Aunt Myself 3

"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Snail call"
"Bounty or Newspaper Headline"

AN: This one doesn't start off right at the end of the last chapter. Instead it bounces around, covering some bits of the crew's adventures. Also, we'll have one more chapter of this story to go after this.

-]|[-

'The more things change, the more they stay the same,' Robin mused to herself. The Straw Hats were once again on Cactus Island and having a good time. Unlike what she knew happened to her crew originally, this time they were paying for their fun. Baroque Works didn't bother with pirates who didn't have bounties after all; it wasn't worth negotiating payment from the World Government. Currently, she and her younger self were the only ones with bounties and both were far past what the members of this branch were willing to tangle with. Forty million would have made them nervous; a combined bounty of over twelve times that made them decide they were just an ordinary town and not bother with any trickery. Right now, Usopp was entertaining people with tall tales while Zoro and Nami dominated a drinking contest, Bartolomeo and Desire already nearly passed out at the table. Luffy and Yamato ate ridiculous amounts of food as Sanji flirted with every woman he laid eyes on. Lastly, Robin and her younger self sang along as Brook played music for the entire tavern.

Of course, all good things come to an end. The front wall of the tavern exploded inward, resulting in screams as disguised bounty hunters were blasted away. Looking up even as she idly smacked a flying brick away, Robin realized her previous thought was more accurate than she had realized. It seemed Gem and Nikita, aka Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine respectively, still worked for Baroque Works. More importantly, they were still here to silence Vivi. "Kyahaha!" The blonde woman laughed sadistically, "Don't get your panties in a bunch, you lot! We're not here for you!"

Gem spoke up, picking his nose as he often did, "The boss sent word. It seems there's a pair of traitors in our organization. Like all traitors, they have to die. Nefertari Vivi and-"

That was as far as he got. A pair of fists smashed into both Officer Agents and sent them flying through the building across the street, courtesy of an enraged Luffy and Yamato. "HOW DARE YOU ATTACK OUR FRIENDS!" Husband and wife roared at the interlopers.

While the duo proceeded to utterly demolish the pair who attacked the people who fed them, Robin turned her focus to her crew (and Igaram). Everyone appeared to be alright, though Igaram and Vivi were definitely shaken. The former stared in shock as two agents, who were far beyond him, were completely manhandled by the pirate captain and the giant horned woman. Even as he watched, they walked out of the rubble of the shop across from the tavern, looking none the worse for wear, though incredibly angry. Visibly coming to a decision, the undercover guard turned to Robin and implored, "Please! Your crew is strong; please escort Princess Vivi back to Alabasta!"

Thus, they got roped into their first time saving a kingdom because they befriended its princess. If their journey was anything like the original one, this would be a recurring theme.

-]|[-

"Do mind the reefs up ahead." The voice was probably the first genuinely shocking thing Robin had experienced since she started sailing with her crew again and for multiple reasons. First was that she'd actually been paying attention with her Observation Haki, having learnt her lesson after they were snuck up on at Whiskey Peak. Second was that unless her memory was faulty, this was someone they shouldn't be meeting for years yet.

But it looked like no one else had noticed yet. "Don't worry, I've already charted a course around them," Nami casually replied. There was a brief pause before she realized the problem. "Usopp, tell me that was you and you just dropped a hammer on your crotch again."

"That was one time!" The gunner shouted back before his brain caught up to the rest of what Nami said, "Oh no. No, that wasn't me."

The entire crew turned to see a young woman sitting on Merry's railing. Wearing a white blouse, black pants, and purple suspenders, she had light brown hair pulled back in a pair of ponytails though with her bangs free. A moment after she was spotted, Zoro and Desire appeared on either side of her, Wado Ichimonji and a pipe crossing her neck. At the same time, several arms bloomed around her body to hold her in place, the younger Robin giving her a calculating look as she held up her crossed arms. "Miss White Day!" Vivi cried in shock once she got a look at the younger woman.

"Such a hostile response," the now named Miss White Day giggled. Then, between one moment and the next, she vanished from her spot and reappeared sitting opposite the crew's second oldest member. "I'm not here to cause trouble. I was just stretching my legs a little."

But Vivi was having none of it. "Careful guys, she might not look it, but she's Crocodile's partner!"

"Oh my, so free with his name," Miss White Day mocked. "Aren't you worried the Unluckies might find out?"

While Vivi froze at the reminder of the duo who would undoubtedly report her exposure of Crocodile's secret back to the man, Robin waved off such worries. "No worries. I snapped their necks when you first let his name slip on Cactus Island." Of course, that earned another round of shocked exclamations from everyone.

Miss White Day, however, was impressed. "Ruthless, I like it."

Naturally, Brook took that moment to walk up to the young woman, hands clasped before him. "Excuse me miss, but would you mind showing me your panties?" With her cheeks puffed up in anger, she slapped him across the face. As her palm made contact, Brook vanished. An instant later, a splash was heard.

"Oh no, Brook!" Luffy shouted as he jumped overboard.

"Oh no, Luffy!" Yamato yelled as she jumped after him.

"Oh no, Yamato-chan!" Sanji called as he dived after the giant woman. Miss White Day gawked at watching a third of the crew jump overboard one after another. The younger Robin merely sighed and crossed her arms; chains of arms sprouted from the railing into the water. With a grimace at the weakening effect caused by the sea, she mentally thanked Sanji for grabbing the heaviest of the three first. Brook and Luffy were both light enough for her to carry even with the water sapping her strength.

Within seconds, all four Straw Hats were back onboard the ship. Luffy and Yamato once again proved that while they were always on the same wavelength as each other, even if no one else ever was, as they both quickly stripped off and started wringing out their clothes. Luffy took it further and wrung out his own body, earning a raised eyebrow from Miss White Day, who hadn't known about his devil fruit. Nami, however, wasn't having any of it. "Don't just stand around naked like that!" She roared as she hit both of them over the head. Both went down, clutching their heads childishly as Nami chewed them out.

The Baroque Works agent stared with a dusting of pink across her cheeks at the two. "Oh my. They're certainly… healthy," She muttered.

"And married," Zoro remarked, having not taken his eyes off the intruder.

"How do they make that work?"

"It stretches," The older Robin offered, idly taking a sip of her coffee.

Miss White Day's head whipped around to her, "No, I meant that they're both so stu- wait, you mean his… it stretches too?"

Zoro shrugged, "Probably. His whole body is rubber, and Yamato's been pretty loud whenever they're together." The others all nodded in commiseration. Usopp in particular winced at far too many memories of things he couldn't unsee.

