Defiance

An: Here's the third chapter! Hope you guys enjoy it. I finally got the ending of this arc figured out and am outlining the next one, and I'd like to thank Dyrnwyn1994 for his help, and for the ideas he suggested to me. He has helped me a great deal with this story and cannot thank him enough.

Now with that out of the way, let's get started!

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

Chapter 3-Plans fit for the Devil

Robin

Robin could only stare in shock as she stared at Monkey D. Garp as he glared at Spandam, who looked ready to piss his pants at any moment. Garp's eyes narrowed further as he demanded, "Well, are you gonna answer me, brat?! What are you doing to that woman?!"

Spandam apparently grew a backbone. He stood up straight and said, "This is CP-9 business, Vice Admiral, sir." He grinned and said, "I am to escort her to Headquarters and-"

Spandam quickly found himself punched into a wall. "CP-9 was told to disband, you little shit!" Garp growled. "Sengoku placed me in charge of gathering the Straw Hats, not your sorry, bony ass! Get in the way of my mission again, and you will regret it!"

Spandam paled. Garp narrowed his eyes further. "Get your asses back to HQ right now! If I find you and these idiots anywhere near the Straw Hats, I'll have you all court marshaled!" The remaining members of CP-9 looked indignant, but before they could move or say anything, Lucci held his arm out, stopping them.

'We can't antagonize Garp here,' Lucci thought. 'He has too much power at the moment. Not to mention I don't want to test my luck against him. We need to wait for our opportunity to strike when he least expects it.'

Garp walked over to Robin and gently lifted her to her feet. He led her away from CP-9 and down the hallway. Robin was very confused.

"Garp-san," Robin said.

"I apologize for those idiots, Nico-san," Garp said to her. "After the disaster of Enies Lobby, Sengoku ordered CP-9 to disband immediately for their failure to follow protocols and unleashing the Buster Call without just cause."

That piece of information made Robin a little bit happier, but right now, it didn't matter. "Was what Spandam said true, Garp-san?" she asked, hoping he was wrong. "About the others being executed at Marineford if I don't cooperate?"

Garp was silent for a moment; Robin internally feared that he would confirm what that horrible man had said when he sighed. "While it is true the other Straw Hats and you yourself may be executed at Marineford, it's not because of you, Nico-san," he told her. "Luffy has three months to quit being a pirate. And if he doesn't, you all will be executed at Marineford without fail."

"I highly doubt Luffy's going to quit being a pirate," Robin replied scathingly.

"I know," he sighed. "Which is why after I pick up the rest of you, I intend to bottle up the entrance to Reverse Mountain and capture him."

"So you can send him off to die, as well?"

Suddenly, Garp turned and glared at Robin. She flinched back. Garp scared her more than Aokiji did. "I am doing this to make sure you all end up alive after this," he said tonelessly. "Should I capture Luffy at Reverse Mountain in one month, Sengoku will allow me to send you Straw Hats to a place where you won't escape, but at least, Luffy will be alive."

Robin couldn't help but lift an eyebrow. "And where is that?" She asked, hoping it wasn't Impel Down.

"The Locker," was the reply, and it made Robin gasp. "The Locker" was an island that was said to be a myth, much like Raftel. It was supposedly the island where the first the first pirate to ever defy the World Government, Davy Jones, was said to have been killed.

"The Locker exists?!" Robin asked in alarm, but there was a slight twinge of awe in her voice. To any experienced archeologist, The Locker was a major historical site worthy of attention.

Though, she wished she could see it on better terms.

"It does," Garp confirmed. "Locked away so none can ever find it, or even get to it. The perfect place to guard all the individuals that the World Government deems a threat." His voice turned bitter at the last part, something Robin caught.

"Like me?"

"Correct. Alongside my grandsons and few others. Now, originally, the Marines wanted you all dead. But I was able to convince Sengoku and the three Admirals to try and avoid making this Pirate Era last longer by or make too many more enemies by killing you all. Knowing Luffy and Ace like I do, I know for a fact they'd somehow make themselves martyrs," he grumbled. Robin's eyes widened. The three Admirals NEVER agreed on anything!

"How did you do that?" she asked.

"I appealed to their senses of justice, so to speak. I was able to convince them death was 'too much of a mercy' to be given to those they see as unforgivable," Garp explained. "It was a long shot, but eventually, I was able to convince them, but for this plan to work, I need all the Straw Hats, including my wayward grandson, to stand trial at Marineford. It's all a formality, though. It's to show the WG is merciful and all that jazz. Then, you'll all be shipped off to the Locker."

