He gripped the bottle of sake with one hand and left the kitchen. The moon and stars shone down on the little caravel and Bushido took in a deep breath of the salty sea air. His good eye glanced at the freshly painted jolly roger and flag. The Going Merry was now one step closer to being competed. All it was missing was shoddy half-assed repairs and Nami's mikan groove.

The swordsman took a deep gulp of the alcohol before moving to sit on the lamb masthead. He double-checked that everyone was okay with Haki, a quickly forming habit, before letting down his guard. Everyone was fast asleep in their beds (or, in the men's cases, hammocks).

Bushido leaned his head back and began the nightly ritual that he partook in every night before visiting his mind: planning. How to deal with friends, enemies and future crew recruitment. He couldn't afford to do this by the side of his pants. He had to be meticulous.

At least until Mock Town,anyways. Things would probably spin out of control very quickly once they reached the point he truly intended to change things. After that, all his future knowledge would be useless.

He also had to consider if the crew should separate for two years or just rely on the training he'd drill into them until that point.

The green-haired gulped down the last of the sake and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was getting ahead of himself, he had another reason to be out here tonight.

"Merry," he spoke after carefully considering his words, "can you hear me?"

The sails seemed to momentarily dip in response.

Bushido let a soft smile appear on his face, he had been trying to contact the ship's Klabautermann for the two weeks they had had it, but with no luck. It seems the painting of the flag and sail had done the trick. "I just want to say sorry."

He could almost feel the ship's confusion. "I really am sorry." Bushido was surprised to find that his voice was thick with emotion. "Truly sorry."

He stood up and ambled back towards the crows nest. "I promise I'll do my best to keep you in top notch condition throughout the harshness of the Grand Line."

As he began to climb the ladder to Merry's highest point, his ears prickled as a faint childlike "Thanks" was whispered his ear alongside a gust of wind.

The green-haired man slept a bit sounder that night.


Usopp really couldn't believe they had roped him into this. He let out an audible gulp as his fingers fumbled to find the caravel cannon. He found the vent of the artillery and then the fuse, his nervous sweat fingers struggling to get a solid grip on it.

"Are you going to light the damn thing or just keep fondling it?" Zoro questioned.

Usopp turned to face Zoro or, at least, where the thought the swordsman was. The blindfold over his eyes made it a challenge. He shot him the bird before refocusing his attention on the cannon.

His left hand went into his overalls pocket and searched blindly for his box of matches. His calloused fingertips brushed past his trusty slingshot before snatching the matches and pulling them out. "Gotcha," he crowed in triumph as he brandished them in the air.

Zoro clapped him on the shoulder, making him jump into the air with a yelp. "Good, now shoot that small rocky island over there."

"That's crazy," the liar protested, "you said Haki could only be used on living things."

"Yup," Zoro confirmed.

"Then you're literally just setting me up for failure then!" Usopp's anger momentarily overtook his usual meekness.

"Usopp, trust me...there are two lifeforms on that outcrop."

With a shiver, Usopp begrudgingly touched the cannon again. "That as it may, it doesn't change the fact that I can't aim it without sight."

"Hey, we are only this because you gave up on the other training."

"I was sick of falling off the edge of the boat," he protested.

Truth be told, Usopp was regretting this. After two weeks of watching Nami and Luffy walk around the deck with blindfolds on, he finally burst and asked Zoro. The swordsman had smirked and explained Haki to them.

And thus, Usopp's Haki training had begun that morning. And he had quickly discovered after the fifth fall overboard, that it wasn't for him. And then Zoro had kicked him towards the cannon.

"Luffy can't even swim," the green-haired man pointed out, "and you don't hear him complaining."

Brushing aside the feeling of guilt that swept through him, Usopp snapped back. "What's the point of learning how to shoot blind anyway?"

"Picture this." Zoro's voice was cold. "It's foggy and you're shot could be the difference between life and death...but you can't see."

"Fine, fine," Usopp snapped, "I'll try it." Usopp aims the cannon upwards slightly, just to make sure he isn't going to fire it into the curving side of Merry, and lit the fuse. He clapped his hands over his ears and heard the muffled boom of the cannon a few seconds later. "See?"

Zoro was silent for a moment. "You hit it.

"No way," he gasped, ripping off the blindfold. It was true, the cannon had clipped the edge of the rocks. "Of course," the sniper blustered, "I've unlocked Haki."

"No," the older man disagreed, "that was just luck. Still impressive though."

"So, what were the two lifeforms?" Usopp asked absent-mindedly, "crabs?"

"No," Zoro replied off-handedly, "two people."

"Ah...what!"

"Two people."

"I heard you just fine, that's not the point here!" Usopp wailed. "Why the hell did you make me kill people?"

"They aren't dead," Zoro said bluntly, "in fact, they're rowing over here as we speak."

The long-nosed teen whirled around to face the ocean and squealed: a rowboat was furiously being paddled towards them. "They're gonna kill me," he moaned.

"No." And Zoro's voice is deathly serious. "I'd never let anyone kill you...besides, I know them."

"You do?"

"Yup, they're a pair of bounty hunters I used to work with."

"Guys you worked with must be really strong." Usopp realised with dread.

"That's...debatable."

Luffy and Nami ambled over. "What's wrong?" Luffy asked.

"I'm gonna d-"

"We're about to have visitors," Zoro said, cutting the sniper off.

