Greetings and bienvenue everyone! A belated happy new year to all. I am sorry for long it took to post this chapter up, but c'est la vie, life takes precedence.

First things first before we can dive in the story, some news. El Pirato has decided to take a more beta rather then co-author role for this story. In turn, let's give a nice and warm welcome our new co-author, XenonDark!

[Polite cheers and clapping].

I would also like to inform everyone that El Pirato has started a TvTropes for this page. If anyone has the time, please add to it because frankly, I can't for the life of me figure out how to do it myself.

And with that out of the way, I leave you to the chapter. And now I am off to enter a Devil Fruit Contest hosted by Tekking101 on YouTube. I got a PS4 to try to win.

The sea was still turbulent, thunder and rain prevalent and pounding on all in its wake by the sheer force of the storm. The waves crashing matched the thunderous roar and lightning struck down seemingly at random.

While the chaos at Loguetown was still ongoing and the Straw Hats had managed to make their way up the Reverse Mountain, another situation was occurring on a small sandbar over the horizon. One whose participants were increasingly less "jolly" than the strange crew entering the Grand Line.

"Is he still alive?" cried a panicked ostrich, passing back and forth on the beach, leaving a deep groove in the sand. At the rate he was going, his efforts began making a deep moat in front of his companions.

The other individual - a giant pelican - was doing his best to give chest resuscitation to a giant Roc laying on its back by jumping up and down rhythmically. With his partner's incessant ramblings and annoying fidgeting, the pelican started getting annoyed. "I don't know, how about you get over here and HELP ME OUT?"

"Don't yell at me Panic," answered the bird in ...well… panic, flying up to the chest. He made an active effort to not dig his talons into the giant Roc for fear of causing any more damage that has already been dealt.

"Then stop your bitching Pain and help me out. Okay, jump on three? One… Two…. THREE!"

The duo jumped up and slammed down on Roc's chest, finally causing the behemoth to cough and spur out all the water out of his lungs. The two promptly removed themselves from their boss, watching the big bird get up and get rid of the rest of the liquid.

Took him a while.

Falling straight into the waters near the mountains would have been a death sentence for Devil Fruit users. But the boss was just big enough to avoid drowning completely. It also helped that he was in Animal Form, which meant he had hollow bones and was buoyant enough to stay on top.

Got to love Bird Zoan advantages.

Took the Roc some time to recover his strength and breathe before turning and looking down at his rescuers.

"Pain? Panic? What are you two doing here? I thought you were after the Straw Hats?" asked the Roc tilting his head to the side. Not in anger or annoyance, but in genuine curiosity.

"Sorry, boss," started Panic as he raised his arm wing to salute. "Their monkey got us with the knockout gas before we got a chance to do anything. We were lucky enough to get out of Loguetown when we did before the pheasant spotted us."

Roc focus intensified. "Kuzan is here? Why?"

[Footnote: Kuzan's Admiral epithet of Aokiji means 'Blue Pheasant']

Pain shook his head. "Unknown. But considering his presence in the East Blue, it would explain the odd weather as of late, sir. In any case, seeing that he was in town, we tried to rendezvous at the designated spot before we saw you… well… you know…."

"Get my tail feathers handed to me by an uber-charged ballistic projectile?" the Roc asked with a raised brow. While he hated to admit it, the Straw Hats gained not only his ire but also his respect. There's not many - if at all any - people who could do that to Roc in his bird form. While he would remember this day as an ungraceful defeat, he'll also learn from it.

Both smaller birds shuffled on their feet. "We didn't want to insinuate anything…."

"No, no, I bit the bullet on that one. Really fubared the situation." On cue, the giant bird began to shrink and collapse on itself rapidly. Wings disappeared, feathers shrank, claws became nails, the beak became a nose and mouth.

By the end, all that remained was an olive-skinned man with spiky blonde hair, light blue eyes, and green army camouflage, with black army boots and a camouflage bandana around his head.

The fact said man could give the eldest sons of Big Mom a run for their Belli in the height department was not mentioned.

There was a reason he was such a giant menace in his Animal Form, and it wasn't just because the Roc was a large bird to begin with.

The man sighed and rubbed the back of his neck and spoke in a semi-annoyed tone. "Didn't know the Mad Bomber was part of the crew nor that he had a Devil Fruit. Besides, what did I tell you two about calling me Boss? The name is Xerxes Altair, and if that feels weird, then just Colonello."

Pain and Panic looked at each other before looking back at Xerxes. "Sorry, Boss is Boss," they finished with a nod.

Colonello sighed in defeat. "Never going to get my way… is the conference set up in the Eastern Coop?"

Both men quickly saluted and posed. "YES, SIR! The meeting starts soon, so we should be able to make it in time if we hurry."

Xerxes nodded before going into Hybrid Mode. "Good. Let's fly."

Undisclosed Location, sometime later…

Colonello was currently sitting in a dark room at a large round table, big enough to sit at least ten people. The wood was made of wood, varnished and sanded down to be smooth to the touch, colored to match the black leather chairs around said table. In the middle was a mushi pointed directly at him, meant to send his projection wherever needed. Above Colonello, hanging by threads was a lighting system that was roughly the circumference of the table but hollow on the inside. Around him were precisely giant detailed maps of each Blue. Then there was a separate map of Paradise and New World up there as well. In front of each map was another mushi, these meant to receive the projection of others.

With how far apart everyone else, meeting via holograms seemed like the easier alternative.

Took forever to set the whole system up but it was worth it since they had a technological advantage that no one else had.

On cue, all snails woke up and started doing their thing. One showered him in blue light while the other created projections of the other heads in their appropriate seats.

Feeling brave, Colonello's blue form - at least to everyone else - started, "East, signing on."

"North, signing on," spoke a purple figure in an armored helmet and full body suit.

"South, signing on," grumbled an annoyed green figure in a white laboratory coat.

"West, signing on," spoke a calm red figure in a traditional red kimono with a long braid, drinking what appeared to be a cup of tea.

"Muy. Paradise, signing on," commanded an indigo-colored figure in a full body hooded outfit that covered everything.

"Ciaossu. New World, signing on," smirked the yellow figure, dressed to the nines in an expensive three-piece suit and a fedora.

"And finally Morgan, signing on. Now Roc… what the hell happened? I gave you a simple assignment to get your claws on Yasopp's kid."

"In a word sir? Lack of information."

"What." deadpanned Morgan.

Colonello sighed, knowing this was going to be a headache and a half. "I can't claim that I don't receive part of the blame, but certain factors should have been known before I send in Pain and Panic, or even myself."

Morgan glared. He hated being out of the loop; it's why he became head of the news organization. "Explain."

"First, it turns out that according to my subordinates reports, the Mad Bomber is part of the Straw Hat crew's and - get this - a gorilla."

Verde, the green figure spoke up. "A gorilla? An honest to Oda gorilla?" he said in surprise. "Those that can turn into gorillas with a Zoan, maybe, but not a literal one. That's rare, less so in the Grand Line, but rare nonetheless."

"Called Diddy his brother. In any case, he also has a Devil Fruit, one that causes explosions." Colonello answered.

"Muy. The Bomb, Pop, and even the Nitro are accounted for. Tell me, did he slam his hands in any way?" asked the indigo Viper.

"He caused the ground to explode like landmines, so yes."

"Then he has the Bakuha Bakuha no Mi. Good to know - people have been wondering what happened to that fruit for years. I hate it when my information network has holes in it. Then again, while the info is useful, he could spell some extra trouble for us. He deserves caution, if for no other reason then for his past exploits and potential."

Morgan turned to his most useful source of intelligence. "Should we be concerned?"

"As long as he has his fingers. Supposedly, the number of bombs that can be active at any given moment equals to the number of fingers the user has, real or otherwise. Also, the user needs to trigger the bombs in some way, like clapping or snapping said fingers. Makes up for it with the fact that they can charge up anything into a bomb of any strength as long as enough time is allotted."

Colonello held his head in a grimace. He could already feel a massive headache coming back. Ever since that empowered bomb, there's been a slight ringing in his ear that steadily began driving him crazy.

And he had just gotten his check up for tinnitus.

"Explains what happened to me. The only reason I didn't dodge the cannonball they shot at me is because I've shrugged off worse in the past. Had I known…"

Morgan's hologram snarled but soon turned into a smirk. "It matters not. Yes, we missed an opportunity to catch him before he made his way to Paradise, but now he is in Onmoraki's wings."

Viper couldn't prevent a smile from appearing from the thought. Such a naive and new crew will never make it out there unscathed.

"Any other reason the mission went sideways?" Morgan questioned Colonello.

"I would say that the weather was shitty because the pheasant was on his way to Loguetown, but that doesn't bother me when I go full-bird…."

The purple one with a helmet, Skull, eyes widened. "Wait, the Iceman Cometh was in town? The fuck were the Marine's thinking of sending that bastard into the East Blue?! No wonder my shipping profits have been down in the East," he said with annoyance, rubbing his helmet in anger. He hated it when idiots messed with his money.

Viper may have been the miser and obsessed with Belli, but Skull was the one who organized and ran the trade routes and channels used by them. If his money weren't tied in his business, he would have been the richest man at the table.

Whether or not he was richer then his arch-rival Du Feld was debatable and mostly relied on the state of the stock market at the time. But that's neither here nor there.

The red figure calmly spoke up for the first time. "Sending Borsalino would have made more sense - at least his power does not alter the weather outside the Grand Line. Any reason why?" Fon asked.

"Wild guess? Maybe the pheasant finally pissed the wrong person off. Maybe the Lightbringer was preoccupied. In any case, the animals may have something to do with it. I mean, the odds of four animals having Devil Fruits - regardless of strength and rarity - is a little off, no?" Colonello pondered.

It may not be obvious to the casual observer, but there is something seriously off with the Straw Hat Pirates, even by Grand Line numbers.

Verde agreed, having very similar thoughts earlier."Statistically, you are correct. UHHHH….. Another headache to deal with: figuring out why animals of all things are important to the Marines."

"Why the long face, Stymphalian?" asked Reborn, the last figure among them to finally speak, his concern still evident despite his glowing yellow figure.

Morgan wanted everyone to be the same color, but NO, these dolts had to have their quirks.

"You try dealing with cannibalistic Nazi's while also trying to keep as many of your agents alive while the Crimson Fucker is in your Blue. If it wasn't bad enough, SOMEHOW some whackjob cyborg doctor figured out how to pass on that bloodsuckers fruit power - AND ISN'T THAT A CREAM FILLED SURPRISE - to his soldiers. Said doctor was killed before I could get my talons on him to show my displeasure at his moronic practices, the migraines he caused me, and HIS ODA DAMN RESEARCH!"

Everyone watched Verde gather his breath after the impromptu shoutfest. With a sigh, Skull gave his guess. "...Caesar got his hands on the research, didn't he?"

"Yes, Hippogriff, yes he did."

"...Want me to take care of it?"

"No, no, it's alright… I am calm… I am centered… Breathe in, breathe out… Look, the organization is almost gone, just like Crimson will be out of the South in due time. Yes, Caesar getting his hands on that particular brand of research is worrisome…"

"Considering the rumors I heard regarding him, Kaido, and Donquixote, we should be worried." Viper said with a tinge of concern.

"But it was focused on one Paramecia fruit only. And Kaido favors Zoans, so Caesar has his work cut out for him. I get the gas bag is 'smart' compared to most of the plebeians, but it took the deranged cult cyborg decades to get the formula just right. Knowing Caesar, he's going to skip a lot of steps and make abominations at best, side-show rejects at worst." Verde added.

Morgan growled in annoyance. "Something I will look into as well. With the beef he has with Big Mom, it will be… a spectacle if they decide to challenge each other. Anything else I should know?"

"Only that with Capone gone, the West has a new power vacuum," chimed in Fon as he sipped his tea. "Normally I would have gotten involved to stabilize it, but some group who goes by as the Clam Pirates - I think there may be a translation error in the report – beat me to it. Supposedly, the members all have a grudge with Bege, and they all want their pound of flesh. Considering Capone's 'habits, they may be children of fallen families."

Colonello sighed. "Nothing on my end. Some trio of pirate captains teamed up to try and kill Luffy, but they failed. They weren't captured, so they will probably make their into the Grand Line after them."

Viper pinched his nose, huffing. "Wonderful. More headaches."

"Names?" wondered Reborn.

"Buggy, Alvida, and Kuro," Colonello answered.

Verde was slightly surprised at this new information. "Kuro? The bastard is still alive? How many lives does that cat have?"

"Seven, if the math is right. And that comment may be much closer to home then you think."

"Explain." demanded the scientist.

"According to what Pain and Panic heard from a very loud and boisterous Buggy, Luffy beat him up so badly and left him so broken after their first encounter, that when his Zoan fruit tried to patch him up, the ratio of human and animal shifted… and not in his favor. He is stronger, faster, more savage, and his forms look more ancient, but his mind? Not all there. Figured he accidentally crossed into Awakening and left something behind when he was dragged back."

"... I must have him…. FOR SCIENCE…."

"Stym, calm down. I can sense your subordinates panic from here." Skull said with a bit of a sweatdrop.

"Yes...you don't want them to call us in and tie you up till you calm down AGAIN?" Fon asked Verde.

"Oh, put a sock in it, Griffin."

Reborn sighed. "At least you guys have fun stuff to do. Gets boring with nothing changing in the New World. Shanks and Whitebeard want nothing to do with me, and Big Mom's kids are a bunch of pansies. I swear, the moment she passes on, all hell will break loose in that family..."

"I am sorry Ziz, but you are the only one strong enough to keep our interests safe in those waters with the likes of HER there. I can only satiate her interests so much at her Tea Parties. Never mind that you are one of the few in the world who can match Kaido in the air or on land." Morgan said.

"Yeah, yeah… I know. Don't sell the others short on that front. Hell, even Skull can hold the line with Kaido…"

"That's because I am immortal, jackass, not because of my fruit."

Reborn waved his hand nonchalantly."Still, gets boring in these parts. Something new would be nice."

"Just you wait, the new generation in these waters have potential. In any case… Roc, your reasons are justifiable. While it will be somewhat harder to get our feathers on Usopp, for now, they aren't a threat. In any case, everyone - keep our interests safe and keep your eyes and ears open. Morgan, signing off."

If someone told the Straw Hats that going down the Reverse Mountain was going to take so long, Luffy would have brought some reading material.

Don't get him wrong, it was an amazing sight, and the experience was still breathtaking, but there is only so much one can take before they get bored again - especially with Luffy's disposition.

Besides, the mist from the waterfall was clouding most of their vision.

At the moment, however, he was more concerned about not suffocating at Nami's unknowing use of Armament Haki.

At least he hoped it was unconscious - otherwise, he had no way to explain as to how she had enough strength to choke him hard enough to induce asphyxiation physically.

Him dying from a chokehold while made of rubber is not something he wanted his death immortalized on his grave.

In his triple digits surrounded by young nubile twins? Maybe.

As the captain of the most famous pirate crew in history, right up there with Roger's crew? Assuredly.

But as a kid not even in his twenties without his cherry popped a second time? Absolutely not.

"Nami! There's a reasonable explanation for this! I swear!" Luffy tried to defend himself, his brain failing him at the moment due to lack of oxygen. He tried to gasp more in, but it just wouldn't go past his neck.

Now, was there a reasonable explanation? Well, there was for certain an explanation but to call it reasonable...well it's a matter of perspective, isn't it?

Suddenly, the choking got tighter. "Gah! How are you doing this woman!?"

Luffy's 'faithful' crew were watching the 'in progress attempt at murder' with mirth in their eyes. Even Zoro couldn't help but chuckle at the weird development his captain was in.

In a last ditch effort to save himself from certain doom, Luffy looked for and reached out to his loyal animal companions in panic, only to see Diddy on King's shoulder as they laughed and pointed at him.

With his last hope depending on his mushis, he found them several feet away, Brain watching intently.

It's almost as if he was trying to...record this...into his memory…

Luffy's eyes sunk into despair from what he was seeing. "Et tu, Brain?"

From this point on Luffy swore to remember that hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn.

Also, he was slightly concerned that he was finding this to be a little bit of a turn on.

"...oooohhh..."

Luggy blinked - mid choke - as a faint warbling sound rippled through the air during their rapid descent down the waterfall. "The hell...?"

"You heard it too?" Zoro called up as he strained his ears to narrow down the direction of the sound.

"Good chance of it being the wind blowing through the peaks," Nami shrugged indifferently as she rubbed her hands in pain (rubber is tough to choke). "The rock formations around here are pretty unusual."

"I don't know," Luffy frowned, rubbing his neck in concern. All the reports he had access to didn't say anything about sound echoes and warbles. Of course, they WERE rather out of date since the Marines haven't used the mountain entrance in decades. Not since they figured out how to coat their ships with Seastone and sail through the Calm Belt. "Brain? Pinky?"

"I am afraid, Captain, that not even my eyes can see through showers this thick. The Grand Line fields have already begun wreaking havoc on my new rig. It will take time to compensate," Brain spoke with concern.

"I don't know…" spoke Pinky with actual seriousness. Luffy stood to attention, fun and games over with for now. "This sound… doesn't register as noise to me, if anything…"

"...wwwooooh..."

"... it registers as a VOICE to my powers." concluded the mushi.

"The hell?" King said in confusion. "Shouldn't you be translating that then if it is a voice? If not, what the hell can be that loud?"

Diddy raised his hand from on top of King's shoulder, "Giants?"

Pinky shook his head in a negative. "No, it's definitely animal, it's just one I've never had an encounter with before. It's going to take a moment for me and my fruit to figure it out before I can translate it."

"Huh, so animal communication isn't universal - neat," Zoro concluded.

"That's only partially correct, Zoro," Brain corrected. "Creatures below the sea and above it have distinct languages. Mammals, avians, and insects can be considered as having different dialects of the same language. Sea creatures, however, have different rules altogether."

"Is no one questioning the fact the voice is getting louder?" added an unsettled Gin, still recovering from the fall.

"...wwwooooOOOOHHH..."

"SEE?!" he shouts with his arms out, pointing towards the mist.

Luffy shuddered, as the sound did, in fact, appear to be becoming louder and louder the closer they came to the end of the channel. The odd thing was that he recalled hearing something similar during his short stay on a cruiser.

But why?

"Hey!" Usopp called down from where he was hanging onto the main mast yardarm, pulling down one of the lenses of his goggles in curiosity. "I think there's something up ahead!"

"Yeah!" Sanji concurred, pointing at the mists dead ahead of us. "It looks like a mountain! How many of these damn things do we have to go through?"

"Huh?" Nami blinked in confusion. "That can't be right, all that's supposed to be past here is the Twin Capes!"

"Then what the hell do you call that, woman!?" Zoro demanded, pointing at the dark silhouette that was starting to come into view in front of them, right where the channel ended and met the sea, as evident by the rip currents separating and circling around it.

"What the hell!?" Nami blurted in disbelief. "But... the chart was accurate! There aren't any mountains here!"

"BWWWWOOOOOOOHHHH!"

Then, it clicked. Luffy eyes bulged, and he shuddered in horror as he recalled where he heard those sounds before.

"BWWWOOOOHHHH!"

The crew looked at the structure in confusion, before collectively looking up… and up… and up…

"Thar she blows…" Luffy revered in both horror and pure, undiluted shock

Luffy had heard those noises before… when he heard whales sing.

But sweet Oda, calling the being in front of him a whale would do it no justice.

The mind goes to odd places when confronted with certain things. Had Herman Melville existed in this world, the quote that came to Luffy's mind would have been appropriate for the situation.

"Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee. Sink all coffins and all hearses to one common pool! and since neither can be mine, let me then tow to pieces, while still chasing thee, though tied to thee, thou damned whale! Thus, I give up the spear!"

To be fair, Luffy would have reacted similarly to Ahab when confronted with such a whale - it was a challenge, a daunt to be faced and conquered, not out of vengeance but as a test of will and humanity.

If the being in front of them was even a whale, for it was too glorious to be called as such.

Luffy had read accounts of Sea King encounters, as well as their accompanying pictures and sketches. Always serpent-like in physique, but varied in appearance and behavior, all dangerous beings that are a normal occurrences in the Grand Line, and unfortunately enough, have managed to spread out to the rest of the seas. With enemies and opposition far in between, anything that can face them head-on is not to be trifled with.

Fantasized in a death-match between the two, but NOT trifled with.

At the top of that list are Island Whales, creatures that have ways to swim through all the Blues in the world by using the Deep Currents of the seas. They were similar to normal whales in all regards but one: size. For their name is an epithet, as they have been known to reach such sizes within a few decades. Considering how long the species can live, it was a drop in the bucket of their lifespan.

But those records have always been dismissed as legends and hearsay, arguing that no creature so massive could consume enough tonnage on the move to maintain said sizes.

Unless of course, they found a safe place to grow.

And what better place to grow then at the entrance to hell?

Still, even if Luffy had the will to write what he was seeing - as only a second since seeing the leviathan has yet to pass - such a being would be hard to render on paper with mere pen and ink. But if a word came to mind to surmise what he was seeing, it would be titan.

And he wasn't referring to the adjective of size, but the noun for the giants of Greek myth. I mean, just look at the whale...

Body of massive size and form, flesh and blood wrapped in pitch-black skin that could resist volley after volley of artillery.

Mouth wide enough to make even the likes of Charybdis seem infinitesimal.

Teeth the size of buildings and caravels.

Eyes the size of ships.

Scars on the head as deep as canyons and just as wide.

And the most frightening thing of all… that it was just the head.

To put it simply, the being in front of the Going Merry was not terrifying, nor monstrous, but as stated and repeated once again… glorious.

But then again, the Going Merry was about to ram into the said creature at – well - ramming speeds, into what would most likely result in their early deaths, so...

Bad time to figure out if one is an adrenaline junky or not.

Override panic, ignore the instinct to gauge and laugh, kick in lizard hindbrain…

"SOMEONE FIRE THE DAMN CANNON BEFORE WE BECOME PULVERIZED MINCEMEAT!"

