Chapter LXI: Stormy Gales Begin to Brew

Roronoa Zoro awakened abruptly to the darkness of twilight and the calm rocking of the Thousand Sunny over nightly waves. Frowning, he cast his eyes out in the direction of Sunny's deck.

Intruders? No, Sunny would have noticed first and warned them herself. It didn't take long for him to realize why his Observation Haki had awoken him so suddenly.

Luffy was wide awake...and not for a midnight snack.

Silent as a shadow, he slipped out of the cabin door and made his way up towards the deck. His movements were swift but not urgent; whatever had Luffy's aura pulsing, it evidently wasn't enough to send his captain into a panic, merely send his mind abuzz with distressing thoughts.

As he reached the deck, he felt Luffy's aura calm the slightest bit, probably in reaction to his arrival. It was just like Luffy to be broadcasting his emotions enough to wake his First Mate up and not even realize it.

He walked up behind the Straw Hat captain, who hopped down from the Sunny's head. Zoro sent him a questioning look. In response, Luffy held out a white, sizzling sheet of paper.

Ace's Vivre Card.

Gaze sharpening, Zoro examined it with narrowed eyes. It was about three fourths of its normal size, a far more comforting sight than the meager slip of paper it had been reduced to in the previous timeline. Ace had evidently been in a difficult situation, but not a life threatening one.

But that was assuming it hadn't gotten smaller than this previously. They hadn't expected Luffy's brother to fight Blackbeard this time, what with their rather direct warning, and to their knowledge he was still in Paradise. This meant either that Ace had been fighting a different opponent that posed a similar danger in the first half of the Grand Line, or, more likely…

"Could he have won?" Zoro asked hopefully.

Luffy frowned, but there was the same underlying sense of hope emanating from him. "We told him about Blackbeard's Devil Fruit, his vitality, his crew, everything. Do you remember what he said? He promised he wouldn't take on Blackbeard unless he was sure he could win."

"But we're talking about Blackbeard."

"We're also talking about Ace," Luffy replied. "His rate of growth rivals ours. Do you think we could have taken Aokiji back in Alabasta, even together?"

Zoro gave that some thought, though the answer was obvious. Upon arriving in the past, they'd been about as strong as they'd become after training for two years. Certainly not enough for the likes of the Marine Admirals, even with their superior teamwork. If Ace had been spending this time improving his Haki and Devil Fruit mastery instead of chasing leads on Blackbeard, what Luffy was suggesting was quite possible.

Zoro's gaze returned to the sizzling Vivri Card, and finally noticed something that made his eyes widen.

"Luffy...which way is it moving?"

Luffy blinked and held the card up in his palm. It inched itself towards the figurehead. Directly towards the figurehead.

"The Log is on course to Fishman Island," Zoro said. "But there's no way he's there."

Luffy's eyes widened as he caught on. There was only one Paradise island remaining that followed the same path as Fishman Island.

Sabaody Archipelago.

Light slowly filtered through his eyelids as he groaned and tried to sit up. The result of the endeavor was soreness and a splitting headache, and he quickly collapsed back onto the bed he was lying on. Wait, bed? That wasn't quite right. Last thing he remembered was…

Teach.

As his vision began to clear, he took a few deep, labored breaths, before attempting to sit up once more, slower this time. He placed one arm under him for support and managed to force himself into a sitting position.

Surveying the room around him, he caught sight of a glass of water on a bedside table next to him, and only then did he realize how thirsty he was. He experienced a brief bout of paranoia, but shoved it aside. If whoever brought him here wanted to poison him (which wasn't that improbable; it was one of the only ways to harm a Logia user with Observation Haki, even when they were unconscious), they simply would have forced the liquid down his throat while he was asleep.

Besides, this room was a bit too nice to be a makeshift prison. Just a bit.

After he was done chugging the water, he decided to gain some sense of his surroundings. Pushing his legs out from under the covers so that they hung off the bed, he reached out with his senses and was a bit surprised to note how populated this island was...wherever it was. But pushing that to the back of his mind, he quickly narrowed his field to the building they were in and was rewarded with a familiar presence.

Tension easing from his shoulders, he called out. "Hey, Bonney!"

