Hey everyone! Another update! How's the story so far? What do you suggest? Anything you want to change? I want a beta reader -_-... any of you up for the job? Has it been good? SO MANY QUESTIONS! You don't need to answer all of them or answer them at all even.

Hope you like this chapter! Zoro's appearance! A lot of stuff is going to happen, a few unexpected appearances and my finger's breakdown for having to right 10,800 words. Now we begin!

PS: Thank This Bites! by Xomniac and New Game Plus by DuncanIdaho2014 for inspiring me into writing longer & 'One-Arc-in-One-Chap' kind of chapters

Disclaimer: If I will ever be able to own One Piece, i will definitely be able to die peacefully

OF TRUTHS AND VARIATIONS

'Listen to me!' Coby shouted as he pounced around like a rabid dog barking at a tree. Whatever exotic dance he was doing, it did not catch Merry's attention, not even remotely. 'Zoro's going to kill you guys, he's not safe!'

'Of course he's not. He's being held captive by the Marines.' Merry answered with a thoughtful tone, his leather book hiding the ever-so-slightly smirk on his lips.

Hearing the words, Coby grinned cheerfully and sighed in relief as he thought: so some sense had actually gotten into Merry! 'You get what I mean, right Merry-san? He's behind bars!'

'Yes, and that's why he's not safe. They can harm him in any way they want to.' Merry said, the grin growing wider. At first hearing the words, Coby was confused. It was until he heard the continuation of the sentence did he realise: Merry was…

'Don't worry Coby; he'll be safe when we rescue him.'

'… toying with me. Merry-san! Don't toy with me!' Coby shouted irritatingly as he bounced up and down again, rocking the cramped fishing boat from side to side. Merry chuckled lightly before raising a hand up as if signalling Coby to stop. 'Calm down, you'll wake Luffy.'

He pointed to the figure sitting cross-legged on top of the boat's head, snoring peacefully. It's been a long while but Coby couldn't help wondering why Luffy hasn't fallen off the boat while sitting in such a position. How could she stay like that despite all the ruckus happening on this boat?

Reading Coby like an open book, Merry answered serenely, 'Who knows what keeps Luffy balanced. And the ruckus created on this boat was because of you and your overreacting anyways.'

'I'm not overreacting! I'm being logical! Something that you lack right now!' Coby shouted out desperately only to receive another dismissive shrug from Merry. The pink haired boy slumped with depression as he had nearly lost all hope in winning over Merry in the discussion. Then, with disheartened expression, he turned to his bowler hat adorned friend and asked quietly, 'So keeping Luffy asleep is more important than me trying to get you out of this situation alive?'

'Well, not really.' Merry answered after a pause, causing Coby to perk up suddenly, the determination resurfacing in his eyes. 'Keeping away from having to fish and deal with craziness is more important.' A dispirited sigh escape Coby's mouthed as he collapsed onto the boat's wooden seat.

'I can't get you guys out of this, can't I?'

'Well, that is true. If you somehow, miraculously, managed to get me into opposing this plan, I still won't be able to get Luffy out of it anyways. So… you are just wasting your time on a lot of useless effort.' Merry stated bluntly, mentally hitting a hammer at Coby's face. The subject to the non-sugar-coated words was brought to all four limbs as he cried his eyes out from frustration. How could he possibly deal with such nonsense any further? God knows.

'Stop making such a fuss about it.' Merry reassured calmly, though the words did not comfort Coby in any manner. He continued, 'Luffy is just here to see if Zoro is a good guy or not. If he is a good guy, we'll take him in. If he's not, we'll just drop you at the Marine Base and leave peacefully. But I guarantee nothing when it comes to being 'peaceful' with Luffy around.'

'Hehe.' Coby chuckled silently as he pushed up his circular lenses. 'Spoken truthfully, Merry-san. Nothing could be pacified with Luffy-san around. Though, I still advise you not to go. It is quite obvious that the Pirate Hunter is a bad guy. Many people had even called him a demon in human form. It is a good thing he is under the surveillance of the Marines. It was said that he killed people without a batting of his eye.' His face darkened as his voice took a turn for grimness.

'But, I find most of the Marine's words highly doubtable.' Merry recoiled calmly – though there a hidden hint of fury in his tone – as he lay down the book he was holding. He turned to look at Coby in the eyes, suddenly making the air heavy and dark. 'You might think I am lying and it's most likely so for I am a pirate. But Marines aren't what you think they are. The World Government has been hiding many things from its so-called 'citizens' and it would break many like you if you know why. The world is never what you expect it to be, Coby.'

The words Merry had spoken did not have the carefree air it usually carried but this time, it was dark and cautious and freezing. For the first time seeing Merry drop his impenetrable emotional wall, Coby had known that this matter was something important. But what did he mean? 'I don't understand, Merry-san. Why are you telling me this?'

The rapier wielder gave him a sorrowful smile before turning away. He uttered after a long thoughtful pause, as if he was reminiscing of something that happen a long time ago somewhere far away. 'A fair warning for the near future.'

Merry dropped the distress expression before trailing off slowly. His shown emotions became artificial and unreadable again as he turned his back to face the island ascending at the horizon. 'Take your time to think about what I said Coby. We're about to arrive at the place where you'll know the truth of my words. Many unexpected events are going to bomb your life.'

The silent answer was enough proof for Merry to know that Coby was taking his words with caution. The boy will be a great individual one day. If warning him of the truth earlier in his life was not going to help in anyway, it was better than experiencing it first hand in unexpectance.

The boat stayed silent for the next half an hour as they float across the sea's sparkling surface. Merry had refused to pick up his book again as he had suddenly lost interest in it. It was no means interesting when compared to what that was about to happen in his life. He must plan ahead, prepare for the changes Luffy wanted to make to this life because Luffy's brain is nowhere near acceptable in the category of major planning. There was only 'do it when you think it' when Luffy is involved.

He turned to look at the bright blue skies as he revised the things he needed to stay cautious about through the journey in East Blue. If Luffy had told him correctly in the past life, there was a man named Kuro of a Thousand Plans in Syrup Village where had gotten his first ship, the Going Merry. There was also a man named Don Krieg at the Baratie where he got his cook, 'Black Leg' Sanji. 'Cat Burglar' Nami lived in Cocoyashi with her sister Nojiko and was forced to work under Arlong Pirates… Which means there is a high chance of her betraying us after we recruit her? Yeah. He noted the fact mentally before continuing. Usopp was mentioned in the story of Going Merry so it means he must be from Syrup village. And Sogeking is obviously Usopp. That's probably it, huh. Some of the pirates we'll fight will probably be good allies in the future so let's whip up some way to convince them. I'll have to ask the twins for information about those pirates… Of course, he wasn't allowed to say any of these things to Luffy because of the 'No Spoiler' rule. Merry nodded firmly before standing up. But then shook his head lightly. He didn't really change compared to his last life. He had always been diverting his thoughts so that he doesn't need to worry about the negative feelings hidden in his heart. Always running away from himself, hiding from his true feelings.

