A/n: So, last chapter, Luffy had announced his to his crew his desire to find a suitable queen. Well, a significant amount of time has passed since then and now on the verge of another war, he must decide which course to set.
'The shock of Death and War can change someone. For better or for worse, depends on the person's Will.'
XxX-------------Present Day: One Year after Impel Down-------------XxX
Luffy was beside himself as he gazed out into the vast blue ocean. It was near sundown, and the light was slowly fading from the sky. The few clouds that scattered the vast expanse turned orange, as the sun began to dip below the horizon. He closed his eyes and tilted his head upwards, breathing in the cool ocean air. "It's been so long." He whispered.
His thoughts drifted to past, memories of what had happened over the past year.
He thought back to the beginning, during the events that followed the Shabaody Archipelago incident, when his entire crew was separated from him, and each other. Then the meeting with women of Amazon island and their queen, the former member of the Shichibukai, Boa Hancock. The second woman to have ever changed him. The first being his Nee-san from his home town.
Luffy's heart ached a little to those memories. So he unbuttoned the front of his coat and vest, hoping for the cold to bite. "Heh… For a while… I really thought she'd be the one…" Luffy smiled, picturing the beautiful face of his 3rd Division Fleet Commander. Truly a one of a kind Woman.
During the War between the White Beard Pirates and the World Government, she had been one of the deciding factors for Luffy's adjunct faction, rallying a surprise attack with her Amazon warriors during the last hour of the battle, providing an escape as Blackbeard and the Admirals clashed. She, and her small army were also the ones that covered Luffy's retreat, holding off the government battleships. With hundreds of arrows , spears, and muskets shielding them, Luffy, Buggy, and rest of the Pirates of Impel down secured getaway ships.
"So many would have died if wasn't for her…" He felt a ghost of her body molding against his. "and shit… I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her as well." She had also been the first to 'comfort' him in the wake of Ace's death, restoring his shattered mind after the shock… He shook his heating head of those memories. 'No. I can't let myself think of him anymore. Or… ever her in fact. She's too dangerous to be in my thoughts.'
Yet she was still there. After regrouping at the Archipelago, it was her, with the help of former shichibukai Jinbei, that convinced the remaining of the Eleven Supernovas to ally with Luffy. It was truly unbelievable for a top rookie captain to ally himself to another, but it was all eleven! And it was all her idea.
She had said, while lying next to him, the night after the negotiations. 'No one knows it yet, Luffy. But tonight is the night is the starting point of your ascension.' Of course, his freshly rebuilt mind couldn't fully comprehend it at the time. But now... almost everyone does.
He sighed and jumped off Merry Go's main mast, landing on the deck. He walked toward the side rails, feeling a cool breeze brush against him. The dark cloak he wore, bearing his Jolly Roger, billowed behind him.
Boa had whole heartedly been his catalyst. But… she wouldn't be his queen… or even at the least... his bride.
He had know since leaving Amazon Island for the first time, that the Snake Princess had tremendous crush on. Had he not been occupied with Ace's impending execution and his lost nakama, he would have acted apon it, whole heartedly. Who, wouldn't? She was everything he had been looking for in a queen. If Luffy had acknowledge Boa's love right then, she might have accepted his hand in marriage, binding themselves to one another, for eternity.
Yet... 'It's too late now...' She had said tearfully a couple months after the war, 'I will always give you my love Luffy, when ever you need it. Because, you will forever own my heart. This I swear. But… I simply... can not… be your queen.' Those echoing words were leading to even darker memories, something he simply refused to revisit at this time.
In summary though, Boa never told him the reason why she wouldn't marry him, but only smiled sadly whenever he asked.
His mind moved back to earlier, more violent memories, the month following the regrouping at the Archipelago was hard on Luffy and his shaky alliance. I didn't take long for the Government receive wind of their location and send out top ranking Marines to break it apart. At that point the alliance was consisted of the Nine ships that belonged to the supernova rookies, three marine ships that was held by Buggy, Ivankov, Crocodile, and the other prisoners from Impel Down. And thirteen more ships that belonged to Boa and the Amazon warriors.
That cluster of ships was completely unable to hold against wave after wave of the disciplined Marine fleets. The rookies and prisoner were unorganized and untrained for massive fleet battles, being used to fighting by themselves. They were constantly arguing with one another, forcing Jinbei and Boa to crack-whips multiple times. The marines used this weakness to their advantage, and after three weeks of battle, finally surrounded the Alliance in the Archipelago's bay.
xXx-------Flash Back: One Month after the Whitebeard war.-------xXx
Seated around a massive round table were the Captains and Major Players of the Early Alliance. They were aboard the Sunny Go, five hours before daybreak.
Capone Bege, Captain of the Fire Tank Pirates, slammed his fist in the table. "Over One hundred Marine Battleships, three Vice-Admirals, and Aokiji himself threaten our extinction! We need to escape into the Archpelago!" The cigar in his mouth, almost gone after many hours of arguing.
