Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

East Blue: Conomi Islands, Cocoyashi Village

Nojiko ran a hand across her sweat-soaked forehead as she finished loading the last crate of tangerines into the cart. It was two in the afternoon and the sun was beating down on her, hard . It was times like these where she regretted ever growing her hair out. The heat was harsh enough that she had already sweated through her tank top, exposing her navy blue bra that lay beneath it.

If nothing else, at least Nojiko’s one and only employee, Chabo, was enjoying himself. She had caught the young man staring more than once while they were working. She didn’t exactly mind however, while she couldn’t truthfully claim she held any attraction to the boy, it was flattering to be seen in that light. When your sister’s wanted poster graces the wall of every teenage boy’s bedroom from here to the Grand Line, you tend to develop a… complex of sorts.

“Alright,” Nojiko clapped her hands together. “That should be good for the day. Why don’t you go cool off while I run this delivery across town?” As she turned to face Chabo, she caught the boy’s eyes wandering again. Placing both hands on her hips, she gave him a stern look to which the boy quickly panicked and met her gaze.

“I- um, are you sure? I could help-”

“Get going already. Seems to me like you could use a cold shower right about now.”

Flushing in embarrassment, Chabo quickly nodded and began the short walk back to his home. With him gone, Nojiko let out a sigh of relief before walking to the nearby tree standing near the center of her field and untying Barley from his spot in the shade. The donkey followed her lead as she walked him to the front of the cart, affixing his reins to it before climbing into the driver’s seat.

“Okay old boy, you ready to bring us in?”

*PFFFRRRT!*

Barley replied with a loud fart which Nojiko took as a yes. A moment later, the animal started to pull her and the cart along, trotting at its own pace. Pulling on her wide-brim hat, she began the ride back into town across the worn path. It wasn’t long before she reached the village, the change from dirt road to cobbled street marked her exit from the farmland into residential territory.

Despite its name, Cocoyashi Village was more akin to a large town now, having bounced back and then some in the eight years since the Arlong Pirates were driven out. In that time, the residents had gone from living in meager houses and scavenging for what food they could find to enjoying large scale apartment complexes and a high-class restaurant staffed with chefs from the Baratie itself. Profits from tourism brought new life to the economy and further stimulated their growth. “The Jewel of the Conomi Islands”, a recent article in the World Economic Journal had called them.

“Nojiko!” Genzo, the town’s sheriff, greeted her at the gate. “Hot one today, don’t you think?” As he walked beside her cart, the man pulled his hat off to fan himself with.

“Worst kind of day for field work.” She smiled back at the man. “But also the most satisfying kind of day to finish working.”

“Well, at least someone around here knows the value of a hard day’s work.” Genzo huffed, crossing his arms.

Nojiko frowned before letting out a loud sigh. “Where is she?”

“Where do you think?”

Rolling her eyes, the girl tightened Barley’s reins causing the animal to pass even more gas as it picked up speed toward their destination.

“I’ll go talk with her. Maybe it’ll help get her out of this… funk she’s been in.”

“It’s not just that.” Genzo informed her, quickly looking around to make sure they were alone. “Somebody put a call into my office early this morning. A woman, from the sound of her. They were asking for her by name.”

“What did you tell them?”

“Same thing I tell anyone who asks. Never heard of her.” He stated simply. “Only thing is she called herself a friend .”

“That’s never happened before?” Nojiko raised an eyebrow.

“Never.” Genzo shook his head. “I was still hesitant but she… knew things. Personal things about her. I think… I think she might have been telling the truth.”

“And you think that sharing this information might help her?”

“I don’t think it could hurt. Not like she really needs our protection anymore.”

Nojiko let out a sigh. She couldn’t help but agree with the man.

“Here.” Genzo stepped up onto the cart, taking the reins. “You go ahead, I’ll finish your delivery. Sam’s place, right?”

“You don’t have to-” Nojiko tried to argue, but the man stopped her.

“Please, you’d be doing us all a favor, everybody is starting to worry. It’s been months and she’s still-”

“I know.” The girl relented, hanging her head. “... Alright, I’ll see her now. Just try not to push yourself too hard, alright? Ask for help if it gets to be too much. Sam may be a drunk, but he can at least lift a crate or two.”

“Right.” Genzo nodded. “Good luck.”

“Thanks, I might just need it.” Nojiko replied, stepping down from her seat. “By the way, did this ‘friend’ have a name by chance?”

“Well, it was a bit strange to be honest…”

East Blue: Conomi Islands, Grand Belle-mere Hotel

Nojiko stood before a beach chair in what used to be Arlong Park. In the time since, the area had been repaired and renovated, becoming their largest hotel and a major tourist attraction that regularly saw large numbers in the warmer months. The hotel itself was nine stories tall with a penthouse on the top floor, and the waterpark behind it was by far their most popular attraction. It had all manner of slides, pools, concessions, and attractions, pretty much anything that could distract and delight the senses. But what the blue-haired woman was more focused on than any of that was the individual lounging in the chair, seemingly without a care in the world.

“You’re blocking my light.” The woman stated simply, lowering her gold-framed sunglasses as she looked up at her sister.

Wanted Dead or Alive: ‘Cat Burglar’ Nami

Bounty: 666,000,000 Berries

Wanted for Crimes of Piracy, Burglary, Theft, Identity Theft, Fraud, Forgery, Kidnapping, Obstruction of Justice, Possession of Dangerous Weapons, and Conspiracy Against the World Government.

The orange-haired woman grabbed a colorful drink in a martini glass sitting next to her before stirring it with the straw and taking a long sip. Nami was dressed in a black bikini with a yellow flower pattern across it, a translucent pink sarong around her waist, and a large sun hat. Knowing her sister’s tastes, Nojiko could only assume that the outfit cost somewhere in the range of six figures.

“Can we talk?” Nojiko asked, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. 

“Aren’t we?”

“I meant alone .”

Raising an eyebrow, Nami sat up in her seat and looked around them, seeming to realize for the first time that the pair were not, in fact, alone. Nearly every person in a fifty-meter radius was currently staring at the pair and had been for some time. One little boy was so entranced by the two beautiful women before him that his ice cream had melted in his hand and he’d yet to notice.

“Ugh, alright.” Nami rolled her eyes. Grabbing an orange and yellow baton at her side and swinging it in a circle, a thick film coated the air around them like a large bubble. “Mirage Tempo.”

Nojiko looked around in confusion while her sister stood up from her seat. Aside from adding a slight green tint to the air around them, nothing had really changed. The people outside of the bubble however, seemed shocked and began whipping their heads around in confusion.

“What just-”

“Come on,” Nami grabbed her by the hand. “They can’t see us anymore, but it won’t last long enough to have a full conversation. Let’s go somewhere more private.” Without a word, Nojiko followed along staring in confused awe at the power her sister now wielded. 

She had, of course, heard stories of the Straw Hats’ exploits, but it all seemed a bit far-fetched to a simple farm girl who had never been outside of the Conomi Islands. Arlong was the most dangerous man Nojiko had ever witnessed, and yet according to Nami, he was barely a cut above the average foot soldier in the New World. She shuddered at the thought of who could command an army of Arlongs.

They walked away from the waterpark at a leisurely pace, the bubble around them following along automatically, though it seemed that Nami was always at the epicenter. They finally stopped when they reached a patch of forest outside of town. Grasping the baton in her hand once more, the orange-haired girl twisted the handle and the bubble popped, leaving them visible to the outside world again.

“Well?” Nami placed a hand to her hip. “You wanted to talk?”

“Err, yeah.” Nojiko slapped her cheeks to regain focus. “Look, before I start; I want you to know that I love you and, and care about you and-”

“You’re kicking me out.” Nami cut her off.

“What? Of course not!” Nojiko protested.

“Geez, have I really overstayed my welcome that badly? You’d think you would all be grateful for how much money I’ve sent back to you guys over the years.” The younger sister averted her gaze, examining her fingernails while she spoke.

“I’m not kicking you out! Nobody is!” The blue-haired girl shook her head. “We’re just worried about you. Me, Genzo, all the locals… We love you, Nami. But you set out to the Grand Line with a dream, didn’t you? You told me you wanted to map the world. You went on your journey, fought the Yonko, fought the World Government and won , you’re on the crew of the Pirate King, and yet here you are; back home as if none of that happened.”

“We’re taking a break, alright?” Nami crossed her arms, frowning.

“And that’s fine. But you know you can still pursue your own goals, right?” Nojiko asked. “You have the opportunity to do anything with the rest of your life! Don’t you think that you might be squandering it?”

Nami scoffed at the accusation.

“I worked hard to get where I am! God forbid I relax a little!” She responded angrily. “Now you want me to go back out there and keep working even harder so that I can meet this, this impossible image of me that you’ve got in your head? Screw you!”

“What I want is to know what’s going on with you!” Nojiko raised her arms in frustration. “One minute, you and your crew are all anybody anywhere is talking about, you’re traveling the world and doing good, helping others and fighting tyranny. The next minute, you’re on my front doorstep with a suitcase in hand! Now you’re always either at the pool or your damn penthouse, you won’t help out on the farm, you barely speak to anybody , and as far as I can tell, you don’t have any kind of plan for the future!”