He waited a few moments before he heard footsteps thudding down the hall outside his door, which soon swung open.

"Ace, you're awake!" she exclaimed. Marching up to the bed, she placed her hands on her hips. "You scared me, you idiot! Don't do that again!"

Ace let out a sheepish laugh. "Sorry about that. But to be fair, I'm not the one who picked a fight with a New World veteran when I still barely knew what Haki was."

Bonney scowled, but soon conceded the point with a sigh. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"Don't worry about it," Ace said. "At least we're both alive. But I have to ask…" His face darkened. "What about Teach?"

"Blackbeard?" Bonney asked. "I wouldn't be worried. He was barely alive when I got back there. The scary part though, is that his body was still intact. I have no idea how durable he would have to be to not be incinerated after that...but I suppose it doesn't matter now. The Marines showed up afterwards."

Ace scowled. So Teach had survived. Just barely though, from how it sounded, and now he was no doubt in Marine custody, most likely headed straight for Impel Down. Hearing that, Ace felt conflicted. Having learned the truth of Luffy's past had only deepened his personal vendetta against the bastard, and he'd wanted the vindication of killing him with his own two hands.

Though he was unlikely to survive long in that state where he was going, Ace still couldn't help but feel worried. If that asshole could survive Ace's strongest attack, what else could he survive?

Well, not that it mattered. Impel Down was practically inescapable. Overall, he supposed he should be satisfied with the outcome.

Bonney practically read his mind, and her fist abruptly shot through his head, causing small flames to dance across the room. "Don't look so pleased, idiot! You weren't in that great a shape either! I had to treat your injuries and haul your ass out of there! Did you think the Marines wouldn't take note of an island sized explosion?"

Hearing that, Ace immediately sobered. He knew what the consequences would be if he was captured. Luffy had told him firsthand, and yet he had still acted recklessly. Still, he didn't regret it.

"I'd do it again, if it meant not leaving you in the hands of that scum," he said unapologetically.

Her eyes softened. For someone who was mostly oblivious to her feelings, Ace could act pretty tender when the time called for it.

"Well, it's passed. Let's not dwell on it. I almost forgot, but there's someone here who wanted to see you."

Ace raised an eyebrow. "That reminds me. Where is here exactly?"

She smirked. "Come see for yourself."

Having shaken off any lingering weakness, Ace got dressed and followed Bonney out the door. When he arrived outside, he was struck by a strong sense of nostalgia and the sight of giant trees and soap bubbles.

As the rest of the Straw Hats woke up, they sent Luffy and Zoro some concerned looks due to having woken up so early again. They didn't have much time to worry about it though, as they were soon assaulted by a typical Grand Line storm—which became not so typical once it started raining candy. They paused briefly to marvel at a sea racoon and a circular rainbow before the onslaught finally concluded with a set of serpentine currents rising out of the sea, which Luffy insisted on riding out rather than escaping with a Coup de Burst, much to Nami's annoyance.

Afterward, the Captain and First Mate began explaining the situation with Ace, and how he was most likely at their next destination, over breakfast. Hearing that, the crewmates who had met him in Alabasta were especially eager to meet him again. Brook, being the only member of the crew to not know who Ace was, listened intently as Luffy spoke of his past.

"We're not blood related," Luffy explained. "But to us, that just makes our bond all the more real. Along with Sabo, we forged our brotherhood through the fires of blood, sweat, and sake! Those were good times!"

Robin giggled at the sight of Luffy's enthusiasm. "Well, I've love to meet him. It was quite amusing hearing Crocodile throw a fit when he first heard of Whitebeard's Second Division Commander dropping by Nanohana. He seemed to think his plans were in jeopardy. Imagine that."

Luffy sniggered. "I would have loved to see that."

"So we're going to meet up with Ace-san on Sabaody Archipelago, correct?" Brook asked.

"That's right, but there's another reason we need to go there," Zoro chimed in. "It's an essential stop if we want to get to Fishman Island."

"I was wondering about that," Nami said. "I guess I should have expected it, but right now, the Log Pose is angled down. Is there really a way to get to the bottom of the ocean using the Sunny?"

Franky tensed up, now considering the possibility that they wouldn't be able to take his creation to the New World, but relaxed when he heard Zoro's next words.

