As I stated previously, I have no intention of breaking my word twice in one fic. However, I only said that I planned to update again before the year's end, so I'm not breaking my word by updating later than that.
…I really, really love loopholes. But all joking aside, it was more trouble than I expected to write out the Donquixote Pirates, who I figured would not be a match for the Pirate King's crew but nonetheless would be no pushovers. Not to mention the fact that I remembered the canon wrong, so when I was just a bit away from finishing it, I had to rewrite most of it. But, I've finally managed to come up with something that I can call satisfactory…and here it is.
Snowy fields and cold temperatures bombarded the Straw Hats' senses once more as the jump completed. While their outfits still insulated them, the reaction to their surroundings was less than warm.
"Snow? I didn't expect us to go to any cold areas again after Drum," Brook said.
"I didn't either. It was summer when Ohara was destroyed," Robin added, but then raised her hand to point in the distance. "But I think it's clear where we are judging from that."
Everyone turned to look where she pointed. For six of them, a dreadfully familiar sight met their eyes: a massive web of strings spreading out and sticking into the ground in a massive fence, reminiscent of a birdcage in appearance.
"Doflamingo. So, you chose Corazon after all, Sanji?" Franky asked.
"Yeah. I guess I'm just thinking of how much Law's past was like mine; things would have turned out a lot better if he had Corazon beside him. That, and I'd love to take a real crack at Doflamingo after everything he did."
"You really think you can beat him, cook? He pushed Luffy to his limits when they fought," Zoro pointed out.
"Mosshead, let's think about this for a second: I'm one year stronger than we were the last time we fought his crew, and they're thirteen years weaker. I doubt it will be as easy as the cannon fodder we had for the last few jumps, but I seriously doubt he's strong enough to win now."
Sanji exhaled some smoke.
"That said, I just want the first crack at him; Luffy's the one who knows about his powers and fighting style. I'm more interested in helping Law and Corazon than ripping that bastard a new one."
Zoro shrugged, and Nami spoke up.
"Fine, but we'll still need to know what we're getting into before we move in. Robin, who's on his crew right now?"
The archaeologist pondered for a moment.
"Of the fifteen crewmates he had when we first entered the New World, we can omit Monet, Sugar, and Violet since he hasn't met them yet, and Baby 5, Buffalo, and Dellinger since they're still only children. So, assuming that all of them can withstand the opening shot of Luffy's Haki, that leaves nine enemies, one for each of us: his four executives—Pica, Diamante, Trebol, and Vergo—and his five officers—Lao G, Jora, Gladius, Machvise, and Senor Pink. I think I'd like to settle my old score with Gladius," she finished, smiling chillingly.
"I call Senor Pink," Franky said. "I heard his story back in Dressrosa; I think he deserves the chance to keep his family."
"If Sanji's taking 'Mingo first, then I'll start with that mucus bastard," Luffy growled.
"That soprano guy doesn't seem like much of a challenge at his normal size. Vergo is supposed to have some impressive Armament Haki, I'll take him on," Zoro smirked.
"Then I suppose I'll try my swordsmanship against Pica," Brook said.
"And I'll take out the last executive, Diamante," Jinbe said.
"I call Jora. I still hate what she put us through on the Sunny," Nami said, smirking evilly.
"I'll go for Machvise," Chopper said.
"Which means I'm left with the old man. Yeah, I think I can work with that," Usopp smirked.
"All right, now that we've got that decision, let's move in. Chopper, if I remember Law's story right, Corazon was badly injured at this point. Take out the fat guy as fast as you can, then move to treat him. And Luffy, take your time with Trebol; I want to cripple Doflamingo before you take over."
The captain and doctor nodded, and then the crew turned to face the same direction, towards the source of powerful auras and put on their hoods. A second later, only their footprints remained to show that anyone was ever there.
Commander Donquixote Rosinante of the Marines, otherwise known as Corazon of the Donquixote Pirates, slumped exhausted against the pile of treasure chests that his brother's crew had looted from the Barrels Pirates. Only he knew that the young Trafalgar Law was within the chest he leaned against, the boy still believed the promise that he had made not to die. Rosinante suppressed his guilt at the lie, knowing that Law's last memory of him would be his smiling face, and hoping that he would take advantage of the life he now had to live.
He broke out of these reflections as his older brother approached him, staring at him with a decidedly unimpressed look. He took in the sight of the crewmates standing before him: Diamante, Trebol, Pica, Gladius, Lao G, Machvise...and Doflamingo himself.
"It's been six months. Corazon," Doflamingo said tonelessly.
Rosinante stared back at him impassively. Then, slowly, he reached a hand into his jacket. One of the crew exclaimed, only for Doflamingo to silence them with an outstretched arm. Corazon closed his eyes, calling to mind the time that Sengoku took him in after his father's murder. Then he opened them, staring defiantly at his brother as he pulled a pistol out of his jacket, and cocked it.
"Marine Code 01746. I am Commander Rosinante of Marine Headquarters," he stated. "Captain of the Donquixote Pirates, Doflamingo: I have been undercover to prevent a future tragedy of your doing. I am a Marine!"
Veins popped on Doflamingo's forehead, the only outward sign of his anger. Rosinante smiled and tapped his head against the box behind him, subtly signaling Law with his next words.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't want you to hate me," he said softly.
"You fool! Do you think it will help you to apologize now?!" Gladius demanded.
"Stop telling those tasteless jokes...and answer these questions!" Doflamingo barked. "Where's the Op-Op Fruit? And where's Law?"
Rosinante kept his smile as he replied: "The Devil Fruit...the Op-Op Fruit...I let Law eat it! He's a Devil Fruit user now! He managed to get out of the cage. I bet he's been taken into protective custody by a lookout ship from Marine Headquarters by now. You can't touch him!"