Any lurid thoughts were dispelled when Robin drank the last of her coffee. In a heartbeat, Sanji was next to the table, carrying a tray laden with two kettles, a small plate of freshly made crepes, and additional mugs and saucers. "A refill Robin-swan?" He offered, lovestruck. Once her mug was refilled, he addressed the newcomer as he set down the crepes. "And you mademoiselle? Would you care for coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?"

"Hot chocolate will be fine, thank you." Once her drink was poured, she took a cautious sip. Her eyes widened in surprise at the taste, "Oh my. Freshly ground raw chocolate and cinnamon? Delicious."

While Sanji happily noodled from being complimented by a beautiful woman, the resident married couple spoke up, now clad in towels (though Yamato needed two to properly cover herself), "Hey, where's ours?"

In a heartbeat, Sanji handed an extra-large mug to Yamato, "One hot chocolate with crushed peppermints for the lovely ogre." For Luffy, he said, "You can get your own from the kitchen."

The captain casually shrugged and headed off to the kitchen. The door had barely swung shut when Usopp asked, "You sure about that Sanji? You really want Luffy to be alone in the kitchen?"

The chef paused in the middle of lighting up, the cigarette falling from his limp mouth. He promptly ran towards the ship's galley, shouting, "Get back here, you shitty captain!"

-]|[-

Once everyone had had their drink of choice and the crepes were all eaten, attention was once again brought back to their stowaway. "What're we gonna do with her, guys?" Vivi demanded. She'd been on eggshells for the entirety of breakfast. Even if the others weren't concerned about her, the brunette was still Crocodile's righthand woman.

"Eh, she's fine," Luffy dismissively remarked, still wrapped in a towel, "She's not an enemy, right Blue Morning?"

"Her name's Black Night, Luffy," Yamato corrected him. Like her husband, she still had a towel wrapped around her waist, though unlike him she also had one draped over her shoulders.

"It's White Day. And you should be more careful in the Grand Line," Miss White Day warned. She gave a malevolent smile as she tilted her back and to the side. In doing so, her bangs shifted and revealed a third eye on her forehead to the pair. "Even here in Paradise, you might run into a monster."

Rather than the shock, disgust, or fear she expected, Luffy and Yamato's eyes were filled with wonder. "So cool!" They both shouted. A moment later, they were right up inside the bounty hunter's personal space, their eyes starry as they stared into hers. "I bet you can see really far! Oooh, can you shoot lasers or see through stuff?!" The childish duo spoke so quickly, that she couldn't even tell which of them was talking at any given moment as they energetically bounced in place. Miss White Day could barely even tell what they were saying, but one thing she understood: They thought her third eye was the coolest thing ever.

Then, to make things worse for the young woman, their eager bouncing loosened their towels, exposing them to her eyes once again. All three eyes blatantly roamed their forms before she could take it no more. "Kyaa!" Her face flushing bright red, the young woman clapped her hands to her cheeks and promptly vanished once again. Unlike before, she didn't reappear anywhere on the ship. In fact, Robin couldn't sense her anywhere no matter how much she tried stretching out her haki.

-]|[-

"Excuse me, Ace. Do you mind if we talk for a moment?" The elder Robin remembered full well what had happened to her captain's older brother in the previous timeline. Much like with Kuma, she was determined to save him from that fate. And much like with Kuma, it was partly for his own sake but more for what his death would do to someone dear to her. So when she finally got an opportunity to talk with him at Nanohana, she refused to let him just leave without warning him. The Billions could wait a moment.

The shirtless man blinked in confusion before shrugging. "Sure, I guess. Might wanna make it quick though with those ships coming."

Two of the ships suddenly fired on their comrades as, unseen by the Straw Hats, their crews were put into painful joint locks by arms sprouting all over their bodies. "Don't worry about them," Robin reassured him. "I just needed to tell you some things about Blackbeard before you left."

Ace's jovial mood evaporated in an instant. "What about him?" He not quite growled.

"Three things. First, his devil fruit negates other devil fruits by touch." The fiery pirate looked shocked at that tidbit. That was damn important information. Robin didn't give him an opportunity to ask how she knew that before she added, "In a couple of weeks, Blackbeard and his crew will be on Jaya. After that, you can find them on Banaro Island. Lastly, you can't beat him alone. You need backup."

"Teach is my responsibility! He was my subordinate; I have to be the one to take him down."

Robin tsked in annoyance. "Let me tell you where that line of thinking gets you. Blackbeard defeats you and hands you over to the World Government. They decide to publicly execute you, provoking a war with Whitebeard." Ace turned pale at the thought but she wasn't done. "Luffy goes through six different kinds of hell trying to save you, sacrificing a considerable portion of his lifespan in the process. He fails." Ace's eyes widened in horror at the implication. "You die in your little brother's arms. Then, Whitebeard dies as well. Blackbeard steals his devil fruit, his territory, and his title. He and his new crew made of Impel Down's worst become the greatest force of evil in this world after the World Government itself." Ace was shaking now and Robin grabbed him by the shoulder to pull him close, "Because you insisted on going it alone. I lived through it once, Ace. Don't make me live through it again. Don't make your crew live through it. Don't make your brother live through it."

She gave him a light shove backwards. The Whitebeard Commander stumbled for a moment before catching himself. He stared at her for a time, willing her to insist it was all a joke. When she didn't oblige him, he tilted his hat down over his face. "Alright, don't need to twist my arm, miss," His words were cheerful, but his tone was far more somber, "I got some comrades who can meet up with me. Though I'm not sure they'll get here fast enough to confront Teach on Jaya. How sure are you that he'll be at Banaro?"

"I'm staking the future on it."

"Right. Thanks for the advice." Louder, he called out to his little brother and the rest of the crew, "I'll be on my way now. It was nice meeting you all. Next time I see you, there better be a proper wedding, ya hear? Getting married without even inviting me; little brothers these days," He grumbled good-naturedly.

He hopped overboard onto the Striker and as he sped off, Ace heard Robin call out one more tidbit. "Sabo's with the Revolutionary Army!"

Ace nearly fell off his boat at that. "WHAT?!"

-]|[-

Sailing away from Alabasta and their dear friend Vivi, the Straw Hats found themselves facing down a marine blockade led by the newly promoted Commodore "Black Cage" Hina. Though the woman herself was a formidable fighter, the true danger of her Black Cage Formation was the harpoons her ships were firing at the Going Merry. Everyone capable of doing so was batting away the giant iron spears while Usopp returned fire.

