Enjoy the 6th special chapter!

Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece

"Ah, youth..." Luffy spoke as if he was an old man-even adding the tone-before plopping clumsily at the railing as he watches Usopp and Chopper play around, making the others who were there to hear him shoot a perplexed look towards him. He laughed loudly, knowing that they won't even understand what he just said and that it'll confuse them more (much to his amusement).

"Aren't you one?" Zoro spoke in a not-quite-a-question tone as he chuckles lightly, waking up just a while ago so he could ask Luffy to spar for a while. However, he seemed to have changed his mind when he saw Luffy just enjoying his life. It's not every day that they get to rest and laze around like these moments.

"Yeah, don't look at us like you're not young anymore, it's weird." Usopp commented as he looks at Luffy unimpressed, holding some kind of toy in his hand with Chopper that may be their weapon-that aren't deadly-in their game. Chopper, on the other hand, ignored what his friends were saying and focused on the toy that was too out of his reach. If it was possible, he would have transformed.

But that's cheating, as Usopp stated.

"Well, it depends on the question." Luffy nonchalantly waves his hand in the air with a grin, making the others more lost than they were before. He sighs loudly-and quite dramatically-, stroking his non-existent beard. "I'm an old soul, with an old yet young life." That did not help at all.

There was a moment of silence before Chopper stopped on what he was doing and tilted his head slightly to the side with a confused look. "What?" Chopper soon looks at everyone, hoping for someone to answer the question that was running in his head.

"Old yet young life?" Nami repeats as she was stupefied like others, "Mind making that clear for us?"

Luffy laughs with his eyes closed, a grin on his face after laughing. "When the time comes, the truth will soon reveal itself, my dear navigator." He soon goes to his favorite spot, Going Merry's head. Soon, they'll know. Just… Just not that soon. Someday, when the time's right.

The others became more confused but decided to let it go, thinking that it's one of Luffy's weird antics.

Meanwhile, in a far place from the Mugiwaras, Smoker groaned loudly as he got another pile of paper.

"Smoker-san, doing that won't do anything to the papers." Tashigi chirps amusingly as she places another pile of paper in front of Smoker, who seems to be debating whether to quit his job or throw the papers away. Both won't do any good, and it'll also backfire on him.

Smoker only sighs, causing smoke to puff out and to dissolve as it was with air. He then looks at his hands that are placed on the desk, a pen on his hand. "I'm too old for this, this is abusement..." Smoker whispers his complaints to no one and unfortunately, Tashigi seems to hear that.

"Excuse me?" Tashigi looks at Smoker with a confused face, making Smoker silently curse and sigh once again. This time, it sounded more annoyed than the last time. Not that Smoker regret doing that, all he ever wanted was peace. And now, only Tashigi is the witness of this act.

"Nothing, you may go now." Smoker shooed her with a neutral tone as Tashigi salutes and goes out with one last look of confusion from her, making Smoker shoot her a glare and place his pen down on his desk to rest his hand.

He looks at the mirror on the right side of his room, looking at his old (young?) self with a slight hint of nostalgia and sentimentality on his face. Ahh, those days were certainly times that he doesn't regret, even though some were bad times. He then remembers those times where he kept chasing Luffy, making him chuckle slightly at the thought. Because now, he may not be trying as hard as before. Was it because they established a friend-rival relationship and learned a lot of things with each other due to of what happened those days? He still can't forget those days where the two of them just drank rum on bars, not minding their positions for the time being and drink away their sorrow together while talking together. What he would give just to return to those times, except without the sorrow and mistakes they had done…

'Well, there's no use doing this now.' Smoker just shakes his head once again, looking at the pile of paper coldly like it was an enemy, an obstacle that needs to be immediately removed. "You'll need to go away from my desk, papers." He glared at the papers gravely as he picks up his pen and starts doing whatever he had to do and go back to his tempting bed.

OPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPO

"SANJIII!" Luffy shouts as he barges in at the lounge, a stupidly large grin on his face that Sanji and the others knew so well-and what it meant. Sanji clicks his tongue, glaring at Luffy after finishing the 30th meat that's for Luffy. Damn that Strawhat, too gluttonous… Where the hell does it go?

