Chapter 1: The Captain of the Sun
Chapter Text
One could describe Makino as many things, however probably the most significant would be level headed. Maybe it was from years of running the Party’s bar or maybe she was just born with it. The point is, the residents of windmill village could count the amount of times she had been worked up on one hand. If the residents saw her now however, they would be baffled at the sight of the startled Makino before them.
The question is however, how did we get here.
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Everyone expected Luffy to be more upset after Ace’s departure a few months prior. It was natural to make this assumption as most of the villagers had watched the boy grow up. Many could still recall his cries after his idol Shanks left all those years ago. This is why they were so put off by his calm and cool demeanor.
On this faithful day, the boy was sitting in the Party’s bar, a sight that one would normally never bat an eye at. Today however, he was accompanied by his partial guardian and defacto mother figure. It’s a stretch to call Dadan his guardian however, as she originally never wanted to raise him, or his brother, or their friend, but something about the woman's grizzled demeanor and angry personality seemed to attract children, much to her dismay. If anyone knew Dadan however, they would know it was all for show. They saw the way she smiled at her boys when she thought that no one was looking. The way her eyes watered as she and the rest of the mountain bandits hid behind the bar, watching their oldest son set sail. Honestly, if you got to know them, you’d be surprised that they were mountain bandits, as they acted more like an unhinged dysfunctional family of softies rather than the hardened criminals they’d like you to believe they are.
Many would cringe at Luffy’s skills when it came to table etiquette, or lack there of, but Makino just smiled and gently reminded the boy to mind his manors as he scarfed down food like it was his last meal on earth. Dadan however, seemed to be annoyed as she frequently shouted back at the few mountain bandits that were brave enough to accompany her apologized profusely. She and Makino had struck up an odd sort of friendship, perhaps bonding over her frequent visits up the mountain, or how bad of a parent Garp was. It seemed the two were never short of talking points when it came to the latter.
After a hurried apology to Makino, with his mouth still stuffed to bursting of course, Luffy continued to eat. He was always conscious of how much he ate when he went to Makino’s bar, not wanting her to run out of food for customers. Especially ones that were paying up front rather than putting it on a treasure tab as Luffy had. Mind you he still planned on paying, he just wanted to make sure she had enough money in the present to keep her afloat. In the back of his mind he knows that Makino never expected him to pay his tab. Instead she most likely just wanted to make sure he return back safe at the end of his journey.
Luffy never considered anyone his parents, rather he considered those closest and most dear to his heart his family. His Nakima. He just never saw the need for such labels like ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’ but if anyone was going to take the title of mom it would definitely be Dadan and Makino.
On the topic of family, he would never admit it out loud but a large part of why he wanted to go out to sea was to find his own family. People like how he used to be, lost and lonely. No one deserves to be alone. Luffy wasn’t sad watching Ace leave because he went to find his own family. More people to love him and be happy he was alive. Luffy wanted to show people how amazing it was to be a crew. To have a family to call your own!
But we're getting off topic here. None of this describes why Makino was so surprised. Why Dadan cried out in alarm. Why the windows of the Party’s bar rattled, as if caught in an earthquake. Or why Luffy was currently glowing, with white hair surrounded by a cloud…
As his body appeared to split in two.
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Present Luffy Pov:
Do you know what it feels like to die? Not pain that makes you wish you were dead. Not feeling like you were dying. Actually dying. Feeling as your life is sapped from your body, as your limbs stiffen, and your entire being slowly feels more and more cold.
Those who know him wouldn’t be surprised to know that Monkey D. Luffy was very familiar with the feeling of dying. Not only that, he was extremely familiar with walking on the tight line between life and death. The feeling of slowly slipping away as your allies (usually Chopper or Law) try desperately to keep you alive.
It was for this very reason that Luffy knew he was dead. Not only did he feel cold and stiff, his head was pounding and everything around him sounded muffled and muted. The screams and shouts of surprise from who he assumed were his crew and allies as they watched him fall to the ground, perhaps even cheers from navy officers as they ‘finally killed Strawhat’, his strength finally giving out on him as he gave one final shaky breath. Not that the air went anywhere. A hole in your lungs and heart kind of makes it difficult to breathe. Or survive. Not that Luffy didn't try. After all, if Monkey D. Luffy was anything, he was a fighter.