Doflamingo's anger grew with every word. The next moment, Buffalo came zooming in overhead, Baby 5 on his back.
"Young Master!"
"We heard the Marines say earlier on the radio that they took a boy under their care!"
"Why didn't you report that sooner?!" Doflamingo demanded, turning his eyes to the duo in the sky.
"I came here as fast as I could, even if it doesn't look like it!" Buffalo called back.
"I'm sorry!" Baby 5 added.
A boy? What an unbelievable coincidence. Law is still here, Rosinante reflected.
"Look into that immediately! I'll undo the Birdcage!" Doflamingo ordered.
This is an unbelievable show of fortune. As I thought, Law, something compels you to stay alive. Saviors keep descending on you one after another.
"Prepare to set sail! If what he said is true, we'll sink the lookout ship and get Law back!"
The rest of the crew began walking away.
"Don't. Why would you want to go after Law?" Rosinante managed.
"Why would I want to go after Law? If he ate the Op-Op Fruit, he needs to be educated in order to die for me!"
Rosinante grimaced, but before either he or his brother could say another word, a much more unnatural chill than the snow washed over him, and he trembled somewhat. From the look on his brother and his crew's faces, they felt it as well; Doflamingo's scowl had traces of fear in it, Pica, Diamante, Trebol, and Lao G were shocked, and Gladius and Machvise looked to be on the verge of passing out. The next moment, a crash came from nearby; Baby 5 and Buffalo lay in a crater of snow, out cold and foaming at the mouth.
All eight men took in this sight. Then, slowly, all of their gazes turned in the same direction, the source of the chill. Ten figures shrouded in pure black stood a short distance away from them, their clothes strangely stagnant in the chilling breeze.
"Well, this is a rip-off. Looks like we're going to have to do a little hunting once we're done here," said one of the figures coldly.
"Yeah. I was hoping we could take care of all these bastards at one time, but I guess we can track down the others after this," said another.
"On the bright side, I can get right to the main reason we're here if you guys don't mind," piped up another, in a high-pitched voice.
"Sure thing. And here I thought I wouldn't get a chance to fight," chuckled another one, with abnormally large arms.
Doflamingo's anger towards his brother seemed forgotten for the moment as he barked at the figures.
"Who the hell are you?"
The figures all took up positions ready to fight, and Doflamingo's crew did the same, almost automatically. Neither party moved for a few seconds. Then, the second speaker broke the silence.
"We are the crew of D."
The ten figures vanished the next moment, and Doflamingo's horror at the answer slowed his reaction by a single second, which proved to be a single second too many. The next thing Rosinante knew, all seven of the Donquixote Pirates were sent flying in different directions, and the ten strangers were right in front of him. The one who had spoken before looked back at him, and he cringed.
"We're here to save you and Law. We'll explain everything once the pirates are dealt with; in the meantime, our doctor will treat both of you."
Rosinante looked at them with an expression of mixed surprise, disbelief, gratitude, and fear. Long before he gathered his bearings to speak, nine of the figures had vanished again, while the remaining one pushed off the top of the chest he leaned against before opening it, revealing Law within. The boy trembled as the figure stared at him, only for the latter to nod decisively before shrinking to the size of a child and turning his attention to Rosinante.
"Apart from the Amber Lead Syndrome, nothing appears to be wrong with Law right now. He'll need more protection from the cold as soon as we can manage it, but right now you're the one in more danger."
His voice was as childlike as his size, but the impression that left vanished when the small doctor reached into a bag he carried and began cleaning and bandaging Rosinante's wounds with the skill and speed of a professional. With that, the Marine finally managed to get his thoughts together. And contrary to what he thought when they explained why they were there, the first thing he said was not inquiring about who they were:
"Let me give him my coat, the bandages will be enough to keep me warm."
Doflamingo picked himself up out of the snow and looked at the black figure that was approaching him. He forced his typical smile on his face as he got to his feet; he was facing down a group of people who had claimed to be his bloodline's mortal enemies, who had come out of nowhere and had just demonstrated a ridiculous amount of strength that, even if he wasn't flinching out of shock, he probably wouldn't have been able to do more than parry.
If he was being honest, he was scared out of his mind. But his pride refused to yield to fear.
"D? You really think that that name means anything—?"
"Yes, I do. You really have no idea how screwed you are, Doflamingo."
"Yeah? Why don't you enlighten me?" the pirate captain said, grinning his typical grin and preparing a handful of strings, his mind desperately denying the man's words.
The figure reached into his cloak and pulled out…a cigarette. Doflamingo's smirk and tension faltered somewhat as the figure tossed back his hood, revealing a blond-haired man with a very curly eyebrow, and puffed out a cloud of smoke. Then he replied.
"Have it your way. Fourteen years from now, my crew had the good luck of saving an old man who had a Devil Fruit with the power of time, and he let us use his powers to set right something from the past. You see, young Trafalgar Law grew up to be a very successful pirate captain. He and my captain formed an alliance when they entered the New World, and they became good friends. But why wouldn't they? After all…they both bear the name of D."
Doflamingo's eyes widened even more, and his grimace returned. Still, he didn't move to attack yet, wanting to hear more of what the figure had to say.
"Law stayed our ally, and even though he never joined our crew, we learned enough about his past. How your brother Corazon found and fed him the Op-Op Fruit to save him. How you killed Corazon when you found out that he was a Marine. How Law spent the next thirteen years thinking of nothing but killing you in retaliation for taking the most important person in his life. I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I decided to come back here so the crew of the Pirate King could fight against the Donquixote Pirates for the second time. We beat your crew when you had thirteen more years to grow stronger."
