The Way The Wave Flows

by coarse_sugar

Summary:

Monkey D Luffy wasn't a force that could be stopped, wasn't a power that could be constrained. Against all odds and doubts, he and his crew will be stopped by no one to accomplish their dreams.

One part ABO and all that good sexy romance stuff, one part character study rewrite, and one part angst and hurt/comfort. With a dash of humor and a sprinkle of extra super special abilities, it all adds up to this admittedly very self-indulgent story.

[temporary hiatus until my hyperfixation comes back SORRY LOL]

Notes:

——— = scene change
— = time progression (ex: later that day…)/POV change
“Text” = talking
Italics = emphasis, thoughts
Well, first and foremost, did you see the rating? It's there for a reason /)///(\ (even though this first chapter is all gen fluff and exposition.) The higher rating won't come into play until later chapters

Chapter 1: The Prologue

“Luffy, you have to listen to me.”

The sun was shining and the birds were singing cheerfully on a warm spring day. Two teens were sitting by a small river, the water clear and sparkling in the sun, fish jumping in and out of the stream. Trees lined the banks, and rustled in the wind.

The older boy was peeling off his second sock to dip his feet into the stream, and the younger one had already lost his shoes and was hopping around the water, trying to catch a fish. The older one grinned mischievously before tackling the younger one into the water. With a yelp the two went down, both getting soaked, and they proceeded to wrestle, splashing water everywhere and scaring off the wildlife.

After getting out and drying off the best they can, Ace, the older of the two, leads them to their treehouse where they had been staying the last few years. Ace was almost old enough to start his journey, at 16 he had just one more year to prepare before setting sail. His younger brother, Luffy, was only 13 and would have to wait even longer before starting his adventure.

However, there is another type of journey that all young humans face. At 16, their secondary gender will manifest. At that time, the individual will begin to show traits of one of the three types: alpha, beta, or omega. Many said betas were the luckiest, as their gendered traits were more mild and easier to hide or mask than those of alphas or omegas. Alphas exhibited more aggressive behavior, and tended to isolate themselves. That being said, many alphas were stronger naturally and gravitated towards leadership, their instincts causing them to take risks but ensure the success and safety of their own pack. Alphas were the second most common, with betas making up the majority of the population.

Omegas, on the other hand, were considered relatively rare. There were legends and tales of omegas being treated as rare treasure, locked away by their masters for their valuable status. There was even a few tales that claimed omegas had special abilities, and those lucky enough to come across one should snatch them up and hide them away. Some might dream of a situation like that, of being treated like a princess and kept safe forever, but it doesn’t usually happen that way. In reality, omegas were often kidnapped and sold into slavery, highly valued for their fertile nature and submissive qualities. Ace overheard someone in the Gray Terminal once mention that there was a Celestial Dragon dedicated to owning only omega slaves.

Ace, who had presented as an alpha like everyone thought he would, wouldn’t be worried about what happens to omegas, except…

There was no way that his small, doe-eyed, too-trusting, sweet and innocent baby brother was anything but an omega.

Not that anyone agreed with him, yet. Luffy had a lot of people fooled with his habit of rushing into everything, people assuming it was prepubescent alpha instinct driving him. Dadan and the rest of the mountain bandits wouldn’t even hear out Ace’s concerns, and Garp, when he was around, was convinced his grandson would turn out to be an alpha, like every male in the Monkey family.

The only person who would listen to Ace was Makino, a beta and a sweet woman who owned a bar in the little village down the mountain, and she promised to give Luffy a proper education on the topic when the time came. Ace had to trust her, since if he stuck around past his 17th birthday their grandpa would surely force him into the Marines. But Ace, being “just the right amount of protective” older brother, would worry probably about his younger brother for the rest of his life.

After roasting a large fish they caught earlier in the day, Ace and Luffy relax by the fire. Ace glances over at his teen brother and starts to talk.

“Luffy,” he says, waiting until he’s sure he has his attention, “I’m leaving in less than a year.”

Luffy pouts and wiggles closer, so he’s sitting facing his brother.

“I know, Ace. You have to start your adventure! I don’t really want to think about it though…”

Aces smiles and puts an arm around him, tugging him closer.

“Hey, don’t be like that! It’s not like it’ll be the last time you ever see me. You’ll have to train extra hard after I leave to catch up with me!”

Luffy sits up and punches a fist into the air, “I will for sure beat you! Just you wait!” Before giggling and flopping down, laying his head in his brother’s lap.

Ace’s grin softens as he looks down at Luffy, before his mood turns somber. He looks into Luffy’s eyes.

“Luffy, I want you to know something. It’s really important to me that you remember this. Before I met you, I was angry and hurt. It’s because of you I’m able to smile and trust people again—“

“And Sabo! Sabo helped too!”

“Yes, Luff, Sabo also helped. But what I’m trying to say is that I’m thankful to you, and no matter what happens, no matter who you become, I’ll always love you, okay little brother?”

Luffy beams, his smile taking up most of face, “I’ll always love you too Ace! I won’t let anything happen to you!”

Ace scowls, “I’m the big brother! It’s me who won’t let anything happen to you!”

Luffy only giggles again, happy in the moment to be with his older brother. The moon was rising on another night over the high treetops their treehouse is nestled in, and the two eventually head to bed, eager to get some sleep and start their training again next morning.

———
A year or so later…

Luffy sat on the cliff overlooking the sea. From this height, he could still see Ace’s small boat sailing away. Hugging his knees to his chest as he watched his brother start his adventure, starting his fight for the top, for the throne of Pirate King.

Luffy knew, of course, that he was the one that would be Pirate King. It was his dream first, anyway. His brother liked to tease him about, and started saying it was his dream as well to bug Luffy. The younger teen didn’t mind, it was a good excuse for them to get even stronger and fight each other in the future.

The smile on Luffy’s face contrasted with the tears running down his cheeks. He was happy for his brother, but things would be lonely without him on Dawn island.

Sure he had Dadan and the mountain bandits, and Makino and Wood Slap and the other villagers, and sometimes Gramps will still visit, and if he got really really lonely he could always go to the kingdom, just to be around people.

And maybe to cause a little chaos. What could he say? Crazy stuff always happened when he was around, even if he wasn’t looking for it. Luffy didn’t mind, crazy stuff was exciting!

But it wasn’t really the same, was it? To get up to no good by yourself. Luffy didn’t have his brothers anymore. He needed a crew! People who he loved and who loved him and didn’t mind the chaos that sometimes (always) follows him. Luffy stopped crying, smile getting a little stronger. He hoped his crew would also be excited to go on adventures together.

It would be so hard to wait these next three years, before he could go out and find his own pack, find sooo many cool adventures, find Ace and kick his ass, and…find the One Piece…
He didn’t know how he could handle waiting!
The young teen jumped up, suddenly serious. This wasn’t a time of waiting, this was time to prepare! He had to train harder than before, so he’d be strong enough to protect all his friends.

And, pausing before running off to start the aforementioned training, Luffy looked to the tiny speck on the horizon, Ace’s ship just a dot getting smaller and smaller.

And, so he can kick Ace’s ass when they meet again!

———

Garp made it a point to visit his hometown for the important dates. Birthdays, at least one major holiday, and at the very start of the fighting monkey season. See, the monkeys were always pretty feisty. But in early spring, they were particularly up for some good fisticuffs, and that suited Garp’s training methods perfectly. He would routinely visit for his youngest grandson’s birthday, before beginning their newest training regimen, starting with the fighting monkeys.

Conveniently, the monkeys, with dedicated opponents, have been getting better at fighting too, provide a challenge year after year for Garp’s young trainees. Er, grandsons. Trainee grandsons! Now down to only the youngest, Luffy has been facing all the monkeys (and then stronger beasts that lived on the mountain) all on his own. As long as he doesn’t run off at 17 like his adoptive older packmate, Garp would be able to enlist the well-trained youngster and shape him into a fine marine!

In fact, it might even be more critical for his youngest charge. Garp’s expression turned darkly serious as he thought of the difficult life his grandson will be facing. He could only do so much to protect Luffy, and Garp prayed he would be kept safe. His youngest grandson just turned 16 and his secondary gender presented itself as omega, unexpected by everyone who knew the boy and his family. Except Ace, who had admittedly tried to warn everyone. Who would have thought the brat was on to something?

The vice admiral was just as confused and bewildered as everyone else, but quickly came up with a plan that was almost perfect. He just had to get Luffy to agree.

Garp sighed, that would be harder than anything else. The boy was determined to be a pirate, head full of tales from that red haired rat. And his brother has run off to become a pirate too, probably encouraging the rascal even more.

It was dark when Garp eventually arrived at the Makino’s bar. He knew Luffy had been staying there since his birthday a few days ago, the barmaid letting him know over transponder snail once he was in range. The moon was waning tonight, a smiling crescent in the sky over Dawn Island. The older alpha came alone, leaving his crew to visit the kingdom nearby to replenish their supplies for their eventual trip back across the calm belt.

Opening the doors to the warmth and soft lighting of the bar, gentle music playing as the dark haired woman swept the floor behind the counter, preparing to close. Noticing Garp’s presence, she stopped and greeted him, smile welcoming but concern clouding her eyes.

“Hello Mr. Garp, sir! Welcome back, let me get you something to drink. Are you hungry? Luffy didn’t eat as much today so we have actually have leftovers…”

Garp, not surprised after hearing about Luffy’s sour mood in the snail call earlier, merely laughed, sitting down at the bar counter.

“My dear Makino, no need to be so formal! And of course, I’d never turn down homemade food!”

After serving Garp the food (which was scarfed down with familiar intensity, getting a giggle out of Makino), the two caught up about Garp’s navy adventures, the latest town news, and an account of all the mischief Luffy has been getting up to since the vice admirals last visit.

Little did they know, the mischief maker in question had come out of his room to sit quietly on the steps, listening in on the conversation. After a few moments of silence, Makino brought up the topic they had been avoiding.

“It's truly a blessing that we aren't required to register his status with the kingdom. The fact they they take any presented omegas and offer the celestial dragons first pick, before keeping the rest for themselves to do so as they please, makes me so angry!”

“They are truly dirty bastards. I swear I'm trying to make a change Makino.”

“I know you are…I’m just worried about Luffy. He has such a good heart, I don’t want them to take that away.” Makino whispered, tears threatening to fall.

“That’s why I want him to become a marine. So I can keep him safe. I can protect his status, say he’s a beta, get him on scent and heat blockers…”

“Mr. Garp, sir…”

The vice admiral continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted, eyes towards the mug in his hands, but mind running through his plan.

“Of course, passing as a beta, he can only become a lieutenant commander at best. Maybe a captain if the fleet admiral gives special permission. As an omega...he'd be lucky to make petty officer before the Celestial Dragon's would summon him for inspection,” Garp shuddered and went on, “If his usefulness as a marine is more than their desire to keep him, he can only grow to the rank of ensign, the 11th highest rank.”

Makino gasps “Mr. Garp, that’s awful...you know how ambitious Luffy is. He’d never settle for being less than the best…and putting him on scent and heat blockers? For the rest of his life?”

“It’s better than him becoming a pirate! Out there on the sea there is no paperwork to fudge, no way for me to protect him!”

Makino’s expression cleared into set determination, belief like fire in her eyes.
“But his dream is to become pirate king.”

Garp doesn’t challenge her, he knows it just as well as she does, Luffy will never give up on his dream. Instead, he nods, intense eyes falling shut in acceptance.

“And he’s stubborn to a fault. Just like his dad and I.”

Luffy, perks up at the mention of his father. Gramps never brings him up.

Makino, also ever curious, tries to not seem too interested. Focusing on wiping the glass with the towel in her hands, Makino asks,

“Do you know what his father is up to lately, anyway?”

“It’s my job to know about all the rapscallions out there and what their plans are! Of course I know exactly where my son is and what trouble he’s getting up to!”

Makino eyed Garp for a split second, before sighing and returning to her glass drying.

“You have no idea, do you?”

Garp face planted into the bar top, despondent after having his boastful lies found out so easily. In truth, he had no idea what his wayward son was up to, despite him being the “most wanted criminal in the world.” The vice admiral wished he knew, if only to avoid him. They both have their own duties to their respective factions, and a reunion might unfortunately end in a bloody battle.

“It must be difficult, knowing you two are fighting for the same thing, but on opposing sides.”

Garp, sitting up, only nodded at her words, before gulping down the rest of the content in his mug.

“If you’re ready to retire for the night, you’re welcome to the spare room upstairs. The usual one, next to Luffy’s room.”

Garp smiled and thanked the barmaid graciously for her hospitality. Luffy, knowing Garp would be heading upstairs and not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, scrambled from his seat at the top of the stairs, diving into his bed.

“I’ll take you up on that offer! Tomorrow morning I’ll talk to Luffy, and then get started on the next stage of his training!” It’s fighting monkey season, after all! There would be no time wasted on being upset about things out of their control. The most important thing, always, was to get stronger.

—
The next morning…

A beautiful springtime morning arose the next day. The leaves were green and rustling with blossoming flowers and birds feeding their freshly hatched young. The few clouds that hung in the sky were fluffy and white, holding no trace of rain. Garp had gotten up at the crack of rays from the dawning sun, keeping to his marine routine of a light jog after waking up.

After circling the village several times (for a decorated Navy officer, that is a light jog, Garp will have you know!) he decides his grandson has had more than enough time to sleep in. Makino was already up making breakfast. Garp thinks she spoils Luffy, just a bit. He should be catching his own breakfast! It’s a good daily survival exercise, in his opinion.

At the top of the stairs in Makino’s bar, the vice admiral doesn’t hesitate slamming the door to the room Luffy uses open loudly, before marching over to the bed in two quick strides.

Yanking the blankets, and the lump bundled inside, off the bed and dumping them onto the wooden floor, Garp yells out a good morning to his teen grandson.

Who, now awake and out of bed, wiggles out of the blankets he was nested in, grumpy frown on his face and hair sticking up more than usual. He glares sleepily up at his grandfather.

The vice admiral merely laughs, loud guffawing shaking the floorboards. He’s expression darkens with a smirk and he winds up a fist, bringing it down on Luffy’s head shouting out his attack.

“Wake up with Grandpa’s Fists of Love!”

“OW! Gramps what the hell! I was already awake!”

Garp, already grabbing the blankets to put away, Luffy tumbling out of them, takes no time to speak what is on his mind.

“Luffy, you are now entering the adult world.”

The rubber teen, knowing what conversation must be coming, sat on the bed, expression annoyed. Why did things always get so complicated for him? If he had presented as an alpha like Ace and Gramps, no one would be trying to comfort him, or lecture at him to “prepare him” for the world. Luffy thinks all this stuff is stupid. It shouldn’t matter whatever he is, he’s still going to be super strong and he’s going to do whatever he wants!

He directs his glare at his grandfather.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m an omega, blah blah blah. I have to be careful or whatever.”

Garp, sensing Luffy’s despondence, crouches down to be eye level with him.

“Luffy, you can be strong no matter what you are. You are a Monkey, after all!”

The rubber teen’s frown clears away, not expecting his grandpa to say something like that.

Garp continues, “And all of the Monkey D family are tougher than nails!”

Luffy jumps up, fists clenched excitedly as he yells an agreement.
“Yeah!”

“We’re stronger than steel!”

“Yeah!”

“We make the best marines!”

“Ye-NO WAY GRAMPS! I’m going to be a pirate!”

With an unexpected Fist of Love, Garp replies. “No! You are strong, but the pirating world is no place for my grandson! You’ll become a fine marine, make lieutenant, and marry an admiral!”

“What no way Gramps! …I heard what you and Makino were talking about last night.”

Luffy looks into Garp’s eyes and Garp is hit with how much he looks like his father, the stubborn fire of determination alight in his eyes. Another goddamn no-good rascal telling Garp he’s not going to listen to him.

Luffy, looking at him with an intensity to rival the sun, continues.

“I’m not gonna listen to anybody telling me what I can do or can’t do! And to do that…I'll become the freest man in the world! I will become the Pirate King!”

And the older alpha, knowing he won’t be able to change Luffy’s mind right now (if ever), lets the topic go for now. A much better use of his time would be to start the rubber teen’s training right away. It was fighting monkey season, after all!

———

Some days later…

Makino had been trying to teach Luffy different things for many years now, since he and Ace were younger. She wouldn’t call herself an expert in Luffy-wrangling, but if there was such a thing, she would be the closest thing to it. Besides Ace, of course. She wishes the young man was here now, to get his younger brother to sit still and listen like before.

“Luffy…I’ll make you extra meat with dinner if you’ll just sit down!”

Luffy immediately sits down obediently, the promise of food always the greatest motivator for the rubber teen. Sometimes Makino bribes him to come to the lessons in the first place with the promise of a homemade dinner. Luffy thought otherwise, but Makino believed (and Ace insisted) that they ought to know the basic, important things.

So she taught them what she knows, which she admits is not very much. She was lucky to receive an elementary education in the nearby kingdom, where she grew up with her parents in the merchant district. However, at 14 she moved to Foosha to help her aunt run the bar after her uncle’s passing. Based on her education, she was able to teach the two brothers how to read and write, and simple math. Ace had asked her to teach him manners too, and usually forced Luffy to sit through those lessons with him, although Makino was pretty sure the younger brother didn’t pay much attention.

She wouldn’t try to force Luffy to sit through more lessons, but it was important for him to know what the world was like considering his gender. And she promised Ace to explain things about it to Luffy when the time came.

Makino straightened up and took a deep breath with confidence. She could do this! She has had to give “the birds and the bees” talk to several village teens now, as they were too embarrassed to go to their parents (Makino will admit, she really likes being the cool older woman everyone asks for advice). But Luffy…didn’t really care for this sort of topic. And if Luffy doesn’t care about something, the chances to get him to pay attention are insanely low.

Still, she had to try!

In one last bid to get his attention, she brings up that there are some skills he can use now that can help him find and take care of his pack.

Luffy perks up at this, “Mystery abilities? That will help me find my crew?”

“Well, yeah. I guess so, haha…” Makino replied, surprised to see Luffy beginning to sit more attentively than she has seen him. (Except, of course, the moment right before a meal is served). The bar owner continues on with her explanation.

“So, there are three secondary genders; alpha, beta, and omega—“

“I already know that Makino! tell me the other stuff! How I can find my future crew mates!”

“That’s just how I was beginning my lesson! Don’t interrupt!”

“Sorry, Makino…” Luffy said, rubbing the new bump on his head.

“Okay, let me continue, “ she leans in conspiratorially, “listen real good and I’ll pack you some jerky to take home!” Luffy doesn’t need to be told again. She takes out a pad of paper and a pencil to sketch out what she was explaining, visual clues are always helpful!

“The three different genders differ somewhat. Betas, like me, don’t have as strong of scenting abilities the others have, but we also don’t have as strong instinctual drives. Because of that, betas are pretty versatile and can carry out a lot of different roles, since they’re not affected as much by pheromones (which is another word for biological scents your body produces.) Compared to that, alphas and omegas have much stronger senses, and have stronger scents.”

Luffy interrupted, crinkling his nose, “So we’re smelly?”

“Not exactly…It’s not stinky, but it can be strong, it can spread through the air, and it can cause your instinctual drive to react in a positive or negative ways.”

“So…”

“So, it can be a good thing. I know you already have pretty good instincts, but listening to your inner omega could help you identify people you can trust!”

“Oh! Like people to join my crew!”

“Yes and…other things…”

“Like what?”

“Well your crew is one thing, but one day you might want other things. Like a pack, or a family.”

“Hmm…Those are all the same things.” Luffy said, head tilting.

Makino smiled at him exasperatedly. Luffy loved so fiercely, she hoped it wouldn’t frighten people away. If only he could meet people who loved and pursued their dreams just as fiercely, he would find a perfect place to belong. Makino hoped they were out there, waiting for the rubber teen to find them.

“A pack is usually a small group of people you trust the most, and you are right, you start off with your family as your pack. And if you’ve pack-bonded, then no matter how far apart you might be, you will still be connected.”

Luffy nodded, serious.
Makino giggled and poked him in the stomach.

“That means no matter how far you sail, we’ll still be connected! So you have to come back and visit your big sister Makino, okay?”

Luffy smiled big before replying, “Of course! So I can tell you about all the adventures I will have!”

“But going back to what I was saying, sometimes family means something a little bit different, and you’ll feel a different kind of love for them…”

———

Notes:

First: thank you for making it to the end, I hope you enjoyed!

Now, I'd like to take this opportunity to warn yall of the contents of this fic lol.
The tags pretty much speak for themselves, but...
IMO, ABO/omegaverse can be sorta CNC/dub-con-ish, with pheromones and mating cycles etc etc, so there might be some elements of this. There won't be any explicit non-con in this fic, although it might be hinted at/alluded too.
Um, there will be explicit smut scenes hahaha, not until at least post-Alabasta. Devil fruit powers will of course be involved, this is a one piece fic afterall >:)
I will warn for NSFW scenes when they may show up, and most of the fic will be focused on the differences in this abo-verse vs canon, some of my personal favorite canon moments, and of course shippy (platonic and romantic) scenes, because we really can't have enough of those, can we?

Anyway, I sincerely hope you enjoy! I have gone absolutely feral on this fic so it is a culmination of many many years of hyperfixation day dreams and my favorite tropes X3

Chapter 2: A Pull

Notes:

This chapter covers Zoro's introduction up to post-Buggy fight/en route to Usopp's island.
(To explain, a little: I have no patience to rewrite the entirety of the story, but will instead be focusing on adding in extra scenes and twisting canon scenes to be more attune to this universe
If something is not written in here, but happens in the manga timeline, assume it happened the same way ><)

Zoro is here! And Nami! This is my first time writing them but I really had a fun time, I hope y’all enjoy…

Luffy saw the dirty, green-haired swordsman he had been looking for tied to a post in the middle of a dusty navy courtyard.

 

Mine.

 

—

Later that evening, Luffy and Zoro were drifting in their dinghy. The sun was setting, and the clouds were rare. The tide was mellow as it rocked the small boat.

Luffy was openly excited and curious about Zoro. His first crew mate! If his adventure hadn't started before, it was definitely happening now. And, if it was this easy to gather crew mates, Luffy would have no problem at all!

Still, he was very curious about his new friend. The young captain was sure he made a good choice, after all. But, there were important things Luffy wanted to know! Like when was his birthday, and if he has any siblings, and of course: what is his favorite food?

"Ne, Zoro, what's your favorite food?"

"Alcohol."

Luffy thought that was kind of weird, but accepted it anyway. It's still something you can put in your mouth, so he guesses it counts.

"My favorite food is meat!"

The swordsman cracked open one eye to look at the younger man. He was seated across the boat, not that there was much space to begin with. Zoro was leaning against the back, and the straw hat wearer had remained for most of the day on the other half, near the bow.

Now, his new captain was mere inches away, somehow managing to sit close enough to share the same air without him noticing.

Seconds later, Zoro realized that the proximity combined with their freshly bathed status must have made their scents more noticeable, because he just found out something about the boy in front of him.

He was an omega.

And a young one, at that. His scent still wasn't as potent as it would be after his first heat. Zoro added everything up…and the conclusion was: he was in way over his fucking head. Sure, Luffy was strong, but omegas were often hunted down and sold as rare prizes, or locked away by their families in fear of the former happening. There were almost no omega pirates, most afraid of the dangerous lifestyle. He blurted out the first thing on his mind.

"Why is an omega trying to be a pirate?"

Luffy sat back and frowned at this. "Why should that matter? Besides, I'm not trying to be a pirate, I am a pirate! And since I’m a pirate, I can do whatever I want and go wherever I want! No one can tell me what to do, especially not because of dumb things that don’t matter."

Zoro, reminded of someone else who fought against the shackles of society and expected biological roles, looked away, embarrassed.

Luffy continued, eyes intense, “I won’t break the promise I made with you. If I get in the way of your dream, you can take my life.”

Zoro, with more fondness in his lone wolf heart than should be able to build up in the short amount of days he’s known the straw-hat wearer, already wants to take back the promise.

But he also understood how important oaths were between people. He respected this statement by his captain more than anything else.

"Sorry, Captain, you’re right. We're pirates, who the fuck cares about anything else."

Luffy studied Zoro, expression unreadable except for his still furrowed eyebrows, before giving the older man a sunshine grin and diving back into his questioning.

“So Zoro…Do you wanna be my first mate?”

Zoro yawns. “That sounds like a lot of responsibility. I don’t know if I want that much.”

“Eh? What does a first mate even do, besides being really cool and being best friends with the captain?”

He gives the rubber man a scrutinizing look, “The person chosen for first mate is really important, you dork. That person has the duty of sharing the burden of being the captain.”

“I don’t think being the captain will be that burden-full!”

“I think the right word is burdensome…”

Luffy’s smile softens and his eyes are warm with freely given affection. “Well, you’re my first crew mate, so you’re pretty important anyway!”

Zoro, not used to this much attention, looks away, only giving a soft noise of acknowledgment as a reply. Luffy continued his friendly interrogation and Zoro entertained the questioning…Until he got thoroughly annoyed and growled at the younger man to let him have some quiet. Luffy just laughed and let Zoro get back to his nap, content to watch the moon slowly rise over the horizon.

—
Later that night…

Zoro, startled by someone in personal space for the second time, deep under the velvet black midnight sky, light from the vast star systems and moon sparkling like a pearl overhead. The waves were gentle, but an inky blue black in the dark of night.

The reason for his abrupt awakening was Luffy, cuddled against his side and under his arm. How he got so close again before Zoro could notice was beyond him, especially since the swordsman prided himself on his awareness of his surroundings, even asleep.

Luffy wasn't sleeping, just staring up at Zoro with wide chocolate eyes, watching to see what he'll do next.

"Um...What are you doing?"

"You looked like you were having trouble sleeping. It's actually easier to sleep when you cuddle, didn’t you know that, Zoro?"

Zoro did not know that, he hasn’t ever just cuddled someone. And he definitely hasn’t ever cuddled someone to sleep. He’s been alone for most of his life. He wouldn't call himself lonely, just a loner, and that suited the alpha just fine. It was easier, not having to deal with other people who were annoying, noisy and smelt bad.

But, Zoro thought to himself, there did seem to be one major benefit to this "cuddling" thing. Even in fair weather, the nights at sea tend to be cold, and both pirates were not great at planning ahead, so things like warmth and extra clothes were not part of their meager supplies. So the cuddling thing? Not bad, if only for the warmth that Luffy seems to generate.

Plus, he was feeling a little guilty about his earlier assumptions…

Zoro decides to allow it, and resettles into his reclining position against the stern, letting Luffy get comfortable. Besides, Luffy was the one to come to him. Maybe he's the one who actually needs help sleeping. Yup, let’s go with that.

Luffy snuggled closer to his new friend and first crew mate, eyes closed but smile wide, and the two drifted off for another few hours of sleep.

———

A few days, meetings, and stolen treasure later, on a clear sunny day…

Cabaji, high in the air, prepares his attack, confident in this practiced strategy. While the enemy is distracted by his handsome airborne self, his captain sends out his disconnected hands in order to hold the victim in place, at their mercy for the joint attack.

But…um…what was that?

Holding out one smoking, outstretched hand, is the enemy captain. The aftermath of a large energy blast, similar to a Buggy Ball, had cleared out the debris the crew had previously been hiding in. Eyes darting around, Cabaji relaxes slightly when he sees his captain floating off to the side. He was rubbing one of his unattached hands, as if he wasn’t fast enough to recall the limb before it got singed from the blast.

“Don’t interfere in Zoro’s fight!”

Cabaji was beginning to descend, but he was a little afraid to get back down there. These guys were strong, alright. If the captain, the younger and weaker looking of the two, could do shit like that…

His opponent must be a demon as well.

“HEY YOU! When were you able to steal one of my Buggy Balls?! How many more do you have? Give them back!” The acrobat heard his captain yell.

The straw-hatted boy seemed confused, looking down at his hand like the attack he planned wasn’t the attack to come out.

Cabaji cleared his thoughts, and prepared his own attack, he was nearing the ground at this point and it wouldn’t do to waste the distraction, even if it’s not their usual practiced duo attack.

And what a distraction it was. Zoro was just a little starstruck at the moment. His new captain was pretty cool. And maybe (he could admit it in his own mind, at least) a little bit hot.

I mean, come on. Earlier Luffy caught a blade in his mouth and crushed it. That’s hot.

And now, as if his rubber powers weren’t ridiculous enough, he’s either resourceful enough to have planned ahead and brought some explosives (unlikely) or he has some other tricks up his sleeve.

Zoro wouldn’t fall behind. Sensing the ridiculous sword wielding acrobat descending, Zoro easily dodged and knocked the clown off of his unicycle. But his wound from earlier was getting worse, and he fell to his knees. Maybe targeting his own injury wasn’t the…coolest thing he could have done.

“What’s wrong? Getting tired?”

Zoro’s bandana covered his eyes, but his mouth curled into a sharp grin.

“Yeah I’m tired. Tired of fighting weaklings!” Before performing his signature attack, defeating the loser. Who the fuck rides a unicycle, anyway?

Falling onto his back, Zoro tells his captain, confident in the other’s fighting abilities, “I’m gonna take a nap now.”

Luffy only grins back at him, before turning to the clown captain, hitting one fist to his open palm.

“Go ahead, I got this.”

—

Sometime later, out on the open sea.

Two small ships were tied together and drifting peacefully among the waves. Gulls could be heard in the distance, interrupting the soft lapping of the waves against their ships. There was no land in sight, nothing but clear blue horizons on either side. The sky was clear, but there were only 5 more hours of sunlight left, according to Nami’s calculations. Luckily, the breeze was moving the incoming clouds southwest, away from their current projection, so they’d be perfectly fine throughout an easy, gentle night. There was just one problem.

Nami was surrounded by idiots.

Over-powered, sure, but overly-dumb.

She supposes it cancels out, you can't have the strength and the brains after all. And she just so happened to be the one with the brains!

She giggled to herself, excited about all the great ways she can use them to her advantage!

From her vantage point on the far end of her ship (she was counting her treasure, and didn't want those two to see the score she stole from that bastard Buggy!) she slyly looked over at the other ship. Eyes widening and the embarrassment of getting caught looking rushed over the female alpha as her eyes met directly with the rubber captain.

“Hi! Are you done with whatever you were doing over there with all the treasure? Can we talk now?”

Nami, hand definitely caught in the cookie jar, decided not to approach the topic. She walked across the short boat to sit against the rail. Luffy sat holding the rail facing her on his boat.

The orange-haired girl was hesitant to talk to this weirdo. He, nor the swordsman, who appeared to be sleeping against the other side of their small boat, seemed particularly worried about…anything really. Certainly not about the treasure, and not about where they were going next. If Nami hadn’t seen what they were capable of on the island before, she would have thought they were pretty crappy “pirates.”

That being said, they were still pirates nonetheless, at least according to the overly excited captain. But they really weren’t like any pirates Nami has met before, were they? Roronoa Zoro was supposed to be a pirate bounty hunter, last time she checked.

Straw Hat Luffy wasn’t a name she saw on any bounty list, and he hadn’t betrayed her even after she threw him to Buggy. In fact, he was still adamant that she should join his crew (which was Not Happening). And he saved that box of food for the puppy in town…Maybe he wasn’t so bad, just had a head full of fairytales about what being a pirate is supposed to look like.

Nami eyed Luffy, who was still waiting for a reply, fingers drumming on the rail as he waited, face open and expectant. She supposed he was kinda cute, for a misguided dork. Too bad he was also an alpha…

Oh? How did Nami know he was an alpha? She hasn’t spent enough time in close proximity to either to properly scent them, after all. But, Nami prided herself on her excellent deductive reasoning! There was no way two brash, bold, super strong idiots had anything but empty-headed male alpha fighting instincts. The young thief was positive of it.

Anyways, Nami wasn’t interested in male alphas, but she could still make use of these guys. First, she needed to build some trust between them. She warily answered the previously posed question.

“I was counting the total worth, of course. Since it’s more than I would have gotten in that situation by myself, I’ll make you guys a deal!”

Luffy, with a shout excitedly answers yes, but is interrupted by Zoro.

“Be careful about agreeing, Luffy. We don’t know what kind of schemes that woman might be roping us into.”

“Zoro! That’s so mean, Nami is part of our crew! We can trust her!”

“I never said I would join you! I steal from pirates, remember? I can’t be one!”

“But Nami, you have to be our navigator…You said we would be lost without you!”

Facing Luffy’s big puppy eyes, Nami has to look away before she gives in. She’s not going to cave in because of a cute face! Nami is better than that…Time to take control back.

“That’s right! So I’ll help you guys out for now, okay? In exchange, I’ll keep all the treasure we find! But, I’ll pay for your food and supplies until we part ways. Sound good?”

Luffy assents with a cheer, and Nami wonders if he heard her correctly at all. Zoro snorts, eyes still closed in fake sleep, but doesn’t vocally object. The alpha woman counts this as a win, and secretly pumps her fist to herself in celebration. She was going to make so much money off these guys! Regaining her composure, Nami decides to make conversation with the (much) more vocal of the duo.

“So…Remember that huge blast when you were fighting Buggy?”

“Oh you saw that! Wasn’t that so cool? Hey Zoro did you think it was cool?”

“But Luffy, what was that? I didn’t see you grab anything explosive before going to fight him.”

“Hmm, I don’t know. It must have been a mystery power!” The rubber man says, confidently, as if that explains everything. Nami looks at him incredulously, and Zoro even winks an eye open to look questioningly at his captain. Nami hurtles on,
“Well, can you do that all the time?”

Luffy perks up, and holds out a hand, as if to repeat the move from earlier.

“I’ve never tried before!” He replied excitedly, before frowning in concentration.

“LUFFY NO!”

After a beat, nothing happens. Luffy only pouts and lowers his hand, but Nami has already felt her soul leave her in paralyzing fear. Zoro looks somewhat disappointed, and intones sadly,

“Damn, it didn’t work.”

Luffy looked at his hands before nodding, "Like I said, a mystery power! I’m sure I can figure it out when we fight someone stronger!”

“Hell yeah.”

“Hell NO. Let’s try NOT to fight more crazy people, please? God, why am I with these two alpha male idiots.”

Luffy only grins, distracted by the prospect of beating stronger and stronger foes, and becoming the strongest to take the Pirate King throne. Zoro doesn’t bother to correct Nami, just lets his blood thirsty grin fall and pretends (or is he actually asleep? Nami couldn’t tell) to sleep.

Nami lets out a sigh, ready to return to her treasure, but Luffy has moved back to looking at her with wide, staring eyes.

“Hey Nami, what’s your favorite food?”

Suddenly shy and tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, Nami answers. “I like tangerines…and most fruit.”

“That makes sense! You smell like oranges! And rain.” Luffy grins at her.

“Who said you could scent me!”

“But you smell really good! Zoro does too! Like steel and forests.”

The swordsman’s eyes flew open as a blush settled across his cheeks, matching the one Nami is sure she has. Is this guy for real? Was he not aware that scenting someone’s personal scent was…well, very personal! To scent someone was indicative of the intention to pack-bond, and certainly not something you want to begin with almost complete strangers. Nami herself has only scented her immediate family.

“Hey, Luffy, you shouldn’t go around scenting everyone you meet…”

“I know that! But you guys are special! We’re pack!”

“I still haven’t said I would join you, idiot!”

—

Later, another blissfully peaceful night on the East Blue sea, clouds blown away just as Nami predicted…

Luffy had run out of questions to ask his new friend a few hours ago, and the orange haired alpha didn’t think it was possible, but they sat in companionable silence for a time. Zoro was definitely asleep at this point, and Nami knew for sure this time because the swordsman was snoring loudly.

She was content to ponder her thoughts, thinking up some possible schemes she could play out with the muscle on her side now, when Luffy finally breaks the silence. Uncharacteristically calm, he was gazing off into the horizon, but turns to look at her directly for her response.

“Nami, what is your dream?”

“Well, my goal is to make a lot of money! I need it to buy something important."

“But, what is your dream?”

Nami eyes him. When was the last time she was asked about her dream? When was the last time she even thought about it, before burying it under the weight of her burdens and responsibilities? Turning away, to look at the same horizon the other was watching before, Nami replies,
“…When I was little, I always dreamed of creating a map of the whole world,” She chuckles, ruefully. “But I was a little girl then, and silly dreams of unimportant little girls don’t go very far—“

“No! If it’s your dream, there’s no way it’s unimportant!”

Nami whips her head around, surprised at his tone. She was too stunned to speak, the conviction of his words touched a part of her that she thought was long dead and buried.

He continues, “Plus, that’ll be a piece of cake! We’re going to go on so many adventures around the world on the way to the One Piece! You’ll have plenty of uncharted seas and islands to map!”

“I still haven’t said I would join you…”

Luffy only laughs. Nami sighs, before standing up. It was time to head to bed, before she started entertaining such crazy ideas.

———

Notes:

Author fun facts!
Way back when, when I was a wee little one watching one piece for the first time (on 4kids lmaoooo…) zoroxluffyxnami was my ot3 :,) I just really love their dynamic!

Thanks for reading! Usopp and Sanji in the next chapter!!

Chapter 3: Gentle Rocking

Notes:

This chapter drops us in during Syrup village/Kuro arc, and begins the Baratie arc...

After the altercation at Kaya’s mansion, Luffy had followed the long-nosed man to a cliff face overlooking a small beach, waves from the open seas crashing onto the shore every so often.

The disdainful butler of the mansion, Klahadore, had made derogatory remarks about Usopp’s dad, who promptly defended his father, saying he was a brave warrior of the sea. During his speech, Luffy remembered Yasopp, a sniper on Shanks’ crew, who had talked about his son often enough.

Popping up besides the beta, Luffy jumps right into sharing his discovery. Usopp is surprised this random guy knows who his dad is, but is thankful to hear any news of his adventuring father. Luffy watches Usopp as he gives a suddenly impassioned speech on the bravery needed to be a pirate, and knows he’s found another crew-mate.

Grinning up at him, Luffy is about to ask him to join his crew, when he spots the annoying butler from earlier, talking to some other weirdo down on the beach.

“But my share of the spoils better be worth it…”

Klahadore scoffs, glaring at his ex-underling. “Of course it will be. If my plan succeeds, you’ll get exactly what you deserve.”

Django, hypnotist and acting captain of the Kuro Pirates, replies with a proud thumb pointing to his chest. “Well, if it’s murder, then I’m your man!”

“How many times do I have to tell you, there will be no murdering!” The butler pauses to push his glasses up using the bottom of his palm. “It appears you still don’t fully understand my plan, let me re-elaborate it for you, small-brained idiot,”

“You will hypnotize the girl, and have her write a will that says she will be leaving her entire fortune to her faithful butler, Klahadore.” He laughs, “That’s how I will inherit her fortune, lawfully, and be able to live in wealth and peace in this small no-name town.”

"What are we supposed to do with the girl after?”

With an evil glint in his eyes, the ex-captain replies, “Kaya is an omega, I’m sure despite her illness she’ll fetch a high price with slave traders. Have her write a note saying she’s running away, then take her with you and do whatever you please.”

The hypnotist laughs, “I suppose that is a fair share! Omegas are fetching a high price these days, last I checked.”

Up on the cliff, spying on the two conspirators, Usopp and Luffy stayed hidden.

Usopp was sweating bullets, he had just heard something truly horrible. What could he do? He had to save Kaya, and the pirates might end up destroying the village completely. The young beta thought of all the people who lived in this town, his childhood home. The baker who would give him an extra loaf of bread if they had made too many, the old grandma who lives down the street from him and would knit him scarves or hats every Christmas, the doctor who tried so very hard to save his mother when she was dying…Not to mention Usopp’s lovable minions!

And Kaya herself! Usopp would do anything he could, just to save her alone.

Next to him, the guy he met earlier today remarked,

“What did they say? It sounded kinda mean.”

“Weren’t you listening? This is serious trouble! They’re going to attack the town tomorrow and kidnap Kaya and sell her to slavers!”

Luffy’s expression immediately darkens and Usopp leans back in response to the palpable anger. When the rubber man suddenly stands, the beta stares at him with wide eyes,

“Why are you standing? Get down, they’re going to see you!”

“Hey you guys! You can’t do that!” Luffy yells down to the two villains, completely exposing he and Usopp’s hiding place. The other man can’t say anything, paralyzed with shock.

Who the hell is this guy?

Unfortunately, Luffy, despite his confidence, is an easy victim for Django’s hypnotizing ring, and falls asleep with a simple '1…2…Django!'

He tumbles off the cliff face. Usopp can only watch, horrified, as the pirate he just met fell to his death, crashing face first into the rocks below. There was no way anyone could survive that.

“That takes care of that, good work Django,” the evil butler pushes his glasses up, “And tomorrow at noon, attack the town and take the rich little brat. Our plan has no chance of failure.”

Looking directly up at Usopp, Klahadore addresses him. “Go ahead and try to warn the town, beta. No one will believe you, anyway.”

Cursing, the marksman runs to do just that. Tears in his eyes, he could only pray that the townspeople would believe him about the pirate invasion, just this once.

—

“You don’t know what a true pirate is supposed to be!” Luffy yells, punctuating with a punch to the side of Klahadore’s head.

Recovering from the punch and pushing his glasses up with the bottom of his palm, the evil butler spits a reply, “You’ve insulted me! You want to know what true pirates are supposed to be like? Then let me show you…the terror of a real pirate!”

His crew recognizes the stance Captain Kuro has taken, and they begin begging for their lives in fear.

Luffy (and Nami, from her hiding spot, taking a break in searching the ship for treasure) listen to the evil crew with growing concern. What kind of technique would put such terror in their voices?

Their fevered pleas makes sense when Kuro disappears in a flash, and his crew begin dropping randomly, blood spurting from wounds inflicted by an invisible source.

Luffy’s expression turns grim as he realizes what was happening, the pirate crew underlings screaming out in pain. They were calling for help, pleading with their once captain to spare their lives.

“Evil butler…Who the hell do you think crew-mates are?! This is not how you’re supposed to treat them!” The Straw Hat captain yells, anger coloring his voice, eyes flicking around like he was trying to pinpoint something.

Suddenly, Luffy was hit, slashes going across his abdomen, and Nami gasped as she understood the technique. The man was moving quicker than the eye could see, but the trade-off for such speed is that the captain could only attack indiscriminately…In other words, there was no way for him to control who he would hit, and the sacrifice was paid by his crew. Nami grit her teeth in rage, bastards like these are why she hates pirates.

Nami watches as Luffy somehow managed to grab ahold of his opponent when he was hit, hand stretched out but gripping the speedy villain. With a grunt of pain, injuries still bleeding, the younger captain had flipped Kuro over his head, throwing him hard to the ground with a slam.

Klahadore gets up quickly, using the palm of the hand with the broken claws to push up his glasses as he grits out in wrath, a crazed look in his eyes. “You bastard…You should’ve just quietly let me chop you to pieces!”

Straightening further, the evil captain licks the blood off one of his broken claws, eyes widening and smirk growing at the taste. He would recognize the taste anywhere, even mixed in with his crew’s strong alpha and beta blood.

“You are an omega. How interesting. Omega blood always tastes so sweet.”

Nami is shocked when Luffy doesn’t say anything to contradict him, just remains glaring at the other pirate. The pleas and cries of the dying crew were a cacophony of agony in the background.

Kuro gestures to them, “Look! It’s all because of you, my beloved crew, is half dead and in great pain!” Turning to face the omega captain head on, he continues, “Luckily, selling not one, but two omegas on the black market will more than cover their medical expenses!”

Luffy stares at the captain, expression unreadable.

“What, you got something to say?” The taller man taunted.

Cracking his knuckles, Luffy grins. “I swear! I will never ever be a pirate like you!”

Kuro pushes his glasses up once more, “Oh? You won’t…” He laughs, “Of course, you can’t even be a pirate…”

“Because you will be defeated here.” He enters his silent step stance again, preparing his final attack.

Except, he couldn’t move, and he looks down to see the younger captain wrapped around his body. With a curse, he demanded to be let go. His crew in the background started cheering for his opponent, their only salvation from Kuro’s ultimate attack.

Kuro is shocked when Luffy stretches his head directly behind himself, yelling at his ex-crew for cheering on the Straw Hat captain as he was going to beat them up next.

He knew what was coming, what being on the other side of a rubber ricochet could mean for him. He saw his carefully laid plan of multiple years slowly behind pulled apart, breaking at the seams by this infuriating rubber brained omega! And if he was facing such inevitable defeat, weak point in his ultimate attack uncovered by such uncultured swill, he could only imagine how his idiotic ex-first mate was doing, facing two of these scoundrels.

Stressed beyond belief, he could only cry out in rage, “My perfect plan…Cannot fail!”

But fail it has, the moment the Straw Hat Pirates got involved.

Both Usopp and Luffy executed their final attacks at the same time, in sync already, miles apart. Django goes down with a boom from the beta marksman’s gunpowder star, and Captain Kuro is defeated with a head butt from the omega captain.

They won, and Syrup village would be safe from pirate invasions another day.

———

Several days later…

Another peaceful day, when was it not smooth sailing around these parts? And on their new ship, the Going Merry, a brand new caravel type that was gifted to the crew by Kaya.

Oh, Usopp missed Kaya…

And his boys. And his house, with his small workshop, and his neighbors, and being on solid ground. He mostly missed Kaya, but all the other things just helped him feel more and more homesick.

The marksman sucks in a breath, straightening up and puffing out his chest as a show of his strength. He was a brave warrior of the sea now, on his way to adventure, just like his dad before him!

While he did feel lucky to have fallen in with a nice group a pirates…They were a little scary.

And very strange.

The alpha woman, Nami, seemed obsessed with money and had told Usopp immediately that he (nor anyone else) was allowed into her treasure room. Yes, she called it “her” treasure room. At the time, Usopp had glanced to the other two to see their reaction, but they didn’t seem to care at all. The captain was even picking his nose, not listening at all, and gained a smack on the head from the navigator when she realized he hadn’t been paying attention.

Also, Nami was insistent she was not their crew mate, despite Luffy saying the opposite constantly. Usopp wasn’t too worried about it, he knew how to steer the ship and how to read a basic map, so even if she left things would probably work out.

Moving his musings towards the other two men onboard, Usopp could see one of them on the lower deck right now. At the moment, the beta had just left the kitchen and was leaning on the railing of the upper deck. It appeared that the swordsman, Zoro, was sleeping against the side of the ship. Usopp didn’t think that would be very comfortable, but to each their own, he supposes.

Zoro was an interesting fellow, the marksman appreciated his help taking down that crazy hypnotist back on his island. If he wasn’t there to help him save Kaya…well, Usopp wasn’t going to think about that, he got enough of it from his nightmares, thank you very much.

Other than his fighting abilities and his favorites activities (drinking, sleeping, and training), the sniper didn’t know much about his fellow crew mate. He hoped familiarity would come with time, as the swordsman was content to remain silent (and imposing) most of the time.

Compared to the other two mysterious people onboard, their captain (and, yes, Usopp will defer the captain hood to him…for now) was an enigma. He seemed unconcerned with mostly everything, but Usopp has seen him serious, and the beta did not want to get in the crossfire of an angry Luffy.

That being said, scary monster Luffy has not come out at all in the few days they’ve been sailing together. He’s been as cheery and open as he was when they first met, almost constantly bombarding someone with chatter and physical affection. Well, somewhat. Usopp has been wary to let any of them into his personal space. Fortunately, they seem to respect his needs, and when he dodges incoming hugs from Luffy, the pirate captain backs off.

It’s just, well…Usopp hasn’t pack-bonded since his family, and that didn’t turn out too well, did it? His little gang of pirates weren't old enough to form more than a juvenile pack bond, wouldn't be until after they presented. And he wouldn’t dare dream of any sort of bond with Kaya, not until he has something more to his name, at least. So if he was a little skittish, it couldn’t really be blamed on him, could it?

But Luffy was not so forgiving with his need to talk, which was something Usopp didn’t mind in the least, he could talk a mile a minute as well! The first night they sailed together, the two had stayed up extra late. Luffy wanted to know everything about his new friend, and each question posed led to the sniper composing longer and grander tales in response. Usopp was happy to have found someone willing to listen and enjoy his tall tales as much as Kaya did. He hoped Luffy wasn’t gullible enough to completely believe him, but his sincere reactions made it a little difficult to tell.

Anyway, you would think that such a cuddly chatterbox would be an open book, but like Usopp mentioned before, the straw hatted boy had a deeper, more serious side.

It came out when he sat up on Merry’s figurehead, alone, staring unwaveringly at the horizon their ship sailed towards. One day, the marksman would gather enough courage to ask him what he’s thinking about up there. But that day will not be today (or the next, or the next…)Today, Usopp was going to set up a small workshop! He had picked out a corner of the storage room and was going to craft a sturdy work bench out of the extra wood and nails left behind. The marksman made all his own ammo, so having a space to craft was absolutely necessary.

Passing by the men’s sleeping quarters, Usopp caught another whiff of that strange smell again.

After the second night, the scents in the room grew exponentially. However, Usopp couldn’t even make out his own scent, covered by alpha musk as it was. His own pillow barely smelt like him by their fourth night sailing together, and that was only yesterday.

As a beta, his personal and gendered scent wasn’t as strong as the alphas (of course they’re all alphas, Nami said she was one and the other two were way too crazy strong) on board, and his scenting sense wasn’t as powerful either. That being said, he could tell that it was Zoro’s scent that covered the air in the cabin, as strong as it was.

You might ask yourself, why was the swordsman’s scent all over the place? Well, Usopp asked himself the very same question, and did some investigating (aka: he stayed up all night to observe).

Zoro always volunteered for the first watch at night. This seemed like a great deal at first, he slept all day anyway, and the other three would take turns for the other shifts. Zoro would climb back down the ladder after his shift, and hop directly into bed.

Usopp had gone after him for the second shift on his third night, and noticed that when Zoro came over to his hammock to wake him up, he was shirtless, sweaty, and smelly .

The marksman thought it was a little weird, but he was just a little bit scared of Zoro, so he didn’t comment. But the next night, he poked his head up the hatch to see what the swordsman was getting up too.

He wasn’t sure what to expect, but Zoro working out by bicep curling the cannons, one for each hand, was not it.

Zoro heard the beta’s gasp and looked over.

“Oh sorry, Usopp. These are the only things heavy enough for me to work out with, I’ll see if I can grab some proper weights at the next island we visit.”

“Oh um…That’s fine, I don’t care!”

“Great.”

Usopp eyes the sweat dripping down the swordsman’s chiseled torso, pecs flexing as he completes another curl up. “But uh…Do you do this every night?”

“Of course, I can’t slack on my training, now that I have the room. Besides, the cool night air is refreshing.”

Each sentence punctuated by rippling skin and tendons heaving cannons like they weighed hundreds of pounds less.

“Well I will, ah, leave you to it! Good work Zoro!” The beta closes the hatch and slides down the ladder with wide eyes. That guy had huge fucking muscles. Usopp will not be telling him what to do, self-preservation instincts recognizing the stronger of the two. The marksman was sure glad they were on the same side!

Usopp climbed back into his hammock, stepping over the snoring Luffy on the ground who had fallen out of his hammock (again). Well that explains the over-powering scent. Zoro, post-workout, doesn’t bother to clean up or change before tumbling into bed, making the whole room smell like him. Usopp appreciates the man’s dedication, but geez…

Would it kill him to clean up a little after working out?

Usopp would confront him about it, but not today. Maybe tomorrow, or the next day. (Or the next…or maybe the next one…)

Anyway, back to his current pondering of the mystery scent!

Usopp would have gone with the most logical choice and assumed the elusive scent was Luffy’s, but it smelled so sweet, like how Usopp remembers Kaya smelling.

The different genders all smell a little bit different, and their gendered scents were stronger than their personal scents, which you had to get really close to the scent glands to determine. Since gendered scents were stronger, you typically can identify someone’s gender within arm’s length. Omegas were known to have sweeter, smoother scents. Scents that really draw you in with the promise of something warm and tasty…Usopp blushed, thoughts of Kaya still on his mind.

Anyway…there was no way Luffy smelled anywhere near as sweet and gentle as the ever graceful woman Usopp knew. He was not an omega, for one thing.

At least, that’s what Usopp believed. His best guess for the source of the scent was someone (Kaya, maybe? Or one of the shipwrights who built Merry) who had spent just enough time in the men’s quarters to leave a lingering scent.

Usopp gave up the thought for now, it wasn’t a mystery he could solve out on the open sea. Plus, it was time to get to work designing and building the greatest workbench of the greatest warrior and handyman of all time, the great Usopp himself!

—

“Alright you bastards! It’s time for the dinner service! Fire up those grills!”

With a loud cheer, the kitchen comes to life. Bustling chefs clanging pots and pans, utensils, ingredients, and everything in-between as they prepare, chattering excitedly all the while, hyped up for another chaotic closing shift.

The sea restaurant, Baratie, had been closed for the last two hours to prepare for the inevitably busy dinner rush. Boats had begun docking at their ship, and they had opened the fins for a waiting area for the eagerly waiting diners. Marines, civilians, and pirates alike attended the sea restaurant, provided they had the money to pay, and were willing to be civil and sophisticated for their visit.

As the sun began to set, strings of lights are lit up on the exterior, and candles are placed on each table to set a warm, intimate atmosphere. People mingle amongst themselves as they wait for the restaurant to open and start seating the guests.

Back in the brightly lit kitchen, the crew was continuing their prep work. Noises of busy chefs filled the large room, and Head Chef Zeff stood at the front, observing the chaos.

Next to him stood Luffy, still being forced to work as a chore boy to pay off his damages. Zeff glanced downwards at the rubber boy, and felt a headache begin as Luffy nonchalantly picked his nose.

“Sanji! You’re in charge of chore boy.”

Sanji’s head whipped towards Zeff, but didn’t bother to stop sharpening his chef’s knife. The metal slid against the sharpening tool quickly, “Old man, what the hell?! Next you’ll be telling me I have to be a host or server tonight, as well!”

“That’s a great idea, brat. Get out there, and see if chore boy can be of use.”

The blond began tugging off his apron angrily, marching up to the owner to yell in his face.

“How am I supposed to be a chef if you never let me cook! It’s Patty’s turn to serve anyway, I did it this afternoon!”

“Oi! Don’t get me involved! Chef asked you to do it, sprout!”

Sanji wheeled to glare at the older chef, but Zeff interrupted before the two could start another yelling match.

“You’re the best suited for it, aren’t you, eggplant?”

“Oh Sanji he’s right! You are the only one here who’s wearing a suit!” Luffy pointed out, helpfully.

Sanji glares at everyone, but knows that Zeff is correct. The young chef is able to control his temper better than Patty, and he is the best-dressed tonight. But, he will be making sure Zeff starts sending out hiring flyers for new servers As Soon As Possible.

He was a chef, all he wanted to do was work his craft, was that such a difficult thing to ask for?

With a sigh, he grabs the chore boy’s arm and drags him upstairs to his room. On the way he explains his detour. “It’s the dinner service now, and we have much more important clientele. If you’re going to be working in the front of the house, you have to dress a little better than that.”

Luffy, letting the older man drag him around uncaring, did care about that. With a pout, he picked at his shorts. “What’s wrong with my clothes? They cover all the important bits and they’re comfortable.”

Arriving at Sanji’s room, the blond pushes the other inside, before rummaging through his closet. “I’m sure I have something in here that will fit you…”

The omega was too busy being curious to remain upset over clothing, and was unrepentantly snooping around. He had just started looking through Sanji’s nightstand when the older man let out a cheer, whipping out a pair of dress slacks and a red dress shirt.

“Alright, let’s get you dressed—Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

—

Luffy looks distinctly uncomfortable as he follows Sanji to the front entrance, pulling at the cuffs of his shirt. Sanji swatted at his hands before they reached the host podium. Before the first guest could come up, the blond turned his head towards the pirate.

“Stop fidgeting with that! For now, just stay behind me and watch what I do, okay?”

It’s been a while since Sanji has trained anyone on front of house work like serving and hosting, but surely it wouldn’t prove to be too disastrous.

—

It is absolutely shit.

Sure, it had gone well for the first hour or so. The younger man had followed Sanji around dutifully, and it looked like he was getting the hang of it.

So the blond had let him loose.

Big mistake.

The first thing chore boy had messed up was hosting. Sanji had decided to let him assign seating for the guests coming in, while Sanji went around to take the orders from the waiting tables. Everything was fine…until it wasn’t. Luffy had run out of tables, and instead of telling the still waiting parties there would be a wait, he started seating them at already occupied tables.

Sanji noticed immediately, after greeting a table and one of the guests demanding to know why they have adopted such a strange new seating policy. Thankfully both parties were civilians and were respectful enough to each other (what chaos it would have caused if a party of marines and a group of pirates had been pushed together?)

The blond chef immediately moved Luffy to taking orders, while he sorted out the mess before returning to serving the eager customer’s drinks and meals. Sanji didn’t think it would be too difficult, chore boy wouldn’t be able to answer many specific questions, but the chef told him to simply write down exactly what the customers ordered.

The next time Sanji entered the kitchen to pick up a table’s appetizers, he was wrung out by one of the other cooks.

"What the hell are you writing? You have a stroke, dumbass? The only thing I can read on here is ‘MEAT’!”

He had ripped the ticket out of the cook’s waving hand, and felt the building pressure of frustration behind his forehead.

Luffy’s handwriting was illegible. Completely unreadable.

Sanji counted to ten and took deep breaths before returning to the main room to find this bastard…and he had to immediately wheel around and count again, this time to 30, breathing aggressively deep as he attempted to tame his sudden rage.

Luffy had somehow ripped the sleeves of his loaned dress shirt completely off.

Sanji didn’t know how that was even possible, the twerp looked like he had stick thin limbs. But the blond could now see the compact muscle in chore boy’s arms, flexed while he held up the notepad to write down a customer’s order. His face was twisted in concentration, a pink tongue sticking out.

He would have looked so cute and precious, if Sanji wasn’t so damn furious.

As soon as the younger man walks away from that table, the chef snags him by the sleeveless arm, pulling him inside the nearest door, which happened to be the cleaning supply closet.

“What the hell happened to your sleeves?”

“I was trying to catch a glass someone dropped before it could break, but it was across the room so it was really hard!”

Sanji pinches the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Did you catch the glass?”

“No! I missed.” The chef could hear the pout without looking.

“…Did you clean it up?”

The silence was incriminating.

Sanji gestured to the broom and dust pan, “Well, good thing we’re here already! After that, meet me in the back, let’s see if you can handle delivering the food.”

—

They don’t end up doing that, as Patty quickly informed Sanji that Luffy has sticky fingers and has been snatching samples from outgoing plates. Eating the leftovers was one thing (not that there were much left over from a Baratie meal) but stealing food meant for hungry guests was a huge problem for the blond.

With tables waiting to be served and others waiting to order and even to be seated, Sanji takes over and sends chore boy to work on the dishes. Just after delivering another ticket to the incoming queue, Carne comes up to him, pushing chore boy by his shoulders towards Sanji. Dishes are apparently another task that the young pirate was not allowed to do, as he kept breaking a bunch of the glasses and plates and playing with the hose and bubbles.

At the absolute end of his line and desperate to calm the rapidly growing migraine, Sanji determined it was time for a break. For him. Or he would lose his shit. Scouting the kitchen, the blond grabs Luffy and pulls him towards his target victim.

“Fromage! Here, please, find something to do with him! I’m taking a smoke break, have someone else bring out the entrees for tables 3 and 11, the desserts for table 15, and do NOT let this pea brain do it!” The cook grits out, hands already pulling out a cigarette as he wheels around to walk out the back door.

The older chef balances a wheel of cheese in one hand as the other rests on his hip, watching the other rage walk away. “Wow, I haven’t seen him lose his cool this bad during a shift since he was going through puberty...Ya really know how to push a guy’s buttons, don’t ya kid?”

“Theres so many rules to remember...all forks look the same to me!” Luffy desponds.

Fromage laughs at that, “Ah, don’t be down kid! There’s gotta be something you can do, something you’re a little familiar with?”

“I’m really good at fighting! I can beat up anyone!”

“Yeah we don’t really need anything like that right now…You have any household skills? Stuff your parents or older siblings might have taught ya?”

Luffy looks around, spotting something in the corner of the main room through the kitchen doorway. “Oh! I have an idea!”

—

The night sky is beautiful, especially out on the sea. Despite the lights from the restaurant and docked boats and ships, the stars hung brightly in the sky, immersed in the galactic folds. The moon enrobed everything in sweet, soft, pale moonlight and Sanji enjoyed the last drags of his cigarette before putting it out.

The cook steeled himself, taking in a crisp breath of air, before pushing open the back door to the kitchen. “Well, I hope he didn’t destroy the place…”

Sanji walks back into the restaurant to hear a soft symphony, a piano playing a slow jazzy piece. He smiles, thinking that a gracious patron must have taken the empty piano bench as a challenge and rose to the occasion. They had a beautiful snow white grand piano on the ship, and Zeff would hire musicians to perform on it for special occasions. If it were up to Sanji, they’d have a permanent musician on staff.

He does not expect to see the chore boy, still wearing the now sleeveless dress shirt, gracefully pressing the pianos key, swaying to the music with his eyes closed.

Bewildered is starting to become a thing he feels a lot, isn’t it? This guy was full of surprises. Sanji glanced around the restaurant, noting that Zeff had sent out Minestra and Salade to host and serve, and the patrons seemed to be doing well. And they were finally near closing, so this nightmare of a night will be over soon.

Since he had a minute, the blond chef walked towards the piano in the corner of the room as Luffy played the final notes of the song. He leaned one elbow on the instrument, looking down at the once-completely useless chore boy with a quirk to his lips.

"I didn’t know you could play. You don’t look the type.”

"I only know a few songs! There was a piano at the bar in my village. One of the pirates who visited regularly taught me how to play a few.” Luffy smiled warmly down at the keys, remembering the past.

Sanji took a moment to ponder what kind of songs a pirate would know...

"Anyway, this next one is really fun! It’s called chopsticks!”

The cook quickly grabbed the other’s hands before be could begin the song and disturb the classy atmosphere of the restaurant. "Ah on second thought, let’s go see if they need any help in the back...And we can see if theres any leftovers.”

Luffy perks up at the mention of possible food and jumps off of the piano bench to dutifully follow the blond to the kitchen.

—

There were indeed leftovers, and Sanji, along with the other chefs nearby, watched with fascination as the chore boy packed away all of them.

Once the dinner service officially ended for the night (and the hardworking chefs broke out the booze to celebrate another successful shift), Head Chef Zeff enters the kitchen, voice booming.

“Good work chefs! Another great night. I’ll see you all for another day of hard work and good food tomorrow!”

With a chorus of ‘Aye, Chef!’, the cooks, dismissed, mingle among themselves before retiring for the night.

Sanji turns to the stairs towards his room, but is stopped before reaching the first step.

“Sanji! Chore boy! Come here.”

Sanji’s eyebrow twitched, but he listened to the Baratie owner. Luffy similarly came to stand next to the blond. Zeff looked down at the two, face unreadable aside from his permanent scowl.

“Chore boy, you were almost completely useless tonight. Bright and early tomorrow morning, you are getting proper restaurant training.”

Luffy scowls, cheeks puffing in an angry pout before he bursts out, “Old man! I gotta get outta here! I don’t have time to work here when there’s a whole world out there I need to explore!”

The older pirate laughs, “If only all youngsters had as much drive as you…Sanji.”

“What the fuck did I do?”

“Straw Hat, tonight you’ll be bunking with Sanji. I’m sure you brats will get along.”

At this, a gleam sparkled in the young pirate captain’s eyes. “Oh, a sleepover! This will be so fun! We can stay up all night and tell scary stories, and maybe Zoro and Usopp will want to come join us, and then we can have a real party and then—“

Sanji snarled at the the older man, “Old man! No way! I worked hard for my sweet single occupancy room! I won’t share with this random kid!”

“I’m not about to squeeze him in with the other cooks! And the server’s quarters were destroyed in the cannonball blast”

“Oops, sorry…” Luffy bashfully looks the other way, but is too excited by the prospect of a sleepover to look truly remorseful.

“Why can’t he just sleep on his ship though?” Sanji asked, desperate, as he felt his headache from earlier returning in force.

“Look at him, boy! Does he look like the type to wake up as early as we do? He probably sleeps until afternoon if no one gets him up!”

“I do get up in the morning! I wake up even before Zoro does!”

“Point is, if he’s sleeping in your room, you can kick him outta bed in the morning and get to work shaping him into the best chore boy in the East Blue!”

“I don’t want to be a chore boy! I’m a pirate!” Luffy protested.

“Not until you pay off your damages, brat!”

“Okay fine! Please, just stop shouting. When I’m in charge of the restaurant it’ll be you sleeping with chore boys, old man!” Sanji acquiesced, grabbing Luffy’s arm and tugging him towards his room for the second time that day.

Zeff smiled as he watched the two go. He hoped his meddling would work out for the best…This was a perfect chance for Sanji to spread his wings and take off, he just needed more convincing.

—

It was nearing midnight on the Baratie. The only ships still tethered to the floating restaurant was the Going Merry and their companions smaller ship. The gentle East Blue tide knocked the boats softly together.

Up on the second floor of the restaurant ship, Sanji laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling. With much convincing, Luffy had eventually given up the idea of a sleepover (though he swore it was only postponed and would still definitely happen) and the two had settled into bed. Sanji had brought out his spare sleeping cot and set it up as far from his own bed as possible. This distance did not dissuade the younger man from chattering to the cook about anything he could think of, peppered in with prying questions that Sanji tried his best to skirt away from. He didn’t want to become friends with this kid, and some things were just to personal to share.

Luffy went on a short tirade about how Sanji should join his crew, because he needs a cook, and his food is so good, and Sanji’s dream is out there, waiting for Sanji to come find it, and being a pirate is really fun, and the rest of the crew is super cool too, and he will be coming with them, Luffy is sure of it.

Sanji doesn’t answer, just lets the conversation die (yes, he was replying, even if he didn’t want to talk and would rather go straight to sleep. It was rude to leave a question unanswered, and the chef couldn’t stand expectant silences.) This time was different.

There was nothing to say.

The blond knew Luffy was right, and he could picture All Blue behind his closed eyes, the chef’s paradise. His dream. But he couldn’t just leave the restaurant. Not yet.

After a few silent beats, the cook finally speaks up, words smothered in carefully crafted impassiveness. “I’m sure if you asked any of the other cooks, they would agree to go with you right away.”

“I don’t want any other cook! I want you, Sanji!”

The alpha was embarrassed by the chore boy’s directness. He felt his cheeks color as he replied, “I know my food is good, but—“

“You’re the best at what you do, and I only want the best! But it’s not just your food, Sanji. You’re really cool and you seem really strong and you are a really good person, too.”

The blond is glad for the dark hiding his flushed face at such blatant praise. “I’m not going to be swayed by flattery…”

“And I can already tell! You’re part of my pack.”

…

Pack.

Family.

Turning over to face the other way, Sanji hides his sudden grief, tears from long forgotten pains suddenly stinging his eyes. ”Go to sleep, chore boy. Tomorrow morning we start bright and early.”

Luffy stares at the other’s silhouette in the low light of the moon still streaming through the shutters on the window. He looks contemplative, eyebrows slightly furrowed in thought before he makes his decision. With a simple, ”Good night, then!” Luffy continues to think in the dark silence of the room, pretending not to hear Sanji’s smothered sniffling.

He’s decided. Sanji would be coming with them, and Luffy would absolutely refuse any excuses.

But first he would have to find a way out of being a chore boy for a whole year…Luffy smiled to himself, that shouldn’t be a problem. Things are always changing all the time out on the open sea, he was sure something would come up that would work things out for him.

Notes:

this one was a little hard for me, I didn't have any plans for these arcs when I began writing this fic, so I had to brainstorm a lot @_@ I'm not sure if I will include the zoro-mihawk duel or anything else from Sanji's introductory arc, I'm very excited for Arlong so I might just dive into that...

Chapter 4: Rushing Rivers

Summary:

We have entered the Arlong/Nami retrieval arc! And exited it, all in one nice chapter.

The few clouds that scattered the sky over the Conomi Islands had quite a show to watch over today. The blissful weather was at odds with the events of the day. The occupants of the islands have been scrambling about, Gosa Village being plundered recently by the fishman pirate Arlong and his crew. The villagers of Cocoyasi village were worried they would be targeted next, especially after Arlong has been taunted by visiting pirates.

Nami clenched her jaw tightly when she saw the Straw Hat crew appear in her line of vision. At least Usopp had managed to find his way to them, but they needed to leave this island immediately! The alpha woman had to find a way to get them to leave. To get Luffy to leave without her with them.

She was so close to reaching her goal! She’d finally be able to buy her village from Arlong, and he wouldn’t be able to harass her people any longer. She wouldn’t risk any more lives. Nami steals herself, clenching her staff with her uncovered hand.

Approaching the group, Nami stays her distance and calls out, “What did you come to this island for?”

Luffy answers immediately, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “What’re you talking about? Aren’t we crew mates? We came here for you!”

The alpha scoffs and crosses her arms, “You’re nothing but a nuisance. And we were never crew mates, just business partners. And that partnership is over.”

The pirate captain is surprised, but doesn’t have a chance to respond before Sanji suddenly shouts, “Nami! Do you remember me? Let’s set sail together!”

Zoro turns towards the cook with a snarl, “Shut up! Can’t you see you’re making things more complicated by butting in?!”

“What was that? Don’t you know love is always a hurricane?” The blond’s love struck expression immediately tensing in an angry scowl and he faces the swordsman. Johnny, one of two bounty hunters who were acquaintances of Zoro and accompanied the pirates to this island, was sweating as he raised an accusatory finger towards the orange haired alpha.

“She’s a monster! She a cold-blooded witch and would backstab anybody in order to get treasure! And I swear I saw her stabbing Usopp!”

Everyone’s eyes flash towards Nami, and she almost stiffens before catching herself. She let herself go, dissolving into the role she has chosen to play.

“So what? He’s clearly recovered. Or do you want to try to get revenge?” She asks with a smirk.

Usopp piped up from holding his injured head delicately, “That’s not what happened, Nami saved my life actually!”