Nami stared down at the ground silently, her expression blank.

“The girl I grew up with always had a goal in mind, something she would stop at nothing to achieve. She had ambition . Even if our situation wasn’t ideal, her spirit was unbroken.” Nojiko continued. “Now you just seem… empty. And I don’t understand why. Please-”

“It’s because he left, okay?!” The younger sister finally cried out.

Nojiko gave her sister a look of shock at the sudden outburst. Nami was gritting her teeth and clenching her fists.

“Luffy left. And none of us know where he is.” The younger sister explained, her anger quickly dissipating as depression took its place. “He didn’t say why he was leaving or when he’d be back or, or if he’d be back... That was almost four years ago now.”

“Nami…” The older sister reached out a consoling hand, but Nami shrugged it off as she continued.

“For the first few weeks, we didn’t really think much of it. Luffy’s always been impulsive and out of our control, but we figured he’d find his way back eventually. Either that or he’d make some kind of headline that would tell us where we could find him. After a few months, some of us were getting anxious and we decided to start actively searching for him. We monitored Navy chatter, contacted everyone we could think of, and followed every rumor we heard. Nothing. He just vanished .”

“Do… Do you think it’s at all possible he-”

“He isn’t dead.” Nami glowered at her sister.

“Okay.” Nojiko raised her hands in surrender. “So what happened next?”

“Sailing together… it just wasn’t the same. There weren’t any real arguments or anything between the crew, but it just felt wrong to keep going without our captain. We knew that Luffy would get in touch when he needed us, so we went our separate ways and decided to pursue our own goals. I charted the Grand Line for a while, but it just felt like work . It stopped being a goal and it became a way to kill time. I got sick of it so I came home because I thought it would be nice to see everyone again.” Nami explained with a bitter expression. “But it looks like I was wrong.”

“Of course we love having you home and nobody wants you to leave, but Nami… are you really happy here? Are you satisfied with this?” Nojiko gestured to the island around them. “Listen, I love Luffy and your friends for what they did for us, but you’re still your own person, even when they aren’t around. Is this really that person?”

Nami stood silently, an unreadable expression on her face, before finally turning to leave.

“Go fuck yourself, Nojiko.”

The older sister’s face fell as she watched Nami walk off, flipping her the bird as she left. Nojiko blinked as she suddenly remembered Genzo’s message.

“Wait! There was something else I had to tell you!” Nami stopped walking, but didn’t turn around, so Nojiko continued. “You got a call today, a friend from the sound of things.”

That got Nami to look at her, the orange-haired woman’s eyes had a spark of hope in them.

“Genzo said she called herself… Ms. Wednesday? Gah!” Nojiko yelped in surprise as Nami immediately closed the distance between them.

“Tell me everything she said.”

East Blue: Mirrorball Island, Funky Bar

“I’m juz really worried, y’know? My dad was never there for me growing up an’ I don’t want to make the same mistakes that he did. *hicc* But if Luffy does show up looking for me, I’m not sure that I’ll be able to *hicc* turn him down. I want to be a father that my child can be proud of, like, *hicc* like my dad was to me, but I still want to be there for them. But if I am there, they might just see the worst in me, and I’ll juz- *hicc* be another washed up has-been with nothing but tall tales to tell them. Am I juz over- *hicc* overthinking things?”

“Look, either buy a drink or get lost, ya drunk.” The barkeeper sneered. “Other people are waiting and I can’t waste my whole night on you.”

The drunken man had tanned skin and a lanky build. He was dressed in blue swim trunks that hung down to his knees and his bare chest was exposed, showing off his sinewy musculature. On his feet he wore a simple pair of sandals, and on his left hand he wore a gold wedding band. His dark hair was twisted into numerous dreadlocks that reached down to his neck. The man’s most notable feature however, was his nose which was unusually long for his face.

“Don’tchu *hicc* know who I am? Well I’ll tell you, hehehe *hicc* ” The man pushed his long dreadlocks out of his face. “~ Oh the wind carries my name~”

“Security!” The annoyed barkeeper called out.

“That won’t be necessary.” A voice interjected. “I’ll make sure he gets home safely.”

A man stepped between the barkeeper and the drunkard. He was dressed in all black which greatly contrasted his pale skin; black trench coat, black porkpie hat, black shirt, black tie. The only splash of color on the man were the stray streaks of silver in his otherwise jet black hair and beard.

“Do I *hicc* know you?” The drunkard asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I work for your wife, sir.”

“Oh, you work at the- *hicc* clinic? Geez, you’re not gonna tell Kaya I was here, are you?”

“Rest assured, she will hear nothing from me.” The man said with a smirk as he grabbed the drunkard by the shoulder, leading him toward the exit.

The pair walked through the club together, navigating the flashing lights and dancing patrons before they finally made it outside. The night air was cold and damp and there was hardly a trace of a star in the sky. They continued to walk, leaving behind the line of people waiting to enter the establishment and the odd unconscious drunk lying on the ground.

Soon enough they arrived at the beach where a schooner was waiting for them.

“Wait a second,” The drunkard blinked. “This isn’t the way to my ship.”

“I’ve been following your career for some time now.” The man in black spoke, walking ahead of the confused drunk. “I have to admit that I am profoundly impressed by you.”

“Oh yeah? *hicc* Always good to meet a fan. Y’know, I guess if you’ve got something for me to sign, I could-”

“Your ability to spin these outrageous tales and convince people to actually believe them is nothing short of extraordinary.” The man in black continued, pulling a roll of paper from his coat. Unrolling it, he revealed the paper’s content; printed directly across the front of the paper was a portrait of the long-nosed drunkard.

Wanted Dead or Alive: ‘God’ Usopp

Bounty: 1,000,000,000 Berries

Wanted for Crimes of Piracy, Arson, Identity Theft, Kidnapping, Inciting of Riots, Disturbing the Peace, Bribery, Obstruction of Justice, Possession of Dangerous Weapons, and Conspiracy Against the World Government.

“Do I… know you?” Usopp squinted, trying to place the man in front of him.

“I told you, I work for your wife.” The man in black removed his hat, putting on a large pair of windsor glasses. “Or at least, I did. Though if we’re being technical, I was never actually fired.”

“Klahadore?” Usopp’s eyes widened, his mouth agape. “Whoa, it’s been what? Eight years?”

“My name,” The man sneered. “Is Kuro : Captain of the Black Cat Pirates!” Kuro held up his hands, revealing his gloves with long bladed claws on each fingertip. He gave a sinister smile. “And you are the billion berry man.”

Wanted Dead or Alive: Kuro ‘Of The Hundred Plans’

Bounty: 8,000,000 Berries

Wanted for Crimes of Piracy, First Degree Murder, Attempted Murder, Identity Theft, Bribery, Fraud, and Counterfeiting. 

Kuro looked like he had seen better days. His well-manicured appearance from eight years ago was gone and replaced by a much more rough exterior. His black hair speckled with silver had grown down to his neck and his beard was untrimmed. He still had his round glasses but one of the lenses was cracked at the corner. And rather than standing upright with his hands tucked behind him, he stood slouched and aggressive, almost like a wounded animal.

Behind him, three more figures leapt off the side of the schooner, each smiling maniacally. Usopp recognized two of them as Kuro’s previous cronies, Sham and Buchi, and the third was one he didn’t recognize, but he wore a large hat with a red plume and vaguely resembled a weasel.

“I see you’re making friends.” Usopp pointed out.

“And I see you aren’t quite the sniveling brat you were back in Syrup Village.” Kuro smirked. “That, or you’ve gotten better at putting on a brave face. I imagine that must be easy when you’ve got the Pirate King’s crew protecting you. But rest assured Usopp, nobody is coming to save you this time.”

In an instant, Kuro disappeared from view before reappearing behind Usopp. Drawing his blades over the younger man’s shoulder, Kuro laughed.

“My new ‘friend’ is called Nero, he’s a former member of Cipher Pol. He revealed to me that I had only scratched the surface of my potential.” The pirate explained before disappearing again. “Over the past eight years, I’ve mastered every one of the Rokushiki techniques and honed my killer instincts. All for this moment.”

Kuro reappeared in front of Usopp as the rest of his compatriots lined up next to him, their weapons drawn and pointed at him.

“I always thought that Kaya would be my golden goose. Who would have ever thought it would turn out to be you, the little orphan boy who cried wolf?” Kuro gave one final smirk. “Goodbye Usopp. I’ll remember our time together fondly while I enjoy my life of luxury. Soru!”

In a flash, the pirate captain closed the distance between himself and Usopp, a single bladed finger raised.

“Shigan!”

*CLING!*

Kuro’s eyes widened as he stared down at his hand which had been stopped in place, a strange-looking black slingshot was holding him at bay, his blade inches from Usopp’s chest. The young man himself looked shockingly at ease as the slingshot in his hand held Kuro back from piercing him.

“Anybody ever tell you that you talk too much?”

Usopp whipped back his arm and Kuro found himself stumbling backwards into Buchi’s chest.

“Impossible.” Kuro breathed out, a shocked expression on his face. “K-Kill him!”