They needed to slow down the ship enough to stop! If they didn't, the Straw Hats wouldn't even make it into the Grand Line, let alone conquer it! If the cannons can generate enough force and power to slow down the ship to a close halt, then they just might be saved.

Luffy's shout kicked everyone out of their catatonic dread and trepidation, but before anyone could do anything, Diddy decided to do the sensible thing.

Run forward, jump unto the sheep head, push arms forward and…

Unleash the most powerful gust of wind from his palms imaginable.

You ever felt a sudden stop while going at Mach speeds and experiencing who knows what kind of G-Forces? Yeah, Luffy neither, but thank Oda it wasn't that bad when Diddy started pushing on the brakes.

Still…

"KING! THAT CANNON ISN'T GOING TO LOAD ITSELF!"

King in a panic rushed down under to load the cannon as they approached the whale slower and slower, but still at speeds that constituted a risk.

Closer and closer they approached, sweat glistening on Diddy's head, the strain getting to him.

The cannon still not fired, Luffy decided that he had no choice and was about to bite his thumb and blow air…

But before Luffy had the chance to whip out one of his more powerful techniques, an explosion shook the ship, jerking it backward and causing almost everyone to topple over.

While everyone was making small praises to Oda - Gin in particular - they ignored a small issue.

That being that while we finally slowed down to a stop, THEY WERE STILL IN FRONT OF A FREAKING MOUNTAIN SIZED WHALE!

"So…" Zoro stared upwards. "Just how much sashimi can this whale make?"

Sanji looked to the side from his cigarette. "Are you asking as a joke or are you being serious?"

Zoro stopped to contemplate that question for a minute in awe. "You can actually tell?"

Sanji shrugged as he took a drag, "I am a chef, you learn to ballpark the value and amount of product you get. Still, standard sashimi is about ½ an ounce, which means about 32 slices in a pound, a ton has about 2200 pounds or 70,400 sashimi slices…"

Zoro waved his hands to make him stop. "Okay, okay I get it - I was trying to lighten the mood."

"I know," Sanji smiled before looking grim. "But still… Island Whales are usually found in the West Blue in herds, and I NEVER heard of one becoming as large as this."

Luffy dusted his hat as he looked at the cook. "Leviathan?"

"I thought that was a myth and it had tentacles," Sanji replied hesitantly.

"All legends have a kernel of truth to them," Luffy answered nonchalantly as he put his hat back on. "Also, the Kraken is the one you are thinking of, which IS real, since there is one supposedly guarding the entrance to Fishman Island."

Everyone just looked at Luffy. "Just how much do you actually know about the Grand Line, Captain?" Nami finally asked.

"More than enough, less then I would feel comfortable and safe with."

Then again with his goals and ambitions, he's never really 'safe' is he?

"I am not filled with confidence here," deadpanned Usopp. "Especially since you didn't know about the damn whale."

"In the Captain's defense, Marine's haven't used this entrance in a long time, so there was nothing in the paperwork about it," Brain chimed in. "Pirates on the other hand…"

"ZAP! They didn't tell us for laughs?"

Brain shrugged, "Probably."

Everyone - minus Luffy, Diddy, and King – face-faulted.

"Why aren't you two freaked out about this?" Kuina asked as she got up.

King and Diddy looked at each other before replying in unison. "We are used to this shit."

"Anyone else not noticing the whale has yet to react to the CANNONBALL hitting it?" Gin asked as he dabbed off his sweat.

He could swear that he's the only one that notices the insane shit that happens to this crew like it was his role to point them out.

Loudly.

Tis the destiny of a straight-man.

"Seriously!" Usopp yelped as he jerked the oar into motion alongside him. "Is this thing so big that it didn't notice it or is it just slow!?"

"I think it's more the former than the latter. After all, from my experience? The intelligence of animals can seriously surprise you at times. I present to you Exhibits A through D," smiled Luffy as he waved his hands across his animal cohorts.

And then Oda showed that he did, in fact, have a sense of whimsy, as the whale's body sank just enough so that his eye could look down upon the ship… and line his mouth up with the level of the current.

Usopp - with his new confidence from his fights, friends, and abilities - DIDN'T piss himself. However, the very apparent meltdown he was having couldn't be held back no matter how much he tried.

The story about the giant goldfish he told Kaya before he left the island came to the forefront of his mind. But where would he find a giant pachinko ball?

Nami swallowed heavily as she eyed our captain nervously. "Luffy..." she attempted to placate him desperately. "I realize you know more than us in these situations, but that whale is eyeing us…"

"EVERYONE STOP" Luffy whispered-shouted. "Let's not do anything stupid to piss him off."

Diddy glared at his Captain, "This is a whale, not a raptor, Captain. Staying still isn't going to make a difference."

"BWWWOOOOHHHH!" howled the whale, as his mouth began to open, and the crew started being dragged in, kicking and screaming as it were.

For someone of his girth, the whale moved faster than anything half of its size.

King looked at Diddy. "For the record, I blame you."

"Noted," deadpanned Diddy before grabbing his brother like a lifeline, "NOW SAVE ME YOU BASTARD!"

"EVERYONE! Hold onto something!" Luffy cried, one hand clutching to the side rail while the other stretched and twisted itself into the rigging as tight as it could go, both for support and as extra leverage to grab on to for anyone who dislodges.

"TOO LATE CAPTAIN!" squawked Usopp, already shifted into his hybrid form, leg talons digging into the mast while his wings were being used to protect Nami. "WE ARE GOING DOWN!"

And down did they go.

And to the left, to the right, upside down, whirling side to side, twisting and swaying within the rapid current in what could only be described as the esophagus from hell the ship did go. The pitch-black tunnel would have been a fun rollercoaster ride were it not for the outright chance the ship could smash into the sides and that it reeked to holy heaven.

And after being in the places Luffy has been in his short life in this new world, he would rate it around third in his top ten list of 'worst things experienced.'

The place he found Diddy and King being number one, of course, with number two being the Royal Palace in Dawn Island after he and his brothers were done with them.

After who knows how many twists and turns, the Going Merry eventually met a steady downward current. The boat still rocked, but the ruder was still intact, and the danger of going overboard was finally behind them… for now.

Luffy unclinched his frozen arms - from the strain, not fear - as he started gathering his breath. "Everyone still in one piece?"

Every crew member sounded off, one by one, as they wobbly got up and checked themselves and the ship for damage. Surprisingly, the Going Merry was still going strong.

They surely had the luck of the Devil.

Then again, if they were lucky they wouldn't find themselves in this predicament in the first place. Maybe it was bipolar?

"Ah, guys?" squeaked Usopp in human form once more. "We aren't dead right?"

"Well Nami hasn't sprouted wings and become an angel yet, so I am going with no," snarked Sanji as he dusted himself. "Then again she doesn't need wings to be an angel."

"And the stomach acids aren't making us hallucinate either?"

"Gastric acids are many things - very disgusting being one of them - but other than corrosive, no, not hallucinogenic. Why?" asked a confused Gin.

"Just confirming that we are still alive. Because otherwise, I have no idea why there is a light at the end of the tunnel," deadpanned Usopp as he pointed forward.

The Straw Hats all turned towards the appropriate direction and caught sight said light illuminating the darkness. There was a literal light at the end of the dark tunnel. Usopp briefly wondered if they went towards it would they find Heaven on the other side but quickly dismissed the notion since it would have to be in the sky.

"Hold on!" Nami barked out.

And with that, the Going Merry splashed down into the light, the suddenly even water killing the momentum and bringing said ship to a firm and final halt.

"Uh... guys?" Nami squeaked numbly. "Is collective death a thing? Or becoming insane at the same time?"

"I don't think so, but I get why you are asking," added Kuina, bug-eyed and in awe, as was everyone else on board.

Because no one in a million years would ever believe them if they were told that the inside of a giant Island Whale had a big blue sky with clouds and a sun, as well as an island with a palm tree and a house on it.

There is crazy shit, and then there was straight up bullshit.

"So…" Zoro decided to break the ice. "Someone clearly had a lot of time on their hands."

Kuina slowly cranked her neck to look at Zoro. "And you say this because?"

"Well... getting an island inside a giant whale is easy enough: he would have eaten enough landmass and treated metal at some point to get it done. Painting the inside of the stomach to look like the outside, AND accounting for adding in spots from time to time as said whale grew larger and larger? THAT's commitment."

Everyone paused and considered that, a moment of peace and serenity in an otherwise bizarre and implausible situation.

"How much are we talking here? Months, years, decades?" Sanji asked in honest curiosity.

"Well, when I was younger, the church hired a restorer to spruce up the ceiling as it was losing color in some spots. Granted, the man worked alone, and it was more like surgery, what with all the small details no one would notice from the ground, but it took him months before we were all satisfied. This?" Gin narrated as he looked around. "It's mostly blue, but even with one man and a BIG brush? Two-three years, minimum, before you would get around to painting in the cracks and the clouds."

Zoro stared at Gin in disbelief. "You, a church boy? You can't be serious."

Gin shrugged, trying to change the topic. "It was a long time ago and not something I like talking about. My parents were the devout ones, not me."

Nami stared at the trio before clapping her hands with a smile on her face. "Well, I've met my crazy quota for the day. Anyone want to figure out a way out of here before the ship dissolves from the stomach acids?"

"We got time," Usopp spoke as he looked over the side. "Doesn't seem like the ship is smoking yet. Besides, we are inside the stomach of a whale - how much crazier can it get?"

Somewhere far away in the heavens, a being named Murphy was in a reclining chair, with a cup of tea at the side and a newspaper that showed the current events of the mortal world. The being abruptly looks up from his paper and down to the ground, seemingly seeing right through it.

With a small chuckle, it snapped its fingers.

"When will mortals ever learn?" was asked to no one in particular. Humming a nice tune, the being returned to his paper, now looking at the crossword section.

"Let's see. The Will of D.? Oh, that's an easy one…"

A titan-sized calamari shaped Sea King emerged from the 'waters,' shooting and barreling straight toward the crew.

The crew promptly screamed in fear from the jump scare. Once over the brief freak-out, Nami glared at Usopp with the might of a thousand suns! Usopp, sensing the impending danger, tried to fly away, but was tackled to the floor.

"WAIT! NO-!" his screams were cut short as he suddenly found it very hard to breathe.

Karma truly was a bitch.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?! Do you think these monsters will randomly kill themselves?! Everytime you say something stupid you put us, but most importantly me, in danger you idiot!" screamed Nami, choking harder.

Reaching out for help, Usopp looked to his captain, the only one who could understand his pain.

With Luffy's eyes hidden beneath the shadows of his hat, he turns his back on Usopp and towards the Sea King.

"I'm sorry comrade...but you called upon Murphy, and this is your punishment.," Luffy said, with pity in his heart.

Luffy was about to give said calamari a serving of rubbery vengeance before he - and others - blinked in surprise as a trio of harpoons burst out from between the monster's eyes, causing it to twitch once, twice, three times before it slowly collapsed backward, its blood and ink staining the stomach acid.

Everyone stared at the scene in shock before collectively and in unison leaning to the side of the ship to see steel chains connect to the harpoons, going all the way to the open door on the house on the island in the middle of the whale.

This was starting to sound suspicious like "There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly," and Luffy didn't plan to make songs with the crew until they got a musician.

King stared at Nami. "Ask for a million Belli to fall from the sky - someone up there is listening to you."

"Oh come on, what are the odds of that happening?"

And on cue, a treasure chest hit King on the head, having been catapulted from the 'waters' by the calamari, before landing on the deck, opening up, spilling out its singular content - a blue-yellow watermelon shaped Devil Fruit.

Diddy rubbed the now giant lump on his brother's head as the rest of the crew looked at said fruit in shock. "That'll do pig, that'll do," before promptly pocketing said fruit into his Storage Space.

"Luffy…" Nami stuttered in shock, ignoring the Sea King being dragged and pulled toward the island. "Was that…?"

"Yes, and based on appearances, it's something from the Paramecia family, and something BIG."

"There are indicators?" Zoro asked in utter shock.

Luffy waved his hand back and forth. "More like patterns. Some fruit families appear more often for certain Devil Fruits. Paramecia are predominantly berry based, Zoan are usually fruits that have to peeled or cut up, and Logia are usually fruits that are picked from larger shrubs with shapes covering them like scales. Size is also a factor to some regard - the larger the fruit, the more encompassing its power or word."

"So a watermelon…"

"Is probably a Paramecia that has a very general 'name' under its domain, making it possibly powerful."

"Huh… neat."

"Anyone else not noticing that someone from the house is dragging the calamari toward the island?" Gin interjected while catching his breath.

"Here's hoping they're human," Sanji smirked as he puffed out a plume of smoke.

As the calamari was dragged onto the island, a man emerged from the house to tie up the chains to a hook in the ground.

He had a rather stocky and muscular body, wearing a pink shirt with a yellow and green stripe with purple circles in the yellow along with blueish-grey shorts with sandals. He also wore glasses, a seaweed necklace, three gold bracelets, and a green-gem bracelet on his left wrist.

But the thing that really got everyone's attention as he glared at them…

"Is that a flower on his head?"

Because honestly, what else would you call it? He was bald on the top of his head, but with yellow-purple flower petal-like things at the sides. He had white hair and a split beard, but the petals were just so… so… in your face about it.

"Could be a flower-man," Gin shrugged. "I mean, seriously, we are in the Grand Line. After getting a DEVIL FRUIT of all things inside a chest inside a whale on our first outing, nothing really should surprise us at this point."

"Well, whatever he is, don't let your guard down," Zoro growled as he tightened his grip on his katana. "He just took down a Sea King-size squid like it was nothing."

"Mm..." Sanji mused nervously. "Chances are, either he just saved us... or he was fishing. Which make me wonder... what does he have in store for us?"

And so, as everyone got ready for a fight… they waited.

And waited.

And waited…

Until finally…

The man sunk into a lawn chair and flipped open a newspaper.

"SAY SOMETHING, ASSHOLE!" Sanji roared indignantly.

The old man cocked an eyebrow at the outburst, but before he could respond, Usopp barked up.

"We'll fight you if that's what you want, jerk! We got a cannon right here, and we aren't afraid to use it, right King?"

"LOCKED AND LOADED!" shouted the gorilla from below deck.

The man seemed to twitch as his glare redoubled, causing the rest of them to clench as well, waiting for his response.

So they waited.

And waited.

And waited…

Until finally…

"Don't. Or someone will die."

Sanji smirked with a convincing amount of bravado. "And who would that be?"

"Me," deadpanned the man without hesitation.

"YOU!?" shouted an enraged Sanji, foot on the railing, ready to jump toward the old man.

"Hey. Don't get pissed off," Zoro spoke calmly as he placed a hand on Sanji's shoulder, keeping him in place. He walked forward, pulling the chef back. "Old man, tell me… Where are we? And who are you?"

The man snapped another glare at us, focusing on the swordsman, causing the rest of the crew to freeze up once more in place.

So they waited.

And waited.

And waited…

Until finally…

"If you want something from someone," growled the man. "It's proper manners to introduce yourself first."

Zoro paused at his faux-paz, before plastering an apologetic grin on his face. "Yeah, that's right. My mistake. My name is..."

"I am Crocus," the now named man interrupted, his tone not shifting so much as a decibel the entire time. "I am the keeper of the Twin Capes Lighthouses. I'm 71 years old, Gemini, blood type is AB."

"CAN I KILL HIM NOW?" Zoro snapped in an almost identical manner to Sanji, Wado Ichimonji halfway out of its sheath, where it not for a panicked Kuina holding it down.

"You want to know where you are? You come to my one-man resort and yell such rude things at me. Besides, I'd think your current location to be rather obvious, considering how hard it is to miss the front door."

Without warning, Crocus's glare came back at full force, and the pirates found themselves frozen stiff.

So they waited.

And waited.

And waited…

Until finally…

"WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT!?" they shrieked, their nerves appearing to override their terror.

Well, most of them shouted...

"SHISHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed, clutching his chest in pain, falling to the ground to the crew's confusion. "PLEASE… PLEASE STOP! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! SHISHISHISHI!"

"Luffy, the hell?" Asked a bewildered Nami on behalf everyone else.

"Geeze, guys, lighten up, would you?" Luffy sighed as he wiped the tears from his eyes."Can't you appreciate a decent running gag?"

"THAT WAS A GAG?!"

"At least the boy and his snail have a decent sense of humor." Crocus sniffed.

"Seventeen, just for the record!"

"Whatever you say, brat. Also, how did you develop such a sense of humor?"

Luffy rubbed the back of his head. "I was raised mostly by my grandfather and a few of his old-time friends. Guess I got used to their brand of comedy."

That and Luffy was already an old man in his core. New age humor didn't appeal to him that much. Give him George Carlin any day of the week over the likes of Dane Cook.

"So anyway… how does one get out of this whale?"

Crocus jabbed his thumb at the pair of doors embedded into the horizon. "If you want out, that's fine by me. The exit's right over there."

"THERE'S GIANT METAL DOORS IN A WHALE!?"

"Who in their right mind builds a metal door inside a whale?" Gin shouted in confused hysterics.

"It's... a hobby." Crocus informed them flatly.

"Makes sense," Luffy nodded firmly. "Got to keep busy out here, long term projects usually do the trick."

"ARE YOU ALL OUT OF YOUR MINDS!?" Usopp demanded, a cross somehow appearing in his hands out of nowhere.

"We can deal with their brand of crazy later!" Zoro barked. "For now, let's get out of here before anything else happens!"

"BWWWOOOOHHHH!"

Without warning, the whale's stomach all but literally jumped, his stomach acid flipping and jostling madly.

"Like that!"

Crocus shook his head in disappointment as he folded up his newspaper. "He's starting again…"

Only Luffy heard what the keeper said since everyone else was doing their best to stand straight and not fall overboard into a sea of acid.

"OY! Crocus! What's going on?!"

Said man looked up - or was it toward the door - in a mixture of determination and worry. "This whale… Laboon… has been ramming himself against the Red Line for decades…"

"This giant obstacle is the source of all of Laboon's pain...and he is determined to destroy it, no matter what. To get to the other side. To get to his family."

Explains the scars on its head the size of valleys. The Straw Hats thought collectively.

"Sniff….Sniff…"

Everyone - Crocus included - turned to a sniffling Pinky, tears on the edge of his eyes, looking upwards.

"Pinky?" asked a worried Brain.

"I...I...I finished translating...I can hear his bellows…." muffled Pinky. "So much sadness… despair… no will to give up… anger… There are no words, only emotions, and a singular focus in destroying the cause of his pain…"

Crocus blinked. "I've seen many things in my time, but a talking mushi takes the cake. And yes, Laboon is hitting the Red Line out of despair."

"I guess that would explain the number of scars on this guy's head..." Nami mused sadly. "But what could have happened to cause him that much sadness?"

"No, not sadness," Pinky shook his stalks. "There is only a cycle of misery, pain, and suffering. Over, and over again…" Tears were now streaming down his face.

Crocus rolled up his sleeves, "Then it's time to administer some relief."

To everyone's shock, Crocus dived right into the waters. And instead of sinking and burning, he was but a blurry torpedo in the off-color acid, swimming straight towards the giant metal doors that marked the only way out of the shaking whale.

"Ummhhh…." King muttered as he scratched his head in confusion. "I am no expert, but… humans aren't immune to stomach acids, right?"

"No King, they are not," Diddy replied from his shoulder. "Even Armament Haki has limits."

"Seriously? Based on your lessons, Armament Haki seems like the ultimate form of defense," Kuina asked.

Luffy shook his head. "You would think so, but Armament is more suited to fight off against attacks of Devil Fruit users and living creatures. Sure, it can resist actual elements to a degree, but it's more draining. It's kind of why it's easier to wear a coat when going out into the cold rather than covering yourself in Haki."

Zoro thought about the statement. "So a Logia or Paramecia that deals with cold is…"

"Devil Fruits may seem like magic, but they have to be fueled by something. My thoughts are that the fuel is Haki and stamina. And since Armament clashing seems to neutralize each other and produce actual sparks, I think that it provides more protection from Devil Fruit powers than the natural elements."

Before Usopp could formulate a response, Laboon let loose another warbling moan before settling down, the acidic tsunamis subsiding to little more than mere swells.

"Well, that's quite a bit better. He must be pulling back for another run," Gin noted calmly.

"Whatever is going on, I couldn't care less! Let's row for safety, now!" Sanji ordered.

As the crew started getting ready to row, Brain finally spoke up. "Captain?"

"Yeah?"

"I believe that there are hijackers on this whale."

Luffy froze, slowly turning to the snail. "Where?"

Other side of the steel door

"Very good. Our infiltration so far has been a complete success, Miss Wednesday."

"Right you are, Mr. 9" nodded the woman in return.

Both figures were currently heavily armed and had their backs pressed against the human-sized metal door built into the much larger metal one.

Mr. 9 - a young man as he claimed - wore a golden crown on top of his red hair and had his agent number written on his cheeks. He had on a green suit with white lace along with a ruffled red scarf. His attire made him out to be a prince or a king, but that was up to debate.

Miss Wednesday had a more angular serious expression to her which made her appear older despite being the younger of the duo. Her aquamarine hair was pulled back in a ponytail laying lazily on top her gree fur neck jacket, which covered her modestly dressed white shorts and oddly striped shirt.

"Now Miss Wednesday, on the other side of this door lies the stomach, as well as that meddling geezer. He must be eliminated. For the whale's sake."

"Yes, Mr. 9. With how big he is, he will be the town's most precious commodity for years to come."

Both nodded as they readied their weapons. "So... '3-2-1, Baby' and we open the door. Agreed?"

"Roger, Mr. 9."

Before they even got a chance to count off, the door they were leaning against was ripped open, causing them to fall backward, screaming in shock.

The last thing they saw? Another hand coming at them…

Seconds earlier…

Crocus had just emerged from the acids and began to climb up the ladder when he heard the sound of something stretching.

Looking back, he looked in surprise as an arm stretched from the ship, aiming straight to the door above him, quickly followed by a second one.

Curiously, he stopped to see what the pirates were up to.

Wasn't he surprised when the second hand returned holding on to two stowaways.

