From Day One You're All My Nakama

by ForeverNightlights24_7

Summary:

The Straw Hats are thrown back in time to before they ever became a crew, luckily with their memories still intact. How will this change their story?

Notes:

Fanart and Podfics on my works are welcome, just give credit!

Chapter 1: Start (AGAIN?!)

Summary:

Luffy pieces the recent, past?, future?, events together and follows the plan his crew made.

Luffy jerked awake with a start, falling face first onto the familiar wood of the ASL treehouse he and his brothers made when they were children. Luffy peeled his face off of the ground and looked around wildly. This was really happening.

The Straw Hat crew knew something could go wrong during their latest mission.

The island they’d stumbled upon was being ruled by a woman with the power to throw people through time with her devil fruit when they angered her. Forcing people to live their lives all over again. The issue was that you kept your memories but lost your body, so most people were over a few hundred years old still in the bodies of teenagers. Apparently, the queen, Lady Urei, was very easily angered.

The entire crew felt chills at the realization that they may be tossed back to their previous lives. Brook, Sanji, Nami, and Robin all took the news the hardest. The issue was that they had no choice but to dock. The Sunny needed repairs desperately and they were nearly out of food and medical supplies.

“We need a plan.” Robin stated, her arms crossed to hide the slight shake of her hands. “Agreed.” Usopp, Jimbe, and Nami said at once.

They had no idea exactly how far back they could be thrown, so they could only make guesses based on Luffy’s age at the time. If Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Nami, Sanji, and Chopper were tossed back to the age of children then Jinbe, Robin, Franky, and Brook would have trouble getting to them. The best-case scenario would be getting tossed back to a time where they were all already together, but that was unlikely.

Halfway through the talk, Sanji had to get up to get Brook some tea to help calm him. The skeletal man admitted he was terrified at the idea of being alone on his old ship again. That wasn’t surprising to the others. Each of the boys had woken up to the sounds of Brook’s nightmares more than once, his desperate pleas for someone to answer his cries kept many of them up at night with him. Sanji sympathized the most, letting Brook know early on how happy he was that they both survived the isolation.

Luffy sprinted out of the treehouse and swung through the trees as his mind raced. He could tell he was older, at least fifteen, but he had to be sure. He’d made a promise to Ace that he wouldn’t break even if it meant waiting a while to find his nakama.

Luffy nearly fell over his own feet in shock when his observation haki activated.

They were warned that they would only keep their memories, but it seems that haki mastery remained the same, because Luffy very easily dodged the punch aimed for his head after he made it back to the bandit house.

“Grandpa!” Luffy cheered, happy to see the man.

Garp seemed taken aback by Luffy dodging him, but he still hugged his grandson tightly. “Happy Seventeenth Birthday, Brat!” Garp laughed. Luffy felt his worries drain out of him. This was one of the best scenarios.

As mentioned before, the crew had multiple plans. One of their best ones was in case they got sent back three years, to the start of Luffy’s adventure or any time near it.

Everyone had a very important role in this.

Jinbe, since he wouldn’t be imprisoned until about the time of the crew making it to Alabasta, would find Nami and help her fight Arlong first.

This plan was decided after Jinbe explained that he would be able to find Brook, but there was no guarantee he could do it alone in under a month. Brook was devastated by this, his boney body trembling at the idea of being isolated with his old crew’s corpses on their broken ship once more. Nami butted in, stating that if Jimbe went from the Grand Line into the East Blue, then back with her, they would both be able to track Brook down way faster. Jimbe thought about it, remembering that he was in fact around a week-long trip away from Nami’s village. This would also be Jimbe’s way of paying Nami back for freeing Arlong all those years ago and being one of the causes of her enslavement.

Brook was ecstatic, letting them know he could try carving gifts for Laboon out of the ship wood since he’d be off of it in a matter of weeks rather than months.

This plan held true for any time Jinbe was out of prison, since it was the fastest way to get Brook free apart from having Zoro swim Nami across the Calm Belt, which was one of the backup plans.

Robin’s job would be letting Vivi know everything about Crocodile’s operation and getting her in on the plan to take him down once the rest of the crew got there. She would also be in charge of tracking down Mr. 2, Bon, and getting his friends on their side early. This all before meeting everyone at the Reverse Mountain with Chopper and Franky. The duo agreed it would be best to have Franky grab Robin and Chopper, so it was more certain he’d get there safely and without getting lost. Many forget Chopper’s only sense of direction is his nose, which doesn’t help out at sea. If anything, he’s only slightly behind Zoro for the lead in the crew’s most likely to get lost category.

Franky would be in charge of getting himself to the Reverse Mountain as well, but he would also need to purchase the proper wood for improvements to the Going Merry. Franky was ecstatic about the idea of combining Merry and Sunny together into one proper ship. The crew could also feel a warm breeze pass over them at the idea. Franky also let everyone know he’d be fine taking down CP9 by himself. He already memorized a few of Usopp’s weapon designs that focused heavily on tranquilizer and paralization darts, which would work perfectly against the unsuspecting group.

Usopp was in a similar boat. He had mastered crafting his ammunition long ago, most of which was perfect for dealing with Kuro even without his prized flower-based shots. He also would stay there after the fact to make sure Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy made it to Reverse Mountain on the Merry again. He was by no means as good at navigating as Nami, but they would survive that much. It would also be his chance to share some of his real stories with Kaya.

Sanji would be in charge of preparing everyone else in the Baratie for both Mihawk’s arrival with the Krieg Pirates and the future trouble with the Vinsmokes. Sanji was adamant that he would finally tell his old man how much he truly cared about him along with his past involving Judge. Sanji’s voice shook slightly at the declaration, so Usopp nudged his shoulder with a comforting smile.

Zoro would still be in Shells Town, so he would be in charge of staying there and keeping the villagers safe from the corrupt marines. He would also need to inform them about the stuff happening in Nami’s hometown after a while, so that there would be ships there to take Arlong and his crew away after they lost against Jimbe, since they would definitely lose.

Luffy’s mission was far more intense.

“Grandpa?” “Hm?” “I got an idea.” Luffy announced. They were currently eating some grilled crocodile with the bandits nearby, along with Makino and the mayor. “Oh? What is it, ya brat?” “I’ll become a marine.”

Everyone did a collective spit take, even Makino.

“What?!” “Only if you prove it’s better.” Luffy finished, shoving another crocodile leg into his mouth to suck the meat off of the bone in one go. “I mean, I was gonna set sail to be a pirate today, but I could always do that a bit later. You keep hitting me to try and make me a marine, so this is the deal. I’ll be a marine for one month.” The time it’ll take to get to Syrup Village. “If you don’t make it fun enough, I’ll leave and be a pirate.” Luffy finished with a grin.

Garp looked impressed, stunned, mortified, angry, and almost every other emotion all at once. “Are you sure, Luffy? You’ve always wanted to be-” “Of course!” Garp cut the bandit off and threw an arm around Luffy in a tight hug.

