The sea, it is said, is a truly fickle friend.

This is a truth held in almost universal regard throughout the multiverse, except in one area where the sea has a tendency to sort of lurk in the background and is seen as an overly desperate acquaintance. In most parts, however, the wild and unpredictable passions of the ocean become the inspiration for innumerable superstitions that shape and define the course of nautical history. Those superstitions and traditions are a necessity borne out of a desperate urge to learn how one can go out to sea and expect to come home again safely. Eventually, sailors of all sorts reach a mutual understanding with the ocean, and life can proceed with care.

This is not the case for the Grand Line. Oh no. The Grand Line is not just any ocean. The Grand Line, it is said, is a murderous lunatic. Ice storms, followed by Summer lightning, followed by three-hundred foot tall crabs, followed by pirate attacks, followed by twenty-four hours with no sun in the sky... It is unthinkable to enter the Grand Line without knowledge, skill at sailing, resources, and a resolute heart.

The crew of the now unnamed ship that had just left the Elemental Kingdoms had not only set off without most of those things, but they had also just entered unknown territory without even having a tradition of long-distance seafaring to fall back on. It was a dark and deeply clouded day, and for the last half an hour Akatsuki had been rotating slowly in circles, dragged around by a lazy, unhurried, and entirely mysterious whirlpool.

Each and every one of the members of Akatsuki had a suggestion on how to deal with this whirlpool, but Tobi was undeterred. Tobi was determined to find out more about the sea they now sailed on, and mysterious whirlpools were right up there. Still, the crew was restless and morale was low. Considering his comrades and their circumstances, Tobi carefully ran through his mental list.

Kisame was underwater, investigating the state of this whirlpool to see if he needed to do something about it.

Deidara was up in the largest crow's nest, playing with his clay birdy dolls, though he didn't like it when Tobi called them that.

Kakuzu was taking inventory of the loot they had acquired along with the ship. The aged ninja was an angry man, and Tobi hoped he wouldn't blow any more holes in the ship, but they were easily repaired by Tobi's own mastery of Wood-element ninjutsu.

Orochimaru was in his new makeshift lab/infirmary, examining the body of that big springy fellow they had captured earlier. He seemed to be having the most fun of all of them.

Danzou was off sulking in a room somewhere, all the while trying to pretend that he wasn't a part of the rest of them, as usual. Like that fooled Tobi for even a second.

Sasori was up by the helm, crumpled into a heap with a far-off look in his eyes. He had chakra threads connected out to mechanisms across the entire ship and had effectively taken over the position of helmsman and, indeed, the entire crew. Really, Tobi thought, he knew Sasori liked his multi-tasking, but he could stand to leave a little bit for everyone else to do.

Hidan was acting the most strange of all of them. He had stopped his prayer-'n-swear 'religious ceremony' (which he had called 'traditional', but Tobi called 'rude') when the ship had entered the whirlpool, and he was now pacing angrily around the ship and staring into the distance. Tobi couldn't help but notice that as far as he could tell Hidan was always facing the same direction each time he stopped, which was impressive considering how long they'd been rotating around this whirlpool. Looking down at a spare Log Pose it seemed like Hidan matched up perfectly with the needle that pointed the way to the next island.

Weird!

Tobi's thoughts were interrupted when Kisame leapt out of the ocean in a spray of water, landing lightly on the deck. Kisame was smiling, Tobi noticed, which made him smile in return. He looked like he was really enjoying himself.

"What's the news from underwater, sharky?"

Kisame blinked and shook his head before speaking, his voice nasal and tremulous from his unusual shark-like head structure. "The water's deeper than anything I've ever seen before. I didn't want to go any further down for now, but I might have to eventually. I've got no idea what's causing this. The currents don't make any sense."

"Ah," said Tobi, "But maybe they do make perfect sense, and it's just us that are the weird ones, huh?"

"No, these are strange," insisted Kisame.