Nami glares at the beta. “Let me tell you all some things. After that idiotic stunt your swordsman pulled, Arlong wants Roronoa Zoro and all his companions dead. And since he thinks you’re dead, Usopp, if you show up he’s going to think I helped you—“

“But you did!” The marksman protests.

“It doesn’t matter! You’re all getting in my way and no matter how monstrously strong you may be, you’re no match at all for the real monster.”

Luffy pipes in, “No way! I’ll beat up that shark guy no problem!”

Nami leveled her stare towards the young captain. "Luffy, you don’t understand. Arlong will rip you to shreds. You have no chance of beating him, especially as an omega!”

The marksman and cook both startled in shock, they had been similarly convinced their absurdly strong captain was an alpha. Zoro growled roughly, “That’s it, I’ve had enough of you!” and charged towards the alpha woman, hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

Sanji swung a leg out at the swordsman, yelling back “And I’ve had enough of you!”

The beta got in-between the two bickering pirates. “Hey! Why are you two fighting again?”

Nami shifted, letting her alpha presence command attention from the group once more. It was time for the final performance, before things devolved more.

“If you’re all so itching to fight, go somewhere else! I don’t need outsiders in the island’s affairs anymore!” Her voice increased with volume with each sentence and she faced Luffy directly, “Do you not get it? I only stuck around with you for the money! I couldn’t care less about you. Go find another navigator and go search for the One Piece or whatever!”

She dropped her arms from across her chest, and flexed the hand holding her staff. Luffy was silent as Nami delivered her finishing words.

“If it’s about the ship, I’ll give it back. Just get off this island! You’ll never overcome an alpha fishman like Arlong!” She let a smile perk the corners of her lips, “Farewell.”

The air was heavy as the attention of the gathered pirates all shot towards the captain for his response. Luffy looked at Nami for a long moment. The alpha woman felt anchored to his gaze, and her small smile slipped as she felt like he was looking right through her. Like she was an open book and Luffy was turning the pages, searching her soul for something.

If he found it or not, the orange haired woman couldn’t tell, as the omega dropped his intense gaze and fell to the ground, arms spread out. “I’m staying right here. I feel like taking a nap.”

Nami, losing her cool in the whiplash of the intense connection to Luffy suddenly taking a nap, lashed out.

“Fine, do whatever the hell you want! You can die for all I care!” She yelled before storming off, running away with angry tears in her eyes.

—

After the crew had heard the story behind Nami’s actions, they sat in silence, absorbing all the information they just learned today. Luffy had walked away earlier, not wanting to hear about the navigator’s past from anyone but herself, was still gone.

Usopp, always the analyst, blinked and sat up a little straighter as he remembered a particular point from their last conversation with the orange haired alpha. Looking at his crew mates, he approached the topic with a casual tone.

“So…who knew Luffy was an omega?”

Sanji’s head shot up but he remained silent, eyes wide but mouth shut in a tense line, gripping an unlit cigarette.

Zoro reacted quickly as well, growling out deeply, “Does it matter?”

When no response is given immediately the swordsman continues, glare darkening at the other two. “Did you only choose to follow him because you thought he was an alpha? He’s more than capable of being captain.”

“Hey! I never said anything like that! It was just surprising that’s all, I only know one omega and she is almost the complete opposite…” Usopp trails off nervously with a chuckle, hands raised in placation.

Zoro levels a stare at him, and gives the cook the same treatment, before relaxing back against the tree he was sitting under.

“Whatever.”

—

“Now move out of our way, Nami!”

Nami couldn’t move, not when she was frozen from fear. All she could hear was Arlong’s laughter ringing in her ears, all she could see was horrifying visions of the townspeople from her home being ripped apart by the fishmen that kept her caged for so many years.

She never wanted it to come to this, to more people dying for her.

But what could she do? For all the power being an alpha gives her, it’s still nothing to compared to the strength of the fishmen. She had just proven that, didn’t she? Arlong had her by the neck with one cold, slimy, unforgivingly cruel hand.

Helpless, terrified, enraged , Nami’s instinct to hunt, to hurt manifested by hurting the one thing she could. She stabbed the knife into her shoulder tattoo again and again, determined to mutilate the branded reminder, cursing his name in anguish.

She only stops when Luffy grabs her arm, hand warm and strong. Turning to look at him with tears filling her eyes, she lashes out.

“What is it!? You don’t even know the first thing about any of this!”
“Nope. I don’t know anything.”

“This has nothing to do with you.” She whispers, fingers clawing the dirt, desperate for something sturdy to hold on to. The alpha gasps in a shuddering breath before yelling, “Didn’t I already tell you to leave this island? You will all be killed!”

“Yeah, you did.”

She looks up at him then and is frozen once more, struck by awe and fear, at the man before her. Luffy is ethereal, the sun must be hitting him just right to have his hair lit up in a warm glow, framing his head as if he was wearing a halo. But Nami has never seen such intense eyes: the intensity of his gaze, the warm protectiveness sparking like embers behind the tempered inferno of rage and grief, mourning for the pain one of his own had been put through.

The alpha felt like she was facing something greater than one man, something more like a tidal wave or a hurricane. Something broken inside Nami’s heart sputtered to life, and after so much heartbreak and betrayal and regrets, the alpha decided to trust someone besides herself, just this one more time.

“Luffy…Help me…”

Without saying anything, the young captain simply takes his straw hat and places it on Nami’s head, and the orange haired woman understands the tacit meaning; the symbolism of Luffy leaving his hat with her. She was still, despite everything she said and did, part of the pack. Trusted. Loved. Protected.

“Of course I will!” An unnecessary acceptance, as Nami knew the moment she asked he would help her.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she nodded, just once, as if to say:

Okay, I trust you too.

And after a silent beat, Luffy’s eyes moved his hardening stare towards Arlong park. His spirit shown through his eyes, showing his steady confidence, his drive to fight the strongest opponents and beat them, even when all the odds say differently. Luffy was on a mission and would not be stopped.

He smiled darkly, cracking his knuckles and addressing the rest of the crew, “Let’s go.”

The four men fell into a walk side by side, ready to face their strongest opponents yet.

—

Luffy walked in first, pace unhurried as he addressed the one fishman sitting down.

“Arlong?"

The shark man attention was piqued, and he glanced over towards Luffy.

"That would be me...Who's asking?"

"My name is Luffy." the rubber man said without breaking his stride. As soon as one sandal-ed foot touches the tile covered patio, the gathered fishman reactively hone in on him. Fishmen are known to have better scenting abilities than humans, and the Arlong pirates have immediately identified Luffy as inferior .

"Hey! No human omega can be in the presence of boss! You need to stop!"

Two of the closest fishmen move to intercept the intruder. The one on Luffy’s right grabs his shoulder but the rubber man has already stretched out his arms. He grabs the back of their heads and forcefully shoves them together, knocking the two out cold.

Arlong's eyes widen, and the rest of his crew is shocked at Luffy's unexpected strength. Out here in the East Blue there shouldn’t be any human strong enough to take out a fishman with a single hit, and especially not an omega.

“What's a filthy little thing like you want with me?" Arlong asks finally as Luffy approaches, but is answered suddenly with a crack of the omega’s knuckles hitting his jaw.

Luffy never dropped his glare, and he speaks directly to the other captain again, fury evident is his tone, "You dared to make my navigator cry," his face darkens and his mouth stretches into a snarl, "And I’m here to kick your ass.”

The surrounding fishmen rushed the omega, killing intent radiating off of them, but are stopped by a swift black leg.

"Hey Luffy, don't hog all the glory, save some for the rest of us!” Sanji says, companionably leaning into the captain for a second, giving a moment for Luffy to realize he has the support of his crew to back him.

The four pirates stood strong (well, maybe one of them had shaking legs, but they were shaking from excitement, definitely not fear, Usopp would have you know!) and were ready to take down the opposing pirates. Arlong angrily glared at the humans, especially as he recognized the shivering long nosed one that is supposed to be dead, and his crew mate Hachi identified the green haired one as the guy who took out most of his crew earlier.

How dare these weak, pathetic human scum challenge him, in his own territory!

It was no issue, his top officers would surely be able to handle the three alpha pirates.
As for the omega? He must have thrown a lucky punch before. There was no way a small little thing like that could pull that off again.

These kids playing pirate will die here.

—

Luffy held the pen covered in blood as he kept looking around the room, stacks upon stacks of finished and unfinished maps gathering dust in the top floor of Arlong park. He remained silent as Arlong raged. The fishman was lost deep in the throes of alpha adrenaline, possessive and territorial scent rolling off Arlong and filling the small room. His pupils were blown black slits as his berserk fishman instincts compounded his anger and strength. If there was an apex predator evolved enough to take down humans like humans culled livestock, Arlong was a prime example.

But Luffy would not submit. Not to this man, who had no idea what grave atrocities he has committed, atrocities towards someone Luffy treasures.

“Do you think you can use her more effectively than I?”

Luffy, still gripping one of the serrations on Arlong’s saw-toothed sword tight enough for the metal to began creaking. His voice was gravelly as he finally spoke up.

“Use?”

Arlong spreads one arm wide, gesturing to the piles of maps that filled the room. “Don’t you see? She’s my little underling, and a pirate crew is nothing more than a means to an end, tools to be used to profit their captains!” He drops his arm, the other hand still gripping his sword held up against the other pirate. “She’s lucky I’m allowing human scum to be a part of the inevitable fishman empire! Don’t be so naive, or is that because you’re an omega?”

During the fishman captain’s raving, Luffy shattered the part of the blade he was holding, and in lieu of answering he stood, suddenly, and kicked the cartography table through the walls of the building.

Arlong was shocked still for just a moment, the anticipation of an incoming attack lost and the battle thrill fading in favor of confusion.

Not that the shock lasted long, since the human boy was still thrashing the room. “What the hell are you doing? Stop that!”

Left without an answer and years of work being systematically destroyed and tossed out from the highest room in the tower, the shark man finally sunk back into the power of his rage. Arlong swung out with his blade, but misses the rubber man, instead slicing through some of the bigger maps that had adorned the wall. He drops his sword and screams in frustration.

Cold blood rushes to his head, eyes narrowing into thin lines and sharp teeth itching to bite, he reaches out with incredible speed to grab Luffy by his throat, screaming his frustration as he wrenches him closer. “Those maps took me eight years to get!”

Luffy tries to pry the fish mans hands away, but no fear is shown on the omega’s face as he retorts coldly.

“Those maps…You don’t deserve them! Too much pain went into them, into this room! I’ll destroy it all if it will help Nami!”

“Nami is mine to use as I please, you little bastard!”

Quicker than Luffy could react, Arlong sunk his sharp shark teeth into his neck, biting down hard, intent to rip and shred and kill . The omega gasped in pain, but reacted instinctively, reaching behind his head the grab the shark man’s long nose, twisting it backwards and away, forcing the larger pirate to release the bite. The teeth were ripped out, blood shooting out of the puncture wounds and dripping down Luffy’s arm.

Arlong fell to the ground, and looked up towards his opponent, and felt something he hadn’t felt in many years. Pinned by glowing gold eyes, the shark man was helplessly unable to move. Luffy broke the silence, voice laden with weighty power.

“You will never speak her name again.”

As the other raises one leg, kicking through the ceiling and stretching towards the sun, Arlong snaps out of his petrification, all his previous anger and indignity coming back full force as he lunges towards the omega. Screaming, wordlessly in rage, he is stopped by Luffy completing his attack, foot coming down hard enough across Arlong’s back to send him through the floor.

And through all the floors below, crumbling the supports of the tower. It collapses, room into room, floor after floor, piling on top of the shark fishman.

The tower had fallen, and Arlong along with it.

—

Nami couldn’t remember feeling this at peace since before Bellemere’s death, back in the easier days where she only worried about having to wear her sister’s hand me downs. Cocoyasi village was celebrating its liberation from the pirate crew that had been holding its occupants hostage. The orange haired woman spun under the festive lights to the cheerful music, watching her neighbors and friends smiling, freely and unencumbered.

The town’s doctor was something of a miracle worker, and had stitched up her shoulder perfectly. She gingerly touched the area where Arlong’s brand used to burn, now covered up with her sister’s talented tattooing skills.

Not only was her sister and the rest of the town free…

Nami was free, too. After years and years she was now free to do whatever the hell she wanted. No more stealing and saving every Belli she got her hands on, in-between assignments from Arlong and his crew.

The alpha was holding onto several mugs, weaving between the crowds of merry-makers. As she reached the outskirts of the party, she makes her way over to the small crew sitting by a stone half wall.

Zoro was covered in bandages, new wounds from the battle at Arlong park and unhealed ones from his fight with Mihawk previously finally sewn closed by a proper doctor. He sat on the ground, leaning against the wall, seemingly dozing off. Sanji, the chef, who Nami had only had the pleasure of knowing for a short time, was leaning, longs legs crossed over each other casually as he smoked his cigarette. The smoke trailed gently upwards in the moonlit sky. Usopp was resting on the other side, arms propping his head up over the top.

Nami called out to the group once she got close enough, “I brought you guys drinks! This time they’re on me, but don’t get used to it!”

“A wonderful gift from a wonderful lady, I will cherish your hospitality always!” Sanji swooned as he jumped up to take one of the offered mugs.

Usopp grinned, “I sure won’t look a gift horse in the mouth!” After thinking for a second he continued with a slight furrow of his brow, “But wait, aren’t all the drinks free tonight? On account of us being the town’s savior and all?”

“Did someone say free drinks?”

“Yeah you’d wake up for that, wouldn’t you, Zoro…”

Nami glanced around, scrunching her face. She asked the group, “Hey, where’s Luffy?”

Speak of the devil and he will appear, Luffy is bounding down the hill behind Usopp, hurdling over the short wall and skidding to a stop in front of her. Gleefully he grabs the mugs from her and hands them to Zoro, before grabbing both her hands in his, “Nami! Dance with me!”

“Oi! Don’t be so presumptuous you numbskull—“

Nami, warm from a mix of Luffy’s infectious energy, the good cheer from the village-wide party, and a few drinks she had herself, laughed and nodded, allowing herself to be swept away in a dance.

They moved in loops, feet moving closer to the music but still staying on the outskirts of the party. Luffy guided her into a spin, and Nami laughed, open and free, when Luffy let her spin him in a similar manner. Coming back together, they slowed down, no longer paying attention to the music, but continue swaying.

Nami’s hands clenched the other’s hands, squeezing for a moment before relaxing again.

“Luffy...Thank you for not giving up on me.”

“Nami.”

He stops their movement, pulling his hands intertwined with hers down, bringing their bodies closer together so he can rest his forehead against hers, looking into her eyes.

“You’re family. Of course I’d never let you go.”

Namis lip trembled and she swore her eyes began watering as she clenched her captain’s hands a little tighter, overcome in that moment by the feeling of not wanting to let go either.

Luffy’s smile widens, “And I want you to be my navigator! No matter what! The future pirate king needs only the greatest navigator in all the seas!”

Nami throws her head back and laughs, “You can count on me, Captain!”

———

A few days later, on the Going Merry. The fledgling pirate crew departed from Nami’s home island the morning after the three day party ended. There were a few clouds in the otherwise deep dark night sky, but the way that starlight bounced off the clouds was worth it, in Zoro’s opinion.

The swordsman had ended his shift on watch a few hours ago, having swapped with Luffy. But, he hadn’t slept at all so far, tossing and turning and watching the clouds pass by through the small porthole that was in the boy’s cabin.

Zoro never sleeps well after his shift on watch, usually too wired after his nightly workout. He didn’t mind, he usually caught up on sleep during the day anyway. But tonight he hasn’t been able to sleep even a little bit, still healing injuries making it impossible to get to sleep on the hammock. He had switched to the small couch recently, and was sure he was already asleep when a whisper carrying his name urged him to open his eyes. Blearily squinting into the darkness, with only the light from the moon and stars to illuminate the figure in front of him.

“Luffy…?”

And starlight must have been bouncing off his captain, the ethereal glow making Zoro half convinced he was actually already dreaming.

Luffy smiled softly, but his eyes seemed sad. And wow, the swordsman thought, the moon must have gotten pretty bright, because Zoro saw a gold ring in the other’s eyes that must be a reflection.

“You sure get hurt a lot, Zoro.”

Zoro lost his train of thought in favor of being mildly offended by the statement. “Hey, look who’s talking? I don’t like seeing you making reckless stunts.”

Luffy smiled a little brighter in humor. He rocked back on his heels before replying.
“Who are we, if we aren’t us?”

“You idiot...Come in.” Zoro invited, with a roll of his eyes. When Luffy just stood there, looking puzzled, the swordsman lifts up the blanket, beckoning the other to join him on the couch.

Luffy giggles and dives under the blanket, elbows and knees poking into the swordsman until the rubber man is settled. He faces the other, but suddenly begins looking remorseful as he lifts one hand to trace the edge of the bandages wrapping Zoro’s torso.

“Does it still hurt?”

“Not really, anymore. I can’t say I’ve had worse, but I’ve survived similar wounds.”

“Hmm…”

“Luffy,” Zoro says, grabbing the still roaming hand, “I’ll be okay, just a few more days of rest.”

Luffy looks up at him, eyes still glimmering with gold. He looks for something in the other’s face, but then smiles, adoringly, at the alpha.

“Zoro is strong, I know you’ll be okay.”

The swordsman grins, sharp teeth softened by the emotion in his eyes. “Always, Captain.”

Luffy laughed his signature giggle, eyes squinting in happiness. A warm smile stayed on his face and Zoro couldn’t help but bring up something he’s been thinking about since the night of Arlong’s defeat. “I’m surprised you know how to dance.”

“Just a little! When Shanks’ crew visited a lot they always liked to drink and dance.”

“I see. And I’m guessing you bugged them until someone showed you how, huh?”

The captain grinned, a little wider, “A pirate needs to know how to dance, Zoro! That’s why we need to get a musician as soon as we can!”

“I don’t know how to dance.”

“I can teach you! It can be really fun if you have the right partner!”

From the other side of the cabin, Usopp suddenly groaned, pressing his pillow to cover his ears. “Can you guys please be quiet? Some of us are actually trying to sleep!”

Luffy laughs, even harder when Zoro throws a pillow towards the sniper, making the sniper’s hammock spin around and around with Usopp inside.

The two eventually stop laughing, especially when the beta threatens to test his new Special Rotten Egg Surprise ammo on them if they didn’t let him get back to sleep.

They fall asleep, Zoro able to rest peacefully holding his captain close. Snoring in his deep sleep, he’s unable to see Luffy’s hands glowing softly on his chest.

By the time the sun rises and the swordsman wakes up again, Luffy has already ran off, most likely in search of the tantalizing smell of bacon that promises breakfast.

—

Notes:

Thank you for reading!! I started a new job recently and have had less chances to work on it ((I also have been distracted by planning scenes in later chapters and not working on the current one ;A; but sometimes I just need an excuse to write Law hehe)) But nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed!

Chapter 5: Over The Edge; Waterfall

Summary:

From Loguetown to Whiskey Peak...Crew bonding and some light Zolu

Notes:

WARNING: some suggestive things occur in the second section…nothing beyond heavy kissing and it’s very short.

Separate, additional disclaimer: I have no idea how submarines work lol

———

The crew of any ship; pirate, merchant, or Navy, had important roles that needed to be filled. The importance of a position like captain went without saying, but a captain can’t do everything. Having a doctor, shipwright, and a cook were critical to keeping a ship and her crew cared for, but on the Grand Line one post was crucial to have filled before even entering.

Without a navigator, any crew would be doomed to fail. It was up to the navigator to make sure the ship and all her occupants would arrive to their destination safely, by using maps and compasses and general intuition to guide the ship in the best direction. They had to be confident, knowledgeable, and steadfast in their decisions, for the sake and safety of the crew they served.

Inside the metal lined room, sweating in his jumpsuit, Bepo clutched the map he was holding. He crinkled the edges in the effort to not roll it up to hit his fellow Heart pirate over the head with the map. Before the polar bear mink could lose his temper and whack Penguin, one of their other crew mates, Shachi, suddenly stood to announce,

“Attention! Captain Doctor Heartstealer is on the bridge!”

Trafalgar Law, captain of the Heart Pirates, strode into the main control room of the Polar Tang. The ship was unusual for a pirate vessel, a little yellow submarine, but it was a great technological feat for the time. Currently, the ship was cruising on the waters surface, but the currents were beginning to pick up as they neared a large mountain. The captain turned a tired glare towards the speaker, “I told you not to call me that anymore…”

A man wearing a penguin themed hat swirled around from one of the chairs in front of the main console. “Captain Doctor Heartstealer, sir! I want to bring forward the notion that Bepo is full of shit!”

Bepo glared harder at Penguin, the aforementioned penguin-hatted man. “I swear you guys! Have you not investigated this more thoroughly? The only way to enter the Grand Line without crossing the calm belt is through reverse mountain,” he turns to look out the observation window and gestures forcefully towards it, “which we are very rapidly approaching!!”

“We’re going to crash...And be torn apart...Oh my god…” A woman named Ikkaku mumbled despairingly into the control panel in front of her, hands cradling her face in grief.

“Everyone get your shit together! Are we not able to be submerged when going up the mountain?”

Shachi paled, “We’re going up a mountain?!”

Bepo turned back to Law, facing him with a furrowed brow. “That’d be no good Captain, the water isn’t deep enough for us to submerge properly...We have to ride the current up to the summit and then down without crashing into the walls!”

“Uh, you guys? I think we're here!”

Law snapped orders to the submarine’s crew, directing them to prepare to enter the mountain as they approached the entry gate. As the rest of the crew scrambles to adjust the fine controls for the ship, he turns to his polar bear friend and navigator. He looks seriously into the others eyes, and Bepo felt the burden of the lives of the crew placed on his shoulders for the first time. The captain asked a simple question, but the mink was sure it was deceptively multi-layered, not that he had time to dissect it in the moment.

“Bepo, you ready?”

The polar bear mink braces himself, weight of responsibility a heavy load. With a steeling breath, he answered, "This is it.”

"Heart pirates! Let’s go, to the Grand Line!”

———

En route to their final destination before entering the Grand Line, Sanji finally gets to know the ship he’ll be calling home. He's getting to know more of the innards of the Going Merry, courtesy of the marksman, who volunteered to give him an official tour.

In the last leg of their tour, they were on the lower parts of the ship, where the crew slept. The room where the boys slept and Nami’s room where separated by a small hallway, in which the cook and sniper stood now, coming through the door on the left.

“So that’s where we sleep, I know it isn’t much, but sleeping in the hammocks as they sway from the tide is a great way to fall asleep.”

Sanji looked back into the room, eyeing the aforementioned hammocks suspiciously. He sincerely doubted that those things offered any sort of good sleep. He wondered how difficult it would be to get another small couch for the kitchen. Usopp went on with his tour, unperturbed.

“Anyway, this is the girl’s cabin, or I guess just Nami’s, really. Word of advice, don’t try to go in there unless she expressly asks you, and even then, make sure to not look at anything, because she will yell at you. Also—“

The cook had stopped listening, distracted by the open door to alpha’s room. Sun and gas powered lights illuminated the room in a vibrant, yet warm glow. Sanji was immediately bewitched by the figures on the bed.

In a sultry tone, the orange haired alpha crooned out to the blond. ”Sanji, perfect timing. Us alphas are all part of the captain’s harem. As our newest crew member, you are expected to perform to the same capacity. You can do that for me, for us, yes?"

Sanji broke out in a cold sweat, a nose bleed, and a boner.

He has no time to verbally accept before feeling a presence behind him, powerful hands wrapping around his arms, and a mouth of sharp fangs moved closer to his ear.

"You got this, right alpha?”

The blond shuddered, instantly knowing his place in this hierarchy. The third alpha to join, seniority determining ranking. Following instinct, he would normally rebel against being put into place, but Sanji could sense the tension in the room and it made his knees weak.

The tension aforementioned? Sexual, undoubtedly.

The weakness in his knees? He doesn’t know if he’s ever been this unbelievably horny.

Sanji let himself be led over to the captain, who was sitting on the only bed in the cabin, mouth quirked up into a smile. Something in the omega’s eye hypnotized him, along with the sweet scent of hot pheromones.

The other two alphas were unrestrained in releasing their own lustful scents too, filling the air and his head with lusty haze. Sanji's only read porn depicting alphas sharing an omega, and he's never heard anyone even mention alpha on alpha action. But like hell was he gonna pass this chance up!

I mean, he had to do it. It was too late to turn tail and run back to old man Zeff, and Sanji wasn't about to wander the Grand Line by himself.

Licking his lips and loosening his tie, Sanji let himself fall to his knees in front of his captain, bowing his head in submission before feeling Luffy's warm hand lift his chin. Then, their lips met in such a sweet, gentle kiss, contrasting with the next moment. Sanji was manhandled by the other male alpha, who pulled him upright and against his broad chest, and Zoro began roughly unbuttoning the cook’s vest and shirt.

As this happened, Nami had draped herself over one of Luffy's shoulders, one arm reaching around to push the omega’s head towards hers, as her other hand caressed his chest. Their lips were engaged in a messy kiss, and Sanji watched as Nami licked deeply into the omega captain's mouth.

"Like what you see?"

Was whispered into Sanji's ear, before a hot wet tongue licked the outer shell.

"Sanji."

The cook moaned hearing his name, lost in his desire.

"Hey, Sanji!"

The alpha blinked his eyes, wide, from his position flat on his back, in the hallway inside the Merry. Oh, he forgot Usopp was there.

"Man, are you okay? I don't think i’ve seen someone get knocked out by a nosebleed before.”

“Is he okay Usopp? We just all got back together…” Luffy called out through the open door, from inside the cabin. He was sitting on the single bed in the room Nami had claimed for herself. The alpha woman was sitting behind him, attempting to brush out her captains unruly locks.

“Luffy what the hell! How does your hair even get this messed up?!” She braces one hand against his head and rips the comb through. Luffy yelps and returns to pouting. It’s not like he tangles it on purpose!

The marksman, with a skeptical expression, is helping the blond alpha stand on wobbly legs. “Yeah, I think he’s fine…That was kind of weird though. Do you have a medical condition, Sanji?”

“All the more reason for us to find a crew doctor, as soon as possible!” Nami said definitively, standing up to put her brush away. Luffy jumped up and peered into Sanji’s face, who was starting to regain his composure. “Are you alright, Sanji? Maybe you need a snack!”

The orange haired alpha came to the doorway, “Oh, you know? A snack sounds pretty good!”

Sanji, brain on autopilot latches onto the one thing he knows for certain.

“A delicious snack, one delicate enough for Miss Nami’s refined palate, and hearty enough for my captain! I live to serve, my loves!” With hearts in his eyes, the cook twirls out from under Usopp’s supporting arm. The whirlwind of love stormed up the ladder, pushing Zoro, who had been on the bottom rungs, violently out of the way.

“Hey! What’s wrong with him?” The swordsman asked, mildly perturbed.

Usopp grinned, things sure stayed interesting on this ship!

“Haven’t you heard? Love is a hurricane.”

———

A tall pole lamp stood against the edge of the port, man-made docking area for ships wanting to stop at its famous grounds. Not only is this the last island in all of East Blue before the entrance to the Grand Line, it was the infamous birthplace and execution sight of the deceased Pirate King, Gold Roger, the man who beckoned the next great pirate era.

The lamp stood proud, standing straighter then ever in its pride of being a sentry against the dark for such a great town. Suddenly, a gull lands on top of the poor lamp post, who shivers at the audacity. Just as unexpectedly, the bird poops, a smudge of it landing at the feet of our poor brave light. The bird flies away, but the lamp is left with a reminder of his limitations. Oh, how he longs to be free! A storm, that could take him out to sea, to see a world beyond his comprehension.

Or, simply, a storm that could wash away that bird crap.

On a particularly strong gust of wind, a ship wades into the port. The Going Merry’s sails fluttered with the gust that pulls them just up to the dock, and the flag of the Straw Hat pirates flew proudly up at the top of the mast.

As the crew prepared to set anchor and disembark, Luffy manages to tell Zoro and Usopp exactly why this island is famous. The three were furling the sails when their captain tells them the previous Pirate King said his final words here, practically vibrating with excitement.

When their tasks were complete, Luffy gearing up to rocket off the ship after having to wait so long, Nami stepped in front of the four boys, holding out a hand to stop them. “Hold it!”

Zoro has to grab Luffy by the back of his shirt to stop the omega from crashing into Nami from the sudden halt and resulting rebound of his outstretched arms.

“Nami, move! I have to go see the execution platform!”

Nami continued, unfazed. “Okay, everyone who is still in bandages gets to stay to guard the ship.”

“WHAT! No, that’s not fair! No!” Luffy immediately protested, “I’m the captain and the first rule is the captain always gets to leave the ship!”

“You just made that up yourself!”

“Luffy, you won’t be alone. Look, Zoro is definitely still injured.” The navigator gestured to the green haired man.

Zoro grinned, “Actually I’m all healed up! Must be the saltwater in the air.”

“It’s probably because you got some actual treatment from a professional, you dumb ass.”

“What’d you say, shit cook!?”

Nami interrupted the oncoming cat fight, turning an extra cute grin on to the fuming cook. “Sanji! Your arm is better?”

Sanji falls for it immediately. Zoro, forgotten, rolls his eyes and turns his attention towards his captain on his left.

“Miss Nami! Of course, yes, how else would I have flipped those heart-shaped pancakes for you this morning!”

Zoro watches Luffy becoming increasingly desperate as it begins to appear he would be the only one forced to stay on the ship. Looking for hope in an ally against this undue rule-making, the dark haired pirate peers down the line at Usopp. The rubber man unexpectedly extends his arms and snaps to the sniper’s side, “Usopp still has a bandage on his cheek! He wouldn’t be able to go either!”

Usopp begins to peel the offending object off, “Oh this? I meant to take it off this morning, sorry Luffy…It usually takes me a couple more days to heal!”

Luffy immediately turns to Nami, brow scowled in anger but mouth puffed up in a pout, “Nami!! Take your rule back! Please?”

Nami is struck by such a cute face, the big round eyes and scrunched up nose…She resigns herself to the sure chaos Luffy will cause, but she is defenseless in the face of her great weakness:

Cute things…

She curses, but bows her head in defeat. The captain can tell he’s won the battle of wills and will get whatever he wants, as usual.

“Fine! But everyone needs to meet back here in 4 hours exactly, okay?” The alpha straightens and makes sure the four others internalize this next part. “This is a hotspot for marines looking to catch unlucky pirates! Don’t get caught!”

—

As Buggy the Clown joyfully swung his sword down to deal a decapitating blow, Luffy...smiles.

Smoker has only seen such a ridiculous reaction once before, decades ago, when he was younger. He was standing in the crowd down below, eyes wide watching the first execution he’s ever seen.

It was like he was teleported back to that day, because maybe the circumstances were different...But when Gold Roger was up there on the same tower, in the same spot that amateur pirate brat was now...

They had the same expression.

But what did it mean? How could they smile when they knew what was going happen next?

Smoker didn’t have any more time to be lost in his memories, as the air throughout the port town suddenly sparkled with an undercurrent of electricity, the hair on his arm standing straight. He vaguely hears one of his officers cry out a hurricane warning, but the alpha couldn’t tear his eyes away from the scene that was playing out in front of him.

A sudden bolt of lightning had struck the execution platform, causing the entire structure to break apart, and the two pirates who were on top were hidden in the sudden cloud of debris. The once clear sky was covered in dark clouds, swirling around the broken tower like it was the epicenter, the eye of the storm.

When Monkey D. Luffy stood up from the rubble, brushing off dirt from his straw hat like he wasn’t just about to be killed, everyone in the square was silent. The marine captain watched the boy grin at his friends and start running towards the docks. Through the deafening silence, Smoker heard the blond one turn to Roronoa and ask him if he believed in a higher power.

And when the pirate hunter (ex-pirate hunter, now?) grinned darkly and said, “I never have. But I believe in him.” Smoker crushed the end of his cigars between clenched teeth.

A man who could look death in the face and laugh, and could inspire faith like that…

…A man like that was dangerous.

As soon as the first drops of pelting rain started to fall, time resumed once more. It was a rush of chaos as tourists and travelers and pirates and locals suddenly rampaged through the town center, desperate for cover from the sudden onslaught.

Smoker turned from the balcony overlooking the square, barking orders at his soldiers to stop those pirates from escaping. As soon as he was out the door of the Navy building, he was turning to smoke, gaseous body flying through the needle-like rain.

A storm was coming.

And he was duty-bound to chase it.

———

Laboon and Reverse Mountain faded away, only tiny spots on the horizon in the setting sun. The sky was melting into dulcet tones of red orange near the horizon, and the stars were beginning to light up the ever darkening deep blue overhead.

The unexpected adventure (or absolutely horrifying scenario of being swallowed by a whale, depending on which crew member you asked) did nothing to dissuade the captain’s excitement. Luffy had not stopped smiling the entire day, so full of joy to finally have left his home sea behind to travel the world and accomplish his dream.

The rest of the crew were in varying emotional states. The most common seemed to be suspicion towards their two guests, who had been graciously allowed to tag on as they sailed towards the next island. Currently, the strangers sat in the galley, being entertained by the cook, as Sanji tried his hardest to impress the beautiful blue haired beta with a show of technical chef skills and showmanship as he prepared dinner.

The rest of the crew had been busying themselves with other pre-sun down tasks. Usopp was slowly but surely dropping the anchor from below deck, and the navigator was on the upper deck balcony, double-checking their course and reading the weather. It was near impossible to accurately forecast the future climate on the open sea of the Grand Line, but Nami could tell they would have clear skies at least through the third watch of the night. She noticed the two on the lower deck had stopped binding the sails to run around, and yelled out to them,

“Hey, slackers! Hurry up and finish your chores!”

The green haired man stopped running around the mast to glare up at the other alpha, retort on his tongue, but the rubber man chasing him finally caught up and tackled the swordsman into a hug.

Zoro reacted awkwardly to the public affection, stiff even as Luffy nuzzles into his chest before sitting up, smiling down at the swordsman. Sure, he was getting used to cuddling the smaller pirate sometimes, in the safety of the dark…

But out in the light, the golden glow of the setting sun settling on his captain’s skin like the man was made of treasure…Zoro was frozen, unable to process the new emotions he was facing.

The omega seemed unbothered by the swordsman’s lack of immediate response, and jumped up, suddenly crouching next to the alpha, examining the swords strapped to his waist.

“Ooo! Did you get new swords Zoro?"

Much more in his element, discussing cool swords, the green haired man smirks proudly after standing back up. He looks down at the three weapons, “Yeah, I picked up two new babies.”

“Hmm…Is one of them cursed?”

The alpha blinks, “Yeah, how did you know that?”

Luffy straightens up, sticking a finger in his ear as if to get something out. “It just sounds like it.”

“…Can you talk to them?”

“No, but sometimes I can hear them.” The omega replies, thoughtful frown scrunching his face.

He can’t fight the uptick of his mouth; a small, ever so slightly incredulous smile reserved only for his captain. “Hmm. You’re so strange, Luffy. Every day with you is an adventure.”

Luffy grins, light blush dusting his cheeks, “Wow Zoro, that’s the best thing anyone’s ever said to me!”

Zoro felt something flutter in his chest, not expecting the sudden cuteness. His face heats up, but is saved from responding by Sanji calling out from the kitchen.

“Dinner’s ready!”

“The best thing, except for that! Last one there has to give me half their food!”

—

Later that evening, after an always rambunctious dinner, the dishes cleared away, Sanji stands and smiles, clapping his hands together, "Who's ready for dessert?"

Ms. Wednesday and Mr. 9 exchange a look. Is he serious...?

In tandem, Luffy and Usopp cheer in assent. Nami eyes the cook with good-natured suspicion, smile tilting just the corner of her lips.

"And whats the occasion, Sanji?" She asks.

The cook replies with his customary dramatics, clutching a hand to his heart during the first part, "As if i need an occasion to spoil my dear sweet and beautiful Miss Nami!" He continues, more calm, "However. Not only is today our first night on the greatest sea in the world—“

The captain can't help but roar his agreement, hands flying up in excitement (and accidentally whacking Zoro on his right, who glares at the rubber man for hitting him.)

"But I was also inspired by the snow we encountered earlier."

Usopp suddenly puffs out his chest with pride, "Obviously, my snow queen became your muse!"

"Mr. Snowman was much cooler! He could punch!"

"He couldn't move on his own, you made him do that!"

The sniper and Luffy devolve into to play-attacking each other, hands outstretched and half-heartedly slapping the other. Unfortunately for him, Zoro happened to be an unintended causality, being sat in between the two. His expression darkens with annoyance and he starts lightly growling. This didn’t last long, as the swordsman had a low tolerance for this sort of thing and snapped at the arms crossing over his front, sharp fangs bared in annoyance and warning. Usopp looks like he’s seen his death, but Luffy just laughs.

Nami, fond but exasperated, rests her chin on her hand.

“Please continue, Sanji, before those three get distracted again.”

Zoro glowered, “I wasn’t even doing anything…” at the same time as the cook singing “Yes Miss Nami~!”

With a flourish the blond alpha deposits a platter into the center of the table, piled high with simple sugared cookies cut into snowflake shapes. Surrounding the treats were mugs of hot cocoa, topped with fluffy swirls of whipped cream and dusted with extra cocoa powder. Pieces of chocolate peppermint bark stick out of the drink, shiny from the tempering of the chocolate.

Luffy’s mouth started watering, but even he waited this time for Sanji to finish the presentation of his work. The cook took a leveling breath, gaze downward, letting the other’s into his heart just a little. “When I was young...My momma and I would have hot cocoa whenever it snowed…”

Sanji looked up from the ground to his crew mates, and was greeted by warm smiles, waiting for him to continue. "So i wanted to share that tradition with you guys, too…” But he finishes, weakly, feeling slightly uncomfortable with his own emotional vulnerability.

Luffy is is almost sparkling with the joy of his cook sharing a precious memory and smiles big, “Thank you, Sanji.”

He blushes with a frown and looks away, hand rubbing the back of neck. “Yeah, of course, Captain…Anyway! Enjoy!" He manages to mumble out, ready to be done with the sappiness of the whole moment. He was supposed to be cool!

Mr. 9 leans in conspiratorially to Ms. Wednesday with a smirk and a whispered comment, “And these guys are supposed to be pirates?”

Ms. Wednesday, after having to learn all the ins and outs of Baroque Works, seeing only the worst of pirates and organized crime, felt something different for this group. They were…for lack of a better word, different than any pirates she’s met before. The beta steeled herself. It wouldn’t do to get too attached, especially considering their destination.

Nami, emboldened by Sanji’s action, is red but blurts out something precious to her; “It rarely snowed on my home island, but when it did, my…mom would bake cookies, and we would spend all night decorating them.” She continues, slower, a small nostalgic grin appearing, “Most of them never made it to the morning though, since we’d snack on them as soon as they were done.”

“It never snowed on my island!” Usopp, suddenly speaks up, emotion building as he continues to speak, “But sometimes the rain would be so heavy we’d be stuck inside anyway…At night, if there was too much noise to sleep, my mom would show me how to make shadow puppets, and we would make up stories until the storm died down.”

“Um…If the weather was bad, the master of my dojo would let us make baked apples…” Zoro admits, quietly, out of nowhere. When he’s done speaking, he looks surprised with himself.

Luffy is sparkling now, overcome with his own love for the crew and happiness that they’re sharing parts of themselves with each other. He’s standing, and slams his palms down onto the table in excitement (luckily, this time he doesn’t spill the drinks.)

“You guys! That all sounds so great! Let’s do all that next time it snows!”

“On the Grand Line it could snow anytime, that wouldn’t be special…”

The captain, sitting down, pouts but relents, “Fine, next time it’s snowing and a special day!”

“Knowing you, you’ll make up some random thing to make it special.” Zoro mumbles, mostly to himself. Luffy continues, whacking his fist onto an open palm.

“That settles it! We’ll have a hot cocoa party!”

Nami, finally trying a sip of the warm beverage is delighted. “Sanji, this is really good!”

“Uwah Miss Nami! Thank you!”

Zoro can’t help but feel a little thankful that the cook already knew his preference against sweet things, and snuck in a helpful serving of rum into his, spice and liquor balancing out the sugar.

Luffy drank his in one go, pulling away the mug to reveal the whipped cream covering his face like a beard. The crew laughed uproariously at that, even their guests couldn’t help but chuckle.

The good mood on the ship and her inhabitants dragged into the night…At least until the next weather disaster, happening shortly after the fourth watch began, just as their navigator predicted. But such was life on the Grand Line, as our favorite crew will soon find out.

———

The full moon illuminated the village of Whiskey Peak, the first island on the Grand Line the Straw Hats had the pleasure of visiting. The hills above the town, lined with hundreds of gravestones, loomed ominously, the light of the moon casting long shadows. The island was silent, except for the groaning of many of the locals, revealed to be agents of Baroque Works, and the sounds of a battle currently taking place.

Off one of the main roads of the town, Zoro was facing down two enemy pirates. He had two of his swords drawn, and was prepared to end this whole debacle in one blow. Maybe then he would see if there was any booze left over, and try to get some shut eye before the morning sun woke the rest of the crew.

Suddenly, Zoro feels someone jump on to his back from the roof behind him. He stumbles under the unexpected weight, but doesn't immediately dislodge the person wrapping around him. Even without the rubber-y limbs coiling around his shoulders and thighs, his alpha recognized his captain as soon as he was close enough to scent.

“Oi, Luffy! Get off!”

The swordsman has to jump to dodge the next bomb attack from the Baroque Works agent, and Luffy exclaims loudly next to his head,

“How could you hurt all those nice people!”

In the air, Luffy like a monkey on his back, Zoro ground out through clenched teeth, vein popping on his forehead, “What are you even talking about!"

“You cut all of those nice people! They showed us hospitality Zoro!” The rubber man replied, accenting the alpha’s name with a growl.

Zoro seeing another incoming attack, and avoids the blast at the last second, by spinning and side stepping into an alleyway. He instinctively covered his back by pressing it against the building, but the omega was in contact with the wall instead, still clinging to Zoro's back.

“Well I did cut them up...But listen, they were going to—Luffy what the fuck!”

The pirate captain didn’t bother listening to what his friend was saying, instead choosing to take advantage of his position and bite the swordsman’s ear.

“We’re gonna fight! I gotta teach you a lesson!”

The alpha was suddenly very torn. He really did need to go save that blue haired chick since Nami was extorting him for her own devious plans. Luffy being an idiot didn’t help at all, but Zoro couldn’t help but feel a thrill at the thought of sparring with his captain…However, the most pressing matter was the excitement building in his chest, feeling the other’s warm body pressed against him, and the unexpectedly arousing tingles from Luffy’s teeth biting into his ear.

Nami, watching her hiding place from an alley way on the other side of the road, fought the urge to smack her own head in exasperation. Luffy’s oblivious assumption did make sense. She already knew he believed actions over words, and when he had a goal in mind it was near impossible to get him to sit still and talk it over. The orange haired alpha had hope that Zoro, if anyone, could get the omega to calm down and listen to him…

But in the full moonlight she could see the heavy blush that settled over the male alpha’s face, and this was not the time for Zoro to have any sort of distracting revelations, not when there were such high rewards at risk! She risked her hiding spot to call out,

“Oi! Luffy! Knock it off! We can explain everything later—”

Luffy had uncurled his legs from the swordsman’s, and used them to push himself and Zoro out of the alley, back in sight of the enemy pirates.

“No! Zoro needs to be punished!”

As they tumbled to the ground together, somehow the pair landed with Luffy straddling Zoro's waist. The oblivious captain held onto both of the green haired alphas wrists, but seemed unconcerned with the swords he had in hand.

The swordsman was still dumbstruck, heart beating faster than before. His fingers twitched, begging to wield his swords and fight but he can't move. He's frozen, staring up at the other's cute, angrily pouting face.

There was a heat beginning to burn inside the alpha, eager to satisfy the cravings for sweaty violence with someone so equally powerfully.

Flipping Luffy over, the swordsman jumps up and draws his swords. He licks his lips, “I guess we can finally test what’s stronger—your unarmed attacks versus my swords.”

The rubber man is already up, stretching the muscles on one leg, grinning savagely up at the taller man. “Hell yeah.”

Nami cradles her head in her hands. How could she deal with these idiots?

The Baroque Agents looked on with confusion, but pleased expressions as they watched the two prepare to battle each other.

“It looks like the situation resolved itself, Mr. 5.”

“Let’s focus on our mission, getting rid of the princess!”

Speaking of the princess, Nefertari Vivi, previously known as Ms. Wednesday, but actually undercover royalty hailing from the kingdom of Alabasta, stood with her duck friend and steed Karoo, bewildered with the antics of her would be saviors. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Instead of staying to watch she should be looking for a way to escape!

Suddenly the straw hatted boy crashed into a building, taking the two scheming agents with him. Vivi was halted, as that was the only route to freedom. She watched as the smoke cleared away to reveal the dark haired pirate dropping Mr. 5. The agent looked worse for wear, and wasn’t moving. The princess gasped, there was no way someone could so easily defeat a member of Baroque Works!

As the two unknown pirates yelled back and forth at each other, the swordsman easily dodging an attack from Miss Valentine, the blue haired beta became more and more confused. They were easily more powerful than the Baroque agents, but why were they insistent upon fighting each other? …And why did it seem like they were having fun?

Nami watched her idiot captain and idiot crew mate trade blows back and forth, a theory forming in her mind. When her hypothesis finally came together, she was torn between laughing and crying. They weren’t fighting anymore, not at full power and not with the intent to kill (Nami has seen enough of that to know).

The easily exchanged blows, the lasting grip when they did manage to get a hold of each other, the flushed, smiling faces…

Flirting. They were fucking flirting by fighting each other.

If they knew what they were doing, the alpha woman had no idea. But they seemed to be enjoying themselves, in either case. Nami felt a terrible headache forming.

When the Baroque agents had regrouped together and charged in for a joint attack, the fighting pair turned to them and spoke in unison with piercing glares, “God, you two are annoying. Don’t get in the way of our fight!” And they dispatched the enemy pirates easily, in sync with each other even now.

Princess Vivi looked on in shock at their strength, the agents were knocked out cold. The two turned to each other with matching grins, agreeing to finish their battle. She gasped aloud when Nami unexpectedly came out of nowhere to sucker punch the two, yelling that they were the annoying ones, and putting their fight to end.

Who…Who were these people?!

—

Notes:

Me, staring at blueprints/designs for Merry’s interior:
Hmm…..okay we’re going to ignore all that, *adds random rooms and hallways*
Also, as for Sanji’s fantasies…they are just fantasies (unless I can come up with a good enough reason to write something of the sort…)
Thank you for reading!!!!!!!!!! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!!!!!!

Chapter 6: Hailstorm

Summary:

From the tail end of Whiskey Peak to Drum Kingdom...

Notes:

me writing this chapter: this bad boy can take so much hurt/comfort (forcefully shoving it in)

The sky was beginning to show the coming dawn, stars fading from view as the sun outshines them all. The deep blue of night is slowly but surely transitioning to a new day, light blue overhead and orange streaks starting to climb over the horizon. A large fish swam underneath the Going Merry, causing the sea turtle docked to the side of the ship to huff in annoyance at its proximity.

Miss All Sunday somehow takes the straw hat from its home on Luffy’s head and puts it on top of her own cowboy hat jauntily. She remains in her position sitting on the rail of the small ship, watching the crew below her react to her appearance with a small smirk.

“So, you’re the captain of the Straw Hat pirates? Monkey D. Luffy.”

Usopp got over his initial shock and fear in favor of confusion towards his friend. He prompts the captain, “Uh, Luffy, she took your hat…”

Luffy, surprising his crew (as they had all witnessed how protective before he is over the hat, his treasure) says nothing. He look puzzled, staring at the Baroque Works number two as if trying to figure something out. The dark haired woman continued.

“You have some rotten luck, don’t you? First island in the Grand Line and you’re already being targeted by one of the Warlords of the sea.” Her eyes shift over towards Vivi, “And you, Princess. Your only protection is these five rookies you just met?” She pulls something out of her pocket and begins to fiddle with it. "But the worst luck is where your log pose is sending you next…”

Nami braces herself. She almost glances down at the compass on her wrist, but she knows it won’t tell her anything new. The needle had set before they started sailing away from Whiskey Peak, and they had no clues where it would guide them.

The woman, wearing both hats on her head like crowns, smirks a little, and rests her cheek on her palm. Uninterrupted, she goes on,

“You’re headed to Little Garden. I guess we don’t need to bother killing you anyway.”

Usopp, from his tactical vantage point of hiding himself behind the mast, was sweating. His anxious heart was already working overtime, as the sniper was unprepared for an enemy to appear on the ship out of nowhere! And the way she’s describing their next destination…She might as well have told them that they were headed straight for Death Island! He returns to hiding, letting out a quiet shriek when her gaze roams over the gathered pirates, landing on his for half a second. She settles back, returning Luffy’s intense gaze with her own nonchalant expression.

“You'll never reach Alabasta, or even see Sir Crocodile’s face.”

Luffy has had enough. Confusion thrown aside in favor of responding to the challenge issued, he yells out, “Yeah, well we'll show you! Now give me back my hat! You...dumb head!”

Usopp whispers loudly, “Don’t piss her off!” While Zoro is unable to stop the fond roll of his eyes at his captain’s ever so clever comebacks.

Miss All Sunday doesn’t say anything, just returns the straw hat and tosses the item she was holding to the princess. “Here,” She explains once Vivi catches it, “It's an eternal log pose. It will take you to an uninhabited island just before Alabasta. None of our agents know about that route, so no one will follow you.”

“Why are you giving us this?” The beta looks up at the agent. Nami looks at the log pose in Vivi’s hands, verifying it is a genuine eternal pose, before whipping her head up to look at the woman as well, asking the first question that comes to mind, “Are you actually a good guy?”

Zoro responds before she can, deadpan. “It's probably a trap.”

Miss All Sunday smiles, giving nothing away. “Who knows?”

Surprising his crew once again, Luffy unexpectedly marches up and grabs the eternal pose from the beta princess, and crushes it easily, uncaring of the glass shards that prick his palm. Nami reacts immediately, whirling around to shout at the dark haired captain.

“Why did you do that! She was giving us an easier route! What if she was trying to help us?”

Luffy, meeting Nami’s indignant face with a serious weight in his words. “She’s not the one who decides our course.”

The woman smiles, tilting her head as she considers this interesting development. “I see.”

“Luffy! How could we not trust such beautiful woman?” Sanji finally let his opinion known. The captain, firm in his conviction, doesn’t stand down. He addresses the occupants of the ship, looking at their surprise visitor and states with a confident air;

“It’s not the right time. And we can take on any challenge!”

The mysterious woman can’t help but laugh, a soft sound that she covers with her hand. She smirks down at the straw hatted man. “I don’t have a problem with ambitious men. We'll meet again, if you survive.”

Luffy looks at her, eyes sparkling with the reflected rays of the rising golden sun, and a small grin appears on his face. “We will.”

———

The Going Merry enjoys sailing through the pleasant weather as they near what can only be a warm, summer climate island. She would take a deep breath, inhaling the salty sea breeze as the ocean spray rises up to tickle her figurehead, but she is only a ship. Still, her woods groan in appreciation of the sunny skies and tepid water as she floats along. So far, traveling with the Straw Hat pirates has been incredibly exciting! She vowed to do her best to always take them onwards, off to their next adventure together.

After a particularly fun wave to jump over, the ship bobbing in the trough between the tides, Merry stops listening to her captain rambling about something to her figurehead, to pay attention to a conversation unfolding on the deck.

Zoro is deviating from his usual workout routine to start practicing his forms. A good swordsman understood that mastering even the most basic techniques was critical to achieving true mastery of the blade. The alpha was determined to be the very best swordsman; in technique, skill, and power. In the quest for his dream, missing even the smallest details could create a deadly mistake during a battle.

Usopp was also on the deck, enjoying the summer heat as he worked on concepts for a new invention. He had a small sketchbook in his lap, and was leaning back against one of Merry’s railings. Occasionally, the sniper would bite the inside of his cheek, as he grew lost in thought.

Nami suddenly marches up to the green haired alpha, who pays no attention and continues to focus on the specific positioning of his body in space and relation to his sword, searching for the solid feeling of balance. The navigator looked nervous approaching, but the lack of acknowledgment makes her feel a little ticked off. She washes away both emotions with a deep breath and confidently declares her request.

“Zoro! Teach me how to fight!”

“I can’t.” The swordsman still doesn’t stop, concentrating on his breathing, trying not to get immediately annoyed by someone getting in his personal space.

“What? Why not?! I need to be able to protect myself if more strong weirdos show up!”

“I said no. Leave me alone.”
Nami huffs, moving to stand in front of Zoro, in the way of the arc of his sword, preventing him from continuing his practice. Putting a hand on her hip and glaring at the other alpha, she indignantly accuses the swordsman:

“No? Is it because I’m a girl!?”

Zoro, now thoroughly annoyed, barks out a “No!” Before he sighs, resigning himself to interrupting his training to explain. Resheathing Wadō, he gives a tired half glare to the other alpha. “I’m a swordsman, I only use swords. You use a staff don’t you?”

“Well, yeah…”

“You should ask Luffy, he told me he had experience with a long staff.”

At this, the marksman perks up, interested in this tidbit about their captain. Luffy can talk a lot, but he rarely talks about himself. "Luffy does?”

“Of course you’d three bond over weapon experience…”

Luffy chooses that moment to slingshot over. Zoro, expecting it this time, braces himself and catches the rubber pirate before he can send the two crashing into the wall. Luffy pays no attention to the fact he almost bowled his crew mate over, and excitedly joins the conversation.

“I heard my name! What’re you guys talking about?”

“Nami wants you to teach her how to fight better.”

Nami blushes, embarrassed to be put on the spot and swats at the swordsman with a light growl, “Zoro!” Turning to her captain she continues, a little shyly, “I mean, yes, Luffy. That would be nice, actually.” She squints a little at the straw hatted man. “I’m just surprised to hear you know more than just swinging your fists around…”

Luffy laughs at that, “You’re not the first to think that! My devil fruit just works best without weapons, you know?”

Usopp strokes his chin in thought, thinking about what he knows of the other’s fighting style. “That makes a lot of sense actually. It’d be difficult to incorporate a weapon into your current move set, especially with the amount of hand strikes and punches you use…”

“Yes,” Luffy nods, happy with his marksman’s analysis. “Anyway, Nami, I can show you a few things! I’m no expert, but my brother was really good!”

“I didn’t know you had a brother?”

Abruptly, Luffy looks off towards the sea, holding one hand close to his heart. His eyes held a soft grief his crew hadn’t seen before on their captain. “He died a long time ago.”

After a silent pause, Luffy bounced back into his normal disposition, smile returning as he turned to Nami earnestly, “But he’d be happy to have his memory shared! He taught me everything I know, and we can have practice fights if you want!”

Nami agrees, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Okay...Thank you, Captain!”

Zoro gives the other alpha a wicked grin, “And when you get good enough, maybe I’ll let you spar with me.”

She immediately crosses her arms, shaking her head in disagreement. “No thank you! I’m not getting anywhere near you in a fight, blender man!”

“Oi!” The swordsman retorted, irritated, while Luffy and Usopp laughed.

From the upper deck, Vivi suddenly calls out, “Island ahead!”

———

The Straw Hats spent the rest of the day and night resting and preparing the ship for departure after the thrilling candelabra battle with the wax man Mr. 3, and his fellow Baroque Works agents. They would have left immediately post battle, in a hurry to Alabasta as they were, but it took such a long time for the two male alphas to agree which animal they each hunted was bigger or higher quality meat, and once that had been decided, the two bickered over the proper way to butcher it. The giants they had befriended on the island and fought alongside waited to see them depart, and the crew (mostly Usopp and Luffy, who were enraptured) ended up listening to stories of Elbaf, and their tales during the campaign of the Giant Warrior Pirates.

The next morning, the crew had sailed away from the prehistoric island. Luffy and Usopp had been giggling and cheering together all morning, about the Land of the Giants and sailing there one day. It’s late afternoon now, and Sanji bade a teary goodbye to the princess, who he had been entertaining in conversation, to begin dinner preparations. Vivi leaned her forearms on the white balcony of the Going Merry, and the wind whispered across her skin.

She saw the sniper had left Luffy sometime ago to disappear below deck. Usopp had mentioned something about having a small workshop on board, but Vivi has not yet had the pleasure of visiting. She doesn’t see Luffy on the deck either, but does spot Mr. Zoro in a shady corner, napping. The blue haired woman figures the wayward captain has gone off to bother Sanji for scraps, as he has done the same almost everyday Vivi has been with the crew. She closes her eyes to listen to the sound of waves she’s beginning to love, and turns to walk down to the girl’s cabin to speak to the ship’s navigator.

“Nami, are you in here—Oh!”

The alpha woman looks up from her work, looking towards the princess who had just walked in. She greets her, “Hey Vivi, what’s up?”

"I didn’t mean to disturb you…” The beta awkwardly gestures to Luffy sitting on the bed, legs resting in Nami’s lap, vest open and hanging off one shoulder.

“It’s fine! I’m just patching up our favorite accident prone mess.” The alpha turns a scowl towards her captain, “I swear its like you pick up more injuries all the time, Luffy…”

“Sorry Nami,” Luffy says, not really sorry at all, before turning to the blue haired beta. “Anyway, did you need something, Vivi?”

She notices the bandages covering the straw hat wearer’s torso and arms, and the medical supplies strewn about the bed, and takes a moment to ponder this. Before the princess could move on and voice her original reason for coming down here, Nami interrupts her train of thought with a stilted question towards the dark haired pirate, “Hey…How did you get these cuts?”

“Hmm…I have no idea!”

Vivi came over to check out why the alpha seemed so shocked. She herself could not stop the surprised gasp when she saw the two gouge marks across Luffy's ankles, matching the exact place where Zoro had roughly scarred his, when he almost cut through his own legs in order to get free. But it didn’t seem as grievous as the swordsman’s, or maybe it was further along the healing process…

The princess is beyond confused “Luffy, these match…How on earth did you get cut in such a place?”

“I told you guys I don’t know! Maybe I got nicked in the fight or on a loose nail or something.” The captain says, averting his eyes and crossing his arms.

Vivi frowned and thought to herself. None of the agents at that battle used swords, or even daggers or pocket knives. The possibilities of a loose nail…

Nami narrows her eyes at the omega. She was missing something here. Luffy was the worst liar she knew, and the navigator wondered why he wouldn’t just tell her the truth. What secret could he want to keep so badly? But the injury was already scabbing over, so whatever it is couldn’t be too devastating.

She deftly wrapped up Luffy’s ankles and gave his toe a yank, stretching it and letting it go with a snap. The rubber man yelped in surprise. Nami grinned at him, pushing his legs off, “Well you’re good to go! You better go tell Sanji what you want for dinner!”

“Oh, great idea! Thank you Nami” Before leaving he leans over to give her a little kiss on the top of her head in thanks, and the orange haired alpha blushes in acknowledgment. Vivi giggles at the other’s embarrassment. But Nami doesn’t let it faze her, secretly happy with the appreciative gift. As she remembers what had just occurred, the alpha turns to Vivi and asks her, “Do you have any idea what’s up with that?”

The beta lets the door shut behind her. The pair remain there, discussing theories as well as navigation and possible routes to Alabasta until they return to the upper decks to join the rest of the crew for dinner.

Nami starts to feel just a bit feverish, but chalks it up to the giddy mood everyone was in after such an exhilarating island adventure…

—

Usopp wakes up with a jump, breath erratic as his mind registers where he is now, but the dread from the nightmare sticks to him. Heart beating fast, he looks around to make sure he didn’t wake anyone up. In the dark of Nami’s cabin, he can only see three of the others. The sick alpha was in a fevered sleep, unlikely to wake anyway. The sniper squinted in the darkness to see Vivi passed out, resting her head in her arms at the bed side. Luffy was next to her, leaning his back against the bed, straw hat covering his eyes. Usopp figured his captain was asleep too, based on his steady breathing. He slowly got up, trying not to make a sound, and carefully creaks the door open, slipping into the hallway outside and softly shutting the door behind him.

He makes it to the upper deck, and can see the top of Zoro’s green head peeking over the edge of the crow’s nest. Without thinking, the beta makes his way into the kitchen, head down as he was lost in the memories his nightmare brought to the surface. Opening the door, he’s interrupted from his rumination by a voice.

“Can’t sleep?”

Usopp looks up with wide eyes, “Oh! Sanji! Um, no! I heard a loud noise that sounded like it could be a terrible sea monster, so I went to investigate! But don’t worry, the great Captain Usopp took care of it in a flash! The minute the monster saw me it swam away in fear!”

Sanji, who was doing something on the counter, gave him an indecipherable look before turning back around. He acknowledges the sniper’s obvious lies with a soft “Mmhmm…”

The beta deflates immediately, collapsing into the bench at the table. “No you’re right, I’m having a hard time sleeping…” He studies the grain patterns, hiding his wringing hands under the table.

The cook’s hand shakes a little when he sets a cup of freshly brewed hot tea down in front of the dark haired sniper. Usopp looks up with a tired smile given in gratitude, and is surprised to see the familiar haunted look in the other’s eyes. Sanji sits down and runs his hands through his hair, before rustling through his pockets to play with his lighter. Suddenly, the alpha speaks, “My mother fell ill shortly before I was born. She was bedridden for many years, until one day…” He takes a deep breath. “There was nothing left for me, after she passed, so I ran away.”

Usopp holds the tea between both hands, absorbing the warmth from the other’s actions. The beta gulps down the lump in his throat to offer his own experience. “…My mom died from an illness when I was young, too. She suddenly caught a fever, some sort of disease, and was sick for a few months before she passed away.”

There’s a tense silence between the two, remembering the pain of such substantial losses. But this time, instead of returning to the painful memories alone, they had someone to share it with. He gains enough strength from this to take a deep, steadying breath, grabbing onto to the hope that still exists in his heart. Before he can say anything, Sanji breaks the silence first.

“It’s going to be fine. We’ll find a doctor at the next island, and everything will work out.”

The dark haired man mirrors the tired, but hopeful smile on the cook’s face, agreeing.

“Yeah. Thanks, Sanji.”

—

Meanwhile…

It’s still the small hours before dawn, where the stars all shine brightly on clear nights, but tonight the sky was covered in a forming layer of clouds. The princess hoped a storm wouldn’t envelop the ship before morning at least, but she knew luck on the Grand Line was rarely so kind. The beta had taken to primarily caring for Nami during the day and night (for people doing so much for her, this was the least she could offer). She had been exchanging the rag on the alpha’s forehead with a fresh, cool towel frequently, in an effort to bring her fever down.

Vivi manages to get some sleep in between, resting on the side of the bed. Tired from getting up every few hours all night, she is not awoken from her slumber when someone quietly creaks open the door, slipping outside. With the ship’s natural groans covering most soft sounds, she doesn’t hear the rustling right next to her, either.

But several moments later, Vivi snaps her eyes open. Even behind her closed eyes and in sleep, the blue haired princess could sense the sudden light.

A soft, golden glow illuminating the hands on Nami’s abdomen, and Luffy, the source of the light, looking at her with wide, glowing eyes.

“Luffy…What are you doing?”

But in the pregnant silence before the omega could answer, Vivi’s brain jumpstarts and helpfully connects several points. She’s only been with the crew for a little while, but the day after every battle they find themselves in, Luffy always seems to be even more injured than he was immediately post-battle…The mysterious cuts she and Nami saw just today that matched Mr. Zoro’s self inflicted ones, and similar matching wounds Nami recalled to her earlier…The temptingly warm golden glow…A legend she remembers hearing a long time ago comes to mind; a story told by Pell she was sure was nothing but a fairytale.

Luffy can see the princess’s dawning understanding and interrupts her before she speaks. He goes back to looking down at the sickly alpha with a determined set of his brows. Intense but quiet, he whispers fervently, “I’m healing her!”

Vivi, desperate to confirm her building suspicions, asked in an equally hushed tone; “It’s not as simple as healing, is it?”

The glow faltered as the captain’s eyes flickered to the princess. The silence was enough of an answer.

With tears in her eyes, she grabs onto the other’s wrists. “Luffy, you have to stop. That…That won’t work for a situation like this! You’ll both end up hurt!”

“And what should I do? Just let her suffer?” The omega’s rough tone surprised the princess. “I can’t just let someone in my crew, in my pack, get hurt when there’s something I can do about it!”

“If I’m right, what you're doing might not be enough. We don't know what her illness is!"

Looking down at the sickly alpha, Luffy whispers, "I made a promise to protect her."

“We’re going to find someone to help her. A doctor, who can actually cure whatever illness she picked up.”

“But—“

Vivi tugs firmly on his arms, finally cutting the glowing connection off. In the dim light that’s left, she holds the omega’s hands in her own.

“Luffy, have faith. It will work out, I believe it.”

He gripped the princess’s delicate hands tightly, hair covering his eyes. She squeezed the other’s hands in comfort when she felt him tremor, tears that had been held back before suddenly falling. The beta couldn’t help the tears that formed in her eyes, as well, and she suddenly pulled the other into a tight hug. Into Luffy’s shoulder, she whispered her affirmations again.

“It’s all going to be alright. We’ll find someone who can help, okay?”

The captain nodded his head, movements stifled by how closely he clung to the other, looking for any sort of comfort in the dark room, holding onto the spoken words of hope.

———

The grand mountains of Drum Island stood with noble grace against the cloudy sky, snow drifting around the tops but avoiding the villages down below for now. The evergreen trees dotted the landscape, softwood needles weighed down with snow. The Merry had waded into the river that took the ship deeper into the land mass. Currently, they were at a standstill, as armed villagers took up positions flanking both sides of the ship and her crew, guns ready and aimed. The kingdom was pushed into chaos all too recently, their king deserting them, when the last group of pirates that visited the Kingdom raided their towns. They refused to be burned again.

The princess, sensing the rising tensions between the two groups, drops her head to the floor in a complete bow. Her arm bleeds from the grazing of a bullet shell, a shot meant for Sanji when the alpha let out a threatening growl just moments before. Her forehead rests on the deck of the Merry as she pleads with the militia, hoping to stop this altercation peacefully.

“I beg of you! We promise not to set foot on your country…So could you please just call over a doctor? Our friend is gravely ill and in much pain! Please, help her!”

Luffy remains standing, looking down at the princess with an unreadable expression. “Vivi…”

The beta refuses to move from her vulnerable position, but is able to look at Luffy, pinning him with a severe glare. “You’re failing to carry out your duties as captain, Luffy. Recklessly fighting isn’t always going to solve everything. Apologize and bow!”

Luffy’s fangs peek out as he growls quietly, “What? No! I bow to no one!”

“In this instance, you have to put aside your pride! It’s not about you—it’s about the people you love.” Vivi’s words are cutting, “I know you will lay down your life for your crew without a second doubt. But is your pride that much more important, more important than Nami’s life?”

The Straw Hat captain was struck, almost pained, when he internalizes her words. He immediately drops into a submitting bow next to the princess, face pressed against the deck as he calls out, “Sorry, I was wrong!” He continues, voice urgent but sincere, “We only ask for a doctor. Please save our friend.”

Dalton, a man much larger than the rest with a humbly commanding presence, steps forward to address the captain and his crew. He says nothing to the militia, but they can also see the desperate hope these pirates were clinging too. They would have to keep a close eye on the group, but it didn’t seem to be a trick to get past their defenses.

“…We’ll lead you to our town. Follow me.”

—

The blizzard is only picking up, flurry ripping in the swift winds. White, everywhere, the snow above and all around and covering the frozen mountain that Luffy digs his fingers into. He doesn’t dare look down, but he’s sure it all looks white below him as well. He squeezes his eyes shut as a rough wind bites into his skin, and holds on as best he can to the mountain face.

He was so close to the top…The warmth of Nami’s fevered body against his back was a constant reminder of why he needed to reach the summit, as soon as possible. His face was numb from the cold and the clench of his jaw, Sanji’s coat held between his teeth. The cook dangled, limp, but even if Luffy couldn’t feel his face anymore, he wouldn’t drop him again.

Just a little bit more…

Nami moans, pained, in her sleep, and it hits Luffy worse than any blow he’s ever taken. He can tell Sanji’s in pain too, and the instinctual drive to protect his pack and ease their suffering is almost too strong to ignore.

But Vivi was right. He’s not sure what his limits really are, and if he’s wrong he could end up killing them all. They’d all fall down to the snowy depths below…But they were almost to the top, Luffy could sometimes see it through the breaks in the snowing storm. Maybe he could take away just a little bit of the pain? Just enough for them to be a little more comfortable while he heaved them all over the edge.

The wind howled in the omega’s ears, and he flinches a little at the harshness of the air current. The captain stops his climb for the hundredth time, to brace himself against the scathing gale, clinging to the towering mountain. When it dies down, Luffy prepares to resume the upward climb. His toes, rubber brittle from the freezing temperature, suddenly break at the tips, loosing their grip.

Blood trails from his digits as they dig into the frozen rock, and he wants to scream but he can’t. He doesn’t give up, instead pushes even harder, desperate to not slide farther down the cliff face than he already has.

Eventually his descent stops, and Luffy feels the tears freeze in his eyelashes before they could ever drop. It hurt so bad, and his limbs were getting harder and harder to force into action, muscles beginning to freeze. He doesn’t dare look up to find out how much ground he lost, and reaches a hand up to restart his climb. But suddenly his grip isn’t enough, and he is falling.

Panic, an overwhelming freezing heat that floods his nervous system settles in his throat and in his heart. An agonizing fear that he’s never felt before crawls up his spine, and he attempts to stretch out a frozen limb, helpless in a final attempt to reconnect to the mountain. He closes his eyes in both pain and determination, trying to push his arm through the frostbite.

A flash of warm gold, a burning fire compared to the striking snow and ice all around. He opens his eyes to find himself face to face with the mountain, maybe even a little higher than before. His arm never stretched, but Luffy could feel the tears in his skin and muscles from forcing the frozen flesh to move. He doesn’t take another moment to wonder what happened.