"Should really get back into the habit of leaving Observation on… For those two to slip in again..." mumbled the grouchy old man as he resumed climbing to the top.

Crocus quickly picked up the pace, running down the tunnels, left and right, down the stairs, till he finally reached a room with a giant syringe picking directly into the exposed flesh of said whale.

"Stop it Laboon. Stop giving yourself these terrible wounds. There's barely any sedative left, and I don't have the time to make more at the rate you're going."

Crocus pushed the needle in, causing the whale to stop moving immediately.

"This wall is one that separates the oceans of the world. It will take you a second of eternity to ram the mountain down to nothing, and it's not even made of diamonds."

Crocus pushed the top in, injecting the sedative into the whale. The effect was immediate, as Laboon slowly fell asleep, the air inside of him causing him to slowly floated up to the surface.

Crocus nodded - his task done - before he started walking back to see the damages.

Around the same time….

"Well, I'll be damned. It looks like you were right, Brain." Zoro spoke in admiration for the snail's eyes as he finished tying up the two Luffy knocked out.

"I am more impressed by their hardware," Gin spoke with admiration as looked over the artillery the two were using. "I knew someone figured out how to miniaturize the cannon shooter into a two-handed weapon, but I honestly thought it was still in the developmental stages."

"Trust me, this is nothing," Diddy spoke as he promptly put the artillery away for later. "The Marines are always a few years or a decade ahead of the stuff available in the open market. Two to three years tops if we go black market."

Nami nodded in agreement - she had been to enough black markets in the East Blue - before spotting Luffy's focused expression on the two. "Captain? Something wrong?"

Luffy slowly pointed to the woman. "She… just made things VERY complicated."

He turned to the door, "Pinky, throw my voice will ya?"

The snail nodded before vibrating slowly. "Connection established."

"Crocus?"

"ODA DAMMIT! Give an old man a heart attack… Again, damn impressive mushi."

Luffy smiled. "Yes, yes he is. Listen, we caught the two intruders. You know them?"

"Yeah, those two scoundrels are from some nearby island that have been trying to whale Laboon for some time now. Never gotten inside before and I never got the nerve actually to do any damage to them."

"Thank Oda you didn't," mumbled Luffy.

"...Something I am missing?"

"Let's meet outside. This is going to need A LOT of explaining, especially the whale."

"There's a switch on the side of the door to open it. Just follow the path, and it should lead you out."

"Thank you. Meet you there."

Half an hour later….

"This is delicious," complemented Crocus as he ate his fish.

"Thank you."

"SHISHISHI. Just be glad we managed to knock it into him to hold his standards for men the same as for women when cooking," laughed Luffy, the rest of the crew joining in as they enjoyed Sanji's cooking on a flat mass of earth connected to the Red Line.

Sanji rubbed the back of his, flashes of the pain he suffered going through his mind. "Again, I apologize for that. It's a habit I developed that no one ever called me out for before."

Luffy nodded in understanding. Considering the suffering he felt at the hands of his brothers and father with the only positive experiences in his life being his sister and mother, it was excusable from a subconscious perspective.

Luffy looked to the side, checking up on Diddy and King eating right next to the still knocked out and passed out captured duo.

"ZARK! Captain?" whispered Pinky in his ear.

Luffy schooled his reaction, giving nothing away. Pinky only ever whispered things to him when something important binged on his radar. With his new rig, that was a sizable range.

Luffy nodded subtlely as the rest of the crew continued to try and get to know the lighthouse keeper.

"Laboon is very close to waking up. His rhythm is increasing, and his breathing is becoming less shallow. I have finished de...deko….DECODING!... His speech. I can translate when he wakes up."

Luffy nodded. He wanted the full story behind that.

"Also… we seem to have visitors up above us. Should I knock them out?"

This Luffy didn't expect. Slowly releasing his Observation, he eventually spotted two figures above them on a ridge.

They… were confusing.

One was a large, black-feathered vulture with a yellow aviator cap dotted with red flowers, and black goggles. The other was a small, brown-furred otter in a long-sleeved, light blue coat with purple dots, as well as black sunglasses.

Luffy had to pause and make sure the two weren't Zoan users. Seeing as the two were - at least to his Haki - watching the crew and Crocus eat lunch (the table and chairs provided by Diddy), Luffy shook his head in the negative… for now.

"So Crocus, what's the story behind the whale?" inquired Luffy as he put down his utensils.

"It is a sad one I am afraid," Crocus spoke with longing in his voice as he too put down his utensils and laid his arms on him. "You have to know first that Laboon is an Island Whale, the largest species of whales in the world, and they live exclusively in the West Blue. They also live in herds. Somehow, he got separated from his pack. I don't know the whole story after that, but I can tell you what I was told. You see… I've been this lighthouse's keeper for a while now. One day, a friendly group of pirates came down Reverse Mountain, and right behind them was a little baby whale. One named Laboon by them."

"A pirate crew with a whale as a pet? Now I've heard it all," Usopp whistled.

"Yes... Pirate crews can come across the most interesting of companions. These pirates had been traveling with Laboon for several years by then. They'd intended to leave Laboon behind in the West Blue because they knew that the Grand Line was dangerous, that Laboon wouldn't survive. But... they didn't take into account that Laboon had adopted them as its pod, so it followed them here."

The lighthouse keeper smiled wistfully as he re-lived his age-old memories. "Their ship was damaged in the crossing, as most big ships are. They stayed here for several months as they made repairs, and I became good friends with both them and Laboon. And then, when they left, their captain asked me to care for Laboon for a few years, at least until they came back. They said that they would circumnavigate the world and come back... so Laboon and I agreed to wait here together."

Everyone smiled at clear happiness the man poured into the tale, but Luffy remained serious. "You're leaving out the important part here, Crocus. I doubt Laboon was that large when they left and Island Whales don't grow that fast to begin with."

Sanji froze at that comment, "Wait… WHEN did they leave?"

The pure sadness that emerged on Crocus' face was all the rest needed to know. "... They left just short of 50 years ago. But Laboon… still thinks his crew is coming back. He thinks the Red Line is preventing them from coming back."

An uncomfortable silence descended upon the table. Hearing the things Luffy has told them about the Grand LIne so far, it's pretty obvious what happened to the crew after all these decades.

"Sad thing really… I liked the crew as well. Not like these new pirates that come around. They cared more about adventure and merriment. The Rumbar Pirates they were called... " Crocus chuckled. "Most of them were musicians by trade you know. They and their captain got into the weirdest of circumstances. Crashing parties, getting lost and ending in places they didn't expect. Hell, Laboon's main caretaker - Brook was his name - even accidentally ate a Devil Fruit without knowing what it was initially. The story they told me about his reaction to eating the damn thing was priceless!" Crocus laughed.

"Really?" Spoke up Luffy out of curiosity, hoping to steer the topic of conversation away from a dead crew. "I am sort of a Devil Fruit aficionado. You know what fruit he ate?"

Crocus snickered. "Oh yeah, I know. Brook made a whole spectacle of it when he explained the uselessness of it. Never got around to telling me what it did - always got in tears by that point, lamenting his poor fortune. He gave me a name though. I think it was…. Yeah… the Yomi Yomi no Mi."

Luffy froze, eyes bulging, as Crocus kept talking.

Crocus shrugged with his arms in the air. "Never understood why he was so upset. Having an Underworld Fruit doesn't seem that bad."

"That's because that's not it's full name," spoke Luffy calmly but loudly.

"Pardon?" asked a confused Crocus, followed by the rest of the crew looking at Luffy curiously.

"The fruit's FULL name isn't Yomi, but YomiGAERU."

Crocus froze. "Re...Revive?"

[Quick Japanese footnote: Yomi means 'Underworld,' Yomigaeru means 'Resurrection,' and Viz Manga dubbed this Fruit appropriately as the 'Revive' Fruit. Considering the subtelties of the Japanese language, Crocus would have reacted differently to their passing had he known the difference.]

"Wait…" Gin started. "You mean there's is a fruit that…."

"Supposedly, the fruit gives its user another chance at life after dying once. When they revive, the fruit power immediately appears again in the world, allowing it to be consumed ones more. But that's the issue…"

"What issue?" asked a leaning Crocus.

"My information network - which in turn uses World Government information - keeps a decent tab on what fruits are active and what not. From what I recall, the Yomi Fruit isn't on the 'market.'"

"So? Doesn't it mean that the fruit is lost somewhere on an island and just hasn't been found?" Usopp asked logically.

"True. However, it is also infinitesimally possible that user himself is still alive."

"How would that work?" pushed Kuina.

"Not the first time someone got trapped on an island with no way off," muttered Sanji, recalling the time he was stranded and almost died from starvation.

"And seeing as the fruit can be used over and over again…."

Crocus eyes bulged and leaned back into his chair. "Brook is still alive."

"POSSIBLY alive," emphasized Luffy. "The odds are not in his favor. Sure, the rest of the crew is definitely dead by now - mercy on their souls for whatever happened - but the odd's of him alone being alive are barely above 0%. Not very far above 0%, but definitely above it."

Crocus leaned in, glaring. "Listen here, boy. I may not look like it, but I used to be a physician on a pirate crew long ago…."

Que Straw Hat Crew shock and awe.

"...and I have seen some of the chaos in those waters. Unless something has absolutely zero chance of occurring, odds are, that it can happen, Murphy be damned. Until I see the fruit with my very eyes, I will have hope that Brook is alive. I have to, just for the sake of finally calming down Laboon."

Luffy smiled as he wiped his mouth, "Well then, why don't we ask him? He HAS been listening in to us since the beginning."

Luffy turned in his chair to the whale pretending to be asleep, "Isn't that right Laboon?"

Everyone turned at once, watching Laboon slowly rise from the water, its giant eye fixated on Luffy.

[I imagine Laboon's voice sounding like Frank Welker, the guy who voiced the sand lion entrance from 'Aladdin.']

"MY...FAMILY...ALIVE?"

Everyone either covered their ears or stood their ground. With the amount of power and baritone behind that voice, Luffy was surprised that glass wasn't shattering. It sounded deep, deeper than any human would be able to create through normal means. Everything shook slightly just from the voice but not enough for everyone to lose their balance.

"OY, PINKY! Turn down the volume!" Nami commanded, popping her ears. "I want to keep my eardrums, thank you very much!"

"SORRY! First time translating something this large - I forgot to account for the echo generated by his lungs as well as how whale calls would translate into normal language." warbulbed Pinky.

Everyone - including Crocus - looked at Pinky in shock and bulging eyes.

"Yes," added Brain. "That is the smartest thing you lot have heard Pinky say and YES, a LOT is going on behind the scenes to make translations work. Pinky is what you call special: while he's not great at a lot of things, he's amazing at others. He's either amazing or terrible; there is no middle ground with him."

"Sheesh," Usopp added. "Still better than the alternative of playing charades with animals. I mean, what are the odds of finding someone who can act as a natural translator? And how would they even do it? Would they have to eat a fruit like Pinky's or be an animal themselves? If so, without Pinky, how would we even understand them?" Usopp said as a headache started forming. "Would the animal be able to talk by itself? How? Where would we even FIND something like that?"

On an island covered with snow, a blue-nosed reindeer sneezed.

Zoro looked at Usopp strangely from the side. "Why are you thinking about this so hard anyway?" Usopp spoke up while messaging his new headache he got from overthinking things that made no sense. Well, that DIDN'T make any sense. Ever since he got on The Going Merry, what's sensible or not started twisting and turning.

"Well, don't you think we're just really lucky? Being able to talk to animals is a useful skill, think of all the ways we can use it. It'll make things like spying or gathering information much easier on our journey. While it's headache-inducing, thinking about it makes me appreciate the little mushi all the more."

Zoro nodded, agreeing with Usopp's assessment, and Pinky said thank you with a smile.

"Right… Yes, Laboon, there is a chance that ONE of your friends are still alive. I am sorry that they may have died or become lost at sea, but such is the nature of the Grand Line." Luffy said with a bit of sympathy.

Laboon had been waiting all those years for people who aren't coming back. Holding on to that hope like a lifeline, the giant whale deserved at least a bit of sympathy.

Luffy stood his ground as he stared up at Laboon, tears forming in his eyes.

"FRIENDS...NOT...ABANDON...ME?"

"Laboon… these people traveled with you for years, fed you, taught you, sang songs with you… it would take an act of Oda to stop them from coming back. No, they didn't abandon you, not a single one of them. They loved you as part of the crew. As a family."

Laboon looked down, "WHAT...I….DO...NOW?"

Luffy smiled. "Now? Now you have hope… hope that your friend is out there and alive, waiting for a chance to return to you and make up for his crewmates sin of abandoning you." Luffy pointed his thumb at Crocus. "You caretaker isn't going anywhere any time soon. All I have to do is leave my mushi number behind and hope we ran into this Brook on our adventures."

"I… NOT...STRONG...I...PAIN...MOUNTAIN...RAGE…."

"SHISHISHI!" laughed Luffy. "Then I guess we just have find a way to keep you safe and intact until we do. USOPP!"

"YES, CAPTAIN" saluted the long-nosed man.

"I want our crew insignia to be painted on this whales head on the double! Burrow paint either from Crocus or Diddy, but by the time we leave, I want this whale recognized as part of our crew! Is that clear?"

Usopp smiled. He had already designed the ship's flag - Luffy could only sketch - so recreating it on the whale wouldn't be that much of hassle.

He was that good of an artist.

Smiling, her morphed into his hybrid form, brushes - from where they didn't ask - at the ready. "SIR, YES, SIR!"

Everyone watched in fascination as Usopp started forming an outline on the whale's scared skull, the black behemoth twitching. "TICKLES...BUT...NOT...PAIN."

"Just hold it out big guy," Luffy said jovially patting the whale. "It shouldn't take long."

Luffy smiles faltered, however, when he turned to face the captured duo. "Now… to deal with an even BIGGER headache. Nami, get your ropes out, we're going to be interrogating them."

"I AM NOT INTO THAT STUFF!" shouted an enraged Nami (but her red cheeks said otherwise).

"So you don't have something to hold them down?"

Nami remained angry for as long as she could until she sighed dejectedly. "I'll get the handcuffs."

Sanji looked at Kuina with some worry as Nami left for her room. "You're not into that stuff, right?"

"I am a sword woman who trains with a lunatic with three swords who goes for blood and doesn't know the meaning of restraint - what do you think?" Kuina asked terrifyingly smiling as she slowly unsheathed her sword.

"Withdrawn," Sanji replied hastily, only now realizing his cigarette was cut in half. "Really need to restock on my brand soon."

Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 woke up at the same time, both quickly realizing that they were being glared at by a whole menagerie of people - and four animals and an old man - while restrained by handcuffs.

Pink and furry handcuffs, but handcuffs nonetheless. Honestly, Miss Wednesday didn't know whether to fear the handcuffs because they were pink and fluffy and didn't entirely know what they were recently used for, or because she was restrained with them in an awkward position.

The only one not glaring at them was the more neutral faced kid who was currently playing with a pair of Baoding balls.

Before Mr. 9 got a chance to ask what was going on…

"I have to say, as far as princesses go, playing someone that looks like to a high-class hooker is pretty low. Sexy, but still low. I mean, I get that some people are into roleplaying an all that, but still..." Luffy stopped playing with his balls as he looked at the blue haired girl. "What the hell are you doing Vivi?"

If the sheer amount of panic and sweat that formed on the girl's face wasn't an indicator, then the drawing of weapons by the two animals on the edge of Luffy's Observation was all he needed to know that he hit the nail on the head.

"I'm not this Vivi you speak of. My name is Miss Wednesday, proud Baroque Works agent," retorted Vivi haughtily.

"Sure... And I am the walrus goo goo g'joob," Luffy deadpanned back. "The hell are lowlife Baroque Agents doing out here? Last I checked, whaling was frowned upon in most parts of the world."

"C-come now!" Mr. 9 reasoned desperately. "It's just whaling! Y-you're pirates; surely we can come to an understanding, no?"

Luffy cocked his eyebrow as he gave the man a decidedly unimpressed look. "Back where I'm from, whaling is a pretty hefty crime. Besides the fact that it's damn amoral, I mean. Want to try again, Mr..."

"Kyudeki Tanaka" replied Mr.9 rapidly. Not like they would find anything on him.

"He doesn't look like an Officer Agent, and if those whirls are any indication, he must be Mr.9. I know for a fact I… disposed… of the pair that I met. Mr.12 and Miss Saturday where their names."

Everyone - including the duo - looked at Zoro in confusion, including Kuina. "And you know this how?"

"Remember when you strained your leg and couldn't move for a while, so we had to stay on that island for a week? Well, one night while you were sleeping, I was drinking at the bar when this group of people - the pair included - recognized me and started chatting me up. I was bored, so we got to talking, drinks were exchanged and well, suffice to say, my tolerance won out, and those agents were VERY informative about how Baroque Works…. well, works. Granted, I figured they were next to useless on intel when they told me they were Frontier Agents and I wasn't interested at the time. They were drunk and didn't take well to my rejection…."

"I thought you won the money through a game."

"I did - the game of life and death," smirked Zoro to Kuina as she rolled her eyes.

"In any case," interrupted Luffy. "What exactly was your plan here? Shoot this whale in the stomach, where he couldn't even defend himself? It would have taken it longer to die from acids spilling out from such a wound. Was that your intention?"

Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday glanced at each other for a moment before shaking their head. "No. We were planning to dispose of the old man. Afterward, we were going to tranquilize the whale or find another way to put it to sleep. We would have called the Billions after that to drag it away."

"MR.9!" shouted Vivi, still in character. It was an all or nothing gamble. All she knew about the people in front of her is that they were pirates. She had two choices at the moment. One, confess about her being a Princess to a potentially dangerous pirate and pray to Oda that she lives through it safely without getting ransomed or kidnapped. Or two, double down on her acting to convince this pirate that she was in fact, not a Princess, and therefore a lot less valuable. If they found her completely useless though they might just kill her to get rid if deadweight though, so she had to be careful.

Or so she thought since Luffy didn't think about any of that.

"THE GOOSE IS COOKED, MISS WEDNESDAY! THEY KNOW TOO MUCH!"

"Well, at least you two have some decency. But again, Vivi…"

"MY NAME ISN'T VIVI!" shouted Miss Wednesday.

A tick formed on Luffy's forehead. In annoyance, he let... that… out, just a little.

Everyone on the deck felt it.

Garp described that it felt different for everyone since no two wills were alike.

To Garp, Sengoku felt like his epithet: a large shining presence, one of peace until his wrath was triggered.

Shanks felt like the open sea: vast, open, and ever-changing, its moods and temperament more mercurial than a cat. But at the same time, there was always a hint of danger and mystery hidden just below the surface, ready for anyone who was submerged below. Whenever Shanks got angry, it was as if a wave was consuming you, dragging you down kicking and screaming into his ocean depths.

Whitebeard felt something like a grizzled tiger, one too old and lazy to be in charge, but in no way defanged or meek. Sort of like a retired alpha who was still on the front lines.

The one time Garp felt Charlotte Linlin's - a harlot of the worst caliber in his eyes - he could only describe as an all-consuming maw, one that didn't discriminate between allies, enemies…. Or her children.

Luffy had personally experienced the wills of his brothers.

Sabo's felt like the center of the storm - a calm amidst turbulent chaos. But when that fine balance was tittered, all he had to do was shift his center, and it would feel as if Oda's very breath was crushing you into nothing. But instead of Oda, it would be the wrath of a serpent, draped in lightning, surround by winds and sharp rain, pelting all in his way as hit obliterated all opposition as the embodiment of nature's wrath. There was a reason that Sabo's epithet was 'Dragon's Storm,' and it wasn't because of his fruit or his apprenticeship with Luffy's father.

Ace felt like a nuclear ball of flaming gas and plasma, massive and hot beyond all reason, beyond all sanity, all imagination. And what made it worse is that he could focus all that presence into a target. A meager, puny, insignificant person - an absolute nothing - standing against not might and power, but a FACT. If that was what Ace's father presence felt like, no wonder he was such a feared and powerful man.

When Luffy would ask those affected what they experienced by his will, they all said something along the same lines.

Their breathing stopped, hearts stilled, to some, their very soul froze.

For one brief moment, they all died.

But when they returned, they felt it. No… they lived it.

To each one, it was like they suddenly appeared in a dark and cold world. In it was only them

standing in front of a throne. There was no one there sans them, some distance, and a being in a throne.

But calling the being a king or anything of the kind was just wrong.

It was like standing in a slit of darkness amidst a world of blinding light; there was no other explanation for the encroaching corona of radiance and destruction. But as they looked around, the darkness did not falter, and shadows grew, for they were too strong, and from it, creation formed and change came.

And all the darkness came from the being.

There was no face to it, either because they couldn't see it or because it was not important, too above their concern.

The regalia was odd to them. Not entirely like a knight, not entirely like a soldier, but too much like someone who earned… who bled for the right to be on the throne, regardless of what it looked like or cared.

There was no crown, but the presence made up for it, for no item can convey the right to be in charge.

There was a righteousness to it, an incorruption, a concentration of what made humans 'human', with their drive to persevere and live for freedom.

But no humanity in it itself. No, they all experience the same thing. The humanity - the normalcy - was abandoned long ago.

There was loss. Loss of too many things that gave people innocence and naivete of the world around them

This being was neither a king nor a martyr — someone who has sat in a graveyard of fallen warriors, both friend, and foe.

This was someone who fought. Someone who screamed at challenges. Someone who raged for the right to live, for self and others.

The being in front of them was a shell.

This was no king, no role model, not a human being, not anything comprehensible.

This being was a LEADER, a FIGUREHEAD, this was a fact, much like Ace's presence if it was to be compared.

This was someone who had the right to exist, the right to fight, the right to go against opposition and the wrong.

This was someone who would go to the very gates of Perdition to rescue the wrongfully claimed and barge through the halls of Valhalla itself to remove those who have not earned the respite.

This was Darkness, yes. But a Darkness that didn't destroy but reveal the blinding corruptness and burning of the Light and those ensnared in it.

It fought back, step by step, inch by inch, life by life.

No, this was not a leader. This… was a Conqueror.

