A/N: I am almost shaking with excitement, I'm really looking forward to what you all think of this!

Please enjoy!

It was a sight to see Zoro cutting through the steel of the carts left behind, as well as injuring the Marine Captain that had been left behind as a guard. The fact that it had only been a singular marine captain left behind made me slightly more than worried.

There was a nervous energy sitting beneath my skin that had been coming and going for a few days at that point, but it had reached it's limit and was practically buzzing beneath my skin; the feeling that had been uncomfortable before was almost painful now, and far worse now then it had been before hand.

All I could tell was that something, or someone unexpected was approaching, or had been approaching or would eventually be approaching.

I couldn't explain it but something was off, and it was going to consume me if I couldn't work out what it was. It was an incredibly unsettling feeling, and whatever it happened to be, I really wanted it to go away for the time being so that I would be able to concentrate best on what we as a crew were about to do.

"Oi! Ebony, you alright?"

Zoro had been far more concerned lately, either that or I was just noticing it more. I had seen him act like this around Nami, Luffy and Chopper when they weren't in a particularly good way, or had been thinking about something heavy. It was a nice feeling that concern.

"I'll be fine, just feeling a bit jittery. Not sure why, just something doesn't feel right."

He nodded as though he completely understood what I was talking about, "Close your eyes for a bit, I'll let you know when we arrive."

I looked at him in surprise, I definitely didn't want to miss anything and that weird buzzing was telling me that if I closed my eyes then and there, that I would miss something important happening.

"I'll be alright, thank you though. Just need to get my head into the game, hopefully it's nothing."

The concern didn't go away, but he did place a hand on my shoulder as a possible means of comfort, which I wouldn't reject. I think that despite having made myself a little family here in this world, I was more than a little touch starved and wasn't ashamed to admit that I leant into the touch. Zoro seemed to realise this, and didn't let go.

"Your feelings haven't been wrong so far, and you know more of what's going on in the world than some of us. Don't downplay your instincts or feelings."

I couldn't help but shrug, knowing that it was a bit hypocritical of the man who kept his own feelings hidden beneath a veneer of stoicism, and sure I had a better understanding of how cruel this world could be at times, but the sensation didn't quite feel like a gut instinct and I mentioned that to Zoro. "Whatever it is it's keeping you alive, but if you're this worried get Chopper to check you out. He's our doctor, surely he'll have an idea if there's something wrong."

Our conversation was quiet, as others around the train were having their own to varying degrees of loudness. Luffy, who had somehow smuggled a leg of ham onboard was chowing down on that, but was still keeping an eye on the crew. He was nearest the front of the train, and had a serious expression on his face. I had no idea what could be going through his mind, but the determination was familiar.

In between bites, he was making sure that each of the crew that was present was okay, and considering my current state he was keeping an even closer eye on both myself and Zoro. Normally keen to know everything that was troubling his crew, he was apparently pleased to allow Zoro to keep doing what he was doing.

Kind of him really.

Not sure any keeping an eye on us helped all too much when the frog appeared to fight the train once more.

And Luffy couldn't help but get involved in that.

Was it just Sanji, or were these enemies particularly cowardly and weak?

The weird onion man from CP7 was just strange, and honestly, who thought that going up against a chef as basically a human sized vegetable was a good idea? And the onion man called himself a chef? More like ingredients.

Appalling and insulting.

So he put him down as hard and fast, finishing him off swiftly as Usopp took out some of the lesser goons that had suddenly appeared from a far enough distance so that neither of them would be too worried about getting inn the way of the other, or of heavy injuries being taken whilst trying to protect each other.

The reappearance of Franky after Usopp had told him the man had been kidnapped by CP9 would have shocked him if Ebony hadn't have already told them all that this whole thing would be a complete shit show, and the changes from the canon timeline wouldn't stop that process.

And for being what basically amounted to a mafia boss, he was fairly calm and collected. Looking him up and down momentarily, he couldn't help but grimace internally at the speedos the man wore. Each to their own he guessed, but it was a very, very bold choice to be wearing at the best of times, and in a battle it felt like more of a fashion choice rather than anything remotely practical. How did the man stop injuries to his legs?

