Details about this story: The story takes place after Wano. The logpose for all three crews point to the same island: Kuruzu. They agree to sail there together before splitting up.
Ch. 1: Arrival and departure
Effortlessly and gracefully, the seagull soared through the air. Its wings moved in harmony with the wind, while below, the deep blue sea stretched out, its surface sparkling like countless tiny diamonds in the sunlight. The sky above resembled a canvas of azure fabric, adorned only by a few wispy clouds drifting lazily like tufts of cotton. The sun bathed its feathers in a warm, golden light, and a faint hint of salt lingered in the air.
The seagull felt liberated, completely free. The world was its playground; it could fly wherever its heart desired. In that moment, there existed only the vast expanse of the ocean, the soothing warmth of the sun, and the gentle caress of the wind beneath its wings—until a plate unexpectedly sailed past. A plate?!
As the seagull gazed in astonishment at the airborne dish, it suddenly exploded with a thunderous boom, shattering into countless fragments.
A magnificent roar of cheers erupted on the deck of the Victoria Punk, prompting the seagull to swiftly execute a 180-degree turn and fly away from the bustling scene.
"What a thrilling finale, dear spectators! Usopp's impressive shot brought the game back to a draw. It's a tight race between these him and Shashi, and the score is now tied at 10-10. Will Shashi manage to widen the gap with his next shot? My heart would be pounding with excitement—if I had one! Hohohoho," commented Brook to the rejoicing crowd.
"Yes! I am God Usopp! Best sniper of the world! Bow down before me!" exclaimed Usopp exuberantly.
"Usopp! You'd better not lose! I've bet 2 Berries on you!" shouted Nami from the spectator stands.
"Only 2 Berries?" Usopp retorted, his tone incredulous. "You bet 10 Berries on Luffy and Zoro!"
"And I lost them because those fools got themselves disqualified," Nami replied, her irritation evident. "You better not dare to lose!"
While Shashi prepared for his next shot, two figures emerged from a distant door onto the crowded and raucous deck.
"Oh, looks like they're still going at it! I might just catch some of the finale after all!" exclaimed Ikkaku with excitement.
"What a racket," remarked the captain of the Heart Pirates in a more reserved tone.
"Oh, come on, Captain! Lighten up a bit!" retorted Ikkaku. "You could always hang out with Robin in the Victoria Punk's library. I heard she's already powered through three-quarters of the books there! Think she'll manage to tackle the rest before we reach Kuruzu?"
"Well, if she does, it's probably due more to the lack of actual books in that so-called library than her reading speed," grumbled Trafalgar Law. "I'd rather head to our library and see if I can dig up that book on facial muscles for you."
"Just because I messed up the musculus risorius doesn't mean I need to read the whole thing again," she retorted, receiving only a sceptical look from her captain. She rolled her eyes before turning back to him. "Actually, I have another idea. Do you think it might help if Killer strengthens the musculus orbicularis oris by kissing?"
"Might work... Why don't you suggest to his captain that he should practice kissing with him?" Law proposed, walking away with a mischievous grin, leaving Ikkaku shaking her head in disbelief.
The Victoria Punk was connected to both the Thousand Sunny and the Polar Tang by ropes, a necessary arrangement as the pirates from all three crews desired unrestricted movement between the ships at any hour. It was common to find at least half of each crew dispersed among the others, whether for revelry, medical attention, or simply socializing, playing cards, meditating, training, or engaging in whatever activities they fancied.
To onlookers, the spectacle of these ships sailing side by side might have seemed impressive. However, for the captain of the Heart Pirates, it resembled more of an expansive playground.
With a discontented demeanour, he ascended the makeshift bridge onto his own vessel, distancing himself from the bustling scene. He was aware that some of his crew members harboured a degree of sadness about the impending arrival of the island, which would lead to the separation of the three ships. Despite the occasional carousing, bickering, and quarrelling between the captains of the three crews, the festive atmosphere that always arose in the presence of the Straw Hats had unexpectedly fostered close bonds among the crews.
Thus, during the three-day journey from Wano to the island of Kuruzu, a rich and genuinely warm exchange had transpired among them.
Sanji, for instance, took the initiative to offer cooking classes out of sympathy for the Kid Pirates, but they found greater resonance among the Heart Pirates. Conversely, Chopper was a frequent visitor to the facilities of the Polar Tang, where he sought explanations about apparatuses and examination methods. Having thoroughly explored the submarine's library on the way to Wano, Robin set herself the task of reading through the library of the Victoria Punk during the three days of travel, making her scarcely visible elsewhere. Penguin and Shashi, meanwhile, engaged in disputes over who would deliver their snacks and meals, a situation Robin acknowledged with a friendly smile but minimal attention.
