Zoro was not having the best of days. Normally he would be fine wandering around on his own, but now he had a captain he could already tell was childish. If he had learned anything while traveling alone it was that the childish people are either really stupid or really smart. In either case, those kinds of people always attract trouble. For some reason, he had the feeling that his captain was all of the above. He didn't know it was possible, but he wasn't about to question it.
No, he wouldn't question it because that was a lot of work. What he was gonna question, though, was how the hell he'd lost track of Luffy. Seriously! One second he was chasing after that orange haired witch with Luffy right behind him, the next he's wandering around everywhere because the idiot in the straw hat had gone and gotten himself lost!
"This kid is gonna be the death of me." the green haired man grumbled to himself. Though a smile quickly overtook his face, "I wouldn't have it any other way." And so, he continued to search the island for his captain. When he finally found him, though, he was a bit pissed off. "You have got to be kidding me." In the back of his mind, Zoro found a bit of regret in his choice of captain.
Luffy wasn't sure whether to be relieved that the plan was the same as last time or not. It was good that it was the same because that meant that he kinda knew what to do and say. He also knew what would happen and how to react accordingly. On the other hand, when he told Nami that he and Zoro were pirates, she had become noticeably more hostile towards him and he didn't know what she would do after they got out onto the open ocean. He just hoped that she didn't try to leave before the month was over. Or drown him. Drowning would be a big inconvenience to the plan. A small voice in the back of his head said otherwise, but he ignored it.
Putting everything aside, he remembered just how much he disliked being in this cage. He disliked this Buggy and his crew even more, though. Buggy had been and always will be a bit annoying, but he will get stronger and more helpful in the future…kinda. Not that he would ever further entertain that thought, let alone say it aloud. No, he didn't need the man's ego any bigger than it already was. Seriously, did this man have any shame?
He pulled himself out of his mind when he registered the sound of fighting. Nami - despite her obvious and unbridled dislike for the straw hatted captain - was fighting off Buggy's grunts in order to protect him. He found the gesture sweet and couldn't help his small smile. Though, the fuse on the cannon had been lit and was getting a bit short. Luffy knew he could take a few normal cannon balls to the gut at such a close range, but he was rubber, not immune to explosions, fire or magma. And if memory serves correctly - which it did - Buggy Balls ended with a massive explosion. Yes, he knew that Zoro would be here soon, but that didn't stop the small bit of anxiety that fell over him. So, he called out, "Nami, I hate to rush you, but the fuse is getting a bit short!"
"I'm working on it!" the woman shouted back. God, boys can be so impatient!
"You've got to be kidding me." Luffy heard the whisper and could tell immediately that it was Zoro. He smiled.
"Zoro!" he called when his first mate came into view. He watched his two crewmates - although one wasn't technically a part of his crew yet - fight to save him and his smile only grew bigger. He laughed a bit when Zoro flipped the cannon on the offending crew. When the cannon finally fired, everyone closed their eyes. Luffy felt himself and his cage get lifted, and he heard two pairs of feet. Soon, he realized that he was being moved very quickly.
While he, too, was affected by the flash of light, Luffy knew where he was being taken. It might not be the same place as before - though he knew it probably was - he knew it would be a temporary safe spot. He debated on whether or not he wanted to get out of the cage himself or if he was going to let that weird lion he remembered attempt to kill him. The thought of the dog at the pet shop made him quickly decide to let everything play out as it had. He didn't want to change this interaction too much. Though, maybe he'd not taunt the dog.
When they could finally see again, the trio found themselves far away from where Buggy and his crew were. Upon closer inspection, they found that they had stopped in front of a pet shop of sorts like last time. What they didn't understand, though, was why there was a dog sitting in the middle of the road, seemingly glaring at them with a dare to come closer. Well, Luffy knew and understood, but he wasn't going to say anything. That would spoil the fun!
Zoro, deciding he'd finished holding an iron cage on his shoulder, dropped the cage and Luffy on the ground. He didn't really consider the fact that his captain could've gotten hurt. After all, the boy - for he couldn't be eighteen yet - was obviously not human, so blunt attacks shouldn't work on him. Luffy would take offense to that. He is human! He's just rubber.
Nami, on the other hand, was shocked that the green haired swordsman could carry an iron cage on his shoulder and not be out of breath in the slightest. When she got over the shock of that, she was then thrown into another bout of disbelief at the fact that the man had dropped the cage, almost crushing the boy's arm! She didn't say anything, though. Pirates are pirates, no matter what they say in their defense, and all pirates are murderers. Is she generalizing? Yes, but that's only because she has yet to be proven wrong.
