*Disclaimer! I do not own anything One Piece related, that belongs to Oda!*
Law was wondering if he could stay here without losing his mind.
His headache felt like someone stabbing his brain over and over again, and he wished he had Bepo here with him to at least lean against for some comfort or to converse with. He always felt like he was walking on eggshells when he spoke up to offer information or comment about something, especially with Doflamingo in the same room. He's just glad the taller man hasn't made an actual move to talk to him, or he's sure he would lose his emotions very quickly. Law sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in discomfort, trying to lessen the ache in his head.
A slight pop suddenly filled the primarily silent room, and Law looked up to see white smoke above where he was sitting. Others turned to see what the noise was about, curious more than anything, as a small glass bottle gently floated down towards Law. He tried to ignore the eyes as best he could, focused his attention on the bottle and held out his hand when it was close enough. Law inspected the clear bottle with an inky black liquid inside and found a piece of paper tapped on the bottom with handwritten words. Law still felt the curious gazes as he took the paper from the bottle to read what the paper said.
"For headaches"
Law stared blankly at the words, bewildered. He didn't know whether to be suspicious or thankful but didn't try to think about it too much, or his brain would probably implode from the number of questions he had. Law shrugged, uncorked the bottle, figuring he had nothing else to lose, and downed the liquid. He grimaced at the foul taste but swallowed, knowing medicine usually tasted like shit. Once he was done, he put the paper inside the bottle and placed the cork back on, and the bottle disappeared in another puff of smoke. Law noticed the silence and looked around, only to find eyes staring at him, and he tried not to squirm at the curious gazes.
"What was that?" Roger asked what they were all thinking.
"Medicine," Law answered simply.
Some glanced at him with suspicion, some nodding at his answer, clearly believing him, and Law sighed, but miraculously he didn't feel a stabbing sensation in his head. Whatever he just consumed is indeed working fast, not that he was complaining.
The lights slowly started to dim, and everyone focused their attention away from Law and towards the screen.
The sun is setting, and a red hue oversees the sky of the desert. Ace puts on his hat, smirking.
"Alright then." Ace says as he faces forward.
Luffy, his crew, Vivi, and a camel watch Ace, all of them in new desert attire.
"At least Nami isn't wearing that dancer's outfit." Marco huffed.
"Are you really leaving, Ace?" Chopper asks.
"Wait," Marco said, furrowing his eyebrows, his emotions switching in a split second, "Ace is leaving? Why?"
"Well, Ace is a part of your crew," Shanks started gently, "He probably has a mission to complete. He can't journey with Luffy forever."
"Oh," Marco said, frowning, "I guess you're right."
"Cheer up, Marco!" Roger grinned, "I'm sure we will see Ace again!"
"Gurararara! Roger is right, Marco!" Whitebeard laughed, patting the phoenix on the shoulder, "Ace is a part of our crew; we will see him again!"
Marco smiled and nodded in determination at the reassuring words. The past pirates grinned at each other, trusting their words, knowing they would see Ace again. Law frowned slightly at the scene, not knowing the feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. He glanced at Shanks, only to see the man with a blank look. Law wonders how long the man is willing to hurt himself by keeping the truth. He is glad he isn't in Red Hair's shoes, although he is a little anxious at the reveal if it's by Red Hair or these viewings and the blow-up that will follow. Law sighed and turned forward.
"Yeah. Blackbeard isn't in Alabasta. There's no reason for me to stay in this country." Ace replies.
"So, Ace is searching for Teach." Whitebeard raised his brow, "I assume I sent Ace to punish Teach for his crime."
Shanks shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with his situation,
"From what Marco told me,"
"What? Me?" The phoenix interrupted, confused.
Shanks chuckled at the teen before answering,
"Future Marco."
Marco's mouth was agape, the teen trying to comprehend that Shanks knew an older version of himself. Shanks smiled at the boy before moving his focus back to Whitebeard.
"From what Marco told me, you told Ace not to go, but he went anyway because he felt responsible for Blackbeard since he was under his division," Shanks informed the giant with a regretful expression.
Whitebeard raised his brow at Red Hair's words, staying silent, processing the information.
"Why would pops not want Ace to go?" Marco furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
Shanks remained silent, either not knowing the answer or not wanting to say it. Marco looked at his captain with a questioning glance, trying to understand. Whitebeard hummed to himself before he smiled reassuringly at his son, patting his head. Marco opened his mouth, clearly unhappy with not being answered, but closed it after a moment. The teen huffed before facing forward. The others followed suit, and the scene resumed.
"Oh," Luffy says simply.
"Where are you planning to go next?" Sanji questions.
"Scorpion told me some guy in the West saw him." Ace says as he pulls a piece of paper out of his pants pocket, "I'm gonna try looking there."
Ace looks at the paper before he throws it in front of him,
"Luffy."
Luffy catches the paper and makes a noise of confusion as he inspects it.
"Ah, a Vivre Card," Raylighed said as he observed the paper in Luffy's hands.
"Smart," Roger smiled, "Now Luffy can find Ace whenever he wants."
"Keep it with you, always." Ace instructs, smiling.
"What?" Luffy inquires with a raised eyebrow, "It's just a scrap of paper."
"Of course, Anchor wouldn't know about Vivre Cards." Shanks smiled fondly while he shook his head in exasperation.
"That scrap of paper will let us meet again." Ace counters.
Luffy opens the folded paper and makes a noise of acknowledgment of Ace's statement.
"Don't want it?" Ace asks.
