Wake Up
Author's Note: Hey everyone and welcome back to Wake Up! I know I left you guys on a cliffhanger, but I hope you enjoy this chapter! I rewrote this chapter twice with two different versions of events, and eventually needed help on Discord to make up my mind xD I hope you enjoy! On with the fic!
Comment Shoutouts to: CannibalisticApple, Nine9Liv3s, Kamonrak_1108, HO3_4ANIMEDILFS, AveryKirigaya, CorpseJester, HibiscusAndrew, TheAlien20, Jojoispeak23, jay_swan, Sllepdevil (sorry couldn't add the character!), Elie_Esne, MarinaLucci, MrBimzan, Lazylady, bbbb_dadyChapter Warnings: Canon Violence
Chapter Fourteen: Trouble in the New World! Operation Utopia Begins!
Chapter Summary: Red-Haired Shanks and Teach are at odds as Shanks tries to pry into why Teach defected from the Whitebeard Pirates and if he even telling the truth. Sabo comes face to face with Hananokage Rouge and Gol D. Roger and makes an offer. Luffy and co are captured by Crocodile. Later, the Whitebeard Pirates are shocked to see the Red Force.
Shanks did not understand in the slightest what Teach was getting it. It felt so stupid that he would just lay out all this information for him. Especially with him being alone. He had no back up. This felt like the stupidest thing that he could be doing. Maybe, he was trying to goad Shanks into attacking him. It was one of the reasons why Shanks hadn't let his crew react. He knew that he should act immediately. Just take down Teach while he had the chance, but there was something poking at his brain. Telling him to keep Teach talking.
There was something going on here.
Mihawk telling him that the form of his younger self being on the Moby Dick lined up with Teach's words. Teach only confirmed that for him. Teach held a valuable piece of information. Information that could change the world as they knew it if it got out.
Shanks was weighing his options. He could either strike down Teach now, hope that he was telling him the truth, or wait and see what happened. Teach didn't seem to be lying, but he was still a pirate. A pirate would lie with no hesitation.
"Say, Teach…" Shanks started, "What do you think you could possibly gain by telling me all of this? When you know that I don't have to lift even a finger to kill you."
Teach smirked. "Because you know what I'm capable of."
"There's only so much you can do without a crew behind you." Shanks immediately shot back.
This still seemed so odd to him. He couldn't understand what Teach's ultimate game plan was here. "Why openly admit to me that you defected?" There had to be a reason behind why he was saying it. At the same time, he wasn't actually sure. Teach could absolutely be trying to goad him into a reaction. He wanted to leave Teach to it. Leave it to the Whitebeard Pirates to handle this. They have always made it clear that anyone who dared to mess with a Whitebeard Pirate, would surely face the consequences of their actions. Maybe, Teach wasn't expecting him to be here and said the first thing that came to mind. It was hard to tell.
Teach started cackling, throwing his head back as he bellowed out a laugh. "Shanks, what do you want us to do here?" Benn questioned, keeping his voice down so only the ones on the deck could hear him.
Shanks hummed. "I need to figure out his plan. I don't think he would openly admit to leaving the Whitebeard Pirates if there wasn't an ulterior motive there." Teach is incredibly careful and patient. This seemed so out of the ordinary. At the same time, this didn't. Shanks could remember the day that man gave him his scars vividly. The way that he taunted him for being able to break through his defenses and land a hit on him.
Shanks just had to get him talking.
Teach was showing overconfidence to him. Showing that he didn't care that he was alone while Shanks had his entire crew. There was something about what Teach had said before that was really bugging him. He kept his hand on the grip of his sword, preparing for the moment he would need to strike if he needed to. Teach was not someone who had renown like many of them did. He had no known bounty. No known name on the seas. He could easily take care of this, but something was telling him to stop.
With him being completely alone, Shanks was inclined to believe him about defecting from the Whitebeard Pirates, but there could be that chance that he was just using deception. Shanks already knew that Teach had ulterior motives with the Whitebeard Pirates from beginning. From that moment the two of them clashed all those years ago. He got a taste of that hidden power and Teach had managed to hide it all these years. He was confident in his abilities to take him down easily but Teach could easily have a trick up his sleeve that he didn't know about. He's proved it before. But was Teach stupid enough to try and attack him?
"Say, why don't you come down here and we have a drink and talk?" Teach questioned.
Shanks narrowed his gaze. He didn't trust that one bit. "I'll stay right here, so no thank you."
