Disclaimer-I do not own One Piece

Luffy tossed and turned in his sleep. He was having a wonderful dream involving finding an island of meat when suddenly darkness enveloped him and dispelled his wonderful dream. He looked around trying to find the voice but only saw darkness. It was as if every single one of his senses were being suffocated.

"You shed so much blood in the last battle, then again what's a few more deaths compared to the thousands you've already killed?" A voice asked, calling out from the darkness. "Did you kill Kuro and his crew to defend the villagers? Or was it simply the primal desire to rise above other men? Do you even know why?"

Luffy wanted to respond but the darkness suffocated him and made him unable to move or speak.

"I'm not saying Kuro didn't deserve it, because he most certainly did deserve to die. It must have been agony for such a tightly-wound man to watch all his scheming fall apart and years of planning were rendered pointless in a matter of minutes. As he breathed his last breathes he must have realized that all his planning was for nothing, even as he shouted proclamations to the contrary. That must have been exquisitely terrifying."

Luffy managed to find his voice. "Who are you!?" He demanded as he gazed around the ever-shifting darkness.

"I am the Void."

"Luffy." A voice called out. "Wake up, it's almost noon!"

Luffy violently shot out of bed and began looking at his surroundings with wide-eyes. He saw Usopp standing at the side of his bed, looking at him with obvious concern.

"I came to check up on you. You missed breakfast and it's almost noon." Usopp said as he walked over to the window and pushed aside the curtains, allowing light into the room. "It's the first time I've seen you miss a meal so I was getting worried."

Luffy covered his eyes for several seconds as his eyes adjusted to the new lighting conditions. He was situated in one of Kaya's many guest rooms within her mansion. It had been three days since the battle and things in the village were returning to normal. He and his crew were resting and enjoying the town's hospitality since they were widly considered heroes to the villagers. He would have protested against being called a hero but since saving the village he was able to eat all the meat he wanted so he allowed it.

"I'm fine Usopp." Luffy got out of bed and stretched the kinks out of his muscles. "I just slept really deeply, I must have been those painkillers the doctor gave me. Had some strange dreams."

Usopp nodded as he turned to his new captain. "Well Lunch is being served so you might want to grab something to eat. Zoro and the others are down at the town bar enjoying the village's hospitality. As for Nami I think she went over to the cliffs to be alone, you might want to check up on her."

Luffy nodded thoughtfully as his thoughts drifted to his navigator. "How about you? Are you doing alright Usopp?" He asked, drawing his friend attention. Usopp had been acting normal but even Luffy could tell the battle had been hard on him since he was forced to take so many lives.

Usopp let out a laugh and struck what he thought was a tough guy pose. "Of course I'm fine!" He declared proudly. "I'm the great Usopp, warrior of the sea, slayer of evil doers, and defender of the weak. Nothing can keep me down and out!" Usopp stated as he walked over towards the door. "I'll give you some privacy so that you can get ready for the day."

Once Usopp walked out of the room Luffy was left alone with his thoughts. He remembered the dream he had and how it all seemed so real. "That voice was the same one…the one that spoke all those years ago." He would never forget that voice, it was dark and ominous but also calm and soothing. It made you relax but also put you on edge, it was a song of comfort and gnashing of teeth.

Luffy didn't know what to think. "Just bad memories…" He muttered as he got ready for the day.

Nami gazed out over the endless expanse of ocean before her and let out a tired sigh. She was sitting on a cliffs edge outside of Kaya's mansion and contemplating recent events. It had been three days since the battle with the Black Cat Pirates and she was starting to feel a bit more normal.

It had been a chaotic last few weeks. Joining up with Luffy had made for an interesting experience and she couldn't help but feel shocked at the adventures she had been on so far. If someone had told her that she would selflessly fight off a deadly pirate crew in order to protect a village she would have laughed until her sides hurt.

But here she was, resting after the largest battle she had ever been in. The old her would have slipped off into the night, hijacked a boat, and gotten off the island during the chaos. Instead she had stayed behind and fought for her very life with no promise of reward. It didn't take long for her to figure out what changed her.

"He brings out the good in me…I can't stand it." Nami growled as she thought about her temporary captain. She had never allowed her mask to crack in all the years she had been Arlong's pawn. Always careful to be a cold and amoral thief who never let anyone close to her. But a few weeks with Luffy and that perfect mask had come apart.

She shook her head and considered recent events. "Then again he did give me the money to free my village…I guess I don't have to be that person anymore." The idea of freedom from Arlong was foreign to her and she had to pinch herself several times to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She had the money, now all she needed was to make a quick trip back to Cocoyashi village and her nightmare would be over.

She heard the sound of footsteps and turned to see the object of her thoughts was walking up to her.

"What's on your mind Nami?" Luffy asked curiously as he took a bite out of a large piece of meat he was holding in his hand. "You've been really distant lately and it's starting to feel like your avoiding me."

"Maybe I just wanted some peace and quiet." She pointed out stubbornly as she continued to stare out at the ocean. She took a quick glance at the boy and saw he was wearing a simple white shirt, shorts, and sandals. The only part of his old outfit that had survived his fight with Kuro was his black hat. He had numerous bandages over his body for the minor cuts he got during his fight along with a larger one for the spot on his shoulder where Kuro had managed to sink his panther fangs into Luffy's flesh.

Luffy sat down next to her either not hearing or not caring about the slight edge in her tone. He handed her a bento wrapped in cloth along with a pair of chopsticks. Nami was about to refuse but he shoved it into her hands.

"You haven't been eating the last few days." He pointed out as he turned back to his meat. "You can't set out to sea on an empty stomach. I had Kaya's kitchen staff make it special for you. I kept telling them to add more meat but they kept yapping about some sort of healthy eating pyramid. I tried telling them that pyramids are made out of stone and therefore not edible, but they didn't listen."

Nami wanted to refuse but a loud growl from her stomach made her accept the food. She took the chopsticks and opened her bento, revealing meat, vegetables, and assorted fruits. "The pyramid represents a balanced diet, although from what I hear that form of nutritional information is out of date."

Luffy didn't fully understand what she meant but nodded his head anyway. "Well I guess a chef would know best. That's probably the next person we should recruit after we leave this island, a chef and then a musician."

"Musician?" Nami questioned in between bites of her food.

"Of course!" Luffy stated happily. "Pirates love to sing and party. So a musician is an essential position we need filled."

Nami shook her head at his antics. "Well a chef is a good idea, a healthy diet can be the difference between life and death on long voyages."

They finished off the rest of their meals in comfortable silence and once they were done they sat back and relaxed as the sun began to dip over the horizon.

"So…" Luffy began, unsure of how to approach the topic that he had come here to discuss with his friend. "How are you feeling after the whole…battle thing?" He fumbled, trying to find the right words.

Nami drew her legs up to her chest and hugged them. "Better, I'm doing much better." She said honestly. "I know they were bad people and they would have killed me if I hadn't defended myself."

"If we hadn't stopped them this village would be nothing but a memory and Kuro would be enjoying Kaya's fortune." Luffy pointed out as he thought about the battle. "I prefer to avoid killing. Sometimes I feel letting people live on with their hopes and dreams shattered is a better punishment. But a man like Kuro was too dangerous to let live, I was about to shoot him myself but Usopp was faster on the draw."

"How is Usopp dealing with it?" She asked as she thought about the long nosed teen. She hadn't seen him or had a chance to talk to him since after the battle. "I've spent years seeing some of the worst that these oceans have to offer, but someone like him who's lived in this peaceful place must be taking it hard."

Luffy shook his head. "Nah, he's actually doing really well. I think his desire to protect the village he loves and the warrior of the sea thing he has going has let him cope with killing well."

Nami nodded thoughtfully as she continued to stare out at the ocean. "Does it ever get any easier?" She asked, unable to shake the feeling that she would have to take life again.

"It does." Luffy responded as his eyes took on a strange faraway look. "There are times I wish it didn't but the hard truth is that killing does become easy. That's why I try my best to end fights without killing, but it wasn't an option with Kuro and his men. If we hesitated one or all of us could have died, along with this entire village."

Nami silently agreed with that statement. "So when do we leave here? While I appreciate Kaya's hospitality I want to leave this island behind me."

Luffy considered those words for a while before answering. "Four days at the most, I want to be sure everyone is rested before leaving." He got up and dusted himself off. "I better head back to the mansion, Kaya wanted to speak with me about something important once I delivered your food."

Nami got up and summoned forth the courage to ask the question that had been bugging her the last few days. "Luffy, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." She began, clearing her throat and drawing the boy's attention. "Since this adventure began I've seen you use your powers, so why didn't you simply swallow up all of the enemy in your darkness? You could have coated the entire village area in it and took out Kuro and his crew all at once."

Luffy paused for a moment, memories of the Goa Kingdom flashing through his mind.

"Well if I took care of every enemy like that then you guys wouldn't get stronger, and I'm pretty sure Zoro would leave the crew." Luffy started, considering his words carefully. "Also if I used my full power then there wouldn't be a village left standing."

In the town's only bar and restaurant a party was going on that was a stark contrast to the otherwise somber mood many people were in. Zoro, Buggy, Cabaji, and Mohji were all gathered in the bar having a small party that was quickly growing as more people joined in.

"More sake!" Zoro called out as he took a deep drink from his cup. "None of that cheap stuff either, only your best!"