What mattered was getting to the top, whatever it takes.

—

Nami opens her eyes for what feels like the first time in days. Staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling, she remains still as she regains her bearings. The alpha sits up, sensing a presence. She asks to the seemingly empty room, “Who’s there?”

Suddenly, she spots movement to her right, a strange creature is in the open doorway to the room, bracing themselves against the doorframe. Or, were they supposed to be hiding…?

“Um…I think you’re supposed to do it the other way.”

The creature shrieks and corrects their positioning, peeking out from the side.

“A little too late for that now. And I can still see like, half your face.” Nami tries to peer a little closer, leaning off the bed just a bit to try and see better “Just what are you…?”

The fur covered creature didn’t move from the door, but yelled out to the orange haired woman.

“Shut up, you damn human!” With a lot less vocal antagonism, they continue, “By the way, how’s your fever?”

Nami is shocked not expecting such contrasting tones, and not expecting a voice from the creature at all. “It talked!”

The antlered critter seemed just as shocked that the navigator replied, and let out another shriek.

Bopping them on the head as she walked past, a tall elderly woman enters the room Nami found herself in. “Keep it down in there, Chopper!”

She saunters toward the bed, taking a swig from the bottle of wine in her hand, and uses her free hand to poke Nami in the forehead. “Looks like your fever’s gone down quite a bit, Missy. Explains why you’re awake and harassing my assistant.”

Nami won’t let her guard down while she’s still feeling out of it, especially around an unknown alpha. Refusing to show her confusion, she asks with an almost nonchalant confidence: “And you are…?”

“I’m Doctor Kureha,” The woman angles her head with a lazy smirk, glasses sliding down her nose to reveal her eyes. “…But you can just call me Doctorine.”

Nami relaxes a little. "Doctor? Then this is…”

The woman had spun around to check on a bubbling flask in the corner of the room. She spins around again, looking like she had been asked a scandalous question.

“You want to know the secret of my youth?”

“No, I never asked.” Of course the only doctor Luffy would find is some crazy person with a talking pet, but the alpha kept that to herself.

“This is the castle on top of the mountain.” Kureha continued, anticipating the question the other was actually asking.

“There should have been two people with me…Do you know where they are?”

“They're resting in a separate room, my assistant had been attending them. I’m still not sure how you all survived the trip up the mountain…” The doctor taps her chin thoughtfully as she watches a pink liquid flow through glassware at the laboratory table.

Nami feels like she’s pulling teeth to get her questions answered. Very politely, she asks, “I’m sorry, I was unconscious the entire time. Do you know what anything about what happened?”

The doctor is suddenly in front of her again, the grin on her face appearing creepy considering her next words:

"That omega friend of yours carried you and the other guy up the mountain barehanded. He barely made it over the edge before begging us to help his friends. Of course, I wanted to turn you three away. He looked close to death, and since you and your other pal were out for the count, I didn’t have much hope for any of you.”

The doctor’s grin turned just slightly more kind, “But Chopper was was inspired by that boy’s determination. He bullied me into it treating you guys.” She ends with a chortled laugh.

Nami got the impression that this woman could not be bullied. She kept her mouth shut as the alpha doctor continued, “Anyway, it was a little dicey for a while but! We cured your disease.”

“What? A disease?”

The doctor leans over to lift her shirt, pointing to grotesque, but healing, insect bite on her stomach. Nami is too stunned to speak.

“Yep,” Kureha explains, pronouncing the affirmation with a pop, “You were bitten by a Kestia, a poisonous tick that lives in the tropics. The bacteria living in that tick changes hosts when the it sucks on the blood of another animal.” She releases the other alpha and goes for the wine bottle she had set down before. “Once inside, the bacteria cause great pains for its new host for five days. Extremely high fevers and inflammation of various body parts occurs, including the myocardium, arteries, and even the brain.”

Nami looks at her hands in her lap, silent. The doctor continues, “Judging by the bite mark, it looks like today was your third day since infection. It must’ve been quite painful. But naturally the pain would go away if we left it alone.” The creepy, somewhat malicious grin returns to the elderly woman’s face, “Because in just two more days, you’d be resting in peace in the afterworld.”

“What?” She whispers.

“That’s why it’s also known as the ‘Five Days Disease.’ From what I’ve heard, Kestia should have went extinct over a hundred years ago, so you’re real lucky that I happened to have the antibiotic for it.” She finally removes the sunglasses, pushing them up to rest on the top of her head. “Just what the hell have you been doing, missy? Running around half-naked on a prehistoric island?”

Nami doesn’t answer, partially still in shock from her apparent near brush with death, and from the accuracy of the woman’s hypothesis.

Her smile morphs into a laugh, “Ah? Did I hit the mark? Well, aren’t you a hopeless case.”

Kureha returns to a neutral, considering expression as she returns to busying herself with the bubbling liquids and glassware she had been observing previously.

She continues, “Strangely enough, your friend had very similar symptoms, although it was a much more mild case. It’s almost like he caught a weaker version of it from you, which is impossible for a disease that can’t be spread by other humans…” The witch doctor throws a considering look over her shoulder to Nami, hoping the girl would reveal some answers. But the other alpha is still staring at her hands, now clenched into fists, with a furious glare.

“Is that so? I think I might know why…Where is he now?”

“Like I said, in the room with the other patient…Hmm, which now that I think about it, the straw hatted boy had a similar injury to the blond one too, but it was also a mild case comparatively…”

“What happened to them?”

“It looked like a few acute fractures in the spine and limbs, like they took a nasty fall or were knocked around by lapins, more likely. But that can all be fixed!” Kureha picked up a test tube and swirled it around. “The frostbite was a bigger concern…You and the blond were pretty chilled, but I’m surprised it wasn’t worse, especially with the wind speed and temperature being so unforgiving today.” She sets it back down and turns to face Nami once more. “The other one was much more what I was expecting, fingers and toes starting to turn necrotic black from digging into the mountain bare. What's fascinating is his body…”

The creature from the doorway, Chopper, jumps into the conversation, too excited to hold back his questioning, “He’s a devil fruit user, right? Does it have something to do with healing? A paramecia that lets him take other’s injuries onto himself, maybe?” He copies the same pose Kureha, looking thoughtful as he discusses Nami’s captain. “Which sounds pretty useless in theory, but it also accelerates his own healing!”

Getting over his fear of humans in favor of the never ending quest for scientific knowledge, he addresses Nami directly, eyes wide with the eager to learn and understand. “Are you ever concerned that he won’t be able to heal from something, or I guess I’m asking if there is a limit to his power?…And there is one more thing that still perplexes me, why is he stretchy?”

Nami was shaking in anger. Is that what’s really been happening? She and Vivi had discussed the strange mystery of her captain’s frequent injuries, but they weren’t able to come to a reasonable enough conclusion. The alpha has had her suspicions of course, especially when it seemed like Luffy was the only one with any serious wounds after their fight with Arlong and his crew. It wasn’t a big deal at the time, Nami just assumed they all healed freakishly fast. But Luffy, for all his superhuman recovery times, was almost always wrapped up in different bandages.

She was furious he didn’t tell them what he was doing. The alpha knew he was lying to her that day about where the cuts on his ankles came from. It wasn’t a loose nail, it was Zoro’s stupid ass wound. She thinks of all the other times the crew experienced seemingly miraculous healing rates. The time she nicked herself slicing an orange with a paring knife, Luffy bounding up to her and clasping her hands in his, bleeding finger and all, distracting her with a beaming smile and some dumb question. When she went to go wash away the blood, it was nothing worse than a paper cut.

How many times? How many times had he taken on pain that wasn’t his? And without asking how his crew, his friends, his family how they would feel about it?

“Oh Sanji look he went down this way! Hey furry guy! I wanna talk to you!”

Chopper pulled down the brim of his red hat down in nervousness, looking up to the elder doctor. “Uh-oh. Doctorine, get them to stop chasing me!”

The witch doctor laughs heartily, “You’re on your own there buddy.” The creature looks down the hall with trepidation, before turning out of the doorframe and running the other way. Nami could hear the thunder of running footsteps draw closer. Kureha laughs again, amused.

“Tough friends you got there, girly. Despite everything, both of them are already up and at ‘em, although it’ll take another few days of treatment for you.”

“Well thank you, very much, for all your help, but I think it’s time we leave. And I need to have a talk with my captain.”

“Just go back to sleep for now, you haven’t fully recovered yet.” She says, bonking the alpha on the head with unexpected force, causing Nami to flop back down onto the pillow behind her.

“It’ll take a little under three more days for my medicine to bring you to a full recovery!”

The navigator pushes herself can up on her elbows, “Three whole days? No, I have somewhere I need to be right n—“

The doctor suddenly produces a scalpel out of thin air, holding it to the other alpha’s throat. Nami can’t hold back the low, threatening growl, but the doctor only chuckles, “They’re only two cases in which I let patients leave my sight, when they’ve healed…” she holds the knife a little closer, leaning in, “Or when they’ve died! You’re not going anywhere, missy.”

The doctor, amused with her own antics, straightens up and turns to the doorway with a heel spin. “I can’t let you leave until you’ve finished your treatment, but I’ll allow your other request!” Leaning her head into the hallway, “Oi! Brats! Your friend is awake.”

Immediately, Luffy and Sanji tumble through the doorframe at the same time, tripping over each other. Kureha manages to dodge them with unexpected agility, and goes to start mixing together several of the liquids she had been tinkering with before.

The Straw Hat captain and cook untangle their mess of limbs to scramble over to Nami, who had her head bowed, hair covering her eyes.

“Nami! You’re okay!”

“Miss Nami! I am so pleased to see you in much better health!”

“Luffy.”

The straw hatted man blinked at the serious tone. “What?”

The alpha woman finally looked up, facing her captain with a scowl. "We have to talk.”

Luffy could tell she was mad, could easily scent the anger in the air, but is at a loss at what his navigator could be upset with him about. Unless…

“I’m sorry I ruined the coat you bought for me, but I’ll make it up to you!”

“It’s not that!” Nami, disarmed by his stupid innocent face, loses the anger. She sighs, but won’t let the topic go. “I know what you’ve been doing. Since Arlong, at least, am I right?”

“Luffy, what did you do to Miss Nami?!”

As Luffy realizes what the alpha must be referring to, he suddenly bites his lip and looks away. He didn’t want to talk about that. It wasn’t a big deal, not to him. He would do anything in his power to help his family. So he happened to have a mystery ability that could take away pain…Why wouldn’t he choose to use it on the few people he can’t bare to see hurt?

“We don’t have to talk about it!” He said, pouting. “Vivi already told me I have to be more careful, and I will.”

Sanji, out of the loop completely, was about to have an aneurism. “Why is Princess Vivi involved?!”

Nami scoffed, “Vivi already did, huh. Well Vivi isn’t the only one who deserves to know what you’ve been doing!”

“Nami!” Luffy pleads, drawing out the vowels. “Please, it’s fine. I won’t ever do it on purpose again, okay! We don’t have to talk about it, especially not right now! I have to go find that little furry guy!”

“We’re going to have a crew meeting about it, as soon as we get back to the ship.”

Pulling out his hair, Sanji shouts “About what!?”

Luffy looks a little more serious, cute pout growing into a frown. “We don’t have to do all that, I said I would stop.”

“Yeah well, I have a funny feeling it’s going to take all of us to make sure of that.”

Not willing to waste more time, eager to get out the conversation, the captain relents. “Fine, whatever! Just right now I have to go! I’m so glad you’re okay, see you later!” The last part is said as the rubber pirate is running out the door, turning to the hallway Chopper had run down earlier.

“He’s so aggravating sometimes.” The navigator, fever pulling the fight out of her sooner than she would have normally let it go. “Why are you guys running after that poor thing anyway?”

“An excellent venison stew would be the perfect thing for your healing body!” Sanji almost sings, envisioning the beautiful ingredients he would prepare into a delicious meal. He opens his eyes again, corner of his mouth quirking into a lopsided smile. “But Luffy wants to be friends with it or something.”

Kureha suddenly interrupts. “Are you rascals done ignoring me? I think it’s high time we discussed payment…”

Notes:

I dont remember the first fic i read where Luffy knows how to use a staff, but i like it a lot hehe. Recently i watched the wano episode where he and zoro reunite, and luffy does use a sword...but hes still punching with it lol. he used it mostly for deflecting others blades, which i thought was so cool…anyway....

This chapter was originally going to go all the way up to Alabasta, but I got a little carried away haha @u@

That being said…I hope you enjoyed the chapter!!!! Maybe it was a little too cheesy but that’s like the whole point of this fic so idc hahahah this is my wish fulfillment fanfic and I’m going to make all of them cry on/at/for each other >:)

If you liked it, please leave a comment!! however long or short c: con/crit is welcome too!

Chapter 7: Snowfall

Summary:

Drum Kingdom arc ends, and our lovely crew is headed for Alabasta.

Notes:

This chapter is the longest one yet and is so full of fluffy boy Chopper who demanded to figure out this new little world hes been dropped in to.
Also, Zoro thinks about stuff! wow!

—

When The Royal Drum Crown 7-Shot Tin Tyrant Cannon failed to detonate, Wapol felt the building burning heat of dread settle in the pit of his now empty stomach. Desperate to hold onto something of his legacy, he kindles the dawning dread into righteous rage.

What an absolute catastrophe! Had not a single creature in his kingdom stayed loyal and subservient to their rightful king?!

It was blasphemous, and Wapol screamed in his frustration. Turning to that goddamn rubber pirate, the tyrant king roared, “I am a King! And an alpha! A filthy peasant omega like you should be bowing down to me!!”

Cutting off his tirade before it could really get good by grabbing his face forcefully, the dark haired omega yells at him, “You're going down! I don’t care if you’re a king or whatever,"
And Wapol feels the strength of the fingers creaking his metal jaw, surely leaving an imprint behind. "There are more important things than power..." Luffy pulls the deserter kings face real close to his own, a feral thing as the young pirate grins a sharp smile with wild, fiery eyes.

“Because, I'm a pirate!"

“Because you're a pirate?! You think status doesn't matter?!”

Wapol has to laugh, erratically, losing his grip on his reality in the face of such direct opposition to his entire belief system. He harshly grabs onto the arm thats gripping his face and continues,
“You're truly an idiot! I didn't know all the stories were true! You must have listened to Dalton’s lies about me and this kingdom, and believed them foolhardily, gullible omega that you are!”

He stabilizes his footing, preparing for his last resort, and makes one last chance at getting this fool to surrender.

"Don't you know, Straw Hat? Drum Kingdom is a member of the World Government! You’ve committed an international crime by attacking me!”

The expression on the tanned pirate didn’t change at all, "I don’t care about that either! Im gonna kick your ass!”

"You impetuous omega! Submit to me!”

Wapol opens his mouth wide, and unveils his last hidden weapon, his Munch Mutation Tongue Cannon, and begins to fire it at his opponent point blank.

—

Coughing up blood, Dalton the leader of the civilian militia, cries out to the occupants of the cable car heading up the mountain.

"I must end his reign! It’s the only way.” The former royal guard didn’t bother to wipe the blood off his chin, beside himself with helpless anger. “Who cares about power and order?!” Tears of frustration build up at the corner of his eyes, “What’s so wrong about wanting your country to have a heart?”

Vivi, touched, gasps as empathetic tears wet her eyes. She understands how he feels all too well, and can’t help but worry about the state of her country in turmoil.

Struggling to rise, Dalton shocks the crowded cable car of people by revealing a string of dynamite strewn across his abdomen. “Everyone, listen. When we get to the top, take cover. I will do what I can to save the kingdom!” The determined fire in his eye spoke of the fast and steady willingness of a man willing to lay down his life to protect the land he loves.

As the tears threaten to spill over, Vivi covers her mouth to quiet her cries and turns away. Usopp moves closer, so their shoulders are touching, and the princess takes some comfort in the offered support.

Zoro, near the front of the car, has a clear view of something flying out from the castle’s main tower. He starts to smile, mouth curling in a lazy, appreciative smirk.

“You know, I don’t think that’ll be needed.”

—

Wapol, stuck in the tip of the lesser tower of his castle, staring at that pirate flag where his should have been flying, grinds his teeth until a few of them crack under the pressure. How…How…How dare that little fucking dirty rat! He would put him in his place! And then the rest of them! He was the king of this land! From a long line of proud men who saw this country be born from nothing! And this was the thanks he got?!

Doctor Hiriluk’s Jolly Roger whipped in the breeze, wind storming in just the right way to have it fly, symbol clear to see. It was as if it was mocking the king, skull framed by cherry blossoms laughing at his misfortune.

Wapol has no time to left to lament before the omega captain is right in front of him again, landing on the roof of the tower. Luffy punches his fists together and grins down at the captive king, short fangs menacing in his smile.

The deserter king starts to screech out pleas as the pirate throws his arms out behind him, stretching them as far back as they can go. Past the castle, past the mountain, past the cable car still trudging its way to the summit, and Luffy releases the tension, rubber snapping the Munch Munch man right in his face. Wapol goes flying, out past the kingdom, disappearing into the distance.

—

The captain of the Straw Hat pirates rounds a corner of the castle, spotting the reindeer he had been chasing.

“Hey furry creature guy! Come talk to me!”

Chopper looks behind him to see the other had caught up, and was closing in on him.

“Hi!” The straw hatted pirate calls out, skin flushed from running around inside and outside of the snowy castle, finally cornering the reindeer around the side of the exterior wall. He smiles, wide, at the other, still running toward him.

Chopper isn’t used to such blinding smiles being directed at him. He saw plenty of Doctorine's plotting smirks and teasing laughs, and got more than enough mistrustful and disgusted looks from other humans and reindeer. The last one to smile at him like that, full of meaning the little doctor still doesn't fully grasp, was Hiriluk…

Pirates are amazing, Chopper!

Chopper stands his ground. He yells out, brow furrowed with hesitance and confusion, “Why did you call me your friend?”

Luffy skids to a stop in front of the reindeer.

“What do you mean? Aren't we friends?”

Chopper shakes his head, “Why would you be my friend? You don't even know me…”

“That’s not true! We fought together, right?” Luffy can’t stop from gesturing in excitement, “Your transformations were so cool! You have to join my pirate crew!”

The seas are full of pirates! One day you must set sail and see what the world is like!

Chopper won’t look at the other, just stares at the snow, lost in a flurry of thoughts. The rubber man continues, “And if it snows tonight, when you come with us, we can have a hot cocoa party!”

The doctor blinks, focusing on the unexpected statement. "A...Hot cocoa party?”

“Yeah!”

“...What is that?” Chopper finally looks back at the other for the answer.

Luffy tilts his head, looking concerned. “Haven’t you heard of it before? It’s brown and warm and really good.”

“I know it can be used for that!” Chopper pauses, tapping his hooves together. “…Doctorine only uses it for its anti-inflammatory properties, though. But…”

The dark haired pirate makes a questioning noise, prompting the other.

“What is…a party?”

Luffy laughs, head thrown back, before leaning forward with unrestrained glee, “A party is just an excuse to get everyone you care about together to have a good time! With good food and drinks and fun things to do!” He puts his hands on his hips, beaming, “And pirates always have the best parties!”

Chopper can see Hiriluk's Jolly Roger flying, high up on top of the castle.

“I…I like pirates.”

“I do too! Come be one with me!”

Chopper looks remorseful, and squeezes his eyes hut before yelling, “I can’t!” And shifting into his full animal form, the reindeer speeds away.

But he’s running without looking, and ends up head butting an imposing man in front of the castle. Chopper had fallen back on to his butt, startled back into his normal hybrid form.

Looking up at the man he ran into, the doctor shivers in fear seeing the scowl on the man’s face and the three threatening swords at his waist.

Luffy has persisted, running after the reindeer like he has been since the conclusion of the battle. When he sees the swordsman, he calls out: “Zoro! Thanks for stopping him! He's our new crew mate!”

“What? When did that happen?” Usopp looks between his captain and the small creature.

Sanji takes a drag off his cigarette, and sighs. “It hasn't. But Luffy's not gonna give up now if that’s what he decided…”

Zoro looks down at the reindeer, and address him. “So you're joining the crew?”

“That's great! He’s a pretty good doctor, from what I understand!” Nami calls from closer to the castle, pulling her coat tight against the winds.

“Reindeer! Let's be pirates together!”

The sniper looks exasperated at Luffy, “Oi, you don’t even know his name yet?”

The orange haired woman smiles at the little doctor, “It's Chopper, right?”

“Chopper! I’m bringing you with us!” The omega yells, finally meeting up with the group.

The reindeer looks even more despaired, his heart longs to go to sea, especially with this group of pirates that seem so…warm. ”I can't! It’s impossible!”

“Eh? It’s not impossible! It’ll be fun!”

Chopper doesn’t reply, pulling the brim of his hat down to try and calm his racing emotions. “I’m grateful for the offer…” He swallows, trying to clear the lump of disappointment lodged in his throat. “…But I’m a reindeer! I have hooves, and antlers, and a blue nose!”

He’s yelling now, tears gathering in the corner of his eyes “Of course I want to be a pirate! But I’m not like you guys, I’m a monster!” He heaves a shuddering breath before continuing, "I can never be a part of your group! But I wanted to thank you!!”

He runs out of steam, tone lowering. “Thank you for asking me, but I have to stay here. Maybe you all can come back and visit some day, when you feel like it…”

Luffy doesn’t even take a moment to process the other’s reluctant speech, unwilling to accept any refusal, especially without any real heart behind Chopper’s excuses. "Shut up and come with us!”

Some of the crew don’t expect the reindeer to accept without more fight, but Zoro was close enough to see his expression. The doctor didn’t stop the fat tears that rolled down his face, the gratitude and hope of acceptance sparkled in his eyes, and the green haired man could tell Luffy has won another one over.

Chopper, crying unabashedly now, agrees with a yell, "Okay!"

———

Luffy wasn't hiding from his crew, not exactly. He was sitting in his favorite place, up on Merry's head, keeping her company. Maybe he's been up there a little longer than normal, the grumbling in his stomach reminding him that the time for lunch has came and went. But everyone seems busy today anyway, and Luffy isn’t particular keen on talking to anyone after what happened that morning.

Last night was magical, the cherry blossom snow following their ship, until Drum started to shrink in the distance. Of course the captain had convinced his crew that this was a perfect opportunity for a hot cocoa party like they talked about before, and the palpable excitement of their newest crew member dissuaded any protests against the celebration.

Chopper was so excited, in fact, that he and Luffy ended up being the last ones awake, both several cups of the warm chocolate beverage deep, leading to sugar-fueled energy and chaos. It was only Luffy getting a hold of the canister the cook uses to make the fluffiest whipped cream, and chasing around the reindeer with it, that proved catastrophic. Both of them had started giggling loud enough to wake up Sanji (who had fallen asleep at the table, refusing to leave Luffy unsupervised in the kitchen where they had gathered.)

The blond alpha had suddenly shot up from his sleep, cheek imprinted with the fabric of his sleeve from resting on top of his arm. Unfortunately, Luffy had chosen that moment to leap over the table to get closer to the Chopper on the opposite side. The captain had crashed into the suddenly upright blond man, proceeding to knock both of them to the ground, whipped cream canister exploding between the two of them.

Sanji, covered in the sweet cream, sent the two to bed immediately, rage only tempered by the combined power of both the misbehaving pirate's pleading eyes.

Still riding out the sugar high, Luffy assigned himself to the next watch (relieving the half asleep marksman) and the two stayed up a little later, talking about the life of pirates.

Or at least, what they agreed the pirate life should be: full of fun, friends, and adventure! Chopper fell asleep eventually, and when Sanji relieved his captain from the night watch with a half-hearted, tired glare, Luffy carried the reindeer to the boys cabin for some well deserved sleep.

But the next morning, a while after breakfast, Nami had called for the crew meeting she promised they'd be having.

Luffy draws his knees up to his chest, resting his head against them. He was just a little annoyed about how that went, and he pouted to the ship. “Merry, why don’t they understand? Taking care of them, protecting them from what hurts them…That’s what I’m supposed to do!”

Merry understands, but she understands the rest of the crew also. They didn’t want to see their captain suffer anymore than Luffy didn’t want to see them in pain.

“That’s dumb. I’m way tough, I can handle pain better than any of them.”

The ship creaks against the push and pull of the wave.

“Yeah, I know. But I can’t help it, most of the time. I just do it without thinking about it.” The omega sighs and turns his head to the side, resting a cheek on a knee. “It’’ll be hard to try and control it…”

“Oi, Luffy. Come here.”

The captain, train of thought forgotten in the excitement to see his swordsman, swings down off of the goat figurehead to land in front of him, exclaiming the other's name happily.

Without a word, Zoro turns around and walks to the ladder leading to the lower part of the ship. The straw hatted pirate follows him, dutifully. They make their way into the boys cabin, and the green haired man gestures to the small couch with a nod. Luffy plops down.

“Take off your shoes.”

He does, tossing them off to the side uncaringly. The dark haired pirate looks up at Zoro, tilting his head. The alpha simply answers, “Chopper’s really busy, today.”

Luffy smiles big. “I know! It’s his first official day on the ship! He was really excited about getting started today. Last night he was telling me about his stetheloscope!”

Zoro intones a question with a noise and a shift, given the other an inquisitive look.

“Well, I don’t remember exactly, but it sounded cool!”

Zoro tries not to smile at the dorky grin his air headed captain is wearing, but like always he fails, and his mouth twitches upwards. Shaking his head to get back on track, he continues his previously derailed explanation.

“He asked me to help him because he’s really busy with setting up his equipment, and making sure Nami’s treatment is still going well…And since I know how to do it now.”

“Oh? Are you training to be a nurse?”

You always had to stay on your toes in a conversation with Luffy. “Oh my god, Luffy. No! He showed me how to do it when he was working on my own frostbite.”

He plops a palm atop of Luffy's head, and the other leans up into it, even if Zoro's arm pushed down the brim of his hat. “And unlike some people we know, I can actually pay attention to instructions.”

“But you get lost all the time!”

“I said instructions, not directions!” The alpha thinks for a minute, and scowls, “And I don’t get lost all the time!”

Luffy laughs, but then his eyebrows come together with concern as he thinks about what the other said. “You got too cold, too? Were you also walking around without a coat?”

The swordsman's mind helpfully flashes back to how he spent most of the time on Drum: freezing his ass off. “Ugh. I don’t want to remember. Anyway, give me your foot.”

Luffy doesn’t have to do anything as the alpha kneels in front of his captain, grabbing one of the rubber limbs, and begins unwrapping the bandage protecting the chilled skin from the toils and trouble that come from being attached to the rubber ball of chaos.

The swordsman begins to gently rub healing salve over the reddened skin. Luffy has to bite his lip to keep from giggling and squirming away from the ticklish sensation. The alpha is working his way upwards, and once he’s moved on to his ankles, Luffy sighs in appreciation, sinking into the back of the couch.

“Zoro’s hands are so warm…”

The alpha looks up at the sound, and sees the pleased expression his captain is making: his eyes closed, mouth in a soft smile instead of the usually blinding grin. He feels his own face warm and tries to not focus on anything else while he finishes and quickly begins rewrapping the appendage.

He starts on Luffy’s other foot, and this time the omega can’t hold back the giggle when the other’s hands glide over the ticklish areas. Zoro teases him a little more, tickling the bottom of his foot.

“Zoro! Stop it!” Luffy squeals out between his laughter.

The green haired man can’t fight the smile stretching his mouth, but does relent, smoothing the salve up past Luffy’s ankle this time, and comes across the almost healed cut that matches the scars on his own legs.

The omega can sense the sudden change in mood, and shifts. He knows the other is going to want to talk about the same thing they talked about this morning…

—
Sanji stops his pacing to question his captain, voice rough with fury and concern, “You’ve been doing what?!”

Luffy sinks lower on to the bench at the kitchen table, wanting to be anywhere but there at the moment.

Chopper looks determined. “I hope it’s clear that as the ship’s doctor, I cannot let you willingly hurt yourself anymore, captain! Especially if we don’t know if there’s any other long term effects!”

“I know, I know.” He sighs, exhausted from the tense atmosphere.

Nami yells, pointing her finger in his face, “Not anymore, ever!”

Luffy looks straight ahead, chin supporting his head as it rests on the table. He grits out, “Fine, already. I said I wouldn’t do it on purpose! Can we stop talking about it?”

Usopp’s brow were knit together as he tries to conceptualize this new development. “This is kind of a big deal, Luffy. How often—”

“Did you take on all of our pain?! What if it was too much?” Sanji interrupts, spinning around from his march in the other direction.

Luffy lets his face fall flat against the surface, heart in the pit of his stomach as he’s bombarded with concerned yelling from most of the crew.

Vivi speaks up, voice soft, “Luffy…Do you even know what the power is?”

“No!” The captain says, face smushed sadly against the table as he was forced to bare his crew's ire. “It’s a mystery ability.”

“Do you know, Vivi?”

The princess presses a palm to her cheek, trying to recall a memory from long ago. “Not really…One of the royal guards told me a legend that mentioned something similar, an omega who had the power to take on others pain.” She sighs, almost upset with herself, “But it's been so long I don't remember any other details, I’m sorry.”

The orange haired alpha crosses her arms and says with ferocity, “It doesn’t matter why he can do it, what matters is making sure this idiot doesn’t use it again!”

“Never!” The cook agrees, immediately.

Luffy looks for help for the one person who understands him the best, who might be able to explain his reasoning to the rest of the pack. Zoro is standing, with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall. His eyes are closed while he parses his thoughts, before speaking up.

“I can’t say I don’t know why you would do something like this.” He opens his eyes, looking at his captain. “But there’s no reason for it. I, we, could have healed from these wounds ourselves—”

Luffy abruptly stands, hands clenched at his sides, “I can’t just sit by while you’re hurt! Not when I can do something about it!”

—

“Luffy…”

The dark haired pirate braces himself for another round of reprimands, but he wouldn't change his mind. He would take all their pain, in less time than a heartbeat, if the choice was between that and their death. If his crew wanted to fight about it, he would fight!

The alpha clears his throat before he speaks. “I promised to get stronger. Not only to never face defeat as your swordsman…”

Luffy’s eyes flicker to the top of Zoro’s scar, the start right under his collarbone. Forever marking the other’s skin, even though the omega knows the swordsman wears it with pride. The omega hadn't been able to heal that one before it was too late to keep it from scarring, if he could have at all.

Zoro ignored the heavy weight of the other's gaze and begins to rewrap the limb, “But so you’ll never feel like you have to do this again.”

He rises when he finishes, moving to sit down next to his captain on the couch. Luffy won’t look at him, but the green haired man knows the other is listening, taking every word to heart like always.

He grabs one of the hands that were balled into fists on Luffy’s lap, and begins the same treatment as the other frostbitten limbs. “So please, for now…”

Even as chilled from the residual freeze as they were, his captain’s hands always held a warmth, and Zoro took a moment to cherish the feeling of holding the other’s palm against his, “Stop hurting yourself by taking on so much. Trust me when I say everything will be okay.”

As he was finishing wrapping the last hand, Luffy suddenly squeezed his fingers against the swordsman’s hand, and the alpha looked up from his work at his captain, who was staring at him with a resolute, steady fire.

“Zoro, I can’t promise I won’t do anything I can to protect this crew. It’s my duty as captain.”

He can tell the omega isn’t finished, and bites back the immediate response.

“Cuts and burns and and broken bones…None of it hurts more than feeling any of you in pain. It’s my responsibility, but I’m not always able to protect you from getting hurt—“

Zoro, still holding the others hand in his, suddenly tightens his grip. Imploringly, he begins “But I’m saying you don’t have to do that alo—“

Vivi, calling from the ladder in the hallway, "Luffy? Mr. Zoro? Are you two down here?”

Luffy uses the freshly bandaged hand to cup the side of the alpha’s head, “I’ll be careful. I won’t use it unless I have to.” He leans over and pulls the other so their foreheads are pressing against each other. Luffy looks into his eyes and whispers “Everything will be okay, Zoro.”

Repeating the swordsman’s words back to him, like he’s the one who really needs to hear them.

Before the alpha could organize his thoughts enough to respond, the rubber pirate jumps up, bounding away to greet the princess.

Zoro stays where he is for a moment longer. He’s a little upset at how dismissive Luffy seems to be, not seeming to understand that the opposite of what he was saying was also true: that none of his pack wanted to see their captain in such pain, especially because of them.

And he’s is upset at himself, as well.

The swordsman does his absolute best to live his life without any regrets, especially when he’s pursuing such a dangerous dream. But he’s beginning to regret his immediate refusal of his captain’s offer, that first night they spent together. Zoro never thought he’d want to become a person that was depended on, someone that would help shoulder the responsibility of captain-hood.

But maybe if he was his first mate, Luffy wouldn’t be so adamant about handling so much on his own.

He racks his brain, trying to think of a way to bring up the topic again. Unable to come up with a solution right away, he opens his eyes. He can see that his captain left his discarded sandals behind, effectively dirtying the clean bandages Zoro had worked so hard on wrapping up. Grabbing the sandals on his dash to the ladder, following Luffy and Vivi’s chatting voices, he yelled out,

“Oi, Luffy! Wait up!”

———

Out on sea, the Going Merry sails along. She’s a bit in a hurry, you see, and is thankful for every favorable breeze and beat of the tide. Merry, and most of the crew, could sense Vivi’s growing anxiety, the beta taking to pacing more frequently and always looking out to the horizon line, as if Alabasta would be appearing every second. The ship did her best to speed their journey, as much as she could, planks shifting in place every so slightly to add a little oomph riding down the swell of a wave.

The rest of the crew were doing their best to distract the princess, even for a moment smoothing the increasingly permanent wrinkle between her brows. Some of them had better luck than others, like when Luffy contorts his face in impossible shapes (but it’s Chopper rolling on the ground, struggling to breathe from laughing that has Vivi forget her worries to giggle at the two.)

When the princess can’t sleep at night, it’s usually Nami who finds her, and will stroke her hair until Vivi is too relaxed to hold on to thought, falling asleep with her head in the alpha’s lap.

Nami, now fully recovered from her illness, finally has the time and energy to worry about her crew mates. With the issue of Luffy’s Very Irritating and Mysterious Power that he just “can’t control sometimes” set aside for the time being (although the alpha swore she would get to the bottom of that eventually), and the navigator accepting that the blue haired princess would be anxious until the safety of her people was secured, her thoughts turn to their newest crew member.

In the kitchen, enjoying a cup of tea, the alpha takes a sip, lost in thought. Sanji is puzzled, going over the kitchen’s log another time, trying to find the discrepancies with what he had written down as having in stock, and what was actually in front of him. Usopp sat diagonally across the table from the navigator, and is screwing something together, face twisted up in concentration. Zoro was trying to maintain his composure. He came in here before any of the others, looking for some solitude and quiet to think, and then one by one the other three had filed in. He was lucky it wasn’t the whole crew, and at least they all seemed too preoccupied to break the silence. Suddenly, Nami starts a conversation, vocalizing her thoughts.

“I’m so glad Chopper has joined, especially considering our recent discoveries.”

Usopp doesn’t look up, concentrating on getting the small screws just right, but he replies with a smile, “Yeah, and he seems pretty capable!”

The navigator tapped her cheek, “There’s one thing thats been bothering me…”

“What could possibly be troubling you, beautiful?”

“It’s been a few days since we've set sail from Drum, and he’s still following Luffy around with that look in his eyes…”

Zoro, who’s seen it in all the others (and himself) extrapolates, “Like Luffy is the sun and he can’t help but want to soak in the warmth.”

The others blink at the unexpectedly poetic words from the usually reticent swordsman. The green haired alpha huffs at their staring, a little embarrassedly, and averts his eyes.

Sanji closes the notebook he had been investigating, “It’s because Luffy showed up, did something badass, and then showed Chopper unadulterated love and acceptance.” He leans, putting his weight on one foot. “That’s how he got all of us, right?”

Coming to sit down across from Nami, continuing, “It’s impossible to resist someone who so obviously cares about you and your future, but doesn’t give a damn about…”

Next to him, Usopp puts down the tool for a moment, “Our quirks?”

Nami squints as she offers her best answer, “Our motives?”

Zoro finally opens his eyes, accepting the fact he’s been pulled into conversation. He says with finality, “Our baggage.”

The gathered crew collectively drops their heads in a sigh, the weight of their pasts were heavy on their hearts, but they didn’t seem like such a huge burden when Luffy was around.

“But he’s following him around like a puppy…”

Sanji smiles reassuringly at the alpha woman, “Don’t worry, I’m sure Chopper will figure it out like the rest of us. We all love Luffy but he’s…”

Usopp smiles crookedly, thinking about all the split second decisions he’s watched his captain make on whims, leading to exciting but dangerous adventures, “Rash…”

Nami frowns, but can’t help the affection coloring her words as she remembers all the times Luffy has stuck to a stubborn idea, regardless of any danger that may entail, “Headstrong…”

Zoro sums it up succinctly once again, “A reckless idiot.”

The crew drops their heads in a deep sigh once again, although this time heavier with exasperation. Their fearless captain certainly lived up to the part, and he was more than confident in his crew rising to the challenges, but honestly? Nami would definitely appreciate it if he thought a little bit more before rushing off on his first instinct.

Sanji asks, “Speaking of our favorite rubber brain and latest adopted rescue, shouldn’t one of us be on the deck with them…?”

Usopp blinks, “Oh, Vivi’s out there with them. Besides, what could possibly go wrong?”

As if on cue, screaming, followed by a splash suddenly broke through the silence. The two male alphas reacted immediately, rushing out of the kitchen, out the door at the same time. Nami and Usopp followed behind, and all four had made it outside to see their captain willingly dive over board, jumping headfirst into the ocean. Vivi is already at the side of the ship, looking over the railing with horror.

“God fucking dammit, Luffy!”

Dropping his swords on the ground, Zoro dives into the ocean. At the same time, Sanji jumps in after him. As the two collect the devil fruit users sinking like stones to the bottom of the sea, Vivi holds her breath, not taking her eyes away.

Zoro doesn’t mind that the cook goes for Luffy. The omega, despite entering the water after Chopper, is further down, dead weight dragging him down faster than the other devil fruit user. The swordsman is confident in the worth of his abilities, and doesn’t begrudge the other alpha for being a stronger swimmer.

He was so much more mature than the cook, Zoro thinks to himself (a hint of petulance even in his own thoughts.)

Anyway, he’s happy to rescue Chopper. He can’t help but feel fond of the little guy, and he recently found himself incredibly thankful for young doctor.

—

“I can’t say I don’t know why you would do something like this.” Zoro opens his eyes, looking at his captain. “But there’s no reason for it. I, we, could have healed from these wounds ourselves—”

The omega abruptly stands, hands clenched at his sides, and the alpha feels pinned by the intensity of his captain’s eyes. Luffy is beautiful when he’s passionate, the fire in his eyes making them glitter dangerously, the set of his brow and jaw determined and confident, and he looks at Zoro like he can make him understand through his force of will alone, “I can’t just sit by while you’re hurt! Not when I can do something about it!”

“Luffy….”

“That...That's why I'm here!”

Everyone looks to the reindeer who was also standing, mirroring the straw hatted captain, albeit on top the table. Chopper shivered a little under the sudden rapt attention of the other pirates, but remained where he was.

“You guys didn’t have a doctor before. But now, I’ll be here to patch you up and heal your wounds.”

Luffy can’t contradict his doctor, would never want undermine the expertise of any of his crew. He might not have known their youngest member had medical training when he began recruiting him, but he knows now. He’s heard the impassioned explanation by Chopper of the reindeer’s dreams, and knows he’ll be just as driven to heal the wounds of their pack.

The small gathered group waits to hear their captain’s response, who had looked down in thought, straw hat covering his face with a shadow.

“I won’t promise it will never happen again, but I won’t do it every time anymore.”

“Not at all, Luffy!” Sanji growls, unhappy with the lack of absolutes.

Luffy ignores him, all of them, to look at Chopper, offering him a trusting, steady, smile.

“I’ll do my best to depend on you, Doctor.”

Chopper can feel the weight in Luffy’s expression, and he understands the gravity of what the other is saying. The health and safety of the pack was important to all of them of course, but none more so than the ship's captain and doctor. His captain was trusting him by sharing the responsibility of the very literal wellbeing of the crew who he treasures.

The reindeer stands proud under the pressure of Luffy’s trust, even if his heart is beating a little loud.

“You can leave it to me, Captain!”

—

The little doctor did not hesitate to insert himself in the crew, taking on more responsibility with the grace of someone beyond his years, and Zoro was grateful for another person to watch out for their recklessly loving captain. He hoists Chopper onto his shoulders and begins climbing the ladder Usopp had thrown over the side.

The alphas pull up their water logged crew mates. The two soaking devil fruit users eventually recover from the submersion, but lay on the deck, sea water still dampening their energy.

Luffy, as soon as he cans, giggles, “Thanks for the ride home, guys! That was scary! I probably shouldn’t have jumped in after you, Chopper.” He says, laid out on the deck, enough energy returning that he could turn his neck to grin at the reindeer.

Chopper was in shock, as best as he could diagnose himself at the moment. And Luffy was acting like almost dying was a regular occurrence! The reindeer swore he saw his life flashing before his eyes as soon as he went over the side. And if that wasn’t enough, just before blacking out he could see the rubber man diving in after him, like Luffy wasn’t also just going to sink like an anchor as soon as the sea water enveloped him. Chopper was sure both his and his captain’s pirate careers were about to be cut drastically short, and now…

He was he laughing? Why?! Tears suddenly build in Chopper’s eyes, frustration and relief causing him to shout angrily to the rest of the crew, "Is our captain…An idiot?!”

Zoro voices the collective agreement, wringing out his bandana, not hiding the exasperation and affectionate annoyance in his tone, “Yeah, but he’s our idiot.”

Luffy only laughs again, enjoying the simple joy of being alive and surrounded by the people he loves, savoring the feeling that’s so warm, warmer than the skin that’s facing the sun, chill from the sea becoming another distant memory.

———

The kitchen of the Merry was almost always bustling with life, especially during times of meals and preparations for them. Today, Vivi was walking the Straw Hat's chef through a traditional Alabastan recipe. The dish itself was vegetable-based, which was good since the ship seemed suspiciously empty of meat.

Sanji, wanting to show off a little, gives the beta a flirtatious smirk, "Check this out" and he throws a few of the vegetables up in the air. He slices them as if they are suspended midair, and spins around, grabbing the cutting board from behind him and using it to catch the sliced produce. The vegetables lay out perfectly, even and thinly sliced, and the cook presents it with a half bow.

Zoro, sitting over at the table, scoffs. "I bet I could do that."

The cook sends a frosty glare towards the swordsman. “What was that, Mosshead? You think you’re better than me?”

The alpha glares back, twitching from the anger at the stupid nickname. “I never fucking said that.”

“It sounded that way to me!”

Standing up, the swordsman yells “Well it wasn’t!”

Sanji crosses his arms, not backing down. “Stop trying to prove your place.”

“I’m not doing anything like that, shit cook.”

The blond alpha face twists with the building anger. “What’d you call me?!”

“Shit! Cook!” Zoro spits out.

Sanji, getting in the other’s face, snarls at the other, “You’re not above me!”

The cook’s combative scent and his own alpha drive causes him to growl a ferocious rumble in warning at the other. He lets his instincts creep over, making his scent a little bit heavier, attempting to impose his authority over the other alpha.

Sanji, flushed with rage, didn’t think twice about doing the same, fangs lengthening in the anticipation of a fight. “You wanna step outside?”

“Gladly.”

They are interrupted from escalating their fight. Opening the kitchen door, bathing the dark room in warm, vibrant, sunlight was Luffy.

Who was being lectured and prodded at by Nami. She poked her rubber captain in the back with each important emphasis in her speech, until the two had fully entered the room. The alpha and omega immediately react to the territorial and antagonistic scents in the air, and Nami didn’t hesitate, bracing one hand on Luffy’s back, using him as springboard to gain height and speed. Leaping over to the on-edge alphas, she bonked them on the head hard with her staff. The two turned to growl at her, but it came out like whimpering instead, and they nursed the matching bumps she had given them.

“Nami! That was awesome!” Luffy bounded over to Nami for a double high five, which she reciprocated, before the rubber man scooped her up in a hug.

“It was just like we practiced! You were right about holding it differently when I first came down, the momentum was great!” The alpha woman grins in excitement over the flawless execution of a move she and the other had been practicing for the last couple days. Luffy has not yet stopped holding her, and she snaps at the omega to put her down. Wheeling around to face Usopp, she asks him huffily, “Why didn’t you stop them? They were about to destroy the kitchen”

The sniper holds up his hands, “Last time I got in the middle of them, they knocked out three of my teeth! No thank you! Plus, they would have at least made it outside before attacking each other, so the Merry would have been fine…I think.” He trails off with a weak chuckle.

Chopper, sitting at the table opposite of Usopp, was wide-eyed. He hadn’t expected to feel such…animosity between the two pirates. As a doctor, of course he’s had to study the relationships between the three genders common to the humans and fishmen, but he’s never been this close to observe alphas scent posturing. He wrinkled his nose…They kinda stunk.

The doctor supposed he had a unique perspective. As a normal reindeer at birth, he had to understand the pack dynamics of herd animals, and his biology helped him do so. Or, it would have, if he hadn’t eaten a devil fruit…Chopper shakes his head, a determined look crossing his face, he was a pirate now!

Usopp and Nami suddenly stuck their heads in the reindeer’s gaze, concerned.

“Usopp, they traumatized him!”

“No, he’s fine, he’s fine!”

Chopper looks around, sees Luffy laughing and pointing at the the alphas on the ground. Zoro is looking away, annoyed but not threatening anymore, and Sanji is whimpering apologies at his captain and the princess’ feet. The furrow in Vivi’s brow is still there, but she is laughing softly at Luffy’s teasing remarks at the other two.

The tense moment had clearly passed, and the crew were back to their normal behaviors. Chopper decided to investigate more later, too excited to care when whatever had been simmering starts to smell amazing, arresting the attention of everyone in the room. Sanji scrambles up and Vivi directs him with swift instructions.

—

"Usopp...I was wondering something"

"Sure, hit me with it Chopper! But first, why don't you join me and catch some fish!"

Joy sparkled in Choppers chest. It felt so nice to be included, he was happy to have made such good friends so quickly.

After a quick lesson on how to fish from the Greatest Fisherman of All Time, the pair settled down, casting their rods to fish over Merry’s railings. Chopper’s cheerful smile turned into a frown as he thought about what he wanted to say.

Usopp, noticing the change, looked to the reindeer. "Whats up then Chopper?”

"Well, I wanted to get your perspective on things. I’ve only been at sea with you guys for less than a week, so maybe it just takes time to get used to it but…” He pauses, thinking about it before asking out loud, “How do you feel with so many alphas around?"

The marksman blinked, he supposed this would be on Chopper’s mind considering Sanji and Zoro’s temper tantrum earlier, but it wasn’t something the beta has thought about in a while. “It’s not so bad. Most of the time it doesn't even matter, actually. We’re all part of the same crew, right? So things like that don’t get brought up much.”

“But what about…When things like earlier happened?”

"Those things are just gonna happen sometimes. It’s not always easy to control, from what I understand.”

Chopper perked up, knowing exactly why and excited to share his knowledge, “Yes! It’s because in times of emotional distress, alpha and omegas will be more impulsive and will subconsciously produce more pheromones! And that will in turn affect those around them.”

“Something like that!”

The reindeer looks down. “Hmm…It’s just, from what I’ve read…This is usually detrimental to pack relationships, yet Zoro and Sanji were completely fine with each other the entire lunch.” Chopper taps one of his hooves against the fishing pole, “Well, they were a bit testy after Nami teased them about it.”

Usopp rolls his eyes, “Nami thinks it’s funny when they fight.”

“But what if they go too far?”

The beta is surprised at the worry in the other’s tone, and looks down at the reindeer next to him. "I wouldn’t worry about it, Chopper. We’re all really close, so nothing like that could drive us apart. I think even if it did come to blows, they’d still be able to forgive each other.”

“Despite being alphas?”

Usopp looks back out into the wide blue sea, and the breeze whispers its hellos across his face. Smiling, he says “The best part of this group of pirates is that none of that matters! Just because the world expects you to act a certain way because of what you are, doesn’t mean you have to! I think everyone on our crew proves that, a little.”

“Oh!”

“What really matters is having each other’s backs, no matter what!” The sniper says, giving a grin and a thumbs up to the younger pirate.

Chopper pumps one hoof in determination, “Right! “

Without a warning the doctor’s line pulls taunt, and Usopp has to grab the reindeer before he flies out into the sea. Struggling, but with excitement, the two manage to reel in a large fish, the battle gaining the attention of the rest of their crew who make their way to the deck. After wrangling the sword-tiger fish onto the ship, Usopp carries the reindeer around on his shoulders in victory, Luffy cheering loudly. Chopper, despite the dangers, was quite enjoying the excitement of a pirate’s life!

———

There was about three hours of solid daylight left, before the sun would begin to retire over the horizon, painting the sky in its daily practice. There were no clouds, which wasn’t drastically out of the ordinary for a spring climate island. And this island, said to be home to fields and fields of daffodils, was celebrating their harvest festival. The island was the closest populated land mass before the desert kingdom of Alabasta, and many stopped here to restock. The harbor was always bustling, but there were enough nooks and crannies to hide a pirate ship out of sight of the royal guards.

Or in the case of the Hearts pirates, enough hiding spots to surface a submarine.

His crew were goggling over the many trinkets and treats the festival marketplace offered, local and foreign vendors alike had set up their stalls to celebrate the festival.

Law overhears a vegetable merchant complain to his stall neighbor.

"It's like all the rain is being stolen, or something! I’ve never had such a bad harvest. This is supposed to be a spring island, you know?”

"I know Phil. We’ve always had our nice rainy seasons. Hopefully they’ll return soon, we need it”

"I cant imagine living in Alabasta. I hear this last year, the only city to see even a little rain was the capital…”

The Hearts captain tuned out the merchants, moving quickly along to the next booth. He couldn't explain it, but he had the strangest feeling that there was something on this island he needed to find. The log pose would set after an hour or so, but he and his crew were going to make the landfall count, and fully enjoy the island's festival by staying the night. Despite the amount of free time, Law wasn’t able to shake the urgent feeling that something was here for him.

Using his height to his advantage, Law stood up on his toes just a bit, to be able to look over the crowd and see if there was anything that looked promising. He feels just a tad excited, pushing down the strange urge to look further ahead, when he spots a stall that’s advertising medical texts. The alpha makes a beeline towards it.

Pursuing the goods while the seller attends another customer, Law picks up one of the books and opens it worn pages. A treatise on human pack dynamics, huh? That could be worth spending some Belli on. He wonders how inclusive the text could be, with what little scientific research beyond basic observation is done on the subject. Flipping through the table of contents, he is surprised on the breadth of writing on the subject, at least.

"Excuse me, sir?…Are you going to buy that?”

Law looks down to see a small person, covered head to toe peering up at him. But even through the hastily wrapped scarf, the pirate captain can see the blue nose, and he can see the creature tap their front hooves together, anticipating an answer.

The (raccoon dog, maybe?) quickly hides his hands behind his back, but Law doesn't call him out on it. He knows how sensitive Bepo can be sometimes about standing out, living in big world full of non-furry inhabitants.

“No, here. You have a good eye.” He says, holding the book out.

The raccoon dog—or maybe he was a cervid mink, because of the hooves—snatched the book out the surgeon’s hands with glee, immediately turning and holding it up to the broad shouldered man next to him.

"Please, this one too!!”

“You know Nami makes me pay this all back, right?” The green haired man says, counting out the bills.

The deer regrets his pushiness immediately, pulling down the brim of his hat peeking out from the scarves, “Oh! I forgot we don’t have that much Belli…I’m sorry, Zoro!”

Zoro (and Law is just noticing the three swords at the man’s hip) reassures his smaller companion. “Hey it’s fine. What’s another 50,000 Belli. She’s going to keep racking up the charges anyway.” He suddenly scowls, realizing he lost count, and begins counting again.

A voice suddenly calls out from beyond the marketplace. “Chopper, Zoro! We have to leave, now! Sanji and Luffy pissed off some royal guy!”

The green haired swordsman throws the paper bills at the merchant with a sudden curse, and scoops up the reindeer under his arm, who in turns clutches the stack of texts in the most fascinating mix of glee and fear.

The two run through the rest of the marketplace road, meeting up with their friend who called to them from the intersection up ahead. All three are gone in a flash, disappearing around the corner. Law continues watching the street, hearing screaming coming closer.

A blond man is pulling another man by the front of his red vest. They’re sprinting down the street, followed by what can only be the guardsmen of the nobles, yelling at the two pirates.

The two are only in the alpha’s field of vision for a short time, but when the straw hatted one stops laughing to meet Law’s gaze for a split second, he was entranced. A circle of gold spins into place in the other’s dark eyes, and Law felt electrified, a shocking tingle running down in his spine.

As soon as the straw hatted man is here, he’s gone, and suddenly the noise and clammer of the marketplace slams back into the Hearts captain. Like coming back above the surface of water after being submerged so long your head starts to feel fuzzy, chest heaving to refill your lungs with the oxygen that was so desperately needed to keep your thumping, pounding heart beating.

Law takes a minute to recompose himself, staring off vacantly. The marketplace swarms around him, the alpha a stone in the flow of people. He takes one more deep breath, before turning around, just to see Bepo standing behind him. The polar bear mink is watching with shock as the royal guardsmen of the kingdom are barreling down the hill, some of them tied together by their shoelaces, tripping over each other and rolling.

“Captain, maybe we should leave. I think something strange is happening on this island…”

The alpha agreed. It was high time he and his crew departed, before they got wrapped up in whatever mess those people were in.

Notes:

Thank you for reading!!!! !!!! !!!!!!! This chapter was originally supposed to be apart of the last one, but I got a little carried away, more so on this one haha
I hope you enjoyed!! Comments big or small make me happy~~
\(TToTT)/
Let me know what you might wanna see during the alabasta arc 👀 i cant guarantee anything but unlike every other arc, i dont have much planned for it yet (also it might take a little bit longer ;;)

Chapter 8: Drought

Summary:

First half of Alabasta kingdom. Love and friendship and promises to be kept.

Notes:

There is a very little amount of NaVi in the beginning of this chapter, which just sneaked itself im sorry lol. Also SanAce but only a little bit sorry!!!

———

The crew were regrouping and preparing for the trek across the sandy desert of Alabasta, after a somewhat disastrous trip into the port city of Nanohana. Even in the very first town of the summer island, Luffy had managed to cause quite a stir. The crew had been lucky enough to have finished shopping for supplies for their long hike when their captain ran into them, being chased by marines.

Sanji is never sure they’ll all make it out alive, but especially when the same guy who had chased them out of Loguetown showed up, body turning into smoke with a ferocious glare. But, like Lady Luck had chosen a favorite and it just happened to be the Straw Hat’s captain, someone had stepped in the path of Smoker.

The man had yelled at Luffy to escape, and the cook wasted no time grabbing the back of his shirt, dragging the omega around the corner and booking it towards where they had hidden the Going Merry.

Safely on the ship and hidden away from marine and civilians alike, the crew relaxes. Chopper and Usopp have it taken upon themselves to try and pack everything, the sniper claiming his expertise in organization and the reindeer just wanting to help out where he can. They were discussing the best way to fit everything into the few backpacks they had, and Sanji was about to go over to make sure they had enough room for provisions, when he overhears a conversation between some of the others.

“Wow, you guys all got new outfits!” Luffy is feeling the fabric on Vivi’s skirt and Nami does a spin to show off her own outfit. The dark haired pirate exclaims with delight, “They look so good!”

Sanji can’t help but take advantage of the opportunity. Appearing next to three in a flash, the blond alpha excitedly offers a bundle of clothing. “Captain! I got you new outfit too!”

Nami sees the suspiciously similar fabric to her own Sanji Chosen outfit, and is about to stop Luffy’s enthusiastic grabby hands when she spots Zoro off to the side, maintaining his swords and ignoring the rest of the crew. She only feels a little evil when a plan begins to form in her mind. With a mischievous grin she grabs her rubber captain and the princess and drags them away. She kicks the cook, who attempts to follow them, and Sanji (although disappointed) resigns himself to wait above deck.

Luffy eyes his navigator warily as she’s digging through her belongings. Vivi is confused as well, until the alpha lets out a triumphant cry, holding up something small in her hand. Vivi claps her hands excitedly, “Oh yes! Let me show you the traditional eyeliner that the belly dancers wear with these outfits.”

The beta grabs the dark pencil from the navigator and pushes her to sit on the bed. Nami turns red when the princess stands in front of her, grabbing her chin and tilting it up. Vivi is smiling down at her, focused on the dark color she’s tracing around the edges of Nami’s eye. Her mouth puckers when she concentrates on getting the shape of the wing just right, and when she whispers “Look up” the alpha obeys instantly.

Staring at the ceiling, the orange haired woman can only focus on Vivi’s hands, delicate fingers placed to hold the other’s head and angle the pencil just right. Her pulse quickens as the moments pass, and when Nami is sure all the blood had rushed to her face, the other steps back. With an excited smile, the beta claps her hands together once, “Done!”

Nami, somewhat dazed, lets the other pull her up and push her, lightly, towards the mirror on top of the vanity. The alpha takes a second to come back to reality, but she does, and suddenly recognizes her own face in the reflection in front of her. She makes a small noise of excitement, looking at the eyeliner that traces her eyes, “Wow! You’re pretty good at this, Vivi!” She turns to the princess and gives her a smile.

Vivi was so excited to share another piece of her culture she didn’t take a second to truly admire her work. But when the alpha smiles at her, the dark color around her eyes making them intense and sultry, she feels a blush rise to her cheeks.

“You look beautiful, Nami.”

The navigator turns red, not quite expecting the sincere compliment. But is saved from having to think of something coherent in reply by a deep sigh, gaining the attention of them both.

They turn to the bed, and remember the rubber pirate Nami had dragged down with them. He’s sitting cross-legged, watching them with a bored expression, and the navigator suddenly recalls her original intention.

Pointing at her captain, “Put it on him, too.” Vivi only nods enthusiastically.

Luffy, uncaring of the other’s sinister smiles, let them approach him without concern. Little did he know in just a few moments Nami would be screaming at him to stay still, holding his head hostage as Vivi did her best not to poke out his eyes.

—

Zoro is not asleep, despite what the cook is muttering over on his side of the ship. After sheathing his properly inspected blades, the swordsman didn’t have anything to do. Chopper and Usopp had long ago finished packing (after no less than three attempts) and had been running around the side of the ship, looking through telescopes out into the desert landscape.
Since there was nothing to do but wait for the other three to show back up, Zoro decided he would meditate.

Anyway, he was awake, obviously, because he heard the exact moment the blond had start simpering like a fool. Zoro didn’t care until he heard the other alpha say, “Captain! Wow!”

Opening his eyes and looking over, he sees his captain. Luffy is wearing something that the cook must have picked up from the same place he got Nami and Vivi’s outfits, revealing and decorative, material soft and thin. The omega had a loose fitting vest, the deep red fabric flowing down past his waist and fluttering in the slight breeze, and bottoms that hung low on the pirate’s hips, cinching at the ankles. His hat was hanging on his back, the golden straw peeking above his shoulders, matching the shiny glinting of the thin gold accessories loosely hung from his neck, waist, and arms.

Despite being a pirate, Zoro doesn’t think he’s ever wanted to touch gold so badly before.

“This is much better than the last thing you made me wear, Sanji! My arms are so free!” Luffy says, winding an arm to illustrate his point, before curling it into a flex, “I’m definitely going to rip the pants, though.”

Sanji gives a weak thumbs up, overwhelmed from the three lavishly dressed pirates: the decadent beauty is everything the cook wanted to witness. Zoro almost chokes on air when the omega suddenly looks over to him, face lighting up when he sees his favorite swordsman.

Wasting no time, Luffy is quickly kneeling in front of the green haired alpha, hands on the other’s thighs holding himself up. Sticking his face right in front of the others, he chatters excitedly, “Oh, Zoro! Look at this cool shit on my eyes! Doesn’t it make me look scary?”

Scary isn’t the word Zoro would use. The color around his eyes brought out the intensity of the other’s powerful gaze, and the swordsman couldn’t look away. The shape of the line made Luffy’s usually round and innocent eyes look like they did when the he was fighting; strong and passionate.

Luffy, not waiting for a reply, is scrutinizing the other’s face, scrunching his eyebrows in thought before melting into excitement.

“You know? You would look so good with this! It would make you look even more cool!” Barreling ahead without a response, Luffy eagerly offers, "Vivi used this pencil thing, I can go grab it and do it for you!”

The swordsman wants nothing more than his captain’s hands on him, but even in his captivated state he can recognize that letting Luffy near his eyes with pointy objects probably isn’t the best idea…

But how could he say no? When he can’t even get himself to say anything at all, mouth dry and brain deciding now would be the perfect time to jump ship.

Nami takes pity on the other alpha and dumps a bundle of fabric on top of the dark haired pirate. “Here, this is what we’re actually going to wear. Go change again, Luffy.”

He springs up to cross his arms at his navigator, looking at her with scorn. “What, again? No way, that’ll take too long! I’ll try not to rip the pants, okay? But I don’t wanna waste anymore time! Let’s go kick Croco’s ass!”

Usopp and Chopper, finally tiring from scoping out into the desert kingdom, seeing nothing of interest in the far and wide sandy dunes, return to the main deck. The sniper and doctor take one look at their captain, and Chopper immediately starts reciting his previous lecture to Sanji again, telling him that in the desert you actually have to cover up more, layers helping to keep the body cool and protected from the burning of the sun. The cook is still crying happy tears, but nods along, showing he’s listening, to keep the reindeer from getting even angrier.

Usopp only takes a second before accepting everything in stride. It wasn’t unusual for the pirate gang to try out different clothes, although it was out of the norm for Luffy to participate. The sniper assumes it’s some bullshit Nami and/or Sanji pulled the rubber pirate into, and decides maybe it’d be best to not get involved, especially with Zoro off to the side looking like he might explode for whatever reason.

He remembers something he meant to ask the omega before, “Who was that guy that stopped the marines for us, Luffy? It seemed like he knew you.”

“That was my brother!” The dark haired pirate grins, “I haven’t seen him since he left!” He swishes around the vest with his hands and looks down, smile turning small and soft. ”I hope he can come see us before we leave.”

Nami thinks back to what she knows about Luffy’s family, perplexed, “I thought you said your brother had died…”

Surprising the crew, a figure jumps onto the railing of the Merry. Balancing on the rail in a crouch, “Who died?”

The sniper’s eyes widens and he points a shaking hand to the man from earlier, the one Luffy identified as his brother. “A g-ghost?!” He stutters out.

The man wearing an orange cowboy hat looks askance at his brother. “Luffy, what have you been telling your friends…?”

Luffy, delighted to see his brother, laughs off the mistake, “I forgot to tell them about you!” Turning his wide grin to his crew, “Guys! This is my brother Ace! I was telling you about our other brother before.” He nods matter of factly.

The freckled man can’t help the curl of his lips, but his brows furrow in a playful glare towards the other. “But you had a chance to tell them about Sabo…I always knew you had a favorite!”

The omega giggles before running and jumping into the others arms, almost sending the two overboard in the process.

The taller pirate remains steady, having expected the tackle, and hugs his little brother back tightly. Hopping off the rail and onto the ship without letting go, they nuzzle each other with familiarity, strengthening the juvenile pack bond they had formed before.

Luffy wastes no time scenting his brother, inhaling the scent of smokey fire and storms that was distinctly Ace. He’s reminded of the campfire they used to sit around, the alpha obsessed with stoking a fire of perfect flames even back then. The rubber pirate leans back in the embrace to grin up at the other, “Your devil fruit is perfect for you, Ace!”

Ace doesn’t reply, just brings the other back into a tight embrace, nuzzling into his hair and squeezing tightly once more before setting the other down. Luffy is happy, rocking on the balls of his feet, quest to kick Crocodile’s ass momentarily forgotten in his excitement.

“What are you doing in Alabasta, Ace?”

The older brother rustles Luffy’s hair, messing it up and replies with a grin, “Well, I wanted to see you!” As if a second thought, he frowns slightly and continues, “And, I’m here resolving a minor matter of business…”

Luffy is about to demand what other business he could have when the alpha’s smile returns, and Ace asks the Straw Hat captain cheekily, “Hey, how about joining the Whitebeard pirates? Your friends can come too.”

The omega glares at the other, affronted by the very idea. “No.”

Ace laughs, expecting that very answer, “Thought I’d ask!”

Usopp has had some time to recover from the previous scare, and cutting in to the conversation, he questions, “Whitebeard…Is that the Jolly Roger tattooed on your back?”

“Yes, and I’m very proud of it.” Ace looks the part, pride squaring his shoulders and determination in his expression. “Whitebeard is the greatest pirate I’ve ever known, I’m going to help him become King of the Pirates.” He tosses a smirk towards his baby brother, “Sorry, Luff.”

Luffy doesn’t so much as blink, eager for any challenge, “I’m not worried!” He grins, cracking the knuckles of one hand, “I guess we’ll have to fight for it!”

Sanji, tears finally dried, is about to light the cigarette he’s holding between his lips. Ever the gracious host, he offers, “Why don’t you sit down and talk? I’ll make some tea.”
With a flick of his wrist, the dark haired alpha shoots out a small flame from his index finger, lighting the cook’s cigarette with a cocky smirk. “Sure. That sounds nice.”

Luffy, full of excitement that all the people he truly loves are in one place for once, jumps in joy, and the gold hanging from his body jingles, catching his brother’s attention.

Ace asks with a growing frown, “Oi. What are you wearing…?”

Luffy spins around, swishing the fabric around “What do you think? Isn’t it pretty? And look how much arm movement I can get! But Nami is making me wear something else instead…”

Ace squints his eyes at the crew suspiciously. “They don’t make you do anything you don’t want to do, right?”

“Oh no, they make me do stuff I don’t want to do all the time!”

The sudden aura around the cowboy hatted pirate was suffocating and dark, and the crew shivered in fear at the personality shift. Luffy continued, seemingly unaware of the tense atmosphere, “Like they make me do the dishes and mop the floor and brush my hair.” He pouts, “So mean.” The omega pokes Ace’s chest, looking up at him with an annoyed expression, “They can be just like you sometimes, Ace!”

Before Luffy could falsely incriminate the rest of the crew of mistreating him (and what a bratty move that was, Nami thought to herself) the navigator grabbed a hold of her captain’s arm and began dragging him away.

“C’mon Luffy, Let’s go get you changed! Before you cause any more problems!”

“How am I causing problems? I haven’t even left the ship yet!”

Sanji sees the moment to escape brotherly interrogation and attempts to excuse himself, “I’ll just go get the tea ready…” Trailing off with a nervous chuckle.

Ace smiles, but nothing in his expression gives what he’s thinking away. “Hmm, why don’t I join you? To the kitchen, I’m guessing?”

—

Sanji is cursing his weakness for his passion in life: beauty. Beautiful food, beautiful things, beautiful people.

He’s pretending to still be washing dishes but in reality he’s washed the same cup two or three times now. Anything to not have to face the combined power of Nami, still dressed up, and Luffy’s apparently hot and very shirtless brother. The cook silently thanked whatever higher power might about there that the princess and his captain have already changed. Luffy was outside, chatting excitedly with Vivi and Chopper (Zoro was also there, but the mosshead must have fallen asleep again, from what Sanji could see from the kitchen.)

Ace was leaning his cheek against a palm, propped up on the table. With a lazy smile, he comments, “You haven’t been traveling for long together, if I’m right. I’m surprised that you all smell so…connected. ”

He doesn’t wait for a reply before continuing, “I’m sure my little brother has something to do with that.”

Nami frowns, crossing her arms in mock irritation. “Yeah, well Luffy isn’t particularly careful about who’s scent he’s picking up and who he ends up rubbing it all over.”

Usopp offers, deadpan expression, “You get pulled into enough group hugs and end up becoming a bit desensitized to it all.”

Ace laughs at that, expecting nothing less from Luffy. He would guess that the omega began offering pack bonds to each of them immediately after they joined, social implications not even a passing concern in the rubber pirate’s mind. Luffy grew to love people quickly, and with his whole heart, which would always haunt his big brother.

But at the same time, Ace knew Luffy was particular about the people he surrounds himself with, and his brother’s instincts were never that far off.

The alpha commander wasn’t sure what he expected, meeting Luffy’s crew, but he was pleased to see the easy camaraderie between all the pirates on board. His smile softens with real gratitude, “I’m glad my brother has found people he loves enough to call family.”

Nami and Usopp both blush and start blabbering out bashful responses, and Sanji would have as well if not for the cup he’s re-washing for the fourth time.

The Straw Hat captain suddenly bursts in, loud as ever. “Ace! We’re going to leave the ship soon! Do you want to come with us?”

“You know what? Sure, I’ll travel with you guys for a bit.”

Luffy began cheering, already turned around and jumping off the balcony of the upper deck, yelling excitedly as he accidentally tumbled into Zoro, who was definitely awake now. The others begin filing out of the kitchen, and Ace thanks the cook with a lazy grin and a wink, and Sanji did not blush, dammit, it was just getting a little hot in the small kitchen.

The blond alpha follows after placing his spectacularly cleaned cup on the drying rack. He resigns himself to the burden that only grows each day with this crew: the ever insurmountable problem of being surrounded by really hot people.

———

After marching through the barren desert for some time, the band of pirates eventually set up camp near a rock structure to rest for a few hours. It was dark, the nearest moon barely a crescent in the sky, which would be dangerous for unsuspecting travelers falling prey to monsters and bandits alike. Ace had managed to start a nice fire with some dry brush and twigs Luffy and Usopp had managed to scrounge up from the sandy landscape. After a small meal all together Chopper had all but collapsed, as far away from the fire as possible, in an effort to cool his fur covered body. The rest of the crew had followed suite, one by one, until it was just the two brothers remaining.