No one passed out when the presence passed, but almost everyone was wheezing, sweating, eyes bulging, on their knees, or an inch from fainting.

And that was Luffy loosening his restraints, not unleashing them. At their current power, Luffy's Conqueror's Haki could potentially put them in an unwakeable coma.

Luffy had lived a full life before being reborn. He had AGE behind his Haki, not unlike the Old Guard.

Only the animals were spared the oppression, but they still twitched.

Diddy, King, Pinky, and Brain had felt it before.

Laboon, funny enough, barely reacted. He had fought Sea Kings and lived. He had seen the face of Death enough times to look it in the eyes without hesitation.

The two watching from a distance weren't affected, but they saw what happened to everyone else.

And Crocus….

Well, Luffy wasn't the only one surprised that the only evidence that he was affected was by the drop of sweat on his brow and the recognition in his eyes.

"Dear Oda…. Roger?"

Luffy looked to the man with barely restrained shock. "We will talk about that comment later."

Crocus could only nod in acceptance.

Zoro was first to stand by using the sheaf of his katana. "Luffy… what the fuck?"

"When I started training you all in Haki, I told you that were three types. Observation and Armament can be learned and mastered by any living being if they activate them. The third, however, cannot be learned, for only one in every million people are born with the capacity even to have Conqueror's Haki."

"It's…. It's that rare?" squawked Nami.

"Considering the fact that the average user is capable of scaring or taming Sea Kings just by looking them in the eye, and decimate an entire army just by willing it?!" Luffy bit out. "If it weren't, the World Government wouldn't have survived a day. You have to understand, Conqueror's Haki is about dominating the wills of others via your will. Haoshoku Haki is proof of an individual who possesses the qualities of a king, a candidate chosen by the heavens. Anyone who has it, unlocked or otherwise, share a royal position or epithet or attained some highly respected status. It is a right of anyone with Conqueror's to be in charge, to lead, to rule, to be followed."

Luffy glared back to the prisoners, who were barely keeping it together.

"And as someone who has been around fake and real royalty in her life, I will ask you again. NEFERTARI VIVI… what are you doing, being part of Baroque Works? I admire your persistence in keeping your secret, but I will not repeat myself once more, understood?"

Everyone stared at Miss Wednesday - Mr. 9 included - as she went from fear to anger to confusion to resignation. Along the way, they watched as her edged face actually softened and became more… innocent.

"How?"

"Hm?" Luffy responded with a raised brow.

"I've been in Baroque Works for two years. NO ONE - and I mean no one - recognized me in all that time. My partner among them."

Luffy simply sighed, "Brain."

On command, the mushis eyes glowed as a photograph was plastered on the mountain wall. One very familiar to Vivi, as evident by her shock. To others, it was just a horde of people in crowns walking into some sort of castle, among which was a clearly younger but still recognizable blue-haired child.

"But… But… that's the..." stuttered Vivi.

"The Levely some years past, I know. Getting into Mary Geoise is suicide, but paying or infiltrating as a guard or attended to take pictures outside of it for reconnaissance purposes? Not impossible."

"Levely?" Gin inquired. "I know about the Mary Geoise but not about the other."

"Oh, the Levely is basically is a council formed by the World Government which consists of 50 of the world's leaders out of the over 170 nations affiliated with the World Government that meets once every four years. The membership changes a lot except for the big players, Nefertari Family being among said players since the beginning."

"How do you know so much?" demanded the Princess. "Knowing all the members at any time is punishable under espionage charges unless one is in the Marines or World Government employ."

"Revolutionaries don't give a damn and what makes you think that the information wasn't stolen from a Marine or World Government base?" smirked Luffy.

"KNARL! We be sneaky!"

"Indeed. We have seen the very darkest and most well-hidden corners of the East Blue. And as the depository for a major part of said organizations more out of date but classified intelligence, we are… or rather I… are VERY WELL informed."

"Informed enough," interrupted Luffy as he pulled up a chair. "That I noticed a rather disconcerting piece of data out of Alabasta."

"What kind, Captain?" Nami asked, First Mate duties superseding her curiosity.

"First, I believe some backstory is needed for clarity sake." Luffy cleared his throat facing his crew. "The Holy Land Mary Geoise is the capital of the World Government that hosts the Levely. Mary Geoise is also the home of the World Nobles, or otherwise known as the Celestial Dragons."

Anger and rage spread on the crew's faces, Crocus included.

"Yes, I have made my displeasure about them rather clear. In any case, the Dragons are the descendants of the twenty kings who founded the World Government 800 years ago, above all law and punishment, and the World Government bends to their every command, regardless of the senselessness, yadda yadda yadda. Of course, that's what they tell the world."

Everyone caught Vivi's flinch.

"You see, the Dragons are only the descendants of the nineteen kings that decided to go up to Mary Geoise. For you see, one king and his line refused to join them, for they never wanted to leave their homelands. The line? The Nefertari."

Everyone's eyes bulged in surprise.

"You see, the dicks that went up and became what we know as the douchebags and shitstains of humanity didn't want that, so they fudged history a bit. 20 is a nicer number than 19."

"They have always despised us for that," mumbled Vivi.

"Pardon?"

"They've always despised us for 'spurning' their ascension, they've always made sure to spite us at every turn they could find," Vivi spoke with more venom in her tone. "It's a grudge that's festered for almost eight centuries straight. Up until now, it's taken the form of petty annoyances, ignorance, or downright pettiness."

"Rightfully so. But what else do you expect from something that a step below psychopaths?"

Vivi looked down in shame. "The only benefit in them altering history is that our kingdom can't be recognized as part of that… brood… without a lot of true history being revealed."

"Said history being as to how the Kingdom of Alabasta has remained a big player in the World Government for over twenty generations despite being - and pardon my wording here - a Summer Dessert Island."

"Summer Island?" asked a curious Nami.

"Later. It has to do with Island Climatic Types." waved Luffy to a nodding navigator. "At first glance, sure, Alabasta seems like a dessert that is either hot as hell or cold as ice depending on the time of day. A closer look, however, shows a reach terrain in minerals, rare to find plants, a booming textile business, a century's strong perfume line, and quite frankly, VERY wise and fortuitous investments and contributions of the ruling line."

Luffy looked at the surprised Vivi. "Your family, in particular, is the epitome of the rulers serving the people first and themselves second. Not to say there wasn't a dark sheep among them living by the same standards. Nefertari Bayek made a significant contribution to the castle's treasury during a particularly turbulent time in the island's history by running a drug cartel so profitable through its trade that it made the Vinsmoke Channel in the North Blue look like small potatoes." Luffy said with respect in his tone. Sure, it was against the law but he was a pirate, his very existence is against the law, how can he judge? Besides, Bayek did what needed to be done to protect his home and country, Luffy couldn't very well judge the guy to wrongly even if he wanted too.

Vivi paled at that mention. "How in the world…."

"Second-hand accounts from journals and first-hand accounts from Giant mules to their descendants. Bayek was a surprisingly nice boss. Had to be so that the Marine's didn't know he was a Kingpin - I believe he was called 'The Pharaoh' during the whole stint. When his country finally recovered, he 'faked' his persona's death and passed the leadership on to his second in command. A very well picked second in command who was quickly captured after 'someone' anonymously reported him. It was just too bad that only a small but crucial and vicious part of the cartel was caught, as everyone else with smaller rap sheets managed to disappear mysteriously… as if they were in the know the whole time."

Sanji whistled. "He got the money AND framed a criminal who was going to be trouble down the road? Well played. Now that's a boss."

"Still," Luffy quickly turned back before the princess got a chance to reply. "That is not to say that they also didn't have an ace up their sleeve to maintain the power: a little compound called Dance Powder."

"What's that?" asked Usopp. [He returned a while back while waiting for the first layer of paint to dry before layering more on top.]

"The magical love-child of silver iodide, potassium iodide, and dry ice."

"Wait, my chemistry isn't solid, but aren't all those chemical responsible for causing rain?" Usopp scratched his head.

"I did say love-child. You spray this stuff into the air and bibbity-bobbity-boo, you get rain almost immediately, USUALLY without side effects."

Vivi was practically twitching at this point.

"Usually?" Gin pushed. "I am guessing playing Oda with the weather has consequences?"

"You are correct. In small and sporadic doses, Dance Powder has no side effects. Sure, it draws moisture from surrounding areas, but with proper geological planning, wind estimations, and recuperation time, the damage is minimal thanks to the already bizarre Grand Line weather. However, it was BECAUSE the powder was so important to the kingdom that the royal family felt it was necessary to distance themselves from it."

"...Why?" asked a twitching Nami.

"Checks and balances. They may be a good family, but too much power in one place, especially with odds of just one bad egg ruining it for everyone?"

"Wait, but the royal family DOES control the Dance Powder," interrupted Mr. 9.

"You are correct, and there is a reason for that. You see, a separate family - trusted by at the time king generations ago - were given the sacred duty of growing, preparing, administrating, and regulating the Dance Powder. It was kept all in house - except for people marrying in - and it was a very honorable position."

"Seems… reasonable," Kuina pondered. "I am guessing the bad egg scenario happened to them instead?"

"Irony at its finest. I won't spare you the details, but let's just say one member went crazy, flooded the damn kingdom with the powder in a bid to declare themselves a god reborn, and drained so much of the surrounding moisture in the process that Alabsta became the desert kingdom we know and love today."

"He left us no choice," Vivi spoke regretfully. "The family was trusted, but… an example had to be made. It's been centuries, and the land has just started to regain normalcy…"

"Princess, I don't blame you for what your ancestors had to do. The family fucked up, and had to be removed." Luffy spoke without a hint of judgment. "As a result, the royalty took in the responsibility of the family but as a precaution, created the Alabastan Royal Guardians to protect and assist them by administer justice, enforcing laws, and protect the Dance Powder."

"Why is that…"

"In a moment, it will all be clear, Nami. The six positions were each given a Devil Fruit, two of each kind. Two Paramecia, the Nuno Nuno no Mi (Cloth) and Atsu Atsu no Mi (Hot)..."

"The Mummy and The Heat…," Vivi added.

"Two Zoans, the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Jackal and Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Falcon…"

"Anubis and Ra…,"

"And finally, the two Logia, Kūki Kūki no Mi (Air) and the Suna Suna no Mi (Sand)."

"Wait a minute…" Sanji caught on first.

"The Wind and the Dessert."

"Now, unfortunately, due to a certain…" Luffy looked at Vivi. "Event… in the past that won't be mentioned…" Vivi sank her head, at least acknowledging the decency. "The queen was lost and the guards were eliminated, sans for two apprentices. In the ensuing chaos, two fruits were lost while two remain unused. Rumors of fruit matching the Cloth have been circulating in the South Blue bootlegging network, but I can't confirm them. The Heat was found…"

Vivi looked up in shock. "You know where the Heat is?"

Luffy nodded. "The Heat was found and eaten by Don Accino, head and boss of the Accino Bounty Hunting Family. Thankfully, he is above board in his methods and personality and if reports are to be believed, a very devoted and loving father. The Dessert, however, well… that was found and returned to the kingdom in the form of its 'savior.' They were so grateful when he came and diffused tensions in their time of need that they knighted him as Sir Crocodile."

Sanji, having read enough stories and lived among people who have plans within plans, was first to realize where Luffy was heading too. "Oda damn it…"

Luffy clicked his fingers as Diddy took out a GIANT folder for him. "Sir Crocodile's bio is somewhat cut and dry. He was present at the execution of Gol D. Roger, at one point wanted to be Pirate King, and became Shichibukai sometime in his mid-twenties after adapting and surviving at least a part of the New World. What gets sketchy is what happens after he lost to Whitebeard, since he just disappeared afterward. Then, a few years later, for some reason - right around when Alabasta was at its lowest, he emerges and rescues the kingdom with his new - and wouldn't you know it, now no longer lost - Devil Fruit power. Well, that and a hook for a hand. Afterward, he gets knighted and decides to stick around and be a hero to the people, helping out in rebuilding and monitoring the waters as his Warlord duty's required. His only blemish? Never being able to get rid of a 'little' mercenary organization heavily centered in those water called…. Baroque Works."

Then Luffy gave Vivi the most sickly sweet smile anyone has seen. "But considering that he IS the head of the organization, that would be counterproductive of him, wouldn't it princess?"

The sheer shock that appeared on everyone face - and felt by the two animals still watching - was palpable.

"How… How do…. I spend years infiltrating the organization, and I just found out about it!" Viv screamed in panic.

Luffy leaned back into his char, fingers intertwined in front of him. "Any of you know how Warlords are selected?"

Collective head were shaking. Vivi was still too distraught to respond, as was Mr.9.

"No? Well, neither do I – just the broad strokes, as it were. I understand reputation and power is a requirement, but bottom line, it's a business transaction between the World Government and soon to be privateers. Now, you may be thinking, is it worth selling out your soul to become the Marines dogs? It is… if the negotiations go well."

That got their attention again.

"See, besides getting what would be the equivalent of diplomatic immunity as well as a frozen bounty, the Warlords can also ask for a minutia of other little things. Dracule Mihawk and Gekki Moriah were admitted around the same time since both wanted something from the other. Bartolomeo Kuma's is classified, and Jinbe got jurisdiction over all Fishmen crimes in the Grand Line. Donquixote Doflamingo got control of an island in the New World, but my info is shaky at best regarding that topic, even with my source. Boa Hancock got protection for her island of Amazon Lily because… well… an island full of attractive, Amazonian beauties that can easily be stolen into the slave trade? You do the math. And finally, we have Crocodile, who the World Government gave…" Luffy pushed the file forward. "A new identity."

The mike has been dropped.

"Crocodile, or Imhotep Ramal, is the very last surviving descendant of the family that used to regulate the Dance Powder before your family took over. He was THERE when the… event… transpired because he was the one that instigated it."

Vivi was in near tears. "W...wh...what?"

"That... was Crocodiles first attempt at ruining your family and claiming what he always wanted, what he thought was rightfully his: the throne."

"No…."

"But he was cocky, young, and impatient back then. He didn't think things through, and barely got away… but with a prize."

Now the rest were catching on.

"Everything I mentioned about his life since has been exactly the same; easier to hide a lie within a truth. All the Cipher Pol agents had to do was find old mentions of his name and face, publish new material, bribe and kill a few people, and presto chango, you get Crocodile. It helped since he left for a decade, bulked up like crazy, and got rid of his hand - willingly I hope - before returning as a hero and waiting."

"Waiting?"

"You see, you can't just kill off a dynasty like the Nefertari's and expect people just to accept you as the new king, oh no, tradition is too strong in the lands there. No, Crocodile had learned patience, he was methodical. He knew there was only so many ways to legitimize his claim to the throne. But he would still need a way to instigate the removal of the current king, Cobra. He managed to remove his wife the first time around, but that isn't enough. He needed an accident, some event that wouldn't scream planned assassination. Murdering, poisoning, and demolition were out so what he needed was a patsy or rather…. A collection of patsies…" Luffy slowly turned to Vivi. "And a princess willing to do anything to continue the people's legacies, even if it meant marrying someone older than her but beloved by the people, ESPECIALLY if he happened to stop a revolution and mercenary group responsible for killing her father."

"That… That is just…." Kuina covered her mouth to stop herself from gagging.

"Machiavellian I believe is the term. Maybe even Dickensian. But really Vivi, did you really think Crocodile didn't spot you a mile away when you infiltrated his organization… I mean, his cult?"

That got everyone confused. "Cult?"

"Well, it's more of a Ponzi or Pyramid scheme when you break it down. I mean, only the Officer Agents and their partners are well known in mercenary and assassin circles BUT NOT the bounty hunting circles. They get most of the benefits and actual assignments, while Frontier Agents like yourself are send on recruitment drives, spouting the benefits of Baroque Works and then trying to get those people to spread that belief onto others, perpetuating the cycle. Hence the Millions and the Billions, who get next to nil in the process and actually manage to fall into debt themselves, cementing their placement in the organization. Is that not how a Pyramid Scheme works, except for the CEO, in this case, being the elusive and all-powerful Mr.0, or Sir Crocodile as the case may be?"

Vivi was looking at the paperwork spread out over the table in front of her, being unable to accept this. Her body started to shake with not only rage but fear as well. She caught Luffy's gaze over her and hated that for a moment, no matter how brief, there was pity in his eyes. "How did you figure this all out?" she said with grit teeth, forcing herself to stop shaking by will alone.

She was still a Princess, and she was determined to act like it till the end.

Luffy wished he didn't have to drop all of this information on her at once, but in all honesty, they didn't have time to do things gently. He made sure to kill his pitying look as fast as it formed. She just learned that man is willing to do whatever it takes to wipe her bloodline off the face of the seas and may even have the help and support of her own people to do it. As a Princess, she has to be strong but as a girl...Luffy knew she was terrified.

"I have resources and friends on both ends of the information network. The Marines are aware of Crocodile's backstory and cover-up, but the Revolutionaries are aware of his connection to Baroque Works as it's boss. In summation, what he is doing is one giant long con for power with him as the victor and everyone else as pawns or dead, including everyone else in the organization. It's sad to say, but whatever you think his endgame is it's still more likely to be a red herring, all to get his hands on the throne… and you."

Silence.

There were no words spoken, no sounds made, no jaws still rooted in the mouth.

Everyone was slackjaw and stupefied by such a decade-long orchestrated event - even. Mr.9.

Even Laboon's eyes were more bulged than before.

Till finally…

"Holy shit. Roger was never involved in crap this complicated."

Luffy necks almost broke the sound barrier with how fast he turned to face Crocus. Crocus, realizing he slipped up, only stared at Luffy's visage like a deer stuck in the path of headlights. "Umm… I can explain?"

Beat… Beat... Beat….

The moment Roger's mere name was mentioned, Luffy attention was fully Crocus. So many thoughts and ideas sprinted through his head, one after another, so fast and plentiful he couldn't keep track of them all. After what felt like a handful of minutes to him, he looked around and found only a couple of seconds had passed. Luffy sighed in resignation. "We will be having a talk about this later."

Crocus nodded. "Fair enough."

Luffy turned back to his two captured members - one with a look of reevaluating everything that he has ever known, another in resigned 'defeat.'

"To be completely honest Vivi, your cover was good," Luffy spoke, deciding to give the girl the proverbial bone. He's not heartless, and this was just not her day. "Had there been anyone who had some common sense or seen pictures of you younger, someone in 'Broke-Ass Works' would have made the connection. Thankfully, with how you changed your demeanor and - weird as it sounds - your face contours, no one would connect the two you based on the accounts. I mean, a sweet, sheltered princess without a vile bone in her body being the scantily dressed seductress partner of Mr.9?"

Vivi sighed in resignation before plastering a semblance of a smile, "The one good thing about being royalty - access to the best teachers, one being an acting coach to train you to control your emotions when meeting people you despise."

"More useful than you think," Nami chided. Considering the number of confidence scams she must have pulled, she might as well teach acting herself. In fact, Luffy bet that Nami could scam every one of Vivi's tutors.

"In any case, if I release you guys, can you promise not to make a scene and try to escape?" Luffy smiled as he started doing just that. After all, even if they did try, they'd just get tied back up again.

Vivi chuckled in resignation. "Where would I go? My people think I am sheltered outside the kingdom. I spend two years doing something that an outsider realized in a few days or even weeks. It makes my sacrifice feel…meaningless."

Luffy rubbed the back of his head. "Well, Alabasta would miss you for one - you do have a kingdom to save, and I want to get rid of Crocodile, if not for personal reasons that at least moral ones," Luffy answered her first comment as he undid Mr. 9 wrists. "And Devil's Advocate? I had access to not one, but two large networks of information AND a Devil Fruit user specifically gifted to filter through hordes of paperwork and information. Your method - while long and possibly damaging to the psyche and soul - is the more efficient and fastest way to get the same information for normal people."

"Yeah… I've seen things I would have preferred never to see…"

"I can vouch for her on that," interrupted Mr.9. "I did my best to pick up the more… savory assignments. But unfortunately…"

Luffy raised his hand, "Say no more; it doesn't really matter now. What matters now is getting rid of Crocodile and undoing his organization. Thankfully, the narcissistic bastard made himself into the organization's lynchpin. The moment he falls, the rest of the house of cards falls as well. We may not have much time though: based on accounts from Alabasta, the powder keg is near ready to blow into the final stages. Oda knows what will happen if he gets his hands on the throne, your presences needed or otherwise."

Vivi laughed louder now as Luffy started undoing her wrists now. "Oh Ra! I spend years trying to find Mr.0 identity to make sure he wouldn't get his hands on my people when I should have been more worried about him marrying me to just get to the throne legally! Could be worse… he could have been after the Poneglyph."

Vivi's eyes bulged as she quickly slapped her hands over her mouth, her 'bad habit' finally making a comeback as she no longer had a persona to maintain.

And it returned with a vengeance.

"WHAT."

The sheer presence Luffy put into that statement made people relive flashbacks of when he unleashed his Haki moments earlier.

"Ummm…. Well, I mean…."

"SPEAK. NOW."

Vivi's back - and everyone else's - went ramrod straight. Her mind went blank with the command. There wasn't even a point where her brain thought about resisting. The information flowed out of her mouth like an unimpeded river. "There's a Poneglyph hidden underneath the Tomb of the Kings under the Royal Castle within Alubarna, Alabasta. While it's message has been lost, and no one has the ability to translate it, family accounts recorded in the journals of past rulers refer to something called Pluton."

Luffy's Haki receded and he just… stood there, staring at her, eyes devoid of emotion.

"Pluton?" deadpanned Luffy.

Vivi nodded rapidly, sweat glistening on her panicked face.

"As in one of the Three Ancient Weapons, Pluton?"

Vivi nodded a little more slowly as all of Luffy's crewmates eyes began to expand slowly.

"As in the thing responsible for the rise of the World Government 800 years ago, Pluton?"

Vivi barely nodded at that.

"As in the thing that is most likely directly responsible for the Void Century, Pluton?"

Vivi just stared silently at this point.

"As in the PLUTON RESPONSIBLE…"

"Oto Oto Silence!" Pinky quickly shouted right as Luffy's voice started to become louder and enraged.