The teen relaxed into the older man’s hold. It was nice being held like this. He’d take advantage while he was there.

Notes:

I know Brook originally wanted to wait to see Laboon in canon, ignore that for this fic.

There will be more mentions of the various member's trauma throughout the story as well as some fluff with their interactions tossed in later.

Chapter 2: Meet My Friend (Again)

Summary:

Luffy reunites with his dear friend and closest crew member.

Luffy hugged Dadan as tightly as he could. He was still way weaker than he was before the time jump, but he knocked the wind out of the old woman. She complained about it, but Luffy knows she’s lying. He’s gotten far better at reading people with Usopp and Robin’s help. Body language was way easier with Brook and Chopper too. Dadan was sad, happy, and a few other things.

“Hey, old lady?” Luffy whispered, using his haki to make sure his grandpa wasn’t listening. “What?” She asked, voice quieter from Luffy’s tone. “I already went out on a journey. I got sent back in time. This is my way of getting my pirate crew back together. I’m never gonna give up on my dream. Sabo is alive too. I’ll make sure to bring him here once I see him.”

Dadan’s mouth dropped open in shock. She looked like she wanted to call Luffy a liar, but she knew better. Luffy was a horrible liar.

“Bye bye!” Luffy let go of her and took off with one last parting wave.

Dadan wouldn’t dare let any of the others see her break down later that night. She would tell everyone Luffy’s claims later on, after Garp and Luffy are long gone, and the celebration held in Luffy’s honor and in hope of Sabo returning was worth it.

Luffy left Windmill Village with a wide grin.

His grin was promptly slapped off of his face by Garp when the man demanded Luffy get to work cleaning.

Luffy got the cleaning done easily with his devil fruit abilities.

Actually, Luffy noticed that his usual stretchiness was better than it should be. Almost like his fruit didn’t get reset. If that’s the case, the others with devil fruit powers on the crew will have the abilities they unlocked in Wano too.

Luffy wanted to test his Gear 5, but he remembered Nami’s heated glare when she warned him to wait. He needed to play it low so his grandpa would underestimate him. Escaping would be much easier that way. He could experiment with that later when the crew reunited.

Luffy’s main issue was the uniform he was forced to wear.

He wanted to be a pirate, not a marine, but he would take the loss if it meant he could still wear his hat. He’d rather sink the ship with everyone, including himself, on it than replace Shank’s gift with one of the navy caps. It was also nice to be able to hide the scar on his chest for a while. He didn’t need Garp’s questions about it.

The only notable thing Luffy saw on the ship was the small, achingly familiar, chest in his grandpa’s office. He’d only caught a glimpse of it, but Luffy knew that box. It was the same box Shanks had his devil fruit in. Hm…

Luffy waited on baited breath over the next two days. He needed to do a number of things, but this was one of the most important ones. Luffy perked up when he felt it.

At the very end of his range with observation haki was a ship.

A pirate ship.

Luffy rocketed himself up to the crows nest, stating he wanted to help be a lookout when Garp’s men asked why he was there.

After a few minutes, he happily pointed out the ship in the distance. “Pirates!” The entire crew prepared to battle, but Luffy remained in the crow's nest. He was waiting to catch sight of… there!

Without warning, Luffy was off. He laughed as his body easily flew past some cannon balls midair. He didn’t need to fight, he had his target.

Luffy landed on the ship with a thud, drawing everyone’s attention including his target. “Hi! Bye!” Luffy said, wrapping Koby up in one arm before lifting his feet up, using the hand still attached to the navy ship to pull them both away.

Koby screamed like a madman and Luffy laughed. He was laughing so hard he forgot to slow their momentum, causing himself and Koby to crash into one of the walls on the navy ship.

“Luffy! What did you do?!” Garp demanded, letting his crew handle the pirates for now.

“Grandpa! Look! I got a friend!” Luffy pulled Koby out of the rubble and pushed him forward. The shorter teen was trembling head to toe, but he paused when his eyes finally met Garp's.

“You’re… Vice Admiral Garp!” Koby shouted in shock. “Yes. And you’re a pirate. Do you know what I do to pirates?” Garp replied as he cracked his knuckles.

“No! Grandpa, he’s not a pirate! I saw the other pirates kicking him around! I think he’s good!” Luffy placed himself in between Garp and Koby, hoping Nami’s plan would work. “Yes, sir! My name is Koby! C-Captain Alvida took me prisoner! I was forced to work for her or be killed! I’d love nothing more than to be a marine!” Koby bowed low, hands to his sides.

Once the ordeal with Alvida was over, Garp had his crew set sail to Shells Village to drop the prisoners off. He knew there was a marine base there, so this would work out nicely.

Luffy befriended Koby in the meantime, giving the younger teen some pointers on fighting when everyone else wasn’t watching.

“I can’t believe I’ll get to be training alongside you, Luffy.” Koby said, eyes shining. Luffy snorted despite himself. Koby frowned in question. “Well… I still want to be a pirate. I’m only here to see if Grandpa can convince me otherwise.” “You want to be a pirate?!” Luffy shushed Koby easily before dragging him to a quiet spot.

“Look.” Luffy said, crossing his arms. “There are good pirates and bad pirates. Just like there are good marines and bad marines. They’re all people. Good or bad. People. I want to be a pirate, someone who helps my people and sets them free. My dream is to be the Pirate King. I like your dream, Koby. Being a marine is good too, you just need to be a good one.”

Luffy left after giving Koby one last reassuring smile. He cared about his friend, but he didn’t have time to explain everything. Luffy also knew he probably wouldn’t do it correctly.

Luffy smiled widely when he spotted the island in the distance.

“Almost there, Zoro.” Luffy whispered.

“What was that, Luffy?!” Garp shouted. Luffy jumped in fright, rushing to mob the floors before he got in trouble again. Luffy noticed Koby giving him a side eye, but he shrugged it off. There was something more important he was worried about.

“We’re-” Luffy was off the ship instantly, sprinting up the pathway and around the marines lining the area in order to jump up to peek over the wall.

Luffy scanned the yard in seconds, finally landed eyes on the man his observation haki was sensing.

“Zoro!” Luffy flung himself over the wall and over to the pirate hunter, crashing into him and the wood he was tied to. The impact broke the wood frame, sending Luffy and Zoro to the ground as they laughed. Luffy was still tightly wrapped around Zoro’s upper half, and the other man would have hugged back if the other piece of wood holding his arms apart wasn’t still together.

“Luffy!” The duo both flinched hard when Garp landed directly beside them.

Garp peeled Luffy off of Zoro while giving the downed man a once over. “Who are you?” “Roronoa, the pirate hunter.” “Why are you tied up? What’da do?” “I somehow insulted the son of the man in charge here. Said I had to either be tied up here for a month or die.” Garp frowned slightly, finding no hint of a lie in Zoro’s tone since there was none. “How long have you been out here?” “Uh…” Zoro shrugged as best he could with his arms still bound. “A week?” Luffy’s smile grew wider, he’d arrived sooner than expected.