The woman with pink hair that sat across him, made a shrewd face. "Screw that! I ain't leaving precious Jewel to those damn Marines!" said Jewelry Bonney, Captain of the Bonney Pirates.
Capone shot back, "Child, ships can be remade! Our lives can't! We need to retreat!"
"Are you a coward Old man?!" Eustass Kid, Captain of the Kid Pirates, raised a fist. "I still say we fight them head on and we'll become even more famous! Our names will echo all throughout the Grandline!"
Crocodile, also a former shichibukai, sneered in disgust. "Rookies.. cha!" He spat. "I would rather have my life than glory." Mr. 1 and Mr. 2, aka Bon, and Mr. 3 stood behind his chair, their faces revealing no emotions.
"And I would rather have death then be labeled as a coward who ran from some low life marines!" Standing behind the red head, his crew mate and also Rookie supernova, Killer, nodded in agreement.
Others around the table nodded their heads in agreement. Scratchmen Apoo, Captain of the On Air Pirates, Urouge, Captain of the Fallen Monk Pirates, and Basil Hawkins, Captain of the Hawkins Pirates agreed to the attack. Hawkins said, "As much as I detest violence, my crew and I will fight if we have to defend our honor."
X. Drake, former Marine Rear Admiral and Captain of the Drake Pirates spoke up for the first time since the counsel began. "Those 'Low Lifes' as you called them are some of the World Government's most elite Fleets. The same fleets that held off thousands of pirates before you from passing the Redline." He tipped his Navy blue hat and said, "Also… Admiral Aokiji… is on whole other level by himself. I don't know why they sent him… and a group of Vice-Admirals." He looked around at all the different faces around the table and said, "They must really want us dead, because throughout my entire time in the Marines, I have never heard of such a force being ordered to the earlier half of the Grandline."
Everyone around the table took a second to digest the information just given to them. The Marine fleets they had been fighting the past month were weak, but after such a long time of constant fighting, the Alliance was terribly weakened. Almost everyone at the table was sporting some sort of injury. Many of the Captains and fleet leaders had also lost crew members at some point. Their ships were battered and were in need of continuous repair.
But the fleet that surrounded them now was unholy in strength, and simply dwarfed the Marines of the Early Grandline. Battleships were incomparable to the Warships that belonged to the vice-Admirals' personal fleets. Then there was that floating monster of a Ship that held Aokiji, nearly the size of the small island.
This wasn't going to be just another battle.
Through the silence, Luffy, who had been watching the discussion the whole time, bent forward slightly and leaned his head onto closed knuckles, his hat shadowing his face. Using a serious tone, he said, "We are going to retreat."
The entire room burst into exclamation as everyone was trying to get their voice heard.
"What!? Like fuck we are!" "Have you lost your mind Strawhat!?" "You can't do this!!" "There is no way I'm leaving my ship" "Yes we need to retreat" "The marines will kill us!" "The world will know my name, damnit!" And other obscenities were thrown all over the table.
--------------
Jinbei, sitting to Luffy's left, sighed while looking at the mess of people in front of him. He glanced down at the Strawhat and wondered what it was about that made him respect the kid so much. He could easily escape into the sea, be miles away by sundown. Heck, he could have done that anytime this during this forsaken month. But, he didn't. He stayed and fought with this strange rubber man.
'Could it be his strength?' He remember Strawhat leading the charge to Ace during the execution, fighting his way through some of the most feared names in Government. Then afterwards, it was always him that lead the counter attacks, fighting through all the battles, never holding back to recover. The boy was powereful, frighteningly powerful, but… so were many other pirates on the Grandline. 'No… it's not only his power.'
'Maybe his charisma…' Jinbei glanced at Crocodile, then at the person sitting to Luffy's Right, Boa Hancock. 'He somehow managed to get these two monsters to fight with him… and I remember the reason why Croc was thrown out of the Shichibukai was because the boy had defeated him.' He rubbed his head. 'But it still doesn't explain why he's fighting alongside him.'
Jinbei paused when he heard Luffy growl softly in irritation, and unknowing he grew irritated himself. 'He's not done talking!' The fishman was about to blast his killing intent and shout at the fools to shut up. But, he stopped.
He felt someone else's aura. Unlike that blast he was about to do, this intent was a lot more subtle… yet sharper then his own. He looked around the room and saw no sign of the Aura from them, and that no one else had noticed it. So he looked down at Strawhat again, and concentrated, and found that the intent was coming from him! It wasn't radiating, or pulsing like most people, instead, it was slowly seeping from the boy's body, growing quietly.
Jinbei started to sweat as felt the aura begin to wrap around him, and after a few seconds it had quickly grown large enough to engulf him. If felt horrible, instead of the making you feel like you couldn't breathe, it made him feel like someone had sliced his throat, that death was quickly coming.