Teach chuckled for a second, "Just as untrusting as ever."
The red-haired Captain hummed, "Well, you just openly admitted to leaving your crew and fighting against me, so it's best that I keep my distance." Shanks was much stronger than he was back then. He let his grip tighten on his sword, waiting for the moment to attack. Teach still hadn't said why he had left. He doubted it was because of his younger self being on the Moby Dick. If that was, why didn't he have him with him? He could guess that Teach had tried something and was caught and decided to leave, but there was more to it. He could tell. "I guess, I'm more intrigued with what happened on that ship if you care to explain."
The older man smirked at him for a moment. "As much as I would love to tell you, I don't want to stir the pot if I don't have to. I know I can't defeat you and taking all of you on right now just isn't in my plans." Teach stated, "I have no issues with the little you. Honestly, I would rather see him go back to the past so I can scar your face all over again." Shanks' grip tightened that he was sure his knuckles were white, but something about the way Teach was talking seemed truthful. "It would be such a crime if your pretty face was taken off of the seas." Shanks felt sick to his stomach. Of course. Teach always had to make comments at him. "You two are quite different from each other. He almost fell for it like you did. Though, you don't have to worry your pretty little head. I'm not going to do anything to him. I got exactly what I wanted. He just happened to get in the way."
"Boss." Yasopp started, "He knows too much. If he really left Whitebeard's crew…"
"I know." Shanks muttered, "But he's being honest which is probably more terrifying. He knows it's information he could use to his advantage if he needs to. However, there isn't much he could do with it. My guess… there's something he needs but he can't get it quite yet so he's playing the long game."
Teach's cackling had pulled his attention back to them as he said, "Too bad you got with that Swordsman. We could have ruled these seas together."
Shanks couldn't stop the cringe that came to his face. "Yeah, no thank you."
Teach started cackling one more before Shanks noticed the shift of his body weight that caused the small boat to move slightly. "I would really love to stay and chat, but I have things I must be doing." Shanks felt the air catch in his throat before Teach's arm moved and a smoke screen appeared in front of them. Reaching up to them that had him moving his arm to cover his mouth and nose.
He should have seen this coming.
Shanks had done the first thing he could think of. He pulled Gryphon out of its sheath and slashed. Putting haki into the blade to further his attack. It cleared out the smoke and the water moved along with it. His heart was pounding as he looked down, waiting for the smoke to completely dissipate so he could see if he had managed to hit him. His Observation Haki had said he was right on point, but there was another part telling him that it might not be the case. He should just activate his Conqueror's Haki, but he didn't want to risk knocking out his own men. He could use that tactic as well, but it was the same stance. He wanted to use it.
As the smoke disappeared, Shanks looked around, looking for any sign of Teach. He activated his Haki, using it to try and catch any sign of him.
With a sigh of relief, he didn't.
He couldn't be sure, but he was positive that he had hit him and Teach was now in the ocean. If he had taken a bite of that Devil Fruit he had seen, Teach would never be resurfacing. There were so many ways that he could easily have had this done before. But he wanted the information. He wanted to know what happened on that ship. Teach always seemed to have a loose tongue on certain things whenever the two had spoken in the past. Information was valuable on the seas.
There was a brief pause among them all as Shanks sighed, sheathing Gryphon back into place. With no detection of Teach, he deemed that his foe had been defeated.
X
Sabo had kept his eyes on the ones standing before him. He was trying to look as unthreatening as possible. Figuring out their identities, they could easily kill him if they wanted to. He had to be extremely careful with the way that he handled this. He placed a smile on his face as he approached, seeing the others turning to him. He also noted how quickly Roger had reached for his sword, the protectiveness that flared a second later. Sabo tried to come off as nonthreatening as possible, raising his hands.
"I'm so sorry to interrupt, but I think I might be able to help you."
They all looked stunned to see him, but their guards were up. He wouldn't expect anything less. They were clearly in a time that they didn't belong in. Their mere presence here could cause issues, so Sabo had to thread this very carefully. He would report back to Dragon his findings, but there was something in him telling him to stick this out. Continue with them and try to figure out more of what was going on.
He did notice the way that Rouge was shoving Buggy behind her, also preparing to reach for the sword around her waist. "Who are you?" Rouge questioned immediately.
Sabo smiled, keeping his hands up as he said, "My name is Sabo. I'm the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army." The mention of the army had all of them eyeing him. It had also caught Rouge off guard from what he could tell. She had dropped her hand for a moment as she looked over to Roger.