"No, I do." Luffy immediately responds.
"Having a younger brother who's a bit slow makes his older brother worry." Ace smiles fondly, "He's probably going to keep burning your hands, too." Ace bows, "Take care of him for me."
Law felt a little bittersweet watching the scene. Knowing what happened to Ace makes this scene look like a farewell. This feels like Ace's final goodbye to Straw Hat, and he can leave knowing that Straw Hat is in good hands. Although, to others not knowing the outcome, it looks like a big brother looking out for the younger, wanting him to be safe, and knowing they will see each other again. Law sighs at his morbid thoughts and continues to focus on the screen.
Luffy makes a noise of confusion at Ace's words and actions. Ace stands up straight and looks at Luffy with a severe expression,
"Luffy, the next time we meet will be at the Pirate's Summit."
"Okay!" Luffy agrees, determinedly.
"Come to the top," Ace says, smiling at his brother.
Law looks away from the screen, not liking the emotions that started to stir inside him. He looks to his left to see Shanks have a woeful expression on his face as he stares at Ace's smiling one.
"I wonder how powerful both of them will become!" Roger laughed.
The past pirates nodded in agreement and wanted to see the brothers' potential. Law sighed and faced forward.
"OI!" voices from a distance yell.
Luffy and his crew looked over, and Luffy runs a few steps toward them and waves his arms,
"OI!"
A man with two kids is seen waving at Luffy before they turn around walking away.
"Who are they?" Marco questions with a raised brow.
The others shrugged, not knowing the answer.
Luffy stops waving and looks over his shoulder,
"Huh? Where's Ace?"
The crew makes a confused noise, and they turn to see nothing but sand and the setting sun where Ace stands.
Well, that was dramatic, Law thought.
"Looks like Ace inherited his father's theatrical flare," Rayleigh smirked.
"I know, right!" Roger exclaimed with a broad smile, "My son is awesome!"
Rayleigh sighed at his captain but softly smiled as he listened to the man ramble about how 'awesome' his son was.
"He's gone," Zoro said.
"Fire Fist Ace…" Sanji trailed off.
"We'll see him again," Luffy says confidently, smiling.
"Yep, I'm sure of it," Nami says softly.
The scene faded to black, but the lights stayed dim.
"I can't wait to see Ace again!" Marco smiled.
The other past pirates nodded in agreement and wanted to see more of Fire Fist. Law sighed at the naivety of the past pirates. He seriously didn't like this forbidding feeling he was getting and tried to push it down and face forward when the screen lit up again.
The Straw Hats and Vivi are walking in the desert with Nami on a camel. Suddenly, Luffy sits down to criss-cross applesauce against a tree, and the rest walk by him.
Law looks at Straw Hats' behavior, wondering what the boy is doing. He wonders if this is some whim from the teen or if he is trying to get something across to the others. Law knows that Straw Hat isn't a simple captain- even though he acts simply and speculates his objective.
Ussop makes a noise of confusion before shouting and pointing at Luffy,
"Oi Luffy, what the hell are you doing?"
"That's what we would like to know." Eustass grumbles to Law's right.
Law looks over at the man in amusement. The aggressive pirate is getting immersed in these viewings. Eustass is looking at the screen with his brows furrowed, and Law can tell that the man is trying to understand Straw Hats' behavior like the rest. He smirked at Eustass, finding it whimsical that the arrogant captain was interested in something besides himself. Eustass looked over at Law, feeling his stare, and glared at him,
"What're you staring at, Trafalgar?"
"Nothing Eustass." Law dismisses the man while smirking.
The redhead rolls his eyes and scoffs before facing forward, clearly not wanting to get into an altercation with him. Law does the same but stops as he feels an eerie pressure. Someone is watching him. He scans the room as discreetly as possible to find the individual who was eavesdropping on his conversation.
As he scopes the room, his eyes meet youthful black ones, and Law blinks in surprise. Marco blatantly stares at him and is unashamed about it because he still stares after Law makes eye contact. The teen has a longing look as he looks at Law and Eustass, and Law raises a brow at Marco in a way that asks why the boy is staring at him. Marco smiles sheepishly, shakes his head dismissively, and looks toward the screen.
Law blinks a few times at the absurd encounter and shakes his head. He can worry about it later, he thinks and faces the screen.
Luffy frowns as he has his hands behind his head and closes his eyes.
Nami gets off the camel,
"Luffy?"
Vivi walks towards Luffy, asking,
"What's wrong, Luffy?"
Zoro has a raised brow as he watches Luffy. There is a beat of silence before Luffy looks up at them.
"I quit," Luffy says bluntly.
"Quit?" Roger questions with his brows furrowed.
The man was as confused as the other room's occupants.
They all make noises of confusion as they stare at Luffy.
"Quit?" Nami questions, bewildered.
"Luffy, what do you mean?" Vivi asks.
"Come on, Luffy." Usopp reprimands as he puts his hands on his hips, "We don't have time to cater to your whims right now. Get up!"
"We're going back, aren't we?" Chopper asks, standing next to Usopp in his walk point.
"Going back?" Marco asks the phoenix raising his voice in aggravation. The teen was not fond of not knowing the context of what was happening, "To where?"
Whitebeard pats the phoenix's shoulder to try to calm him down and smiles down at his son,
"We don't know, Marco, but if we keep watching, I'm sure we will understand."
Marco relaxes his shoulders at his father's words, nods in agreement, and faces forward.
