It has been a few hours since the Straw Hats left Shimotsuki village. Zoro had finally come back down and was about to go talk to Robin. He found her sitting in a lawn chair on the grass deck reading one of her many books.
"Robin" Zoro said
Robin put down her book to acknowledge the younger swordsman. "Yes" she said
"I'm sorry about earlier."
"Why are you apologizing?"
"I just walked off without giving you an explanation."
"You don't have to tell me what's going on if you don't want to."
"I know. Can I sit down?"
Robin sat up in her chair to make room for the marimo.
"I was going to tell you when I got back to the ship. But I was having trouble believing it myself."
"What happened that would be so difficult to believe?"
"What I am going to tell you will sound crazy."
"I'm listening. But it can't be all that ridiculous with all that we have seen while traveling in the New World."
"Alright. When I was little my friend and rival died, we had promised each other that one day one of us would become the greatest swordsman in the world. Somehow her spirit came back and appeared in front of me while I was paying my respects."
Robin didn't say anything. She sat there and looked at her significant other. "That is certainly one of the more morbid and interesting things that could happen in this world."
"You don't think I'm crazy?"
"Of course not. It must have been quite a site to get you so shaken up."
"It was surreal. I mean a friend who has been dead for over a decade comes back to see me and say goodbye."
"Maybe she had always been there. She could have had some sort of regret that kept her here. Maybe seeing you after all this time she was finally able to cut her ties to this world and she was finally able to rest in peace and move on. I mean we have a living skeleton who spent a year as a spirit in the florian triangle."
"You know, that sounds as reasonable as anything."
"Another possibility is that Brook could have discovered another ability. His fruit allowed his soul to go back to his body after he died, giving him a second chance at life. Even just as a skeleton Brook still walks and talks. He is living proof that nothing is impossible. Who is to say that his power can't bring back a dead persons spirit for a small amount of time."
"With all of the devil fruits out there that one just makes more sense than the regret. I mean we have seen people do the impossible with devil fruit powers before. You know, there was something else that really shocked me."
"What was that?"
"She said she loved me."
"Could you tell what kind of love?"
"No idea. She just said I love you."
"It sounds like it was a romantic sort of love. How do you feel?"
"I'm not sure how to feel. It's been so long since she died. I may have loved her all those years ago and not known it. But she's not the one I love today. That's you." Zoro said before he grabbed Robin by the waist, pulled her in close and kissed her. Robin reciprocated the kiss and they stayed lip locked for a few moments before they separated.
"Nothing wrong with past love. But live in the here and now."
"Can't argue with you there." Zoro said. "Now that that is settled, what did I miss while I was drinking in the crows nest?"
"Luffy decided we are going to Shells Town before we go to Syrup Village."
"Why Shells Town?"
"What happened there?"
"You remember the blond guy who works with Coby?"
"Helmeppo?" Robin asked
"Yeah, that's him. When I met him he was a brat who used his fathers name to do whatever he wanted."
"He was the son of a Marine?"
"His dad is Ax hand Morgan. He was as corrupt as they come. He believed he was superior to everyone in town. I don't really know what he did but the people feared him. One day I was minding my own business, eating lunch when Helmeppo and his pet wolf walk in. He demands free food and lets his wolf walk around. This thing just looked crazy. It was attacking people so I killed the damn wolf. He gets pissed and wants to have this mother and daughter strung up. I don't think he wanted them dead but he wanted to teach them a lesson."
"Let me guess, you took their place. Sometime later Luffy finds his way there by sheer dumb luck and saves you."
"Yeah, that sounds about right. I was real stubborn back then…" Zoro was going to continue but was interrupted.
"Back then?" Robin asked
"Ok, fine. I am still stubborn. Either way Luffy was going to free me, I refused his help. Luffy went somewhere after he saved the little girl whose place I took. Luffy and Coby came back and told me Helmeppo decided he was going to kill me. They ended up saving me even though I objected to the help. I ended up fighting the Marines to get out of the courtyard and by doing that I labeled myself a criminal. Luffy and I beat Morgan and set the town free."
"I assume the little girl is the one we are going to see?"
"Would have to be her. I don't know who else Luffy met back then."
They continue on sailing for a day. It was a little after one in the afternoon the next day when they made it to Shells Town. They sailed into port. Franky prepped the ship so they could leave easily if the townspeople's reaction to them was less than super.
"This is going to be a quick stop then we will continue on to Syrup Village." Luffy said
"Are you going alone?" Nami asked
"You barely know this kid yet you are stopping in to say hi?" Franky said
"Yeah, I know. Last time we saw Coby he asked me to pass a message on to her. I guess he knew we would find the One Piece sooner or later." Luffy said
"Yeah, but how did he know we would come back to the East Blue?" Sanji asked
"Don't know. Maybe he figured we would have a better chance of coming back here before he could."