Luffy, despite the heat of the desert and Ace’s own natural warmth, was determined to stay in contact with the other as much as possible, soaking in the closeness that he’d been missing since Ace left. Right now, he was lying with his head in the other pirates lap. Ace is equally content to have Luffy attached to him like a monkey all day (although he’d never admit it to anyone—he was too cool to have such a soft spot for his younger brother) and they’re both enjoying looking up at the stars overhead.

Luffy lets out a happy little hum, and the alpha looks down at him. “You’re a little quiet tonight.”

The rubber pirate grins, “I’m just happy!”

Ace smiles, eyes softening. “I’m happy too, Luff. I’m glad I got to run into you.”

“Me too!”

After a few more beats, the Whitebeard pirate breaks the companionable silence. “I have to leave y’all after tomorrow night…”

Luffy frowns and reaches up to squish Ace’s cheeks together, “Let’s not talk about that!”

“You haven’t changed at all, have you Luffy?”

“No and I never will!”

Ace laughs, loudly, before smiling down at the other, “That’s right!” He continues, wide grin simmering down into a small smile. “Fine, I won’t talk about that. Tell me about your crew?”

And Luffy could talk about that for hours. If Ace doubted the his brother’s commitment, he couldn’t now, watching the omega sit up and excitedly recite things about his pack mates, eyes alight with admiration and wonder and love. The older brother isn’t committing anything to memory, but he listens attentively as the rubber pirate goes on and on about what’s happened on his adventure so far and everything that makes his crew so special (which to Luffy, is everything.)

When the captain begins to explain in great detail their individual opinions on underwear, Ace stops him with a gentle, "I don’t think I need to know everything, Luff.”

“What do you think?” He’s looking at his brother with wide eyes, curious about his opinion.

“It sounds like you found some pretty amazing people to join you.”

Luffy beams, “Yeah! They’re the best!”

—

The crew had traveled intermittently throughout the long day, not willing to waste time resting more than a few hours at a time, especially as Vivi grows more and more nervous, taking to worrying the edge of the nail on her thumb between in her teeth, lost in thought as they walk through miles and miles of dunes.

But it was night now, the desert shrouded in shadow. Ace loved nothing more than showing his ability, and once again the crew had huddled around the fire until sleep became an unshakeable weight. Ace and Luffy had fallen asleep this time, Luffy slumped over on his brother, who was sprawled out on the sand.

Zoro was the last one awake this time, and was tasked with watching over the sleeping pirates. He does this all the time, and the fire Ace had stoked was big enough to burn for the few more hours the crew could rest before it would be time to move on.

The swordsman is content to stare into the flames, not really thinking of anything particular, watching as the members spark around themselves.

A small rodent scampers through their makeshift campsite, and comes across the two brothers snoring away. It sniffs Luffy’s foot curiously, before biting down on one of his toes. The creature let’s go immediately, surprised squeaks at the rubbery texture, but the pirate had awoken with a yelp and kicked the small animal forcefully away. In his abrupt awakening, scrabbling to get up and chase after the thing that bit him, he elbows his brother in the face, waking the older pirate up as well.

Ace looks irritated, and annoyed, and is about to chew out his brother, but chooses not too. He sighs deeply, coming to the realization Luffy probably didn’t even notice, and if he did he probably wouldn’t care. The omega is within yelling distance, chasing the rodent around, but Ace doesn’t feel like waking everyone up just to berate his oblivious brother.

Instead, the alpha joins Zoro at the fire, sitting across from him. It doesn’t take Ace long to wake up, narcoleptic episodes training him to become alert as soon as his eyes open, but he lets the silence of the night linger for a few minutes more.

“Luffy’s formed pretty close relationships with all of you, it seems.” He begins.

The green haired pirate doesn’t expect the sudden comment, and looks up from the fire to make eye contact with the other. Ace is smiling, but his hooded eyes make the expression seem more mysterious.

“Uh yeah, I guess so. We’re all pretty close.”

“Hmm…I have to admit I was worried about him going off on his own.”

Zoro could understand that. Luffy was a lot to handle, he’s surprised the young captain hasn’t been more destructive, to be completely honest.

Ace continues, “Since he’s an omega, and everything.”

Zoro’s brows come together in a confused scowl at the statement. “Do you even know your own brother? He would never let anything hold him back, let alone that.”

Ace is pleased with the quick answer, expecting nothing less from the swordsman Luffy had talked so highly about. But still, he had to make sure…

He hides his expression behind a secretive, sharp smirk, “You know how it is, don’t you? An omega wandering around the big world by themselves, easy to fool with kind gestures and nice words…” He shifts forward, leaning his forearms on his legs, looking at the other through the flames. “And an unclaimed omega is just asking for someone to come along and take advantage of them.”

“What are you trying to say. Luffy would never let someone control him like that.”

“I’m just saying, it’s not an uncommon situation.”

The dark haired alpha lets his body shift into flame, flying right through the fire that had separated them before, reforming his body right next to the other alpha. His smile is gone, and his eyes are serious and dark.

He whispers dangerously, “Why is your scent all over my baby brother?”

Zoro doesn’t move a muscle, looking straight into the campfire ahead, refusing to give in to obvious provocation, even as Ace keeps the top of his shoulders and arms alit, flames sparking off into the dark of the night. He doesn’t threaten with his scent, and that’s enough for the green haired alpha to assume the other isn’t looking for a fight. Yet.

“We’re in a pirate crew, and we live on the same fucking ship. Our scents are all over the place and each other.”

“And what’s a bounty hunter doing on a pirate ship? Playing a long-con?”

Zoro whips his head around at that, the three earrings on his ear glinting from the fire. He can’t stop the growl from coloring his words, fangs bared. "If you’re implying I would ever harm my captain—“

Ace puts both hands up in a calming gesture. It does nothing to divert the other alpha’s indignation, but the Whitebeard pirate responds, “Luffy can handle you on his own. I just want to make sure you know that if anything happens, I’ll find out.”

The scowling swordsman says nothing, looking at the other alpha with a dark scowl.

“If you’re as loyal to your captain as you say you are, we shouldn’t have problem.” Ace eventually continues, leaning back with an easy smile, at odds with the tense ferocity moments before.

Suddenly, Luffy, crashes back in with excitement, holding a sandy salamander he had just found. He flops into the space that remained between the two alphas, before shoving the purple lizard into Zoro’s face for him to inspect.

The swordsman lets the other’s words go for now. He has nothing but devotion to the only man he’ll ever follow, whatever his captain’s brother might want to think otherwise. Plus, it’d be hard to start a fight when he’s currently trying not to get lizard legs and tails in his mouth.

Ace settles back to watch the fire in front of him dance. He had to admit, he’s had a constant worry in the back of his mind for years about what sort of people Luffy would end up attracting, the magnet for disaster his rubbery brother seems to be. The man of fire has learned a lot about people, and about the pirating world, since he left Luffy on Dawn Island almost four years ago.

But he doesn’t think he has anything to worry about for now. After spending the last couple days with the Straw Hats, it was impossible to ignore how close they were to each other, pack bonds stronger than some he’s seen in Whitebeard’s crew of sons and siblings.

Sneaking a glance over to see Luffy sitting sideways on the swordsman’s lap, letting the lizard the lizard run over his hands as he kept them rotating. Zoro seemed burdened with the lapful of the dark haired pirate, not knowing where to put his hands, face turning red as his brain provides no helpful direction, hyperaware of the omega leaning into his chest and unfortunately also aware of his captain’s over protective brother next to them.

The fire pirate couldn’t stop the angry lick of flames that dance of his shoulders as he watches the swordsman eventually put his hand on Luffy’s knee.

Friends, crew, pack, family…That was one thing. But mates?

Ace narrowed his eyes. No one would ever be good enough for his little brother. He turns a practiced, lazy smile over and asks, “Aren’t you gonna show me, too? I’ve never seen a lizard from Alabasta before.”

Zoro feels both relief from the scrutinizing glare, and annoyance at the obvious and certainly successful bid for Luffy’s attention, the rubber man instantly at his brother’s side, showing off his discovery.

—

Four hours later, still awhile before the sun would peak over the horizon, but rays of light beginning to light the previously dark world, the crew had to continue. This is where their paths with Ace would diverge, though, and the alpha digs through his pockets for a folded up piece of paper. “Here, I want you to have this.” He tosses it at his little brother. “Hang on to it, Always!”

Luffy, immediately thinking it must be a treasure map, unwraps it excitedly, only to be disappointed by the blank page, “It’s just a piece of paper…”

“Yeah, but that piece of paper will bring us together again.”

Luffy lights up, sparkling, but doesn’t say anything. He holds the paper a little bit more tenderly. Ace, noticing, can’t help but tease him: "What, don’t you want it?”

“Of course I want it!”

Ace sighs, pushing his hat down, “A brother like you makes a big brother worry.” He looks at Luffy’s crew and gives them an exasperated smile as if sharing a secret, “Take care of him, okay?” Zoro feels the weight of a promise settle upon his heart when he meets the other alpha’s eyes, and he nods once.

Luffy jumps into his arm’s for one last hug goodbye, and Ace squeezes him tight before prying the rubber man off of him. Poking his brother on the forehead, he says goodbye with a grin, “See you on the high seas, Luffy!”

———

The desert was as unforgiving as the Alabastan princess warned. The first few days of travel, the crew was blessed with a southern wind carrying the sea breeze every so often, stirring up sand and dust but bringing precious humidity. The day that Ace had departed from them bore less fortune on the Straw Hats, too far inland from both the sea and the river to be delivered any boons of aerated moisture.

None of the crew, save for Vivi, were quite expecting the dry harshness of the vast sandy dunes.

After parting ways with Ace, their captain had stay pretty upbeat and enthusiastic, marching along with such determination. At least, until he used the rest of his energy trying to fight a huge sand frog (which Vivi warned him not to do, a call for caution which fell on deaf ears as Luffy poked and prodded at it anyway.) Zoro had dragged him away so he wouldn't keep fighting the creature, but it was too late. The omega’s energy was spent, heat exhaustion settling on him and he begged his swordsman to just keep dragging him for a little bit longer.

Later, Usopp stumbled over something in the sand. He finds a good, sturdy, walking stick that he praised as a gift from the gods. His captain eyed it with jealousy, after Zoro had refused to drag him along any further, until his marksman had found another one to give to him.

Chopper kept his hooves moving and his head down, in a valiant effort to keep moving forward, until he was far too hot to go on, and the green haired swordsman let out a loud, put upon sigh as he began dragging his new passenger behind him. The crew stopped in the shadow of a tall dune to share sips of water, and the princess assured them it wouldn't be much longer now to their first destination, Yuba.

Vivi spoke with pride and excitement about the oasis town they were slowly heading towards, reciting what she knows of the settlement. To the best of her knowledge, the rebel troops should be headquartered in the area. She had explained before, on the ship, but she hopes to meet with the leader of the rebellion long before they go to battle, in hopes of opening their eyes to the evil machinations of Mr. Zero, otherwise known as Crocodile.

From atop the camel she and Nami had been riding, and on top of a tall dune, she could just begin to see the start of the trading hub town. The joy she had felt seeing the buildings began to slowly crumble as the crew approached (Luffy had run on ahead, of course, excited from the break of never ending dry and hot sand and sand and sand.) The dilapidated buildings and dying flora could be explained by the drought her country is facing, but as they continued to get closer, the princess felt her heart drop as she heard no noises, saw no people, and felt no signs of life.

She feels her heart like a heavy stone in her chest. What had become of this town? What had become of the people who lived here? And if no one was here, how would she ever locate the rebellion before they sacrificed their lives for a pointless war?

———

Deeper into the desert kingdom lies the only oasis left in the kingdom, a rich town bustling with gilded casinos and busy restaurants. Rainbase, the headquarters of Mr. Zero, located secretly underground the casino owned by one of the seven warlords, The Desert King Crocodile. The officer agents and their boss have their first meeting face to face, and the alpha lays out his full plan on the eve of its completion. After, the warlord takes a moment to revise his mental plans, accounting for the sudden news that the pirates accompanying Vivi, and the princess herself, are still alive.

“The leader of the rebel forces, Koza, and the princess were childhood friends. There’s no way for her to stop them militarily, but the sight of her may soften their hearts.” He doesn’t look too concerned, but the edge in his voice makes the agents sit up a little straighter.

Turning his head slightly, he address his chief of staff. “Miss All Sunday. Contact the billions sleeper agents we've seeded into the rebel army, and any millions still stationed in Nanohana. tell them to eliminate those pirates immediately.” He does turn his head fully now, looking at the woman with gaze. “The princess must not make it to Katorea, she and Koza must not meet!”

"Yes, sir.” She nods, immediately turning away and opening the necessary communication channels on her snail phone.

Turning back to the officers, “As for the rest of you: leave now, or you’ll be late to the party.”

He grins with satisfaction and pride and a little bit of the tantalizing desire for destruction, “It is the eve of our utopia! What we’ve been working towards for the last several years.” He takes a long drag of his cigar, savoring the smoke and letting it drift out from the corner of his mouth. “Nothing must thwart us. This kingdom will be ours!”

“Leave it to us, boss.” Ms. Double-finger assures as her partner, Mr. 1 nods his head once.

Jumping out of his seat to do a pirouette in excitement, Bon Clay cries tears full of emotion, "We'll take care of it!”

Crocodile laughs, and dismisses the named agents with a wave of his hand. “Have fun.” He turns his head to watch the banana gators flow through the clear waters.

He stays there undisturbed for a few more moments, thrill a slow burn in his body, anticipating the victory already. His chief of staff rounds a corner, reappearing to hold audience with the head of Baroque Works. “Sir.”

“Finished already?”

She smiles to his head still turned away, “I’m nothing if not efficient, Sir Crocodile.”

“Why are you still here, then?”

“If you’ll pardon my curiosity…I wished to know your opinion of the Straw Hats.”

Crocodile turned around to face the woman, who met his eyes with a level gaze. He scrutinized her softly smiling, unreadable face. Pulling out a puff of his cigar, taking a moment to think. “Why do you want to know that?”

Miss All Sunday tilts her had to the side, "A question for a question isn’t very fair, sir.” She stands near the long dining table on the side across from the windows, tracing a hand across one of the now vacant chairs. “They’ve taken down a few of your officers.”

“After we’ve taken the capital and get the king to tell us where the real treasure is, I’ll have the greatest power in the world.” Out of nowhere, a deep red garnet reveals itself in his hand, and he passes it between his fingers in a practiced sleight of hand. The uncut gem clicks lightly on his many rings. “If my agents have the strength to climb to the top with me, they can, but if not…” He gives her a half hearted shrug, grabbing the gem and letting it disappear within his sand. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

She smirked otherwise, as if she knew something more. The alpha rolled his eyes with a huff, smoke puffing out of his mouth.

“The point is, I’m not worried of being stopped. In fact, I doubt they could even land a hit on me.” He shifts into sand, body trailing away in the air piece by piece until he’s reappeared whole in the chair at the head of the table.

He looks back towards the woman. “They’re just like any young upstarts, a few wins and they start getting cocky. They don’t understand what real power is like. What’s got you so interested in them?”

Her face drifts pleasantly blank, in a well practiced blink. “Just a passing notion, nothing more.”

The dark haired man gives her an appraising look, not uttering a word, a test of wills, seeing if she’ll back down and answer to him under the weight of his stare. Miss All Sunday remains composed as ever, at ease even in the suddenly tense atmosphere.

Crocodile turns away, bored at the non-reaction. He watches his pets, their tremendous bodies gliding through the water like they’re flying through the air, the epitome of power and grace.

“Very well. Leave me.”

The woman dips her head, taking her leave with a “Sir.” Her cowboy hat conceals her eyes, before she turns and walks away, leaving the warlord in the lavish, empty room.

———

Outside of Yuba, Luffy suddenly stopped when the princess explained they’d have to turn around and go back the way they came. He collapsed under a lone tree, leaning back against it, hat covering his eyes.

“We’re not going back.”

The Straw Hat pirates were only a day of travel to Rainbase, the best place to find Crocodile, and his last known location. But the rebels had moved their base of operations to Katorea, a town just east of Nanohana, where they had started.

Vivi heaved in a breath, with everything going on, they didn’t have time to stop and discuss things! If she’s going to stop the royal army and the rebel forces from fighting they had to hurry.

“Stopping the rebels isn’t going to stop Crocodile. What can we even do in Katorea? They might start the battle before we even get close.”

She glared at the lounging dark haired pirate, upset at his blasé attitude. If she could just get there in time to stop the rebellion before they began fighting, she could prevent any of her people from dying!

Of course defeating Mr. Zero was still important, and stopping him would put an end to any future battles, but he was a still warlord, and defeating him seemed like such an unreachable goal…

And there was only one of her. The princess was overwhelmed with the burden of her choices. Defeating Crocodile and stopping the ever looming threat the man cast like a shadow across the country, or to try and appeal to the rebels, hoping they still had some buried belief in the royal families’ earnestness. The first option seemed insurmountable to princess on her own, and the second option was desperate, but more attainable.

In an attempt to get Luffy to understand, she stops biting her lip to state with all the calm authority she can muster, “I have to try and stop them before any more blood is spilled.”

The captain stood up slowly, and looks into her eyes when he’s fully upright. She can’t look away from the draw of his gaze, and Vivi felt her heart beating harsh in her ears.

“In a fight like this, you have to be aware that people will die.”

Vivi feels a righteous anger ignite, and strides forward to smack Luffy with all she’s got, sending the rubber pirate tumbling into the sand.

“Shut up! Don’t say things like that! No one in this kingdom deserves to die!” She squeezes her hands into fists, digging her nails into her palm. “I’ll do what ever I can to stop more pointless death!”
Luffy punches the beta across the face, “Then why are you risking only your own life?!”

The princess retaliates by slapping the other. “That’s all I have to give!” She yells, desperation and anger tightening in her throat. Wrecked by the sobs she’s choking down, Vivi resorts to throwing punches at the other, Luffy easily absorbing the impact. When she can’t control herself any more, the tears flow freely down her face, dripping into the absorbent sands below.

“We’re your family now, Vivi. And we’re willing to fight for what you treasure.”

At this the blue haired woman can’t continue, and Luffy grabs the hand that was about to hit him in the chest, gently pushing it down.

The princess whimpers through her tears, “Luffy, I can’t risk you all…” He holds her hands gently in his, and Vivi despite the unbearable heat all around, feels warm.

“For something that means so much to you, of course we’ll fight for you!”

She looks desperately at the other, “It would be selfish of me to ask for you to risk your lives!”

Luffy smiles crookedly, “We’re pirates. Being selfish is what we do.” He holds her hands gently in his, and Vivi despite the unbearable heat all around, draws strength from the comforting warmth. “You want to beat him up, don’t you?”

The blue haired beta sobs, “Of course I do!”

“Then let us help you! I want to fight him too! We all want to fight for you.”

Vivi squeezes the other’s hands, and Luffy tightens his own grip in response. Her eyes still watering, tears dropping down her face but for once in her life she doesn’t bother hiding them, not in front of these people. Her friends, her crew mates…She takes a moment to look at the rest of the pirates, and sees them all silently expressing the same solidarity and understanding and willingness to lay down their lives just to fight the one man Vivi was afraid to face on her own.

She bites her lip again, looking to Luffy, who is still smiling and holding the princess’ hands in his own. His eyes are bright with fiery determination. Taking a deep breath, she agrees in a whispered, “Please…Help me defeat Crocodile!”

Luffy’s smile turns sharp, the call to action thrums through his blood and Vivi is struck by the power that seems to roll off the pirate, resolve almost a tangible glimmer around him, almost as blinding as the sun high in the sky above them.

“Okay then! Let’s go kick Croco’s ass!”

———

Running out of Rainbase, Nami is freaking the fuck out.

She’s not going to think about how more than half the crew got captured by the warlord within minutes upon their arrival, the oasis crawling with marines that were all looking for them. How many times is this going to happen? If she has to be chased through a city every single time because they go somewhere new, because Luffy somehow manages to find the most dangerous people immediately, she was going to lose her mind! Even more than she already has!

She drags in a heaving breath, lungs on fire as she matches speeds with the rest of the crew, following Sanji to the apparent getaway point.

Crocodile was fucking scary!! And had planned their capture too easily! If he manages to catch them again, they would never make it to Alubarna in time. They had to beat him there.

A smile grows on the navigator’s face when the running pirates finally make it past the city’s gates, at the same time as Chopper running up to them from the back of humongous Moving Crab.

Nami quickly explained, grabbing Sanji’s arm thankfully as he helps pull her up after jumping up there himself. “Crocodile is on his way to the capital, and so is the rebellion! We have to try and get there before any of them begin the battle!”

Chopper nods, “Okay, let’s go!” He pulls on the corner of the crab’s mouth, and the creature follows the commands, legs beginning the skitter across the sands towards Alubarna.

Out of nowhere, a golden hook is suddenly pulling Vivi away. The hook is connected to a trail of sand leading back to the warlord that had been pursuing them.

Most of the crew is audibly shocked, but Luffy reacts first, using his own devil fruit powers to reach the capture beta. With only enough time to stretch and recoil once, he switches places with her, trusting Zoro to catch Vivi as she flies towards them.

The swordsman catches her easily, but she immediately tries to get out of his hold, yelling the rubber pirate’s name.

Luffy is being dragged further away by Crocodile’s hook, to the princess’ horror.

“Go on without me! I can handle this!” He calls, a reassurance. And then an order; “Take care of Vivi! Make sure she gets to Alubarna!”

Zoro looks to his captain, can still feel him through their connection, but can’t hide the trepidation he feels. He’s still able to see Luffy’s face, and the omega smiles wider at his swordsman, eyes squinting shut.

Not taking his eyes away, the alpha reiterates the orders. “Keep going, Chopper. To Alubarna!”

Usopp is shocked as he immediately questions him, “You’re abandoning Luffy?!”

Vivi is still in shock, and calls out the rubber pirate’s name again.

Wrapping her arms around the beta’s shoulders, the navigator speaks with a grin, although her eyebrows knitted together revealed her concern anyway. “It’s okay! He’ll be all right.” Her grin becomes a little more confident, “Crocodile’s the one who should be worried. Luffy never gives up until he wins.”

Zoro is still watching his captain, as the dark haired pirate gets up and starts brushing dust off his clothes in front of the warlord and his right hand. He doesn’t turn as he addresses the princess. “Listen. Luffy’s going to keep the sand jerk busy so we can get away. The moment the rebels left Katorea, the clock started counting down on this kingdom’s fate.”

The alpha inhales, and then turns around, looking at Vivi. “You wanted to stop them from fighting, right? You’re the only one who can do that, which means you have to survive.”

Sanji sits down next to her. “This is something you started, years ago. It’s all been building up to this moment. But you’re not fighting all alone anymore.” He give a sideways grin to the princess. “Let us help by doing what we can.”

The Straw Hat’s marksman is scared, betrayed by the stammer in his speech, but is just as determined as the rest, “They’re right, Vivi! Don’t worry, we’re with you! And Luffy won’t lose!”

The blue haired woman feels the fear and hope mixing in her chest like two seas clashing. She squeezes her face shut, brows tensed, before she suddenly cries out the straw hatted pirate’s name.

Luffy tilts his head over his shoulder, easy grin on his face as he acknowledges the princess’ call.

Vivi calls out to her captain with all the weight of an offered promise, “I’ll be waiting for you in Alubarna!”

“Okay!” He yells back, agreeing with a smiling laugh.

Miss All Sunday can tell the boss is annoyed from the rigidity of the line of shoulders, tense under his thick fur coat. She stays silent as Crocodile addresses the adversary captain.

“And now your time has come, Straw Hat.”

Monkey D Luffy doesn’t respond to his statement, instead stretching out one of his legs to the side, pressing down his thigh, warming up for the battle. “Vivi’s strength isn’t in her muscles, it’s in her heart. She’s always trying to help others.” He’s looking at the warlord directly, no fear shown for the impending battle.

“She feels compassion for everybody, so she never stops fighting. She doesn’t want a single person to be killed in this rebellion.”

Crocodile has to laugh. “No casualties? The world is full of peace-loving fools like her. Easy for someone who’s never been in a real battle. Don’t you agree?”

“That’s right. When you risk your life, you have to be prepared to pay with it.” The rubber pirate agrees. “But Vivi is part of my pack, and as long as you’re still around, she’ll kill herself trying to stop you.”

He cracks his knuckles by intertwining his fingers and popping them outward, grinning with a smile full of sharp teeth and thrill for battle. “And I won’t let anything happen to her, so I’m gonna beat you here, right now.”

This little upstart was ballsy, the warlord would give him that much. He smirks around his cigar and responds. “How noble of you, but you’re a fool. You’re giving your life to help some stranger you’ve befriended.” His eyes narrow in disdain. “People like you die fast on this sea.”

“If that’s what you think, then you’re the fool!" The young captain rolls his neck and shoulders out, and then slaps one open palm to his other fist with a grin. “Ready to be pounded into dust?”

Crocodile resists the urge to roll his eyes. He blew smoke out from his cigar instead, the ashes flicking away in the building roar of winds. The sand compromising his body slowly starts to trickle into particles near his feet. To his left, his chief of staff stifles a chuckle. Feeling his attention on her, she offers her observation. “Sounds like this one’s going to give you a hard time.”

“Why do you think so highly of him? He’s going to die here.”

“I hope you’re ready, stupid! I’m gonna kick your ass!”

Miss All Sunday can’t stop her laugh this time, the sheer audacity of the rookie pirate is unexpectedly refreshing, and the surprise caught her amusement. The leader of Baroque Works is openly scowling now, the outrageous pirate beginning to wear his already thin patience.

“Are you laughing? Do you want to die here too, Nico Robin?”

The woman returns to a neutral expression, unblinking as she simply replies, "If that’s what you wish, then so be it.” She waits for a moment to see if he’ll respond, and when he doesn’t, she turns to walk away. “You promised not to call me by that name.”

“Where are you going?”

“On to Alubarna. To witness your utopia’s birth. I’m sure you don’t want to miss much of the fruition of your lengthy plot.”

Crocodile throws a a small instrument into the sand near the straw hatted pirate’s feet. Not willing to waste anymore time, Miss All Sunday turns away from the beginning duel, walking back into the oasis town to secure a way to travel to the kingdom’s capital city.

The sand man was sure to only play along for a short while, less than ten minutes if Robin were to guess. She has the temptation to stay a bit longer to see the outcome of the duel, although it was almost assuredly in Crocodile’s favor.

The little rascal challenging the warlord intrigued her. And he unnerved her, whenever the pirate’s face was unreadable, but so intense, like he’s looking right through to your inner soul.

Nico Robin has never been one to stay away from things that caught her curiosity.

—

Notes:

if i'll be honest this sanji ships himself with everyone.
i didn't expect to split up alabasta into 2 parts either but i got so carried away writing these guys lol.

also wow what a crazy week for one piece haha. hA. i feel crazy mentally being in alabasta while shit goings down in the latest chapters lol

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!!!! All comments make me happy!! Con crit welcome as well!
Next chapter will hopefully wrap up alabasta! So excited for skypeia hehehe

Chapter 9: Flood

Summary:

Crocodile vs Luffy!!

Notes:

AN: I DID add some new tags in the interest of transparency as I iron out certain plot details, please check lol. As for manga/canon spoilers (angrily shuffles papers)…..

I started this fic based on a few different theories, fully expecting to not have them be confirmed or denied anytime this year at least….cue Oda destroying like half my planned future plot lmao (its okay tho I am rebuilding it stronger and more gay hehe)
Anyway after a quick review and a much longer time thinking about what I wanna do with the rest of the fic I added the spoiler tag bc I think some things could be considered references to spoilers, and obviously as we go on it will come up more lmao

I believe that the main focus will still really on ABO stuff and our favorite stupid boys making kissy faces at each other (even tho it might not seem like it with how much time we’ve spent in alabasta but I *have* alluded to future ABO plot points hehehe) ALSO it’s going to veer wildly from canon at some parts and then it will be very much not following canon at all post-wano hahahah

Wind roars past the sand scape, rustling across the surface and picking up grains, blowing them farther than they were resting moments before. The travels of the wind does nothing to cool, as the sun beats down on the desert with unforgiving, simmering judgment.

The sun glints off the shiny golden hook, red blood dripping down from the tip to reveal the precious metal underneath. Despite holding the young captain impaled on his hook up above his head, Crocodile still manages to look down at him. The outcome of this battle was expected, but the little monkey did manage to surprise him twice.

Once when he figured out the weakness of the warlord’s devil fruit. Then once again when the rubber pirate was close enough for the sand man to make out his scent.

A young omega, trying to make a name for himself on the Grand Line despite all the dangers present.

He looks down his nose at the dark haired omega, his blood still dripping down his hook, mixing with the water that’s still spilling out of the container around his neck. The rookie said he got this from someone still holding on to hope, but…

“Yuba will die. The sandstorm you helped kick up will destroy it.” He grins, cigar still in place between his teeth, untouched from the battle. “Then the rebels will grow even more enraged. And their misguided compassion will rip this kingdom apart. My plan is already in completion.”

Crocodile feels something almost akin to regret. For being such a scraggly young omega, he was sure the other had multitudes of people underestimating his potential, but the warlord could recognize the inherent power held in the other’s clenched fists, and the vacant eyes that belied intuitive battle strategy and emotional intelligence.

The rookie would have grown into a formidable threat, both on and off the battlefield. If they had met under different circumstances, the warlord might have offered him both protection and a way to sate his battle lust as an officer of Baroque Works. But alas, the little monkey picked the wrong fight.

“You might’ve lived longer, if not for your foolish compassion.”

Crocodile hums, shaking his hook just a little so the rest of the water spills out, dripping through the grains of sand and pools of blood beneath the omega’s feet. The smaller pirate makes a noise from the back of throat, and blood gurgles out of his weakly moving mouth. The alpha doesn’t appear to be startled, aside from the slight widening of his eyes.

“You’re still alive?”

In answer, the young pirate’s hand weakly grips his arm, leaving blood stains on his suit.

Of course he had to find one way to leave a lasting impression on the warlord. Although an annoyance, this was one of his better suits, he would have the stained washed out later on.

“You won’t be for very much longer.” He promises, shaking the body off his hook, letting it fall into the funneling sand trap at his feet. He watches, for a moment, as the other slowly sinks. A desert burial, the corpse will be buried deep in the endless sands, a resting place many of Crocodile’s victims spent their rotting eternities.

The warlord sighs, taking one last look down at the sand beginning to level out, before turning to leave.

What a waste of time…

—

Unattached arms fight against the sifting sands, pulling the dark haired pirate out of the pit. Miss All Sunday stands in front of the rookie she rescued, after watching Crocodile’s departure, the warlord shifting to sand to fly on the winds towards the country’s capital.

She looks down at the pirate covered in fresh and dried trails of blood, sand and debris trapped against his skin. Surprisingly, not only is the omega still breathing, but he’s attempting to speak.

“With everything against you…You still fight for your ideals.” She scans the empty dunes, finding the straw hat the pirate is never seen without. Tossing it towards him with a stray arm, Robin continues, interrupting the captain’s struggled thanks. “People who carry the name D, why do you fight?”

Barely hanging on to conscious, he tries to look up at the woman with blurry vision. “…D?"

Monkey D Luffy. In the search she’s dedicated her own useless life to, she’s come across the name D more than enough times to wonder. What could be so special about a name that so many prominent characters in history share it? And what was it they shared that made them so dangerous…

And this one in particular. He was special, Robin just couldn’t figure out exactly why yet. He was strong, for someone so young. And determined, more than most spineless captains the woman has had the displeasure of working for before. And to sail on the Grand Line, declaring such an ambitious dream, as an omega, spoke of a confidence Robin has never known.

He begins to open his mouth to attempt to speak again, but is interrupted by a sudden yell. Robin takes one more look at the rubber man before turning to the new comer.

A man dressed in white robes is stumbling towards the Baroque Works officer, an anger driving him, and he demands, “What have you done with princess Vivi?”

“Oh, you’re just in time. I do hope your legs aren’t too broken.”

“Shut up! I know what your powers are now, I’ll defeat you during this next fight.”

“Why would you do that? Your princess is in trouble.” Robin answers with a coy smile.

The man looks shocked, and she continues. “That’s right. She’s alive and on her way to Alubarna as we speak. As you know, the rebels and my boss are both on the way there as well.”

An accelo-gator runs up to her, and she hops on. With a nod of her head to the omega, “Why don’t you help that kid? He is, after all, the swash-buckling pirate who brought your precious princess home. He might be your best bet to save her.” She says, before flicking the reigns on the creature, and speeding away.

He finally acknowledges the person on the ground. The man is covered in blood and sand, and Pell is sure the woman was pulling his leg, until the pirate looks up at him with piercing eyes. The fire that shone within…Pell began to believe what she said, that he could be the one to save Vivi. With a raspy, strained voice, the dark haired omega orders, “Take me to them…”

Pell nods, words a foreign thought on his tongue. When he gathers the other up in his arms, he feels his pain lessen ever so slightly, his leg able to withstand the added weight. He looks at the pirate in his arms with shock.

“Are you…?”

Deliriously now, the pirate grabs the front of his torn robes, and makes his second demand immediately.

“And give me meat!”

—

Vivi’s hands scrabble along the Warlord’s arm as he lifts her by the neck, walking towards the edge of the roof.

“Wake up, Princess. Your idealism makes me want to vomit!” He squeezes his hand around her throat, “Only those with true power can afford to have ideals!”

The princess, with tears running down her face, “I don’t care what you think! I learned something on that ship…To never give up!” Lungs desperately filling with the limited air, she glares at the man in charge of the destruction of her country.

“A monster like you could never understand! As a princess, as a leader, I’m responsible for the welfare of my people!”

Gripping his arm in the same place that upstart pirate had left a blood stain, much to the warlord’s annoyance, and with more venom than Crocodile expected, she spits out, “I will never yield to you! I will save this country—“

An explosion from down below, where the rebel forces and the royal army are engaged in combat to the death drowns out Vivi’s viscous screams.

Pinned to the wall, the king, Nefertari Cobra can only watch with helpless rage as his daughter’s life is dangled over their kingdom about to engage in civil war.

Crocodile exhales smoke lazily, cigar still casually between his teeth as he watches the beta struggle in his chokehold. “The square is going to be destroyed in 15 minutes. And the rebels are still gathering there.” His mouth begins to curl upwards, “They’re rushing blindly to their doom.”

Vivi is helpless, unable to pry the sand man’s hands away.

“Your belief that you can save everyone will only result in the annihilation of your beloved people.” He chuckles, “This kingdom is full of fools!”

His smile falls, bored expression taking its place. “This kingdom is doomed. You can’t save it.” And his arm turns to sand, dropping the princess over the edge.

From the sky, something glints and Crocodile looks up into that direction, finding himself staring into the sun. A small dot is flying closer and closer, and once it gets close enough, the warlord’s eyes widen in shock.

Gritting his teeth, he whispers, “Impossible…” But is interrupted by the pirate he thought he left back in Rainbase

Luffy swoops in, assisted by Pell, and catches Vivi. He roars Crocodile’s name like a promise being kept.

—

Pieces of the ceiling were beginning to crumble, dust that had sat long undisturbed swirling agitated in the air. Cobra felt the tremors beneath him as the ancient tomb’s self destruct mechanism started shifting gears. He cursed the warlord’s devil fruit abilities, which will allow Crocodile to escape being caved in by the collapsing chamber.

He looks to his right, and sees Nico Robin sliding down the wall more, lying in her own pool of blood. She was still alive. Although the king appreciated her not revealing the location of the ancient weapon, its whereabouts detailed on the ancient poneglyph before them, it didn’t matter any more. Crocodile had won the battle.

The king could only glare at the laughing warlord, unable to stand, feeling hopeless and weak. Crocodile is grinning while bits of rock fall down, even right through his body which turns to sand to avoid the debris, flaunting his power.

The criminal alpha’s laughing is cut off by a rather large chunk flying horizontally, cutting through his body, forcing him to split in half. Crocodile allows his sand to reform, watching a wall suddenly fall apart, a silhouette appearing, bringing in sunlight through the opening into the dusty dimness of the underground room.

As soon as he can make out the straw hat, he recoils slightly in disbelief.

“You? Again?”

He’s only answered by a swinging foot, hurtling towards him from across the space. He doesn’t bother to dodge. There wouldn’t be any water in the capital at the moment, he planned it that way. He readies a smug taunt, ready to shift into sand, when the other pirate’s foot makes a sharp impact on the side of his head, knocking him into the opposing wall.

He gives the Straw Hat captain a wild, disbelieving look, raising his hand to his stinging, bloodied jaw. Pulling his hand away and looking at it, he saw more red than expected. Eyes raising up, he’s about to question the other when a fist in thrown into his face, more force behind it than the kick, forcing him to the ground, sliding against the floor again.

Disheveled, covered in blood and the dirty dust from the floor, the warlord seethed. When was the last time someone had been able to land a hit this good on him? Demanding answers from the omega, he growls, "Did you use your own blood?”

Luffy flexes one hand, before curling it back in tighter. “Works just as good. Better even, now.”

Crocodile shifts into a stand and fixes his fur coat, brushing dust off the shoulders. “Fine, I don’t know how you’re able to escape the afterlife time after time, but if you want to challenge me again, this place will be your tomb.”

As if to accentuate his point, the chamber shakes again, rocks large and small breaking off and falling to the floor. Luffy watches, face blank, waiting to respond to the other’s next move.

The warlord lets his scent grow heavier, and it carries the order to obey and submit into the dirt clouded air. Cobra, an alpha as well, resists the urge to bow his head for this despicable man. He glances to the side to see Robin, who Cobra had thought to be a beta, attempt to curl her weakening body in on her side, rather cover her own face in blood and dirt than fall victim to the alpha’s pheromone-fueled intimidation.

The king is shocked to see the young pirate remain standing, visibly unaffected.

Crocodile growls again, attempting to press his will on the other with another burst of his oppressive scent. He narrows his eyes at the omega still showing no signs of being affected, and stops adding to the heavy atmosphere. Straw Hat was an oddity, in more ways than one. But the sand pirate wasn’t perturbed for long. He had other options, he didn’t get to the top using cheap tactics like scent domination alone.

The alpha begins to twist his golden hook, pulling it off to reveal a thinner one underneath, the metal coated in a gloopy, glistening substance. “I’ll reward your persistence, you’re a truly irritating little bug.” His fangs are bared when he smiles a sadistic smirk. “Not many get to die by this method.”

Tired of waiting, Luffy stretches back, and throws a rubber-powered fist towards the warlord. Crocodile doges easily, and brings his hook down hard onto the outstretched limb. The younger pirate cringes as his arm recoils, snapping back into his shoulder, poison beginning to spread through his veins.

The rubber man doesn’t relent despite the pain, immediately running in closer to the other pirate. Luffy dodges a swipe of sand aiming for his head, pulling a stretched out arm back in for a forceful punch, but shatters the wall instead as Crocodile slides under his aim and slices his side. Leaving behind more of the paralyzing toxin, the warlord straightens up on the other side of the omega, who suddenly lurches.

The Baroque Works leader laughs. “You’re going to die from the poison. Are you feeling numb yet?”

He’s answered with another rubberized punch. It hits the warlord in the shoulder, but gives him another opportunity to pierce the other with his hook again. Luffy jumps away with the recoil.

“Even if it hasn’t affected you yet, it will. Along with all the damage you’ve taken from our battles, you’ll never leave this chamber alive.”

The omega scowls hard at him, and through the crumbling rocks and dusty air Crocodile sees him leap onto a boulder, and then up into the air, attempting to bring a heel down on his head like a blade. He catches the other around the ankle and swings him into the wall behind them. When the young omega immediately pushes his way out of the rubble, going in for another punch propelled by jumping off one of the boulders, the alpha dodges.

“Why do you keep fighting?” He asks, the sheer stubbornness the other is showing, getting up again and again, beginning to rattle the warlord far too much. No matter how many times he hit him, how much poison he manages to stab into him, the young pirate kept getting back up. It was unnatural, to Crocodile. “This kingdom is nothing to you! You’re doing all of this on someone else’s behalf!” Dodging another stretchy kick, “Why would you sacrifice your very life?”

Luffy landed behind Crocodile after the failed kick and quickly spun on heel to deliver a whipping shin strike, sending the alpha into a felled boulder, breaking it up into smaller chunks. The Baroque Works pirate growls before sending several sand formed projectiles at the other pirate, who doges most of them. Standing tall once more, he reasons with the other.

“What’s a friend or two? Abandon all of them and spare yourself from the trouble! Don’t be so foolish to throw away all your potential!”

Luffy, covered in blood and dirt, gives him a stern look. “Like I said before, you just don’t get it.” He opens and closes the fingers on his fist several times, stretching them while also tearing the roughed skin, causing blood to begin leaking over his fists again.

“I’m doing this for Vivi. The people who live here, and this country…They are her treasure! And she’ll sacrifice herself trying to save it from you. So I have to stop you.”

“I don’t get it. You just have to walk away.”

The omega growls darkly, fangs baring at the other for the first time, annoyed that he’s explaining this again. He doesn’t want to talk, not when things are starting to get blurry, vision swimming. He shakes his head to try and clear his focus, determined to keep going.

“I don’t want Vivi to die! She’s my family! As long as she keeps fighting, then so will we!”

The warlord looks at him with such incredulous disdain. “Even at the cost of your own lives?”

Luffy shouts, “If we die, we die!” But after a tense moment, he sways on his feet, head lolling back, and collapses.

Crocodile scoffs a short, exhausted laugh. This was what he waiting for, the toxin seems to finally be working. “As if you could ever defeat me! That’s ridiculous! A pup like you is simply no match for a real pirate.” He watches as Luffy struggles to stand back up, one weak hand attempting to push his body up. When his arm gives out, body failing again, the warlord begins laughing in earnest.

“No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you or your friends sacrifice, you’ve lost.”

The rubber pirate, grimacing from all his accumulated wounds, suddenly grits his teeth, eyes wide with anger and righteous denial, and manages to stumble to his feet. Head hanging low, he starts “I’ll never…” Before coughing violently, blood filling his mouth that he spits to the side. Glaring up at the alpha he promises in a hoarse voice,

“I’ll never lose to a loser like you!”

The warlord looks down at him, a grimace twisting his mouth as he watches the omega struggle. “Is that all you can muster? You’re more dead than alive, Straw Hat. You’ll die here.”

Standing strong, hands curled into white-knuckled, bloodied fists.

“I’m going to be King of the Pirates!”

Crocodile spits, voice laden with cynical reproach, “Even men who have spent decades sailing the Grand Line don’t make such bold claims!”

With an aggravated growl, the sand man charges towards the pirate, attempting to swing his hook through that boastful, stupid mouth. “The more you learn about the sea, the more impossible that dream seems!”

But Luffy sees him coming and jumps back, using his foot to counter the swing, bringing down Crocodile’s hooked hand to the hard ground, breaking the poison hook off at the tip. The alpha shifts back, anger rolling off of him in waves of instinctual, oppressive scent.

The omega breathes heavily, eyes hooded as he sways on his feet again, but remains standing this time. He glares at the other, even through his vision doubling.

“I will defeat you! Nothing is impossible!” He eventually yells, gearing back another punch.

Preparing to dodge, the warlord screams back, “You’re insane!”

He isn’t able to jump away before Luffy’s fist makes contact with his abdomen, and the warlord chokes out the blood, but is given no respite as the rubber pirate attacks him in a barrage of blurry fists and kicks.

Dodging a stray leg, the rubber limb whipping into a wall instead, gives the alpha a chance to bark at the other, “I’ll kill you!”

“Go ahead and try!” The dark haired omega retorts as he slides in low to kick upwards at the warlord, sending him flying into the air.

Crocodile screams in his frustration, a frenzied howl revealing his fury, pushed to give his everything in a fight with a no-name runt. Sand swirling around the tomb begins whipping itself into a furious storm of dust and debris. It forms into several large, sharp blades, all aimed towards the young captain, who watches. Luffy wipes the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing the substance over his fists for extra assurance his next attack will hit.

His vision starts teetering more, black beginning to edge its way. This would have to be it.

Luffy inhales as much air as he still can, twisting his body around and jumping to get as close to the warlord as possible who can’t help but scream again, but this time twinged with fear, as the feral little rookie closes in.

With a furious roar, the omega gives it his all in one last storm of fists, punching upwards, meeting the blades head on. They break into sand from the force, the grains crumbling compliantly to the floor.

Crocodile watches with horror as the rubber man keeps going, a crazed look in the other’s eyes as he refuses to stop, hitting the warlord hundreds of times, punching again and again, eventually breaking through the collapsing ceiling.

He concentrates all his power into one last rubber pistol, knocking the warlord out, and into the sky above.

—

The sounds of the battle reached Vivi all the way up on the top floor of the clock tower. The sound of clashing metal and fired shots ringing in her ears, but nothing hurts more than the screams of pain and battle, her people turned into hungry warriors, all fighting for what they believe to be true.

The clouds were gathering restlessly, or the smoke from guns and cannons was fogging the air, but the princess saw her worst nightmares coming to life right under her. The writhing mass of sand and blood and bodies—

Squeezing her eyes shut she hides her anguish. Tears she thought were long exhausted gather, threatening to fall once again.

“Hey…look!”

Vivi looks down, to where the voice had come from. It was Sanji, waiting with the rest of the Straw Hat crew at the base of the clock tower. She sees them all looking up past her, and she turns and looks up to the sky as well.

Flying high in the air, an unmistakable silhouette.

Luffy had won, but…

Quickly turning back to the battlefield, the tears falling now, trailing down her cheeks. “But they’re all still fighting…”

She gathers all the breath she can and screams out, desperate to be heard by the people.

“Stop! Stop fighting!”

A drizzle begins, drops starting to silently plink down on to swords and helmets and armor. Soon rebels and the royal army notice the increasingly frequent drops, more and more pausing to look up at the heavens with wonder.

In the pause in overwhelming, unbreakable battlefield cacophony, Vivi sees her chance.

“Don’t fight anymore!”

A call to order. The raindrops, swords and guns drop to the ground as Vivi wears her voice out speaking to her people, voice wrecked with desperation for ceasefire. Neither side wanted to fight their fellow countrymen, in the end.

Tears mix with rain as the warring parties feel the battle haze lift. They weep for the lives they lost. They laugh, clinging to the life that is still left, brothers and friends finding each other in the opposing sides, embracing the miracle of rain.

Falling from grace, Crocodile slams into the ground off center of the square. Marines begin slowly filing in, surrounding the warlord.

Vivi’s nightmare is finally over. Crocodile’s utopia will not blossom.

———

Notes:

if i didn't post this chapter now i probably would have kept tweaking it forever ;; it is was it is lol if its bad idc go read the next chapter hahaha

Chapter 10: Rainstorm

Summary:

Post-Alabasta!!

Notes:

AN: oop it is actually TWO chapter haha I just felt like the chapter before ending where it did and then jumping ahead in time to this one felt right :) But I want them to be read together still since this “B side” has more of my own original scenes hehe

———

Two days after the battle, Zoro finds himself staring out into the expanse of sand beyond the edges of Alubarna’s great walls. The king had all but demanded the crew to rest and recover at the palace, the one place in the country that wasn’t crawling with marines. The navy had taken the defeated warlord into captivity immediately after his fall, but many of the officers remain behind, at the request of Captain Smoker and his Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi, combing the capital and Rainbase for incriminating evidence of the warlord’s kingdom conquering plot

The rain hadn’t let up for an entire day after the battle and instead grew to cover the entire country, lifting the resident’s moods as they celebrated and danced under the clouds, soaking in more of the heavenly liquid than they’ve seen in years. The king and his council met with the leaders of the royal army as soon as they were all recovered enough, and the princess had led the meeting with an easy grace and determination. Despite everything that’s happened, the kingdom of Alabasta and her occupants were shining with relief, more than happy to turn the page on the chaos and carnage and begin rebuilding their country together.

Zoro couldn’t stand their good moods. Even the crew was celebrating their victory, enjoying the amenities of the palace while they waited for Luffy to wake up.

Flexing his arm in a curl, hand holding a long stick with a few of the Super Spot-Billed Duck Troop members on either side. The weights available back at the palace were far too light for any real training, and the swordsman rather work out his frustration alone.

The sun is as stifling as it had been days before, the thought of rain a mere memory as no clouds occupied the sky anymore. Sanji squinted, walking down rocky stairs of the capital. The blond alpha sees the swordsman still training, a hardened look in the others eye. Taking a quick look around, the cook recognizes Zoro’s handiwork in the many boulders, sliced apart in clean strokes, littering the ground near the palace walls. Now close enough to speak without shouting, Sanji breaks the silence.

“Mosshead. You skipped breakfast and lunch, you have to take a break and eat dinner.”

When he gets no response from the swordsman, the cooks sighs dramatically. He walks over to stand in front of him, demanding his attention with an expectant look. The green haired alpha ignores him, continuing his lifting.

“Oi, are you listening?”

Zoro does respond this time, voice strained as he continues the repetitions. “Not hungry.”

“Yeah, just like you’re not still recovering. Are you even allowed to be working out yet?”

The other alpha growls this time, an almost feral gleam in his eyes as he looks up at Sanji. The ducks speed away, not wanting to get in the way of the angry swordsman.

“I said. I’m not. Hungry.”

At first, Sanji wants to retaliate with just as much venom, but he holds himself back. Lighting a cigarette, he takes a minute to appreciate the smoke and smell of ash, centering him before he blows it out, watching the exhaled clouds flying away on a breeze.

“Listen, spinach brain. You aren’t the only one who wishes that battle went better. A lot of people got hurt, yourself included, and you’re going to have to accept that.”

He takes another drag before looking back to the swordsman, who was still glaring up at him.

“We did the best we could, there was nothing more we could have possibly done.”

“That’s no excuse! If I was stronger I could have—” Zoro blurts out, before he cuts himself off, biting down hard on his cheek.

Sanji, as much as he doesn’t want to at other times, understands what his crew mate is feeling.

Their opponents in Baroque Works were stronger than any of them expected, and the battle was hard won. Late at night after the battle, after Vivi had come in, distraught, looking for support and finding it in the warm arms Nami had embraced her in immediately. In her hands she clutched a list of the people who had lost their lives in the battle. Listening to her quiet, stifled sobs and the navigator’s whispered words of comfort, and looking around the moonlit room at his friends covered in bruises and bandages, Sanji laid awake thinking about what more he could have done.

The cook has seen the other alpha staring at their captain, who hasn’t shown any signs of waking for the last couple of days, with the same feelings of remorse; running through the battle mentally again and again, trying to find the one thing that would have made the results more favorable.

But regret was not an excuse to hurt yourself, especially by refusing to eat, not when Sanji was around. He crouches down to be more level with the swordsman, and speaks.

“Zoro…We are all still alive. Luffy will wake up soon, eat a mountain of food, and we’ll continue onwards. Stop hurting yourself more like that’s going to change the past.”

The green haired alpha looks up at him, shocked at the sincerity coming from the other.

Sanji is embarrassed by having a somewhat emotional moment with this guy, and looks away before continuing. “You need to eat, and rest. And you shouldn’t be training until Chopper clears you for it.” Standing up and rubbing the back of neck, “We all want to get stronger, but allow yourself to rest while we can. I’m sure our captain will pick an even stronger crew to fight, next time.”

Zoro stays silent for several tense moments, thinking over the words. Sanji is almost afraid the other will disagree, and try to start another fight between the two of them. But the swordsman doesn’t say anything about what they were discussing before, and gives the cook a small, teasing smirk, “That’s the first time you’ve used my name.”

Sanji, now thoroughly annoyed, is sorely tempted to throw a kick at his head. Instead he turns to walk away, and leaves the other with, “Let’s go get dinner before it gets cold, shitty snot head.”

“Oi!”

———

The Straw Hat pirates slept in one of the rooms along the palace’s many illustrious and decorated palace hallways. They were attempting to sleep for a few hours after the conclusion of their meeting, as they had decided that it would be best to leave that night. The moon shone in, bright and full, through the open windows. The curtains fluttered in the soft winds sneaking in that spoke of adventures from islands far from here.

Vivi had breezed into the room, feet as silent as she could make them, skilled quietness wasted on walking past Zoro, sound asleep and snoring. Nami doesn’t move from her spot on the window bench, watching as the princess reaches out to shake Luffy’s shoulder.

Luffy wakes up and has instantly keyed on the princess’s mood. He doesn’t say anything as he gets up, and leaves the room, pulling the princess along. Nami waits before sliding out of bed, unsurprised to look behind and see Usopp silently following her lead. He could be just as nosy as her, sometimes.

They both creep down the hallway, using Vivi’s rushed, quiet words to find the right door. The sniper and navigator both shush each other as the door creaks open just a few inches more, just enough to make out the princess’ voice clearly.

“I just don’t know what to do.”

A shaky deep breath is heard, and Nami risks peeking her head around the edge just enough to see Vivi’s expression. The wrinkle between her eyebrows has appeared again, worry pulling the muscles together. Her wet eyes sparkled in the moonlight, wavering as she whispered loudly, voice hoarse with vehemence, “Of course I want to go with you all!”

She looks out the window, onto the city, and a few tears drop. “But I have to see my people through this tragedy. I belong here, right now.” The breeze kisses past her face, drying the few stray tears. She looks down. “But my heart…It still feels so torn.”

Nami can only see the soft curve of her captain’s smile from the angle he’s facing away from the door, but she sees him grab Vivi’s hands that were tangled in her lap.

“Vivi, we’re family.”

She nods, the tears glistening in her eyes.

Luffy smile grows wide and earnest, “That means no matter how far we sail, we’ll still be connected. Always!”

The beta looks up, whispering his name. Luffy continues, “So if your heart decides you need to stay here right now, it’s okay. You can always join us later!” She nods again, with a watery smile.

He smiles at her, crossing his arms. Nami can just imagine the big, convincing grin on his face, like things would work out no matter what. The navigator watches as he tilts his head, probably with a frowning pout, “But really think about it, because being a pirate is really cool and fun and you’ll miss out on so many adventures…”

She grins through her tears, one worry clearly squashed and Nami was glad for it: Vivi would always be welcome aboard. The princess doesn’t answer, but replies, “I still need more time to think about it. But thank you…Captain.”

Luffy smiles an impish grin, “Now come help me steal a midnight snack!”

Vivi’s laughter ring out into the hallway. The eavesdropping team quickly round a corner to hide, covering each other’s mouths to stay silent. Vivi is trying to stifle her giggles as she and Luffy began their raid on the kitchen. Chopper comes out of room further down, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Luffy stops to talk to him, and Chopper’s face lights up, Nami can only assume with the promise of stolen sweets. The three walk off, the captain swinging the reindeer up onto his shoulders.

Usopp turns to the orange haired alpha. “Do you wanna go join them?”

Nami sighs, a smile coming unbidden to her lips. One last shenanigan before they departed. It wouldn’t be a pirate's goodbye without one, would it?

“Yeah, let’s go.”

———

After the crew has a suspicious reunion with ex-Baroque Works agent Bon Clay, resulting in a tearful departing of friends, they bade a unifying goodbye to the princess, (with a promise to meet again,) all while the Marines attempt to capture them.

Bon Clay then helps divert the navy in a heroic act of friendship, and the Going Merry sails away from the desert kingdom at last. The crew stands around the main deck, unaware (except for Merry, of course) of the hidden stowaway.

Finally appearing from behind the mast, the island of Alabasta long past the horizon, Nico Robin steps forward, easily disarming the weapons pointed at her by the two closest alphas. “How rude. Don’t point those things at me.”

Nami responds first, fangs bared a little as she questions the woman with a snarl, “Why are you here?”

Looking to the captain instead, she asks, “Monkey D Luffy…You haven’t forgotten what you’ve done to me, have you?”

Sanji immediately turns to the omega, questions written all over his face. Luffy’s mouth is twisted up as he tries to remember what she could be talking about…

 

“Too many obstacles stood between me and my dream.” A brokenhearted statement, her soul crying out as she gives up on her dream, and the light of life begins to dim.

The edge of his vision were still blurry and dark, but the antidote to Crocodile’s poison was fulfilling its purpose. Without thinking, the Straw Hat captain hoists the Alabastan king over one shoulder, before doing the same to the woman bleeding out in the crumbling ancient chamber.

She yells, and it’s a miracle the words breach through the ringing in Luffy’s ears at all.

"Stop! I don’t want to live! Leave me here!”

His eyes flash gold before he responds, “I can tell that you’re lying,” He readjusts his hold on both of them, carrying them despite the strain and tremor in his body. “You still want to find your dream, don’t you.”

He’s deaf to her continued pleas to leave her there, and continues climbing out until all three have made it back to the surface, just as the chamber collapses in on itself. He sets the two down before swaying dangerously. Vision teetering out, he falls over.

 

When the captain takes too long to respond, the woman explains further. “I have nowhere to go and nowhere to return to. So let me join your crew.”

Luffy blinks once, “Ah, if that’s the case,” He smiles wide, “Welcome aboard, Robin!”

“Wait a second there!” Usopp jumps in, grabbing his captain by the shoulders, “Luffy, you can’t just invite random people onto the crew!”

“Why not? How else would we get new crew members?”

Usopp states with seriousness, “You should know about her past and her abilities at least! And who knows about her motives!”

Luffy’s brows furrow as he questions his sniper, “Why should those things matter? She has nowhere else to go, so she must belong here.”

The beta looks at his captain with perplexed disbelief. Robin chooses to speak up, “I don’t mind telling you about myself. I have studied archaeology for many years, from the age of eight. I’ve been on the run from the government ever since, surviving by joining various outlaw gangs and pirates.”

Nami is sitting at the top of the stairs that lead to the upper deck, listening silently.

Sitting down on a vacant lawn chair, the woman smiles. “Because of my experience, I’m an expert at operating in the shadows, and I have a lot of knowledge about the pirating world and the Grand Line. I would be a big help to your crew.”

The marksman looks thoughtful as he considers her. “And what’s your specialty?”

“Assassination.”

Crossing his arms as if to say ’no thank you, buddy!',“Luffy! She’s too dangerous!” The sniper turns to Nami, who has Belli in her eyes as the ex-Baroque Work agent hands her a sack full of the defeated warlord’s gems. He turns to Sanji, only to see the man suddenly burst out of the kitchen, spinning down the stairs to deliver a a specially made snack for his “new, beautiful crew mate.” Chopper was a long lost giggling cause, him and Luffy being tickled in turn by disembodied hands.

Turning to his last resort against the craziness, the beta marksman looks desperately to the swordsman. Zoro answers his look with a shake of his head.

“It’s no use. Captain’s gonna do whatever he wants, anyway. Just look at his face.”

Usopp whips his head around to see the omega staring up at the mysterious woman and the sniper recognizes the same look he leveled at all of them before demanding they join his crew. It’s the same expression full of love and acceptance, heart on his sleeve, complete trust and giddy excitement.

The marksman wheels back around to stage-whisper at the green haired swordsman. “But this was crazy, wasn’t it? She was an enemy just a few days ago!”

Zoro offers him a half shrug, “We’ll just have to keep an eye on her for now.”

“What good will that do when she comes to suffocate us in the middle of the night, our precious pillows silencing our screams for help until the lights start to go out—”

Luffy calls for Usopp’s attention, voice full of mirth and poorly muffled giggles. The beta looks to his captain immediately, ready to continue his protests, but he wasn’t expecting the sight that greeted him.

Chopper was rolling on the ground in howling laughter. Luffy was making a face, imitating the little reindeer with the help of two of Robin’s bloomed arms sprouting from his head to look like antlers.

The sniper is unable to keep ahold of his composure, and joins the two, the group collapsing onto the floor in loud belly laughs.

Robin laughs quietly at their antics, hiding the smile behind her hand. “This is nice.” Turning to the swordsman, she asks him, “Is it always like this?”

“Pretty much.”

She holds her hair out of face when the breeze rolls by, revealing her soft smile. “I see.”

—

A submarine was bobbing on the surface of the tide, tethered to a rather large glacial island. Some of the Hearts pirates braved the surface, and brave penguins native to the tundra curiously approached them. It doesn’t take long for an understanding to be met, especially when their designated spokesperson (it’s Penguin: the birds like his hat) pulls an old balloon out of his boiler suit pocket and blows it up, introducing the penguins to the wonderful world of party decor.

Of course this leads to more of the crew running back into the ship to bring out more balloons, left over from the last birthday party, and blowing them up to the penguins unadulterated amusement. One member gets a brilliant idea to bring up a spare gas tank, and the penguins become drunk with the joys of floating balloons.

Penguin laughed as the penguins cheered as one of them floated off the ground, having a few balloons tied around their middle. Turning to Bepo, he asks the first mate, “Are you sure Captain doesn’t wanna come topside?”

Throwing an arm around the other, slapping him in the chest with a chuckle, Shachi comments, “Yeah he’s going to miss this guy’s family reunion!” Which earns him an irritated growl and some half-hearted swats.

Bepo looked up, watching one of many clouds that were traversing across the sky. The one he watched was grey and dense, heavy with rain it was gathering. It crosses the sun, sending the frosty island into a momentary dark daylight. The polar bear mink blinks a few times, eyes eventually adjusting to the dimness before the cloud has uncovered the sun once more.

“He doesn’t like going outside on cloudy days…”

—

The first night in a new place was always the hardest, even after all these years. Robin, despite the vocal approval from most of the new crew she was traveling with, understood that she wasn’t exactly trusted on this ship. Not that she could fault them for their suspicion, and to be completely honest it was a surprise to her that she was allowed to stay at all.

Robin felt a little shocked out how easily the younger woman had welcomed her to sleep in the same room as the alpha. The navigator cited the need for space from the immature, gross, and loud men (which garnered a rather comical reaction from the rest of the crew.) While touched by the olive branch of cohort, she’s learnt that cabins on small ships like these can be overwhelming stifling, in the soft dark of night.

Feigning disinterest in sleep in favoring of loosing her time between the covers of a book (a loan from the small doctor) she spends a good majority of her evening in the kitchen. The cook had been her last company, preparing something for tomorrow’s meals, before leaving her with a warm, spicy tea.

Eventually even there became too confined, the shadows growing longer in the night, and Robin defaults to her favorite place to think. Aside from the crow’s nest (which she believed was currently occupied by the swordsman on watch,) the back of sailing ships always had the best view of the stars at night.

It’s her she rests, letting her mind relax by wandering, eyes trained up at starry sky. Hearing someone approach, she composes herself.

The captain tromps up to her, feet and eyes heavy with sleep, blanket tugged around his head. “Robin, why are you up here? It’s bed time.”

She gives him a practiced excuse, "Sometimes I enjoy sleeping out under the stars.”

The dark haired pirate’s eyes are closed, but he frowns thoughtfully, before turning and walking away. This surprises the woman, but she’s even more surprised when he comes back moments later, blankets and pillows towering in his arms, blocking his view. Dropping them to the ground with a grin, much more awake than before, he shoves a few of the bedding items over to Robin, before snuggling into his own makeshift cocoon of blankets.

“We can both sleep up here, tonight!” He says, looking at her with a laughing smile.

Robin holds a pillow tenderly, the object landing in her lap. “I don’t think your crew would be happy that you’re letting your guard down so easily.”

“You’re part of my crew now.” He reminds her. Yawning, he continues, “No one will care as long as I don’t sleep-eat Nami’s tangerines again…”

“How do you know I won’t betray you?”

Luffy looks serious as he seeks her gaze. “You’re not a bad person, Robin.”

Humoring the pirate captain, expecting nothing poignant, she asks, “How do you know?”

“You’re just as scared of being lonely as I am.”

Robin can hear the pounding of her stuttering heart, feeling like she’s been caught, for once unsure how to reply. The captain smiles with sincerity, and she can’t look long at him for long, facing the acceptance and invitation of warmth that simmered on scalding to the jaded, older pirate.

When she does’t respond, the omega easily changes the subject, lingering on her face with a relaxed smile before looking up at the night sky.

“The stars are different everywhere we go. I knew a few of the constellations in East Blue, but I can’t find them anywhere out here.”

A conversation a little less personal and soul-grabbing, a much safer topic for her to traverse. Robin wouldn’t normally indulge in getting close to any new crew mate, but…This crew was a little different, wasn’t it? Breaking the stereotypical Grand Line pirating group all the way up to their mysterious, alarmingly endearing captain. She leans a little closer to him, pointing up at the sky.

“Over there, with the really bright star? That’s the fang of the greater Sea King constellation. She has a row of sharp teeth and a very long tail.”

At the captain’s soft exhale of an amazed ‘whoa!’, she continued, pointing lower. “If you follow the last star on her tail, you can find the lesser Sea King.”

"Oh! Really?”

“Yes, they’re always found together. Some cultures have written legends about them.”

“Do you know any of them?”

“…Yes, would you like to hear one?”

“Yes!”

With a lighter mind than she’s had…for a while, the woman begins to recount one of her favorite fables, a story of lost children finding their way home.

He listens dutifully to the entire first story, before all but demanding another one. Unfortunately, the omega interrupts Robin’s second tale with light snoring. She didn’t mind, as her voice was beginning to tire (for once in a long time) and her eyelids began to feel like heavy weights. Making use of the proffered bedding (avoiding the drool and sweat stained pillows, as well as the one clearly labeled in big, bold letters with the sniper’s name) and lays down to rest her eyes, unsure if sleep will come or not.

She wouldn’t let herself hope for anything. Maybe it was her experience, or maybe it was her own outlook, but a pirate’s life always ends in tragedy…

But she’ll bask in the warmth until she couldn’t anymore.

—

Early in the afternoon the next day, clouds lazily drifting overhead as the ship continues sailing. Zoro isn’t actually sure where they were headed next, but it’s not like that was his job or up to him to decide. Due to the nice weather, most of the crew was out on the main deck, engaged in various activities. To escape the crowd, the alpha retreated up to one of his favorite spots: the crow’s nest. Only the brave would bother him up here, or risk getting pushed off the ladder.

As if summoned, Zoro hears the tell tale sproing of Luffy using his abilities, and a sudden jolt of the wood boards underneath and pained curse let the swordsman know his captain’s aim was just a little off, probably rocketing away without thinking and hitting his head on the structure. Moments later, the omega pokes his head through the actual opening in the floor, looking dizzy.

He recovers in no time, clambering up the last few rungs of the ladder and all but falling on top of Zoro.

“Can I help you?”

Luffy smiles, limbs sprawling in awkward angles as he tries to make himself fit. The crow’s nest wasn’t made for two people to lie down, however, and he gives up quickly to just lie right on top of his swordsman, much to the man’s annoyance. He somehow manages to twist his head up to look at the green haired man. “You were sleeping, right? Let’s take a nap together!”

“I wasn’t sleeping! I’m training my environmental awareness.” He answers back, a little snippily. Everyone needed to stop assuming he was asleep just because his eyes were closed, it was beginning to become an old joke.

Luffy looks at him with big eyes, clearly waiting for an invitation anyway. But Zoro would not be swayed by the other’s cuteness. He came up here for some much needed alone time and space. The straw hatted pirate starts to wiggle around, trying to get his footing, unfazed by the swordsman’s reticence.

“Okay, I can go—“

“You can stay. If you want. But don’t bug me.”

Luffy smiles a big, puppy grin and flops back down, making himself comfortable. Or he tries to, but a little bit later his head pokes up, and he watches the closed-eyed swordsman with a smile.

“Stop looking at me.”

“But I rather do that than sleep.”

Zoro started to feel his annoyance toleration levels go down. Scowling at the omega, he questions, “Then why’d you ask to take a nap?”

The dark haired pirate lays his head down on the other’s chest, listening to the cadence. “I missed you. We haven’t had a chance to cuddle in a while.”

The alpha is sure the other can hear the thunderous rhythm of his heart, the thumping like a drum beat, and it only picks up more force and speed when Luffy finds one of Zoro's hands and interlocks their fingers.

His hands are so warm, and still covered in wrappings from the fight with the now ex-warlord; the bandages are rough compared to his captain’s soft skin. Luffy hums, and the reverberation carries through his body and Zoro's, and suddenly the swordsman is all too aware of his environment. The hot and warm body on top of him, pressing against the alpha with every breath Luffy takes. The green haired man pours all of his brain power into keeping his mind from spiraling down the reoccurring, confusing, tangle of thoughts and emotions Luffy seemed to bring out in him.

Think about…fighting! Battles! Ugly enemy pirates!

But the omega's scratchy bandage against his palm reminds him of the sacrifices they offer in their quest for greatness. He can't help the stutter in his heart, the involuntary tightening of his grip, the rubber fingers squeaking lightly from how hard he squeezes.

“You were worried about me.”

How he can tell what the alpha was thinking without words was most of the time a blessing. Right now, it felt like a curse.

Luffy readjusts so he can hold eye contact with the other, straddling Zoro’s hips as he looks at him with a frown. “I told you not to worry about me.”

Zoro scowls, petulant. He knows his captain is strong, but seeing him asleep for days, covered in more injuries than a normal human would be capable of surviving…

“We have to fight stronger opponents to get stronger ourselves, right?”

“I guess so…”

“I learned a lot during my battles!”

“…Me too.” He doesn’t fight the proud smirk that curls his lips. “I can cut through steel now.” At Luffy’s astonished, expectant face, the swordsman starts an explanation, words hesitant as he tries to sort the right language out.

“When you told me you could hear my swords speak, it stuck with me. I don’t have whatever crazy power you seem to have, but in the height of my battle with Mr 1, I remembered a lesson from my master I thought was bullshit at the time.”

He breaks eye contact, eyebrow furrowing as he does his best to explain. “If I have a clear mind, I can feel the presence of objects around me. And if I focus that on my blade,” He looks to his sheathed blades resting somehow undisturbed on the other side, Wadō’s white hilt gleaming in the sunlight. “I can…feel them…? And I can convey my purpose to them. If our wills are aligned, we can cut through anything, or nothing at all.”

He looks back to see the other listening with a big smile. Zoro is sure he understands, on some level, but trying to explain the more technical details would be a lost cause for both of them.

Luffy exhales an awed “That is so cool!” And the praise makes pride curl warm in the swordsman’s chest, settling against his heart.

“Yeah I guess it is.”

The dark haired omega responds with a laugh, “Of course it is!”

