"Commodore!" The strangely dressed man declared jovially as he opened his arms wide, no doubt intent on squeezing the hell out of Usopp.
On his part, the long nosed man only took half a step back and nodded. This motion made the grey haired man in front of him raise an eyebrow, but he brushed it off immediately.
"Where is Commodore Teriaky?" It seemed he finally realized that something was amiss.
"I am his son, Commodore Marinaro." Usopp said, smiling politely. "I have been sent in place of my father, who had suffered from a sudden death at sea." His posture was straight and his hands were tightly held together at the small of his back just like the protocol dictated. Yes, he had been that bored.
"I see. I am sorry for your loss." The older man drawled, fixing the gum pink hat atop his head. It had the form of a bubble, of all things. "It is true that I have been sent on an inspection by the Fleet Admiral, though no specific instructions were given."
Usopp's eyes widened behind his glasses. The luck of him.
"My name is Rear Admiral Bubble of Marine Headquarters."
Oh, the irony. Usopp partly wondered if these people dressed like that on purpose. Maybe it's a custom.
"He's a pirate, all right." Ben repeated for the nth time that evening, watching detachedly as the other officers ate in silence. There was tension in the air, but he doubted much was because they were there. "The overall atmosphere is totally different than the last time we've been here."
"Just because he's handling things differently doesn't mean he's a pirate, Ben." Shanks rolled his eyes at his insistent first mate. Honestly, the man had good instincts usually, but this joke he kept insisting on was getting ridiculous. Especially by how true it was.
Shanks thought back and sighed again in relief now that everything was hidden. The Marines from HQ had docked earlier that morning, just after the pirates finished hiding the Red Force in one of the empty docks. The avoided disaster didn't let them relax, though.
"Stop that! He's a marine and you're lucky he's a good guy. Else he could have easily turned us in." Yasopp said through munches.
"Yes, it would have been very effective." Roo snorted and took another bite of meat. "Face it, even if the guy refused it, we could have easily demolished those idiots and be on our way. At least there's no tiger now."
"As much as Roo is right, I'm quite happy about the situation at the moment." Shanks quipped from his seat. The man was a freaky sight with his hair shoved into his cap and a bandage over his eye to hide the scars. Not to mention that their uniforms have been quite the running gag between their crewmates ever since two hours ago when they had first tried them on. But even though they would have passed for normal recruits, Shanks had still ordered them to stay clear of the inspectors. They had played a game of cat and mouse before finally deeming the canteen safe enough to camp in, seeing as the man had already been there before.
Figured that fatass would first head here.
"I just hope we won't have to stay here much." Rockstar added his bit into the conversation.
"I wouldn't have minded to become a marine if all of them were like this guy." Ben said nonchalantly, earning a smack over his head from his captain.
"Commodore, I must ask you a very serious question." Bubble declared dramatically and Usopp shuddered again. For the last two hours, the man had dragged him here and there before finally settling on the safe and after that, his office. All the way asking stupid questions that were more or less answered with masterful lies and deception. This guy could lose his focus easily, Usopp had noted not long into their meeting.
The safe had been a hard operation – given the sudden disappearance of a billion Berri – but the sniper had put his dissimulation skills to good use and managed to distract the guy long enough to make him forget about inspecting 'if the money were there'. Robin and Zoro had also dealt with the other losers that tried to do the same thing, while the rest of the Strawhats save Chopper and the assassin trio, have been hot on the marines' heels ever since walking through the front door.
"Yes?" He urged, seeing there was no point in denying the man yet another bothersome inquiry.
"On my visit to the canteen,"
The only one I wasn't present for, Usopp thought bitterly. He had been too preoccupied with disguising some pirates,
"I have been told that there is a certain man here and I couldn't believe my ears when they told me!" Bubble stopped and turned to face him abruptly, his hat falling over his bulbous eyes rather comically. "Is it true?"
"Uhm-"
"Is Strawhat Luffy's twin brother here?!"
Goddamn them.
"Yes." Usopp's chest puffed out proudly. "This was a secret entrusted to me by the Fleet Admiral. And I believe that your inspection here was for this cause only, though you weren't given clear instructions because this is a matter of utmost importance!" The liar finished and he smirked when he saw the man in tears.
"I-I-I see!" The ridiculous guy stuttered incoherently, apparently too shocked to speak clearly.
Usopp would have shaken his head at the sight of those overly shining eyes and he knew that nothing he would say about secrecy could stop the guy from believing that he had won the lottery.
"M-May I meet him, Commodore?" Even though the man was still looking shaken, his gaze took on a steely edge that signaled to the other man trouble, should he refuse.
Heaving a tired breath, Usopp nodded and gestured for Bubble-gum to follow him. The sniper wasn't sure where his captain was, but he had a pretty good idea.
The weather had cleared up nicely and the sun was back in the sky, soaking up the island in a warm glow. Even with the rainfall yesterday, dust was already lifting from the ground as they walked through the lines of training recruits. They had returned to simply stretching, though Usopp had clearly seen many shudder at the promise of double 'Hell' training they would do after this was over.
The subject of their latest conversation had just finished stretching and was now plopped on the ground, biting into a piece of meat while his other hand was in a bowl of fried potatoes.
"Lucy!" Usopp called, meaning to warn Luffy of his companion.
Luffy's head snapped up and he regarded them with curious eyes as he swallowed the last bit of food in his mouth.
"Yes?" The rubber man jumped up, meal forgotten, but paused for a moment. "Sir."