"That's not unreasonable. He must be pretty busy with his work as a Vice Admiral. He has more duties and responsibilities than we do." Nami said
"You're probably right Nami." Luffy said. "Hey Zoro are you coming?"
"I'll stay here." Zoro said "Tell her I said hi."
"Can do." Luffy said before he vanished from the ship. Luffy had been using his haki to try to sense Rika. As good as he was he couldn't pick out specific people if he hadn't been around them in a long time. He appeared in the middle of town to the shock and surprise of the townspeople. He started walking around, as he did that he intertwined his fingers and put his hands behind his head. As he was walking he could hear the people whispering. One brave little boy came up to the young man wearing the straw hat.
"Are you Straw Hat Luffy?" The little boy of maybe six or seven asked
"Yup, that's me."
There was a mixed reaction among the people in town who had overheard the little boy's question. Some were horrified to see such a powerful and notorious pirate casually walking down the streets. Others were on the fence. They were scared but seeing as he wasn't bothering anyone they decided not to provoke him. The rest of the people seemed to recall a young man wearing a similar outfit with a straw hat come through their town a few months short of five years ago now. That young man along with another young man with green hair had saved them from an oppressive Captain Morgan. They must be the same? The young man with green hair had been a prisoner of Morgan's son and he had been tied to stakes.
The boy didn't ask him any other questions. Luffy could see it in the boy's eyes that he was excited to see such a powerful pirate. Aside from the boy staring no one else said anything more to him. So, Luffy paid them no mind as he kept walking. Eventually he walked to a familiar place on the street. He knocked on the door. A woman in her early forties opened the door.
"Can I help you?" The woman asked. She hadn't heard or seen any of the commotion from inside her home.
"Yeah. I was looking for a young girl, I think her name is Rika. I saw a mutual friend of ours recently and he asked me to come say hi and to give her this." Luffy said as he pulled a note out of his pocket. "I don't usually like playing messenger but it's for a friend."
"I don't know who you and my daughter would share as a friend. You must have the wrong house." She was about to close the door in his face but Luffy spoke up.
"Hold on, his name is Coby. Last time you saw him he was a short, chubby kid with pink hair. I think it must be close to five years ago now."
The mother paused to think and soon enough it hit her like a ton of bricks. She realized who she was having a informal conversation with. "You're Monkey D. Luffy, the King of the Pirates!" She said. She wasn't afraid, but she was visibly nervous.
"That's me. I told her I would go to the Grand Line and get stronger." Luffy said
"That means you're the boy who saved us from Morgan, aren't you?"
Luffy was deep in thought. All the while he was tapping on his chin. "That name does sound familiar." Luffy said "Big guy with a metal jaw and an ax on his arm?"
"That's him. I can't believe you came all this way just to deliver a message." The woman said surprised.
"Oh, I didn't but this island was close by so I decided to drop this off and say hi."
"Rika's at work right about now. She works in the Marine base at the end of the street."
"She works in the Marine base?" Luffy said confused
"Yes, she works in the kitchen."
"Well, I guess I will go there." Luffy said before he walked off.
"Wait, what do you think you're doing? They won't just let you walk in."
"That won't be a problem." Luffy said
"What are you going to do?" Ririka asked. "You're not going to hurt them? Are you?"
"Nope, I'm gonna use Haki to knock them out."
"Haki?" The older woman asked
Luffy just continued walking and let that word just hang there. Soon enough he made his way to the Marine base and used his Kenbunshoku Haki to see how many people there were in the building. He hopped over the wall and started walking around. He was passively using his Haoshoku Haki to knock out anyone who he walked by. While this was less fun, it was easier. He didn't want to have to fight weak marines who wouldn't put up a challenge. In no time at all Luffy made his way to the mess hall. He opened the doors to the room and everyone stopped eating. They turned to see who had entered the room. They couldn't believe who had wandered into their base. The next second everyone fell to the floor unconscious, all except for one girl of about thirteen.
"What happened to everyone? They all just passed out." Rika said disturbed.
That was when the man walked up to the counter. His hat was covering his eyes but she recognized it instantly. She had been keeping up to date with his activities.
"You don't have to keep your face covered Luffy-san. I know who you are. I remember what you did for all of us in this town." Rika said
"Oh, good. I'm glad you remember me." Luffy said before he cracked a smile.
"What did you do to them?" Rika asked
"I just knocked them out with Haoshoku Haki."
"What is haki?"