It was at that moment that the boat drifted onto shore, churning roughly and knocking Luffy face first into the paved roads at the docks. Coby laughed quietly at the comical sight before standing up with a sigh then anchoring the raft. Though he was slightly more active than before, a visible air of uncertainty still surrounded him.

'Humph!' The little boy puffed as a palm suddenly slammed his back, forcing him to stand up straight. He whipped around frantically only to face the encouraging smile Merry was flashing him. He chuckled nervously, it seems like Merry had seen through his hidden frustration. Well, there was no means in hiding it anyways, Merry always has his way and Coby doesn't even know it that's bad or not.

Merry glared at the mumbling Luffy for a few seconds. Then he sighed as he shook his head slightly before crouching down and prompting his sister, 'Come on, Luffy. We need to go.'

'…guh… hmmm… Wait a minute Makino; I still want to eat mo-uhh…' She cut off mid-sentence as she snored loudly, her hands flailing like she was reaching for something, then the raven head girl suddenly sat up. 'MY MEAT!'

There was an awkward moment of silence as the raven haired girl looked around and realised where she was. Then, she grinned dopily, scratching the back of her head, making a few tic marks appear on Merry's forehead. Still, he couldn't bring himself to get angry at his forever 'air-headed' sister.

'Luffy…' Then, the other two sighed while shaking their heads simultaneously, though in quite different tone of voice. Merry stood up, an annoyed smirk appeared on his face only for it to disappear immediately the next second. The young teen stepped off the boat while stretching all the way, following closely behind him was Coby.

'Oh no. You're not going anywhere, Luffy.' Merry warned before grabbing her hand, looking straight into the eyes of the young girl which had the words 'EXPLORE! EXPLORE! EXPLORE!' shining from it. But then seeing the stern look on her brother's face, Luffy frowned like a child revoked of permission to eat sweets.

The three treaded through the market, stares off curiosity burning into their backs. This town was not unfamiliar with travellers, they get merchants every day. But these three had a different air to them and the jolly roger of the Alvida Pirates was on their sail was a big proof to it. Oh, but it's not like the citizens are worried about themselves, no no. They wouldn't worry over a three people band of pirates, what could a trio possibly do? The problem is that if they are pirates, they must've known about Morgan, right? Why would they come here? They would get killed. And didn't they hear of the arrival of Zoro and his partner?

'This town has something off about it.' Merry spoke up, breaking the silence between the three. Luffy's eyes brightened as she nodded enthusiastically.

'Yeah! Yeah! I agree!' She cheered. 'They totally lack meat in this market.'

Merry narrowed his eyes slightly, and then loosened up again, looking as if he was holding back the urge to hit the girl. 'That's not what I meant.'

'Maybe it's because of Zoro.' Coby said thoughtfully, freaking out the crowd.

Merry smirked, interested in the people's reaction while Luffy tried holding back her laughter, and failing. She grinned, 'It seems like Zoro is a taboo word here.' The crowd shrieked again.

'Captain Morgan is in charge of this base…' Merry paused in order for the crowd to scream and back away. 'Why don't we pay him a visit?' An evil smile made its way onto his lips but no one was able to catch it. He grabbed onto the other two's hand and they disappeared together.

'OH GOD!' Coby said, his eyes spinning in circles as he lay down his food from the last 24 hours. The sight was disgusting, honestly, as he stumbled on his feet and clenched on his stomach. 'I don't feel so well.'

'Obviously.' Merry said without a care as he inspected the fortress's outer walls. He was only using "Pace 2" and Coby's already hurling up everything, now it's clearly obvious how terrible Coby's resistance is. 'I mean, the first time I used Pace 2 on Luffy, he didn't even flinch. Coby, you seriously need training.'

'Merry-san – Bleurgh… Could you not compare me to Luffy-san? She's as thick skinned as an ox.' Coby muttered out weakly as he tried to keep his lunch down. 'What did you do to me anyways? We were just at the market a second ago and – Urgh – how come we're already here? Did you… teleport us?'

Luffy and Merry both gave him a flat look as if he had just lost something in the brain. 'Coby, don't be stupid, I can't teleport, obviously. It's something called immediate acceleration. The name explains everything already, can we continue now?'

'Immediate… acceleration?' Coby mumbled to himself. So that was why Merry-san suddenly appeared on the ship. He moves so fast that most eyes cannot catch. That is so… cool. And useful for combat. He had never seen Luffy fight with her Devil Fruit powers before but she must be powerful too. He must become as powerful as them one day. A Marine's rank is also based on their combat ability, after all. To be able to own a base like Morgan does, the officer must be strong. 'Now that I think about it, why did the people freak out when Merry-san said Captain Morgan's name?'

'Have you thought through my warnings, Coby?' Merry said, turning around to glance at Coby through the corner of his eye. Then, seeing the boy exhale in realisation did he turn back to inspecting the Base's gates as he whispered, 'Exactly.'

'Anyway, what are you looking for?' Coby asked curiously.

'The more important question right now is where my sister is.' Merry said flatly as he removed his touch from the outer walls.

'What-?'

'HEY GUYS! I FOUND ZORO!' Luffy shouted, her voice coming from the left of where the other two stood. She waved her hand in the air excitedly as she pointed towards the inner yards of the base. Merry smiled amusingly before appearing next to where Luffy sat on the wall, his hand holding a cup of tea.

'Oh, it really is him.' He muttered to himself before sipping down on the cup.

'What do you mean?! He can't be here! He-he must be in some underground or something…' Coby lost his voice as he saw the lone figure tied to the wooden cross at the middle of the field. 'Why is he here? He shouldn't be in public; Zoro should be in a cell, right?'

'The reason to why he is tied there, we will know later.' Merry answered cryptically, a well-hidden amusement mixed in his tone.

Then, the trio directed their gaze back towards the figure far in the distant, presented under the scorching hot sun. He was dress in a loose, dark green kimono that slightly revealed his toned chest - like it was showing something that was not there, or will be there. A bandana, coloured with a shade of coal-like fern green, tied above his forehead, covering his leafy looking hair. Though tied down, the Pirate Hunter still had an intimidating air surrounding him that made people want to turn their back and run. But that doesn't mean the aura had affected Merry or Luffy in any possibly way. Well, except for making Luffy especially jumpy and piquing Merry's peculiar interest.