“Here, ya brat. Judge if he’s a good one to join us.” Garp dropped Luffy, trusting his grandson to find someone else like Koby.

“Yes!” Luffy nodded swiftly. “Let's go get your swords!” “Swords?” “I have three. They go on my hip here.” Zoro said, trying to explain how Luffy could have guessed the information rather than just knowing it. “I see… Where are they?” “The guy’s son with the bad haircut took them. One is extremely important to me, so I need it back. If you get it back I’ll join you.” Zoro said.

He knew by now Garp was more than strong enough to get his swords back, and he trusted whoever his captain trusted.

“I missed you.” Luffy whispered while he worked on untying Zoro’s binds. It took a while, since Luffy sucked at working with knots, but Zoro just relaxed into the touch. It was comforting.

He really did miss everyone, his nakama, a lot.

“Finally!” Luffy gasped dramatically when he finally got one of Zoro’s hands free.

The swordsman did the other knot by himself while Luffy rested his head on Zoro’s thigh.

“Hey… You’ve got your eye back.” Luffy said, surprised. “Yeah?” “The scar is still there.” Luffy said, pointing to the, more faded, scar still going over Zoro’s eye. In fact, the pupil on that eye was slightly grey.

“I have my scar too…” Luffy said, pulling his shirt down enough for Zoro to see the scar on his chest after sitting up. “Yeah. The one on my chest is still there too. What do you think it means?” “I don’t know.” Luffy flopped back onto Zoro’s lap. “Let’s ask the others when we see them.” “Yeah. Probably a better idea."

They went quiet then, using their haki to watch Garp beat some sense into Morgan and Helmeppo.

Zoro thanked Garp when the older man returned with Wado Ichimonji and his other two swords. Zoro agreed to join the marines, only if he could stay with Luffy. “I think he’s interesting. Strong too, should be good for training.” Zoro explained. Garp bought it easily.

While they were there, the duo also overheard talk about the group of fishmen taken into custody a few days ago. That meant Jinbe got there faster than originally thought.

Notes:

I wanted them all to keep at least bits of their past with them in some way visually, so all of their scars are either faded significantly or colored white on their skin. Zoro does have his eye back; the greyness is just a visual reminder of him blinding it before.

Chapter 3: I've Got My Wings Back! (Again!)

Summary:

Training, training, and more training! And some fluff :)

Zoro screamed in rage, slashing through the door to the galley when Luffy tried to use it as a shield.

“I’m going to cut you to pieces!” “No! I’m sorry!” Luffy screeched, sprinting away from the angry swordsman like his life depended on it. Maybe it did.

“What did you do now?!” Koby and Helmeppo both cried out in exasperation. “Luffy!” “I’m sorry!” The feral duo completely ignored them. They only stopped fighting when Garp screamed at them to stop while bashing both of their heads through a wall.

“Oh wow…” Koby said in awe. Luffy and Zoro were both limp against the wall, unmoving apart from the occasional grumble under their breaths.

The only reason Garp hadn’t stopped them sooner was because he was busy dealing with Buggy and his crew.

The clown managed to escape capture since Garp fell asleep halfway through storming the area, but it didn’t matter much.

Luffy and Zoro had been spending their time in town, befriending everyone they had before and helping the old dog, but they returned to the ship for lunch. During lunch, Luffy stole Zoro’s last onigiri, which the other deemed an offence punishable by death.

In reality, Zoro would never dare kill Luffy. He already gave the other man his life and swords along with his undying loyalty no matter what. That won’t stop him from cutting Luffy to pieces when he deserves it.

That being said, Luffy is more than happy to have Zoro be trying to slice him if it means he’s there. Being separated for two years then apart at Wano was enough for him. He’s already really missing Sanji’s cooking, Robin's fun facts, Chopper’s laughter, Jinbe's fretting, Franky’s cheering, Usopp’s stories, Nami's rants, or Brook’s music. Yeah, they both really missed Brook. Hopefully Jimbe and Nami already got him out of there though. They both agreed earlier that one of the things they’re looking forward to the most is seeing Brook finally reunite with Laboon.

“Zoro…” Luffy whined when he heard Zoro pull himself free and move to leave. “Nah, get yourself out.” Luffy whined in defeat.

The next day started with Luffy napping on Zoro’s back while the older man did one armed pushups on the deck.

Koby and Helmeppo both stared at Zoro like they couldn’t believe he was real. The two shrimps had joined the pirate duo on the deck to do some physical training too, but they had amassed a meager fifteen pushups together compared to Zoro’s one hundred and twelve one handed pushup count for that arm.

When Zoro got to one hundred and fifty, he switched arms. Luffy kept on snoring, having to sleep off the food he ate last night. Since Zoro remembered that Sanji told them they’d be able to find the Baratie sooner than the first time if they were fast, he told Luffy to eat everything he could in order to make the marines actively look for the floating restaurant before they landed in Syrup Village for Usopp.

Luffy took his mission very seriously and ate enough that the reserves meant to last a few weeks would only be enough for another week or so for that many people still aboard.

“Luffy?” “Hm?” “Move.” Luffy stood, letting Zoro move into a hand stand. Luffy then crawled up Zoro’s legs to hold onto his shins like a tree while Zoro started to do one armed hand stand push ups.

“Oh my g-” “How?!” Helmeppo cried, actually cried. Luffy just glanced over and grinned. “You’ll get here eventually.”

“Luffy is right.” Bogard said. “And Luffy?” “Hm?” “How was the late-night snack?” “Uh… What snack?” Luffy was then kicked into the mast of the ship.

He took the hit with grace and just returned to his previous spot on Zoro’s legs when he managed to pull himself up again.

“They’re monsters…” Luffy and Zoro both grinned at Helmeppo’s whispered words. If he thought they were bad now, he should see them with Sanji. The three of them were called the Monster Trio by the crew for a reason. Although just Nami would likely be enough to scare him off so there wasn’t much competition there.

Speaking of Sanji…

“We’ll restock at the floating restaurant. I’ve heard it’s run by a former pirate, so I’d like to try his food anyway.” Garp said as he waved some other marines off when they asked about the food storage. Garp then also gave Luffy a punch as punishment for eating the entire stock.

“Here we are!” Someone shouted, causing Zoro and Luffy to fly off of the ship and throw the Baratie doors open.

Zoro spotted the familiar blond hair first, so he snatched Luffy’s arm and ran them both towards him. “Sanji!” Luffy once again wrapped himself around his crewmate like a baby koala. “You guys!” Sanji hugged Luffy back with a warm laugh, a sound that seemed to brighten the entire restaurant.

“I knew you’d come back.” “Of course! You’re my cook!” Luffy laughed, lightly headbutting Sanji with a playful fondness they regularly used when not actually fighting like madmen.

Zoro pushed Luffy aside and gave Sanji a punch to the arm. In retaliation, Sanji kicked Zoro’s shin.