Zoro was sitting at a large table in the village's bar and drinking as much as he could. While he preferred to have some moderation in his drinking, it was Buggy footing the bill so he decided to go all out. After the battle it was easy to see he had won their bet of taking out the most enemies.

"Nothing imported!" Buggy called out to the barman before directing a glare at Zoro. "Have some mercy, I'm already buying the booze no need to rub salt in the wound."

Zoro simply shrugged and accepted the drinks that the waitress brought over to them and handed one to Buggy. "Just shut up and drink. You lost and I won, so just grin and bear it."

"Isn't it a little early to be drinking like this?' Buggy asked as he accepted the drink from Zoro. "It's not even happy hour yet."

Zoro waved away Buggy's statement. "For real men like us every hour is happy hour." He put forth happily.

"Listen to Zoro and loosen up Buggy." Cabaji chimed in as he rested on a large booth with a girl cuddled up to each of his sides. "We saved the village so we all deserve to relax. Don't sweat the money and enjoy the moment." He turned his attention back to his two female companions.

"Tell us again about how you beat that awful giant man?" One of the girls asked as she snuggled up to the acrobat's side. "I heard he was eight feet tall."

Cabaji chuckled. "Well he was about twelve feet tall, had rippling muscles and wielded a giant mace nearly half his size. But I gracefully danced around him and delivered a swift killing blow to his head with my sword." He boasted as he reached an arm around each of his admirers. "I'd never let a monster like that harm any of you."

Zoro watched Cabaji's boasting and couldn't hide a grimace. "He really lays it on thick doesn't he?" Zoro muttered as he poured himself and Buggy another drink.

Buggy nodded as he accepted the swordsman's drink. "Cabaji is a smooth talker alright, but be sure to keep an eye on him. We were once hunted by marines for three weeks because he decided to bed a marine lieutenant's daughter."

Zoro nodded thoughtfully and directed his attention to the other end of the bar. Cabaji wasn't the only one attracting female attention, Mohji was also had a few admirers at the very end of the bar. He was showing off Richie to several wide-eyed country girls who had never seen a lion before.

"He's so big and cute!" One of them squealed as she snuggled up to the lion's mane. Richie looked a little annoyed at the attention he was getting until Mohji leaned into the lions ear. 'Get me laid here and I'll buy you all the food you can eat.' He whispered into his familiar's ear.

The temptation of food was too great and Richie immediately began to purr and rolled onto his back which only made the girls coo even more.

"Oh Mohji you must be an amazing person to tame a lion." A pretty blond said as she leaned up against the man, pressing her chest into his arm.

"Not to mention your hair is so cute." another pointed out as she touched his hair. "Its soft like an animal's fur."

Zoro almost puked into his drink as he watched the girls throw themselves at his crewmates. "Good God these country girls are naïve." He muttered as he watched the display. Several had walked up to him earlier and expressed their admiration, but he sent them packing with a glare. It's not that he didn't like women, he just found these innocent and idiotic country girls uninteresting. "I prefer my women to be made of stronger stuff."

Buggy rolled his eyes at that statement. "Please, from what I've seen of your tastes I can only imagine that your ideal version of a woman is a sword with tits." He responded, ignoring the glare Zoro was directing at him.

"What would you know?" The swordsman growled angrily. "I don't see you hitting on any of these girls, so I can only assume you're worried about what they will say when they see what you're hiding under that bandana. You even wear it while drinking booze." Zoro punctuated his statement by trying to pull the bandana wrapped around Buggy's face, only for the former clown to slap the man's hand away.

"I'm not worried about that, I can work a room as well as Cabaji. All I need is the right target." Buggy retorted as he looked around the bar for someone suitable. After looking around he found his target, an older woman sitting alone in a booth near the back of the bar. "Watch me sword for brains, you might just learn something from a master of seduction." Buggy downed his drink and walked over to his target.

"Mind if I join you?" Buggy asked as he sauntered up to the woman's table. She was an older woman with brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. Despite being older she still had a pretty face and a nice figure.

The woman looked like she was about to tell him to leave but when she looked up and saw who it was he eyes went wide. "Oh, you're one of those bounty hunters who protected the town." She said, surprised at the appearance of such a figure. "Please make yourself comfortable." She gestured to the seat across from her.

Buggy sat down and ordered the two of them several drinks, after they got their drinks they exchanged small talk for a while. Buggy learned the woman's name and occupation as a seamstress who owned a small shop near the villages harbor. Buggy spun a story about how he was a criminal who suffered facial damage in his youth, and his becoming a bounty hunter was his attempts at redemption for past crimes.

It was a false story that Zoro thought was utterly stupid but the woman bought it. After twenty minutes of talking Zoro had to watch as Buggy was led out of the bar by the woman, but not before Buggy walked over to Zoro and plopped down a wad of money

"Buy yourself whatever you want sonny." Buggy said happily as his female companion leaned into his arm. "Hopefully you learned something from watching a master in action."

Zoro watched as Buggy sauntered out of the bar with his date for the night. Zoro looked over to the rest of his crew and saw both Cabaji and Mohji being led out by their fangirls. He felt a tic appear on his head as he realized he was now sitting in an empty bar with only the bartender for company.

"I hate drinking alone…" He stared down at his cup of sake with noticeable annoyance, he turned to his right and noticed Richie staring at him with big sad eyes. "Mohji ditch you for some girl?" He asked, feeling a tiny bit of sympathy for the giant cat.

The Lion nodded and sat down next to him like a dog would, except for the fact that even sitting down Richie was still taller than the bar. Zoro filled a large saucer full of sake and pushed it over to the lion. "Might as well drink with me then. Drinking with a lion is better than drinking alone."

Richie happily began lapping at the sake and easily finished off his first bowl, which Zoro promptly refilled.

The bartender walked over to bring Zoro more sake and saw the giant lion lapping up the booze. "Is it safe for a lion to be drinking that much?" The bartender asked as he watched the lion down bowls of sake. Zoro simply shrugged in response.

"I'm not his keeper, so bring him another round. I refuse to drink alone."

Luffy walked into the mansion and saw it was mostly back to its original state. The windows were open to let in the afternoon breeze and all the debris from the hasty fortification were already taken off and moved away.

Kaya met him in the living room, her skin seemed less pale and she was moving about with confidence and energy. "Our prisoner is awake. I have Usopp watching over him right now." Kaya guided him through the mansions corridors until they reached one of the spare rooms. Inside the room was a familiar looking sunglasses wearing man. He was bandaged up but Luffy would never forget those strange heart shaped sunglasses he wore.

Usopp was standing guard over Jango, his slingshot in hand and ready for action. Jango seemed to just ignore the boy's presence and turned to face his two new arrivals.

"So you survived Mr. Jango." Luffy stated as he looked over the man and the many bandages that adorned his body.

"Just Jango please, no need for formalities." He corrected as he sat upright in his bed. "Since I'm not dead or rotting in a cell I'm guessing you want something from me?"

Luffy sat on a chair next to the bed and relaxed a bit before answering. "Not really, you turned on that murderous captain of yours, and even managed to stop him before he reached my friends. Which possibly saved their lives."

"It wasn't for a selfless reason or anything." Jango responded. "I simply wanted to take that bastard to hell with me. I served him loyally for years and he still tried to kill me."

"You deserved it for trying to kill Kaya." Usopp growled, unwilling to forget that this man had been an ally of Kuro.

Jango raised his hands in supplication. "I didn't plan on killing anyone. Kuro contacted me after years of being away and he said all I had to do was hypnotize a terminally ill girl into signing him into her will. Then she would die of natural causes and he would use the money to get me and the crew pardoned and instated as official privateers."

Usopp glared at Jango. "She wasn't terminally ill, he had been poisoning her over the course of a year to make her appear ill, and then he was planning on finishing her off once the will was completed."

"I had no clue about any of that!" Jango stated honestly. "He said she wouldn't live much longer, it seemed like a harmless crime. I swear I had no clue about any poisoning."

"It's fine Usopp." Kaya chimed in and put a comforting hand on Usopp's shoulder. "I believe him, besides I'm feeling much better now. So please calm down."

Those words made calmed Usopp down but he still kept a suspicious eye on Jango, waiting for the man to make a wrong move.

Luffy mulled Jango's words over in his heads and he believed the man's story. It made the events leading up to the battle make sense. "Even if it was for selfish reasons you did turn on Kuro, and for that I give you your life." Luffy offered, which surprised Jango greatly. "The marines will be coming soon to clean up this mess and give us our bounty money for killing Kuro. So I suggest you make yourself scarce before then. The few members of your crew who managed to escape the battle escaped on your ship so you will need a new boat."

Jango relaxed into his bed and stroked his chin in thought. "Thank you for letting me go free, but without a crew to command I have nowhere to go" He felt his chin more thoughtfully and realized something. "Oi what happened to my chin? It's gone!"

"You mean this?" Kaya asked as she held up a black and red striped object. "The doctor surgically removed it from your face when he was treating you. You do realize this was a mushroom right?"

Jango rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "It grew on my chin years ago, I left the stem part on because it gave me a more….unique look." He admitted. "It's surreal to see it gone, although it might be a good thing since I'll need to sneak around for the rest of my life. I got nowhere to go now that the Black Cat Pirates are no more."