'We should untie him!' Luffy announced sternly before moving to jump off the wall.

'No! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! You can't possibly ask a Pirate Hunter to join a pirate crew than expecting him to agree! If we untie him then he'll kill us straight away! We should NOT untie him! Impossible!' Coby said with shaken finality, waving his hands in the air like he was doing some exotic dance as cold sweat broken on his skin.

'Sad as it is, I'll have to agree with Coby.' Merry said uncaringly, making Coby sigh in relief. Though, the next words said would hit into him like a nail. 'If we untie him now, we don't know what the Marines would do to him. He is unarmed after all.'

'WHAT?' Coby shouted with a mixture of shock and frustration. 'Merry! Stop toying with me! You keep doing that! Making me hopeful and then diminishing it the next second!'

'I don't know what you're talking about. After all, it is your fault for not listening until I finish the sentence.' Merry said, taking the cup to his lips to hide the undoubtedly growing smirk onto his face.

'But- but- but… Merry-san…' Coby stuttered discouragingly, then he turned to the place where Luffy used to stand before sighing pleadingly, clearly asking for help. 'Luffy-san… Wah! Where's Luffy-san?!' Then he shouted again, facing with a foreign face instead of his over-excited, Pirate-Queen-to-be friend. 'WHO ARE YOU!?'

Merry chuckled lightly before using his spare hand to push up Coby's dangling jaw, humanly-impossibly opened due to over-shocking. 'She's been there for quite a while now and Luffy's currently with Zoro and Rika.'

'Rika who?!' Coby said again, his jaw falling out of place (again) as he shouted.

'Rika her.' Merry pointed, indicating at the little girl who was hitting it off with Luffy. The two were playing a game of tag with each other, running across the field as if they were not trespassers at all. Coby looked at the scene with a visibly growing sweat-drop on the back of his head.

Then, the bubble-gum haired turned to the woman next to him. She was about the same age as Luffy, only a year or two older. She had a white sheathed sword, her family treasure, the Wado Ichimonji, stashed on the silvery grey belt around her hips. A loose man styled kimono wrapped around her body, over the black coloured breast band on her chest. She had uneven bangs that fitted her tomboy look perfectly and the neck length, dark blue mane of hair left that was tied up into a messy tail. She looked like one who came from the Samurai Country, Wano, but it was not quite the same. If the way they dressed were anything to go by, Coby'd say Zoro and the woman were very close.

The stranger skimmed Coby with a sharp eye before grabbing and shaking him hand politely, greeting, 'Nice to meet you, my name is Kuina.'

'Uhh… Nice to meet you too?' He said hesitantly before free his hand from the loosening grip of the woman. Man, she had such a firm hold for someone who looks as frail as her. But before he could say anything more, the door to the yard opened and walking in was a very unpleasant looking man. He had a long face, bob cut blond hair, a huge butt chin and tiny droopy eyes. The man looked as if he was the king the world, arrogant and ignorant. The type of person that Luffy despised.

'AH! Another weirdo-!' Luffy shouted out before she suddenly disappeared along with Rika. Coby pried out his eyes to look for the two but they were nowhere to be seen on the yard.

'I was sure there were more people on yard.' Helmeppo managed to mumble out, his eyes nearly falling out of its sockets. He was so sure he saw at least two more people on the field, where could they have possibly gone to.

'Sir, it must be a trick of the light.' One of his subordinates spoke up.

'Of-of course I know it's a-a trick of the light! Y-you don't have to tell me! Now step back!' Helmeppo barked in return, his face looking up arrogantly again as he approached Zoro, all but unaware of the three at the further corner of the yard.

'Shhh.' Merry hushed as he covered Luffy's mouth with his palm. Unlike Rika who had acknowledged the fact that it would be best if she stayed quiet and immobile, Luffy was squirming around like a fish out of water. Merry gritted his teeth as he whispered, 'Stop moving, don't make a sound. I'm using Stealth on all of us. If you move, it'll break our cover. To them, we're not any different than air, clear?'

'Oh~' Luffy sighed out in realisation and relief, but also in a very uncontrolled volume, causing Merry to ram his hand onto her lips again.

He threatened with a spine-chilling smirk, 'Keep that volume down or I'll crush your vocal cords, Luffy.'

The said girl scratched the back of her head sheepishly before nodding enthusiastically, an obvious grin making its way onto her lips. 'Roger.' She answered in a whispery voice, though it was still clearly audible.

Merry sighed as he shook his head. He just gave up, officially gave up. Whatever, he doesn't really care if they get caught or not, it won't be a problem breaking out anyways. After rolling his eyes for one last time, he turned towards the people in the centre of the courtyard again.

'Roronoa Zoro, it's seems like you're still as lively as ever.' Helmeppo spoke as he played with his shirt collar.

'Hello to you to, bastard.' Zoro answered, his eyes narrowing into a sharp glare.

'Hehehehe! You can keep that attitude up, Roronoa, but nothing will change. I admire your stubbornness but you'll die out eventually, hehehe.'

'I'll survive the entire month.'

'Well, do your best! You won't be able to keep that attitude up forever.' He said haughtily, twirling his ringed fingers in the air to signal the guard he is going to leave.

'Only ten more days, Helmeppo.'

'That is, if you live that long! Hehehehehe!' The young master walked away, laughing his head off arrogantly before turning around toward where Kuina and Coby were on the wall and shouting. 'You two don't want to violate my father's rules do you? You better not have anything to do with Roronoa Zoro or you'll be executed! Hehehehe!'

'Of course not.' Kuina lied through her teeth, not even flinching. 'We're just here to take a look at the notorious Pirate Hunter.' Though in her mind, she was in rage, she had learned to control her emotion over the long years of being a swordswoman. It is a fault for a warrior to show her emotions in a fight.

Coby waited until the man was out of sight be asking worriedly. 'Why are they doing such a thing?'

'What do you mean?' Kuina wondered quietly as she turned to the boy next to her.

'Why would the son a Marine publicly humiliate a criminal? Isn't he supposed to only be allowed outside when an execution is happening? Isn't he just abusing his powers?' Coby said as he gritted his teeth and clenched his hands. 'This isn't what Marines should be like!'