Jaguar Robin frowned in irritation. While she could take down this entire blockade by herself, she also knew her family wasn't ready for the kind of attention that would bring from the World Government. Half the crew couldn't use any variety of haki yet and the monster trio could barely use what they did have. Only herself and those who had been with her for years were what she'd call proficient. Not to mention the various abilities they still needed to learn. 'The dilemma of time travels in every book: Solve the current problem easily, only to cause worse problems later. Or let others handle the current problem with difficulty so they'll be more prepared for similar ones later.' Naturally, that's when her Observation Haki informed her that, much like in her original life, they had a stowaway.

A series of blackened arms carried Miss White Day out onto the main deck, earning an alarmed yelp from the woman, followed by angry cursing when her attempts to escape via her Warp-Warp Fruit failed. "Hey, lemme go!" The arms promptly dispersed, dropping her to the floor. The three-eyed woman rubbed her butt before looking up at the Straw Hats, at least the ones not so focused that they didn't register her presence. "Hi," She waved. When no one immediately reacted, she took a deep breath and apparently regained her emotional balance. "I'm here because you lot owe me!"

"LIES AND SLANDER!" Nami instinctively roared in fury, "I don't owe any money to anyone!"

"Not money! Those two sexy morons cost me a job and a patron!" Miss White Day shouted back, seemingly not noticing her slip as she indicated Luffy and Yamato where the husband and wife duo were knocking away every harpoon that approached the Going Merry. "So now, you lot owe me!"

"Perhaps we should settle this later?" Brook suggested, "When we don't have to worry about being gutted? Oh, but I have no guts. Yohoho, skull joke!"

The former bounty hunter considered the Going Merry carefully before calling out, "I think I can get you out of this, but I will be adding it to your debt!"

"Twenty degrees to starboard; there's a favorable wind coming!" Nami shouted at Desire, who was acting as helmsman while Nami and the Robins handled adjusting the sails. Showing her usual concern with other people's money, the navigator shouted, "We don't owe you jack; those morons do! So add it to their debt and do it already!"

With a smile, the brunette shouted, "Everyone hold on; this is going to feel weird!" Frowning in concentration, she grabbed a firm hold of the railing. After a moment, the Going Merry vanished with a high-pitched whine. She reappeared instantly, a few nautical miles from her previous position. Most importantly, she reappeared on the other side of the blockade. Even as they were spotted and the Marine ships turned around as quickly as possible, everyone knew it was a lost cause. The blockade was broken and the Straw Hats would be out of range before they could bring their guns to bear again.

No longer forced to bat away incoming attacks, the crew all hastened to listen to Nami's orders as she got them as far away from the blockade as possible with all due speed. Once they were far enough away, and on their way to the next island, they turned to their stowaway. "What's this about owing you, Black Night?" Yamato asked. Now that she got a good look, she saw Miss White Day had changed her look again. The smaller woman wore a light pink and white dress with a pleated skirt and frilly collar. Her hair was out of its previous pigtails and now pulled into a twisted chignon with her bangs moved aside to display her third eye.

"It's White Day! I mean, it was White Day! My real name is Pudding!" The newly introduced Pudding pointed at first Luffy then Yamato before insisting, "You two are the reason I'm out of a job and need somewhere to stay now! I don't care how handsome the two of you are, you owe me!" A moment after her declaration, the three-eyed woman's mind caught up to what she had just said. Hiding her face in her hands, she teleported away to the women's quarters. A moment later, a loud shriek of embarrassment could be heard echoing from the room.

-]|[-

Breakfast among the Straw Hats was interrupted by a piercing shriek from their navigator. Every head whipped towards where she was staring at the morning paper in shock and horror. Before anyone could ask what was wrong, Nami's head whipped around and she glared death at Luffy and Yamato. "WHAT DID YOU IDIOTS DO?!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

Naturally, both proclaimed their innocence. "We didn't do anything!" Yamato insisted.

"Yeah," her husband agreed, "We've just been having sex since we got here!" Yamato nodded enthusiastically. The crew's reactions to his oversharing varied. Zoro took a drink. Usopp irritably muttered that he was aware of that fact. Sanji sobbed crocodile tears at the reminder, complaining how unfair the world was. Brook gave them each an earnest thumbs up. Chopper ignored them. Bart and Desire both grinned and cheered for their hero. The Robins chuckled in amusement. Pudding blushed down to her chest and refused to look at anyone. The married couple had already christened the crew's new ship and it wasn't even finished yet! Franky had chased them off when he caught them.

As for Nami, she roared, "Don't share that kind of thing!" She really regretted the day Yamato introduced sex to Luffy. Those idiots were insatiable. "And you must have done something! We've all got bounties now and Enies Lobby apparently sank into the sea! What. Did. You. DO?!"

Though everyone else perked up at hearing they had bounties, it was Jaguar Robin who realized what she was talking about. "Actually, Nami, that was my fault."

The orangette was only slightly less angry with the crew's second oldest member. "What? WHY?!"

"Because, fuck them," The older woman shrugged casually. "CP9 had infiltrated Water 7 to find the blueprints for Pluton and decided to kidnap me. I went along with it to deal with them." She sipped her coffee before turning to Sanji, "My compliments, Sanji. You always get it just right." As the cook swooned at her praise, Robin continued, "The head of CP9 was foolish enough to show me he had the means to summon a Buster Call, so I used it. The Marines wiped out their own base, but naturally, they're blaming us rather than admitting to it." Another sip. "To be fair, the first time around, they still wiped out Enies Lobby with a Buster Call, but only after kidnapping Franky and myself with all of you coming charging in to save us."

"Meh, who cares about all that?" Zoro groused. "Let's see those new bounties." That started a cheer among many of the crew, themselves eager to find out how high their bounties were, and thoroughly distracted Nami from grilling her further.

-]|[-

Near Water 7, there was an island known as Banaro Island. Besides the Banana Rocks that give it its name and its sole town, it had no notable features or resources. By and large, it was a very ordinary small island in an ocean full of them. Or rather, it used to be. Right now, the titular rocks were crumbled and the town was nothing but smoldering scrap lumber. Four people were at the center of the ruins, all sporting various injuries, three standing around a fourth who was laying on the ground.

The sole woman among them, who also happened to be the oldest, pressed her scarf up to the remnants of what used to be her left ear. "Still alive, is he?" She asked her comrades, "Always was a tough bastard." Her customary hat and cape were both long gone, though what upset her more was the loss of her sword. She'd had that thing for over thirty years; losing it was like losing her hand.

"Yeah, he is, Bay," Izou offered. His arm hung limply as he glared down at the man who betrayed Whitebeard in the most despicable way. The samurai's hair was out of its usual bun and blood flowed from a cut above his eye. "Glad you saw sense and asked for backup, Ace."