Watching him throw a man as far as he did was a wonderful experience, but what came next was not.

The elimination of the once hopeful CP9 member by one of his own made his blood boil.

Nakama was to be taken very seriously, but apparently brainwashed World Government stooges hadn't taken classes on that very message, even if for the sake of loyalty.

"We should eliminate her for the sake of the people in this world."

The pigeon guy was someone that Sanji knew very well was going to get on his nerves, even if he hadn't been talking about murdering a crew member and one of the women of the crew at that.

Holding back his temper, Sanji could only say one thing. "And your point being?"

Pigeon man kept going on about the supposed crimes that Robin had committed, and whilst same of them may have sounded horrible, Sanji knew that there were much worse people out there committing similar crimes that the World Government was turning a blind eye to.

"Her very existence is a sin! Her death is the only way to bring safety and happiness to others, she has no other choice but to accept the hand that fate has dealt to her."

Sanji knew very well that he wouldn't be able to hold himself back if the man kept sprouting bullshit, and it didn't take long for Lucci to snap his patience, attacking him quickly with only minor success.

(Sanji knew that he needed to work on not telegraphing his attacks. He needed to get faster, stronger. And he needed to do it quickly. And truth be told, they all did.)

The fight didn't last long as Robin appeared, and whilst Sanji knew that she was putting on an act, it hurt a bit to see her acting so coldly, though there was a look in her eyes that said something else.

She attacked them half heartedly to the apparent delight of the pigeon man, but Usopp appeared creating a dust cloud that allowed him to scoop up the momentarily surprised woman, before the three non-idiots were able to attempt an escape.

The hope unfortunately didn't last for long, the escape having been far too easy.

"Go!"

Robin's word was whispered, but the three of them heard her loud and clear.

Thorns suddenly stood were the three of them had been seconds earlier, as Robin was being dragged back towards the agents.

Sanji knew that they could possibly be in a lot of trouble if they didn't defend themselves. These agents were trained to kill, and may have once been hiding behind genial dispositions, ones that were long gone and only the cold-blooded, heartless killers stood in front of them.

Sanji hated how familiar it all was, hated how that could have once been him.

Nico Robin came with surprisingly quietly for a woman who had been on the run for twenty odd years. Franky on the other hand was a bit of a nuisance, but one that Jesper could definitely appreciate with his insults towards Spandam and just in general.

Spandam, despite being her superior could be a complete and utter moron at times and it could be incredibly difficult to respect him when he was being baited and taking said bait from another grown man in speedos.

"WHAT?!"

Something had upset the chief, and it was something that was going to affect the rest of CP9 by the way he was looking around as though expecting to be attacked at any moment.

"How did they get past the giants?" Whatever was said on the other end of the line clearly wasn't satisfactory enough, because it sent Spandam off into other raging tangent, where he went on to threaten everything the room, and the transponder and whoever was on the other side.

"We've got to get out there!"

Jesper sighed, but there was sense of anticipation in her that she couldn't contain.

She was ever so looking forward to a fight, and with this crew she knew that's exactly what it would turn into.

The three bounties of the crew weren't exactly inconsiderable, and for a rookie crew at that, the Straw Hat pirates were going to be a formidable force in the very near future.

Jesper was going to take great joy in snipping off the rose bud before it even had a chance of flowering, and she was going to absolutely enjoy it. Especially the Crow Queen, there was something about that woman that rubbed her the wrong way. Honestly, it could have just come down to the fact that Jesper had actually failed in framing her for a crime she didn't commit, but other than that there was just something about her that made Jesper angry.

The need to see blood, to crush skulls, to devour was rising, and others in the room were beginning to sense it. Visible waves of energy had begun to pour off of Jesper's slight frame, ever darkening as thoughts of blood and mayhem filled her mind.

A hand landed on her shoulder, grip almost painfully tight.

"Reign it in changeling, reign it in."

Lucci was the only one game enough to go near her, let alone touch her whenever she got into that state, and did not let his grip loose until the visible signs of bloodlust disappeared entirely.

