Small warning: A couple of spoilers from recent manga events, but nothing too big. Thought I should say, just in case.
The echoing scream was shadowed by the blood of the man who was cut down in the middle of the wreckage that had once been a battlefield. Mihawk dropped to his knees, his golden eyes gazing at his student's raised sword above his head and he allowed a last smirk to crawl up onto his face. That kid had really done it – he had surpassed his limits and followed his fate to glory. And the older pirate was glad to have been witness to the rise of another legend. He deemed him worthy enough now to inherit his title.
"The castle in Kuraigana Island is yours now." His voice was rasped and he choked on some blood as he spoke.
Zoro raised an eyebrow, his lonely eye plainly spelling his surprise, but the wounded man on the ground did not feel like explaining further and he wiled himself to remain up when Zoro killed him. Even in his last moments, he would not show any weakness.
The green haired man in front of him quickly figured out that he won't get an answer out of his master so he brought down Wado Ichimonji to finish the fight. Most people on the sidelines cheered as the ex-greatest was killed and another had risen.
In spite of the gory show, Luffy was all grins and happiness. He bounced up and down and didn't waste any moment in going to congratulate his friend.
It was a day that went down in history and the news did not take long to spread around the world like wildfire.
Zoro smiled at the energy his captain was radiating. He was glad the idiot was smiling again. Ever since Raftel, their captain had been unnaturally subdued and even forced to spill the reason for the sudden change in attitude, the straw hat wearer wouldn't budge. It made all of them want to try harder and by the time of Zoro's duel with Mihawk, Luffy had already ordered them to stop asking stupid questions.
The out of character outburst made Chopper cry and they resigned to stop it. If there was one thing all of them had learned on Raftel as a crew, was that the captain of a pirate ship was the inner core and his orders must be obeyed until death by the crew members. This notion had been ingrained into their brains like a brand since that day and they hadn't been able to defy this new law. Thankfully, Luffy did nothing to abuse his newfound ordering authority. Not that in the past they hadn't followed his orders to begin with.
"Congrats, Zoro! I'm really proud of you, shishishi." Luffy slapped him on the back good-naturedly.
The swordsman smirked. "All right, captain?"
Despite it being intended to be an innocent inquiry, Luffy's laughter ceased abruptly and Zoro swore under his breath. He had ruined it again, though that idiot Luffy was reading too much into everything all of a sudden.
Or they were the ones not reading enough into it.
"Good enough."
Zoro blinked at his captain's retreating back.
SKYPEA
The lightning shock had, admittedly, taken him by surprise, but that meant nothing. He was still able to reduce the number of damages with a well placed sword technique he had learned long ago in Wano.
Zoro eyed Enel detachedly, though inside his mind a storm was raging and threatening to overtake his senses. Something was wrong, definitely wrong. In all his ears of travelling along with his accident prone captain nothing quite like this had ever happened to him yet. Which was the understatement of the century.
He spied Robin's unconscious form on the ground, assessed the situation of his swords and found no Shuusui. He cursed. Figures he would be sent into the very far past for all his troubles right after he'd been injured in a stupid fight where many mistakes were made on his part. And despite the burning will inside of him, pushing and compelling him to fight and utterly destroy that wannabe god and rid the world of his stupidity, he couldn't do it. He couldn't move. Unfortunately, Zoro quickly came to realize that he should hold on to that wish of his, since his body was barely able to lift an arm after the earlier fry.
Surprisingly, the swordsman found himself marveling at the throbbing pain spreading throughout his system. That was a certain first after so many years where he had reached the point of barely feeling something like lightning hitting him. The weather witch was to blame for that one, though.
This body still needed training, he concluded before figuring that keeping up the act would be the most beneficial in this case. He remembered most of the things he had done in the fight on Skypea and if worst came to worst he'd just go with the flow.
A sudden realization struck him and left him breathless for a moment. Surely if this was truly Skypea, then Luffy had to be here as well. Instinctually, he reached out with Observation Haki and was pleased to find out that it was working as well as he was used to. That meant that Haki was accessed with one's mind or consciousness, not brain and could be transferred from one body to the other.
Another won argument against the shit cook.
The green haired man frowned when another, bigger and more dominant aura showed up on his radars and, despite its melancholic wavelength, it was very familiar. Zoro froze and saw white in front of his eyes for a moment.
That was all the invitation Enel had really needed to slam him into the cold, hard ground and he saw black once again.
