound on the floor. They're wriggling furiously, never slowing, fighting with all their might to free themselves from the ropes. The strangest thing about the person is the fact that they're wearing a round, intensely realistic mask resembling the head of a fox, and it wraps around their whole head like a fury globe. They don't speak nor scream, and make no sound except for the rustling of their clothes as they move. Their body is distinctly male, and lacks much muscle.

"What the hell?" Sanji asks first, stepping forwards but steering clear of the stranger tied up on the ground. There's a strange look on his face, something out of place among the other strawhats, and Vivi mentally catalogues it. "Has he been wearing that mask since you captured him?"

"Yep," replies a sandy-haired young man grimly, who Sanji vaguely recognises as Kohza. "None of us can get it off him, and he won't stop struggling. He doesn't seem to ever lose energy."

"Has he spoken?" asks Nami.

"Not a word. We found him down at the port, trying to steal a boat. What do you think we should do?"

Vivi steps forward, walking briskly around the body and cataloguing anything she can. Tanned, eastern skin. Curly black hair, skinny limbs and brown overalls, covering what is most likely a teenage body. He's just a little taller than Luffy, though not by much, and lacks the muscle that subtly lines most of the strawhats from years of experimentation, military service or thievery. There's a long, nasty looking burn scar on his left wrist, gleaming pale in the light of the basement, snaking up towards his elbow and out of sight. On the side of his neck is a small, red tattoo comprised what looks like the face of a fox, painted in abstract.

Altogether, aside from the tattoo and the bizarre mask, the guy looks pretty normal. Even burn scars are common nowadays, what with all of the eastern immigrants streaming in, running from the Terror. "There's not much unusual about him, except for that tattoo. Does anybody recognise it?"

Vivi can feel the room leaning in to get a closer look, and they all take a peak, all shaking their heads. Nobody has a clue what this strange symbol is. Even Brook, who's always seemed to know about the strangest of things, shakes his head with a frown.

"Alright," Nami says, taking charge, "Have some people scour the island and make sure that he had no accomplice. My crew and I will try to find out who he is, and if we don't manage it, we can keep him here until we find a way to take his mask."

Kohza twitches slightly at the word 'crew', exchanging looks with the other adults in the room, before nodding and turning on his heel to leave. Soon, only Vivi and the strawhats remain, crowded around the strange intruder. They glance at each other, uncertain on what to try first, not sure whether to talk lest the stranger hear them.

"Okay," Zoro starts with a sigh. "Look. You can either take off your mask and tell us who you are and who you're working for, or I'll cut off the mask and take your head along with it."

"Zoro, no," at least five voices reply immediately. The swordsman skilfully ignores all of them.

"He can't even get the stupid mask off on his own anyway! They tied him down!" pipes up Luffy unhelpfully.

"I guess cutting it off will have to work then." The grin on Zoro's face is `utterly feral. Before he can move to unsheathe the three katana at his side, however, the intruder goes abruptly, horribly still, as stiff as a board. All eyes land on him. The stranger stays perfectly still for a second longer, before suddenly, he convulses violently and goes limp.

The fox mask seems to detach itself from his neck and rolls limply off his head and to the floor. Underneath it is the tanned face of a teen around Luffy's age, with a very long nose, comically round lips and curly black hair scraped back from his face, covered by a dull yellow-brown bandana. He's out cold, dead to the world. On the whole, he looks incredibly, anticlimactically normal. The round mask rolls to a stop near Sanji's feet, and he aims an unusually vicious kick at it, startling Chopper. It smacks into the wall with a thump and something inside it cracks.

"Told you it would work," says Zoro, breaking the silence.

"You didn't even do anything, jackass!" And suddenly Zoro and Sanji are fighting again, just like always. However, this time Vivi can't just sit back and observe. This time, her gaze is trained on the unconscious teen on the ground. She gasps suddenly when the difference that she can see finally fits.

"Hey, look at his neck!"

Multiple pairs of eyes turn to look at the stranger's neck, where there used to be a small, red tattoo. 'Used to' being the key word. Now, there's only a flat expanse of plain, dark skin.