When Garp walked in he questioned why Luffy was acting so nice to Sanji, but Zoro explained that he and Sanji were already friends so Luffy claimed Sanji as his own as well. Sanji nodded along with a smile. “I’ll prepare a special dish for our resident war hero. Old Man!” “What?!” “Give me the left side!” “Why?!” “I’m prepping for forty people!” Sanji and Zeff screamed at one another from across the tables.

Zeff eventually agreed to let Sanji cook while he spoke with Garp.

The marine tried to convince Zeff to join, using Luffy as an example of a pirate who managed to reform for good. Zeff gave Luffy a knowing smirk before saying he was happy in retirement and wasn’t planning on leaving the East Blue.

Luffy and Zoro dug into the meal like dying animals, stating that they both needed Sanji to come with them or else they’d never be able to eat again. Garp ended up talking with Zeff about it, asking the man if he’d be willing to enlist his son into the marines. Zeff seemed to preen at the son part, and he agreed happily after seeing Sanji so happy. He also knew that Sanji had memories from the future and already planned all of this out with his nakama.

Sanji left Zeff with a hug and the whispered words “Thank you for everything, Pops.”

Adding Sanji to the dynamic between Zoro and Luffy really showed the rest of the ship just how unhinged all of them are.

They witnessed Zoro nearly slash Luffy’s neck with two blades at once, watched Sanji attempt to drown Luffy in the sink, saw Luffy launch both men into walls on multiple occasions, stared at them as they did workout regimens most adults couldn’t handle all together, watched in confusion as Luffy somehow used his body as a rope to stop Sanji from giving Zoro a concussion, listened to older two argue over something as basic as how often one should shower while at sea, and take part in peaceful discussions with all three of them about the sea and the benefits of certain ways of life while out. This all in the span of a day.

The rest of the week was no better for the others.

Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro on the other hand were having a blast.

Koby and Helmeppo seemed the most put off by everything. Both of them always gave the trio looks like they didn’t belong in their reality. Well, they were partially correct.

“Damn it, Marimo!” Sanji screamed before there was the all too familiar sound of kicks colliding with swords. Luffy’s laughter was the only thing that signaled the rest of the crew that the other two were in fact not trying to kill each other.

One night, not long after Sanji joined them, it was discovered that some pieces of them did in fact come with them during the jump. Sanji deduced that since haki and devil fruits are closely tied to the person’s mental state, it was very possible they remained the same. His genetic mutations weren’t in the same category, but feeding himself foods he knew would strengthen the effects helped speed the process along with training. He did keep his ability to sky walk and instinctively block attacks without haki, so that was just fine.

“How long have they been doing this?” “Um… four hours?” Koby replied when Helmeppo asked the question everyone apart from the strange trio wanted to know.

Sanji was standing on the forecastle deck. Luffy was punching him in various spots over and over again with the blond never retaliating. Zoro was nearby, occasionally slashing at them both with his swords while he worked out.

No one apart from the trio knew what was happening.

Luffy was helping Sanji awaken his Germa powers again.

Sanji knew exactly how it felt now, and with his observation haki focusing on his insides he’s sure he can activate it way earlier than before with Luffy’s help. The only reason he didn’t use Zoro for this was he didn’t want scars from the failed blocks, and Zoro has already broken three swords in his time on the ship.

Finally, after another fifteen minutes of almost the entire ship watching them, Sanji felt it. There was the shift in his body he used to dread. Now, he saw it as a way to defend his crew properly instead of something he wanted gone. The feeling in his chest swelled, so Sanji planted his feet and readied himself. Zoro’s random slash came a moment later along with one of Luffy’s kicks. Both landed. The blade shattered on Sanji’s head while Luffy’s foot stopped dead in place against his chest as the sound of metal clanging rang out.

“Yes!” Luffy cheered, moving to spin Sanji around in a hug. “You finally got it!” “Yeah!” Sanji laughed, his cigarette falling from his lips as he did so.

“What was that?!” Sanji glanced over at the marine crew as Luffy kept spinning them around. “Something I needed to get stronger.”

That night, like usual, the three crewmates crawled into a single hammock to sleep.

It started when Luffy had a nightmare and crawled into Zoro’s hammock not long after he joined the marine ship. Since Zoro sleeps better around people he actually trusts, his night’s rest came easy.

Sanji was roped into it after his first night there. Luffy and him both had nightmares, so the rubber teen dragged them both up and into Zoro’s hammock. Zoro knew immediately, because he’s usually a light sleeper, but he didn’t care. Sanji slept better than he had since they were tossed back in time. Zoro was like a space heater, and Luffy’s natural habit of wrapping himself around anyone near him in sleep was comforting in a way he hadn’t felt in a while.

Luffy said it would be best when everyone joined the pile. Zoro just hoped he’d switch with Franky or Jinbe if that happened so he wasn’t crushed at the bottom of said pile.

“Shitty cook.” Zoro muttered when Sanji elbowed him. “Stupid moss head.” “Twirly brows.” “Brute.” “Nakama…” Luffy sighed happily, nuzzling into them both and stopping the growing fight without trying.

Notes:

I find it hard to believe that after always sleeping in a pile with his brothers Luffy wouldn't like dogpiling anyone else on his crew.

Chapter 4: Shots Fired! (Again!)

Summary:

Friendly fire is not on, Usopp takes full advantage!

Notes:

I gave Usopp back his gremlin energy, sue me.

Luffy had been in the middle of talking to Koby when it happened. Garp had yelled something, but being distracted caused Luffy to ignore him. That was the start of his downfall. A shot connected that sent Luffy’s head slumping back, causing him to go silent as he fell to the ground.

The entire deck went quiet as their eyes widened. Then, almost like magic, Luffy sat up and started yelling.

Sanji and Zoro were both running up from the hold to see what happened, only for them to also be shot. Three targets all hit perfectly.

Garp was about to launch a cannon ball in the direction of the sniper when he finally heard exactly what Luffy and his friends were saying.

“Damn it! What the hell?!” “That was disgusting!” “Fire! Fire! It burns! Hot! Hot!”

Luffy was running in circles while fanning his mouth to try and get rid of the heat. Sanji was over the side of the ship, spitting whatever was shot into his mouth. Zoro was screaming in the direction of the sniper while waving his katanas around. The smudge on his lips was white, revealing he was forced to eat sugar.

“You long nosed bastard!” “I’m going to burn you alive!” “Water!” Luffy then flung himself off of the ship and straight into the sea. Zoro and Sanji both paused in their screaming to yell at Luffy for being stupid and forgetting he can’t swim before diving in after him.

Minutes later, after the trio was back on the ship, another round of ammo rained from the sky. This time, it was paint. “Hey!” Sanji dodged the incoming assault along with Luffy while Zoro slashed the attack before it ever got close.

“What’s happening?” “Are we under attack?” “No.” Garp said. He wasn’t stupid. He could tell this sniper was more than capable of killing at least half of his crew in one go even with him there with such amazing sniping skills. However, the sniper was only aiming at Luffy and his friends with ammo that was nothing more than annoying. “There’s the island the sniper must be on!” Someone in the crow’s nest shouted.