The man then began spinning in the snow, and Doflamingo summoned all of the strings that he could. The man stopped spinning and lifted one of his legs, which was glowing like fire.
"Bottom line, Doflamingo? We're here to save Corazon and Law…and kill you."
The man leaped forward, and Doflamingo brought up his strings in a desperate attempt to attack and defend.
At the coast of Minion Island, a giant flamingo with sunglasses swam on the water's surface...or so it appeared from a distance. Closer inspection revealed it to be a ship, the Donquixote Pirates' Jolly Roger on the main mast, and two people standing guard on the deck. One was an attractive woman with blonde and orange hair, slim and ready with a rifle in her hands. The other was a handsome man wearing a suit, skilled in martial arts and equally poised to repel invaders. Not that either of them expected anything of the sort. Both had been waiting expectantly, their eyes locked on the island when they saw their captain's Birdcage vanish. Several minutes passed in inactivity, however; finally, the woman broke the silence.
"Senor, you don't think Corazon actually fought the captain, do you?" she asked, a trace of concern in her tone.
"Hmph. If Vergo's report was right, I wouldn't expect anything else. But I seriously doubt we have anything to worry about, Jora; Corazon is strong, sure, but he's no match for our captain, let alone our captain and everyone else on our crew at the same time."
He turned back to the island. "Still, though...I would have expected some sort of report by now; the Birdcage was probably made to keep whoever had the Op-Op Fruit from getting away, but rescinding it means that it's either already gone or already in hand. If nothing else, I'd think that Buffalo and Baby 5 would have made it back here to tell us. Maybe our captain is just too busy rejoicing at finally getting the key to—"
A loud THUD behind them interrupted his musings. Jora and he both turned to see a man carved up like a fine cut of meat...and then both of them recoiled as they recognized him.
"V-V-Vergo! What happened?! Who did this?!" Jora shrieked, looking around. Pink's eyes widened as a movement from overhead made him glance up...to see a thundercloud right above her.
"JORA—!"
That was as far as he got before lightning struck the ship with enough force to rock it, the bolt's focus being Jora herself. The woman stared blankly ahead as the lightning subsided, smoke coming out of her mouth as she fell slowly back, and hit the deck with a thud. Out cold, if not dead.
Pink glowered as his eyes fell on a cloaked figure with a strange staff standing on the other side of the deck. He surged toward it only for another, much bigger figure to appear in front of it, a fist half the size of Pink's body outstretched and ready to punch. Pink leaped back and observed the other side of the deck as the massive figure approached him, grimacing.
"Who are you?"
"We are allies of Trafalgar Law from when he became a pirate captain, sent fourteen years back in time thanks to a Devil Fruit power. I fought you once before, Senor Pink; it's your choice whether or not you believe me, but I want to tell you something about your future. We can fight afterward, if that's what you want."
Pink grimaced but remained still.
"When I met you, you always wore baby clothes and swim trunks. An accident with your wife left her in an unresponsive state, but when you wore your late son's clothes, it made her smile, and that was worth everything to you…but she died not long after that."
Pink froze as thoughts of his wife and son came to mind.
"…What are their names?" he asked, desperately hoping for the wrong answer.
"Russian and Gimlet," the man replied promptly.
"…What happened to them?" Pink asked quietly.
"Your son died while you were away. Your wife was devastated, and that was pretty much the end of your relationship."
Pink bowed his head, his eyes tearing up some before he looked back at the strange man.
"…And why are you telling me this?"
"The other members of our crew are still on the island. Doflamingo dies today, and the rest of the crew is going to be arrested. You have a family to live for. You have a future outside of this crew. That's why I'm offering you the chance to escape it, and rejoin your family. Will you accept it, or try to fight?"
Senor Pink's expression was unreadable. He took in the sights of his crewmates, sighed, and closed his eyes; his loyalties warred with each other, but he could see quite plainly that fighting these strangers would be suicidal. And even if this man was lying, the fact remained that he had a chance to escape never seeing Russian again…
"…What do I need to do?"
The frigid temperatures in which they fought offered Doflamingo no relief; he was sweating profusely as he unleashed every ounce of his power against the flaming man, who parried and dodged every blow with incredible speed and agility. He had yet to launch an attack after the initial kick, and Doflamingo was moving madly, using every bit of his abilities to attempt to kill the man. Every parry only infuriated him more, and as Doflamingo felt the slightest touch of fatigue coming upon him, his panic began to intensify.
"Wow. I knew you were going to be weaker before thirteen years of honing your skills, but this is pathetic; you're tired already?"
"SHUT UP!" Doflamingo roared, leaping back. Pouring all of the energy he could muster into his powers, he unleashed a construct reminiscent of the Birdcage from his hands, countless strings coalescing in his palms before splitting apart and spider-webbing out. Doflamingo felt a modicum of calm cool his rage as the man actually looked unnerved. The man moved forward, attempting to attack him again, and Doflamingo kept the birdcage focused on pursuing him while he dodged kick after kick, using every bit of energy he had left.
"I guess…I shouldn't have…underestimated you…" the man grumbled, dodging through countless strings in a way that made it clear he was a master of Observation.
"Insolent commoner, it serves you right; I possess the bloodline of royalty, and you dared to look down on—"
That was as far as he got before the man caught him off guard again, jumping into the air and then jumping on the air, dancing through the sky before diving towards him, slipping through the strings and landing a kick directly in his solar plexus. The former noble flew back, impacting the snow, and his strings dissolved as he lost his focus, enabling the man to approach him. Doflamingo got to his feet again, glowering at the mark left on his chest, burned into his flesh like the brands of the slaves he had had so long ago.