As his vision blurred he tried desperately to get one final call out. One final assurance to his crew that it was alright. It wasn’t their fault. It was OK. But they all knew it wasn't.
Luffy should have known what was up. In fact he did know. He had departed for Laugh Tale, having finally located and translated the final road poneglyph, but after word came in that the government also had the location of the island of legend and was planning an ambush, the straw hats had given the location of the island to their allies, such as Law, Kidd, Marco, and Izo, after a slight delay to guarantee that they be the first ones to arrive. It might not have been the wisest decision, however had they waited much longer, the government would have destroyed the evidence of the void century, the history of what happened, and the treasure Rodger had discovered two decades too soon.
The Straw Hats surprisingly enough, had beat the navy to the island and learned the secrets of the void century. As they stood on the sand, pondering this earth shattering revelations, asking for food, shaking in terror, or picking their jaws off of the beach (literally in Brook’s case), as one does when preparing for an all out war, unsurprisingly the navy attacked.
Now don’t get it twisted, the Straw Hats were strong. Almost to the point they were considered inhuman. But what were they supposed to do against almost the entirety of the navy?
Luffy didn’t know much of what happened in that battle. He struggled to recall the events, likely due to a mix of stress, rage, and adrenaline, but he felt as though his brain was a jumbled up puzzle with one missing piece. Even if he was able to put together what happened, there would always be that small part that was just gone. Luffy hated that feeling. However there might be a different reason as to why he couldn't remember the majority of the battle.
Luffy was the first to fall.
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Makino’s Pov:
To the residents of windmill village, it would look as if someone had set off a bad science experiment. It was a logical conclusion. What else were they supposed to think when they watched the entire building shake, the glass in its panes rattling violently, as bright beams of blinding blue light shot out of the windows like some over the top light show. To those inside the Party’s bar however, a much stranger sight stood before them. Although, stood might not have been the best word, as it appeared that a second Luffy was laying semi conscious on the floor.
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As he continued to eat his third lunch of the day, Luffy had suddenly stiffened. That was the first indication that something was wrong. Afterwards his body appeared to shoot out bright beams of light as he wavered. Almost in a flash of blinding light there was suddenly a second Luffy on the floor of the tavern. At least Makino thought it was Luffy.
Many things were still the same. Same scar under his eye, same mess of curls for his hair, same straw hat hanging from his neck but one wouldn’t call him the same boy Makino knew. Something was different about the boy, his eyes, even half closed, still held the look of one who had seen the horrors of the world and barely survived time and time again. They still held the shine of joy that one could only associate with Monkey D. Luffy but something was just off. He was clearly more defined than the Luffy that Makino knew. Muscles that could only be acquired through years of hard work and dedication. But what drew her eyes the most was the prominent scar of an x across the front of his chest. She faltered at the sight as it was clearly the wound of a deep burn, and one that would be very difficult to survive at that.
At this point, Luffy was back on his feet, running around and freaking out about the doppelganger on the floor right in front of him. The mountain bandits weren’t much better. Dadan, although clearly panicking, was obviously trying to cover it up by yelling at the rest of the bandits in the bar, who had decided to run around and panic along with Luffy. Makino, although clearly shaken, realized that she was the most level headed and thus took it upon herself to check on the semi-conscious boy before them.
“Can you hear me? Are you alright?” Makino tried to talk to the boy, to get any sort of reaction from him, but the only indication that he was still alive was the shaky breathing coming from his chest.
The boy's eyes seemed to focus, however it was clear that he still wasn’t fully there as he quietly struggled to speak. “Nami, Chopper, Usopp, can you guys back up for a sec, and stop screaming please. I’m fine.”
Now Makino could clearly tell this was Luffy’s voice. Years of dragging him half asleep out of bed made that tired, annoyed voice incredibly distinguishable. She tried to calm her nerves as she replied to the boy, “Luffy it’s Makino. Do you know where you are?”
Almost as if someone had electrocuted him, although it would be ineffective due to his rubbery body, the boy shot up startled and now fully conscious.
Time seemed to stand still as all eyes shot to the strange boy on the floor, Luffy and the bandits freezing in place as they looked at him. His eyes were wild now as he hurriedly patted his chest, looking down in confusion as if something he expected to be wasn't there. Almost as if he suddenly realized he wasn’t alone, he slowly stood up, furiously studying the faces of every patron of the Party’s bar. His eyes widened as he seemingly recognised, he somehow wasn't the only Luffy in the bar.
