Hi, I'm here with the new chapter. Thanks for the nice reviews, made my mood better.

I just want to say I won't be able to update so quickly now, the school started and it's pretty hard. But don't worry, I won't be dropping this story, I really love writing it.

So here we go, enjoy reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.


Chapter 9


Zoro stared at the lavender-haired man in shock. His heart beated faster as it recognized the face, even if looking a bit older it was still the same...or the tiny bells, the dance...the moves he made with his wrists to make the silver ring...how otherworldly the jingles sounded in the raging storm...he saw all of it years ago...in the past long gone...

'The outfit...This can't be...' his mind whispered in disbelief. 'He can't be...'

"Well guys, let me introduce you to Futashi Pajanaki, the "king of the night rain underworld", and the last Weather-Lord of Amaya." Savannah confirmed his suspicions.

"...Weather...Lord..." Zoro's voice was soft, they hardly even heard him. His eye never left Futashi, who was almost on the mole by now, Usopp tossing him a ladder. "He's... But...b-but the servants...they were all...Unc-... Sehyr killed them all that night! This is ... impossible..." he trailed off at the end, his eye wide.

"What are you babbling about Marimo?" Sanji asked as he observed Zoro, being ignored completely. He frowned but stayed quiet.

A dull "thud" brought their attention back to Futashi, as he ascended the ladder and jumped down onto the deck. He looked around with with a playful small smile. "My greetings brave pirates. Welcome to the Great Amaya." he exclaimed with a overly dramatic deep bow.

The crew stared at him, no one really knowing how the hell to respond to that.

As he straightened back up he was met with skeptic glare of two honey colored eyes, literaly asking 'really!?'.

One moment both of them just stared movelessly at one another.

In the next they both burst in a hearty laughter.

"Hi Mr. Showman of the Great Welcoming Committee. Good to see you again, Paja." Savannah said happily, hugging him lightly.

Chuckling he patted her back. "You too Vanna-chan, great to see you." he responded. "And come on now, you know how I enjoy these things. It makes my day better. Besides, I had to show off a little bit to them, didn't I?" he added with a wide grin on his face. Giggles could be heard throughout strawhats: so this is the real Futashi.

Savan sneered. "Yeah~. Right. Show off a little bit, huh~? With a sea-dragon."

Suspicious glares were shot his way and Futashi pouted, turning an overly innocent glance to the side. "...I donno what ya talking about..."

"Ehemm...Could you say it repeat?" Asked the Nami sweetly.

The Lavender-man gulped, at the look of pure honey coated danger and despite being one of the best torturers, he decided it would be wiser to stay on the painless side of the service.

"Uh-um...ehem...so you are the navigator of this lovely ship I assume." he began in a business-like manner, though with nervous undertone. "You must've had a hard time getting here through the Storm Armor. Allow me to compensate you for your inconveniences. What can I do for you, my lady?"

Nami's forced smile stretched into a pure devil sneer. She looked like the cat that caught the canary. "Hmm... Let's think about it...a favor from Weather-Lord..." she purred. "Thank you Futashi-san, I'll definitely let you know when it's the right time."

Futashi couldn't help but laugh. "I like your way of talking. Get something out of it, whatever the situation." He calmed down and held his hand out for Nami to shake. "Futashi Pajanaki, call me Paja. Nice to meet you."

"Nami." the navigator accepted the hand. "Nice indeed."

As the crew introduced themselved and chated with the smuggler, Zoro stood partly behind the mast quietly. He didn't move until Futashi's eyes stopped on him. He froze, his lips parting slightly, mix of shock and surprise painted on his face.

"Y-young... Young Master!?" he stuttered, slowly walking close to Zoro. "Are you...no, impossible...that face..." his eyes widened as he reached out his slightly trembling hand towards the swordsman, but then pulled it back. Happy grin stretched on his face. "Oh god! It's really you Young Master! I always knew you're not dead! I'm so happy I was right!"

Zoro looked at him for a while, before his lips tretched in a warm smile that reached his eye. "Yes... It's me Naki-san."

Futashi came closer to the man and took Zoro's hand in his, kissing it gentlemanly. Zoro's smile widened, as a small blush appeared on his face. Standing close to Zoro, Futashi never let go of his hand as he observed him. "I see you've become one wonderful young man Zorodom. You've gained handsomeness." He cupped his cheek with his free hand, stroking his scar with his thumb. "And a lot of scars. This must have been one nasty wound."