“That’s it!” Sanji leapt off of the ship. Garp and a few others were about to yell after him, but they were shocked into silence when Sanji started sprinting across the sky like it was solid ground.

“Hey! Leave some of him for me!” Zoro demanded before diving into the water and swimming like his life depended on it. He was so fast that he somehow caught up with Sanji in moments.

“Guys! Wait up! I wanna see him too!” Luffy ran to the back of the ship before slinging himself towards the island with his gum gum rocket then using Sanji as a springboard to make it the rest of the way.

Garp, still beyond confused, ordered the others to dock the ship at the island so he could investigate.

Back in Syrup Village, Usopp was busy laughing so hard he could barely aim. Not really, since he was still managing to cover Sanji and Zoro in paint while they made their way over to most likely kick his ass.

Unfortunately for them, Luffy got there first.

The rubber man tackled Usopp to the ground and started chattering about their adventures and how excited he was to have Usopp back with them again.

By the time Sanji and Zoro made it there, both covered in green and red paint, they were stopped from killing Usopp in favor of a softer reunion of playful punches and throwing mud at Usopp in retaliation.

“I see your observation haki is as advanced as ever.” Sanji said, lighting a cigarette. “Yeah! I realized it after it kept alerting me of Kuro. Really helped in my fights against him.” “Fights?” “Oh yeah. As the great and powerful warrior that I am, I led that dastardly fend all over the island in his violent rage against me. He never got close, but his rampage was witnessed by the entire village, so everyone knows exactly how evil he is. Once I beat him in a beautiful explosion of red-hot flames, they imprisoned him.”

Zoro rolled his eyes, not bothering to ask how exaggerated that all was.

“Were you hurt?” “Nah, he never got a hit in.” Usopp laughed proudly as he stuck his nose in the air.

He was somehow so different and similar from the man they originally picked up all that time ago.

“Merry is good to go whenever we’re ready. Kaya was more than happy to provide her when I stopped Kuro.” The trio grinned at the news. They would still need a few things, but the Going Merry was the most important.

“Let’s head down to the dock. Garp will probably want to meet the guy who stopped the famous pirate of Syrup Village.” Zoro said with a sideways smirk. Usopp squawked in offence at the tease, standing to slap Zoro’s arm. “You’re so mean to me!” “No. I’m just not blind.” “Oh! Your eye is back!” Usopp grabbed Zoro’s head to get a closer look at his face. “My scars are still there too.” Usopp confirmed after Sanji’s questioning glance.

The meeting with Garp went about as well as it could. Usopp was forced to clean the deck where his attacks had landed after the others dodged.

After he was done with that, and while the marines were working with the village to get Kuro into their custody, the group of undercover pirates left to see the Merry. It was a tearful reunion with lots of hugs.

Sanji had Zoro help him load up the food they would need for the trip. It was a familiar dance between them, with pointed jabs and harsh words eventually leading to a physical brawl that would end with them acting like nothing happened to finish getting food.

Usopp introduced Luffy to Kaya and the kids who were a part of the Usopp Pirates.

Once that was done, Usopp took Luffy back to his place to see the weapons and tools he’d been working on. Usopp had recreated his goggles, his slingshot, Nami’s clima-tact, and the Straw Hat flag. Luffy was beyond impressed, raving about how the design somehow looked better than last time.

They regrouped with Sanji and Zoro at the ship to hang the jolly roger up before returning to the marine ship.

“We leave tomorrow at noon.” Luffy muttered. That was the time he knew most of the marines would be tired or busy working.

Besides, he had another few things to snag before they could leave.

That night, Sanji snuck out of the men’s room to root through the ship’s treasure storage. There wasn’t anything impressive, but Sanji grabbed all of the jewelry and cash he could at once before sneaking out. Nami’s lessons in stealth and thievery were as helpful as ever.

That morning, Zoro and Sanji staged a brawl that included Zoro slashing multiple doors apart. One of them being the door leading to Garp’s office. Luffy rushed into the room during all the chaos, grateful his grandpa slept in another room.

Finally, after looking around, Luffy found what he was looking for. The small chest he’d seen weeks ago. Luffy snatched the chest off of the shelf and replaced it with a small box used for food. Hopefully, Garp wouldn’t notice the difference before they left. Luffy tucked the chest into his pants before rushing out to help the marines separate Zoro and Sanji.

Usopp arrived not long after that. He made it seem like a friendly visit.

In reality, he was there to sneak the valuables Sanji and Luffy grabbed back to the Merry before their departure.

Notes:

Anyone want to guess what's inside the chest?

Chapter 5: On My Way (Again!)

Summary:

The month is over, now's Luffy's time to shine!

“Grandpaaaaa!” Luffy whined. “I’m bored!” He complained. “Then go train!” Garp bellowed back. “You know, it’s been a month.” “Huh?” “It’s been a month since I joined the marines. This is definitely worse than being a pirate.” “You brat! I’ll beat some sense into you!”

Luffy was very grateful his crewmates were already at the Merry, because he didn’t need the teasing that he knew he’d get for running away from his grandpa like a small child.

“Get back here, Luffy!”

The fight caught the attention of not just the marines, but the village and a navy photographer who had been stopping by. Thankfully, the rest of the marines were left behind due to Luffy and Garp’s inhuman speed while running.

“Guys! Start moving!” The Going Merry was parked on the other side of the island, far away from Garp’s ship and closer to Loguetown. Usopp didn’t think twice, having already prepared for departure when he first sensed Luffy and Garp getting closer. Merry was about to start moving when Luffy caught sight of her in the distance.

“Grandpa, guess what?!” Luffy called over the punches knocking down trees when he dodged. “What?!” “I’m already a pirate! I got sent back in time three years!” “What?” Garp froze. Luffy paused as well after getting to a safe distance.

Unbeknownst to both of them, the photographer was nearby.

“I’m Monkey D Luffy! The Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates! Emperor of the Sea, and future King of the Pirates!” Luffy cheered after pulling his shirt open to reveal his scar.

Garp screamed in rage, aiming a haki powered punch for Luffy’s face. Only, his hit never connected with its mark.

The clash of haki on haki was immense, sending entire trees back from the impact of Luffy catching Garp’s fist midair.

“Grandpa.” Luffy had a wide grin on his face as he tilted his head up to let his hat reveal his bright eyes once more. “I’m gonna be better this time. Stronger than before. I won’t let Ace die again.” Garp’s wide eyes somehow got wider. “I’m gonna meet Sabo again sooner too. He’s alive, ya know.” Luffy shifted slightly to push Garp back again. “Sorry, Grandpa. I had a lot of fun spending time with you. Take good care of Koby and that other guy for me. Bye!”

Then Luffy was slingshotting himself to the Merry, which was already moving away from the island.