Luffy considered the man's words for a bit and shrugged his shoulders. "Well…I guess you could join up with us. We might be bounty hunters right now but I intend to set off as a pirate soon."

Those words surprised the hypnotist. "That's an interesting career shift, but even if you plan on becoming a pirate do you really want me on your crew?" Jango asked curiously. "I was a part of the crew that attacked this place."

"You wouldn't be the first former enemy to join up with me." Luffy pointed out, so far Buggy and his former crew had been working out splendidly. "Your nine million beli bounty is fairly impressive for this ocean so you must be good at something to become that infamous."

Usopp decided to cut in. "Are we really going to let him join?" The teen asked directing another glare at the hypnotist. "He was an enemy, which means he could turn on us."

"Hey I'm very loyal!" protested Jango. "I was loyal to Kuro for years. I only betrayed him when he wanted me to do something unconscionable! As long as I'm not asked to do something as awful as wiping out a village I won't turn on you."

Usopp wasn't convinced. "Well how good are you in a fight?" He asked, trying to find reasons for the man not to join. "You seemed to get your ass handed to you by Kuro."

That insult cut a bit deep and Jango felt the need to prove the boy wrong. "Give me one of my chakram." Jango ordered, holding his hand out to Usopp. The long nosed teen hesitantly handed over one of the chakram he had confiscated from the hypnotist.

Jango looked out the open window of his room and in one swift motion threw the chakram out of the window. Everyone watched as it flew through the air and struck the stem of an apple that was dangling from an apple tree just outside of the mansions walls. "I'll admit I'm not the best fighter but I'm a skilled hypnotist and I can hit a target far away with a chakram." He stated proudly, seeing the looks of amazement on the others faces. "I also know how to play the guitar."

"YOURE HIRED!" Luffy happily, overjoyed at the prospect of having a musician on his crew. He had stars in his eyes as he imagined how wonderful feasts would be with proper music to accompany them. Despite his excitement he quickly regained control of himself and remembered to ask the most important question of all.

"You being a musician is wonderful and I want you on my crew for sure now. But I do need to know one thing. What is your goal in life?" Luffy asked, surprising g the hypnotist.

Out of all the question he was expecting that one caught him off guard. "Goal?" He asked, genuinely perplexed by the teen sitting across from him.

Luffy nodded. "I plan on becoming the Pirate King and claiming One Piece. That means going through the Grand Line, so if you have a goal that doesn't revolve around that then you might want to reconsider joining up." He pointed out simply. "Plus it's important for anyone to have something to pursue."

Jango thought deeply about that question. "Tell me kids, have you ever heard of Mirror Ball Island?" he asked, surprising everyone in the room with such a strange question.

Both Usopp and Luffy seemed stumped but Kaya knew what Jango was talking about.

"You're talking about the party Island here in the East Blue right?" She asked, receiving an affirmative nod from Jango she decided to continue. "It's a huge paradise of culture, all the latest fashions, fads, and dance moves come from that island."

"That's right." Jango confirmed. "However there is a place in the New World called Doskoi Island. All of the fashion and trends we get here in the East Blue are merely bits and pieces of fashion and fads that trickle from Doskoi Island. It's said that Doskoi Island is decades ahead of anywhere else in the world culturally. It hosts endless parties and the biggest dance competition in the world. Winners of that completion win wealth, eternal fame and glory."

Usopp rolled that statement around in his head. "Doskoi Island…does that have anything to do with the Doskoi Panda brand merchandise line?"

Jango nodded. "That's right, that merchandise is all from that island. Its makes everything from fashionable clothes, to practical clothes like aprons and whatnot." He pointed out. "My dream is to go to Doskoi Island and take part in that dance completion, I've always wanted to be a world famous dancer. If you intend to be Pirate King then you must travel through the New World in order to get One Piece, Doskoi Island is near the end of the Grand Line in the New World."

"That's perfect." Luffy stated happily. "But if that's your dream why have you been in the East Blue for so long?"

Jango grimaced. "Getting to the New World isn't easy, thousands of pirates die heading through the Grand Line. The only people who can enter easily are the marines and I don't want to join them since there's no guarantee I would even be stationed in the New World." He pointed out. "I thought joining with Kuro would be my best chance, but the man was a coward and quit being a pirate. Eventually I gave up and settled into being a pirate for a living, but it looks like I can pursue my dream once more with you guys."

"Well then welcome to the crew." Luffy shook Jango's hand. After sharing a few more words with Jango he was about to leave the room, but Kaya stood in his way.

"Before you leave I wanted to ask you something in private. Would you please join me in my study?' She asked softly but in a tone that made it evident that it was urgent.

"Okay, lead the way." He responded as he followed Kaya out of the room, leaving Usopp and Jango alone.

Usopp walked over to Jango's bed and fixed him with a harsh stare. "Luffy might be trust you but I'll be keeping an eye on you." He warned as he let his free hand rest on his slingshot. "If you betray us Ill kick your ass."

Jango waved the boy off. "I don't care whether you like me or even trust me boy. I owe you all my life, so I'll fight for you and repay that debt. Regardless of whether you trust me or not."

Those words seemed to soothe Usopp and the two of them settled into a comfortable silence.

Zoro walked out of the villages bar with Richie stumbling after him, both were swaying slightly due to their alcohol consumption but were otherwise in fine spirits.

"For a lion you sure can drink." Zoro said as he looked over to his cat companion. Richie simply let out a content purr as the beast enjoyed its own state of drunken bliss. "Those other idiots have no idea what they missed out on, women are fleeting but booze is eternal." The man and beast began their trek through the village's streets with the intention of reaching the mansion, but before they even made it down the road they were stopped.

A beautiful woman stood in the middle of the road. She had black hair, a curvaceous body, and wore a white cowgirl hat with a large red plume, a pearl necklace, a bikini top, and tight Capri-length pants.

Usually Zoro wouldn't care about some woman standing in the road, but this woman was wielding a giant spiked metal mace that was almost as large as she was. It put him on edge to see someone so well armed. Usually he wouldn't care since he was so formidable, but he was more than a little tipsy and wasn't sure how well he could wield his swords in such a state.

Deciding to keep things civil he decided to greet the stranger. "Can I help you?" He asked a bit stiffly, subconsciously resting a free hand on his swords. Richie sensed Zoro's tension and regarded the woman similarly, coiling up his body and ready to pounce on command.

"That depends." She began, eyeing Zoro up and down with bored eyes. "Are you a member of Monkey D. Luffy's crew?"

Zoro nodded. "That's right, I'm the Pirate Hunter Zoro, what's it to you lady?" He asked impatiently.

"My names Alvida." She said, gesturing to herself. "I've heard some interesting rumors as I've tracked down your captain."

"Oh?" Zoro definitely had a bad feeling about the situation, but chose to play along. "What rumors might those be?"

"After your captain beat me up and sent me to prison I tracked him down, I wanted to meet the only man who ever managed to conquer me." She said in a dreamy voice as a blush adorned her face. "At first I thought I was doomed to admire him from a distance. Since such a man would simply lock me up again, but I couldn't get him out of my head. But then when I began to sail towards Orange Town I met a large group of pirates who were fleeing the man I was pursuing."

Zoro figured she must have meant the remnants of Buggy's crew that they had sent packing once the towns rubble was cleared, but everything else the woman said was a mystery to the swordsman.

"They told me an interesting story." She said, recalling how she had forced them to tell her the tale. Not that she needed to do much, a simple wink and they were ready to spill their guts to her. "A story about a group of bounty hunters who intended to become pirates and head out to the Grand Line once they got the necessary money and resources."

Zoro cursed his luck, Buggy's crew had been there for the parley and knew the details of their plans. It was a loose end they had never considered before. He shook those thoughts from his head and focused on the situation at hand. "So you've managed to run us down, what the hell is it that you want from us?"

"I was looking to join up with you of course." She stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm an experienced pirate, and I bring other abilities that a man would find very attractive." She let her coat open up revealing her cleavage.

While most men would have suffered a nose bleed at this point Zoro wasn't most men. He simply rolled his eyes at the woman's statement and obvious attempt at seduction. "Well if we ever need a cheerleader I'll be sure to call, let's get out of here Richie." He began to walk down the road and intended to ghost right past the woman but she grabbed the metal mace from her back.

"I'm not a cheerleader, and I bet I could kick your ass." She stated proudly as she got into a battle stance, hefting the giant mace in her right hand and twirling it around as if it were as light as a feather.

Zoro let out a tired sigh and drew his blades. "I'm not in the mood for a serious fight, I just got through having a nice drink at the bar and I want to actually enjoy the buzz I have going." He placed Wado into his mouth, tied his bandana around his head and drew his other two swords. "So I'll make you a deal, we do this first blood style. Whoever draws first blood wins. If you win I'll let you join the crew."

"Deal."

Zoro didn't waste any time and lunged at his opponent all three swords poised to attack her. Alvida simply stood there as Zoro lunged at her all his blades drawn as he slashed at her midsection. "Demon Slash!" Zoro's swords cut in an arc at Alvida's side but instead of an impact he felt his blades slip off of the woman.

He turned and saw Alvida still standing in the same spot, only she had a cocky grin on her face. "I should have mentioned that I ate the Smooth Smooth Fruit, all manner of attacks just slide right off my perfectly smooth skin no matter how much force is behind the attack."