"Don't say it after so long!" Usopp whispered, rolling his eyes at the sheepish look.
Fortunately, bubble man was too awestruck by the sight of the raven haired teen to notice anything else around him.
"Rear Admiral Bubble, this is Lucy, Strawhat Luffy's twin brother." Usopp formally introduced, ignoring the look Luffy gave him. It was obvious this game was getting old for him.
You're not the only one.
"An honor to meet the one called Lucy-sama by many." The marine drawled, eyes boring into Luffy's blank ones. "I must say, it is quite befitting."
"Thanks." Luffy replied, not sure what he should say.
"May I do the impoliteness of asking you to take off your cap? I want to make sure you really are who your superior claims."
Looks like this guy is not such an idiot after all, Usopp thought. It seemed that marines had to possess some sort of intelligence to advance in rank after all.
Luffy looked at his friend doubtfully, but conformed at Usopp's reassuring nod and took off the standard marine cap to reveal his pinned raven hair and rather normal features. Whatever Bubble was searching for wasn't there as he studied him for a moment more before finally bobbing his head in acceptance, the look of a fanboy already returning to his eyes.
"Then I will make sure to report everything is well with Lucy-sama." Bubble-gum spoke as he stepped back on board of his ship.
Usopp nodded, shifting impatiently and hoping that the guy would just leave already. He was bored with babysitting the guy and he had only been one day there.
"The other Inspection corps will be arriving in two hours at most. They will stay longer, I'm afraid."
The sniper abstained from hitting his head on the hull of the vessel in front of him. Just what he needed when their only other business here was finding a way to get out. At least, he was busy enough to not be thinking about lost matches and sniping skills.
"Have a safe ride, sir!" The long nosed man remembered the protocol just before the ship departed. He could care less if the guy would drown or not, but something like not abiding by the rules might make him mad or something and that was the last thing Usopp wanted right now.
"Thank you, but it's barely a three days' journey." Bubble man drawled as he turned away from the railing.
"Three days, three days… again and again, huh?" Usopp muttered as he walked through the halls. The silence was already ominous enough, he did not need random pirates running at him with weapons when he only wanted to use the toilet. "These people are getting restless." But then, so were they. Or he, at least. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen his friends since this morning.
Running a hand over his securely tied locks, the sniper blew one last breath before throwing the doors to the canteen – damn, he missed the galley already – open and took in the sea of heads turned his way. It took a while for him to spot the upper echelons of the Red Haired pirates – he silently patted himself on the back for a job well done in hiding them – and made his way towards their table, inwardly preparing to give them the not-so-good news.
"How did it go?" Shanks was the first one to break the silence that hung over the room.
"It was fine, he left ten minutes ago." At his declaration, the pirates cheered while the officers sighed in relief. "But two more are coming."
Immediately, all sounds ceased.
"When are they coming? Do we have time to set sail?" The disguised red head asked seriously, though Usopp felt his inquiries appropriate enough for his crew's situation too.
"No," he shook his head, "he said two hours at most, but I don't think you should take any chances."
The Yonko nodded while Yasopp and Roo shared a collective groan. Ben only lit himself a cigarette.
"How much do you think we'll have to stay here?" The first mate asked preemptively.
The sniper grimaced. "I think you should brace yourself for however much."
His reply was obviously not helpful, but Usopp couldn't be bothered to offer more assurances at the moment since he needed some of his own right now.
MARINE HQ
Rear Admiral Bubble walked through the halls of the Marine Headquarters with an unusual spring in his steps and head held high above the other ranked officers populating the halls of the building.
Many raised an eyebrow at the display, obviously surprised at the appearance of the laughing stock of the Marines looking so proud and self-assured, unlike his usual cowering, unnoticeable form. His only saving grace was that ridiculous hat that had most new recruits rolling on the floor after learning his name. Of course, that was done behind closed doors, as no one would risk the wrath of a Rear Admiral, no matter how stupid the man looked and was.
Bubble decidedly ignored everyone who so much as glanced his way – they would see who the idiot is when he'd come out with the news of the weapon that would certainly rid the world of pirates such as Strawhat Luffy in the most painful way possible, through family, and instead focused on his destination.
The Fleet Admiral's office.
Garp hummed joyously through the auditory massacre that was Sakazuki and his blubbering over something or the other. The older man eyed the sweets resting on the table thoughtfully before deciding that he had ignored his superior long enough to be able to fully enjoy his favorite rice crackers. So he reached for one and munched on it happily before taking a gulp of his steaming tea.
He noticed Sengoku applying the same method, only with so much more gusto than him and he grunted. Ever since the man had retired, he had unlocked a hidden reservoir of energy and happiness that had Garp and Tsuru surprised and the Marine organization shocked to the core. Looking at him now, it was obvious the man was too relaxed for his own good. Silently, Garp decided he had to up his game if he wanted to not fall behind Sengoku.
"You're not listening to me, aren't you?" Sakazuki glowered from his spot behind his desk.
"Oh my, he actually noticed…" Garp whispered with a grin and Sengoku chortled.
"Are you quite done, dear?" Tsuru asked as she, too, sipped her tea calmly. "You should have expected this. It's these two idiots you were talking to."
Both men threw her small glares before bursting out laughing.
"I should kick all of your asses out of the organization!" The lava user roared ferociously.
Being the only one seated with his back facing the ex-Admiral, Sengoku mimicked him and his probable expression in an amusing way, making Garp laugh again and Tsuru to snort and shake her head.
