Zoro stayed awake that night. At some point he realized that the other two had fallen asleep, so he did nothing to wake them. He didn't care what the witch did as long as she didn't endanger his captain, so he didn't give her a second glance. As far as he was aware, she was only staying for a month - according to the deal Luffy said he'd made with her - and she would be gone.

His gaze soon turned from the sky to his captain who lay curled in a ball opposite him. The boy - it didn't matter if he was technically twelve years older than him, he's currently a boy! - didn't move or make a sound as he slept. If the obvious lack of detail from the part of his story he shared was to point to anything, it would be that it took a long time to get to the point where no one would know he was there unless they looked at him.

Zoro wondered what would've happened if his captain hadn't had to go through that. His thoughts also toyed with the idea that Luffy knew all about him because they'd been captain and first mate before. That same thought process brought him to the unfortunate conclusion that the witch - Nami, he reminded himself in case he was right - would end up staying with them for a lot longer than the rest of the month.

Sighing, the green haired man leaned back and closed his eyes when he heard Nami stir from the other boat. He would have his answers in the morning. For now, he will try to get some rest.

Nami, on the other hand, had just woken up. She hadn't been a deep sleeper since she was a kid, so the slight change of course her boat took woke her just enough to fix it. Now that she was moving around, though, she noticed the two pirates were both asleep. She wanted nothing more than to abandon them or throw them into the water, but she really didn't want to face the consequences of breaking that 'Sailor's Deal' thing Luffy had tricked her into.

The redhead sighed and stood up. Watching the Eastern horizon, she realized that it would be useless to go back to sleep because the sun would rise in an hour. She decided she was going to wait to eat something. She didn't like her present company, but she knew that being polite was going to keep her alive. Though the task was grueling, she needed to stay in their good graces for the next two and a half weeks. Nami didn't want anything to do with them, so she made her point very apparent by doing the bare minimum to be nice or helpful.

The navigator sat in the silence of her own head for a while, throwing questions back and forth and realizing that a few things now made sense. The ocean was calm and there were no birds around, meaning that there were no islands or storms near them. She noticed, a few minutes after the sun rose, that the two boys were stirring. She didn't react other than a side glance, though.

"Good morning!" Luffy yawned his greeting. He received no response. He looked around for a second to gather his bearings and found Zoro asleep and Nami watching the ocean. It was peaceful, so he didn't dare do anything else to break it. He simply sat and watched. Eventually, several hours after sunrise, Zoro woke up and the three had a small breakfast of some fruit and water.

"Do you know where the next island is, Nami?" Luffy asked after everyone had eaten.

Nami didn't say anything for a few minutes. "There should be one about a day away on this current. We should start seeing birds by tomorrow morning."

Luffy nodded his thanks and didn't speak to her more. He knew she didn't want to be with them right now and it hurt him a bit. He knew her opinion would change soon, though, at the end of the month. Until then, he would hold his tongue. Mostly.

Zoro, on the other hand, was tired of everyone sitting in silence. Normally it was something he would enjoy, but his short time with his captain told him that the straw hatted boy was anything but quiet. He didn't like this. So, he said, "Luffy? Last night you implied that you and your brother don't share a father. What's that about?"

Luffy looked back at him before remembering he had started to tell these two his story last night. Turning to face his first mate with a smile, he spoke, "Ace and I aren't blood brothers. We met when I was seven and he was ten. My grandpa didn't like that I was hanging out with the pirates that docked on our island, so he took me into the mountains to live with a group of mountain bandits. That's where I met Dadan, Mogra, Dogra, Ace and the others. I knew I wanted to be friends with Ace, so I followed him around. No matter how many times he tried to get me to give up, I finally followed him all the way through the jungle. That's when I met Sabo, my other older brother. Long story short, they ended up saving my life and we all took an oath of brotherhood. Ace left home to go be the captain of his own crew, the Ace Pirates, but he's now joined up with the Whitebeard Pirates. Sabo said he was going to be a pirate so he can travel the world and write about his adventures, but then he changed his mind to join the Revolutionary Army. He's still gonna write his book, though, and I'm gonna get a copy."