"The Revolutionary Army?" Roger questioned.
Sabo nodded. "We are a military force of men and women from around the world working to take down the World Government and dismantle them. I promise you; I am not here to cause you or any of your group any harm." He stated. "I had received word that Hananokage Rouge had been possibly sighted in Nanohana and we wanted to confirm so we can make sure that the World Government doesn't interfere."
Now, all he had to do was hope that they actually believe him. It was the truth, but it would be hard to trust someone they didn't know. They had to take his word for it. For a moment, Roger eyed him before he was dropping his hands. "I've never heard of such a thing. I suppose this is one of those created after my time."
"Yes, sir." Sabo stated, giving a smile, and bowing slightly. "I am not here to cause any harm. Just here to gather some information. I'm really good at stealth and scouting so maybe I can be of some assistance to you."
"Captain, what do you think?" The other man with them questioned. Sabo felt like had seen this man before. That he was of importance, but he couldn't place it.
"I believe him." Roger stated. "Throughout my years on the sea, you learn to read body language and listen to someone's voice for deception. I'm getting none of that off of this boy."
Sabo got back to his full height, reaching into his jacket, and pulling out Rouge's bounty poster. "Like I was saying, one of my men had seen you in Nanohana. My superior, Dragon-san, was interested in what could be going on." Rouge's eyes widened as her eyes landed on her bounty poster. He couldn't tell if it was calculating or of horror, but he continued to hold it out. "I've always been really interested in the Hananokage Pirates and what happened to their Captain. I know I might not get those answers but… I'm here to help in any way I can."
Rouge stepped forward, looking at her bounty poster still, "How do you have that?"
"The Revolutionary Army keeps records on a lot of pirates and Marines alike. Those we can view as assets or might cause a problem." Sabo explained, "We were interested since it's believed that you passed on many years ago, but no one can actually account for your last known whereabouts."
Rouge was nodding along, still looking down at her wanted poster with an uncertain look. For a moment, Sabo paused. She looked so familiar. Especially so in person and he couldn't place it at all. Every time he tried to think of it, it would just be blank. A black void that left nothing to his imagination. He blinked, sighing as he handed her the poster. "Roger, I think this boy can help us." Rouge whispered.
"Why are you being so trusting?!" Buggy snapped. "We don't know him, for all we know he could be working for the World Government!"
All Sabo could do for a moment was laugh. This had taken the others by surprise as they looked at him for a moment. Roger's face broke out into a smile a second later. "That's not the reaction of a man who is masquerading." Roger stated.
Sabo smiled down at the smaller form of Buggy. It was good to see that even as a young teenager, he had a sense of making sure that they weren't falling into a trap. They weren't with him, but it was still nice to see. "Believe me when I say… I would never work for them." He stated.
X
They had found themselves in a cage. Not exactly what Luffy had expected but he should have known. They had fallen right into Crocodile's trap. He almost hated to admit it. "Pretty clever trap, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, no way to see that one coming." Usopp replied.
Behind them, he could hear Nami exclaim, "What are you talking about?! I told you it was a trap in the first place! I can't believe what a couple of idiots you are!"
Luffy ignored her statements as he looked out of the cage. Peering around. He had a feeling. One that he couldn't quite explain. His hands were on the cage as he could feel his energy draining. He had never been just zapped of energy in this way. "Something's wrong here… I feel weak all of a sudden."
Usopp looked at him, the concern on his face. Usopp was also touching the cage like him, but he wasn't reacting the same as Luffy was. Luffy didn't quite understand what was going on here. "Really? Are you hungry or something?" The sniper questioned.
Behind him, he could hear movement as Zoro yelled out, "Luffy!"
He looked over his shoulder to see that Smoker had stood up, reaching for his weapon just a second before he was getting struck in the face by it. Usopp screamed as Nami let out a shout of his name. He had fallen to his back with a shout of pain as Smoker's weapon dug into his chest. That weak feeling still remained.
"I'll take you on, you smoke filled freak! I didn't do so bad against that bald guy, so I'll wait over here in this corner, and you just let me know when you're ready. Okay?" Usopp sounded afraid, but his hands were up and ready like he was prepared to fight. The others were looking at the two in shock and concern but didn't move from where they were standing.
He still couldn't understand why he felt so weak at the moment. He had felt perfectly fine before they had fallen into this trap. It was weird. "What's wrong? I feel so helpless. Like when I fall into the sea."