"Huh, that's… weird." Nami lingers beside Vivi for a second, before stepping forwards to start to untie the strange teen. Catching Vivi's alarmed look, she says, "It's not like he can hurt anybody with these monsters around," gesturing to the other strawhats flippantly. Vivi follows her gaze with an uncertain nod, all the while noting that Sanji still has that strange look on his face.

It takes two days for the unusual boy to wake up and by the time he does, Luffy is close to bursting with curiosity about his identity. So, the first thing Usopp sees when he wakes up is a young, eager face hovering inches above him, brown eyes staring into his own, black hair sticking up in every direction. It takes the other teen a minute to process just what he's seeing, blinking sleep out of his eyes, before he jerks back with a yell. Feeling his forehead collide with the forehead of the boy, Usopp gives a shout of pain and clutches the abused area, scrambling backwards on the bed.

"Hi!" Not seeming to notice the other teen's panic, the strange boy beams at Usopp, legs crossed under himself. "You've been asleep for ages!"

"I- I have?" Taking a second to get his bearings, Usopp takes in his surroundings; he's lying on a bed at the far end of a majorly empty warehouse, and only he and the small boy are in the room. Outside the high windows, the sky is a brilliant blue.

"Where am I?" Usopp finds himself asking, tongue heavy in his mouth, running a hand back through his hair as a sudden wave of nausea hits him.

"This is Vivi's old place! She doesn't live here anymore, but she still owns it so I guess we thought we'd put you here till you woke up." The smaller teen tilts his head to the side, the image of innocent curiosity. "Hey, why did you put that weird note in Zoro's sword sheath? If you wanted to tell him something, you could'a just told him. I mean, he's a bit deaf at times, but I'm sure he would've heard you."

"Note?" Usopp asks, suddenly caught off-guard. "What note? And who's Zoro?"

"You know - the one about a bomb that you planted in the sheath of Wado?" With every word the boy says, Usopp gets still more confused.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," he says bluntly after a second, bandana feeling hot and sticky against his hair.

"Okay... Well, what's the last thing you remember?" the boy tries, as if that's going to work. Usopp's brain feels slow and sluggish, as if he's been using it far too rigorously and now it refuses to obey him.

"I think... I was just leaving Akagami's Archipelago to head north. And some weird person with a hood over their face came over to me, like they were going to greet me or something, and then everything went dark." Usopp scrunches up his face, confusion flooding through him. "Why? And how did I get here? I mean, where even are we?"

"Oh, yeah. Well we're on an island in the north-east, in a town called Kaira. And you got here with some weird fox mask on, and you put this mystery note in my friend's katana sheath, and then we managed to capture you before you got off the island. Then the fox mask came off, and then I guess you've been sleeping for a few days here."

If anything, that explanation did nothing but make Usopp still more confused. "Wait, fox mask? Are you sure?"

"Yep! I'm pretty sure Vivi kept the mask, actually, so it might be around here if you wanna see it." The boy grins again. "By the way, I'm Luffy!"

Taking the outstretched hand cautiously, Usopp shakes it, keeping his eyes on the boy's. "I'm Usopp."

Suddenly, the door at the other end of the warehouse bursts open and a girl with long orange hair steps in, glancing around until her eyes land on Usopp and Luffy in the corner. She looks shocked for a minute, before giving a groan of pure exasperation and striding over, pulling Luffy off the bed and smacking him upside the head. "What did I say about making friends with the enemies?!

"But he's not an enemy!" Luffy replies indignantly, even though the smack obviously didn't hurt that much. "He doesn't even remember why he was wearing that stupid mask, or why he came here, or anything at all!"

"Yeah, sure he doesn't." The redhead fixes Usopp with a glare, lip curling slightly in mistrust. "Believable. Really."

"Well, what am I supposed to say?!" Usopp shoots back, incredulous. "I really don't remember anything! And I don't know anything about a fox mask, or a note, or anything else you people are talking about!"

Luffy nods in assent, even though logically, he has no idea whether Usop is lying or not. Then again - logic has never exactly been a huge function in Luffy's though process. "He's telling the truth! The last thing he remembers is leaving Shanks' archipelago and then seeing some weird person, and then he woke up here!" Suddenly, Luffy's face breaks out in curiosity. "Hey, do you think he was mind controlled?" He turns to Usopp eagerly. "Were you mind controlled?!"