"Times are A-changin', aren't they my friends?"
The figure standing at the edge of the sea of clouds sang, its brown-black cloak fluttering along with the powerful breeze of the island. The clouds moved around his ankles calmly, not bothering to listen to him.
"I doubt that'd be your first order of business, ain't it?" Another voice interrupted the stoic image.
The figure tilted its head back and glanced at the man standing in the last shadows cast by the jungle. The trees' edges were so close, yet so very far away.
"Pullin' a Kaido now, aren't you?" In spite of the irritation he felt at these rhetorical questions, Zoro couldn't help but keep on asking them. He didn't know what that bastard was doing there, but he could care less in that moment. Especially after the long while it took him to find the guy in that maze of a jungle.
The man in the distance remained silent so Zoro decided to cut to the point. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
The figure chuckled and turned around to fully face the intruder and his accusing glare.
"I just felt nostalgic and a little on the reading side. Had to make sure of something." It said, stepping away from the edge and closer to the swordsman.
Zoro never thought he'd tense at the mere sight of him, but his body involuntarily did and, were it not for the slight vibration of Conqueror's Haki that was surrounding the man, he would have thought it to be his own doing. And that was never allowed to happen, no matter what the bastard did.
"I see you got yourself beat up good." The figure chuckled again, getting closer and closer.
Zoro would have been able to see his face already. In normal circumstances.
"Sorry, I got nostalgic." His sarcastic remark was ignored by the other and the swordsman scowled. "Where the hell do you think you're going?!"
Now he had the gall to walk away from him!
The cloaked man turned around slightly and Zoro felt that grin climbing to the man's lips.
"They are waiting for you. Let's not keep them more than we should."
"You should take those words and shove them up your..." Zoro's feral growling was lost in the dense canopy of the forest.
If the cloaked man had heard his words, he didn't give any outward sign of it.
"Zoro, who the hell is that guy?" Nami asked, pointing towards the cloaked man sitting casually on the rail near Merry's figurehead.
The rest of the crew watched him with expectant expressions and the swordsman almost cried at their appearances. They looked so young and... Nami's hair was shorter and her posture was the most relaxed he had seen in years and Usopp's eyes were less troubled and that shit cook's hands weren't gruesomely scarred by that disturbed family of his and Chopper was smiling just a little bit more and Robin was still closed off like a book sealed shut with thousands of keys.
Dammit.
"He's... a cloaked man." His answer was not very welcomed by any of his young crewmates.
"I can see that as well, you dumbass!" Nami's fist collided with his head and he couldn't stop the groan that escaped from between his lips.
The guy behind him laughed again and Zoro threw him a scowl. He wasn't helping their situation.
"You're not helping, you know?" He glared in his direction, seeing as the scowl didn't work.
The cloak moved as its owner shrugged rather characteristically. The swordsman groaned. He didn't have any clue how he could make this situation any less shittier than it already was. They had nowhere to go and now he had to rely on his previous dealings with this world to get through, not to mention that he still didn't know what the idiot wanted to do...
"I want to know just who is-" The navigator's words were cut short when the blockhead had the gall to turn around and ignore her. Such utter hypocrisy!
"What the hell are you planning anyway?" Zoro cut the annoying witch off and looked at the cloaked man expectantly.
He shrugged again. "Just passing by, nothing too big for you, Kenshi-san."
Robin frowned, as did the rest of the Strawhats.
"Since I found myself in the situation I am currently in, I do think I have the right to know, you bastard. And I'll have some words with you on that matter later." He crossed his arms over his chest and pointedly ignored the gazes burning into his neck.
"Where do you know this guy from, Zoro?" Luffy asked, stepping closer, but was held back at the last moment by Nami.
Zoro internally sighed in relief.
"Uh, guys..." Usopp began uncertainly and gulped when the ship's occupants – surprisingly – all turned towards him. "I think the better question is why we can't see that guy's face!" The sniper predictably screeched the last part of his sentence.
"Why can't we see your face, Cloakie?" The straw hat wearer asked innocently.
The man laughed again, but didn't speak and it was the last straw for Zoro. Grabbing a fistful of the thick material, he brought the faceless figure closer to his own face and started lashing out three years' worth of desperation.
"Would you stop with your games already?! You better start talking or I'm killing you right now and screw you and whatever the fuck your reasons were for doing a stupid thing like this! You hear me?!"