'Isn't that so?' Merry suddenly spoke from behind the wall, catching the others attention. 'Now you understand what I mean, right, Coby? It won't be easy to get rid of people like him in the Marines alone, so I want your help. One day, you will be big. And when that time comes, I want you to cleanse the Marines, make them what they stand for. Just and responsible. One day, I would want you to protect all that you can when no one can do it. I want you to be a good man, Coby. Don't just be a good Marine.' He looked up from his spot where he was leaning on the wall and smiled at the boy. A true, sincere smile full of trust and belief. Though the smile had a certain incomprehensible weight to it.

'Kuina, I hope that you could bring Rika, Coby and Luffy to a restaurant or inn of some kind and please help me keep them out of trouble. Thank you. And I apologise for making you, an acquaintance, do me favour.' He said before disappearing again, now allowing Kuina to reply to the request.

'Wh-What the-' The blue-black haired woman managed to stutter out.

Coby eyed her sympathetically before patting her shoulder lightly, 'I know, I know. They're both unreasonable, aren't they?' He said flatly.

Merry tread through the Marine's empty halls nonchalantly as if it was his own home. After all, there was no one there. Most of the people had gone out to help Morgan carry his statue into the base through the inhabitant space at the west of the island. Marine Bases weren't and never will be Merry's place to come to. It was always cramped and at every corner you turn to, there would be a wall. He despised walls. It reminded him of his prison, Area 51. And he's already gotten enough Marine Base visits for a lifetime. Ace had once asked him why he occasionally goes somewhere for about a day or then returns. The reason was because of Garp who would pull him onto one of his expeditions without his agreement. Of course, he didn't tell this to Ace or Sabo or even Luffy and just shrugged it off.

He suddenly stopped at a huge wooden office door and glanced over it. Nice interior design, high quality wood, the room that has the view to the entire town… This is the room. He opened the door and activated his Stealth as a caution before stepping in quietly.

'I AM… GREAT!' a low raspy voice boomed as if the fact was absolutely true.

'Yes!' The subordinate straightened up his back and saluted though he could name three thousand reasons to why that statement was wrong. 'That is correct, Captain Morgan!'

'But, there hasn't as much tribute to me lately.' Morgan said.

Merry scoffed under his breath as he walked away from the door and headed towards the portrait of Morgan at the furthest left of the room. He was correct after all; Morgan would stay in his office and wait instead of help his men with the statue. What an annoying man. If he truly is great than what kind of person would Sengoku be? God? He chuckled to himself as he sat down at the corner, waiting for the right time to begin his plan.

'Well,' The marine officer spoke up again though his voice was slightly shaky, 'The people only have enough money after all.'

'That is not the problem!' Morgan boomed again, 'The problem is that the people do not enough respect for me! Isn't that right?'

'Taptaptaptaptaptap!' The frantic footsteps echoed from the halls, catching the individuals in the room to turn their head. Suddenly, Helmeppo trashed through the office's door, tears running down his cheeks.

'FATHER! There're some people I want to kill!' Helmeppo said with a high pitched voice. His hand clutched on his left cheek and the other holding an ice pack to a certain private spot on his body.

'Captain! Your statue is here!' Another marine officer barged in and announced.

Ignoring his son, Morgan went out of his desk and left the room, Helmeppo following behind his like an unwanted tail. Merry waited until they were no longer in sight then dropped his Stealth. 'Click! Clack!' The sound resonated throughout the room as the portrait next to him opened. A certain familiar girl with bright orange hair stepped out with a roll of parchment in her hand, bumping straight into Merry as she exited.

'Ow!' She hissed as she rubbed the spot on her forehead where she had collided with him. 'AH! You're-!' She managed to shout out before her hand shot up to cover her mouth. She glanced around for a second, checking if anyone other than Merry had noticed, before whispering, 'Merry! What are you doing here?'

'Didn't I tell you we'll be going to Shells Town?' Merry answered nonchalantly, offering his hand to help her up on her spot.

'You did, but you never told me you'll go into the Base! What are you doing her anyways?'

'Some investigation for Garp.'

'Garp? The Marine Hero? I thought you said you aren't in the Marines.' She wondered, her hand reaching out to grab his. But then recoiled, realising she had just stolen from Marines.

'I'm not a Marine, Nami. I don't lie. Well, not when I'm not needed to.' He said before grabbing her hand forcefully and pulling her up.

'Well, whatever it is you're doing and why you're doing it is none of my business.' She said as she wiped away the dust on her jeans, trying to act uninterested. She really didn't need to care about him or Luffy. All she should pay attention to nowadays is making enough money to get away from Arlong's grasps. And really, that fact is not worth mentioning to any other person. When doing a job involving con and tricks, never get emotionally attached to anyone.

'Then, goodbye, Nami. Hope to see you again.' Merry said before climbing into the gigantic safe behind the picture. He dug through the multiple piles of paper work, looking for that piece of receipt that would bring Morgan to his doom. Where is it?

'What are you looking for, Merry?' Not being able to hold down her curiosity, Nami blurted out.

'Something. Why haven't you left yet?' Merry said as he skimmed through another document pack.

'I was just curious.' Nami said before sitting down on the rim of the safe, staring at Merry who had picked up a pink little piece of paper and raised it into the air. There it is! He thought as he put the receipt into one of his jackets pocket. Now where is the other one? He rampaged through the piles of paper again.

'Creak~' The door to the office suddenly opened, startling Nami. She scrambled in and closed the safe's door instinctively.

'Nami…'

'Oh god, that startled me! Hmm, what did you say, Merry?' She said as she sighed in relief, her hand over her chest in attempt to slow down her hammering heart.

'You just locked us in…' Merry finished his sentence, a sweat-drop growing on the back of his head.

'…Oh shit.' She mumbled out. It didn't take long for her to figure out what he meant. She had been stealing for pretty much all her life and had faced multiple kinds of locks and safe. This one could only be opened from the outside and was sound proof, enabling the two from calling for help.

'Well, guess we're stuck here… Tea?' He said calmly before sitting down. 'Guess we can relax a bit while we wait for someone to open this thing. And, I've already found the documents needed.'

'Yeah, I guess.' Nami sighed before sitting down cross-legged next to him. She had never faced such a scenario when she would be stuck in a safe with someone she never expected to meet again but… Whatever. Not like she can't remain calm about something like this, it is much better than being chased around by a huge pirate crew anyways.

'Hmm~' Merry hummed quietly before turning his head to look at something distant. 'I wonder what Luffy is doing right now.'