"I don't know!" Usopp shoots back, still breathing heavily, looking harried and panicked. "I don't know anything about all this! I don't even know how long it's been since I left the archipelago! I swear!"

The girl pins the teen with a scathing look, as if she's trying to x-ray him with her eyes, before sighing and nodding, backing down. "Fine. Let's say I believe you. But if you try anything, just know that any of us could kill you."

Shivering, Usopp nods hurriedly and says, "Who's 'us'?"

"We're pirates!" Luffy supplies, climbing up the bed to sit beside him with a grin. "That's Nami - she's a little grumpy, but she won't hurt you - and then we've got Zoro and Chopper and Brook and Franky and Sanji and Vivi!"

"You know Vivi hasn't actually joined us, right?"

"She will." Luffy says it with a kind of assuredness that makes Usopp feel like what he's saying is a fact, undisputable, even though it most likely isn't. Then, he's pinned with that broad smile again and the pirate says, "Come on! I want you to meet them all!"

As if on cue, the door swings open yet again and this time, two older teens walk in, bickering with each other so viciously that they appear not to notice that there's anybody else in the warehouse. One has slightly shaggy blonde hair, falling across one eye, and a single swirling eyebrow. The other has short, green hair, and a permanent scowl - his skin is as tanned as Usopps, clueing him in to where this man is originally from - and is wearing three swords at his hip. Both of them only pause in their arguing when they notice Usopp staring at them.

"What're you looking at?" the green-haired one says, raising an eyebrow, and Usopp gulps heavily, suddenly acutely aware of the pounding of his heart against his ribs.

"Probably the grass growing on your head, mossball!" the other says angrily, as if trying to get back at him for a previous jibe or insult – or draw the attention away from Usopp, for some reason. Something inside Usopp feels like he should recognise him, but he doesn't.

"What did you say, you girly fuck?!"

"I said-"

"Hey, guys, this is Usopp!" Luffy calls, breaking up the argument with the air of somebody who has had to do it time and time again. "He says he didn't mean to put the weird note with Wado, Zoro! And he might have been mind controlled. How cool is that?!"

"Cool enough to sound fake," the blond replies evenly and when he turns, Usopp realises for the first time that he's missing his left arm, right from the armpit. "You seriously believe that, Luffy?"

"I mean, stranger things have happened." Shrugging, the smaller teen hops off the bed lightly. "Our crew of pirates is made up of a thief, a swordsman, four muts and an amputee ex-solder."

Nami rubs her forehead, as if trying to ward off a headache. "You really do know how to put things in perspective, captain," she says, in a manner that makes it obvious that she isn't complimenting him.

Still, the kid takes it as that much. "Thanks, Nami!" He claps his hands as if to say, 'down to business'. "Okay, let's go meet the others! I bet you'll like them!"

Usopp doesn't move, however. His mind is whirling with a thousand and one revelations. It feels like he's woken up after a century of slumber, and the whole world has moved on in his absence. Maybe soon he'll wake up to find that all this was some stupid, convoluted dream.

Luffy seems to sense his inner turmoil, however, and his face softens slightly. His wild grin is whittled down into a soft, knowing smile that somehow retains his childish joy. Moving quickly, he sits back down on the bed in front of Usopp and smile right up at him, brown eyes warm. "We'll find out what happened to you," he says, as if he knows exactly what's going through his head and exactly how to stop is whirling, churning thoughts. "But until then, don't you want to travel with us?"

Usopp's lips form a 'yes' before he can even think about what he's agreeing to, and Nami and Zoro exchange knowing looks. The sniper doesn't notice Sanji's measuring stare as he stands and allows Luffy to tug him out of the room.

The strawhats, Usopp decides, are some of the coolest people he's ever met.

Luffy is wild and free in every way possible, always smiling, bright as the sun in his seemingly eternal excitement. Zoro and Sanji bicker a lot, and both are honestly terrifying at times, but they each have a personality, and know how to carry the most interesting conversations. Nami is shrewd at times, withdrawn and sometimes mistrustful, but soon Usopp meets her friendly, cheerful side. She's incredibly intelligent when it comes to navigation and tactics, and most likely knows it, but doesn't flaunt her gifts. Chopper is eager to hear stories from Usopp – about how he's a great, widely known pirate, and about the eight thousand troops he commands – and is fun to spend time with, kind of like a younger brother. Franky is the first cyborg Usopp has ever met, and he certainly lives up to and exceeds his expectations. Brook tells great stories and plays great music, and being friends with a skeleton is both unusual and strangely exhilarating. Vivi, who insists that she hasn't joined but probably has, is diplomatic and logical, but caring and pleasant in her own way.