Even with a sword in his mouth Zoro managed to frown.

"Well that's just perfect."

Luffy found himself sitting at a small oaken table inside of Kaya's study, Merry was serving tea to the two as the two of them made themselves comfortable.

"Thank you for meeting me like this Luffy." Kaya said gratefully as she took a sip of her tea. "I wanted to speak with you about something of great importance."

Luffy took a sip of his own tea and winced slightly, he grabbed a dozen sugar cubes from the sugar bowl and dropped them unceremoniously into his tea. "No problem Kaya, I always have time for a friend." He responded, unsure of what to make of Kaya's surprisingly serious tone.

Kaya took a deep breath and prepared to say the words she had been rehearsing it in her head the last three days. "Luffy, let me join your pirate crew." She asked with total conviction.

"No."

The answer so quick, and put forth in such a casual tone that it was shocking. Luckily Kaya had expected this response and had several ways of retorting against it, she just needed to know what angle to push.

"Why won't you let me join up?" She asked, trying to hide the sadness in her voice.

Luffy scratched the back of his head as he searched for the right words. "Kaya, you just recovered from being poisoned over the course of a year, your body is weak, and you're a lady of leisure. I'm planning on becoming the next Pirate King. My voyage isn't exactly going to be a pleasure cruise."

Kaya wasn't deterred. "I have many skills that I can bring to the table. I have a good deal of education, medical knowledge, and I'm willing to do whatever is necessary to be a productive member of the crew."

Luffy regarded her and thought those skills useful, but still looked unconvinced. "I know I might not act serious all the time but I take my job as captain of this crew seriously. As captain it's my duty to protect everyone. I can tell you're a strong person Kaya, but being a pirate isn't all meat and parties…as much as I'd like it to be. There will be battles ahead, even ones more difficult than the one against Kuro." He pointed out, hoping to dissuade the girl. "Not to mention you would have to leave this mansion and everything you have here behind."

"Nothing would make me happier." She responded, surprising Luffy greatly. "For the last year this mansion has been my prison, all this luxury and magnificence only brings me painful memories." She got up from her seat and walked over to the window of the study. "All I want is to be free from this place, every second I spend here is agony. All I see is a mansion that Kuro desired so greatly that he murdered my parents for it."

"You could sell everything and start over." Luffy offered, trying to help her see alternatives. "Make a new life for yourself on a new island."

Kaya shook her head. "I can't describe to you what my life has been like over the past year. My health slowly deteriorating over the course of a year. During the last month I had to come to terms with the fact that I would die." She wiped away a stray tear that had trickled down her left cheek. "The only thing that helped me was Usopp and his stories. I knew they were all lies but he would tell me stories about faraway lands and amazing feats he performed. It made me realize that I have never once left this island and that I would die without ever seeing the world."

Luffy was silent as he listened to Kaya. At first her voice was soft and sad but as she turned to meet his gaze he saw strength in her eyes.

"Now that Kuro is gone and my health is returning I refuse to stay here a minute longer. I will leave this island and see the world and all it has to offer with my own eyes." She stated with complete conviction. "The only reason I'm alive today is because of you and your crew. I not only want to be free and see the world, but I want to be with my friends as I do so."

Luffy couldn't argue with that, and he could sense she was stalwart in her desire to be free. "Well I can't argue with that kind of resolve. If you want to join my crew then you're free to do so, just know that the journey for One Piece will be a hard one."

A smile adorned kaya's face upon hearing his acceptance. "I'm prepared for whatever the world throws at me." She stated confidently before turning to Merry who had been watching the exchange silently. "Merry, you and your family have served my family for generations. I leave this mansion and everything in it to you."

That bit of news shocked Merry greatly and he couldn't help but bow down before his employer. "I will take care of this mansion and everything in it but I won't take it from you Mistress." Merry stated firmly. "I will live in it and watch over it until you or your future children return to reclaim it."

"You're too kind for your own good Merry." Kaya huffed at her servant's inability to accept a gift. "If I'm going to be a pirate then having children will not be an option."

Merry smiled upon hearing that. "Never say never. Miracles do happen after all, especially with you and Usopp on the same ship. If you end up having a child they will always be welcome here." Kaya's face turned red like a tomatoes at Merry's words while Luffy simply watched the exchange with obvious confusion, not understanding Merry's meaning.

"Speaking of ships when will the one you have be ready?" Luffy asked, quickly changing the topic to something he understood. "I don't want to rush you or anything but I'm anxious to set out to sea again."

"A few more days." Merry responded. "Fully rigging and stocking a ship takes time and I've had to hire some help from the village to make sure it's completed as quickly as possible. Kaya also requested that it be fully furnished with the best furniture money can buy."

Luffy nodded thoughtfully. "Well, just a few more days until we can set sail." Luffy looked at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room and saw it was almost time for dinner. "Well they'll be enough time to talk about this over a good meal."

"LUFFY!" Nami's voice called out from one of the lower floors. "Zoro has a surprise for you that I don't think you'll be happy about!"

Luffy walked into the mansions dining room, easily one of the largest rooms in the entire house. It had a large table that could easily sit thirty people, a beautiful chandelier, and expensive looking silverware. Currently several servants were laying out a fine dinner for the evening.

Usually Luffy's attention would be solely on the food, instead he was drawn away from the food he desired by Nami who was standing next to the table and having a heated argument with Zoro and a lady he didn't recognize.

"You can't just recruit people off the streets Zoro." Nami growled, not pleased with the latest development. She directed her glare to the new addition to the group, a dark haired woman who was looking at Nami with suspicion. "We have no idea who she is or if she's even trustworthy."

"What's wrong? Afraid a woman like me will hog all the attention?" Alvida asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I guess it is a justifiable fear, a woman as beautiful as me will outshine you at every turn."

Nami's head didn't literally explode but it probably would have if it wasn't for Luffy walking into the middle of the conversation.

"What's going on here?" He asked, as he tried to get a hold on the situation. He didn't have time to say another word as he was immediately wrapped in a large hug and his face was crushed into the strange woman's chest.

"It's really you!" Alvida cried with absolute joy as she held the man she had been looking for over the past several weeks. "I've waited so long to see you again, the only man to ever conquer me!" She held him even tighter, completely ignorant of the fact that his face was becoming blue due to the lack of oxygen.

Luffy struggled against the strange woman but his hands simply slipped off of her every time he tried to get loose from her grasp. Her skin was so soft and smooth he couldn't get a grip no matter how hard he tried.

He was eventually saved by Nami who wrested her captain from the strangers grasp. "Watch what you're doing you dumb cow, you almost suffocated my captain!" She yelled as she looked over Luffy and saw his face was blue as he breathed heavily.

Luffy regained his breath and regarded the new arrival with a cocked head. "Conquer you? What the hell are you talking about? I've never seen you before in my life lady."

Alvida simply smiled. "It's me Alvida. Don't you remember? You defeated me and my pirate crew a few weeks ago." She pointed out, hoping to stir Luffy's memory.

Luffy remembered Alvida but he couldn't believe the person standing before him was the same woman. Even Nami who also remembered the fat pirate couldn't believe that the female in front of her was the obese pirate.

"You look…different." Luffy said as he gazed at the thin woman in front of him.

Alvida didn't know why he didn't recognize her, until she remembered something important. "Oh that's right! I ate the Smooth Smooth Fruit in order to escape prison. It didn't change much about me but it did cause my freckles to slip right off my face. That's probably why you don't recognize me." She stated as she gestured to her flawless face.

Nami and Luffy could only gawk at the woman in front of them, she looked absolutely nothing like the Alvida they remembered. Nami was the first to regain her senses and glared at the dark haired beauty.

"If you really are Alvida then why are you here?" She asked suspiciously. "Luffy beat you up and sent you to prison! Why would you ever want to join our crew? I bet this is some ploy to betray us."

Alvida didn't get angry, instead she focused her attention on Luffy and blushed when she saw he was looking at her. "I was angry about being sent to prison, but I couldn't bring myself to hate Luffy. He is the first man to ever beat me." She held a hand up to her chest, remembered how he only needed to touch her chest to send her flying into a building. "He had such strength, the way he handled me so roughly left me…breathless."

Zoro, who had been quiet through this entire exchange couldn't believe what he was hearing. "That's the reason you wanted to join?" He asked, not trusting his ears. 'I thought you wanted to join up with us because of our strength?"

Alvida laughed at the swordsman's statement. "It's true that I wouldn't want to join a weak crew. But my reason for being here is Luffy. Men all over the world bow down before my beauty, but they don't interest me the way he does."

Luffy simply scratched the back of his head in confusion. None of what Alvida was saying made much sense to him. "So…you want to join my crew because I'm strong?" he asked, trying to make sense of what the female pirate was saying.

"That's one reason." She agreed. "Zoro promised I could join your crew if I beat him in a first blood fight, which I promptly won."

"Zoro lost?!" Everyone yelled out in surprise, unable to believe the crews second strongest member was defeated.

"It was her Devil Fruit!" Zoro protested, intent on protecting his honor. "All my blades slipped off of her, even when I tried attacking her in different methods they all slipped off. Eventually she managed to scratch me on my hand." He held up his hand which had a tiny scratch that looked more like a papercut than anything else. "It's small but the challenge was first blood, so she did win…I also might have been a little drunk at the time."