The other Black Cat Pirates immediately leapt into action, attempting to collect their billion berry payday. 

Nero leapt into the air using Geppo and pulled out his pistols, opening fire on the pirate in front of him. Usopp dodged the shots easily, his Observation Haki making it a simple matter of leaning just out of the way of each bullet. Aiming the Kuro Kabuto upward, he pulled back the pouch of his slingshot before releasing. However, rather than firing any ammunition, a long pink tongue shot out of the pouch and stuck itself to Nero’s leg.

“What the-? Ahh!” The man managed to cry out before he was violently wrenched out of the air, landing face-first in the sand.

*THUMP!*

“Devil Fruit powers?!” Sham yelled. “Well guess what? You aren’t the only one with those!”

The green-haired man suddenly began to twitch violently as silver and black fur began to grow across his body. He grew in size, his limbs becoming long and gaunt, forming cat-like claws on his fingers. His pupils, which were already slitted, became even more so. His teeth brew into sharpened fangs and just above them, a small pink nose replaced his human one.

“I ate the Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Domestic Shorthair! Fear my cat-like agility!” Sham yelled before pouncing at Usopp at top speed… which wasn’t particularly fast compared to the Soru he had already reacted to.

Usopp easily sidestepped before turning around, loading a round into his slingshot, and firing between the man’s feet.

“Green Star: Sargasso-Nebulandia.”

Seaweed instantly exploded out from the ground, ensnaring the cat-man in its leafy tendrils. Sham attempted to claw his way out, however he quickly found himself becoming drained of energy, weakened by the power of the sea as the plant tightened itself around him.

Usopp couldn’t help but smirk to himself. Some years ago, he and the other Straw Hats had traveled to an island with plants that reacted harshly to Devil Fruit users, draining them the same way as Sea Prism Stone did, seeing as how they were regularly fighting people with Devil Fruit powers, he’d have to be an idiot not to collect samples. After years of cross-pollinating those samples with his Pop-Greens, Usopp had developed an extremely effective weapon against anyone with a weakness to the sea.

Taking a step back to admire his handiwork, Usopp was caught by surprise when two large arms wrapped around his arms and chest, attempting to squeeze the life out of him.

“Oof! Hey big guy. You’re gonna want to let go now.” He warned Buchi, turning his head up to look at him.

“Oh yeah?” The heavyset man cocked his head. “Why’s that?”

As he finished asking the question, Buchi saw a black chameleon suddenly scamper up his arm. Before he could knock it away, the lizard shot its tongue directly up the man’s nose, causing him to cry out in shock, loosening his grip on Usopp before receiving a hard headbutt straight to his nose. 

Buchi went down without a sound.

Looking around at his unconscious subordinates in shock, the captain of the Black Cat Pirates turned back to Usopp.

“Grrh! Useless!” Kuro growled in anger before disappearing in another burst of speed.

The sand around Usopp began to kick up into a vortex with him at the center. Kuro was moving fast now. Very fast. A grating screeching noise sounded from inside of the whirlwind, no doubt the sound of the man angrily scraping his metal claws together.

“Uuuugh.” Usopp groaned as his eyes began to swirl from trying to keep up. He bent over clutching his stomach. “Oh, I think I’m gonna hurl.”

Contrary to popular belief, booze and fighting did not mix well.

From Buchi’s unconscious body, the chameleon leapt onto Usopp’s back before crawling into his outstretched hand, forming back into his trusty slingshot.

“So that’s how you’ve done it.” Kuro’s voice echoed from inside the vortex. “You’ve outsourced all of your fighting to your tools. And they are clearly powerful tools at that. That must’ve been how you blocked my earlier attack as well. You always were a clever one, Usopp, I’ll give you that. But tools are nothing without SKILL!”

Kuro blitzed the young pirate with his fastest Soru, one hand raised to impale his heart, the other to cut off his head. That slingshot of his was special, clearly, but there was only one of it. It wouldn’t be able to save him from two simultaneous attacks!

Once again, Kuro was suddenly held in place. This time however, it wasn’t the slingshot blocking him, but rather Usopp himself had caught both of Kuro’s wrists with his bare hands. Clutching down on them with a vice-like grip, the evil pirate cried out in pain, dropping to one knee. Kuro attempted to use Tekkai to withstand the attack, but the pain only increased and he dropped his other knee to the ground as well.

This couldn’t be Usopp! This was a monster wearing that pathetic boy’s face!

“What… are … you?” Kuro managed to get out, despite the pain.

Usopp stared at him, opening his mouth to speak.

“HUUURGGEHH!”

The young pirate projectile vomited directly onto Kuro’s face, leaving the older man with a look of shock on his puke-covered face as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He fell onto his back, unconscious and utterly defeated.

“Oh geez man, I’m sorry.” Usopp apologized, drunkenly stumbling backward. “That was, oof, yeah you can probably just wash that right off.”

Behind the sniper, the weasel-looking man picked himself up from the sand, reaching for his pistol on the ground, only for it to be snatched away by the same pink tongue that had snagged him earlier. The gun landed in the hands of Usopp who promptly pistol-whipped the man in the back of the head, knocking him out.

*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*

The ground began to quake as massive tremors seemingly shook the entire island, causing the already stumbling Usopp to fall onto his butt.

“CAPTAIN!” Two massive voices cried out as the source of the tremors revealed themselves. A pair of giants, both dressed in the warrior garb of Elbaf, appeared at Usopp’s side, prepared for combat. “We heard gunshots and came running! Is everything alright?”

“Oimo, Kashii, hey! Everything’s fine! Just a couple of troublemakers! No big deal!” Usopp called up to the giants. “We should still probably make sure they get turned in to the proper authorities!”

“Of course, sir!” Oimo bowed down, his head touching the ground. “I’m so sorry we weren’t here to protect you! We’re failures of a crew!”

“Please forgive us!” Kashii added, joining his best friend on the ground.

“Guys! Guys! Like I said, it’s no biggie! Scrubs like these are nothing!” Usopp waved his hands frantically. “You just focus on protecting me from the big stuff!”

“How could we ever repay such a generous captain?!” Kashii cried out, tearing up.

“Too forgiving!” Oimo exclaimed, his own eyes welling up.

Usopp had to jump back to avoid being crushed by a massive stray teardrop. The runoff of water washed away the unconscious Nero at Usopp’s feet, carrying him down the beach and into the water.

“How about we just keep this whole thing quiet around Kaya, alright? Do that and we’ll call it even!”

“Of course, Captain!”

“As you wish!”

“Great!” Usopp smiled before he suddenly felt the flow of adrenaline in his body give out. His knees buckled beneath him and before he knew it, he was face-down in the sand.

“CAPTAAAIN!!!!”

East Blue: Conomi Islands, Grand Belle-mere Hotel

“You’re seriously going to leave? Just like that?” Nojiko questioned as her sister finished packing her things, slinging her brown leather bag over her shoulder.

“Yep.” Nami nodded, grabbing her Clima Tact from off of the king-sized bed before tucking it into the holster on her belt. “It’s what you wanted, right?”

“How many times do I have to stress that we aren’t kicking you out?” Nojiko rolled her eyes.

The sisters were standing in Nami’s penthouse suite on the hotel’s top floor. The room was luxurious enough to house royalty, which it had in the recent past, and Nami had more or less trashed it over her stay in the past few months. Expensive clothes littered the floor and furniture, empty takeout boxes covered the coffee table, and a litany of empty wine bottles were piled high in a corner next to the bed.

“Who is this ‘Ms. Wednesday’ anyway?” Nojiko asked as she stood in front of the elevator door. “Why is she so important?”

“She’s a friend. That’s all that matters.” Nami narrowed her eyes. “And when a friend is in trouble, the Straw Hats help them out. Now move, I need to leave now.”

“It’s the middle of the night! Who’s going to ferry you off the island at this hour?”

“Don’t worry, I have a ride.” Nami assured her sister before pushing her way through to the elevator. Pressing the button to call it, she crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

Nami had changed out of her pool outfit for something a bit more equipped for travel: a loose white blouse with an expensive gold trim, a pair of jeans ripped at the knees with a black leather belt with a berry sign on the buckle, and leather sandals with a prominent heel.

*Ding!*

The elevator door opened and Nami stepped inside, attempting to close the shutters behind her, Nojiko stopped it with her hand before stepping in with her sister, sending a glare toward the orange-haired girl.

“Why are you being like this?” Nojiko raised an eyebrow. “Keeping me in the dark like this? I would think that I’ve earned at least some of your trust over all of these years. We’re sisters .”

“It’s not a matter of trust , Nojiko. This is a pirate thing. It’s a whole other world that you don’t want any part of.” Nami pressed the top button on the elevator and the pair began to ascend.

“Uh, the lobby is the other way.” The older sister pointed out, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“It’s fine.” Nami assured her, once again impatiently tapping her foot as she waited to reach the roof.

“Ugh, alright look; yes, I hate all of this weird pirate stuff, but I care about you more than all of that. I want you to live your best life, Nami, but I want to be a part of that life. I want you to achieve your goals, but I want you to be safe too. When I don’t know what’s going on it makes me worry-”

*Ding!*

The elevator arrived on the roof and Nami stepped out with Nojiko following along behind.

