Somewhere in the North Blue~ age 21
"Oi, the things I do for love! Why did you request to come to the North Blue? For the love of Enel, Drake, this is some shitty weather we're walking through," exclaimed Luffy.
It was snowing heavily and the wind was blowing hard, lowering the temperature even further. All the stores were shuttered closed and the streets were empty.
"Well, Luffy, I certainly didn't request the blizzard. You know how it gets up here, that's why you brought a coat but I see that you still have your sandals on," Drake responded shaking head.
"Hmpf, my sandals are very sturdy. So, is this some revenge shit or something?" Luffy asked.
Drake turned to look at Luffy and rolled his eyes. He huffed.
"Oh come on Drake, you don't owe these people shit. You were a little kid. He was a decent Marine who made a shitty pirate. He beat you up plenty so don't go beating yourself up too," Luffy said tersely.
"Luffy, please. I grew up in the North Blue, it's my home. My last memory of this place was watching Minion Island burn because of Donquixote Doflamingo, captain of the Donquixote Pirates. My dad had all the people scared and then a bigger and worse pirate came along. Doflamingo controls most of the North Blue now and the Marines here just take bribes because they are too scared to do something. We're the fucking Navy, we're supposed to protect the people and instead they are protecting themselves. Fuck that," Drake spit out.
"Shishishi, damn Drake, you and Smoker are two peas in a pod," Luffy said, wiping a fake tear.
"Oh fuck off, how is that chain smoker doing?" Drake said, chuckling.
"Hah, you know, still complaining about his bosses. He got two of them sacked. He's at his third base in the East, shishishi," Luffy told him.
"No shit," Drake responded, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head.
"Yup. You know how he gets. I'm the same way, shishishi," Luffy said laughing.
"But there's this really great floating restaurant out there. It's shaped like a duck, can you believe it? They have the best chefs, Sanji, the sous chef, is gonna join my crew one day," Luffy added.
"Oh really? Your crew? Careful there you almost sound like a pirate, hahaha," Drake said
"Ehh, never a pirate, blegh!" yelled Luffy pushing Drake, making him laugh harder.
"Ok, ok, not a pirate. I'll have to go out and visit the Bastard. I think I've heard of that restaurant, it's rumored the head chef used to be a pirate," Drake told Luffy.
"Eh, definitely strong enough to sail the Grand Line but his dishes are amazing. As long as he doesn't take up pirating again I don't care who he used to be. He makes the best food I've ever had," Luffy declared.
"Haha, when it comes to food there's no arguing with you. But you love food so I bet it will be amazing," Drake responded.
"Damn, straight," Luffy said, stomping his foot on the snow piled street.
"But where are we going Drake?" Luffy said, pursing his lips.
"Well Luffy," Drake turned smirking at him, " I got a lead on the Moku Moku no Mi, I know Smoker has never outright said it, but we all know he wants that fruit. Only problem is," Drake said, frowning now, "It's in the hands of the Surgeon of Death, a new rookie that's been a real nuisance to Doflamingo, civilians and marines alike," he finished.
"Huh, so what? Is this a smash and grab?" asked Luffy
"No, Trafalgar Law is useful for annoying Doflamingo. He's actually making a difference, more than the marines are doing at the time, I'm loath to admit. I've only been here for 8 months but I've seen enough. That's why I called you. I don't trust anyone yet. Too many higher-ups accepting bribes to be sure who isn't following their lead" Drake told him honestly.
"Heh. You know I'm just a call away. But thankfully I was just over in the East Blue so you didn't have to wait long," Luffy said, his cheeks coloring lightly. Drake smiled at Lu and ruffled his hair.
"While I don't condone his actions, Law is useful to keep around so we do this as peacefully as possible but we're leaving with the fruit no matter what," Drake added while smirking at Luffy.
"Heh. We're definitely walking out with it. No doubt about that, if a few pirates happen to die, that's just how it is," Luffy said. Drake rolled his eyes and continued walking forward deeper into the forest as the snow continued to pelt down on the pair.
A/N: Thanks for reading :)