"But then everything would crumble down right at your feet." The Hero of the Marines commented, picking his nose quite anti-climatically. "Besides, you love us too much to get rid of us!" Garp felt compelled to add as he flashed a Monkey-family grin to his superior and cooed. "You can call me 'grandpa' if you want."
"Garp…" By the ominous ending his name took, the veteran had a general idea of what killing fest must be happening in Sakazuki's imagination.
"Come on, it wasn't so bad! We've only destroyed, what, three ships? That's not something we should be scolded for." Sengoku said, munching on a cracker. "You kids have done a lot more and I've never called you on it until a base was destroyed."
The Fleet Admiral's eye spasmed.
"A word of advice, Sakazuki." Tsuru spoke, distracting the man long enough from burning holes into the new Inspector General. "You shouldn't start getting alarmed until the count is up to ten. You have free reign from me to scold them when that number is reached."
"Your input is unnecessary! You're half the reason for this situation!"
The two men chuckled merrily while their female companion shot them a good old glare.
The Fleet Admiral opened his mouth to reprimand the fools – seriously, he was losing his time by now – but a knock on the doors to his office announced him of unwanted and probably tiresome visitors. Nevertheless, he sighed and welcomed them in, choosing to ignore the squad of old fools for the moment.
The doors swung open to a quite eccentric sight. Sakazuki had seen his fair share of absurdly clothed idiots, but that did not mean he was prepared for every new spectacle.
He spotted Garp and Sengoku half on the floor and he shook his head in resignation.
"Fleet Admiral, sir!" Rear Admiral Bubble walked into the room fully and stopped in front of his desk, never once acknowledging the trio behind him.
On their part, two of the old fools started gesticulating wildly behind the guy and throwing rude gestures while Tsuru only smirked loosely and made herself more comfortable on the couch. Rolling his eyes at the display, he turned his full attention on the slightly nervous man.
"Yes?"
Bubble cleared his throat. "I have come to report the results of my inspection, sir."
Ah, he remembered now, though he was surprised to see it in Bubble's hands when he had specifically given it to Rear Admiral Yamamoto. He will have to have a talk with him some other day…
"You should have written a report about it, Rear Admiral." It was such an obvious thing to do, since all of them were required to do so. Why was this guy any different again?
"The nature of the mission seemed quite important, sir." The man said as he adjusted his pink hat.
Raising an eyebrow, Sakazuki mentally recounted what exactly this mission was. "You have been in inspection at G-20, if I'm not mistaken?"
"Yes." Bubble nodded.
"And why is this any different than any other base?" The lava user bit, already starting to get tired of the mellow guy.
To his surprise, the man only cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "I have reason to believe it is different because of the person residing within it, sir."
Silence descended above the room. Even Garp and Sengoku had gone still, Sakazuki noted duly.
"The one you had wanted to be informed about…?" The man tried again, seeing that his superior was not reacting and was actually only staring with an expression devoid of any emotions back at him.
"Did I specify something in my orders about this person?" Sakazuki's eyes narrowed as he registered the imminent hypothetical warning sirens blowing at the back of his mind.
"No, sir. But I have thought that it was because he was such an important person to the Marine organization."
"Who the hell is he talking about?" Garp's whisper carried across the room easily and Bubble turned around with wide eyes and mouth slack.
"V-Vice Admiral Garp, sir! And Sengoku-san and Tsuru-san! Good day to you!"
The trio was more or less catatonic in the face of the late greetings.
"Why, I was actually talking about your grandson, Vice Admiral! The other one." The subordinate added at the sudden drop in the room's temperature.
"My… other one?" Garp tried, extremely confused.
"Lucy-sama."
"Lu-"
"You had another grandson and you didn't tell me!" Sengoku gasped loudly, pointing at his long time friend accusingly.
Tsuru cleared her throat, clearly a signal for her comrade to start spewing everything.
"No one knew, actually. He has been in Mariejois until a couple of months ago." Bubble added proudly.
"And now he's in G-20 because?" Sakazuki decided to play the man's game for the moment. It made him infinitely amused to see that old bastard gape like an idiot.
Bubble turned around to face his superior before answering. "On your orders, as far as I have understood."
"I didn't know that Dragon had another kid." Tsuru said to a frozen Garp. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Could it be before or after Luffy?"
"Hmm, older or younger? Maybe it's a girl and no one knows?" Sengoku considered, helping himself to another rice cracker from the table behind him.
"Strawhat Luffy's twin brother, actually." At Bubble's words, Sengoku and Tsuru went into twin fits of chocking, one on spit while the other on his precious cracker.
Sakazuki's eyebrows had already disappeared under the brim of his cap and Garp seemed to have finally managed to break through the ice cube he had been caged in.
"Luffy doesn't have any twin brother, you idiot! I'd know if that was the case! And I'm pretty damn sure Dragon wouldn't leave his kid at the gates of Mariejois!" The old man yelled, irritated. "But if he would, then it would be for infiltration purposes." He added, suddenly considering the possibility.
The Fleet Admiral made a mental note to make sure no stray babies were picked up from the threshold of the Holy Capital.
"But, sirs, it was true! He looked like Strawhat Luffy!" Bubble tried one last time, seeing as his few precious moments of glory were fading away right in front of his eyes.
The upper echelons in the room stopped and tensed at the information.
"Then we'll make sure to pay him a visit as well." Sakazuki growled, already halfway towards the door.