Luffy smiles down at him. Without thinking, Zoro reaches up to hold the other’s cheek, thumb brushing against a bandage still in place. The pirate on top of him purrs a little at the affectionate touch, and the alpha’s breath stills.

His gaze naturally draws to omega’s mouth, lips upturned with his grin. Zoro unconsciously wets his, and his captain’s eyes flicker down to watch the movement.

From his straddle on top of the other pirate, Luffy sits up more and moves one of his arms to the side of the alpha’s head, bracing himself on the wood panels of the lookout. Zoro’s hands drop to lightly hold the other’s hips, blood rushing to his face. The captain’s other hand reaches up to caress the side of the other’s face, earrings twinkling as they are disturbed, Luffy’s warm hand trailing from his temple to cradle his jaw.

Zoro wants nothing more but to be able to read the others mind as Luffy’s cheeks blush, a tenderness in his expression. The dark haired pirate starts to leans in, and the swordsman feels his heart begin to stammer rapidly, pulse quickening as the omega nears closer and closer, a softly whispered question beginning to form.

“Zoro, can I—”

A loud splash rocking the ship interrupted the captain, who’s attention is immediately on the sky around them, flush fading away to make space for surprise as he looks around. Zoro is still bewitched, unexpected interruption not registering in his mind until he hears their navigator scream from the deck below:

“Holy fucking shit!”

Chopper parroting the alpha woman’s curses would normally make the swordsman smile, but the terror in the exclamation and the scene around them that Zoro is beginning to comprehend take precedent.

Pieces, large and small, of broken ships are raining down all around their ship, not hitting them through sheer luck. The larger pieces of decrepit hull and mast send displaced water high into the air when they crash into the water’s surface.

The swordsman watches as the dark haired pirate lights up in fevered excitement, mind immediately latching on to the possibility of the next new adventure. Scrambling off of the other, Luffy wastes no time jumping out of the crow’s nest, the alpha following behind his captain.

———

Notes:

Thank you for reading!!!!! all comments are read, loved, and then shoved into my mouth for safekeeping :) <3
con crit welcome too altho pls don't point out how many times i used the word blood in the last chapter lol i am all too aware haha

The beautiful scene where the crew brandishes their X marks, showing that Vivi will always be their nakama ;; it is too beautiful for me to attempt to include haha

Also lol okay so I *did* shove an extra day between the end of alabasta and the start of the skypeia arc so our lovely crew can get some rest (and so I can write some fucking fluff ksjdhfk)

I am LIVING who has seen the character design sheets for the RED movie omg I’m in love,,,

EDIT BC I JUST READ CH 1044 ahhhhHH i feel like ive been waiting for 20 years just for this,,,, at the same time it felt so short i want more ;__;

Chapter 11: Knock-Up Stream

Summary:

Exploring Skypeia, Shandian history, Zoro's feelings, Enel's motives, etc.

Notes:

Skypeia is actually so important and i had sooo many things i wanted to cram into it, but i tried to keep it a streamlined as possible :'''))

—

Thunder rumbled, roaring in the dark grey clouds overhead, swirling around the altar as if they were alive. The rain poured down from the heavens, soaking the gathered people lined up around the basin. The drummers beat their instruments in an unrelenting crescendo, picking up pace and volume as the Shandora elder light the ritual torches on either side of the altar. Despite the harsh downpour, the flames grew big and wild, casting a fiery glow across the gold, stone, and water surrounding, the plateau in the middle.

The elder greets their gods, voice straining as he competed with the booming drums and thunder.

“I call for thee!

God of the Rain…

God of the Forest…

God of the Earth…

God of the Sun…

We offer you the blood of our high priestess! And ask that you show mercy upon on our people!”

The sacrifice says nothing. She doesn’t see the tears of her mother and family that get washed away by the rain, she doesn’t see the Sky God Kashigami approach nor hear the cries of the elder and her people, awed by such a tremendous, holy, presence. She can only hear the drums, the rhythm reflected in the wild beating of her heart, and the thunder, growing angrier and angrier, flashes of lighting in the sky drawing ever closer.

She stared straight up, into the storming clouds, fear of death and duty to her people mixing in her mind as much as the clouds push and dissolve into each other. The Sky God looms above her, partially blocking her view of the sky, and staring into the eyes of the god, she suddenly feels so much more.

The weight of her people’s hope fills her, her emotions fading to serene acceptance. If through her death her people might be saved, she could cast aside her own fear.

And for a moment, the clouds swirled in such a way that the sun could be seen through, and Mousse felt the warm rays of sunlight hit her face.

She basks in what she accepts as her last time facing the light of the sun, before the warm blood of the Sky God splatters across her body.

—

Centuries later…

In a small town overrun with visiting pirates, Nami is battling down feelings of shame and anger. She grits her teeth as she pulls her captain and the swordsman out of the town’s only bar, both of the men looking beaten and bloody. The navigator knows better than anyone here, that the two could wipe out the entire bar if they wanted to. Why Luffy refused to fight back, even as his dream was mocked, was beyond her. He could have at least defended her honor when she tried to ask about the sky island that he is so determined to find!

The large, bearded man that the rubber pirate had almost fought (before the whole fiasco with Bellamy happened, and Nami prayed that the cackling hyena bastard would get what he deserved eventually) was sitting in the street outside the bar. He calls out to her after she’s unceremoniously dropped Luffy and Zoro onto the ground.

“Why are you so upset?”

Turning to him with confusion, she asks, “What?”

Nami’s confusion turns to disgust as the large man licks leftover cherry pie filling off his fingers, the sticky red substance running down and coating the spaces between the digits and the glittering gold rings and gems that adorn his hands. Luffy and Zoro stand up, and the captain brushes dirt off his straw hat before resettling atop his head.

“You heard me. Your friends won that fight.” The bearded man continues.

Even from a sitting position he looms over the trio. Ignoring the alphas in favor to leer down at her captain, he addresses the rubber man alone. “Your comeback was impressive too. Feisty one, aren’t you? Omegas like you are so much fun to break.”

Luffy doesn’t react, but his crew does, responding to the threat by flanking either side of the dark haired captain. Glaring at the large, smirking man, Nami’s hand brushes over her clima-tact baton, more than ready to fight at this point. She was sick of everyone underestimating them! She sneaks a glance towards her allied alpha.

Zoro, behind Luffy’s right shoulder, looks ready to rip someone’s throat out, eyes a thin, furious line. His scent was barely under control, threatening and angry. If they were still inside, a fight would have already started, catalyzed by the overpowering scent.

But the man laughs instead, raising his arms to the sky. “The age of pirates is over?” He roars the non-sequitur, and Nami is thrown off by the quick change in conversation. “People’s dreams never end!”

The man’s hand that was licked clean of cherries now held a bottle of booze, the top off so some of the alcohol spills out during his expressive gesture. “Ain’t that right?”

The orange haired alpha watches the line of her captain’s shoulders, strong and unwavering despite the towering bearded alpha. She draws her own strength from the evenness of the omega’s response.

“That’s right.”

“Then let them laugh! If you’re aiming for the top, you don’t always need fists to show your might!” The large man laughs again, head tilting back, exposing his throat without concern, laughter rumbling the planks of flooring beneath them. When he’s done, he smirks toothily, jagged fangs prominent, down at the captain of the Straw Hats.

“Good luck making it to the sky, star boy.”

—

A young woman slams one of the heavy doors open, and the ragged curtains shuddered from the sudden blast. Not moving even as the ends brush against his sleeves, stray threads catching on the rough fabric of his cloak, Dragon stays staring outside the open window.

“Hey Dragon!” The woman says, walking in with barely restrained giddiness. She stops, pauses, and tacks on a quick “Sir.” With a lazy salute to his back.

The leader of the revolutionaries remained staring out into makeshift camp the militia had set up out of an abandoned castle.

The woman unravels the paper rolled up in her hand, coming over to hold it out for the man to see. “Look at this!” Dragon hears the shuffling of the paper, but still doesn’t turn.

Koala sighs. Leader was being particularly moody today. “Wanna explain why this kid has your family name?”

He finally turns to look at her, not the poster, and asks, “How do you know my family name?”

“It’s been a few long years since I’ve come here, sir.” She puts the bounty poster down onto the desk in front of the alpha. “You should know I’ve picked up enough tricks.” Standing back and clapping her hands to her sides, she gives him an expectant look.

Dragon looks down at the desk. His expression is as blank and unreadable as ever, and Koala can only imagine what is going through the enigmatic leader’s mind. “That’s my son.”

She laughs, loudly and awkwardly, ending with a chest-thumping cough when she realizes the man isn’t joking. Straightening up, she tells him with a sudden seriousness, “You might want to tell Sabo, otherwise he’s gonna go kill your son.”

Dragon doesn’t move his head, still pointed down towards the wanted poster, but his eyes dart up to look at the woman. “…Why?”

“Monkey D. Luffy…” She says, crossing her arms. “To get that bounty, he took down a warlord, exposing a plot several years long to try and take over the country by staging a civil war.” Her mouth pulls up on one side in a half frown, half exasperated smile. “Sabo was going to start casing it after his current mission.”

The man answers with silence again, but his unblinking stare urges her to continue.

“I guess it was good someone was there to stop Crocodile.” She trails off, hand rubbing her chin. “We might have been too late, our timing is always bad…”

“…It was Crocodile?”

Lost in thought of how civil disruption strategies and ways to combat them, the officer didn’t catch the question immediately. “Hmm?”

Dragon looks pained, or annoyed, to repeat himself, eyebrows twitching closer to each other.“The warlord that Straw Hat took down?”

“Oh yeah!” She nods, “Why, you know him or something?”

Dragon turns back around, cloak furling around dramatically.

Koala rolls her eyes at his turned back before reaching over to grab the corner of the wanted poster. “Anyway, I can’t wait to shove this in Sabo’s face! He’s getting back this afternoon.”

Bounty poster halfway to her, it’s suddenly snatched at of her grasp. She didn’t even notice he moved, but Dragon was facing the window once again, the paper was in his grasp. She holds up her hands in supplication, not that he was looking. “Okay. Rude…”

Dragons ignores her, looking at the poster for another beat before twisting around to heft a thick dossier off the corner of his desk, tossing it to the brown haired woman.

“Oh, this is a heavy one.” She says, excited despite the complaining tone.

“I want you and Sabo to work together on this one, read through it and brief him when he comes in.”

Already leafing through the large folder, the officer turns to leave with an affirmative chirp. Dragon stops her with a short call of her name. She turns back, one foot out the door, with a questioning look.

“Don’t mention Straw Hat. I don’t want either of you to be distracted on this case.”

Koala thought that was a little strange but…She’d do more digging herself first. It wouldn’t do if Sabo beat her to solve the mystery!

“Alright, whatever the boss says.” And she leaves, allowing Dragon to return to his brooding machinations.

—

The force of the Knock Up Stream was an overwhelming display of nature’s power, the true destructive force of the unforgiving sea. And the Straw Hat’s riding the current, flying up to the heavens? Blackbeard licked his lips, finding a piece of the gooey cherry pie filling caught around his mouth, savoring the plump bit of cherry and piercing it between sharp canines.

Burgess growls, the water pouring down from the sudden eruption making his mask stick to his face. “Let’s go after them, Captain! We don’t want our prey to escape, do we?” Wind whipped the man’s long hair around.

Blackbeard laughs, “I’m sure our paths will cross again.”

Wiping away the salt water from his eye piece, Augur comments. “This world is one endlessly turning wheel. If our will is strong, we’ll meet them again.” He puts the glass back in place.

The waves were beginning to settle, last pieces of sea king and debris coughed up by knock up current drifting to the bottom of the ocean. Along with the remnants of their ship that hadn’t survived the pressure, the rest bobbing uncertainly on the surface of the ocean.

Sitting down on the piece of their raft still sea worthy, Blackbeard agrees with a loud guffaw. They had other plans to work on for now, anyway.

—

On a forgotten part of the cloud archipelago, inside a small home, a mother is tending to a wound on her daughter’s knee. The young girl sits on a wooden stool, staring at the wall opposite her. Handwoven fabrics lined the the front room, thick ones stopping the wind from entering the house from the otherwise open archway. A few were both older and more meticulously crafted than the rest, imagery of towering trees in vast forests and shining suns delicately woven into the tapestries that hung on the wall the girl is studying intently. Figures of people lined the bottom, some raising their hands to cup the water that poured down from the heavens, others with their palms facing the sky, praising the sun.

Aisa has seen this tapestry every day for as long as she can remember. She walks by it everyday, and everyday she makes a silent promise. The weave spins a history of the time before they had lost their ancestral ground, when Shandians of centuries past lived on the sacred grounds of Vearth.

She whispers with reverence, hands clenched in white-knuckled fists. “When I’m old enough to join the warriors, I will show no mercy to God for what he's done.”

Her mother sighs, gently cleaning the dirt and debris off the skinned knee. “Aisa…”

“No! I don’t want to hear it!”

The older woman sighs, turning to exchange the dirty cloth with ointment and bandages.

“It’s not fair!” The girl looks away from the tapestry, down to her hands in her lap. “I could be an alpha! What good is being an omega if I’ll be forced to stay out of the battle! I want to fight for our land too!”

Her mother sighs, smoothing out the bandage. “Omegas have our own duties to the village.”

“In times of peace! But we are at war, we’ve been at war!”

Isa stands up, and brushes a lock of Aisa’s hair behind her ear. “You’re far too young to be worried about such things.”

The girl scowls up at her mother. “I’m sick of hearing that! I’m not young enough to be spared hours of lessons.”

“Aisa, darling, when you reach adulthood, you will take on a role that has been passed down for generations. As one of the only omegas in the village—“

“I’m not anything yet! Just because I have the gift of hearing doesn’t mean I’ll be an omega. You’re all just guessing!”

“The legends of our people say it’s a powerful gift when wielded by omegas.”

“What good is a gift that I can’t use to help.” In an angry huff, she jumps off the table and grabs her bag.

Isa’s expression holds a soft sternness. “Go straight to your lessons. If I’ve found out you’ve snuck off to visit the forbidden land again…”

Aisa, from the doorway, is alight with passion. “Our homeland shouldn’t be forbidden—!” She suddenly doubles over, clutching her head. Her mother rushes over, calling her name,

“It’s…I…Someone new has just appeared on Angel Beach…” The girl squints, head full with the unexpected intrusion. There was a pounding in her ears; was it the beat of her own heart?

Or the thunder of something else…

—

To think that just a few hours ago she had been on the beach collecting shells, and now the Skypeian found herself and her father at a cabin hidden away from the ever listening current God, at risk of his judgement for helping that group of pirates.

She held her harp on her lap, silent as a man dressed in tarnished plates of metal armor mourns what has become of his home. On the brink of resolving a century long clash, Enel had stolen control of Skypeia, and with his god-like powers of lightning and omnipotence, he easily occupied Upper Yard.

“There’s an ancient legend here in Skypeia. Many eons ago, on the day the sacred Upper Yard was born, a beautiful sound rang out from the island and enveloped the land. It was on that day that the fighting between the Shandians and the Skypeians began.”

The old man Conis knew only as his previous title of God of this country…He poured water onto his garden, metal plates in his armor clinking against each other as he crouched, letting the raining liquid gently run in-between the wide leaves, wetting the soil underneath.

“That is why I believe the next time we hear the Song of the Island…The fighting will stop.”

His eyes looked mournful, and tired, even as it held the still simmering light of hope.

Suddenly, his bird-horse partner shrieked, swooping down from the top of the cabin where he was roosting. Impatiently tweeting, the old man listens to his urgent cries, already pulling his helmet back over his head. He was off to try and help someone else escape the wrath of God.

Conis felt her heart beating, loud in her ears like a drum.

—

In the throes of Upper Yard, forested with trees with thick, ancient roots. The canopy of the trees overhead blocked out most of the sky overhead, but small gaps in the foliage allowed rays of sun to reach the soft forest bed. Zoro suddenly stopped, listening to the distant cry of birds, observing the dimming spots of sunlight. He turns around, addressing the two women who had been following him as they trekked through the sacred grove.

“Let’s go back. I’m worried about Chopper.”

Without waiting for a response, he walked in-between the two, heading back in the opposite direction. Nami grabs the back of his shirt before he gets far.

“That’s the wrong way. We’ve been heading east, so the ship is west, which is…that way.” She says, turning the other alpha by his shoulders until he’s pointing in the right direction.

Zoro listens to the navigator, but not without an annoyed huff, and he begins walking in the direction she had indicated. Robin follows the two a little further behind.

The next few minutes the trio spends in silence, save for the noise of the forest: snakes slithering along branches, birds calling for roost, bugs chittering and buzzing. Zoro swats a flying insect that swerves too close to his face.

Watching the swordsman’s back, something flits through Nami’s mind, and she reaches out and grabs it.

“So Zoro, how far have you and Luffy gone?”

The man walking in front of her suddenly freezes, the back of his neck and ears turning endearingly red, shoulders coming up in a tense hunch. Robin chuckles softly at his reaction from behind both of the alphas.

Coming up around to look at his face, she smirks at him. “Come on, spill. I have bets riding on it.”

Zoro roughly shoulders her out of the way with a growl, not at all apologetic when she yelps in pain. She knows he held back, as a full strength shove from the other alpha would have surely knocked her into a tree. Nami catches up to the green haired pirate, poking him with an indignant finger.

“That hurt, you beast! Now you have to tell me, or I’ll triple your debt!”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“If you don’t tell me, I’m charging you for medical and emotional damages!”

The swordsman sends her an icy glare full of irate annoyance.

“If you’re worried about Robin hearing, don’t be. She’s already cast her bet.”

When he doesn’t respond, only tenses up more, the orange haired alpha continues to prod him.

“Please, Zoro! Tell me!”

Zoro all but roars his acquiesce, a brief shout so full of menacing aura that a few animals nearby scatter. Nami gives him a satisfied, smug smirk, quickly replaced by disappointment when she hears the swordsman’s next statement.

“First of all, we haven’t ‘gone’ anywhere.”

“That’s a surprise…” The navigator mumbles, eyebrows furrowed as she begins to calculate how much money she’s lost.

“Secondly, it’s because I don’t like him like that!”

Nami scoffs. “Oh please. Have you seen the way you look at him?”

“He’s my captain! I look at him with nothing but admiration and respect.” Zoro says over the loud beating of his heart. He scowls even harder than he already was when the other alpha immediately laughs, obnoxiously loud and obviously at his expense. His marching stomps come down a little more forceful, leaves and underbrush crushed, helpless, under the step of his boots.

The navigator easily catches up to the swordsman after getting her breath back. The teasing grin back on her face, she informs him, “Plus, your scent gives you away. You like him!”

Zoro halts his angry trudges, embarrassed flush coloring his cheeks. “No I don’t!”

Passing both of the gossiping alphas, Robin walks by, and smirks at the swordsman.

“You’re lying. The vein above your left eye twitches when you’re under pressure.”

Whistling, Nami compliments their newest crew member. “Hey, you’re pretty savvy!”

“Young alpha men like him are usually easy to read.”

Nami gets distracted by her own swift agreement, already diving in to an impassioned rant on the woes of having to deal with “meat-headed alpha boys.” Zoro continues walking behind the two women, eyebrows furrowed and expression dark. Now all too aware of his apparent tell, he feels the muscles above his left eye tremble, irritating him more.

“You two are demons and I am in hell.”

Never one to give up a good lead, the orange haired pirate returns to her interrogation. “So you like him, and he likes you too! What’s the problem?”

Nami can hear the creaking and groaning gears turning in the swordsman’s green head, and she can imagine the steam coming out of his ears. Poor thing is probably thinking for the first time ever.

“…How do you know he likes me?” The words come out softer than the alpha intended, Nami is sure. The intended forceful demand usurped by a hesitant, hopeful question, as if this is the first time the swordsman is even considering the possibility.

She throws him a secretive smile over her shoulder. “I have my ways, trust me on that one.” Following the archeologist in jumping onto the root of a tree to avoid a small pool of water in the middle of their path, the alpha woman continues. “He likes you and you like him, so what else could be stopping you?”

Zoro narrows his eyes at the other, before looking down in thought, brows still knitted together. “It’s never that simple.” He walks straight through the puddle, boots sloshing the water.

"I’m just saying…You should go for it, before it’s too late.”

“Oi. What do you mean?”

Turning around fully, she knocks on the other’s skull. “You’re so thickheaded! You got any problem solving abilities in there?” Nami waves away his annoyed growl with a flap of her hand.

“Shut up. Stop trying to meddle in things you don’t understand.”

“Whatever. Don’t say I never tried to help. I hope your empty brain at least has something to think about, for once.” She says, rolling her eyes and turning back around. “Oh, the Merry is just up ahead!” She runs ahead to the opening, the grove of trees splitting to show the edge of the expansive, cloud filled lake that surrounds the Merry.

The green haired pirate falls in line with Robin, as they continue walking at a less hurried pace. He doesn’t ask, but the woman answers the unspoken question.

“I made my wager on the assumption you two haven’t kissed yet, as one or both of you are still ignorant of your true feelings. This was after observing both of you at your most open and vulnerable: on the ship, but I did use what I know of both of your characters from our previous encounters.”

She smiles, a small curve of her mouth, before stepping over the last massive root separating the forest from the opening to the altar that currently house their ship.

“I stand corrected, though. It’s clearly denial, not ignorance.”

Zoro is about to retort, growl building in the back of throat, when he hears Nami call out to the captain and their other crew mates in relief.

Robin can’t escape the bubbling, but quiet laughter as the swordsman neatly drops all pretenses of not being interested in their rubber captain to run to the edge of the forest, following Luffy’s call.

—

“Make no mistake,” the navigator announces, pointing a finger down at the pieced together map, in the center of the skull shaped island’s right eye. “A vast treasure trove of gold awaits us at this location!”

The campfire in the middle blew smoke high up into the sky, night beginning to cover the pale blue expanse overhead, a few bright stars starting to twinkle. The flames from the fire reflected the anticipation held by the gathered Straw Hat pirates.

Zoro watches his captain visibly struggle to not shout out his excitement again, interrupting the alpha woman’s lengthy (in Zoro and Luffy’s opinion) explanation. When the omega seems too overwhelmed keeping the delirious enthusiasm inside to realize Nami had finished talking, the swordsman nudges him and asks, already knowing the answer. “Are you excited?”

Sanji chimes in. “Yeah, you must be happy, Captain. A dangerous forest expedition…”

Finally opening his sealed lips (Nami had previously mimed zippering them shut in a goofy, but successful last attempt to shut him up) Luffy yells, shivering with excitement, eyes sparkling. “And we’re going to find treasure! It’s a perfect pirate adventure!”

“When Captain’s right, he’s right!” Nami agrees, hoisting her drink into the air, Belli signs in her eyes.

Next to her, Usopp gives her a disparaging smirk. “Yeah, you say that like you’re not scared shitless…” The alpha whacks the sniper on his shoulder as Chopper repeats the curse word, adding it to his lexicon.

“Why would you guys be scared?”

Robin answers the captain’s genuine question. “It may have something to do with the fact we are in ‘God’s territory,’ or at least what is known as his sacred land. In addition, it seems we have landed ourselves in another country in the middle of war and turmoil.”

Rolling his eyes, the beta marksman comments. “I hope this doesn’t become a pattern…”

Luffy grins widely at his crew. “You guys don’t have anything to be scared of! When we’re all together, nothing’s impossible!”

Smiling at his captain, Zoro raises his cup. “I’ll drink to that."

—

The alpha sighed, opening his eyes. Up ahead the stars, so close, sparkled brightly, and from here you could see three of the planet’s moons. It was well past midnight, and the sun surely on his way up in the next coming hours. The bonfire had finally burnt out, but the crowded night sky illuminated the sky island with a misty glow. Zoro raised himself on his elbows, looking around to do a quick headcount of the crew.

He finally rests his eyes on his captain, closest to him, but is startled to find the pirate wide awake, eyes looking up at the sky, a soft happiness held there. He whispers the other’s name, and Luffy’s looks up at him, mouth stretching into a crescent smile.

“Zoro. Are you excited?”

“I know you are. Can’t sleep?”

“It’s a pirate’s paradise, Zoro! The City of Gold!” He says, rolling over onto his side. Zoro mirrors him, settling back down and facing the other.

“Don’t be reckless out there.”

Luffy just his chin out, trying to look tough but pout making him look incredibly cute to the swordsman. “Same to you, three swords.”

The seriousness in his face disappeared, Zoro not bothering to hide his amusement. “That’s hardly an insult. Bet you can’t even handle a measly pocket knife, not even one of my cursed swords.”

“I could handle any of your swords, Zoro.”

“Get a room!”

“There’s no rooms, Nami! We’re sleeping outside!”

Amid the ensuring groans and giggles from the apparently mostly awake crew, Zoro, face heated, harshly whispers to his captain. “Just come over here, stupid.”

Luffy doesn’t need to be told twice, and flops onto the other, wiggling viscously until he settles into the position he wants, half on top of Zoro, arm and leg thrown over haphazardly and face buried into his neck. The swordsman feels the heady rush of feeling, heartbeat quickening, when the omega nuzzles into him, before twisting up to look at him, tilting his head in question.

Zoro answers his tacit question, but he can’t handle looking at the other right now, and keeps his eyes on the stars above, eyebrows furrowed in determined concentration. "You can tell me everything you’re excited about, if it’ll help you sleep.”

Luffy’s curved mouth blooms into a wide, grateful smile. “Okay!!”

The alpha quickly adds, ”But quietly, okay? Or Nami will start throwing shit at us.”

After shuffling around again to lay on his back, wanting to watch the stars above too, Luffy prattles off every exciting thing that he believes could happen in the near future. He slowly loses speed as he went on, only stopping when sleep finally overtakes him.

Zoro listens to the sound of the other’s breathing until sleep came to take him under as well.

—

Hours later, the sun above the horizon battles the encroaching clouds for its place in the heavens. As high up as they were, there were no clouds overhead, but they swirled, agitated, surrounding the sky country. An attendant plays a quiet tune on a flute, the chiming notes a mimic of the birds that can be heard everywhere else in Upper Yard. The animals have learned long ago to avoid this place.

Gode hurried up the steps to God’s shrine, the carved rock bleeding into the soft, cushiony cloud ground. The lilac drapes flitted in the slight breeze. The man he has accepted as god is lounging on his throne, body limp and relaxed against the soft, vibrant cushions. His eyes are closed, a soft, serene smile on his face.

Arriving before the lounging man, Gode addresses him, dropping into a kneeling bow.

“Almighty God.”

He doesn’t open his eyes, but the pale man opens his mouth to give a harsh order. “Shut up.” The god says, a small bolt of lightning coming from his pointed finger, obliterating the flute into dust that crumbles away in the wind. The attendant bites her lip to stop from crying out from the sudden pain, the burn on her hands stinging.

Enel gestures for the bowing man to rise. “Is everything ready?”

“Everyone is in position, Almighty. The three vassals, as well as the commander and fifty heavenly warriors, to combat the Shandian militia and a few Blue Sea people…” Fully risen, Enel’s clergyman is clutching a book to his chest, and hesitates before asking, “Are you sure this isn’t overdoing it?”

The god just laughs, head thrown back in mirth. A wide, ecstatic smile spreads across his face.

“Why Gode, the more players, the more exciting the game!”

“…Players, almighty?”

Enel’s body is like an illusion, sparking as he makes gratuitous use of his powers to shift his position. His body stops flickering as he leans his head into a closed fist, arm balanced on the side of the wide throne. He flicks out a finger, not looking where he was pointing.

“You. Peel me a banana.” The attendant he had pointed at nervously places the fruit in his waiting, expectant hand, and begins to shakily peel off the outer layers. He would pray to god that the fruit is ripe and delicious, but well…It was god he was currently serving. The Skypeian servant could only hope for more mercy than the last attendant that fed the lightning powered god bad fruit.

Enel takes a large bite of the banana, chewing thoughtfully before finally answering the clergyman’s question. "Yes, players for a new game. Higher stakes than the usual smiting.”He continues, pausing midway to look off into the distance to think and count. "Including me, there is…81 players in this game of survival!”

“Survival, my God?”

“Yes! Surviving each other…and then what comes after.” The god replies with a booming laugh, tossing the empty banana peel off to the side. One of the attendants goes scurrying after it. Enel suddenly looks malicious, grin sinking into an evil smirk. “Care to make a bet on who will win?”

Gode stammers, not expecting the sudden request, and Enel shifts into a more upright seated position, still radiating casual superiority.

“It’s okay, I’d win the bet anyway. I’ll just tell you: In three hours, there will be,” He holds up a single hand, fingers splayed wide, “…just five left standing.”

“Only five?”

Laughing again, the god leans back into the downy cushions. “And the rest can crumble away to dust like the rest of this godforsaken country.”

“Speaking of the country, Almighty…the Skypeians have been stirring with noise of Gan Fall again. Since the incident at the pier yesterday…”

“Oh? Must they be reminded of their place again? Those sad little creatures.”

Scanning Upper Yard with his mantra, Enel tunes into the conversation his predecessor was having on the ship of the East Blue pirates. A strange choice in allies, but they were his only option. The Shandians rather see him dead.

“Innocence isn’t something he considers. After years of his rule, my people live in a constant state of guilt.” The fallen king looked worse for wear, covered in bandages still, and was speaking to three of the present Straw Hats.

“When a person cannot act without feeling guilt, he is at his weakest. Enel is aware of that, turning our people into ‘wayward lambs’ and then controlling them.”

Leaning back, hand absentmindedly scratching the front of his throat as he both listened and directed his underling, he orders, eyes focused on something unseen and manic smile creeping up the sides of his mouth:

“Demand a sacrifice. I’ll even allow an omega, if that’s all they have left to offer. There won’t be enough time to actually make use of another winged bug, but it’ll get them flustered enough to be completely unprepared for the coming storm.”

—

Luffy passes under one large root, humming a simple tune, feet moving forward without real direction but knowing there was a goal ahead, somewhere. As soon as the omega has made it to the other side, he turns to his right, seeing one of the Shandian warriors perched above him. Fresh blood from splatters and his own wounds mix with dirt and sweat, and Wyper glares down at the interloper, blowing out smoke from the smoldering, rolled paper between his teeth.

“What the hell are you doing here? I warned you to get off this island.”

Luffy narrows his eyes at the other, “You can’t tell me what to do!” His stubbornness is apparent in his tone, “What me and my crew do is none of your business.”

“It is our business,” Wyper spits out, face twisting with a resentful snarl. “This island belongs to the Shandians!”

Luffy blinks, eyes wide. “Oh, really? I see…Well, excuse me, then!” He says simply, with a respectful nod of his head, before turning to leave.

“Wait!”

Turning back around, Luffy looks mildly annoyed at being stopped again. “What?”

Putting out the smoldering cigarillo, Wyper shoves the impact dial bazooka to his back, preparing to duel this random pirate. “No. I have nothing to say to you.” After checking the clasps on the bladed shoes he wears, making sure the seastone edge was still attached, the umber toned man straightens, “There’s no point in discussing things, I’ll just take you down!”

Despite the heavy scent of rage and blood seeking adrenaline, Luffy grins, clapping an open palm to his fist. “You wanna fight? That’s no problem.”

—

Still listening in on Gan Fall’s pathetic whining, Enel wears a self-satisfied smirk.

“To him, the title of God isn’t enough. He truly believes and acts as if he’s a god. He is a tyrant.”

Gode starts a hesitant, “Almighty—”

“SHUT UP!” The gathered followers flinched with the sudden aura of simmering fury, thick in the air with the feeling of cold, sludgy, dread.

The blond pirate comments blandly, “What’s a God to a nonbeliever…”

The pressure in the shrine continued to increase, the air beginning to tingle with charged electricity, as the affronted god smiled with a dark slant of his lips, thirsty for pain, he would make sure to savor lighting that one up.

Pulling his focus back to encompass the entirety of Upper Yard in his range, the god observed the current, developing battlefield, reeling in the chaos and destruction, voices going out all around the island. But, not quite as quickly as he was hoping.

“They’re squabbling like dogs over the last piece of meat, it’s just as exciting as I was hoping! Might as well start weeding out some annoyances…” He says, even and unworried, before his body becomes intangible sparks, reforming on the ship of the Straw Hats.

—

Luffy stumbles when he feels a tremor run through his body, barely avoiding a breath-dial powered slashing kick from the Shandian warrior he’s facing. Not painful, but more like the cold fire of dread sparking along his nerves. His first worry is not for himself, but for his crew, the icy hot fear curling around the connection he has to his pack. One of them must have been hurt.

If he focuses on the familiar feeling of their pack bond, maybe he could tell where they were…

Wyper breathes heavily, taking a moment crouched on a high tree branch to watch his opponent. He was waiting to counterattack the other’s next move, but is intrigued when the straw hatted pirate shudders after dodging his kick, pauses, and then suddenly flinches, head snapping to the side. His dark eyes are focused on something unseen, scent spiking like a beacon. Wyper recoils when he discovers he’s been trying to kill someone his people would have held safe and sacred.

“You’re an omega, aren’t you?”

Startled out of his trance, the captain jumps away with an angry pout, one arm stretching out to grab a branch further away from the warrior.

The Shandian is unperturbed by the hostile glare, shocked curiosity winning out even over his drive to not stop fighting until death. “Why are they allowing you to risk your life here?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. If my friends are risking their life, then so will I!”

Pulling the bazooka around from his back, Wyper readies the burn dial on the gun. Luffy brings his arms back to prepare his own rubber bazooka attack.

—

“Shandora. That is the name of this ancient city…”

Sandwiched between the layers of cloud that comprised the island, the lost ruins of Shandora remained standing. Examining the wall of one towering altar, Robin brushes some of the moss and plant growth that has crept up the walls. The lost city was said to be made of gold, but it appears that the gilded stone had been robbed of its luster, only rough, cold earth and the faintest glimmer of gold remain.

“It thrived over 1100 years ago, and was destroyed 800 years ago, falling right in the hundred year gap in recorded history.”

The woman takes a step back to observe the ruins as a whole once more. The flora has overtaken the deserted city, roots and vines creeping not only along cracks and creases, but scaling buildings and towers, overtaking roofs and and crawling out of gaps in the crumbling stone.

“What unspoken secrets could be hidden here…”

A large, twined root system protrudes from the center of the city, thick and green it coils around itself, twisting up through the cloud ceiling, into the heavens above.

It was quiet, here. Undisturbed. So when the air suddenly started to buzz with static, Robin stops, bracing herself for whatever may happen next.

Tossing a shiny red apple up and down with one hand, a man sits casually on top of one of the altar’s main platforms. A languid smile stretches his mouth.

“Impressive, isn’t it? A city that continues to exist in such glory, even in the sky.” Robin refuses to face the man head on, but turns her head to acknowledge his presence, already analyzing the other. The man continues, unworried, “The legendary capital can’t be admired if it’s covered in clouds.” He chuckles, shaking his head. “My idiotic predecessors didn’t even notice it.”

“Who are you?”
Enel’s lazy smile fades into a confident smirk. He answers simply,

“I am God.”

Crunching the apple with a loud bite, fangs ripping into the sweet skin, chewing with an open mouth, the god continues to speak. “I’m impressed. You must be an archeologist from the Blue Sea. It took us several months to find these ruins. It must be so much easier when you can read the ancient writing.” He takes another huge bite, the juice dripping out.

“But the gold you’re looking for isn’t here, you’re a few years too late.”

Refuse to cower, Robin stands tall and engages in the conversation, keeping her calm composure, ignoring the harsh beat of her heart.

“You must have taken it somewhere.”

“It’s a fine thing.” He gestures to his body, adorned with the precious metal. “The glittering gold suits me.”

“Did you also take the bell of solid gold that was here?”

It isn’t often the god is taken by surprise, smile dropping for a moment. “The golden bell?” His easy smile returns, and he finished the apple in another few bites, considering. “I’m intrigued. You’ve read the symbols. What did you learn?”

Robin knows better than to answer directly, even if she hasn’t found out the importance of the bell yet, either. “It’s too bad, if the great bell and its tower, said to be the pride of Shandora, weren’t here when you arrived, they must have not made it up here.”

Enel shouts, mouth full of crushed apple flesh, voice booming, “No, the bell is here! It came to the sky!” He swallows, before explaining, and thoughtful hand rubbing his chin. “…So the bell was made of solid gold! This is wonderful, and the game will be over soon.” He looks up at the cloudy ceiling, thinking. “Only eight minutes remain, I may as well search the whole island while I’m at it!”

Closing his eyes to spread his mantra’s focus over all of Upper Yard, Enel smites a few bugs at the edge of the sacred land, and does a quick count of the remaining players. He grins, a sharp promise of destruction, before sending a high voltage blast at the cloud ceiling above the giant stalk in the center. The clouds disperse easily, and the stone above them begins to tumble though the opening, the blast kickstarting an avalanching cave in.

Robin is horrified by the destruction of the ancient ruins, centuries of history crumbling around her, the parts of the ruins from above falling and cracking to pieces upon impact.“What have you done?”

Enel only laughs, lightning jumping off of him in charged sparks, “I invited your friends to Shandora! It’s time for the finale!”

Notes:

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I think it has a little bit of everything :) I'm sorry it's only like half the arc and rather long OTL

I tried my best to avoid the rebels completely in Alabasta but i think the Shandian/Skypeia conflict is leagues more interesting. I still did my best to limit my own writing to major changes but i still need to set up the plot for a satisfying villain downfall ;a; writing is hard lol

If anyone is interested~! Here are some ABO birth/pregnancy facts haha

Alphas:
Both male/female can impregnate, ruts increase pregnancy rate
Only alpha women can birth
Offspring: Alpha 50%, Beta 45%, Omega 5%

Betas:
Males can impregnate.
Only beta women can birth.
Offspring: Beta 60%, Alpha 35%, Omega 5%

Omega:
Males can impregnate but lower success than alpha or beta males.
Both can birth, heats increase pregnancy rate
Offspring: Alpha 70%, Omega 20%, Beta 10%

Percentages based on general population. I think depending on things it can change hahah like what if omegas weren’t allowed to reproduce :o

I decided that in this universe, ABO/secondary sexes??genders?? really are secondary, like humanity evolved to have this extra characteristic: they are an additional classification on top of male/female sex. LOL I put too much thought into but this is basically why female alphas can have boobies still and it can make sense from an evolution/reproductive view point ahahaha. (Do male omegas develop larger boobies when they’re pregnant??? Idk I haven’t decided if I actually have to decide that yet hahaha)

ALSO speaking of boobs everybody clap for Zoro who canonically has the second largest bust size hahahah and largest of the straw hats someone give this man a prize

anyway lol....Characters can present themselves in any number of ways, and there are chemicals/drugs that can affect the ABO aspect such as scent and heat blockers, birth control, etc etc

There hasn’t been much research into them that the characters are aware of...maybe there has been quite a bit of but it’s the kind of research the WG keeps under wraps ohohoho…

Anyways I sincerely hope you have enjoyed my crazy writing haha! Comments of any length will be cradled in my hands like little treasures c: Con crit welcome as well!!!!

Chapter 12: Imperiocumulus

Summary:

God Enel versus Pirate Luffy, skypeia arc part 2. People are punched by fists and feelings :)

Notes:

throws this chapter at y'all and runs away lol (slightly edited for spelling errors and redundant similies)

—

“You made a wise decision, young girl.” The god said. The alpha hadn’t been paying attention, not really, mind still stuck on the motionless bodies of her friends left behind in the ruins of Shandora. The pale man in front of her, or “god” as he would like to be addressed, had shot down the remaining “players” one after another as they opposed him.

The navigator had laid down Chopper, still unconscious and badly burnt, behind a half-broken wall, out of sight, before Enel had called her out. She agreed to go with him, seeing no other chance to survive. She passed Robin and Zoro, both similar to the reindeer yards away. She knew because of their bonds that the swordsman and doctor were okay; hurt, but alive. But Robin’s status was a mystery, as were Gan Fall and the Shandian warrior, both smitten by the lightning powered man.

All of them hadn’t gone down without a fight, challenging this man who seemed…insurmountable. Nami wasn’t that brave, not by herself, not against someone who could literally revive themselves. Logia devil fruit powers seemed much too strong to combat as a regular person…

The man in front of her was suddenly looking directly at her, smile wide, excitement in his eyes.

“Where we’re going, there is only endless land, stretching out farther than the eye can see.”

The god continued on, turning to face the front of his Ark Maxim, a monolithic combination of gold and dials that was slowly powering up, powerful gears and propellers beginning to whirr with the power of the breath and jet dials.

“No seas to break up the beautiful soil and rock, no skies above to keep us from the celestial! A land in the heavens, a firmament suited for a god like me!”

Nami had to hide how much that made her cringe. A world with no sea, no sky? A world without the chaos the storm brings, without life from the ocean’s deeps…What would be left between the land and the dark of the stars, the burn of the sun?

The sun broke through the gathering clouds just enough to cast a few rays across the deck of the ship, the gold under Enel’s feet glittering in the light.

“Gods belong above all, the world below us is the place for humans. You understand, don’t you?” His arms fall to his sides, hand holding his staff tapping it soundly on the deck. “There must be an order to things. Life on these cloud islands…It’s not right for humans.”

He faces the navigator once again, feet falling heavy, echoing, as he closes the distance.
“You’ve seen how desperate they fight for a small chunk of Vearth—centuries of fighting, endless war,” He smiles, lips curling in a lazy smirk, “I’m doing them a favor by returning them all to which they belong.”

He reaches out to hold Nami’s cheek. She can’t stop the low growl, his touch making her skin crawl, but Enel’s smile doesn’t drop. He grips her chin, tilting her head up.

“Now tell me, alpha, what is fear?”

Glaring up at the him when the other alpha won’t let go, she answers, slowly.

“…Fear is what you make of it.”

He twists his hand so her head is forced to look either way, appraising her. She bites her tongue to keep from growling again, or let her scent become tinted with challenge, knowing he could fry her brain into dust in an instant if he chooses.

After a thoughtful hum, the god speaks again, “That’s a good answer, but you’re unfortunately still incorrect. Fear is what divides humanity and the divine.”

He drops the hold on her head and transforms into pure electricity, teleporting back to the center deck. “Humans fear, and they fear death the most. And this fear of death is what makes you little mites so easy to control.”

He speaks loud, proudly from his chest, voice booming across Upper Yard. “But gods? Gods don’t fear anything!”

Both alphas turn suddenly at the same time, sensing the presence coming towards them. Nami feels the panic twisting around her heart uncoil when she recognizes who it must be, but Enel’s smile finally drops, a look of disdainful boredom taking its place. The navigator runs to the edge of the ark as the god teleports to stand on the top of the railing.

Sure enough, Nami’s captain is approaching a ship at a run. When he gets close enough, he stops, yelling with glowing eyes and strong demeanor.

“Are you the one known as Enel?”

The god looks down his nose, stance unwavering. “I am.”

If it was anyone but Luffy, the orange haired alpha would be terrified, the venom in the dark haired pirate’s glare, the heavy weight in his words holding warnings of promised retribution. His fangs are bared as he jumps up onto one of the ark’s propelling arms, growling, eyes boring into the self proclaimed god.

“You’ll pay for what you’ve done to my crew.”

—

Spitting out blood, Enel growls, outraged. But not at being hit again, no. This second punch the little rubber creature has managed to get in, the god was able to scent him properly.

“You’re an omega! How dare you touch me with your filthy hands!” He all but shrieks, hysteric rage channeling into melting the tip of his staff into a three pronged golden spear, but untamed sparks coming out of his body in reaction.

It was fine the dirty rubber boy was immune to his godly powers, he would just have to get messy and spill some blood. But knowing he’d have omega blood on his beautiful ark made his skin crawl. He releases some of his anger in the form of lightning striking down across the country from the heavens he controls, aiming near the Skypeian settlement on Angel Beach.

The orange haired brat finally speaks again, even from here Enel can smell the timid fear she’s trying to keep in control. He’s surprised this is what riled her up enough to speak up.

“What did you just do?”

Spinning his spear around, reading his opponents next moves, he grins almost lazily, crazed and sadistic, drunk off his own power. “I’m just teasing the angels. It won’t matter in the long run.”

“Luffy! He’s going to destroy the entire island!”

The straw hatted pirate glares at Enel (and how dare a little thing like that look at him with such scorn—he has no right!)

“Just because you think you’re god, that doesn’t mean you can just destroy everything.” Luffy says, fists clenched tight.

Enel laughs, head thrown back haughtily. “Yes, it does!” He looks down on the rubber man. “Even with all your power, you’re soft…That’s the problem with omegas! You can’t hope to lead with a heart so tender and easily crushed.”

The lightning powered man’s eyes are lit with righteousness and violent intentions.

“Omegas are pitifully weak…If they become too powerful in society, civilization collapses! You cannot run a kingdom on kindness and love. You need fear!”

He charges at Luffy, extending his spear out in an attempt to pierce. Luffy dodges the relentless strikes until he has to grab onto the spear to leap over it, to avoid the attack, it burns his hands and Enel takes the opportunity to knock the omega down with the seastone end of his staff.

Enel is about to stab downwards, glee building in his chest in finally ending this worthless fight, when something surprises him.

Parrying the strike of his spear, using her own baton to knock the sharp tip of his weapon to the deck instead of its intended target of flesh, Nami rushed in on alpha instinct alone, the fury in her eyes making the god grimace with annoyance.

The electricity in the air stings the back of her neck, and she wishes it was the familiar tingle of her clima-tact’s thunder bubbles. Enel’s aura is imposing and stifling to the female alpha, but she refused to give, pushing against the god’s spear, hands gripping her baton, the staff being framed by the sharp ends of the golden weapon.

She pulls on all of the alpha drive she keeps inside, the feral rage biting at the surface. Feet braced, she growls at the lightning man, even as sparks light along his body, his eyes bright with indignant fury.

“That’s my captain!”

Enel is shocked at the audacity of these little blue sea ants. And to think he was offering this one a chance to be a part of something more. The air begins to buzz as he gathers lightning in a building force of destruction.

Watching the the alpha woman’s face turn from determination to dawning dread was like ambrosia to the god, and he becomes giddy with the feeling of such power over another.

Just as he felt good about his lightning ball, a shocking 50 million Volt blast, more than enough to eradicate even that woman’s bones, something attaches to his raised arm holding the condensed electricity.

Something wet, sending a disgusted chill down the god’s spine.

Luffy had his entire mouth around the god’s fist, effectively trapping the lightning blast inside his rubber body. Enel felt the electricity release, the only effect the ballooning of the pirate’s body and a sad sizzle burped out afterwards.

The lightning devil fruit user was shocked still, and so was Nami, until the omega called her name with all the weight of a call to order.

“Nami! You’re a crew member of the future King of the Pirates! Kick his ass!”

Snapping into action, the alpha quickly turns back to the shocked, completely distracted god, and then down to his undefended lower half. With no time to think, she reacts on instinct, falling back into tried and true methods, and sends a harsh kick to Enel’s balls.

Shock. Sharp, hot pain shocking his nervous system. Enel’s never felt something like this before…

Luffy breaks into a run when he lands on the deck, grabbing Nami’s arm and leading them away from the bow of the ship where Enel was still stilled in shock, although it was slowly wearing off. Around the corner of the ark’s shelter, Luffy holds Nami by her shoulders as the alpha catches her breath. Her captain laughs, “Nami, that was awesome!”

She agrees completely, but at the moment there were more pressing issues at hand.
“Luffy, get me the fuck off this ship.”

—

The waver was a bit harder to control on the more solid clouds above the Shandora ruins, but Nami compensated for the extra force, steering the dial-powered machine to the group of people near the giant vine. Aisa runs to the navigator when she stops the waver, Usopp pulling the unconscious, electrocuted cook out.

Out of the nine people there, Robin counted only herself, the young girl, the sniper and the navigator the only ones remaining conscious, and they certainly weren’t without injuries either. And their captain went single-mindedly after Enel and the golden bell, running straight up the large vine above their heads.

Well, if she dies here, at least it would be a more interesting tale than her last brush with death.

The small girl the captain had thrown out her just moments ago spoke with urgency to the navigator.

“Luffy’s gone back up to save you!”

Robin is sure she saw so much more than that in the other’s will, his spirit holding the weight of many promises.

The giant mass of thunderclouds swirl ominously in the sky overhead, rumbling beginning as the god ruling this land pumps it full of lightning.

The sniper interrupts, “But this is bad, we need to escape this island now!”

Nami looks upward, squinting to see if she can see the rubber man or the golden ball attached to his arm. “I’ll go after him on the waver. Start heading for the ship.”

Aisa grabs the edge of the dark haired pirate’s vest, stopping him from going. He turns to her and she can’t stop the sudden dropping of tears, no matter how hard she was trying to be brave and strong.

“Please…Don’t let this country disappear.”

The gold in the omega’s eyes flash, outshining the pure gold weight behind him for a moment. His smile is easy, so full of reassuring confidence as he agrees with a nod, that Aisa feels the weight in her heart lift.

The young girl yells, frustrated, “He’s going to defeat Enel!” She glares at Nami. The navigator is surprised by the outburst.

“Aisa…I never said otherwise.” Nami laughs a little, belief so strong it’s almost disbelief in her expression, “If anyone can, it’s our captain.” She revs the waver, “But someone’s gotta be there to help him with the getaway!”

—

The wind is as loud as the explosions from the lightning being thrown down from the sky. Nami has to squint to keep from being blinded from the flashing spears of electricity that are sparking around them, some even on the vine she tries her best to keep the waver steady on. Luffy clings to her, force from the wind pressure and weight of the golden ball dragging him away.

Her grip is white-knuckled, desperate, on the handlebars, Enel’s lightning striking the forest all around them. The navigator’s never been one to be afraid of heights, but she keeps her mind on the path before her, definitely not thinking about how far down the ground below them was.

She does however, like going fast, and leans into the machine, feeling the wind and static around her, almost predicting where lightning might strike the vine on their ascent.

Over the roar of the wind, Nami shouts, “I get the impression Enel doesn’t want your company.”

The burn of the sun comes not from the sky above. Above, the mass of charging electricity sparking with wild, chaotic, lightning, is the only glow in the heavens above.

Nami feels the burn of the sun like a fire at her back, Luffy holding on to her as they raced towards the god, his ship, the golden bell…Her captain had nothing but a complete victory in mind.

—

Luffy used the leverage from the semi-firm cloud mass, rocketing himself past it and twisting up the arm stretched down from the golden ball weighing his arm down. He pulls the muscle in his shoulder tight to bring the heavier arm up level, lining up to take the same perfect shot.

The thunderclouds may have been dissipated by Luffy’s number one problem solving method: punching things really hard, really fast, but the leftover electricity tingled in the air.

Enel raged, body quivering with sparks. “You’re going to try the same thing again?” Eyes like pins as he becomes formed only by electricity again, molding gold around him as sharp tridents.

Luffy continues winding up, but announces, defiance like a fire behind his teeth. “Again and again! Until the bell rings!”

The man claiming the title of god was in his full lightning form, hand outstretched as he readied his strongest attack again. “A little thing like you…is no match for me! I am an omnipotent, all powerful God!”

The pirate captain pulls, beginning the recoil of the outstretched, twisted arm, the hand on the other side of the golden ball starting to return to place.

Eyebrows furrowed in exertion and stubborn determination, Luffy yells, “What good is a god who can’t save his people?”

Lightning crackled, Enel’s screeching reply lost to the rubber pirate’s ears as the golden weight roared past his ears, wind whipping past him and he sent one last burst of power into punching forward.

Like a rifle, a steady, precise shot in a straight line, a punch as forceful and fast as a bullet, headed directly for the god.

Even though his mantra clearly telegraphed the move, Enel was unprepared for the sheer speed. In the last few seconds before Luffy’s fist made in contact, the lightning man felt the heat of the sun beat down on his body, he heard the hundreds of little voices down below pleading, praying for a god to save them, to deliver to them the salvation they beg for. His skin crawled with the sickly warmth, the power the sun brings, the voices in his head full of fear, yes, but something else that Enel thought he had eradicated in these pathetic people.

Hope.

He screamed in rage, a fury of lightning interrupted by the oncoming punch, knocking the pretend god out in an instant, teeth and blood escaping his gaping mouth. The powerful shot doesn’t stop, knocking Enel’s ark out of the sky, it beginning to descend to the white sea below them.

It keeps going, Enel trapped by the massive weight, the force of the metal mass and the dark haired pirate’s punch working in tandem to take the attack harder, farther, and it meets the golden bell of Shandora.

The bell rings, for the first time in four hundred years, clanging as it swings back in forth. If Enel was still conscious to listen, he would hear only awed silence from the people living in the sky.

The island’s voice was singing once again, a beacon to bring home those who were lost.

Those left behind on the blue sea, miles under the cloud island, heard the bell ringing like a call from the heavens; a promise of a new era, a symbolic sound of changing times.

Enel and his arc sunk into the cloudy white sea.

—

The captain giggles when Zoro stumbles out of rhythm again, and gives the alpha a concerned, yet humored grin. “Why are you so bad right now? We’ve been practicing!”

The swordsman mumbles out a short apology, eyebrows furrowed in his own frustration, looking down.

Luffy leans over to be in Zoro’s field of vision, peering up at the other in thought.

“Are you distracted by something?”

He replies too quickly. “No.”

“Well okay. How about you follow my lead, now?”

When Luffy took over, footfalls more confident as he led their shared dance, Zoro has a much easier time falling into the pace of the fast drumming. He could admit it to himself, at least: he was lying before, about not being distracted about anything.

He couldn’t help but be distracted by Luffy’s everything.

The way a hand settles, hot, on his shoulder and hips. The warmth that seeps in from the points their body connects as they ebb and flow in the gathered dancers. His mouth, his smile, his voice when he yells something to Usopp over the roaring beat in their ears, his head thrown back in laughter as he enjoys the moment.

The way the embers from the fire in the center reflect off his skin as he drags Zoro around the fire in some complicated movement the alpha would never remember on his own. The way his hair is tousled by the movements, blood and dirt still in the strands, eyes alight with another hard won but exhilarating battle and the joy of celebrating with his crew.

The way he looks at Zoro, smile softening, before leading him with a firm grasp on the other’s arm, through the crowd of dancing people.

Zoro follows his captain (always) through the chaotic swirl of celebrations, drums pounding, loud, reverberating in their bones. The bonfire cast its warmth and light on everyone, and with the moon beginning to usher in the dark of night, the flames cast long shadows on the ground.

Reaching the edge of the gathering, closer to where the light from the fire reached far to bathe the thicket of trees in softer glow. The edge of the encampment of Shandian people, Skypeian refugees, and the seven blue sea pirates, shelters of fabric tents created a border between the meeting ground and the wilds of the surrounding forests of Vearth.

It’s between these tents that Luffy slips through, pulling Zoro with him into the deeper and mysterious dark. The drums were still beating in the swordsman’s ears. Luffy stopped, looking up at the other with a smile.

After a moment, Zoro’s head tilts to the side in question. Luffy snaps back into action, smile growing as he answers with a laugh. “I gotta piss,” Before walking away, just far enough that the shadows begin to hug his body.

The alpha snorts, scowls, and leans against a nearby tree. “Seriously? Why did you bring me all the way with you.”

“Nami said we have to use the buddy system.”

Zoro thinks back to the last time he saw the orange haired alpha. She had pushed her way into the circling of the dancers to yell into the rubber pirate’s ears (a soft whisper for all it mattered to Zoro—nothing could be heard over the roar of the music.) The swordsman didn’t have time to think about the resulting curl of his captain’s lips as he listened to Nami, too focused on trying to remembering the sequence of steps in the dance everyone around them seemed to have no issue performing.

Now that he thought about it, he could have sworn he saw the other alpha sneaking off somewhere with one of the warriors when Luffy was dragging him through the party. ‘Buddy system,’ indeed.

Luffy, finishing up, speaks, the zipper on his shorts pulling back up.

“I wanted to ask you a question.”

Zoro, from his lean against the tree, looks annoyed, expectant, waiting. Luffy walks closer steadily, the dark of night pulling away and glow of the high fire reaching all the way out here to reflect in the omega’s eyes.

“…Can I try something?”

The beat of the music was loud, rumbling the earth beneath them, shaking his bones, and Luffy’s bottom lip is wet after he bites it, waiting for the other to answer. Zoro feels the blood rushing to his head, and nods. He would take anything Luffy wanted to offer.

Luffy comes closer to the other, and the swordsman can feel the soft exhales of breath in the air between them, the warmth of the other’s body, warm like the summer sun. The dark haired pirate stops just before him. Even though they were holding each other dancing moments ago, this feels different: heart beating in his chest like the tide crashes against rocky shores, tension higher than Zoro’s ever felt before, swelling like the ocean waves. The tension making him feel like a rubber band pulled taut, moments from snapping.

Luffy’s tongue comes out to wet his lips again, eyes hungry. Zoro couldn’t handle the anticipation any longer, arms reaching out to grab the other, closing the distance and finally taking the initiative to kiss Luffy.

Their lips meet, messily and with too much force, but the lack of finesse hardly matters when Luffy hums an appreciative noise, hands coming up to hold on to the alpha, warm palms pressed against his neck. Zoro melts into the heat, lips moving against the omega’s, both chapped, split from blows to the face. His captain purrs, tongue clumsily licking along the rough texture of Zoro’s lips. Meeting in kind, groaning at the taste of Luffy’s wet tongue, he cards a hand through the omega’s dark hair, his other arm continuing to hold the other close.

Luffy wraps his arms around his neck and deepens the kiss, instinctually angling his head and pulling Zoro down. His tongue snakes its way into the swordsman’s mouth, chasing the addicting flavor.

He moans into the kiss, and the sound surprises the green haired pirate, who breaks off with a soft gasp, startled by all the blood filling his head suddenly rushing south. Luffy’s hair is tousled even more, and his lips swollen and red, wet, parted slightly and he is staring at Zoro with a surprisingly dark and possessive gaze, hungry, tongue poking out to chase the taste of the alpha on his lips.

Zoro dives back in, devouring, pulling Luffy closer, and their teeth clack together, their kiss unpracticed but both determined to taste as much as the other as they could. Tongues slip against each other as they mindlessly chase the consuming fire of desire.

Luffy slides his hands through his green hair, but when his hands run across a spot that shoots a spark of pain through the alpha, he picks up on it immediately, pulling back to look at Zoro with a startled look, bandaged hands dropping from the other as if burned.

“That really hurt you…”

“It’s fine. Chopper said it’s just a concussion, whatever that is…” He tries to go back in for a kiss, and Luffy goes with his first instinct, leaning into it, glowing hands reaching back up to hold the green haired pirate’s head. But Zoro felt the warmth, hotter than before, coming from the other’s palms and immediately pulls away, hands grabbing Luffy’s wrist and puling them down.

“Don’t you dare do that. Not when I can’t do the same for you.”

Luffy is silent, looking down, hair covering his eyes. Restless fingers interlace with the swordsman’s, and Zoro squeezes their palms together.

“Luffy...We’re all going to risk our lives. We’re living a dangerous lifestyle.”

Letting Zoro’s hands drop, the captain takes a half step back, pulling up the straw hat hanging on his back back onto it’s rightful perch. “I know that. You’re strong enough on your own to survive these wounds and much more,” He answers, almost with a snap. Slower, he continues, “It’s just so hard to fight against my instincts. You understand, don’t you? This part of me that wants nothing more than to keep the pack happy, healthy, whole.”

The quiver in his captain’s tone unnerved Zoro, never hearing the waver of remorse in the other’s voice before. “The feeling of any of you in pain…” He looks down at his hands, gold glimmer almost completely faded away as Luffy shoves down the urge to pull the hurt from his swordsman.

“When the bad guy is gone, and there’s nothing left to punch, all I still have are my own hands,” Looking up, the tears unshed but caught on his eyelashes, “But what good is this power if I can’t use it to help my family. I’d do anything to save you from pain.”

Luffy stops abruptly, realizing the tangent he was going down, and Zoro feels the invisible walls springing back up in-between the two, barriers to hide the weakness Luffy isn’t willing to share, not with him, not right now. The omega pushes the brim of his hat down, further hiding his eyes and his mouth stretches into a confident, fearless smile.

“I’ve already started thinking of ways to improve my fighting, the next battle will be over even quicker!”

“Luffy…"

Luffy, mood completely different than the tired guilt from before, looks up to stare directly into the swordsman’s eyes, his hands coming back up to brace the taller pirate’s shoulders.

“I won't let it happen again”

Spoken like a promise. Whether he means he won’t let his crew be hurt again, or he won’t show such weakness in front of the swordsman again, doesn’t matter when both feel so wrong to Zoro: so much like Luffy trying to hold the weight of everything on his shoulders. When Zoro is right here, all he has to do is offer his help.

The alpha doesn’t want the protection of his captain. He wants to protect his captain instead, strong enough to take down the threats Luffy continually faces alone. Zoro wants the tears he tries to hide, the ones that he doesn’t, the fears that wake him up at night and the ones he sleeps, troubled, through.

Zoro wants Luffy’s everything. His touch, his kiss, his weakness, his burdens. But how could he ask for everything when the difference between them remains so wide?

The burden of being first mate…Zoro was convinced he would only ever follow his goal, his own dream, never could have imagined how much this crew and his captain would grow to matter. Even in spite of the unnatural, but east organic chemistry and camaraderie that pulls everyone together, the swordsman would have never wanted responsibility for ensuring the safety of the other’s lives.

He still didn’t know if he could.

But he could be the steady weight that braces his captain’s back, steadily and infallibly devoted to the one man Zoro believes is deserving of such loyalty. He desires to be, even if only to stand closer to him.

It’s only a matter of seconds between Luffy’s last promised words and the drums suddenly stopping, before beating together in a thunderous roll. Luffy perks up, recognizing the signs of the call for dinner from the feast the previous night, all thoughts discarded for the meantime in favor of the carnal temptation of warm food.

“Oh, Zoro! It’s time to eat!”

With the roast finally being rendered, grilling flames soaking into the flesh, juices run over and seeping from the tender meat give the surface a glistening shine, there’s a pause in the loud, chaotic celebrations to partake in the great feast. Luffy is at the front of the line, yelling out his claim to be served first (even though all the sky people would have let their hero eat first, regardless) and Zoro was right beside him, looking disgruntled (as Luffy had taken the shortest way to the tantalizing smelling meat as possible: a rubber slingshot, the swordsman as cargo.)

The other Straw Hats found themselves in different situations and groups throughout the night, everyone reveling in the sense of freedom that seems to be blossoming all around. The Skypeian and Shandian’s hearts lifted so light they might be able to actually make use of the wings both peoples shared.

Robin lingered near the back, content to watch the scenes around her unfold. After the call for the feast sounded, the archaeologist watched four Shandians wearing cloth half masks escort a woman veiled in fine, delicate cloths to the feast. Aisa runs towards the group, managing to squeeze between the two guards in the front to jump up into the veiled woman’s arms. Robin watches with curiosity as the woman pulls back the veil to smile, softly and warm, at the excited girl in her arms.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

The pirate turns slowly, not shy at being caught staring, to the Shandian who had come up to her. Raki, one of the warriors, held a drink in her hand as she gestured towards the protected woman. Over the last few days of the bonfire festivities, Robin has been speaking to several of the sky people, curious about their cultures, and has met a few resourceful conversation partners.

“That’s Aisa’s mother, and my aunt.”

“Why is she so well guarded? More than compared to even your chief.”

Raki smiles, almost reverent. “She is the high priestess, a position of utmost importance for our people. Omegas are rare amongst our people, and she was chosen for the strength of her instinctual powers.”

The devil fruit user had no reply aside from the slight widening of her eyes. She kept her surprise to herself, and the alpha warrior continues, “The position is highly coveted and respected, although during times of war our chieftain holds the ultimate power and responsibility.”

If Raki noticed Robin’s astonishment, she doesn’t comment. “Omegas are born with innate empathy. If harnessed correctly, they can be a powerful force of understanding and persuasiveness. Having an omega lead in times of peace creates more harmony, or at least that’s what our surviving history has taught us.” She takes a sip of her drink, turning to face behind them. “Our cultures vary drastically in that respect, right Conis?”

Conis, heaving a bag full of grain, is surprised by hearing her own name and fumbles the heavy bag, almost dropping it. Robin assist with a bloom of arms, and the Skypeian girl smiles gratefully. Balancing the bag on her hip, she answers.

“That’s correct. In Skypeia, omegas are seen largely as a waste of resources,” She says matter-of-factly, as if reciting something she’s heard over and over again. “…At least, that’s what we’ve been taught. My father told me that omegas were not so ostracized before…Enel took over.” Shuddering at the fallen god’s name. “But we’ve certainly never had such important positions filled by them!”

“The blue sea below is more similar to Skypeians then. Omegas rarely hold positions of power. They are seen as weak and easily manipulated.” Robin finally contributes.

Raki looks surprised. “How fascinating…I wouldn’t have expected that, since your captain…”

The pirate smiles, “Our captain is a special case. He defies every expectation you might have.”

—

“I expect much more from my underlings.”

Bellamy watches his first mate’s body twist unnaturally, movements stuttered and jerky like he’s being controlled by invisible strings. His sword is drawn, fingers clumsily wrapped around the hilt as its hefted above the other’s head.

“If you’re sailing under my flag, you can’t have some small time brat beat you up and then disappear.”

Bellamy wouldn’t try to convince him the sky islands were real, not again. He’d prove it some other way, he knew that little monkey made it up there, so he could do it too.

The blond pirate turned to a man cloaked in pink feathers, pleading. “I underestimated him because he was an omega! But It won’t happen again.”

This gets the man to stop, tinted glasses catching a spark of sunlight as he leans forward in interest. “…An omega? You’re telling me an omega had the power to knock you out with one punch?”

He dived to the ground in a roll to avoid the chop from Sarquiss’ sword. "Please, give me one more chance! I lost, but I’ll never lose again!” Running from the sword, uncontrolled by but in the hands of his crew mate, he drops to his knees in front of the man puppeteering the other. "Let me prove my worth to the Donquixote Family!”

Doflamingo Donquixote, one of the warlords and leader of his own massive network of pirates and criminals, crosses one leg over another, leaning back. His massive frame and presence towers over the gathered pirates of the Bellamy crew and the visitors to Jaya’s Mock Town.

He wiggles his fingers, and Sarquiss is unable to control his body as it cracks into Doflamingo’s desired position, sword arm held high and aiming for the back of Bellamy, still on his knees, begging.

“Oh, such loyalty! You’ll make me cry." He cackles a laugh, feathered cloak shaking with the movement, “The new era is almost upon us, like an unstoppable wave…If you were beaten now, why would I ever take you with me?”

Cries and stuttered gasps of shock, fear, and pain are heard through the gathering of people, but Doflamingo doesn’t look back at the carnage he orchestrated, walking away.

His mind was on other things…Stories of sky islands, cities of gold…The unexplainable ringing bell that gave him a migraine on the way here…

And most intriguing, an unknown omega strong enough to take out one of his favored rookies. The grin always pulling at his lips stretches even further, skin cracking at the edges. He couldn’t be sure, but that reminded him of a cautionary fable once whispered amongst his peers in heaven…That could be something to keep an eye on, if his other plans fall through.

Attaching a string to a cloud, he leaps off the port, leaving the island to travel across his spiderweb of strings in the sky.

—

Notes:

FIRST: THANK YOU FOR READING!!!!!!

Second,,,,,,,: Im like...70% happy with it but if i keep looking at it and tweaking it i might go crazy so i need to move on @__@ sorry if it's not like, amazing OTL
but hey......they kiss lol _(=u=)_ and luffys the one being dumb this time! luffy don't you see, zoro wants to help you and hold your hand and stuff, just let him!! stop trying to do everything on your own >:o

like always blablabla i meant for this chapter cover all the way up until water seven @,u@, but that just means part of the next chapter is already written and it'll be done sooner (hopefully lol, the semester is coming to a close soon so i have so many projects and papers ;; when all i want to do is work on my poor, neglected, fic ò,mó,)

ALSO (partially the reason this chapter took so long) i helped my friend make a who's your one piece soulmate quiz lmao take it: HERE!!

All comments, long or short, will be printed out and pasted into my scrapbook with lots of cute stickers and poorly drawn hearts besides them :) (not really lol but they are appreciated!!! concrit always welcome as well!!)
If you take this quiz let us know what you think :ooo

Chapter 13: Rogue Wave (I of II)

Summary:

After tumbling from the sky like falling angels, the crew spends some time on the ship before stumbling into their next misadventure.

Notes:

Hahaha and welcome to 9.5k of my indulgent cringe paradise >:) There is………….no canon arc covered in this chapter (and most of the next) hahaha but I hope y’all enjoy this mess regardless~

WARNING: Semi-NSFW in second and third scene of second section (if that hopefully makes sense lol), nothing past sloppy makeouts but most importantly CONTENT WARNING: needles, and slight blood play :k another warning for both again in the scene break before

———

Down in the blue depths of Grand Line, a yellow submarine drifts between sea currents. Deep sea creatures lurk between the forests of kelp and overgrown urchins. So far below the turn and tumble of the waves above, miles under the the surface level as they were, it often got chilly in the sub.

But with so many people crammed into the control room, it was beginning to get more humid than usual, uncomfortably so. And yet, everyone remained still, seated or standing, waiting on their captain’s decision with bated breath.

Law tapped his fingers against his sword, mind running through scenario after possible scenario.

One of his crew was looking up at him, desperate hope swimming in her eyes.

“Fine, we’ll do it. It should work out, but I’m going up alone. Turn the ship around.”

“On it, Captain!”

The inside of the submarine burst into action, the small metal ship turning on cue from the propulsion jets and angled fins. Those without navigational or mechanical posts came together in the crowded control room, consoling the crew mate that had pleaded her case to the captain. She was wiping her teary eyes, but smiled with hope when Shachi exclaimed something enthusiastically to her.

The emotionally pained and comforting scents filling the small sub were suddenly stifling, and Law turned away, aiming to exit the room as fast as possible, feeling all too caged and claustrophobic.

Bepo catches up to him in the hallway right outside, one paw on his arm stopping the surgeon from escaping just yet.

“You don’t have to go back alone, Captain…” The polar bear mink offers, tentatively.