Ace was in the roughest shape of the trio. Despite being a New World veteran like them, he had let himself slip while on Whitebeard's crew. Everyone knew better than to touch someone wearing his pops' mark and that had made him complacent and over reliant on his Devil Fruit. Though he was barely standing, he still glared hatefully down at Marshall D. Teach, the so-called Blackbeard, and the man he hated more than anyone in the world. "Doesn't matter how tough he is. After today, he's just charcoal."

"That'd require you burn him in a place with no air," Whitey Bay corrected him. "How do you have a fire devil fruit and not know how charcoal is formed?"

"Wait, please," Blackbeard pleaded, before coughing heavily, hacking up a fair amount of blood as he did. "I know what I did was wrong. But I'm sorry. I swear I'll-"

"Save it, you son of a bitch!" Ace growled. Flames leapt from his arms as he swept them around him. The fire burned brighter and formed a tornado around the fallen Blackbeard. Within the whirlwind, numerous dragons formed from the flames and pounced on him as Ace declared with finality, "Great Flame Commandment: Ogre Fire." Too exhausted to use either his Devil Fruit or haki, and with his entire crew already slaughtered, the man who would have become one of the most dangerous pirates in the world perished. Ace kept his flames going until nothing was left of the traitor but a carbonized shadow.

-]|[-

Onboard the massive ship known as Thriller Bark, two empowered fighters were ripping apart the special zombie known as Oars. Both pirates were roughly twice their normal size with blue skin and spiky hair. And as the married couple completely obliterated Gecko Moria's one hope of ever beating Kaidō, along with the man himself, the Warlord's previous victims were running to provide first aid to his latest batch: The Straw Hat Pirates.

Charlotte Lola was trying to look over one young woman when the girl turned to look at her. "Hm?" She made a confused noise as she tilted her head. "Aren't you-?"

But the movement caused her bangs to shift, revealing a third eye on her forehead. Lola gasped in shock and recognition. "Pudding? Little Pudding? Is that really you?!"

Pudding's eyes widened as she realized just who she was looking at, "Big sis Lola!" The pair forgot the fight (read: slaughter) occurring in the background as they embraced one another for the first time in almost a decade. "It's been so long!" Pudding gushed, "Have you found the husband you wanted yet?"

Lola gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Not yet, I'm afraid. I'm up to 4,444 rejections. But I'll find my man one day, just you wait!" Pulling back, she got a good look at her little sister. "But look at you. You've gotten so big! What about you? Did you find a husband yet?"

"And a wife," Pudding confessed.

"Ehhhh?!"

"Sorta. It's complicated," She explained, "They're hot and they're nice and they're so incredibly strong. But they're so incredibly stupid."

Lola looked back at where Yamato and Luffy were using Oars as a flail to beat Moria and everything clicked into place. "You're fucking Straw Hat and the Ogre, aren't you?"

"God, I wish!" She let slip unthinkingly.

-]|[-

For all the Grand Line drove her to drink at first with its insane weather and currents, Nami quickly mastered navigating it to the extent that even those who had lived their whole life in Paradise would marvel at her skill. As such, she knew she could spend the next couple hours sunning herself before she'd need to get back to work. Though this didn't mean she completely slacked off; she still had one of the crew's two Log Poses strapped to her wrist and would check it regularly just to be sure. With Bart in charge of manning the helm, she was sure it'd be fine.

Walking down to the lawn in her favorite bikini, Nami saw that all the ladies were sunning themselves, though the Robins were each reading, the younger had some novel in her hands while the elder was reading the paper. Yamato was topless and laying on her stomach, her hair tied up in twin buns to keep it out of the way. Pudding and Desire, however, seemed to be napping. As she sat down in the last available deck chair, Nami asked, "Someone's making sure they don't burn, right?"

The older of the two Robins, her hair currently in a braid, which helped distinguish her from her otherwise almost identical younger self, nodded. "Luffy won't have to watch his brother die in the middle of a war it seems."

"Who the hell starts a conversation like that?! I just sat down!" Nami screamed, startling both the sleeping women and causing them to fall out of their chairs. Desire also had the unfortunate luck to reflexively shift into her hybrid form, knocking Yamato's chair sideways as she suddenly became three times larger.

As two of her children fought to disentangle themselves, Jaguar Robin stood up. "Excuse me, I have to go make a call."

Staring at the older woman's back, Nami shouted, "No, get back here and explain what you said, damnit! What do you mean Luffy won't have to watch his brother die?!" Sadly, she was ignored. Turning to the discarded newspaper, the orangette sought answers. Yet nothing stood out beyond some island she hadn't heard of being ravaged by pirates.

Desire finally thought to change back to her human form which allowed her and Yamato to actually separate once she no longer had talons stuck in the older woman's hair. "Chill out, Nami," She offered. "Robin's like that sometimes. I'm sure she'll tell us if it's important."

-]|[-

For over a decade, the Revolutionary Army had called the island of Baltigo home. Some of the army's members even kept their families there, sometimes to keep them from being used as leverage, sometimes because both parents were in the army and had no one to look after their children. In one case, it was both. When she wasn't giving the veterans heart attacks by looking like her mother, Bonney trained under Hack on how to fight without needing her Devil Fruit. No matter what she did, Kuma watched with a proud smile, simply happy that his daughter was happy.

"Commander Kuma, you've got a call," One of the lower ranked revolutionaries informed the giant of a man.

Following him to the communications room, Kuma picked up the indicated Transponder Snail, "Hello, to whom am I speaking?"

"Ah, Kuma. It's lovely to hear from you," The woman's voice on the other end was one he hadn't heard in a very long time and would've struggled to place if not for her next words, "I was hoping to cash in on that debt you insisted on four years ago."

"Robin," He breathed. He'd never forgotten the pair who helped save his little girl's life. Kuma had immediately leapt to repay Law for his aid, but Robin had asked to hold onto his debt to her, insisting she'd need it one day.

"I see you remember me. I'm afraid my crew is going to need some rather urgent transportation in the near future," The older woman explained. There was a pause on her end as she looked to the side, "Very urgent transportation. Do you think you could meet us at Sabaody Archipelago?"

-]|[-

As Shakky wrapped up her explanation of the so-called Super Rookies, or as they were known this year, the Thirteen Supernovas, the older former pirate added, "And then there's you lot. A full third of this year's super rookies all on one crew. A crew that happens to make a habit of bloodying the World Government's nose in a big way every time you show up. Not to mention that you got so far with such a small crew yet all of you have bounties." Chopper irritably grumbled from where he was eating his cotton candy. He was still sore about his bounty being so pitiful. "You've got both the highest bounties on your crew, but unlike the runner up, you don't make a habit of targeting innocent people. It's why I'll be rooting for you."

