Chapter 25
The Thousand Sunny had arrived at the harbor of Water 7.
This also meant the journey journey around the world that Franky had dreamed about for the ship was now finally complete.
In many ways it was another symbolic point on their journey.
And with that, ultimately the last dream of one of the members of the Strawhat crew had been fulfilled. It meant another ending and maybe soon a new beginning. How this would look like? This was something even they were not sure about.
By all rights Franky´s dream had already been realized when they had passed the New World and returned to the East Blue a few months ago. The journey over the Grand Line and New World, the greatest and most dangerous seas, had been over then. It it was the Sunny who had made it.
But technically it was only now, at the point where the Strawhat´s ship had started. The great journey of his ship was now finally completely over.
In the moment the Thousand Sunny had laid anchor and the crew was about to go ashore.
Complete, the world surrounded, the last dream of the last member of their crew fulfilled. That was that ever member of the Strawhats was feeling right now.
As soon as they had stepped on land they were being greeted by the shipwrights and Mayor Iceburg.
"Welcome back Franky and you too Strawhat pirates", he said to them.
The strawhat´s shipwright actually threw his arms around his old friend and co-worker.
"It is so good to see you again", he exclaimed.
Luffy was only laughing as he saw this and some of the other Strawhats also begann to smile.
It didn´t take long for Franky´s old gang to also show up.
"Boss", the two twin girls who had been part of their group shouted at him.
"Big brother", a few others of them called out. "You are back."
"Yes I am back", Franky yelled, "and I am so happy."
The assembled pirates and shipwright crews were watching the teary reunion.
"By the way Strawhat", Iceburg said to Luffy, "There is someone here to see you. They say that they are friends of you."
xxxxxxx
At the same time another group had arrived on the island. Their ship was anchoring in the greatest possible distance from the Strawhats, at the opposite side of the harbor. This was for good reason. Not only did they have a number of known criminals on board, but also some who were in fact known by the Strawhat crew.
For the moment they entered the town in disguise, waiting for the time to show themselves. They would hide themselves for the moment and confront them later.
Two of them were the barely recognizable Selena and the dark haired woman who had welcomed her on the last island a short time earlier, who were just entering the town. Behind this two were walking three men who were at the same time acting as bodyguards and guarding their new ally, since she wasn´t completely trusted yet.
They all were wearing green and black overcoats and sunglasses.
"The Strawhats are here", one of the men informed them.
"Good, they have made it, faster than we thought. Then you can start the demonstration you have promised me sooner than expected", the other woman said to Selena.
"I have told you that I will do it", she replied. "With the money you have offered me you can be assured about my loyalty anyway. And by the way, it is not as if I have anywhere else to go. So I don´t see why you think that this escort", she gestured to her three guards, "is still necessary."
The other woman smiled at her.
"Excuse me for not trusting a woman whose sevices are for hire on the spot. But to be honest I don´t really know what is going on inside your head and I need you. So I don´t take any chances. Don´t worry. I think you will be able to convince me very soon."
xxxxxxx
At the same time the Strawhat pirates were greeted by a strange pair of people, a very strange one.
The first one was a young woman with blond hair who had a striking ressemblance to Nami. She was also wearing a quite revealing outfit. The other was a more than just eccentric looking man with pale skin, upstanding blue hair, a ring through his nose and razor sharp teeth in his mouth.
"Luffy", the girl called out.
"Luffy sempai", the man shouted, "It is so good to see you."
This two were Bartolomeo, a pirate captain, former gangsterboss and probably Luffy´s greatest admirer on the face of the planet and Rebecca, a comrade of the Strawhats and at the same time the princess of Dressrosa and a former gladiator during the reign of DonQuixotte Doflamingo.
Both were two of Luffy´s closest allies.
They had been with them during the final battles at Raftel against the Marines. But they had separated from them for the time being as they had found One Piece. Both of them had volunteered to escord Vice Admiral Smoker with the legendary treasure safely back to Marineford.
The Marine was of course not exactly happy about the idea to travel side by side with pirates, even if it were Luffy´s allies. But even he had to admit that it was safer for their way back through the New World.
"It is really good to see you guys again", Luffy told them laughing.
"We have heard what happened", Rebecca said to him, "the latest battle..." she stated.
"But we knew you would make it master Luffy", Bartolomeo told him, "like always."