“No offense, but none of you are very good at being inconspicuous.”

Bepo does not take offense, he knows how much a talking bear, white as any icy tundra, stands out in a world dominated by fur-less humanoids. And he’s also well aware of the crew’s lack of covertness (Particular Shachi and Penguin, the two top trouble-makers of the Hearts pirates.)

But he also knows Law, and he knows his friend would rather be shot a hundred times than watch his crew stumble into danger once.

This island, this new mission the crew has their hearts set on, this hit a little close to home for the surgeon. Bepo hoped it wouldn’t end with the worst case scenario he’s sure Law is obsessively turning over in his mind.

The dark haired man is obviously headed towards his quarters, a small room reserved for the captain alone, and if Bepo wanted to get anything out of him he’d have to before they got to the door at the end of the hallway. Scampering in front of Law, cutting off his long strides, the bear does his best to look soft and cuddly, offering with what he hopes is an inviting smile.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Law stops, looking at him with a calculating gaze. Bepo doesn’t budge, fur-covered brows furrowed, worried about the all too apparent tiredness in the other face.

“There’s nothing to talk about. We’ve already been to the island before, and despite the intel we received, there was nothing to worry about.” He brushes past him, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “Thanks, but it’ll be fine. I’m fine.”

Even after all these years, Bepo couldn’t always crack through his friend’s tough shell. He frowned, watching the tense line of the other’s shoulders as he slipped through the metal door, shutting it behind him.

The captain wouldn’t tell the rest of the crew, but Bepo was there when the intel came in. There was a Warlord that Law had a personal vendetta against, and the bear mink wasn’t aware of all the details, but the grudge might go both ways. The island they had just left was a known destination of the government-backed pirate.

He began the short trek back to the bridge, letting Law hole up in his room to brood and plot (an unfortunately common occurrence).

When they had resurfaced, briefly, to investigate and restock, Bepo had went along with the the captain to see him exchange a palmful of paper Belli with a random person, as payment for a few whispered secrets. In response to Bepo’s (careful!!) nudging as they weave between the black market vendors and other people of the night, Law eventually divulges the information he paid for. The Warlord was seen in the local chain of islands, but not this island. Instead, a few stray appearances of members of his supply chain have popped up here and there in dark corners of the port.

But by the time they’d be back, it would be a few days. Enough time for the situation to be completely different.

Hopefully returning to the island wouldn’t lead to any ill-timed meetings…

———

After multiple days of partying with the people of the cloud islands, the Straw Hat pirates depart from Skypeia. But not without their prize—sacks full of antiquated gold that had been resting for years inside the stomach of a giant snake.

The mismatched cutlery, goblets, jewelry, and other shining golden pieces were laid out on the dining table, and Robin covered her humored smile as the crew finished discussing using the bounty of glittering metal to pay for repairs for the ship.

If they had waited to be thanked properly by the sky people, the crew would have found themselves in possession of a lot more gold than the (still significant) amount the navigator was deftly wrapping up into a sack. Although, Robin mused, she sincerely doubted that their small ship would be capable of hauling such a large pillar of solid gold.

Indeed, the Going Merry seemed to be held together by hastily done repairs and love from her crew. The ship was desperately in need of some maintenance and care, and the captain’s wish to bring on a shipwright as soon as possible was a good plan.

The cook appeared at her elbow, offering a cup full of warm tea, and she accepted the drink with a small nod of her head. Raising the beverage to her mouth, but hesitating before the hot liquid reaches her lips, a surprising gust of wind flows across the table.

The navigator threw the sack of gold to the green haired swordsman, and he catches it, grunting when it hits his abdomen. The alpha woman begins walking to the doorway, waving a hand towards him to follow her.

“Carry this for me, will you?”

The swordsman rolls his eyes, but follows her out, grumbling complaints at her back. The door falls shut, and Robin turns her attention back to the remaining occupants.

The cook has returned to his machinations, hands washed and sleeves rolled, delicately tying knots of cooking string, trussing up a large cut of meat. It was such a surprising pleasure to be able to eat so well while out at sea, and on such a small ship, with the limited space for resources.

But the blond man took pride in his craft, and it showed. If not for the exquisite fruits of his labor, then in the way he lost himself in his work. Even now, Robin could hear him unknowingly whistle a soft tune as he began methodically chopping vegetables to roast.

The doctor is seated at the head of the table, and they share the corner. The well-read reindeer was finishing the rest of his snack, the last remaining finger sandwich from afternoon tea slowly being enjoyed bite by bite.

But the captain sat across from Robin, sharing the doctor’s other corner. And he was staring, with unrestrained want, at the tiny, half-consumed sandwich the doctor kept eating. The furry devil fruit user seems accustomed to this behavior, and glares at the rubber pirate every time he scoots a little closer, hoping for an offered or forgotten piece. The doctor makes sure to always keep two hands (or hooves, in his case) on his snack at all times, until he polishes off the last bite.

The captain deflates when the possibility of getting one last bite drops to zero, and immediately latches onto the next plan of action to enter his mind: going over to beg the cook for scraps. He tugs on the blond’s apron, and pleads with a dramatic wither, “Sanji! I want more food…”

The cook replies without looking. “You have to wait for dinner.”

“What about snack time?” He clings to his leg, eyes wide and mouth curling into a frowning pout.

Usopp looked up from his work to eye his captain. This was one of Luffy’s special tactics, and worked astonishingly well!

But…They were learning; the best and only way to avoid such a critical attack is to simply…

Not look at him.

“We just had snack time. Go away, you glutton.”

Usopp snickered when Sanji doesn’t bother to look, still continuing his preparations. When the alpha doesn’t give in even after a few moments, Luffy finally gives up and returns to his seat muttering, head pressed to the table with disappointment in his failed bid.

The sniper is startled out of his own thoughts when the dark haired woman directs her unreadable gaze to him. She gives him a small, neutral smile.

“What are you working on, Mr. Marksman?”

He looks down to the mess he’s made across the other half of the table. As soon as Nami’s sack of gold had been cleared away, the open space had slowly filled up with bits of salvaged metal and assorted dials.

He returns to the process of trying to open one up without damaging the device, looking down at his project. “Oh! I’m just trying to pull these apart, to see if I can make more of the the same or something similar.”

Chopper had crossed over to sit near Usopp after he finished his snack, standing on bench to curiously inspect the assortment on the table. “I thought they were reusable?”

The sniper had looked up, again, at the reindeer’s words, just in time to see Sanji sneak their captain a handful of bacon, which the rubber pirate inhaled with glee and gusto. The cook was a sucker, and Usopp rolled his eyes with good nature, before moving his attention back to Chopper.

“They are!” He pointed his tiniest wrench at him before tapping it to his own head, “But wouldn’t it be awesome to have something that works similar, and to have as many as we want at our disposal?”

“Usopp’s very smart, so I’m sure he can figure it out!” His captain suddenly cheers, and Chopper yells an excited agreement. The marksman smiles bashfully under the praise.

“I was gifted a few books by one of the Skypeians we made acquaintances with, I think one of them discussed the mechanisms of dials. Maybe you would like to take a look?” Robin suddenly offers, and Usopp looks at her, already hoping to find more information in the books.

Luffy and Chopper both swivel, alerted, to Sanji in the kitchen, who had just pulled out what looked to Usopp like whatever the cook used to make swirling whipped cream. The blond noticed the sudden intense gaze of the two pirates, and yelled, infuriated in an instant:

“Stay back, you weirdos! You’re banned from even thinking about this!”

It was a battle the cook had lost before it begun. Luffy and Chopper made a terrifying team together. He turned back to the archeologist instead of worrying over Sanji’s lack of willpower.

“I’d love to check out that book, Robin! Uh, as long as you don’t mind…”

In the background Sanji was holding the canister out of reach from Chopper, who was making pitiful attempts to jump up grab it out of the much taller pirate. Their captain was kept away with well placed warning kicks to his head.

Not that deterred either of the devil fruit users. Out of the corner of his eye, Usopp watches the assassin turned pirate laugh quietly, as they watch the scene regress into chaos. The promise of sweets brings the strategist out of the two sugar fiends: the small reindeer transforms into his full human form, and Luffy snakes around to sneak up behind the cook.

Sanji is surprised when Chopper is suddenly a few heads taller than him, easily reaching above him, but that surprise turns to indignant shock when the rubber pirate behind him begins tickling his sides as a distraction.

—

A while later, Nami walks back into the kitchen to see everyone has moved around. Chopper and Robin had switched, the reindeer now seated on the bench next to Luffy, with what looks like the remains of a small cup full of whipped cream. If she had to guess, the alpha would assume that the reindeer got roped into some shenanigans, likely with Luffy just based on how close to dinner time it was now. The victim (probably Sanji) felt bad for retaliating against such a cute and fluffy reindeer, and gave him what he wanted anyway.

She shook her head. Weaponized cuteness was a very powerful tool.

Zoro brushed past her huffily, and she rolled her eyes at the other alpha. He missed his afternoon nap, so he must be grumpy. It can’t have anything to do with the fact she made him put all the gold away piece by piece so she could record it on her log.

The swordsman plops down next to Luffy, who turns to him with an excitedly happy grin. Nami sits down at the end of the bench, across from them and next to Usopp. She picks up one of the scattered dials on the table, holding it up to examine it.

With Luffy’s attention on his swordsman, Usopp turns his to the navigator, beginning to offer to explain what the dial she’s holding does. Before he can speak, Luffy laughs uproariously at whatever muttered response he squeezed out of the green haired man, and the alpha woman sees something.

Nami is nothing if not observant, and she spots the small sparkle of gold on her captain’s ear, when he throws his head back in laughter, hair no longer hiding the small loop.

Dropping the dial, she reaches out and grabs ahold of his ear, pulling it and it follows with a stretch and a yelp of pain from the dark haired pirate the ear is attached to.

“Oh? What is this?” She lets it go with a snap, crossing her arms. “Did you steal this from the treasure we stole?!”

Luffy glares at her, holding a hand protectively over his reddening ear. “No, I found it before! It’s mine, Nami.”

She holds up her hands, placating, “Okay, okay. It’s definitely new though. Have your ears always been pierced?”

The hand holding his ear drops to the bench, and Luffy answers with a pleased tone,
“Nope!”

Sometimes getting any answers out of the omega was like pulling teeth. Nami deadpans a follow up question. “When did you get them done, then? We’ve hardly had time at any island.”

Luffy’s normally cheerful smile takes on a slightly sharper edge, and he wiggles closer to the green haired pirate at the end of the bench. “This morning! Zoro did it for me.”

The pleased purr of his voice caught Zoro off guard, thoughts immediately returning to their misadventures earlier today…

—(CW (2/2): needles, until end of italics)—

The morning twilight of dawn painted a soft light through the kitchen’s window. Luffy smiles when he sees him, and skips over, and Zoro grins, endeared by the other’s obvious joy at seeing his swordsman.

At the last second, Luffy leaps into the green haired pirate’s arms, and Zoro catches the other on instinct. Luffy laughs, legs wrapped around the other, and puts his hands on the alpha’s shoulders. The swordsman leans back against the counter, bracing their combined weight and balance against it.

Zoro asks a question with a quizzical noise, and Luffy answers by straightening his core to dig through his pockets. Supporting his captain by his thighs, he feels the muscles underneath his palms tense. Despite the rubber properties due to his devil fruit, Luffy’s body was still flesh and blood, and the swordsman couldn’t think of anything besides the warmth of the flexed muscles in his hold, the strong legs wrapped around his waist squeezing.

Until the rubber pirate finds what he was looking for, holding up two small objects, the low light just barely reflecting off their surfaces.

—

He pauses before angling Luffy’s head gently in the right position, the omega offering no resistance.

Zoro swallowed dryly. The sight and implication of Luffy baring his neck so easily to the alpha made his blood burn with hot, possessive, hunger, and he takes a moment to control the beating of his heart, the boil of his instinctual urge to mark and devour almost shameful.

He pauses, closing his eyes. Luffy swings his feet a little, the tip of his sandals just barely passing over the wood floor. The swordsman suddenly looks into his captain’s eyes, finding them expectant, softly smiling, head still bent at the angle Zoro left him. He finds and brings the needle up to the spot Luffy indicated, and asks, looking back to him,

“Are you sure?”

A softly exhaled affirmative was the only thing holding Zoro back, and he slowly began to pierce through the others ear. The rubber skin held out until it didn’t, and the swordsman did his best to keep his movements controlled, even as his heartbeat rapidly, being so close to his captain making him crave a taste.

The sharp tool slides through the flesh of his ear, and Luffy moans at the feeling, hands gripping his swordsman’s shirt and holding him close. The alpha stops, hands frozen and checks on the dark haired pirate. Luffy meets his gaze with hooded eyes, cheeks colored with pleasure, lip caught between his teeth. Zoro feels his skin heat in a flush, overwhelmed by—

—

Chopper, with whipped cream all over his face, suddenly slams his hooves on the table. “Yeah, and you two shitty idiots didn’t even think ahead about disinfectant or anything! I understand Luffy not being careful but Zoro!” The disappointed look he levels at the swordsman makes Zoro feel acutely ashamed for a moment. “I know I’ve taught you better, you fucking moron!”

With a scarily blank expression and tone, Robin comments, “It’s terrible for someone so cute to say such awful words.”

Nami considers starting a swear jar, the negative incentive of losing money might be the only way she’ll remember not to curse around their youngest crew member. She side eyes the two male alphas, her only real competition for the dirtiest vocabulary on the ship. Zoro is clearly trying to use too much brain power, and was making a hilarious face that the navigator so badly wished she had a photo snail to capture.

And Sanji…wasn’t even paying attention, pulling something out of the oven that wafted delicious aroma across the room.

Drooling from the smell but either uncaring or unknowingly, fork fisted in one of his hands he uses to gesture, Zoro narrowly dodging the wild fist, Luffy states with finality, “He’s a pirate, Robin! And pirates are free to say and do as they please!”

The archeologist considered his point. Inclining her head with a small smile, she couldn’t disagree.

“Well said, Captain.”

Luffy settles back down his seat, grinning at the reindeer now. “Anyway, you were there to help us out after, so thank you Chopper!”

Chopper, also sitting back down, expression going from vexed to pleased, “Shut up, you bastard!”

“Ah, can someone set the table? Dinner’s just about ready…” Sanji asks, wiping his hands on a dish towel. Luffy attempts to scrabble out of his seat to help, but is stopped by several pairs of hands (he breaks far too many dishes to be allowed near stacks of them.) Someone volunteers in his stead, and thus begins dinner time.

—

With meat so tender there was hardly need for a knife, and Zoro let his unoccupied hand rest on his thigh under the table. It was after the initial chaos that erupted at the start of dinner time, lively laughter and scorned yelling equally common; sneaky hands grabbing unattended food, entertaining stories, the merriment of coming together to enjoy a meal. If there was a little bit more booze flowing, every night might as well be a party. The mad frenzy was beginning to slow, conversations still going strong amidst sounds of eating.

Zoro is startled when he feels Luffy seek out his hand, grabbing it and intertwining their fingers under the table. His pulse jumps, the heat of their palms connected warmer than the room around them, the crawling approach of night cooling the air. The contrast sends goosebumps across his skin.

It’s…nice. The swordsman focuses on the warmth between their hands, the noise of dinner fading into the background. Luffy makes sure he’s seen the small, happy smile directed towards him before going back to both talking and eating to Nami, sitting across from them.

A little bit later, pushing some weird orange vegetable on his plate, Zoro wasn’t really listening to the conversation between them. He’s long forgotten what the topic was, and risking a glance to the side, he thinks Luffy might have as well. The dark haired pirate was nodding along to what the navigator was saying, but his eyes were focused on the last cut of the roast on Sanji’s plate down the table form them.

The cook, in the middle of a riveting discussion of the uses of pepper between the other three members of the crew, caught Luffy eyeing his plate, and made a vaguely rude gesture at the rubber captain.

Luffy gives up that battle until the blond alpha is less on-guard, and turns his attention to Nami, but not before giving his swordsman a curious look.

Zoro sees him looking, and offers him the remaining vegetable. Luffy decides to accept his offering, and turns his head more, mouth opening. The alpha does as his captain wills, spearing the vegetable and placing it against expectant lips and tongue. The warm fire of the dark haired pirates gaze mesmerized him, and under the table Luffy rubs his thumb along Zoro’s, squeezing their hands, and

—(CW (2/2): blood play)—

Zoro used the edge of his thumb to wipe away the few pearling blood drops, holding Luffy’s ear between his fingers. He feels out of breath, and shifts back, bringing up his hand to lick the errant beads of his captain’s blood.

Luffy grabs his arm before he can close his lips around his thumb, and pulls Zoro’s hands to his mouth instead, kissing the digit, blood smearing on his lips. He looks up at the other pirate and smiles at something he sees in the other’s face, and his tongue darts out to lap at the blood. It’s smooth and wet against the swordsman’s roughened thumb. Zoro growls, and uses the grip on Luffy’s chin to angle the other’s head into a crushing kiss, thumb sliding out and across the omega’s cheek hastily.

Luffy wraps his legs tighter around Zoro’s waist, pulling their bodies together and runs his hands from the swordsman’s chest to his strong back. He gasps when Zoro moves his hand from the dark haired pirate’s jaw to brush against the bottom of his ear, the appendage hot and throbbing with the blood cells rushing to the puncture site. The alpha takes advantage of his captain’s mouth dropping open, desperate for another taste of sweet honey and the addicting thrum of power that seems to seep out of Luffy.

Both are not the type to let go of something so satisfying, and their tongues fight against each other in the heated kiss, determined to taste as much of the other as they can. Zoro leans heavier on his other hand, bracing against the surface of the table, pulling back to take a sharp inhale of air.

Luffy tries to recapture him in a kiss, hungry for the way Zoro’s lips part so quickly when they meet, and the dangerous point of the alpha’s fangs sharp where his tongue glides over them, deep in the other’s mouth, but the swordsman moves his mouth to the side of the omega’s untouched ear. Nudging away the loose strands of hair that tickled his face, Zoro nuzzled into his captain’s neck, before leaning down lower to lick a strip up Luffy’s neck, teeth teasing the barest scrape along his skin.
—

“Oi! Are you even listening? Either of you?”

“Of course we are!” Luffy twitches forward with the force of his response, lying badly but with almost convincing passion.

Nami notices the stiffness of Luffy’s shoulder, like he’s holding something, and the shift of Zoro’s arm in conjunction with the dark haired pirate’s motion. And of course, the light dusting of pink across Luffy’s face (common, whenever he was worked up about something) and the incriminating flush of the swordsman’s expression (less common, only when he was embarrassed or thinking about Luffy).

With a flimsy excuse of a dropped napkin, Nami ducks under the table to confirm her suspicions. Popping back up, she smirks smugly at the swordsman. They were holding hands!

She elbows Usopp out of the other conversation, leaning over to whisper in the sniper’s ear, who’s expression of surprised glee directed towards the pair clues Zoro exactly what is being whispered about. Usopp’s wide grin and the glint in his eyes meant the swordsman wouldn’t be getting away from this table without being teased unmercifully.

Luffy suddenly stands, not letting go of their entwined hands, Zoro’s arm awkwardly raising up following the omega’s sudden movement. Tugging him out of their seats on the bench, the straw hatted pirate addresses the watching crew, most eyes darting to their hands clasped together.

“Thanks for dinner, Sanji! Zoro wants to leave now.”

Following him out the door (like he has a choice) the swordsman complains about being pulled around, but he’s secretly happy to be able to get out of the line of fire of Nami and Usopp’s interest. Who knows what kind of embarrassing things they would try to get out of him.

“Yeah, thank you for a wonderful meal, SanjI! I have to go finish counting my inventory, now, before we arrive at the next island.” Chopper hops off the bench as well, picking up his, and Luffy and Zoro’s dirty dishes, bringing them to the sink.

It’s Usopp’s night to do the dishes, and he starts right away when the remaining crew has finished, gathering the rest of the empty plates and utensils. Sanji follows him to the kitchen, turning on the heat to warm water for tea. Nami slides down the empty bench to sit next to Robin at the end. The orange haired alpha pulls out a notebook, flipping to the next blank page and addressing the current occupants of the room with a mischievous smile.

“So…Anyone care to make another wager?”

Usopp, scrubbing off a plate, questions, “What’ll it be this time?”

“Same stakes, of course!” She replies clicking her pen.

Sanji crosses back over to the table, sitting on Robin’s other side. “What are you talking about?”

“The only two around here getting any sort of…” The navigator sighs wistfully, “…Companionship.”

The cook looks so shocked it makes the alpha woman pause, cocking her head in confusion.

The sniper, snaps his fingers, turning around with a dirty plate in one hand. “He wasn’t in on the first bet, Nami! Maybe he doesn’t even know.”

Nami grinned cheekily over the top of her book, almost giggling with the excitement of gossip. “Luffy and Zoro like each other!"

Sanji chokes on air, starting a coughing fit. She doesn’t believe his shock, leaning a tired cheek on her hand. “Oh please, don’t act like you can’t smell their scent all over each other.” She gestures to Robin and Usopp. "Even the betas picked up on it.”

“I would say it’s far more obvious than scent alone. Their body language, for one.” The dark haired woman touches her fingertips to her cheek, gaze far and soft, “Sometimes it’s like they can read each other’s minds….”

Nami slams a palm on the table. “Look, at dinner tonight…They were holding hands!”

“That’s hardly anything. Luffy will hold hands with anyone.”

“But Zoro won’t. And he was being shy about it!”

Dishes cleaned and drying, the sniper sits down next to Sanji, adding in his own observations, “I saw them run off together on Skypeia! During the party, just the two of them.”

Robin clasps her fingers together, resting her hands on top of the table, With a smile, she asks, “Should we talk about the earring…?”

Nami exasperated agreement derails the three into a conversation about what such an earring could possibly implicate, if it means anything at all (knowing Luffy, it could totally be another unmotivated passing pirate whimsy.)

But Sanji…Sanji has one better than all of them.

He’s already seen them. Together.

—
Walking into the kitchen early in the morning, Sanji thought nothing was amiss—he gets up before the rest of the crew to enjoy his kitchen in her silence, slowly filling up the room with sounds of cooking, dawn creeping in from the kitchen window, the blue light of morning slowly growing warmer and warmer.

Sleep still licked at the edges of his mind, and the cook planned on brewing some coffee first thing. Opening the galley door with a last inhale of the fresh morning sea air, he takes one step in and sees their sweet, cute, and innocent captain, sitting up on the table, arms loosely wrapped around his swordsman. Zoro stood between the omega’s legs, licking up his neck, one possessive hand threaded into the dark hair, pulling it away from a previously naked ear that was adorned now with a small gold hoop.

Luffy was lost in the arms of the alpha, but feels the pain of Sanji nearby hitting his head on the ground. Startled out of the fog of arousal, he pulls away from Zoro, searching out whoever was hurt, and sees the cook lying on the floor. He quickly untangles from the green haired pirate’s embrace, concern for the other alpha taking more immediate priority.

Zoro rolls his eyes, the only reason there’s so much blood is because the pervy cook got a nosebleed…

Chopper suddenly appears, rubbing sleep out of one tired eye. “Sanji, I heard you get up, is it too early for a glass of milk…” He stops in the doorway, looking down at the blond cook, bloodied, on the floor before looking up to see Zoro and Luffy. Their mouths were red with stain of blood, some still pearling slowly out of the new hole in Luffy’s ear.

Chopper gasps, “Oh my god! What’s going on?! Someone get a doctor!” It takes him a second before he realizes, and then yells, “That’s right, I am the doctor! I’ll go grab some antiseptic, you shitty idiots!”
—

Sanji stands, itching for a cigarette, the harsh ashy air fills his lungs with a sense of calm. Nami’s eyes light up with the possibility of money when he places a bet, “10,000 Belli they’re outside making out right now.”

—

He pulls Zoro along, making sure to keep his grip strong around the other’s palm. The swordsman stumbles a little when Luffy tugs him a little harder around the corner of Merry’s upper cabin.

Today the best place to watch the sunset was the back of the ship, and the rubber pirate didn’t stop until he and Zoro were all the way at the rail, Luffy finally releasing him. The swordsman enjoys the quiet moment, the lap of the sea against the wood of the ship both soothing and invigorating. He leans one well-muscled arm on the white railings, looking out over the sea.

The setting sun cast a warm glow across the two pirates. Luffy watches the tenseness of his swordsman’s stiff shoulders and furrowed brows dissolve with each sea breeze that rolls past. The emerging, easy curve of his smile makes the rubber man smile himself, warmth from the sun on his skin matching the rising in his chest.

The low rays of light caught on the three drops of gold dangling from Zoro’s ear, glittering hypnotizing his captain. Luffy doesn’t stop himself from reaching out to touch the other, hand brushing against the earrings causing them to tap against each other with musical clinks.

His fingers brush into the short green hair, before running down the sculpt of Zoro’s nape, trailing down until his palm catches on the rough texture of the others shirt. The dark haired pirate looks up to see his swordsman watching him, blushing at the gentle romantic touch, the heat in his face pronounced in the warm rays of sun.

The omega grabbed the dangling hand between both of his, grinning up at him. “Zoro’s a little shy, huh?”

“I’m not shy!” The peaceful moment is gone, and the swordsman scowls (without any real malice) at the other. “It’s just annoying. Nami has been insufferable about,” He gestures with his captive hand, “…This.”

“Oh? Nami’s the one who told me I should kiss you!”

Zoro’s face colors. “She did?”

Luffy nods, still grinning, but doesn’t offer any more explanation. Instead he tugs a little on Zoro’s hand, bringing them closer, and wets his lips before meeting the other’s in a gentle kiss.

Zoro, losing himself more in the warmth and the buzz of electricity where their skin connects, leans over to kiss him better. Luffy responds happily, dropping Zoro’s hand to loop his arms around the other’s neck, pulling him down closer. Their lips move against each other, softly but not without building passion, and the straw hatted pirate hums against Zoro when he embraces him, strong hands smoothing across his back, holding him closer still.

(An eye opening on the wooden panels of the ship behind them goes unnoticed, and Robin relays her spied upon findings to the unsurprised cook and shocked navigator.)

———

It was a bright, sunny day at the Marine’s headquarters. The waves lapped at the edge of the man-made island, bricks and concrete covered with barnacles, mussels and sea algae, visible only when the swell of the tide dipped away, revealing the deeper structure.

Out in the training yard, covered in dust and sweat, Koby collapsed on to the ground after completing another set of countless sit-ups. As part of his training routine, his commanding officer, Vice-Admiral Garp, would force him to do repetitive exercises for an amount only known to the aging officer.

Helmeppo, Koby’s fellow apprentice, had questioned their senior (before they had both learned it was better to keep complaints to themselves) why each set had to be randomly chosen number.

Garp had laughed, uproariously (Koby has rarely seen the man laugh any other way), before grinning savagely at the two trainees. He had explained that when you're in battle, particularly with the tricky and cunning pirates they would be always going up against, you never knew when you would have a chance to rest. So, Garp explained, sounding awfully proud of himself, why not mimic the actual battle conditions that you’re preparing for!

Koby wasn’t too sure. In fact, training this way could be damaging to your muscle growth…But, well…

Staring up at the sky, determination glinting in his eyes, he clenches his fists in the sand.

If this is how the man trained Luffy, Koby wouldn’t give up no matter what! He would become just as strong as the other man.

Koby was so lucky to have the Vice-Admiral take such interest in his training. Of course, he’s mostly thankful for having such a renowned and decorated officer personally oversee his start as a Marine, and to get to live here at Marineford, the headquarters. For any officer hopeful aiming for the top, this was the best place to shake hands or get tips from some of the greatest in the fleet!

But, well…

Koby was actually very lucky to be so close to the Vice-Admiral for another reason. Vice-Admiral Garp was probably the only other person on this island, or maybe the only one in the the entire naval force, that had any sort of stake in the well-being of Monkey D Luffy.

The pink haired alpha found out rather quickly that the Vice-Admiral was Luffy’s grandfather. Of course he noticed the matching family names in a burst of epiphany after hearing the Vice-Admiral’s spoken out loud.

But nothing prepared him for the man to walk out of one of the extremely important Lieutenant-Commander and up briefings, holding up a newly printed bounty poster towards his saluting unit. The Vice-Admiral had barely walked out of the doors before shouting, with far too much pride for a Marine, “This is my grandson!”

Not an ounce of care for the scorn and derision of his fellow officers suddenly directed at the Hero of the Marines, Garp kept smiling and walking on.

And well, Koby could understand. It was hard not to be proud of being Luffy’s friend.

“Vice-Admiral, sir. A letter from Goa Kingdom.”

The pink haired trainee sat up from the ground, not noticing Helmeppo collapsing at his side, exhausted after having to do some absurd amount of pushups.

There was a perk to being under the Vice-Admiral’s supervision…Koby’s senior officer got personal Luffy updates!

Well, Koby has picked up a lot of information just from being around the Vice-Admiral. His senior officer is terrible at keeping secrets, it seems. He ends up blurting out and parts of the letter to just about anyone, willing to listen to not.

He’ll never forget the Vice-Admiral, out of the blue, in line at the canteen for breakfast, exclaiming out of nowhere to the person in front of him. “My grandson became friends with a whale!”

Putting together several bits of dropped information, Koby has gathered that these letters are not from Luffy, but rather, a woman running a bar in the rubber pirate’s hometown. And she was probably a pretty intelligent person, and knows enough of the Vice-Admiral’s personality to not pass on any pertinent information.

Koby managed (totally accidentally) to get a look at the letter mentioning Luffy meeting a whale, curious to how that might be remotely important. But instead of the complex code and cipher he was expecting to see, it quite literally stated:

’He met a whale!’

Followed by a simple drawing of a happy-faced whale.

If this was a code…it was ingenious, he had no idea what it could mean. He wonders how easy it would be to get the Vice-Admiral to extrapolate to him, or even speak about his own memories of Luffy. Probably not that difficult.

And Koby was determined to succeed.

———

It was a cloudless night, but the many lights and lanterns on the island drowned out the illuminance of the stars above. The air was warm on the autumn-climate island, the heat of their summer warming even the dark of night.

Like Mock Town, the port on Jaya the Straw Hats had visited before making their way to the cloudy islands of Skypeia, the port of the island they had docked at was also infamous for its pirate tourists.

Unlike the simplicity of the other town’s bars and brawls, this town was known for much seedier and darker pleasures, as Robin explained to the crew as they entered the town for a short supply run. Usopp had volunteered to watch over the Merry, taking advantage of the dock to patch up the ship’s side a little bit more.

“Risa is frequently used by pirates looking to spend their treasure on gambling and other pleasures.”

Dragging the cook by the back of his shirt past another brothel, women and men dressed in revealing fabrics, beckoning the alphas with coy smiles and waves of their hands, Nami felt a headache coming on. Sanji, over his head with the sheer amount of inviting pheromones lingering in the air, offers no resistance, mind elsewhere as the navigator drags him along.

Zoro rolls his eyes at the cook’s weak resistance to the offerings of carnal pleasures. Walking next to him, Luffy stops, interest suddenly piqued by a large sign further down the street. With a whoop of excitement, he exclaims, “There’s a contest!”

Nami stops, iron grip still keeping Sanji from wandering after promises of love. She stands up on her toes to try and see over the crowd of people, “Oh? What’s the prize?” When no response is given from the group of pirates, she looks around for the captain, “Where did Luffy go?”

Robin, continuing her explanation from earlier, “It might be a good idea to keep an eye on the captain. This island has an even darker underside, it’s a known hand off spot for slavers, particularly those in the business of omega slaves.”

The swordsman growls, and starts heading after the straw hatted pirate.

Nami sighs, they’ve all split up again…Maybe it’d be a good idea to invest in several leashes to keep their wayward crew together.

“We don’t have time for all of this. Robin, keep an eye on Zoro and Luffy, okay? I’ll take the other two and try to find the supplies we need.”

“Very well.”

Chopper, before following Nami deeper into the town to the marketplace, tugs on Robin’s dress. She looks down at the reindeer, eyes peeking out from the fabric covering his antlers and face. “I’ll look for ingredients for the thing we talked about earlier!”

Robin smiles, gratefulness twinkling in her eyes. “Thank you, Doctor.”

She watches as the reindeer runs off, grabbing on to the navigator’s hand, the two (along with the cook) making their way to the marketplace further inland on their resupply mission.

Well, it wouldn’t do to get separated from her team. She used her height to her advantage (the heels were’t just for show—the right sole had a hidden compartment for lock picks. Just in case.) and quickly found the irate swordsman and bubbly captain standing near what looks like a registration table. The archeologist walks over, already hearing the rough challenge in the swordsman’s tone.

“What do you mean you’re not taking any more challengers? He just signed up!”

The woman manning the registration table looks bored, head resting on one hand as she taps a pencil on the table. "Yes and he was the last one. We have to have a limit, and the contest is beginning too soon to register anyone else anyway. You can try again tomorrow.”

The captain, with his hands on his hips, offers the irate alpha a confident and bright smile, “It’s fine Zoro, you can cheer me on! I’ll be sure to win!”

“What seems to be the issue?”

The swordsman doesn’t look at her, glaring angrily (but with clear concern), “This idiot signed up for a competition without knowing what it’s about.”

"It’s a battle tournament! No problem!"

Over a snail speaker, the mic buzzes before a man announces to the gathered crowd.

“Let’s begin the competition! Participants, please find your way into the arena!”

The green haired alpha reaches out to stop their captain from leaving just yet, “Remember Luffy, it’s a pirate battle, so be prepared.”

The smaller pirate holds up his fists, bouncing on his feet with the building excitement. “I only need my fists!”

“I know, but your opponents might have swords or concealed daggers. Just play it cool, alright?”

“I will, I will.” He smiles, pinching Zoro’s cheek. “You afraid your captain’s gonna lose?”

He grumbles, blushing, pushing away the hand. “Knock it off. I’m just getting a bad feeling from this place…”

—

The contestants are in a large ring. Around the higher up outer layer are stands for an audience to sit, and Luffy looks around until he sees Zoro and Robin standing near the railing above the entrance. He gives them a big wave, shouting until they both give small waves back.
“Attention! Round one: Battle Royale has…Begun! The rules are: stay within the area! And try not to die!” The announcer trails off with a laugh, and a loud gong is heard throughout.

Laughing, the straw hatted pirate turns around to survey the terrain for the big battle. His smile sharpens into an excited grin as he sizes up the competition. His gaze canvases across the arena, and something seems to click into its rightful place when he recognizes a tall figure.

Maybe he ran, maybe he rocketed over, but here he was now, in front of the mysterious stranger. He wore an expression Luffy didn’t bother to analyze, much too excited to stop his mouth.

“Hi! Do you remember me? I remember you!” He confidently proclaims his introduction loudly, uncaring who else might be listening in, “My name is Monkey D Luffy and I’m going to be the next King of The Pirates!” Crossing his arms, suddenly trying to look cool, he gestures to the other with a nod of his chin. "What’s your name?”

“Duck!”

Huh, and Luffy thought Monkey was a weird name…”Duck?” He frowns, head tilting.

What he doesn’t notice is the two large men behind him, both gearing up for a side slicing attack at his head.

The man in front of him reacts before the attack can connect, hand shooting out to grab the front of Luffy's vest, pulling him down into a crouch, the attacks overhead narrowly missing, a sharp blade and heavy mace swinging overhead, cutting only through air.

Luffy lets out a hum of surprise, but reacts fast enough, grabbing his new friend before quickly leaping away from the next attack.

The one with the sword hefts his large blade onto his shoulder. “King of the Pirates, eh? You just made a lot of enemies here, kid.”

The one with the mace laughs, weapon twirling in the build up for the next attack. “And if not enemies, then you became the laughing stock! Let’s get these guys outta here!”

His new friend doesn’t seem very impressed, and with good reason. Luffy easily doges the mace aimed for his head and takes out the holder with a cutting punch to the stomach, and the man falls to the floor. Turning to check on the other guy, Luffy sees his new friend block the downwards slice with his still sheathed weapon, getting in close enough to deliver an elbow strike to the throat.

“Thanks for that. Now they want to fight me, too.” The tall pirate grumbles under his breath, quickly stepping away from the shorter pirate.

The straw hatted captain puts his hands on his hips, and grins happily up at him, responding to his mumbling.

“No problem!” Luffy’s mouth opens as a brilliant idea suddenly comes to mind. That shows Sanji; he totally does think before he speaks! “Hey, do you know how to build ships?”

Luffy has seen that look a lot, the sheer amazement of his smart-ness in the furrowing of brows and somewhat astonished slack-jawed mouth. (Unbeknown to Luffy, this expression is actually one of completely surprised confusion, usually in response to an unexpected shift in conversation.) “…No.”

That would have been too lucky, wouldn’t it? Luffy hums, rocking back on his heels. “Are you a musician?”

The man wasn’t looking his way, taking out another weak enemy that has gone up against them, but does turn his head to give him that look again. “No.”

The omega, jumping above a charging pirate, using the back of their head as leverage to vault into a sweeping kick, taking out a few more enemies, frowns at that answer. Landing just a tad further away, he sends a rocket of a punch towards an opponent sneaking up behind his new friend, following the momentum to appear at his shoulder.

He grins, clapping the taller pirate on the back. “Well that’s all okay, you can join my crew anyway!”

Luffy likes that the spots on his hat blur into one as the other turns around, grabbing Luffy’s arm.

The rubber pirate is smiling still, and Law makes sure he’s heard, narrowed eyes looking into the straw hat wearer’s own. “I won’t join your crew.”

“Why!” The shorter pirate yells, mouth downturned with an angry frown. Law lets go of the other’s arm to use his sword with both hands to block a strike, reacting faster than his opponent to jab the end of his weapon into his sternum, knocking the wind of the brute.

“I’m captain of my own crew.”

The enemy between them starts to recover, but the Straw Hat captain takes him out with a punch to the face, the combatant melting back to the ground in pain. The angry frown from earlier is being replaced by a slowly growing smile once more, which Law doesn’t notice as he takes a moment to scan the rest of the arena, examining the remaining opponents.

“You are?”

Turning back to Luffy, he smirks, an edge of crazed thrill teasing on the sharpness of his smile, his words tinged with challenge. “Yes, and if you’re aiming for the top, that makes us rivals.”

He absolutely didn’t expect the straw hatted man to light up in excited wonder, sparkles almost radiating off of him. Law is impressed the other doesn’t relax his battle instincts; Luffy keeps one hand on his hat as he suddenly drops to the floor, dodging an attempted stab through the back.

The rest of the congregated pirates competing for a place in the next round come after the two rival captains, and Luffy and Law are separated shortly after.

The captain of the Hearts pirates was indeed surprised to see the straw hatted pirate again, but certainly wasn’t expecting this much boisterous confidence

It was proving to be bit of a headache not trying to attract any more attention this early in the competition. But he couldn’t help his interest in the other pirate.

The shorter captain exuded such confidence it was hard to ignore. It was almost like he was asking for attention, possibly preying on others underestimating him.

And as corny as it sounds, there was something about his eyes. Something meltingly warm and trustworthy, frighteningly powerful and magnetizing. Dangerous.

Straw Hat Luffy, the captain of the aptly named Straw Hat pirates…

The man himself was on the other side of the arena now, and the break in the pathetic would-be assailants gives Law a chance to watch the other. The straw hatted captain had just pulled a stamping kick on an opponent when he is cornered by a group of pirates. Turning to see them, Law sees the captain grin a cheeky smile before he’s hidden by the converging enemies.

Seconds is all it takes before a storm of punching fists explode out of the crowd, punches being thrown and recoiled so quickly it appeared like Luffy had suddenly gained a dozen extra arms. His opponents are unable to recover under the whirl winding barrage, and fall to the dirt floor, unconscious.

Monkey D Luffy…Interesting.

The announcer yells over the speaker snail: “That concludes the first challenge of the tournament! Those who are still standing, please be prepared to immediately enter the next trial!”

Up in the stands, Robin turns to regard to the swordsman next to her. His grip on the railing and the tenseness of his shoulders told her he wanted nothing more than to jump down into the ring and fight alongside his captain. She couldn’t resist teasing him a little.

“Looks like Captain has made a friend amongst these ne’er-do-wells.”

The icy hot glare he sends her way is all too endearing. His concern was so potent, but he respected his captain enough to follow his orders. Robin wondered how he would feel if he knew exactly who it was their straw hatted captain had befriended down in the arena.

The captain of the Hearts pirates. Another emerging rookie captain, hailing from the North Blue sea. From what her past information sources have relayed, the two captain’s were relatively close in bounties at the moment. The “Surgeon of Death” was known to have a supposedly devastating devil fruit ability, and Robin wondered why he wasn’t making use of such an advantage.

—

Shortly after the second challenge (that Law would not be talking about), the straw hatted pirate runs up to the fellow captain.

“Duck! That was fun, wasn’t it?”

Law is wiping off his sword carefully, but his eyes flicker to the other pirate. “That’s not my name.”

Luffy leans over to return to his field of vision, all but demanding his attention. “Then what is it?”

The rubber pirate sees the other’s yellow gold eyes focus solely on him, analyzing, and grins his best let’s-be-friends smile. But the man in the spotted hat doesn’t respond.

Luffy pouts, popping up and away with a slighted glare. “If you’re not gonna tell me your name I’ll have to make up one for you!” Suddenly entertained with the prospect, he taps a considering finger to his chin. “Let’s see, if you’re not a duck then…Hmm, what else has spots…?”

Law can already tell working with this guy would be a handful. He runs through his options once again, before rolling his shoulders back, sheathing Kikoku once more, turning to face the shorter captain.

“It’s Trafalgar. Trafalgar Law. Tell no one you met me here."

Luffy’s head begins to tilt, question on the tip of his tongue, when Law leans over to whisper in the other’s ear. He holds the rubber pirate by his bicep, fingers inked with the word DEATH gripping Luffy’s arm.

In the stands, Zoro feels his body tense with the white hot urge to rip the pair away from each other. Teeth grit tight, he demands, “Robin, let me know what they’re saying.”

Robin smiles, not that the swordsman would bother taking his eyes away from his intended mate to notice. There’s nothing she loves more than sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong.

Or in this case, an ear, blooming unnoticed on their captain’s chest, the organ hidden by the rival captain leaning over.

It’s not right, the possessive curl of jealously that winds its way around Zoro’s heart when Luffy suddenly beams at the taller pirate, nodding enthusiastically, grabbing the tattooed hand that slips from his shoulder between both of his.

“It sounds as if our captain has allied himself with his new friend for the final competition. Apparently, there is a high chance it will be a partnered challenge.”

The announcer suddenly decrees, “And that concludes the second challenge! We will have a break before the start of the finale: remaining competitors, please reconvene on the arena floor in two hours!”

—

The night was growing longer, still warm from the summer season. The hosts of the organization opened up the inner halls of coliseum to the meandering competitors and audience members, candles lighting the halls closest to the entrance.

Luffy had, somehow, found his way to Zoro and Robin in the maze of corridors that made up the arena’s halls, managing to worm his way through the crowd unnoticed, no small feat for the usual magnet for trouble. Zoro relaxes just a bit more back in his captain’s presence, as he chatters off every thought he wanted to share with the two about the competition so far, and Robin entertained his enthusiasm with calm interest.

Zoro was paying more attention to the people around him, particularly the ones who gave the trio any look besides indifference. He still was getting a terrible feeling about this place and all of the competition’s attendees.

Unfortunately, it was Zoro who found himself attracting trouble, winding up separated from his crew mates. He wasn’t quite sure how, one minute he was behind the two dark haired pirates, and the next…

He was sure he was going the right way, but the halls became less and less crowded, darker with the emptiness. Less lanterns were lit against the dark of the night, and shadows cast long angles, creating hidden alcoves in between the corners and columns.

Turning a corner, he sees that guy leaning against one of the decorative columns, body partially obscured. But Zoro remembered the spots of his hat, the long nodachi, and the tattooed hand that held it, gripping the sheathe in an even grip.

Zoro remembers the hand that held Luffy’s arm, and something in him snaps.

In a few quick strides he’s pressing the taller pirate against the column at his back, holding one of his own swords sharp and threatening against the other’s neck.

—

Notes:

Hehehe sorry to end it there but…….this was getting way too long lol TToTT

As usual thank you for reading!!!! let me know what y'all thought; comments of any length make my little creature heart happy and will be hoarded like precious jewels hehehe concrit welcome as well!

Chapter 14: Rogue Wave (II of II)

Summary:

The continuation and ending of last chapter's events; the Straw Hats + Law get into and out of shenanigans. We begin to see more seeds planted for the next major arc...

Notes:

AN:

I AM SO SORRY to have left y’all on a cliffhanger for so long, I sincerely did not intend for this to take this long to write ;____; the burnout from finals really caught up to me and then I decided this chapter needed so many action scenes (which are kinda hard for me lol)


Just to warn you all ahead of time………….I’ve spent agonizing hours (yes at least more than one hour of real time) thinking over what nickname luffy should use for law ú-ù LOL and I made the very difficult decision of deciding to not decide and write whichever one luffy feels like using at the time. VERY SORRY but I have gone back and forth between all the options too many times (TToTT)

In a similar vein, I *did* decide to include law’s suffix “-ya” instead of other translation options because I think it’s the cutest ;; and names are important. And D’s are weird about names :))

“Tell me what you want from him.”

His voice is rough with command, but Zoro lets his blade do all the threatening, held still as a steady stone against the length of the taller pirate’s neck. He grins savagely, having the upper hand, heart beating from the thrill.

In the span of a blink and a murmured word, Zoro is disorientated, facing the other way and suddenly sword-less.

The coil of angry adrenaline made him want to reflexively lunge, but the sharp edge of his own Yubashiri was held against the skin of his throat. One breath too deep and the sword would spill drops of his blood.

His pulse quickens.

He growls despite the risk, pressed against the column that was now at his back, the taller pirate holding him there with his katana. There was an eerie blue light surrounding them that wasn’t there before, a thrum of power in the air that made Zoro’s skin tingle, the hairs on his arms raising. He considers the chances of drawing one of his other swords fast enough to disarm the one at his neck, and wonders what the fuck happened.

The man wearing the spotted hat spoke, low growl underneath the words that come with a tickle of breath across the side of Zoro’s face, “You should be more careful about who you threaten.”

This close, Zoro is all but too aware of the taller pirate’s scent. The stink of alpha dominating, of course, but something was off. Through his cloud of anger, the haze settling as he starts using his brain again instead of his instincts, he realizes the other isn’t emitting any sort of hostile scent at all anymore.

So he takes a chance. Smirking, unrepentant, he tilts his chin up slightly, as if taunting the other to follow through. A risky move, but what else was he going to do: sit still and nod, cowering, like an obedient pet? Absolutely not.

The taller pirate presses in for another second, watching him with a sudden spark of intensity, and Zoro thinks he’s miscalculated and fucked up severely this time, eyes widening for one more dreadful moment, until Law takes a step away, offering the hilt back to the green haired pirate.

“I see you’re just as spirited as your captain.”

The swordsman looks up at him, all sorts of emotions playing out on his face, confusion prevalent among them. Law gestures with the sword, wanting the other pirate to grab it, and he does, slowly, without any trust despite the clear offer of peace and no ill will.

“Straw Hat-ya should have told you, we’re temporarily allied. Even so, you’re lucky I didn’t kill you reflexively. Most pirates threatened with a blade to the neck would have.”

Zoro is sheathing his blade with quick precision, but leaves his hand resting on the weapons at his side, eyeing the taller man distrustfully.

Previous hiding spot now taken, Law leans against the wall opposite, “So…Are you the first mate?”

If anything the swordsman’s scowl deepens. He doesn’t say anything, and Law takes it as a reticent no. He takes the silence in stride, sizing up the other alpha.

Zoro’s heart is a droning thunder, and he glares at the taller pirate when he smirks, his lips pulling up to reveal sharp, pointed fangs.

“You must be his lover. Am I right?”

The sudden flush that slides down his neck, different than the burn of anger, is telling.

“For being such a territorial alpha, it’s strange that neither of you are claimed…”

Zoro’s thumb hitches on the hilt of his sword, drawing it slightly with a final warning growl. His eyes are suddenly wild and Law feels a drop of fear for the first time that night.

“My captain isn’t for claiming.” The words quiet, but felt heavy with the fervid rage.

Like storm clouds being evaporated by the force of the sun, the tense atmosphere collapses under Luffy suddenly appearing around the corner, followed closely by Robin. As he nears the two alphas, he grins at his swordsman, a light laugh around his words, clapping him on the back, “Zoro! I found you!” He then nods approvingly, “I see you guys already met each other, that’s good!”

Zoro watches his captain continue to buzz with activity, grabbing Robin’s hand and pulling her over to the other captain. The swordsman takes some petty delight in the bewilderment in the taller pirate’s expression, which was barely hidden behind a bored frown, up until Luffy gestures to him with some bastardized version of his name.

“Robin, this is Torao!”

She gives him a small smile and a short bow of her head in greeting. “Hello, Mr. Torao.”

Zoro slides over to stand behind his captain’s right shoulder, watchful gaze remaining trained on the rival pirate. Luffy and Robin make no sign of noticing the clear offense the other alpha is projecting from the mistake of his name, and Luffy barrels over an attempted correction to enthusiastically point out Law’s long sword to Robin.

This time, Zoro controls the dark beat of jealousy in his chest. His swords were cooler. He knew Luffy thought so, especially since one of them was cursed.

“Traffy! Is your sword cursed? That’s so cool!”

—

Law has found himself in quite the predicament.

Straw Hat’s swordsman hasn’t stopped glaring at him from behind the rubber pirate the entire time, and this is after the surgeon had graciously allowed the brazen alpha to walk away unscathed after threatening him. Which was very unbecoming of his reputation as heartless, and worse yet; his instinctual response to activate his devil fruit powers could have been noticed, ruining his plan.

The swordsman—Roronoa Zoro, was still glaring at him; the bitter mistrust a glowering heat from behind Straw Hat’s shoulder. And on their captain’s other side, stood the “Devil Child” Nico Robin, of all people.

Law of course knew who they were, he’s seen two of their bounty posters recently. Not much information was known on the rookies, not yet or not for a price Law was willing to pay, so he didn’t know what to expect connecting the faces to the names.

Roronoa was unrestrained, clearly unpracticed with controlling his instincts. Law wished luck for any other alphas in their crew, for having to deal with such a tumultuous crew mate. And when Straw Hat so casually holds the hand of a woman with an even sharper gaze, Law wonders what kind of crew the Straw Hats even are…

The woman’s voice and expression betray nothing of the cutting intelligence in her eyes, and the Hearts captain had immediately become focused on placing the woman’s face, a tingle of familiarity in the back of his mind, until he realized who it must be.

And Straw Hat Luffy, who’s smile was wider, brighter in real life, fearless confidence backed up by him being able to easily keep up in the tournament against these pirates. And, depending on who you got your secrets from, there was a rumor that Straw Hat was the one who took down the Warlord Crocodile.

But perhaps the most surprising was the rookie powerhouse being an omega. Law wondered if he even knew what the prize of the competition was…

He pushed the thought, and all others concerning the Straw Hat pirates to the back of his mind. He didn’t care, it wouldn’t matter to him as soon as they win the event and part ways. If they did meet again, it would be as rivals, not as allies.

Law tunes back into the conversation to hear Straw Hat still speaking, (enough for all four of them), to an increasingly interested Nico, about…talking swords? After an enthusiastic gesture, the omega captain brings a hand up to brush his dark hair behind one ear.

The green haired swordsman’s eyes automatically travel to the movement. And Law watches the emotions play out so clear on the other alpha; the glittering gold of a simple earring softening the barely constrained, anxious scent of a possessive mate.

Ah, he understood. There was a story behind that one.

When worn with all the weighty pride of regalia, the marks adorned on one’s body weaved stories of devotion and commitment. Scents, clothing, accessories, scars…There was more to claiming someone than just a mating mark.

The announcement comes through transmitter snails suddenly, slightly slurred with static, “Attention, remaining challengers, please report to the arena ground floor! The final challenge will begin momentarily.”

“Come on, Tra-guy!” Before he even has time to process the action, the rubber pirate is pulling him by the arm, waving an eager goodbye to his crew. As he is pulled by the green haired swordsman, Roronoa growls at him. Nico Robin giggles. Law wants to give them both an incredulous glare, but has to focus on not falling on his face when Straw Hat pulls him around the corner sharply.

The Straw Hats were far too intense for Law. The surgeon couldn’t help but run his mind through possible disastrous scenarios taking in his allies’ personalities into account. He had to resist the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, feeling incredibly tense.

Just one more challenge. They’d certainly win, hopefully without resorting to incriminating powers, and they would make off with the prize that Law would explain when the time comes.

—

Law is still coming down from the whirlwind of emotions that is Straw Hat Luffy and his chaotic crew, which is rather difficult since the other captain was bouncing excitedly on the soles of his feet beside him. The two pirates are waiting for the third competition to start, loitering in the outskirts of the arena floor, shaded by the towering walls that encircle the field.

He can feel the other captain looking at him, but he hopes he won’t have to talk anymore if he just doesn’t acknowledge the straw hatted pirate. He was much too preoccupied thinking about what the mysterious third challenge could be, and what he would have to do to win it.

He had overheard, during his initial reconnaissance during the waiting and sign-up period, that it would be a partnered competition, hence his offer to Straw Hat. But, maybe it would have been better to have teamed up with someone weak and random and betrayed them in the end…

The rubber pirate ignores the silence, grinning up at the other captain. “I bet your crew is really cool.” He says.

Law couldn’t help but scoff, but his voice is fond when he replies, “They sure like to think so.”

The desired silence returns, but Law can still feel Straw Hat looking at him, the sensation of being observed like a razor sharp tingle, impossible to ignore. So he gives up, and turns fully to the other captain, only to see him grinning a warm, almost peaceful smile.

Feeling self-conscious, but not entirely sure why, he has to ask, “What?”

“You have pretty eyes.”

He says it with such straightforward simplicity that Law is taken by surprise (which seems to be happening a lot today.) He turns away, not quite sure how to respond, and crosses his arms.

There’s been more pressing concerns requiring his attention, but now that the surgeon’s mind is wandering, he begins to recall their first meeting the other captain had mentioned earlier that night.

It was on the small trading island, wasn’t it? Only a few weeks ago. Law vaguely remembered coming near a green haired man with three swords, now that he focused in on the memory. And it was definitely Straw Hat he saw running from the group of guards, laughing like he does it all the time, reveling in the chaotic chase.

But for a second, their eyes met, and there was a flash of mesmerizing gold…

He doesn’t bother thinking it through before he’s blurting the question out, “Why were your eyes gold before?”

Luffy cocks his head to the side “I don’t know what you’re talking about. My eyes are this color, see?” He ends by using both hands to pull his eyelids wide open, leaning in closer to Law to give him a better look.

The shorter captain is staring up at him with such sincerity, his eyes close to popping out. The absurdity of the conversation, the earnestness in his wide eyes and eyelids stretched comically past what a normal human could be capable of, the way his mouth begins to tremble with the focused effort not to blink, and the insanity of the whole situation he’s found himself in, finally catches up to the Hearts captain, and he fails to hold back a flummoxed smile.

Luffy smiles wider, back at the taller captain, proud to make his new friend smile for the first time, and lets his eyelids snap back into place with a grin.

The Hearts captain’s grin drops and he shakes his head, as if in disbelief of his own reaction, and reminds himself of his priorities once again.

Getting friendly with Straw Hat Luffy was not one of them.

Rocking back on his heels, oblivious to the inner plight of the man beside him, Luffy wondered aloud, “Do you know what the prize is? I hope it’s a ton of meat…”

When he notices the sudden increase of tenseness in the other, he regrettably pushes aside the fantasies of juicy bone-in meats to look quizzically at Law. The taller pirate clears his throat before facing him, revealing with a gravity that makes Luffy pay attention.

“The prize of this event is…”

The fluttering spark of anticipation and competition was slowly smothered by the flames of impassioned resolve as Law slowly revealed the true stakes of the event.

 

—

Zoro and Robin return to their previous place in the stands, remaining close to the exit. It was a position she preferred to occupy, as you never knew when an expedient escape would be crucial to survival. Her sulking companion was keeping his rumination to himself, and was unconcerned with where they were as long as he could keep his captain (and that other guy) in his sight.

“Yeah, the two with the stupid hats. Make up some reason and kick them out of here. No, I don’t know, orders came from above me.”

From the corner of her eye, Robin watches the man speaking into a transponder snail. He was standing away from them, just close enough for her to overhear him. After a moment of waiting, an affirmative response comes from the other side of the line, and the man turns and walks away.

She is remiss to have been unable to catch the Jolly Roger tattooed on the man’s left shoulder, appearing as he turned to leave in too much of a rush for her to see clearly.

The archeologist looks to see if her crew mate noticed, but the alpha was still off in his own thoughts. His current lack of awareness was fine, as if her hypothesis was correct, they would be leaving (with their captain in tow) momentarily.

She remains as agreeably neutral as normal, standing next to the swordsman, and comments in a light voice: “From what I’ve observed, you are usually somewhat…less aggressive towards the people the Captain chooses to befriend. Is there a reason you're so wary of Mr. Torao?”

His scowl doesn’t lessen, and he acknowledges her with narrowed eyes, but doesn’t answer.

Robin understands, she herself has not earned the full trust of the remaining sentry of the crew. Him and the sniper were devotedly discerning of who was to be accepted and who wasn’t, but perhaps for different reasons.

They’re both surprised when Zoro does answer, averting his eyes back to the competition floor below.

“It’s the look in his eyes. I trust my captain, and he trusts his instincts. He wouldn’t help someone unless they have enough conviction, and he wouldn’t be so friendly with someone he doesn’t like.” Robin feels almost gleeful when she detects the slight petulance in his tone as the swordsman continues, “But he looks at that guy differently. I don’t like it.”

She remains silent this time, observing him, and stifles the question she desires to ask, closing it behind softly smiling lips.

Are you afraid he’s looking at him the same way he looks at you?

The alpha, temper frayed from all the excitement, bristles when a group of uniformed officials suddenly grab their captain (and the other guy) and start dragging and shoving them off the competition floor. He’s about to jump off the rail into the arena, but Robin offers a less disruptive suggestion right before his foot makes contact with the edge,

“Why don’t we go see what the problem seems to be, Mr. Swordsman?”

—

As expected, the two captains come out of the main entrance and as soon as he sees them, Luffy begins waving his hands boisterously, just beginning to shout something before his fellow captain is clamping one hand over his mouth, using the other to pull him away from the guarded entrance and towards the two other pirates.

Zoro wants to remove the other captains’ hand for him, preferably with his own cursed sword, its energy is humming on the low anger, feeding off the negative emotions swirling around its wielder.

Stopping in front of the two Straw Hats, Law removes his hand as fast as he can, looking at it with shock, a wet stripe of saliva in the center of his palm. He turns to the rubber pirate for an explanation or an apology, but Luffy is ignoring all the agitation surrounding the two alphas to exclaim (albeit, quietly this time):

“We’re going to steal the prize!”

The swordsman rolls his eyes, annoyed to still be here, “Just because you two couldn’t win…”

He’s interrupted by Luffy touching his arm, and he immediately defers to his captain when he sees the look in his eyes. Explaining further, chin set with intention, “We’re doing it for Torao’s family!”

The surgeon hastily corrects, “One of them is the sibling of one of my crew members. It’s hardly my family…” Addressing the archeologist, who still looked inquisitive, he explains. “The prize was three slave omegas.”

Hearing this for the first time, Robin and Zoro both flinch. Luffy remains still for a beat longer, before nodding his head, assuming the situation is well enough explained. He squares his shoulders before turning on his heel, marching back to the coliseum entrance.

Despite the somber mood, Robin finds mirth in the way both alphas grab on to the rubber pirate’s arms, stopping him from running off blindly. Their eyes meet over Luffy’s head and Zoro glares. The rival captain holds back an urge to snap at the other for such nonsensical animosity, but instead takes a few steps away. He breathes in deeply, letting the brisk air of the approaching dawn fill his lungs.

“Alright, this is the plan…”

—

Things do not go according to Law’s plan.

All the intel he had was that the “prize” was being held in the west wing on the third floor. He had been investigating the floor below during the break, assuming the levels had similar layouts, when he was interrupted by Roronoa.

If they could make it up there without being noticed, it would just be a matter of finding the right room. If he had enough time, the possible enemy guards hopefully distracted with the final challenge, he could use his powers to scan every room for the captives. If necessary, he could take out a few enemies and still have enough power to escape.

…It would have been much easier just to win the fucking thing.

The first step, getting to the third floor unnoticed, failed almost immediately.

Law had explained his plan once, once, and when he was answered with a trio of thoughtful nods, he had thought it would be enough.

One of the guards who had kindly escorted them out was nearing them,“Oi, what are you still doing? Get out of here,” he starts, hand clamping on the straw hatted captain’s shoulder.

Bandana slid on while the official was walking over, eyes burning with an untrained fury, Law watches with growing mourning for the early death of his new plan as the swordsman goes in deep.

When the guard yelps in pain, his companions are alerted and began charging at the group of pirates.

Law wants to scream, and he does, suddenly hurtling vertically through the air, the sound squeezed out of his stomach from Straw Hat’s arms wrapping around him and the two others.

He stumbles onto solid ground moments later, and recovers as soon as he can. The rubber pirate’s arm has just snapped back into place after recoiling, and he grins at Law. Annoyingly, Nico Robin looks put together as usual, smoothing out her clothes. In the black bandana, the green haired alpha looked menacing and dangerous, rolling his neck before wiping the blood off his sword.

Law holds onto his sword with both hands, flexing his fingers on Kikoku’s sheathe. He keeps his shaky breath under control and asks,

“What level are we on?”

Its Straw Hat who answers, bright and cheery, arms crossed in pride, “The fourth!”

“…We needed to be on the third floor.”

Roronoa’s swords clash when he crosses them, smirking, “We just need to go down? I’ll cut a hole, then.”

—

Law could have just as easily torn a chunk of the flooring out, making a hole wide enough for the quartet to jump through, but he doesn’t say as much, not willing to gain more of the swordsman’s ire at this time. More important was the mission, and his heart beat in a furious tempo as they heard the guards from the floors below gathering and charging upwards.

Like he suspected (he actually overheard that this would be the case from an indiscrete official) the third floor was, at the time of the final event, free from guards stationed in the hallways. The third challenge was exciting enough for the officials to abandon their posts to watch, and Law wished to critique the organization’s discipline, but it was in his favor now.

The one issue is that behind each of these doors could be a gaggling of guards, and it’s impossible to tell with the thick wooden doors.

It’s in one of these rooms that Law suspects the captive omega slaves are being held in, and as soon as the words leave his mouth, Luffy is sprinting down the hallway.

While his crew follow him without any doubts, Law hesitates for a second. It’s not like the straw hatted captain could know which door was the right one.

But Luffy skids to a stop in front of one room, staring at the door intently. Law is about to ask when the rubber pirate suddenly kicks out harshly, the door bending and hinges detaching from the wall from the force.

He had no time to spare on wondering if Luffy somehow knew or if it was just an insanely lucky guess, but running in with the rest of the group, Law sees that the captives were being held in this room. They were easy to identify, from the chains that held their limbs shackled and weighed down. Even though they were young, barely old enough to have presented as omegas, the stench of their frightened terror held enough potency to identify them.

Turning to more pressing matters, Law takes it into account that they weren’t the only ones in the viewing room. A swarm of guards carrying both swords and guns, twenty heads if Law’s quick count was correct, and they all turn as one at the sound of the door crashing open.

When he sees the Donquixote family’s Jolly Roger branded on a few of them, tattooed on shoulders and plastered on clothing, he fights down the immediate urge to turn tail and run.

It was much too early in his career for any of this to happen, he hadn’t planned on taking any direct action against the Warlord until he had a sure plan to win. The surgeon is about to tell the others to escape, not intending to drag his one-off alliance down into even more personal matters, when Luffy cracks his knuckles, taunting smile upon his lips,

“You guys ready to get beat up?”

One responds by shooting at the Straw Hat’s captain, and Law is mildly perturbed to watch Zoro do nothing to block it. Luffy's smile turns a little cheekier, hands on his hips, totally calm as the bullet sinks into his skin, stretching it out on the other side, before ricocheting back into the crowd of enemies.

The rubber pirate still doesn’t waver as one of the bad guys wielding a sword comes at him, coming down with a slicing slash, because Zoro comes sliding in close around his captain’s left side, stopping the enemy’s blade before it reaches its target.

Law is distracted by Luffy using the swordsman’s shoulder to flip into the air over their heads, coming down with a harsh heel strike on one of the enemy’s heads, but landing in the middle of the frenzy.

Zoro twists his blades, disarming the man before him, and yells, “Luffy, don’t just rush in!” before rushing in.

Law sees a few of the enemies turn away from the chaotic storm building in the center, guns raising, and he flexes his wrist. No point hiding himself anymore, he’s been identified and the worst case scenario seems to already be happening.

The slight tinge of blue brings a greater sense of security to him, and he’s able to easily gain the upper hand on the situation. He prioritizes incapacitating the known agents of Joker, but both the agents and the local slavers are ill-equipped to fight against devil fruit users, and their lack of knowledge and expertise allow Law to take control of the battle with ease.

Luffy is surprised when the guy he was about to punch is instead hit by the bottom half of another enemy, both of them sent flying. He quickly turns his head to see where it came from, catching Law’s eye, the surgeon’s hand still outstretched in that direction.

Law feels a chill down his spine when he sees the excited sparkling of the other captain’s eyes, but is distracted by one of the remaining enemies shooting at him, and isn’t able to reply to Luffy’s enthused, shouted questions.

Zoro huffs angrily, blocking a sword meant for his distracted captain.

During the ensuing chaos Robin had snuck around the edges of the room, easily dispatching the few who did notice her with a clutch of bloomed arms. Although she wasn’t the best at consoling frightened civilians, she does her best to reassure the trio of captive omegas. When she’s close enough to scent, drawing closer slowly, they immediately become more relaxed. Robin works on unlocking the cuffs chaining them, going through most of the small stash of lock picks she had on her in the process.

Between the three pirates engaging their fortunately less experienced foes in contact, the battle is over quickly. The rest of the enemies haven’t made it up to the third floor yet, and some were still conducting the competition’s events, although the longer they waited the more guards would be after them. Law figured they needed to get out quick, he just wasn’t sure how.

The young omegas they rescued were frightened by the alphas, and refused to go near the pair, even after Law tried to explain he knew the older sibling of one. That girl was holding onto Robin for dear life, and after some soft, short whispers back and forth, the older woman announced there was a service stairway behind an unremarkable door in the corner.

One of the closer felled enemies let out a long, pained groan, gaining their attention. After a moment of consideration, Robin turns to Law to ask, “Mr. Torao,” the alpha refrains from correcting her again, sure his annoyed tone will frighten the already skittish captives, “Didn’t you say you needed to stay undercover?”

“That was the original plan, yes.” He answers, and just like he predicted, the derision in his voice was instantly picked up on the three scared omegas. He wasn't sure if it was better to have the help of the others, or if their reckless chaos made his mission that much more difficult. Either way…

“I’m sure they’ve already figured out who I am. You three have most likely been identified as well."

Sure enough, Law scans the lip between the wall and ceiling, and spots a surveillance snail. He flips it off, before replacing it with a chunk of debris from the torn up room. If he wanted to destroy the video recording, he would have to find the main unit, but it wasn’t likely he would have enough time too.

He would have to deal with repercussions later.

One of the captives was standing up on shaky legs, coaxed by Robin, but collapses. Reinforcements of the competition’s staff would soon be bursting into the room, and more of Joker’s agents could be on the way, depending on how important an operation this was. It was imperative that the start their escape now, or it would be too late. Two of the slaves don’t seem capable of walking at all, but shied away and hissed at Roronoa when he approached them.

Luffy simply picked two of them up under his arms and started running. He rushed by the surgeon with a gust of wind, and Law feels swept up in the current, his feet following on their own accord.

—

Nami checks her wrist to see if the log pose has set, and it has, much to her relief. As soon as they regrouped with the others, they could get off this island. If the gunshots she heard nearby were anything to go by, some idiot must have done something to upset the status quo. She only hoped it wasn’t her idiots.

Between looking at the compass on her wrist and her own thoughts, a mouth suddenly blooms on the back of her wrist. She holds tightly on the impulse to scream, swallowing it down her constricted throat, free hand over her mouth just in case.

Belatedly, she realizes that with both hands unoccupied, she must have somehow lost her hold on the cook, but the voice that speaks through the recently formed mouth easily pulls him back in.

“Miss Navigator…”

Nami, while thankful he’s back where she can watch him, does her best to ignore Sanji’s annoying calls of Robin’s name. Chopper quietly tries to explain to the love-drunk alpha that there were no ears, so the archaeologist wouldn’t be able to hear him. When his explanations fall on deaf ears, the blond swaying slightly, the small doctor reflexively begins a diagnostic observation.

Through the mouth Robin informs the group, “The captain has stolen away with the grand prize,” Nami feels her heart drop before the other woman continues, “We are escaping now but there is quite a mob of angry people following us.”

The orange haired alpha felt nothing but fury at the moment. Did every island need to end in a disastrous chase, the crew barely escaping intact each time? She prayed the reward would at least be worth the trouble.

“There’s a beach near a large cliff face about 3 kilometers west following the island’s shoreline. We’ll meet you there, if we survive.”

The mouth fades into the back of her hand, and she curses, grabbing Sanji’s hand and gestures towards the way they came with a nod of her head, looking at the young doctor.

“Let’s go, It sounds like we don’t have much time.”

“But I haven't found everything on my list yet…”

“Take it up with our Captain! We have to leave, now!”

At least she found the best way to keep Sanji out of trouble. Holding his hand reduces the man to a blushing, stuttering mess, which the other alpha took advantage of, pulling him back through the stalls. Chopper, as they ran, continued looking back at the blond trailing behind the navigator.

—

They’re running out of the arena, crashing into nearby milling spectators. The sun is just beginning to dawn in the east, its rays beginning to grace the morning sky, pushing off the dark of night into a soft blue, and Law would take a second to let his eyes adjust to the sudden, overwhelming influx of bright light of day, but there’s no time.