"And you're doing all this so Luffy will continue living?"

Garp went silent again and didn't speak until they were almost out of the building. "No grandfather wants to see their grandsons die," he sighed. "It's why I wanted them to become Marines so badly. Even if their linages came out, the stigma of it wouldn't be as damning. They could work past it, and, with me vouching for their integrity as Marines, they would be safe." He shook his head and chuckled. "I guess it was wishful thinking in the end. Ace is much like his parents. A strong will to live on his own terms and doesn't take well to anyone telling him what to do…"

Robin listened intently. "And Luffy..." Garp sighed again. "He's too much like his parents. He can't stand being caged. He will most likely hate he after all's said and done."

"I don't think Luffy would," Robin disagreed. Luffy could do a lot things, but she didn't think he could hate his own grandfather, even despite Garp's harsh training.

"No. He'll hate me," Garp said sadly. "He's a Monkey, after all. And the members of the Monkey clan at one point were known for holding grudges. Dragon has one against the World Government, and look at where's it has taken him. The leader of the Revolutionaries and the title of the Most Wanted Man in the world."

Robin had to concede to the fact about Dragon, but she wasn't sure about what Garp had said about his family. She really didn't think Luffy could hold a grudge. He was also so nice and energetic. Not to mention, he was so much like Saul. Luffy couldn't be like Garp was describing…Could he?

Luffy

After he was able to move around without agonizing pain, Malaki offered Luffy a change of clothes, as his were nothing but rags when he arrived at Malaki's house. Luffy accepted and slowly moved to the bathroom Malaki had pointed out to change. He now wore a red long sleeve dress shirt with a black tie, a black jacket that he left unbuttoned over it, and black dress slacks. He also took to wearing black, combat style boots, and Waylon gave him some old fingerless gloves, saying it would complete Luffy's new "badass" look.

It was similar to the outfit that he wore when he and the others battle that Shiki guy who wanted to destroy the East Blue. Just without the overcoat he wore with it. He scowled at the memory. That bastard not only tried to destroy his home, but he also kidnapped Nami.

Again, a sharp pain shot through Luffy when he thought about Nami. It was extremely baffling to him. It was like someone was punching him in the chest with spiked gloves, but completely bypassing his skin and slamming deep into his heart. It was a very confusing feeling for him.

He even found himself calmer. It confused him as he usually felt like he needed to jump off the wall most of the time. But since he had woken up, he had felt…relatively calm.

He shrugged it off and walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, where Malaki, Rico, and Waylon were sitting at a table while a girl with dark red hair wearing a black shirt that showed off her midsection and a dark red skirt stood at the stove. Rico saw Luffy come in and grinned.

"Yo, Luff! Likin' the new look!" he grinned crazily, causing the others to look at him. Mari turned to look at Luffy, and he noticed that her eyes were a deep hazel color. Her face was pretty, he supposed, but he never was one to look at outward beauty.

"So, you're the guy that survived Enoch's Devil fruit," Mari guessed.

Luffy nodded and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Shishishi…That's me, I guess," he confirmed.

"Well, welcome to our humble abode, then!" Mari smiled. "I'm Mari!" She pointed at the men at the table and said, "You've already met those guys."

Luffy snickered. "Yeah, I guess," he said. "Hey, is the food ready?"

"Just 'bout," Mari said. "Just take a seat, and I'll be done in a jiffy."

Luffy nodded and sat down next to Waylon. Malaki turned to Luffy and smiled. "Well, Mr. Luffy," he started, "why don't you tell us how you showed up on our humble island so unexpectedly. We are a very isolated island, and not many people ever show up here."

"Yeah that Enoch guy said the same thing," Luffy remembered, which surprised him since he usually didn't remember stuff like that. "Why is that?"

Doc smiled a bit. "That's an excellent question, Mr. Luffy. Well, the answer is very simple. Our island is surrounded by a reef of magnetized rocks, making escape impossible as the rocks are too close to the surface and would tear a hole in a normal wooden ship."

"Not to mention that metal ships we make are repelled away from the reef by the magnetic field," Rico added.

"Right. And for some reason or another, the magnetic field effects the island and the sea around it. The weather is extremely random and the sea can go from calm to stormy faster than I can snap my fingers."

"Well, this is the Grand Line," Luffy said, causing the others to look at him in shock. "Um…this is the Grand Line, right?" he asked, hoping they said yes.

Doc shook his head. "No, Mr. Luffy. As far as I know, we're in the East Blue." That shocked Luffy. Kuma sent him all the way to the East Blue? He was back in the East Blue, again? He had to travel all the way back through the Grand Line…AGAIN?!