Garp stood there for a long while. He processed the words slowly. Repeating them in his head over and over again. Luffy was from the future. Ace died at some point in the next three years. Sabo, his long-lost grandson, was alive. Luffy would become an Emperor of the Sea. He was already a captain with a strong crew that cared for him like family. “I love you Grandpa! I’ll see you later!” Luffy’s yell could barely be heard over the ocean waves.

Garp just smiled sadly. Well, at least he got to work alongside at least one of his grandsons for a little while.

Maybe if he got lucky, Sabo would be a marine for real.

Garp was then enraged once more when his crew revealed that Luffy’s pirates stole some valuables when they were distracted. A chill ran up Garp’s spine as he rushed to his office, which needed to be fixed earlier when the door was broken. After slowly taking in every inch of the room, he found what was missing.

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or sink a few islands with his fists.

Luffy took the chest on his shelf. He had no idea if the boy knew what was inside or not, but it didn’t matter now. There was no chance his ship would be able to catch up to theirs by the time they made it to Loguetown or the Grand Line. Their best bet would be trying to intercept Luffy’s crew somewhere in the Grand Line everyone visited.

With a tired but fond sigh, Garp left his office to explain the situation to everyone.

Little did he know, a certain photographer was already sending in his pictures along with a report that would get Luffy’s face on the front page faster than he could have ever anticipated.

“I can’t believe you did that!” Usopp gasped as he shook Luffy by the shoulders. The rubber man laughed at the tone, moving to shake Usopp back. “I know!”

“Lunch is ready!” “Yes!” Luffy cheered, rushing into the kitchen he’d missed so much to eat the food he felt he could no longer live without. Sanji knew that now. The blond man was so grateful for everyone on the crew, but Luffy would always be different. He was the captain, and the man that helped spark the memories of Vinsmoke Sora alive once more under all the layers of hurt and sadness. Sanji adored watching Luffy eat his food. It was like watching his mother come alive again. The same could be said about the rest of the crew to an extent.

Zoro was happy to be back out at sea with his crew. He loved each of them dearly in different ways. He’d give his life for any one of them, but Luffy owns his life. He’d sworn his life, dream, and swords to Luffy long ago. Did that make him overly loyal? No. Zoro saw it as perfectly loyal. He was Luffy’s right hand, his swordsman, part of his nakama, and nothing would take that away including Zoro himself.

Usopp was happily humming a tune as he sailed the Merry through the calm night sea. It was a wonderfully starry night. The twinkling lights were nearly enough to distract him from the movement out of the corner of his eye.

Almost.

Usopp whirled around, ready with his slingshot. A small figure who’d been walking up to him froze. The long-nosed man went silent, entire body going rigid.

The familiar light blue raincoat squeezed painfully at Usopp’s heart. He knew who this was. He’d known since the first time he saw them on Skypia.

“Merry?”

And now the small glowing person giggled, a wide smile similar to Luffy’s stretched across their face. “Yes.” The voice was almost like an echo in Usopp’s mind.

“Guys!”

Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro all sprinted out, ready for a fight, only to pause just like Usopp had when they laid eyes on the tiny klabautermann with a single hammer peeking out of the right sleeve of the overly large raincoat.

“Merry?” “Hi, everyone! I’m back!” Luffy lunged, moving to hug the spirit of the ship they’d missed like a fallen crewmate. Usopp joined the hug not long after, tears overflowing like a waterfall.

“How is this possible…?” Sanji asked, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn’t still dreaming.

“I’m here! I’m here!” Merry chanted over and over again as she clutched at Luffy and Usopp.

Eventually, Luffy pulled Sanji and Zoro into the embrace as well. The klabautermann hugged both men just as tightly as she did the other two.

Merry ran out of energy not long after, but she promised to work harder than ever before now that she got this second chance too. No one was sure why exactly Merry got another chance, but this also meant Sunny will likely have memories when she’s rebuilt too.

Notes:

Bet 'cha no one expected Merry to come back, and yet here we are!

Chapter 6: Let's Get Going (Again) Fast!

Summary:

The adventure begins! Old friends are found and the crew is reunited!

Notes:

Bounty reveal!

Arriving on Loguetown was a new rush of energy for all of them.

Sanji went to see The Fisherman King Uotome again for the blue-finned tuna. This time, he got extra since he knew exactly how long the fish would last and how much his crew would eat. It was also way easier to carry now that he’d unlocked his genetic strength.

Zoro rushed, got lost, and eventually arrived at the sword shop where he would find the Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri blades. He even got them both for free again by doing the test he did the first time. Thankfully without the Kuina lookalike there.

Usopp ended up going clothes shopping. His many missions with Nami and Robin gave him good insight into what they would like, and how to get the best deals for everyone else’s clothing.

Luffy went straight to the execution platform again, except this time there was no Buggy to intervene there. He did eventually leave, stumbling across the same bar as the first time. The old man, unbeknownst to Luffy, once again saw him as the splitting image of the past pirate king.

The issue started when Smoker revealed himself and tried to capture Luffy.

“You damn pirate!” Smoker yelled, launching himself at the young pirate with his logia powers. Unfortunately for him, Luffy was still a master at armament haki. When Smoker was blown through a few buildings he dropped a newspaper. Usopp snatched the papers out of the air as he ran to grab Luffy.

Usopp let out a tearful scream when he finally got a second to read the paper.

There, on the front page, was an image of Luffy catching Garp’s fist. His captain’s smile was wide and frankly wild with his hat and scars on full display. On the second page of the paper was the story given to the world. An explanation that Luffy, the self proclaimed captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, was strong enough to go toe to toe with the navy hero himself. It revealed that Luffy was Garp’s grandson and betrayed the man by quitting the marines after being on the man’s ship for a month. How did the photographer know that? No one knows.

Ussop’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he spotted the wanted posters bunched in the back of the newspaper.

“No way!” He cried. “What?” Luffy glanced over Usopp’s shoulder and burst out laughing.

Luffy’s starting bounty as a pirate newbie of the East Blue was 200,000,000 berries. It was unheard of for a bounty to start that high, and yet Usopp couldn’t even bring himself to be surprised anymore. Luffy’s original starting bounty was high, but with him making his name known by fighting Garp it changed things quite a bit.

Luffy’s bounty wasn’t the only one there though. Zoro’s bounty was 50,000,000 berries, Sanji’s was 35,000,000, and Usopp’s was 20,000,000.

Honestly, Usopp couldn’t even complain. It was lower than it was before the trip back. He was less thrilled when he realized it was his real face, a side profile of him with his slingshot ready, on the poster.

Sanji was beyond thrilled. His photo was one of him upside down, smirking as he delivered a kick to Zoro.

Said green haired man was less thrilled about Sanji’s bounty photo actually looking good, but he was glad his own photo was even cooler than before. Like Sanji’s bounty photo, Zoro’s seemed to be taken when they had their fight in the middle of Usopp’s village, since it was of him grinning behind his sword with the other two helping to frame his face.

Luffy’s somehow looked the exact same as his first one, it must have been taken when he was waving goodbye to Garp. Usopp was still in frame like last time, though his back was still turned.