"Why did you guys decide to leave home?" Nami asked. Luffy could tell that she was relaxing around him, but he wasn't going to point that out. Instead, he smiled at and answered her.

"Marco told me that Captain Whitebeard had a saying. 'What belongs to the sea must always return to the sea.' Me and my brothers wanted the thrill of adventure and risk that you can't find on land. Of course, the biggest reason we all left was so we could be free of whatever the world expected of us." He didn't even hesitate before sharing this information. These are the two people on his crew he trusts more than everyone else, so he knew they wouldn't even betray his trust with this information. "Sabo was born into a noble family, so he decided he was going to set sail to be free from their expectations. Now he's part of the team trying to take down the government. Ace set out so that he could tell his own story and prove to the world that he's more than just Captain Roger's son. I left home so I could fulfill my dream and promise of becoming the freest person in the world; the Pirate King."

The three lapsed into a comfortable and stunned silence. Zoro and Nami both enjoyed this story much more than the one Luffy had shared last night, though they knew they'd have to hear another one like it soon. Zoro, not much liking the suspense in this situation, decided to ask Luffy to continue.

Taking a deep breath, the straw hatted captain thought back to what he had told them the previous night so that he wouldn't end up repeating information. "I met back up with my crew after two years. We had been separated and literally thrown to different islands three days before Ace's execution, so they weren't able to get to me and help until everything was over. I managed to get a message to them, though! Instead of three days, we would wait two years to get back together. From there, we would continue our adventure. We traveled together for twenty months before everything went to shit. A group of Marines passed us and started firing. I was given control of one of the canons, but it didn't hit the ship I was aiming for. Apparently the cannonball hit and almost sank the ship in the middle of the group, the one with the Celestial Dragon on board. That's when the unspoken - but obvious - war turned into a one sided massacre." He quieted as he remembered these events. He realized that his mind was slowly shutting down his emotions so he wouldn't show weakness to his friends. It was a coping mechanism he'd developed for himself after Ace died. "They went after the weaker crews first, picking them off before they could even get a proper bounty on their heads. Then, they went after everyone who made it into the first half of the Grand Line. When Paradise and the Blues were cleared of pirates, they invaded the New World. It took four months, but almost every pirate was killed. Before he was killed, a friend of mine told me that the World Government had been planning this attack for a while and had been secretly taking out the Revolution Army. They had waited for a way to blame the pirates for starting this. What better way than to wait for Straw Hat Luffy to attack a Celestial Dragon?"

Zoro listened to his captain intently. This was some serious shit this kid went through. He survived a massacre and came back in time to stop it from happening! It must hurt him so bad to be seeing his old friends and family again. Everyone he knew had died and now he was meeting them again, but they didn't have any memories of him. Zoro couldn't begin to imagine how bad that could mess someone up.

"Me and a few other survivors ended up meeting on Laugh Tale. There, we made graves for our friends and crews. At first it was just me, Zoro and Law, but Bonney and Kidd found us and we set up a small camp. The Marines couldn't find us on the island, so we were safe. That's when Shanks sent a message. He, Marco and Hawkeye had all survived and were looking for us. We sent a response of where we were and how to find us. Me and Zoro went out to meet them at the docks, but a small Marine ship had found their way to us before Shanks and the others could get there. Zoro and I killed them, but Zoro didn't last long after that." Luffy wasn't looking at either of his crewmates anymore. He couldn't bring himself to. He didn't want to see their reactions, so he kept his eyes turned towards the ocean. "Shanks, Marco and Hawkeye found us a few days after that and presented us with the opportunity to come back in time and prevent that from happening again. So, we agreed, made a plan, and went back in time. The next time we'll all meet up is in Sabaody in just under three month." He was quiet after that.

Nami let everything the young captain said sink in. It was, admittedly, a lot to think about. But, she realized, no matter how much she thought about this, she would never be able to understand it. She could never empathize with the raven haired boy because she had never been through something even remotely similar! Suddenly, her problems felt so much smaller.