"It'll be fine. We just need to get a coating for the ship on Sabaody," the swordsman answered.

"Coating?" Nami asked.

"You bet! We get someone to put up a giant bubble around the ship, and then it can sail underwater, no problem!" Luffy said, pumping his fist into the air in excitement. Along with Skypiea, Fishman Island had been one of his favorite locations in Paradise.

The crew stared at him skeptically, hearing of that seemingly impossible method, and turned to Zoro.

"Nope, that's basically it," the First Mate confirmed with a smirk.

"Well, far be it from us to doubt that future knowledge of yours," Sanji said with a shrug. "More importantly…" He suddenly started jumping around the room in an uncharacteristic show of excitement. "Mermaids! I can't wait to see them! Oh, the beautiful living gems of the sea! I can't wait to meet one!"

"Huh? But you already met one," Luffy said.

That stopped Sanji in his tracks. "Huh…?"

Zoro suddenly choked on his sake, drawing the attention of the crew. The swordsman was trying hard to hold in his laughter and failing.

"What's wrong with Zoro?" Chopper asked.

"Never mind that! What do you mean I've met one before, Luffy?" Sanji asked eagerly.

"Oh, that's right, you guys never found out this time!" Luffy realized.

"Found out what, Luffy?" Robin asked.

"Well, let's put it this way," Zoro said, having regained his composure. "Someone we've met in our travels was a mermaid, but hid it well."

Luffy smirked, catching on to the game. "Think you can guess who it was?"

That caught their interest, and everyone's minds were now hard at work for some hint of who it could have been. But no one was thinking harder than Sanji, whose mind was in overdrive.

"I got it!" the chef finally shouted. "It was Vivi-chan!"

The crew stared at him quizzically. "What? She's certainly beautiful enough!" he defended.

"Next guess," Zoro said, rolling his eyes.

"Nojiko-chan!"

Nami gave him a blank stare. "I think I'd know if my sister was a mermaid, thank you very much!"

"Really? But Conis-chan was an angel, and other than present company, I can't think of anyone who was more beautiful than those three…" Suddenly a bomb went off in his mind as the realization settled in. "I've got it," the chef said seriously, before pointing to both Nami and Robin. "It has to be either Nami-san or Robin-chan!"

"It's Granny Kokoro."

After about ten seconds of letting that sink in, Luffy and Zoro both erupted into laughter at the looks on everyone's faces. Sanji, realizing they were serious, began sulking in the corner of the room. "It's not fair," he began mumbling over and over.

"Wait, how is that even possible?" Usopp asked, face slightly green. "We saw her walking on two legs!"

"Yeah...there was an explanation for that…" Luffy recalled. "Something about monster cats and turning 30…"

"You're making zero sense," Nami muttered.

"If you guys are done…" Zoro said, shaking off a few more bouts of laughter, "This would be a good time to enjoy the sights."

It didn't take them long to figure out what he meant. Far off in the distance, the gargantuan wall of land that was the Red Line could be seen towering into the heavens. It was a sight they had all seen at least once before, but it was as breathtaking as ever.

"Halfway there…" Nami mumbled in awe.

"I feel like crying. So much has happened!" Usopp exclaimed.

"I have to say, it's not exactly dull, even the fifth time," Zoro reminisced quietly.

"Fifth?" Robin asked curiously, being one of the only ones to have heard him. "Shouldn't it be the fourth?"

"No, Zoro's right," Luffy said, a faraway look in his eyes. "It's the fifth. Back then, we should have felt thrilled...it was a sight almost no one else had ever witnessed…" he trailed off sadly.

Zoro's grip on his swords tightened. "But try as we might, we couldn't bring ourselves to feel a damn thing."

Robin was slightly pale, having now realized what they meant. Many had seen the Red Line before entering the Grand Line or the New World, but there was one location from which only a select few had borne witness to its glory.

Just then, another giant wave rocked the ship, and the Straw Hats went out on deck to see what the commotion was.

"Oh, it's just a Sea King," Nami said. Having been broken out of this thoughts, Luffy promptly punched it in the gut, and it fell back, motionless, into the sea, but not before coughing up a humanoid figure, who was now falling toward the ship.