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Present Luffy Pov:
‘What the hell?’ That was the first thought that popped into the head of Monkey D. Luffy. Makino was dead. Dadan was dead. The mountain bandits were dead. Windmill Village was destroyed. He was dead.
So why wasn’t he dead.
In this situation, many would panic, others freeze, others think it was a dream, but Luffy was not many. He calmly looked around as he mentally tried to put together what had happened to him. He had arrived on Laugh Tale. He had found the One Piece. He was technically the king of the pirates but that title currently didn’t sit quite right with the boy. The navy attacked. He fought as hard as he could. But it wasn’t enough.
Monkey D. Luffy realized that there were tears streaming down his face.
He was worried about his crew. His family. His Nakima. Where were they? Were they alive? Had he been able to protect them, at least somewhat. As he pondered just what had happened and how the hell he was still alive, he realized that he was still in a room full of very confused friends. He sighed, both in annoyance and anticipation for the barrage of questions that would surely be thrown his way, as he turned to face the very confused group of people. He knew one thing was for certain however.
Monkey D. Luffy was not having a good time.
Chapter 2: The swordsman and the cook divulge in some totally healthy and sane self hatred
Summary:
"Roronora Zoro was not having a good time.
Although he didn’t think anyone would have a good time if they woke with a sword to their throat and a headache worse than a hangover. The question at the front of his mind was “What the hell is going on?”
Sanji was not having a good time.
First of all, his entire body felt like jello, shapeless and without much structure or support. He felt as though he could fall apart at any moment. Almost as though he had his limbs torn off, which wasn't far from the truth.
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Zoro and Sanji wake up in the past and both reflect on the battle on Laugh Tale as well as worry about the rest of the crews whereabouts.
Notes:
Two chapters?!?!? It two days!?!?! Crazy right. I started writing the second chapter and just couldn't help myself so I hope you enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Present Zoro Pov:
Roronora Zoro was not having a good time.
Although he didn’t think anyone would have a good time if they woke with a sword to their throat and a headache worse than a hangover. The question at the front of his mind was “What the hell is going on?”
“Why do you think I know?” an all too familiar and gruff voice replied. ‘Guess I said that out loud.’ Zoro thought as his brain was still lagging behind. It felt as though someone had stuffed cotton into his ears. His head felt fuzzy and everything sounded muffled at first. He hated it. He was less alert. He needed to be ready to protect the crew at a moment's notice and yet here he was lacking and failing again.
His eye slowly focused, as he blinked the sleep and exhaustion out of it, however he wasn't sure if he was still dreaming when he focused on his own face, no, his own body, almost like a copy, pointing a sword directly at his throat.
Ok now Zoro knew who had replied to him but that only opened the door to even more questions. Roughly shoving aside the end of the sword, much to the surprise of his supposed twin, he shakily got to his feet. That is only to immediately face plant once again. Since his body was choosing not to cooperate with him, Zoro decided that a better use of his time would be trying to piece together what the hell had just happened.
The crew had arrived on Laugh Tale, that much was obvious. He wasn’t too interested in the One Piece, obviously anyone would be naturally curious on what it was but the majority of Zoro’s interest was in getting his captain to the island of legend to fulfill his dream and become king of the pirates. Zoro would always put his captain first, greatest mystery of the world be damned.
The navy attacked. Those corrupt bastards were only interested in covering their own asses anyway so that wasn’t too much of a surprise. He never did get the chance to thank Coby for the heads up that they were going to ambush the crew.
Luffy was the first to fight, taking on all of the top dogs at once. He wanted to give the crew a chance to gather their bearings as the battle began. Zoro and Sanji leapt into action, both to defend their captain as well as give the rest of the crew the ability to pick their battles. It was always like this. Zoro and Sanji might have butted heads at every given opportunity but they both shared a mutual understanding when it came to their captain. Luffy always tried to take on everything alone, every burden of the crew, and far beyond what was in line with the duties and the responsibilities that came with being captain. It all got worse when they reunited after two years, yes Luffy let the crew fight on their own, trusting them to fight their own battles without worrying too badly about their safety, but he still tried to take on too much, pushing his body far beyond its limits. That's where Zoro and Sanji came in.