Right as she finished speaking, the door was kicked in and in strode a redhead woman wearing a purple skirt suit. "Hey, barkeep!" She shouted in a boisterous voice, "Ten barrels of rum on the double! My boys got three days of shore leave and we're gonna spend it hammered!" Shakky moved to fetch the drinks, mentally promising to double the price for kicking her door as the redhead's crew filed in behind her. The redhead spotted the Straw Hats and peered at them in confusion for a moment before her eyes landed on Luffy. "Hey, you're that Straw Hat Luffy, ain'tcha? Pull up a seat, I owe you a drink for whatcha did to Crocodile! Bastard got me good back in the day, see?" She pulled open her shirt partway, ignoring the popping buttons, to show off a jagged scar going from her collar bone straight down to disappear beneath her bra. "Name's Shi Yang, Captain of the Menagerie Pirates!" She introduced herself as she fixed her shirt, "And this here's my crew, saltiest bunch o' bastards ye ever met! C'mon, have a seat! I wanna hear all about how you and the little lady wrecked that one handed cunt!"

Yamato pulled up a seat and dropped Luffy in her lap. Pudding barely had a moment to pout before Luffy's arm shot out and wrapped around her waist to sit her on his own lap. "Well, Crocodile was a real jerk and was threatening Vivi's home, right?" Luffy quickly launched into a disjointed explanation of his crew's clash with Baroque Works, aided by his wife at random moments. Both casually supported Pudding with a free hand, gesturing with their tankards as they spoke. The younger girl was a little odd to them, sometimes seeming like she wanted to be their wife and other times having trouble even looking at them. But she always enjoyed physical affection.

For her part, Pudding welcomed being embraced by the two she was crushing on… but she really wished they were more careful with their wild gestures. Their drinks were going everywhere!

-]|[-

Responding to a call from a Celestial Dragon was never fun. They could demand anything for any reason and it was her duty as a Marine to obey them. However, just this once, Doll found she didn't mind too much. After all, she now had a perfectly good excuse to tear the Lawless Zone of Sabaody Archipelago apart. All she had to do was make sure she killed Straw Hat as well. So Admiral Shirohebi easily dismantled pirate crew after gang after slaver group, seeming almost casual as she strolled through the archipelago, lightning leaping off her form to precisely hit her targets. Most struck would survive long enough to be arrested and put on trial, though a few she misjudged and accidentally fried completely. As she walked, thunderclouds formed overhead.

"Hey, bitch! Those're my fucking men, you're frying!" The shouted statement was accompanied by a purple cloth attempting to smack her across the face, though she calmly leaned back out of the way. An instant later, the skirt was a massive polar bear that swatted at her with a paw the size of her head. The attack passed harmlessly through her body, instead giving the bear a mild electric shock. With one hand, she grabbed it by the paw and flung it away to crash into one of the mangrove trees. Doll turned to where the skirt had come from, admittedly a little annoyed at someone throwing clothing at her of all things. The attacker turned out to be one of the Supernovas, Shi Yang. "There's more where that came from, you Marine twat!"

Before her eyes, the woman's entire wardrobe transformed into a veritable zoo. Her jacket took flight as a giant horned owl while her stockings changed into a ram and a spotted hyena. Her tie became a crocodile as her shirt transformed into a golden lion. Even her shoes and underwear transformed, becoming a giant tarantula, scorpion, viper, and jaguar respectively. Standing naked and unashamed, Rachel pointed at the admiral and shouted, "Get that bitch!"

Doll didn't even blink at the approaching stampede. "Mother of Monsters Shi Yang, huh. You're a bit too arrogant for someone facing an admiral. Raiju Rankyaku," She declared as she launched a roundhouse kick. Rather than the typical wind blade, her attack took the form of a wolf made out of lightning. The electric beast flew towards the menagerie and blew straight through them as it exploded. As each animal fell to the ground, now merely a scorched and bisected article of clothing, Admiral Shirohebi chided Shi, "You'd have been better off running. There're enough targets that I might have missed you."

From within the smoke cloud, the golden lion pounced on her, its claws extended to rend her flesh. Sadly, much like the bear-skirt before it, its attack phased harmlessly through the admiral's body. She grabbed it by the throat and flooded the lion with electricity. To her surprise, the lion shrugged off the attack. "Hm, you're no normal lion," She muttered even as its paws continued to futilely swipe through her, "Definitely not a run of the mill zoan. I'll have to bring you back to headquarters; you might be too valuable to let free into the world again." Her blackened fist crashed into the lion's head, knocking it unconscious. When she looked up, she was surprised though unimpressed to see the pirate captain hadn't fled while she was distracted. The other woman seemed paralyzed after seeing her menagerie defeated so easily. A quick lightning bolt handled her as well, leaving the pirate unconscious for the regular marines to pick up later.

"That's one super rookie handled. Now where is Straw Hat?" A new presence appeared within her Observation Haki to the south, nearer the Human Auction House. "What in the world is that man doing here?"

-]|[-

When Jaguar Robin told him that her crew would need urgent transportation, Kuma had expected the possibility of a rescue mission, but he hadn't thought it would be from an admiral of all things. Luckily, she had provided destinations for each of her crew. From what he knew of each location, along with the specialties of the Straw Hats, it sounded less like they were being rescued and more like they were being sent to individualized bootcamps. Regardless, it was a simple matter for such a heavy debt. "See you guys in two years, I'll be even more Supahh!" Franky boasted just before Kuma's paw made contact with his body. He vanished in an instant, just like the previous Straw Hats had.

"Can I go next?" Chopper complained. "I hate thunderstorms. They fill my fur with static."

Nami looked up at the thunderclouds overhead in confusion. "It makes no sense. The weather conditions weren't even remotely right for a thunderstorm." The rain had come out of nowhere just a few minutes prior and was quickly soaking them to the bone.

Naturally, that's when things went wrong. The Straw Hats learned which admiral was sent to deal with Luffy punching out a Celestial Dragon (A memory that never got old for Robin) when said admiral arrived in a literal thunderbolt. The six remaining Straw Hats all leapt out of the way even as Kuma slapped a paw into the thunderbolt. The bolt of lightning instantly vanished.