~Somewhen Earlier at Rika's mother restaurant~

'Zoro and I were childhood friends and rivals. We both have the same wish and goal. We used to fight each other every day and became close to each other through time. At the age of seventeen, which was about a year ago, we decided to leave our hometown and travel around. Due to having low budgets while needing money for transportation, we both became bounty hunters. We were called the Wind Blade Duo: Pirate Hunter Zoro and White Wing Kuina. We've been in that profession for four months.' She paused to drink a sip of water.

'We reached Shells Town about three weeks ago to get the bounty of this pirate we caught and came to this bar after that. That was when Helmeppo rampaged through town with his new 'pet', a wild wolf he caught in a hunting trip. It pounced into the restaurant and started eating food for the customers. Then, it turned to attack Rika. I wanted to cut it down, of course, but Zoro acted first.' She said, gritting her teeth as if she hated the fact she hadn't act first.

'I was so scared!' Rika entered the conversation. Then she reached over and placed the food plates in front of the trio. 'If it wasn't for Zoro onii-chan I would've been bitten and my mama's store would've been destroyed.'

Kuina raised a hand to pat the little girl on the head before continuing, 'Of course Helmeppo tried to attack Zoro for opposing him and got beaten badly. Then they had to make that stupid bet.' She spat out like she had just eaten charcoal. Her eye twitched as she slammed a hand on the table, 'That stupid idiot just had to be chivalrous and stubborn and now he'll get himself killed!' She raised her hands up, cupped it into a circle and shook it in the air like she was imagining strangling Zoro. Before dropping the grip and sighing again, 'That's about it to the story.'

'Shoo he'sh mmh khoosh guy? (So he's a good guy?)' Luffy interrupted and said through stuffed cheeks. None of her words were understandable though.

'Luffy-san, please swallow before you speak, please. You must remember that Merry is not here to translate for you.' Coby informed.

'Zoro's a good guy!' Luffy cheered again after gulping down her food, her arms stretched in the air excitedly. It was good though, the fact that Zoro was a good guy. It was proof to Luffy that she was not a bad person in her last life because most of the memories she had of her past crew had been fuzzy. It made her unsure of if she was bad or good.

'Yeah,' Coby answered glumly, 'I guess you're right.'

CRASH! The sound of china shattering into a thousand pieces echoed through the air, resonating with Helmeppo's horrid laughter. Then, the despicable man spoke, 'I'm hungry! And I'm sure we'll all help our self to a free meal, am I correct?'

He lay his legs on the table rudely while grinning like he had everything in his grasps. Two of his father's men stood guard behind him, trying to hide their annoyed looks and turned away slightly. Helmeppo ordered aloud with an indecent cackle, 'Hey! Hurry and bring some alcohol!'

He prompted again after a while, 'Oi! What's taking so long? Hurry up!'

He raised his cup up so one of the men could pour the wine in, and then announced, 'Since I'm tired of waiting, I've decided to execute Zoro tomorrow. Look forward to it, everyone. Hehehehehe!'

Kuina gritted her teeth as she turned to look at Helmeppo with a loathly glare. And judging by the way Luffy had clenched her fist tightly, she probably want to do the same thing to Helmeppo as Kuina did. Kick is arrogant ass. And as if something had clicked in both of their mind, the two charged forward. It wasn't as if they intend to do it, it was just instinct, a feeling, a sensation, a need they felt.

Luffy charged forward and with the full swinging force of her body, slammed her shin straight into Helmeppo's left cheekbone. The man tumbled back, off his seat and onto the ground, grabbing his bleeding nose frantically, a disbelieving look on his face. But before he could stand up properly to rant about his father again, Kuina charged forward and rammed the handle of her Wado Ichimonji into a certain 'not-worth-mentioning' place with enough force to make him unable to recreate.

'Who are you?!' Helmeppo said with a high-pitched forced out voice, his hands clutching onto his breeding organ.

'I don't care if you're Morgan's son or whatever! But men like you…' Luffy said angrily behind gritted teeth.

'Who could do anything alone and always relies on others…' Kuina continued, her hand strapping her sword into her belt.

'…SHOULD HAVE NO RIGHTS IN THIS WORLD!' The two shouted imperially, emitting their anger, making Helmeppo quiver in fear. He scrambled up to his feet and waved for his men to follow and he ran towards the Marine Base shouting, 'I've have you for this, you two! I'll get you executed!'

'Like hell!' Kuina shouted after him before a victorious smile made its way to her lips.

'Pfft!' She had Luffy spurted out before laughing like two crazy people, rolling on the ground and clutching their stomachs as they laughed. 'Shishishishishi! That's ought to give him the memory of a life time.'

'Oh, the world should thank us thank he probably won't be able to reproduce anymore.' Kuina waved it off.

'Now then, I've decided. Kuina, will you join my pirate crew?' Luffy said with her hands rested on her hips pridefully and a bright but determined grin on her face.

It was later noon and the sun was frying the earth with its immense heat. Under the scorching waves of hotness, Zoro hung onto the cross with no shade or water to cool himself down and was sweating profoundly. He was quite hungry too, even with the rice ball Rika had given him, after all, a big man needs a big appetite – as he was referring to himself as a man with big ambitions. At timed like this, when he wanted nothing more than to free himself of these binds and go for a drink, he would reminiscent to the promises he had made with his sensei of the will and responsibility of men. He promised to not die until he achieved his goal to become the Greatest Swordsman and that would mean he would not die anytime soon. He sighed as he thought back to the days when everything was so simple, the days when those dreams hadn't come to him yet…

The sound of shuffling feet awakened him from his thought as he looked up and into the clear obsidian eyes of the young teenager. She still had the same messy black curls and the same determined but goofy grin on her face. Ah, trouble come's again… He thought to himself internally.

'You again?' Zoro mumbled tiredly as he looked up to see eye to eye with Luffy. "You have to much free time.' He scoffed.

'I'm going to untie the ropes and you'll be joining my crew!' Luffy announced and demanded, her voice firm with finality. 'You're going to become my nakama!'

'What are you-! Well, I refuse! I'm not going to bring myself low enough to be a pirate. How unreasonable…' He retorted as he flipped his head away, avoiding eye contact with the other girl. He is, already determined to not be tricked again by a woman's beauty. The first time was because of Kuina. The day they left from the island, Kuina had somehow managed to convince him into giving her the Wado Ichimonji while Sensei offered them both the chance to own it.

'What's so bad about being a pirate?! Who says you'll have to pillage, murder and plunder everywhere you go?! Well, whatever. I'm going to take you anyways!' Luffy said as she stuck out her tongue and ran away.