"It looks like my kick was a little too spicy for you. Well, I'm satisfied with leaving a mark like that on you. No more playing around, Doflamingo. Captain, you're up."
The man vanished, and at the same instant, another hooded figure appeared in his place. Doflamingo sneered at him, mustering every bit of nerve he had left to stay defiant.
"So, you're the captain? You're the D? You're the one who wants to kill me for being the descendant of this world's creators?"
"Not really. I hate the World Nobles, but what happened way back then doesn't mean much to me. Sanji just said that because he knew that it would scare you," the man replied nonchalantly. Doflamingo's anger flared.
"That lying bastard—"
"Oh, no, he wasn't lying," the man said, removing his hood to show a young man with black hair, a small scar under one eye, and a face that would normally be hard to find threatening. Doflamingo, however, faced a pair of ferocious eyes that held cold fury within.
"Monkey D. Luffy, Pirate King. And like Sanji told you, I'm not going to kill you because of ancient history. I'm going to kill you because of what you did to Corazon, Trafalguy, and everyone on Dressrosa."
The man's face reddened, and then blackened, and then burst into flames along with the rest of his body. Doflamingo hardly had a second to react—or to think about how killing him for a future event rather than a past one made even less sense—before the man flew forward, his fists multiplying and severing the strings Doflamingo put in his path.
Every string he formed shattered as it struck the monstrous man before him, leaving him unable to do a thing as the D's fists and feet pummeled every square inch of his body. Doflamingo used all of the Haki, all of the strings, and all of the strength he had in an attempt to gain a slight advantage over him. But it was clear that this man was Roger's successor for a reason; after a minute, if that, the former noble's body refused to stand anymore. As he fell, the man turned his back.
"That was for my friends," he said coldly.
As Luffy began walking away, Doflamingo's breath came in staggered huffs as he tried to fuel his body with air. Even so, he felt the damage to his organs, his body too burned and fatigued to mend itself, and his blood slowly cooling in the icy weather. His mind grudgingly accepted the truth of the situation.
So, this is how it ends…even now, after losing all of the rights my lineage gave me, D is the bane of my existence…but…
"…Pirate King…tell me," he managed, and the Pirate King turned back, looking at him emotionlessly.
"…You said…you hate the Nobles…with all the power…you have…an admiral would…be no threat…what happened…what did you do…to the World Nobles…in your time?" he asked whisperingly.
"They got what they deserved, every last one of them," Luffy responded venomously. As memories of his childhood lynching melded with the faces of the people he hated most, Doflamingo couldn't help but grin, and he started laughing.
"S…serves…those…bastards…right…"
His laughter slowly came to a choking halt, and as it was with his brother in another time, his final act served as the ultimate display of irony for his lineage.
Donquixote Doflamingo died smiling.
Rosinante now resembled nothing so much as a mummy with make-up, the young Law wearing his coat and clinging to him, sobbing with relief. The doctor had made short work of his injuries, and before he was finished, the other figures approached them again, each with a defeated member of the Donquixote Pirates.
Diamante's steel clothing had been shattered like glass, and several shards were embedded in his skin.
Pica's body was slashed from shoulder to hip, ice erupting from the gash.
Trebol, stripped of his mucus cloak, appeared even more emaciated than was normal.
Gladius' limbs had been subjected to a literally twisted attempt at the artwork and seemed unlikely to move effectively again.
Machvise had slashes and, strangely, green bite marks all over his body.
Lao G's form was charred and smoking, but it was difficult to tell if it was from electricity or something more explosive.
And finally, the strange crew's captain came back towards them, his hood down to reveal his face and Doflamingo's lifeless body on his shoulder. Rosinante closed his eyes, but felt little regret; nothing short of death could have broken through Doflamingo's pride. Three of the figures were nowhere to be seen, but the other six refocused on the two of them as their captain approached; all still had their hoods up save for one man with blond hair covering one of his eyes, a small goatee, and a very curly eyebrow. Young Law looked with relief at the figures, though he too seemed unnerved. Finally, one of the figures broke the silence.
"So, you're Trafalgar Law and Corazon, right?"
Rosinante looked at the speaker and sighed.
"…Please don't call me that; my name is Rosinante. And who are you?"
"The Straw Hat Pirates. You haven't heard of us," said the swordsman.
It wasn't a question, and both Law and Rosinante stared at them.
"You're right. And considering that you just slaughtered the Donquixote Pirates, that disturbs me. How have you gone without getting noticed with how powerful you are?"
"Easy: we've only existed for the last twenty minutes or so. Our crew isn't going to form for another eleven years," said the captain.
The two-man audience continued to stare, now looking a bit more deadpan, and the blond man sighed, and turned his eye on Law.
"All right, I'll be more specific: we came here from the future thanks to an old man's Devil Fruit powers. In our time, nobody was here to save Cora—Rosinante from dying. You managed to get away alive, and swore vengeance on Doflamingo for killing the one who saved your life. You formed the Heart Pirates and became one of the most notorious pirates of the era, known to everyone as the Surgeon of Death. Our crew and yours formed into an alliance when we entered the New World, and through that, Doflamingo's criminal empire that he spent over a decade building was destroyed in a single day, and he was arrested. Our crews remained allies to the end, which is why we came back here. Law, your future is back in your hands; once you've gotten control of your abilities and removed the Amber Lead from your body, you'll be free to live your life however you choose."
Law looked at them with scrutiny.
"What are you getting out of this?" he asked.
"A chance to help a friend go through a better past. What more reason would we need?" said the blond man.
Rosinante looked at him with more respect.
"You're no ordinary pirates."