Everyone barely had a moment to breathe a sigh of relief when another lightning bolt smashed into the ground on the other side of the grove. Eight feet tall and looking more like a punk rocker who had stolen a Marine's coat, Doll strode away from the scorch mark her reappearance had left on the ground. Her eyes carefully took in all seven of the criminals present. "Bartholomew Kuma the Tyrant, Bulwark Bartolomeo, Yamato the Ogre, Weather Witch Nami, Thousand Arms Jaguar Robin, Cotton Candy Lover Chopper, and Straw Hat Luffy," She recited, "Over a billion Beris worth of bounties all in one place." The admiral smirked, "What a productive day this is turning out to be. I don't suppose any of you are going to surrender?"

Her answer came in the form of a green transparent cube forming around her. "Bari Bari Prison!" Bartolomeo crowed, his fingers crossed and a jeering smile on his face. His jubilation turned to panic as Doll turned to electricity and escaped his prison before it completely formed. "Wait, no!" The admiral reformed in front of him, holding him in the air by his throat as she pulled back her other fist.

"Thunderbolt tempo!" Nami shouted as she utilized the storm above to generate even more electricity than normal. Her lightning bolt struck Doll perfectly, only to fade away with the other woman giving her a wry look. The Marine slammed Bartolomeo to the ground hard enough to leave him unconscious in a crater then turned towards Nami.

Three haki infused attacks came screaming towards Doll at once: Luffy's Jet Pistol, Yamato's Raimei Hakke, and Kuma's punch. She tilted her head and reached up to smack Kuma's hand aside, taking care to not touch the paw on his palm. Luffy's Jet Pistol struck the admiral's left side, only for his entire arm to crumple like an accordion as her haki overwhelmed his own. At the same time, Yamato struck her directly in the chest. Takeru held for a moment, but with a screech of tortured metal, it shattered against Doll's haki. "Takeru!" Yamato cried as her beloved weapon was destroyed.

A dozen blackened arms sprouted from Doll's body. "Doce Fleur, Shigan," Robin fiercely declared. All twelve arms shot towards soft targets on the taller woman's body such as her throat, eyes, and groin, their index fingers extended as Robin utilized the Rokushiki technique on Doll. Before any of the fingers could connect, Doll lit up with electricity. Though Robin tried to continue her attack, the current increased until her arms started spasming uncontrollably, forcing her to disperse her generated limbs. Then Doll vanished in a bright flash and a thunderclap before reappearing behind Kuma. Faster than he could react, she kicked him away and sent him flying.

Looking at the remaining pirates, she said, "You lot are awfully impressive for a bunch of rookies. But I'm afraid our fun ends here. Nongthang Leima." With those last two words, Doll transformed. Her entire body turned into bright blue electricity as she grew and grew until she resembled a giant more than a human. When she finally stopped growing, Doll stood roughly fifty feet tall including her hair which had become jagged spikes, resembling a nest of thunderbolts. Her previously fit figure had become exaggerated; her enlarged hips, breasts, and belly made her look like ancient depictions of fertility goddesses. A thunderbolt came down from the clouds overhead and landed in Doll's hand, transforming into a fanged serpent that she held like a whip. "Time to show why I'm called the White Snake." Doll's whip raced out faster than most could see, aiming straight for Nami.

"Nami!" The entire crew shouted. At the last second, a massive wall of ice sprouted between the coming attack and their navigator. The whip smashed straight through it, but it bought the fraction of a second needed for Luffy to intercept the attack. The electricity harmlessly dispersed around his rubber body. Yamato, now in her hybrid form, leapt at the transformed Admiral Shirohebi, enraged at the attempt on her friend's life.

In desperation, Chopper grabbed three Rumble Balls from his supplies. Just before he could throw them into his mouth, Kuma's voice sounded behind them. "I'm sorry, this isn't an opponent your crew can defeat. We have to escape." An instant later, the doctor found himself hurtling through the air away from the fight and away from his crew.

'Damnit,' Chopper thought, 'Just wait, guys. In two years, we'll meet again and we'll take on the whole world, and I'll heal our injuries after we win.'

-]|[-

An hour after her clash with the Straw Hats and Kuma, Doll finally called in her report, deciding she'd gotten everyone she could. There were only two notable criminals left on the archipelago according to her Observation Haki, and neither Rayleigh nor his wife Shakuyaku were people she'd be allowed to fight seriously without permission from the Fleet Admiral at least. At least not somewhere the World Government wanted to stay intact. Instead, she took her Transponder Snail out of her pocket and gave a general announcement, "This is Admiral Shirohebi to all forces. Gather up any already captured criminals and prepare them for transport. Rescue any injured civilians. Do not engage enemy forces further unless necessary to fulfill those orders." Once finished, she dialed a new number and waited.

"This is Sengoku. What news, Shirohebi?" The fleet admiral stated as soon as he picked up.

Doll didn't let her annoyance show as she reported, "Our forces managed to capture both the Menagerie and Hawkins pirate crews, along with several lesser crews such as the Nightcap, Edge, and Militia crews. However, the Straw Hats escaped with the help of Bartholomew Kuma and Silvers Rayleigh."

"Kuma?! What was he doing on Sabaody? Is the Revolutionary Army moving?"

"Unknown. Kuma was the only revolutionary spotted in the confrontation. For now, it should be safe to assume he was here on his own."

"Very well. While the escape of the Straw Hats is unfortunate, it isn't a complete loss. Return to headquarters. I want a full report as soon as you return."

"Yes sir," Doll replied before hanging up. "What a mess this turned out to be. Why on earth was Kuma here?" She continued muttering to herself as she headed towards the local base to charter a ship to Marineford. There was no rush so she had no interest in using her Devil Fruit to return.

-]|[-

"The Gorgon Sisters are bathing! All Kuja must leave the palace at once! I repeat, The Gorgon Sisters are bathing! All Kuja must leave the palace at once!" The announcement echoed throughout the palace and its surroundings. All amazons who worked in the palace on Amazon Lily knew of the sisters' curse and how anyone who saw the gorgon eyes on their backs would be turned to stone. Technically, it was only half a lie, maybe a third. There was something on the sisters' backs and anyone who saw it would be turned to stone; it just happened that what was on their backs was a slave brand and they'd be turned to stone by the eldest sister for seeing it.

However, there was one person in the palace who didn't know this: A newcomer who had just arrived on the island earlier that week. Though she was welcomed, being not only a woman but also a powerful one, the Kuja didn't think to tell her all of the rules and customs of their island. It wasn't malicious, but one who hasn't been exposed to other cultures is liable to not realize that not everyone automatically understands and follows their customs. All this to say that Yamato didn't realize that the announcement applied to her. While all Kuja had to leave the palace, she wasn't a Kuja so she was exempt, right? And if she was honest, she couldn't leave if she wanted to. The young oni had found herself lost after wandering around and now couldn't begin to guess which way the exit was. Rather than retrace her steps, she decided that opening random doors until she found something familiar would work.

