One Piece One Shots: Title Art Chapter 516
Summary: Luffy brings back a surprise that brings back memories.
A New World, A New Look
Nami glanced around the ship searching for the various members of the crew. They were ready to set sail for the next island. They were well stocked. In good repair and good health. But two people were missing which meant they might loose the good weather that would make this departure simple. "Hey, Franky!" the navigator called to the enormous cyborg coming up from below deck. She knew he had been on the Sunny the entire time they were docked. "Have Luffy or Zoro made it back to the ship yet?"
"Nope, not that I've seen. Long Nosed Usopp was the last one who arrived. Ask him." Franky pointed to the high aft deck where the sniper was currently sorting through his purchases. Chopper was beside him using the good weather and lack of the spontaneous captain to mix his herbs and medicines in peace.
Nami could only sigh as she gazed at the docks for the errant idiots. Even after two years their sense of direction had yet to mature. "Usopp? Did you see Luffy or Zoro while in town? I'd like to leave before the weather turns sour."
"I saw them outside of a shop. At least I saw Zoro there. I asked if he wanted to walk back to the ship with me but he declined. He said that Luffy would be taking a little longer than expected then went back to sleep." Usopp didn't even look up from the small pellet he was filling. "The weather isn't going to turn that quickly, is it?"
"I just really do not want to wait around for another day. Do you at least remember which shop it was?"
"Not really. It was over where I picked up the repair equipment."
Nami gritted her teeth at the vague answer. "Then go back and tell them to get their butts back on this ship!"
"Uh… uh… yeah…" Usopp stuttered as he hastily picked up his equipment and tried to avoid any unwanted explosions. He was saved last minute by a call from Robin at the bow of the ship.
"No need to do that, Miss Navigator. I can see them on their way. Shall we go ahead and get everything ready to depart once they get on board?" Robin smiled back at the collected crew as Nami issued orders to sail.
The moment the two stragglers got within earshot, Nami was yelling at them to get a move on. This caused Luffy to grin like a lunatic before launching both himself and Zoro through the air and into the ship's mast. The resulting cursing and threats to kill the rubber bastard issued from Zoro's mouth brought back many memories. The insincere apology from Luffy once against muffled the complaints to incoherent grumbles. Soon the nine of them were once again on the open ocean, traveling deeper into the seas of the New World.
"So? Luffy, what took you so long?" Chopper asked as the activity slowed down.
"A surprise!" the captain grinned widely, his hand resting on a long tube in the sash around his waist. He looked very much like Zoro and his swords in that pose. Only the smile ruined the image.
"A surprise? Can we see? Please? Can we, huh?" Choppers squeals brought the attention of Usopp and Brook eager to learn more about this surprise. As if seeing the changes everyone had gone through in the course of two years wasn't enough of a surprise.
"After dinner. SANJI! Where's dinner? I'm hungry!" Luffy burst through the galley door eager for the delicious smells streaming out of the kitchen.
"It will be done when it's done. Now get out until then!"
"But Sanji, I'm hungry!" the whine got no sympathy.
Sanji glowered over the pan of stir-fry he was focusing on. "You're always hungry. If you had returned sooner you could have had some of the snacks."
"But the surprise was important!"
"Fine. Then let's see this surprise then you can eat."
The ultimatum stunned the captain and he reached towards the protective tube tucked in his sash as one might hold a sword. In a remarkable show of willpower, the likes of which Sanji doubted he had seen before they were separated two years ago, Luffy retracted his hand. "After dinner," he stated firmly, "when everyone is here."
And so dinner turned into the usual ruckus with Luffy stealing everything in his reach. Sanji batted away the stray rubber hands from the ladies' meals as if he had never lost practice. The general chaos of having everyone present was uplifting and heartwarming. It was one of their first joyous dinners together after running from one battle into another life threatening situation. Once all the dishes had been stacked by the sink to wash, Franky asked first. "What's this about a surprise? Those three haven't shut up about since you got on board." A massive metal hand waved to include Usopp, Chopper, and Brook.
"Zoro wasn't any help," Chopper complained. "He said he didn't know anything about it."
"He doesn't." Luffy's grin only got wider. Now that the table was cleared and his hunger sated, the rubber man drew the tube from his sash with a flourish. "I wanted to get this done before we reunited, but things turned out differently. So, I got it done here. I did get some help from the girls in the Kuji Pirates. They have some really good artists."
"Well show us already!" Usopp interrupted. "You can explain how you got the help after you show us!"
"Oh, right." Luffy grinned unabashedly. The tube was roughly as long as one of Zoro's swords and inside was thick paper curled in on itself. Sanji quickly got a few clean and heavy glasses to hold the ends down as soon as he saw that whatever the surprise was it was on the curled paper. Everyone stared on in silence as Luffy unrolled what appeared to be a collection of portraits. Each one recognized the scenes of themselves nearly three years ago.