"And proud of it. Now, let's get back to your ship; the rest of our crew should be finished by now."
"Jinbe, you carry Cor—Rosinante and Law," said the doctor. Rosinante had no time to object before one of the larger figures complied, and the next thing he knew he was moving at an absurd speed. The bandages mercifully muffled the wind chill, but for the life of him, he couldn't comprehend where they were going. The rushing lasted for a minute or so before he opened his eyes to find himself on the deck of the Donquixote Pirates' ship. The other three figures were there already, and he saw Vergo and Jora both lying passed out on the deck, severely injured. Senor Pink, however, stood a ways off, watching the interactions in plain sight and doing nothing.
"So, Pink agreed, Franky?" asked the blond man.
"Yeah. Now, all we have to do is make sure that we find a way out of this for them before our time is up. Any ideas?" asked another man, with blue hair in a buzzcut and a nose that looked to be made out of metal.
Silence fell for a few moments while the man contemplated, during which Rosinante looked around at the other figures, their hoods now down. The two others on the ship were a young woman with long orange hair and a young man with green hair and one eye apparently missing. The one who had brought them there was a fishman with blue skin and two fangs protruding from his mouth. The captain, a young man with black hair and a small scar under one eye, had almost a carefree look about him now, but Rosinante didn't forget that he was the one who killed Doflamingo.
The others were assorted in normalcy: a woman with black hair and a calm countenance, a long-nosed young man that was looking around the ship, perhaps for potential enemies, a furry creature with antlers that was keeping his eyes on them—the doctor, he realized—and a...Rosinante rubbed his eyes and looked again. Yes, that was a skeleton with a black afro. Interesting.
"Hey, Sanji! I see a Marine ship coming this way; it'll be here in about twenty minutes at this pace," called the long-nosed man, staring into the distance.
The blond man seemed to concentrate for a moment, and then his visible eye widened. "It's Tsuru. That'll work. All right, prepare to set sail!"
The Straw Hats' casual lounging ceased at that moment, and they moved to their positions quickly. The orange-haired woman sighed happily.
"Oh, it's such a nice break to navigate in one of the Blues instead of the Grand Line. Usopp, what's the heading?"
"Due southwest," the long-nosed man called back.
As the crew managed to get the ship on track, Senor Pink approached Rosinante and Law. Both looked at him curiously.
"Why exactly did they spare you?" Rosinante asked.
"I have a family outside of this crew, and according to that cyborg, both are due to die because I won't be there for them. Whether or not he's telling the truth, I wouldn't be there for them if I was in prison, so I'm cutting my losses," he replied quietly.
Their conversation halted as the captain of the crew came over, and Pink hastily backed away, not wanting to be anywhere near the man. His eyes fell on the child still hugging Rosinante.
"So, you're Trafalguy as a kid, huh?" he asked, smiling in a carefree way. Law blinked.
"Um, nobody's ever called me that, but...yeah. I don't think I got your name, though."
"Oh, sorry. I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" Luffy said, the grin growing. The blond man walked closer as he heard that.
"Yeah, we sort of skipped over the introductions, didn't we? I'm Sanji," he said.
"Tony Tony Chopper," piped up the doctor.
"Roronoa Zoro," said the swordsman, resting against one of the sides of the ship.
"Usopp," said the long-nosed man, still looking ahead towards the ship that only he could see.
"Nami," said the apparent navigator, almost lazily checking their course.
"Franky," said the man with the buzz cut.
"Nico Robin," said the black-haired woman.
"Jinbe," said the fishman.
"Brook," said the skeleton.
Rosinante and Law both took that in.
"How—?" the Marine began.
"Chopper is a reindeer that ate the Human-Human Fruit, Brook returned to life after his body had decayed away thanks to the Revive-Revive Fruit, and Jinbe is a whale shark fishman," Robin stated. "Any other questions?
Rosinante blinked at the prompt response, but then shook his head and looked back at her. "One: are you the same Nico Robin that survived the destruction of Ohara?"
Robin's eyes narrowed. "I am. But the reports of my past have been greatly exaggerated."
She came to stand directly next to the two of them, and Rosinante swallowed.
"The truth behind Ohara is much the same as the truth behind Flevance," she stated. Law looked up at her with awe and horror.
"You...what do you mean?" the boy asked.
"Ohara and Flevance both made the World Government panic, resulting in the country's destruction. The scholars of Ohara only sought knowledge...but I suppose that you of all people know how dangerous that is," Robin stated, looking back at Rosinante. The Marine's eyes widened and then closed as he sighed.
"...The Blank Century...what exactly are you saying?"
"I'm saying that due to the fact that Ohara's scholars learned how to read the Poneglyphs and learned too much about the Void Century, and only because of that knowledge, the World Government destroyed the island with a Buster Call. One of the Vice Admirals who led the attack, Sakazuki, destroyed the evacuation ship for everyone who wasn't a scholar, unwilling to take the slightest risk that a scholar could escape. I, the youngest and newest of the scholars, was the only survivor, and that was only because Vice Admiral Kuzan, horrified from the display of Absolute Justice, rescued me. But my picture still ended up on a wanted poster, with lies following me that I wanted to destroy the world, and had destroyed six battleships with my powers."
Law looked disgusted, and Rosinante only slightly less than that; he was less willing to believe it immediately, but not much considering both the fact that these pirates had saved his life and Law's and the fact that the World Government had been that ruthless with Flevance.
"...I will see what I can do to correct this. I don't know how much I can do, but I'll do what I can," Rosinante said firmly.
"Shishishishi! You're a nice guy, Rosie!" Luffy chuckled.
"...What did you just call me?" Rosinante said, his face red with embarrassment.