"Well, we have won in the end", the Strawhat captain replied, "But the most was done by my father and Kuma this time. They are the reason we are still alive."
"You are always so modest Luffy sempai", Bartolomeo said with a gleam in his eyes.
The Pirate King however was only shuckling once again at his allies nearly fanboyish behavior.
"Vivi, this is Rebecca and this is Bart-guy", he introduced the two to her. "This is Vivi, she is the princess of Alabasta", he said to them. "I think the rest of you already know each other."
"Who in the world are those freaks?" they heard another voice asking.
"Oh yes, I forgot about her", Luffy murmured.
"Rebecca is the princess of Dressrosa", Nami informed her. "I am surprised that you don´t recognize her since you are from this country too."
"This is a princess?" she nearly yelled in shock. She took a closer look at Rebecca who was currently wearing her two parter from her gladiator days that covered very little of her body. Well, she had always known that the Rikku family was common trash. "Aehm, I have never actually met her in person", she then mentioned as an excuse that she didn´t recognize the princess of the country she claimed to come from.
"Sorry, this is our new guest we have taken on board. Her name is Shila", Nami apologized to the others. "She is quite rude."
"I am rude?" she asked outraged.
"Oh yes", Vivi said to her, "you are impolite, arrogant, you treat other people horrible, especially the ones who had only been kind to you and you doesn´t even seem to feel even the slightest bit guilty about it."
Their `guest´ was shaking from anger. Rude? she thought. The alabastian really didn´t have the slightest idea what she was talking about. She didn´t knew that she would like nothing more than to kill everybody here, including her. In every single moment she was here she had to beat down her anger and humiliation.
"But your antics are actually quite funny", the Strawhat captain told her.
"What?" she yelled angrily.
That she actually had to travel with these people of everyone in the world. It was all their fault, that everything had crashed down. First they had hurt her family, later they had completely ruined them.
The Alabasta princess was the only one of them she at least respected as an equal. They were nearly of the same status after all. But that she actually willingly surrounded herself with pirates, fishmen and other lesser beings. She really couldn´t understand how somebody of that rank could soil herself like that. From upstarts like the Rikku family of course you could not expect anything else.
She was doing it again, she realized. No, stop it, she told herself. That is exactly the way of thinking that will get you killed.
"Do you all think like that?" she asked the others after she had caught herself.
"Yes", answered nearly the entire crew like out of one mouth.
"Good, then maybe we should go separate ways from now on", she told them.
That might be the perfect chance to get away from them, she thought.
"No", Luffy replied, "we have promised you that we will bring you home and we will."
Damn, she thought.
"We can not just let you go here alone. There are groups of robbers and bandits in this town", he claimed. "Just ask Usopp. He was beaten up and robbed as we were here the first time."
"Hey", Franky called out, wanting to remind him that it had been his own men who did this and that they were all friends now, but one look from Luffy made him stay silent.
"If you want to go into the town, a few of the others with you as protection."
As he said this he exchanged a look with Zoro and Nami. What it said was clear to all of them. This woman was bad news, keep an eye on her.
xxxxxxx
In some distance the group of strangers was now standing on top of the roof of a building.
"Now Selena", the woman who was leading them said, "let us see what you can do. I hope Blute here had done everything possible to increase your power." She gestured to one of the men next to them.
"I did my best", the man claimed.
"Watch out Yui", Selena said to her. "Since we are allies now, I, just like you, hope that this works." She spread her arm and started to activate her devil fruit powers.
xxxxxxx
Meanwhile the Strawhats had separated into different groups and were walking through the town.
Franky for his part was hanging out with his old gang and with Iceburg. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper, together with Vivi, Rebecca and Bartolomeo, were talking with the foreman Pauly and the other shipwrights.
Brook, who has never been here before, has gone exploring the town by himself.
Sanji and Robin had staid behind to watch the ship for now.
The Strawhat cook had already started to prepare the lunch for today, but at the moment he was asking Robin if she needed something, who was currently sitting on deck, reading a book.
In this moment they saw a single figure walking over the port towards their ship.
Both of them recognized him nearly instantly. But they could barely believe it.
"You", Sanji shouted.
"We see again Black Leg", the man answered.
"I thought you were dead", Sanji said. "Law had told us that he had cut him apart and the entire place had been blown up."
"We have seen people survive quite other things, right", Robin reminded him. "I see you still exist, Vice Admiral Vergo", she greeted him.