Angry slavers, and visiting pirates that slowly began to understand the situation, realization dawning on their faces, were chasing after the group, shouting vitriol and commands to stop.

Law stops looking behind him to look ahead. Things, admittedly, could be worse. He prayed the situation wouldn’t develop into his worst, worst case scenario. If they could make it to the outskirts of town, the surgeon was sure they could make it out without any losses.

There was an off beaten path, invisible to the main road and covered in overgrown plants, indicating its lack of travelers, that led through the rocky walls to the shore he had told one of Straw Hat’s crew members about.

In front of him, Luffy barreled ahead, not showing any signs of exhaustion or fear. He leaps down a small incline, whopping in the rush of wind. The rescued young omegas laughed despite their fear, the straw hatted pirate’s arms coiled around them. His crew followed closely behind, the archeologist holding on to the hand of the oldest tightly, pulling her along at their quick pace.

Suddenly, Law hears several rounds of contained explosions from gunpowder, and turns to run backwards, quickly activating his Room. The bullets are stopped in mid-air, and from his quick assessment, it looked like the one’s firing were poor shots. Only one of them would have made its intended fleshy target.

But the Hearts captain isn’t used to running while his powers are activated, and the constantly shifting information being fed to him was nearing his limit of control. Stamina dropping, he fails to notice the stone under foot and stumbles, his hold on the Room slips away and the blue dome disappears with a crackling pop.

“Zoro!”

Zoro follows his captain’s unspoken orders, and seamlessly scoops up the taller man without stopping. Despite the irritation he feels, he can’t help but want to take advantage of his superior position to make fun of the Hearts captain, “Getting tired, princess?”

No. This was not happening.

Law tried to order as calm and sternly as he could manage, fighting down the embarrassed edge in his demands, “Put me down. Right now.”

The surgeon could just hear the other alpha’s eye roll, and he could feel the light growl of annoyance behind the words rumbling in his chest, the swordsman retorting, “It’s not like I want to carry you!”

Luffy spun around, disappointment curling his bottom lip, “Come on guys!” He smiles, “This way, you can keep using your power, right Traffy?”

Law did not want to be in this situation anymore, at all. But the rubber idiot was correct, and with the sheer amount of bullets and other projectiles beginning to be fired at the group, the alternative would most likely lead to someone getting shot.

The blue light shimmers once again into existence, spoken into life with a somewhat put-out Room and Luffy whoops, turning back around, never once breaking his stride.

—

Law knew his crew was waiting just close enough to not risk shoring the ship, and he had sent them a message on a small snail phone as soon as his team had made it onto the off-beaten path, their uninformed pursuers taking the main road still.

The submarine surfaces just as the group arrives at the shore, and Bepo is the first one out of the main door, scrambling on to the deck, avoiding the flapping fish brought up from the sea strewn across the exposed deck.

“Captain!”

Not willing to waste another second above sea level, Law uses his powers to teleport himself and the three omegas to his ship. He replaces himself with a big squirming fish that finds itself in Zoro’s hold, and its tail smacks the swordsman in the face.

The green haired alpha looks livid, about to dive in and swim out to the submarine to retaliate for such a fishy offense, and his straw hatted captain looks like he’s about to slingshot over there himself, only momentarily stopped by the the wiggling fish in each hand, shouting out excited half-sentences about submarines and talking bears.

The bear mink in question was currently squeezing Law just a tad too tight, the surgeon getting a mouthful of white fur, and preventing him from preventing them from coming aboard the Polar Tang.

It seems Law is finally starting to get some luck, as the sun finally breaches the horizon fully, bathing them all in warm, bright light. A small ship is just rounding the corner of the cliff face next to the beach. Seeing the Jolly Roger, the surgeon breathes a deep sigh.

From the Straw Hats ship, an orange haired woman standing near the prow starts yelling obscenities, pointing at Straw Hat with ferocity.

Law is relieved when the rubber pirate grabs ahold of his crew mates and flies over to their own ship instead of his. In the distance, it seems the pirates running the event have begun to mobilize their ships, cannonballs beginning to whistle through the wind and jostle the ships with waves of their descent. He struggles his way out of Bepo’s grip, ready to get the fuck away from here, when Straw Hat calls out to him across the water.

He’s waving as enthusiastically as ever, like he has all the energy in the world to burn, with a big smile on his face.

“Bye Traffy! We’ll meet again soon! Let’s fight each other next time!"

Law doesn’t intend to, but gives him a short wave before thinking about it, and then turns to stride into the cabin, calling out the order to submerge the ship. Bepo takes one last look at the other crew’s ship, the caravel in the midst of their own escape, before following his captain inside. Someone seals the door behind him.

The mink is following the tall pirate into the main control room, but he stops to poke his head into one of the rooms along the corridor. Inside, a few of the crew is consoling the rescued prisoners, and the crew mate who had asked Law to enter the competition is embracing their sibling, both of them falling on shaking legs to the floor.

Bepo feels his ears pop as the submarine descends further to the ocean floor. He jogs a little to catch his captain right before entering the bridge.

“Law…who were they?”

They enter the room at the same time, and much to Law’s dismay, the crew inside start a round of cheering for him. Ignoring their praise (but not completely, the bashful pride he feels dusting his cheeks with pink) he tells his navigator,

“No one we’ll see again, if we’re lucky.”

The polar bear doesn’t say anything more, just considers his captain with a tilt of his head. Law was in a peculiar mood…

Someone calls out from the main control panel, “Oi Captain, wasn’t that Straw Hat Luffy? What were you doing with him?”

———

Some time has passed, a combination of luck, will, and destiny guiding the plucky pirates into clear waters. After an eventful morning of sailing through a patch of stormy weathers, winds threatening to rip the sails and deep, cresting waves swinging the Merry through the sea, the Straw Hats encountered a stretch of some well deserved docile weather.

Sunny, warm, and sleepy after a late lunch, they enjoyed the warm afternoon. Robin found herself on the deck outside, sitting in the shade against the wall. She had retreated from the dining room with the intention of perusing one of the newer books to pass through her hands, not expecting the doctor to find her after, a stack of books carried precariously, sitting down next to her without a word to intently dive into his own research.

Also to her surprise, the captain stumbles onto the deck in a stuffed stupor, lazily wandering over before flopping to the ground beside them, using Robin’s legs as a pillow. She thought she would find herself uncomfortable, being so close to others, but their presence is warmer than the beam of the sun. She lets the warmth seep into her bones, resuming her reading, the sway of the water more calming than land ever was.

After a period of time, having finished her first read of that particular book, she busied her fidgeting hands with the head of hair in front of her, weaving a small braid around the captain’s ear. He wakes up about halfway through, but doesn’t move. One hand grabs ahold of the straw hat on the ground beside him, and he relaxes again, closing his eyes.

Robin, despite her inexperience, finishes the braid. During the time it took, she watched the dark haired captain’s face twist into several different expressions, lost in the thoughts playing out in the scrunching of his face.

“If I may be so bold, Captain, I can hear your thoughts.”

Robin has to laugh when he suddenly turns bright red and swivels his head to look up at the woman with a horrified expression.

“Not really. But your face betrays a lot of truths.”

The captain sighs, eyes closing and mouth curling down while he thinks about how to phrase his question. When he opens his eyes again, there’s a heavy seriousness in them. “Are you ever afraid of someone forgetting you?”

It's an easy reply. “With my line of work, with the lives we choose to lead, it’s never been a good thing to be known. In the past, I have always hoped to escape the memory of the people I encounter…”

He takes a moment to think about that, staring up at the blue sky. The wind flows past them on a sudden stiff breeze, fluttering the sails, rustling their hair and clothes. The reindeer holds the pages of his book down so they don’t skip around, a mumble of annoyance at the disturbance.

“In the past, before you met us.” He’s smiling, peacefully, given just to her.

She doesn’t know what to say. She wasn’t even aware she was speaking as if everything before she boarded the Merry was…before. The past.

Luffy turns back to look upwards, and states, somberly again, “I think it’d be scarier to forget someone. Someone you care about a lot.”

The captain had such a deeper, mysterious side that Robin wished to investigate more, but their conversation is halted by the ship abruptly lurching on a high, towering wave, Chopper’s stack of books tumbling over, much to his alarmed dismay. Robin, with a flowering spread of hands, easily helps the reindeer gather the texts, and Luffy is already jumping into action.

As the once calm and forgiving climate devolves into the chaotic storm of the Grand Line once again, the crew does their best to keep the unsteady ship as stable as they could through the storm.

———

His heart is pounding. His palms normally get sweaty, but it’s hard to tell what his skin feels like right now, tepid water splashed all over, cooling as it sticks his clothes to his body. His arms still feel cold from carrying Robin, cradling her frozen body as he and Chopper ran back to the ship.

Usopp is pouring bucket after bucket of the mildly warm water over Robin, the choked feeling in his chest loosening with every bit of ice melted away. Chopper had told him to continue before running out of the room, hearing his name being called from outside.

The reindeer comes back in, looking more worried than before, hooves restlessly rubbing together as he hurries back over. He immediately attempts to check Robin’s vitals, making a small noise of frustrated despair when he can’t find a pulse, quickly moving back to continuing helping thaw the frozen body of their friend.

The choked sensation comes back. Usopp doesn’t want to ask if the rest of the crew is okay.

“Chopper, is everyone back?”

It's a moment before the doctor replies, keeping the steady pace of scooping up the water, lifting and tipping to let it wash down.

He slammed through the doors onto the ship’s main deck before he even realized his feet were moving.

“What are you guys doing here? What happened with the admiral?” He finishes with a dawning anxiety, “Where’s Luffy?”

Sanji answers, fresh cigarette smoldering between his teeth, using a towel to wipe away the excess water of his soaked pants, “He wants to fight him one on one.”

The sniper asks, heart thudding. “You left Luffy out there alone?”

“It was the Captain’s orders.”

“Even if it was an order, how could you follow it?” It comes out with more of snarl than he thought he could muster, angry that they had left one of their own behind, “You abandoned—”

Sanji was suddenly pushing him against the wall, cigarette lost, voice shaky around the remnants of smoke, and even through the salt of sea water the sniper could smell the sharp tang of worried alpha, “Dont you dare say we fucking abandoned him,” his fists curling, the soaked fabric of Usopp’s clothes straining against the grip.

“Stop! Both of you.” Zoro isn't looking at them, eyes looking far ahead, past Merry’s figurehead. “He has a right to duel the admiral on his own, as a whim or not.”

Usopp is about to protest, but is stopped by the tense unease when Zoro does look at him, gaze bright with fevered apprehension. His tone is even when he continues, steady and strong despite the way his eyes betray him. “But we’re not leaving him behind.”

 

—

Kuzan doesn't feel the cold. Not anymore, not really. But he remembers how it felt, the way it crept along your skin, the flesh and muscle reacting in attempts to warm the body; shivering, skin prickling. The chill and numbness that slowly spreads like fear throughout your body.

The straw hatted pirate was glaring up at him with such a stubborn, spirited stare, the admiral couldn’t refuse the family resemblance. Despite his projected confidence, the short captain was trembling from the cold.

“You know, it makes a lot more sense now. Garp never mentioned you were an omega.”

The ice devil fruit user stretched his arms in front of him, fingers interlaced, fighting off a yawn. The rubber pirate remains silent.

“It was easy to figure out. You prioritized keeping your crew safe before attacking me, even going so far as to challenge me to a one on one duel.” He uses one arm to pull his head to the side, cracking his neck. “An alpha would have charged in immediately, lives of their men be damned.”

Luffy flinches just slightly, barely noticeable.

“Do you believe it’s a weakness?” He asks with genuine curiosity, ice crawling up the side of his neck and down his arm, wisps frosted air trailing off like smoke. “Or a strength?”

Kuzan won’t let the slight bit of surprise show, when the omega pirate flexes his right ice covered arm (an effect from his last hit) and the ice near the elbow chips, falling off. He shouldn’t be able to do that, maybe he wasn’t using enough freezing power…

He keeps his bored expression, continuing to goad Luffy into attacking first. “Why are you bothering to protect her? The world would be better off without that woman.”

The pressure is almost tangible, and the ice user is frozen for a moment by the fire in the others eyes, and maybe the trembling wasn’t from the cold but from rage. The straw hatted pirate growls before dropping into a low crouch, skin growing hot, burning with the instinct to fight.

He charges at the marine, dodging low to avoid the first ice attack, and kicks Aokiji into the air, before launching a barrage of multiple attacks.

It’s still just child’s play, to Kuzan, and his control over his ice abilities allows him to melt and freeze, avoiding the punches and kicks, until he’s close enough to wrap the feisty captain in the mimic of an embrace.

Within seconds Monkey D. Luffy is taken care of, a frozen statue mid-punch.

Kuzan stands in front of his ice sculpture, monologuing his thoughts to the immobile, silent pirate.

“…You’re not at all what I expected, Straw Hat Luffy. It would be so simple to shatter you right here and be done with it…” He pauses for a long moment, considering, before turning to leave, grabbing his jacket off an ice spire.

“I owed you one for Crocodile. But…Let’s not meet again.”

 

———

They are all sleeping in the kitchen, but no one awakes when he jolts up straight with a gasp, heart beating fast, a clawing dread that doesn’t start to fade until he can grasp his hat, a mindless hand groping along the ground next to him, searching out until it finds the thatched brim of the straw hat.

His fingers worry the edge, the small bits of straw that have started poking out over time, and the panic and distress die down into a simmer as Luffy looks around the Merry’s kitchen, counting its occupants.

—

Zoro is startled awake by a cold weight dropping on his chest. His instincts aren't screaming so he doesn't move immediately, opening his eyes after a moment to see.

“Luffy?"

His captain is indeed responsible for the pressure on top of him, but the feeling of cold was disturbing. Luffy, normally so warm was freezing, shivering despite the heavy blanket he dragged up with him, and Zoro carefully wrapped his arms around the other pirate.

The last time he held Luffy so close was only a few hours ago, but back then he was crashing into sea as carefully as he could, holding onto his iced-over captain, rubbing the places he could with trembling hands in the slightly warmer rolls of waves

He stays under the surf for a long time, past the burn growing in his lungs, ignoring the way his vision starts blacking out, until Sanji is pulling both of them towards the surface.

It took a lot more than that to finally defrost the two of them, Luffy and Robin, and the remaining crew carried out their evening tasks in eerie silence, falling asleep in the only room on Merry that could fit all of them, and all the blankets and piles of clothes and fabric they could find.

“Why are you outside? You’re freezing…”

The rubber pirate smiled happily and cuddled into the alpha. Luffy takes in the feeling, letting the heat from his chest melt away the cold that had settled in his bones, surrounded by the warmth and comfort of his swordsman’s scent, sighing with contentness.

“Ahh…I was cold, and you weren’t there.” He whispers, giggling as he sticks his cold nose into Zoro’s skin, sliding his hands up the other’s shirt to absorb as much heat as possible, making the other stiffen from the sudden temperature.

Luffy purrs in appreciation when Zoro brings up his warm hands to run through hair. Eventually, brushing back the hair from the other’s temple, the swordsman sees the braid keeping the hair away from the jewelry glinting in the low moonlight. Zoro ghosts his thumb along the curve of the dark haired pirate’s ear, before returning to card through his messy hair

After a relished moment, before Luffy will melt into a much warmer sleep, he props his head up just enough to meet the gaze of the green haired pirate.

Their faces close together, soft breaths mingling together, the cold of night making the air almost visible. It’s dark tonight, darker than most nights, with the threat of storm clouds covering the light of the stars. The only thing to guide them through the pitch black of night was the crescent moon overhead, whenever the clouds parted enough to let the soft light through.

Zoro was looking at him with slight concern, and Luffy isn’t sure why until his swordsman reaches a careful thumb to his cheek, rubbing away barely dried tear tracks. He hopes the other doesn’t question why…

“Luffy, what happened?”

“Nothing important. Just a bad dream.” It’s a simple, truthful answer, and Luffy lets his head fall back onto the other’s chest, pulling the stolen blanket over both their heads.

It’s softly quiet and intimate, the whispered offer, under the heavy blanket, “…Do you want to talk about it?”

It would be so easy to fall into Zoro and let everything that’s been troubling him go.

But he was supposed to be stronger than that.

Instead Luffy grabs his hand, interlacing their fingers, and squeezes. “It’s okay.”

Zoro hates the continuously growing unease that won’t stop gnawing at his chest, the cold from before never quite thawing all the way.

Notes:

THANK YOU FOR READING and I hope u enjoyed <3!!!!!

Some alternative titles for this chapter include:
“Law and his Very Bad, Terrible, No Good Day”
“Roronoa Zoro: the reckless dumbass 100% convinced he's not a reckless dumbass”
“How many times can i use the words guards/officials/agents/enemies to describe the bad guy fodder without having to name or develop them in anyway”
“Let’s take this scene……and make it 20% more emo :)”

Things that un/fortunately didn’t make the final cut:

1: the whole island/contest originally had nothing to do with pirates or fighting hahaha. In fact, one of the competitions was going to be ballroom dancing ú_ù I think that would have just made zoro more upset lol
2: I toyed around with the idea of having one of doflamingo’s officers/agents to be in charge/the big baddie (Dellinger being one of my top picks) or even have doffy show up for a sec BUT I decided to…not further complicate it haha
3: YES I didn’t include long ring long land or the davy back arc and no I will not. I suffered thru those arcs too many times to try and recreate them. they are fun and good i just *sighing, falling to the ground in a heap* dont have the desire to write em
3.5: I was going to………..include the Omatsuri island movie instead of those hahahaha but I felt it would make it even more angsty so I cut mostly all of it. I think the only thing that remains is luff having a nightmare :’)

Anyway lol

Please leave me comment :))! Any comments long or short will be caressed gently and kissed lovingly on the forehead (idc that comments don’t have foreheads. If u don’t want ur comment to be smooched u can have a little snack instead :))) ) Concrit/suggestions always welcome as well!!

EDIT: i drew my own fanart to celebrate 500 kudos (THANK U GUYS LOL) you can check it out here!

edit x2 electric boogaloo (6/29/2022): i am still working on the next chapter!!!! soon soon....i hope lol water seven is such a doozy....

Chapter 15: Precipitation (I of II)

Summary:

Water Seven: Day One :o

Notes:

*slides in with a huge stack of loose paper, but slides too far and crashes into the wall, papers scattering everywhere*

Lol im so SO SO sorry it took so freaking long to write this TToTT i have been sad u_u life is hard sometimes my dudes

I hope its somewhat acceptable ahaha D:
water seven is my favorite arc so I spent a lot of time thinking about this ⊙a⊙;; I actually had several of these scenes planned/started before I began writing chapter 1 but I had to rewrite them bc they sucked lol so I sincerely hope they don’t still suck lol….. ú,où, I hope u enjoy anyway!!!
mmmm warning it gets...angsty únù

—5:45 AM, the Grand Line—

 

Merry watches the sun break the horizon. The coming of dawn; the sky erupting in a storm of colors: pinks, reds, and oranges slowly bleeding into a brilliant blue, the light shimmering on the ocean’s softly moving waves.

Sanji had woken long before, as is his habit, and Merry enjoyed the rising morning sun with the cook, as he enjoyed a cup of coffee (and a familiar cigarette) on her back deck.

The blond alpha had exchanged greetings with the last person on watch, Usopp, who went back down into the sleeping cabins to catch another hour or two of sleep.

The next to wake was Robin, who woke without a sound. Merry would have been concerned when the woman spent a good amount of time laying still in bed, staring up at the wooden ceiling, if it wasn’t a daily habit.

Eventually Nami had awoken, sitting up immediately with a big yawn. The two, sharing a room, begin to converse when the navigator had noticed the other was awake.

While this was happening, across the hall in the boys’ cabin, Luffy had fallen out of his hammock with a loud smack onto the floor. He didn’t wake from his slumber, drool dripping out of his mouth to form a puddle, sleepily whispering about something assumably tasty.

It didn’t wake the others, save for Chopper, who scrambled out of bed to check on the fallen captain. It takes the doctor a moment to remember Luffy was rubber, and realize he was more than okay. He was a little miffed about being woken from his dream (he was in a world made of sweets…) but did nothing more than throw a glare to the sleeping pirate, and grumbled on his way to the bathroom.

Merry loved peaceful mornings like this, when there was no emergency weather or surprise attack to wake the crew all at once, and they instead woke one by one, in their own unique ways.

Robin had met Chopper on the outside deck, and the two exchanged greetings while they headed towards the kitchen, where Sanji, expecting the pair’s arrival, pours warm beverages for the earliest risers.

Nami takes her time deciding what to wear, trying on a few different options, and in that time Luffy had rolled dangerously close to the puddle of his own spit. Merry does her best to ride a wave that shifts her planks just enough to keep him from such a fate, and before it can happen again the omega’s eyes have snapped open.

He’s up and in the kitchen without a moment to lose, and not missing a beat, the cook had thrown him a bulb of garlic, instructions to peel it, and a warning to be patient for breakfast; or else…

The captain glares at Sanji’s turned back but dutifully sits down next to the archeologist at the table, beginning to struggle to peel away the thin, papery skin. His mild annoyance is gone within seconds (especially when Sanji gives him a glass of juice, a cured sausage, and a pat on the head), and he joins the easy conversation between the three pirates already there.

Usopp wakes up next, and by the time he’s groggily joined the others at the table, Nami has finally made her way into the upper deck’s cabin and breakfast was almost ready, sounds of sizzling searing and bubbling boiling and the conversation becoming more and more boisterous.

Moments before he’s ready to serve the much anticipated meal, Sanji asks where their missing swordsman is.

Merry knows the green haired pirate is still fast asleep downstairs, snoring loudly. Luffy volunteers to go wake him up and he speeds down to the lower depths to do so, poking Zoro until he wakes up with a jolt, leveling an angry glare at his captain.

Luffy laughs and presses a kiss to his nose, and the alpha blushes before pushing the other out of the way, swinging out of the hammock.

Merry lets her attention drift back to the rest of the crew in the kitchen as the captain and his swordsman linger downstairs in the gentle morning.

After morning chores and breakfast has been concluded, Usopp was the first to disappear below deck again, wandering the less used spaces of the ship. A calloused hand stroking the more worn beams of wood, softly whispered but excited promises of repair confessed in the sea damp air, and she of course hears the sniper’s comforting words.

After a few hours, they cross paths with a large frog. The amphibian is swimming against the ocean waves, not like a frog would, but rather using a more human form of crawling in the sea, legs kicking up the salty spray. The attention (and excitement) of the crew is immediately piqued, and Merry is steered towards their next adventure.

Listening to the conversations and familiar bickering of the crew she loves so dearly, she holds herself together; patched over planks, loosening metal fittings, but flag flown with pride, sails still catching the wind, moving ever forward. The small crew and their tiny ship in the wide vastness of the sea.

 

—12:14 PM, Grand Line, approaching the island of Water Seven—

 

The island of Water Seven lies up ahead, every swell of wave taking Merry closer. Just having departed the train station, the crew had busied themselves preparing for the soon-to-come embarkment.

Merry bobbed along, the rise and fall of the ocean cradling her closer and closer to their next destination.

Chopper and Robin had eventually retreated to the corner of the lower deck. Their conversation was hushed, and the quiet words are carried away too quickly on the growing winds, but Merry finds herself worried nonetheless. The impatient way the young doctor is tapping his hooves against each other wouldn’t have raised much concern (common occurrence as it is) but Robin hiding her fidgeting hands behind her back, thumb mindlessly rubbing against an index finger, was unsettling to the now troubled ship.

Sanji, with all his chivalrous duty and pride, easily followed behind Nami to collect the Skypeian gold from below deck, preparing satchels to carry the artifacts to be exchanged for cash Belli.

Luffy, of course, was sat atop her figurehead, seated between the horns of the lamb and grinning. Merry didn’t need words to feel the excitement he was radiating.

Zoro hasn’t left his captain’s side, not quite yet, but at some point he had sat down on the deck, railing at his back, and enjoyed the swaying of the ship on the surface of the water.

When he opens his eyes again, Luffy had slipped down to the deck and was standing next to the relaxing swordsman, arms resting on the rail in front of him.

The smoke from the sea train was still visible in the sky, a dark and cloudy trail leading away from the city. They would be close enough to start docking procedures any moment now, and Zoro squinted up at his captain, the sun right overhead blinding in the moment.

Luffy was looking out at the sea, expression neutral save for a small smile. He looks down when he notices Zoro’s shifting movements, and the smile grows wider.

With a gesturing nod to the approaching city, the swordsman starts, “We’re almost there…”

He can see the eagerness in Luffy’s wide eyes when the dark haired pirate answers with a chirped affirmative.

“I take it you’re excited.”

“Of course, Zoro! Didn’t you hear all the great things that old lady talked about? This island is going to be so cool! And we’ll have a whole week to explore and find the perfect shipwright to join us.”

The wind ruffles Luffy’s hair, and Zoro finally smiles back; how could he resist when faced with such excitement and joy.

He stands up, stretches with a wide yawn, and joins his captain at the rail to watch the seas, the waves rolling the ship along. The swordsman isn’t expecting the conversation to continue, Luffy’s brain visibly filling with ideas and expectations about what they’ll find on Water Seven, and the call to dock imminent.

The silent moment shared between the two lasts until Luffy bumps his shoulder against the other’s, and Zoro looks inquisitively at the rubber pirate.

Luffy has a light blush on his cheeks, and looks away with a nervous scrunch of his face. He takes minute to think before seemingly coming to a decision, and turns to the green haired alpha with a determined look.

He opens his mouth to speak, but is interrupted before any words are spoken.

They had finally arrived to the island.

 

—12:31 PM, a rocky shore on the outskirts of the island—

 

“I can’t believe they made us dock all the way out here! We’re going to have to walk forever!”

Nami, hands on her hips, is squinting in the direction of civilization. The alpha woman was the first to depart, Usopp following not far behind. They stood on solid ground, a field of dirt and rocks out of sight of the main city gates, where the Straw Hats had been instructed to dock their ship at (since they were pirates, and everything.)

“I hope it’s not as far as it looks…” The sniper remarks, before trying to pick up one of the large sacks of gold they would have to carry.

Robin and Chopper were also planning on entering the city, and the archeologist was waiting for the young doctor by the railing. The reindeer in his human form, and their captain, were up on the main mast’s spar, securing the main sail up.

Zoro was leaning against the mast. He was staying behind, but would see the others off before getting comfortable.

Robin offers him a smile, “I hope you and the cook find yourselves getting along well in our absence.”

The swordsman rolls his eyes with a scoff. “I’d prefer if one of you took him along.”

Not willing to volunteer, she remains silent, but her smile grows a little cheekier.

The two in the sails suddenly landed on the main deck, Luffy holding the doctor, now in brain point. Chopper, still not fully used to the rubber pirate’s favorite method of traveling (whatever is fastest), shakes the disorientation away. He’s excited to see the new island, and goes to grab his backpack straps, but find it missing.

“I’ll go get my bag and then we can go, Robin!” He yells over his shoulder as he runs off.

The straw hatted pirate jumps off, wasting no time on climbing ladders to leave the ship, and stirs up a cloud of dust in front of the navigator and sniper when he lands.

Nami, after coughing away the dust and an annoyed slap delivered to her careless captain, remembers something. She says something quietly to Luffy, who immediately averts his eyes, lips puckering in an attempt to lie (badly.) The alpha shoves him around, whispering a fervent command.

Face red, he shouts out his swordsman’s name.

Zoro suddenly feels nervous, but he’s not sure why. He waits for Luffy to continue, and the dark haired pirate eventually does, pointing purposefully at the alpha.

“Zoro! Go on a date with me!”

The swordsman immediately feels the heat rush to his head, even more when the other three of the crew react with fond humor.

But Luffy’s attention was only on him, and wasn’t fazed by the various muffled giggles. Their stifled laughs, the unfamiliarity with the situation, and the weight of his captain’s gaze made Zoro feel awkward, suddenly unsure how to proceed.

Luffy takes his silence as reluctance, and he begins to ramble,

“It would be really fun! We could even take the sea train to one of the other islands and explore or we could go eat somewhere and I promise to not get in any fights if you also promise, and well, it doesn’t have to be a date I guess—”

“Luffy! I’ll go on a date with you…” His heart beating hard in his chest, he starts off strong before trailing off, suddenly remembering their audience. He can hear Robin smirking behind a polite hand, and Usopp and Nami’s cheering is abhorrent.

But no amount of embarrassment compares to the fluttering warmth when Luffy smiles a soft, secret grin at him before erupting into a brilliant beam. After a second, he’s turning away, picking up one sack of gold like it was weightless and easily grabbing the other one from the struggling beta. There’s a bounce in his step (that his two companions fail to keep up with) as he confidently walks towards the city to take care of business, excited for what the future will bring.

 

—2:21 PM, inner shopping district—

 

So much can change within a couple of hours.

With her head tilted downward, the hood draping into her field of vision, there wasn’t much to see. The broad back in front of her, covered in a checkered cloak, covered much of her view. Then, the wooden bottom of the Yagura bulls’ boat, and as narrow as it is, on the sides she can see the sparkling green-blue of the sea water canals they were traveling down.

When the afternoon sun shone on the water just right, you could look down and see schools of fish, seaweed and other aquatic plants gently waving in the currents, and the years of drowned architecture that provided the foundation for the newer buildings on top.

The ruined structures weren’t a secure foundation, by any means, and building and building on top of rotting wood and crumbling stone could only spell disaster for future generations. She wondered if they’ve even begun to think about a better solution, or if the people of this city see no hope in such an unsustainable situation.

The only other thing that she could observe was herself, her hands restless in her lap.

She willed her wringing hands to stop, years of practice locking away her body’s tells of fear and worry aiding her, and she attempts to focus on the present moment only.

But she can’t help her wandering mind.

Admiral Aokiji stood tall in her memories, she could almost feel the biting cold from ice and snow, the freeze crawling up her arms, her neck, swallowing her whole. Worse, the alarmed concern from the crew around her, the targeted rage at the admiral in front of them, all in her defense.

“You’re still the same old Nico Robin. Trouble following you like curse.”

She feels cold, and crosses her arms, hiding her hands from sight. Her distress stayed hidden, deep in her eyes, cast downward.

She considers the masked man sitting with his back to him. Maybe he was confident she wouldn’t do anything in broad daylight, surrounded on all sides by unknowing locals. More likely, the government agent was sure he could handle anything she could throw at him.

She’s heard enough of Cipher Pol 9 to know her chances of winning in hand to hand combat were miniscule.

But surely, someone couldn’t survive a snapped neck. The agent hadn’t restrained her: it would be easy to bloom a pair of hands across the wide-set shoulders in front of her. She could run, steal a ship, disappear, and never look back.

He’s confident she’ll behave, not for any of the previous reasons, but because he’s already revealed the stakes. And it wasn’t something she would risk.

Her expression remained unreadable but her inner self was in turmoil—grief, anger, mourning for something she had never let herself long for and was barely able to embrace before it so easily started crumbling apart in her hands.

It wasn’t fair, was it? But nothing ever has been.

It really seemed like things were going good, actually. The incredible luck she had finding another poneglyph so soon after the last (disregarding the hopeless moment in between she had all but given up on her dream)…and finally finding a group of people that were so warm. Accepting and loving—

She takes a deep, controlled breath. In, and out.

It’s only fitting the thing she never let herself dare to fantasize about, but stumbled into by chance, would be her ultimate downfall. It was foolish of her to think they would be spared her cruel curse.

She was beginning to be more aware of the emotions around her, the scents people leave unchecked mingling through the canal, trailing behind boats and swirling in the air. Even in the wide open space, it was getting harder for her to breathe, and so she anchored her focus to the man in the front of the boat. She could never be grateful to such a horrible person, but she took advantage of the absence of projected emotions.

Despite her attempts to ground herself, a clearly concerned scent spiked to her left as their bull crossed an intersection. She should have better control, she’ll lament to herself later, but she looks up to meet eyes with Sanji.

The cook is looking at her and her companion, his confusion and worry clear on his face, and with her current state she could scent him even from this distance.

The warmth of a spicy vanilla and cloves, and the comforting familiarity of cigarette smoke called to her like a promise of love and safety. It’s too much, her heart felt like it was pulling out of her chest.

She was lucky it was over just as quick, their two bulls headed in opposite directions, the covering of the crowded canal blocking her from the cook’s sight. She refocuses on shutting down her own emotions, determined not to let the CP9 agent know her truest feelings.

What was so evil about her and her dreams that the world’s authority could make use of such drastic measures?

It didn’t matter. She couldn’t run now, not with who was at stake this time.

 

—2:29 PM, Galley La: Dock One—

 

It was already a bright, but cloudy afternoon by the time Luffy, Nami, and Usopp had been able to exchange their gold. Luckily it didn’t take as long getting to the shipyard the Stationmaster, Kokoro, had instructed them to find, briefcases full of paper Belli fresh and ready to be exchanged for goods and services.

Goods and services all relating to the repair of Merry! Usopp smiled at the thought, both hands gripping two of the cases, a lightness in his gait as he followed behind his crew mates as they were led to the to shipyard’s entrance.

The gates of Dock One were imposing, raising far past their heads, stretching into the sky. Usopp wouldn’t have believed such incredibly large slabs of stone could be used without the help of giants, and yet, two of the foreman of Galley La pushed the doors open with ease.

Usopp felt a bit wary, and vowed to keep an eye on them.

Paulie especially, the sniper thought as he stared suspiciously at the unaware jean jacketed man. Almost stealing their money was enough to tick him off, but the with the speed he fell into trading blows with his fellow shipwright made the beta feel apprehensive.

As for the Lucci guy: Usopp was thankful the other foreman recovered their cash, but he was unnervingly strong and fast, and talking mostly through a pigeon was a little strange.

Still, the real creeps were the Franky Family Ship Dismantlers. Going around taking apart perfectly good ships just because they belong to pirates and they can get away with it is real low. And Iceberg’s warning about their leader made Usopp even more concerned.

Concerns and thoughts of suspicion momentarily melted away when the doors opened enough for Usopp to take in the experience of the bustling shipyard.

Iceberg, the mayor of the city and president of Galley La, welcomed the Straw Hats into the yard with a gesture and a kind smile, “Why don’t you come in, I’ll show you three around.”

His secretary, Kalifa, tone and expression as evenly pleasant as before, except for the annoyance conveyed by her pen tapping against her clipboard, “Sir, your meeting at 2:45 with the…”

The beta looks a little disappointed, and pets the head of the mouse in his suit jacket pocket with his index finger thoughtfully. “Ah, can you reschedule that?”

“Consider it done,” is the blonde woman’s reply, quick and ready, falling off to the side to speak into a transponder snail.

Nami watches her, puzzled. “Is that really okay?"

Paulie replies, pointedly looking away from the orange haired alpha. “Iceberg is the mayor, and everybody loves him, so people are fine with letting him do whatever he wants.”

Usopp rolls his eyes. That sounds like someone else he knows. But still…It was kind of unusual for a beta to have such a high position of authority. And Iceberg was apparently widely respected and well-liked, maybe even more so than any alpha leader the sniper can recall.

“Dock One is where the Galley-La company’s strength is concentrated. We take on our most difficult requests here.” Iceberg explains, leading them into the fray.

It’s noisy and chaotic, sounds of construction and yelling leaving not a quiet moment. Usopp’s never heard so many tools ringing out as things are hammered into place, rope and woods creaking in protest about being moved or strained.

The president is offering a brief history and boasting some interesting achievements of his company, but the marksman has long stopped paying attention.

His eyes are darting around the innards of Dock One. The amount of busy workers swarming the yard, some crossing with directed purpose right in front of the sniper, was amazing. But his gaze eventually travels to the center of activity, his feet automatically pulling him towards his interest.

In the center of the shipyard is the beginnings of a large galleon that seems to occupy most of the shipwrights’ concern, but they all stop their tasks to greet the company’s president as he leads the group through the bustling workplace.

His attention is ultimately grabbed by a few distraught carpenters, looking to settle a disagreement. He becomes wrapped up in their discussion, offering them his full focus once they have it.

Luffy likes him. He comments, smiling, “The ice guy is pretty popular!”

“Of course,” Kalifa answers, “Skill means everything in this city, and his brilliance and skill has never diminished.” She pushes her glasses up before continuing, “He united many factions of shipwrights under the name Galley La, and the workmen respect him for his leadership and passion for carpentry,”

The two workers who had pulled Iceberg aside were listening to the beta’s proposed solution, and it must be an agreeable one as they both start to look pleased.

“The shipwrights here have pride in their skills, so they don’t back down to criminals…or authority.” The secretary finishes with a small smirk towards the straw hatted captain. Nami narrows her eyes.

Luffy’s already heard enough and interrupts the president’s discussion with a few claps on the taller man’s back. Grinning, he asks, “I heard you’re a pretty good shipwright, old man! Do you wanna join my crew?”

Nami facepalms, Paulie and Kalifa both inhale small, but sharp gasps of air at the omega’s brazen attitude. The navigator hoped Luffy’s stubborn impulsiveness wouldn’t cost them this time…

Iceberg, however, takes it in stride, and just looks at the young captain with concern and doubt, “You don’t have a single carpenter on your ship?”

He smiles, nodding. "That’s why were here! To fix our ship and find a new crew mate!”

“Well, there’s plenty of shipwrights around.” The president gestures out into the busy crowd of workers, “If you can find someone willing to join a pirate crew, you’re welcome to take them.”

“Hmm…” Luffy is looking around, but seems uninterested, “What about you?”

Nami is going to kill him. She risks peeking one eye through parted fingers, and feels the relief wash over her seeing the mayor of Water Seven just look mildly confused but with good humor at her captain. He answers Luffy’s second offer, “I can’t, I’m the mayor…”

“So?” He questions, with a petulant tilt of his head.

Iceberg decides to moves the conversation along, asking as evenly as possible, “By the way, is there a woman named Nico Robin on your ship?”

Luffy, all smiles before, has suddenly become an unreadable stone wall, and Iceberg is surprised by the sudden change, eyebrows raising. Nami has also stiffened, Kalifa notes, watching the other alpha from the corner of her eye.

“Why?”

The beta considers him, considers the steel in the straw hatted pirate’s tone, and begins to open his mouth, but is interrupted by someone jumping down from the sky, landing gracefully near the group. The long-nosed man’s entrance breaks the sudden tense atmosphere.

Paulie is the first to greet the other foreman. “Kaku? Where the fuck were you?”

The alpha faces him, pointing a thumb towards the two gathered Straw Hats, “I was assessing their ship…”

 

—2:42 PM, Dock One—

 

Usopp, distracted by all the everything happening around him, had spotted a demi-culverin cannon, all polished metal and assuredly destructive explosive force, and with stars in his eyes he wanders even farther away from the group to admire it.

A hand quickly covers his mouth, and his screams are muffled to nothing over the pounding tools and machinery, the stressed yelled out orders and exclamations of success; the overall noisy chaos of the ship building yard.

The familiar feeling of dread; a cold sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, as he twists his head violently to get a look at his assailants.

With widening eyes, he realizes they were dressed the same as the guys before; the Franky Family they had been warned about. How did they get in here? And how could he get away?

He tries to reach in his pocket for his slingshot, a tabasco bomb, a dial, anything of use, but he’s restrained and pulled away before he’s able to retaliate at all.

It happens within seconds, but Usopp feels the time stretch on infinitely as he struggles against his captors, furiously angry but too weak to escape their hold.

Luffy and Nami, swept up in the chaos of Dock One and the sudden news of Merry, don’t notice Usopp’s absence. Not until it’s too late.

 

—2:45 PM, Dock One—

 

Iceberg was a little annoyed about his employee dropping in right as he was going to very politically wring out some information from their surprisingly friendly pirating guests. He was under the impression it would have been easier; the short captain painted a picture of blissful naivety, but it seemed he was able to show a more discerning side when it came to his crew. As any good leader should.

It’s just…That woman’s face has been haunting his thoughts for so many years. He was endlessly curious about her.

Nico Robin was supposedly sailing with the Straw Hat pirates, and Iceberg considered the two members of that crew in front of him. The captain and navigator had both gone on tangents requesting new additions to their ship (some a little outlandish…) but the entire group’s attention diverts back to Kaku when he holds up a hand for them to stop, frowning.

“Now, wait.” He looks apologetic, but keeps his assessment to the point. “In short, the battle damage to your ship is too immense. You probably had a grand journey.”

Luffy, counting off their adventures on his fingers one at a time, “Yeah! We climbed mountains, flew to the sky, got skewered…” He trails off with a frown, before his smile reappears. "A lot happened, so please fix her up really good!”

The navigator crosses her arms. “Will it take long?”

Kaku shakes his head. “You’re not understanding. I’ll give it to you straight: even with all the skill of Galley La, your ship can’t be fixed. The damage…It’s too much.”

Iceberg could tell the straw hatted captain wouldn’t take this information easily, the small pirate visibly riling up, brow furrowing with disbelief and annoyance.

Kaku sees this too, and elaborates even further, spreading his hands wide with sincerity. “If we repair the ship, do all that we can, the chance you would all be able to reach the next island would still be zero.”

“But she’s been sailing just like she always has!”

“Was it the keel?” Paulie interrupts to ask.

The foreman nods once in affirmative, his baseball cap shading his eyes. “Yes. It was badly damaged."

 

—3:30 PM, aboard the Going Merry—

 

It was still a beautiful sunny day, but Merry could see the cloud front, far past the observable edge of the sea, beginning to build.

She could hear the fish and other sea creatures murmur warnings to each other, those who can, swimming to safer waters, and those who can’t, looking for safe shelter deep within the volcanic rock littering the sea bed, pores and broken pieces providing security for those lucky enough to find an empty spot. Some of the more unlucky critters were discussing leaving their home on the shore to venture into the human city, despite the risks.

Something big must be on the horizon.

On the upper front deck, near her figurehead, three of the crew were gathered.

Most of the time, Merry doesn’t mind being a ship. It’s all she’s ever known, after all, and she wouldn’t want it any other way.

Except the few moments she wished her captain wasn’t the only one who could hear her. If only she could muster enough energy…

“So dark and deadly’s gone AWOL.”

Zoro appears collected, but he can’t hide from her; the way his feet shift uncomfortably on the planks of the ship’s deck tells of his true feelings.

Sanji is at the railing, looking off into the city, but turns his head to hiss at the other alpha, glaring at the swordsman. “Don’t be so nonchalant! She’s a delicate flower, you ass. Something could have happened to her….”

Chopper, never afraid to show his emotions, was the most visibly distraught at the moment, eyes watering with stress and grief. The small reindeer looked to the lamb head facing ever forward.

“And the Going Merry…She can’t be fixed? Even if we have the money?”

Merry knew, of course she already knew.

She has been well aware of each splintering plank of wood, each rusting nail, the tattering of her sails, the creaking of her metalworks, the fractures in the once so sturdy wood.

The broken keel: the foundation of her body beginning to crack apart, still holding together for now. She had patched it up herself, after all, and she knew it was only a matter of time before even all her effort, let alone the crew’s, wouldn’t be enough to keep her in one piece.

She knew she was nearing the end of her life; that wasn’t what worried her. Honestly, she was mostly worried about Robin. She doubts the archeologist knows, but Merry listened to every late night confessional the woman whispered to the ship when sleep was unreachably far.

And then…She was worried that if even these three are taking the news hard, what must the others think?

“What will we do…” Chopper looks to each of the older men.

Zoro answers, his arms crossed. “It’s ultimately up to Luffy and the other two to decide. I’m sure the three of them will come up with a solution back at the shipbuilding site.”

Sanji finally turns fully around, “But how can Merry be unfixable? It sounds so drastic! I mean, the ship looks the same as always.” A strong gust a wind blows against the three, the resulting waves causing Merry to sway. “From the East Blue all the way here, it made it across the sea just as we did.”

“Humans become stronger and more resilient each time they cross the sea…But ships are different, they accumulate stress and damage.”

“It just sticks in my craw!” The cook finally lights the cigarette waiting in his mouth, one hand shielding the fire from the wind until the end begins to smolder. He inhales and exhales a lungful of smoke, the gray cloud dispersing quickly in the sea breeze. “I wonder what Usopp will say when he hears about this…”

Chopper is back to watching her figurehead. “But I love Merry…”

“We all feel that way, but we can’t change reality.”

“What an upsetting afternoon…”

The Going Merry’s panels and junctions creaked together as the wave pulled in and off of the shore, rocking the weary ship.

Sanji perks up when he sees someone moving across the rocky shore towards the ship. His intrigued is quickly replaced by the concerned expression he’s worn since returning to the ship that day, seeing their navigator running all alone. He calls out to her, “Nami! did something happen?”

As soon as she’s close enough, she starts explaining.

“Usopp was abducted and beat up by the Franky Family!” The three on the ship were shocked, and Sanji and Chopper both begin to speak over each other, asking for more details, but Nami had stopped for second, hands on her thighs, heaving in gulps of air to catch her breath.

As soon as she can, she further explains that the Franky Family had stolen their money, and Usopp was lying in the street somewhere in the city. After finishing, she looks down, ashamed she had to leave him there on her own, that she wasn’t strong enough to carry him back on her own.

Chopper immediately runs for his med bag, and Sanji has already leapt onto the ground. He takes a moment to check in with Nami, a meaningful look briefly exchanged, and quickly after Chopper jumps from the ship in Walk Point. He runs in front of Nami, demanding her attention.

“We’ll make sure Usopp is okay! But please stay here and keep an eye out for Robin, we don’t know where she is!”

Nami feels her heart sink even lower, anxiety and dread a cold pit in her stomach.

The two men begin to impatiently start towards the city, not quite at full speed so the lagging swordsman could follow behind them.

Zoro is worried for the sniper just as much as they are, but he can’t help but wonder about…

Nami stops him as he’s passing her with a hand on his shoulder. She pushes down, bringing him a little closer to her height, “Hey, Luffy’s fine. He’s out somewhere bouncing around the city looking for Usopp too.”

Zoro grunts in acknowledgement, starts to pull away, but stops. He looks at Nami and states plainly, “You should arm yourself with a few more weapons. They might come back here for the rest of the cash, and scaredy cat like you needs all the firepower you can get.”

Nami feels the infuriation and annoyance momentarily overwhelm the grief and worry that’s been building all day. She gives him a painful jab in the side, “Of course I’m going to do that! But not because you told me, you idiot.”

Zoro gives her a rare grin before turning and running, and she suddenly appreciates the gesture for what it was—a brief brush of normalcy amidst the turmoil.

The navigator boards the ship, the winds near the sea stronger than those in the city, and the airy flow brushes past her, the waves near the shore picking up on the breeze and continuing to rock the otherwise still ship.

“Hey, guys!” She yells from Merry’s deck, the sun behind them but still high in the sky.

The trio of pirates on the island turn to look back at her, and she cups her hands around her mouth so her next words are loud and clear,

“When you find the Franky Family…Kick their asses!”

 

—5:36 PM, location of what was once the Franky Family’s headquarters—

 

The Franky Family house is in ruins, the building completely destroyed and abandoned by the fleeing family members that were still conscious, looking for refuge from the city in their defeat.

The decorative moon rested on the ground in the middle of the destruction, bent and chipped but still the largest structure intact, and Luffy stood atop it, looking off into the horizon.

Zoro and Sanji sat in the ruins. They are silent in the wreckage they created, the only sounds were of the sea, of the wind, and the quiet words of Chopper.

The doctor was up the path, mumbling as he stabilized Usopp enough for the sniper to be moved. He normally carried on a one sided banter as he worked, making sure he followed procedures by reciting the steps aloud, and reassuring his patient in soft tones.

But even at a distance, Sanji could hear the distress in the reindeer’s voice. Beating up the culprits wasn’t enough for them. He asks Zoro, still watching the doctor and sniper from afar.

“Should we go after that Franky guy?”

The green haired pirate, cleaning his blade meticulously (although Sanji has seen him wipe the same spot a few times now. He wouldn’t call out the other for needed something to busy his hands.) answers without looking up.

“Where? None of them know where their boss went, and even if we caught up, if he’s already spent all the money, what’s the point?”

Sanji wanted something to do with his hands as well. He left his box of cigarettes back at the ship, and must have lost the one from his pocket he was saving. He flicked the lid on and off his lighter instead, watching the flames appearing and dousing repeatedly.

“We can’t just wait around here for him to show up.”

Zoro doesn’t respond for a few long moments, and when Sanji looks up to regard him, he sees the swordsman staring up at Luffy. Their captain was facing away from them still.

Chopper calls out from his seat on the ground next to Usopp, “I’m done with the emergency first-aid! Help me put him on a gurney, please!”

Sanji is standing up before the reindeer finishes. “Let’s go back to ship. We have a lot of other problems to deal with.”

The cook turns to call out to their captain, but stops. Luffy speaks instead, still facing the setting sun far past the edge of the shore.

A wind picks up, and the breeze is always, at first, welcomed by pirates. It’s cool on their bodies post-battle, and good winds led to progress always forward on the seas.

“About the ship…I’ve decided.”

It whispers along skin, twirling strands of hair. But something at the tail end is biting and cold, sharp like a harshly whispered warning.

 

—7:13 PM, aboard the Going Merry—

 

“I will never turn my back on this ship! Are you all crazy? You got taken in by bunch of big-time shipwrights just cause they talk smart!”

The whole crew, minus Robin, were gathered in Merry’s kitchen. Usopp, not a care at the moment for his own injuries or what had become of the Franky Family, had just barely woken up before he was asking what the plans for fixing the ship were.

The sniper was still laid out on the extra cot, but the shock at Luffy’s answer was enough to startle him into sitting upright, Chopper immediately asking him to relax and lie back down.

But Usopp couldn’t relax, not after hearing such insanity. He points a bandaged finger towards the straw hatted pirate in front of him.

“The Luffy I know would have seen through their sales pitch and have faith in Merry’s strength!”

Luffy is at least giving the sniper his full attention…But if he thought Usopp would take this decision quietly, and join him happily in perusing the catalog for a new ship, right in Merry’s cabin, he was dead wrong. He continues his accusation, getting angrier as he thinks about it more.

“But instead, you’re giving in and giving up on her just like that? How can you call yourself the ship’s captain?”

—

Notes:

first of all,,,THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR like over 500 kudos im emotional ahhhh,,,,and thank you all for all your nice comments <333333

ALSO one thing about water seven that I loooove is that we get some actual specific times in the story, and their whole adventure in water 7 takes only 2 days. For funsies, and to kind of emphasize the speed at which everything turns to shit and multiple things happening around the same time, I’m using a new style to break up the scenes! I will probably only use this for their duration of water 7 pre-enies lobby, so if you hate it please don’t fret lol

ANYWAY i did not leave it there, next chapter should be already posted hehehe -->

Chapter 16: Precipitation (II of II)

Summary:

Water Seven: end of Day One

Notes:

usopp gets a little nasty....
now, i LOVE usopp. this arc and this fight is actually what made me really enjoy his character
i think sometimes, when one is in pain, its very easy to lose your temper and hide truths in layers of lies said to hurt the people around you ;;

—

“But instead, you’re giving in and giving up on her just like that? How can you call yourself the ship’s captain?”

Luffy snaps back at the affront, words rough. “Don’t think you’re the only one taking this hard! Everyone on this ship feels the same way!”

“Then there’s no way you’d abandon her!”

He says this as he begins clambering to a stand, ignoring the way his body protested against his movements, stiff with exhaustion and jerky with building astonished anger.

“You’re letting everything go to your head. You can’t just follow every whim! How can you just implicitly trust what those guys say?"

Zoro shifts uneasily, arms crossed and swords tapping against the wall.

“I’ve made my decision.”

Usopp, his heart beating hard, snarls, “I won’t allow it!”

Nami attempts to interject, nervous, placating hands raised as she looks between the two of them. “Hey, let’s calm down—”

Luffy is angry now, too, and gives the sniper a hard look, chin raised defiantly: “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Head swimming with disorientation and agitation, pain pounding with each step he takes closer to the straw hatted pirate, he answers without thinking.

Sometimes his tongue got the better of him.

“Maybe someone like you shouldn’t be making these decisions.”

The cold sharpness of the hurt from Luffy that that suddenly filled his senses made Usopp feel defeat for an instant, he didn’t really mean that—

But Luffy has never been one to stay cold for long, and the icy pain is quickly swallowed by his indignant temper, the edge of hot anger like flames, dancing across the small space, licking at the peripheral scent of the others.

He’s angry, his fists clenched tightly, and he’s suddenly in the sniper’s face, looking seconds from taking him out, words getting louder and heated as he goes on,

“if you don’t agree with my decisions, if you don’t think I'm fit to be captain, you can just leav-!”

“Stop!” All attention is turned to Sanji when the cook steps in between the two with a warning. “Don’t say things you’ll regret.”

Usopp scoffs, face tight with irritation. “Let him say it! It’s probably what you all want anyway! Get rid of all the deadweight while you can, right?”

The whole crew is startled by the sniper’s words. Sanji, closest to the beta, reaches a concerned arm out towards him; a plea to calm down and a reassuring familial gesture wrapped in one, “Usopp…”

He bats the hand away, fighting down the flinch from the pain of whacking his likely broken arm. He continues, "It’s obvious isn’t it?”

It feels like all his anger and insecurities begin to boil, pushing the water level higher and higher until all of his emotions are pouring out and he’s no longer able to temper it. The words begin to spill from his mouth.

"I don’t fit in with all of you. Everyone has their role to play on this ship, and it’s plain to see that I'm just extra baggage."

He was wrong Luffy thought, suddenly more anxious instead of angry. “Usopp-"

The sniper doesn’t relent, only growing more upset. “I don’t need to hear your platitudes anymore! I can see it clearly.” He’s stepping back, walking slowly away from them. “You’re all getting stronger and stronger and I can’t keep up. It’s too much.”

He pulls on the anger, the mistrust, the chagrin, smothering his distress and insecurity. He wants them to feel the same hurt and betrayal he feels.

Usopp is only looking at Luffy, the other pirate hiding his eyes with the downward tilt of his hat. The sniper doesn’t see the horror growing in the others faces as the scene continues to play out.

"And now I see what happens to the useless members of this crew. It was only a matter of time before I became the one you all decide to leave behind.”

Luffy is overwhelmed by not only the strength of his own emotions, but Usopp’s ferocity and the others’ distressed scents. He tries to say something but he isn’t sure what will fix things, and when he opens his mouth to try anyway—

Usopp, glowering at the other, growls. “Save it, your actions speak far louder than your words.” His nostrils flare before he scrunches up, going in for what he knows will hurt most.

"And you cant hide the truth with the emotions you're so strongly projecting. Is that how all omegas get their way?”

Luffy immediately smothers everything, cutting off of his scent and it feels like all the warmth was sucked out of the room, a sudden emptiness in that which was once full.

Usopp stumbles from the sudden stark change and immediately regrets all that was said when he sees the blankness in Luffy’s eyes. Blank except for the same emotion that is starting to crawl up his own throat, making it hard to breathe.

Shame.

The guilt rises even faster, and Usopp feels the need to run. Run from the guilt, the shame, the look in Luffy’s eyes that will haunt him more than any beat down by some random gang of thugs.

“I don’t belong here. I’m quitting the crew.”

Nami, Sanji, and Chopper all protest at once, shouting voices overlapping each other, but it doesn’t stop Usopp from limping as fast as he can manage out the door, the air outside eerily still.

The three vocal crew members have followed right behind the sniper, pleading, attempting to reason. But Usopp doesn’t stop, he continues out the door. Down the steps. He throws the ladder over the side, and struggles to climb down.

When he misses the bottom rung, foot slipping, he tumbles to the ground below.

“Don’t!” He barks without looking. Sanji stops Chopper from leaping down to help him.

It takes him a moment, but Luffy eventually heads to the wide open door as well, making his way to the side of the ship where the rest of the crew had gathered, watching Usopp struggle to stand and start walking away again.

Zoro follows just behind his captain, the only one close enough to notice the misery Luffy is keeping under a failing grip, the feeling wrapped around the other pirate like a shroud. The swordsman hopes this is the last of it, until—

“I can’t follow you anymore. Sorry to have been such a burden.” The sniper had stopped to finish speaking to Luffy, but doesn’t yet turn around.

“You’re the captain, and this ship belongs to you. So fight me for her!” He spins around, eyes boring into Luffy’s, gaze unwavering but body swaying from exertion.

“Monkey D Luffy…I challenge you to a duel! Winner takes the Going Merry!”

Luffy nods, once.

Usopp nods as well, mouth a thin line. "Tonight at 10 o’clock. I’ll be back, and we’ll fight it out.” He turns back around to leave, but before he does, he says one last thing over his shoulder.

“And after, I’m leaving our bonds behind.”

Luffy’s heart breaks, and Zoro hears the pieces shattering on the floor.

As the sniper left, the remaining crew waited without a word. None of them were sure what to do now. Chopper breaks the tense silence first.

“…Luffy, aren’t you gonna go after Usopp?”

Sanji answers, shaking hands shoved deep into his pockets. “He challenged Luffy to a duel, there is no going after him.”

“But he’s our friend! They’re not really gonna fight, are they?” The young reindeer had tears rolling down his cheeks.

Nami, head lowered, quickly picks up the doctor and walks away. Sanji stalks off as well, none of them wanting to stay where they had last seen the sniper, none of them ready to talk yet either.

Zoro stays, watching his captain. Waiting.

Luffy isn’t unreadable. Not to him, not anymore. His face is hidden by his straw hat, but the swordsman sees the tenseness in the other’s body, even cut off as they were Zoro could tell Luffy was dealing with a tidal wave of torrential emotions.

He thinks maybe he should say something, and fights to find the words. He’s about to start, not knowing where it will go, but Luffy speaks first.

“I’m going to go take a nap.”

Zoro watches him until the yellow of his straw hat disappears below deck.

Not knowing where to go, the alpha finds himself at the bow of the ship, looking at Merry’s figurehead.

“This day has been pretty shitty, hasn’t it?”

The ship creaks. Zoro almost feels like she answered him. He slumps to the deck, and decides to let her know his thoughts.

“It makes more sense when there’s an enemy to fight. What can I do to help besides slice people up? In a situation like this…It’s hard to not feel unanchored.”

He cranes his head to look back up at the lamb’s head, as it nods, bobbing up and down in the flow of the sea.

“…What would you do, Merry?”

 

— 10:23 PM, the rocky shore—

 

Caltrops littering the ground, hidden beneath the rolling clouds of smokey vapors being emitted by dials the sniper had thrown across the battlefield earlier.

Luffy had avoided nearly all the sharp edged projectiles, landing with a skidded stop, staring at Usopp. He spits out a mix of the pepper bomb from earlier and saliva to the side without breaking his gaze.

The marksman tries not to let it unnerve him. A bead of sweat rolls down the side of his face.

When Luffy finally notices the foggy clouds building higher around them, he speaks for the first time since they had begun their battle.

“Smoke?”

Usopp smirks, he starts preparing his next attack, hand sneaking into the bag at his side. “You didn’t notice when I threw out all those wind dials? You’re currently surrounded by a cloud of gas.”

Luffy had walked into his plan perfectly. This will hurt, he thinks, and he whispers an apology before calling out his attack name and shooting out the small ignitor.

The explosive meets the gas and detonates, a fiery bang with Luffy at the epicenter. The shockwaves from the blast are strong enough to startle the sea, waves curling up and higher and away from the rocky shore, Merry only staying tethered by her anchor.

When the resulting cloud of dust, debris, chunks of rock and Usopp’s scattered ammo begins to clear, the rest of the crew on the ship coughing to clear their airways, Nami calls out their names, squinting to try and see them through the smoke.

Usopp never takes his eyes away from where his opponent was, even as he was knocked back by the force of the explosion, the impact pushing the air from his lungs. As he attempts to regain his breath, body aching, he struggles into standing, and the smoke begins to waft away on the growing winds.

“I know you won’t be defeated by something like that…You said you wouldn’t hold back!”

When he hears the crunch of gravel beneath sandals, he readies his slingshot, and when Luffy appears through the smoke, rearing back to throw a punch, the marksman releases several volleys of projectiles.

Luffy dodges some, more make contact, but he isn’t slowing down, and the straw hatted captain finally gets in a hit.

Usopp had taken plenty of punches before. Earlier that day, he took many, and his body holds all the wounds and pain to prove it.

He’s even taken a few stray fists of the rubber pirate’s before…But Luffy’s never hit him on purpose.

The sniper can feel the other’s anguish when Luffy’s fist reaches him, the emotional pain like a double punch on top of the physical blow.

The straw hatted pirate wasn’t holding back, which is what he wanted. But the beta saw the sparks of gold alight in his eyes for just a second before Luffy tightened his control, and that only pissed him off more.

Even after everything they said to each other, after all the things that spilled out of the sniper’s mouth in unthinking frustration, even if the omega honored his words and didn’t pull his punches; Luffy still didn’t want to hurt Usopp.

They both have angry tears unshed in their eyes when Luffy recovers enough to run in for a bazooka attack, both outstretched arms behind him pulling into a slam headed straight for Usopp.

If it connects, that would be it.

But Usopp’s thought of a counterattack. At the last second before contact, he pulls out an impact dial, and Luffy’s palms collide into that instead.

He smirks again seeing Luffy’s confused expression, feeling worthless but genius at the same time. “It’s a dial. I just absorbed the force of your attack…”

Even if it did, the power of the straw hatted captain was enough to have pushed Usopp back some, and the sniper gathers the rest of his strength to run, closing the short distance between them, dial raised and ready to fire.

It’s too late for Luffy to dodge, and Usopp shoves the dial in his face, the blow of the captain’s own absorbed attack causes his head to ricochet back, blood spurting from his nose and mouth.

Usopp’s arm throbs painfully from the recoil, and he collapses to his knees. That was all he had left, and he knows it won’t be enough.

Eyes squeezed shut, doing his best to hide the way his eyes seemed to burn from unshed tears, he shouts, “How did you like that, you jerk!”

When nothing happens right away, he opens his eyes again.

Luffy was still standing, looking at him with an intensity that made Usopp want to crawl and hide under his blankets, that made Usopp want to throw himself at his captain’s feet and beg for forgiveness.

An intensity that made Usopp want to scream with frustrated anger and run far far away, never to face his once friend again.

The rubber pirate can’t stop the few tears that drop now, one arm stretching back, going behind him against the winds, and Usopp stumbles to his feet once more to take the final attack head on, not running away.

The punch winds itself into his stomach, and Usopp is knocked out, retching up an agonizing mouthful of blood before collapsing to a crumpled heap on the ground.

Luffy is still, and all is silent on the shore save for the harsh sounds of heavy breathing, in and out.

It’s just as still and silent on the ship. Like they were cursed to watch every second of the painful battle, none of the crew can look away.

Sanji is the one to break the spell, hands gripping the rail of Merry. “The fight is over.”

Hearing these words, the captain falls to his knees. His right hand, still clenched in a white-knuckled fist, is shaking.

It’s hard to see through his eyes, his vision watery, and the words don’t come right away, the feelings are too messy, too painful, too….

Eventually Luffy whispers something to the fallen marksman. The straw hatted captain’s voice is small, strangled, and the defeat that was meant to be buried in his tone doesn’t make Usopp feel better at all.

Luffy stands up. He grabs his straw hat. And he turns to walk away. But before he leaves, he states,

“Do what you want with Merry. We will keep sailing forward.”

 

—10:43 PM, aboard the Going Merry—

 

The Straw Hats, now two members less, have separated across the ship, packing up the belongings they couldn’t bare to leave behind.

Nami had locked herself in the cabin she once shared with Robin, and any one passing by the closed door could hear the quiet sniffling interspersed between bouts of distraught rambling, the alpha attempting to reason herself out of nonsensical anger, her temper frayed and instincts wanting to fight whatever is tearing their pack apart.

Sanji, chain smoking to keep his head level, had finished packing his small assortment personal belongings, clothes and the like, before retreating to Merry’s kitchen. He packs the cooking equipment he has a strong attachment to, leaving enough tools for the sniper to be able to prepare his own meals. He leaves the light off, light from the moon and dropped embers of his cigarette the only guide he allows himself. Occasionally, the moon rays will be blocked entirely by passing clouds, leaving the cabin in a darkness that force the cook to still his trembling hands.

The whole crew can hear Chopper sob loudly every so often, the young reindeer trying his best to keep it in as he canvases the ship for his scattered medical supplies and other treasured mementos.

In the boy’s cabin, the two with the least to pack but the last to start, Zoro and Luffy work in silence. After a loud crash, a string of infuriated curses followed by muffled crying from across the hall, Luffy ties up the small sack of his belongings with jerky speed.

Zoro is about to reach out and stop him from leaving just yet, the other’s straw hat covering everything except his clenched mouth and jaw and tears, dried, on his cheeks. But before he can, Luffy whispers a confession.

“…It’s too much.”

His hand stilled in the air behind the other pirate’s back. “…Luffy?”

“I think I finally understand what you meant before. About the burden of being captain…”

For the first time, Zoro sees the weight settle fully, heavy, on Luffy’s shoulders.

“Captain…I—”

Zoro wants nothing more than to grab the other and hold him close through this moment of weakness but Luffy doesn’t want to talk anymore, already uncomfortable with how aware his crew is of his emotions at the moment.

The shame from earlier like a dangerous undercurrent beneath the surface, and Zoro wants to do something about it, anything, but the chance is gone, the moment of vulnerability over. Luffy is already walking out the door.

“Let’s go help them pack.”

Zoro ties up his own bag, and follows him, leaving the sleeping cabin empty and quiet.

Merry mourns, silently.

 

—1:04 AM, rooftop of a backstreet inn—

 

A few hours later, the sting of what had occurred earlier the night had by no means faded, but there were only so many tears that could be shed before the crew had to move forward.

They had wrestled all of their belongings (including all of Nami’s treasured orange trees and Robin’s only possessions; a small collection of books) to an inn in the inner city of Water 7. They were turned away from the first two they had tried, one refusing to serve pirates and the other shut down in preparation for a coming storm.

Finally securing lodging at the third inn (thanks to Nami all but threatening the owner to let them stay, fed up with being turned away and too exhausted to try another one) the crew settle in. Chopper and Nami both head to sleep first, cuddling each other because they aren’t used to sleeping alone.

Sanji has found himself up on the rooftop, finding the two men he was looking for. Zoro and Luffy had both disappeared as soon as everything was settled, and had apparently found their way to the roof of the inn.

Zoro sat against the wall, looking up at the cook when he burst through the door. Luffy was not on the same roof, but instead a few buildings away. Sanji’s teeth were beginning to grind with stress, and he fished another cigarette out, lighting it up and letting the door fall shut with a soft thud.

He’s gone through more of these today than yesterday, he notes absentmindedly, and makes a note to pick up a few more boxes soon.

Leaning against the wall, he lets the silence linger for a little longer, blowing out a long cloud of smoke before addressing the alpha beside him.

“Why aren’t you over there with him? You’re his boyfriend, right? You should be comforting him, moss-ass.”

Zoro, for once, doesn’t rise to the insult, but the cook can see the angered annoyance in the other’s face. “…He’ll think I’m coddling him.”

“Are your brains made of algae, too?” Sanji can’t hide the slight derision in his tone. Was Zoro actually an idiot? “That’s what alphas are supposed to do for their distressed mates.”

Gritting his teeth, he replies. “It’s not my place.”

He looks up to see the blond alpha giving him a grave, almost confused look. He sighs heavily, considered refusing to elaborate, but does anyway.

“Luffy sees himself as a pirate first. Everything else comes after. And as a pirate…I have no place at his side.”

Zoro didn’t have to look this time, he could hear the bafflement of the other man. Before Sanji can question him, he confesses, heavy words whispered in the dark of the cold night.

“I told him I didn’t want the burden of being his first mate.”

The choked off, shocked inhale of breath was more than enough to make Zoro feel like a bigger piece of shit. It’s all out now, so he continues.

“And now he feels like must bear the weight of being captain all on his own.”

Sanji takes another drag, thinking before he responds. “But..What does that have to do with any of this? Aren’t these two separate issues?”

“He feels responsible for our safety, even if he knows we are accepting of the burdens are chosen life has forced upon us.” He turns to Sanji, finally, for a brief moment. “Usopp challenging him to a formal duel should make this a pirating issue—a difference between captain and crew. But him saying he would forgo his bonds with us, with Luffy, and…”

“Luffy sees his crew as his pack, and sees all of us as family. It’s both an issue between crew mates and pack mates.” Sanji finishes the thought for him.

Zoro nods.

“…So even though he’s also struggling with the loss—”

“As the man we follow, he won’t allow us to bear witness to the true depth of his weakness,” Zoro’s expression tightens. “He knows what he has to do, as a strong captain. The weak don’t last on the seas.”

Sanji clicks against his teeth, and takes one last drag of his cigarette before he puts it out. He walks towards the edge of the hotel, close enough for the straw hatted pirate to hear him over the growling winds.

“Luffy! I’m going back to…I’m going to see if Robin returns during the night. I’ll be back with her or back to check in tomorrow morning.” The other reason he’s going back, to make sure no one tries to ambush the injured beta they left behind, is unspoken.

He waits for any acknowledgment, starts to think the dark haired pirate has fallen asleep sitting, and almost leaves when a soft thanks is carried over on the wind.

When the cook passes by Zoro, he gives him a look full of meaning the swordsman can’t quite grasp.

 

—5:45 AM, aboard the Going Merry—

 

So much has changed within the span of a day.

Usopp is lying on the floor, where he’s been all night, and the sun beams have just begun to trickle into Merry’s kitchen.

But the light of dawn falls somewhat flat in the almost lifeless cabin, the rays reflecting off every piece of dust and particle in the still air.

The only movement (besides the always present rocking of the sea) is Usopp’s chest moving up and down with each labored breath.

It’s quiet, so quiet, that when he speaks, the sniper is startled by his own hoarse voice.

“Good morning, Merry…”

He rolls over on the hardwood floors, not ready to face the morning.

In the worn grains of wood Usopp admires the signs of living that have been etched into Merry’s floors.