Alvida chuckled. "I'll admit he was too fast for me, it took fifteen minutes for me to lay that scratch on him." She admitted. "I won the challenge so that means I'm a crew member right?"

Nami was about to protest but before she could Luffy interjected.

"If Zoro gave you his word then I guess it can't be helped. But first I'd like you to join me outside for a moment. There's something I need to ask you before you can officially join up." Luffy stated as he led Alvida outside who followed him with a skip in her step.

Luffy led her to a balcony overlooking the village, it was well out of earshot of his crew and they had privacy. Luffy leaned his back against the railing and observed his new crew member.

"I wanted to have a word with you." Luffy began, his tone was neutral and his eyes bore into Alvida as if trying to figure something out. "I remember the way you treated your crew members back when you were a captain. I just want to make it clear that this crew runs differently. You are no longer a captain and in this crew we all treat each other with respect. Understand?"

The line of questioning was not what Alvida was expecting, but she supposed it was understandable given their unique past encounter. "I'm aware of that, I don't mind following someone as long as it's a man like you."

"Good." Luffy said, a little relieved that she was being so agreeable. "Also what is it you expect to get from joining me?"

"What?"

"What's your dream?" Luffy asked, trying to clarify what he meant. "I'm not going to become a pirate to rob and murder people. I want to find One Piece and become the Pirate King, so if journeying through the Grand Line is too much for you then you might not want to join up."

Alvida fell silent for about thirty seconds, her brain was working overtime. Her life as a pirate had been mostly about getting treasure. But hearing Luffy talk about going into the new world brought up past memories, of a little girl with a big dream that seemed impossible.

"Have you ever heard of Big Mom?" Alvida asked, breaking the silence and surprising Luffy. The teen considered her words for a bit and nodded.

"Yeah, she's one of the Four Emperors like Shanks. Supposedly she's the most powerful female pirate in the world." He said, recalling reading about her in a newspaper.

"I always looked up to her when I was younger." Alvida said, as she remembered her childhood, both the good and the bad. "A woman being one of the most powerful figures in the known world was un heard of to me at the time. It inspired me to become a pirate. I've always wanted to go into the New World and take over a wonderful island for myself and become a pirate that rivals Big Mom, I dream of surpassing her. Becoming a 'Pirate Queen' if you will. "

She looked over to Luffy and saw he was smiling. Alvida realized how much she had revealed and blushed. "I mean that was my dream when I was a child. Realistically the chances of someone like me surpassing a person like Big Mom and becoming a leader like her is-" She was cut off when Luffy put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"That's a good dream Alvida, and if you want to surpass an empress of the seas then this crew is the one you want to join." He said, happy that Alvida wasn't just a typical pirate. "Everyone on this crew has big dreams, even if some of them are kind of weird. You have to have something to hold on to, something to chase after if you're going to make it through the Grand Line."

Alvida allowed a small grin to adorn her face as she placed a hand on the side of his face, running a finger over his scar. "Of course that's not my only dream." She said in a seductive tone.

"Really?" Luff asked innocently, ignoring the smooth fingers running over his scar. "What's your other dream?"

Before Alvida could continue Nami walked out onto the balcony, interrupting Alvida and drawing Luffy's attention away from her.

"Dinners ready Luffy, you better hurry up before all the meat is eaten." Nami stated, sending a quick sideways glance towards Alvida. Luffy didn't hesitate and quickly ran at top speed from the balcony towards the dining room, leaving Alvida and Nami alone on the balcony.

"What the hell was that?" Alvida growled, pointing an accusatory finger at the orange haired navigator. "It couldn't have been a coincidence that you just showed up at that moment."

Nami returned the glare Alvida was sending her way with full force. "I'm simply protecting my captain from you. Luffy is far too kind and trusting for his own good, I'm just making sure a harpy like you can't sink your talons into him."

Alvida allowed a small smirk to adorn her beautiful face, she quickly went from being angry to being amused. "Oh? It appears I have some completion for Luffy's attention. Plan on keeping him all for yourself are you?"

Nami's face turned red with both embarrassment and anger. "Excuse me!? I absolutely do not think of Luffy that way! He is my friend and I'm just trying to make sure he doesn't make the mistake of allowing a conniving snake like you get close to him!" She yelled, although there was a tiny hint of hesitation in her tone that Alvida managed to pick up on.

Alvida ignored Nami's protests and began to walk towards the dining room. "Whatever you say little girl. But know that Luffy will pick me in the end since I'm a real woman. I would make a joke about your lacking figure but there's nothing funny about those mosquito bites you call breasts." She said as she walked past an infuriated Nami.

Nami was tempted to punch her new crew member but resisted the urge. She remembered the type of person Alvida was and while Luffy was too trusting for his own good she knew it was only a matter of time until the dark beauty showed her true colors.

"My tits are not mosquito bites…" She muttered as she followed after Alvida and headed toward the dining room.

Dinner was an interesting affair. The entire crew had arrived in time for dinner, even Buggy Mohji and Cabaji had returned after their earlier 'adventures'. The crew ate dinner in their usual fashion of messiness and jovial talking but there was a tension in the air that could be cut with a knife.

Alvida and Nami took every opportunity to exchange barbs with each other, always disguising their insults subtly to avoid being obvious. Nami would insult the older woman for her eating habits which hadn't changed despite her slimmer look. Alvida still ate like a woman starved and was easily keeping pace with Luffy. Alvida would return Nami's barbs with insults of her own, most of them pointed at the younger girls figure or immaturity.

Jango also joined the crew for dinner, Merry helped the wounded man down from his bed and he took a seat at the table. While most of the crew were against a man like him joining up they accepted their captains decision, especially when it was pointed out that Buggy, Cabaji and Mohji had been recruited under similar circumstances.

Everyone was happy about Kaya tagging along although there were concerns about her health and fighting ability. In the end everyone agreed that her medical knowledge would be useful for a crew that didn't have a licensed doctor. Alvida was welcomed openly by most male members of the crew with the exception of Zoro who still held a grudge against the woman for her trickery.

"I leave you alone for one day and we have three new crew members." Nami grumbled as she drank a glass of fruit juice. "Maybe tomorrow you can invite the entire village to join the crew."

Luffy paused from his meal and contemplated that idea. "We wouldn't be able to fit them all on a ship." He said, contemplating her idea and completely missing the sarcasm in her tone.

"It's important to have a large crew." Buggy interjected. "In a sea battle you need people fighting the enemy, manning cannons, steering the ship, and managing the sails. A small crew can't manage all of that easily, so a few extra skilled hands is a welcome thing. Especially in the Grand Line."

"Buggy's right." Zoro said, voicing his approval. "With a small crew the injury or disabling of a single person could cripple a voyage. A larger crew will give us more versatility. A larger crew might also mean I could get some drinking buddies that won't ditch me to go chase skirts." He growled, directing a glare towards Buggy, Cabaji and Mohji.

"Twins Zoro, identical twins!" Cabaji argued, trying to justify his decision. "I couldn't pass an opportunity like that up. A three-way with twins was one of the items on my bucket list that I can now scratch off. Although they technically weren't completely identical. They had differing moles located on the backs of their-" Cabaji was cut off by Nami striking the back of his head.

"No one wants to hear about your perverted hijinks Cabaji!" Nami glowered, not wanting to hear about her crewmates sexual encounters.

"The girl is right Cabaji." Buggy chimed in, lightly scolding the acrobat. "You need to have more class. A true gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."

"If you're a gentleman then I'm a Celestial Dragon." Zoro retorted as he ate his dinner. "All I know is I had to spend my afternoon drinking with a lion. Although I do have to admit Richie can hold his liquor pretty well."

Upon hearing that Mohji decided to cut in. "You aren't supposed to give Lions booze Zoro, animals don't have bodies adapted for drinking alcohol." He said as he offered a large piece of meat to Richie who accepted the food happily.

"I'm not his keeper. Besides you're the one who left him to chase after a bunch of girls." Zoro pointed out. "If I left him to his own devices there's no telling how much trouble a lion could get into."

Dinner continued on like that for some time, idle small talk as everyone got to know their new crew members better. Conversation was light and pleasant and it didn't take long for Jango, Kaya, and Alvida to become better acquainted with their new crew.

Once dinner began to wind down Luffy cleared his throat to gain everyone attention.

"In a few days we will be setting sail to find a chef. Once we have a chef this crew will be prepared to enter the Grand Line." Luffy stated proudly. "We can finally raise our own Jolly Rodger and become official pirates."

"That's all well and good but where are we going to get a skilled chef that is also willing to become a pirate?" Zoro questioned. "It's not like there's a place where sea chefs congregate."

"Actually there is." Kaya said, drawing everyone's attention. "I've heard of this place called Baratie, it's a giant restaurant ship that sails across the seas. It is said that numerous cooks who were too rough or troublesome for other restaurants work there. It's very fashionable for rich people to go there since it's such an interesting place."

That bit of information interested everyone who thought it was a very good plan.

Nami thought it was brilliant. "That's a great idea Kaya, but how can we find it if it's a ship that's always moving?"

"The Baratie puts out coordinates in the newspapers whenever they move locations." Kaya explained. "I read the paper this morning and I'm happy to say that they are nearby."

With their next destination decided the crew chose to enjoy the rest of the evening feasting, drinking and enjoying each other's company.