Usopp waited in trepidation for the next few minutes, nervously chewing on his fingernails. His breath hitched when two pissed off men with drawn swords vaulted over the railing, issuing war cries.

He let out an audible sigh of relief when Zoro darted forward and bonked them on the head, sending them crashing to the floor.


Bushido woke with a start. A very familiar presence had just entered the edges of his Observation Haki awakening him from his physical and verbal spar with his younger self. The presence was far weaker and duller than he remembered, but it still brought nostalgic memories to the forefronts of his mind. Of mouth-watering meals and constant battles. The aura's owner could only really be one person.

Sanji.

The green-haired man grinned and walked out to the deck. Nami stood on deck with a compass, the others were busy trying to teach Luffy how to play a card game.

They were failing. Miserably.

Bushido tapped the navigator on the shoulder, she turned her head to him and smiled. "Yeah, Zoro?"

"How far away are we from this sea restaurant."

"Hmm." Nami pondered. "Based off the information your two pals gave me, I;d say about half an hour or so."

The green-haired man nodded his thanks and moved on towards the table that had been temporarily placed on deck. "Johnny, Yosaku," he called out, "wanna spar?"

His old friends grinned and nodded. They moved to the center of the deck and drew their respective katanas. "Luffy," he called out to the rubber boy, "call the match."

Luffy grinned. "Begin!"

Johnny and Yosaku instantly pressed for the offensive, realising they'd have no chance on the defensive. Johnny slashed his sword towards Bushido's legs while Yosaku went for a disarming swipe.

Bushido grabbed Yosaku's blade with a Haki-infused hand and held it in place, he moved slightly backwards on the balls of his feet to avoid Johnny's attack. He flung Yosaku into Johnny and the bounty hunting duo went down in a sprawled heap. "We give up," they announced in unison.

"Zoro's win," Luffy called out with a laugh.

Bushido's ears prickled, his body stiffening as his Haki let him know of an incoming threat. He swiveled around, Wado Ichimonji howling through the air. The cannon ball that would have smashed into Merry's mast was instead split into two clean pieces each flying to either side of the mast before harmlessly exploding. His visible eye narrowed when he saw their attacker.

The marine was openingly gaping at him from where he leaned on his ship's' railing, a beautiful lady in a red dress hugging onto one of his arms. The man wore a white suit, brass knuckles adorning his hand. His hair was a girly shade of lilac. Bushido couldn't place exactly where he knew him from. "A-again," the man stuttered, "fire again!"

The marines scrambled to their stations, preparing for battle. With a sigh, Bushido swung his blade horizontally, air slashing out from the edge. The basic air attack easily sliced through the hull and the enemy ship begins to sink, the men onboard screaming. The lilac-haired man vaulted onto the railing and jumped. "Bastard!"

Luffy ran up beside Bushido to meet the attacker. "Gomu Gomu no Rifle!"

The marine, Fullbody he suddenly remembered, coughed up blood and is spinning away. The man arcs higher and higher, blocking out the sun momentarily. Bushido squinted his eye and begins to guess where the man will land. He spotted a dim outline of a building on the horizon.

His heart sinks.

And Lieutenant "Ironfist" Fullbody's unconscious body smashed into the Baratie.


Sanji, sous-chef of the floating Baratie, had been having a good day so far. No rowdy, ungrateful customers who wasted their food. No rowdy pirates trying to attack the old geezer. And the icing on the cake? A higher than usual amount of lovely ladies.

Lit cigarette dangling from his lips, he had gone out to take some more orders from a male only table.

That was until a human cannonball smashed through the ceiling and barreled into his chest.

The blond man had heard the crack of a rib or two as his body was flung backwards into the kitchens. His back slammed against the back counter, sending a bowl of vegetable soup spilling onto his head.

Oh, someone was going to pay.

He strided over to the still man, pointly ignoring the sniggers of the other cooks, and raised his right leg over his head. That's when he noticed the bloodied marine insignia on the man's lapel. "Guys," he called over his shoulder, "I think we have pirates incoming."

"I'll warn Zeff," Carne sighed and moved away from the kitchen.

Patty cracked his knuckles. "Let's get this over with, can't let some pirates get away with breaking the restaurant."

Sanji ignored a twang of pain in his ribs. "No," he agreed, "we can't."


Luffy stretched out his arm and grabbed the edge of the floating sea restaurant with a grin. He ignored Zoro's warning to wait and sling-shotted over. He missed the landing and smashed through the double doors, rolling over and over.

His forward momentum was abruptly stopped by a leather shoe coming out of nowhere and slamming his face further into the wooden floor. "Shitty pirate," an unknown voice grumbled, "mind explaining why you fired a human projectile into the restaurant?"

"Let him go." Luffy heard Zoro order from the direction of the entrance, along with the sound of steel being drawn.

A pause. "Or what?" The voice from directly above Luffy asked.

"I slash right through you, pretty boy."

The tension was thick enough in the room. Luffy strained his ears for any changes in movements. "You brought this upon yourself," the mystery voice announced, "Mouton Sho-"

"Hey," Nami suddenly piped in, "I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding. So, let's just talk things out.

"MADEMOISELLE!"

Luffy looked up from the floor to see a well-dressed blond-haired man doing what could only be described as a noodle dance towards his navigator. Luffy grinned, laughter building in his throat.

This place was interesting.