Trafalgar Law himself also spent a significant amount of time on the Victoria Punk, motivated by his sense of duty to assist Killer, who had become a victim of a Smile Fruit on Wano, which had reached him only through the evil machination of Doflamingo. Accompanying him was Ikkaku, renowned in their crew for her ability to provide antidotes. However, the only effective therapy they had discovered thus far was the simple facial massage, which had notably diminished the typical exaggerated smile on Killer's face.
The organized competitions had proven to be quite popular. Currently, the marksmanship contest was underway and seemed likely to continue until nightfall.
Swordfighters had also competed, using wooden swords to avoid damaging the ships. Despite this precaution, the battles were intense enough that Zoro had to be excluded from the contests to ensure everyone's safety. Likewise, Luffy had to be excluded from martial arts competitions after Jimbei had to rescue him from the water due to his own recklessness during his initial bout. The final, acknowledged even by Trafalgar Law as most impressive, was an internal showdown among the Straw Hats, pitting Jimbei against Sanji.
There had also been a trivia quiz, but the questions quickly proved too easy for Trafalgar Law, Nico Robin and Jimbei, yet too difficult for everyone else, even those who, solely by their age, could have surpassed the three. The quiz concluded with Robin sharing captivating anecdotes and stories with the audience, occasionally supplemented by Jimbei, while everyone listened intently and indulged in Sanji's freshly baked cookies.
A food competition had also taken place, but so many dishes were devoured by the captains of the Straw Hats and the Kid Pirates—both emerging as clear winners—that Sanji had forbidden any further such contests.
Overall, the journey from Wano to Kuruzu had been a cheerful one, but preparations were now underway for the island's imminent arrival. Due to Wano's isolation, all three crews had lengthy shopping lists containing items unavailable on the island.
Kinemon had briefed the navigators of the three crews, explaining that the Log Pose would quickly indicate new directions, requiring only a brief stop of one to two hours to set new courses. Kuruzu, though small, was a charming island and a popular tourist destination. Its residents embraced tourism and were not overly strict about ship flags, welcoming all potential buyers.
Consequently, the three captains had agreed to anchor their ships in the harbour for two hours. Following this, they would set sail together, deciding at sea which direction each crew would take. This collective departure from Kuruzu would be the allies' final voyage before the dissolution of their alliance, paving the way for each crew to pursue its own course.
The darkness indeed interrupted the ongoing competition with the score tied at 56-56 (it couldn't have gone on much longer anyway, as all the plates of the Victoria Punk, along with several cups and glasses, had already been shattered, and Kid was already making gestures to complain to the other captains). When Trafalgar Law emerged once again from the depths of the Polar Tang, he found that his crew had become just as adept at revelry as the Straw Hats. With a shudder, he turned back and disappeared once more into the tranquillity of his submarine.
How the pirates managed to look somewhat presentable in the morning after such revelry (meaning every morning of their joint journey) was a mystery to most. Some swore it was due to Sanji's breakfast juice, others whispered that they were infused with fluids while sleeping to alleviate the hangover the next morning, and still others speculated that the Heart Captain would swap out the sake barrels for amazake barrels as soon as he felt no one would notice anyway.
Whatever it was, on the morning of their final day together, as the contours of the island emerged, most pirates stood groggily at the railing.
Despite the early hour, the approach of the three ships had drawn numerous residents of Kuruzu to the harbour. While some were traders anticipating profitable transactions, many were ordinary citizens hoping to catch a glimpse of the pirates who, as rumours had it, had toppled Emperor Kaido and Empress Big Mom.
At the forefront of the gathering stood the city's mayor herself, eager to greet the newcomers and ensure their intentions were benign.
Thus, three hours after sunrise, a hushed crowd on Kuruzu observed the disembarkation of the imposing captains Kid and Trafalgar Law, along with the somewhat less imposing but equally (if not more) significant Monkey D. Luffy.
When all the captains stood on the pier, the mayor stepped forward.
"We hope you come in peace. If so, welcome to Kuruzu," she said, addressing the three captains.
In an attempt to appear less intimidating, Kid and Law had agreed to send Mugiwara no Luffy ahead.
"Ah, thank you very much! Hahaha. Do you happen to have a good food stand with meat? I'm famished!"
As predicted by the other two captains, these few words, which none of them would ever utter, were sufficient to convince the entire island of their "good intentions."