Two days later saw numerous events happen to Luffy and his crew. The marines had come and gone and with their leaving the crew had received a bounty payment for Kuro's death. Luffy fully recovered from his battle, and the ship was finally ready.

Which is why the crew found themselves standing in the harbor and gazing upon the ship that was to be their pirate ship.

"It's a Schooner class ship of my own design and creation." Merry said as he gestured to his creation. "I call her the Going Merry."

The Going Merry wasn't the largest ship Luffy had ever seen but the sight of it took his breath away. It was a large vessel that exceeded any expectation he had when arriving at Syrup Village. The Ship was obviously made with love and passion as evidenced by the craftsmanship that went into her. The wood was a dark brown, it had numerous cannons, and its figure head was a Rams head with large horns. Luffy was so focused on the ship he barely heard Merry's detailed explanations about the ship.

"She has three main masts, weighs in at around 200 tons, and has eight broadside cannons with four on each side, as well as two frontal chase cannons and two rear cannons. There are also numerous swivel guns located on the deck. It also had a steel naval ram in front for attacking a vessel head on in a dogfight." Merry explained as he gestured towards the ship. "She has two large sleeping quarters that can comfortably house a crew of twenty or much more if you don't mind a lack of privacy. It has also been wonderfully furnished and has all the amenities one would need to comfortably cross the sea."

Everyone was soaking the information in and looking at the ship that was to be theirs. Merry saw their amazement and was proud of the effect his creation had on them. "Well you've probably had enough of me talking about the ship, go on and look at it yourself. I'll give you all a hands on experience with it." No sooner had the words left his mouth, the entire crew was scrambling on board their vessel.

The crew divided up and began to inspect parts of the ship that interested each of them most while Merry went on with his explanations.

"A ship like this can outrun almost any other type of ship in the ocean so long as she had a bit of wind. The only way a large ship could keep up with her is if it had oars or steam paddles, even then with the wind she can sail circles around most enemies." Merry said as he gestured to the three main sails. "Despite her size this type of ship can navigate shoals and shallow water as well as deep rivers. But this schooner is larger than most so I would be cautious when entering shallow water."

"These are some great cannons." Buggy stated as he analyzed all the guns on the main gun deck. "Twelve pounders if I'm not mistaken and the frontal and rear guns are long nines. With my special cannonballs there won't be a vessel in this entire world we can't sink."

Usopp found his favorite spot in the crows next which was spacious enough for him to rest in. "With this vantage point no vessel will sneak up on us." He said as he looked out over the open sea and imagined the adventures he would soon be going on.

Zoro, Jango, and Cabaji were all exploring the men's quarters. The room was large and had numerous Bunk beds which were compact enough to fit many of them in the vessel but large enough for a large man to sleep comfortably. There were also a few large hammocks set up for anyone to rest in. Aside from that the quarters were plain with two couches and a wall full of lockers for people to store their clothes and possessions in.

Alvida was busy looking about the woman's quarters. The room had numerous large beds and hammocks meant for comfort more than practicality. It also had sofas and a table meant for lounging. The room was clearly meant for comfort more than anything else which suited Alvida just fine since she was used to living in opulence due to her former career as captain of a ship.

Mohji and Richie were busy checking out the kitchen which was located in one of the biggest room in the ship, the dining hall. The Kitchen was large and had all the comforts of a modern kitchen with numerous cooking stations and utensils. The rest of the room was a dining room with two large tables meant to sit a full crew.

Nami, Kaya, and Luffy were at the ships Helm while Merry explained the merits of the ship to the group.

"She is easy to sail but difficult to master. I hope your navigator is up to the task." Merry said as he gestured towards the mainsail.

"I am." Nami promised as she took stock of what she was working with. "No matter what comes Ill steer her through thick and thin."

Luffy was playing around with the ships main wheel when a thought suddenly came into his head. "What the heck are you guys doing with a ship like this?" Luffy asked as he looked around him at the large vessel. "You mentioned this was meant to be a small ship for Kaya to sail around in when she decided to see the world, but it looks more like a battleship."

Merry nodded. "Very Astute Mr. Luffy. A long time ago I expressed my desire to make a ship for Mistress Kaya when she came of age to travel the seas. Ever since I was a child I had a set of blueprints for a small Caravel class ship that I desired to make. But when Kayas father and I set out to buy the materials required for the ship we ended up getting caught between a naval battle between a pirate ship and ship full of privateers. In the chaos we made our escape, never did find out who won that battle."

"How did that make you change your mind about the ship you were making?" Luffy asked, unsure of how the story would change the make of a ship.

"Well it scared the living daylights out of me and the master." Merry explained, a bit of fear entering his voice as he recalled those memories. "We realized how dangerous the seas were and we realized that the blueprints I had made wouldn't cut it. So I went back to the drawing board and made new blueprints for a ship that could outrun any foe yet still stand its ground against a powerful pirate ship. Thus this schooner was born. Kayas father would only accept the best of ships to ferry his daughter around this sea."

That made sense to Luffy so he decided to drop the subject. He looked around and saw his crew was taking wandering about, enjoying the ship was much as he was.

"Since you're the captain would you like to be shown to your quarters?" Merry asked, breaking Luffy from his musings.

"My quarters?" Luffy asked, not sure what the sheep headed man was talking about.

Merry led Luffy, Nami and kaya to the stern of the ship and opened up a door that led to the captain's quarters. It was a large room, in one corner was a table meant for dining, the walls were lined with empty bookcases, there was a large desk and chair in the center of the room for reading maps and conferring with other crew members. At the back of the room was a large dresser and a large king sized bed with silk sheets.

"This room was meant for Mistress Kaya or whoever is in charge of the ship." Merry explained. "Mistress Kaya has said that she is fine sleeping in the woman's quarters and that as captain this room should be yours."

"My own room…" Luffy muttered as he looked around at the opulence.

Nami watched her captain move around the room like he was a child, eyes full of wonder and a bit of anxiety. Merry carried on extolling the virtues of the room, unaware of Luffy's apparent confusion and anxiety.

"There's also a tiny bathroom in here as well. It only has a small shower, sink and toilet." Merry explained as he opened the bathroom door. "But given the fact the rest of the ship only has two other bathrooms it will be nice having one of your own. I'll leave you to acclimate to your new quarters, I'll be off to help your crew with anything they need before you decide to set off."

Merry left the room and Kaya followed after him, leaving Luffy and Nami alone.

Nami saw Luffy was still looking around the room with uncertainty and decided to call the teen out on it. "What's wrong Luffy? You're acting like this room is haunted or something." She pointed out, earning a small glare from her captain.

"I'm not scared." retorted Luffy as he sat down at his desk. "It's just strange. I've never had my own room before, it's a…surreal feeling."

That bit of information surprised Nami. "You've never had a room before?" She asked disbelievingly.

"I grew up in a small village and shared a room with a woman by the name of Makino who let me live with her when she saw that my grandfather made me sleep in the woods." Luffy explained. "After that I lived with mountain bandits who all shared the same living space, then I lived with my brothers and we shared a small tree house together. I've never had my own room before."

That surprised Nami, as poor as she was growing up she had always had her own room. It was a small thing little better than a walk in closet but it had been hers. "Well then I guess your overdue for one, you might enjoy having some privacy for a change." She offered kindly.

"I guess you're right." Luffy said as he looked at the bookshelves. "At least I have a place to put all my books." He summoned forth his darkness and summoned several large chests from it. He began opening each one of the chests up, revealing that each was stuffed to the brim with books.

Nami fell upon the books like a cat on a mouse and began looking through them. Nami found numerous adventure books, books about strange places in the world, how to maintain weapons, and every topic under the sun and moon. The main thing that caught her eyes were books on navigation, specifically on how to navigate the Grand Line. She even found that several of the books had charts and maps drawn into them.

"Luffy…where did you get these?" She asked as she looked through a particularly interesting book which described navigating the Grand Line with something called a Log Pose.

"Shanks gave them to me." Luffy responded a he began to sort his books and put them on his shelves. "Most of them are gibberish to me but I keep trying to read them anyway. You can borrow them if you like but I want them back, even if I can't understand them entirely I do treasure them."

Nami nodded and took the navigational books into her arms. It would take time but she could easily make copies by hand, taking out the useless information and making the good stuff more concise and clear. Throughout her short life she had written several books on navigation. A fact she was proud of despite the fact that Arlong and his crew were the only ones using them.

"I should mention that I've decided to stay." Nami said as she looked through the books. "I want you with me when I go to pay my debt."

That bit of news surprised Luffy and he let it show on his face. "Why? We have a ship so you can take the gunboat to pay it off while we recruit a cook. Unless you wanted me around because you're afraid that your debtor will double cross you."

"He has always claimed to honor deals with money and I've seen that he does keep his promises." Nami responded. "But with so much riding on this I would like a little…insurance in case things go wrong."

Luffy chuckled a bit. "So you want me to kick his ass if he double-crosses you?" He asked, amusement evident in his tone. "Why don't you let me kick his ass in the first place? Then you could keep all that money you've been gathering for yourself."

Nami shook her head. "You would understand my hesitation to have you fight him if you ever saw him fight. I've seen him sink marine battleships with only his bare hands all the while laughing." She remembered the marines sending numerous ships over the years to investigate and bring Arlong in. They all died. Even privateers and pirate hunters learned to keep their distance from Arlong after only a few encounters with him. "Just let me do the deal and everyone walks away happy without any blood being shed."