"Alright!" Nami exclaimed, "Just what have you done to Luffy?!"
Smoker was looking right at him, the scowl still on his face as he spoke around the two cigars in his mouth. "The tip of this staff is made from a substance called sea prism stone. A rare mineral that supposedly exists in one certain sea in the distant corner of the world. Not much is known about it, but it's believed to give off mystical energy on the same wavelength of the ocean itself. Basically, you think of it as a solid form of the sea." Luffy wasn't quite understanding what the Marine was trying to say. What the hell was sea prism stone and how was it like the ocean to him?
"So, it effects Luffy the same way as if he fell into the ocean?" Zoro questioned.
"Prison cells at Marine Headquarters are made of the same substance to keep criminals who have any Devil Fruit powers from successfully escaping." Smoker continued.
Luffy was starting to understand. Honestly, it was so cool. Though, being on the receiving end of it, he absolutely hated it. It just meant another thing that he needed to watch out for.
"So, this cell is built the same way." Nami hissed.
This could be a problem.
"If it wasn't, be assured that I would be long gone by now." Smoker added, looking over his shoulder at Nami. No wonder Smoker stayed with them. He couldn't leave just like them. Smoker did just turn into smoke. He would have been able to just move through the cell without issue if it wasn't for whatever this sea prism stone was. "And you four would be on your way to prison for your date with the hangmen."
Zoro immediately moved to unsheathe his sword to keep all of them protected. Luffy couldn't do a thing where he was. He couldn't move. His energy had been completely zapped. Usopp screamed as he yelled out, "Are you crazy?! What's the point in fighting in a situation like this?! Stop!"
"And besides, what good is a sword against a guy that is made out of smoke?!" Nami added.
Their attention was grabbed as they heard a drawl of, "She's right. Give it up." Luffy hummed, looking through the corner of his eye. "You're all going to die together. So, why not make an effort to get along first." Smoker's weapon moved away from his chest, and Luffy could feel his energy coming back to him now.
Smoker hissed as he said, "It's Crocodile."
That immediately had Luffy preparing to fight. The frustration and anger from seeing how affected Vivi was by this man coming back to the front of his mind as he said, "Alright." This is what he was here for. He was after this man. He was going to help Vivi.
He looked over at the chair and desk across the room, the chair turning to show the face of the man known as Crocodile. He was smirking and chuckling as Luffy gritted his teeth, the anger starting to build up more. Luffy was absolutely ready to punch this man in the face.
"So, he is one of the Seven Warlords… is he?" Zoro questioned, his eyes also on Crocodile.
"Huh, you're every bit of the lowlife sea scum I've imagined." Smoker stated.
Crocodile's attention was on the Marine and the smile on his face remained. "My, my, you're every bit of the wild dog I've heard you were, Smoker. Unlike your superiors, you never really believed I was on your side, have you?" Crocodile chuckled for a second as he moved to walk around the desk, his attention still firmly planted on Smoker. "And, of course, you were right. You know, Smoker, I believe you will die bravely in the line of duty. I will be happy to inform the World Government that you put up a valiant fight against the vicious Straw Hat pirate here. I haven't the vaguest idea what really brought you to this country, but I am betting you are on your own. We both know the Government would never order you to come to this land." He was gloating now, the smirk on his face as he tilted his head back like he was above all of them. Looking down at them as if they were nothing. Luffy was still bubbling in anger. Crocodile was even willing to kill a Marine that had nothing to do with any of this. Was only here because he was after Luffy. Luffy did not like that at all. "Not when they have their faith in me. A Warlord of the Sea."
Luffy had heard enough, he turned himself onto his stomach, letting his fist hit the concrete ground as his gaze darkened. "You big, old bag of wind… you're Crocodile?!" He was furious. This was the same man threatening Vivi's country. The person whose actions made Vivi cry. He was not going to get away with this. Not while he was here. Luffy pushed himself to his feet, letting the anger seep out of him down as he exclaimed, "Come here and fight me like a man! You big—" His words were cut off as he reached out and touched the cage. Within seconds, feeling his energy being drained from him again. Well, that was stupid. He couldn't help it. He was just so angry.
"Pay attention, stupid!" Usopp snapped, "You gotta remember not to touch the bars!"