“You tell me about all of these crazy things that I don’t even know how to comprehend half of the time, of course I’m going to worry! But then I see the smile on your face when you’re talking about it and it makes me think how proud Mom would be of the person you’re becoming.”

“Where are you going with this?” Nami asked, pulling the Clima Tact from its holster and holding it up to the sky.

*Sproing!*

The staff extended skyward with a slightly goofy noise. Purple sparks began to gather at the tip.

“What I’m trying to say is-”

A massive bolt of lightning shot up into the clear night sky, blinding Nojiko with its brightness.

*KRAKAKOOM!*

“I WANT TO GO WITH YOU!”

Nami stared at her sister, eyes wide and mouth agape at her sister’s words. They stood in silence for what felt like ages before another voice spoke up.

“Heeey Nami! You rang?” A massive thundercloud sporting a cheerful face and a colorful hat spoke, lowering himself down to the roof.

“AHHHHHH!” Nojiko let out a high-pitched scream, her eyes practically bulging out from her head.

“AHHHHHH!” The thundercloud reciprocated the gesture.

“WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING?!” Nami yelled, punching Zeus upside the head.

“Owww! Namiii, she scared meee!” He complained.

“Ugh,” Nami rolled her eyes. “Anyway, Zeus, Nojiko. Nojiko, Zeus.”

“Zeus as in-”

“The cloud I stole from Big Mom, yeah. That Zeus.” Nami nodded her head.

“Holy shit.” Nojiko let out a deep breath. “Oh wow, I…”

“Wait, did you not believe me when I told you about him?” Nami raised an eyebrow.

“I mean…”

“Oh my god, you thought I was making all of this stuff up!”

“Maybe that you… embellished a little.” Nojiko admitted, ashamedly.

“Alright well, putting aside the fact that you think I’m a liar. ” Nami placed her hands to her hips. “Zeus here is pretty par for the course for the Grand Line. So if he freaks you out, you won’t last a day over there.”

“I was just surprised is all!”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“I know how to defend myself. Mom taught me how to use a rifle.”

“A rifle won’t cut it against Sea Beasts, or Devil Fruit users, or pretty much anything out there that would try to kill you!”

“I’m going with you!” Nojiko insisted.

“You aren’t even packed!”

“I’ll borrow some of your clothes, we’re the same size!”

“Errrgh!” Nami grit her teeth.

“Zzzzzz. Zzzzzz.” Zeus let out an audible snore.

“WAKE THE HELL UP!” Both sisters shouted, punching the cloud’s head.

“I’m sorry, Nami! It’s the middle of the night and I’m sleeeeepy! ” Zeus whined.

“WELL YOU BETTER WAKE UP BECAUSE YOU’RE TAKING US TO THE GRAND LINE!” The orange-haired girl yelled angrily, clenching her fist.

“Us?” Nojiko smirked.

“Yeah. Us. ” Nami nodded, rolling her eyes. “If it will get you off my case, I’ll take you there. Then maybe you’ll understand why you shouldn’t go near this stuff. Alabasta is pretty much a children’s playground compared to the rest of the Grand Line anyway. At the very least we can probably find you a hotel to wait at while I handle the grown-up stuff.”

Nojiko chuckled.

“But while you’re with me, you do what I tell you, alright?” Nami crossed her arms.

“As you wish, Captain. ” Nojiko shrugged before looking over at Zeus. “So… what? We just ride the cloud? Are there seats?”

“Seats? You’re funny. Zeus, lower the stairs.” Nami ordered.

“Yes ma’am!” 

At Nami’s behest, Zeus opened himself up, revealing what he’d been carrying inside of his body all along. A gaff cutter, a small ship meant to carry one or two people for extended voyages, though it was modified to accommodate Nami’s needs.The body of it was painted orange and the sails were a sky blue. At the top of the mast was a flag with the Straw Hats’ jolly roger on it.

Zeus turned his cloud body into a staircase leading up to the ship, and as the two sisters climbed aboard, Nami explained the background behind her ship.

The Martingale almost exclusively soared the skies rather than the seas, courtesy of Zeus, allowing Nami to map any island she came across from a bird’s eye view. The ship had a transparent floor of reinforced glass that gave way to truly breathtaking views and despite its relatively small size, it was built for comfort. 

The top deck was growing several different types of vegetation in assorted pots, absorbing ambient moisture from the other clouds and getting plenty of sunlight up in the sky. The bottom deck was split into two sections, both of which had electric lighting and air conditioning, courtesy of Zeus. The first was Nami’s bedroom which was notably cleaner than her hotel suite but had just as nice of a bed, and the other was the map room which doubled as a living space, complete with furniture and cabinets. It even had running water, also courtesy of Zeus. For how many amenities the living cloud afforded her, one would think Nami would be nicer to him.

“Wow.” Nojiko was speechless, running her hand across the finely waxed wooden interior.

“Eh, you get used to it.” Nami shrugged before tossing a spare pillow and blanket at the blue-haired girl.

“I don’t know how you would ever get used to something like this. ” Nojiko shook her head.

“Yeah, we’ll see how you feel about that in twenty-eight hours when we arrive in Alabasta.” Nami sighed before knocking on the ceiling. “Let’s head out, Zeus!”

“Roger!” The cloud’s voice responded, slightly muffled through the ship’s walls.

Above deck, the sky-blue sails unfurled and the ship began to rise, leaving the Cocoyashi Village as a small glowing speck through the glass floor in a matter of minutes. The feeling of takeoff was strong at first, leaving Nojiko weak in the knees, but she managed to take a seat on a plush beanbag and compose herself.

Her heart was racing. Only minutes ago, she had been a simple village girl who had never so much as left the Conomi Islands, now she was flying thirty-five thousand feet in the air on a talking cloud, on her way to some country she had barely even heard of where danger could be lurking at every corner. 

How was she expected to sleep?!

“Well, goodnight!” Nami smiled before sliding the door to her bedroom shut, leaving Nojiko alone in the map room. 

The blue-haired girl looked around, observing the intimately detailed maps and nautical charts that covered the walls. There were dozens of them, and most depicted some kind of strange anomaly or other. Had Nami really visited all of these places? All of this was so casual for her, meanwhile Nojiko might as well have just found out that aliens were real. If the world outside of her own was really this vast…

Just what had she been doing with her life?

East Blue: Gecko Islands, Syrup Village

“Uuugh.” Usopp groggily rose his head, placing a hand to his temple. “I had the craziest dream last night, Kaya. Klahadore was there and he- AHHHHHHH!!!” He felt his stomach drop as he was suddenly plummeting through the air.

*SPLASH!*

Usopp’s eyes shot open and he quickly swam up to the surface of the water, gasping for air as he whipped his head around to get a bearing of his surroundings.

He was back home, or at least near it. He could see Kaya’s mansion up on the cliff above and anchored next to it on the shore was his own ship, The Tall Tale, which easily dwarfed anything else nearby. It was a knarr warship, built for him by giants and sporting the skull of a Sea Beast on the bow. The ship’s massive size made maneuvering around the deck a bit difficult for Usopp, but the rest of the crew got by just fine, being a mix of the giants of Elbaf and dwarves of Green Bit.

“Look at that, he’s finally awake.” A voice called down from the cliff above.

Focusing his gaze, Usopp recognized the figure as Ninjin, one of the village kids Usopp had spent his days playing with before leaving the village for the Grand Line. The boy had grown up since then, obviously, and was now seventeen years old and worked at one of the village’s bars as a busboy. 

Ninjin was dressed in a lavender hoodie and black jeans with loose red sneakers beneath them. His white hair was shaggy enough to cover his eyes and over it he wore an orange beanie decorated with a skull and crossbones.

He flipped the page of his newspaper before glancing back down at Usopp, his legs absently kicking the air as he did so.

“You sure came home late last night.” The boy commented.

“Wuh? Huh? What’s happening?” Usopp asked, confusion clear on his face.

“You were asleep on the figurehead and fell into the water.”

“Why was I…? Oh.” 

Memories began to click into place in Usopp’s mind, recalling the previous night’s events in blurry detail.

“Oh. OH. OH SHIT! Ninjin! What time is it?!”

“Almost noon.” Ninjin replied, flipping another page in the paper.

“CrapcrapcrapcrapCRAP!”

Usopp swam up to the shore and climbed up the edge of the cliff in a whirlwind of speed. When he reached the top, he took off toward town, kicking up a cloud of dust in his wake.

“Ugh.” Ninjin scoffed, watching the man run off before turning back to his paper. “Kaya can do so much better.”

Shortly thereafter, the door to the Syrup Village Clinic swung open, revealing a very heavily panting Usopp leaning forward with his hands on his knees.

“Look at that, he’s finally awake.”

Sitting in the clinic’s waiting room was an older balding man who Usopp knew all too well. Mornin, the town’s old mayor, had reprimanded Usopp more times than either could count. The younger man’s antics growing up had been an annoyance to most, but Mornin especially didn’t appreciate them due to the chaos they had caused the townspeople in the earlier days.