"It's your damn family again, Garp!" Sengoku declared, chuckling at the sentence that had pretty much become his catchphrase over the years. His friend shared in his laughter and even Tsuru looked amused.
"You should give Dragon a call and tell him to come and pick up his lost kid." The old woman mused, walking beside her companions.
Garp grinned obnoxiously wide.
"Good idea, Tsuru! That kid of mine is pretty irresponsible."
Monkey D. Dragon, commander of the Revolutionary Army, had been having a normal day until that fateful moment. Nothing too big or destructive had entered his problem radars for the day, his subordinates hadn't screwed up any report and the pile had even been mercifully small. Also, Sabo and Koala had returned with yet another triumph that was currently celebrated in the mess hall. Where he was as well, taking part in it – only partly, though. After a few glasses of beer, the raven haired man had almost declared this uneventful day to be a good one.
That is, until one of the lower ranked men on guard duty had entered the room carrying a loud snail. The little creature was calling fervently and Dragon decided to answer it, thinking that it must have been one of his field agents with last minute information. How wrong he was and how uninspired that line of thought had been.
"Dragon, my son, you have truly disappointed me today!" A voice that could only belong to his father spoke from the other end and the man raised an eyebrow.
"That's a first. I thought I have done this numerous times already." Sometimes he had even made sure to.
A tired sigh was his only answer.
"Have you found today something of utmost importance in that category?" The tattooed man tried again, seeing as his father wouldn't elaborate on the subject without being prodded to. This was one of the reasons the old man was so irritating to begin with.
He also absently noted that most of the noise in the hall had already died down and many were listening intently.
Sabo approached his table, face a mask of worry.
"Yes, actually. When did you decide to tell me anyway? On my deathbed?" Garp asked accusingly.
"Tell you what?" Dragon did not quite like where this was going, but he was extremely confused by now. Sure, he had kept plenty of secrets – especially from his loudmouth of a father – but none of them seemed truly important since most were related to the revolutionaries. There might have been a couple of things that would fall in that category, but Dragon doubted they were so life-changing as to necessitate such a random timed call from the man in the middle of what was supposed to be a good day in his agenda.
There was shuffling on the other end before his father spoke again, tone most delighted. Dragon would have been concerned by it alone, had it been not for the words following it.
"Why, about your other son, of course!"
Many chocked on various liquids or even air. Sabo's jaw hung open and the man himself was swaying dangerously on his feet while the rest of the upper echelons gathered around his table threw him withering glares, accusing him of yet another thing he had kept hidden from them.
Did I really?
"Other… son?" The most wanted man in the world spat, hands clenching into fists on the table. What did this senile idiot want from him now? He would have surely known about having another son, for crying out loud! Was this some kind of weird and insubstantial joke labeled Garp and his squad of idiots?
Unfortunately, his comrades took his sudden stiff posture as a sign that he had indeed been hiding something from them.
"Is it true, Dragon-san?" Koala asked curiously.
"What! Of course-"
"I never knew Luffy had a twin brother!" Garp shouted over the receiver. Sabo wheezed, face a mask of horror and shock. "Imagine my surprise when I heard he's been in Mariejois for the last nineteen years! And now he's a marine!"
"Stop spewing shit, you stupid old man!" Dragon snapped, already at his patience's end. It did not help that most of his subordinates looked halfway to fainting and his second in command's face was getting greener and greener. The joke had gone too far. "I don't have any other son and you damn well know that! Is retirement so boring for you that you start doing prank calls now?"
Garp paused for a moment to laugh before replying.
"Oh man, I'm dying to know what faces you all had!"
The head of the revolutionaries growled, ignoring the ruckus erupting around him.
"But I'm not joking, Dragon. There are some rumors about a 'Lucy-sama' around G-20 so I'm going to see what's up with that!"
A snort from Sabo distracted Dragon from firing a biting remark. The man looked to the young blond expectantly. As did the rest of the army.
"Lucy was Luffy's alias when he had fought in Dressrosa's colosseum."
Garp chortled and two others joined him. Dragon heaved an exasperated breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, desperately looking for a way to acquire eternal patience.
"Then I hope this is cleared up."
Garp huffed. "You killjoy! I can't even make fun of you anymore without being the bullying target of the revolutionaries for months after."
Dragon smirked. "Let's face it, old man. You ask for it. I only pay in double the amount."
The snail glared one last time and stuck out its tongue at him before Garp hung up.
The commander was suddenly alerted by many laughs exploding all around the hall.
"Dragon-san, I hope there are no more secrets between us, right?" One soul, drunker than others, sing-songed. He was quickly accompanied in his efforts by a couple of his comrades.
Dragon tapped his chin, as if considering it before he stood up from the table and offered his subordinates a sly smile.
"We'll see about that, boys."
The next couple of days were one of the most stressful and irritating Usopp had ever lived through. The inspectors' unending questions and requirements of him combined with the Red Haired pirates in all their undercover glory left him all but deprived of sleep and sanity. His friends were more or less in the same states like him, with the exception of Luffy and probably Chopper, both of whom had been spared the torment because of their status as new, revered recruit and respectively, pet.
On day five though, like a sent mercy from the gods themselves, the inspectors took their leave and Usopp fell into a disorientated state of confusion for a while. This is how Nami and the rest of the Strawhats found him – sitting behind his office desk and simply staring into space. Had they not known that their sniper was probably struggling to catch up with the latest turn of events, they would have thought he had lost his mind.
"Usopp, you alright?" Luffy asked, approaching carefully and poking his cheek.