The first mate knew the man was either pursing his lips or frowning down at him disappointingly, but Zoro couldn't find it in himself to care anymore. It was already a lost cause, but he won't be letting this bastard walk away from them anymore. If he had to, he'd drag him back and let the others dish the punishment while he enjoyed a nice nap on the Sunny's grassy deck.
"I have a few things I need to see for myself before returning." The man spoke quietly, seemingly undeterred by the outburst.
"Then why did you bring me here?" The swordsman asked savagely, his eyes searching the black hole that was supposed to be a face. His face. "And what the fuck happened to your face?"
His disgust only made the stranger laugh harder, longer. "Never heard that one before!"
The wheezing subsided and he squared his shoulders in a message to Zoro that he should let go lest things got ugly.
Rather unwillingly, the green haired man unclenched his fist from the cloak and stepped back.
"Because I saw mostly all of them. I only have one more thing to do left." The faceless head titled from side to side thoughtfully. "Two things actually, but that depends. You up for it?" He crossed his arms, studying the man in front of him closely.
Zoro scowled, but decided that was his best shot. He turned on his heels and faced the confused teens standing on the deck. He didn't like what he was about to do, but that was their only chance.
"From now on this ship is under our command."
The dawning silence was heavy and it made Zoro have second thoughts about his random plan.
"Well, this was pretty random." The stranger remarked, turning back to gaze towards the blue expanse of water.
"It is the only way for now." The swordsman grunted and gave a look that told the deck's occupants that they should think better than to disagree with him.
"What the hell is the meaning of this, shitty marimo?!"
Of course, they did.
Sanji's roar echoed all around them and Zoro internally winced. That idiot never knew how to keep the volume down.
"Exactly what you see. Now shut up, you're bothering me. Nami, bring a map of the Grand Line please."
The blond looked scandalized and opened his mouth to retaliate. Despite looking uncertain, Nami placed her hands on her hips with a huff.
"I'm not doing anything. Luffy, do something already!" She said over Sanji's curses.
Said captain blinked owlishly at being addressed and incorporated into the sudden argument. He looked at Zoro, silently weighting the chances of his swordsman having been kicked in the head one too many times. Or it probably had to do with that Cloakie and his mission. Maybe Zoro wanted to help him? Though he knew his friend wasn't one to offer help left and right, he looked pretty willing to help Cloakie so Luffy wondered if maybe Zoro had a good reason for the sudden change in stride.
The man has been behaving strangely enough even for the straw hat wearer to remark on it. The first one to voice it out loud was Robin and it had had an eye-opening effect on Luffy. His swordsman's movements were jerkier, his steps thudded more loudly than usual and his left eye was shuttered close in spite of Chopper's assurances that it was in perfect condition. Maybe Zoro really wanted to help the guy and didn't know how to say it. Or maybe he had really been kicked in the head by Enel.
As Luffy continued to munch over the scattered pieces of information he had learned, Zoro turned towards Nami with a renewed scowl.
"There's nothing any of you can do. Best to just sit quietly and let us go about our business."
"What are you talking about, Zoro?" Chopper's desperate cry was ignored by the swordsman, though it served as a good wakeup call for Luffy.
The rubber pirate glanced from his rebellious first mate to Cloakie and back appraisingly.
"You should stop this before they throw you overboard." Cloakie snorted, voice filled with mirth.
"Oh yeah? You wanna swim until the next island?" Zoro countered, looking back expectantly.
The man's silence was enough answer.
"Then stop running your mouth. You're at fault for this and I'm trying to fix it. You're lucky I didn't listen to my first instinct to beat the hell out of you when I found you."
Cloakie chortled. "You became so dangerous in these past three years, Zoro. Not sure if I should be disappointed or impressed."
"Not sure if I care." The swordsman answered absently before barking at the immobile crowd gaping in front of him. "Bring the damn map, Nami!"
Luffy jerked his head in a short nod that shocked his crewmates more than Zoro's sudden mutiny and, with a last uncertain look, the orange head departed for the girl's cabin in search of the rolled up parchment.
"I don't know what goes through that mind of yours, but don't think I'm gonna let you slip by us again." Zoro spoke again a few moments later, effectively breaking the silence.
"I know." Cloakie quipped and balanced himself on the railing. "But I don't really care about that now. You couldn't come here by yourselves, anyway."
