The Beginning

Gaban stood in front of the building, squinting at the sign once more: Shakky's Rip-Off Bar. His gaze fell to the crumpled note in his hand. This is the right place, alright. A month ago, Raleigh had called him and said, "Find me at Shakky's Rip-Off Bar, Sabaody." Then he hung up. They hadn't seen each other in almost two years, not since the crew disbanded. He could at least say hello.

It was also weird because Raleigh had sounded worried. Okay, maybe it wasn't that weird—worrying was practically his default state, a downside of having a laid-back captain. Are you sure we have enough water? Check the supplies again. Could someone please stop Shank and Buggy from fighting so Raleigh can look at the chart? But this time felt different. This time, Raleigh insisted on meeting face-to-face, even though he knew Gaban lived halfway across the world.

He took a deep breath and pushed open the swinging doors, quickly sidestepping to avoid a man being thrown out of the bar. The man scrambled to his feet, cursing vehemently and threatening to return with retribution before hastily scurrying away. It might have been more intimidating if he weren't naked.

"Rough day?" Gaban said to the woman behind the counter.

She stopped rummaging through her victim's belongings and smiled. "Same as always. Gaban, right? Make yourself at home. I'm going out for a bit. Stay for dinner, alright?" She pulled a fat wad of cash from the victim's wallet, planted a quick kiss on Raleigh's cheek, and bustled out the door.

"Come, have a seat," Raleigh said, gesturing to the bar stool beside him. "We're not open today, but the idiot insisted on discussing business. All these hot-blooded rookies can't wait to head to the New World and get their asses kicked."

"Serves him right, then," Gaban replied with a wry chuckle as he took a seat at the counter.

"Took you long enough to get here. Not a smooth journey, I take it?" Raleigh remarked.

Gaban chuckled heartily,"Boarded a ship filled with newbies. What a fucking mistake. Riding a storm in Paradise made them shit their pants and cry out for their moms." Leaning against the counter, he glanced around the room."Nice place," he continued, nodding appreciatively. "Good to see you finally found yourself a girl who can keep up with all your bullshit."

Rayleigh grinned. "I'd say, she's the one who found me. Let me stay here rent-free as long as she gets to rip off my customers."

"Ahh, a fine woman indeed." 

Rayleigh slid a glass of rum across the table to Gaban and raised a toast, "To Roger! May those sons of bitches who killed him rot in the deepest hell." Gaban nodded solemnly, and they downed the drink in a single shot. After all, today marked the second anniversary of Roger's death.

"How've you been?" asked Raleigh.

"Good. Brought a house in a small town and settled down."

Raleigh snorted in disbelief, "You? Fuck, you did not. I know you. Money, booze, and cunts are what you live for. Son of a bitch, tell me the truth."

"Fine. Fine. I really bought a house and stayed there for a couple of months. It didn't work out. Things got boring fast. Damn it!" Gaban banged his fist on the table. "I know we should be laying low. But, I'm a sailor. And the sea, it kept calling me. One day, I left. Worked with different crews. Not pirates. Merchants. Traveled around and finally found a way to go back." He paused and whispered, "To my real home."

"Real home? As in the world you came from? To your girl who had the 'nicest rack and tits' you've ever seen?"

"After all these years, still the best rack and tits I've ever laid eyes on. And I've seen a lot."

Gaban said with a smirk, lifting his glass in a toast before taking a swig."I'm gonna need Toki's help for that. So I'm leaving for Wano tomorrow."

Raleigh sighed, poured himself another drink, shook his head, and laughed.

"What?"

"I can't believe you're doing this for a girl. You've been gone for how long, ten? Fifteen years. She could've been married with five kids. Hell, she could be a fat old lady by now."

"Don't curse me before I even start, asshole. She's worth it. If she is married, I'll just have to win her back," Gaban retorted, a determined glint in his eyes and the alcohol fueling his resolve.

"Damn, you're an animal. But, I'll be cheering for ya. We're pirates after all. We take whatever we want," Raleigh said, clinking their glasses together in a toast.

Raleigh went behind the counter and retrieved a chest, placing it in front of him with a meaningful look. "I need a favor. Take the chest with you. To your world. The World Government is too busy chasing after the Gomu Gomu fruit and Roger's kid. But it's only a matter of time before they find out about this."

Gaban opened the chest and peered inside, jumped in his seat and slammed the lid down with a thud. "What the fuck! Roger said we'd lost it during the Edd War."

"That's what we want everyone to believe," Raleigh replied calmly.

"This! This, this fucking fruit is cursed!" Gaban hissed, his voice trembling with fear as if afraid the demon sleeping within it could hear him. "I can't believe it. Have you lost your goddamn mind? Do you forget what happened when we took it onboard? Five men are dead because of this thing. Five! It made them kill each other. The fruit has its own will, and it doesn't want to stay with us."

"Don't worry. I made it hibernate. It won't cause any harm. As long as you don't take it out of this chest. I can't keep it anymore. Sengoku knows I'm here. His spies are everywhere."

"You really trust me with this? It's a big responsibility."

Raleigh smiled, gripping his shoulder tightly and looking him straight in the eye. "Mate, I trust you with my life. Promise me one thing."

He swallowed, "Anything."

"Don't lose it in a gamble. And that bottle of rum just cost you 300,000 Belly."

Gaban stared at him, mouth agape. "Unbelievable. You're ripping me off. I'm your fucking friend!"

"A man's gotta make a living," Raleigh shrugged.