The long nosed man jolted from his state of stupor to give his captain an unreadable look.
"… Is it over yet?" He asked after decidedly too long.
Luffy's mouth was taut, but his expression was calm and relaxed.
"Yes. We're going home and away from here." The pirate captain declared, straightening his back and looking at the rest of his crewmates. "Tomorrow."
The simple word spurred positive reactions from his friends and the raven head smiled when he saw them looking happier than they had been for over a week.
"What about the Red Haired pirates?" Franky asked, crossing his arms.
"We'll tell them to leave tomorrow too, but earlier, I guess." Luffy said, rubbing his chin.
"I get it, you're not one to plan. I'm going to figure it out, don't worry." Nami sighed, ruffling her already disheveled locks.
"We should announce them today, though so they will have time to prepare." Robin said, smiling at Nami's nod. "Come, I will help you."
"Usopp-san, do you feel any better?" Brook asked tentatively.
The sniper blinked a few more times before sighing and letting his head fall on the sturdy desk with a resolute bang.
"I think I caught I-cannot-be-a-marine-ever-disease."
His friends chuckled at the trademark reaction, knowing their friend was not lost after all.
"Eh? Tomorrow?" Shanks blinked up at the blonde haired woman and her dark haired companion.
Truth to be said, he had gotten pretty accustomed to the life of a marine officer and the new adventures it brought with it. If he hadn't been such a well known pirate, he might have joined the Marines just for the hell of it, wreaking havoc and spreading disarray until he was forced to leave or got bored and left himself. Though some of his crewmates had contributed with creative ideas on infiltration and so on, Benny hadn't been quite up for the ride.
Pouting at the clear end of his adventure, he nodded to the two and resumed his game of cards with the random officer he had met in the canteen.
"You know, I've been wondering about that weird black haired woman…" Yasopp whispered conspiratorially, watching the two exit the room.
Shanks snorted. "I hope you're not digging for her, Yasopp."
The sniper's palm found his face with a resounding slap. "Why are you so set on me and women? Every time I do so much as talk about one, you're starting to be like this!"
"We are pirates, mate." The red haired man shrugged, sneaking a passing glance at his adversary. Thankfully, the guy was too preoccupied with his cards.
Yasopp scowled. "Stop that shit, I have a wife. Anyway, she is just too suspicious with all that hair over her face! Ever since coming here, I felt like I knew these kids from somewhere… like I've already seen them before or something."
"You're not the only one." His captain said, throwing two spades over the pile of cards on the table. "Benny, Roo, me and even some of the others have been having this feeling. And I'm sure it's not from this base."
Yasopp nodded. "Should we ask Commodore Marino tomorrow, then?"
Shanks let a grin melt his earlier frown when he presented his quartet of aces to his defeated adversary. "Sure."
"You look like shit."
Usopp grimaced at Shanks' words. Even if they were spoken with concern, they still hurt. A lot.
"Thanks."
The red haired pirate's smile was small, but warm. "I thank you for your hospitality. You've saved me many headaches."
The long nosed man nodded and tried to smile back, but it only ended up in failure so he contended to keep his face straight.
"Commodore!" Yasopp greeted, throwing an arm over the fake marine's shoulders. "I hope your nose heals quickly. Maybe I'll come back some other day to redo our game!"
"We don't have anything to redo." Usopp said neutrally, though he knew his choice of words must have at least seemed bitter. "You won fair and square."
His father grinned. "True, but I doubt you'll just lay down your gun and never shoot again, right?"
That… was partially true to some extent, though it was going only so far as to the shooting part. Usopp didn't plan on firing any gun for a while, content in knowing that he would be reunited with his precious slingshot soon. Then he could get some serious training done. He wondered if his plantation of Pop Greens was alright.
"… Right."
"Cap', we're ready to get her out." Rockstar waved his arm from the shore.
At Shanks' nod, the large metallic door to the private docks slid open slowly to reveal the Red Force in all its glory.
Usopp felt his friends approach from behind – save Luffy, who was standing slapped to the wall again and Franky, who was down by the docks preparing the Sunny for a quick run – all vibrating with impatience for their own escape.
Soon.
"Commodore!" One officer's shout was enough to make Usopp's stomach drop and the day go instantly to shit. "Sir, ships from the Headquarters are approaching!"
Not soon enough, it seems.
"Why?" That was the only question his numb mind could formulate.
The officer drew to a stop and blinked in confusion, obviously barely informed of the reason high ranking people from the Headquarters would stop by to visit them.
"They didn't mention the reason, sir. Though there was an obnoxiously loud laugh that wouldn't stop. It made it hard to understand what the Fleet Admiral was saying."
Concerned himself, though more for the Commodore – since he and his crew would be getting out of there as soon as the Red Force was out of its hiding place – Shanks watched the younger man walk into a wide circle around his companions before drawing to a stop in front of them again. He felt the other's gaze fix upon him as the marine spoke seriously.
"Good luck, Red Haired Shanks."
The older pirate blinked at those words, but the man had already turned around and was making his way back into the base while shouting orders.
"Tell Franky to lift anchor! NOW!"
Chopper nodded at the whispered shout and scrambled away immediately.
"We're getting out of here, I hope." Nami spoke from his left as she, Robin and the assassin trio followed him back into the base.
"You damn bet we do! I'm not going to stand around and let those guys come here." Usopp swiveled around abruptly, forcefully took off his sunglasses and glared at his friends' surprised faces. "I am tired of lying!"