'Wait! That's sounds wrong!' He shouted out as he tried to lean away from the ropes grasps, before realising what he had just said. Then, he shook his head and shouted again, 'I mean. That's the wrong way!'

'Oops!' Luffy said as she grinned sheepishly. With a dust cloud trailing behind her, she stopped in her tracks then turned 360 degrees around. Then, she stretched out her rubbery arms and shooting herself across the field, shouting: 'Zoro! I'll return your weapon and you'll be my nakama!'

'WHAT THE-! What the heck are you? AND YOU'ER NOT EVEN GOING TO CONSIDER MY OPINION IN THIS? YOU BASTARD!'

'She's not going to listen to you, Seaweed Head.' Kuina spoke up as she landed on the ground with a puff. Then soon, following behind her was Coby who had unfortunately fallen face first onto the earth.

He stood up slowly before wiping off the dirt on his clothes. 'Zoro-san, you have to escape!'

'What are you talking about?! I'm not going to belittle myself like that!' Zoro retorted immediately.

'Shut up, Tree Leaves, we're going to bust you out of here sooner or later. That Helmeppo bastard had never intended to keep his end of the deal and had planned to execute you tomorrow. That was why I and Luffy gave him a beating. Luffy's in there with Merry to fight against the Marines and get back your swords. Don't make her waste her efforts on nothing.' Kuina informed sternly as she stepped forward, unsheathing her katana. Then, with a swing of the blade, wind exploded through the air, causing dust to flutter off the ground. For a moment after she sheathed her sword, nothing happened, until the ropes suddenly slipped off like rag dolls and hit the earth.

'Is that so?' Zoro mumbled irately, as he flexed his muscles. 'Well then, let's give them hell!' He announced as he glared at the Marine Base ahead of him menacingly, letting a cold and frightful aura engulf the field.

'But wait…' Kuina suddenly spoke up, disrupting Zoro's psyched up spirit. 'You don't have your weapons.'

Zoro stared at her for a moment, eyes wide and mouth agape before shouting, 'DAMMIT! I FORGOT!' He said as he ran off.

'Where are you going?!' Kuina shouted irritatingly as she rested her hand on her hip.

'Getting my swords!'

'THAT'S NOT THE DIRECTION OF THE MARINE BASE YOU IDIOT! AND LUFFY'S ALREADY GONE TO GET IT!'

'I DON'T TRUST HER!'

'I DON'T TRUST YOUR GOD DAMN WITLESS SENSE OF FUCKING DIRECTION! NOW COME BACK HERE!' Kuina shouted loudly as she pointed to her feet. This is one of the times when you seriously do not want to mess with her. The times when she had to deal with her partner's ridiculous sense of direction

'Yes, ma'am.' Zoro said, his spirits now utterly diminished.

~Inside the Base~

'Waah~! Where is this?' Luffy mumbled to herself as she scratched the back of her head furiously. 'How did I even get out of here last time? I think I shot myself out of the window? HMMM!' She hummed loudly as she stroked her imaginary goatee, her head leaning to a side thoughtfully.

'Merry told me to go get her in the Axe guy's office but… where is that place?' A few minutes ago, Luffy had suddenly scene Merry's face appear in a cup of water in Helmeppo's room telling her to go to Morgan's office and break them out of the safe. But where exactly is Morgan's office? Seriously though, this place is like a maze, how did I even go through this place before? Luffy bit her under lip as she thought intently.

'BOOOM!'

'What was that?!' Luffy whipped her head around to the source of the explosion. Picking up her pace, Luffy ran through narrow and damp corridors then skid to a stop in front of a gigantic wooden set of doors. Luffy skimmed the ingress quickly with her mouth opened in awe, when finally she noticed the sign atop of the entrance saying "CAPTAIN MORGAN".

'I found it!' She cheered happily as she bounced around then jumped through the doorway excitedly. 'Merry! Merry! Merry! I found you!'

'What do you mean you found me?' Merry said as he turned around, a few visible tic marks on his forehead. Both him and his companion, Nami, were covered in rubble and underneath their feet lay a dented safe door. 'If I didn't break out on my own, would you have found me? Hmm? I was about to give you specific instructions on where to go when you suddenly ran off!'

'Really?' Luffy said as she tilted her head to a side innocently.

'We'll deal with you later. Right now? We have bigger problems to deal with… problems revolving around your soon-to-be first mate.' Merry said as he looked out outside the window, his eyes narrowing as if he was glaring at the Marines approaching the three lone figures standing on the field.

'What's happening?' Soon, Luffy and Nami followed Merry to the window.

'Their surrounded.' Merry spelled out the obvious. He reached over and grabbed the three katana's tied to Luffy's back then opened the window. 'After I do this, I want you to Rocket us out of the window. Aim towards Morgan, clear?' He whispered into Luffy ear before unsheathing the swords.

~Outside the Base~

'Where are they? And my swords?' Zoro grumbled under his breath as he leered at the army ahead of him. They were all armed with guns. It at was Zoro, he might be able to cut all the bullet's down but Kuina's one-sword-style focuses main on one opponent or one line of trajectory only. She wouldn't be able to slice down all the bullets and that wouldn't guarantee Coby's safety. Where was a miracle when he needed them?

'Thunk!' The sound of blade, digging into wood rang through the air, catching all of the people's attention.

Zoro grinned a bone-chilling grin as he picked up his katana. 'THUNK! THUNK!' The sound resonated through the air again as two more blades dug its way into the wooden cross. Zoro looked up and gave Merry an approving smirk and he returned it with a mocking salute.

Morgan stepped into the scene with his usual defiant look. He boomed loudly, 'Roronoa Zoro, not only have disrespected me in my town once but are you planning to do it again?! Drop your weapon befo-!' He was cut off before he could continue, being thrown of balance by a fury of explosions.

Even without Morgan's command, the soldiers pointed they're guns at the three and cocked the barrel. And in unison, they sent a few hundred bullets after the trio. Zoro grabbed all of his swords and proceeded into fighting stance. Then, with a twist of his upper half and a swing of his swords, he either diverted the trajectory or cut the bullets on half.

Then, as if the two were absolutely in sync, Kuina jumped up, using Zoro's crouching back as a footing and pounced forward. She quickly unsheathes her katana and swung as she did a somersault in the air then landed with a light thud behind the soldiers. She sheathed her Wado as she stood up, naming, 'Ittoryu, the Hummingbird's Silence!'

Just a second later, a breeze of wind formed into a shape of a breath-taking pair of wings glided through the air and all the soldiers slumped to the ground, all having the same cut wound on their body. The woman grinned, 'They don't call me 'White Wing' for nothing.'