"Yes, because of your damn order." The green head grunted, frowning when the faceless man threw his head back and laughed.
Most of the Strawhats winced.
"I revoked that order long ago! I can't believe you guys didn't try to enter the island again!" There was mock disappointment in his exclamations.
"We didn't need to either way." Zoro's words stopped the wheezing and he smirked mentally. Seems like he still had some surprises up his sleeve. "We would have found you sooner or later." He bluffed. "Robin's onto you, she found the tablets."
The current archaeologist raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.
"We know what you did." The simple declaration caused Cloakie to visibly tense. "And by bringing me here you removed the one factor that was in her way."
"Stop bluffing." Cloakie turned around to face the green haired man, propping his arm on his knee and resting his head on it casually. "Even if what you say is true, I don't think Robin would take that risk if she wasn't entirely sure."
Zoro ruffled his hair in exasperation and was thankful for Nami's reappearance on the deck. She walked to a nearby barrel and unfolded the paper on its surface.
The swordsman nodded his thanks and bowed over the makeshift table in deep thought.
"We'll return to Jaya for now. We can take another ship from there and leave these guys alone."
"What do you mean, Zoro?!" Chopper exclaimed in protest.
"You can't just leave the crew, you know!" Usopp joined in while the others simply looked on in disbelief. Luffy's face was a shade darker than one minute ago.
Zoro groaned.
"Stop laughing, dammit!" He growled at the cloaked man. "And where do you plan to go, actually?" That was another thing he needed to find out before setting a course.
"Sorry, sorry." The stranger's tone was clearly not conveying any apology. "Whitebeard."
Green eyebrows lifted up in surprise and Usopp eeped.
"We're going there," Cloakie lifted a finger and pointed at the Strawhats, "and they're getting us to him."
Zoro grimaced. "You know they can't." He tapped the wooden deck with his foot pointedly. "Best to let them be on their way."
"Nah, don't worry about that." Cloakie assured. "I've talked to her. She's up for the long road."
"Who did you talk to?" Usopp asked hesitantly.
"Your ship." The man's clipped answer was welcomed with distrustful gazes.
"Why would you want to talk with Whitebeard?" Zoro still couldn't comprehend the guy's mindset.
"Oh, you mean Ace's captain?" Luffy asked suddenly, rubbing his chin.
"Yeah. I want to ask him something." Cloakie said innocently.
That was it.
"Stop spewing shit. What could you possibly learn from that old man that you didn't see on Raftel?!"
The last word of his question continued to bounce around the ship's deck long after the words have been uttered. If Cloakie would have had a face, it would have shown a grim expression, Zoro knew. As it was, the stranger only shifted into a more comfortable position.
"The same thing you didn't. I know you've seen something too, Zoro."
The swordsman's lips pressed into a tight line. Of course he had. That was the reason he had been more or less prepared for his captain's sudden evaporation. And it had been the thing that convinced him to deny with all his might the title of captain.
"That's why you've been like that ever since."
"Timeout already!" Nami slammed her palms over the map. Her face was drawn up in confusion and anger and she didn't know what to release first – boiling anger or writhing confusion.
"Set the course for Sabaody Archipelago." The green haired man ordered, not once facing away from Cloakie.
Nami would beg to defy. "No. Not until you explain what the hell is happening! Since when have you been on Raftel, Zoro?" She asked the question every one of them wanted to know. "And who is that guy any-"
"Look." It was Zoro's turn to slam his fist down in between her hands. He seemed much calmer but just as dangerous. "This guy is of no interest to you now. You just have to turn the ship in the right direction and you'll see us off it in a whiff." He spoke lowly, almost sounding like an animal growling at their prey.
"What do you-" Nami stopped abruptly and her eyes widened considerably. The navigator inwardly asked herself if she has lost her mind. With everything that has happened ever since entering Skypea, the chances were high, but that didn't solve the mystery before her eyes.
Just as Zoro had been there a moment before, now someone else was standing in front of her, glaring through only one eye while the other was sealed shut by a nasty looking scar. He was taller than their Zoro, with green hair slicked back and wearing a dark green coat tied with a red sash. Three katana rested at his hip and his trademark haramaki was clearly visible around his waist along with a larger variety of visible scars than what she knew her crewmate had. This new Zoro – or whoever he was – looked even fiercer than her friend and she gulped back the lump in her throat with difficulty.