Just three minutes after the captains disembarked, the residents of Kuruzu could witness a horde of about 20 partially intoxicated pirates, led by Monkey D. Luffy, following the mayor to a restaurant, which would open three hours before its regular opening hours, specifically for them.
"Barbecue at this time of the day!" Nami shook her head incredulously as she walked ashore alongside Usopp.
"Robin, are you heading to the bookshop?" she asked, glancing back.
"Yes, I want to pick up some books I noticed on the Polar Tang as well as some new novels. And Chopper gave me a list as well," Robin replied.
"Okay, we were just planning to browse through the shops. We can join you at the bookshop," Nami suggested.
And thus, the trio disembarked from the ship. In the end, only Zoro, Killer, Uni, and Clione remained to guard the vessels, with Uni and Clione soon retreating to the interior of the submarine to make adjustments to some equipment. Meanwhile, Zoro settled comfortably on deck, aiming to enjoy two hours of peace and quiet. However, his hopes were soon shattered as a relatively bustling activity commenced on the ships. Some crew members found it a bit chilly and fetched another sweater, while others wanted to stow away their newly acquired supplies before continuing their shopping spree. Despite being adept at ignoring such commotion, Zoro found himself exerting unusual effort exclude a total of three crews from his mind. However, Zoro had sworn to himself that he would never lose another fight, and naturally, this included such challenges.
And so, it transpired that he adeptly tuned out Killer's attempts to communicate with him. With only a fraction of his attention, he observed Trafalgar Law returning with a stack of books, but he paid it no mind. He caught Clione mentioning that Robin might be back in the Polar Tang library, but he swiftly shut out the remainder of the conversation. However, after an hour, as more of the crew returned from their shopping excursions, he realised that the deck was no longer conducive to his nap. However, knowing he didn't need to stand guard over the ship, he retired to the lookout and resumed his slumber there.
Meanwhile, Usopp and Nami bid farewell to Robin at the bookshop and leisurely wandered through the town until they grew weary of walking. They settled down at a cosy café table, enjoying the splendid view of the sea and savouring delicious ice cream. The waiter, appearing genuinely bored at this early hour, lingered at their table, engaging in conversation whenever he wasn't fetching their orders.
The conversation proved fascinating as the waiter regaled them with tales of the nearby islands, some of which were frequented by cruise ships that made regular stops. He spoke of the rumoured treasure on the northern island (Nami's eyes lit up, she had just decided which destination they would be heading for), the culinary delights the sea offered here, and the nuisance of blood-sucking mosquitoes that plagued those without window screens (Usopp resolved to depart the island before dusk).
Time flew, and as the two-hour mark approached, the waiter remarked on the absence of other pirate customers. They learned that pirate visits had dwindled lately, likely due to increased marine presence and patrols on the island. This development clearly spelled trouble for business!
The waiter finally expressed surprise at the arrival of the three crews on the island that day, especially with Vice-Admiral Garp's scheduled visit later in the afternoon or evening. Wasn't he even related to the Straw Hats' captain?
His question went unanswered as Usopp and Nami were left dumbfounded by his revelation. Shortly after, they leaped from their chairs.
"Today?! That can't be true!" Nami exclaimed in horror.
"No, it's been scheduled for today," the waiter responded, a bit puzzled by their reaction.
Without needing to exchange a word, Usopp and Nami dropped some money onto the table and dashed off, traversing the entire city back to the ships. They called out to every crew member they encountered along the way, urging them to join them immediately. Thus, half an hour past the agreed meeting time, another 17 tardy pirates came sprinting into the harbour.
"Luffyyyyyy! Prepare to cast off! Your grandfather is on his way!" Usopp's voice echoed across the harbor as he sprinted toward the ship. The initial frozen shock among those present didn't last long, and chaos erupted immediately.
"Franky, hoist the sails!" Luffy commanded.
"Jimbei, take the helm! Nami, is the log pose ready?"
Nami glanced at the log pose and confirmed its readiness.
However, Sanji's voice cut through the crowd: "Robin's missing!" There was a momentary pause as everyone scanned the area until Zoro, just landing on the deck, reassured them. "She's aboard the Polar Tang. We'll pick her up later."
Meanwhile, aboard the Victoria Punk, Kid hurried through the corridors, preparing his ship for departure. Conversation revolved around the absent pirates. Rumour on the Polar Tang had it, that the captain had returned, as Zoro had mentioned earlier. He was likely back on the Victoria Punk with Ikkaku and Killer, testing out their latest discoveries.
Thus, the three ships that had made such a grand entrance into the harbour three hours earlier now departed in a flurry, all wary of getting too close to the grandfather of the strongest captain.