"You mean to tell me there's NO way off this island?!" Luffy asked hysterically.

"Well," Waylon spoke up, "there is the straight. It's a small opening in the reef, but…"

"But what?" Luffy asked.

"It's guarded by a five headed Sea King," Waylon said.

Luffy's eyes widened. "A five headed Sea King?!" he asked.

Waylon nodded. "It's the second reason not many people arrive at this island. Even if you found the straight, the Sea King would rip you to pieces."

Luffy's mind was running faster than it had ever went, and it made his head hurt worse. Before all these questions, he would just push to the back of his mind and worry about them later, but now, with his friends, his crew, his nakama in jeopardy, and the apparent handicap his Gum Gum fruit put on his mind, it was hard to do that.

"Hey Luffy, you said you've been to the Grand Line, right?!" Rico asked with a wide grin. "Is it as awesome as the stories?!"

Despite the chaos going on in his brain, Luffy couldn't help but grin at Rico's question. "It's the best!" he exclaimed loudly, thankful for another topic to get his mind off his worrying.

He began his tale of how he started his pirate career. How he gathered the world's greatest crew (in his mind). How he traveled the Grand Line. How he declared war on the world for a friend.

And…how he showed up on the island.

"Oh…uh…Luff, man, that's…ouch," Rico winced sympathetically.

"Why would your grandfather do that?" Mari whispered. She had since finished cooking and everyone was eating while Luffy spoke.

"I don't know," Luffy admitted with a scowl. "But right now…I really don't care." He went and frowned outright at his plate. He had absentmindedly filled it up and ate at a subdued pace. He never did that.

Doc noticed Luffy's distracted look and frowned slightly. "Are you okay, Mr. Luffy?"

Luffy was startled by the question. "Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, confused.

"During your story, you've been scowling and, at some points, paused for a long time, like you were deep in thought. It's as if you are confused about something," Doc observed.

Luffy blinked at the observation. He looked down at his plate and said, "Y-yeah. I guess there is something that's bugging me…"

"May I ask what it is?"

"Well…" Luffy shook his head. "It's just that…thinking always made my head hurt. Even when I tried to remember something important Makino or Gramps told me. But now…I'm remembering things so clearly now! Hell, before all I remembered of my crew was the more important parts of their personalities! Now, I'm describing them in full!"

"Yeah. Especially that Nami girl," Rico said with a perverted smile. Luffy felt a flash of irritation flow through him, but he wasn't sure why.

Thankfully, Doc spoke up before Rico could say anything else. "Is there anything else you've noticed?"

Luffy thought it over for a second. "You know? I have felt calmer since I lost my Devil fruit," he mused. "Before I was bouncing off the walls, and now I'm just…" Luffy shrugged as he couldn't find the right words.

Doc nodded thoughtfully. "And I've noticed that I'm more serious than normal! And I'm finding how I've acted up until now childish! I'm not as hungry as I usually am and can actually remember all those etiquette lessons from Makino! I'm confused as hell, and it's freaking me out!" Luffy finished rambling with a shaky breath.

Doc stayed silent for a moment before speaking. "When did you eat your Devil fruit?" he asked.

"When I was seven."

Doc frowned. "Well, I have a theory for you, Mr. Luffy…unfortunately, I can't guarantee the validity of it."

"What is it?"

"Well…since it is widely believed Devil fruits are magical in nature, and I have not found anything to suggest otherwise, it is theoretically possible the magic of the Devil fruit 'froze' you mind."

"Huh?" Luffy asked in confusion, as did the other three.

"I am not sure of the theory myself, but it would make sense as ancient writings here on this island state that Devil fruits, while bestowing terrible and majestic powers, have several adverse effects on the user. It could be that your Devil fruit, Mr. Luffy, froze your mental development and kept your mind as that of your seven year old self's," Doc lectured.

Luffy thought about it. It seemed to make sense to him, but… "But there were points that I'm sure I didn't act like a seven year old. I mean, a guy with the mind of a seven year old couldn't beat all those guys I fought and win, right?"

Doc smiled. "Very true," he conceited. "It's likely that your mind was constantly trying to fight against the Devil fruit's influence. As for your lack of hunger, it's likely that, given how you say you used to fight, that your body burned through its natural energy supplies at an alarming pace. That's why I assume you are so skinny; your body required more energy, so it would burn off any body fat you would accumulate at an accelerated pace."

Luffy nodded, but quickly shook his head. He was getting off track, dammit! "Oh. That's cool, now what about a boat to get off this island?" he asked, deciding to get back to what he originally wanted.