"Sabaody is here." The swordsman's voice shattered the apparition as fast as it came and she was left wondering what the hell had happened in those few short seconds. Looking down, Nami saw Zoro's index finger point the archipelago out of everything else and nodded absently, much to her crewmates' surprise.
"Chopper, go help Sanji with the rudder."
The perplexed reindeer nodded and trudged after the equally baffled cook. None of them knew what was in their navigator's mind for helping the certainly crazy swordsman, but one look at Luffy and it was enough consolation to know that the captain didn't have any problems with the new course of action.
"Well?" Cloakie prodded, crossing his shadowed arms over his chest. "What did you see, Zoro?"
Zoro exhaled, already knowing he wouldn't get out of this one, no matter what he said to the guy. This showed just how much of an insistent idiot he was.
"The future."
Most of the people scrambling around the deck stopped dead in their tracks at the declaration, though one look from Zoro was all it took to spur Usopp back to his job of unfurling the sails. But that did not mean he wasn't listening just as attentively.
"Me too." The stranger noted jovially. "Though I doubt you saw much of it, I'm sure you know the general idea."
"All of us know." The swordsman snorted derisively. "I thought I could stop you, but I failed. Should've tied you to a post and saved myself the effort."
Cloakie snickered at his words. "Wouldn't have worked."
His simple statement made Zoro's irritation spike unnaturally, but before he could take it out on said someone, he spoke again.
"I've seen much more than you, though. You've got to trust me on this."
The last part was whispered, but loud enough for Zoro's ears. The swordsman's head jerked to the side and opened his mouth to retaliate, but the man had already turned around and was humming to himself Brook's version of Bink's Sake. Shaking his head to ease a little bit of the building pain inside his skull, the swordsman decided a little meditation wouldn't hurt.
Inside the galley, Luffy glanced between Nami's slumped form over the table and Sanji's shadowed face next to the stove. None of the others looked any better and the captain had to ask himself what had caused the heavy atmosphere.
"What's up, guys?" His inquiry created a wall of groans to hit him and he blinked.
"Seems like we don't have a swordsman anymore." The blond cook exhaled the smoke from his cigarette and raked a hand through his locks.
"I can't believe this." Nami's whisper was even more confusing.
"What in the world was that, though?" Usopp threw his hands in the air helplessly. "First they talked about coming from somewhere, then they fought, then something about being on Raftel and then Zoro was suddenly seeing the future!"
"Don't forget that the cloaked guy talked with our ship. How the hell do you even do that?" Sanji added, shaking his head heavily.
"I'm more concerned about that man." Chopper confessed, wringing his hoofs together and looking down at his feet. "How can someone not have a face and other distinguishable characteristics?"
"What are you guys talking about?" Luffy asked casually, still not seeing whatever the problem was. "Zoro just wants to help that mystery old man."
"That's not what he wants, you idiot!" Everyone but Robin shouted out at their clueless captain.
"I believe that there might be an explanation for all this." The archaeologist spoke up for the first time since the Strawhats' siege began.
Every pair of eyes turned to gaze at her questioningly. Crossing her arms, Robin continued.
"I was not aware of them actually existing, but I have once read in a book about the tablets Zoro mentioned." She resolved to not call him 'Kenshi-san' anymore. Not until everything went back to normal.
"You mean you can find them here?" Usopp looked genuinely interested by this discovery. "What do they tell you?"
"Every one of them fragmentally describes how to use different kinds of artifacts. The only problem is that no one has found any of them." When the sniper raised an eyebrow she elaborated. "Nor the place the artifacts are supposedly hidden or the tablets. It is said the stone manuscripts are locked securely on different islands and placed under the protection of powerful races."
"Maybe it's got something to do with Raftel." Sanji commented off-handedly.
"Yes, it is a possibility."
"Nah, it can't be." Luffy quipped in happily again. "Zoro hasn't been on Raftel yet."
The cook scowled. "Weren't you damn listening, you idiot? That shithead has been on Raftel."
"No, I don't think he has either, Luffy." Nami's deflated tone surprised them more than the actual agreement with her captain.
Luffy grinned and made himself more comfortable on the bench.
"Sanji, meat!" His call was already foreseen by the blond as he was already in the middle of preparing it.
"How do you think he knows about it then?" Robin asked curiously.
The navigator braced herself for the possible outcome of her being actually insane, but she'd risk it for maintaining the others' sanities at least. So she told them all about that sudden vision of 'older Zoro' as she dubbed it.