"No!" Sanji immediately replied back with the same volume of Luffy's shout a while ago before the black-haired male laughed and sat down on the chair just near Sanji. "And no, you can't take some meat, Shitty Strawhat!"

Luffy laughs once again, his eyes crescent yet brimming with happiness. Sanji resisted the urge to ask where all his energy and enthusiasm comes from, aside from food. The guy can get as bright as the sun even without eating food yet. "How'd ya know that I would ask that?"

Sanji makes a forced smile that was painfully obvious, his fists up until it was on the same level of his chest and it was obvious he was trying his best not to snap at Luffy. "Because you always ask that!" Sanji's volume slowly increasing until he was shouting at the end, seeing Luffy so amused at the sight made Sanji soon sigh and calm himself down. Damn Strawhat was enjoying this, and he won't waste his energy. "Just go and bother someone else, Shitty Strawhat."

Luffy sighs and puts his hands up in the air, admitting defeat. "Alright, prince. You got me, this Pirate Captain shall go away now." Sanji's eyes widened before he immediately turns to look at Luffy, who was now gone.

'What the fuck?' Sanji gulps, sweat falling from the side of his forehead. 'Don't tell me he fucking knows...'

(Oh, Sanji. If only you knew…)

Meanwhile, on Smoker's side...

Smoker sighs in content and relief as he lays down his bed exhausted, already finished the papers and now just waiting for Tashigi to come and take it. He then looks at the ceiling, his cigarette on the ashtray that lays on his bed table.

Now that they know Akainu also time traveled, it made him frown just thinking of what'll happen. 'Especially at Marineford...' Smoker thought as he clicks his tongue, knowing that there's a huge possibility that Luffy's cover will be blown up. It's more troublesome if Luffy snaps, everything might change… Smoker just sighs and rubs the temples of his forehead, not wanting to think about it all. Just those two names and one event can make his head feel like being drilled. Fortunately suddenly, someone knocks on his door. Smoker immediately sits up, taking three cigarettes to smoke. "Come in."

Tashigi indeed comes in, without no papers in hand. That made Smoker sigh in relief, knowing he wouldn't have to work anymore. "It's already noon, Smoker Junshō (Commodore)." Tashigi pauses as she takes the papers, looking at him with a smile. "You should sleep early, we'll be docking at an island tomorrow morning."

Smoker nods, wordlessly going to his bed as Tashigi goes out and closes the door silently. Indeed, he was tired, and that helped him to sleep. Soon, the light and calm swinging of the ship was enough to relax him, the silence is also an addition. Smoker closes his eyes, beginning to fall asleep.

He wouldn't mind chasing after Luffy after this for good ol' time's sake.

OPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPO

Luffy's eyes glistened in sorrow as he looked at the sea, his coffee slightly going back and forth along with the ship. He started sighing before drinking his coffee silently, the moon's light illuminating on his skin to give him an ethereal glow. No words could tell how much he misses everyone, how much he wants to laugh with everyone complete once again, how much he badly wants to just tell the truth.

But he must wait, after all, he should be patient. He has already achieved his dream, but his goals have changed.

Find One Piece and let his nakama achieve their dreams alive and well.

But, things have been much harder than he anticipated. With Akainu-his mortal enemy-there, the higher risk of his nakama to be in danger. What's worse is that he's limited of what he should do, unlike Akainu who the marines, pirates and citizens alike expect him to be incredibly strong. He has no way of finding out what Akainu can do to him or to his nakama but he won't give up his second chance and effort that easily.

He unknowingly smirks, the memory of him beating Akainu running through his mind. How he wished that he finished Akainu that time. 'If only the rest of the goddamned marines didn't come with help..!' He grits his teeth slightly as he frowned with a look of rage and disdain. He couldn't accept that Akainu was in a hospital that time in a coma, he wanted Akainu to thoroughly suffer. He was so angry at that time, to the point where he mindlessly and brutally slaughtered all the Marines whether they gave him an answer or not just to track his whereabouts.