Altogether, they're all a lot of fun. Usopp, who's been wandering with no particular destination for years and years, decides that he would love to travel with the small band of pirates; that is, if they'll take him. Aside from an inexplicable talent with his slingshot, the teen hasn't got the strength nor fighting capability of the rest of the strawhat pirates (why they're called that, he has no idea, but has decided to roll with it). He just doesn't feel strong or unusual enough to be a part of their world. Everything about the group is weird and wonderful - something that Usopp isn't in any way.

Right now, Usopp is squeezed onto the end of a couch in Vivi's living room, being practically sat on by Chopper as he, Luffy, Sanji and Zoro all sit side-by-side. Across the room, Nami and Vivi are sitting in a large armchair together, and Franky and Brook are sitting on the other couch. Outside, the night is dark and still, the air tinged with the heavy scent of sea salt. Only a few lanterns on the table in the middle of them room serve as a source of light, but the room itself if warm, heated by the nine people all piled into it. The group are playing cards in four teams: Franky and Brook, Nami and Vivi, Sanji and Luffy, and Zoro, Usopp and Chopper.

"Cheat! That was cheating, bastard!"

"As if, dartbrow, you're just saying that to impress Vivi!"

"Oi! Bros, you might want to concentrate on the game!"

Chopper turns to look up at Usopp. "See?" he says quietly, "They do trust you."

"What makes you think that?" Usopp replies, before pressing himself closer to the arm of the sofa and Sanji and Zoro begin to fight, a laughing Luffy squashed between them.

"They wouldn't act like this in front of people they didn't trust. And Luffy wouldn't have asked you to join if he didn't know you're a good guy."

"Yeah, well, Luffy isn't exactly a genius."

Chopper tilts his head to the side in a manner very similar to that of the boy they're talking about. "He would know, I think," he whispers back, as across the room, Nami and Vivi burst into excited shouts.

"Team Skelebro, have you got any sixes?!" Nami calls, almost jumping out of her chair. Evidently, they've found a way to make that last match.

"Alas, Nami-san, I think Team Kaira Girls has won this one!" Brook practically sings, handing over two cards. Both girls whoop, slamming their last four cards down on the table.

"Congratulations, Nami-swan, Vivi-chwan!" Sanji calls enthusiastically, noodling out of his seat, metaphorical love hearts practically dancing around his head.

"Aww, I was betting on Team Sanlu!" Luffy crosses his arms with a pout, but doesn't look particularly upset about the result.

"You can't bet on your own team, Luffy!" replies Usopp, "If you could, I would have bet on team Chop-sopp!"

"I still wanted to call us 'Team Sword'," mutters Zoro, standing and stretching, clicking out the kinks in his spine.

Soon, the topic of discussion within the group dissolves into menial, meaningless conversation. As the group talk, three people speaking at once but somehow managing to carry a conversation, Ussop glances around at each of them. Where did they all come from? Luffy and Zoro have the complexion to be eastern, and Sanji's faint accent screams 'west'. Nami and Vivi are most likely from Kaira, what with the way they act when it comes to the village, but Chopper, Franky and Brook are inconclusive (maybe the south? Usopp has no idea).

"Yeah!" Luffy's saying, "Edgetown was bombed about four years ago!"

"Wait, that's not right…" Usopp suddenly chips in, drawing the gazes of strawhats. "That was only three years ago, right?"

"…No, I don't think so," Vivi replies, half-standing from her chair. "I think I've got the newspaper clipping around here somewhere from when I met Ace, hang on…"

She stands and walks out of the room, and it only takes a minute or so for her to return, holding a rectangular piece of newspaper. "Here. It says 'March 12th, four years ago. See?"

"No, that was March 12th, three years ago, right?"

Vivi holds the paper out for him. "'Earth year, 423'. That was four years and a few months ago."