By the end, Luffy was still clueless, Usopp and Chopper were close to freaking out, Sanji was chewing on the butt of his smoke silently and Robin's eyes sparkled in delight. It seemed she had solved the mystery.
"This means that the one in Zoro's body right now is his future self." The black haired woman stated, her face thoughtful. "And judging by their earlier discussion, that cloaked man must have brought him here."
"But there's still the question of just who that guy is." Usopp said hesitantly.
Robin nodded grimly.
"Well, there's nothing we can do for now. Best to just go along with them." Luffy decided through a mouthful of meat.
The journey until the Red Line passed by in a blur for Zoro. He still struggled to get used to being in the past and seeing his crewmates every day in such a long, long time he hadn't. But most of all, he struggled to abstain from kicking that cloaked bastard overboard until he had perfectly solid reasons – not that the current ones weren't, mind you – and a very good explanation for that. Though if he would be perfectly honest, he was really curious about whatever the guy wanted to talk about with Whitebeard.
There had been a few close calls, such as the Florian Triangle – where Zoro knew one of theirs was waiting for them, all alone in that complete darkness – but, with a throbbing heart, the swordsman advised Nami about its existence and insisted they avoid it at all costs on their way to Sabaody Archipelago.
Cloakie had given him an invisible – though still there – glare, but Zoro had ignored him in favor of dealing with the Strawhats and their continuous curiosity and strings of questions that never ceased to appear at any given time.
There was also the problem of avoiding other pirate crews, but that complication had been dealt with by the swordsman in person. Since it would be too costly to kill every one of the enemy pirates, Zoro had resorted to cutting their ships in pieces from a distance and then continue on his merry way.
His past crewmates had been slack jawed at the sight of the huge galleon – ten times bigger than their ship – sinking from only a vertical cut with Sandai Kitetsu.
"I see you've improved very much, Zoro." Robin had smiled that mysterious smile of hers, which could either signal nothing good or that she had it all figured out and now she was only playing with him. "How many years did it take you?"
The green haired man's unclosed eye swiped around the deck and noted the staring faces of the rest. He sighed.
"I should've expected you to figure it out sooner or later."
He crossed his arms – a defensive reflex obtained from too many of Robin's winning half-grins that she was currently displaying. That woman was too cunning sometimes.
"It only took me two years, actually."
A slender eyebrow shot up in surprise. "Only two years passed?"
Zoro shook his head and grinned sardonically. It seemed like she didn't have everything down yet.
"No, it only took me two years to learn how to cut ships in half. But I come from many years into the future."
Luffy released a hum of understanding as his words finally lifted the fog-like atmosphere of confusion and doubt that had been clouding the happy ship ever since they left Skypea. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. This wasn't their Zoro. He was somewhere else, possibly in the future where this guy had come from, but not here and that was what mattered the most in that moment.
Zoro refused to answer any other question and eased himself into the habit of meditation, impatiently waiting for the moment they would arrive at the crowded Arhipelago.
Surprisingly, it did not take them more than a week more to get there and by that time the Strawhats had gotten used to the idea that the time traveler wouldn't answer any of their inquiries and Cloakie was unapproachable from many points of view so they let it go and simply decided to follow the swordsman for the moment.
The man had told them to go back exactly the way they had come after they dropped both him and Cloakie off in Sabaody and continue their journey from where they've left off, but Luffy wouldn't hear any of it and neither would the others, actually. The pirates argued back and forth, but the captain was adamant that he wouldn't leave Zoro's body behind and even if the man was from the future, he was still their swordsman and it was their responsibility to help him. Especially with his 'shitty sense of direction', as Sanji had so graciously dubbed it.
So instead of returning to Jaya, the Strawhat pirates were following Zoro's lead – which was a bad choice, now that they thought about it – through the streets of Sabaody Archipelago, gaping at the sights, streets and people populating the large islands. There were many pirates present and they almost lost Luffy on various occasions until Nami had deemed it necessary to string a leash on him, metaphorically speaking. His hat had been safely deposited in Chopper's backpack with the warning that, should he leave their compact group again, he would never see it again. So Luffy had swallowed down his overloaded adventure senses and obediently followed.