Zoro was stewing in his mind. He was right about being on this guys crew in another time, but to hear that he had died in his captain's arms? That's not an image he'd be able to get out of his mind for a long time. He hadn't seen what Luffy saw, but he knew that his respect for the boy had just skyrocketed. Not many people could bounce back from something like that, and even less people could talk about it. No, he didn't blame the kid for not looking at him.

"Who…" Nami started but quickly stopped. She didn't know how to phrase this properly. "Who was on your crew?" She didn't want to stay in this heavy atmosphere for any longer, so she was going to try and change the subject gently.

Luffy knew what his navigator was doing. With a distant smile he said, "Zoro was my first mate and swordsman; Nami was my navigator; Usopp was my marksman; Sanji was my chef; Chopper was my doctor; Robin was my archaeologist; Franky was my shipwright; Brook was my musician; and Jimbe was my helmsman."

"How did we all join?" Zoro knew how he joined, but he was curious as to how everyone else joined. After all, it might be different this time around.

Luffy chuckled a little. "I blackmailed Zoro and Franky into joining. Chopper, Robin and Brook had nowhere else to go, so I offered them a place on my ship. I wouldn't stop asking Sanji and Jimbe until they agreed. Usopp was heading out on his own anyway, and I saved Nami." He obviously left most details out. It wouldn't be any fun if they knew the entire story. Besides, experiencing the story is better than hearing the story.

Nami's mind completely stopped when Luffy said he had saved her. That means he knows what's happening on her home island. He knows and he isn't doing anything to help! But, he might not be able to help yet. Maybe he was keeping her around for a month so that he could get her trust and he could help her! 'No!' Nami mentally shook her head, 'Time travel or not, all pirates are the same.'

Zoro, albeit confused, laughed loudly. His captain had just admitted to blackmailing not only him, but someone else into joining his crew! It was a good laugh that he needed. This kid was unbelievable. Most other pirates either joined a crew with full loyalty or they were hunted and killed. Sometimes, the crew even betrayed the captain if he wasn't up to par. He had the feeling that life on Luffy's ship wasn't going to be like most other pirate ships.

"You gonna elaborate on those statements?" Zoro asked once he finished laughing.

Luffy grinned and finally looked at his crewmate. "Nope!"

Nami was the only one unaffected by the mirthful air around their boats. "Do you really mean what you said?" she asked quietly. It was against her better judgment, but she had to know. She had to know if it was worth it to hold onto her last string of hope. If it turned out that he was lying…

"Of course!" Luffy pulled her from her thoughts. "I gave you a promise last time and I intend to stand by it even now. I will help you, all you have to do is ask."

Despite her best efforts, Nami broke down crying at his words. She had wanted and waited for so long for someone to come help her, but no one ever did. She was starting to think that no one would ever help her, but the sincerity in this boy's words made her feel such intense hope that she couldn't help but cry.

Neither of the boys judged her. Zoro respectfully turned his head away from her, acknowledging that this was a moment that was never meant to be shared with anyone outside of these two fishing boats. He let a small smile show when he heard his captain move to sit next to the girl. Again, his thoughts about his chosen captain had been solidified.

Luffy didn't waste any time in going to comfort his navigator. Carefully, he moved to the other boat and next to her. "Are you okay if I hug you?" In lieu of an answer she leaned against him, sobbing into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. He hadn't seen her cry openly like this more than a few times. She didn't like showing weakness to others, but sometimes it couldn't be helped. "Are you okay now?" he asked her when her sobs had quieted a while later. At some point, Zoro had moved to the bigger boat with them to offer her comfort in his own way.

Nami nodded and wiped the remaining tears off of her face. Maybe…maybe these pirates were good. Maybe she wouldn't mind staying with them for a bit longer. Untying the smaller boat to let it drift off, the redhead gave a small and watery smile to the raven haired boy. "Where to now, captain?"