The boys all trained together during their spare time, wanting to get physically up to par for their upcoming fights. Especially Usopp, who actually took to weight lifting with Zoro.

One of their stops included running into Apis again. The young girl was funny, so Luffy decided to help her again even without the dragon there.

Speaking of the dragon, Zoro got lost and eventually wandered into the lair of said beast. He had a light sparring match with the dragon just in time for Luffy and Sanji to get there with Apis. She thanked them all profusely, even more so after Sanji gave her a detailed explanation of the nearby islands and a few she could go to in order to keep herself and her dragon safe, one of which was Luffy’s home town.

With that done, they left her to it.

“Here we go again!” Sanji called out when he spotted the current that led to the Grand Line once more. “Yeah!” Luffy cheered, happily rocking back and forth on the figurehead of the ship.

The ride up was a bit easier than before, now that Sanji had more experience working the Merry and there was no stowaway enemy distracting them.

Usopp also enjoyed the trip a lot more than before, far too used to the excitement that comes with being so high up in the sky to cower away like he would have.

Zoro just took in the view of his captain smiling widely with the sunlight brightening his eyes further. It was good. Being able to see his captain’s smile again. He hadn’t seen Luffy smile like that after Ace died. Well, he did whenever he talked about Sabo or something else that joyful, but it was still rare outside of his Gear 5 self. Seeing his authentic joy was a treasure Zoro swore he’d protect this time around.

The Merry slammed into the sea harshly, but no one fell or tumbled. Their gazes all remained up. The lighthouse they all knew was there just like before.

They only had to wait a few minutes before a thunderous boom resonated from below the sea.

“Sanji!” Luffy called, already spotting the man diving into the water before he could finish his command.

Sanji was by far the fastest swimmer on the crew, so he got into Laboon’s view quickly. He waved wildly, catching the whale’s attention long enough for him to motion for Laboon to follow him up. Confused, the whale did so. Surfacing caused the Merry to get pushed aside by the waves, luckily Zoro slashed away the wave that would have knocked them upside down.

Laboon’s call was just as saddening as before, but the crew already had a plan. “Brook is on his way!” Luffy screamed as loud as he could. If they didn’t have Laboon’s attention before they sure as heck did then. Crocus appeared too, eyes wide in shock.

“Brook is alive! He’s on his way here! My crew is bringing him here! Please stop hitting your head, Laboon! Please, just wait for him!”

Laboon stared. He stared hard. Then he started crying. Loud, earth shaking cries rang out across the area like an alarm.

Luffy waited a while before moving. He knew how good it felt to cry things out. And he knew Laboon in desperate need of some good feelings.

When that time passed, Luffy threw himself forward and stretched his body out to wrap around as much of Laboon as he physically could without Gear 5.

It took two more days for Robin, Chopper, and Franky to arrive on a small ship. Franky let them know he had the wood prepared for The Thousand Sunny’s creation, but he’d rather wait to make it when the whole crew was around. He also already dealt with CP9. It was apparently really easy. Two of their members didn’t have devil fruits yet, Franky kidnapped the bird following Lucci around, he got his Franky Family crew to overwhelm each of them individually with their sheer numbers, then Franky used his insane firepower to disable them in one shot.

Well, he threw Lucci into the sea after fainting the man out, already proficient in fighting someone who can walk on air thanks to his occasional spars with Sanji.

“Yohohohoho!” Luffy and Usopp both snapped awake, sprinting outside to see the skeletal face of that familiar laugh. “Brook!” They both cried out as Laboon surfaced once again at Sanji’s signal.

The reunion was as heartwarming and tearjerking as everyone thought it would be. Brook had to be pried off of Laboon on multiple occasions because he kept almost drowning. Not that Jinbe or any of the other swimming members of the crew could bring themselves to be upset about it.

They stayed there for two weeks.

Once those two weeks were up, Laboon followed the crew on their adventure.

He wasn’t allowed to as a young whale, but he was more than strong and big enough to handle himself now.

Crocus ended up having a long chat with Robin, who let him know where Rayleigh was. The man thanked her, stating that he would love to visit his old friends now that Laboon was being cared for better than he was able to in his old body.

The ships continued their journey together, the smaller one Franky built being named Cheese, since Luffy wanted to name it after food and Franky wanted it to relate to the moon in some way to reflect the Sunny. Robin mentioned that people often said the moon was made of cheese, so the name stuck along with Luffy’s new need to try eating some of the moon once Sanji cooked it for him.

Laboon usually swam far below the ships, but he wasn’t alone.

As it turns out, Brook’s soul can float through the water just fine as long as his body stays on the ship. After that discovery, Brook was often found on the deck, his body playing songs while his soul floated alongside Laboon to tell him stories about his old and new crewmates.

They stopped at the familiar home of the two dueling giants not long after that. Usopp used his one of a kind story skills to gain their attention, once again befriending them.

Luffy decided to wait there for a while to eat the food, especially because Sanji didn’t get a chance to make too many things the first time around.

It was also his excuse to fight Dorry while Chopper, in his unstable monster point, fought Brogy. The sparring ended in Chopper being flung into the sea and saved by Laboon, who cheered on Brook when he took to fighting in Chopper’s honor.

It took four days for a Baroque Works agent to arrive. It turned out to be Mr. 2, Bon, since Crocodile wanted him and his crew to track Robin down after she left unexpectedly. Bon was gearing to fight up until Luffy, Usopp, Franky, and Chopper joined him in his dancing. The rest of Bon’s friends relaxed after a while, taking the time to enjoy Brook’s music and Sanji’s cooking while the giants duked it out in the background.

Bon had received Robin’s message before she’d left. He was curious about the simplicity of the note, so he volunteered to search for her when Crocodile bought it up. Robin had simply given him a note with a few riddles and hints to the truth. She thought it was funny to watch him try to figure it out.

Nami ended up explaining everything to Bon with Jinbe’s help.

In the end, they had a new alley and a log post for Alabasta.

Their second stop was Drum Island. It gave Chopper a chance to properly say goodbye to everyone there and stock up on the herbs and other medicines he knew he would need. He also snatched a few of the higher level surgical, chemical, and genetic based books from the castle on his way out with Jinbe and Zoro. He knew to truly help his friends he would need to at least be able to help in any of those situations where Law wouldn’t be around for advice. He also was already in progress of making a chemical to cure the effects of the Smile Fruits, but he had a long way to go. He refused to even humor asking Caesar for help this time. Not that he'll need to thanks to Luffy.

The chest Luffy stole from his grandpa's ship had a single Smile Fruit inside. It was exactly what Chopper needed to start working on the cure.

While that was going on, Luffy liberated the island without even trying.

Nami and Franky ended up making a deal with Wapol once he was down. He ate the compound and created what they called Wapol Metal, which the man created in the future to make him rich. The man agreed to make as much as he could as payment for them not turning him in to the navy. As payment for them even telling him about the metal, he needed to stay away from Drum Island and give Nami a share of any riches he made in his adventures later on. The document was signed and many copies were made just in case.