"It's… It's only 426, right?" A jolt hits Usopp, the return of that dizzying feeling that he's waking up after a millennium of sleep. The rest of the strawhats stare at him, some in perplexion, others in concern. He stands, even though he doesn't know where he's going.

Nami stands and moves across the room slowly, as if he's a cornered animal. "It's May, 427, Usopp." She puts a hand on his arm from her place now standing beside him. "Are you saying it was a year ago when you had that mask put on you?"

Usopp opens his mouth to answer, then closes it again, before abruptly realising that the floor is slipping out from under him. Muted yells break out around him, fuzzy like they're coming from a broken radio, and the ceiling swings up above him like a dull brown kaleidoscope.

With that, the world dissolves into grey and Usopp faints on the spot.

You might have been able to tell but Teams 'Skelebro', 'Kaira Girls', 'Sanlu' and 'Chop-sopp' were heavily inspired. And I'm probably going to refer to them so much that you'll hate me in the future. But oh well – I like how this chapter came out! It's one of my favourites when it comes to revelations and, just FYI, you might want to check back through the chapters to see if you can spot a character who I consistently compared with a fox. There is one! And they're a very big part of the last arc.

Amelia Pan, Chapter 24, Jun 13:

Okay, so review... as promised. Zoro's story made me wanna scream, POOR Perona! and obviously Mihawk is THE DAD here. When Sanji came up, I really expected to find out more about his past and his link to Sabo, but I guess this is good enough, for now. And 'Strawhat' Luffy, hmmmm... 49... hmmm (see what I'm doing when I have THE biggest exam of the year tomorrow?Could it be related to the number of the Gifted one that started the Golden Age of Pirates? Was that one's number 49? (you said they were numbered at birth) And it remained in history like a bad omen or something. Like... when number 49 shows up again everything will go to hell! IdkMaybe Luffy is 49's reincarnation and Shanks knew.
I'm a bit smug regarding my theory about Sabo and the traitor being close to the truth (please don't tell me Sabo IS the traitor)
Anyway, I should probably go to sleep now, for 4 or 5 hours at least, before going to my death (aka exam) tomorrowI hope inspiration finds you soon!

Heyo, thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you're just as sad about Zoro's backstory as I am, it is indeed very cruel of me ;_; and yeah, the dad was obvious as hell wasn't he? As for Sanji… there's a lot to be revealed about the guy, and I dropped a few hints about him in this chapter. *covers own mouth so I stop blabbing spoilers*

Did your exam go well?! Fuck now im nervous for you T-T I hope it went okay! As for 49 – some of your ideas are pretty close, but you haven't got it yet. I'm sure you will, though! Nobody's completely guessed yet and that makes me feel powerful. And sabo isn't exactly 'close' to the traitor… YET. Can't say any more!

Yes, get some sleep! and I hope your exam went well, ily!

ScandinavianTrash:

Oooooooh a nice(well, not the "nice" as in good memories "nice," but you get what I mean) pasts conversation
No, I mean like: did you choose the number 49 randomly or did you actually do some thinking/research to result in that number?
At least you got rest and I'm glad my advice helped you~

Heyo! Don't worry, I got your pm so it's all good. And I'm glad you liked the pasts! Yes, I was horrible to them ;_; and 49… I mean, it doesn't really have much meaning beyond the context of the story – my intention was to choose a completely irrelevant number – but it would be really cool to see if there's any historical context to go with it.

Thank you for reviewing! Hopefully my pace will be back up soon :D

Guest, Chapter 24 , Jun 13:

So I'm close with the 49 theories and Roger seems very connected to it after this chapter.
I loved learning more about their backstories, Zoro's especially you know he's one of my faves and thw little details with Chopper are precious.
I've read something about Shanks in your replies, please let him see the reunion because I'm definitely NOT ready for what was said. Take your time writing if you're having trouble and remember you don't need to draw the scene if you don't have time.

Hey friend!

I'm so glad you liked the chapter! It seems to have been well received all round so my worries about it were for nothing :) Shanks,,,,,,damn, I'm really horrible to the characters ain't I? yeah, all I can say is that some people might not make it out of the explosion that's coming…

Enough said about that! I'm struggling just to draw chapter covers rn, but I swear I'll get to it soon! Again, I'm really glad you're liking this and thank you very much for reviewing! Ily!