"Rosie? I like it," Law said, smiling. The former pirate sighed, and several of the pirates onboard laughed; even Pink snickered.
"So, how did we meet?" Law asked the captain.
"We fought together against some Marines on Sabaody, then you saved my life at Marineford in the middle of a war between the Marines and Whitebeard. Then we—"
"Wait, wait, what was that?" Rosinante asked incredulously.
"A pirate captured one of the Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders and turned him over to the World Government to become a Warlord. They decided to execute him...meaning that they declared war on Whitebeard. The costs outweighed the benefits for both sides in the end," Sanji said solemnly.
Rosinante looked at the crew, all of whom had dark looks on their faces.
"...You were there?"
"I was," Luffy said quietly. "The commander that they executed...was my big brother. I almost saved him."
"...Why didn't you go back in time to save him instead of us?" Law asked, albeit hesitantly.
"Oh, we did," Nami said. "The old man who let us use his powers let each of us choose one time period to go back to. Luffy's was first, but it's not changing anything in the future we come from."
"Still, it was worth it to be able to save Ace," Luffy said, smiling again. Law took that in, and made a note of that in his mind; he knew already that he'd have to pay Luffy back in this time one day. Now he knew a perfect way.
"I'm sorry. Um...what were you saying before, after the whole thing with the war?"
"Oh, yeah. You and I formed into a pirate alliance when I came into the New World. We took down Mingo and three of the Emperors together."
Law and Rosinante's eyes bulged. "THREE EMPERORS?"
The following explanation lasted for several minutes, during which Law found himself almost unconsciously warming up to the crew around him. Rosinante was fully unconscious of it, hearing the feats that the crew and Law got up to in another time. Hearing that Law had called his crew the Heart Pirates and had a Jolly Roger akin to Doflamingo's was humbling for him, and he reaffirmed that he would stay with Law from then on, whatever he chose. As the tale of their adventures with Law drew to a close, they began talking about when their crew formed and had just reached the culmination of their time in the East Blue when Usopp brought the conversation to an abrupt end.
"Ship ahoy! I'll prepare the signal," he shouted. Luffy's expression darkened slightly, and he replaced his hood.
"Rosie, you'll need to explain this to Tsuru. But don't tell her anything about who we are, not even our names."
Rosinante nodded slowly and got to his feet. He paused, and then looked back at the captain.
"In the event that I need another Marine's help to make things that you told me right, is there anyone that I can trust?"
Luffy was silent for a moment.
"...If you have to, talk to Vice Admiral Garp. If anyone high up in the Marines would be willing to bend the rules for what's right, it would be him."
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Donquixote Pirates are sailing straight towards us!"
The vice admiral raised her eyebrows as she heard the report, and approached the edge of the ship to see the iconic flamingo. She frowned slightly and prepared to give the order to fire. Before the words left her mouth, however, a light shot from the other boat, exploding in the air to form a signal that she recognized. Her eyes widened slightly, and she turned back to her crew.
"Hold your fire and continue our course towards them. Drop anchor when we come beside them."
The crew complied, and Tsuru watched with stoic silence as the ship drew closer. As she came up alongside them, she found herself faced with a very unexpected sight. Rosinante stood nearest the ship's side, heavily injured and bandaged. Beside him was a young boy with white patches on his skin, looking fatigued and wearing Rosinante's fur jacket. Behind them were the Donquixote Pirates, ten out of the eleven of them knocked out or dead, alongside an equally unconscious figure in a Marine outfit. Behind them were ten figures in black outfits that obscured their entire bodies. She blinked once, then twice. Then she spoke.
"Commander Rosinante, explain this."
The man bowed slightly, gripping his midsection and wincing as he did so, and spoke.
"When Doflamingo learned that I had taken the Op-Op Fruit, he deployed his Birdcage technique, and then he and his crew confronted me. He planned on killing me, but the cloaked crew you see behind me saved us. Doflamingo is dead, and the remainder of his crew, save for Senor Pink, is subdued and ready for arrest, including the Marine mole Vergo. I request leniency, however, for the three children who are part of the crew, in hopes that they will be able to turn away from piracy willingly."
Tsuru raised an eyebrow, almost absentmindedly gesturing some of her subordinates to board and restrain the pirates.
"Leaving aside the strangeness of this crew for the moment, why are you excluding that man from the rest of the pirates?"
The man in question spoke in a subdued voice.
"I have a wife and child on another island. This crew…they offered to spare me so that I could return to them if I foreswore my loyalty to the Donquixote Pirates. I didn't have much choice in the end, as you can see; all I want now is to return to my family."
Tsuru looked at the man with scrutiny, and then glanced at Rosinante.
"You can trust him, Vice Admiral Tsuru. He keeps his word."
The woman exhaled.
"You're lucky that Sengoku himself trusts you, Rosinante. So be it; with your current assignment completed, you'll be a probation officer for him until further notice. And what of the boy?" she added, glancing at the child, who moved slightly closer to Rosinante.
"This is Trafalgar Law. I've been trying to cure him of a fatal illness he contracted but didn't make any headway until now, when I managed to get the Op-Op Fruit. He's already eaten it."
Tsuru looked at the man with scrutiny for a few seconds more before turning her gaze on Law.
"And what do you intend to do, young man, once you've cured yourself?"
Law shrugged.
"I don't know; I've spent the last few years with the Donquixote Pirates, thinking I'd die before I could make anything of my life. I do plan on being a doctor, though," he said.
"And your family?"
"Gone," he spat. "Rosie is all I have now."
Tsuru brought a hand to her mouth to hide her amusement at the nickname, and she heard several of her crew stifle laughter behind her, as well as several on the other boat. She looked back at Rosinante again, and upon seeing the determined look in his eyes behind the blush, she sighed.