"Damn straight we are!" Sanji affirms, his voice growing in agitation, "We're going to retrace our path back to Katorea and stop the Rebel Army. If 1,000,000 people in this country clash, it's all over y'know!? This is for Vivi."
"This Warlord is crafty to have a Rebel Army form from his meddling." Rayleigh whistles impressed.
Roger frowns as he nods to his first mate's words.
Sanji walks towards Luffy and grabs his collar forcing him to get up,
"So come on, let's go."
Luffy grabs his arm and throughs Sanji aside,
"Don't care."
"What the hell, what is Luffy doing!?" Marco incredulously asks the teen, surprised by Straw Hats' behavior, "Why is he acting so different?"
Shanks hums at the screen with an inquiring look. Rayleigh notices Red Hair's conduct and nudges him with his shoulder, and Shanks looks at Rayleigh with a questioning glance.
"What are you thinking about, Shanks?" The Dark King asks curiously.
Roger looks over at the question with a raised brow, also wanting to know what his cabin boy is thinking. Shanks looks between them for a second before he sighs,
"I thought Luffy wouldn't be acting like this on a whim like Yasopp's son said."
"Wait, who is Yasopp and Yasopp's son?" Marco questions.
"Yasopp is on my crew, and his son is Usopp, the long-nosed boy," Shanks answered.
Marco nods at the information while the rest of the past pirates look at Shanks curiously, trying to understand what Red Hair is trying to say about Straw Hat.
"Red- Shanks is right." Law voiced. He had to correct himself, remembering Red Hair didn't want to talk to him informally.
The past pirates looked over at him in slight surprise, and Law could feel other eyes on him coming from the right side of the room. He tried not to focus on the pressure and focused back on the past pirates. Red Hair smiled at Law's comment about saying his name right or speaking up about Luffy; he didn't know.
"What do you mean?" Roger asked curiously.
Law took a moment to try to gather his thoughts before he spoke,
"I have met Straw Hat a couple of times, and he isn't the type of guy to quit, especially if one of his friends needs help, which I'm sure the princess needs."
The past pirates looked curiously at his input about Straw Hat while Law heard a scoff to his right.
"That's for sure," Eustass grumbled, loud enough for the whole room to hear, "Straw Hat won't quit; that's what's so annoying about him."
Law nodded his head in agreement without even thinking about it, and he stopped himself when he remembered that other pirates were watching him. Law looked over at them and could see the amusement in their eyes, smirking at the two younger captains and their annoyance for Straw Hat. Law rolled his eyes at them and faced forward, wanting this interaction to be over already. He sighs as he hears chuckles from his left; he should have never spoken up in the first place.
"Anyways," Shanks said, nodding towards Law, "What Law said is correct; if I know anything about Luffy, he won't abandon his friend for no reason. So, he must have his reasons for how he is behaving."
Roger and Rayleigh hum as they think about Red Hair's words. They eventually turned forward, but Law could still see the gleam of curiosity in their eyes.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" Sanji yells as he gets up from being pushed.
"Vivi," Luffy says with a frown.
"Yes?" Vivi answers with a worried look.
Luffy has a severe expression as he says. "I want to beat the crap out of Crocodile!" Luffy raises his voice, and Vivi takes a step back at the harshness of his words.
"So he can be serious?" Eustass grunts lowly, sarcastically.
Law rolls his eyes at his words; Eustass hasn't even seen anything close to Straw Hat being gravely serious. Law remembers when Straw Hat woke up after Marineford and was shocked to see his behavior. The teen seemed to have a joyful spirit back at Sabaody, not one of darkness. He shouldn't have been as surprised as he was, thinking back on it, considering the amount of stress and emotional strain Straw Hat went through. Law sighs as he looks back at the screen.
"If we stop all those rebels, will Crocodile stop?" Luffy says, with his hat shadowing his eyes, "Even if we reach Katorea, there's nothing that we can do. We're pirates. You're better off going there without us."
"So, the princess wants to stop the Rebel Army from attacking the Royal Army." Whitebeard summarizes.
Almost everyone nods their heads at the excellent summary of Vivi's plan.
"I got to say, Luffy is right about going off without them." Marco says with his head tilted, "Pirates are usually never welcomed by civilians, especially an angry Rebel Army."
"Seems like Luffy is trying to state facts towards the princess," Rayleigh comments before he chuckles, "Although quite bluntly."
Everyone stares at him, worried, confused, or with severe expressions.
"Sometimes that senseless idiot hits it on the head," Sanji says with crossed arms.
"Luffy can surprise us sometimes," Usopp says offhandedly.
There were some light chuckles at the backhanded insults.
"That… That isn't…." Vivi trails off.
"All you want is no one to die in this battle." Luffy interrupts, "Not the people of your country. Not any of us. You're taking on a Warlord Pirate in a battle over a million people are preparing to fight in. And all you want is for no one to get hurt." Luffy opens his eyes and stares at Vivi, "Aren't you just fooling yourself?"
"It's admirable that the princess wants to protect her people, but as Luffy says, she is being unrealistic." Shanks comments.
The past pirate's nod in agreement.
Vivi has her hands in fists and shakes from anger.
"Wait, Luffy, can't you try to understand Vivi's feelings?" Nami defends.
Sanji holds his arm out to Nami, stopping her,
"Nami-swan, wait."
"But…" Nami trails off, hurt.
Vivi takes a few steps forward, and her hood falls off as she exclaims,
"What's wrong with that!? What's wrong with not wanting anyone to die?"