Everyone bared witness to Luffy shouting to the heavens, arms waving and pointing at things in the distance or into the air, feet stomping, and pantomiming other forms of rage… while completely silent. It was a truly terrifying sight... but without noise, it kinda just looked silly.

Everyone looked to the snail as Pinky 'shrugged'. "Not the first time he had gotten into one of his moods, and we don't want to hear him swear again."

"I'll say," muttered Crocus. Noting everyone's curiosity, he too shrugged. "Lip reading. Very handy skill when facing an enemy who can take advantage of sound."

"Personal experience?" Gin inquired.

"More like a case of temporary deafness due to fighting an idiot who was WAY too lax about using guns too close to other peoples ears. Archer had it coming though…. Still, the things he is saying would have made Roger blush."

"He should be done right about…. Now."

"... POSEIDON'S LEFT ROTTING NUT BY CALYPSO'S RUSTED DISEASED FISHING KNIFE!" Luffy finished shouting to the heavens.

"Oops. Undershot it a little," laughed Pinky as everyone cleaned their ears.

Luffy started breathing in and out, rhythmically and calmly. "Calm down… calm down… go to your happy place… this is not a big deal…."

Everyone sweatdropped hearing to Luffy mutter to himself.

"Yes, Crocodile has a way to get to the Poneglyph, but he needs a moment of chaos to be able to sneak in and bypass the guards in the castle. Could be a side-goal or a non-issue if he isn't aware of it. The primary objective is to get his hands on Vivi or the throne, whichever is easier and/or comes first. That is why he created Baroque Works and orchestrated the civil war. Even-odds that he has people in all camps just waiting to incite more chaos if even a modicum of peace manages to sneak in. Vivi's entrance into Alabasta has to be monitored and secret, even a whisper of her presence will trigger the finale. Still, there is no feasible benefit from getting access to a Poneglyph. The World Government can't destroy them and information from them has no value since no one can read it. Well, not anymore, ever since the Tree of Knowledge has been destr…."

Luffy froze once more, his breath caught in his through.

"Oh no. Pinky, get ready for another cone of silence," replied Sanji.

Usopp looked to Sanji in confusion and surprise. Sanji looked offended, "What? I read. It's a common phrase in spy-thrillers."

Usopp's brows lowered. "Oh. I was thinking of science fiction."

"That too."

Luffy turned slowly, smiling dementedly, toward Vivi. "Vivi sweetheart?" his words sounded sweet, but Vivi could swear they were dripping with poison.

"YES?!" Vivi spoke in barely a whisper at the demonic visage of Luffy,

"You wouldn't happen to know the identity of Mr.0's partner, wouldn't you?"

"I know that she is dubbed Miss All Sunday, but I've never seen her."

"No one has."

Luffy turned to Mr.9. "Explain."

"She is Crocodile's 'special' agent. She always works solo and according to rumors, goes in places where secrecy and subtlety are paramount. All the Officer Agents have their specialties in killing and what not - Mr.2 especially - but Miss All Sunday is in a league of her own. And since she reports directly to Mr.0, the only other agents who could know what she looks like are the Unluckies."

"Unluckies?" Zoro asked.

"The Unluckies serve as messengers for Mr.0 and are also responsible for executing any Baroque Works agents that fail their missions or go 'soft.' It is a play on their names - Mr. 13 and Miss Friday." continued Mr. 9.

Luffy's Observation sensed a reaction in the animals on the edge of his senses. "They wouldn't happen to be an otter and a vulture would they?"

Mr.9 paused at that. "Well… there ARE accounts claiming that they are Zoan but I never really paid much attention to them. All that I am sure of is that they are efficient but rather niche in skill sets, meaning that they can only take certain assignments."

Luffy repeatedly nodded before slowly cranking his neck and looking to where the animals are.

He continued to stare in the direction while everyone looked at him in confusion.

Finally, after what felt like minutes…

"Either you two observers come down here, or I will make you. Fair warning, I am not in a gentle mood." The words were calm and inviting, but the intent behind them was horrifying.

So terrifying that before anyone got a chance to ask, an otter and a vulture appeared in front of Luffy, sweating up a storm.

"Is he wearing a onesie?" Nami asked curiously, a hint of something akin to childish glee slipping through.

Girls like cute things. Enough said.

"Not now, Nami - you can play dress up later. Now, seeing as you two heard my spiel about Crocodile and what he will do once he gets what he wants, how about a truce?"

Both animals - despite still panicking - lifted a brow.

Luffy waved to his animal compatriots. "I am very partial to animal cohorts. I have a snail that can translate animal speech, and you two have VERY good references and the need to survive the oncoming shitstorm. So here is the deal. We promise to take care of Crocodile and let you two have your pound of flesh - real flesh, not sand - and in return, you work with us to take him down. Whatever happens afterward is up to you, but I promise you that we won't go after you if you decide to go your separate ways."

The vulture and otter looked at each, a message passing between the two before nodding to each other. The otter - Mr. 13 - quickly took out a sketchpad before he started sketching furiously. He quickly finished before turning it around and revealing…

"Wow, you're pretty good!" Nami chirped as she clapped her hands eagerly.

The otter couldn't help but smile at that before catching Usopp's eyes.

What felt like electricity sparked between the two. A rivalry has been born, one based on drawing of all things.

Luffy was too busy staring at the picture as his eyes twitched to note that.

"Ah, Captain…" Kuina asked with worry. "Are you oka…"

"That…," Luffy spoke slowly. "...is Nico Robin. Older than her last poster, but still her. The only survivor of the destruction caused by the Marines at the Tree of Knowledge. Nico Robin, who passed her Archeology Exam at the age of eight [que everyone's surprise]. Nico Robin… the only person who I know for a FACT can read Poneglyphs. And she is currently working for someone who has the highest chance of getting to a Poneglyph..."

Luffy was the face of calm before he slowly breathed in, letting everyone think he was trying to calm down.

"Oh Oda! Pinky, quickly! Silence him before…."

Brain was too late, as Luffy opened his mouth…

To the readers, we are afraid that the amount of profanity Luffy is currently screaming is too much for the more innocent viewers and the website stringent sensors. Please, go to YouTube and search for Conway Twitty and enjoy his calming songs.

Done? Back to the story.

Luffy, looking like a deranged version of his namesake, was practically steaming from the rage he was giving off. In fact, Usopp would swear up and down that he actually was, even though no one would believe him.

Everyone present just looked at him, jaws on the ground, shocked at the level of profanity he released.

Except for Diddy, he made of show of looking around before tapping his ears. "Ahh… so glad I figured out how to store away hearing."

"You missed quite the show," smiled Zoro, the only one not surprised by the sheer range of swears and curses his captain spewed. "I haven't heard vitriol that profane ever since Kuina got drunk and stubbed her toe."

Kuina had the decency to blush before smacking Zoro in the back of the head, "Quite you! It was my first time drinking."

Zoro laughed, "Doesn't change the look of shock on your fathers face before he tried to kill me for thinking I of all people taught you those words. Who knew the books you read were so raunchy…."

"AH! STOP IT, STOP IT!" Shouted a panicked and tomato red swordswoman.

Gin, Sanji, and Usopp looked at each other before sighing and shaking their head side to side. "Lucky bastard," muttered Sanji.

Crocus - after checking and waking up the passed out Vivi and Mr.9, being a doctor and all - turned to King and Diddy. "Is he usually like this?"

Both shook their heads in the negative.

"The snails have been with him longer than us, but we can count on one hand with fingers left other the number of times we saw him angry. Just be glad this was minor in comparison to past ones," King replied as a matter of fact.

Crocus looked in confusion. "This is minor?"

"Usually when he gets mad, someone dies, and so far, it's never in the single digits," Diddy added as an afterthought.

Everyone paused at that little revelation. Seeing as he was cool as a cucumber when he slaughtered Krieg's crew, Nami had to ask. "Was Arlong…."

"That was more of an assignment that he had in the works and more like anger on your behalf rather than his own," answered Brain before noting his Captain."Okay, he has finally calmed down… to manageable levels."

Luffy finished taking his last breath before pacing a bit in though. He quickly turned back, far enough from everyone to gaze at everyone collectively.

"Okay, this situation has just risen from DEFCON 4 all the way to DEFCON 2. If Crocodile is aware of the Poneglyph, it's DEFCON 1."

Everyone gulped. Afterward, Zoro made a confused look and thought, Why would DEFCON 4 be a lower rank than DEFCON 2 or 1? Well, that just doesn't make any sense.

"Right, we need to suit up and gear up. We need to get to Alabasta on the double, the sooner, the better. Usopp?"

"Yes, Captain?" Asked the marksman in a traditional salute.

Luffy pointed at Laboon. "Finish up painting Laboon. I want to be out into the water on the double, am I clear?"

Usopp shifted into hybrid form with brushes in his claws. "I can be done in a few hours, long before sundown."

Luffy nodded, and Usopp flew up to get to work with an urgency of a soldier.

"Next - Nami, Diddy, Brain!"

The trio stood a little straighter. "I need you three to plot out the path to the nearest island we can get and figure out which one it is."

Crocus had to interrupt, "How do you plan to do that without a…."

He never finished his question as Diddy took out a chest, opening it to reveal a hoard of aged - but labeled - instruments that Nami inspected curiously. "What are these?'

"Those Nami are called Log Poses. Normal compasses do not work in the Grand Line due to the special magnetic waves created from each island. The Log Pose functions by recording the magnetic wave of an island in the Grand Line and points to the next island for the user to travel to. How long it takes to lock onto the magnetic waves varies from island to island. Once on an island for the required amount of time, the recording of the magnetic wave resets to accommodate the new island."

"So you have a hoard because…"

"The stuff can't be repurposed, so they usually gather around in bases gathering dust. In the Marines eyes, the fewer pirates have access to these, the harder it is to navigate these waters," replied Luffy. "The only reason I gathered all of these is that I wasn't sure if they would even work when I got into the Grand Line."

"They won't" replied Crocus commandingly as he leaned down and started looking through the chest. "At least, not now. They need the magnetic waves generated by the Grand Line to function. All the years outside of them have made them deficient. Give them enough time to charge and then they may be useful. Ah, here they are." Crocus smirked as he took out a bunch of them.

Before Nami got a chance to ask, Crocus reached into his pocket. "Here, a charged Log Pose to the next island in one of the paths. I'll take these in exchange to charge them up for future use."

Mr. 9 chimed in. "Umm…. isn't that Log Pose pointing at Whiskey Peak?"

Nami looked up from Crocus's Log Pose. "How can you be sure?"

Mr. 9 reached out for his Log Pose, putting it next to hers, showing that they were pointing in the same direction. "Whiskey Peak is a town on Cactus Island housed entirely by bounty hunters working for Baroque Works. It's a 'Honey Pot' for any pirate crew that stops there. The 'citizens' fool pirates into thinking that they are kind and hospitable and proceed to throw a party for them, only to turn them in and steal everything from their ship when the pirates pass out. Hell, the spike on the giant cactus mountains are CROSSES of all the people they have killed who DIDN'T have bounties."

"I can vouch for that," Miss Friday said as she raised her wing. "I've eaten few of the corpses in passing."

Sanji raised his hand, "Question?"

"I only ate them because I am a carrion eater. Given a choice, I prefer aged meat over decaying. Mr. 13 prefers clams or just plain seafood."

"Withdrawn. Please give a list of preferred cuts to Yosaku and Johnny. They may already have some stuff in their food prep room."

The two assassins stared at the two smiling swordmen. "We've been looking for some taste testers."

"Fair warning, as a vulture, I can't taste capsaicin."

"Huh?"

"Means I can't taste 'spiciness.' Things like jalapeños and habaneros mean nothing to me."

The two looked at the otter. "I like clams."

"Anything against hearing or boneless fish?"

The otter remained serious and motionless. "I wouldn't say no to something like Surströmming."

"Not while at sea," deadpanned the duo.

"Wait, you two have some?" asked a shocked Sanji.

"Can the food talks. If you want to keep chatting, team up with Diddy and check the stores and ship for damages. Mr. 9, Vivi, join them. They will be showing you two along with the Unluckies where the quarters are. Quick note, animals have separate rooms." Everyone nodded as they left on their assignment, sans Zoro and Kuina who looked at Luffy.

Said Captain smiled from ear to ear, "I believe that someone was promised to, what was it, 'break the bed for all I care'?"

The predatory grin Zoro got on his face spoke volumes as he slowly turned to a paleing Kuina.

"W-wait!" she spoke up "Don't you have work for us to do too?" Luffy nodded with a serious expression.

"While yes, there are other things you two could be doing right now, I feel you've been slacking on your training Kuina, so this is your punishment. It wouldn't bode well if Zoro starts too get too far ahead of you. I mean, he's already fought and survived Dracule Mihawk."

"What?! I never slack on training! How dare y-"

"What was that?" Luffy asked, pointing his ear towards her and cupping it with his hand. "Is all this complaining because I'm right and you actually can't keep up with Zoro in physical activities anymore?"

Kuina glares at Luffy but then quickly turns her attention to Zoro. "I'm...going to destroy you," she said in such a way that sent chills down Luffy spine. Zoro did nothing but smirk at the challenge, which seemed to make her eyes burn with determination. She walked away, with not a little sway to her hips, Luffy assumed to her room. Zoro chuckles in response to her departure

"You sure are a troublesome Captain."

"Oh please, like you don't want to rush to your beloved right away." Zoro fully laughed at this.

Luffy handed Zoro Pinky, "Keep him outside the room on the door or nearby and he will silence the area of all noise," smiled the Captain as Zoro started walking away. "Use protection!"

Crocus laughed as he watched the pair leave the deck before turning serious and looking down at Luffy. "So…"

"You think I was going to let that comment slide? I mean, for shit's sake, I consider Roger's son my brother in all but blood. And even then I know for sure my relationship with Ace is stronger than most brothers by blood anyways."

"Fire Fist Ace is Rouge's son?" Crocus asked in a panic. He knew Roger had a lover before he turned himself in, but still...

That actually caused Luffy demeanor to brake. "You didn't know?"

"I thought he was a member from one of her relatives. Kid, if what you say is true, she must have carried him for…."

"Twenty months," answered a despondent Luffy. "She held her pregnancy for twenty months through sheer willpower to deceive the world of Ace's connection to the Pirate King. When the child was finally born, Rouge held him in her arms and named him 'Gol D. Ace.' She died soon after. As a result of this sacrifice to save his life from the World Government, Ace claimed that he owed her a debt and took Portgas as his surname. My Gramps took him away and hid him with a close associate before I met him years later."

Crocus flustered and fell back into a chair. "He lives… by Oda, he lives…" tears of joy gathered in his eyes which he had to wipe away as he raised his glasses.

"You… are taking it better than most," Luffy replied, confusion clearly evident in his voice.

"Roger was dying." Crocus replied stoically. "He - or rather we - honestly thought that his legacy ended with him."

Luffy's eyes bulged at the revelation. "What."

Crocus turned serious ones more as he looked up, arms crossed as he rested his head in reminiscence. "Did you really think that burning the candle at both ends wasn't going to come without a price? Roger achieved everything he ever wanted, survived the worst of the worst that the Grand Line threw at him, and gathered the greatest treasure imaginable. But… that kind of luck is bound to run out. Or rather, the fact that it was running out is what caused him to strive for such greatness."

Luffy looked down, practically feeling the pain emanating from Crocus. "What did he have?" Luffy couldn't imagine it - something that could bring down the King.

"Nothing that you would expect. All I can say is that his power came at a price," Crocus replied cryptically. "It was no secret among the crew that he planned for his capture. Hell, he had time to set up a meeting with Whitebeard to talk and share one last drink - as well distribute the islands under his protection he didn't give to Shanks. Unfortunately, the plan hit a little issue when it accelerated beyond our control…"

Luffy nodded in understanding, "The Marines jumped the gun too fast, and you didn't manage to set up communication methods?"

Crocus nodded. "Only the higher ups set up some sort of system; the lower members decided to retire as it were. Unfortunately, by the time we were told about Rouge's… relation to Roger… it was too late for anyone strong enough to make way to Baterilla in the South Blue. The only way Garp must have known about her is if Roger told him directly."

Luffy sighed, recalling the story Garp had told him. "He did… while in prison after he was 'captured.'" The air quotes with the fingers where necessary. Garp told him about his and Roger's 'relationship.' They weren't best buddies by any means, but when you fight someone for that long, sometimes trading blows is as good as any drink. They had a huge amount of respect towards each other, and the more they tried to kill each other, the greater that respect grew. Garp knew Roger wasn't a 'bad' man, but someone who valued freedom above all else. His son didn't deserve to die for that, and so he took Ace in and raised him as if he were his own.

"Tch. Captured my ass. I was his doctor when he was knocking at Death's Door, and even in his weakened state, he wouldn't go down without a fight. He turned himself in. Propaganda just made it seem like he got captured. There is a reason they never mentioned how or where the proud Marines found him."

Luffy nodded. It seems like history being written by the victors was common in this and his last life.

Still, not to waste a chance…

"So, I know you got Laboon and your lighthouse here, but I got to ask…" Luffy started before Crocus raised his hand.

"No can do kid. I like you, really I do, but there are two big issues it's me joining your little shindig," Crocus even raised two fingers to emphasize the point.

"First - I am old. I was old when I joined Roger the first time around, and I am old now. 71 is not a good age to go back into those water."

Luffy agreed with the reasoning. "And the second?"

"This." Crocus raised his sleeve above his shoulder, revealing an odd scar, one that looked like a mixture of a lock and Roger's Pirate Flag.

"What's that?"

"This… is the mark of a Blood Oath."

Luffy nearly shat himself at that reveal. "But… how… to think someone would make one…"

"Not just someone - everyone who knows where Raftel is made that promise. Or rather, everyone who knows how to get to Raftel has this mark."

Luffy was just about to ask about the lower level members of Roger's crew when reanalyzed that last statement. How to get to Raftel? Luffy knew the Log Pose was involved so what else…

And a light bulb went off.

"Roger could read the Poneglyph's too?"

"Read and write." corrected Crocus. "He told us how he did it, but I can't tell you that either. But more specifically, the top level pirates - and one pirate apprentice who SOMEHOW snuck in during one of our discussions - all made blood oaths at the Temple of the Dutchman that was - ironically - on Raftel."

"What did you promise?" Luffy asked with worry. The breaking on a Blood Oath led to only one outcome, and there was no warning whatsoever.

"First, none of us would mention what was written on the Road Poneglyphs or where they are. The latter point is rather mute since they can be moved and who knows what happened since we last saw them. We can make hints about how to find them, talk about places we visited, and of other Poneglyphs we found along the way, but not the Road Four. Second, we can't discuss anything about Raftel or the One Piece. But to be fair, even I am not aware of the later one. And finally, none of us can join and sail under another crew. We can hitch a ride, but we can't join the fight if you get my drift. We can, however, train and help out anyone who we feel has potential. Like an investment as it were, such as Shanks giving you that hat."

Luffy put his hand to the hat in joyful reverence, remembering his talks with Shanks and who the hat belonged to.

"SHISHISHI. You understand that I had to ask, right? I mean, my crew really needs a doctor and well…"

Crocus merely chuckled. "Say no more, I understand." That did get him thinking. Seeing as they were heading to Alabasta…

"That chest have a Log Pose to Drum Island by any chance?"

Luffy tilted his head thinking about it. "I think so… wait, isn't that the island that has the Isshi-100?"

"Yep. But I am not actually thinking of them. That island happens to be the one usually that appears in most paths right before Alabasta, and I think you should visit it when you get the chance. You see, an old… associate… of mine lives on that island, goes by the name of Kureha Evig. We share letters from time to time, and she has made references to a student for the last six years. Never described him, but she calls him a prodigy, in her own special way of course."

Beat… Beat… Beat….

"You slept with her didn't you, you lucky cougar?" smiled Luffy.

Crocus outright laughed. "I am afraid she was the cougar in that scenario," Crocus replied to Luffy's shock. "The woman was MY teacher…"

"The fuck!" shouted Luffy. How old would she have to be?!

"... and almost twice my age, just scratching 140."

"The double fuck?!"

"I know right?" smiled Crocus, before a perverted grin appeared on her face. "Still… that body…and those bodacious curves...and wouldn't believe what she can do to a human body with-"

Luffy sweatdropped before clapping his hands loudly, "Alright! Enough of that, focus old man!"

"Huh? What?"

Luffy sighed, rubbing his brow. "Okay… Are you allowed to tell me about the location of the other high ranking members?"

Crocus rubbed his chin in thought, "Well… I know that most of them passed on for one reason or another. I lost track of Seagull completely, but knowing him, he is with his birds. Scopper was always a crafty bastard so knowing him, he would try hiding in plain sight somewhere. If I were a betting man, it would be somewhere where people could always drink and be merry. There are three people who I am for certain are still around. Two of them, however, are in the New World, so that doesn't help you but Rayleigh… he is definitely on Sabaody Archipelago. Went into something to do with coats or the like."

Luffy tilted his head, "Why there of all place? Aren't the Marines ridiculously close? Isn't he afraid of capture? I get that he's a badass, but he can't take on the entire world alone...can he?"

Crocus shook his head side to side, "You don't get it - the Dragons visit that island a lot."

Luffy's nails dug into his hands. "Ah." If a fight broke out, no scrubs, no matter how many, could take someone as powerful as Rayleigh. They would need to send out the big guns, and such a battle would most likely have casualties... Celestial Dragon casualties. Not to mention the Dragon's aren't the type to listen to reason and just leave. He's using the Marine's need to protect the Dragons against them, essentially taking the whole island hostage by just being there. A big middle finger to the world… genius.

"Sabaody is the final island in Paradise, right at the entrance to the New World. Ray sticks around to see who got what it takes to make it. Most of the weaker bunch has already been weaned out, so he gets the 'best of the best' as it were to check."

Luffy could agree with that. "By what I've gathered with the current batch in the waters, that number may add to be in the double digits. I only have my eyes on six, but I am not sure about any crews from the Grand Line itself."