"Something I learned during my travels. You know, before I left I told you I would get stronger. I think I did." He said
"You did. I was skeptical you would be able to do it at first. But your name was in the paper so often. I'm so happy for you and for Zoro. You both fulfilled your dreams. Of course I followed your adventures but I had to contain my enthusiasm quite a bit here. I'm sure everyone in town was secretly happy for you both."
"I can't get used to hearing that. People being happy for pirates. Who would have thought that could ever happen?"
"You two are this towns heroes."
"Come on. You know we're not heroes." He said sticking his tongue out at the little girl.
"We think you are and there is nothing you can say that will make us think any different." Rika said getting right in Luffy's face.
"Alright, alright. If it makes you happy."
"It does. So, what brings you back here after all this time?"
"Oh, right." Luffy said "I ran into Coby a few months ago. About a month or so before we found the One Piece. He gave me this." Luffy said before he took a letter out of his pocket. He handed it to Rika.
Rika unfolded the letter and read it. She got a little emotional reading the letter. She was happy to hear from an old friend after so long. Rika wiped the tears from her eyes and looked to Luffy. "So that's what happened. I knew that one day Coby and Helmeppo left on a ship to transport Morgan and they didn't come back. It's great finally getting to know a little of what they went through."
"Yeah, Coby said getting trained by my grandpa was tough but he was glad he was given a chance to make his dream come true."
"I still wish they would have said goodbye."
"Don't worry Rika. Coby has more responsibilities as a Vice Admiral. But he also has more freedom to do what he wants. He told me he would come back here. I bet he would have no trouble getting my gramps to pull some strings for him."
"You think he will come back?"
"I'm sure of it. You are on a Marine base after all. Eventually someone has to come through here for Mariney type business. It might as well be him. Who better to judge potential than someone who started out in this base?"
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
"Well Rika. I think I should get going. These guys will wake up soon and I don't feel like knocking them out again."
"Well you are just a little infamous around here." Rika said holding her thumb and pointer finger out in front of her and bringing them closer together.
"Yeah, it wouldn't look good for this place to let the Pirate King come and go as he pleased. So forgive me for this. You will only be out for a few minutes." He said before he knocked her out with his Haoshoku haki. He jumped over the counter and caught her before she was hurt.
He went to grab some food for the road before he left. He made it to the harbor and almost to the Sunny before the sirens from the Marine base started going off.
The rest of the crew had been waiting for their captain. Luffy had only been gone for half an hour before he reappeared in front of the Sunny. Then they heard sirens going off. Luffy jumped on board the Sunny and they took off.
"Luffy." Nami said "What the hell did you do in there?"
"I just knocked the marines and went to talk to an old friend." Luffy said. "Zoro, Rika said she was happy that you were able to fulfill your dream."
Zoro only nodded before he went to sit down and go to sleep. Franky had already got the ship ready to set sail. Soon enough they were out of the harbor and out in open ocean.
"You think they will be coming after us?" Nami asked
"Not likely." Usopp said. "Even if they did they should know that just one of us would be more than enough to wipe them out. If they do it may be just as a means to get us away from town."
"That's not unreasonable. But I am curious and have questions." Nami said.
"Alright." Luffy said kind of confused as to what she had questions about.
"Who exactly is Rika?" Nami asked
"Rika is a friend. I saved her from Helmeppo around the same time I helped Zoro."
"Isn't Helmeppo a Marine." Nami said
"When we met him he was very different from the guy we saw a few months ago. He was a miserable bastard who abused his father's power to do whatever he wanted." Zoro said
"So she is the little girl from your story earlier." Robin said
Zoro nodded. He promptly went back to sleep.
"So both Coby and Helmeppo started at this base?" Nami asked
"Yeah, but I don't think they were here very long. Once we left we didn't see them again until after Enies Lobby, while we were still in Water 7. By that time they had most likely been training with gramps at Marine HQ."
"Well, I'm satisfied. How about you Nami?" Robin asked
"Yeah. I'm good." Nami said
"Hey Luffy." Franky said.
"What's up Franky?"
"Looks like a few Marine ships are trying to catch up to us."
"Leave them be. Even if they do catch up they are no threat."
"I will keep an eye on them anyway." Usopp said
"Nami, set a course for the Gecko Islands." Luffy said
"Don't you think I know that's where we are going. It's been done for a while now. I started working on it after you left."
"Right. I should've known you would be a few steps ahead of me."
"Of course. I know how you think."
"Do you know what I am thinking now?" Luffy asked
"Of course. And you can forget it. I'm not in the mood right now." Nami said
"But you're always in the mood." Luffy said
Nami didn't say anything. She just blushed. Usopp walked over to Luffy and put his arm around the back of his neck, resting his hand on Luffy's shoulder.