Both men took on unique positions on the crew. Zoro was the protector, the one Chopper, Nami, Usopp, and the rest of the crew could hide behind and be safe, even if nowadays their fear was more preformative than anything. Zoro was the one always ready and willing to die in order to make sure the rest of the crew was safe. Sanji was the reliable one. When Luffy was absent, he was the one able to effortlessly lead the crew. The one Luffy could trust to make the best decisions when he wasn’t around. Together they were the wings of the pirate king, both taking on different aspects of the needed positions of the crew. They were the ones that Luffy could rely on because even the dependable need to depend on someone. If Luffy ever found out why they took on these roles, he would hate himself, so Sanji and Zoro came to a sort of silent agreement never to tell him.
Sanji and Zoro fought as hard as they could, steeling themselves not to panic when Luffy fell, using it as motivation to fight even harder. Still despite their might, despite Enma Kitetsu and Wado, despite his training with Mihawk, it still wasn't enough. Perhaps what sealed his fate was when his left arm was ripped off. Or when his right arm joined it. After all, a swordsman usually needs his arms to fight at full strength. Perhaps it was when he started to bleed more blood than he thought could possibly be in his body.
He watched that shitty cook fall too. He couldn’t see his injuries but he knew it was bad. Perhaps the impossible amount of blood was from him as well. Both pools combine and mix to paint a truly gruesome scene. What a cruel twist of fate it was, dying next to the cook of the Strawhats. He wasn’t sure who went first but for now he just made an assumption.
Zoro was the second to fall.
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Sanji Pov:
Sanji was not having a good time.
First of all, his entire body felt like jello, shapeless and without much structure or support. He felt as though he could fall apart at any moment. Almost as though his limbs had been torn off, which wasn't far from the truth. The next thing Sanji realized was how uncomfortable his body was. His arms and legs were bent at an odd angle, not as if they were broken, but not too different to how people contort themselves strangely at night while asleep.
Once he noticed the odd angle he had fallen in, the next logical step was to stand up. This was easier said than done however as every time he tried to move, exhaustion would win out and he would land in an even more uncomfortable and ridiculous position.
At this point, he had noticed the shouting and running around him but he didn’t take much notice. At this point his crew was in the middle of a warzone and having survived many hard fought battles, Sanji was used to the sounds of screaming, swords clashing, explosions, and everything else you would expect to hear from a clash between the navy and pirates. The only reason why Sanji started to take notice of his surroundings was when he realized that it didn’t sound like a battle, rather he heard boots hitting a stone floor, which was odd because last he recalled he was on a beach, and shouts from about a dozen or so men, rather than the countless pirates and marines gearing up to battle on Laugh Tale.
It was then that Sanji realized that last he remembered, Luffy had fallen. That was enough motivation for him to push past his pain, his eyes shooting open, forcing themselves to focus as he took in his surroundings as quickly as possible, shooting out a wave of observation haki to help him gather his bearings as his eyes darted frantically, searching for his captain. What he noticed however was odd. There were many familiar and comforting presences. Not of his crew, but of the dead. His eyes now clear and in focus, he slowly turned around to take in the familiar sight of his father. Not his biological father, if that's what you could even call that piece of shit. Rather his real dad, Zeff.
His legs still extremely shaky, he looked his father in the eyes as he asked the first question that popped into his head. “How are you here Dad?” Zeff seemed to freeze up either at his use of the word ‘dad’, considering the fact that he had only used it as his father figure was bleeding out in his arms, or maybe it was the sound of his voice all together.
Something seemed off either way. For one, they were standing in the Baratie which was both unrenovated and still intact. Last he saw the restaurant, it was a smoldering pile of ashes in the news, the government attacking it for its connection and unyielding support for the Strawhats. For another thing, Zeff looked younger, less grizzled which was saying something as he was already an old geezer, but he seemed less tired, less haunted. Sanji knew for certain that something was wrong however, when he turned and was face to face with himself. He didn’t react at first, after all he was too tired to care. He assumed his exhaustion was from his supposed death, but for now there was only one thing on his mind. He really wanted a smoke.
With a deep sigh, he reached into his pocket, removing a cigarette before lighting it and taking a deep drag. With one hand tugging nervously at his hair, a habit he thought he had long forgotten, he turned to face the others in the room.