Crocodile's attention had moved to him, another smirk coming to his face as he drawled out, "Straw Hat Luffy… I congratulate you for getting this far, and I promise to dispose of you neatly and proficiently. Once our special guest of honor makes her appearance."
"A guest?" Nami questioned.
Luffy really hated the dark look that came to Crocodile's face. The feeling that went straight to his gut from that look alone. He didn't like the implications of it. "My partner is on the way to fetch her."
X
Sabo had seemed to have gain a bit of their trust. While they still held up a wall to him, it was enough that they were willing to share information with him. That's what he was good at. Gaining the information that he needed. That the Revolutionary Army needed.
"That name sounds familiar." Roger hummed. "Dragon." He did look like he was deep in thought for a moment before he was shaking his head and sighing. Sabo had explained in more depth what the Revolutionary Army stood for and what their goals were. What they had planned on doing.
"I would like to offer my assistance if you'd allow me." Sabo stated after a moment. While the pirates looked shock, the three adults looked at each other, as if they were silently communicating amongst themselves before Roger looked back at him and nodded. "One of the best parts of being the Chief of Staff… I have many men working under me. When we see something that could either help our cause or people who need assistance, we like to be there."
Roger made a noise for a second as he crossed his arms. He looked like he wanted to continue to withhold the person that they were looking for, but Sabo was positive he had a good idea of who it might be. "One of our own accidentally got sent to this time and we are just trying to find him so we can get home. We have no intentions of starting anything here."
Sabo nodded, pulling out his white snail and holding it out. "There are many members all over the world who can be able to help. If you would like, I could send out a message to them all. I just need the details of exactly who it is."
"Captain, you can't be serious?!" Buggy exclaimed.
Roger just placed his hand on the small form of Buggy and smiled but kept his eyes on Sabo. "My apprentice, Shanks. Same height as this one. Would be fourteen. Straw hat, red hair." They had went into further detail of how they ended up here. The events that led to Shanks being sent through time. Sabo could remember an old tale that Dragon used to tell him, about a mysterious island that held an artifact lost that had the abilities of time travel. It was also believed that the Toki Toki no Mi originally grew on the island and its power was granted from that same artifact. Not much was known about it since it was believed to be from the Void Century or used during that time.
Sabo chuckled for a second, "I know who Shanks is." There was always a gratefulness that he felt whenever Shanks was brought up in conversation. He couldn't explain why he felt it since he had never actually met the Yonko of the Sea personally. Just that he knew Shanks was a prominent figure. "So, his teenage self had gotten sent here. Simple enough. I can get the word out and tell you if anyone has been able to spot him."
"He's good at blending in." Roger went on, "He probably won't be found easily."
Sabo just waved his hand, "Captain Roger, we're the Revolutionary Army. We can find anyone." He paused for a moment, thinking of all the different possibilities of where the younger yonko might have ended up. Then something came to mind. "There might be someone outside of us that might also be able to help if we can't find him."
"And who would that be?" Rouge questioned.
Sabo shook his head, a grin coming to his face, "Rumor has it that Hawkeyes—uhm, Dracule Mihawk, the Warlord can find Shanks no matter where he is in the world. There are some other rumors but that one would be the most fitting, but it could be a risk going to him. Though, they have a known friendship, kind of… it's hard to explain, actually, but he might help if you happen to come across him. He typically doesn't get involved in things that don't interest him."
Roger started laughing for a second, catching Sabo of guard for the moment as he blinked. "I know about Hawkeyes. Well, in our time, he's already getting his name out there." There was a smirk that came to his face as he added, "So, he can find our Shanks, huh?"
"If all else fails. It would be a risk since he is technically allied with the World Government." Sabo added. "But I've told that when those two dueled, they could be heard no matter where you were on the Grand Line, so I would definitely leave it open as an option if you need it."
"That's amazing!" The third adult stated. Sabo had learned that this man was Kozuki Oden, the samurai that had originally been with the Whitebeard Pirates but also the daimyo of Wano. It was surprising to Sabo to know that this man also traveled with the Roger Pirates, but he looked really interested in what he was saying. Even helping to reassure Buggy that Sabo was not a threat.
"If you don't mind, young man… why don't you travel with us for a bit?" Roger questioned. "I could really use all the help of people who know this time to try and figure out where Shanks might be hiding out."
Sabo nodded, "If I'm being honest, you really want to hope that he found someone who isn't an enemy of the Red Hair Pirates or Red-Haired Shanks. Shanks is probably the best smooth talker on the seas, but he has his fair share of people who want to take him down. There are probably a few pirate crews willing to help mask his identity."