Luffy was just happy to be put down. He'd never much liked being on land or caged up, but being carried by one of his own always made him feel upset. Upon notice of the dog, however, all his negative feelings disappeared and he was filled with a giddy sort of glee as he started to try and pick the lock on his cage. He failed, seeing as he had no experience in picking locks, nor did he have the tools or patience to learn. He'd leave that skill up to one of the others to learn. Maybe he could somehow trick someone into learning it for him? Yeah, that sounded fun. He'd have to remember how to, though. He faintly recalled Robin telling him how hard - albeit fun on occasion - it was to mess with a person's mind.
"Hello, doggy!" He greeted the dog with a smile, bringing the attention of the other two to the dog.
"What in the world is a dog doing out here?" Nami asked. As far as she could tell, this place was abandoned.
"What are you doing to Chouchou!" an older man came rushing over to the trio. He came to a stop in front of the dog, his posture was that of a very good attempt at a defensive stance.
"Hey, old man!" Luffy greeted with a smile, "Why's there a dog out here?" The old man didn't answer. Instead, he stood his ground. Zoro, who noticed the old man was getting ready to attack, pulled his sword out of its sheath ever so slightly. The swordsman didn't know if this man was going to attack or not, but he wasn't going to risk being unprepared to parry a strike.
After convincing the man that they weren't there to hurt the dog, the three seafarers listened as the old man told the dog's story. By the end of it, Zoro was less obvious in his defenses, Nami was almost in tears, and Luffy was just staring at the dog. He knew what his next course of action would be, he just didn't know how to pull it off. Originally, he was just going to let this play out as it had, but he wanted to see if he could save the pet shop this time.
The old man - none of the three bothered to remember his name - walked back into the store to put the box of dog food away. When he came back out, he was surprised to see the young raven haired boy had gotten out of the cage he was in. Before he could ask, however, he was cut off by the boy in question.
"Nami, Zoro," he addressed with the authority of a captain, "I have a plan. Old man, I need you to take Chouchou to wherever you and the townspeople evacuated to."
"He won't follow-!"
"He will." Luffy cut the old man off and looked the small dog in the eye, "He will follow because he knows it's dangerous here right now." The two stared each other down for an entire minute before Chouchou relented and stood up to follow the old mayor. "Good dog!" the young captain praised.
The mayor, Zoro and Nami watched in astonishment as the dog trotted down the sidewalk the old man had appeared on. Snapping out of it, the old mayor ran to catch up with the pup, leaving the three young adults alone.
Zoro smirked. He had the feeling that his chosen captain had even more surprises up his sleeve. "So, what's this plan of yours?" he asked. He could question the weird ability later.
"I'll take care of Buggy. Zoro, I'm going to leave the rest of his crew to you. Think you can handle that?" The smirk he wore told the swordsman that he knew he could handle it. He matched it with one of his own. "Nami, I want you to go in and steal the map and anything you can get your hands on. Food and water are top priority, treasure comes after. We don't know how long we'll be at sea, so don't try to argue, please. When we're done, me and Zoro will come find you and help you out." Nami nodded at the order and got ready to run. Luffy tilted his hat down and the three were off. The navigator would deny it until the day she died, but it felt almost natural to follow Luffy's orders.
Everything had gone almost as he remembered it. Zoro fought the entirety of Buggy's crew with his only injury being a shallow, but long, cut from his left shoulder to his right hip. He wasn't bleeding too bad, but that didn't stop Luffy from worrying a bit. After all, that injury would pose a problem in the future if Uncle Hawkeye decides to accept Zoro' challenge like he did last time. Though Luffy would do his best to persuade his swordsman from fighting his uncle, he wouldn't outright stop him.
Nami had reluctantly gathered up as much food and water as she could before going to collect all of the treasure she could get her hands on. Of course, she grabbed the map of the Grand Line on her way out. It was, after all, the reason she was on that island in the first place! She had put everything she gathered in a house a bit further down the street from where Buggy and his crew had set up camp. There, she waited for the two pirates she'd been tricked into helping. In the back of her mind, she found herself asking how that kid knew about the map. She also realize she didn't actually know his name, so how did he know hers?
Luffy was quick in his fight with Buggy. He didn't make his knowledge about the man's fighting style obvious by 'playing dirty', as Franky had called his fighting style. He didn't understand how he was playing dirty, though, as this was how he had grown up fighting. In the end, he tied up Buggy with some rope and sent him flying in three different directions. His legs went North, his hands and arms went East, his head and torso went West. Luffy made sure to put Buggy's feet in a crate so that they stayed on the ground.