Nami had been correct in her estimations, like always. By the next morning, the trio - now sharing one boat with the food and water and fairly stolen treasure - were seeing birds. By following them, they were led to an island that Luffy recognised on sight. "That's where Usopp lives!" he explained to his friends as he eagerly bounced in his seat. He had debated for hours on whether or not he wanted to keep this introduction the same. Finally, he had decided that this was the one he would do the exact same. It was only a small speech, but he really wanted to say it again. As they pulled up onto the shore, Luffy said, "Follow my lead." and proceeded to look directly where Usopp was. Okay, maybe it wouldn't be the exact same as last time, but it would be pretty darn close and equally as funny.

"I am the Brave Captain Usopp!" his voice called from the bushes lining the cliff top, "I warn you, I have eight thousand men under my command! What is your business here on this island?" The fact that three little children had managed to get twenty flags in random locations almost at the same time with no verbal communication still amazed Luffy.

Luffy smirked at his companions and they smirked back, unknowing of the plan, but all for it anyway. "I am Captain Luffy, of the Straw Hat Pirates!" he responded, "We are few in number, but high in strength! I don't see how this island could carry eight thousand men."

Usopp swore under his breath, "Shit! He's found out the lie." Thinking fast, he stood and said, "Not all of them are here at the moment! I sent them away to do….my bidding!" Luffy, Zoro and Nami had to try hard not to laugh and break character.

"What's a captain like you doing without his crew on an island?" Nami called up to him, hiding her laugh behind a smirk.

Usopp stammered for a moment, "Um…Not that it should matter to you, but I have business here on this island!"

It was Zoro's turn to speak now. "Business on an island without your crew? You must be new to the whole 'pirate' thing!" He wasn't going to acknowledge the fact that he was also new to being a pirate.

Again, Usopp was caught off guard. Though this time he pulled his loaded slingshot on them. "If you don't leave now, I'll make you leave."

The air around Luffy changed suddenly to something dark. It took everything in Nami and Zoro to not step away in fear. What was making him act like this? "Now that you've drawn your weapon," he looked up at the long nosed boy from under the shadow of the rim of his hat, "are you ready to put your life on the line?"

Everyone fell silent. Nami and Zoro didn't know what to do, but both were ready to move in case a fight actually broke out. Usopp and the three children on the cliff with him all seemed to freeze and shake at the words. Luffy didn't move an inch. He was going to keep this illusion up as long as he could. Finally, after two minutes and thirty seconds of tense silence, Luffy started to giggle. His giggling quickly turned into full blown laughter as he fell on his back and rolled on the floor. Zoro and Nami joined him, though they laughed in relief and not joy.

"Did you see his face?" Luffy forced out between laughs, "He-he thought I was gonna-na actually attack him!" This notion made Luffy laugh harder.

Usopp, still scared out of his mind but a bit relaxed, quietly told the kids to go back to the village. He would handle these guys and meet up with the kids later. Putting his sling shot down, but not away, he said, "You scared the crap outta me!"

Luffy had slowly stopped laughing at his point, and had now stood up. Wiping a tear from his eye he asked, "You're Usopp, right? Yassop's son?" Zoro and Nami let their shock show on their faces, as did Usopp.

"You know my dad?"

"'Course I know him! He's a great pirate on Shank's ship! The best marksman I know!"

Usopp seemed to glow at this information. His dad's a pirate! Not only that, but he's on the ship of Red Haired Shanks! Wait… "Did you say Shanks?" he screamed, tumbling down the side of the cliff none too gracefully.

"Yep!"

The long nosed boy started in awe at the other. He'd met Shanks and his dad! That was awesome.

Nami watched the two from the side. She was shocked, but was enjoying the conversation nonetheless. A quick glance to their tiny boat gave her an idea. "Hey!" she called, gathering the boys' attention, "You wouldn't happen to know where we can get a bigger boat, do you?"

Usopp didn't answer for a long moment. When he did, the conversation was on a different topic. "Let's go into the village! I can show you around and get you guys some food."

Nami was put off by the topic change, but Zoro stopped her before she could say or do anything. Luffy had a look in his eye as he agreed to follow Usopp that told the two he knew what he was doing. Sighing, she followed him, letting Zoro finish pulling their boat onto shore and hiding it under some plants at the base of the cliff.