Crocus raised a brow, "Anyone in the news as of late?"

"Eustass Kid, Killer, Basil Hawkins, Trafalgar Law, Jewelry Bonney, and Capone Bege."

"Not X Drake?"

"Honestly? It wouldn't be the first time and agency 'disowned' someone just to get a spy within the enemies camp," Luffy replied. "Besides, he a Dragon Ancient Zoan, a fruit like that doesn't just sprout up, especially in the North Blue of all places."

Crocus considered that. "As odd as that sounds, the Cipher Pol does something similar for long-time assignments. But still, he was a Rear Admiral, that is not a rank you toss away to the wolves and hope he brings something back…"

"May I remind you of a particular Yonko's fascination with Zoan's?" Luffy said as he raised a brow.

Crocus eyes bulged. "You mean…"

"The Marines have caught wind of Kaido prepping for something; he's been more active, less suicidal. Revolutionaries have noted that Joker has been funneling a lot of the slave trade profits into something… something big."

"What about the Emperors? I know Joker is just a big shot Broker but still…" Crocus asked with some worry.

Luffy shook his head side to side. "No, the Emperor's are too busy with filling their coffers or attending the Harlot's Tea Parties. All the Revolutionaries have been managed to find is that Joker has been buying up a lot of medical drugs and supplies, enough to interfere with Stussy's and Giberson's businesses."

"Shit, the Queen of the Pleasure District and The Concealer… the fuck is Joker planning?"

"My best guess? Chemical warfare of the worst kind. Worst case scenario? NHC10."

Luffy knew what the horrors what can be brought upon by chemical warfare - he has seen what Agent Orange did to people and thankfully, this world hasn't gotten to that level… yet.

"The hell?" Crocus replied in confusion. "Neither fits Kaido's MO. He is for brute force, not subtlety."

"He is also getting rather desperate for a fighting force, and NHC10 is a rather effective measure of control," Luffy answered in kind.

"Still… I only know about NHC10 because Kureha told me and she is one of the few select who knows the recipe and process to make it. That particular list is a downright short pool of people who would be playing around with that…"

"Caesar Clown. He fits."

Crocus paused. "Never heard of him."

"Former colleague of Vegapunk, arrested for developing a powerful mass murder gas weapon despite its nature being illegal and releasing it on Punk Hazard. Unfortunately, he was only arrested but never send anywhere afterward. Rumor has it he escaped back to the island and used his Devil Fruit to purify the gas that was left over. He has the educational background and being the doctor's assistant means that one way or another, he has at least seen the formula for the drug."

"Dammit, an amoral chemist working on the most powerful narcotic in the seas AND being involved with Kaido and Joker?"

"It's only hearsay and coincidence for now, not a correlation. Yes, circumstantial evidence suggests the worse, but it's all inconclusive for now."

"Inconclusive my old wrinkly ass," grumbled Crocus angrily. "Kid, I met Kaido. Of all the big shots in these waters, he is the one most likely to set up the end times because he wants to. Shanks and Newgate don't care for power grabs, Big Mom is in her personal playground, but Kaido… he would do it, if for nothing else but a power grab."

Luffy sighed in resignation before taking out a piece of paper and writing numbers on it and giving it to Crocus. "Here."

"What's this?"

"The top number is Shanks, followed by Dragon, Newgate, my mushi, and finally Ace. Just tell them that I gave you the number if you ever want to connect with them again."

Crocus smiled fondly at that, "Thank you. This is…"

"The least I can do for an old man who wants to reconnect with past friends," Luffy smiled fondly. "Besides, we been talking for a long time now and it's best if the crew leaves as soon as possible."

Crocus looked at where Luffy was pointing, noting that Laboon now sported a giant picture of the Straw Hat Pirates skull on his head. And based on his smile, he was enjoying it.

"Huh, I guess it is," Crocus smiled as he shook Luffy's hand and held tight. "You know kid, I've been around for a long time and have seen things on this sea of ours that you will never believe. I've traveled and conquered, loved and lost, lead and served, and while a lot of it was painful...I wouldn't trade a single moment."

Luffy gave him a big smile. "Old man…don't be getting sentimental on me now." Crocus looked into Luffy's eyes, and for a moment, just a moment, another person was standing there.

One wearing that same exact hat and that same exact smile.

One Man...

One Pirate…

One King…

"Who would have thought that I'd get the pleasure of seeing another in my lifetime? You can rest in peace Roger. The world will once again remember the Will of D." he muttered as he finally let go.

"SHISHISHI! So about the whale…" Luffy laughed.

"You recruit him and I will harpoon you, Shanks be damned," Crocus stated flatly.

"Just checking."

If Luffy ever expected that the first words out of anyone's mouth the moment they left Reverse Mountain's range would be 'ICEBERGS DEAD AHEAD,' he would have screamed 'BULLSHIT!"

Unfortunately, the accounts Luffy read about the Grand Line's weather didn't do it justice.

He knew that the Grand Line's weather is completely out of this world - even by the world's weirdness bar - and he knew how it'd start with snow and icebergs... but nothing could predict the sheer scale of the madness that they were to be put through.

To put it in a few words, it was like everything decided to happen all at once.

The wind kicked up into a howl, a fog swept over alongside a blizzard-slash-storm, lightning decided that it needed to join the festivities for giggles, a rogue Sea King gave them a wink before submerging ones more, and icebergs emerged large enough to give the Luffy flashbacks to when he was forced to watch the extended cut of Titanic.

Or, put another way… Poseidon was found by his wife in a compromising position, and the most epic of mood swings was currently happening.

And there was no chocolate to be found.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THIS OCEAN!?" Nami shrieked furiously as she held onto Merry's railing for dear life. "THE WIND'S SHIFTING AGAIN!"

Luffy braced his feet against the deck and yanked on Merry's line as hard as he could as the sail tried to yank his arms out of the shoulders, "Well what the hell did you expect Navigator, sunshine and daisies?! And for Oda's sake, someone wake up Zoro! Even my brother's narcolepsy isn't this bad!"

Zoro - sitting and covered in snow and rain - grunted as he blinked awake, stretching slightly as he got up from the part of the wall he'd been snoozing against. "Who's shouting so loud, I was having such a nice - GRK!"

Zoro was cut off as Kuina suddenly appeared in front of him, jerking him down to her eye level by way of his collar. "Listen here you lazy-good-for nothing, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder! We're fighting against Mother Nature for our lives here, and you're sleeping?!" she spat, sounding downright possessed in her fury.

"Uh..." Zoro fumbled for an answer in light of the here-to-fore unseen levels of rage his partner was displaying. "I was tired?"

Kuina's rage intensified, "Don't you dare blame this on bedroom acrobatics….!"

Nami approached smiling, "Kuina, if I may?"

Kuina released Zoro and backed away. "Thank you," Nami replied sweetly before getting into the same position Kuina was just in moments ago but with even more fury. "I DON'T GIVE A SHIT HOW TIRED YOU ARE, YOU ALCOHOL SWILLING MOSS-HEAD COVERED DEGENERATE! WHEN THIS IS OVER, I WILL HAPPILY INTRODUCE KUINA TO MY PERSONAL INVENTORY, AND THAT IS AFTER I AM DONE PUNISHING YOU! NOW TACK THE SAILS! WE NEED TO TURN AROUND, 180 DEGREES!" She shoved Zoro back as she darted back to her position on Merry's upper deck. "GET TO WORK!"

"Great, when I was a bounty hunter, I got rum, and now as a pirate, I get rum, sodomy, and the lash." Zoro drunkenly commented

"WHAT DID I JUST SAY!"

"I'M COMING, I'M COMING… I CAME!" shouted Zoro as he ran up to his position.

Luffy just stared bug eyed as he turned to the otter at his side tying the rope, "Did he just…"

"Yes, yes he did." replied the otter without hesitation. "But I don't think he noticed."

Luffy wiped the rain off his face, "Say where's your partner?"

"Helping out your sniper figure out where the iceberg is from - her wings don't make her useful in this situation."

Luffy considered this for a second, "You know… I have a Devil Fruit that might help you guys out if she wants it."

The otter looked up, "Never considered it…. And I do swim… what's it called?"

"Kōgu Kōgu no Mi." [Tool, but in a broad sense. Includes equipment, instrument, machine, utensil, device, gadget, and apparatus]

Mr.13 scrunched his face, "Doesn't seem that useful…."

"What do you call a tool to fly?"

"A plane but I don't see how…"

"A tool to burn something?"

"A flamethrower, but what does that have to do with…"

"A tool for off-road travel?"

"A tank, but what does-" Luffy could almost see the light bulb appear. "... OH!" the otter replied in awe as his smirk widened. "Never thought of it like that…."

"Trust me. It would not be the first time word-play has let me weaponize a useless sounding fruit."

Now the otter was just curious - despite the fact they were on the dagger's edge of life - and had to ask, "Like what?"

"Nioi Nioi no Mi (Odor)."

"How the hell did you…?"

'Did you know that most of the human taste is caused by smell? And did you know that even the most odorless of poisons and toxins snuck into foods manage to trigger certain reptilian parts of survival in most hardened of humans?"

Mr.13 nodded, aware of that issue "But what about…"

"It also allows one to either completely remove their scent or weaponize it into knockout gas, poison, or even one that can be lit on fire." smiled Luffy as he started pulling another rope for Mr. 13 to tie up.

"That's deranged...who would think of something like that?"

Beat…

"Oh right, sorry."

"That's working with what you got. That's what makes the Devil Fruits amazing: as long as you completely understand the meaning behind each fruit, none can be considered particularly weak. There are only weak users, but the fruit themselves are all incredibly strong in their own ways. Don't deny that fact since you use seashells as weapons." deadpanned Luffy.

"Touche."

"HANG ON TO SOMETHING!" shouted Usopp. "TIDAL WAVE!"

Acting on instinct, Luffy caught Mr.13 with one hand while grabbing Merry's rigging, and not a moment too soon.

For a brief moment, the ocean became the sky, feet came off the deck, and everything just seemed to float.

Then, as fast as things went crazy, everything roared back to normal, everyone crashed onto the deck as they tried to process what the hell had just happened.

"Did... did Merry just pull off a loop de loop?!" Usopp sputtered weakly, trying to get his bearings alongside Miss Friday. Checking each other, they quickly switched their goggles back. How that happened is beyond them.

"Actually, I think that was a barrel roll..." Mr. 9 moaned.

"What in the literal blue hell is going on!?" Vivi shrieked at the top of her lungs. "We almost died! It was never this bad when we traveled!"

Nami spit out the water that she gulped down from the wave. "Well don't look at me! I was the best damn navigator in the East Blue before I entered these… these…. AH! I can't even call this a sea! I just saw a lightning strike split in Iceberg in half!"

"Well it ain't us," shouted Zoro and Kuina.

"Seconded," Yosaku and Johnny shouted in unison.

"I was on a traveling restaurant for years and Pops never actually talked about his adventures," Sanji said wearing, having just run up from locking down the food stores, rooms, and windows.

"I survived Don, I think I am a statistical anomaly," Gin replied groggily.

"Me and Miss Friday fly above the skies," Mr.13 said as he twisted and drained his onesie.

Everyone slowly turned and looked at Luffy and his snails, whistling innocently.

Diddy and King - apparently used to this chaos - had the decency to sign in resignation.

"To be fair, I traveled with him so long I thought this was the norm," Diddy said in resignation.

"I figured it out the moment I broke off years ago. I honestly forgot the chaos that Luffy draws to himself…" King started as he rubbed his chin, not noticing Nami steam in rage as she slowly approached Luffy, ready to choke him.

"On the other hand, his luck is like a squirrel on crack: one moment he can be drawn and quartered about to be executed, and the next he can be bankrupting underground casinos and laughing all the way."

Nami paused as she looked slowly at Luffy.

"The trend has happened enough times that it can be measured," Brain added.

"KRUNK! Cheer up! If it's bad now, that means something good is going to happen soon to make up for it!" Pinky cheered despite the salt water they just barely avoided.

You could actually see the gears turn in Navi's head as she slowly approached a decision.

CRACK!

"DAMN IT!" Nami flinched as thunderstruck. "WE WILL DISCUSS THIS LATER! SOMEONE PUT AWAY THE METAL BEFORE WE BURN!" commanded the navigator.

Zoro, Kuina, Yosaku, Johnny, and Gin all looked at their metal weapons and gulped.

Usopp took out a notebook and started jotting down. "Combat idea: find a way to coat weapons and scabbards against lightning attacks in case of storm and/or lightning fruit users," before quickly closing it.

"Ah Nami-Swan," Sanji choked as he looked overboard, "The storm may not be our immediate problem."

"Oh, what the hell n… OH MY GOD! SOMEONE TURN THIS SHIP AROUND BEFORE THE DAMN WHIRLPOOL OFF THE PORT BOW SWALLOWS US ALL ALIVE!"

What followed soon after - in order! - would be a giant water sprout, mother hoard of icebergs, a typhoon, a giant flying fish, sudden extreme heat, typhoon, flying panda man, lightning, icebergs, waves that flipped the ship up and down, mists as thick as syrup, flying panda man AGAIN, and more lightning and wind.

Now take all that, chop it up, put on a spin cycle, and repeatedly serve for the next few hours.

That will barely begin to match the hell the crew entered.

6 Hours later….

There was nothing…

Well, not nothing, more like nothing by the standards the crew just experienced.

The sea was calm, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the light breeze was blowing…

And it was completely ruined by the fact it looked like everyone on board the Going Merry could have passed as post-apocalyptic zombie survivalist.

Luffy was first to recover. "Okay, everyone who's not dead, sound off" he wheezed in voice early reminiscent of Andrew Lincoln.

He got a few groans as a result, but what surprised him the most was a snore coming from Zoro.

Thankfully, before Luffy could introduce his fist to the swordsman's head, he quickly realized he was sleeping standing up while holding a rope that controlled the mast.

"Another day Zoro, another day…." grumbled Luffy as he cocked his fist back.

"By the way, is it just me or is the ship swaying… off?" Gin asked in concern as he was currently behind the wheel.

"Sorry," Johnny said as he raised his hand. "After the fourth time we flipped, I got annoyed and made the ship heavier by layering it on top of what Yosaku did."

"Yeah… we kept switching back and forth as the journey went on. We are going to need to dock somewhere before we figure out just how many times we accidentally layered each other's work and not accidentally sink the ship," Yosaku finished.

"That… is rather horrifying when you think about that statement," King said in shock. "Too bad you guys can't pass on your weight affects through other items. One good cannonball shot and BOOM! their ship suddenly sinks from the ship weighing a thousand times more."

Yosaku and Johnny paused as they looked at each other and then their hands.

"We did layer our stuff on top of each other…."

"And we can turn it on and off at a distance…"

"So what I made something heavy and then you made it light…"

"Before shooting it at an enemy and deactivating it a distance? Could work…"

"Can you guys brainstorm weapon applications later?" Kuina interpreted as she used her sword as a cane to get up. "I am more concerned about the fact that at some point I thought I was going deaf!"

"LARP! Sorry, that was me."

Everyone slowly turned to face a somewhat conflicted snail. "How? No, better yet, why?"

"I believe I can explain."

Cue crew turning to Brain.

"You see, as Zoro and Kuina are aware," Kuina couldn't help but look down, suddenly finding heavy interest in the floor while Zoro could pass for a 'D' with how wide his smirk was. "Pinky can filter out sound, creating something akin to a null zone. What you don't know is that he can be rather… selective about it."

Everyone looked bug-eyed at Pinky, realizing that the lovable goofball mushi can create zones without sound!

"You see, Pinky can fine tune that power to counsel out specific sounds, or wavelengths as the case goes. So, that being the case, as our… misadventures... progressed, Pinky filtered out and removed certain bothersome noises, such as the loud gust of winds, the smashing of waves, the crackling of thunder, and so forth."

"Why?"

"GIF! I figured that setting up the communication between you all would have been a bad idea in the heat of the moment, so removing the bothersome loud sounds would have made it easier for everyone to talk between each other. I didn't think I could cover the whole ship, but my new rig made it so easy!" smiled Pinky.

Silence.

"Sweet mother loving Oda," Usopp awed in reverence. "Can you do the same thing with your total zone of silence?"

Pinky frowned at that, "Yes, but I don't like using it…"

"Why?" Gin asked curiously. "That could be incredibly useful when sneaking up on enemies and even…."

"I can explain," Brain interrupted. "You see, filtering out specific sound waves or all sound in a confined room is one thing. But to cancel all the sound in an area? That would require Pinky to create wavelengths that are slightly out of synch with the ambient sound waves in the air, canceling each other out. Now consider the fact that he is a mushi. While the new rig has probably made this easier, Pinky has to process and counter ALL the sounds in the immediate environment. This also means that he would be hearing those sounds AT FULL VOLUME before, during, and especially after at all times."

Everyone flinched, realizing the full implications of such technique and the mental and audio pain one would feel from all that. "How isn't he…"

"Deaf?" Brain interrupted raising one stalk higher than the other. "For one, mushi don't register sound the same way other organisms do. Pinky has also trained himself to handle the strain, but even that isn't perfect. The last time he used such a technique, his powers didn't work for some time and even he was partially deaf to the world itself. For a mushi, that is a rather horrifying experience."

Pinky slightly twitched in sadness and pain at the mention of that particular memory. Luffy told him not to do it when they were infiltrating the base, but the stakes were too high at the time and…

"That being said," Nami quickly interjected before smiling and coming down to Pinky's level, "Thank you for that!"

Pinky smiled in turn, joy returning to his stalks.

"That's all good and all," Mr.9 stated as he adjusted his crown. "But what exactly is the plan now?"

"What do you mean?"

"What we mean, Mr. Swordsman," Vivi continued. "Is that we are still heading towards an island full of bounty hunters. What exactly do you plan to do when you get there?"

Before Zoro had a chance to respond, Luffy quickly closed his mouth with a hand. "Before you answer," Luffy smiled as he turned to the Unluckies. "I believe it's time you two made your way forward - double agents and all that. Wouldn't want someone reporting back to Crocodile that you went rogue and all."

Mr.13 and Miss Friday nodded in understanding before the otter got onto his seat on top of the vulture.

"Oh speaking of which, Diddy, would you mind getting number 157 out?"

Diddy shrugged before getting out a numbered chest with what appeared to be a Swiss-army knife on it.

Luffy took the chest before presenting it to the otter as a gift, "In case she agrees."

Miss Friday looked at her partner curiously. Mr. 13 just put it away, "We will talk later about it Nekhbet."

"If you say so Ótr," replied Miss Friday before flying away in the direction the Log Pose was pointing.

[Ótr is voiced by Jason Liebrecht and Nekhbet by Brina Palencia. This was done because of a certain duo that they voiced together in an anime that fits the assassin role before I realized that that two had already voiced two animal-themed characters in the One Piece dub. Funny coincidence.]

Vivi looked back at Luffy, "So what exactly is the plan?"

"What's to plan? We dock, play the game, allow the people to draw us in, thinking they got us surrounded, and then we spring the trap - classic Trojan Horse." Luffy shrugged. To be honest Luffy could just go with the more exciting rout of running in, guns blazing, but sometimes he likes to switch it up. Besides, it'll most likely lead to mass violence anyways...it always does. Not that there is anything wrong with that of course. He's always up for a scrap.

"Trojan what?" Asked Nami in confusion. Luffy just said stuff that confused her sometimes. Really, it confused the entire crew. It's just one of the many mysteries of her strange captain.

SHIT. Luffy just realized he slipped in his past life knowledge. "Sorry, something Gramps told me once. Basically, we sneak in and blow our cover when deep in enemy territory, catching them off guard at their weakest."

"So… slice and dice?" smiled Zoro as he slowly unsheathed his sword.

"NO!" shouted Vivi in panic as Mr.9 pulled her back. "NOT ALL OF THEM!"

"Something you want to tell us, Princess?"

"Mr. 8, his name is Igaram, he is the Captain of the Royal Guard. He joined me as my helper so we could both discover Mr.0 identity." Vivi replied as she calmed down.

"The guy with the curls who clears his voice like an opera singer? HE'S the Captain of the Royal Guard?" Mr.9 asked. He then thought for a second, before looking up from holding Vivi. "If we are picking out people to save, can you keep your eye out a tall, muscular woman with dark skin and pink hair pulled into short twin-tails with a soft, high-pitched voice. She usually dresses as a nun."

Vivi looked up shocked, "Miss Monday? Igaram's partner? Why her?"

"We're dating," Mr.9 replied seriously.

"WHAT?" Vivi asked in shock. The crew just keep switching between the two, enjoying the show.

"Well, you usually met up with Mr.8 often - realized why now - so me and Deloris got to know each other and well… one thing led to another…"

Vivi starred. "Deloris. Miss Monday's name is Deloris."

"It's Deloris Van Cartier, but she lets me call her…" smiled Mr.9.

"NO NO NO, I do NOT want to know what you call her when you two are together… doing things," Vivi shouted and waved her arms as she proceeded to blush.

"ANYWAY," Luffy interrupted. "I figured since, you know, they are bounty hunters part of a depraved mercenary organization who have done the trick before, the town is bound to be loaded with Oda knows how many Berries and supplies. So yeah, we go in, take care of them, and then loot the place of all valuables. Agreed?"

The crew met each other's eyes and nodded collectively. "Agreed."

"Great! Let's plunder some loot then crew!" Luffy yelled with an arm raised in the air. Said crew just smiled and decided to go along with their captain's antics.

"AYE!"

"That… is such a grand welcome…." Nami watched in confusion as the ship came into the dock.

The thick mist hid most of it as they came in, but the mountains did look like cactuses.

The moment the fog cleared up, they were treated by a plethora of people of all ages, elderly little ladies included. Hell, there were kids in the cheering crowds waving banners as confetti floated in the air!

Still, the streamers and cheering were a bit much.

"Vivi did say that they perfected the act with practice," sweatdropped Kuina as she struggled and smiled. "But children though...I don't know how I feel about that."

"Just smile and wave, Kuina. Smile and wave," answered an equally strained Zoro.