The information in itself shocked the Strawhats more than its actual implications. Their sniper, a liar from day one, to be actually saying that he doesn't want to lie anymore had been until now close to impossible. Nami gulped, seeing now the real aftereffects this whole mess had on Usopp. She now understood that even if she had her wish and qualms granted she had managed to hurt her friends by putting them through this. Her heart ached at the realization, but the navigator knew that breaking down now would not do any of them good. After they got out of there she will make sure to be talking to all of them and at least apologize, if nothing else.
"Got it. We should hurry up then." Zoro suggested.
Usopp nodded along with the others and walked as fast as he could towards the set of tunnel-transformed-hallways that were connecting the actual building to the docks built in the eastern cliffs.
Luffy glanced between the Red Haired pirates' preparations and the approaching Navy ships. Correction: huge Navy ships. Those things weren't half as big back on Enies Lobby or even Marineford, so the raven head was, understandably, awed to say the least. Unfortunately, his awe was not very recommended in those time-limit moments.
"Hello there!" A voice to his right made him jump. He has been so focused on those damn ships that he hadn't noticed someone approach. At closer inspection, it was Shanks.
Luffy's pulse quickened and his eyes widened considerably.
Dammit!
He had let Shanks to sneak up on him! And now the man was studying him curiously and all Luffy really wanted in that moment was to be swallowed up by the wall he was slammed up against. His eyes wandered over the beach in front of him and found it deserted. The entrance and the room behind the partially glassy doors, too. His friends had left! And they left him there… with Shanks!
The pirate captain's teeth ground nervously, but he knew that it might have very well been his fault for being left there all alone. He had seen Usopp's stressed out form slumping in defeat at the news and his friends might have been too distracted to realize he had not joined them in their strategic retreat. That meant that he had to somehow get on the Sunny when it would appear in sight – as he was pretty sure that's where they were all headed to, though he wouldn't trust himself to go after them, knowing that he did not have a clue where Franky had anchored the Sunny. His knowledge of the base only extended so far as to the canteen, Usopp's office, the room where he usually slept and back to the canteen. And the outside, he couldn't forget the training fields. But in that moment these fields seemed unimportant to Shanks and Luffy doubted his idol would have appreciated a lecture on them. Swallowing down the lump in his throat, the rubber man tried to take a step towards the door, never once ungluing himself from the wall.
Shanks only raised an eyebrow in confusion at the sight of the marine attempting to clean the wall with his back. He did not have any idea in reality what that kid wanted to do, but he'd be damned if he wouldn't have a little fun. Besides, it was the kid's fault for sticking himself to the wall and daydreaming. Whoever heard of that one before? Certainly not him.
"What are you doing?" His question effectively stopped the marine, but the man under the cap did not once glance up at him. Though Shanks could barely make out any facial feature, he could only see the white patch under his left eye.
"No… thing." Luffy cringed at the way his voice sounded, but at least it was a little different than usual. He remembered that Makino once said that when boys grew up, their voices changed and he wondered if maybe Shanks wouldn't recognize him by his new voice then maybe he could use it instead of this croaking tone.
The red haired man cocked his head slightly to the side. "You do know that you are glued to the wall, right?"
The amusement behind his question made Luffy twitch. Now he knew that the man was making fun of him and, though it felt nostalgic, it still managed to irritate the hell out of him since now he would have to be subjected to this while waiting for the Sunny.
"Yep." The younger pirate decided on short answers as a countermeasure against giving the man the impression that he was affected by his words.
"Aren't you supposed to help the others with preparations? What are you doing out here?"
Luffy ignored the string of questions as his mind focused on something else he hadn't realized until that very moment. Obviously the Red Haired pirates would see the Sunny way before him and it might cause them to attack his ship – whether knowingly or not – and their swift escape would be impended or ruined. With a resolute grunt, the raven head pushed himself off the wall, a plan already rooted in his mind. He had to attract their attention and what better way to do that than causing a ruckus?
"Because I can do whatever I want!" He declared loudly, internally sighing in relief when Shanks didn't seem to make any connection yet and turned his shadowed eyes towards the Red Force. "Hey, sniper guy!"
Yasopp looked up from his tedious knot at the approaching form of a random recruit he had never seen before in his life. Shanks was right behind him, the figure of calm and composure only disrupted by his stiff shoulders that signaled something strange was happening with the kid. The sniper noticed from the corner of his eyes the other pirates on deck paused in their preparations to gaze at the marine as well.
"Yeah?" Yasopp asked, seeing as the kid was simply staying near the water's edge and not saying anything.
Crap, I didn't think he would actually answer me!
"Uh... don't think that our Commodore would lose so easily to you!" His words made many laugh while the man in question only crossed his arms, a sign for him to continue. With what, Luffy didn't know, but he had to make something up until his friends arrived. But he couldn't make up a lie for the life of him.
"You won now only because he wasn't in his best shape!" At least, he could say a little of the truth.
"I'm sure." Yasopp's dry answer was not encouraging, but at least the man wasn't sneering at him. "Well, no matter. I'm sure we'll meet again in the future and have a real match then."
Luffy looked up at the man he only remembered from childhood memories and grinned widely. "Yeah!"
Two startled yelps had him reeling back in confusion, but if the looks on Yasopp and Roo's faces were to be relied on, he might have very well spilled his secret.
"O-Oi, what the hell-"
"HOW COULD YOU IDIOTS FORGET HIM?!" Nami's shout echoed around the bay and Luffy allowed another grin to slip on his face as the Sunny finally entered in view.