"How about this one?" She asked as she opened a large set of double doors and walked in. What she found wasn't the exit. Instead, she found all three Gorgon Sisters standing nude within a large, heated pool that served as their bath. Worse, from their perspective, Sandersonia had her hair over her shoulder as she carefully washed it, revealing the dragon's hoof slave brand burnt into her back. The trio stood there frozen as Yamato offered a casual, "Not the exit. Sorry for the intrusion." and started walking away.

"Wait!" Hancock shouted after her. Yamato stopped in her tracks and leaned her head back in to see what the empress wanted. Hancock formed a heart with her hands and declared, "You saw it; you cannot be allowed to leave. Mero-Mero Mellow!" A pink heart-shaped beam flew from her hands and hit Yamato square in the face… to no effect. All three sisters gasped in shock. "What?! Mero-Mero Mellow!" Again, Yamato was struck and again, she failed to turn to stone.

"What are you doing?" The white-haired woman asked in confusion. "What about not being allowed to leave? I just had a bath yesterday but if you insist, I guess I can take another one with you. Though, can't you just wash each other's backs? I'm not sure what you need me for."

"How can she be immune to sister's Devil Fruit?" Marigold demanded, fearful of the implications.

Hancock recovered from her shock and roared, "It doesn't matter, anyone who sees our brands must die!"

-]|[-

The Kuja waiting outside the palace, which was currently blocked by screens, stared in bewilderment at the loud crashes and rumbling coming from within. They couldn't imagine what was going on inside and were afraid to go look due to the warning about the Gorgon Sisters bathing. Besides, surely any problem could be handled by them, right? They were the three strongest members of the tribe, after all.

One of the side walls of the palace suddenly exploded outwards as Sandersonia was thrown through it in her hybrid form. Leaping after her was the island's newest resident, the horned woman Yamato. Marigold appeared in the newly created hole and lunged towards Yamato, fangs poised to bite her in half. A massive chunk of ice formed in her mouth before she could bite down, lodging her jaw open. Yamato grabbed the cobra woman out of the air and slammed her into her older sister just as Sandersonia started getting back up.

A sudden axe kick from Hancock was blocked by Yamato but forced her to her knees. 'Holy crap, she's strong. It almost feels like my arms are going to come off.' With a thought, Yamato instantly transformed into her hybrid form, becoming twice as tall to overshadow all three sisters. "Damn, you're strong. Wish I still had Takeru," She complimented.

"Of course she is," The crowd cheered, "The Snake Princess is the most beautiful woman in the world!"

The noise caught the three sisters' attention. The trio froze in fear, realizing they were still naked and worried a single wrong move would expose their shameful past. Yamato noticed their hesitation and stomped a foot. Instantly, a thick wall of ice erupted from the ground and surrounded the palace. The wall was distorted and warped, completely blocking anyone from seeing through it. The Gorgon Sisters all stared at her, dazed. "Why? Why did you do that?" Sandersonia asked in befuddlement.

Yamato shrugged, though she didn't drop her guard. "You didn't want anyone to see right? Still confused why you're so mad at me, but our fight's got nothing to do with them."

Hancock slumped where she stood. "Forget the fight, come with us and I'll explain."

"Okay," Yamato agreed as she changed back into her human form, "But can we have that bath you wanted? I could use it now after all that."

"We might as well."

-]|[-

Despite the destroyed door, the bath was still in good condition. The water was even still hot. So the quartet washed themselves clean, though Yamato was the only one completely at ease with the others. It wouldn't be the first, or second, or fifth, time she fought someone and befriended them later. She was sure it wouldn't be the last. Having heard why the three had brands on their back and why they were so defensive of everyone seeing them, Yamato only had one thing to say, "Fuck the heavenly lizards. Now I'm even more jealous Luffy got to punch one of them instead of me."

The oni continued washing Hancock's hair, and massaging her scalp in a way that felt heavenly, as though she hadn't committed blasphemy against the highest authority in the world. Marigold and Sandersonia yet again found themselves staring at her in shock. Hancock, however, found herself staring at the younger woman in shock and something else. She hadn't really considered romance before. Her former owner put her off men forever and her trust issues ensured she didn't have any true lovers anyway, though she did have a few subjects she allowed to service her from time to time. But hearing this near stranger talk about how she'd have used a giant club to smash one of the Celestial Dragons like a melon made her heart beat faster, her breath coming out in pants as she stared into Yamato's eyes.

"Hammock? Hammock? I'm done, you can rinse now. Hammock?" Yamato's words failed to penetrate as Hancock's face grew redder and redder before she finally gave out a little gasp and fainted.

-]|[-

A month later, Yamato impatiently waited for her mother to pick up the snail. Even if they all had to be separated for two years, she was extremely thankful that she had Robin's snail number memorized because she desperately needed some advice. "Hello, who is- Yamato? How are you doing, sweetie? I didn't expect to hear from you until the reunion."

"Hey Mom," She offered nervously, "Remember how you told me stories about Luffy accidentally romancing women, like Boa Hancock?"

"I do."

"So, out of curiosity… what do I do if I accidentally romance a woman? …Like Boa Hancock?"

The other end of the call was silent for several seconds as the snail blinked several times, mimicking Robin's own expression. "Well, I guess even I can still be surprised from time to time. Hancock does know you're married, right?"

In response, Yamato held the snail off to the side right as Hancock shouted in the distance, "Marry me, Yamato! He doesn't deserve you!"

"Okay then. Are you at all interested in Hancock romantically?"

"No- maybe- I don't know. She's nice and all but she's also weird sometimes. And she keeps saying mean things about Luffy. I slapped her the first time but well… she kinda… moaned." Yamato squirmed awkwardly. "It was hot but also weird. Really weird. Also really hot. I said that already, didn't I?"

"Hancock is a bratty sub. Learn something new every day," Robin muttered. "First and foremost, don't do anything sexual with her until you talk to your husband. If you're both okay with it, go ahead and do whatever makes you happy. But if either of you isn't happy with it, then you shouldn't do it."

"As long as everyone consents, it doesn't matter. Right, mom?"

"Exactly. So explain things to Hancock and let her know you won't get involved with her unless both you and your husband are okay with the idea."

"Right. That makes sense. Thanks Mom!"

-]|[-

"Wow, Luffy. Didn't expect you to be the first one back!" Franky exclaimed before forming his trademark pose, "You're looking suuupppahh!"

Luffy had stars in his eyes as he took in Franky's new form, almost twice as large as his old cyborg body. "So cool!"