"Vivi and Mr.9 are just lucky they are avoiding this by hiding below deck," answered a grim arm-crossed Gin.

"They would blow our cover if they remained top side," Luffy corrected, smiling ear to ear, waving to everyone excited as a child in a candy store.

The ship finally docked at land. As the crew got off - arm to the teeth, which the people weren't aware of - they were greeted by a man that matched Vivi's description of Igaram.

"Welcome… Mah-mah-maaah! - Welcome travelers. My name is Igarappoi, the mayor of Whiskey Peak."

Luffy smiled as he got off and shook the man's hand. "Wow, thank for greetings us like this! We pirates never get such excitement when we dock in town! There's usually more screams... and explosions... and death."

Igaram laughed happily as started walking away, 'leading' the crew further into town, leaving their ship 'unguarded.' "But such is the spirit of Whiskey Peak, a town of music and spirit brewing. We take pride in our hospitality. If Marine's ever decide to show up, we would treat them just as we would treat you. All are equal here, no matter if they are pirate, marine, or revolutionary."

"Makes sense," answered Nami, walking right by Luffy's side as befitting her duty as Vice-Captain. "Even the most bloodthirsty of pirates wouldn't attack a town that treated them nicely… usually."

"Mah-mah-maaah! Too true. In such scenarios, our ocean of spirits satiates their bloodlust. That in honest enjoyment in the stories they tell us during their travels. Will you share your stories while we celebrate?" Igaram asked with a smile on his face.

Luffy laughed while discreetly scanning the town with Observation. And wouldn't you know it, everyone - from kid to granny - was loaded with a gun and/or weapon on them. That's either really troubling or totally badass.

...Eh, why can't it be both?

He even spotted Miss Monday on the sidelines, looking just like Mr. 9 described her.

Luffy quickly spotted the bar they were going to where, as Vivi said, they held the 'festivities.'

One that ironically happened to be in the middle of town.

Luffy smiled widely as he smacked Igarama 'playfully' on the back. The crew quickly spotted the movement - as agreed beforehand - and subtlety armed themselves as their eyes darkened.

"SHISHISHI! Well, if we are sharing stories, I know a good one I can start with!"

Igaram smiled, "Ow? Do tell!"

"Well, I can go into details and all that, but to spoil the ending, it is about a group of pirates who entered a town full of bounty hunters knowing exactly what to expect, armed to the teeth."

Everyone STOPPED. All noise seized, the banners stopped waving, and all confetti finished falling.

All the people looked at the crew in shock, Igaram's eye nearly popping out of his head.

Some even backed away when they noticed Zoro, Yosaku, and Johnny draw their blades.

"Wha… what?"

"Yea! These guys were total chumps who made one big mistake," Luffy said with a jovial tone.

Luffy's smiled vanished as he grabbed Igaram and pulled him toward himself to whisper to his ear. "Princess Vivi sends her regards."

Before Igaram had a chance to react - although Luffy noticed that his slacked his body just a little - before tossing him with full force right into Miss Monday, causing the two to be launched right into a building and through the wall.

And right out the fight, if he was right with his Observation Haki of them being out cold.

"They fucked with the Straw Hats."

The town slowly turned back from watching Igarama be launched, before they all turned murderous and drew their tools of the trade.

Luffy's crew did the same thing, Of course in Usopp's case, he shifted into his hybrid form.

"So… 9 pirates, 2 primates, and 2 mushis against…?" Sanji asked as he took another drag, figuring he wouldn't need a mask for this fight.

Brain did a quick scan from Diddy's shoulder, eyes flashing. "Two thousand seven hundred sixty-four armed individuals. Of which, 73% have some sort of handheld weapon, 37% have a handgun of some sort, and 28% have both."

"So basically, a bloodbath," replied Yosaku.

"Yeah," shouted a smirking grunt, sword drawn. "For you!"

He shouted this as he jumped forward. Before he even got close, he was quickly sliced vertically acorns his torso. Everyone was shocked by the man;'s scream before spotting Kuina sheathing her sword.

"Correction. Two thousand seven hundred sixty-three armed individuals," Kuina stated solemnly.

And the bloodbath began.

"So why are I am acting as your chaperon?" Nami snarked as she spun the pole behind her back before using the momentum to shatter someone's knee and continue the move into another's cranium.

"PRAG! Got to change it up from time to time!" Pinky smiled as he continued to enjoy the 'merriment.'

"Same," deadpanned Brain before flashing a mook who tried attacking from Navi's blind spot. "That, and your skill in Observation is not proficient enough to handle masses of people."

Nami had the decency to blush as she swung downward into a man's nether regions since she already tripped him to the ground. "Are you calling me inexperienced or are you being literal?"

"JALAPENO! Brain is always literal. You should have been around when we tried explaining metaphors to him."

"Yes…" muttered Brain. "Your training has been more geared towards facing one or two opponents. Multiple amounts were just not something Luffy could replicate at the time. As such, he figured this was a good opportunity for you to gain some experience."

"Oh," Nami realized as she backswinged her staff into a woman's face, shattering her teeth. "How am I doing so far?"

"You show remarkable skill in environmental awareness. Have I not watched you train, I would have assumed you were dipping into Haki."

"PARANGA! I think she is - every time someone is about to attack her outside her vision, her breathing hitches and the heart beats just a little stronger."

"Well that explains it," stated Nami as she ran behind a table to hide from a firing line. "I keep sensing on the back of my head, and I just react to the direction it's coming from."

"Interesting. It seems that your body is responding to the stress of the situation and is rapidly accelerating your acclimation to Observation Haki. I wonder if this is universal or relies on the release of adrenaline? Is there a limit to how far it can evolve in the heat of battle? Hm, if this is true, how is the Haki output decided? How does the adrenaline choose between using Observation Haki and Armament Haki? We have seen that certain people have a stronger affinity to one type of Haki than the other so is it based off of that?" Brain rubbed his two stalks together as if they were hands as he started considering it. "They are about to run out of bullets by the way."

"How do you… oh, right, X-Ray, you can see their cartridges." Right as she finished that comment, the firing sealed, giving Nami the opening she needed to vault over the table, running toward the mercenaries reloading their guns.

"ARIBA! Dodge left, swing high… OH! Another one bites the dust!" laughed Pinky nonsensically as Nami quickly disposed of them.

"Maybe it's all chosen by personality. After all, those more physically attuned are more likely to specialize in Armament like Zoro. If so, does your affinity developed around your personality or does your personality develop around your affinity? This would explain the inherently violent people in the world. They aren't necessarily bad but was just born with an ability that uses the confidence and spirit of physical strength. Not to say there aren't Armament pacifists out there, there's always those that flow against the grain around somewhere.

Nami wheezed in and out trying to gather her breath as she hid and listened to her crewmates fights.

"Yes, that's good and all Brain but… how am I doing so far?" Nami asked as she looked down to her shoulder.

"Better," nodded Brain. "With how your Haki is progressing and your preference for the Finger Gun, there's a good chance that Luffy will show you one of his original techniques."

"Will that apply to me though?" asked Nami as she thrust her staff into a person's chest, leaving a round hole as she pulled out. "I thought Shigan was for, you know, a finger."

"A misnomer, I assure you," corrected Brain. "The whole point of the Rokushiki teachings was to weaponize the student's body without relying on Haki or Devil Fruits. Somewhere along the way, the message got mixed up, and the techniques became the key goal. As a consequence, they took the 'separation' of Haki rather literally and never bothered combining the two."

Nami spun her staff around defensively before striking it down into the ground, her enemies dealt with. "I find that highly suspicious. I mean, don't the higher up Marines learn the Rokushiki as they progress in the hierarchy?"

"Again, a slight misnomer. Most Marines progress due to their feats, but those feats are usually done via their sheer strength and accomplishments - such as what Garp did - or via some Devil Fruit bullshittery. By the time they are taught Rokushiki, said Marine may or may not have learned Haki as well and has learned to compartmentalise it. And since Marine's follow the teachings from their superiors, no one ever asks."

"HIJK! Don't forget the Cipher Pol kids!" interrupted Pinky.

Nami raised a brow, "Cipher Pol? You mean the Marine's Boogeymen?"

Brain chuckled unmerrily, "Cipher Pol has an island somewhere where they gather orphans and train them for years in all the skills necessary to become agents, the Rokushiki techniques included. Something about that training breaks the agents, since even Garp's admitted that he has never EVER seen even a CP0 Agent use Haki. But considering that Haki is the weaponization of will which is most likely broken in said training, it makes sense."

Que Nami sweatdrop. "I am starting to think that the only reason Luffy probably created such techniques is that there was no one to tell him not to."

Both mushis looked at each intently before looking back at Nami and replying in unison, "Probably."

"So... Kuina….?"

Kuina slashed a double sword user laterally as she resheathed, "Yes Sanji?"

Sanji finished his handstand as he kicked half a dozen mercenaries away, "I hope you take this the wrong way when I ask this but… Just how close are you and Moss-Head?"

Kuina had the decency to blush - but not enough to distract her as she sliced a man attacking her from her blind spot.

Sanji whistled, "Nice - Observation Haki?"

"Yes. Luffy's Sei comment is rather spot on, really, in regards to a sphere around you. But in any case, Zoro…."

Kuina sighed as she crossed her arms, "You want to fight my half while I gather my thoughts?"

Sanji smiled ear to ear and closed his eyes, "For a lady such as yourself, I would move the world."

Kuina smiled in turn before going stoically, tuning out the sound of Sanji breaking bones, shattering kneecaps, and what sounded like the restructuring of faces.

The smell of a freshly lit cigarette is what caused her to open her eyes and take in the carnage.

"I have to ask - how is it everything but your hands are covered in blood?"

Sanji took a drag, "First thing Zeff taught me - ALWAYS make sure that your hands are not in the path of danger or injury."

Kuina raised a brow, "Speaking of training…."

Sanji frowned and oozed in displeasure, "I'm getting there. It's like I am on the precipice on all the techniques, but I can't get that last push to break through all the walls."

Kuina smiled as she waved her hands back and forth, "Don't worry, you'll get there eventually. The captain wouldn't be pushing you this hard if he didn't think you could handle it."

"True…. He doesn't even push Zoro that much."

"That's because Zoro is a hammer - a large, powerful hammer, but a hammer nonetheless."

"And what am I supposed to be?"

'Right now? A dull sword, one that I think Luffy is trying to sharpen and whittle down to a katana, and then - I don't know - a dagger or scalpel?"

Sanji considered that for a moment, "He did say that I was the most suited to learn all of the Rokushiki techniques…"

"And considering his supposed original techniques that he created by adding Haki, who knows what he has in store for you?" smiled Kuina.

"While debating possibilities of fighting techniques with a lady such as yourself would be rather titillating," Sanji smiled as he quickly kicked a rock up with one leg, before kicking straight up at a sniper on the saloon across the street. In the distance, a bit away, Saji could have sworn he heard a shout of 'GOAL" from Pinky. "I believe we have gone rather off topic - your relationship?"

"You have to understand Sanji, me and Zoro… we have been together since before we hit puberty. We have trained together, we have fought each other, we shared meals. Hell, when we got old enough and received my father's blessing to go into the real world to perfect the craft, we constantly shared rooms when we stayed in bars and inns."

Sanji had a light bulb go off in his head. "Ah…. so I guess a single bed and a rather disproportionate amount of social lubricant was applied?"

Kuina blushed ones more, "While I won't deny that alcohol was involved… the feelings that sparked it all where there for YEARS. So when Zoro was the first to engage [Sanji smirked and laughed under his breath at the of Zoro pulling the trigger first] in the kiss, I didn't exactly… resist…."

Sanji nodded in acceptance, not willing to push the issue. "So….?"

Kuina sighed, "Look, we can't call what we have as a traditional boyfriend-girlfriend situation. We know each other too well to demean it like that, but we aren't crude enough to call it a higher form of 'friends with benefits.'"

Sanji looked up in thought before taking another drag, "Sounds more like a case of the 'girl next door' and the 'boy next door' living together for years, realizing that they acted like an old married couple, and decided to elevate the relationship with sex since they already covered everything. Seriously, the only thing missing from your situation was an actual ring."

Kuina blushed even more.

"Granted," Sanji stated as he tapped his cigarette. "Had you not let that knooky promise slip back in Loguetown, I would have just thought you two were friends who knew each other WAY too well."

"Yeah…" smiled Kuina worryingly as she rubbed the back of her head. "It's not a card I like to play a lot with him. I mean, not that I don't enjoy riding the devil with two backs, but Zoro is…."

"A little too savage and bloodthirsty in the line of fire and the bedroom?"

"Yes, but more that he always runs out of stamina first."

Sanji's mental train derailed and crashed in an explosion before causing all the passengers to die in a fiery ... this is going to be sweeter than any honey he could put on a cuisine... he could feel it.

"I mean, don't get me wrong…" Kuina continued obliviously, not noticing Sanji's reaction. "We can go on for hours - even for a whole day one time when we stocked up on water - and he always makes sure that I am… satisfied… but at the end of the day, he's always the first to give."

Kuina laughed not realizing the Sanji had passed out at this point standing. He wanted to remember this moment, but his mental fortitude stat wasn't strong enough.

Kuina's Story Time was Super Effective against Sanji.

"It's funny. He's always been a step away from me when we were kids. Not that he's stronger than me with the sword, he has to master the one below his belt!"

Zoro sneezed loudly, the momentary distraction allowing one rather daring mercenary to almost slash him across the back - had Diddy not punched said man across the street, breaking ANOTHER building.

"Someone is talking about me," Zoro said as he wiped his nose. "And I feel like Ero-Cook is responsible for it."

Diddy dusted his hands off as he shrunk to his normal size, "I got to ask - you and Sanji?"

Zoro looked down, "Friendly banter and competition, I assure you. If he were the way he was when we first met, I would have seriously killed him had he hit on Kuina. But…. he's now more manageable, so his flirting comes off more as weird compliments to the female quotient if anything."

Diddy sighed as he pulled two guns out of himself, "Yeah... Brain thinks it may have been a coping mechanism on his part. Mind if I get some height?"

"Sure, go ahead," stated Zoro as he let Diddy get on his shoulders and start firing while he acted as the horse, jumping from roof to roof. "Coping mechanism?"

"It's his story to tell, but suffice to say, the only positive interaction he has ever had - other then Zeff - have been from females. Males - not so much."

"So like a reverse-Cinderella?"

"Yes, but replace the evil stepmother and sisters with the actual father and brothers, and instead of helpful animals you put in sister and dying mother, and you get rather close to the truth."

Zoro nodded in silence as he continued slicing the mercenaries in front of him and - amazingly - in the air while Diddy kept refilling his guns.

"So I got to ask," Zoro stated breaking the monotony - and isn't that a horrifying thought in the middle of combat? - as they found a nice nook to catch their breath. "The giant form? Do you just not like fighting with fists or is this a whole not imitating your brother thing?"

Diddy looked up in shock, "I didn't even consider the latter point. No, it's just that I have a whole 'saving for a rainy day' mentality to it. Sure, I splurge a little if need be, but I usually leave all that extra power alone."

"So, what? This is a light drizzle?"

"In a word? Yes." deadpanned Diddy. "Zoro, I've seen an Admiral in passing, so believe me when I say that when I tell you that when we get a rainy day, pray to Oda we are ready for it."

Zoro tightened the grip on his swords, "That bad?"

"Remember how Luffy said that he has a rather low opinion of Logia Fruit? That's more because the accounts he heard were of idiots who never bothered doing anything with them."

"Okay…?"

"The Admirals however… they are the main reason why he believes that Awakening a Logia through sheer stubbornness is possible."

That is not what Zoro wanted to hear, as evident by his eyes bulging. "Wait… I thought he said Awakening a Logia means being one with nature or something?"

"Yeah - now think how stubborn and bull-headed someone needs to be to dominate NATURE of all things!" shouted Diddy. "Thank Oda that only ONE of them has probably done it."

Zoro - nothing no one around despite still hearing some screaming - decided to sheath two of his swords. "What do you mean?"

"The three Logia the Admirals have are Magma, Ice, and Light. However, the Admirals also happen to represent the three ideals of Justice prevalent in the Marine Corp at the moment: Absolute, Lazy, and Unclear."

"Unclear? How the hell is justice unclear?" Zoro asked in confusion.

"Think about this phrase: a character is a hero in one story but a villain in another."

"Ah… so there are two sides to every story and justice."

"Right," Diddy stated. "Borsalino the Kizaru maybe many things, but unless he has a direct order from a superior, he is the one Admiral at least willing to hear both sides of the story - even if he acts like a dick about it."

"Huh… neat: a marine with some semblance of a moral compass."

"Oh no, that little epithet is reserved for Kuzan the Aokiji. Unfortunately, the bastard would rather let someone else make all the decision rather than listen to his own conscious. Lazy bastard."

"Which leaves the Magma user and his Absolute Justice - he the one we have to worry about?"

Diddy nodded, "Sakazuki the Akainu...the one man at the moment Luffy honestly believes has the highest chance of successfully Awakening a Logia… if he hasn't done so already."

"Cheez… that's a horrifying thought. If a normal Logia becomes an element, does that mean an Awakened one can summon it up from anywhere?"

Diddy shrugged, "Hard to say, but not impossible to envision him summoning up a volcano on an island permanently. Hell, islands are made from underwater lava runoffs so even THAT is an option."

"And here I thought I heard it all about Devil Fruits…."

Diddy looked away angrily to the side, "Trust me, you haven't seen the true horror of Devil Fruits."

"I don't have to see it since I have you as proof."

Diddy froze. "What."

"No offense, but you and Luffy aren't as subtle as you think when trying to avoid talking about your past. That and Luffy has slipped up enough times when talking about 'animal testing' to paint a rather… grim picture…." Zoro stated seriously, not looking away from Diddy.

Diddy stood his ground, but eventually, he looked down in shame. "It was the same cycle over and over again… they would feed an animal a fruit, hoping to see what the fruit was. They would… do things… to cause the animal to use the fruit powers in desperation. If they didn't do it fast enough, they would… they would…." Diddy had tears in his eyes.

"Easy now, you don't have to tell if you don't want…"

"No, this would have come up sooner or later…." Diddy wheezed. "The room was jokingly referred to as the Dunk Tank by the scientists. The room was filled with various fruits and in the middle was a giant pool with a lid on it. The animal - usually something small so it wouldn't be able to fight back against the guards - would be dropped in and sealed, until they drowned and died, too weak to escape due to the Devil Fruit weakness. And then a Devil Fruit would be reborn, and the cycle would repeat."

"And the smarter animals - the ones who figured out how to use the fruits?"

Diddy looked up with dead red eyes, "They would be kept around, forced to show off the fruit's power for documentation. The scientists had orders to use everything at their disposal to cause the animals to use the fruits in various ways until they run out of things to do with them. Meaning that if the animals showed off once in a while, it had the chance to live a little longer."

Zoro thought about that for a second before eyes bulged in shock, "How long…"

"Four years… I was born in that lab, and I thought that I would die in it…."

"So King…."

"Not my actual brother by blood. But… he was there for me... He gave me his food shares when I was young and growing; he taught me the tricks to survive…. He kept me safe…. The day they separated us is the day my world died, and I resigned to my fate…."

"What changed?" Zoro asked despite knowing the answer.

"King expected them to one day get fed up with him. You have to understand, they never thought he would get that big. Combine that with his fruit, he was more of a hassle than necessary. So King prepared himself…. He trained himself to hold his breath for a really, REALLY long time."

"Why?"

"So that he could hold in more air. You see… his fruit also allows him to cause his breath to explode. However, just breathing it out is meaningless since the explosion wouldn't hurt anyone unless it's at close range. But in a sealed tank with no room for anything else, well... "

Zoro couldn't help but smirk at the ingenuity. "The tank was above ground, wasn't it? He caused it to blow since the air had nowhere to go."

"I was kept at the other end of the establishment, so I had no idea at the chaos King caused when he flooded a whole floor at the section. He got out and ran, ran further and further into the island the lab was stationed at. He knew he couldn't leave me behind and that the only way off the island was via the ships stationed at said labs, so he started planning, but…"

"He was tired and injured and didn't know the first thing about planning a rescue operation?' Zoro stated with a raised brow.

"Yes. But luckily, he ran into Luffy on the other side of the island."

"What was Luffy doing there?"

"Hiding out of all things - just a pit stop before heading off elsewhere. So there he was, an injured and tired, suddenly able to talk to someone thanks to Pinky's fruit, begging the first human he found to help him rescue his brother."

"And Luffy did just that."

"Oh he didn't just rescue me - he rescued all the animals in that establishment… right after he killed every human there, stole all their research, and all their Devil Fruits."

Zoro nodded along at all the points until he froze as his blood turned to ice when he registered that last phrase. "ALL their Devil Fruits?"

Diddy smiled ear to ear, "My bounty DOES say that I am wanted alive."

"How… how…. How many?"

"Luffy rescued me off that island YEARS ago, and I've been with him to other Martine bases AND Revolutionary ones," Diddy smiled dementedly. "You have to understand Zoro, Luffy didn't just destroy the facility… he was so consumed with his wrath at the things he saw in there that he DESTROYED THE ISLAND. The only reason the animals got off is that Pinky and Brain directed them to go the biggest ship out docked when we escaped."

Zoro eyes couldn't bulge any further. He knew that his Captain was holding back but to destroy a whole island? And he still claimed that he was weak compared to the monsters in the Grand Line. "How…. Just… How?"

"A combination of one of his original techniques, clever usage of his rubber body, and Brain telling him where the fault lines crossed on the island. He didn't break the island, but the after effects are what finally did it in."

Zoro calmed down a bit. Causing an island to sink was much more believable than destroying it outright.

"So what happened afterward - I mean, after he robbed the place dry?"

Diddy shrugged. "Not much. He got the animals together, found an uninhabited island - called it Noah for some reason - and decided to drop off all of them there. He stuck around for a few weeks to train what few animals still had their fruit so that they were ready to defend their land, but otherwise? He just left it alone. He warned the animals ahead of time that he would trust the island location to humans he could trust - ie. Revolutionaries - but he told them that they didn't need to involve themselves with them. Been like that for years."

