Chapter 1: A predicament.

I Don't Own One Piece, Oda's doing a pretty damn good job as it is anyway.

"Join my crew!"

That was the first sign something was wrong, but like an idiot he completely ignored it. The second sign were the ropes binding his arms to the crude cross like structure. The third was the mass of Soldiers primed and waiting with baited breath for the command to fire. All this, however, was unimportant compared to the problem facing him. Quite literally, for standing in front of him was a dead man.

He blinked several times as if doing so would rid himself of the illusion in front of him, it was obviously a trick. As far as he knew no Devil Fruit in existence could raise the dead, but there were many that could deceive the mind, and a few he'd encountered. The best way to deal with these types was to stay calm and search for the source of the trickery, he closed both eyes in an attempt to focus his inner energy ignoring the whining from the imposter and angry cries from the marines. Haki an extension of your will split into three different categories, only two of which he could utilize. Armament which used the power of your will to harden or exponentially strengthen body parts, with the correct training, weapons, and everyday objects. The other 'Color of Haki' as they called it was Observation Haki, projecting an invisible field around you, the range depending on your skill level, that alerted you of anything and anyone that entered allowing you to react accordingly. This was the type of Haki he was currently using.

In a span of time measured by the average person in milliseconds the entire 'imaginary' island was searched shore to shore. To the man's immense disappointment his scouring of the island proved useless, not one devil fruit user excluding the one in front of him. A tugging sensation to his left alerted him of incoming danger. His eyes snapped open swiveling to address the problem, apparently the order to fire had been given the captain, who looked fairly familiar, but then again they usually did when you had fought as many as he had, looking incredibly frustrated. The Marines had always been trigger happy he mused quietly never knowing when to keep to themselves. Had it been anyone else with him in this illusion he would have simply dodged the bullets, however almost scary realism the fruit user had managed to create invoked an almost protective urge within him. The bullet proof skin of this, strangely younger, version of his captain slipped his mind smothered by the smell of burning rubber and parting words. In a flash he had broken through his restraints, dimly recognizing the sound of guns firing and vanishing to the eyes of those watching, he grabbed the three swords from the devil fruit user's arms. Using only one and acting mostly on instinct and adrenaline his arm blurred.

It was over the instant it began each bullet neatly bisected fell to the ground and he sheathed the sword. With a frown he loosened his grip on the hilt confused by the nostalgic spark that ran through his body. No mirage or illusion he had yet faced was this realistic, now that he thought he could even feel a familiar pang of hunger run through his body. Pushing these thoughts to the back of his mind he addressed the confused men holding their weapons in slack grips, shock clearly painted on the faces.

"Leave, and I'll forget this mockery of an execution. Stay and I'll show you a real one." He said projecting his barely restrained bloodlust onto them. To his surprise those that remained conscious fled, and the others fell into sweet unconsciousness not before soiling themselves though. The only one left standing barely holding his composure was the captain, jaw slack and a vein bulging in his forehead, sputtering words of self-praise and halfheartedly calling his soldiers back. Deciding they were suitably chastised he turned back to the young man, no scratch that, two young men giving him their full attention one full of awe, the other of fear.

He studied the imposter thoroughly noticing several differences between this one and the original, specifically the almost innocent look in his eyes less importantly the change of outfit and height difference, after all the eyes were the window to the soul so the saying went. The usual haunted look in them no doubt from the loss of his brother, and the massive war he was forced to partake in were gone. Replaced by childlike innocence and a seemingly boundless curiosity, it was a stark and unsettling contrast. Shaking himself mentally he diverted his attention to the second, and shorter, of the two pink hair, Round glasses, and crying. Yep this was without a that brat the Captain was so fond of, what was his name, Cody, Colby? Coby, ah yes that was it.

How strange, he didn't know whether to congratulate whoever was behind this, or curse them to the lowest level of hell. The massive Marine base standing tall in the background just completed the image. This was one of his fondest memories, not that he'd ever admit it, the day he'd met the Captain perfectly recreated. Now that he thought of it the weakling Marine he'd shrugged off earlier had to be Axe-Head Martin or whatever his name was. If the perpetrator thought this would throw him off, he had another thing coming. No one messed with his mind especially this portion of his memories. It was decided this fruit user would pay the ultimate price.

"Oi you the Bastard who thought it'd be a good idea to play with me! I won't break you hear me, so give it up already!" He shouted to the heavens above him.

Silence.

"Do you think he's insane or somethin' Coby?" The straw hatted boy said frowning slightly, he looked the fabled 'Pirate Hunter' over with his eyes. His weight shifted to his left foot anxiously, "I thought you said he was some kind of strong guy?"

The pink haired boy, Coby, let out a choked sound before whipping his head around to stare at the other, so fast, our swordsman friend wondered how he didn't snap his own neck. "A-Are You insane?! Don't insult him while h-he's right here did you see him block those bullets! He'll kill you Lu- "

Before he could finish the other man hit him lightly on the head, the two quickly dissolving into an argument about how he could take the swordsman easy. The subject of their conversation tilted his head down from looking at the sky watching with an almost soft look in his eyes reveling in the feeling, his eyes focused solely on his 'Captain'. He'd missed this the animated motions and easily provoked temper. You never know how much you need something till it's gone, another saying that slipped into his mind. There's one thing that kept a small almost unnoticeable part of him hoping this could be real, a character trait only his Captain seemed to possess.

"Zoro! Join my crew, and I'll give you a five percent stake in the meat we find!"

"T-That's not how it works, you can't just bribe him!"

Alive or dead, fake or real, Monkey D. Luffy was not someone you could refuse.

End

Thanks for reading, this is just a random idea that popped into my head a few days ago. In case you're wondering this is a time travel fic. It could be seen as a One-shot, so it currently is. If people want me to continue just please comment so, there are multiple directions I could take this in.

Also if you wondering about my other fic 'One Piece with a Twist' I have not abandoned it, I've simply hit a major writers block as to what direction in which to take the story. So fear not it will be hopefully updated soon.

Thanks again for reading, please R&R!

Arashi.Z