"What's the layout of this place?" Luffy asked once they got to the top of the slope. Zoro and Nami didn't know what he was doing, but they weren't going to question him.

"Well," Usopp started, "This is the Northern side of the island, and the Southern side looks exactly like this. The Eastern and Western sides are sheer cliff faces, so there's really nothing but a few plants there."

"What about your village?" he asked.

"All the shops line the main road," Usopp explained, "Everyone's houses make up side streets and farmland takes up the rest of the space." Before Luffy could ask the other any more questions, they came to a stop in front of a diner. Going inside, Usopp told them to order whatever they wanted and he'd pay for it all. The three took total advantage of this by ordering everything on the menu. Most of it was for Luffy, but the other two would be eating a decent amount.

The conversation carried on easily, almost as if they had all known each other for years. When the food was brought out, Nami and Usopp stared at the young captain because they had never had the pleasure of seeing how much he could eat. Zoro had only glanced at his captain before turning to eat his own food. He wasn't going to question the amount of food he ate. That was too much of a headache that he didn't want to deal with at all. Besides, it was their future chef's problem, not his.

Nami, on the other hand, was more than willing to question things. "How can you eat that much?" she asked about half way through the meal, "You didn't eat that much on our way here! Hell, you didn't even eat that much when we met!"

Luffy swallowed what was in his mouth before answering. Makino had drilled manners into him twice now, and he'd probably die before he forgot them. "I didn't know how long we were going to be at sea, so I didn't want to eat so much that we'd end up starving before we got to the next island." He finished his food before he finished talking, "And back on the island, you gave me food that wasn't yours to give, so I wasn't going to take all of it." Nami accepted the answer with a shrug and continued to eat her own food.

Usopp had watched the trio the entire time. How long had these three been together? They acted like they'd known each other for years! He sighed, quietly wishing that he could have a crew like that one day.

"Hey, Usopp?" Nami asked, drawing everyone's attention to her, "Do you know where we can get a bigger boat or a small ship?" Luffy perked up and smiled as if he was only just remembering something. Zoro shot him a look but didn't say anything.

"Um…" the long nosed boy hesitated, "Not-not on this island, no."

Luffy hummed, "What about that big mansion on the hill?" he pointed to the wall opposite their seats, the one without a window.

"How did you…?" Usopp quickly shook his head and stood, "You don't need to go there! Besides, they can't help you. You'll have to find a ship somewhere else." He looked at his empty wrist, "Look at the time! I have to go!" Before the trio could stop him, he was out the door.

"Well that was weird." Nami shrugged before ordering another drink for herself and the boys.

"Yeah," Zoro agreed, "Wonder what he's hiding?"

The two looked at Luffy who stared at them back. It took him a second, but he finally realized what they were silently asking him. "I won't tell you." he crossed his arms.

"Why not?" the ginger asked.

"If I told you, it'd take all the fun out of the mystery!"

Zoro nodded, accepting the answer. "Different question," he changed the topic, "When are you going to finish your explanation?"

Luffy blinked, "What explanation?"

"What we were talking about yesterday."

"Yeah!" Nami joined in, "I still have some questions for you."

Luffy thought for a moment. He wanted to answer all of their questions, but he wouldn't be able to when Usopp inevitably joined them. He wasn't going to actively hide anything from the rest of his crew, but he wasn't going to outrite tell them anything either. Not yet. Not unless they approached him first. "Eventually." was all he said. He'd probably tell them the next time they were alone together.

Before Zoro or Nami could say anything more, three kids burst through the door and ran up to their table. "Where's our captain?!" they demanded.

Luffy gained a mischievous look in his eye as he leaned back in his seat and patted his stomach, "That was a good meal!" Zoro and Nami caught on quickly.

The three children's faces fell in horror. "Our….captain?" the green haired one in the middle asked.

Nami put her face in her hand and her elbow on the table and smiled dangerously at the trio, "We ate him."