Sequel Update!
Yes, I know, nearly five years down the road, but I've recently gotten back into the One Piece fandom and have gotten inspiration for a sequel to this fic, and since I see that a lot of people still have this on their alert list, I thought making a note here might be useful :)
So if you want to read it, it's on my page and it's called 'From Here On Out'. I've got the first three chapters posted and have written three or four more so updates should be semi-regular, and I'd love to get some feedback if you're still in the fandom and/or remember who I am at all!