The others nodded, giving small noises in reply before Rouge was muttering, "I'll take all the help we can get."
X
Since they were stuck in the cage, Luffy was deciding to pass the time. Sure, he was beyond angry but what else could they do? There wasn't much that they could at this moment. Crocodile was sitting on his table. Food and wine sitting before him as he lounged back and watched him. Smoker had taken to sitting on the bench behind them. Zoro had decided to take a nap. Nami was standing there, most likely still trying to figure out a way out.
And Luffy and Usopp?
Well, they decided it was a nice time to do impressions.
Luffy had decided to do an impression of Sanji which had Usopp cackling in laughter and clapping from it. Nami growled from behind them before a punch hit him in the back of the head and sent them straight into the ground. "Get serious! How can you two screw around when we are in this desperate situation?!"
Luffy frowned, looking up at Nami as he covered his head. "Well, we can't get out! So, what else is there for us to do?"
This question only seemed to anger Nami more as she snapped with, "The fact that we can't get out is the reason it's so desperate! If we don't do something soon, we are going to wind up dead!" Her attention had moved to Zoro now as she screamed out, "And why are you sleeping?!" Before she had given him a punch to the head.
Zoro wasn't affected by it as he drawled out, "Is it morning already?"
"It's afternoon, you moron!" Nami retorted.
"You are certainly a high-spirited young lady." Crocodile stated. Luffy peered over to him, seeing him place his wine glass back down. Luffy wanted more than anything to punch this man in the face, but he couldn't as long as if he was in here.
Nami looked over to Crocodile, placing her hands on her hips as she hissed out, "Whatever. You better go ahead and enjoy yourself while you still have the time, mister." A smirk came to her face as she raised her arm, her tone of voice changing for a second as she added, "Cause when these guys get out of here, they are going to kick your smug butt all up the Grand Line. Right, Luffy?"
Luffy was back to his feet, Nami's words sending more determination into him as he exclaimed, "Yeah! You better believe it, buddy!"
"Your crew members seem to place a lot of trust in your talents, Straw Hat Luffy." Crocodile mused, taking another drink of wine a second later. He was peering down at it, his ringed fingers curled around the glass before he was casting a glance at him. "How foolish." He started chuckling, his face showing as if he was enjoying taunting them. "I think trust is unnecessary."
"Who does he think he is?! Sneering at us like that." Nami growled.
Usopp walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders as he muttered, "Now, Nami… you're just going to make him angry."
Luffy didn't care. He wanted this man to actually fight him. That's what he came here for. Kick Crocodile's ass. That was number one on his list right now.
Before anyone else could say anything, a loud shout of, "Crocodile!" Was heard. Luffy paused, his gaze moving. He knew that voice. Standing up on the large staircase directly parallel to Crocodile was Vivi.
"Vivi?!" The Strawhats exclaimed.
"My humble greetings, Vivi. The Princess of Arabasta." Crocodile stated, holding his hands out – well, one had a hook on it that Luffy had noticed before – "I mean, Miss Wednesday. I compliment you on evading our assassins in order to get this far."
"You have no idea what I would do, or how far I would go to see you dead, Mr. Zero." There was a dark look that came to Vivi's face a second later that had Luffy feeling worried. "I wish you died in your cradle, you monster!" She exclaimed as she moved to attack, her weapon out as she started down the steps.
"Vivi!" Luffy exclaimed. "First get us out of this thing!" He couldn't let her do this alone. He promised to help her.
Vivi was ignoring him in favor of Crocodile. His stomach fell at the thought. He was helpless to do anything for her. All he could do was watch. He didn't like this for a moment. "This country would be peaceful if it weren't for you!" Vivi screamed. He could hear the emotion in her voice. It was taking her over again. Crocodile didn't even look fazed as Vivi attacked him. Luffy's jaw dropped as he saw that Crocodile's head completely disappeared.
"Not going to work." He heard Smoker drawl from behind him.
That caught Luffy's interest. What did he mean by that? Then he saw it. The sand. Then Crocodile's voice followed, "Feel better? Surely you must know that I have the power of the Suna Suna no Mi." Luffy's eyes widened as the air caught in his throat as Crocodile reappeared within the sand. His hand covering over Vivi's mouth. "Want to become a mummy?"
Luffy was beyond pissed now.
This wasn't okay.