"Luffy…?" Zoro suddenly shouts up after going out from the lounge room, surprised to find Luffy outside with such a look for such a wonderful and cold night. The glow that made his complexion beautiful was truly a sight, especially when Luffy turned to him with a calm smile-that, is a rare sight for a guy who looks like the sun. Luffy's silky hair seems to dance with the cold yet pleasant wind, his straw hat hanging and seemingly enjoying the company of the air as well.

"Zoro," Luffy's face softens, smiling at Zoro who just woke up. "you shouldn't be awake." He scolded lightly, with no actual tone of his supposed-to-be emotion. He couldn't find the reason to actually do so, since they were free.

That's why he became a pirate in the first place. To be free.

"I know." Zoro ruffles his hair, yawning as he did so. He slightly grimaced at how his hair was a mess compared to Luffy's. Damn, how the hell does he do that? Even Nami takes hours to make herself look presentable, and Luffy made it look like it was nothing with his bed-hair. It was like he slept, woke up, then poof, he was magically enchanting and pleasing to the eye. "I just woke up too early." Zoro pauses and removed those thoughts away, his observant eyes darting towards in Luffy's serious half-lidded eyes. "I guess you haven't slept a wink as always."

Luffy only chuckles lightly, looking at the rising sun. "Correct!" He chirps dazzlingly as Zoro proceeds to walk towards Luffy until he was beside him, also leaning on the railing, looking at the Sun a well with sake that he took from Luffy's side in hand.

Zoro decides to quiet down and enjoy the calming sea, the cold and fresh air, and the nice little sunlight from the Sun. It was very pleasing. Surprisingly, he was just fine with Luffy being uncharacteristically quiet. They could do this for as long as they want, but they have a lot of things to do and goals to achieve. As soon as everyone wakes up…

Luffy sighs, then spoke with a soft voice:

"The sun beyond the mountains glows;

The Yellow River seawards flows.

You can enjoy a grander sight

By climbing to a greater height."

That poetry was made before all this, long after his nakama… Died. So it didn't surprise him when Zoro looked at him with a mildly confused face, along with curiosity. He had changed a lot after that event, he had done his best to live for his nakama. However, his soul was already dead the moment his family-them-passed away. He did not eat an immortality devil fruit, but when he traveled for a long time towards East, he was taught to live a long life. Longevity, was what he aimed that time. As long as he, The Pirate King, the Captain of the long-dead Strawhats, is alive, then he can fulfill his nakama's last words.

'Live… Luffy-'

That time, when he was much calmer-much more terrifying-, he had adapted well to the East. He may have lived at East Blue, but he did not travel too much since his goal was to be the Pirate King. But when he explored, he was enlightened much more than before that the World is truly a mystery. Not even a man who has lived hundreds of years can discover everything. Besides, living that long is torture as well. You live for hundreds of years, seeing the fall of your loved ones and see them die whilst you live. You can only have so little, in exchange for immortality. It's a sad path, but it is what others long for. It may be a tempting thing, but you are ignorant to not know the price.

"What?" Zoro's question made Luffy snap out of his trance. He had to do a double-take to know what the hell came out of Luffy's-of out all people, Luffy-mouth. He would've have bet all his money that Luffy can't say a single word about poetry-even something wise, and would have lost. Thank goodness they haven't made that kind of bet yet.

"Nothing." Luffy closed his eyes and shook his head before returning to his usual self, grinning brightly to Zoro. He turns away, slightly running towards the door to Lounge for food. "Zoro, let's go wake everyone up!"

Zoro huffed. Nevertheless, he can't say no to that. He follows Luffy, a grin also plastered on his face. "Fine, I'm coming-Wait, don't close the door yet-Oof!"

It's a new and lovely day.

I'm sorry, everyone. It seems like my plan failed, so please forgive me. I hope this will placate some of you, for now. I plan to continue writing, and stop by for a while. Thank you for reading my stories, readers. I'm very happy to know that this has yet to be forgotten to some.