“Care to explain what's going on boy?” Came the gruff and familiar voice of Zeff. Looking around it seemed as if the kitchen was almost frozen in time. Many of the chefs that didn’t start running around like a bunch of headless chickens sat with knives perfectly positioned over vegetables, potatoes half peeled, meat quietly sizzling on stoves. Those who had begun to run around in a panic had gone deathly quiet at the sound of his voice, freezing in place along with everyone else. If his mind wasn’t already preoccupied, he would have laughed at how ridiculous they looked.
Going back to Zeff’s question, Sanji tried to think back, replaying the day's events in his mind. The battle, the blood, the One Piece, Zoro’s arms getting ripped off, his own legs joining them, the blood, the screaming, the fear, and oh god there was so much blood. Sanji took a shaky breath as he braced himself on the counter. His vision blurring he attempted to light a new cigarette, the first having already been burned down to the end. Annoyance joined his rising panic as his shaking hands made it incredibly difficult to use his lighter.
He must have noticed his rising panic because the next thing Sanji realized was Zeff grabbing his hands, almost trying to ground him as his breathing became more shaky and frantic, his vision blurring once again, as he started spiraling. Maybe he cared more than he originally thought.
Sanji realized with a grim sense of longing, that Zeff did the same thing when he was a child and would panic after being in a confined space or someone touching his head. He assumed it was a leftover trauma from his fathers abuse. From that damn cage. Sanji wanted nothing more than to drown in this new sense of security that holding his fathers hands had brought back. A sense that his crew was never able to achieve often in the new world, always on the edge and prepared for an attack. Sanji was always alert, always watching, always preparing and had never fully gotten the chance to stay in the sense of safety that he had achieved with his family on the Baratie. Not that he was complaining. He loved his new life and wouldn’t trade it for the world, but a pirate never rests. This is why, despite all of his instincts protesting, Sanji pried his hands out of Zeff’s grip.
Pushing himself back up he kept replaying the violence over and over in his mind, feeling more and more sick as he reached for his third cigarette, the second accidentally being crushed in his trembling grip. His hand returning to its now semi permanent spot tangled in his hair, he fought with himself, steeling himself to make a neutral expression. No use in freaking others out more than they already were.
Looking back at the battle they had just fought, Sanji realized he didn’t know if the rest of the crew was ok. Did they survive and make it off of Laugh Tale? Why was he back in the Baratie?
At this point Sanji had already come to the conclusion that he was somehow in the past. The reason why he wasn’t freaking out more was because he knew the Strawhats were the type of crew that made miracles happen. Hell, even their caption was the literal reincarnation(?), embodiment(?) of the sun god. The god of Liberation. He wouldn’t be surprised if Nika was somehow behind this.
But before Sanji was able to reflect on the how or the why, he needed to address the crowd before him. Turning to face Zeff once again, he noticed that who he assumed was him from the past had subtly slipped behind Zeff, almost using him as a shield, a method of reassurance. It was such a slight movement that he doubted anyone other than he and Zeff would have noticed.
Sighing once again as he mentally prepared for the barrage of questions he finally said out loud what he dreaded, what he feared, what he did not want to admit.
“I think I’m from the future.”
There was however one more thing he needed to think about. His death. If his theory that he was in the past was true, then it was more than likely to assume that he had died, or at least he had been moments away from his end. He knew, in his final moments, that he and Zoro had almost been given simultaneous final blows. Now you might say this wasn’t the time to compete, or that his competitiveness with that dumbass Marimo was pointless, but Sanji couldn’t bear the thought that he died before the Mosshead. This is why if anyone would ask, he would say,
Sanji was the third to fall.
Notes:
I took inspiration from a really great video essay called "Zoro and Sanji - The perfect wings" by MelonTeee when talking about Zoro and Sanji's relationship with Luffy and the rest of the crew. When writing their pov's I also tried to make it sound like how they speak. For example, Luffy has a very simplistic but direct way of speaking, not a lot of beating around the bush. Zoro is similar but a bit more aggressive and gets very emotional when talking about the rest of the crew as he feels he needs to protect them. Sanji has a bit more of a refined way of speaking but he would be one of the first to try to 'put on a mask' so to speak, not wanting others to worry about him. I also thought it might be a bit repetitive if I kept writing how the present Strawhats appear in the past so I tried to shake it up with Zoro and Sanji's pov being the first thing you read, rather than another person's reaction. I hope you enjoyed!
Take care!