When Usopp had first returned from the Grand Line in a ship full of strange exotic creatures, the older man had promptly fainted at the sight of it all.

“K- *huff* Ka- *huff* Kaya.” Usopp managed to get out between breaths.

“She’s with a patient right now.” Mornin crossed his arms. “Y’know, I oughta beat you silly for causing us a scare like that so late at night.”

Usopp gave him a confused look while he continued to pant heavily, so Mornin continued.

“Four in the morning and suddenly the ground won’t stop shaking, you would’ve thought it was the end times with all the commotion going on. Then those two giant stooges of yours run in yelling ‘Captain!’ and causing even more of a panic! They nearly toppled half of the town bringing you here!”

“They- *huff* They brought me here? ”

Mornin nodded his head.

“The little people had to go and drag her out of bed to come check on you. She ran the whole way here fearing the worst, only to find out that you had drank too much and passed out.”

Usopp winced hearing that.

“All that stress can’t be good for the baby, especially at this stage of the pregnancy. I warned her countless times that marrying you was the worst decision she’d ever make. If I were you, I’d already be on my knees begging for her forgiveness.”

“I-” Usopp began, but was cut off when the door to the examination room opened.

“Alrighty, Mrs. Maple, just make sure you apply the salve to the afflicted area each night before you go to bed. The burning should stop after two or three days.” The kind and gentle voice of Kaya spoke as she and an older woman with gray hair walked out into the waiting room.

Kaya was dressed in a cream-colored turtleneck sweater with a denim skirt beneath and a tall pair of brown leather boots. Beneath the sweater, her belly was becoming larger seemingly with each passing day. Her pale blonde hair was cut just above the shoulders and was slightly disheveled, most likely due to not getting a proper night’s rest.

In Usopp’s eyes, she was as radiant as the sun.

“I’ll be sure to do just that.” The elderly woman next to Kaya replied before turning to Usopp. “Well would you look at that, he’s finally awake. Who do you think you are scaring us all like that?”

“Hello Mrs. Maple.” Usopp groaned internally, dragging his hand down his face.

After a brief explanation from Kaya regarding the patient’s treatment to her husband, Mornin escorted his wife out the front door, leaving the younger couple alone in the waiting room. There was a long silence between the two of them as they simply stared at one another blankly.

“Kaya, I…” Usopp tried to begin, but was cut off once again as his wife held up a hand to silence him.

“Not here.” She shook her head. “Come with me.”

Turning around, she led Usopp into the examination room, allowing him to enter first before she shut the door behind them.

*click*

Usopp heard the soft sound of the door locking behind him and let out an audible gulp. He didn’t dare turn around to meet Kaya’s gaze, so instead he decided to plead his case, right here and now. No lies for her anymore, he had made a vow to her on their wedding day that she would be the one person he would be entirely truthful with for the rest of his life.

“Look Kaya, I know I messed up.” He admitted shamefully. “It’s just that… Last night I couldn’t get any sleep. All I could think about was the baby and how much it’s going to change things for us, suddenly I’ll have all these new responsibilities and I’ll have to know what to do in case of an emergency… It’s terrifying! What if he grows up like me? What if he has my nose?! What if he is a she? I have all these thoughts constantly buzzing through my head and-”

*thunk*

The sound of a boot dropping caused Usopp to turn around, finally facing his wife. When he did, his eyes widened and his jaw went slack.

“Uhhh, w- what are you doing?” He asked, watching his wife pulling her sweater over her head as she tried to escape her other boot. Her skirt was already unzipped and on the floor.

“Go on, I’m still listening.” Kaya replied, finally getting her head out of the neck hole, revealing her bare chest to him. She wasn’t wearing a bra and her pale breasts, larger from the pregnancy, looked very heavy.

“I uh… I forgot what I was talking about. Umm, more importantly, what’s happening right now?”

“I’m sorry baby, it’s the hormones.” Kaya sighed. “They’ve got me so horny right now, I can barely think straight. You have no idea how hard it was getting through that last examination with a straight face when all I wanted to do was strip down and go to town on myself. But now you’re here, so that’s even better.”

Kaya was now standing in just a pair of pink lace panties, the rest of her clothes left in a pile on the floor. If she was as radiant as the sun before, now she was a fucking supernova.

“We can still talk while we do it, I just really need this right now. Pleeease?” Kaya looked up at him with pleading eyes.

Usopp let out an audible gulp, feeling a hard straining from inside of his trunks.

“Uhh yeah! That works for me!”

Pregnancy was awesome!

East Blue: Polestar Islands, Loguetown

Scratch that, pregnancy was, in fact, not awesome.

As Usopp and his crew sailed up to one of Loguetown’s ports in their almost comically oversized ship, the long-nosed captain let out a yawn as he leaned over the ship’s bow. Dawn was just breaking over the horizon as a new day began, but Usopp was not quite ready to begin his day. However, the night before, Kaya had woken him up in the middle of the night, exclaiming that she would die if she didn’t get her hands on some very particular caramels he had once brought her from Loguetown.

And everyone said he was dramatic.

Nevertheless, Usopp the ever-caring husband immediately jumped on the case, grabbing his crew and sailing out before first light. With any luck, they could be back home before dinner time.

“Yo, Captain.” A voice called out from behind Usopp, immediately followed by several heavy trembles across the deck. A feeling Usopp had grown far too accustomed to.

Turning his head, Usopp saw the ship’s cook, a giant by the name of Lily Enstomach, approaching the front deck. Her skin was deeply tan and her frizzy green hair was sporting some serious bedhead. She was dressed in a yellow corset and shorts, very casual clothing that set her apart from most of Elbaf’s giants who typically sported leather armor and furs, but she was no less a fighter than the rest of them. Her trusty weapon, a large dinner fork that fit her frame regardless of her size, was slung over her back.

The cook let out a yawn, stretching her arms before her enormous frame began to shrink down to match his own, the power of the Mini-Mini Fruit she had eaten. By the time she reached him, the pair were equal in height.

“Oh. Hey, Lily.” Usopp greeted with a nod. “Sorry again for the early wakeup call.”

“Eh. Don’t mention it. We’d do anything for Lady Kaya’s sake.” She waved him off. “That being said, if you ever hurt her, that would include stomping you into paste.”

Usopp let out a gulp. “Yes ma’am.”

“Sir Usoland!” A high-pitched voice cut into the conversation.

A familiar chameleon skittered across the railing of the bow, and riding it like a horse was one of the dwarves of the Tontatta Tribe, this one having an afro of red hair with a pair of goggles resting atop it.

“We have completed our docking procedures, sir!” The dwarf gave a salute before hopping down from his steed.

“Nice work, Chao.” Usopp gave a salute back. “Do you and the others need any supplies while I’m out?”

It was always like this with the Tontattas. While the giants on his crew saw Usopp as their sworn brother-in-arms, the tiny dwarves from Green Bit held him in the highest esteem, treating him like royalty.

“No need, sir!” Chao shook his head, still saluting. “We stocked up plenty before we left, sir!”

“Alright then. At ease, soldier! I will be undertaking this excursion as a solo mission.” Just then, the chameleon, Kabuto, crawled onto Usopp’s arm before settling on his shoulder. He raised a finger to scratch under her chin, which the lizard seemed to enjoy. “With one exception, of course.”

Usopp had initially been hesitant about infusing his beloved slingshot with a Devil Fruit, but Kabuto was such a good girl that he never looked back. For the most part, she looked like the average leopard chameleon, the only notable difference being the two prominent horns jutting out of her head, an exact match for the prongs in her slingshot form.

“Tell the others that I’m sorry, but most folks around here don’t take well to people who aren’t, well… like them. ”

“It’s fine, we get it. We giants are well aware of the reputation we have throughout the world. For the most part, we’re pretty proud of it.” Lily smiled, placing her hands on her hips.

“Hehe, I bet. Later!” Usopp chuckled before leaping over the bow landing down at the stone port. Most of the dock workers were still too taken aback by the massive ship to even take note of his presence as he walked past them.

It would still be a while before the sweets shop opened for the day, so Usopp took his time walking through the town square, basking in nostalgia as he stared up at Roger’s execution block. Thirty years ago, it had been the spot where the legend of the first Pirate King came to an end. And eight years ago, it became the spot where the legend of the current Pirate King began.

They had, of course, rebuilt the monument after a bolt of lightning struck it down back then, but from what Usopp had heard, it had become something of a local tradition to tear it down once a year, much to the Navy’s chagrin.

“Please sir, you have to understand- oof!” A female voice cried out from nearby, followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground.

Usopp turned his head to see a blonde teenage girl dressed in a mustard yellow dress with a maroon sash tied around her waist. Her red and white pointed hat had fallen to the ground next to her.

In front of the girl, standing at the entrance to the local garrison, was a man dressed in the standard Marine uniform, looking down at the girl with contempt in his eyes.

“What I understand is that it’s against the law to report false crimes to the authorities! If I see you around here again, I’ll throw you in a cell! Now get lost!” The Marine yelled before angrily slamming the door.

“JERK!” The girl yelled, picking up her hat and throwing it at the door. Reaching back down to grab her hat, the girl pulled it down over her head before angrily stomping away in the direction opposite of the town square.