"Luffy, I think I speak for all of us when I say I don't want to hear it. You two have your own room now. Go in there and take care of your business." Usopp said before he walked away. He went up to the roof deck above the bathhouse to make sure the Marines didn't try anything they would regret.
Usopp was surprised when he saw the ships off in the distance. "Wow, those are smaller than I remember." Usopp said to the crew down below.
"Of course they are. These look like toys compared to the massive ships we've fought off." Sanji said as he sky walked his way over to the roof deck.
"You think they are going to attack?" Usopp asked
"Who knows? Luffy and the Marimo encountered these Marines years ago. They were already stronger than them then, it's impossible to believe they could be strong enough to fight them or any of us for that matter." Sanji said
"Even if Garp-san started training them, it would take quiet some time for them to get up to our level." Robin said from the roof deck above the kitchen.
By this time the Straw Hats were a few miles from the island. But the Marines were still in pursuit.
"You would think they would have given up by now." Nami said
"Yeah, but what really is confusing is that they haven't even tried to attack us." Brook said
"Maybe their original intent was to attack us, but they must have received orders from the higher up to just pursue us." Robin said
"Would anyone from Marine HQ actually give those orders?" Nami asked
"With the recent reforms to the Marines and the change in command. This may just be the smarter move." Robin said
"They should be well aware that a fight against us would only end badly and in their boats being destroyed. That being said a change in command could be a problem for the Marines." Nami said. She finished that sentence but she didn't really hear what came out of her mouth. She had to pause to think about what she just said. It was only then that she and the rest of the crew caught up with the conversation.
"What change in command?" The other eight crew members asked
"The Gorosei and the Tenryuubito were removed from power." Robin said
"Wait a second. So what you're telling us is that those bastards at the top of the World Government no longer have any power?" Sanji asked
"Yes, that is correct. Not long after Luffy became the Pirate King did the Revolutionaries storm Mariejoa. They took control of the city in the clouds. According to Koala even Sakazuki had a hand in killing many of the Tenryuubito and only one member of the Gorosei survived but he was captured and imprisoned."
"Was that published in the papers?" Nami asked
"As far as I know, it wasn't. At least they didn't say they killed the Tenryuubito. What was published was something to the effect of the Nobles have been removed from power."
"How come you never said anything about that Robin?" Luffy asked. He didn't make a big scene but he was happy that those bastards were gone. They had been nothing but trouble. One hurt Sabo. The other was a terrible little bastard who deserved more than just a single punch for shooting Hachi and trying to buy Camie.
"We do what we want. We are pirates. It didn't seem like it made that much of a difference as to who was in charge of the government."
"That does make sense. We never really were ones to follow the rules so it doesn't much matter. But what I am curious about is what happens to that bastard Sakazuki now?" Luffy asked
"Well, I'm not sure. Last I heard from Koala was that they were working to merge their troops and the Marines together which is going to take some time. It sounded like they were trying to work within the structure and ranks of the Marines. I don't think they could really touch Sakazuki. He was the Fleet Admiral of the Marines. He can't just disappear. I have to assume your father would take an equally large role. But if I had to guess I bet Kuzan might be given an important role. I am certain Fujitora, Tsuru & Smoker just to name a few will retain their positions within the Marines. But there are so many people within both organizations, it is impossible to known who would be assigned roles within the New Marines."
"So, Sakazuki is no longer the only one in charge?" Luffy asked
"I'm surprised that the Revolutionaries would allow someone like Sakazuki to stay in power, regardless of how many equals he has." Franky said
"It's difficult. As I said, they can't just kill him or imprison him. To the rest of the world he has done nothing wrong. We could tell that his methods were different and extreme. But to the world as a whole he was doing his job. Making the world safe and protecting the people from dangerous pirates. They were left in the dark as to how he got things accomplished. They didn't know what he was willing to do to get results."
"I'm surprised the Revolutionaries would settle for this." Sanji said. "I thought they wanted to over throw the government."
"I think they accomplished what they set out to do. They wanted to gain a foothold in the governing bodies of the world. The Revolutionaries can work to weed out the people in the Marines who abuse their power. The Tenryuubito and the Gorosei were a large portion of the problem. With them gone they can focus on running a government that doesn't turn a blind eye to slavery or to the destruction of a country and it's people just because they want to learn about history and why an entire century had been removed from history." Robin said as she started to get upset.