"No, you're missing the point. Everything you know about the water… no, everything we know about the world, even, is based on what we saw back at the Elemental Kingdoms! We're the first people to leave this island in, oh, ages, so we should be prepared be the weird ones out here."

Kisame frowned at Tobi dubiously, before looking back and forth around the ship for moment. Kakuzu and Orochimaru had arrived from below-deck to check on their status. Hidan was still muttering to himself. Kisame pointed at his own face, his beady eyes highlighted against his scaly, blue skin. "You really think we need to get used to being the odd ones?"

Tobi waved him off. "You know what I mean! Maybe huge, sucking whirlpools are normal for this ocean, huh?"

"You think this is normal, then?" asked Orochimaru. "All the more important for us to learn how best to escape them quickly, don't you think?"

"I agree with that," grumbled the massive, stitched form of Kakuzu, "Standing around like this is hardly conducive to future profits. I can tolerate only so much of your deviancy, Tobi. We need results."

Tobi shook his head. "Man, you guys are no fun. This is a great opportunity to learn something, and all you wanna do is just zip right off."

"I'd rather learn from the unusual than the normal," said Orochimaru, "This is mere water."

"FUCK!" swore Hidan from the port side of the ship. Everyone looked his way curiously, but it was Deidara who shouted from up above.

"Hey! The whirlpool just stopped spinning! Looks like we can get moving now, un!"

Tobi was ecstatic. "See, that's great news! I bet that whirlpools that appear and disappear are a perfectly normal part of this ocean. You guys were all worked up over nothing!"

All the other members of Akatsuki frowned for a moment. Kisame said, "You said we needed to learn from this so we knew what to do next time. So, what, we just wait until it goes away? Isn't it a little strange that the whirlpool stopped but we're still below sea-level? Trust me, that's not supposed to happen." Indeed, a sloping hill of water surrounded their currently nameless ship as if they were sitting near the bottom of an immense bowl of seawater.

"Normally not supposed to happen," stressed Tobi as, in the background, Hidan swore loudly before running frantically into the nearest cabin and slamming the door behind him. "And, yeah, I know I said all that, but it all turned out alright in the end. Guys, guys, guys… Relax! We're through our first major challenge of the mission, and we're in great shape!"

"What," Tobi asked, cheerfully, "could possibly go wrong?"

Three seconds later, the Knock-Up Stream erupted from the ocean's depths. The solid column of torrential seawater was like the god of the sea himself delivering a furious uppercut to the unprepared ship. In an instant, the crew was slammed into the deck, and their ship was sent rocketing violently into the stratosphere.

Then, eventually, there was silence. Over the course of the following day, unbelievable rainfall would occur in the nearby areas as a large lake's worth of water fell gradually back to earth.

The ship and its crew did not return nearly so quickly.

-Grand Line-

-City of Water-7-

Water-7. Ocean paradise city and home to the greatest center of commercial shipwrights in the world. People from thousands of miles away came to make use of its services, and the city owed much of its success to the utterly unique Sea Train that had revitalized its industry more than a decade ago. Given the intense difficulties with navigation in the Grand Line, the miraculous train that linked numerous nearby islands together in a stable and dependable fashion ensured that Water-7 would become a trade hub, tourist destination, and industrial powerhouse all-in-one.

Every visitor to the island looked on in awe at the city's multiple tiers of locks, waterfalls, and aqueducts that culminated in a massive fountain at its peak. It was a wonder that seemed beyond the scope of what humans could accomplish. It was an unconquerable mountain of water that sprayed endlessly into the sunny day from some unknowable source. In another week, the Aqua Laguna storm system would pass through and herald the beginning of the rainy season, but for now the weather was perfect. Hurried people poured through the streets occupied with an unending variety of business, but to each and every one finance was of utmost importance.

The Saito & McGillavry bank's main branch, situated conveniently next to Blue Station, was the perfect location for arrivals on the Sea Train. Its marbled halls drew thousands upon thousands of visitors each day, and its numerous respectful employees saw to each of them with impeccable professionalism.