"People die," Luffy says bluntly as he glares up at Vivi.
Vivi furrows her brows in anger and slaps Luffy across his face, and he flies to the side from the force.
There was a tense silence as everyone watched the screen, some raising their eyebrows in surprise at the princess's violent act.
"Stop talking like that!" Vivi shakes her head in denial, "I'm not going to let you say that again!" Vivi breathes heavily as Luffy lays face first on the sand, "That's exactly what we're trying to prevent! Not the Rebel Army, not the Royal Army… No one in this country is at fault! So why does anyone have to die!? It's all Crocodile's fault!"
Luffy gets up on one knee as he glares at Vivi. He suddenly gets up, jumps up, reels back a fist, and punches Vivi in the face, and she cries out as she falls to the sand.
Law was a little stunned at Straw Hats' actions; it seems he doesn't have a problem fighting whoever he wants, he thinks in slight amusement. He looks over to the left side of the room and notices Marco's bug-eyed look and Whitebeard's raised brow of disapproval. Shanks and Roger both have shocked expressions, while Rayleigh raises a brow in amusement.
Personally, Law wouldn't take such actions against a woman unless it was necessary. He likes verbal communication, not physical, so he would try to talk to the princess without using physical violence. He guesses that is just another thing different between Straw Hat and himself.
"Then why are YOU risking your life!?" Luffy yells to the sky.
"Oi Luffy, that's going too far!" Ussop exclaimed with a shocked expression.
"Yeah, that might have been a bit too far," Marco says with a bewildered face.
Whitebeard hums next to Marco with furrowed eyebrows. The man has a conflicted look as he observes the scene playing out. Law assumes the captain disapproves of Straw Hat's methods but appreciates what the teen tries to convey to the princess.
Chopper stands next to Usopp with his jaw agape as he watches the scene and Sanji with an outraged look as he rolls up his sleeve.
"Dammit, Luffy!" Sanji shouts.
Vivi wipes her mouth, gets up with a cry of rage, and rams Luffy onto the sand.
There is a tense silence as the occupants in the room watch the viewing unfold, curious about how this fight will be resolved.
"From looking at this country, what needs to be done most…." Luffy starts while Vivi raises her fist.
Vivi starts to punch Luffy over and over as she yells,
"What of it!?"
"...is even clear… to me!" Luffy shouts as he gets beaten, "You risking your one life is going to be enough!?"
Law now understood what the princess must be feeling. She had to do everything independently to protect her country at a young age. She must have felt lonely for those couple of years and terrified, and Law could relate. He now appreciates Straw Hats' actions towards Vivi by letting her know she is not alone.
"Then what am I supposed to risk!?" Vivi exclaims desperately as she hits Luffy, "What am I-!"
Luffy grabs her arms, and Vivi's face drops.
"I have nothing else to risk… Nothing…" Vivi says remorsefully.
Law hears a huff from his right and looks over at Eustass rolling his eyes at the screen.
"This girl is annoying me," Eustass says in an aggravated tone.
Law raises his eyebrows in surprise at Eustass having the balls to state that out loud to the others, especially at an emotional moment like this. The past pirates and Shanks looked over at their shared couch with raised brows in judgment, more so from the youngest.
"Hey man, you don't have to be rude! Vivi has a lot going on right now!" Marco said defensively.
Eustass raises his brow in return but doesn't respond.
"Why does she annoy you, Kid?" Shanks speaks up, looking at the other redhead curiously.
The other past pirates look from Shanks to Eustass, wanting to know the answer. Law was also curious about the answer, wondering if the red-haired man was simply annoyed with the princess or if there was something more to it.
Eustass grunted at Red Hair before replying,
"The princess clearly doesn't understand why Straw Hat is there in the first place. I find it annoying that she thinks she is fighting alone when the Straw Hats have been fighting with her for a while now," Eustass curls his lip in disgust and speaks with an affirmed tone, "She's acting like they're her escorts, and not companions. It's annoying that she needs to understand that after getting punched."
Law has to admit that he is slightly impressed with Eustass speech, even if it was somewhat too blunt. He certainly understands the younger man is coming from, but it's something he can look over, considering everything the princess has been through.
"I see," Shanks starts before he smiles. "I can see how that could be annoying, but I'm sure Miss Vivi will soon realize she is not alone, thanks to Luffy."
The past pirates nod their heads in agreement at Red Hair's words while Eutass raises his brow but otherwise nods and looks forward.
Luffy bucks her off of him, and Vivi falls into the sand.
"Try risking our lives along with yours!" Luffy shouts with a bloody nose, "WE'RE YOUR NAKAMA!"
Vivi looks shocked and covers her mouth with her hand as tears begin to fall.
"Finally," Eustass whispered in exasperation.
"We're your Nakama, right?" Luffy says softly.
Vivi lets out little sobs as Luffy grabs his hat.
"What? So it turns out… you do cry." Luffy says.
Vivi starts to bawl as she thinks of the suffering of her people.
"You're the one suffering the most, and you want to beat the hell out of him more than anyone." Luffy says factually as he pats the sand off his hat.
Nami walks over to Vivi and hugs her as she cries. There is a beat of silence before Luffy puts on his hat and exclaims determinedly,
"Now tell me. Where is Crocodile?"
The scene faded to black.
"Do we finally get to see some real action?" Marco asks.
"Can't say for sure, but it does seem like that will come soon." Shanks observers.
Marco nods in approval,
"Good, I want to see Crocodile get his ass beat!"
Whitebeard chuckles at his son but nods in agreement at his words.