"Very well, I'll leave him to your care, Rosinante. Now…who are all of you?" she asked, turning her gaze towards the cloaked figures.
"We came here to destroy the Donquixote Pirates. That's all that you need to know," said one of the figures, a male by his voice, only to receive a kick upside the head from another one.
"Show some respect, Mosshead!"
The other figure was halfway through drawing his swords before he sighed.
"Fine, it's your choice how this whole thing goes, Dartboard. But do you really think it's a good idea to spill our guts to her?"
"You know damn well that even now, she's about as trustworthy as a Marine can get. We're just lucky that it wasn't a bastard like Sakazuki that showed up," the other man replied, and Tsuru cut in.
"From your conversation, you're not Marines. What are you, then? Part of a Cipher Police unit?"
"Hell no," spat one of the bigger figures.
"We're pirates," said the kicking man. All of the Marines aboard tensed and readied their weapons as they heard that, and Tsuru crossed her arms.
"Pirates, hmm? You don't seem particularly hostile; what are your intentions?"
"Like we said, we're only here to take out the Donquixote Pirates and save Law and Rosinante. We have no other purpose here."
Tsuru tapped her fingers on one arm, clearly expecting elaboration. Another figure, a female by her voice, sighed and spoke.
"We're from the future, sent back here thanks to a Devil Fruit power from an old man we met. Long story short, in our time Rosinante was killed, Doflamingo became a nightmare, and Law swore revenge. He became a pirate captain, and eventually, he sought an alliance with our crew to take down Doflamingo. We succeeded."
Tsuru blinked, a bit taken aback by the information. She spared Law another glance, but shook off thoughts of what would have been; he was under Rosinante's wing now, she had nothing to worry about.
"I see. It would seem that you have succeeded in your mission, then. So…now what? I'm not sure I'm entirely willing to let a group of ridiculously powerful pirates go free."
"You don't really have any say in the matter; you may be powerful, but you're not Garp or Sengoku, and no other Marine is in our league," said another female figure. Tsuru's eyes widened as the implication sunk in.
"But any fighting between us would be a waste of time even if we weren't out of your league; the power that sent us here will remain in effect for no longer than another half hour. We'll be gone as soon as that time expires, and you'll never see us again until our crew forms in this time, which is over a decade away," she continued.
Tsuru felt herself relax at hearing that.
"I will admit that that's reassuring. Even so, if you don't have anything else to take care of in this time period, then I'll have to insist on you spending the remainder of it here," Tsuru replied.
"Fair enough. So, where's your kitchen? I'd like to whip something up for this cold weather," asked the kicking man, so casually that most of the Marines onboard looked at him as though he were insane.
"Yes, everyone, he is. We all are. You'd be better off adjusting to it now," said the first female tiredly.
Despite Sanji's food and Brook's music being of a quality that made even Tsuru smile, the atmosphere on the ship didn't quite make it to that of a party. Tsuru's Marines weren't exactly willing to relax in the presence of pirates that were intimidating enough to make her hesitate to fight them, and likewise, despite their confidence in their abilities, the mysterious pirates showed no desire to provoke Tsuru themselves, and the fact that they refused to remove their hoods to show their faces even now made it clear that they weren't prepared to relax either.
That said, it was far from unpleasant; Tsuru's crew let their guards down enough to enjoy the atmosphere, and the fact that the Donquixote Pirates were no longer anything to worry about was welcome news in any case. Rosinante, Law, and Pink were off to one side of the ship, enjoying their meals from a distance. Once the dessert course was served, Sanji lingered beside them.
"So, what do you think is next for you guys?"
Rosinante and Law looked back up at the hooded face, but Pink responded before they could.
"Did you really come back here to save me along with Cor—Rosinante and Law?"
"I never even met you, Pink; Franky was the one who fought you this time and last time, and he was the one who wanted to give you a chance," Sanji replied neutrally.
Pink nodded, still not looking at Sanji.
"…Are you going to be OK?"
"…Franky told me that my son died while I was away. I must not have told him what caused it, because he couldn't tell me. I'm worried; sure, I have a family to go back to now, but what if things go wrong again? I'll have nothing left," he said quietly.
"We're still here, Senor," Law spoke up. "Rosie and I. We all have things to get through now that Doflamingo is dead."
Rosinante suppressed a sigh, having given up for the time being on trying to make Law drop that nickname. His gaze turned also to Pink, however.
"Law is right. We were family in the crew. We can still be family if you want to," he said, extending a hand. Pink regarded it for a moment before giving a slight smile and taking it.
"I suppose I've got nothing to lose," he said. With that, Law turned to Sanji.
"I forgot to ask earlier; what was I like when I was older?"
"Hmm…youthful, fit, usually smiling, often without showing much emotion…up until you wound up allying with us. Spend too much time with the Straw Hat Pirates, and even the most stoic of people find that they're not so above it all."
Law raised an eyebrow.
"Besides that, you were captain of your own ship, a submarine that had top-of-the-line medical equipment, with a crew of 20 following you. I think you were due to meet your first crewmate a little after setting out alone, a bear named Bepo from the island of Zo."
That piqued Law's interest, as well as Rosinante's and Pink's.
"Zo? How did he ever get one of those savage minks to follow him?"
"I'm not sure I ever got that story; I was busy dealing with ghosts from my past at the time—"
"On Swallow Island, right after Corazon's death, Law wandered into a town and beat up a couple of delinquents that were beating up Bepo," Franky cut in from nearby. "All three joined him, impressed by his strength."
"...Huh," Sanji stated. "Well, looks like you'll be meeting your new friends sooner than later. But bottom line? You were just as successful and skilled a pirate as you were a doctor, though surgery was always your strong suit."