At a teller's window, a solidly-built man by the name of Percival Flounders was currently taking tentative advantage of those services.

The first thing people would notice about Percival was that he was exceptionally well-dressed. An immaculately tailored sage-green suit sat buttoned over a charcoal-colored vest and clean white shirt. To anyone with an eye for it, the quality of the materials was top-notch, and the man knew how to wear it, despite his rough features.

The second thing they would notice was that he seemed nervous, his stance uncertain, looking like he was ready to bolt or punch someone at any moment. At least, you might think so until you looked more closely at his eyes. People who knew the signs stayed away from eyes like that. They were the eyes of a man whose boundaries were breaking down. If he were really pressed into a corner, he probably wouldn't be resorting to his fists. He'd be stabbing someone instead.

It was Percival's day off, and he had a very important job to do here, but he tried so hard to stay away from banks in recent years. Too risky. Still, one had to go eventually even if Percival's bad habits did tend to make trips to the bank rather... eventful. Still, here he was, and he had placed a briefcase full of money on the polished stone counter before him. The teller watched with understanding eyes.

"So, let me get this straight..." Percival said, sounding desperate and confused, "I give you this money..."

"Of course, Mr. Flounders," inserted the attentive teller.

"... And then you'll keep it... safe..." he suggested, rolling the word around as if it had personally offended him.

"Of course, Mr. Flounders."

"... And then you'll give it back later, when I ask?" he said, as if the concept of a normal business transaction had never once occurred to him in his entire life.

"Well-managed and with interest, Mr. Flounders. I dare say that our managers will make a special effort for you, Sir."

Percival frowned, shifting uncomfortably on the spot. "But how safe is safe, really? What have you got protecting all of it? The doors, the alarms, the guards, the vaults... I don't want to be unreasonable, but I think I have the right to know."

Now it was the teller's turn to look uncomfortable. "I'm so terribly sorry, sir, but I know that I'm not allowed to discuss that with customers... Though, Security might be willing to make an exception for you. "

"Ahhh... Hmmm... Well, in that case… I think-"

Whatever he was going to say was interrupted. In broad daylight, five masked individuals, four men and a woman, interrupted all business as they burst through the doors of the bank. The shouting began immediately.

"All right, you stinkin' lot of losers! Hands in the air, cause this is a robbery!" shouted the lead man, a greasy, lanky fellow with a wide smirk.

Percival froze in place, his face twitching in some odd expression between a smirk and a grimace. Strangely, the bank teller's panicked attention remained on his client rather than the new intruders.

"Now that you got yer hands in the air-" shouted the woman of the group as all five arrived in the center of the bank floor, "get yer butts on the ground! Then put your hands there, too, if you know what's good fer ya!"

There was a brief period of confusion as the patrons attempted to comply with this order, some of them uncertainly placing both hands on their own rear-end. Two of the other intruders walked quickly toward the tellers, brandishing a pair of wicked-looking guns in every direction. As the barrels passed over them, people cowered in fright. Shortly thereafter, bank guards began pouring in from the back of the establishment.

"Look's like it's my turn," snickered the last robber, still standing with the center group. Stepping up slightly, he raised both palms toward the two largest groups of guards.

[LAZY-LAZY WAVE]

In seconds, both sections of the bank were overwhelmed with a flood of energy that crashed and flowed across the marble floor like a transparent blue tsunami. As soon as each guard was touched they looked to one another, shrugged, and turned back to the break room.

The man who had used the strange Devil Fruit power cackled, his snorting laughter resonating through the hall. "Serves you all right! With the power of my Lazy-Lazy Wave, no fighting force can hope to stand up to us!"

All five of the intruders laughed as they went to work, with the Fruit-User joining his two comrades as they started shaking down the tellers and patrons alike while the two leaders watched over it all, motioning with their guns as necessary. It soon became clear that something was odd. Far from being cowed into silence, a lot of people were muttering to each other.

"What are they doing?" one voice asked.

"Don't they see how inconsiderate they're being to Mr. Flounders?" said another.