'What is this? Is this Haki!? This isn't right… this isn't how Haki should work!' He looked over at Hancock and saw that it was starting to affect her as well. She had brought a hand to her throat and started squirm a little in her chair. Her eyes darted back and forth to Luffy, as if doubting whether or not the Aura was really coming from him.
Jinbei didn't blame her, he hadn't felt an Aura this strong since meeting with Gol. D Roger … A memory hit him so fast he lost his breath. "The Will of D" Words he heard long ago. 'Is this it!? Is this The Will of D?' But, before thought of anything, Boa's ragged voice whispered to him.
"Jinbei… do. not. ask. him… He does not know…" She looked disturbed, but she still managed to look him in the eye. "He does not need to know."
He nodded and sat back into his seat, trying to fight off the Luffy's Will. It if it was still growing, it should've blanketed the whole room by now. He peeked open an eye and saw that he was right. Everyone had shut up and was trying there damn hardest to fight off the Aura. At least the stronger ones were, the rest feinted.
"S-s-traawww…. H-h-haatt.. W-what di-di-did yo-you d-do!?" Crocodile got out; his hand griping his throught, the cigar he always smoked had fallen onto the table.
Buggy and Mr. 2 laid and the floor next to each other, their mouth gurgling foam. Emporio Ivankov was in his female form, slaping Inazuma's face back and forth, trying to wake the scissor man. The supernovas were struggling just as crocodile.
The only ones that didn't seem affected by all this was Hatchan, who for some only god know reason was on the floor, pretending to have feinted. Him and Keimi joined with Luffy for the fun of it, and this whole month was anything but fun. Yet, the two stayed… He shook the thought for later and turned his head.
The other not affected was the cloaked old man in the corner. But, Jinbei wasn't surprised by that in the slightest. The man hadn't said anything since he boarded the ships, not did Luffy give any indication to who the man was. But Jinbei knew, he had seen the old man fighting and that he had been holding back. A lot.
Why the fuck was the 'Dark King' here?
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Monkey D. Luffy growled at the assembled pirates around the table. "Are you going to stop arguing now?" Everyone, who hadn't feinted, decided that they wanted to breathe again and motioned that they'd stop. Many of them were beginning to lose consciousness, or had started to slump lower and lower into their chair.
Under his hat, Luffy smiled. "Good."
All of sudden the frightening aura disappeared, as fast as a snap from two fingers. With the invisible noose gone from their necks, everyone inhaled sharply, trying to regain their breath. The ones who were on the ground began to wake up and slowly pick themselves up. Everyone seemed tense as they tried to get themselves from their disheveled state. The first to speak was Buggy, captain of the Buggy Pirates, "What the hell was that?" He still seemed shaky.
Luffy ignored the question and continued, "Like I said, we need to retreat." Some of Captains opened their mouths to speak, but at the last second, thought against it. "As we are right now, we can't take the Government head on like Whitebeard did." The ones that were present during the war nodded their heads grimly. The battles were a whole nother level compared to the skirmishes they've been fighting. "We need to get stronger; individually and as an alliance."
He raised his head, and looked around the cabin, "Also, I really like my ship. I don't want to lost sunny. So, we will take all our ships and retreat by going past the Marines! No one will get killed, and the ships will be unharmed."
His audience just stared at him till Crocodile grunted, "And how do you suppose we do that Strawhat?" He dragged his golden hook across the table. "How does twenty-five ships and some of the world's most wanted Pirates simply pass a Navy Fleet and an Admiral. Unharmed?"
"Don't worry I have a plan to keep us all safe."
Crocodile stood up and shouted, "Impossible! There is no way we'll all be able to escape in the morning. Hell! I doubt any of us will even survive!" He looked at the ones that were also former convicts. "There's no returning to Impel Down for us. The government has already passed judgment, and they've sent executioners."
"Croco-
"They. Will. Kill. Us."
Luffy shot up and growled at the sandman, "Shut Up!" His fist clenched, he stared at the mark, long gone, on his wrist. "No one is going to die. No one will be left behind. No one will disappear. I promise you that." He practically hissed the last sentence through his gritted teeth.
He promptly fell back onto his seat, still staring at the nonexistent mark. He motioned his other hand to Jinbei; the fishman nodded and stood up, "Sit your ass down boy." He sent a threatening look toward Crocodile, who grudgingly yielded.
"So here's what we came up with…"
xXx----------------------------xXx
A/n: Even if you don't read the weekly chapters. Most of the names here shouldn't be foreign to you. I would look up 'One Piece Wikia' on google. Most of the information is from that site. A lot of things in the One Piece universe has more than one name, many made during the translations or fan theories.
Also, yes. The story might be different from what the first chapter perceived. Also, there is a lot of undertoned meaningsin my writings. Example. Yes, Boa offered to have sex with him whenever he wanted.