Cloakie had taken the lead for now after Zoro promptly declared that Sabaody in his time was not at all like this one and that the buildings here were placed wrongly and were constantly moving. With a mighty laugh, the stranger signaled them to come after him and, with much grumbling on Zoro's part, they finally arrived at the base of a rather big hill that housed only one building on top of it, connected to the lower world by numerous steps that they were forced to climb.
"Shakky's Rip-Off Bar." Nami declared, standing in the bar's doorway. The rest of her friends looked on quietly, confused at what they would be doing here of all places.
Zoro exhaled, relieved somehow by the bar's unchanged appearance. It was still there and that was all it mattered. It meant that the ones he was searching for would be here as well.
Pushing the door open, he was greeted with the same cigarette smoke and pungent alcohol smell he remembered it for. He felt the corners of his lips inch upwards subconsciously, but he didn't mind. It felt like coming home to him.
The same Shakky he remembered to have met so many years ago greeted him from behind the bar and he strolled through the room casually and dropped into the bar's chair in front of her.
"A bottle of cold beer. From North Blue." He added after a moment.
The bartender raised a suspicious eyebrow at the stranger's choice of drink, but decided to let it slide and turned around to start preparing his order. By that time, the Strawhats had spread around the room, each occupied with their own problems. For example, Luffy was already ordering every food on the menu while Sanji was almost all over the patron. Zoro almost threw up.
"And I need to see Rayleigh."
At the mention of the name, the black haired woman turned around to fully face the newcomers. She had never seen them really – only that straw hat wearing boy that was eating from her fridge… and Nico Robin, of course. But everyone knew her around the Grand Line. The green haired man had rung a few bells too, but something like a face had yet to materialize inside her mind.
"What do you want from him?" She asked nonchalantly.
Her question made the green head smirk, of all things. "I need somebody to coat our ship and talk to him about something."
Shakky hummed but deemed the reason passable enough to be granted an answer. "He's off on business in the city, but I think he will be back soon."
She saw the other patrons nod in understanding before her gaze settled on the man's amused one. He was on the brink of incontrollable laughter.
"I hope soon won't be a few weeks. How many months ago did you last see him?"
His inquiry threw the former pirate off. Who was this man and how much did he know about them?
"Zoro, you can't just ask that!" The orange haired woman admonished from her seat on the sofa.
Pirate Hunter Zoro, huh. A rookie. Now she had a face and a bounty to work with.
"You're not in luck. It's been a couple of months." Shakky grinned back at Zoro.
The pirate shook his head. "Should've expected it. You have any clue what auction shops he's been selling himself at lately?"
Nami and Usopp gasped and even Luffy stopped in his devouring to actually pay attention.
Shakky couldn't stop the giggle that escaped from her lips. "I heard he's having a blast in People&Co. in Grove 5."
Zoro groaned much to the older woman's amusement.
"You mean I have to drag these guys," he jammed a finger behind him where the Strawhats were, "through the lawless zones up until five?"
The question was intended to be rhetorical, but Shakky nodded nonetheless, her mirth filled smile never shrinking at the swordsman's predicament.
"You mean I have to make sure you arrive there without circling the whole island first?" Cloakie plopped in the seat next to Zoro and slumped on the counter. The teasing attitude made the green head scowl reflexively. "He never changes, does he?" He asked, tone full of nostalgia.
"I've encountered many mysterious men, but I've never seen anyone like you around here." The bartender commented off-handedly, resting her head on her hand and leaning over the counter to study the shadowed man better. "How do you know Rayleigh?"
"And you'll never see anyone like me!" Cloakie declared, a suspiciously hissed sound of shi exiting his invisible mouth before he broke into a coughing fit.
Zoro rolled his eye. "It's a long story."
"Is that so?" The woman eyed the swordsman doubtfully. "I didn't know Ray knew up and coming rookies like you."
Shakky raised an eyebrow at the sudden faces the people behind the two at the counter displayed. They looked like deer caught in the headlights, but she couldn't figure out why. Her instincts told her that they were his crewmates, though the man that was sipping his drink in front of her felt on a whole other league than them. He released a powerful aura that not even his captain exuded and looked quite sure of himself when talking about his supposed acquaintance with the Dark King.
Just who was this Roronoa Zoro?
"He doesn't yet." Cloakie's blunt statement was met with a swat over the head from his companion.
Downing the rest of his drink, the green haired pirate stood up.
"Thanks for the drink. We're going to find him. Put this on the tab along with the coating and give it to her." He gestured to the earlier orange haired woman, who started gesticulating wildly.