And while his soldiers were dropping off like moths on the light, Morgan was… troubled. Where did it come from?! No one was in front of me a second ago! Morgan stumbled back a few steps before gaining his balance again. Most of the explosions didn't hit. Whoever the person is, and how fast they might doesn't matter if their inaccurate. Morgan grinned as he swung his axe in the air, only for the blur in front of his face to dodge it skilfully with a backflip and land on the ground lightly, the soldiers instinctively moved aside to avoid the man.

'You might talk big, Morgan, but you are nothing compared to what lies ahead.' The figure spoke, dust cloud surrounding him majestically, covering his body making his blurred away. The smoke began to clear, revealing Merry in his elegant form, one hand securing his bowler hat and covering his face while the other gripped tightly on his black-bladed rapier. He let go of his hat and looked up with a smirk. 'But, you are nothing against me.' His eyes glowed evilly as dark air surround his body, dropping the temperature by a few degrees.

'Get him!' Morgan ordered loudly but before the men could do anything

His body swayed to a side as he readied his blade, making it glimmer, before disappearing into thin air. Morgan leered around, searching for him but before the Marine Captain could react, Merry had already appeared again before him. His body twisted in the air as he pointed the rapier forward towards Morgan and he announced in a quiet but stern voice, 'Flurry.'

The area exploded with shockwaves, every hit landing squarely on Morgan's chest, pushing him back by a few metres. Morgan clutched his torso as pain bursted through it but there were no cuts, no blood. Then he suddenly felt a recoil in his body as a flow of hot, velvet liquid came rushing into his mouth, forcing him to cough it out. What is that weapon? Morgan queried as he tried to regain his fading consciousness.

He swung the axe desperately again, lunging forward but to his surprise Merry dodged to a side, revealing the stretching fist aiming straight for his face.

'Gomu Gomu no… PISTOL!' Luffy shouted as her fist collided with his face sending Morgan through the wall and straight into the roads of the town, receiving multiple shocked stares from the citizens passing by.

'S-stop!' Helmeppo announced, catching everyone's attention. 'D-don't move or I'll sh-shoot!' He announced, his hand holding a gun to Coby's skull.

'Please,' Merry spoke up in a dismissive manner as he turned around to look at the young master. 'Your father's gone, he's beaten, Helmeppo. You no longer have your privileges and powers. Your hopeless now. If you actually have the bravery to shoot, you would've shot by now and… do you even know how to use pistols?'

Helmeppo slightly lowered the gun but then raised it up again, shaking even more intensely, 'O-Of course, I-I do!'

'Well, good for you, Coby, you'll live after all. Nighty night, Hel. Mep. Po. Sama.' Merry said as he waved and turned away. A loud 'whud' could be heard then a thump, as Helmeppo fell into unconsciousness. Zoro stood behind him, holding onto a shivering Coby and an lifeless Helmeppo.

'Oh no. Merry's angry.' Luffy said worriedly as she hid behind Nami.

'Merry's angry?' Nami asked in return. He doesn't seem any different from usual and what is there to be angry for? And is Merry getting in a bad mood a bad thing?

'Yep, Merry's angry.' Luffy nodded again. 'When Merry's angry, her sadist side shows the most clearly, she'd probably pour her anger on the first person in her field of vision.'

'Welp…' Nami said as she turned around and head for the cheering town. 'Better leave before we become the target.'

A few minutes later, screams of agony could be heard through the town.

It has been an hour since Morgan's beat up form had fallen from the hills top and the news of his defeat and their freedom has spread through Shells Town. A little group of travellers had become the talk of the place and currently the four iconic figures were sitting in a self-created restaurant in the middle of the town. Of course, hearing that they were at the bar, the place soon was filed with as many people it could contain.

'AH! I'M STUFFED!' Luffy shouted as she leaned back on her chair, only for it to break under her weight.

'Digest first, Luffy. Digest.' Merry instructed silently, his eyes still focused in the book he was reading. Why does he read so much anyways? He's been reading since his last life, doesn't he run out of books? Luffy shook her head dismissively before letting go of the thought. Then, she forced her body to digest and returned to her normal, lean looking shape. A pro you get when you eat a lot is that you can force yourself to digest… to eat even more!

'Isn't Zoro going to eat anything?' Luffy asked nonchalantly, pointing her index finger at the said man. With a groan, Zoro looked up, his face bruised and battered, icepacks held up to his cheeks, forehead and chin. He was, unfortunately, a victim of Merry's anger.

'Can't feel anything…' Zoro mumbled lifelessly. 'The pain had overlapped the hungry…'

Kuina reached over to pat his back as she nibbled more of her sandwich. She swallowed and spoke loudly, 'Well, you'll face more of this. You already agreed to join their crew and I also agreed it because it was part of my deal with Merry-'

'When did you even strike a deal with Merry?' Nami asked, her chin leaning on her palm and her eyebrow rose curiously.

'Well, he suddenly showed up at the tap in front of the bathroom and he told me if he and Luffy were to be able to get Zoro into their side, I'll follow too. I agreed.' Kuina said as she took another bite. 'It's not like the end of the world would happen if I agreed, right?'

'True, true.' Nami nodded.

'What kind of deal did you strike with Merry?' The blue-haired woman asked, her sharp eyes looking into Nami's soul.

'Is it that obvious?' Nami sighed with a demotivated expression. 'I would tell you but I don't want to do it. All you need to know is that, somehow, he got me into becoming you guys' navigator and treasurer. That's all.'

The two women sighed together, suddenly sympathising one another for being caught up in Merry's little game. Merry held his teacup to his lips as he hummed with a devious smirk. 'A deal a day make the game worth a play~.'

'SHUT IT!' Nami, Zoro and Kuina roared in unison. And expectedly, Merry didn't even flinch but instead, chuckled lightly as he sipped his Earl Grey.

'You guys sure are fun.' Ririka, Rika's mother, said with a kind smile. 'Well, so any of you want another share of food?'

'I do! I do!' Luffy cheered as she waved her hand in the air.

'I'll think I can start eating now.' Zoro said as he sat straight up on his chair, raising his hand in indication.

'I wouldn't mind if you could get me one of those chocolate mousse.' Merry named as he raised his cup, returning her kind smile with one of his own.

'Sure, coming right up.' Ririka said as she left the room and head into the kitchen. A few minutes later, all the food ordered were taken out and placed on the tables. Still, Merry had apologized for them helping themselves to some food even though Ririka had announced that she'll let them eat for free.