"You leave her alone! I'm warning you right now or I'll kick your ass!" Luffy screamed, all the anger coming out in his voice now as he waved his arms.
To his surprise, Crocodile didn't actually hurt Vivi, instead having her sit at the table. "Have a seat, Princess. I trust you will be comfortable there." Crocodile walked around the table, "I must say, your timing is perfect. The party is about to begin. Isn't that right, Miss All Sunday?"
"Yes." Miss All Sunday confirmed, standing behind the chair that Vivi was now sitting in was Miss All Sunday. Who they had met before they arrived at Arabasta. Luffy had barely noticed she was there. Luffy paused. What did they mean by party?
"Party?" Nami questioned.
Miss All Sunday pulled out a watch, smiling as she looked down at it, "It's exactly noon right now. Time for Operation Utopia."
Luffy was confused now. It was clear the others were as well as he heard Nami say, "Huh? Utopia?"
"What's an Operation Utopia?" Luffy found himself questioning. All Crocodile did was start laughing as Luffy exclaimed, "Hey!"
Crocodile's cackling continued for a moment. Luffy couldn't see the look on his face, but he didn't like that laugh in the slightest. "It means the end of the Kingdom of Arabasta, Miss Wednesday." Luffy gritted his teeth for a moment, wishing more and more to be out of this cell. "I'm going to wipe it off of the map as if it never was! All people, great and small, will be sucked into eternal darkness as they writhe in agony! Let Operation Utopia… Begin!"
X
Ace had woken up pretty early. Everyone else was still fast asleep, either strung out in chairs or still within their beds. He didn't say a word as he slipped out of the bed he had been sleeping on, looking back at the others for a moment before he was slipping out of the room entirely.
Almost immediately as he was out of the room, he had been bombarded with questions from the others. All of them asking if Thatch and Shanks were okay. He would reply that they were, pushing his way through the crowd to try and get to his room so he could grab his den den mushi. He still had a call to make.
"Commander Ace!" He paused as he looked over his shoulder, seeing Saber standing there, "You might want to come outside."
Ace frowned and nodded, making his way over to the cabin doors. "What's going on?"
"I think it's just better that you see for yourself." Saber added.
Ace opened up the door and walked outside. He looked around before his gaze settled on exactly what it was that Saber was alerting him about. He blinked at he muttered out, "Well, guess I don't have to make that call."
The Red Force was on the horizon, heading directly for them. "Oyaji? What would you like us to do?" He heard from behind him. It sounded like it had came from Jozu. He couldn't really tell from how hyper fixated he was on the Red Force. Shanks was already heading this way. Did he know?
Ace turned, seeing Whitebeard approaching with a smile on his face. "Nothing. Just let them board." Whitebeard looked down at him for a second as he realized that Whitebeard, Marco, and Toki were all outside with them now.
"How much do you want to bet that Hawkeyes had something to do with this?" Marco questioned, a smirk coming to his face as he tilted his head. "We should have known that this wouldn't stay a secret for very long from him."
Toki was looking around, giving a confused look for a second. "What's going on?"
Ace sighed. "That ship." He stated, pointing out to the horizon, "Belongs to our time's Red-Haired Shanks. It's called the Red Force, the home to the Red Hair Pirates."
Toki's confusion warped to happiness as she looked out to the ship. "He really did it. He used to tell me that he wanted to be a Captain one day and travel the world. I'm so happy for him." She stated as she started to walk over towards the rail. "Has he had a good life?"
"Yeah, he has." Ace confirmed. "But I'm sure he could tell you for himself. He'll be happy to see you." Even though Ace had only recently been learning most of this information about Shanks, he was pretty certain that their Shanks would agree with his statements. It was hard to read Shanks. Anything that he could possibly do or even be thinking. He wore an extremely good poker face most of the time. Hiding behind a smile even if he is thinking something completely different.
"I'm surprised they got here so quickly." Izou stated, readjusting his sash for a moment. "It hasn't been that long since the island where Little Red and Hawkeyes met."
"Both of those brats can travel very quickly. Especially that red-haired one." Whitebeard stated, "He knows all the tricks of these seas. Helps he grew up on a pirate ship." Whitebeard started chuckling for a moment, shaking his head as he did so. "I felt like this was a possibility."
"What about the Marines?" Ace questioned, "They have to know that Shanks was heading this way."