7, Chapter 24, Jun 13:

Omg your story makes so many feels. I really hope everyone gets what they want. Poor ace (and probably sabo) I hope they will be together again. I'm sure I'm wrong but all I can come up with so far is luffy and co are reincarnations from generation to generation ( 49 times?). Luffy is the man in brooks story who liberates the world over and over across lifetimes and when he dies he is reborn to fight the government. Fate draws him back to his friends and brothers so he can continue onwards for freedom. Lol I'm just guessing. And now I know I'm reading too far into it but 4913 Ooh scary unlucky number. (I'm sorry I just had a math midterm) that's cool tho. I like your story I can't wait to read more.

Heya! I'm glad I'm giving you Emotions, that's what I'm here for and it's great to get feedback like this c': I hope they'll be back together soon but alas, that probably won't happen for a while since ace is off flying into the sun and sabo is absolutely FUCKED THE FUCK UP. *coughs* and as for the reincarnation idea – it's a really cool idea, and I would love to write this in hindsight, but sadly it's not what I had planned. But I do love it!

Anyway, I'm so sorry about your maths midterm ;_; if it helps, I'm in the thick of my exams rn too so I totally feel for you. Thanks so much for reviewing, and I'm really glad that you like this!

Kawaii Snowdrop, Chapter 24, Jun 13:

Hmm, this whole shady 49 business has all of us acting like detectives XD. Judging by Brook being highly surprised (perhaps a tad incredulous?) that Luffy doesn't know what the number made me at first think that the boy himself was the young man in the story and that he just lost his memories somehow (which was a ridiculous thought since we actually witnessed his birth in the story and watched him grow up, silly me). However, the way the creepy notes the crew's been getting always end on a #49 reminds me strongly of a signature (don't judge me if I'm being slow, it's been a long day XD) so my guess is that Roger - because who else do you think of the second you mention "age of pirates"? - is alive, but with malicious intent? But if that's true that he's alive, then what the heck has he been doing all this time so that nobody knows who he is, unless the government covers it up well or something. And what is his connection to Luffy/ASL? Maybe he just wants his hat back who knows.
On another note, dang you for doing an Oda: making a character promise they won't die to make future plot lines as painful as possible. I'm still not over Ace's death because of that ;-; (but keep up the good work all the same, I'm on the edge of my seat XD)

Yes, you're all detectives and I feel like a freakin evil overlord :') and as for your idea about luffy being the man in the story – it's what a lot of people have gone for, surprisingly, and while it's a really cool idea it's not exactly what I'd planned. As for roger… well, let's say roger had a gift. What would it be? Would it somehow enable him to leave behind some kind of legacy, or prophecy?

Damn, I keep spoiling it all! Anyway, did I pull an oda? Or did I double bluff? Idk, you'll just have to read on and find out~

Thanks so much for reviewing! Ilysm!

ariririsu, Chapter 24, Jun 14:

psst! i was ms. shove a cactus up my ass ! who didn't know she wasn't logged on whoops!
great update as always! and writer's block is understandable, it's such a pain in the ass. us fans will be alright (i think, don't count on it)! i mean, it's not like we'll go up in arms, tAKE A BUNCH OF TORCHES AND PITCHFORKS AND HUNT YOU DOWN FOR NOT SATISFYING OUR NEEDS
*cough* anywho! ;)
i have a hunch that the traitor isn't someone that anyone knows because she's always in disguise.. honestly, i would say the traitor is Robin since you mentioned her earlier on, and i would think that Koala is somehow associated with her... but i mean, im just guessing D:
alSO HOLY SHIT NAMI NOOOOO MY POOR BABY
IM SO FUCKING MAD LUFFY BETTER LIVE UP TO THE 49 LEGACY AND BEAT EVERYONE'S WRINKLED ASSHOLES
i actually thought, when you mentioned sexual assault, that it was going to be Perona who was assaulted and it's what caused her to die! but dAMN what a reveal of stories! and i swear ill draw something! i swear!