Now with the valuable metal, Franky was even more excited to start on the new ship.

The trip to Alabasta was even more interesting.

Vivi was obviously skeptical about Robin’s message to her, but she ended up trusting them in the name of freeing her kingdom. Luffy laughed knowingly.

His fight, if the one sided beat down could even be called that, ended with Crocodile being launched into the middle of the city and being doused with the rain he’d been preventing from falling.

It was the end of the fight when Smoker arrived with the other marines, but they were too late. The entirety of Alabasta knew it was the Straw Hat Pirates that defeated their oppressor, meaning the navy couldn’t take credit for it again.

Meanwhile, Robin and Usopp tracked down Ace. The older man seemed ready to fight, only to beam brightly when they revealed they were a part of Luffy’s crew and wanted to bring him to his brother. Ace hesitated only until Robin whispered that she knew they stole the sake from Dadan when they became brothers with Sabo. Ace’s eyes went wide.

“He told you that?” Robin smiled warmly. “I’ll explain everything once we’re back at the palace.

In the palace, Luffy was once again feasting like a savage animal as everyone else either watched in horror or fought him in defense of their food with forks and knives.

“Luffy!”

Ace flinched when Luffy turned to stare at him. The look in his brother’s eyes was something he hadn’t seen since Sabo died. Grief. Deep, long seeded grief that tore his baby brother apart.

“Ace!” Luffy launched out of his chair, completely ignoring his food as he desperately clutched at his brother like his life, or more accurately Ace’s life, depended on it.

The older man had no idea what was going on until Nami took the time to explain a few details to him. Not everything, but enough for him to know they were from a future where Ace died in Luffy’s arms during a literal war.

Luffy didn’t eat the rest of the night. He didn’t move for that matter. He just stayed tangled with his brother, pressing his ear against the man’s chest to hear the steady heartbeat he’d once witnessed stopping.

The brothers slept in the same bed that night, surrounded by Luffy’s crew.

The next morning, after Ace listened to Luffy’s warnings about Blackbeard, he gave his little brother his vivre card and took off.

Vivi, who was beyond grateful for their help, happily agreed to have her father hang the Straw Hat flag above their kingdom.

Now, with Drum Island and Alabasta, Luffy was making a name for himself.

So much of a name that a few hundred bounty hunters from Whisky Peak tried to attack them as they left the Alabasta port.

They didn’t get very far. At all.

The crew didn’t even need to do anything; it was Laboon that handled it as he let out a joyous call of victory.

Notes:

I love Laboon!

Chapter 7: Let's Talk (Again)

Summary:

A few little things that make a big difference.

Notes:

Shorter chapter, major consequences.

Their stop on Goat Island turned out to be a treat.

They had been toying with the marines following them for a while by that point, weaving around or deflecting their cannonballs as they had fun on deck.

That seemed to infuriate Minchey, the leader of that marine crew, a lot. He screamed about filthy pirates and how his men needed to do better before he got rid of them.

Frankly, Zoro was unimpressed. It was good practice for his blind defensive tactics though, so he took a seat on the back rails and worked the most on cutting down the cannonballs while Sanji occasionally called out insults.

Nami was the one who mentioned that Goat Island was nearby based on her maps, so Luffy demanded they head straight there.

Jinbe, who still sometimes felt out of place with the crew, had never seen a goat before. The large man was confused when he spotted the lone goat before him on the beach. This caused Usopp and Franky to burst out laughing. How the fishman had never seen a goat before was beyond them. Jinbe was embarrassed about it, but he was far happier when Sanji gave him some grilled seaweed.

The crew met with Zenny and his goats again.

Franky, like the reasonable man he was, crafted Zenny a professional grade goat safe ship in little more than four hours. As payment? Franky wanted to try some goat cheese on a burger.

Zenny stayed on the island with the goats as Luffy, Robin, and Jinbe set out to fight the invading marines.

When the fight was over, Luffy screamed in joy at the sight of the mountain of burgers Franky and Sanji prepared with Zenny’s help. Chopper even found some herbs from before that helped with energy boosts, so he gave them to Sanji to prepare into the dough for the buns beforehand.

Like before, the Straw Hats left after four days alongside Zenny’s ship for the first while.

Now out at sea, Usopp started working on his slingshot for the inevitable Enies Lobby fight.

Jinbe actually spotted the Rainbow Mist first, giving everyone else fair warning before they sailed through the misty seas. Nami actually figured Laboon’s grip on the front of the ship was the only reason they weren’t thrown through time from the exposure to the mist.

Luffy fought Wetton, making it a challenge by listening to Usopp’s dare to do it one handed and with no armament haki.

Jinbe and Nami ended up returning to the mist, intent on finding the kids from before.

They succeeded, befriending the kids in time to return to the marine ship they were in charge of. Nami chuckled, pointing out the island for the now adults to find their former tormentor literally bashed into a tree like an ornament.

It wasn’t long after that when Usopp heard a familiar voice on the transponder snail. It was a usual music channel he listened to while working, and he was very grateful he was.

“Luffy!” Usopp called, rushing to the deck with the snail in hand. Many of the others were confused about what was wrong until they heard the snail. Brook, Nami, Sanji, and Robin instantly recognized the voice.

Uta.

They could save her.

“Let’s call her!” Luffy decided, nodding his head. They ended up having to sneak into a few towns to track down more information on Elegia.

Sanji was the one to finally track down a merchant with the contact information of the island, and Zoro was the one to convince the man to hand it over.

Nami took to calling the island, already well aware personal calls wouldn’t get to Uta thanks to Brook’s experience as a music star himself. She asked the woman who answered the call to save the number and give it to Uta, asking to let her know this was the contact for Monkey D. Luffy. The woman huffed, telling Nami that Uta was far too busy for personal calls with fans. Nami snorted, telling the woman to mention the name to Uta just once, to see her reaction if nothing else.

A week later, the snail rang.

“Luffy?!” Uta’s voice rang out instantly. “Uta!” Luffy called back, cheering happily at his friend’s voice. The two of them chatted for a while, catching up on their lives after they went their separate ways.

When there was a lull in conversation, Nami stepped in. She told Uta about how they were from the future, and as proof Brook played a few cords from a yet to be released song of Uta’s that the girl was actually working on at that time.

Uta asked a lot of questions, occasionally getting defensive.

Nami eventually asked if she’d be willing to at least stay in contact with Luffy, since her captain was vibrating in excitement. Uta agreed easily, unknowingly causing her guardian to relax in relief.

The song that had slowly been corrupting Uta’s mind was placed in a drawer in favor of a new song she’d later started with Brook. And there it stayed, slowly forgotten by the girl with the only power to free the demon within the notes.

Notes:

I love Uta and Luffy's relationship, and I hope to see it more in the anime.

Notes:

I'm trying to incorporate all of One Piece including the all of the filler episodes and movies! There will be some changes from canon, like characters making new decisions or just changing in other ways.

Let me know some of your ideas for new character interactions or possibilities!