Which was strange for Robin. Her personality swung to the morbid, more often than not. It was a rare sight to see Robin like this. Zoro walked over to her and brought her into a tight embrace. Neither one said anything for a little while. Zoro just held the woman who meant the world to him. He had a strange way of showing his love but it worked for them. Being wrapped up in Zoro's arms, she knew she was safe and loved. After a little while Robin just cried. The crew was shocked to say the least. This truly was a side of Robin they had never seen. In all of their years together, there was only one time they could actually remember Robin ever crying. Enies Lobby. Aside from that she never really cried. She would get teary eyed over things, sure but never full on tears like she was crying now.
She always so strong and held everything in when it came to her past. It was in the past. No reason to worry about it now. Because it happened she got to where she is now. Maybe it was the fact that now she was finally able to talk about it?
When she brought up the change of command, some of her friends and crew members were more surprised than others but they took it in stride and asked questions they thought relevant. She answered them to the best of her ability with what she knew.
She had learned a lot during her two years with the Revolutionaries. They helped fill in what she didn't know about the night that turned her world upside down. She learned who had ordered the attack that wiped Ohara off of the map. She was more than ecstatic when she learned that the Gorosei had been removed from power, they would no longer be able to hurt anyone else because their existence inconvenienced them. Sakazuki's hand in the slaughter of the innocent people of Ohara would be a problem that would likely go unresolved.
Whatever it was that brought Robin to tears, she knew it was a long time coming. She had been so strong for more than two decades. But with her friends and her boyfriend/ lover there for her she felt like she could finally cry. She had held back many tears for too many years. But she didn't have to be strong for herself anymore. She had friends who would protect her. Long ago Saul told her no one was born to be alone. It wasn't until years later that she would actually learn that it was true. It had been a difficult concept and one that was always in the back of her mind. But she had learned at an early age that she would only be able to rely on herself if she was to survive. But that all changed when she first met the Straw hats.
She didn't know she would end up joining them. After they defeated Crocodile she figured at the very least she found another shield to protect herself for a time. But then when they sailed into Water 7 she saw CP9. She gave herself up. She never imagined that she would be willing to give herself up to protect the people she would later call her family. She was willing to sacrifice herself but she never expected that her family would ever come to her aide and make an enemy of the entire government just for her.
All of these thoughts went through her head. At this point she didn't even care that Sakazuki still had a hand in the game. She was with her family and she was going to stay with them for as long as she lived. There was nothing that would be able to pull her apart from her family. That was around the time sleep claimed her. She was so tired from crying that she fell asleep in Zoro's muscular arms. He picked her up like a princess and walked up the stairs, as he reached the top of the stairs he pushed their door open with his shoulder and walked in. He put his lady on their bed and covered her up with a blanket. He bent over and kissed her forehead before he walked out of the door and closed it behind him.
"Is Robin okay?" Nami asked once Zoro made it back down to the grass deck.
"Yeah, she's sleeping. I have no idea why she started crying. But if she feels better after all that, I guess it's okay. She had a difficult life, always on the run."
"Yeah, even though she's safe here. I guess she just finally was able to let go of everything she had held onto up until this point." Nami said
"It's strange that it took this long. Maybe she just needed to talk about it. I'm not the most talkative person in the world." Zoro said
"That may be so. But I saw the way she held onto you. She must have felt very safe in your arms. I mean this is an entirely different side to Robin. Certainly one she doesn't like to show very often, and probably for good reason."
"Yeah, she has been one way for so long. I just hope she will be okay after this."
"She is incredibly strong. When she wakes up she will be all the better for it."
"That helps a lot, thanks Nami."
"You're welcome." Nami said before she walked away
"What, no smart remark about increasing my debt?"
"Not this time, it would have ruined the moment."
Neither Nami nor Zoro said anything after that. They just walked in two separate directions. Nami went up to the helm to check their heading. Zoro went back to nap under the tree on deck.
Marines were no longer chasing the Straw Hats. While Zoro and Robin were gone the marine ships went back to port. Their peaceful time on the sea was short lived. Just a few hours later while the Straw Hats were sailing another ship would come up from behind them.
The Straw hats had just sailed past a large outcrop of rocks. The enemy ship had been well hidden and was just waiting for pray to sail past them. Of course the more observant users of Kenbunshoku Haki knew there were pirates there but they chose to ignore them for the same reason Luffy didn't want to fight the Marines back at the base. They simply would not put up a challenge.
The foolish rookie pirates allowed the unknown ship to sail past them. They were very much unaware of the vast difference in experience, influence but most of all, strength between the two groups. They had been positioned in such a way so they would not be seen. However this was also their downfall. They couldn't see the Jolly Roger of the ships that would sail past them. They were smart enough to have someone serve as a lookout. Their location ended up being more of a hinderance as all they saw was the back of a ship as it sailed past them. Once the other ship was far enough away they raised their anchor and made their move. Once they were no longer hidden behind the outcrop of rocks and within firing range they began launching a barrage of cannonballs at the Sunny. Every single cannonball was dispatched rather quickly.