The three, now done with their tasks, all met up in the house Nami had stored their stolen goods in. Well, Zoro found Luffy and Luffy used his Observation Haki to get to Nami. Together, they picked up their spoils and went to the pier where they found two little boats. The bigger one had a cabin, so they decided to put the food, water and treasure in there. Nami took that boat. The boys were then left with the small boat with no cover. They didn't complain, though. It would float and they'd be safe until they could get a new, preferably a bigger, boat.
"What do you think you're doing?" Nami asked Luffy. She had found a bit of her treasure was missing and was going to look for it before they set off. That's when she found Luffy on the dock with her missing treasure. "That's mine! I stole it fair and square!"
Luffy simply dropped the bundle on the ground before turning towards her and walking to the boats. "I figured we should leave the islanders a bit of money so that they can rebuild their home." he reasoned, "Buggy blew up a few blocks of houses. Besides, you'll get more later."
Nami didn't say anything as she followed the boy back to the boats. She guessed that he had a point. The islanders would need the money to rebuild, but she needed it, too! Sighing, she pushed her boat from the dock after it had been tied to the boys'. She couldn't believe that she was helping pirates, let alone agreeing with one. On the topic, since when have pirates ever been considerate of others?! Not a single pirate she had ever encountered would even think about leaving part of their treasure behind to help someone else!
Quietly, the three sailed away from the island, following the ocean tides to the next island and their next adventure. Zoro and Nami had no idea what awaited them, but they were both excited for their own reasons. Zoro, because he was hoping to find a place where could get a good drink, and Nami, because it was another opportunity to get some more money for her cause. Luffy was just excited to see Usopp and the Going Merry for the first time again.
The group of three had left the island and Buggy's defeated crew a few days ago and Nami hadn't said a word to either of the boys after they made it out to sea, but that was to be expected. She didn't like pirates and Luffy didn't blame her for that. After all, he hates most mountain bandits because of a traumatic experience in his life. Honestly, he would've probably left her for dead if she didn't hold a grudge against pirates! Though, he would never admit any of this ever again, not even to himself. He loves his crew no matter what, but he'd never be able to keep them in his life if they didn't have empathy, sympathy or the likes.
He knew that neither of his companions were asleep, despite the silence engulfing the two small boats. Zoro was usually pretending to be asleep as to fool his foes, Nami was too distrustful of either of them to get any actual rest, and Luffy had too much on his mind to even think about sleeping. So, they all simply sat and waited. Occasionally, Zoro would shift positions, Luffy would ask for something to eat, or Nami would change their course, but that was it.
Very soon after midnight - not that either of the boys really noticed the time - Luffy spoke. His voice was soft, but he knew both of his companions would be able to hear him over the slight splash of water on the sides of their boats. Though he was only supposed to tell Zoro this information, he had told himself that he wouldn't make an effort to prevent Nami from hearing. After all, these two had been with him the longest out of all of his crew, so he had complete faith in them and what they would or would not do with this knowledge.
"I have something to tell you," he said. He didn't look away from the far horizon, though he knew he had both his first mate's and his temporarily-temporary navigator's attention.
"Is it what's been on your mind since I met you?" Zoro quirked an eyebrow but didn't open his eyes.
"Yeah." was the answer.
Nami, despite her better judgment, listened in on the conversation. She told herself that it was just to gather any information on them that she could, but the excuse sounded weak even in her head. Was she getting attached? Impossible! But that's a worry for another day.
"What I have to tell you is going to sound like a lie." the raven haired boy said, "but I need you to listen to everything I have to say before you even think about answering." Maybe it was harsh to say, but he needed to get this point across before he said another word. "Can you do that?" He heard Zoro hum in confirmation and he listened for a second to see if Nami would do anything. When he heard her shift slightly closer to the edge of her boat nearest him, he continued. "I'm from the future." His companions tensed but did not speak. "A battle started fourteen years ago my time and it quickly turned into a one sided massacre. It started when my older brother was turned over to the Marines for his bounty. Because of both the blood in his veins as well as who his captain was, he was taken to Marineford to be executed publicly. I caught wind of it and I broke into Impel Down to save him. Just before I got to him, they took him to his execution site." he shuttered and offhandedly mentioned that he had almost been killed by the Prison's Warden before breaking out with half of the prisoners. It was the largest - and only - jailbreak from that particular prison and he was proud now that he looked back on it. "I managed to literally fall right into the middle of the battlefield and I met Captain Whitebeard and his crew." Again, his companions each shifted but did not say a word. "We fought for what was probably the better part of an hour before Fleet Admiral Sengoku gave the order to kill my brother. I managed to get to him and free him from the cuffs just before the spearhead could touch him. It took a lot of convincing from myself and a few others, but we got my brother to run away. The two of us ran from the Marines, the battlefield and our grandfather so we could get to the safety of the open ocean, but then something happened." He paused for a long minute to catch his breath. It had been a very long time since he had even dared bring up these memories, but they weren't any less painful than the day he got them. "Captain Whitebeard gave his final orders to his crew. 'Now listen all you Whitebeard pirates.' he said, 'I'm gonna give you an order for the last time! You and I will part ways here. Everyone, survive and get to the New World at any cost! I am a remnant from the old times. There is no ship that can bear me into the new era. Don't look back. Because the era is changing.' Those were his final words to his crew. I remember he spoke to my brother for a final time on that battlefield, but his final words shook the entire world: 'One Piece does exist!'" Luffy stopped for a moment, tears in his eyes and pride in his voice. He hadn't known the old man for long, but the stories he had heard and the single meeting with the man had earned him a place at the top of Luffy's list. The only other people on that list was Captain Gol D. Roger, Shanks, and Dadan.