"Yep, I made all kinds of upgrades! Watch!" The cyborg shipwright pressed in his nose and his hair rapidly grew from a buzzcut into a pair of curved spikes like a stag beetle. Luffy clapped excitedly as Franky continued to change his hair by pressing his nose.

"Wow! I wish I could do that! When I change my hair, I get really exhausted afterwards."

A new voice chimed in, "Luffy being tired? That'll be the day." Zoro strolled up to the ship wearing a green kimono and sporting a scar over his left eye. Trailing behind him was the Ghost Princess Perona who floated in midair.

Franky shouted in warning, "Look out, Zo-bro! It's that ghost chick!"

"My name is Ghost Princess Perona!" Perona pouted unhappily.

Zoro just waved dismissively, "Yeah, just ignore her. She keeps following me around."

"I wouldn't have to follow you if you didn't keep getting lost! How did you even mistake that galleon for the Thousand Sunny?! Do you not know what your own ship looks like?!" The pink-haired woman snapped.

"I didn't get on it on purpose! It just appeared under me!" Zoro shouted back.

While the pair yelled at each other, Franky leaned in to whisper to Luffy, "They're like a married couple."

"Hm? I don't get it," Luffy replied, "Me and Yamato never yell at each other."

"Our ears beg to differ," Nami countered as she and Usopp boarded Sunny, both with longer hair and more filled out figures than before. "You two yelled at each other plenty." Usopp nodded his agreement, face twisted by memories of sleepless nights because of them.

"Yeah, but that's sex stuff. It's not yelling yelling," Luffy argued.

Naturally, that's when Yamato arrived, herself also having unexpected company: a beautiful black-haired woman with snake earrings. Yamato was still dressed in the typical Kuja style, namely a black bra and loincloth. "Yeah, I'm not yelling at Luffy cuz I'm mad. I'm yelling because I want him to go harder."

"STOP OVERSHARING!" Nami and Usopp yelled together. While Yamato laughed it off, Nami asked, "Who's the new girl?"

The blushing Hancock proudly introduced herself with, "I am my darling Yamato's concubine." Her eyes hardened as she glared at Luffy, "You're my beloved's husband, are you not? I challenge you! A duel to the death for Yamato's hand in marriage!" As soon as she finished speaking, she launched a haki infused kick at Luffy's head, one which he blocked with his own haki infused fist.

"Oi, what's your problem lady?!" Luffy demanded as they pushed against each other.

Hancock's leg bulged with strain as she tried to crush the man before her. "You are not worthy of a woman like Yamato! She's beautiful, kind, and a natural born queen!" As she spoke, Hancock focused her Conqueror's Haki on Luffy, trying to overwhelm him and show the pirate how outmatched he was. Instead, she got a surprise when black lightning erupted from Luffy's fist. Suddenly, his attack became far stronger and Hancock found herself sent flying. Before she could think to right herself, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. Hancock looked up and saw Yamato had caught her, "Oh my beloved hero!"

Yamato flicked her on the forehead, "Not right now, Hammock. And don't attack my husband."

"Anything for you, darling."

Yamato landed back on the Sunny and said, "Right well this is my friend, Boa Hammock. Hammock, this is my crew: Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Franky, and my husband Luffy." Hancock nodded at each but scowled when Luffy was introduced. "Luffy, Mom says we need to talk about Hammock because she wants to be my wife."

"Wait, how does that work?" He asked.

"I don't know. We should probably wait for Mom to get here so she can explain things."

"No need," Jaguar Robin insisted. To everyone's surprise, she was calmly sitting on the railing of the upper deck. Wherever the oldest woman on the crew had spent the last two years, she had picked up a significant tan. She had also changed into a purple cowgirl getup, including a laced up vest and tassled miniskirt. "I've been enjoying the show the entire time." She tilted her hat back as she looked down at everyone before hopping down onto the main deck, "Come along children, I'll help you sort everything out."

Before they could go anywhere, Pudding warped onto the ship. "Wait!" She demanded, pointing at both Luffy and Yamato. "I don't care what this new woman says, I've been wanting to be the meat in an idiot sandwich for over two years now, I'm not being left out!"

Three of the four shrugged while Hancock puffed up her cheeks angrily, before Robin gestured everyone towards the door to the aquarium bar. Everyone stared as the five entered the ship. After several long seconds, Perona spoke up, "Was that fucking Boa Hancock, the Warlord?"

"ANOTHER WARLORD?!" Everyone shouted right as Bart and Brook arrived, the latter chased by his adoring fans.

Soon, the Straw Hats would have to make their escape from the Marines, aided by the various allies they made over the years they were gone. The second half of their adventure was about to begin and things would only get more intense. No matter what happened though, being a Straw Hat was the epitome of living in interesting times, both good and bad.

-]|[-

AN: I had the thought of "Gee, how is Crocodile gonna read the poneglyph without Robin?" Then I remembered someone else who can read them as well, at least in theory. So Charlotte Pudding is somehow in Crocodile's employ, going by the code name Miss White Day (Valentine's Day would be more fitting but it's taken) and possessing the Warp-Warp Fruit rather than her canon Memo-Memo Fruit. Anywho, the idea was actually stolen from a friend's fic with his blessing, mostly; she has a different fruit in his story. The mechanics are largely unknown right now so I went with the idea that the more you teleport, the less distance you can move it.

Shi Yang is very loosely based on Zheng Yi Sao, who was quite possibly the most successful female pirate ever as well as being one of the most successful pirates period. Sadly, unlike her real-life counterpart who grew so powerful that she "surrendered" while retaining over a thousand men under her command and lived a prosperous life, this one ran into an admiral. Speaking of, Doll's transformation is based off Enel's "200,000,000 Volt Amaru", though hers is named after Nongthang Leima, a Meitei goddess of thunder, lightning, and seduction. Hence why she's built like a fertility goddess while transformed.

Luffy still punched a Celestial Dragon cuz they're still total cunts. The main difference is, Nami had no reason to hate Hatchan as neither of them even recognizes each other from the roughly hour they once spent on the same island a decade ago. Anyway, without Kuma, the Pacifista Project is still in the early stages. In theory, Vegapunk could build some based off Alber/King but he has a limited quantity of samples from him and no way to get more. Best to save them for the Seraphim Project.

Don't simp for a Straw Hat or draw 25. Hancock: Picks up 25 decks.

Completely unrelated but you know what's a terrifying idea? Vegapunk had Kaidō as a research subject long enough to make an almost perfect replica of his Devil Fruit. So what if there was an eighth Seraphim: S-Dragon?