The dark ink stain near the table from when he and Luffy had knocked over Nami’s cartography supplies, before the navigator had demanded a better place to work.

The scuffle marks of boots and shoes from the many instances of rambunctious activities; playing like children and chasing each other around, roughhousing, dares and challenges of physical feats that probably should not have taken place inside the small cabin.

The few spots of oily stains in the kitchen when Sanji had fried something during a stormy patch of sea, the hot grease from the pan or pot spilling just enough drops to soak into the wood.

The worn paths of the table and benches being pushed to the side, to make room for impromptu post-dinner dance battles, the crew laughing and dancing with light feet and lighter hearts.

And here and there, stains from sweat, tears, and blood spilled on the well-loved planks of wood.

So much time they’ve all spent together in this room…

Usopp squeezes his eyes shut again.

 

—6:37 AM, rooftop of a backstreet inn—

 

“Have you two been up here all night?”

It’s a new day, the sun has risen fully yet still sits low in the sky, bathing the parts of the world it could reach in soft morning light. Overnight, darkening clouds have come to occupy most of the sky, casting fast-moving shadows on the island that sped across the rooftops with the strong winds.

Zoro and Luffy remained in the same positions they were before, if the straw hatted pirate went somewhere during the night when Zoro dozed off once or twice, he wouldn’t know, so he simply shrugs in answer.

“Sanji told me what you told him last night.”

Zoro grunts, not rising from his seated position, leaning back against a wall. He figured the blond alpha would, once a secret gets out it tends to make the rounds fast in their small crew.

Nami stood in front of him, blocking the patch of sunlight that had just landed on him, and blocking Luffy’s back from his view. He frowns up at her.

“We all know that’s bullshit. You might not have accepted the title but our captain goes to you for emotional support. Every time.”

“I-”

She doesn’t let him speak, barreling over his attempt. “And newsflash, stupid! You take care of the crew the way a first mate does too!” Unrelenting, even when his face turns sour. “When Luffy’s gone off on some crazy whim again it’s you who keeps us grounded and reminds us of our faith in him. You are our anchor.”

This time, he waits. The other alpha is clearly not finished making her point.

“You two letting simple words get in the way is so unlike both of you…Go talk to him!”

He scowls, looking away, off to the side. “Regardless of what you say, he doesn’t want to talk to me right now.”

Nami holds back the impulse to hit his stubborn head. “And why is that? Are you scared of a little emotional vulnerability?”

Zoro doesn’t respond at first. What he had told the cook the night before was all true, and while he doesn’t fully agree with what the navigator is saying, he can see some truth in her words. But there was something else stopping him, something he didn’t feel like divulging to Sanji.

“…We had a fight.”

“Zoro, No offense, the last time I saw you two ‘fight,' it was nothing but inappropriately timed and really cringy flirting.” She’s slumped down next to him, leaning back against the wall, lowering her voice.

He closes his eyes, fights against the flush of embarrassment. “No, it was…Short. Verbal. After the initial confrontation about the ship.”

Ah, words. Nami knows the swordsman was reserved with his words, and Luffy wasn’t much more talkative in tense situations. She asks, as lightly as possible, “Was it about...?"

—Past, 8:23 PM, aboard the Going Merry—

Luffy is in the bowels of the ship, he’s sitting next to the messy work bench Usopp deemed his factory, and the muffled murmuring the green haired pirate heard before stops as soon as his feet drop off the ladder onto the bottom of the ship.

Zoro sits next to him. Luffy’s knees are pulled up to his chest, his chin resting on his knees. He has an unusual, carefully blank expression.

The alpha nudges the other’s shoulder with his own, and waits for a response.

The dark haired pirate glances over at him, before letting his gaze fall back down to the bottom of the ship.

“He said the bond between us and him will be over.”

“If he’s serious, he’ll dissolve the pack bond.”

“But if he’s not…”

“If he’s not…You can’t let him back on the crew. Not unless he apologizes first.”

The swordsman watches the way his agitated hands don’t stop moving; rubbing up and down his legs, twisting together and unclasping. Zoro thinks about reaching out and grabbing one of them, twining their fingers together.

“Luffy. He can’t come back unless he has remorse for what he said.”

This sparks something more than the hidden despair in the omega’s face, his face scrunching with sudden passion. “This is his home! We are his family!”

“If he has any doubt in you as captain, letting him back in could destroy—”

Luffy stops him before he can finish, angry and bitter at first. “I know! I know.” The way he says his next words is almost resigned, with far more weariness someone so young should have.

“As captain, I will of course go with what is best for the crew.”

He pulls his hat down more, ending the conversation.

Zoro waits, not willing to leave on that, but Luffy requests in a flat tone,

“Will you come down to get me when it’s time?”

He can take the hint. A soft affirmative, one last lingering look until it’s clear his captain won’t say anything more, and Zoro forces himself to leave.

—Present—

Nami is sitting much the same way Luffy did in his memory, legs drawn up and resting her head on her knees. “…Does he really have to apologize before he can come back?”

“Yes.”

She looks worried. “But Usopp’s pride…"

Zoro stops looking at her, closing his eyes again. “Pride is a sin we all face.” He sighs, "If he believes what he said to be the truth, he won’t be able to sincerely apologize. We can all see through his lies. And if he believes what he said…a doubt like that could tear—”

Nami finishes his sentence. “—could tear Luffy apart.”

Zoro looks at her with surprise.

She scowls at him. “I’ve been following our captain almost as long as you, you’re so soon to forget! You two might have…a special relationship, but” She looks across the rooftops towards Luffy, still sitting out of earshot. “Our bond is strong too. I felt the moment his confidence wavered. I…” She hugs her knees closer. “I’ve never seen him like that before.”

Zoro is watching her, waiting until she’s done. “…I was going to say it could tear the crew apart. If usopp doesn’t believe in his own worth and purpose as a member of the crew, it’s only a matter of time before the pressure gets to him again, possibly at a critical moment.”

He also looks towards their captain. “But you’re right. He needs to believe in himself, and our captain as well. Luffy trusts us, all of us, to have his back.”

It’s quiet for a few long moments, save for the whistling of winds and distant clattering of the busy streets below. Eventually, Nami speaks up again.

“I know you too, Zoro.”

She stands up, looking at him seriously. “Last night and now, you reek of worry. It’s giving me a migraine.”

Heart to heart over, Zoro rolls his eyes at her, and grunts in response. What the hell does she want him to do about that?

She puts her hands on her hips, looking around at the dark and cloudy sky, resting her gaze on their distant captain for a brief second, before pursing her lips and turning back to the other alpha. “I’m going to go ask around about the storm thats coming. Do me a favor and at least think about talking to him?”

Zoro slumps lower in his seated position, “Yeah, yeah…”

It’s not like he can think about anything else at the moment.

Notes:

jskadhak hi okay that's all for now :)) next chapter will wrap up water seven and then we will enter enies lobby....

ugh houskeeping note: i changed the chapter count bc this keeps getting longer than i expected ouo;;;; originally i wanted one chapter per arc HA but thats not working out lol sorry...

Anyway these chapters are also known as the chapters were everyone keeps interrupting each other and having too many emotions lol

Leave a comment if you want (they make me so happy ;;
<33333)!! I'd love to know what you guys think, concrit appreciated as well :))!!! let me know if...its too much (hehehe eue;;;)

And thank you for reading!!!!!!

edit [1/16] HAHHA hi its been so long 😭 i promise im fighting burnout and writers block with both hands lmao. next chapter is being worked on a wee bit everyday :,)

Chapter 17: Monsoon (I of II)

Summary:

Water seven day two

Notes:

Hiiiiiii its me again hello :) I fought burnout and boredom and pathological demand avoidance to be here today but I did it hahaha. It seems hard to believe but I have been working on this fic at least a little bit (if thinking about it rly hard counts) everyday for the last several months…….for some reason it was just really difficult for me to write lol. But I’m feeling more enthusiastic and optimistic so here we gooo

So, !!!IM SORRY!!! it took so long to get this out AND that it is so long…past me was sooooo serious about making everyone as emo and dramatic as possible in this arc especially, and well, present me had to deliver.

—11:30 AM, Water Seven Train Station—

Franky stepped off the train, taking a dramatically deep breath of Water Seven’s air. Kiwi and Mozu exchanged a look behind his back. Without turning around to check if the two sisters were following him through the chaos of the disembarking crowd, he shouted, arms tossed into the air with glee that seemed just a bit too forced;

“Back home at last!”

His joyous shout startled a few exiting passengers around him, but the flow of people quickly recovered, like a school of fish easily adapting to a disruption in their stream.

Franky’s homebound joy didn’t quite fool the sisters. He was the type of person to wear his heart on his sleeve, and they were perceptive enough to pick up the easy tells: the tightness in his jaw, the rigidity of his set shoulders, the way his feet had tapped in irritated patterns during the ride home. The tension had been growing as soon as they had boarded the train this morning, when they should have been relishing the last leg of the trip back to Water Seven.

Yesterday, after their sudden windfall of cash, Franky and the two sisters boarded the train with the other carnival-goers. Despite their masks and costumes, the trio was not headed to San Faldo like most of the train riders, and instead got off at another station.

San Faldo was hosting the annual week-long Carnival festivities, and the other islands along the sea train route (aside from Water Seven) hoped to entice tourists into day trips to the neighboring islands by holding smaller festivals themselves. The Franky Family trio did not stand out as much, blending in with the crowds of island hoppers.

Contrasting to the laissez-faire celebrations of chaos and color seen throughout the streets of the Carnival town island, the other cities boasted their local specialities and emphasized their mercantile sector.

Their destination, St. Poplar, was known for providing most of Water Seven’s wood and fiber, and the main street was flushed with stalls and vendors selling their wares. Cloth of differing luxuries, from canvas to silk, swayed in the breeze. Delicate twinning of thread was sold alongside bolts of thick ship-anchoring rope. Raw and processed wood was the main feature, being the top export of the island, and there were plenty of vendors selling items carved from the precious resource.

Franky was on a mission. The trio danced and weaved through the large gathering of people and shops, the tall man set on not wasting any more time holding onto the large sum of cash they had acquired. He knew exactly which merchant was selling the treasure he was after, and they made their way to the material vender operating deep in the city’s center.

After conducting their business, two suitcases stuffed full of cash Berri exchanged for a thin slip of receipt paper (their order to be delivered in a few days time), the group had spent the rest of the day joining the celebrations.

Mozu was able to stop and admire some of the stalls, staying particular long at a table full of wood carvings. Her sister joined her after a few moments, and the two coo’ed over the cutest and smallest of the statues. Franky, meanwhile, was swept up in the cheer of the crowds and his own jittery excitement, and broke out into a performance, much to the confused excitement of the festival attendees.

Kiwi and Mozu were eventually pulled into Franky’s performance, and the trio ended up staying the night there. Kiwi and Mozu were delighted to see how overjoyed their leader was, one step closer to his dream, and they shared giggles every time they noticed him pat his shirt pocket to make sure the receipt slip was still there.

This morning they had to return to Water Seven, where they find themselves now. On the sea train, there was a relaxed ease rarely seen in the boisterous Franky Family leader, the sea spray and breeze carrying through the slightly ajar windows. The trio had no problem talking over the rumbling of the steam engine and the clattering of the wheels along the tracks (much to the dismay of the other riders).

But as soon as the station of Water Seven came into view, a tense aura descended around their friend and leader. He began making his way off board before the train even came to a complete halt, the only luggage he had—the precious receipt slip—fit in his shirt pocket. Kiwi and Mozu, on the other hand, lagged behind Franky by a few minutes, quickly gathered their belongings from the compartment overhead, the idling train humming beneath their feet.

The two sisters shoved their way through the mob of boarding passengers beginning to descend as the final few train cars are emptied. They were well used to crowds (Franky tended to create a spectacle wherever he went) but the pushing and shoving of the waves of the masses crowding the train station seemed more anxious and desperate than usual.

After emerging from the station’s plaza, Kiwi spots their blue-haired friend leaning against an opposite wall, watching the frenzied citizens and tourists alike. She pulls her sister’s hand, and directs them towards Franky. His arms are crossed. When they reach him, he jerks his head towards the left, and they fall into step on either side.

Maybe it’s the wind, stronger than usual, that’s slowing them down, but they have to walk twice as fast to keep up with Franky. His long, purposeful stride guides the trio through the walkways and bridges of the city. Their destination was on the outskirts of the city, no need to take the canals or go to another level, although the walk around the perimeter of island would take longer.

The Franky House is awaiting its rumbustious head of household and his compatriots, nestled in an outcropping of land between docks Six and Seven. Mozu was excited to see the rest of the gang again. After spending night after night with the same group of people, being without the warmth of shared laughter and comfort was isolating, even with her sister and Franky still by her side.

Kiwi, on the other side of the walkway, has been noticing something strange in their surroundings. The docks of Water Seven were typically bustling with people; dock workers, ships coming and going, shopkeepers and tourists all enlivening the city’s outer circle.

But today, there was a distinct lack of the hum and buzz of activity Kiwi was used too. The people she did see were hurrying around, and many of the buildings were boarded up. There were a few shopkeeper’s hastily putting the last boards over their store windows.

(For a split second, she swore she saw their “generous” donor, the long-nosed pirate punk, arguing with one of the shop owners. But at the speed Franky was walking, she didn’t get enough of a good look.)

The three are a little more than halfway there when something halts their march. Someone had cut in from the side to grab Franky’s arm. The cyborg recognizes the man, a ship yard worker who works for a smaller shipping company the Family sometimes uses to offload dismantled ship parts.

Kiwi and Mozu both watch, interested, as Franky’s previous simmering agitation seems to melt away as he begins to gush to their acquaintance.

“Hey, listen,” the cyborg drapes an arm over the other man’s shoulders, the large forearm dwarfing the man underneath. “I got a very precious package on the way! It should get here in a few days time, and I want you to keep an extra close eye on it for me!”

“Oh? I wonder what it could be?”

Franky stands tall and proud, hands on his hips, his smile so big what little sunshine that broke through the clouds reflects off his teeth.

“Keep it on the down low, will you? But I’ve finally made enough to get some of that rare Adam tree wood.”

The dockworker’s mouth drops in surprise, before happily clapping the blue haired man’s arm.

“That’s amazing, Franky! I know you’ve been after that for a while now…” His face begins to stretch into a worried look, and he asks with genuine concern,

“But where are you staying tonight?”

Kiwi and Mozu both get sudden chills, the creeping feeling that something was wrong coming back in full. Franky frowns at his friend, and questions,

“What do you mean? We’re going to the House, obviously” He leans forward, pulling down his sunglasses just bit so he can look at the other more clearly. “And why are you so concerned about that?”

His friend has begun to sweat nervously. It’s clear that something big has happened that the trio missed while they were away, and the dockworker did not want to be the one to inform them. There’s no running away from a direct confrontation with Franky, and so the man swallows audibly and offers, hesitant,

“Agua Laguna is coming tonight…And your house got ransacked by pirates. It’s all scrap wood and debris now.”

The light joyous mood from earlier seemed to have been blown away by a sudden stiff breeze. Franky stood up straight, almost robotically, processing the words.

Mozu reacted immediately, grabbing the man’s shirt and demanding answers, heart in her throat, “What happened to the rest of the Family? Where are they now?”

“Sorry, I’m not sure! I haven’t seen them, I just heard they were all beaten pretty badly and the house was destroyed…”

“That’s not enough! Who told you about it? When did it happen?” She shook the man, full of anger and fear for her pack. The dockworker mumbled more apologies, hands coming up, attempting to placate her and stop her movements. The both froze when Franky spoke again.

The winds howled as they tore through the street, and the cyborg’s eyes were so intense, still peeking above his lowered sunglasses. His voice dripped with promised vengeance when he demanded,

“Tell me who did it.” He cracks his neck, then his knuckles one by one. “They’re gonna pay.”

—1:00 PM, Undisclosed Meeting Place, Inner Canals—

She had been informed of the coming storm, but there was no escaping the sharp wind that blew in every direction.

At first, it was only a passing oddity she noticed, a small detail that seemed inconsequential compared to the mess she’s found herself in. But the wind continued to grow, growing strong enough to feel sharp with the salty sea water it brings, and Robin felt trapped on all sides.

It was sort of a grim reminder that not even nature was on her side.

Her hair was whipped about from another forceful gust of wind, as she was led into a small balcony overlooking the canals in the upper ring of the city. The balcony had windows facing North and East, surprisingly not boarded up yet, that allowed the blustering winds in. And in they blew, creating a microcosmic tornado inside the alcove.

She knew better than to try to hold her hair out of her face. Any movements of her upper body would be treated as immediate threats, and she wasn’t able to take that risk just yet. They didn’t believe she’d keep her word.

The large masked man who had guided her here shoved her towards an empty chair. She instantly smoothed her reactionary sneer into a smirk, refusing to stumble. As gracefully as she could, she fell into the seat.

Seated opposite to her was a man, only his body was visible as the dim lighting shrouded the rest of him in shadow. She wasn’t concerned, she might not know the man’s exact identity, but she knew enough.

There were a few others hidden against the back wall, covered completely by the darkness. After graciously guiding her to her seat, her companion had marched over to the windows and closed them with needed force against the strong winds.

Still, the glass panes shuddered in place against the air current, shaking every few moments. It was otherwise silent in the sheltered balcony, but with the windows now shut the stench of alpha egotism was hard to ignore.

She ever so carefully placed her hands upon the table in front of her without having to be asked, baring her only weapon.

There was, of course, the set of lock picks hidden in her boots, and the small set of knives concealed under her dress, but both her and the other occupants knew how useless those would be in this situation.

Devil fruit abilities aside, she was at their mercy.

It was a sardonic satisfaction that arose within her, black and oily as tar as it clung to her heart, that Robin was well aware of the strength these people held.

“You executed the first phase well.” The man in front of her finally speaks.

Her tight-lipped smile is pleasant. When it became apparent he was waiting for an answers, she says, “It was an easy task to fulfill.”

“You’ll finish the job tonight. Will that go just as smoothly?”

“Why wouldn’t it? I fully intend to keep to my side of the deal,”

It seems that the crescendo of forces against her is taking its toll on her composure. The rattling of the windows distracted her and she began to tap agitatedly on the table, considering the future, after the man’s question.

“I’m a professional, the same as you. The practiced ease of taking a man’s life—”

The movement of her hands alarmed the group. The ones in the back jumping into action, but abandoned their movement when the man across from her reacted by grabbing her tapping hand in a harsh grip, twisting it sharply.

She grimaced, more from the slip up than the pain. She shouldn’t have been so flippant.

“There are worse things than can happen than death, little bird. You will not like what happens if you make an attempt to kill me.”

He had slipped into the light, by leaning forward to grab her from across the table. His eyes are cold, dark, and dangerous.

Robin knows he can feel her quickening pulse under his cold hands, icy fear crawling through her. She swallows against the pounding beat of her heart, pushing down the rise of instinctual urge to submit under the alpha’s threatening stare.

She remains seated as tall and regal as she can until he lets her wrist go after several tense seconds.

He leans back in his seat, returning to the shadows. Only one of the group standing at attention in the back shifts nervously, the rest too well trained to fidget.

“Remember our deal, Nico Robin.”

She tilts her chin, the only sign of the frustration and grief and painful and burning rage building in her stomach. She replies as evenly as she can.

“Of course.”

—4:45 PM, Dock One—

Some of the onlookers in the crowd were distracted from the fight by the oddity that is Franky.

With a double thunk, each of his heavy feet landed on the table seemingly pulled out of thin air. Franky leaned back in the accompanying wooden chair, Kiwi and Mozu on either side.

Let them stare, he thinks to himself. If he was going to be sidelined, he’d do it with style.

He watched the chaotic battle unfolding in front of them with an annoyed glare. Those Galley-La boys better watch out, it just wasn’t cool to steal someone’s opponent mid-fight, and he wasn’t the type that liked to share.

There was a loud crash as a stray shot missed its target, the straw hatted pirate he was supposed to be fighting, jumping away at the last second, and the projectile someone threw wrecked what was probably an expensive part of the ship.

It was just the cyborg’s opinion, but he wouldn’t have missed that shot. In fact, in the short time he was able to fight Straw Hat, he landed an attack faster than these guys did.

Franky reached a hand up to harshly rub his sore jaw, that little rubber guy didn’t seem like much at first glance—but that squirt could pack a punch, catching the blue haired cyborg with a nasty uppercut after taking the hit.

The frown on Franky’s face grew a little bolder, the creases between his brow growing stronger as he considered what transpired between these two moments.

—

The kid grins at him, but not with joy. With the promise of a fight. He punches a fist into an open palm, “You saved me a lot of work!”

Franky matches the crazy energy easily, smile not meeting his eyes, glare hidden by the shade of his sunglasses. “How’s that?”

The straw hatted pirate watches him approach, still smiling, but when he gets closer, Franky notices the angry set of his eyes.

“I have some unfinished business with you.”

The cyborg scoffs, leaning into a leg stretch. “That’s rich, I should be saying that to you. How dare you ransack my place while I’m away, and beat up my family!”

“I was only there looking to fight you, it’s not my fault your crew tore your house down trying to fight me!”

He was a cheeky guy, wasn’t he? Franky sneers, “We’ll I’m here now, buddy.” He continues, jumping up from his squat, rotating his wrists. “And I’m going to beat you into the ground.”

Straw Hat seems far too chipper to be facing Franky’s revenge, cheerfully informing the cyborg,

“I’ll be the one to beat you!”

Franky almost loses himself to a full belly laugh at the others misplaced confidence, ice cool adrenaline beginning to flood his system,

“Just try it! Your attacks won’t have any affect on me!”

In the blink of an eye, he extends his right arm, his wrist snapping up on a hinge joint to reveal the barrel of a gun. It takes him just a second more to aim, and he fires at the suddenly wide-eyed pirate.

Straw Hat dodges to the side, and with a speed Franky didn’t expect closes the distance before he can pull his arm back to defend. With an elongated arm trailing behind him, the pirate heaves his shoulder forward, the rubber arm snapping in even faster and finishing with a clean hit to the cyborg’s jaw.

It hurt, the metal pieces in his jaw rattling with the aftershock, but Franky didn’t flinch. He always prided himself on being an intimidating beast of an opponent, and even through his anger, he appreciated the wild energy contained within the short pirate.

Franky loved a good fight, and he had some strong motivation this time. This punk wouldn’t get away with hurting his friends.

“If you were looking for the money, too bad! It’s all used up!”

“I don’t care.” The dark haired man is rubbing his fist, the cyborg notes smugly. He probably wasn’t expecting to hit steel.

“Bullshit!” Franky spits to the side, the hit was stronger than he thought, causing blood, spit, and cola to slowly fill his mouth. “Pirates only care about one thing! Not the lives they ruin, not even the lives of their crew, but whatever treasure they can loot!”

“That’s not true.” He’s no longer matching Franky’s battle crazed smile, having adopted a contemplative, maybe frustrated expression, staring at the half-metal man.

“How could it not be? Pirates with their gold-addled brains could never understand the bonds between brothers!”

This seemed to strike a nerve, and with a frustrated yell, the rubber pirate began to close the distance in another attempt to punch.

Franky saw it coming this time, and brings a metal knee up to counteract, but only makes contact with air.

The straw hatted pirate had been sent flying into the rubble nearby, and it was Franky’s turn to look shocked. At least until he was similarly sent headfirst into a pile of materials, planks of wood and barrels breaking.

—

Franky crossed his arms, slumping in his seat, his toes flexing with the unspent energy still in his body. The top dogs of Galley-La had shown up, and despite the cyborg’s protests to leave him to his own fight, had stolen his opponent in the middle of their fight.

Apparently, Straw Hat and his crew have been up to more than just terrorizing him and his own. He couldn’t stop the grinding of his teeth as he continued to ruminate. According to the Galley-La gang, the Straw Hat pirates were behind an assassination attempt on Mayor Iceberg last night.

Franky didn’t feel sorry for the pirate scum, not for what he did to the Franky Family, and especially if what he was accused of was true, but was a little bit impressed that the guy was managing to stay alive in the five on one fight. And even if he was annoyed at having his thunder stolen, the battle itself was at least entertaining.

He whistles when a sharp wood carving tool, thrown by Kaku, glinting with the reflection of the dimming sun as it zipped past the rubber man. The long nosed shipwright looked downright deadly when he spoke,

“Dead or alive. Do you know what it means to be wanted men?”

Paulie whips his arm, ropes unwinding from under his sleeve, the force of the movement causing them to shoot out and lasso around Straw Hat’s neck, and with a practice hand twist, the rope pulls taut.

The blond shipwright yanks, sharp, bringing the young pirate to the floor, his hands squabbling against the bindings choking him.

“You pirates have no recourse! No matter what anyone does to you. In other words, the law doesn’t protect you.”

On the floor, Straw Hat manages to unwind the rope enough to suck in a choked breath. He uses it to shout, still sticking to his current strategy.

“That’s right, we’re outlaws! I know that!” He’s able to stand back up, still pulling at the rope around his throat.

Another set of tools, thrown like knives, are sent towards him. Franky nods in appreciation when the pirate yanks the end of the rope, causing Paulie to trip, and dodges the projectiles in one move.

He jumps onto a crate, probably thinking it would get him out of range, and continues to yell, “But you don’t even know Robin! Stop telling lies about her!”

Franky really couldn’t believe this guy. Not only is he now refusing to fight anyone to pay for his and his crew’s actions, but he’s still claiming they’re not guilty, in the face of some of Iceberg’s strongest allies. And not only that, the straw hatted pirate is—

“Let us talk to Ice guy myself! It’s gotta be a mistake!” He’s standing in the center of the shipyard-turned-battleground, stupidly stubborn, making his own demands.

Tilestone has hoisted a cannon above his head, and chucks in the direction of the rubber pirate with a rallying cry, “There’s no way we are letting any of you near the mayor! Who knows what you’ll do?!”

His words rang throughout the other gathered dock workers and citizens of Water Seven, and the mob turned to one within their grasp.

Franky felt a little bad for the orange-haired lady, suddenly the focus of the onlookers. He craned his neck to look over his shoulder towards the crowd. She was being surrounded by the people, and had shifted into a defensive stance, fangs bared and eyes darting around as she was slowly swarmed.

A shockingly scary and growing growl had the cyborg whipping his eyes back to the main battlefield, to see the dark-haired pirate dropping low in what looked like preparation to attack.

An unexpected chill traveled down his spine. Unconsciously, he brought his feet back down to the floor, sitting straighter in his seat as Straw Hat speaks.

“Leave her alone. We have no reason to fight.”

The woman corroborates his story with her actions, refusing to lash out at the people around her and merely keeps trying to stay out of their grasp. She yells, pulling her arm out of the grip of one of the citizens, “Yeah, and none of us have any reason to go after the mayor! Including Robin!”

Straw Hat isn’t paying attention to the battlefield anymore, focused on the navigator being surrounding by the rabbling crowd.

Franky, still spectating, is surprised to see the sudden serious the straw hatted pirate gains, his focus shifting quickly.

Paulie takes advantage of the distraction. His rope shoots out and lassos around the rubber pirate, cinching to his wrist.

It’s not enough to keep him from flipping to the side to dodge an array of Kaku’s sharp tools. But without any traction in the air, Paulie is able to yank the rope hard, and Straw Hat with it, sending him careening into the ground.

Franky can’t help but notice the blond shipwright’s cockiness when he shouts, mockingly, “What’s the matter? Are you just going to take it?”

Straw Hat rips the rope off his wrist, frowning hard at his assailant. “I keep telling you, I don’t have any reason to fight you guys.” He casts the rope aside, and he tilts his head just enough for the brim of his hat to cover his eyes, “Let her go.”

The dockworker who had grabbed Nami’s left shoulder dropped his hand like he was burned, eyes wide and stepping back in shock. It doesn’t seem to stop the other members from coming closer, angry accusations thundering from many voices.

Straw Hat begins to take a few slow steps towards the crowd.

The movement spurs the other shipwrights to prepare another round of attacks,

…But the cyborg is getting bored of sitting out, he has cola and adrenaline to burn. He gets up from his front row seat, Kiwi and Mozu looking up at his sudden movement. Just for kicks, he flips the table in front of him over, the sound catching the attention of the shipwrights (and the pirate), causing them all to hesitate, looking towards him.

With a big smile, he claps a few times, the applause enunciated with every sarcastic slap of his hands, “That’s what I’d expect from Galley-La’s pride and joy! But step aside suckers, that little Straw Hat is an enemy of the Franky Family, I was fighting him first!”

Without warning, he sets his forearms together, which then connect with a whirring of gears.

Someone in the crowd closest to the cyborg hears the sharp whining of the charging beam, and warns the shipwrights who would find themselves in the blast zone.

“Franky’s gonna attack! And it’s a nasty one!”

Then, a few things happen almost too fast for Franky. Luckily, his cybernetic upgrades allow him to process things a bit faster than most.

In the seconds between his cannon charging and firing, the angry crowd had fully swarmed the orange haired lady. Right before being swallowed, she had called out Straw Hat’s name. Whether it was a cry for help or a warning not to attack anyone, the cyborg wasn’t entirely sure.

Galley-La didn’t give a shit about Franky’s attack (he felt a little put off by that, but he would power through) and launched their attacks as one against the pirate.

Franky didn’t think the dark haired pirate would be able to dodge all the shipwright’s attacks and his cannon blast, and it certainly looked that way, at least until the Straw Hat’s navigator called his name.

The rubber man was an easy target, standing still, until he was suddenly across the battlefield, holding the orange haired woman in his arms, snarling darkly at the crowd he snatched her away from.

It was like something possessed the kid, a wild and chaotic energy, that Franky only noticed when the blur of black zoomed by him.

Unfortunately, his attack wasn’t one that could be rerouted after launch, and the beam shot into the half-built grand galleon, exploding it on and nearby crates of parts, causing debris to fly everywhere. The impact was loud, and disorientating, and the resulting carnage caused everyone to shield their eyes for a moment.

The cyborg was the only one largely unaffected, but even he wasn’t able to see which was the pirates ran off too. After the dust began to settle, the shipwrights and the angry crowd looked around. Paulie cursed when he realized that Straw Hat and his companion had escaped in the resulting chaos.

Franky collected his thoughts for a moment. What a strange fight that turned out to be. His eyes widened when he realized he would be on the hook for destroying the dock, and before the Galley-La shipwrights could figure that out, the blue haired cyborg collected a dazed Kiwi and Mozu and fled the scene himself.

—7:13 PM, Undisclosed Secret Meeting Place (Strawhat vers.)—

There is a darkness in me that you and the crew do not know. A darkness that will someday destroy you.

“…But she also said thank you for the kindness we’ve shown her, even though she doesn’t deserve it…” Chopper pauses in his recounting to sniffle loudly, eyes tearing up.

Hours earlier, he and Sanji had split up after encountering Robin, the cook planning on trying to find her again. On top of a nondescript rooftop in the inner lower levels, the reindeer was finally able to regroup with the other three members.

He’s facing Luffy, who as still as subdued as before, but was listening with a frown. So was Nami, on his left, sitting on top of a wooden crate.

And Zoro…He almost always looks like he’s frowning, Chopper thinks, but the young doctor could tell he felt the agitated worry the rest were feeling, arms crossed but fingers twitching in repetitive taps against the other arm.

When a sudden and sharp wave of cold air rushed through the group, causing him to shiver, is was hard for Chopper to not get distracted thinking of the other absent members of their group.

He taps his hooves together lightly, frowning at the ground while he thought. Sanji would be okay by himself, for a little while at least…But he was really worried about the other two! Robin was acting so strange and Usopp was still recovering from all his injuries…Not to mention the storm that was coming, which made Chopper’s nose twitch with apprehension.

“Did she really say that?” Luffy interrupts his running thoughts to ask, and the doctor, looking up, just now notices the scrapes and rope burns on his arms, but put that aside for now to make sure the rest of them knew that—

“I don’t believe her! …Not about the first part, anyway. I think she’s in trouble!”

—

Nami is looking down, at the floor. The concrete used to pave the flattened top of the building had long cracks running across. She sees pieces of small rocks and dirt filling the spaces, and a few specks of green that might be plant life trying to thrive. She can’t help but give voice to things she fears, “What if she’s being serious about destroying the crew?”

The reindeer disagrees instantly, “Robin would never hurt us!”

“But we don’t know for sure if she isn’t here to tell us.” Zoro says, and the absence weighs the group down more.

The navigator bites her lip, nervous, but voices her question anyway. “Luffy, what if she really was the one to attack Iceburg last night?”

He doesn’t say anything, but Nami can tell he doesn’t agree. She knows he wouldn’t, and takes comfort in it.

Zoro rights the topic of the discussion. “We should’ve been ready for this. Regardless of the circumstances, Robin first showed up as an enemy, and we let her on the ship.”

“That makes her crew, and we stick together.” Luffy says, resolutely.

The swordsman continues, “Then if she is in trouble and wants our help,”

Chopper pipes up, almost falling forward from how forcefully he enthusiastically yelled, “We help her!”

“I’ll have to ask her.” Luffy’s nods, crossing his legs, satisfied with their current course of action.

Zoro asks “And if she’s not a friend, but an enemy?”

Nami feels a chill when the confidence her captain wears so easily slips, like a sudden eclipse on a clear sunny day.

A part of her hates Zoro for pushing the dark haired pirate that far, but she understood. Nami was a lot like the swordsman. Some might call them pessimistic, but they knew what pirates are capable of doing. If Robin is an enemy, they could be falling into her trap.

She really doesn’t want that to be the case. The safest option was to avoid the situation all together, but if Robin is in trouble—

Luffy looks askance, “I wouldn’t abandon one of my crew. Not if they need our help.”

His voice is rough around the edges, and Nami feels a sudden urge to let him know that of course they knew that, but before she can Zoro speaks first.

“Right,” he says with easy conviction, nodding once. The small, but immediate show of trust put the straw hatted pirate at ease, the almost imperceptible slump in the line of shoulder evening once again, the warmth returning.

She feels amazed, again, at the effortless comfort the two take in each other (and maybe just a little, teensy tiny bit jealous.) But Nami can’t help the narrowing of her eyes into a glare, recalling Zoro’s latest confession of insecurity. If only he could see, from her perspective, how much their captain trusted him.

The swordsman continues, “What do you want to do, Captain?”

Luffy’s more determined now than before, “I need to talk to Robin. I’ll get her to tell me why she’s doing this.”

Nami doesn’t think it will be as easy as her honest straw hatted captain believes it will be. Still, it might be possible. Her captain has a certain sway over people, and Robin was no exception to his charm. He’d be able to tell if she was hiding something.

“Regardless of what her true intentions are,” Zoro “If she’s chosen to remain on the island, it’s most likely that where she’ll be tonight…”

The navigator came to the same conclusion and completed Zoro’s sentence, head snapping up with the realization.

“At Galley-La headquarters. To finish the job.”

“That’s great, I want to talk to Ice-guy too!” Luffy smiles, seeing a way forward, and Nami starts feeling like maybe things will be okay, actually, after all of this.

“What’s your plan? I think the entire city is after us at this point.”

Chopper grabs at the brim of his hat, wide eyed, “The whole city?! I hope the rest of the crew is safe…”

“We just have to get to Ice-guy’s house! And everything will work out, probably.” Luffy jumps up, clearly energized and ready to do just that.

Nami stands up quickly. “And how will we get there? I don’t want to have to bounce around on rooftops again! Not all of us are made out of rubber…”

Luffy isn’t listening, not exactly, eyes already on the field of countless roof tops in front of the group. A vast array of things to jump onto, things to swing from, and most importantly: a way to stay out of sight.

Zoro snorts a laugh before standing up as well. “Looks like you’re out of luck on this one.”

Chopper is an exceptionally quick study. He’s already shifting to a more nimble form, having learned that pirates always need to be able to make a fast getaway.

(And anything was better than traveling via Luffy).

The navigator briefly looks upward to the sky in desperate resignation. But above them swirls swirling grey clouds of storms, wind weaving between the condensation and building rain in violent, angry swells. The sun was still peaking through, but barely, giving small windows into the other side of the storm.

Somehow, this strengthens her resolve.

She looks back down, at her captain, at her crew mates, and resigns herself to once again be dropped into the a crazy, chaotic adventure.

Notes:

Post AN: yes I had to split it into two chapters again sorry haha. Second half should already be posted!!

Chapter 18: Monsoon (I of II)

Summary:

Water seven day two part two

—9:44 PM, Galley-La Headquarters—

Paulie is glaring darkly at a spiraling eye in the grain of wood that comprised the estate’s ceiling, mind swirling with everything that’s happened so far tonight…

The mystery behind the blueprints, Iceberg’s fears coming true, and that group of masked assailants that were laying siege to the Mayor’s house tonight.

This entire day has been chaotic, even without Agua Laguna looming closer and closer, storm swelling until all land and sky would become ocean as well.

But it all actually started yesterday, Paulie believed, turning his head as much as he could to the side (which wasn’t much) to turn his glare to the straw hatted pirate beside him.

“Why are you here?”

He hasn’t bothered to stop once at his squirming to free himself, Paulie notices. His strained concentration seems to reignite with a fiery focus, pulling even harder.

“I came to get my crew mate back! I think those masked guys took her—” He interrupts himself by pulling his torso down harshly, neck stretching and face bunching up where the metal was restrain him, right below his chin.

The shipwright watches him continue to struggle, body contorting more than a regular human ever could, limbs stretching like rubber…

It truly takes a different sort of man to sail the Grand Line, to fare against the strength of the sea and others who dare to risk their lives, all competing on the same treacherous battleground…

The pirate’s body snaps together with a smack, the recoil echoing loud in the shipwright’s ears. It’s doesn’t deter the rubber man, blinking until his head stop wobbling with reverberations.

Someone fearless enough to stand out in the face of adversity…And someone insane enough to eat the fruit of the devil, accepting the consequences

Paulie sets his mind. If anyone’s going to help him take out those assholes, it’s someone with gusto like him.

"Straw Hat...I'm sorry."

Luffy pauses for the first time, and considers him for a second. He doesn’t say anything in response, and Paulie feels like he should continue.

“Everyone thinks you’re the criminals, but it’s someone else completely. We accused the wrong people, and now—”

“It’s fine, I’m used to being chased.”

He grins, and shrugs nonchalantly. His arms stretch so his shoulders could lift with the gesture, despite his wrists being locked in place. Paulie squints, and blurts before he can think it over again,

“You’re a weird one. But you’re good in a fight, huh?”

He laughs at this, halting in his constant tugging against the restraints. “You bet!”

“Help me take them down.”

Luffy looks at him, more seriously than before, and Paulie feels the smallest bit nervous. He doesn’t let it affect him more, growing more and more confident in his decision.

“How are you going to do that? You’re a mess right now.”

Paulie, usually one to jump to indignant shouting at the slight, whispers roughly, heart pounding like a drum in his heart,

“You think I’m gonna let the Mayor get killed by idiots nobody knows from who knows where? He taught me everything I know!” He shouts to the ceiling, “He made me a proper shipwright! I’ll fight for him until there’s nothing left of me.!”

Luffy waits a moment, he then smiles, nodding once in agreement. “All right, we’ll fight together.” His declaration is punctuated with a pop, right hand finally slipping free with one final hard tug.

—

Paulie and Luffy eventually free themselves from the metal trappings, and proceeded to run towards the Mayor’s room.

The shipwright had assumed he would have to give directions to the young pirate, the two speeding through the hallways of the upper floors, but he seemed to know the way.

Paulie was glad for that, because he sure as hell was out of breath trying to keep up. His heavy breathing was masked by the heavy fall of running footsteps, not only theirs, and whatever trouble seemed to be cooking down below.

They’re nearly around the corner to the hall outside Iceburg’s room, when Straw Hat skids to a halt. Paulie heaves in a few gulping gasps of air, as the pirate uselessly rattles the locked doorknobs of the spare room.

The blond man is about to tell the other that this was the wrong door, and the correct one is just around the corner, but Luffy has already busted down the locked doors.

“It’s next door, but slow down for a minute!”

Paulie stumbled a little from the ferocity of the glare Straw Hat pins him with.

“I won’t stop now. Robin is right there!”

The shipwright is still unsure how he knew that, but he was right that they needed to be in the room on the other side of the wall the rubber pirate turned to face. Paulie is still catching his balance, and is unable to stop Luffy’s sudden hammering punch in the center.

“Hey, don’t—“

Nothing could stop the wrecking ball of rubber, attacks gaining speed as he goes at the wall again and again.

It doesn’t take long for Luffy to carve through the layers, drywall and insulation caving easily, and it only takes a few more driven fists to break through the supports, wood splintering under the attack. The rubber pirate jumps back before his final blow, jumping to either foot agitatedly.

It was now or never, Paulie thought, that he would face the would-be assassins of his mentor and friend. He felt the fear and anger bubble up around each other, but at least he had allies to back him up. Straw Hat could handle his own, and Paulie knew the shipwrights would put up a united front against whoever thought messing with the workers of Dock One and the good people of Water Seven was a good idea.

His pirate ally, without wasting any more time, ran into a high kick straight through to the other side.

He jumps through after the rubber pirate before the dust can begin to settle.

—10:00 PM, Mayor Iceburg’s Bedroom—

Robin is the first to notice the creaking of the walls. Paying closer attention, the few frames adorning the room shake with each consecutively louder thump. The cracks in the center of the wall across the bed grow quickly.

Within a matter of seconds, the entire atmosphere of the room has shifted.

Through what was a supposedly locked and guarded door, three of members of the Straw Hat pirates burst through. The door was sliced neatly into pieces, useless wood breaking off the hinges and clattering to the floor, revealing the swordsman, navigator, and doctor.

At the same moment, their straw hatted captain broke through the adjacent wall, literally jumping into the room with his foot still extended from the final kick. One of the shipwrights followed behind the pirate.

Between the destruction of walls and door, pieces of broken wood and rubble bounced across the once pristine carpet and tiling. She watches the debris roll across the floor as the dust eventually settles.

Everyone in the room seems surprised by the explosive entrance of the Straw Hats, even the otherwise impossible to distract Cipher Pol agents. If she wasn’t as shocked and overwhelmed as she was, maybe their obvious surprise would have been laughable. For a moment, everyone was still, control of the situation in question.

She should have foreseen something like this happening, with everything she knows about the pirate crew. But, not having expected the abrupt entrances so close to the end, she’s immediately thrown off balance.

The wouldn’t win. Not against them. And this isn’t how she wanted things to go.

Her emotions threatening to rip away from the strict grip of her control. She felt shame and longing and the smallest flicker of hope, but quickly killed the building emotions, like smothering the flames of candle that’s just been lit.

She does her best to settle her racing heart, and without thought, looks towards Luffy, who was waiting for her to look at him.

He isn’t boasting his usually cheerful smile, but Robin can feel the relief when he sees her, and the lack of hate or anger, just worry, from any of them makes her almost break.

“Robin! I finally found you!”

Like a switch that’s been flicked, all the newcomers begin speaking at once. Even the CP9 agents mumble amongst themselves. There’s a chorus of dissonant voices, but it’s a static buzz of grey noise to her, still locked gazes with the other pirate.

She couldn’t lie to him. He’d know whatever falsehood she tried to spin as deceit in an instant. Luffy had opened his home, his family, his heart to her, and she had foolishly accepted.

Robin forced herself to look away, to appear aloof and unaffected by not only her captain’s presence, but the other pirates as well. She pretended to not hear Chopper begging for her attention, Nami’s angry demands of wanting to know what was going on.

If she was smart about this, everyone could leave this room alive.

It would appear heartless, but that’s what she wanted; to cause the least amount of pain for the people she loved, she could make them hate her.

With a blossom of arms, her disembodied hands roughly push down a struggling Iceburg to the floor, the rough treatment causing him to cough up more blood. She feels the sharp burn of Luffy’s gaze, and holds the cracks in her facade tighter together.

—

Iceburg had been trying to sit up to speak, the situation getting worse every minute. He was shocked when Straw Hat and Paulie showed up together, bursting through the wall of his study.

Paulie wasn’t unintelligent, and the mayor watched him quickly connect the dots. The shipwright’s eyes flashed from the group, dressed in clean suits, and the pile in the corner of discarded masks and cloaks.

“Paulie, you idiot…Why didn’t you run away?” He whispers, mostly to himself.

It’s heartbreaking to see the younger shipwright make the realization, taking a step back in shock, and then turning to each of the newly unmasked Cipher Pol agents, desperate for one of them to contradict his discovery.

“What’s going on here? …It’s like you guys are the ones trying to assassinate the mayor…”

Lucci steps forward, and Paulie steps back. Iceburg can tell the other is shocked, as was he. The supposedly silent shipwright they knew was someone else entirely. Kaku and Kalifa, as well, all holding the same calculating stare, empty of the warmth that they held even just a few hours ago.

“Paulie, the truth is, we work for government intelligence.” Lucci speaks plainly, without much care for the severe shock Paulie is feeling, “If we apologize, you’ll forgive us, won’t you?”

There’s a ghost of smirk, but Iceburg could be imagining it, as the alpha continues,

“All those days we spent together, building ships from dawn until dusk: it was all an act, years in the making, for this moment…” He flexes a hand, fingers cracking, “Do I need to do more to make you understand?”

His tone is suddenly monstrous and dark, a bloodthirsty creature dripping out behind emotionless eyes as he stares directly at Paulie. Hand stretching out in a gesture towards the mayor.

“Do I need to smash in Iceberg’s face to prove it? Crush his skull beneath my palm?”

Paulie shakes off his shock, anger rising in its place. “Quit messing with me!” He grits out, and pulls his ropes out from his sleeves, before charging towards Lucci.

Iceburg panicked, “Paulie, stop!”

Paulie attacks anyways, hurt sharpening as the betrayal sets in, but his attack never lands, his target seeming to disappear from sight.

Before the shipwright can recover his ropes, Lucci appears in front of him, and jabs his neck with two outstretched fingers.

Paulie coughs up blood and Lucci shows incredible distain for the droplets that land on his shoes. Iceburg feels only ice when the blond weakly prepares to attack again.

Lucci asks, pityingly, “Haven’t you learned your lesson yet?” Before subduing the other with another simple attack in an instant.

Paulie, fallen to his knees, struggles to stand again, blood dribbling down his chin.

When his now silent pigeon returns to his shoulder, Lucci boredly says, “Don’t try to tough it out. It’s pointless to resist.” His gaze falls onto the other intruders, landing longer on Straw Hat, “We’ve dedicated our lives to train ourselves to be more than human, closer to a weapon.”

Paulie is shaking, from the effort of staying upright. His voice holds his angry tension, but Iceburg hears the hurt he is trying to hide. The time they have all spent together, shattered in an instant…It was hard, hearing the younger man ask,

“But we were friends…Were you always lying?”

Lucci allows his disdain to be shown in the slight tightening of his brows, looking down at the shipwright, “We were never friends.”

He crouches before him, and the indifferent mocking pisses Iceburg off. The mayor prepares to intervene, glancing to the side to see if anyone was paying attention to him.

Lucci asks, “Would a lion be friends with a mouse? It's not the natural order of things.”

“What are you saying?”

Kaku replies, “It’s not obvious.” He taps his nose with a smirk, “But our senses have been trained past superhuman capabilities. A few suppressants aren’t going to get past us.”

“If only we had more time, we could bring you and your little pirate friend in for re-processing!” Kalifa teases, sneering at the intervening pirates.

Iceburg hates the way his heart slips lower. Some of the people he thought he knew best tin the world…They have no remorse for the way they drag out people’s secrets and trample over their bared souls.

He had known, of course, that Paulie was an omega. It was only a short time after he had initially banded the competing ship building companies under the Galley-La name that he had found out…He had promised the younger man to help him remain incognito, and has done so since.

He knows how omegas are treated by the world government, especially ones who refuse to go along with the strict imposing rules the Navy enforces. Iceburg could never save them all, not even every omega in the city. But he thought he could protect his own charge, at least.
Evading correct classification was a criminal offense, and for omegas, re-processing would lead to life in slavery, or immediate death.

The Straw Hat’s swordsman is visibly enraged by the lackadaisical attitude of the agents, drawing his swords, and the navigator doesn’t seem far behind. He can see that they understand the threat, and as alphas, are one step away from defending their packmate.

Kalifa continues, ignoring the threatening growl, and makes a show of checking her watch, “In fact, we’re behind schedule. Ten minutes to wrap it up, boys.”

Kaku frowns, turning to explain to the room unapologetically, "This is a bit sudden, but in a little over ten minutes, this mansion will go up in flames.”

Iceburg is shocked again, but sobers up to the situation quickly. He knew, definitively now, that these people he had shared a part of his life with were truly evil.

“Fire is such an effective method for erasing all sorts of evidence. A few civilian deaths is unfortunate, but it’s worth it for the effectiveness.”

Paulie’s shock is palpable, the haunted betrayal Iceburg feels reflected in his expression. It’s just like the blond shipwright to lash back, growling with anger, managing to lunge towards the agent still crouched in front of him.

Lucci isn’t fazed, and he casually straightens up. He suddenly lunges, arm reaching out for the shipwright with another direct attack.

“Lucci, Don’t!” The mayor feels the desperation to stop his former charge from landing a critical blow, and tries, but fails, to move more than a few feet, unable to move further when the disembodied arms of Nico Robin hold him down to the floor.

But Paulie is safe, as Straw Hat intercepts Lucci’s attack, his leg cutting through air towards the suited man. Iceburg lets the breath he was didn’t realize he was holding go in a relieved sigh, watching Lucci catch the rubber pirate’s incoming leg easily.

The agent eyes him up and down, and Luffy’s face scrunches up in a glare, before unleashing a volley of attacks. The straw hatted pirate grits his teeth against the surprise and disappointment when each one fails to damage or even land on his opponent.

—

Robin, even from behind, can read Lucci’s growing boredom. The alpha raised his hand, again in a charade of a gun, and aims for the dark haired pirate.

Her breath catches when she hears the impact against rubber skin, Lucci’s fingers burying themselves directly into his neck.

But the rubber snaps back into shape, sending Luffy recoiling into the wall where the entrance door used to be. Robin watches, a funny feeling in her chest, as the other straw hat pirates rush to check on their captain.

But Luffy is already up, brushing off the new wreckage clinging to him. He stands tall, albeit breathing heavier, glaring at Lucci.

Robin sees the slight tension of annoyance in the agent’s shoulders. “…If you were normal, you’d have a hole in your neck, and would have died instantly.” He wipes his fingers off on his suit.

Lucci then noticed that the rubber man had pulled Paulie, still barely conscious, breaths labored, closer to his allies. He narrows his eyes and tries to pick apart the short pirate in front of him.

“…What are you doing, Straw Hat?”

Luffy is nothing but honest, in any situation, and asks directly, not backing down in the slightest, glaring at the taller man, “You’re gonna kill him, aren’t you? But you built ships together! You were comrades.”

“Did you hear nothing I said? We were never comrades.” His derision in evident.

“So you’re a traitor and you suck, fine!”

Robin would have had to hide a chuckle, but instead her chest hurts with the thought of what it looks like, siding against the crew.

Luffy continues, “I promised this guy we’d thrash whoever was trying to kill the ice guy!” He doesn’t bother to stop the aggressive growl mixing with his words, assertion rough with incendiary offense. “And I’ve got business with you too!”

Robin feels her skin crawl, the intensity of the room rising after Luffy’s threat. He means to fight, after watching him take on Crocodile again and again, she should have expected him to try and take on anyone else in his way.

Kaku isn’t unaffected, lurching forward with a twitching grin, fangs peaking out, “What possible business do you have with us, omega—“

Luffy completely ignores the four imposing agents of Cipher Pol in the room, and Robin has to assume it irks all of them to some degree. He’s unabashed, demanding of her,

“Robin! If you want to leave us, tell me why?”

Nami finally speaks up, “And why are you with these guys, they’re assholes!” She hoists her baton higher, when Kaku shifts. Her glare is fierce, but her knees are trembling, and Robin can’t let this devolve into a fight. She bites her lip.

Lucci catches her eye. He’s watching carefully, she could feel everyone watching her. It was unsettling, she much preferred to not be under scrutiny, outside of the shadows. She schools her face into cold neutrality again.

“I already told the ship’s cook and doctor, didn’t they tell you?”

“We told them, but it doesn’t make sense, why do you want to leave?” Chopper asks, and of course the reindeer would be the ultimate test to the strength of her facade.

“To make my wish come true! If I stay with you, this wish will never be fulfilled. To accomplish my goal, I’ll make any sacrifice!” Her desperation bleeds through the cracks, and she prays no one picks up on it.

Zoro, across the room, asks, the light reflecting off his swords shifted when he clenches and unclenches his fists, “And what is this wish of yours?”

Seeing them here is an unnecessary reminder.

Robin knows what she’s fighting for, without it about to be lost in front of her eyes.

“I don’t need to tell you that.”

“Nico Robin, do you understand what you’re giving up?” The mayor is still struggling against her hold, “Do you know what’s at stake?”

“You don’t understand, what we value is not the same.” It’s easier for the mask to slide back into place when she moves her eyes to him, “I didn’t ask for your opinion.” More arms bloom beside the wounded man, shoving his face down and preventing him from speaking any longer.

She risks another glance around the room, inwardly cursing herself when she meets Chopper’s distraught expression as he cries, “Robin, Are you really our enemy now?!”

Her heart is so heavy in her chest, like slowly drowning in all the things she wished she could say and do instead.

“Goodbye, I won’t be seeing you again.”

Luffy is getting frustrated with the lack of definitive answers, and begins to step toward her, “Don’t go yet! Our conversation isn’t over!”

His movement causes Lucci to shift into an offensive stance, and Robin feels the panic rise. She was running out of time to get this to still work.

She can’t look at him when she says it, and closes her eyes, trying to portray annoyance and chagrin, something to cover the truth of how she really feels.

“Just forget about me!”

She knows it hurts him, Luffy’s reaction unguarded. She watches his face evolve from the initial shock.

The flicker of anger in his eyes is not unfamiliar, but what pains Robin most was the acceptance and promised warmth that still shone. He must have recognized her for what she really is, determination settling on his features before he suddenly runs towards her, Lucci in the way be damned.

While this happens, the rest of the crew draw arms as well, Zoro and Nami preparing to cover for their captain while Chopper waits behind, eyes wide and wet with fear.

She freezes, watching the situation crumble before her, despair crawling up her throat, watching as the top hatted agent easily grabs ahold of Luffy.

He immediately struggles against the chokehold, but no matter how hard or how many times he punches and kicks the suited man, Lucci’s stance doesn’t waver. The power difference was too vast.

“You thought you could overtake us?” The alpha lip twitches with a minuscule sneer, but the taunt drips heavily in his words, “The world government’s most elite fighting force, against a mere band of small time pirates led by you?”

He turns his head towards the window, catching Robin’s eyes.

She startles, when she notices that she was watching Luffy struggle and not the man watching her with cold eyes.

“Lately it seems omegas have forgotten their place. They are to obey those superior to them, and not try to fight back.” He states callously, “We won’t renege on our deal, little bird.”

She doesn’t believe him. But there were no other options. She wasn’t strong enough to fight back.

He must see the defeat she’s tried to hide, his mouth twitches with an arrogant smirk, and he gestures toward the open window with his free hand, flippant,

“Now fly away. We’ll just toy with the mice for a bit.” Robin watches the beginning shift into what must be the agent’s devil fruit form. Lucci’s hands grow around the pirate’s neck, still in his grasp, fingers beginning to elongated into claws no human could ever hope to grow. “If they choose to stay and die, that’s their prerogative.”

Luffy manages to hoarsely call out her name, an unsaid order to stay weaved in the single word, and it takes all the effort she can muster to refuse her heart and turn away.

She hears the others call out to her, the young doctor breaking into tears, but she can’t hesitate a moment longer, with Lucci’s fingers tightening his hold, squeezing, the other agents starting to twitch towards their own weapons, anticipation to fight building.

Robin can’t hesitate a moment longer, leaping outside amidst the chorus of pleas to get her to stay. As long as she left, CP9 would follow her. If she stayed, none of them would survive.

On the ground outside, pulling her hood up harshly, she lets a few tears fall. She longed beyond measure to stay with them, the pain in her chest a gnawing ache, the tentative bonds she foolishly allowed to blossom plucked from her soul like wings pulled from a bird.

It hurts, it hurts so much, but…No ordinary person can defy the will of the world government. There was only one path for her this time.

—10:25 PM, Secret Warehouse—

Franky’s sunglasses have been pushed up to his forehead as he looks up, admiring the caravel docked in his warehouse.

The figurehead is rather cute, a well crafted goat head with a cherubic smile. The body of the ship has definitely seen better days, and the pieces Franky tore out himself weren’t the only large chunks taken out. The mast was certainly worse for wear, and Franky could only guess the rest of the damage was extensive. She looked well worn but proud.

Usopp is also watching the Going Merry, eyes shining with tears that refuse to fall, as emotionally drained as he already was. Franky glances over at him from the side.

“Any ship is grateful to its crew in proportion to how good they’ve treated it.” He grins, hand coming up to fidget with his sunglasses. “I bet this ship really wanted to get you lot to the other shore, whatever it took.”

He turns to the beta on the floor and offers him a hand up. After Usopp accepts the help, he tugs him up in one swift move, and continues,

“And the fact it cared about its crew so much it took on a human shape, even for single night, means this ship must have been very happy indeed.”

A few tears do fall then, but ones of gratitude and acceptance. Usopp whispers up to the ship, “Then it really was you who talked to me that night, wasn’t it Merry?”

Merry bobs in the swaying water.

Franky lets the beta have his moment, remaining silent, but he didn’t wait long to pull at the loose strings of Usopp’s story. His leaves his shades atop his head for now, and gives the pirate a disbelieving look.

“You knew your ship was on its last legs and still split from your crew? I thought betas were supposed to be more rational…”

A cold glare the cyborg didn’t expect leveled his way in response, Usopp biting back bitterly, “You shouldn’t assume things based on stereotypes…”

Franky decides to let that one go for now, shrugging to himself and leads them back to the sitting area. Mozu scoots over a little bit on the loveseat so he can flop into it.

Kiwi has finally come around with a dry towel for the sopping sniper, who seems lost in thought after collapsing into the folding chair. He mechanically accepts the towel, proceeding to dry his hair off in stunted, but routine movements.

The beta’s head is lost in the towel, so Franky looks back towards the Merry instead.

“A ship’s purpose is to deliver her crew safely from shore to shore. No ship wants their crew to go down with them…”

The long nosed pirate doesn’t reply, but stills his movements. Franky wants to impart something upon the younger man, unsure if he truly understands, so he continues,

“Saying goodbye with her crew safe on solid ground, that’s a fitting send off for an honorable ship.”

Usopp finally removes the towel hiding his crying eyes, whipping it off and squeezing his eyes shut, “I get it okay!”

“Then why leave everything to stay with a ship that completed its voyage?”

The words start to pour out of his mouth. “My capt—” He stops, swallows hard, and continues, “…Luffy, and everyone on the crew, has gone through so much before to help out other members and friends and allies, even when there seems to be no hope.”

The cyborg is silent, so Usopp continues,

“To hear him give up so easily on the ship…I just started wondering why.” His hands become animated as he speaks, but the heaviness in his heart grows, “It didn’t make any sense to me at first, why wouldn’t we fight against all odds for Merry, too?”

The Franky Family trio remain quiet, and Usopp jumps up to pace,

“I thought it was my fault, because I was too weak to stop you from taking the money, I was too scared to protect the ship in our past battles, I was too unskilled to make better repairs…”

He looks to the ship’s railing, ripped wooden posts and torn metal sheets, his expression pained.

“And then I started thinking, everyone keeps saying that Merry has no use anymore. But what if…a person is useless? Wouldn’t you treat them the same as any other broken thing?”

His pacing continues, and he shouts, eyes squeezing shut, frustration and heartbreak heavy in his chest.

“Pirates only keep people around that are worth something! If a person can’t contribute to the crew in a meaningful way, why do they matter?”

He’s rounded back to the chairs, and collapses in his, arms cradling his face. The last part of his confession is mumbled into the safety of his palms,

“If I couldn’t be useful…I would be just as worthless as a broken ship, right?”

Franky sits forward and takes off his sunglasses once more, looking deep into Usopp’s eyes. “Kid, I get the impression your crew is nothing like other pirates.”

“They aren’t!” He agrees readily, before looking down again. But once I started down that spiral, I couldn’t stop. I said some things I regret.” He clenches his hands, “I just felt that, around all these extraordinary people….I didn’t belong.”

“Did they ever treat you like it?” The blue haired man asks when the sniper doesn’t continue.

Usopp looks up at this, face scrunched and wet with tears. He immediately swears, with vehemence, “No, never! They’re my family!”

Kiwi and Mozu are openly sobbing now, trying to hide their tears behind handkerchiefs, and Franky is equally moved, allowing the wet buildup of emotion pour down his cheeks.

“Then you gotta reconcile with them!” He pumps his fist, over flowing emotions over coming him.

Usopp looks afraid, “I—"

Mozu reaches over to put a hand on the beta’s knee, and with confidence, tells him, “If they’re your family, you can’t let things go like this.”

He looks at her, taking a deep shaky breath, before nodding. “…Right!”

The cyborg grins. “Good thing no one’s going anywhere in this storm! Tomorrow we’ll help you find them!” He leans back into the couch, popping open a bottle with his thumb.

A soft chuckle comes from the sniper as he wipes the last of the tears from his face.

Franky grins, thinking about the future. “Straw Hat and I have a battle to finish, anyway!”

From his side, Kiwi rolls her eyes. “You’re not gonna let that go?”

The cyborg laughs, head thrown back, before answering.

“He’s a feisty devil in a fight,” He adopts a contemplative expression, looking at Usopp, “And he’s turning out to be different than what I thought he’d be.”

Usopp smiles softly, and the tendrils of hopelessness seem to be beginning to fade, “I think he’ll be able to beat you.”

“We’ll see! We’ll see.” Franky laughs again, raising his bottle in a toast.

Suddenly, the doorbell rings.

Kiwi gets up to answer the door, and the cyborg comments lightly, “It’s probably the boys! I was wondering when they’d figure out we were hunkering down here.”

The door, pushed by the tumultuous wind, swings open, slamming hard against the side of the building. Kiwi halts her cheerful greeting, shock replacing the excited grin, when she sees the group waiting outside was not the rest of the Family.

Instead stood the Cipher Pol 9 agents, faces unreadable but presence menacing and imposing, one shoving her aside as they enter the warehouse.

—10:47 PM, Train Station—

Sanji, searching through the streets and alleys of Water Seven, had noticed the quiet calmness before the building storm finally broke.

After all the houses had been boarded up, the citizens and tourists had disappeared. The chef assumed they were doing the logical thing, hiding in from the force of nature in hopefully safe spots. If only he could be locked away in some cozy cabin, adding spices to a hearty simmering stew filling the air with aroma and love, his beautiful crew mates (and hell, the ugly ones too) laughing together and riding out the storm.

It’s just Straw Hat luck really, that the infamous annual hurricane that all the locals were terrified of, would happen when they’ve found themselves entangled in another mess.

Once the rain began, hailing down in drops the size of fists, harsh and in all directions from the swirling storm winds, the city became loud once again. And here, in the train station, it was even louder.

The liveliness of the station was a chorus around the building thunder of the final departing sea train of the night, the rain banging on the rooftop, wind tunneling through the corridor and whooshing harshly.

The clacking of dress shoes and thumps from naval boots of the various government personnel filling the station could barely be heard over the sounds of the train and storm.

The wind has risen to tumultuous levels, it takes him more than a few clicks to get his lighter on long enough to breathe in the warmth and taste of ash through his cigarette. And even then, it only stays lit enough to get one good drag.

Fine, that could last him. He had to see who was getting on the last train out of Water Seven.

He rounded the corner, sticking to the edge to stay out of sight. He stopped close enough to watch the front cars, where most of the personnel seem to be buzzing around.

He sees Robin being escorted by a bunch of men in suits. Government officials, by the looks of it. The train station was already swarming with Navy officers.

She doesn’t look particularly happy to be there, but she seems to be voluntary boarding the train. The woman steps into one of the cars near the thundering engine, and disappearing from the alpha’s sight.

Sanji is momentarily distracted by fleeting thoughts of rescuing the beautiful woman all on his own, in a real prince sweeping the princess of her feet and running away into the sunset sort of style, but regains his composure when a shout rings across the platform.

“Attention, everyone! CP9 will now be boarding the train.”

The Navy officers seem both starstruck and terrified, whispers running amongst those standing in formation off to the side. But Sanji is paying more mind to the imposing group themselves, and who they seem to be effortlessly bringing aboard.

The man in front’s black dress shoes rapped sharply across the wet platform, leading the group. He’s followed by someone with a suspiciously familiar long nose…

He only catches the glimpse of what must be the beauty of the group, but is quickly distracted by the largest man walking by, two men in restraints thrown over his shoulder like bags of rice. On his right shoulder was a huge blue haired man, but on his left…

Was actually Usopp! The sniper was struggling, threatening anyone in earshot and more, and Sanji felt glad the beta wasn’t washed away in the storm.

But this was a problem, wasn’t it? This would be the final train leaving tonight, and even if he waited until tomorrow to regroup with the rest of the crew, it would be almost impossible for a group of pirates to get on a train headed to the judiciary government island this one was headed to.

Sanji sighed, head dropping down as he realized he had to get on that train. He allowed himself a second to feel the different emotions that bubble up. Fear first, a rational one, considering he was about to jump aboard a train full of enemies without any promised backup.

Then, worry for the rest of the crew, somewhere in the city that would be soon overtaken by the storm…He made his resolve, trusting that the they would find their way to join him when they could.

—11:09 PM, Upper Levels—

Iceburg watches the orange haired woman lecture her captain; a deep, yet lighthearted camaraderie he witnessed first only yesterday at the shipyard.

He envies how normal such upheaval must feel for them, since he feels completely lost in the storm of his heart, not too mention the storm ravaging through his island.

It was all so much, at once, and yet they intend to persevere through the killer seas. Their ambition seemed too high, reaching closer to the heavens than the tsunami waves they intend to transverse.

Stationmaster Kokoro idles up next to him. Iceburg isn’t surprised to see her. Stopping next to the mayor, she remarks,

“Nico Robin is the crew member they want to go after.”

Iceburg isn’t sure if he needs to answer, but nods anyway.

The aging woman peaks at him from the corner of her eye, otherwise watching the group of pirates as well.

“They seem like good kids, though. Does the so-called devil child deserve such loyalty?”

—
When her arms fade from existence, the beta sits up coughing, rubbing his sore neck. His concussion makes the room spin for a second, but he does his best to watch the woman’s standing in front of him.

Her voice is shaking with restrained emotion, shoulders tense and hunched slightly.

“For my whole life, I’ve been able to escape and survive, no matter the circumstances.”

He hears the lump in her throat, swallowed like a mouthful of sand, before she continues, “Because I had nothing to protect. Because I could betray and use others to take the fall for me. But now, I…”

She’s still facing away, and Iceburg’s fingers inch towards the gun, discarded on the floor.

“I can’t do that to them! I’ve found people who believe in me!” Her disbelief is palpable, and hone carries a melodic twist of wonder, “The life I had given up on, the heart that I lost, the dreams I thought were dead…”

Iceburg never thought a cold hearted assassin capable of destroying the world could look so desperately heartbroken. When she spins to face him, he was shocked by the pirate’s display of despair, a few stray tears escaping from the corner of her eyes.

“They remind me again and again. They remind me what’s it like to do more than just survive, but to live!”

Gun momentarily forgotten in his surprise, he can’t help but ask,

“Then the reason you’re agreeing to go along with the government you hate…?”

She stands taller, as if she’s had to say this to people much more intimidating than mayor, “Except for myself…The six remaining Straw Hat pirates will be allowed to sail from this island in safety.”

Iceburg barks, angry, “So you’ll help them gain not one, but two weapons that can destroy the world?!”

If she was offended at being called a weapon, she didn’t show it, expression once again schooled in faux indifference. But her words were strong with resolve and passion, sending shivers down the beta’s spine,

“If it means they will continue to live on, I would let the entire world burn.”

—

His mouth quirks up in one corner without him meaning to, “They are deserving of each other. It’s becoming rare to see a crew that devoted.”

“Like a family.” He hears the fond smile in her voice.
Iceburg doesn’t fight his smile quirking upwards when he answers “…Yes, like a family.”

She finally turns to him, a growing grin stretching her face. “You know, there’s a way we can help them.”
Iceburg straightens his back and shoulders, coughing into a fist. “As the elected official representing Water Seven, I cannot direct a citizen to aid pirates in chasing after the Navy…”

He watches Paulie veto another outlandish idea offered by the straw hatted pirate, the captain immediately challenging the shipwright, jumping up and pointing an accusatory finger towards the other. The orange haired alpha brought the group back together, all of them equally determined to find some way to follow that train.

Paulie was invested…It seemed the blond shipwright was serious about helping them, and judging on the support the pirate crew received from others gathered on the platform, he wasn’t alone.

Iceburg decides to casually mention, “In a storm like, many things could be washed away. Including huge hunks of iron and coal that should have been decommissioned ages ago…”

Kokoro laughs at that, head thrown back into the rain for just a second. Iceburg hides his own smile in another cough to clear his throat. The train station master leaves his side, and the beta watches as she shouts for the group of pirates and their allies to follow her.

Whatever would happen next, would change the world. Iceburg hoped it would be for the better, and watches the group in front of him begin to sparkle with confident drive and love for their missing crew mate. He allows the warm hope to sprout in his heart, too.

Notes:

Post AN: so yeah lol sorry we spent more chapters being sad again :[ so much emotional damage and so little ship content ;__;

Leeeeeet me know what you think!!! Constructive criticism, suggestions, etc are always welcome! And comments are loved and pinned to the motivational board inside my brain to be treasured forever!!!

Thank you always for reading <333!!!

Edit 5/22/24: I PROMISE I HAVENT GIVEN UP ON THIS FIC !!!! i may have lost my entire draft/outline/notes, got super depressed abt that, burnt out af, and lost the one piece hyperfixation for now but do not fret; all those things are temporary. i hope to come back soon :)