He sniffed, chest constricted in nostalgia at the ship he hadn't seen in almost a month. Without any regard for Shanks or the other pirates gathered around him, he broke into a run along the water's line towards the right-side edge of the beach.
"Shanks, stop that guy!" Yasopp and Roo shouted together.
Shanks glanced between his crewmates and the rapidly retreating kid in confusion, not knowing what the hell was even happening.
"Why? Who's that?"
"That ship is coming towards us!" Another pirate shouted from the crow's nest. "It has a Jolly Roger!"
Shanks' eyes widened and his mouth was close to unlocking itself when Ben appeared at the railing – a figure of calm in this disastrous storm.
The first mate took a deep drag from his cigarette before speaking through the ensuing smoke. "You should climb aboard, cap'."
Shanks nodded dumbly and rapidly made his way through the waist deep water until he arrived at the side of his ship and grabbed the rope thrown to him. Heaving himself up, he arrived just in time to see the kid near the eastern cliffs, waving frantically at the happy ship floating slowly towards him.
"I knew it! That was really Luffy!" Yasopp cried out, hands in his hair. His words stirred numerous whispers between the others.
"What! That can't be Luffy! The kid's somewhere in the New Wo-" Shanks halted, his own words sounding stupid in his ears.
"Yes, he was here in the New World, it seems." Ben spoke in amusement from beside him, looking at the ship carrying the Strawhat pirates' colors.
"But what's he doing here?" Roo's question was left unanswered.
Luffy suddenly stopped waving and clutched a medium sized boulder a few meters to his right. Any doubts that the kid was really the rubbery pirate evaporated from Shanks' mind when he saw the impossible act of someone stretching their hands to unnatural lengths. The red haired man felt his shock filter out, leaving joy at seeing the little Anchor all grown up and anger that the kid hadn't made himself known until now seep into his chest.
The distant sound of cannonballs and his own men's shouts suddenly alerted him to the closeness of the Marine ships.
"Raise the anchor!"
Pirates scrambled out of the way to follow his order, but Shanks did not let his eyes wander away from Luffy and his ship.
"You idiot!" A figure appeared at the smaller ship's railing and many gasped at seeing 'Commander Marinaro'. The man had forgone his brown hat for the moment along with his coat and glasses. Without his disguise on, it was obvious to see who really has been impersonating the head of the base all along.
"Is that your son, Yasopp?" Ben asked for the sake of asking, hiding his smirk at the man's fallen jaw and bulged eyes at the sight of him.
"Nami almost killed us all when we realized you weren't there!" Usopp continued to shout, unmindful of his captain's bouts of laughter.
"I was… competing against my son?" The Red Haired pirates' sniper couldn't quite make sense of that.
"Apparently." Shanks commented, watching as Luffy launched himself onto his ship to a chorus of cheers and yells from his crewmates.
"Stop right there, Lucy-sama!" A loud voice said over the intercom from one of the Marine ships.
The Strawhats stopped dead in their tracks and even from that distance Shanks could see them look like children caught stealing cookies. He also absently noted the base's occupants spilling onto the beach as well as his crew's invisibility to the Navy. It seemed that somehow or the other, the marines were too focused on hunting for Luffy to really care about him and it amused Shanks to no end. So he decided to wait a little while more, now that danger had literally sidestepped them.
"We've been informed that Strawhat Luffy's twin brother fresh from the Celestial Dragon's homes was here!" The guy with the intercom snail continued.
Shanks chocked on his spit at the absurd lie.
"What-"
"Like hell he had a twin brother, you idiots!" Yasopp's shout did nothing to deter the Marines' approach.
"Who even has a name like Lucy?" A blonde haired pirate asked curiously.
Shanks knew their comments would not cause any visible reaction from their foes. He had seen who had control over the speaker and he was positively sure that the man was having the time of his life.
"Come now, don't be shy! I want to meet my long lost grandson!" Garp laughed heartily at the frozen forms of his grandson and his little crewmates. Those kids were just too easy to startle! But one thing nagged at him in that moment. "Luffy! You look so good in that uniform! Seems like my dream has finally come true – are you ready to join the Marines?"
That was enough to break Luffy out from his stupor. Scowling at the old man, he jumped on the railing – Usopp and Chopper grabbed a hold of him to make sure he wouldn't slip – and shouted.
"Hell no, grandpa! Stop trying already!"
Garp deflated like a balloon. "Aw… then we will have to sink you all! Don't hold back, boys!"
The cannon fire began as soon as he uttered those words and Shanks twitched. That old man was surely something else. After Portgas' stories of their childhood, he was glad that Luffy was still alive to this day.
Luffy threw his cap off as he started deflecting cannonballs. He was immediately aided by Roronoa Zoro, a blonde man he supposed was 'Black Leg' Sanji and a skeleton that was obviously 'Soul King' Brook, all dressed in the same clothes.
"So they were the 'assassin squad', huh?" The red haired man concluded.
It seemed that the Strawhats were turning their ship around, obviously trying for a swift escape, but Shanks feared they were a little too late for that. The wind was not very strong and the Navy ships were much too close. He half wondered what Sakazuki was doing since he had yet to show up.
"You have nowhere to run, Strawhat!" The Fleet Admiral's dangerous growl echoed between the firing cannons.
Speaking of the devil.
Shanks was surprised by the grassy deck the other ship had. They even had trees!
"Looks pretty cozy." Roo commented, taking a bite of a new piece of meat none of them knew where it came from.