Eventually they got a good look at the ship."What a strange ship." One of the Pirates said.
"It is, what the hell is that thing on the back, don't tell me it's a cannon." Another said
"That would just be stupid, look at the size of that opening it's massive. Can you imagine what they would shoot out of that." A third pirate said
The captain came up from below deck to check on his subordinate's progress on seizing control of the ship.
"What is going on? How could we have not even slowed that ship down?" The captain said in a very commanding voice. He wasn't clean shaven but he didn't have a beard either. He was a rather generic looking pirate. But in this world generic doesn't necessarily mean weak. Sailing in the east blue doesn't necessarily mean you are weak. In the Straw Hats case this is true but an entirely different story for a majority of the pirates who sail this sea.
Non the less the captain was a man with a mop of orange hair on his head. Think Luffy's hair but orange. He was wearing a black jacket, a tan shirt with dark green pants and black boots. In all he wasn't a very imposing looking man but his voice was deep and when he spoke he spoke with authority. Quite different from the black haired captain we all love.
"Captain." The man said. "We haven't been able to hit their ship. All of the cannonballs are being shot down out of the air, mid flight."
"You're telling me that someone is shooting down our cannonballs, I've never seen someone with reflexes to pull something like that off."
"It's not just in mid air captain. They have also destroyed cannonballs right out of the cannon."
"Don't let it bother you; they can't possibly keep this up for long. Eventually they will run out of ammo." And that was exactly the case. Well actually the opposite. The captain had to order his men to stop their attack. He didn't want to waste all of their resources on one ship. They charged forward at full speed preparing for battle. Unbeknownst to them the straw hats were letting the other pirates catch up.
"Hey Nami have you ever seen that Jolly Roger?" Luffy asked
"Nope, can't say that I have. Robin would be the one to ask about this sort of thing but even she might not know who they are."
Eventually the straw hats came to a stop and let the ship sail up next to them.
"I can't believe it. They are just inviting us to come steal from them." One pirate said
"It can't be that easy." The first mate said
Well they sailed their ship up next to the Sunny and they too came to a stop. They stopped on the left or port side of the Sunny.
"What a ridiculous Jolly Roger."One pirate said.
"Why do I feel like I've seen that somewhere before?" Another pirate said
"ATTACK." The captain yelled.
That is what the crew of the other ship did. The pirates made it on board the Sunny without any problem. But to their surprise not a single pirate was on the deck trying to defend their ship. The other crew had free reign of the ship until the kitchen door opened and two members walked out. One was a scantily clad, busty, orange haired woman and the other was what appeared to be their pet reindeer.
Just a few moments earlier in the kitchen
"They will be making their way on board in the next few minutes." Franky said. "Who do we send out to fight them? It really should only take one of us."
"This method never fails." Sanji said holding onto eight straws of varying lengths. "The two who pull the shortest pieces go outside."
"Fine" the seven other straw hats said. And so they each pulled a straw and well you already know the results. So the winners in much of the crews eyes got to walk outside. They walked to the door and when they opened it were greeted with two dozen pirates.
"What the hell is this?" One pirate yelled. "A woman." He said in a very embarrassed and nervous tone. "And a reindeer?" His tone shifted to annoyed very fast.
"We would like to welcome you pirates onto the Thousand Sunny, our home. We recommend you leave before you get hurt." Nami said
"Yeah, right. What could you possibly do to hurt us?"
"Oh me, plenty. I would be more worried about him." Nami said as she pointed to Chopper who transformed from walk point into his Kung-fu point.
"Nami, I'm tired. I don't want to fight, I would much rather be working on my medicine."
"Did that reindeer just talk and transform? Which one should I be more surprised about because I don't know what to think." The first mate said. That started a discussion amongst themselves for a few moments before Nami broke it up.
"Shut the hell up." Nami said. "You can walk away before any of you get hurt. It's no fun picking on weaklings."
"WEAKLINGS!" They all yelled
"Don't you know who we are?" A pirate said
"Honestly I don't, should I?"
"We are the Red Star pirates." The first mate said
"No idea. I haven't bothered to keep up with all of the new pirates making their way out onto the sea." Nami said. It was then that our favorite blond haired chef walked out onto the terrace outside the kitchen.
"What are you talking about we've been a crew on this sea for two years now." One pirate said. "Some of us have been pirates even longer than that."
"You would think they would be smart enough to know not to challenge us." Sanji said "Would you like to do the honors Nami-san. We don't want any of the idiots to get involved. They will likely just cause needless destruction."