Heya! Ayy, you were the cactus anon? fuck yeah! I laughed at that review for hours! Thanks so much for leaving it, you're awesome! and as for you guys grabbing your pitchforks… should I be concerned? I feel like I should be concerned. Damnitt. *is slightly scared*

*lowers voice* don't tell any of the other reviewers, but I might be planning a little double-bluff when it comes to betrayal. I mean, you'll most likely see somebody betray the group and be like 'was that it? Wow anti-climax or what lol' but I'd just keep your eyes peeled after that happens… just in case

AND YES, THOSE BACKSTORIES WERE ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIC. I'M SO SORRY I FEEL LIKE I'VE COMMITED A GODDAMN CRIME. FORGIVE ME.

Thank you very very much for offering to draw something, I really appreciate it! The lovely, incredibly Laludofan recently drew some stuff for this fic and I spent half an hour muttering 'holy crap' in an overjoyed voice, so that should tell you how happy art makes me :') thank you for reviewing, you're awesome!

3D.2why chapter 24 . Jun 15

bruh, this story confused the hell outta me until I realized it was a wHOLE OTHER WORLD! Can't lie I want all the strawhats together and if you read the manga SPOILER ALERT BUT I DNT FEEL BAD JK another person joins the crew so maybe you will or won't add THAT person. Koala is suspicious and Robin is MIA and I will never find any foredhadowing because I'm too... (dnt wannna insult myself) ... but anyway the stuff with #49 is too much and maybe Roger is a ghost, I really don't know but in the middle of the streets I'll probably be shouting a weird theory when I actually start to think of one. I kinda wanted to fight you when Ace was flying Pidge (coulda been Marco) and HE WAS RIGHT ABOVE LUFFY LIKE DAMMIT! Also that picture of Sabo and honestly, I don't know if they're gonna be in it (garp, dragon) and I'm kinda curious with the Sabo and Ace situation because I'm in the middle of making a twin story for them. I also hope the crew run into Law who has Luffy's Strawhat as well. Anyway my fingers are aching (I sprout more lies then Robin does hands) but have a good day!

Hey! Yeah, I included a note about it being au at the start of the first chapter but it's fine if you skipped it – I skip A/N's too tbh. And are you talking about jinbei? Welllll he may or may not turn up… he's so nice and badass and UGH I can't help but include my absolute fish uncle. As for roger being a ghost and 49 – I can't give away much, but him being a ghost certainly is an interesting concept. And please, shout that theory! I'll hear it! Hopefully

Law! Yeah, they'll meet him soon enough. But I don't know if he'll be all you lot are expecting. Idk, you'll have to wait to find out ;)

Rest your hands! Thank you for the long lovely review, ily!

(PS I spent about five minutes laughing helplessly at your username. Brilliant. Incredible. Ily. )

zoewinter1, Chapter 24, 19h ago:

late review is late because I'm tired and slow haaa i really loved this chapter! I've been curious about the details behind their various stories so its nice to a bit more of whats been going on... and LUFFY IS A TIMEBOMB? WHAT KINDA BS FORESHADOWING... aha i kid but seriously i love your mystery surrounding everything it makes the whole world more interesting cuz you just dont know whats going on. take your time on the chapters, watch some if your favourite show, take a break from writing for a few days and i promise you'll feel better . i found that going for long walks in nature really helped, along with the website write or die if you get REALLY stuck (if you put it on kamikaze mode it starts deleting your writing if you stop typing for more than a few seconds, so it forces you to just get anything down. also interesting because you have no idea where your scenes will take you when you're forced to write like that)

heyo friend!

I'm really glad you liked the chapter, even if it was mostly just sad exposition lmao. AND YEAH THAT FORESHADOWING I KNOW RIGHT I'M SO EVIL

*coughs* moving on, I'm also happy you like the mystery! And trust me, there are a lot of mysteries. A LOT. be prepared for revelations, revolutions and reunions left right and centre all through sabo's arc.

Thanks so much for reviewing, I'll try to take your advice! You're the best :D

(PS: OH CHRIST I JUST TRIED 'WRITE OR DIE' KAMIKAZE MODE AND HOLY FUCK. IT'S AMAZING BUT REALLY SCARY. I DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT. FUCK)

(PPS: i've been keeping up Control, and i'm loving every word. one of the best OP fics I've ever read without a doubt, seriously. 10/10. i love you and your reviews and especially your writing)