Zoro shook his head and pushed everyone out of the room before Nami's swear fest could start.
Cloakie skipped past them at the bottom of the hill and said. "Grove 5, I guess?"
He looked at Zoro's retreating back with the same amount of sickening joy while the Strawhats tried to figure out who was safer to follow.
"That's the wrong way, Zoro!" The stranger's cloak swished in the passing breeze as he ran after the stubborn time traveler.
"So this is... People and Co." Usopp squeaked, looking with wide, frightened eyes at the rundown building where they would supposedly find Rayleigh.
Zoro's grip on his swords tightened but otherwise remained uncaring at the sight.
"The moment I say we're leaving, we leave." The green haired man's eye fixed on Luffy pointedly. "Let me do the talking too."
The rubber man shrugged and followed along with the others. Inside the building, the seats were neatly arranged into the form of an amphitheatre and in spite of the desolate look of its exterior, the room was spacious and aired, housing a stage at its other end. The hall was full of people, from normal citizens to Nobles and even three Celestial Dragons.
Zoro tensed when he saw those disturbingly white suits and bubble helmets and his eye quickly scanned the rest of the crowd for any other surprises.
"Which Admiral do you think will come if I punch all of them?" Cloakie asked sardonically and Zoro could picture him licking his lips like a child intent on causing havoc.
A few people sitting in the last row of seats turned to shoot him glares, but he ignored them. Unfortunately, Zoro didn't have time for havoc now.
"Nothing, if I have anything to say about it." The swordsman growled warningly and Cloakie dropped the subject.
The group watched in silence as slaves were called out on the stage and sold to the cheers and boos of the crowd. By the time Prisoner 56 was called, most of the Strawhats save Robin and Luffy looked horrified at the display. Cloakie had sat down on the ground at some point and was playing with Usopp's bag and Luffy's mouth was drawn into a fine line while Robin looked blankly at the show of cruelty. Zoro looked on impatiently, a foot tapping unconsciously on the concrete floor.
They were wasting goddamn time and these slowpokes handling the auction were not helping his case. The swordsman absently entertained the idea of busting the auction or even handling it himself if only to give him something to do. It wouldn't be the first time either...
As, at last, Prisoner 56 stepped onto the polished floorboards, Zoro's eye widened a fraction before a grin stretched across his face.
Finally.
"Hmm, he doesn't look too different." Cloakie commented, leaning on the back of the nearest seat.
"That's Rayleigh?" Robin asked curiously.
Zoro nodded. "That's who we are here for."
"Saint William offers 600.000 Berris!"
Gritting his teeth at the ridiculous starting price, the swordsman raised his hand.
"What are you doin-" Nami's high pitched whisper was cut off by the man's booming voice.
"Seven hundred thousand."
Heads turned to take a look at the new bidder. Rayleigh glanced up with an undecipherable look behind his glasses.
Zoro nodded imperceptibly and turned on his heels, walking towards the exit.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Nami grabbed the front of his shirt.
The time traveler glared. "How else did you want me to get his attention?" He spat and her glare faltered. "Sing to him?"
The rhetorical question was left hanging in the air and Zoro didn't waste another second arguing with the weather witch. Turning around, he made his way back to Shakky's bar.
"That's the wrong street." Cloakie stated, already caught up with his rapid pace. "That was a low price, Zoro. I'm quite disappointed to see the great dealer Wrath with such unsuitable skills in auctioning."
"So you know what we've been up to." His statement was met with silence.
Zoro glared at the filthy pirate folk scattered on the streets in front of them.
"'Course I do. When I got bored or was lonely, I used to take a look into the future, see what you people were doing." Cloakie explained, swinging his arms around, bored. "I'd say, you and Robin did quite a number on the underworld. These guys never knew what hit them."
His words were accompanied by a chuckle and he paused as if remembering something before he burst out laughing. "And in the end," Cloakie rasped, getting quite a few bulky men to glare his way, "Chopper ended up more feared than any of you!"
The small reindeer yelped in the back, his eyes wide and frightened.
"Shut up." Zoro bit back, glancing back at the doctor to make sure that he was alright. "You're screwing up more things than I can handle."
Cloakie snickered.
A/N: Back again with the next chapter as promised!
This time the chapter is a little bit longer so yay xD
I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to leave a review on your way out! :D
See you tomorrow!