Doc thought about it. "Well, there is the new ship model docked in town," he mused.

"The Relentless?" Waylon asked.

"That's the one," Doc confirmed. "It's outfitted with a new propulsion system that should, theoretically, get the ship through the straight fast enough that the magnetic field shouldn't affect the ship, and just fast enough to get past the hydra Sea King."

"Theoretically?" Luffy asked, again finding it amazing he could even pronounce the word correctly.

"The propulsion system hasn't been tested," Doc said. "We are not sure if it will even work! It was still in the test faze when we were ordered to attach it to the Relentless."

"Wait, you BUILT it?!" Luffy asked, amazement showing on his face.

"Actually, I made it," Waylon said with a grin. Luffy turned and gaped at the large croc-like teen.

"YOU?!" Luffy screamed.

Waylon's grin widened. "Yep! Best engineer on the whole island!" he exclaimed proudly, puffing out his chest in importance.

"That's only because you're weird like that, Croc," Rico stage-whispered to Waylon.

Waylon turned a punched Rico in the face. "DON'T CALL ME CROC, DAMMIT!"

Luffy laughed. Watching Rico and Waylon duke it out was about as funny as watching Zoro and Sanji fight. Almost. Nothing was funnier than Zoro and Sanji fighting.

He shook his head again and turned to Doc. "Now, where exactly is the Relentless docked?" he asked.

"Dock thirteen," Doc answered. "It's under heavy guard, though. The mayor intends to use it to send an expedition crew out. We may know where we are, but we don't know anything else about where our island is in relevance to other islands in the East Blue." Doc's eyes narrowed. "You're not planning on stealing it, are you?"

Luffy just grinned at him. "Best thing about being a pirate is I can what I want, when I want!" he replied as he stood up. "Now, which way's the town?!"

Enoch

Enoch laughed alongside his buddies at their favorite hangout. The bar was busy. People were running around, laughing and having a grand ole time. Drinks were flowing. Food was great. Life was pretty damn good.

"Can you believe the mayor's allowing us to join the expedition team off the island?!" Marx asked.

"We are the most qualified," Ken said with a monotone.

"Of course!" Enoch grinned. "Well, that, and the mayor's doing us a favor!"

"There's that, too!" Marx laughed.

"Oi. Enoch," a voice called out. Enoch looked up and saw a large, beefy man walked up to his table.

Enoch looked at him unimpressed. "Can I help you, sir?" he asked, trying to be polite.

"You're the one who killed my brother by ripping his Devil fruit from his body," the man said stoically.

"Um…" Enoch thought about it. "Forgive me, sir, but I'm not sure who you are or who your brother is personally. Perhaps you could describe him? Or even get me a name?"

"His name was Jogo," the man snarled.

Enoch dawned a look of understanding. "Ah! Jogo! Yes, well…uh, I'm sorry to say, sir, but that wasn't entirely my fault, you see. He attacked me! Not to mention I didn't know I could steal Devil fruit powers at the time…"

"Regardless, I'm here not for revenge. I'm here for honor," the man spoke again. "I wish to reclaim my brother's honor, which you stole from him!"

"Now, that's a preposterous accusation!" Enoch shook his head. "I don't know how to steal honor! Though, that would make an interesting experiment to try out on someone. Thanks for the help!"

The man roared and slammed his face into Enoch's face. Enoch grinned as he felt no pain. "Sadly, I, myself will never get to test that theory out."

The man stared at Enoch in shock. "What?" he asked incredulously.

Enoch grinned and grabbed the man's arm, throwing it off his face and punching the man in the face, sending him flying away from him. "I'm not immune to all physical attacks! Hell, bullets won't be able to stop me now!" he said laughingly. A few in the bar laughed alongside him. Others, however, glared at the man.

"Hey, Enoch," Ken said as Enoch calmed down. "I heard the Relentless was outfitted with a new propulsion system made by that kid that follows Doc Malaki around."

"No foolin'?" Enoch grinned. "Guess we should go thank the man!"

"And," Marx said seriously. "He has something that belongs to us."

Ken and Enoch nodded, with Enoch grinning madly. "Oh, yeah! I forgot about that." Enoch's grin turned dark. "Let's get back what rightly belongs to us."

An: Please don't poke holes in my logic. And as for my explanation on Luffy's Devil fruit 'freezing' Luffy's mental development, it's a long shot theory, but for the purpose of my story, I'll sticking with it. Luffy will start to act a little like his old self after I finish this arc, which will be another chapter or two. 'Till next time!