"Fine, I just wish you would have more faith in me." Luffy said as he finished organizing and placing all his books on his new shelves and decided it was time to stop playing around on their new ship. He had been meaning to call a crew meeting for a long time but no moment seemed right. Now that they had a fine ship with a large dining room it felt like the proper time to have one.

"Nami, gather the others and have them meet up in the dining room. We need to have out first official crew meeting."

Everyone was gather into the dining room and sat around one of the main tables in the room. Luffy sat at the end of the table and looked over his crew and couldn't help but feel happy at the men and women he recruited thus far.

"Alright, this is our first official meeting as a crew." Luffy began grandly, drawing everyone attention to him. "We have numerous things we need to discuss in this meeting but first things first. Everyone find the ship to their liking?"

At this everyone gave an overwhelming positive response. Merry who was sitting down in the corner couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed as everyone praised him and his craftsmanship.

"Second order of business is our next move. I believe heading over to the Baratie should be our next destination." Luffy stated, drawing many affirmative nods from his crew. "Once we have a skilled cook we can eat delicious food every day."

"Not to mention a cook can make us healthy food so that we don't suffer malnutrition and scurvy." Nami added, "It would also help make rationing our food stores easier to have someone who can make food supplies last as long as possible."

Seeing that everyone was in agreement Luffy decided to raise a topic that he knew would be interesting. "Now there's one thing we need to discuss as a crew. Specifically what we are going to do with this." Luffy reached into his pocket and pulled out a black fruit with dark yellow markings on it. Everyone collectively gasped as they saw the fruit in their captain's hand. There was no mistaking a Devil Fruit, and the coloration of the fruit was a dead giveaway to which one it was.

"It's the Panther Fruit." Jango gasped as he gazed at the pitch black fruit. "That means you managed to find it after Kuro died."

Luffy nodded. "After the battle when everyone was resting and cleaning up in the aftermath I went looking for it." He explained as he set the fruit in the middle of the table. "After death of the user a Devil Fruit will reincarnate into a nearby fruit. Sometimes it's one close by, other times it's in a fruit far away. I found this one in an apple tree near Kaya's mansion."

There was a collective silence as everyone gazed at the fruit that lasted a good thirty seconds until Luffy decided to break it.

"We could sell it, a regular Devil Fruit is worth a hundred million beli. A powerful one that's been identified can sell for much more than that." He explained, causing both Nami and Buggy's eyes to turn into beli symbols. "Of course one of us could eat it, assuming you aren't already a Devil Fruit user. It's a powerful fruit and it could become a powerful asset to the crew. Any takers?"

"It is powerful…" Nami began as she took a closer look at the fruit. "Not to mention the fact it would make a person extremely stealthy and fast if they became a panther…" She began to think about all the possibilities if she ate it. She could pull off heists easily with the added speed and mobility. Before she could state her opinion a voice rang out in her head. 'You aren't filthy rats like the rest of those humans Nami. You're more like a clever cat.' Arlong's voice ran through her head and she immediately put the idea of eating the Panther Fruit aside.

"I've always wanted to eat a Zoan fruit." Mohji spoke up as he gazed at the prize. "But I don't care much for panthers, and I'm not sure Richie would react to me all that well if I was a cat like him." He pondered out loud.

"I would eat it to become an asset to the crew but I don't want his fruit." Kaya stated, looking at the fruit like it would get up and attack her.

"I would eat it but…" Jango trailed off. "I agree with Kaya on not wanting to eat Kuro's fruit. Besides I'm more of a ranged fighter and I also enjoy swimming"

"Same here." Usopp added.

"I don't take short cuts to power." Zoro added.

"I want to get strong on my own." Cabaji agreed, echoing Zoro's statement.

Seeing that there were no takers Luffy decided to wrap up the meeting. "I can't think of anything else to discuss, the fruit will be locked away for the time being until we can sell it or if anyone changes their minds about eating it. We will depart as soon as everyone's cargo is loaded. We will head out to the Baratie in the Going Merry and take care of business there. Gather your luggage and make sure we're stocked up on meat. We are heading out to sea!"

The crew got up and began moving about the ship. While the ship was ready to leave it would take time for everyone to move in their possessions into the ship.

Luffy stood on the side of the Merry and watched as Usopp carried an enormous backpack stuffed with pretty much everything in his house. He had just finished disbanding the Usopp Pirate Crew and had clearly been crying if his red tear stained eyes were to be believed.

Everyone else was making ready to depart. Buggy, Zoro, and Jango were unfurling the sails in order to catch the afternoon wind. Each of the climbed about the masts and ropes with great skill. Although Zoro and Jango were doing most of the climbing since Buggy simply let his limbs fly around thanks to his Devil Fruit ability while he relaxed on the ships deck.

Nami was at the ships steering wheel and checking her compass and maps to make sure she knew what course they were going to take. She smiled as the winds shifted into a favorable direction and she turned the wheel and the ship began to depart the harbor.

Usopp and Kaya were leaning over the side of the ship and waving goodbye to the various villagers who were saying goodbye to their Heroes. Merry was at the center wiping away tears as he watched Kaya sail off in a ship of his creation.

Luffy watched as Alvida slapped Cabaji over something the acrobat had said, only for her slap to slide off the man's face due to her smooth skin.

"So she is immune to attacks but can't deal any damage physically, that's why she needs the mace." Luffy mused as he took off his hat and let the breeze run through his hair.

Kaya had hired a tailor to make him a new set of clothes, his old clothes had been ruined in his battle with Kuro. Luffy now wore a dark crimson shirt, black pants with a nice leather belt where two holsters were located for his two flintlock pistols, a pair of black naval boots, and over his shirt he wore a black cape that could cover his body when closed. It was an exact copy of the one he remembered Shanks wearing. He liked how it matched his black hat, as well as the fact it gave his limbs much more mobility then his old coat did.

Luffy looked out over the horizon and watched as Syrup Village disappeared and soon they were all on the open seas. The Going Merry proved to be extremely easy to sail, once all the sails were unfurled and the rigging was done the ship only needed on person at the helm steering to run smoothly.

He watched as his crew broke off and began to kill time. He watched with great interest because he wanted to see how everyone would get along once there was nothing to really do. Luffy volunteered to steer the ship and watched as his crew interacted with each other.

Kaya and Usopp were fishing off the side of the ship, he watched as Kaya leaned over and whispered something into Usopp's ear which made the teen blush and nearly drop his fishing pole.

Jango and Cabaji were both practicing with their throwing weapons and seeing who was more accurate. A dartboard was set up against the main mast and it was riddled with chakram and daggers from their game.

Buggy was below deck fiddling with the cannons and making some of his special cannonballs, something he claimed required absolute privacy and quiet.

Zoro was sparring with Mohji, the Beast Tamer wasn't very good at close quarter's combat which was something Zoro was trying to fix. Mohji was using a hand axe that he wielded with one hand, a weapon he claimed that his people were famous for using. Mohji was obviously no match for Zoro, the man's strikes were a bit sluggish and slow but he was competent. Zoro for his part was simply happy to spar with someone, and was enjoying fighting against someone wielding an axe since it wasn't often he fought someone using such a weapon.

Alvida was sunbathing by the side of the ship, she was wearing a skimpy bikini and beckoning for Luffy to join her. Luffy politely refused since the idea of sitting around on the ships deck was boring.

Nami was next to Luffy with a compass in hand, telling him when to steer the ship back on course when the waves made the Merry go off course. In truth she didn't need to be there, Luffy was steering the ship fine and was capable of keeping the ship on course himself. Her real intention was to stand between Luffy and the sunbathing Alvida. Alvida caught onto Nami's plan and glared at the orange haired girl who simply glared back. All the while Luffy was so focused on steering the ship he didn't notice the tension in the air.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. Usopp and Kaya managed to catch enough fish to make the crew a large dinner. While no one on the crew was skilled at cooking both Nami and Kaya had enough experience between themselves to follow several recipes in the kitchens collection of cookbooks to make a satisfying dinner.

After an eventful day the entire crew headed to their sleeping quarters with the exception of Usopp who took the first shift of the night watch. Luffy walked over to the captain's cabin and entered his sleeping quarters.

He turned on the gasp lamp on his desk, put his coat and hat onto a nearby rack and pulled a book from his bookshelf. He sat down at his desk and began to read. It was his favorite book that he had read over a hundred times, he turned to the titles which was worn due to its use, but one could still make out the title.

The Adventures of the Sparrow Pirates

Volume 1

The Curse of the Dead Man's Chest

It was one of the books Shanks had given him and had spurned his interest in reading. He could read the book a hundred times and never get bored of it.

He didn't make it past the first paragraph before he tossed the book aside. "I can't even read right now." Luffy muttered angrily, he knew the reason. Over the last few days his sleep had become more and more troubled. Almost every night after closing his eyes a dark voice would speak to him. Sometimes it was only a word or two while other times the voice would speak at length about something strange. Each sentence was a riddle that he couldn't figure out.

At first he thought it was bad memories, or simply nightmares. Ever since the destruction of the Goa Kingdom there was no shortage of bad memories to fill his dreams. But it was happening far too frequently. Luffy was beginning to think he was losing his mind.