Jesper took a few deep breaths in, before there age receded entirely.

"Good, you'll have your fill sooner rather than later. I'm sure that the Crow Queen will want a fight with the one who framed her after all."

Jesper grinned, elongated fangs poking through as she let out a cackling bark of laughter.

Perfect.

A target to let her rage out against.

This realisation couldn't have come sooner as CP9 could hear Spandam giving the order for the Straw Hat Crew's destruction.

Time to kill.

Sabo and Ulpia hadn't spent a lot of time on the Moby Dick, but the in the time that they had spent they'd managed to have a (very) late lunch and had been given safe passage through one of the islands that was protected by Whitebeard.

They would be able to find their own way from there to a relatively nondescript island that was housing escaped slaves. Their mission there was to escort the men and women to safety, far away from Sabaody and the local slaver hideouts. Ulpia had said that she was quite happy playing bait, whilst Sabo secured passage for the people who needed it.

After the pair had come up with a plan of attack, eating was next on their priority list and they'd been very lucky to be given supplies by a very happy Haruta and Marco.

"I'm planning on taking a week off to go and visit Shanks, thank him for saving my brother."

Sabo offhandedly mentioned, taking a large bite of the onigiri that Thatch had smuggled onto the ship muttering something about a 'D-adjacent that clearly hasn't been eating enough and needs to be fed more.'

Looking up, he added, "You're more than welcome to come with me if you wanted."

Ulpia nodded, "I think I'd like that, I'm enjoying seeing this world and the political climate is fascinating. Much more interesting, and much more dangerous than the Thalmor's adepts at total domination and control."

Sabo did not want to know what the Thalmor were like, but the more comments that Ulpia dropped he could see a vague image of what life was like back in her home world.

"What is this Shanks like?"

"My brother thought the absolute world of him, would tell Ace and I all these stories. We knew that he'd saved Luffy as a little kid, and we knew that Shanks gave his arm for Luffy." Sabo shook his head, "I, at least know of him through both Luffy and what the Revs have been able to tell me, but personally? Nothing. Ace has met him, that much I know."

Ulpia nodded, "He sounds a decent sort. Mysterious though, something in the air bends when his name is said."

Sabo looked at her, incredibly confused.

Continuing, Ulpia spoke, "I cannot explain it. It is like thu'um, like my own voice."

He had no idea what thu'um was, but he could vaguely understand where she was coming from.

Conquerer's Haki seeped into the air around its users, after all.

Ulpia had a very similar aura, but he couldn't be sure if it was the dragon she carried or her own power.

It was a fascinating thing to learn how similar powers could existence in vastly different worlds.

Using the new technique of Gear 2 that he'd developed had helped to defeat the weird door guy, but even that fight took (what seemed to Luffy at least) a fraction too long.

(The burning desire inside of him to get stronger, to never ever let himself feel the weakness he had the day that Ace and he thought they'd lost Sabo. He never wanted to let his crew feel that loss, even though he knew that they'd all lost people before, some of them more than most. He needed to get stronger, to protect his nakama.)

He couldn't work out why Robin was resisting being rescued so much, especially after they had all been told about her past. He knew that she'd had a horrible experiences with people throughout her life, but surely she could tell that they would never betray her? He understood logically that if the same experience had happened over and over and over again then someone would expect it to continue to happen, but surely Robin could tell that they were different?

Luffy had to keep reminding himself to not go off on a rampage, and that they were here to get Robin back.

And hopefully a shipwright, too.

"Captain!"

Ebony's voice came from the side, as Luffy turned to see the rest of the crew lifting themselves up onto the gates.

"Should've climbed up from the start."

"Honestly Zoro, you could have launched me into the air and that might've been better."

Zoro made a noise of agreement at the comment from Ebony, and it made Luffy happy to see the crew getting along so well after the slightly rocky beginning in Alabasta after Ebony had told them her secret.

"Unbelievable! How did you not get lost?"

Sanji spoke up next, having made a quiet comment previously about believing himself to be the first person to arrive.

"Me." "Ebony."

Nami and Ebony answered each other, before giving each other a fist bump without even glancing away from the scene that was taking place in front of them.