"Robbing a bank while he's around... despicable."

"HEY!" shouted the female leader, fingering a knife at her side, "Shut the hell up or I'll come over there and widen your mouth a bit!"

Then, the patrolling group of three came to Percival. He still stood at the teller's window, head bowed low, shoulders tight, shaking as if in fear. The group motioned to the well-dressed man, but got no response.

"Hey, you scared little shit. Cough up what you had with you and maybe, just maybe I'll let ya see daylight again, huh? Hey, look at me when I'm talking to you, you quivering little-!"

That was when Percival raised his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks, and each of the three men standing around him took a step back in shock. Violence was written on every line of his face.

"You goddamn pieces of trash!" he screamed, voice trembling, right into their shocked faces. Behind him, the teller he had been talking to was shaking his head in sadness. "I was so close!"

The men were spooked. Suddenly, one of them braced his weapon, ready to fire.

It was over in an instant. No one there saw him move. In the space between one moment and the next, Percival was suddenly standing right in the middle of all three of them. First, their guns fell to pieces, sliced to ribbons as if they were prepared vegetables. A moment later, each of the three men fell to the ground, unconscious.

The two leaders were horrified, but they moved quickly. They were over a hundred feet away, and it only took them a couple seconds to adjust their aim.

With gritted teeth, Percival moved, kicking off the ground like a jackrabbit, literally flying across the intervening space without touching the ground.

[SORU]

Both robbers stood shocked by the sudden burst of speed. Then, when he was only thirty feet from them, right before both were about to pull the trigger and shoot him out of the air, he vanished.

There was silence.

The man and the woman looked around, hesitantly. To their credit, they quickly moved back-to-back, and it was only three or four seconds before they thought to look above them. Nothing. Their mysterious attacker was gone.

"You know-" uttered a voice without a source, sounding scratchy, high-pitched, and wrong, like a deep-voiced man who had just inhaled a helium balloon, "What REALLY gets me mad about this is that you're not even doing it right!"

The voice sounded quite nearby indeed. In response, the woman trained her gun on the nearest group of cowering bank patrons.

"Come out where we can see you or I'll blow these miserable losers straight to- AHHH!" she shouted, suddenly flinching as she felt something along her arm, and then her trigger finger suddenly and quite unexpectedly snapped. As the other robber whirled around, there was a blur of motion, and suddenly the barrel of his gun was pierced by the addition of a wickedly sharp dagger. As he goggled at this unexpected and unwelcome modification there was another blur, and then Percival was behind him, slamming a blackjack into the base of his head. The man folded up with a sigh.

As the woman turned in shock, Percival grabbed her from behind with one arm, bringing another dagger to her throat. She slumped in defeat. She was beaten and she knew it.

It was just what happened next that was unexpected.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE, THIS IS A STICK UP!" yelled Percival, his rough voice projecting throughout the bank, "Nobody moves or the lady here gets it! You're all already on the ground, so that's a great start, and if everybody stays put then you'll all get home safe and sound. Nice and easy! You, you, and you! Quit fidgeting!"

Percival stood tall and confident, now looking completely unconcerned by the situation. Several people around the room dabbed at moist eyes with their handkerchiefs.

"Alright! Here's how this is going to go! I don't want much here! You there," he said, pointing to the teller from before, "Bring me the money! And hurry- I don't have all day!"

The man quickly rushed to the center of the room, placing the briefcase that Percival had brought in with him on the ground and shoving it across the intervening distance, saying, "I'm so terribly sorry about this, sir. The next time you come I'd be more than happy to assist you myself."

"That's great! Just like that!" he said, as if the teller hadn't even spoken. Then, he barked an order to his hostage, who bent down slowly and picked up the briefcase, before he returned his knife to her throat. "Alright everyone! I've got what I came for, so now's the time to relax. No need for heroes here. Take a deep breath and it'll all be over soon. I'm gonna take the hostage with me, so no funny business, alright?"