"I'm interested to see how strong this warlord is compared to Luffy and how he will defeat him." Rayleigh comments while he scratches his beard, contemplating.
"Me as well." Roger agrees, "I am also curious how Nico Robin will join the crew."
"Oh right, I forgot about that," Marco says dumbly.
The past pirates lightly chuckle at the teen, clearly finding amusement in his behavior. Before anyone could continue the conversation, the screen lit up, getting everyone's attention. There was some shuffling as everyone faced forward, clearly anticipating what would be shown.
The sun is setting while Luffy and Crocodile face each other outside Rainbase.
"Ooo! I sense a fight!" Marco says excitedly.
Law heard shuffling around the room, and he could tell the other occupants where getting ready for the fight that have been waiting to witness. He himself, had become restless from all the monologe, and was anticpiting to see some action. Law seriously hoped this wasn't some more talking, it was getting tiring and boring to listen people talk about conflicts that happned in the past, knowing he had no ability to change it. Seeing the fights will at least distract him from his morbid thoughts, and will be enjoyable to watch. Law shifted into a comfortable position and focused on the screen.
"I'll give you three minutes." Crocodile says in a bored manner, "After that, I won't have time to play with you anymore."
"Cocky much?" Eustass grumbled rolling his eyes.
Luffy blankly stares at him while the wind blows.
"Any problem with that?" Crocodile asks.
"Nope, Fine by me," Luffy says nonchalantly while he cracks his knuckles.
Straw Hat also seems to be feeling cocky, Law thought warily. He knows Crocoidle is a logia type, and Straw Hat- as far as he knew- knows nothing about haki during this timeline. Either Straw Hat is a lot stronger and smarter than Law gives him credit for or the teen is about to get a rude awakening.
"Yes! Let's go! Show em' whos boss, Luffy!" Marco cheers.
The past pirates chuckle at the phoenix's encourgement but quickly focus forward, they themselsves interested to see how the fight will play out.
Luffy suddenly gets into a fighting position and reals back his arm,
"Gomu Gomu no…"
Crocodile raises his brow in confusion before Luffy yells,
"Pistol!"
Luffy stretches his arm towards the warlord, but the taller man doges while he turns into sand.
"Seems the Warlord is a logia type." Rayleigh observes, "This will be a tough opponent for Luffy."
Marco looks worrid at the Dark kings words before he looks at Rayleigh in assurance,
"But Luffy has haki so he'll be fine."
There was beat of silence.
"Luffy doesn't have haki." Shanks spoke carefully.
Marco's eyes bulgded and his mouth dropped in shock. He closed and opened his mouth, the young teen trying to speak but utterly unable to. He fumbled over his words before finally getting a clear sentence out.
"What do you mean he doesn't have haki?!" Marco all but shouted.
The past pirates winced at the volume, but otherwise looked sympthaly at Marco. Whitebeard sensing his son increasingly distress put a gentle hand on his back and rubbed circles, comforting him. Marco looked from his captain to Rayliegh to Roger accusignly. The three looked confused at Marco's behavior.
"How do you guys know that? You guys haven't met Luffy either!" Marco asks incredulously, "How do you know that Luffy doens't have haki?!"
The three looked at each other in a silent conversation, before Whitebeard nodded at Roger.
"Well, since Luffy didn't know a lot about the Grand Line," Roger spoke up, speaking as if he was talking to a toddler, "Like how to enter it, or what an Enternal Pose was, and the fact that he and his crewmates where shocked to see other devil druit users." The man paused gaging Marco, to see if the teen will blow a fuse, but seeing as Marco was quietly listening to him- probably from the shock, Law thinks- he sought it safe to continue, "We all assumed that Luffy had no knowledge of haki."
Marco stayed silent, enternalizing the information, while the past pirates and Shanks observed, worridly. Law could see the gears turning in the kids head, and he was worried that the teen brain might break from the knowledge.
"Oh." Marco said plainly.
The past pirates exchanged looks, but their eyes were brought back to Marco when the phoenix brought his hands up to clutch his head.
"Ah crap!" Marco exclaimed, making Roger jump a little from the sudden noise, "How is Luffy gonna defeat him now! I was totally confident in him a second ago, but now knowing that he doesn't have haki makes me less certain!"
Whitebeard continued to rub Marco's back and slightly chuckled at his sons words,
"Don't worry Marco, we just have to have faith in Luffy. Don't give up yet, I'm sure Luffy has a plan."
Marco looks up at his captain, trying to find the truth in his words, and when his eyes meet the gentle smile of his pops, Marcos shoulders relax from his earlier tension.
"We now Luffy doesn't die here," Roger comments with a grin of his own, gaining attention from others, "So there's no need to worry!"
Marco nodded at his words,
"You're right! Just because Luffy doesn't have haki, doesn't mean he's gonna lose! I don't know why I got so worked up!" Marco laughed at himself, while the past pirates and Shanks smiled at the youngest in reassurance.
Well, the are surely an optimistic bunch, Law thought warily. He heard a huff from his right and looked over to see Eustass rolling his eyes at the past pirates display. Seems like the hottheaded captain felt the same way as Law.
"If you're done with your emotional breakdown," Garp voices, shoving another cracker in his mouth- Law was seriously wondering how much this man could eat. "I want to continue watching my grandson beat this Warlords ass."
Marco looked over at the marine confused,
"Aren't Warlords affiliated with the Navy?"
Garp lookd over at the teen with a raised brow while continuing to snack on his crackers,
"Yeah… and?"