"INCOMING!"

Usopp surprisingly wasn't screaming his head off, but he was crying if the tears Luffy could see streaming behind his body were any indication. He landed almost gracefully in a heap, before standing up and dusting himself off.

Luffy wasn't at all surprised that Usopp had decided to wear a mask, but the half mask was a little shocking considering he knew how Usopp felt about his own supposedly weak and cowardly nature. Usopp may have been masking this with an actual mask of bravery, but the half mask itself showed Luffy that his sharpshooter would be coming into his own sooner rather than later. The cape made Luffy gain stars in his eyes; there was something superhero about it all and irregardless of Luffy's own feelings towards being treated as a hero, it was like a little kids dream.

"Oi! Wait for me! I want to have a go at that pigeon!"

Luffy hadn't been expecting Melkor to arrive, let alone want to fight, but he supposed that as a member of the crew he had to pull his own weight somehow and if fighting Rob Lucci's pigeon, Hattori was him wanting to pull his own weight, who was Luffy to judge?

Now that the crew was all there, as a group they stared down the now visible CP9. Luffy made a note that there seemed to be a person each for them to fight, with the one who had impersonated Ebony staring her down and visibly seething. There was a grin on the other woman's face that made Luffy want to hide Ebony away to protect her; it was a grin that made clear that if the assassin could kill with her eyes, then Ebony would already be dead and buried.

"How's the drawbridge?"

"The Franky Family is working on lowering it now."

"Honestly Luffy, you rushed too far ahead for the rest of us."

"Ah, sorry everyone!"

Sapndam had apparently had enough of the crew conversing amongst themselves and began to monologue.

There was some bullshit spoken about Robin's past misdeeds and apparent crimes, which the crew already knew of, but apparently the chief idiot of Cipher Pol 9 needed to monologue his own thoughts and theories and how the World would be better off without Robin, or at least better off once they had extracted all the information that they were able to out of her.

From the corner of his eye he could see both Ebony and Sanji bristle at the implication that their wayward crew member would be better off dead. (In his mind eye he could see Ace, he could see himself, he could see Ebony being told those exact words all due to the circumstances of their births.)

They could see the look on Robin's face when Spandam threatened them all with a Buster Call.

It had to be time to act, and apparently the crew thought so too.

"Oi! Luffy, do we have to listen to this bullshit?"

Zoro was grinding his teeth. Nami's weapon was sparking with lightning, and Chopper's face was in shadow. Sanji and Ebony were stretching out their limbs, getting ready to launch themselves across the gap towards Robin. Usopp was shaking, but this time with rage and not his usual nervousness. And Luffy?

The crew had all apparently had enough, and honestly? So had Luffy; he could feel something within himself trying to break free, and he was very tempted to let it loose.

This was not the right moment, however.

'Not yet,' something was telling him. 'Wait.'

"Usopp," Luffy was able to see the rest of the crew ready themselves, knowing that at that point there would be absolutely no turning back from the path that they had taken and not a single one of them would regret that decision.

"Yes Captain?" Whilst there was certainly an underlying nervousness, the sharpshooter's voice was full of steel.

"Shoot that flag."

Nothing but static filled his ears, not even the sound of Usopp's attack or the gasps of the marines could be heard, only the sound of heartbeat drumming ever louder in his ears, a constant reminder of what he and his friends were capable of doing.

"ROBIN! SAY YOU WANT TO LIVE!"

A/N: Ahhhhh, so that happened. There's still a bit of canon in there, but at the same time I hope that there are enough small changes that make sense within the context of the world. Ebony's only one person, there's still hundreds of thousands of other people in the world, and this world does not revolve around her. Like I get the whole idea of an OC creating such massive waves that the whole premise of the plot changes, but not only is Ebony herself wary of changing too much, but something within the world itself is resistant to the ripples being made by the addition of Outliers and their continued interactions with the people born there.

Hope that makes sense?

Hope that you've all be safe, and that you'll continue to hydrate!

Translations

thu'um the Storm Voice or simply the voice; uses the language of the dragons to utilize immense power in which there is "no distinction between debating or fighting".