"Are they furling the sails?!" Yasopp exclaimed, face drawn up in confusion. "Why the hell would they do that?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." Ben said dryly, watching the teens' efforts on the other ship. "I suppose that their so-called Pacifista was the blue haired man at the helm."
"And the creepy woman was Nico Robin." Shanks smirked at his friend. Yasopp huffed and crossed his arms.
"I told you I knew her from somewhere!"
"What the hell are those kids doing, Garp?" Sakazuki's question was clearly heard all the other way from the other ship.
Obviously not even the lava user was imagining that the Strawhat pirates would simply give themselves up.
"Not sure!" By his jovial tone, Garp clearly knew.
Shanks' eyebrow rose in surprise when he spotted a laughing Sengoku and an amused Tsuru standing behind Luffy's grandfather.
The Strawhat pirates ignored all the shouts going on around them in favor of preparing their ship… for docking.
"Decreasing their speed and all… what's in those kids' minds?" Ben shook his head. Even he did not have any idea.
Shanks did not want to say it out loud, but he was becoming more and more concerned about the younger pirates' plan.
"Prepare for Coup de Burst!" Again, that blond haired woman yelled and Shanks realized she was the navigator… with dyed hair. "Usopp, make sure Luffy grabs onto something this time! I don't want to have to come back here!"
The sniper in question nodded and looked around quickly for his captain only to find him nowhere in sight.
"Where the hell is he?!" The long nosed man positively screeched, hands waving about.
"Oi, Shanks!"
The man in question raised his eyes to see Luffy standing perched on the back railing of his ship, a wide grin splitting his face and with his straw hat in one hand, waving at them.
"We'll see you guys later, okay?"
Shanks smiled softly at the raven haired teen and nodded his consent resolutely. So that's what it had been about all along – Luffy wanted to keep his promise no matter what. And Shanks respected that and urged him on silently.
"I'll be surely waiting for that meeting, Luffy!"
Many of his crewmates cheered alongside their captain as the smaller ship finally aligned itself towards the open sea.
Luffy nodded back and placed the yellow straw hat back on his head just as Usopp arrived at his side and raised a hand in farewell at the other pirate crew. The two teens' smiles were the last thing Shanks saw before a large explosion shook the sea and their ship took flight. Into the sky.
The Red Haired pirates blinked as one, watching the former floating vessel fly until only a speck remained in the distance.
"You mean to tell me they escaped with that?!"
Oho, it seems like the Fleet Admiral is in a bad mood.
"Yep! That's how they got away back in Water 7, too!" Garp chuckled from his spot on the bow of the ship. The man was truly too laid back sometimes, especially in the face of the pulsing rage of his superior.
"That's some technology those kids have there." Shanks whistled appreciatively, still looking into the blue expanse where the lion headed ship had disappeared.
"I find myself somehow disappointed." Ben confessed, shocking many aboard.
"And pray tell, why?" Yasopp eyed his friend curiously, though a warning was clearly written on his face, daring his friend to say something about his son or Luffy's crew.
But Ben never had these kinds of ideas to begin with.
"The only man I would have worked under as a Marine proved to be a pirate."
Shanks snorted at the irony and slapped his friend on the back roughly.
"Unfortunately for you, my friend, it seems like your future is set in stone." The red haired pirate turned to face his crew and sighed melodramatically. "Seems like we won't get rid of good old Benny, kids!"
Many groaned jokingly as the first mate slapped his captain over the head, smirking.
"What, you still here, Red Head?"
The pirates paused to look over to the marine veterans standing next to the Fleet Admiral at the railing. Garp cracked his knuckles and grinned ferociously.
"Then I guess a few words are in order. I've been searching for you for twelve years to return the favor you made me when you turned Luffy into a pirate!"
Shanks' muscles tensed at the obvious threat in the man's words, but he remained unmoving since Sakazuki did not look too ready to start a fight with them.
The lava user simply snorted to hide his amusement and pointed behind them in the base's direction.
"Or if you would rather help clean up the mess those kids left behind?"
The Yonko turned around to find himself gazing at a large poster spread over the building. It was very long, almost reaching the ground and he had to ask himself where those kids had gotten such a big, white sheet of paper.
Chuckles started up around him and he found himself unknowingly joining along seeing as the longer he gazed at the multicolored words and the painted faces with tongues sticking out or just winking at them, the funnier it got. On the bottom right, the Strawhats' Jolly Roger clearly stated the message's expeditors.
'Fooled you, losers! Thanks for the billion!'
A/N: Hi :D
I'm back with the last chapter of this story! definitely has been one of my favorites to write xD
Though I'm kinda' sad this fic's over, it was about time ._. gotta try at least to study from now on (who am I kidding?)
I hope you liked it! Please leave your thoughts in a review! :D
Now, onto the guest reviews~
To opfan: I'm really glad you like it and I agree with you (even though I have a few stories of those myself xD) I hope you continue to enjoy the story!
To AWESOME (nice name xD): Thanks!
And to Guest: Fake father is an idiot (at least I created him for that reason, but I'm glad you like him anyway o3o)... and I'm sure he won't hesitate to stoop so low if he can demonstrate his 'skills'. Besides, Shanks is a pretty dangerous guy after all, so he could easily convince fake father imo. Well, the whole point was to keep their identities secret as much as they could, that's why they couldn't just coup de burst out of there. Besides, if Shanks can stop a warship, he can stop them too. I'm happy you like it! ^^