Marco looked like he wanted to explain further but Whitebeard stopped him talking and shook his head. Marco looked from the marine to his captain before shrugging facing forward, wanting to get back to the fight.
Crocodile lunges towards Luffy with his hook and jabs it towards his head, but Luffy bends backward to avoid the blow.
"Oh." Crocodile comments as Luffy lands on his hands.
"Gomu Gomu no…" Luffy shouts upside down, "Stamp!"
Luffy stretches his leg towards Crocodile's back, but the older man turns into sand. Luffy makes a frustrated noise as he sees he isn't doing any damage. His leg whips back to its normal length, and the recoil sends Luffy falling on his back, with his water and Straw Hat falling off him.
"If the brat wants to win, then he will have to do something more than throwing punches and kicks out randomly." Kaido comments.
The past pirates and Shanks looked over at the beast pirate warily, trying to detect any underlining insult in the mans words, sensing none, they nodded in agreement.
"Yes, unfortunately you're correct Kaido." Rayleigh says, while Kaido looks over, being addressed by name, "Luffy will have to make up a plan or find a weakness to have any chance of winning." Kaido nodded in agreement, and faced forward, clearly done with the conversation.
Law had to admit that might have been one of the most civilised conversations between the two sides of the room, one that he prefers even if it does creep him out. Law shook his head faced forward.
"I'll tell one thing, Straw Hat Luffy." Crocodile voices as he uses his devil fruit power to turn whole again, "It doesn't matter how much you struggle. Someone like you will never…"
"Gomu Gomu no…" Luffy interrupts, "Gatling Gun!"
"Seems Anchor isn't up for making conversation." Shanks laughs as the Warlord gets intterupted.
Luffy sends both his arms flying towards Crocodile in a series of punches, but the Warlord stands completely still as he turns into sand. Luffy screams as he continues to punch and eventually stops, out of breath, breathing heavily as he stares down his opponent.
"This is frustrating to watch." Eustass grumbles, "Straw Hat is just doing the same thing over and over again. He doesn't seem to get the idea that he can't touch him."
Law could say that he relates, it is getting a little aggravating watching Straw Hat attack, only to end up nowhere. But the teen is unpredictable, so he is waiting for him to come up with a plan that will either be brillant or entirely stupid.
Crocodile laughs at Luffy's poor display,
"Listen, Straw Hat Luffy. Your worthless attacks are like mosquito bites. It doesn't matter how long you continue." Luffy breaks out into a sprint and reals back both his arms in another assault, "Somone like you will never-"
"Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!" Luffy interrupts again, blasting Crocodile's stomach with his attack.
Crocodile looks annoyed while Luffy stretches his leg up in the air ready to take his next course of action.
"Axe!"
Luffy sends his leg crashing down into Crocodile's head while the man turns into sand. There is a crash, and sand flies everywhere as the Warlord disappears. Luffy breathes heavily as he stomps at the ground,
"Damn you! Damn you! Damn you! You dead yet? Stupid Sandcroc!"
"'Sandcroc'?" Roger huffs out a laugh at the nickname.
Crocodile forms whole again behind Luffy and smirks at Luffy's actions,
"Once again, worthless."
"This guy really likes to hear himself talk." Marco observers with a raised brow, clearly unamsued by the fact.
Law also noticed that the Warlord was talking a lot, which is slightly annoying. He clearly doesn't know that Straw Hat either is ignoring him or simply isn't listening to what he has to say.
Luffy makes a noise of anger and turns around to face the taller man,
"You son of a bitch!"
"It doesn't matter how much you struggle, Rubberman." Crocodile states plainly, "Someone like you will never…"
Luffy doesn't listen to his words and runs at him for another attack.
"...def-"
Luffy interrupts him with a punch, effefianly stoping Crocodile from speaking.
"Ha!" Marco lets out a sharp laugh before quickly covering his mouth with his hand.
"Pfftt!" Roger lets out a laugh, before he does the same as Marco and smothers his laugh with his hand.
The occupants in the room give them a deadpan stare as the try to hold in their laughs. Law understands that the scene was funny, but not enough to emit a laugh. He sighs at their simple minded brains and faces forward as does everyone else.
"'DEF'!?" Luffy asks, confused, "What the hell have you been trying to say!?"
Crocodile's face becomes filled with rage.
"I think I've played with you long enough." Crocodile decides, with a dangerous edge to his voice.
The hourglass is shown to have almost completely finished. Crocodile brings his hook up threateningly,
"Straw Hat Luffy."
"I hope Luffy will be ok." Marco says worridly, "I know that he will be fine, but it looks like the Warlord is about to fight seriously."
"Don't worry Marco," Shanks smiles at the teen, "I'm sure Luffy will figure something out."
Marco nods in agreement and looks reassured by his words.
"I've been fighting seriously the whole time!" Luffy states angrily, "But… Dammit! I can't even hit him! He keeps dissolving!"
"You and I…" Crocodile starts before he gets into a position, ready to attack, "...are not the same class of pirate!"
Crocodile hand forms into a spear of sand,
"Desert Spada!"
Suddenly the ground begins to tremble and Luffy falls. He lands in a hole of sand that falls towards the middle.
"His devil fruit is already powerful," Roger comments, brows furrowed, "But it's also amplified since he's in his element. Quite the predicament for Luffy. He's clearly at a disadvantage."
Rayleigh and Shanks hum in agreement, their brows also furrowed in concern for Straw Hat.