Whitebeard hummed, "They won't know the real reason we are meeting up, which works out for us. They most likely created a diversion for the Red Hair Pirates to keep them from getting to us but that wouldn't have stopped them. We just have to ensure that those Navy bastards never figure out that the little brat is on this ship."
Ace nodded before Teach came to mind. Seeing how he had bene forcing the smaller Shanks' head under water. The fight the two had. How he had stabbed Thatch in the back. "What about…"
"Teach?" Whitebeard finished.
Ace nodded towards him, "Yeah." Ace could feel the anger growing in him. The need to go after him and finish this once and for all. For spitting on Whitebeard's name. For attempting to kill Thatch. He was his Division Commander, and it was his job to finish this. Yet, with Shanks being on their ship, he couldn't find himself actually wanting to make that leap and leave. He had to stay here and keep his promise. He had to help Shanks get home. Then he would handle the rest of this. "He knows about him."
"I don't think we would have to worry about him." Whitebeard stated.
That had taken Ace completely by surprise and many of the others as well. "What?" Ace found himself saying. "Why wouldn't he use that information to his advantage? He already showed that he is willing to attack his own nakama!"
Whitebeard reached out, his palm landing on Ace's back that had him stopping for a second and catching his breath. "Think about it for a moment, Ace." Ace wasn't sure where Whitebeard was going with this. What he was even referring to. He took a moment to look at Marco, to see that he was making a similar expression to the one that Whitebeard was currently wearing. Ace did not understand what he was trying to get across, and it was clear that the Captain had noticed his confusion. "Teach has been hiding behind my name. Rather I like it or not. Want to believe that he would do something like this."
Marco stepped forward, placing a soft smile on his face as he reached out and placed his hand on Ace's shoulder. "Teach has no bounty. No reason for anyone to believe anything he says. The Marines wouldn't take his words too serious unless they had some sort of proof or get the information from an inside source. He's a pirate, so they will be more hesitant to believe him. Red-Hair is on his way here. If Teach is smart, he won't try to do anything."
"Do we really think that he wouldn't try something?" Ace questioned, shaking his head in denial as he looked back at the cabin door. "He tried to take him with him. He was going to use him."
"Teach can't get to him now." Marco added, forcing Ace to look back at him by using a thumb underneath his jaw. "We won't let him. Now that Red-Hair is here… I doubt that he would allow anything to happen either. He will be safe, Ace."
Ace wasn't sure if he believed it. There was so much that could go wrong if they allowed Teach to stay out there. Alive. They had to do something about it. Even if the others didn't seem to think that he would take any form of action. "Marco… I—"
"Ace, just listen okay… Teach stabbed Thatch in the back. Which means he took the opportunity to attack him while his back was turned. Thatch never saw it coming." Marco explained, the sincerity on his face was pulling Ace in. Making him listen to each word he was saying, "It leads me to believe that he wouldn't do anything to him unless he felt like he could. That he had the opportunity to do it. That's why we won't let him. The World Government probably wouldn't believe him if he just waltzed up to him and said that Little Red was here. He would have to have some sort of proof behind his words for them to believe him. As long as if we don't give him that, we can protect him. Now that the Red Hair Pirates are here, it puts pressure onto Teach. He won't be able to act out anything he might be planning. Shanks was an opportunity. He attacked him because he walked in on what he had been doing. Nothing more. He probably would have jumped ship immediately if he hadn't walked in on it. We have time. Time to make a gameplan."
Marco had a point. Ace knew it. His gut was telling him one thing, but the logic that Marco was putting out was telling him another. He would have to trust it for now. He had the choice to leave and take care of this, but it also meant that Teach would still be out there with the knowledge that the smaller Shanks was on this ship.
His attention was only pulled away as Izou frowned and pointed out to where the Red Force was. "Isn't that the direction that Teach had been heading."
Ace paused, looking out, "That's right. I found Shanks out in the water not far from there." He moved away from the others, looking down at the water. "Do you think?"
"Teach ran into the Red hair Pirates?" Izou questioned.
Ace nodded. "If he went that way… it seems likely." The Second Division Commander stated.
Izou smiled. "Well, lets hope that he did, and Red-Hair dispatched him for us." A small part of Ace didn't believe that. Though, he wished it was true. He would love more than anything to hear that Teach got what was coming for him. He really hated the idea of just staying here and not doing anything about it. He wanted to go out and search for him, but he had to stay, and he knew it. He sighed as he shook his head.
"Well… Oyaji. Looks like I don't need to tell Shanks after all."