As the figure drew closer, yelling in panic all the while, Sanji's eyes gradually widened. As he traced her falling form to the moment she was right above him, a single thought echoed through his mind.

There's a God in this world, and it's not that lightning bastard.

After the Straw Hats were acquainted with the excitable mermaid Camie, or in Luffy and Zoro's case, reacquainted, Luffy pulled Nami aside, much to the navigator's curiosity.

"Nami, there's something you should know. It's about a friend of Camie's that we're probably going to run into soon."

Nami blinked. "Do I know this friend of hers?"

Luffy debated briefly about how to best break this to her, but decided the best thing to do was be blunt.

"It's Hachi."

Nami stiffened and took in a sharp breath. Luffy already felt bad as he could quite literally feel the memories haunting her. While Hachi had never tormented Nami directly, he still helped cause the horrifying nightmare that had plagued her for so long.

"In the future...in our timeline, you forgave him, and he became a friend of ours," Luffy continued, watching as she drew further into herself. He reached out and placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "I just want you to know...this is ultimately your choice. If you decide to forgive him, the rest of us will too. If not, then we'll just go our separate ways, and that'll be that."

Nami let out a breath and relaxed. She had thought, for a brief, irrational moment, that maybe Luffy would try to emulate what had happened in his own timeline. Upon hearing that she wasn't to be held to a decision she hadn't made yet, most of the tension eased out of her. She knew Luffy better than that, but some scars ran deep.

After a moment of thought, she made up her mind. "I'll give him a chance, but I can't promise anything."

When the two rejoined the other Straw Hats, Camie declared that she had to thank them for freeing her somehow, and sure enough, she soon promised them free takoyaki. As she dialed "Hachin's" number on the Transponder Snail, Luffy's mouth watered in spite of himself.

The last few months had been rather eventful for Hachi. After being defeated by the Straw Hat Pirates along with his crew, he'd thought it was all over for him. Lucky, he managed to escape from the Marine Ship that was taking him to Impel Down before it got there. Being a fishman, it was easy for him to make a getaway after that.

He'd decided to make a clean living from then on. Terrorizing humans had always left a bad taste in his mouth, but he had never questioned it out of respect for Arlong. Still, since there wasn't much he could do to get them out of Impel Down, short of a futile prison break attempt, it had been a good a time as any to make a fresh start. He had met a young mermaid named Camie along the way, and although he hadn't made the best first impression, they had stuck together like glue after some time, even opening up their own mobile takoyaki stand in the Grand Line.

Unfortunately, Camie had a bad habit of getting either eaten or captured every so often. Either one, really. It varied from week to week. Recently she had been eaten by a rabbit-like sea king, one of which Hachi had lost track of after being attacked by some old rival fishmen who didn't know when to give up. They'd been after Camie, so perhaps it was best that she hadn't been there. Luckily, she had been coughed up onto the ship of some Grand Line pirates.

After she had given him a call, he'd instructed her to send a number of fish to find him and then lead him to her. Which led to his current journey, which happened to be leading him in the direction of Sabaody Archipelago. Hachi was reluctant to go anywhere near that place, but the fact that Camie was already in its vicinity, in the care of unidentified human pirates no less, was enough to spur him into action.

The school of fish dispersed as they reached the ship in question. Hachi noted that the figurehead was in the form of a rather happy looking lion...sunflower...thing. He'd never seen or heard of this ship before, so it probably belonged to some no name pirates. So hasty was he to ensure Camie was alright that he didn't bother to look at the ship's flag.

He leapt out of the water to land on the deck, only to be met with some very familiar faces.

Contrary to some human misconceptions, fishmen were, in fact, warm blooded. As Hachi's blood ran cold, however, he felt anything but.

The Straw Hats had mixed reactions to seeing Hachi. Luffy and Zoro both felt conflicted, though the latter hid it well. While they had long since made amends with the Hachi of their timeline, this Hachi was not the same one who had apologised profusely to Nami and made multiple attempts to make it up to her even after being forgiven.

Usopp and Sanji's thoughts were much simpler. They, along with the rest of the crew, had been filled in on the situation by Zoro, while Luffy distracted their mermaid guest with questions about the takoyaki stand. They had decided to keep their thoughts to themselves, grudgingly in Sanji's case, once Nami made her intentions to give Hachi a chance known.