"Of course." Nami pulled her sorcery clima-tact from the holster on her hip and used it to launch a weather egg into the sky. "True, but they might not have any interest in fighting these guys."
"That's also true. I don't really want to needlessly beat the shit out of them." Sanji said
Completely oblivious to Sanji's comment the pirates were looking up in the sky as a cloud formed. "What is that?" The pirates asked
"Thunder breed tempo." Nami said. The next thing that happened should be obvious. The enemy pirates who had made their way onto the ship were electrocuted. They all seemingly fell to the ground unconscious. "That wasn't any fun." Nami said
The captain of the Red Star pirates made his way over to the Sunny to see what had happened after he heard the crack of lightning, had seen the clear skies earlier and had not heard any sounds of an ongoing battle.
"What happened to my crew?" The captain asked
"That's what happens when you challenge the beautiful Nami-san." Sanji said
"I still don't get it, we've never run into anyone this strong." The captain said
"Of course. But that's because of the sheer increase in numbers. The people from this sea always have more to prove as it is the weakest of the four blues. I guess someone claiming the One Piece hasn't stopped anyone from searching." Sanji said
"Yeah, but this time they aren't searching for a place they are searching for the reigning Pirate King. It's for the opportunity to nut up and try to challenge the King. You were just unlucky enough to have run into us when you did." Nami said
Hearing those words the pirate captain turned a strange color. He was a mix of blue and green. Blue because he was afraid but also green because he was sick to his stomach. "You don't…mean to tell me that…you're the…Straw Hat pirates?" Then he looked up at the sail and saw the infamous symbol.
"Luffy, come outside please." Nami said
A few seconds later a young man in his early twenties walks out and stands on the veranda outside the kitchen. "What's up Nami?" Luffy asked as he walked over to his girlfriend.
"You're…him…you're…Str…" He didn't even get to finish his sentence before he passed put on the ground. Luffy didn't even use his Haoshoku Haki on him.
All of the Straw hats made their way outside and joined Luffy, Nami, Sanji and Chopper. Robin was brought up to speed when she got out of bed.
"So what do we do with them?" Zoro asked
"Just leave them. I want to see their reactions when they come to." Nami said
"Robin, would you be so kind as to relieve these men of any and all weapons." Luffy said
"Of course. Should I just put them on their ship?"
"Sounds good to me."
Not even two minutes later all of their weapons were back on board their ship. Twenty minutes after that the captain of the enemy pirates who fell unconscious woke up. Around the same time the rest of his crew began to get up. It took them far longer than it would have taken even someone who resided in the Grand Line. When they were all standing, everyone but the captain was furious.
"You bitch, how dare you do that to us." One pirates said
"Hold your tongue you bastard. You should be wary of how you speak to them. Do you want to get us all killed?"
"What are you talking about captain?"
"These pirates aren't just your run of the mill pirates. They're the Straw Hat pirates."
"WWHHHHAAAAATTTT!" they all yelled
"Well, it looks like you're all awake." Luffy said "You all have a nice nap?"
"It's…it's…Straw Hat Luffy."
All of the pirates turned tail and ran for their lives. The captain stayed behind. He was just standing there. He was kind of awe struck and terrified all at the same time.
"I'm surprised you haven't run away yet." Zoro said.
"I…I…can't move."
"This isn't a pirate thing to do but I have to apologize for intruding on your ship." The captain said before he fell to the ground. "Please don't kill us, we have so much to see."
"We're not going to. Besides we knew you were hiding behind those rocks back there. If we wanted you dead, you wouldn't be here right now. You would be at the bottom of the ocean." Zoro said. A look on his face that said he wasn't playing around.
"You're really going to let us go? Just like that?" The captain asked
"Yup, just like that." Luffy said as he walked over to the man and offered him a helping hand up. The man grabbed Luffy's hand and Luffy pulled him up off the deck. "You didn't hurt any of my nakama. If you did, not that you could've things would've been very different."
"Thank you Straw Hat. I won't forget this kindness."
"Don't worry about it. Go explore, follow your dreams."
He didn't say anything. What could he say? He had the intention of attacking the pirate kings ship. He was glad they didn't actually do any damage. He didn't really get a chance to. To top it off he was just given a get out of jail free card and he wasn't going to waste it. He walked over to the railing of the Sunny and made his way back over to his ship.
"Let's get out of here men." The captain said. "We survived an encounter with the Straw Hats, we will be legends on this sea, we should head for the Grand Line and test our metal." The Red Star pirates readied their ship and started to sail away from the Straw Hats.
"Zoro if you would be so kind." Luffy said
"Not going to let them leave unscathed?"