Chapter 3: Nami and Chopper are here I guess but more importantly where the heck is Sniperking!?!?!?!?
Summary:
Nami has a very electrifying conversation with some Fishmen, Usopp finds a certain cats bounty poster, and Chopper cures a disease.
Notes:
IDK why but I had a hard time writing Usopp specifically for this chapter. Also, I am going to try consistently uploading every Wednesday and Saturday if I can to try and keep the story consistent. Hope you enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Present Nami Pov:
Nami was not having a good time.
Now you might be wondering how she had gotten herself into this situation. Honestly she wasn’t too sure herself. Breathing heavily she needed to take a knee, planting her climatact on the ground to help steady herself, exhaustion winning out as she stared ahead at what used to be a building, but now more resembled a crumbling pile of rubble.
Can you really blame her though? What was she supposed to do, waking up distressed and disoriented, only to be face to face with one of the last people she’d ever want to see again. Arlong.
So as any normal and sane person would do, she had extended her climatact, using Zeus she had sent the fishman soaring directly into Arlong Park, causing the building to collapse on top of him. Sometimes Nami forgot how strong she had gotten, those two years of training almost turned her into a completely different person, and she wore the title of weather witch with pride.
Looking back at her current situation, she was now surrounded by an alarming amount of fishman, a very confused woman, who she realized with a start was her, and one very hungry and needy cloud.
Deciding to address Zeus first, in an effort to maintain some semblance of normalcy, she produced a few thunder clouds for him to eat. Nami wasn’t one to admit her feelings towards others, it just wasn’t how she was raised, but if you watched any of her interactions with the talking cloud, you could tell they were close. Even though they didn’t meet under the best circumstances, what with him trying to kill her on a few occasions. Or that time she basically kidnapped him and threatened to make him her slave. Despite all of this, the two had formed an unlikely friendship. When Nami needed a break from drawing maps, somehow it was exhausting to sit hunched over all day, they would spend time near her orchard on the Sunny, practicing new moves or inventing different cloud types, of course never risking the safety of the trees.
“Alright Zeus,” Nami muttered quietly in an effort to keep their conversation as quiet as possible, trying not to give too much information to their surrounding crowd. She knew they had only seconds before the fishmen surrounding them sprung into action, either to check on their leader or to attack the pair. “Do you know what’s going on?” Zeus gave her a blank look, somehow missing the fact that her voice was barely above a whisper. “I don’t know Miss Nami but do you have any more of those clouds? They were yummy.” He replied, derpy expression unwavering and voice unfortunately still at full volume.
The sound of her name seemed to wake the crowd out of its stupor. The other Nami was first to react and if she hadn’t been trained to notice small details like this, she would have missed the way her doppelganger slipped away, perhaps sensing the impending fight that was sure to happen as this stranger had attacked their leader. Luckily, Nami knew she wouldn’t leave the island, too curious about what was going on and likely too afraid that Arlong would be mad that she had ‘abandoned’ her despite the fact that was not entirely true.
Nami watched as Hatchan rushed across the plaza, going to check on Arlong no doubt, but before he could even get to him, the rubble shifted as the menacing figure rose from the rubble.
She had but seconds to react. Fight or flee. If it were two years ago the choice would be obvious however, now it was a bit more complicated. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise afterall, Nami never had defeated Arlong. At the time what she needed most was to know she had someone in her life strong enough to defend her, to protect her, to tear down a titan just for making her cry. But Nami was stronger now, more confident, more brave, and she knew she could defeat the fishman before her with ease. The only thing stopping her was herself. This is why, despite all of her instincts telling her to run, despite those cold eyes still sending shivers down her spine, despite standing alone, she stood tall, ready to fight.
As if sensing the lingering remnants of fear on her, Zeus wrapped a bit of cloud around the arm holding the climatact, a habit he had picked up as a way to reassure his friend that he was there. It was in doing this that Nami realized she wasn’t alone. Nami walked forward with confidence, the final traces of fear dissipating with every step.
Arlong opened his mouth, almost certainly gearing up to spout more nonsense. More lies about how she was a ‘special human’ and how ‘fishmen were superior.’ Nami had long since realized that all of Arlong’s kind words towards her meant absolutely nothing. Just another way for him to control her.