Curious by the sight and feeling that he somehow recognized the girl, Usopp followed after her, quickly catching up to the angered teen.

“Um, pardon me!” He called out, catching her attention.

“What?!” The girl spun around, fists clenched at her sides, still clearly steaming. Her expression softened however when she saw the man in front of her, audibly gasping and almost instantly dropping her guard.

“I couldn’t help but overhear and- oh!” Usopp reeled back in surprise as the girl suddenly wrapped her arms around his shoulders, spinning him around as she swung from his body.

“It’s you! Long-Nose!” The girl cried out in joy. “I didn’t ever think I would see you again!” She finally released Usopp, standing before him with hands on her hips and a bright smile on her face. When she saw the confusion in Usopp’s eyes, the girl finally introduced herself. “It’s me, Apis! Remember? From Warship Island?”

Memories began to flood Usopp’s mind. Memories of a little blonde girl, a senile old dragon, and a lost island that had been right under their noses the whole time.

“APIS?!” He cried out in shock. “Oh my goodness! You were so tiny last time I saw you! Wow, time really flies!”

“I’ll say! But this is perfect timing! Are the others here with you?” Apis turned her head, desperately searching for his fellow Straw Hats.

“Err, no. We’re on… something of a break at the moment. But what’s going on? What was the deal with that Marine earlier?”

“It’s hard to explain but it’s…” Apis bit her lip, looking at the ground for a moment unsure of herself. “The Millenial Dragons, they’ve been taken!”

???: ???

A gentle breeze carried through the air of the large valley, whistling a soft tune as it blew against the porous stones that stood tall in a field of green. Standing high above the stones on a hilltop overlooking the valley, a solitary oak’s leaves rustled in the wind. From its branches, a single leaf drifted down, coming to a stop as it rested on a worn straw hat. Beneath that hat was a man in his mid-twenties with dark shaggy hair, the beginnings of a beard growing across his face, and a faint scar beneath his left eye. He wore a red flower-print shirt with brown cargo shorts beneath them and a pair of sandals on his feet.

Just below the hill, a group of young children kicked a bright yellow ball around, trying to aim it between two pairs of sticks set up on either side of the field. As the kids stumbled over one another, bare feet on the wet grass, one young girl managed to escape with the ball. Dribbling it away from the others, the girl kicked the ball as hard as she could and sent it soaring between the two sticks.

“Yeah!” She cheered, raising up her arms in victory. The girl was young with freckled cheeks, pinkish-blonde hair, and a red hibiscus flower sitting just above her ear. She was dressed in a bright orange blouse with white shorts beneath and she was stained in mud up to her ankles.

“Papa! Papa!” The girl called out excitedly as its owner rushed up the hillside. “Did you see? I scored!”

“I saw.” The man chuckled as he reached out his hands to greet her, tucking them beneath the girl’s arms as he lifted her up into the air, spinning her around. “You were awesome! Shishishishishi!” The pair laughed together before a voice caught their attention.

“Annie!” One of the children, a young boy, called out. “Ms. Read says recess is over! Hurry back!” The other kids were already walking toward the small wooden schoolhouse near the field, a young woman with bright blonde hair stood next to it with a small smile as she greeted the children.

The girl, Annie, turned back to her father with a sad look on her face.

“Sorry, Papa.” She lamented as he set her down. “I’ve gotta get back now.”

“Shishishi, no worries! I’ll go catch us dinner! See you tonight?”

“Okay.” She nodded before running back down the hill. “I love you, Papa!”

“Love you too, Sunflower.”

Chapter Text

Four Years Ago:

New World: Wano Country, Flower Capital

“Um, excuse me, Straw Hat-sama? There’s a call for you.”

“Hmm?” A young man looked up from where he was standing at the banquet table. All around him everyone was cutting loose, sloshing their drinks, and cheering as they sang, ate, and brawled with one another. 

It was complete and utter chaos and everyone was having a wonderful time.

The young man currently had Wano’s Shogun in a headlock as the larger man tried in vain to free himself. Seeing the servant holding out the transponder snail to him, he brushed back his curly locks before releasing the country’s monarch who promptly collapsed to the ground gasping for air. Walking over to the servant, he accepted the call and gave the man a small bow to dismiss him.

“Yello?”

Wanted Dead or Alive: ‘Straw Hat’ Monkey D. Luffy

Bounty: 5,656,000,000 Berries

Wanted for Crimes of Piracy, Kidnapping, Theft, Destruction of Property, Obstruction of Justice, Assault against a World Noble, and Conspiracy Against the World Government.

“Is this the King of the Pirates that I’m speaking with?” A man’s voice asked from the other end of the line.

“Yeah, who’s this?” Luffy responded with a question of his own while picking his nose.

“My name is Masked Deuce, I-”

“Deuce? You mean like a turd?” The raven-haired man raised an eyebrow.

“Why does everybody- No! Not like a turd! Like Number Two!” The voice on the other end yelled angrily.

“Uh, isn’t that the same thing?”

“No! I’m calling to-”

“Hey, if you’re ‘Masked’ are you like a superhero? Are you friends with Sogeking?” 

“I don’t know who that is. Listen, if you could-”

Wrenching a large booger free from his nose, Luffy examined the green and brown glob on his fingertip before flicking it toward the banquet table where it latched itself onto a victim’s face.

“Dammit Luffy! Not again!” A high-pitched voice squealed angrily.

“-ould be better if we met in person to-”

“Hey sorry, I didn’t catch any of that. Mind repeating it?”

“Oh my god, you are just like your brother.”

“Sabo? Oh, are you with the Revolutionary Army? Damn, I haven’t seen him in a minute. How’s he-”

“ACE! I’M TALKING ABOUT ACE!” The voice cried out, finally catching the Pirate King’s attention. Furrowing his brow, Luffy carried the snail out into the hall where it was quieter, ensuring that he could hear properly.

“Who did you say you were again?” He asked the man on the other end of the line.

“I used to sail with your brother, Ace, back when we were the Spade Pirates. I was his vice-captain before we joined the Whitebeard Pirates together.”

“Alright.” He nodded his head, following so far. “What’s that got to do with me?”

“This next part is sensitive, so make sure that you’re alone. And before you ask, yes, this line is secure.”

“Right.” Luffy nodded. “Uh, I was… definitely going to ask that.” Looking toward either side of the hallway, he made sure no one was within earshot before ducking away into an empty room, sliding the paper door shut behind him.

“So, while we were sailing together through Paradise, there was… a woman who Ace would see regularly. Well, really she was a Marine following us around to capture him specifically, hence why he saw her regularly. Over time they grew close to one another. Very close. Anyways, a few months after Ace’s execution, I received a call. Isuka, the um… the woman, was pregnant.” The voice paused for a moment. 

Luffy’s eyes went wide as he dropped the receiver. Quickly catching it, he nearly crushed it in his hand as he brought it to his face, listening intently as the man on the other end continued.

“She was absolutely terrified. The Navy was investigating thoroughly to ensure that Roger’s bloodline was eradicated entirely. Luckily, they didn’t suspect one of their own and she was able to take a post at a low-priority island in North Blue where I helped her deliver the child. Officially, the father was a comrade of hers who had fallen in the battle at Marineford. In reality… the baby was Ace’s.”

“W-W-What um, wha…” Luffy tried to speak but words were failing him.

“The child was born a healthy young girl. Her name is Annie and she just turned four years old last month.” Masked Deuce explained. “... And that’s where we get to why I’m contacting you.”

The King of Pirates swallowed down a lump in his throat as a bead if sweat ran down his forehead.

“Isamu has recently passed. A gang of mountain bandits wielding heavy artillery… Anyways, Annie has been left without any parents, and with no immediate family to take her in she will likely end up in the foster system. That creates a problem for her. The World Government collects records of Lineage Factors of any and all soldiers, prisoners, and orphaned children who fall under their care. If that happens, there is no doubt that they will discover her blood relation to Ace and the original Pirate King. The events that would follow such a discovery… I shudder to imagine.”

“Where is the girl now?” Luffy asked directly, his expression dead serious.

“She’s still living in her home while I am serving as her guardian.”

“And she’s safe with you? ”

“For now, yes. The neighbors know me as a friend of the family. However my occupation requires me to travel near constantly. I am required to leave again soon and am unable to provide the care and attention that Annie needs.”

“So… you’re asking me to-”

“This girl is more than the granddaughter of Gold Roger. She is the daughter of my captain and best friend. Your brother. I need to make sure that she is as safe as humanly possible and the most powerful man in the world seems like the best choice for a guardian. Even if you yourself can’t make the time for her, surely you have subordinates who could-”

“Alright, alright. I’ve heard enough.” Luffy stopped the man. “I’ll meet with you. How soon can you reach the East Blue?”

East Blue: Dawn Island, Mount Colubo

The rain poured heavily, ringing out loudly against the leaves as the wind howled through the forest. Luffy stood silently as he stared at the humble shack that had once been his home. The elements had torn it apart, partially collapsing one of the walls and leaving a gaping hole in the roof. It had clearly been abandoned for years.

