Zoro took a long swig of his sake and motioned for the bartender to pour him some more. Luffy sat beside him, his drink untouched. One thing Zoro had noticed about Luffy was that he never drank alcohol unless he was happy or wanted to celebrate something. He didn't drink for the sake of forgetting his problems, or even getting drunk (which, with his body's metabolism and general disregard for realistic human biology, he could barely do anyway). In this way he was the polar opposite of the average binge drinker. To Luffy, alcohol was in equal parts a symbol of the pirate life, a medium for his friendly rivalry with his first mate, and a fun way to let go during a party. But never was it an escape from his troubles.
So when Luffy left his drink untouched, it was hard for Zoro not to miss that he wasn't in the best of moods. The unsettled feelings rolling off him in waves, which were not missed by the swordsman's passive observation, also made it abundantly clear. He sighed before turning to his captain.
"There's no point dwelling on it you know. Until we meet up with Robin, we won't even know if he's been here, much less where he's going." Luffy nodded, but he was still disheartened.
"I'm just worried. I know things won't turn out like last time - we won't let them - but the fact that the bastard is still out there doesn't help anything."
Zoro stared at him curiously. "What would you have done if he was here? Provoked him?"
Luffy shrugged. "There would be no need. You know what position he's after. If we were both on the island, he would have aimed for me the first opportunity he got." He clenched his fist. "But there goes that plan."
Zoro thought for a moment. "Still, there aren't that many bounty heads which would guarantee him that position in these seas, and unless Ace confronts him, which he told us he wouldn't yet, I doubt he'll be able to make his move at this point. I don't know why he's not here, but most likely, you're still his prime target."
Luffy thought about the logic for a moment. He agreed with it, but he still couldn't shake the unfounded apprehension in his gut. He sighed and resolved to stop worrying so much. It wasn't really his style.
"But even if it doesn't go as planned," Zoro continued, "We'll prevent the worst of it. If it somehow escalates to that point, we'll follow him to Marineford if we have to." He looked at Luffy meaningfully. "All of us."
Luffy couldn't help but smile. He picked up his glass. "In the meantime, let's make sure it doesn't," he said before chugging. He was admittedly in a much better mood after that reassurance. Even if the scars on his body had disappeared once he had come to the past, the scars on his mind would always linger to an extent. He didn't want to storm Marineford again, and he didn't think he would have to, but if it absolutely came down to it, he would, and the thought that he wouldn't be alone was welcoming.
Luffy and Zoro heard the sound of the bar doors opening behind them, accompanied by the feeling of a stronger than average aura walking in. That alone usually wouldn't make them bat an eye. It was the fact that they instantly recognized the presence that caught them off guard. They shared a glance, both asking each other the same question. Was she here last time?
Luffy fought the urge to turn around in his seat and instead waited as she walked up to the counter and sat down on the stool next to him.
"Bartender! I'll have a glass of wine over here," the familiar voice spoke. Luffy snuck a glance at her, and was assaulted by memories that almost made him recoil in guilt as he met her inquisitive eyes.
Luffy sat in front of Ace's grave for the first time. He had never gotten a chance to pay him a proper visit, and the fact that he was finally getting that chance when the encounter with his late brother's betrayer was likely days away was fitting in the most twisted of ways.
It was the calm before the storm.
Beside him, Jewelry Bonney sat in silence as she payed her own respects. She hadn't known Ace for that long, but Luffy could still feel the overwhelming grief radiating from her. After what seemed like hours, Luffy stood up, and Bonney slowly did the same as she wiped a few stray tears from her eyes.
"We have to go," Luffy said somberly. She simply nodded.
"Give that bastard hell, Strawhat," she said with conviction.
Luffy looked at her carefully. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know you wanted to go after him too."
Bonney shrugged nonchalantly, although Luffy could see the disappointment in her eyes. "Can't be helped. Trafalgar's taking heavy heat. One of us has to back him up, and I have no delusions of my crew taking on Blackbeard alone." Her voice was bitter as she said that. She had learned her lesson the last time, and the Yonko crew had gotten far too powerful since then. Still, if Luffy didn't have just as much business with Blackbeard, if not more, than she did, she'd probably be throwing a fit about these arrangements. "Still, I didn't think the remnants of two defeated Yonko crews would band together just to take you down. Big Mom's remaining followers seem relentless."