She was glad she met Jinbe. He was probably the best person to help Luffy in Marineford, being calm, level headed, and almost as passionate as Zoro about protecting Luffy. And that was saying a lot. Of course, the entire crew, after meeting back up, were extremely protective of their captain. Jinbe however had even more of a motivation to protect him. Nami, along with the rest of the crew, had spoken to the helmsman extensively about the war. There were obviously parts he didn’t want to talk about, others he refused to discuss out of respect for Luffy, but he made it very clear that he was following their captain, not only because Ace had asked him to look out for the boy, but also because he believed in Luffy. Jinbe helped to, for lack of a better word, humanize Arlong, giving a why to the atrocities the fishman had committed against her and her village. Perhaps this was part of the reason why she just felt pity for him, as he stood in front of her, opening his mouth, most likely in an attempt to spout more nonsense, or perhaps it was to do what any normal person would do in this situation, ask what was going on, or perhaps who the hell this random woman who suddenly appeared and looked almost identical was.
Nami however, would never know what Arlong was about to say. Quite frankly, she didn’t care. She gripped her climatact in order to extend it, and lifted it high into the air, conjuring a giant cloud above her head. Mind you it was less than half the size the one she launched at Big Mom, that would be overkill even for Arlong. She braced herself as she delivered a devastating blow.
One by one, the fishman around her slowly fell, bodies singed and buzzing, Arlong being the final one to collapse. Calmly, Nami walked into the pile of rubble in roughly the direction of the storage room. Grabbing as much rope as she could find, she began to tie up as many fishmen as she could, praying that it would be enough.
It was as she was tying up the final fishman, that being Hatchan of course as last she saw of him he was a friend, that she heard a gaggle of footsteps rapidly approaching her. She should have predicted this, as not only did the other Nami run towards the village, but she had in fact, conjured a giant cloud above Arlong Park. Zeus returned to his spot around her arm, as if sensing how difficult this whole situation was about to become. Slowly turning towards the crowd of gaping townsfolk, she tried to zone in on the familiarity of their faces, not wanting to finally address the biggest problem now.
Nami had failed. Nami had lost her family again. Nami had died.
Nami was the eighth to fall.
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Present Usopp Pov:
Usopp was not having a good time.
‘Why were there so many pirates in the East Blue?’ His annoyance was slowly growing more and more as he dug through the pile of bounty posters. Now you may be wondering why the hell the sniper had years worth of bounty posters just stashed away in his old house. It was a habit his mother had picked up, and he had just naturally developed the same quirks over time. Due in large part to his fathers current profession, his mother had made it a habit to save every bounty poster, not just those of the Red Haired Pirates. It helped her keep up with their allies and enemies as well as giving her a bit of reassurance that her husband was alive and well. This resulted in years of old bounty posters piling up on the corner of his house, the man never bothering to organize or throw any out, thus resulting in his current predicament.
“So uh… ya gonna say anything or are you just going to keep glaring at that pile of bounty posters?” Usopp turned to face the other man in the room. Initially he was surprised to see another Usopp in what looked like his house before he left; however, he quickly realized it was time travel. Now you might wonder how he came to that conclusion, or maybe you were wondering how he could be so calm all things considered. To answer the first question, it was the Grand Line, literally anything could happen. As for the second question, what you didn’t see was the twenty minutes of the two men running around and screaming that I as the author oh so graciously cut out.
Turning back to the man who had just spoken, Usopp slowly looked at him, his annoyance only increasing. “Well, are you going to help me or not? I’m not really interested in an audience right now. I’ve got more important things to worry about.” The other man gave him a bewildered look, almost as if he couldn’t fathom the idea of not wanting an audience. “Well you uh… never really told me what you were doing.” The younger man replied hesitantly, almost as if he was afraid of the older man’s reaction.
Usopp blinked in surprise, almost slapping his forehead as if it was some sort of sitcom. “Look for the poster of a man named Kuro.” He turned back to the pile of papers, not noticing the expression on the other man's face, as he gave him a look that screamed ‘Are you stupid!?!?!?’
“Isn’t Kuro dead? That axe hand guy caught him like three years ago so why do you need his poster now?” If Usopp had to explain every little thing to the boy before him, it was going to be a long day. Sighing in annoyance, he simply replied “You’ll know when you see it.”