Together, the two of them left the building.

Outside, the bright sun and salty sea air hit his face. Leaving the bank this way he was suddenly struck with a deep sense of nostalgia. He'd regret all this in a little while, but right now it didn't matter.

Right now, Percival Flounders was riding high.

Looking around, ignoring the struggling of his prisoner, he noticed the presence of a few local police officers who were sighing with relief. Good.

"Listen up! I have three demands!" Percival shouted, "There are four more hostages inside the bank who were caught in the act of committing robbery! I demand first of all that all of these criminals be remanded into the custody of the local authorities! Second, I demand to speak to a Navy officer immediately! Third, I require the use of a Navy ship to transport myself from the island!"

Seconds later, a man with dark skin, a slight smile, and a refined face stepped forward from the other side of the police blockade, carrying two cups of coffee and a white jacket draped over his arm.

"As a representative of the Navy, we immediately agree to all of your demands," he said, coolly sipping from one warm cup before nodding to the assembled police force and gesturing to the bank.

In a couple of minutes, all of the criminals had been taken into custody, and people were streaming out of the bank in an orderly fashion. Percival stood beside the man from the Navy, watching the patrons pass by. A small child shouted her thanks, and he nodded in response.

"Sebastian, I just want control of my life back," Percival said. The words would have seemed like a non-sequitor to anyone else.

The other man, Sebastian, handed Percival one of the cups of coffee. "Control is overrated, Boss. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who can't help but think of robbing a bank any time they're in one."

"But how many actually try and go through with it? I'm supposed to be out of that business."

"We were both there, Boss. Every one of us that followed you here was. We all know what it was like."

"You adjusted pretty well," Percival said, an accusatory edge to his words.

"Yes, that's true. But, then, I'm good at everything," said Sebastian evenly, still sipping his coffee. "You're the Boss. This is what you are. No one cares if you can't let it go. By the way, you left your coat back at the restaurant."

"Oh, yes. Thank you," he said, taking the proffered coat. "What with everything, I suppose it just slipped my mind."

"That's why you hired me, Boss. The details. Which reminds me," Sebastian reached into his pocket and removed a small Den-Den Mushi, "We received a message. The Big Boss wants to speak with you."

Percival's eyes lit up at the news. All of a sudden he was back on fire. "Of course. You're right. All too easy to focus on the past when I've got a job to do for the man who secured me my future."

He took the communication snail, which was currently sleeping. He fiddled with the shell for a moment and the snail's eyes opened, ready for connection. With another motion, the snail began the process of dialing.

[BURU-BURU-BURU-BURU... ]

[BURU-BURU-BURU-BURU... ]

[BURU-BURU-BURU-GACHA-]

A moment later, it had adopted an almost ridiculously wide smile, grey facial hair, and a scar that ran around the outside of its left eye. This, of course, signified that a connection had been made.

"Flounders! Is that you?" spoke the snail, in a gruff and mighty voice.

"Yeah, Boss- er, Yes, Sir!" he said, correcting himself immediately.

"Good! I've got a mission for you. There's some sort of trouble brewing in the area between Alabasta and Water-7. I've been hearing reports that make it sound like a new island popped up out of nowhere. If our territory's changing then I need to know what's going on from someone I trust in the area. I hate to cut your leave a bit short, but it has to be you."

"Absolutely, sir! We'll look into it immediately!"

"Good! Our Intel guys will talk to yours. Keep up the good work." CLICK. The snail closed its eyes.

He turned to Sebastian. "We've got a job… Uh, a mission."

"Interrupting leave? The big man must have a bad feeling about it."

Percival nodded, eyes resolute, then whipped the jacket over his shoulders in a single motion. Heavy, white, with ornamented silver epaulets. On its back was emblazoned the kanji for [JUSTICE].

"If Vice Admiral Garp wants it done then that's good enough for me. Come on, Captain Weber. Let's gather the others."

"Yes Sir, Commodore Flounders. They'll understand. After all, this is what we were saved for."