"That's only natural after I killed their Captain," Luffy said quietly.
Bonney looked at him in slight annoyance. "Will you stop acting guilty? That bitch killed Jinbe. Did you forget?"
"No," Luffy whispered. Jinbe's death was still fresh in his mind, as was their most recent loss. "Ace, Jinbe, and now Marco. I wasn't supposed to let this happen."
"You can't be everywhere at once," Bonney argued. "If you guys hadn't helped us with Big Mom, I'd have bitten the dust. Count your blessings, not your failures." That made Luffy smile. The third member of their alliance had just unwittingly paraphrased the words Jinbe had spoken to him at his darkest hour. "If it enrages you so much, channel that fury and unleash it onto your enemies. I've seen you do it before," she continued.
"And I'll do it again," Luffy said.
Bonney looked at him worriedly. Her eyes were uncharacteristically soft. "But keep an eye out, Strawhat. I have a bad feeling about this one," she said.
"I'd be surprised if you didn't. It's Blackbeard." Luffy replied. Bonney could only nod.
"The balance of power in the world is shifting rapidly. There's no telling what could happen. Just...be careful, alright?" she requested.
Luffy looked at her and smiled. "I'll be coming back, Bonney. You just make sure Trafalguy does the same."
So many broken promises.
Luffy was broken out of his memories as Bonney spoke. "So you're Strawhat," she mused. "You know, for some reason I thought you'd be taller. You sure don't look like someone who could beat Crocodile," she muttered.
Luffy recovered quickly and smiled in good nature. "Looks can be deceiving. Croc learned that the hard way." Around them, murmurings of disbelief were breaking out in the bar. Whispers of "THE Strawhat," and "outrageous rookie" were abundant.
Bonney hummed. "If you say so. I still say it was a fluke."
Luffy simply smiled wider in response to the obvious taunt. "It's hard to fluke your way to victory over a New World veteran, though I'd be the first to admit that it's not impossible. Anyway, you're free to believe whatever you want."
Bonney huffed. "Not gonna rise to the bait? I wanted to see if you really earned that huge bounty of yours."
Luffy scratched his head. "Huge bounty huh? I still haven't gotten a chance to see the posters, so don't tell me."
Bonney raised an eyebrow before pulling out three posters and handing them to Luffy, who took them and looked in interest along with Zoro. Sanji had gotten a bounty early this time, Zoro's was higher than last time, and his own most likely put the other future supernova's to shame. Still, from the numbers he could surmise that the defeat of the three vice admirals had been covered up.
"Looks about right," Zoro said with a grin. Luffy on the other hand, raised an eyebrow.
"Have you been searching for us by any chance?"
Bonney shrugged. "Maybe a little," she admitted. Luffy inwardly laughed.
Yea, only so much that you altered your course.
"So then what can I do for you?" he asked.
Bonney grinned. "Fight me," she said. Luffy stared at her quizzically.
"Huh?"
"You heard me. To be honest, I don't really care that much that you beat Crocodile. But that didn't even make the headline. Somehow, you got Whitebeard himself to acknowledge you. I want to know what that old man was thinking."
"Ah, so that's it," Luffy said. Bonney had always looked up to the Whitebeard pirates. He wasn't that surprised that her curiosity had gotten the better of her. "Ok then. I guess I'll fight you."
"Not in here you won't," the bartender said. "Take it outside, will you?"
As the two made their way out of the bar, Zoro following lazily behind, Luffy noticed another aura outside. Oh great, another one.
"Hope you're ready," Bonney said once they got outside. "I won't take it easy on you."
"I'd be insulted if you did," Luffy replied with his hands in his pockets. Before they could begin, however, the presence that Luffy had noticed earlier shot towards him from within the crowd. Luffy moved his body out of the way as Bellamy passed by him, his momentum enhanced by his devil fruit. The pirate landed on the other side of him and turned to face him again. Bonney looked annoyed that they'd been interrupted.
"Who the hell are you, asshole!?" she shouted. "We were in the middle of something!" Bellamy looked at her in disinterest.
"Shut it, bitch. I have no interest in you," he said. Bonney's eye twitched, and she glared at him darkly. Luffy got the distinct feeling that Bellamy would be crippled for life if he didn't intervene in...whatever this was.