Luffy popped another piece of meat into her mouth and chewed it with content before leaning back on her chair happily. 'WOOHOO! Now I have three more crew mates!'

'I'm only temporary.' Nami cut in, her hand raised in the air. 'I'll only stay until I get my map back.'

'Well, for now, our biggest goal is still to get to the Grand Line. And to get there, we'll need a map. And I know exactly who to go to to get one. Buggy. He's named the 'Untouchable Buggy' due to his Devil's Fruit, the Bara Bara no mi. He can't be cut and could split himself apart to dodge hits. Two of his top men are Cabaji and Mohji. They're both useless so you'll beat them easily if any of us ever get into fights. The Buggy Pirates are currently residing at Organ Islands in a town called Orange Town. That's where we're heading. We'll make an alliance with them in order to have support in tight times, like Whitebeard for example-'

'Isn't it supposed to be White-Moustache though?' Luffy thought aloud, chomping on another portion of food.

'We've already discussed Whitebeard's moustache matter before right? It's only for namesake, not that it's true!' Merry scoffed before continuing. 'We're trying to not fight them in any possible manner, and I'll try to get him into our Alliance as soon as we arrive. Okay?'

They all nodded, including Luffy.

'So, after we get the map, Nami will replicate it for us and she'll leave. Any arguments?' Merry asked one more time for insurance, then loosened as soon as they all nodded again.

'Can't Nami stay though?' Luffy wondered.

'No,' Nami cut in immediately then backed away with a nervous laugh, 'I have… matters to deal with at my home town so I can't stay for too long out at sea! You know… our place is facing a – uhm – economic problem so I have to return soon with cash, a lot of cash!'

'You can tell us the truth when you feel like it Nami.' They all said with flat faces while she backed away and laughed sheepishly again. She wouldn't mind telling them, of course, they might actually help her but that's exactly what she doesn't want. These kind hearted, crazy, idiotic people will get themselves killed if they go against Arlong. Mermen had always had the upper hand when fighting with humans. She sighed inwardly as she waved the subject off.

'More importantly…' She said as she chuckled deviously, 'Let's meet the other crew so I can get my share of treasure!' Her eyes turned into beli signs as she twirled around happily.

'You're ulterior motives are showing.' Zoro, Kuina and Merry said in unison, all with the same flat tone.

'Well, she's already in the money-daydream zone. There's no more helping it anymore.' Merry sipped off his tea and said with a dismissive shrug. And the other two followed with the same expression while Luffy just stared at them obliviously.

'Where's Coby anyways?' Luffy asked with stuffed cheeks.

Clack! The restaurant door clicked opened, revealing a unit of Marine soldiers marching with their blue laced uniform and their high-held pride. The man in the middle, who was clearly leading the other, wearing a green coloured tie stepped forward firmly, then, he cleared his throat and announced, 'Excuse me but, is it true that you are all pirate?'

'I've already named it clearly in the letter I gave to you. That violet coloured letter. It namely said that I am a pirate working under the soon-to-be Pirate Queen, Monkey D. Luffy and also the adoptive grandson of the great Vice-Admiral Garp. I would like to suggest him to a few individuals who would be fit for his 'Apprentice' criteria while I am on my journey, as I promised him so. And of course my choice is based on experience and it's not biased, I can assure you. If anything I named in the letter goes wrong, I'll know and I'll come and talk to Sengoku-san about it.' He said with a warning grim grin. Then he continued, his expression returning to normal. 'If you're asking for us to leave because we're pirates? We're obliged to comply.'

He stood up and signalled the other four to follow then they all filed out of the room without another word. Despite all of the calls from the townsfolk, telling them not to leave so early and cursing the Marines for forcing their 'heroes' away. They tread through the town silently but pridefully and paused by the docks to look back one last time at the town afar. The citizen joyfully waving at them with bouquets of flower like it was a cheering festival. The sound of cries of support mixing into the calm spring air, mixing with the ear-pleasing sound of the rustling bushes. But somewhere further away, where no one pays attention to, a crowd of merged white and blue stood tall with their chest puffed out in esteemed salute. And of course, there must also be a tearful Coby.

All of the four faced themselves toward the crowd and flashed them a grateful grin as they climbed onto the little boat. Merry gave a mocked salute before untying the anchor and they set off into the open sea again, looking for a new adventure. And somewhen in the future, they know they'll face again with the young and ambitious Marine chore boy. It was a beautiful farewell scene but…

'IT'S CRAMPED.' The four all spoke in unison with the same disappointed tone as they tried to find a comfortable seat on the little dinghy.

OMAKE

LUFFY PROBLEM

Luffy: Merry… *whines while balancing on the railing*

Merry: *Looks up from the book* What?

Luffy: I'm bored. *pouts*

Merry: *Sighs* Go bother Zoro.

Luffy: Okay… *Walked across the railing towards Zoro who was snoring peacefully* Zoro…

Zoro: *Yawns and stretches* what?

Luffy: I'm bored.

Zoro: I don't know, go bother Merry.

Luffy: But Merry says to go bother you.

Zoro: *grunts* Then go bother Kuina.

Luffy: Okay... *Raised her hand* Kuina, I'm - *a dumbbell whizzed by*

Kuina: Don't bother. I'm training. *Lifts her weights then turns away*

Luffy: Zoro… She's training.

Zoro: Ugh… Go bother Nami, I'm going to sleep.

Luffy: She said she's counting treasure and was drooling like dog with rabies. *pouts*

Zoro: Talk to Merry about this. *Rolls over to avoid Luffy's puppy dog eyes*

Luffy: *pouts even more while turning around* Merry- *a wave shot up from the sea and swept her off the boat*

Merry: *Continues reading*

Zoro: …

Kuina: …

Luffy: Glub glub glub *Drowning*

Kuina: *Frantically* Go get her!

Zoro: *shot up from his seat* THE HELL-! *jumped off the side of the boat and dived into the water*

Merry: *chuckles*

Zoro: *breaks out of the water carrying a soaked Luffy* Merry!

Merry: What? *Lowering the book*

Kuina & Zoro: MERRY!

Merry: I'm innocent. *Raises his hands*

So, i'm guessing many of you are wondering what happened in this version of the story that kept Kuina alive, and, what had happened when Merry and Nami was trapped in the safe that Nami somehow joined the crew earlier than expected... It's your job to ask and I'll answer it for you in the next chapter's A/N note!

Last but not least sorry for the mistakes and stuff. Give a fav and follow and lots of reviews.

Love you guys, :3

KNOX