Zoro squeezes Futashi's hand. "I'm so happy you're alive! But...how? I-I thought Sehyr..."

The Lavender-man's face saddened. "To be honest, I don't really know either. Few days before the fucking night your mother Taera, the Queen, sent me on a mission to Ibaga, seemed they had some weather troubles. By the time I got there it was already a week or so after the attack. When I got the news I was crushed. You were practicaly my family, hell even the mother fucker Sehyr was like a brother to me! He always took care of you and Zay-kun, he never mentioned a word that he's jealous or that he hates King Keishin...him doing such a horrible thing... such a disgusting betrayal!... I didn't know what to do. All of my men in the capital said the palace was massacred and told me not to come. I hid in Ibaga and started an ilegal organization to help the people a just a little. I had to stop searching for you or anyone from the castle in order to keep you safe. But I believed that someone survived. I felt it!" he smirked, squeezing Zoro's hand. "And I was right!"

Suddenly his brows furrowed in intrigue and muse. He looked the younger man right into his emerald eye. "But, young master. The odd part is, that when i got to Ibaga and asked about the storm problems, they gaped at me asking what I was talking about. Apparently there never were any kind of weather troubles there in quite some time."

Zoro's mind processed all of what was said. 'What!? Mother send Naki-san on non-existent mission right before the palace was attacked? Why?? Why would she do that? What's going on?...'

"Anyway I'm so glad you're safe." Futashi squeezed his hand one more time, caressing his cheek lightly before letting go and turning to Nami to discuss some matter with her.

The others just quietly listened to the two men, not wanting to disturb what looked like reather intimate conversation, until Brook decided to speak.

"Zoro-san, if I may ask, how do you know this man?"

The first mate glanced at him, his eye still a little dazed. "When I heard the name Pajanaki it didn't even occur to me as I thought he died that night. He was the captain of the Wather-servants on my castle, the ones that manipulated the storms around Amaya."

"That gives sense." Usopp mused. "It fits with your converzation."

"Hm..." Zoro hummed as he followed them off the ship and on the mole.

No one noticed a pair of eyes following their every move.


The room was dark when the woman came silently. She closed and locked behind her, rurning around to go to the other side of the room. There were second door, a bit bigger then the first one. The woman knocked three times and waited.

"Come in." a deep, calm voice responded.

She obeyed.

There in the middle of the small room, seated in a chair was large muscular man, his dark green hair slicked back, his arms crossed. Beside him lied huge black lion, nervously twitching his tail. Four long scars traiced across the man's face.

He glared at the woman sharply. "I hope you have really important reason to drag me here, Uno. I'm a bussy man you see, Jabari is getting closer to discovering the location of real heart lately."

Uno nodded and digged in her bag for a moment, before pulling out visual den den snail. "Few hours ago, we got a picture from one of our spies in charge of Futashi. He's currently located near Ibaga, probably in one of his ilegal ports. He helped a pirate ship to get through the storms and dock. The spy tried to follow the pirates, but lost them in the Norden Forests."

The man scowled, standing up, both he and the lion growling irritatingly. "Is that all?! Isn't that pretty much a routine for him now?! It's probably just one of his weapon trades again. If that's what you called me all the way here for..."

Uno shuddered at the threatening tone. "No, of course it's not! I wouldn't disturbe you for something like that. The interesting part is this one photo the spy sent. I couldn't be so sure of what I saw, but I was certain you would like to see this." she said as he handed him the snail.

He took it from her, put it on the table and turned it on.

As the picture appeared, his blood froze in his veins, eyes going wide, jaw falling to the ground.

"...fuck..." he whispered at the sight of the young man on the picture. That green hair, that face, that beautiful emerald eye...

"FUCK!!!" he yelled, shock and dread written on his face. "No... impossible... I...I killed him! I killed him that day! I... slit his throat open... h-he shouldn't be alive!!"

'This is bad!' he thought. 'If he's still alive... it's been fifteen years already, he should be twenty-one now, the Receiving Age... and since the Yorus are both here, his pulls are still lasting... This is seriously dangerous!"

"Uno, take as much men as you need and find him." he comanded. "Bring him here. Drug him, use violence if necessary but don't kill him! Hurry, if we got this picture, it's just a matter of time when Jabari finds out too. We have to find him first!"

"Yes sir!" Uno bowed and left to fulfill the order.

As Sehyr looked back at the picture, he frowned deeply, biting his bottom lip.

'Shit! Why now of all times...'


to be continued...