"Since you attacked me, I assume I'm the one you're after," Luffy said. "Can we just hurry this up? I have places to be. Like Sky Island, for instance." His words silenced the crowd. He heard the sound of poorly suppressed giggles from some of those watching, but payed in no mind. Bellamy was staring at him like he'd just told the funniest joke known to man. Even Bonney looked slightly amused, although she didn't laugh at him.
"Oh, that's rich! You really believe in that children's tale? I was curious to know what you were actually like, but this is just too much!" Bellamy said, laughing.
Luffy looked at him in confusion. "Why are you acting like you know me?" he asked. Bellamy grinned.
"It's hard to not hear any of the rumors circulating about Strawhat Luffy. I wanted to know if they were true or not. But now that I've heard you say that, I can tell it was all a load of bullshit. You're just another hopeless dreamer! I'll enjoy crushing you. You see, I have a win streak here, and it's not good for my reputation for some overly hyped rookie punk like you to just come waltzing right in! For whatever reason, your bounty is higher than mine, and I won't settle for second best!"
Bonney was now looking at Bellamy like he was some sort of annoying insect that she was debating whether or not to squash, while Luffy stared at him blankly. "Good thing you aren't second best then," he said. At the look of confusion on Bellamy's face, Luffy elaborated. "Even if you don't count my crew members, she's stronger than you," he said, pointing at Bonney.
Bonney blinked, wondering how he could know that when they hadn't fought yet. Bellamy on the other hand, grinned in amusement.
"I'm starting to think you got that bounty for pissing people off with your bad jokes, kid." That was the last straw for Bonney, who promptly sent him skidding across the pavement with a kick to the face.
Bellamy picked himself up and touched the side of his face, which was covered in blood. His shock was quickly replaced by rage. "You'll pay for that one, bitch!" he shouted, turning his legs into springs. "Spring Snipe!"
Bonney rolled out of the way as he launched by her. This seemed to infuriate him more as he skidded to a stop, before launching himself towards the nearest building, pushing off, and then bounding off the ground again. He was soon bouncing off the walls and ground at every turn, gaining momentum quickly. Realizing what he was about to do, Bonney just smirked and raised her fist in the air. "Spring Hopper!" he yelled as he rocketed towards her.
Faster than either of them could see, Luffy jumped in between the two, catching Bonney off guard, and planted his fist into Bellamy's face as he came. The spring man's body was imbedded into the pavement below, and he had a fist shaped imprint on the side of his face that hadn't already been damaged.
"Come back and try again when your ambition is stronger," Luffy said. He hadn't used any haki and had held back immensely so as to not cause any permanent damage, but it was still enough to send Bellamy into unconsciousness after he heard the words.
Bonney stared at him incredulously, surprised by not only his speed but his audacity. "What the hell, moron!? I wanted to do that!" she screamed.
"You took too long," Luffy replied. "Now where were we?"
"I was about to kick your ass," Bonney growled.
"Oh that's right. You were about to try," Luffy responded. "Whenever you're ready."
Bonney didn't hesitate and aimed a roundhouse kick at Luffy's face, which he didn't bother dodging. She looked slightly dumbfounded as he didn't even budge.
As expected, she hit much harder in the future, Luffy thought as he remembered their first encounter in the New World. Bonney soon recovered from the no sell and aimed a jab at his face, which he casually leaned his head out of the way to avoid. That led her to launch into a furious combo of punches and kicks, the speed and power of which could have rivaled Sanji. Nevertheless, his body seemed to flow around the attacks like water. Luffy caught her fist in his hand on the last strike, but soon let go and jumped back upon feeling a familiar sensation stemming from her arm, as well as the intent of what she was about to do. She stared at him in speculation.
"You knew exactly what I was about to do," she stated in an accusing tone.
"That's not true," Luffy defended. "Whether you were trying to increase my age or lower it, I can only guess." This caused a tick to develop over her eye.
"You knew about me beforehand," she grumbled, as if it was breaking some sort of rule. Luffy couldn't stifle a laugh at the irony. If only she knew...
Zoro was grinning in amusement as well as he watched the skirmish, and this only left Bonney more indignant, causing her to charge recklessly at Luffy. In a flash, he was behind her. She let out a startled gasp as her arm was pulled behind her back and she was pinned to the ground.
"Give up yet?" Luffy asked while she attempted to wriggle free with limited success.