"Luffy…" Nami broke the revered quiet first. "What … what made you have this done?" There was no questioning its artistry. They all had wanted posters with their likeness and Luffy probably pointed out Sanji to the artist before this was done. After all, the Straw Hat Pirates had been on this island for a solid week. But this was better than any mere photograph.
"This is what I thought about while training these past two years. This is what made me overcome my grief after Ace died." The words from their usually energetic captain were quiet and reserved. "It was you guys that got me through it all. Even if we weren't together. Jinbe reminded me that I still had a reason to go on. So, you were all with me… even if I didn't know where you were." Rubber fingers delicately traced over the images as he continued to explain his surprise.
"This was my first adventure," Luffy ran his hands over the arching sea monster behind a picture of him with his arms up in triumph. "This is the Lord of the Coast, the Sea King that took Shank's arm when he saved me from drowning. When I set out to sea to become a pirate, this was the first obstacle in my way. I defeated him with one good punch. It was as though I was proving to Shanks that I was ready."
His fingers trailed down to where Usopp stood in the commanding pose of Captain Usopp with his three pirate followers looking on in fear or surprise. "This is how I remembered everyone from when we first met. Usopp was lying about his eight thousand followers and proudly claiming to be a great pirate Captain. He was courageous even when terrified. I knew we would be great friends. He's more like that Captain he pretended to be now. But I always knew he was a great warrior of the seas." Luffy glanced up and grinned directly at the sniper as he pulled back from the memory and reaffirmed the liar's place among the crew.
"When I woke up in that castle, I was so hungry I didn't care what I ate." There were a few chuckles about how he never cared about what he ate, but his fingers were on Chopper attempting to hide behind a stonewall and he paid the comments no heed. "Chopper was really hard to catch. But then we found out he was a monster and that was so cool!" Luffy's eyes lit up in fascination even at the memory. "Who wouldn't want a monster reindeer as part of the crew? I didn't even know he was a doctor at the time. He was the coolest creature I had ever met. Being a doctor was great and all, but it was so much more fun playing with him." Again Luffy looked up to grin only to see Tony Tony Chopper's eyes brimming with tears.
"That doesn't make me happy… not one bit, bastard," Chopper's denial was thoroughly countered by his blush and bashful demeanor while trying not to cry.
The captain chuckled with a wide toothy smile. Soon his attention was drawn to the next portrait in the collage: Nico Robin. Her dark cowboy hat and matching attire were from when they had known her as Miss Allsunday. Except the background suggested wooden planks of a ship. All those who were there recognized this as the time after Whiskey Peak when they were unsure of Robin's true intentions. She had just destroyed a ship but was also offering them an Eternal Pose. "Robin came to us. I didn't know what she had lost after the battle with Crocodile. But I know it was important. She risked her life to search for it. When she said it was my responsibility because I kept her alive, she was right. It was the least I could do to help her find what she had lost if possible. I hope I have. She belongs with us and she knows more than most of us could ever dream."
Robin had the same unshed tears in her eyes as when Luffy had saved her from the CP9. One glance to her and they knew how grateful she was for his perseverance and sacrifice.
"We also met Franky at the same time. He was a big pain for stealing our money and everything. But we got the Thousand Sunny out of it. Plus he's a cyborg that breaths fire! How awesome is that?" There was a cry of how it was SUPER! Followed by a denial of the tears streaming down his face. "I know we didn't set out to free him from CP9, but the Old Ice Man said it was important. And the World Government had no right to ruin his life too. He is by far the best shipwright ever." Franky stuck a pose remarkably similar to the one in the picture. His arms pressed together over his head and slightly to the side. The most visible traits were his stylish blue hair and gold chain across his chest.
"Then we met Brook. He sure scared everyone, being a skeleton and all. He wasn't even doing anything scary. Who would have thought he could sing and play instruments? He had no hesitation in joining my crew. It must have been lonely on a ship with no one else and no shadow. But he fits right in. I missed his songs and his jokes. He's made this a very lively crew." The image of a skeleton with a large afro, sipping a cup of hot tea, stared off into the unknown. Brook looked content in the portrayal, but everyone knew how the contentment was only hiding his isolation. As Luffy shared eye contact with the musician, Brook tipped a hat that was no longer there. Words could no longer express his gratitude towards the captain and his crew.
"I actually went searching for Sanji. The Baratie restaurant had the best food. I didn't even know what Sanji had made, but I knew he had to join my crew when I saw him give food to a pirate willing to kill them. And he was willing to protect someone else's treasure with his life. Then I had the first meal I knew he cooked and it was positively the best meat ever! And it is even better now!" Luffy was glowing with praise at the chef's skills. Sanji took it all in stride as he smirked down at the picture of him posing as a waiter on the restaurant ship, carrying a plate in one hand and balancing another on his head so he could keep a hand free to handle his cigarette. He had brushed his hair to the other side of his face now, revealing that his eyebrows curled in the same direction, not in mirror images. Still he dressed as sharp as ever.