Looking back at the day's events, if you could even count it as one day, there was a lot to unpack. First the one piece. Nope didn’t want to think about that. Second was the attack. He watched as Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro fell. He and Nami were frozen in place. Jinbe, bless him, had dived in front of them, taking a heavy blow from Akainu. He didn’t know what happened to the helmsman after that. He and Nami were split up. He had taken a perch to try and hit the soldiers from afar but someone had snuck up on him, his haki still in disarray after seeing so many crew members fall. They had taken what was most valuable to a sniper. His eyes. Blinded, Usopp had been shoved off of the cliff he had perched on, supposedly to his death.
He heard a gasp from behind him as the other Usopp found the poster. This was going to be a long conversation. Turning with yet another sigh, he prepared for the barrage of questions about to be thrown at him.
He was happy that he was one always ready and willing to take in new information, easily adaptable to change. After quickly giving him the rundown of the situation with Kuro, the two men made a plan to attack but first, the other Usopp had one more question.
“So what's with the scar across your eyes?”
Usopp was the ninth to fall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chopper Pov:
Tony Tony Chopper was not having a good time.
He was currently trying to force feed the doctor some heart medication that would save his life. He was shocked, in his two years of training, to learn that the condition that had befallen the doctor, to this tribe, was as easy to cure as the common cold.
In a situation such as the one the doctor of the Strawhats had fallen into, one would naturally panic. Chopper, like many had freaked out, that is until the doctor had fallen into a coughing fit and, as if a switch flipped, he had immediately rushed to fix up a cure for the man, seemingly forgetting to explain anything to the other three occupants of the room. Dr. Hiriluk, Dr. Kureha, and the other Chopper had watched in bewilderment, as the new arrival had pulled out various medicinal herbs from around the world, and created a tonic for the man.
Offering it to him, Hiriluk initially refused, as the reindeer had not explained anything to the man. After a hurried explanation of what it was, the man had humored Chopper and drank it, only to stare stunned at the reindeer as his symptoms immediately improved.
Chopper did not feel good and it showed. His eyes seemed distant and sad as he tried to piece together what had happened to him. Things were ok so how had it gone so wrong? He supposed the first sign was when Luffy eventually fell. Despite its power, Chopper was always worried for his captain when he used Gear 5, as it always took an obvious strain on his body. Extensive use, like with what happened on the beach, meant that Luffy was too exhausted to even move, just like at Ennies Lobby.
He didn’t know what happened to Zoro and Sanji. Nami and Usopp had run off with Jinbe somewhere so their fate was still a mystery as well. He watched though, as General Franky malfunctioned, Robin going into an obvious rage as she loved the man, and then. Well, devil fruit users never did do well in the water. Turns out the sea they loved so much became the watery grave for the woman. Chopper, still struggling to keep control over his Monster point, had let his consciousness slip away as he turned towards rage. He assumed he joined Robin.
He opened his doctor's bag and took out a snail. After Wano, every Strawhat was worried about losing communication with their allies and each other so they all carried one where they could. He went to dial the number of one of the few who could give him reassurance at this moment. He just hoped the others had returned back with him.
He waited with baited breath as it rang, giving off the characteristic ‘puta puta puta.’ Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he heard a click and the ‘Hello?’ of a familiar voice. As if for a bit of added reassurance, he needed to say her name, a way to know it truly was her on the other line and not some fluke. With a shaky voice, he hesitantly asked.
“Robin?”
Chopper was the seventh to fall.
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Now I must apologize my dear readers, for the title was misleading. I really tried to find Sniperking so I could tell his story but as we all know, the location of Sniper Island is a secret and no one wanted to tell me where it was. Perhaps he might show up later to save us in our moment of need but for now he is off fighting a mighty battle I'm sure.
Notes:
Heya! So I know some of the pov's are a bit shorter than normal but I did't want to sound like I was repeating the same thing like ten different times. Here's a hint for next chapter, it's not just the Strawhats on the crew that come back.
Take care!
birdy06 on Chapter 1 Thu 04 Sep 2025 03:16AM UTC
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birdy06 on Chapter 2 Thu 04 Sep 2025 06:06PM UTC
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Sonic_hedgehog on Chapter 2 Thu 04 Sep 2025 07:41PM UTC
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Kkglad on Chapter 2 Fri 05 Sep 2025 04:08AM UTC
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birdy06 on Chapter 3 Sun 07 Sep 2025 08:03PM UTC
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Kkglad on Chapter 3 Mon 08 Sep 2025 04:49AM UTC
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