Law nodded, a small smile on his face.
"Sanji, was it? Enlighten me: why exactly did you come to save me? You just glossed over it earlier," Rosinante asked.
"…When I was a kid, I wound up in a shipwreck. The only person who survived with me was an old pirate captain, who went out of his way to save my life from and keep me alive until we were rescued; he even gave up his leg for me. The old man and I had a love-hate relationship, but he made me who I am today. You had just as much of an effect on Law, so besides the fact that we hated Doflamingo, I thought it would make a good difference if Law actually had someone he could call a father."
Rosinante flushed slightly but nodded. "Thank you."
Sanji nodded, and then spun off to serve second desserts to the ladies of both of the crews.
Tsuru sat a distance away from the others, next to a hooded Nami and Robin.
"My, my. Your crew seems like quite the easygoing bunch," Tsuru remarked, actually chuckling despite herself.
"We always have been. I always hated pirates before I found this crew, but the captain made an impression on me; it's amazing how being with these guys can just make all of your worries wash away," Nami said fondly.
"I can support that also; I had two decades' worth of pain and distrust when I came to this crew, and it took less than two months for me to all but forget it."
Tsuru hmmed.
"I was more referring to the ease with which you're relaxing among a crew of Marines, even if you do outclass us."
"Honestly, the Marines made themselves our enemies," Nami said. "Up until our captain got his bounty, the only Marines he ever attacked were corrupt, and even after that, we were never the ones to start the conflict unless you count the fact that we existed."
She turned to face Tsuru, though her face remained hidden.
"Honestly, I'm surprised that the Marines don't have some kind of tolerance policy for pirates who are more interested in adventure and freedom than gold and plundering."
"It's too bad we don't fall into that category, or at least you don't," Robin remarked.
"Hey! I only stole treasure when nobody claimed it or it belonged to other pirates!" Nami objected. Tsuru chuckled again, drawing their attention.
"I will admit that I've seen many pirate crews in my lifetime that would be much more valuable if we formed truces with them, beyond the Warlord contract. Unfortunately, my superiors have a zero-tolerance policy against pirates, with Warlords and, to a lesser extent, Emperors being the only exceptions."
"Hmm. I can't really understand why; even among the Emperors, there's not one who stands a chance of both making it to Raftel and discovering all of the secrets there, and not merely because they either have no interest in or no chance of claiming the throne," Robin said.
Tsuru looked scrutinizingly at the woman.
"You say that as though you've discovered the secret yourself."
"We have, and it was within your lifetime. And when all was said, done, and revealed…you were one of those who chose to ally against the Government. You're one of the truly good Marines, who will come in increasingly short supply over the next several years. I suggest that you pay particular attention to the one named Sakazuki."
Tsuru's expression was unreadable as she stared back at the women beside her. Her gaze shifted to Rosinante.
"I was under the impression that you came here to save Rosinante's life, and nothing more."
"That was our initial intention, but if you had knowledge of how to improve things and had a full hour in the past to do so, would you refrain from taking every opportunity?" Robin asked quietly.
"You have a point," Tsuru replied with equal softness. Her eyes narrowed as she refocused on Robin.
"Are you certain that you will never return to this time period?"
"Barring the unlikely but possible chance of us running into the Devil Fruit user who sent us here again and hearing that we could help by coming back, no, we will not return."
Tsuru nodded as she got to her feet, walking into the depths of the ship without another word. Many stared after her, wondering exactly what she planned on doing. Such was a question that the Straw Hats would never know the answer to, as they began to shine the next moment.
"Time to go already? My, how time flies," Brook remarked. The ten of them gathered together and faced Law and Rosinante once more.
"We knew you as a friend, and one of the best pirates we ever met, either way you interpret the word. But your future is in your hands now, Law; you're free to be whatever you choose to be. But whatever you do, never forget who your friends are…and never forget who you are," Sanji said.
Law nodded firmly, and Rosinante and Pink spoke in unison.
"Thank you for saving me."
They exchanged glances, but the future crew nodded in unison. And with that, the light went out, and the pirates with it.
Whether or not Tsuru actually allies with them when the inevitable war comes near the series end, I don't know, but I find it to be a likely outcome; she strikes me as one of the decent Marines. That said, I sincerely hope that this chapter was worth the wait.
What I stated about the Emperors not wanting to find One Piece...well, we know that Whitebeard just wanted a family, Shanks has already been to Raftel, and Kaido seems to have no interest in the world in general if his introduction is any indication. Big Mom is the only one that hasn't given any indication that she doesn't want to claim One Piece, and even in her case, I think she's content as she is now.
One more thing before I end this off, towards those of you who have inquired again about me continuing these storylines as they are. Allow me to reiterate what I said before: I consider my skills insufficient to do justice to such storylines, and consequently, I sincerely hope that one with more talent than I expresses a desire to continue one of them. A couple of people have already done so, though they're presently occupied with other projects. Even so, I compare my work to such examples of greatness in the One Piece fandom as those done by Xomniac, The-Lost-Samurai, F-ckthesystem125, DuncanIdaho2014, serpentguy, HeroR, Pizza yum, X-Chick303 and, of course, The-Victor. And I see a chasm in talent that I cannot yet cross. Unless and until that time comes, therefore, I must leave the option of continuing these tales open to those on the other side.
I believe that's all for now. As always, thanks to my beta, lunanime. If you have time, PLEASE leave a review; I thrive on constructive criticism. I'm reasonably certain that Robin's chapter will not take nearly as long to write, but we shall see what happens; in the event that it takes longer than anticipated, may we always remember that Patience is a virtue.