"Nami actually found me," Luffy commented as his fingers ran across the orange haired navigator sitting benignly on a roof. She looked like she was trying to bargain for something. "I didn't really know what she wanted at the time. But she knew how to get to where we wanted to go. I don't think beating Buggy was part of her plan, but it worked out like it always does. Even if she wasn't sure if she was part of my nakama, I made sure she knew. It wasn't her fault Arlong was controlling her home village. So we beat him so she could be with us. She was always supposed to be our navigator." Luffy cast a welcoming grin her way and ignored Nami's tears of joy that this reaffirmation caused.
The final picture in the collection and opposing Luffy in the diagonally corner was Roronoa Zoro. The Demon Pirate Hunter of the East Blue. His name was famous in that quiet sea before Luffy gained his first bounty. The black bandana covered his striking green hair and shadowed his menacing eyes. They had all seen this on the field of battle. The blood dripping from various wounds was also nothing new. And the three elongated golden teardrop earrings were prominently displayed on the portrait. The strangeness of the scene though, which none of them had ever known, were the ropes tied around his arms and waist. Luffy remained silent for a long time as his fingers studied the image. They all knew Zoro was the first one to join Luffy, but none of them really knew the full history between them.
Zoro was also the only one not huddled around the collage. He had given the large poster a cursory glance then leaned back in his chair to allow the more curious access. Of course he knew all these stories, some better than others. He probably even knew Luffy's history better than the rest of the crew.
"Coby told me about the Pirate Hunter Demon when he figured out which island we were going to. Coby wanted to be a marine otherwise I would have invited him to join me. We were good friends. He was so scared of seeing the Demon Roronoa Zoro. But he was a bounty hunter at the time, so why would he be scary? Of course I had to meet him. Coby did take me to the Marine base and there he was. There was also this little girl. She wasn't afraid of Zoro so why should Coby be? Zoro even tried to protect her. I knew he was good person. And I knew he had to be part of my crew. The marines didn't like him. They were going to kill him. So, I didn't really give him a choice." In the background Sanji muttered about how Luffy never gave anyone a choice, but Luffy was lost to the memories. He wasn't smiling as he remembered, but his face had the same quality it had when thinking about his treasured straw hat. "He defeated Captain Morgan and became a pirate. He's still a Pirate Hunter though," Luffy's grin finally returned as he looked at the reclining figure of his swordsman.
"Oi, marimo, were you really tied up?" Sanji called out from across the table.
"Yeah, what of it?" Zoro asked in a warning tone. He didn't regret anything he had done, but he did not need his actions to be questioned.
"Just kind of unusual for you to be captured. Those ropes don't even look all that secure. I'm just curious as to why you were bound to a wooden post." Sanji persisted.
"We were all bound to something, moronic cook." Zoro grounded his teeth as he leaned forward, ready to engage the blonde in a battle over leaving the issue alone.
"Our Swordsman does have a valid point, Monsieur Cook," Robin interrupted before a fight could breakout. The ship barely survived their sparring matches before they were separated. No one really wanted to find out what their improved strength could do to the Adam Wood. "We were all tied to something in our pasts that we could not get away from alone. Without Luffy, it is unlikely we would have ever broken free." There was a general sense of agreement and even the chef had to concede the point. So long as it was towards Robin's excellent sense of reasoning, of course.
"I do have a question though," Brook leaned forward to better see the portrait. "How exactly did he get free?"
"I returned his swords to him. They did try to shoot him though, but that wouldn't work," Luffy tried to explain, but his mind did not always provided the necessary details so that others could understand.
Zoro filled in the blanks as simply as he could. "He saved me. I saved him. He saved Coby. I saved Luffy. We got away from the rest of the marines once Morgan was out cold."
There was a moment to process the explanation before they realized they still didn't know what had happened in any detail. How Zoro actually agreed to become a pirate was still left as a mystery to them. Luffy though didn't let them puzzle over the matter much longer as he declared, "This is how I remember everyone. Even though everyone looks different from when we first met, this is how I'll always remember you guys. And I wanted everyone to remember why we set sail. Everyone had a dream before coming with me and together we will see them all to the end!"
A great cheer went up and overfull mugs of beer were passed around as they celebrated the continuation of their quests. Usopp wisely rolled up the work of art and shouted to Franky. "We should frame this and put it up here in the galley. Do you have any glass you can spare? I'll get the frame ready."
"You got it, bro! We'll get it up tonight!" The cyborg and the sniper hurried off to their workshops with the poster.
From a corner in the galley, someone groaned in annoyance. "Luffy, did you have to choose that time? It's not heroic at all," Zoro complained and the others recalled how he was determined to strike a gallant pose if he was going to be encased in wax.
"Of course I did. It was how I first met you. Just like all the others were how I first met them." Luffy answered without understanding Zoro's frustration. However instead of arguing the swordsman downed his mug of beer and rolled his remaining good eye. The captain continued anyway, "Besides, if I had him draw all those marines, then Zoro wouldn't really be visible."