Sat directly in front of the ruins of the shack was a wooden sign attached to a post. In large red letters, it read: “TO ANY MEMBER OF GARP’S FAMILY: RAISE YOUR OWN DAMN KIDS!!!”

“Well… that’s a problem.” Luffy commented scratching the back of his head with his free hand.

Turning to look down at the girl holding his other hand, he felt her hand shivering from the cold, her pink-blonde hair drenched by the rain, and her expression blank. She had looked like that since Luffy had first seen her the day prior. Sad. Grieving. Empty.

The girl had barely said a word to Luffy since they met. Masked Deuce had more or less handed her off to him, giving them both a bare minimum introduction before unceremoniously ditching them on the shore of Gray Terminal, the only urban section of the island that wasn’t crawling with Marines.

Portgas D. Annie was the spitting image of her grandmother, Portgas D. Rouge, whom Luffy had seen in a photograph that Ace had kept as a boy. There could be no doubt that this was his child. However, despite deciding on the plan to meet at Dawn Island, Luffy didn’t have much of an idea of what to do afterward.

“C’mon,” Luffy tugged on the girl’s hand. “Let’s get out of the rain.”

Annie followed along silently, taking three steps for every one that Luffy took, her sandals squishing loudly in the mud as she walked.

Luffy led them to a tree he had frequented as a child, one that he, Ace, and Sabo had created a secret base atop of back in the day. Looking up, he saw that it had held up well, all things considered. Grabbing the tattered rope ladder that was hanging down, he began to ascend, lifting Annie up onto his back where she clung to his shoulders.

*CREEEAAK!*

The treehouse groaned as it took on the weight of a full grown man, however it held strong as Luffy reached the top of the rope and climbed inside… Only to set off a tripwire which triggered a massive wooden mallet to swing down and crash directly into Luffy’s face.

“Ahhh!” Annie let out a shriek of surprise, nearly losing her grip on the man, but the Pirate King caught her before she could fall.

“Wow!” Luffy turned to her with a big grin on his face, unfazed by the attack. “I can’t believe the booby traps still work!”

Climbing inside, he set the girl down before taking a seat across from her on the floor.

*Creeeeak!*

The boards groaned again as Luffy sat down. Annie looked alarmed at the sound and shifted her own weight cautiously. Finally, she spoke her first words to Luffy since the pair had met.

“Is this… safe?” She asked softly.

“Huh?” Luffy looked befuddled by the question. “Of course it is! I built it when I was eight!”

Annie looked unconvinced. She hugged her hands to her arms to try to preserve warmth, shivering from the cold rain. Seeing this, Luffy removed the black coat around his shoulders and leaned forward, wrapping it around her. It was more than big enough to serve as a blanket for the small four year old.

“There. Now isn’t that-”

*SNAP!*

The boards beneath Luffy finally gave out and he went crashing down into the ground below with a loud thud. A moment later, two hands stretched back up into the treehouse and Luffy flung himself back inside. Landing a step back from the hole, he looked down at Annie.

“Phew, sorry about that! Are you-”

*SNAP!*

The boards he landed on gave way immediately, sending him falling back down again. This time when he came back inside, Luffy made sure to distribute his weight more carefully, hanging onto the walls just in case.

When he looked over to Annie again, he saw tears in the girl’s eyes as she clutched at the coat around her.

“Hey uhhh, I don’t think the rain’s gonna let up any time soon. Why don’t we get some sleep while we wait?”

“... ‘kay.” Annie replied softly, though he could tell she wasn’t really paying much attention to him. Her thoughts seemed… elsewhere.

As he laid on his side, he saw the young girl’s lip quivering, her amber eyes threatening to spill tears at any moment. Knowing that he had to do something, Luffy sat up.

“Hey uhh, do you like… stories?”

“Yeah?” The girl nodded, turning to Luffy as she wiped her nose.

“Well I’ve got a pretty good one about some pirates who-”

“No!” Annie suddenly yelled, surprising Luffy. “No pirates! I hate pirates!”

“What?! You hate pirates?!” Luffy slammed his hand against the ground, causing the floor to creak again. He quickly retracted it. “Pirates are awesome!”

“No, they’re not!” Annie quickly shot back, clenching her fists. “Pirates are scum who abandon their families! I hate them! I hate them almost as much as I hate mountain bandits!”

Luffy looked at the girl in surprise, letting out a silent sigh of relief that Dadan hadn’t been around. Honestly, given how the girl’s mother had died, he probably should have considered that before bringing her here.

“Alright, so you don’t like pirates.” Looking around the treehouse, Luffy spotted a long metal pipe in one of the room’s corners. Stretching his hand over, he snatched it and brought it back to himself before brushing off some of the cobwebs. “How about I tell you a story about knights then?”

“... Fine.” Annie nodded hesitantly.

Channeling his inner Usopp, Luffy raised the pipe into the air like a sword and began to recount a story about three little knights and their journey through the harsh jungle. He told the story of how they fought evil villains hoarding gold, how they slayed an evil tiger, and how they rescued one of the little knights from his evil family.

By the time Luffy finished, Annie was already snoring softly, Luffy’s coat covering everything but her head while she used one of the sleeves as a pillow. He let out a sigh of relief before lying down on his back. Storytelling was exhausting, he didn’t know how guys like Usopp and Shanks managed to do it with such ease.

Lifting his head up, Luffy looked over at the sleeping girl. He didn’t know what he was going to do with her. The plan had just been to bring her to Dadan, but now that was a bust. He understood all too well what would happen if the government found out about her. If she was going to survive in this world, Annie would need to toughen up; become strong enough to defend herself.

Luffy smiled to himself.

That much, he knew how to do.

East Blue: Dawn Island, Midway Forest

“Come on, Annie! Punch’em! Just like I showed you!”

“Ugh!” The small girl swung at the monkey in front of her, but it easily dodged before swinging back, bonking the girl on top of her head. 

“Oww!” She whined, nursing the lump on her head.

“That’s okay, you’re learning! Now try it again! Faster this time!”

Annie swung again but the monkey was too quick, dodging before throwing another punch that knocked the girl on her butt.

“Ooo ooo ah!” The monkey celebrated its victory with a little dance.

“Urgh! I HATE THIS!” Annie yelled, slapping the earth beneath her. The monkey, frightened by the sudden outburst, scurried off into the treeline.

“Hey!” Luffy yelled, walking over to the girl. “You can’t just cry your way out of a fight! What’s gonna happen when some bad guy is trying to hurt your friends?”

“I don’t have any friends!” The girl yelled back, tears welling up in her eyes. “This is stupid! I hate fighting! I hate you! I… I want my mommy!”

Annie began to bawl uncontrollably, hugging her knees to her chest as tears streamed down her face. Luffy stared down at the crying girl, a look of uncertainty in his eyes. Crouching in front of her, he tilted his head curiously.

“ *sniffle* GO AWAY!” Annie screamed at him.

“Sorry, geez.” Luffy scratched his head, picking out a bug that had crawled into his hair. “I’m hungry. Are you hungry? Let’s go eat.”

“I’m not hungry! Leave me alone!”

*Grrrowl!*

The sound from the girl’s stomach echoed throughout the forest clearing. Luffy had a smug grin on his face.

“SHUT UP!”

East Blue: Dawn Island, Partys Bar

“So that’s pretty much what’s been going on. What do I do, Makino?”

“Luffy, I haven’t seen you in years and the first thing you do is ask me about how to raise a kid?” Makino asked, pulling stools down from the bar as she set up for the morning. Nearby, Annie was standing in the corner with her arms crossed, clearly unpleased.

“Uh no, I asked for breakfast first.” Luffy corrected her. “And aren’t bartenders supposed to give good advice?”

The green-haired woman gave him an exasperated look, placing a hand to her hip.

“First of all, give me a hug. I missed you.” Makino held out her arms, Luffy immediately wrapped his arms around the woman, lifting her up into the air with a big grin on his face. The pair shared a laugh together as Luffy set her back down. “Alright, that’s enough. Now as for your situation; this girl just lost her mother, Luffy, can you imagine how she’s feeling right now?”

“No? I didn’t know my mom.” He pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

“Ugh.” Makino shook her head. “Alright, remember how you felt when Ace died? That’s how she’s feeling right now.”

“Oh… Oh man.” Luffy placed his head in his hands. “So, what should I do then? I don’t know anything about taking care of a kid!” The Pirate King paused for a moment, looking back up to Makino. “Hey, do you think-”

“I’m not raising her for you, Luffy.”

“Why not? You already have one! You’re an expert!”

“One is a handful enough as is. And you shouldn’t just pass off kids to someone else like luggage! Annie’s in a vulnerable place right now and moving from home to home is just going to make her feel worse! Children need a constant presence in their lives, a rock they can lean on when times are hard, otherwise she-” Makino paused, looking past Luffy to the corner of the room.

“Huh?” Luffy turned his head, seeing that the corner he had left Annie in was now empty. “OH CRAP, WHERE’D SHE GO?!”