He had his suspicions on what was causing his problems. Those suspicions led him to walk over to his bookshelf and pick up a large tome, easily one of the most valuble in his collection.

It was a book Shanks had given him before the Re Haired Pirate had left Foosha Village. It was the encyclopedia of Devil Fruits written by , a book that only appeared in the criminal underworld since it was illegal to possess it unless you were a authorized government official.

He turned to the page about his Devil Fruit and begin to read.

Considered the strangest and most unique of the Logia's the Dark Dark Fruit is a fearsome power that is not to be underestimated.

Throughout my studies of the fruit I have seen that it is unique in that unlike most Logia's the eater of the fruit cannot turn into their element.

I believe this derives from the fact that Logia's embody something that is either matter or energy. Matter being a power like earth and energy being a power such as lightining. But Darkness is an abstract concept that doesn't fall into either of these categories, leading me to believe that the human body is incapable of becoming something that isn't matter or energy.

Possibility of Awakening allowing one to turn into darkness, but attempts at awakening have thus far failed in all test subjects.

Despite this fruits weakness it has tremendous offensive power. A user can suck enemies into the Darkness their fruit creates and crush them with Gravity. Some users can find unique ways of manipulating the fruits control over Gravity. Its obvious power is that it can suck in anything with the power of gravity, even the power of other Devil Fruit users. Making it the natural enemy to all Devil Fruits. This ability is its most dangerous since it can also absorb the power of a dead fruit user.

Upon death a Devil Fruit ability will linger for eight minutes before reincarnating, various theories are around for the reason for this but no concrete evidence has been found. While the subject is dead the power of the Devil Fruit is no longer anchored to that individual's life force and therefore the Dark Dark Fruit is able to absorb the power directly from the dead user. We believe this bypasses the harm a Devil Fruit user would encounter since the user is not technically eating another Devil Fruit. This allows the user of the Dark Dark Fruit to possess numerous Devil Fruit powers.

Sadly our research on this is quite minimal. After the success of the experiment subject 16 used his newfound power to make an escape attempt, utilizing his two Devil fruit Abilities to kill most of our staff. It took fifty men and six Devil Fruit Users to bring him down.

Afterwards the powers that be shut down our research and deemed the fruit too dangerous and have had it locked away. The true limits of the Dark Dark Fruit are therefore unknown and will likely be shrouded in mystery for years to come.

Unknown how many Devil Fruits the Dark Dark Fruit user can possess or even what types of powers can linger in the body without tearing the user apart. Every human body has limits, and thus I deem its powers to be most dangerous and pray this ability never gets out into the world at large.

Luffy was fascinated by the power of his Devil Fruit, but the idea of stealing a dead person's power was frightening and seemed almost taboo to him. Not to mention the fact that the greatest scientific mind in the world didn't fully understand what the limits of the fruit were.

Luffy couldn't help but wonder how Shanks got his hand on the Devil Fruit if it was locked away. He would have to ask him that the next time they met. He skimmed over the back of the book and read the article that he was most interested in given recent events.

So far there is no evidence that Devil Fruits possess any actual Devils within them. All research points to a non-sentient power and that even the name Devil Fruit stems from old Sailors superstitions revolving around the Sea Devil. So far all I can conclude is that Devil Fruits are natural phenomena that is merely beyond our current scientific understanding.

The arguments of my colleagues that there is a literal Devil within the fruits is nothing short of preposterous. Although I will admit some subjects have claimed to hear voices. But I believe this is nothing more then stress induced hallucinations.

Luffy believed that explanation for the longest time, chalking up devil fruits to simply be Mystery Fruits as he liked to call them. But no matter how many times he read that passage he still had doubts.

"I am the Void."

Those words lingered in his mind and he needed to figure out what they meant. He remembered the voice in his head saying it, first during the destruction of the Goa Kingdom and numerous times in his dreams. He walked over to his bookshelf and brought over several more books to his desk. He picked up a dictionary and began looking near the end.

Void, Noun

Definition

1. A completely empty space.

Example- "The black void of space"

"Space." Luffy muttered, reaching for another book. "Black Holes exist in space and gravity moves planets along with everything else in the universe." He muttered as he reached for a book that was near the bottom of the stack he brought over and read the title.

The Devouring Void of the Cosmos

By the Royal Astronomer Sokolov

Once the curtain has been lifted, it becomes inescapable that we inhabit a world adrift in a sea of howling chaos, a terrible maelstrom in which all heavenly bodies orbit a devouring core. Though the trip could take many thousands of lifetimes, all cosmic objects are eventually dragged into this hungry nexus and forever cease to be.

Though they are moved by eddies in the celestial medium, stars offer guide points in the otherwise perilous blackness. Our own sun holds its planets close in our inexorable course toward oblivion, giving us life and warmth until the end.

Luffy's head hurt trying to piece it all together and he settled for putting the books aside for the night. He knew if he stayed up any longer he would end up sleeping in and miss breakfast. He walked his small bathroom and took a quick shower before slipping into some boxers and laying down in his new bed.

Despite the myriad of thoughts swirling around in his head Luffy managed to fall asleep after a few moments of resting. For the first time in days his dreams were pleasant and blissful.

He was unaware that in a dark corner of his mind a Dark being was resting as well.

"So close to the truth Luffy…and yet so far." It said, its voice calm and level. "The time for us to have a proper conversation will be soon. I can only wonder if you are ready for what I have to offer…"

Authors Note

I know that this update has taken a long time. Work has been hectic and writing simply wasn't fun for me for a good 2 weeks. Also I was busy playing Overwatch and Doom…so blame the Video Game Industry.

Also for some reason the website wouldn't let me upload this as a document so I had to copy and paste. Hopefully all the writing made it through without errors.

Alright I know not much happened in this chapter, it was mostly people talking. Allow me to explain myself. I dislike it when people add new crewmembers without proper motivation or characterization. I know I'm not delving into the characters and revealing the secrets of the human condition in this story but I want to give these people some defining traits and motivations for joining the crew. I also want to make Luffy recruiting them believable.I also want to show how Luffy's former enemies are able to integrate into the crew and find their place in it. I dislike it when a story has Luffy inviting a former enemy to join and the enemy immediately says yes and they manage to become BFFs with the crew. I want to show how and why Luffy's recruits certain people and how those people fit into the crew dynamic. I know Alvida was a bit shallow but I intend to flesh out both her and her backstory in the chapters to come. Same with Jango.

Also the Going Merry is now a Schooner. Some might say a schooner is too small but keep in mind a ship type isn't based on size, rather its sail setup. There are galleons that are small and Caravels that are big. A ships class is mostly based on its sail setup. The New Going Merry is roughly twice the length of the original, with a sleeker look and more sails.

I also chose a schooner since its the main ship used historically by most pirates due to its speed allowing it to outrun authorities and catch enemy ships. A schooner is also the type of ship that was used in the Treasure island movies, the Hispaniola was a schooner.

Now on to the question and answer round

First off, the number one complaint for the last chapter was that Luffy should have roflstomped Kuro. Well first off that would have been extremely boring, second Kuro's natural speed combined with his Devil Fruit made his speed rival CP9 members. Oda has stated Kuro's stealth foot is like a rudimentary Soru, therefore with his panther ability his speed was on par with someone like Rob Lucci. Only his speed mind you, strength wise Kuro couldn't hold Luccis jockstrap. Also people said Luffy should have swallowed everything in his darkness to kill Kuro, regardless of collateral damage. Well Blackbeard might be fine with consuming a village and destroying it to show off his power but Luffy certainly isn't.

To the guest reviewer who thought I was upset about his/her question regarding Sea Stone and pocket voids. I'm not angry if reviewers point out things that might be wrong with my story or ask questions so long as it's done without flames.

Someone asked if I would touch on the movies. I might have characters or Devil fruits from the movies and games show up. Beyond that the only movies I would consider adding/referencing would be Strong World, Film Z, and maybe the new Gold movie that's coming out. I can't wait to see that movie.

On to Devil Fruit Awakening.

Luffy's Devil Fruit is not technically awakened. I know all of us have read Serpentguys amazing magnum Opus Nine Minutes. I have my own way for how Devil Fruits are awakened as well as a unique backstory for Devil Fruits. I won't lie, Nine Minutes has inspired me greatly and is easily my favorite One Piece fanfiction. I also know that my writing is like bathroom stall level writing compared to Serpentguy. But I have my own backstory for Devil Fruits as well as numerous other things in the One Piece universe. His universes rules apply to his story, not to mine.

Thank you for all the amazing reviews.

Thank you TheOnlyKing, The Keeper Of Worlds, Nwandu225, Shivrah, chimera629, Treetho, iwish328, norris321,Inverse Psyche, Anom1, The Apex Predator 01, Lightingblade49, khyle123,sachin6291, ahsanrox, Terror of Death Skieth, Shadow of God, Fanfictionhunter, Tonlor, Avatao, chunnin33, cookiesncreamm, Devlin Dracul, DarkPirateKing69, MakubeDaKiddX, Amethyst, Chrisfragger, sagar Hussain, Estriella, ghostmarine51, The Super Mario, LongPastMidnight, Patriota1993, savitarsurffer,kaito AM.

Thank you all and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Next chapter will be covering the Baratie and will have actual action in it.