Chopper, Robin, Franky, and Brook all understood what was going on for the most part, but didn't harbor any of the feelings the rest of the crew had for this new arrival. For now, they were withholding judgement.

Nami's reaction was the most telling. From the moment Hachi had landed on the deck of their ship, her eyes had narrowed. She gave no other reaction even as the fishman's was rendered utterly speechless by the sight of them. After several long moments passed with Nami and Hachi staring at each other and no one saying anything, the fishman finally averted his eyes and looked down in shame.

Nami sighed. The anger she wanted to feel towards Hachi simply wasn't coming. Seeing him now, far from the imposing figure he had been during her childhood, made most, if not all lingering resentment fade away. As much as she wanted to condemn him for everything, she knew that it wouldn't change anything.

Nami had been a slave to her past for 10 long years. Now that she had escaped that prison, she didn't think shackling herself to it again would be a good idea. She was happy now. She was free.

Hachi wouldn't—couldn't—take that from her.

"You know, I didn't think I'd see you here," Ace said to the man sitting beside him, as a wary bartender served him some sake. "Can you afford to spend this much time in the first half?"

"I could ask you the same," Sabo replied. "I know you were staying here to find me, but you accomplished that a while ago. Is there any reason you haven't returned?"

"I was actually getting ready to...but I had a bit of a situation on my hands."

"So I've heard," the Revolutionary sighed. "That was reckless by the way. Marshall D. Teach was still an unknown factor, even to us."

Ace smiled sheepishly. "I made it out alright. What about you? You haven't said why you're still here."

"Don't tell me you've forgotten our last talk already," Sabo said dryly.

It clicked in Ace's brain. "Ah. So you're ready to meet Luffy then?" He received a nod in response. "And your memory? I know it hasn't been that long…"

"I'm getting some brief flashes every now and then, but nothing major. Still, I think maybe meeting my other brother would go a long way."

"Worth a shot," Ace agreed.

"There is another reason we're here though," Sabo said. "He seems to think that there's a storm brewing."

Ace's hummed. "We talking a Paradise or New World storm?"

"A New World storm in Paradise."

Ace's eyes narrowed. That sounded too familiar for comfort.

"Do you have any idea what they're talking about?" Bonney asked the other Revolutionary, who was sitting off to the side with her.

Koala shrugged. "Couldn't tell you even if I did. Hell, our Chief of Staff is stretching it by saying as much as he is, even if Fire Fist seems to be trustworthy." She frowned. Still, I can't deny that there's strategic value to giving the Whitebeard Pirates a warning.

Just then, another figure walked in. "Yo, Boss! They're approaching the island as we speak. Just thought I'd let you know."

Sabo sighed. "Will you stop calling me Boss already? I'm the Second in Command."

Mavric smirked. "Which makes you the boss when he's not around."

Ace raised an eyebrow. "Luffy's coming? I can't sense him."

"They're probably not that close yet. Mavric ate the Hani Hani no Mi and became a scope man," Sabo explained. "He can see even farther than the range of most Observation users."

"Sounds about right for a spy," Ace mused. "Hey, Bonney. How would you like to meet your competition again?"

The recently dubbed Supernova smirked. "Sounds great. I still owe him one."

The Straw Hats arrived at Grove 41 of Sabaody Archipelago in high spirits. Once Nami had agreed to give Hachi a chance, the octopus fishman had been so grateful that he'd insisted on helping them find someone to coat their ship in addition to showering them with free takoyaki. He knew he hadn't been forgiven yet, but seemed eager to make amends as much as he could.

After Sunny nearly gave Brook a heart attack (he couldn't actually get one since he had no heart, as he was soon to joyfully proclaim) by manifesting in front of him for the first time to see them off (Hachi and Camie had exchanged confused glances as the entire crew said their temporary farewells to seemingly no one), the group had made their way to the lawless zone of the archipelago, casually warding off attacks from ambitious bounty hunters and other pirates every now and then.

Luffy and Zoro were currently leading the way, having told Hachi that they had someone to meet with before they got their ship coated. It was on the way there that Luffy noticed something he hadn't before.