"Nope, just hearing think that they think they will be legends because we let them walk away would make us look bad. But at the same time we shouldn't need to waste our energy fighting such weaklings."
"A catch 22?" Sanji said
"Well we do have a reputation to uphold." Luffy said before he cracked a smile and started laughing. "Not too bad Zoro."
"Alright, just as a means to show them what they have to look forward to in the Grand Line." Zoro said
"Hey guys, one thing before you go." Luffy yelled
They had made the mistake of sailing in front of the Sunny. They had been doing various jobs around the ship. When they heard Luffy yell over to them they all halted what they were doing and saw Roronoa Zoro standing on the railing with one sword drawn. One simple slash later a portion of the back of their ship had been cut off and fell into the ocean.
The red star pirates were dumbfounded and they all fell onto their deck with a collective thud.
"Don't go running your mouths." Zoro said "Be glad we are letting you go. I could just have easily cut your ship in half."
The other pirates were silent as they drifted along.
A few minutes later the Straw Hats sailed off.
"You think they had any good treasure?" Nami asked
"Really? Are you serious?" Usopp asked "You have access to all of this gold and you are still curious."
"Can never have too much treasure, Usopp." Nami said
"Whatever." Usopp said. "You think they are going to go to the Grand Line?"
"Maybe, but to tell you the truth, I don't really care." Zoro said
"So how long until we get to Syrup Village?" Luffy asked
"We should get there first thing in the morning." Nami said
"Sounds good to me." Luffy said. "You excited to see your friends again Usopp?"
"Of course I am. I have thought about this day for years. How will they react? I just left one day without saying anything. They saw my face for the first time after what happened in Dressrosa, beat up as it was I have been wondering if they would recognize me?"
"I guess you will get your answers tomorrow, Usopp-san." Brook said "I find it interesting getting to see where you five spent your childhoods, having not been present for much of your adventures on the Grand Line. Getting to see a little of what shaped each of you into the person you are now has been an experience so far. Will we be revisiting some of the islands you visited on your first trip through the Grand Line?"
"Of course we will." Luffy said. "We won't be going back to Whiskey Peak or Little Garden. We will be going to Alabasta, Drum Kingdom & Water 7."
"Oh, that's right. I can't believe I forgot about Masters Dorry and Brogy. I'm still surprised they joined up with Hajrudin." Usopp said "When we met them they had long since forgotten the reason for their fight. But they continued fighting each other for their pride. What would make them give that up?"
"Didn't they each have their own crews back over 100 years ago?" Sanji asked "They never did tell us why they joined Hajrudin. Maybe he challenged them to a fight and they lost?"
"Well for whatever the reason, he succeeded in bringing the giant pirates back together." Usopp said. "That really was a sight to behold. All of the giants we met, under one flag."
"I'm just glad we won't be going back to Little Garden. That was where I got sick." Nami said
"I was surprised to see you all managed to escape from that island." Robin said "I knew that you would be going to that island after Whiskey Peak. I had never heard of someone leaving that island."
"Oh, that's right. You gave us an Eternal Pose and tried to get us to go to… what was the name of that island?" Usopp asked
"Nani mo nai shima." Robin said
"Luffy, you didn't mention Skypiea. Don't you want to go back?" Sanji asked
"It would be fun to go back." Luffy said
"But we have no idea when or where the Knock Up Stream might appear." Nami said
"How far up do we have to go?" Franky asked
"What is it? 7000m to the White sea then another 3000m to the White White Sea." Nami said
"That's correct Nami." Robin said
"It's not even getting up there that scares me. It's coming back down." Chopper said
"No need to worry, Sunny can handle the journey. I will work something up so that we can make it up and down safely." Franky said "Come to think of it you guys came to Water 7 after your trip to that Sky Island, didn't you?"
"Yes we did. Merry didn't fair too well." Usopp said.
"No, but she was still an amazing little ship." Franky said
"Yes she was, it's a shame I couldn't bring Merry back here." Usopp said
"She won't be made Usopp, there was nothing we could have done for her." Luffy said as he walked over to Usopp and put his hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, you're probably right." Usopp said
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Nothing else really happened at night either. Eventually they all went to bed. In the morning they would be at a new island. Usopp was rather restless but still managed to fall asleep. The next morning Usopp was the first to wake up. He was up even before Sanji. He went up to the crows nest to watch the waves as they drifted ever closer to the island where he grew up.
One Piece Nation: I don't think Kuina is alive. I would be really surprised if she just showed up in Wano.
Darkangel665: You will have to wait one more chapter. But I hope you enjoy it when I put it up.
Lightningblade49: I think I opened up the story even more at this point. I have more ideas to change it up even more. Whether or not I use them I have no idea.