Luffy looks around confused,
"What? What? What?"
Luffy starts to sink into the sand and he starts to hop around and yell before he starts to run up the side of the quicksand.
"The sand! It's sucking me in!" Luffy shouts as he continues to run.
Luffy panics as he makes little to no progress, while Crocodile watches looking down at him.
"Never heard of quicksand?" Crocodile asks offhandedly, "The desert is s convenient coffin. No grave necessary. The sand is being drawn into an underground river. Using my ability, I am able to determine its exact location." Luffy continues to yell as he runs, gaining more ground, "Fighting on the desert, no one on this world can hope to match me."
There were some huffs at the Warlords comment, clearly the man hasn't been to the New World. It doesn't matter if you're in your element, there is still someone stronger than you, Law thinks bitterly.
"This sand!" Luffy yells out of breath, "...won't be enough to bury me alive! Bastard!"
Luffy stretches both his arm back,
"Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!"
Luffy slams both his hands down into the sand in front of him, propelling him into the air.
"If I can't hit you, I'll capture you instead!" Luffy states as he intertwines his fingers, "Gomu Gomu no Net!"
Luffy stretches out his fingers to a net.
"Intresting use of his power." Whitebeard says offhandedly.
Crocodile forms a wall of sand and sends Luffy flying back.
"Can't you take a hint?" Crocodile says, agitated, "It's worthless."
"Gomu Gomu no Whip!" Luffy shouts as he sends his leg to the Warlord only for him to hit sand.
"Repeating the same things over and over?" Crocodile comments.
Yeah, and it's getting annoying, Law thinks agitated. This fight is getting Straw Hat knowhere, and now he is wondering just how the teen will end up beating this Warlord. He knows he does, since it was in the news coo,- even the marines were said to be the one to bring him down- so why was he getting a foreboding feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Suddenly, Luffy is sent flying toward the taller man. His arm is trapped in a sea of sand that is Crocodile's stomach.
"Lemme go, you bastard!" Luffy yells.
Crocodile brings his hand down and swiftly swipes through Luffy's arm,
"Barchan!"
There were some intakes of breath at the direct hit.
Luffy falls on his back and clenches his shoulder in pain,
"My arm!"
Luffy makes a noise of agony as he slowly looks at his right arm only to see half of it shriveled up.
"Wh- What the hell?!" Marco exclaims, the teen points up the screen in disbelief, "What the hell happened to Luffy's arm?!"
There was a shocked silence as the occupants in the room focused their attention on Straw Hats disfigured arm. There is no way to come back from that medically. So, how the hell does Straw Hat still have two of his arms?
"My arm! My arm! It's a mummy! My arm turned into a mummy!"
"Because of the sand." Crocodile explains, "It sucked the water straight out of your arm. Maybe I should suck out all the water from your body and dry you to death. Give you a little taste of the desert, so to speak."
Wait, water? Law thinks. If the sand took away the water, then maybe water plays an important role with Crocodile's devil fruit.
Luffy sits up, breathing heavily, as he clenches his arm,
"This ain't no joke."
"Yeah no shit Luffy!" Marco shouts, the phoenix high of the sudden adrenaline rush, "Half of your arm is shriviled up like a raisin!"
Law hears a slight huff of amusement from his right, and he looks over to see the beast pirate side eyeing Marco with mirth at his comment. Law quickly looks away and pretends like he didn't just see the emperor slightly smile and focus on Straw Hats predicament.
Luffy looks around before his eye catches something and he lights up,
"That's it!" Luffy starts to run away from Crocodile, "WATER!"
Crocodile makes a noise of confusion as Luffy gulps down the water from his barrel, and suddenly his arm buffs up in an exaggerated size.
"The fuck." Marco deadpans.
Law isn't even going to question the physics, but mentaly pats himself on the back for figuring out that water was indeed important for the Warlords power.
"Worthless." Crocodile says, unamused by the display.
"It's not worthless!" Luffy rebukes, "This water was given to me by the old dried-up guy in Yuba after he spent all night digging it up! Do you know what that old guy said? Yuba will never be defeated by mere sand!"
Law could feel himself getting hyped for the fight. He feels like Straw Hat might actually might have a chance of winnig and is anticipating the outcome.
Luffy starts running at Crocodile,
"Gomu Gomu no Chomping!"
Luffy stretches his mouth wide and bites down on Crocodiles upper body. Luffy glides over Crocodile's body and flaps his arms, looking like a bird.
"The fuck." Eustass deadpans.
Law was now doubting himself about Straw Hat having a winning chance.
Crocodile burst out of his mouth shouting,
"ENOUGH OF YOUR WORTHLESS BULLSHIT!"
"This guy really likes to say 'worthless'." Marco points out.
Luffy falls on his back, coughing, while Crocodile becomes whole again.
"Die…" Crocodile states, "Along with the "hearty" soil of Yuba."
That doesn't sound good, Law thinks warily.
Luffy looks up confused by his words.
"Your three minutes are up." Crocodile says as the hourglass is shown to have finished dropping sand, "I told you from the outset. I don't have more time than that to play with you. Sables!"
Crocodile holds out his hand and a small sand tornado forms. It suddenly grows bigger and bigger. Luffy makes a noise of horror at the display and put his hands to shield himself from the wind.
"The sand's nice and dry today." Crocodile comments with a pleased smile, "Now then, Straw Hat Luffy. The prevailing winds here always blow north to south. If this small sandstorm rides that wind south and matures, where do you think it will strike when it gets nice and big?"