"Hey, Zoro. Do you sense that? There are some familiar auras where Ace is."

Zoro focused for a moment, then blinked. "Huh. You're right. The Revolutionaries are here too. And they're not exactly hiding."

When the group arrived at their destination, they were greeted by the sight of grudge match between pirates taking place in plain sight.

The term grudge match was used loosely here, since it seemed to be at least a couple dozen pirates all ganging up on one person.

"Is that all you shitheads got?" Bonney shouted as she continued to weave through the horde of assailants. You seemed so confident earlier! At least make me work for this!"

Ace, Sabo, Koala, and Mavric stood off to the side, watching. "Aren't you gonna help?" Koala asked the Whitebeard Commander.

"Nah. This is her journey," Ace replied. "Let her have her fun. Besides, they're all small fry anyway."

"Ace! Sabo!" Luffy shouted excitedly. The two groups converged as Bonney finished off the last of the cannon fodder.

"So, we finally meet," Sabo said with a grin. "I've heard a lot about you, Luffy."

In a bar that was rather well known for ripping off pirates, a black haired woman was cleaning up the mess her last band of difficult customers had made before she'd extorted them for all they were worth.

"No more business today, huh?" she mused, before the door to her cavern opened with a creak.

She turned around, ready to welcome the newcomer, whoever they were, and was momentarily taken aback.

"Oh? I didn't expect you back for a while now, Ray-san."

The silver haired man took a long drink from his flask before answering. "Long time no see, Shakky. I actually wasn't planning on coming back for a while, but something caught my attention. I feel like trouble's just around the corner, so I came to warn you."

Shakky hummed. If whatever was coming was enough to alert the Dark King's Observation, then a major upset was about to happen. "Well, there are rumors of Revolutionaries on the archipelago. Is that related in any way?"

"Could be," Rayleigh admitted. "But there's something else I've noticed." His face suddenly turned serious. "Have you noticed a distinct lack of Marine presence around lately?"

In the heart of the lawless zone of the archipelago, the Supernova named Basil Hawkins sat studying the cards laid out on the table in front of him soberly.

"The sign of adversity," he muttered, before flipping over another card. His eyes immediately narrowed. "A major conflict is about to take place here. And at the heart of it…"

He lifted his head, gaze drawn to some unseen threat in the distance. "Straw Hat...even you'll be hard pressed to make it out of this one."

A few hours earlier

Many miles away, one of the most famous Mythical Zoans in existence fumed at what he was listening to on the Transponder Snail before him.

"Let it be known that I'm completely against this. Do you know what you're asking of me?"

"We are very much aware. The Straw Hats have done too much and gone too far in too little time. We should have allowed Akainu to continue on his way to Water 7 and destroy them all. Now that they've come to the end of Paradise, we have no choice left in the matter. We must and we will mobilize whatever forces the Marines can muster to ensure that Dragon's son and his followers do not enter the New World."

"You complete maniacs," the Zoan said quietly. "You know that the Marines stand no chance against Whitebeard unless it's on our terms, and doing something like this won't do anyone any favors. If the Straw Hats lose, one of the Four Emperors is going to muster all of his forces to avenge them. And if they win—which is not out of the question—their reputation will go through the roof and the old man will still strike back. And both ways, mustering our top brass for something like this is going to leave us low on manpower and high on casualties. There is no good ending for this!"

"The ending in which Dragon's son joins with Whitebeard is worse," the elder voice said firmly. "Aokiji's report stated that Straw Hat and his first mate alone kept pace with him perfectly throughout the city, and then proceeded to stop holding back their strength at the same time that he did. If the rest of the Straw Hats aren't to that level yet, then they will be soon if they're heading for the New World. We cannot afford to add a crew capable of defeating our strongest authorities to the likes of Edward Newgate, especially when they have ties to Dragon. We have worked hard for this balance, and if we have no choice but to allow it to alter, then we must cut our losses."

The gaze on the other end of the snail sharpened. "You have your orders, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. This is not up for discussion. Gather whatever forces you can spare. As of now, we move against the Straw Hat Pirates; do everything in your power to ensure that they never reach the New World."

And with that, the line disconnected.