"Did the Revolutionaries ever use the island?"

"They did, but they leave the animals alone. Except for the few that fight them off and on for training."

Now, this Zoro had to ask. "Which animals fight?"

"Not as many as you think - a giant anteater, two boxing kangaroos, and an ostrich."

"You're shitting me. And they win?"

"Yes, rather frequently. While there are others that have Devil Fruits, those four are the more active ones. Don't ask me about the fruits; even Luffy said that their powers are rather niche."

Zoro blinked and chuckled, "Fair enough. Common, let's get a move on - this area seems clear."

"So King, anything interesting happened while we were separated I should know?" Luffy asked nonchalantly as he used Gomu Gomu no Gatling a dozen or so idiots.

"Not really. Made some stops, ate some bananas, had a Pina Colada or two," King replied, not even bothering using his Devil Fruit power, relying more on his herculean strength.

Thank Oda for all the barrel lying around.

"So… no blowing anything up?"

"I didn't say that," King smiled 'innocently.' "The last thing I blew up before Loguetown was a rather annoying bunch of gators on the island I called you off."

Luffy finished punching out the last one around before both proceeded to jump to another area, "What is it with you and gators? What, did you piss off a gator god or something?"

King paused as he finished giving an idiot a particularly vicious head nooky. "Not that I am aware of. So, any plans in the future? You know, grand plan and all?"

Luffy smiled, "Actually, progressing ahead of schedule, all thanks to Diddy."

"OH? And what exactly did my brother do to accelerate the plan in such a way?"

"He got me IT."

King paused. "Wait, wait,... Diddy found you one? The 'hail mary pass' item of yours? He actually found it?"

"SHISHISHI! YEP! Found it in a mushi shop of all places. Man didn't know what he had. I've been toying around with it, but I am missing some parts. Hopefully, we can find them when we get to Drum Kingdom - place may be cold, but it must have metal to spare."

"Sweet!" King cheered, pumping his arm. "Does Dragon know?"

"I told Sabo, so probably. In any case, I'll give them a heads up when we get it working."

King smacked his fists together. "Good. I've been waiting to sow some chaos."

"Usopp, this is not the best time for this discussion!" shouted Gin as he smacked another idiot with his spinning tonfa balls of doom.

"OH?" inquired the hybrid from the top of a building as he sniped another sniper - the irony - before flying to a new location. "You don't seem too bothered by the heads your pounding so when is a good time?"

Gin paused for a moment in thought before rearing back into action. "That's irrelevant. But still, the topic doesn't seem important."

"Considering that you have a Devil Fruit, I think it does."

Gin sighed in resignation as he contorted his body by rotation to avoid a sword slash. "Okay, okay fine… So what's your theory about Devil Fruit user's shouting out their fruit name when attacking?"

Usopp landed on the ground, drawing two long feathers, attaching them to oil string, before tossing them in such a way as to tie up as many people as possible. "I think it's mental association thing - certain powers require the body to act or change in a certain way that the user trained it to."

Gin considered it. "Like a trained muscle flexing on command?"

Usopp nodded before setting the string on fire, causing everyone who was hogtied to be lit as well. Both ignored their screams of pain. "Yeah. I mean, there must be a reason everyone - even the Captain and me - shout their fruit names followed by the attack. I only did it because I thought it was normal."

"Makes sense,' agreed Gin. "but you think there's more to it?"

"You put it best - trained muscle. Make a connection in the brain to the action, enforce over time, and most likely, simply shouting the name triggers the best 'routine' for the attack."

"Routine?"

Usopp nodded before drawing and firing a feather. "Consider that action. I have a named attack for that move, but I can still carry it out without needing to call it."

"Following so far."

Usopp quickly spotted an enemy running away from them both. "Karasu Shot!"

Gin watched, noting the fluidity of the movements, the instinctual precision of the strike, as well as how much stronger and faster it appeared. He only turned back after he saw that the feather hit true. "I think I got it. The routine is an ingrained instinctual combination of movements - no thought, no hesitation. Just a pre-programmed response to a perceived threat."

Usopp nodded. "Which makes sense. If the user enforces it, a weird naming convention is needed to trigger it - that or a unique name."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… consider your power. Let's use your tonfa ball for example."

Both looked at the tonfas, as they have finished cooling.

"You have options. You could go standard and say something with Kaiten, like Kaiten Smash or Kaiten Burn."

"Nah. Too literal and encompassing. I can easily say the say the same thing for any weapon I apply it to."

Usopp considered that. "You tried sword?"

"Yeah - doesn't work. The rotation goes against the natural sharpness of the blade."

"Okay, okay. So how about something literal - Spin Bludgeon? Rotation Friction?"

"Lame. Still… Does it have to be related to a fruits name?"

Usopp scratched his beak in thought. "Not really… I do acknowledge that it has to be something that you wouldn't use in an everyday conversation or even in a different language so that you don't accidentally trigger it."

Gin thought about that before spotting a rather giant - and dumb looking - mercenary charge at them with a mace.

"Let me give it a try, " Gin stated in thought as his ball spun and glowed ones more.

As Gin charged and approached the offender, "Burning Mace!"

The ball smashed through the attacker's mace, penetrating the man's chest, the rotating ball grinding into it, burning and cauterizing the wound along the way.

The man passed out from pain long before he was smashed into the building, dead long before he was even launched.

"Hmmm…. To the point but it doesn't have that 'wow' factor. Any other contenders in mind?"

Gin shrugged, "I was thinking something like Frollo's Desire or Brazen Bash."

Usopp looks confused. "You're going to have to explain those two."

"Brazen after the burning Brazen Bull and Frollo after a - shall we say - a hypocrite religious man who liked to punish people through fire."

Usopp nodded. "Both have potential; better than Burning Man in any case. We'll consider the options later." The birdman looked around. "The screaming seems to have died down. You think that's everyone?"

Gin sheathed his tonfas. "Let's head to the town center and find out."

Nami looked at eh setting sun as she finished observing all the mercenaries spread out around her and her approaching crewmates.

It was… not a bloodbath. Compared to the Fishmen Pirates, there was less savagery to it, less refinement…

AH! There was no emotion behind it. Arlong was retribution - this was more like a checkmark on a list: get in, get it done, move on.

Still, surprisingly efficient on their parts - no fuzz, no buts, get in, get the job done.

Then she did a head count. "Hey, where are Yosaku and Johnny?"

Usopp shifted to human form. "Don't know. I saw them running around everywhere so they must have been doing something."

"We were."

Everyone turned to see the duo carrying GIANT bags of canvas on their bags, barely being able to contain everything in them.

"Ummm - should we ask?" Kuina inquired.

"Figured we save everyone some time," Johnny replied as he put down his bag. "This all the Belli and everything of value we could find in the town."

"And this," continued Johnny as he placed down his bag. "Is everything useful that I managed to find. Stuff like gunpowder, chemicals, tools - you know, the useful stuff."

"Mine," quickly stated Usopp.

Sanji looked at the two. "Anything regarding food?"

Both pointed at the bar they would have entered. "Seems like all the food produce is in there."

"We only gathered this to save Diddy some time. It's late enough as it is."

Luffy noted that yes, it was sundown. "And the two we knocked out beforehand?"

"On the ship with Vivi and Mr.9, Captain." smiled Johnny.

"Also, you should now we ran into the otter and vulture while doing some," Yosaku stated seriously. "They said that they would have to report to Mr.0 about the pirate crew that took out his agents here."

Luffy raised the brow, "Just the pirate crew?"

"The otter showed us sketches of everyone he saw fighting in the town."

Subtlety was not Yosaku strong point. But Luffy had to admit, Mr. 13 and Miss Friday made their point clear.

Surprised they managed to hide so well that he didn't manage to spot them. But considering the chaos he was in, it was plausible that they tittered on the edges of his Observation.

"And Mr.9 and Miss Monday?"

"Last we checked after we dropped them off was that Vivi was giving them the rundown of the situation," Johnny stated unequivocally. "Miss Monday was not amused by her revelations."

"She didn't break anything did she?" Zoro asked. "She was a big one."

Johnny and Yosaku looked at each other for confirmation before looking back. "We left before it got that bad."

Luffy sighed as he crossed his arms. "Fine, fine, we will deal with it when we get to it. EVERYONE! Help Diddy stuff everything into himself - he only got two hands so let's speed it up! Sanji, get into the mess hall and see if they have anything worth taking. Get Kuina and King to help you. Everyone else, start separating the stuff the two found - I trust them, but odds are they may have accidentally picked up something we don't need, or we already have. Diddy storage is not endless - let's not push and see what happens when his seems to reach a limit as it were."

Everyone nodded and started going into separate directions.

"Not you Nami," commanded Luffy. "I need my second in command."

"What for?"

"Strategy meeting on the ship."

As Luffy and Nami arrived on the ship - mushi on his shoulders - he quickly spotted the four 'mercenaries' sitting on a table on the deck.

Vivi and Mr. 9 - I mean, Igaram - were on one side, looking down in shape.

On the opposing side was Mr. 9 consoling a crying Miss Monday.

Luffy pulled up a chair for Nami first before sitting down himself. "Dare I ask?"

Mr. 9 picked up the proverbial baton. "Let's just say that Miss Monday joined the organization with good intentions and her cover identity was closer to home when we realized."

Nami pondered on that. "She was an orphan sending money to where she was raised and happened to base her cover on a nun who raised her?"

Miss Monday looked up. "The church was in desperate need of money. I knew that this line of work wasn't going to end well for me but with my body…."

Luffy nodded in understanding, "It was the only kind of work you could find. Let me guess, you were never told about the really dirty stuff of the organization, were you?"

"It was an always 'ends meet' deal for her," Mr.9 stated as he gave her another tissue. "And yes, she stuck to the small stuff - Whiskey Peak was as far as she went and she never really needed to kill anyone."

Igaram sighed in resignation. "True. The bloodthirsty lot had a 'first come, first kill' policy that I allowed to spread. A sort of dat...Mah-mah-maaah! - deterrent I made to leave my hands at least morally clean."

Vivi looked at Luffy. "So… what now?"

"Now… we set a course of action. Deloris, Tanaka," Luffy used their real names to get their attention. "Miss Friday and Mr. 13 have already left to report to Crocodile that everyone in town has been dealt with. As far as he will be concerned, you and Igaram are DEAD." Luffy turned to Igaram. "Depending on whether or not he was aware who you and Vivi were in the organization, this can go one of two ways."

"How so?" Vivi asked curiously.

"If he wasn't aware of who you two were, then he will not change his plans. IF however, he was aware, he will put effort into finding Vivi IMMEDIATELY by calling Mr.9 and Miss Wednesday in. And since you two have not reported in…"

"We have time," Mr. 9 interrupted. "We can be considered traveling or deep cover preventing us from reporting in. The whale was one of our subgoals of a much larger assignment to track down new supply sources."

'So we have time before he might turn desperate and start calling you in."

"That still depends on whether or not he was aware of who Vivi is," conjectured Nami, tapping her chin. "And I don't see a man like Crocodile overlooking such a fact."

"Nami, you forget something very important about the man: he is a narcissist who believes that everything is going his way. Odds are, he honestly believes that regardless of circumstance, everything WILL go his way. It's one of the biggest fallacy, and weakness people like him have: stay too long in power without someone knocking you down a peg, and that ego will keep getting bigger and bigger. There's a reason advisor to the king exist - well, that and jesters."

Luffy crossed his arms. "Still, we need a course of action. With what we did in Whiskey Peak, Crocodile will have his eyes on us as a possible cog in his machine."

Mr. 9 chuckled. "Cog my ass. With that kind of efficiency, I wouldn't be surprised if you managed to topple down his entire operation in two months time tops."

"SHISHISHI. I am good, but I am not that good. In any case, you, Deloris, Igaram need to make way to Alabasta as soon as possible. The crew and I will take the long way there, hopeing to keep attention on us via whatever spies Crocodile has in these waters. And yes, Vivi will be with us."

"And we will get there…" before Igaram had a chance to finish, Luffy quickly handed him a Log Pose and a piece of paper with a number. He looked up at Luffy in confusion.

"The Log Pose was hidden in town by an agent who traversed the stuff back and forth and the number is for Pinky."

"And what do you want us to do exactly when we get there?" Deloris asked, tears finally dry.

"Well, you two are going to be hiding in the castle, sort of like a hidden guard for the king. Igaram will provide verification for you two and inform ONLY THE KING everything he has learned today."

Igaram raised a brow. "Only the King?"

Luffy shrugged, "And those you trust. Remember, Crocodile has agents in every camp - the Revolutionaries, his own, hell, even inside the castle is possible."

"That…. Makes sense." he sighed in regret. "It's sad really - I've been undercover for years now and I still can't bring myself to think like a spy."

Vivi smiled in understanding as she patted him on the back, "Don't worry Igaram. You're doing better than most. Why, almost everyone who joins the Billions and Millions gets a tacky tattoo aligning themselves with Baroque Works, but fail to realise the irony of having an identifying mark as part of a secret organization."

Silence. Everyone looks at Vivi in collective shock while Pinky - reading the room - imitates a cricket sound. Vivi just had her eyes bulge in shock as she quickly covered her mouth, her bad habit rearing its ugly head.

Luffy looked at Nami, "I fear for Alabasta with a princess that absent-minded."

"Actually, Vivi has been tutored and trained from a young age in a variety of topics and etiquette necessary for royalty and some topics beyond," Igaram stated proudly before sweatdrop formed at his brow as he looked at Vivi in concern. "We did, however, hope that her bad habit of forgetting the most minor but necessary things would go away in time. In this case, though, it is a lifesaver."

"True," stated Luffy as he regained his confidence. "I guess you could pass around the message to everyone without a mark about whose loyalties they should trust."

"I will do just that." Igaram agreed.

"Then if nothing else, I wish you all luck and savage on your journey to Alabasta. We found a decent sized boat for you to use."

Deloris, Tanaka, and Igaram all nodded as they shook Luffy's hand before getting up and preparing for their journey.

Hours later, the moon is up, the trio has left, and Luffy's crew had just finished loading…

"Captain?"

Luffy looked down from his ram head, "Yes Usopp?"

"Was leaving them lying around REALLY the best idea?"

"Why, you wanted to give them a proper burial?" Zoro asked from the sideline while cleaning his swords.

"No - more concerned about vengeful spirits if anything."

Kuina pondered that for a moment. "Didn't Gin do some weird prayer before we left?"

Gin looked up form his steering, "Hey, I was being careful. With what Luffy has told us about these waters, I figured a quick prayer and exorcism was pragmatic on my end."

"On the contrary, it's a nonissue," Nami smiled innocently. "However, would someone please explain to me WHAT THE HELL IS A GIANT DUCK DOING ON THIS SHIP!" Nami shouted in rage a the mentioned giant duck being petted by Vivi.

A duck who quickly got up and saluted. "Captain Karoo of Super Spot-Billed Duck Troops reporting in, SIR!"

"THAT DOESN'T ANSWER MY QUESTIONS!" Nami shouted in rage as the boat left the docks, sailing away from Whiskey Peak.

"Nami - and I can't believe I am saying this - please don't choke the duck," Sanji said with a straight face.

"Yes please, I like breathing," quivered the giant duck as he hid behind Vivi.

Diddy looked at Pinky, "Is he not aware that he is talking right now?"

"Of course I am aware!" commanded Karoo with recovered bravery. "I would not be a good bodyguard for my princess if I couldn't follow her undetected."

Everyone looked at Luffy in deadpan.

Luffy sighed, a common occurrence as of late. "He ran into her on the island and she filled him in on everything. And yes, he is her guard: he acted as he steed who was only left behind on the island before Vivi went after Laboo. Please don't marginalize Observation Haki - only very few things can trick and get around, certain Devil Fruits not included."

As soon as they entered the mist, Luffy looked up grimly at someone way above their range of view. "Ain't that right, Miss All Sunday?"

Everyone looked at where Luffy was looking and realized that they had an extra guest with them.

Sitting on a railing, legs crossed, was a rather stunning woman.

Which was expected from the likes of Nico Robin.

Tall, slender, and with legs that can go for miles complementing her long yet lithe physique paired nicely with her darker than tan skin tone and shoulder length black hair. But it was her aristocratic nose and sculptured as well as turquoise cheshire eyes that drew you in.

The cowgirl outfit helped of course. Especially a skimpy one consisting of a purple cleavage-exposing corset and matching miniskirt, both with white ornaments hanging from them, and a white fur-lined coat paired with a white cowboy hat and white high-heeled boots.

She looked like a high-class escort from the wild west… considering that she was an assassin, that may have been on the point.

However, before she realized it or not, her approach was a failure from the get-go, seeing as how no one on board was bothering to react to her presence or draw their weapons.

WEll except for the duck, but you can't blame the duck for being afraid of her.

"Well, well, well... Here I am entering Whiskey Peak for an update and what do I find? A pirate crew leaving with an agent, or should I say, Princess?"

Luffy hid his smirk. So she missed Igaram ay?

She leaned forward a little, smirking. "Tell me, Princess, what would you do in my situation? Because frankly, I have have the mind to kill everyone on board and shanghai you away to Mr.0."

Luffy chuckled. "Cut the act, Miss Robin. You ain't scaring anyone on this crew."

She frowned, her smile lost. "The name… is Miss All Sunday."

"And your bosses name is Sir Crocodile, and mine is Monkey D. Luffy. Are we done being capricious or should we get to the fun stuff?"

"I should kill on principle just for admitting you know his identity."

"And I should call bullshit on that considering that the scholars of Ohara were rather against taking a life."

Nico's eyes bulged a smidgen - everyone stood on the sidelines watching the byplay - as she jumped down. "And what do you know of Ohara, little man?"

Luffy got up from his seat and walked towards her. "Enough to know that the propaganda they spewed regarding you being the 'Demon of Ohara' was bullshit."

Nico looked around, noting the crew members weren't shocked by this reveal. "You know nothing about what happened."

"True," Luffy agreed. "But I know that in no shape or form would a library grand as that bother researching the Ancient Weapons to use them and that no eight-year-old child could possibly consume a Devil Fruit powerful enough to wipe an island off the map."

Nico Robin's eyes bulged slightly more and more with each reveal. "How do you…."

"Like I said earlier… my name is Monkey D. Luffy, grandson of Garp the Hero. When I say that I am aware of what happened, I mean I know EVERYTHING that happened."

Nico looked at the crew in a panic. "No, they know the broad strokes, but not the details. Hell, not even I know everything that happened that day. Gramps accounts are second hand at best."

Nico Robin - while still marginally panicking - recovered herself. "But then you know what the Marines did."

"And I know that I can't simply paint the whole of Marines as one and the same, or will you put the 13th Royal Marine Flotilla under the same banner?"

Nico paused at that, so Luffy pushed. "If you are going to blame anyone, blame it on the poison that permeates the organization, not the symptoms that manage to infect the civilians as well as whoever they brainwashed into joining."

Nico's head looked down in shame, fist twitching.

"Now, here's what going to happen. You're going to go back on your giant turtle on the side and report back to Crocodile, corroborating the story the Unluckies will tell him -"

Nico's eyes bulged at that.

"That's right, we got them on our side as well. But if you heard that things we gathered on the man, you would abandon ship as well. However, you won't do that because you wouldn't accept our side of the story - ingrained behavior after decades of being betrayed -"

She twitched again.

"So instead, you're going to stay silent and watch. Watch what will happen when we make our way to Alabasta and topple his organization to the ground."

Silence stretched into the night as the Going Merry sailed through the mist.

"And why…. Should I not report to Crocodile anyway of everything you have told me?"

Luffy smiled, "Because doing so will make you come across as a double-agent and you have yet to get what you want from Crocodile as it were."

Nico pondered that, considering her options. "Fair enough. While I don't appreciate someone having the upper hand in a situation - albeit being a nice change of pace - I will keep my silence, for now. I will not tell Mr.0 what I saw on the ship, only that I managed to catch your flag leaving Whiskey Peak before arriving on it myself and seeing the destruction you left behind."

Luffy tipped his hat. "That's all we ask."

Nico Robin agreed in turn before promptly jumping overboard onto a rather comfy chair on the back of a giant aged turtle. 'To satiate a woman's curiosity, where is your crew heading to?"

Luffy pulled out a Log Pose, "Based on the one we have working now, a place called Little Garden. After that, the Drum Kingdom."

Nico couldn't help but smile. "Fair warning about Little Garden - get a strong brand of bug repellant."

"We will keep that mind."

Nico Robin waved as she swam off, "In that case, Ciao!"

Everyone on board watched as the turtle swam away, the fog mysteriously clearing before activity resumed on the ship ones more.

Vivi unfortunately - as well as Karoo - were left completely in the dark of everything that happened. "Umm, Captain Luffy?"

"Just Luffy is fine."

"Luffy then… what was that all about?"

"Afraid it's not my story to tell. Like I said, not even the crew knows the whole story. I will, however, say that of despite my claims of hating the World Government, Nico Robin has a much, MUCH larger claim on that front."

Luffy looked down in resignation before looking up calmly. "In any case, I was being serious about our travel plans."

"Unfortunately, I can't say much," Vivi shook her head in defeat. "All I know about Little Garden is that for some reason no ship has passed by that island for over a century."

"Well then, time to check up on it and see what all the hubbub is," smiled Luffy.

Whiskey Peak

Two people stood in the dead of night, taking in all the bodies in destruction around them.

One was a dark-skinned man with black hair in short spiky dreadlocks wearing a brown trench coat with a pink cravat and a pair of sunglasses. The other was a woman with short blond hair in a yellow and orange hat, as well as a yellow dress with a lemon-like pattern, lemon earrings, and white high-heeled shoes and umbrella at her side.

"Miss Valentine?"

"Yes, Mr.5?"

"I believe that we missed out on a rather spectacular party."

"Yes, we did."

"Tell me, what's was the next island in this path of the line?"

"If memory recalls, the most likely candidate is Little Garden."

"Well then, let's make way there and hope we manage to cut off the deadmen who dared to declare war on Baroque Works."

"Indeed we shall, Mr.5. Indeed we shall."