"You wish!" she yelled, before beginning to shrink before his eyes. In the form of a child she had more room to maneuver herself into a position where she could squirm free. Luffy jumped back again to avoid the next barrage of kicks, but Bonney soon followed, reaching out to use her devil fruit power again. Luffy avoided her hand and touched two fingers to her forehead. Her eyes widened as she struggled to move but couldn't.
"What...the hell?" she said out loud.
"You have strong will, but you haven't learned to make use of it yet," Luffy said, before pushing her backwards. "You lost this time."
Bonney looked like she might try again as she regained control of herself, but instead took a deep breath. "Ok, so maybe it wasn't a complete fluke," she grumbled. "I guess Whitebeard would know what he was doing."
"Well thanks," Luffy replied. "But it was Ace who recommended me."
Bonney looked surprised. "You know Ace?" she asked curiously.
"He's my older brother," Luffy affirmed. It took a while for her to process that before her eyes widened.
"You're Ace's brother!?"
So she already knows him. He nodded in confirmation. When her shock subsided, she narrowed her eyes at him.
"Funny. He didn't mention you," she said.
"When did you meet him?" Luffy asked in interest. He thought he saw the faintest tinge of red on her cheeks.
"Just a few days ago," she responded with a slightly sheepish tone.
"Well that makes sense," Luffy said. "I met up with him in Alabasta, but he didn't mention you either. I guess you two met after that." He smiled. "And he was probably getting back at me for not mentioning him to my crew." He heard Zoro stifle a laugh.
Bonney paused for a moment. "Just out of curiosity, do you know if he's…" she trailed off.
Luffy stared at her in confusion. "If he's what?" he asked dumbly. The red on her face seemed to intensify.
"Um...it's not important. Never mind." She paused awkwardly. "So...what did you mean when you said you were going to Sky Island?" she asked, trying to change the subject. "Isn't that place a myth?"
"No way!" Luffy said assertively. "It has to be real because I say it is!"
"That makes no sense."
"No really! I know this guy who's been there once!"
"Right. And I'm the Pirate Empress."
"I know her too!"
"Of course you do."
Luffy glared at her childishly. He had yet to tell a single lie. With a pout, he turned and walked away. She glared after him.
"Where are you going?" she asked as Zoro followed him.
"To the sky!" he yelled determinedly. As he walked along with his first mate, Zoro sighed.
"Well she's exactly the same," he commented.
"Yea. Just as hotheaded as ever," Luffy replied.
"That wasn't quite what I meant. She feels the same way towards Ace. I guess some things don't change."
Luffy stared at him quizzically. "What are you talking about?" he asked. Zoro sighed again.
"You can't be serious," the swordsman deadpanned.
Luffy stared at him. "Bonney and...and Ace?"
"I'll tell you when you're older," was all he said. Luffy grew annoyed.
"You're not that much older than me!" he objected. "And you don't know anything about relationships either!"
Zoro scoffed. "There's a difference between ignoring something because it's distracting and being completely oblivious to it."
Luffy smirked. "You're right. I ignored Hancock's marriage proposals for two years because they were distracting, while you have a fetish for long and pointy things."
A crowd gathered around as the two started brawling in the middle of the street.
When Luffy and Zoro got back to the ship, everyone was already there. They were surprised to see them both covered in dirt and light bruises.
"What the hell happened to you two?" Nami asked. They pointed at each other.
"He was being an idiot," they said simultaneously. Nami shook her head.
"Whatever. We're all good for supplies, so we can leave at any time," she said. Hearing this, Luffy turned to Robin, who already knew what he was going to ask.
"Sorry, Captain-san. There was no information on a man named Blackbeard. It seems he hasn't been through here." Luffy nodded. He'd expected as much.
"Alright," he said, turning to Masira. "Let's go meet this Cricket guy then."
As the Strawhats rose anchor, Luffy thought about what Teach's absence could mean. Although he'd expected it from the beginning, it was quickly becoming apparent that the changes made to this timeline would not all be according to his own intentions. He didn't really mind that to be honest. Some things would just be too boring if he knew exactly what was going to happen. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what had changed in this case. Meeting Bonney early had made him realize that any small ripple could become a big wave and throw off the course. There could be a multitude of reasons why Blackbeard would change his course from Mock town. Like the log picking up on another magnetic field. Like another bounty head catching his interest, or inversely…
Like losing interest in the bounty head that led him to Jaya in the first place, for fear of pissing off a certain Yonko even more if he took it.
The alliance.