Luffy dashed out of the bar, frantically searching the area. When he saw no trace of the girl, he immediately activated his Observation Haki to widen his radius. Luffy sensed numerous auras surrounding him; the townsfolk. He was familiar enough with Makino and Mayor Woop Slap to pick out their auras, but the rest were practically indistinguishable from one another.

It was at times like this that Luffy cursed his luck. If he were an Observation specialist like Sanji or Usopp, he would be able to find her easily.

With no other choice, he picked a direction and started running.

As all of the shops on the main street began to open for the day, the streets were crowded with people and Luffy soon found himself pushing his way through the crowd, desperately trying to find the small four year-old.

“ANNIE? ANNIE!” He called out, but got no response.

Meanwhile, on the next street over, Annie had grabbed the attention of a young Marine soldier by pulling on his jacket sleeve.

“Hmm?” The man turned around, his eyes looking down at the little girl. “Well hello there, young lady.” He greeted with a friendly smile. “Are you lost?”

“Yes sir.” Annie nodded her head, remembering to show the proper respect her mother had taught her. “I’m from Rakesh and I don’t have a way back home.”

“Rakesh?” The Marine looked shocked. “You mean like, Rakesh in the North Blue?”

“Yes sir. I was brought here from my home against my will.”

“Wha- Hold on, I… Oh geez, they didn’t go over this in basic. Why don’t we both head over to the station? I- I think I need to contact my superior officer.”

Just then, a large dark-haired figure swerved the corner, locking eyes with the young girl.

“ANNIE! There you are!” Luffy cried out in relief, quickly closing the distance to reach her. “You had me worried there for a…” His voice trailed off as he spotted the Marine next to her.

The young soldier stepped between Annie and Luffy, his hand reaching for the sword at his hip.

“Young lady, do you know this man?” He questioned cautiously.

“No, I do not!” Annie shook her head.

“I figured as much.” The Marine unsheathed his sword, pointing it at Luffy. “Sir, I’m going to need you to lay down any weapons on your person and come with me.”

“Ugh, come on man.” Luffy groaned, slumping his arms forward. “I’m really not in the mood to fight right now.”

“If you aren’t going to comply, then I am authorized to use force, sir. Please don’t make this… this…”

Annie looked up and saw the Marine’s sword shaking in his hand. Turning to his face, she saw sweat running down his forehead, and a look of terror in his eyes.

“N- No… No, you’re not… You can’t be…”

*Clang!*

The Marine’s sword clattered on the road and the man took a shaky step back, then another, before finally spinning around and taking off running in the opposite direction.

“CAPTAIIIIN!”

“Aww, now we’ve gotta leave before the rest of ’em show up. And I didn’t even get my breakfast.” Luffy lamented, reaching down to grab Annie’s hand.

“NO!” She yelled, pulling her hand away. “Let go of me!”

“What’s your problem?” Luffy raised an eyebrow.

“You just want to get rid of me, right? Just like that Masked Turd -guy So let me go then! I wanna go home!”

“Annie…”

“I heard what you said! You wanted to pawn me off on that lady at the bar! And yesterday, you were trying to give me away to someone else!” Annie pointed an accusatory finger. “I get it already! Nobody wants me, so let me go home already!”

“I’m not trying to get rid of you, I just-”

“HEY! YOU! UNHAND THAT GIRL RIGHT NOW!” Luffy turned his head and saw several Marine officers running toward him, weapons drawn.

“Ugh, so annoying!” Wrapping Annie up in his arms, Luffy crouched down before leaping high into the air. “Let’s GOOOOOOOO!”

“AAAAAAHHHHH!” Tears were pouring from Annie’s eyes as she screamed at the top of her lungs, though the sound was drowned out by the rushing winds around them. “I HATE YOUUUUUUUU!”

East Blue: International Waters

Annie opened her eyes to see the sky above her filled with white puffy clouds. A gentle swaying she felt beneath her was calming, almost lulling her back to sleep. However before that could happen, the handle of a nearby mop toppled over, falling directly onto her head.

*Thunk!*

“OWW!” Annie yelled angrily, sitting up from her position on the boat.

Boat?

When did she get on a boat?

It wasn’t a very large boat, likely one made for fishing trips just off the island’s coast. But from the lack of land anywhere the eye could see, they were far from the coast.

“Oh hey, mornin’!” Luffy waved to the girl from his position on the side of the boat. He was holding a fishing rod and absent-mindedly kicking the air. “You sure were tired.”

“Where are we?” Annie demanded. “The last thing I remember is flying through the air and… HEY! You kidnapped me!”

“You said you wanted to leave, right? Well we’re leaving. Besides, that place is crawling with Marines now. We couldn’t stay without causing some major problems.” Luffy reeled in his rod, disappointed as it came up empty.

“Yes. Because you kidnapped me!” Annie repeated, stomping her foot.

“Sure,” Luffy shrugged. “Let’s go with that.” He flung his line back out into the water again.

“... So where are we going anyway?” Annie finally asked.

“Dunno.” The raven-haired man shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out when we get there.”

“You mean you don’t know?!” The girl’s eyes widened. “We’re going to die out here! Ahhh!” Frantically, she began running in circles around the deck while crying out.

“Ahaha! You remind me of Usopp!” Luffy began laughing hysterically and falling onto his back.

“I’m gonna die stranded out at sea with a stupid-idiot-jerk-face!” Annie slumped forward in defeat.

*Grrrowl!*

“Shut up, stomach. I don’t wanna hear it right now.” She grumbled to herself.

“I don’t think that was your stomach, Annie.” Luffy had stopped laughing now and was staring up at the sky with a serious expression.

The sky was filled with ominous gray clouds and in the distance, several of them were quickly twisting together to form a pillar, bridging the sky and the sea. Lightning flashed inside the pillar of clouds and a much larger clap of thunder shook the boat.

*KRAKOOOM!*

From there, the weather quickly took a turn for the worse. Rain pelted the deck of the ship and howling winds nearly carried Annie off of the boat, but a hand stretched out and caught her. The girl stared in shock at the extended arm, but gripped it tightly nonetheless, clinging to it for dear life.

“HOLD ON!” Luffy called out over the sounds of the storm.

His arm quickly retracted back and he brought Annie in close, throwing his coat around her to shield her from the weather. Frightened for her life, the small girl did the only thing she could and clung to Luffy’s chest, her fingers tightening around the cloth of his shirt. Squeezing her eyes shut, she hoped for the best and tried to picture her mother’s kind face to alleviate her fears.

Her mom was strong. Her mom was the strongest. She would always protect her, whether it was from bullies or her own fears, mom was always there. Until she wasn’t.

Now what did she have? Who was going to read to her at night when she was too restless to go to sleep? Who was going to scare away the monsters that crept in the dark?

Why did stupid mountain bandits have to take her mom away from her?! It wasn’t enough that her dad had died before she was even born?! This world was stupid and mean and so was everyone in it! If she was going to die anyway, then why couldn’t it be with her mom?

“Don’t worry, Annie.” A voice reassured the girl. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”

“Mom?” She questioned.

“I swear to you…” The voice continued, far too deep to be her mother. “We’re gonna be just fine! Nothing on these seas will stop me from keeping a promise! Because I’m Monkey D. Luffy! KING OF THE-”

*Splash!*

Freezing water crashed over the side of the ship.

“Ah man… Tired now…” Luffy began to tip backward, losing strength in his limbs.

“Hey! What’s going on?! Why are we-”

*Thunk!*

???: ???

“-ey! HEY!” Luffy awoke to the feeling of his nose getting stretched out far from his face. “WAKE UP!”

*SMACK!*

Luffy’s nose snapped back against his face, stinging slightly but hardly enough for the King of the Pirates to notice. He sat up in an instant and poor little Annie, startled by the sudden movement, stumbled backward before landing on her butt.

“Oww!” She moaned in pain before standing back up. “About time you woke up! What are we supposed to do now? The boat is destroyed and even if we could leave here, the fog is too thick for us to- *cough* to- *cough* *cough* *cough ”

Annie collapsed to her knees, breaking into a massive coughing fit as she grasped at her throat. As she gasped desperately to breath, she felt a firm hand press against her back.

“Slow down.” Luffy told her. “Breathe through your nose, deep breaths. Use your whole chest.”

Looking at him with wide eyes, Annie complied. The air felt like cold needles in her throat, but eventually her breathing became steadier and she ceased her choking.

“Wh- *huff* What is this place? Where’s the sea?”

Luffy looked out from the coast, to where the sea should have been. There was a thick white fog that stopped him from seeing anything more than a few meters out from the shore. The air was cold and crisp, and the wind was surprisingly strong for how much fog there was.

He knew this feeling.

“We aren’t on the sea.” He pointed out. “Not the Blue Sea anyway.”

“What?!” Annie turned to him in shock. “What do you- *cough* *cough* ”

“We’re in the sky.” Luffy turned around to see the land they had washed ashore on.

A large valley surrounded by dense woods, large pillar-like stones dotted the landscape, and far in the distance, Luffy spotted a pillar of smoke.

“Hey look, people. ” He pointed out, but Annie was too busy choking to hear him. Grabbing her by the back of her shirt, he picked the small girl up and began to carry her into the mainland. 

“Let’s go see if they have something to eat.”