"Wait, he isn't planning on what I think he's planning," Marco says cautiously, "Right?"
"Unfortunately, I think we all do." Shanks says regretfully.
"To the south?" Luffy asks.
"To Yuba." Crocodile smirks.
Luffy widens his eyes in horror,
"Why!?"
Luffy runs up to Crocodile and grabs his coat,
"You! What are you doing that for? Stop it!"
"That isn't a good idea Luffy." Roger says warily, "Don't get so close to him."
"Yeah, " Rayleigh nods in agreement, "He's leaving himself wide open for an attack."
Marco looks worridly at the screen, and he shifts in his seat, the teen not happy with the way things are turning out. Whitebeard noticing his sons stress places his larger hand on his shoulder in a silent support.
Crocodile is not phased by Luffy's actions or words and smirks,
"Look, a southbound breeze is rising…"
"The old dried-out guy has nothing to do with this!" Luffy shouts up at Crocodile, "Damn you! STOP, DAMN YOU!"
Luffy runs towards the sandstorm trying to stop it but gets blown backward by the wind. Crocodile chuckles at Luffy's uselessness,
"It's worthless. Give it up. Once this storm picks up speed. Not even I will be able to stop it."
"Quit screwing around!" Luffy yells angrily.
"Yuba is finished." Crocodile says factually.
Luffy runs up to Crocodile and fists his coat and shouts up at Crocodile demandingly,
"Stop it! Right now!"
Suddenly there's a crunching sound and Luffy's eyes go wide in shock.
The silence is defeaning as most of the occupants in the room come to realize what has just occred.
Everything goes silent as Luffy's eyes go dull and he falls forward.
"Huh? B-But wait, what ju-just happned?" Marco says breathlessly as Whitebeard's hand slightly clenched his shoulders.
"What do you think brat?" Doflamingo scoffed.
Law was in to much in a state of shock to hear what Doflamingo said, as the other past pirates and Shanks because they to where looking up at the screen in stupor.
"Who do you think I am?" Crocodile says in an almost whisper.
Crocodile hook is shown to be protruding out of something while a liquid is dripping from it. The silhouette of Crocodile hook running through Luffy's chest is shown, while Luffy is hanging limply in the air.
"Oh my god…" Marco trails off, horrified at the image of Straw Hat.
Law eyes buldged at the gruesome display. This seemed worse than Straw Hats injury at marineford, he thought incredously. How the hell did the teen survive such a life threatening wound, especially with no doctor around. Speaking of which, where are Straw Hats crewmates. If they weren't nearby then there is no way for the young captain to receive decently good treatment. Law inhaled slowly and exhaled, his heart was beating to fast. He needed to clam down, after all Straw Hat somehow survives this severely life threatening injury.
"Damn." Law hears a grunt from the beast pirate.
"There are plenty of rookies who are all talk." Crocodile speaks, while blood is dripping down into the sand, "Just like you, Straw Hat Luffy. Here on the Grand Line…"
Crocodile lifts his hook higher and Luffy's head falls back as he stares blankly at the sky, blood running out of his nose and mouth.
Law cringes at the display, Straw Hat looks almost dead. Law looks over to his left and noticecs the same expression on most of the past pirates faces.
"Had you ignored those worthless feelings in the first place, you would have lived longer." Crocodile states.
Crocodile notices water dripping down his arm and smirks in amusement,
"Water… And I suppose you aren't as grateful for this water anymore."
Law huffs in anger at his remark. The warlords is certainly rubbing salt in the wound. Damn he knew he had a bad feeling about this, he just assumed that Straw Hat would take the win and move. It didn't really accrue to him that he would lose. What a wake up call, Law thinks bitterly.
Luffy grabs Crocodile's arm and the taller man makes a noise of confusion. Luffy clenches the arm and Crocodile yells in pain.
Law stares shocked at the screen. He knew that Straw Hat was stubborn but this is just rediculous. Every movement should send waves of pain through out his body, but Straw Hat moves his arm and clenched it hard enough to inflict some damage on Cro- wait. Inflict +*damage? How was Straw Hat able to touch Crocodile, when all this time he has been turing into sand? Law furrowred his brows in confusion and he closed his eyes, trying ot think of a solution.
The water.
Of course it was the water. When Crocodile pierced Straw Hats chest, he broke the water canten that Luffy was wearing around his neck, allowing Luffy to touch him. He knew water was important for this devil fruit. Unfortunate events to figure that out, but useful nonetheless.
Blood continues to drip and Luffy makes a noise of agony and coughs up some blood, his eyes still dull.
"How the hell is he moving right now?" Marco asks incredulously.
"Impossible." Crocodile exclaims, "You're still alive?"
The Warlord lifts his hook in anger and throws Luffy into the quicksand, and Luffy cries out in pain. Luffy tumbles down into the center and clutches his chest flailing around in pain.
Law could feel an eerie pressure coming from his left and turns only to see very angery pirates and one marine. He could feel their auras and could tell they were not happy with Straw Hats condition. Law was glad he wasn't in the Warlords shoes or he's sure he wouldn't be alive right now.
Crocodile looks down at him, pleased,
"You seem to be in quite some pain. But you'll soon find peace."
Crocodile laughs while the sand starts to shift and Luffy starts to sink. Luffy can barely move as he gets buried alive.
"Goodbye." Crocodile smirks.
The scene fades to black.
"What?! That's it?!" Marco shouts angrily, "You can't leave it on a cliffhanger!"