Nami and Zoro contemplated all that was being said silently. Each of them had their own apprehensions about the tale, but they both knew that this boy - or was he a man? - had no reason to lie to them. He didn't have a reason to tell them the truth, either. Though the premise of time travel was an impossible prospect in the minds of everyone, the way Luffy held himself and the emotions that seeped into his voice said that what he was saying was far from being lies.
"Whitebeard died with a smile on his face, standing as tall and as proud as he did while he was alive." Luffy sighed, "My brother was furious and upset when his captain died. So much so that no one could get him to leave the battlefield. He fought everyone who got in his way as hard as he could just to get to the man that killed the only person he saw as a father. He only stopped when he decided to get in his way." The two listeners nearly recoiled at the amount of hatred that had been poured into that one word. They didn't think this ball of sunshine was capable of channeling so much malice. "Akainu is a man who is evil beyond evil. He didn't want me or my brother to escape because he thought we should be punished because of who our parents are. 'As soon as you rescue Fire Fist Ace, you cut and run. The Whitebeard Pirates must be cowards. Whitebeard is just a loser from the old times. Gol D. Roger conquered the world and ushered in a new era by sacrificing himself. But Roger was true to his name as the Pirate King. What has Whitebeard done? He was satisfied by being a big fish in a little, family barrel. Some fools say he was keeping peace on various islands. But if you ask me, he's keeping lightweights in fear of him. Even after Roger's death, he could never become the Pirate King. He's a poor man when you think of it: roamed the sea with a fake family, couldn't become king, and was stabbed by a fool who fell for my line. I don't care if the others get away, as long as I get you two. So I'll kill him and make you watch!'" Luffy, again, stopped. Only this time it was to calm his anger. He hated that man more than he hated Blackbeard, and he hated the fact that he remembered that man's monologue word for word. He hated that he could remember that day so vividly.
"Then he attacked me. I had been fighting for my life non stop for three days without rest by that point, so I couldn't move out of the way. Just before I was hit, my brother jumped in the way and protected me." A sob threatened to break through his throat, but he didn't let it. He could cry later when his crewmates weren't looking. "Akainu's magma fist went straight through Ace's torso. He pulled back and my brother fell into my arms. 'I can't raise my voice anymore; too weak.' he told me, 'Could you tell everyone else what I'm about to say when I'm done? Pops…my family…and you, Luffy…Thank you for caring about someone like me, this good-for-nothing this world never wanted, who has such bad blood in his veins. Thank you for loving me!' And then he died." Taking deep breaths, he used his Observation Haki to 'watch' how the other two responded. He smiled slightly when neither of them spoke, waiting for him to give them permission. "I don't remember much after that. According to a friend of mine, I was carried off of the battlefield and onto his ship so he could keep me alive. I woke up on Amazon Lily again, but the next two years don't matter to this story."
Zoro waited patiently for several long minutes before he considered speaking. He could tell that his captain's tale was far from done, but he could also tell that the boy was done with sharing for the night. "Why would you tell me this?" He wasn't yet aware that the redhead in the other boat had been listening as well. "Why would you dig up something so painful to tell me?"
"Because I trust you." Luffy didn't need to say 'both' out loud. Zoro and Nami had both heard the unsaid word and locked eyes. In that moment, the green haired swordsman became aware that the female had been listening the whole time and the red haired navigator realized that Luffy had known she was listening all along.
"It's late and I'm tired!" Luffy suddenly declared, smiling like he hadn't just shared a very traumatic story, "I'll finish telling you guys the story in the morning. I'll also answer your questions! But for now, we all need to get some sleep." All of them knew, however, that none of them would get much rest.