Above the Red Line lays a beautiful and mesmerizing place where Celestial Dragons reside. However ethereal the place looks, one must never dare to enter such a place as the place itself was nerve wracking and horrid. Filled with the screams of slaves who were beaten and treated miserably, the fools of the Celestial Dragons ruled the World Government.
But on top of them were the Five Elders and above them was a being known to only then, Imu, the mysterious ruler of the world.
"The movement is the Revolutionary Army has increased exponentially," St. Saturn voiced glaring at the map which was placed on the table. The said man showed the number of kingdoms which were either freed by the Army or allied with it.
"If only that was our concern," St. Walcury tutted. "The super rookie and the possible child of the late Pirate King has been rumoured to travel in the first half of the Grand Line for the past few weeks."
"At least that's good news," St. Marcus Mars smiled blankly. "Sources say that the Spades and the Whitebeard Pirates have a riff raf."
"What better opportunity would we have to gain control over that child?" Saint Ju Peter asked, tracing lines on the map clearly showing the path which the super rookie crew was taking.
"But the marines in the first half are all eating dust or disppearing after encountering the Spade Pirates," St. Nusjuro frowned.
"That's concerning," St. Saturn agreed. "But on the optimistic side, at least the actions of those imbeciles have decreased drastically."
"The 3Cs?" St. Mars asked raising an eyebrow. It was the first time that the 3Cs have gone completely missing off the face of the map. After they had announced themselves by dishonouring the marine insignia, they had relentlessly been active only for Cole to disappear three years ago. And now, both Cyra and Cyane have also disappeared. It was suspicious to say the least.
Have they been killed? Or were they planning something major? They didn't know specially when no one has seen what lay under their cloaks. For all they knew they were someone working as a marine or a revolutionary or a pirate.
"Yes," St. Saturn voiced. "But we should stay prepared for them."
.
Zoro wasn't someone who would be pissed off on any matters except for his dreams of being the greatest swordsman of the World. So, it was really a shock for him when he experienced himself feeling such emotions which he had felt last time when Kuina died. When Kuina had died, he wasn't prepared but he couldn't have done anything rather than accept the reality and to believe that his best friend and rival had gone forever.
...But right now, Zoro didn't know what to do and what not to. First the thought of Luffy leaving them for forever in the future. The thought of the brightest star which had entered his life leaving him just like Kuina stabbed his heart and broke it. He couldn't even imagine how he would get out of that, let alone shoulder his bunch of unruly friends who were bound with Luffy more than him.
Zoro was a man of his words. If he would have been commanded by Luffy to stop breathing, he would do it. If Luffy would have told him to leave, he would. If his captain ordered him to kill anyone, he would without a thought. But the very thought of Luffy disappearing forever scared him. His heart and soul refused to acknowledge that someday he would lose another best friend of his.
What would take for Luffy, even if he is a deity, to stay??? He is ready to give his own life if it meant that Luffy was free and with them. Looking at the child God, laughing freely with innocence and just like wind chimes, Zoro couldn't understand how he was burying his pain. How was he hiding his fear of leaving, of being chained to whatever it was with that sweet, innocent and carefree smile? He was afraid to leave them... Right? Or were they just someone replaceable for him? Would he even remember them in his godly realm if he leaves?
Zoro added twice the amount of weights to lift, as he forced himself to stop that train of thought. Luffy was Luffy after all. Even if he was Nika, Joyboy or Warrior of Liberation, he was their friend, their captain and foremost the baby of the crew. As much as the crew loved him, Luffy loved them infinitely and unconditionally.There was no doubt in it.
The shiny eyes which sparkled in the moonlight last night had shown Zoro that Luffy was on the verge of crying. Zoro knew somewhere in his heart that Luffy would break if he had to leave them and his family. He had seen the God teen's eyes filled with love, adoration and care for them and his Dad and brother. The fact that someday he has to leave them would shatter him more than it would do to him or anyone.
Zoro felt useless knowing the vast suffering which would wait Luffy or Nika. Does he has friends in the Heaven? Would they treat Nika well? Would they listen to his every whim like they do?
.
In the white ethereal sands of the Island named Baltigo, the base was filled with people doing their duties, training and getting lessons for their cause.
In midst of these all, Sabo was frowning and worried sick like his adopted father, Dragon, who had been forcing himself to stay locked in his office doing paperworks since he had heard the news of Ace being not well and on top of that Luffy falling sick.
"Dad?" Sabo knocked the door for the fourth time till now, carrying a plate of food.
"Come in," Dragon spoke lowly. He wanted to rush to both of his sons' side but he was the leader of the Revolutionaries for God's sake. He had already gotten tons of lecture from his subordinates about not leaving right now.
"Here's your food," Sabo placed the plate on the messy table on which tons of paper works were sprawled on.
"Thanks, son!" Dragon replied back, not wanting to immediately eat even if the dish was alluring and mouth watering.
"I needed to ask you something," Sabo spoke arranging the paperworks neatedly at a side, even if his Dad didn't want him to. "There has an uprising going on in Arabasta, right?"
"I was thinking of sending Kuma to investigate it," Dragon spoke truthfully as he reluctantly took the plate of food which was shoved to him. He really didn't want to anger Sabo by refusing to eat it right now. He knows his blonde son's anger very well and he really didn't have a death wish right now.
"Can you send me too?" Sabo asked cutting straight to the point.
"Don't you have to be in the West Blue after a week?" Dragon asked his boy, specially when Sabo himself has shown interest in going there.
"I can manage it," Sabo smiled sheepishly. "Ace will be there in Arabasta and I really want to knock some sense in him." Sabo's grin took a dangerous edge to it, making even Dragon gulp.
'Ace you are fucked for a big time.' Dragon thought, pitying his oldest son.
"Not to mention, Luffy is heading straight for Arabasta." Sabo beamed brightly.
"It's not fair!" Dragon instantly voiced out. "How about I accompany you too?" Dragon asked with a big grin. He really wanted to know the condition of his boys. The last time he had been able to talk to Ace was two weeks ago and with Luffy in Loguetown.
"Don't you have paperworks? And it's really a small matter I think me and Kuma would be enough for this," Sabo answered back feeling bad for his Dad. He really had lots of work, considering he was busy hiding the connection of that horrifying storm which lasted for seconds in the entirety of the East Blue with Luffy.
Dragon sighed, knowing very well that he still had to look over two more Islands to remove the reports.
"Very well," Dragon said defeatedly. "Tell Luffy and Ace to call me when you find them. Otherwise they are sure to be grounded."
"Sure! Sure!" Sabo chuckled happily. He can't wait to give Ace a piece of his mind while coddle Luffy with lots and lots of hugs and love.
.
The days on the Going Merry were seeming to pass very slowly. Specially from the time when Luffy announced that there would be Haki training every day without a break for at least 6 hours.
If anyone were to ask the Strawhats how their days were going, none of them would tell that it was fun. The trainings were hellish. And that even considering from the eyes of Zoro and Sanji who were starting to flinch at the name of tranning but still not backing away or running away from it like the others.
Nami and Vivi were patnered most of the time for training while it was Usopp and Chopper as each other's partner. They would sometimes pity each other and give a low whack but the next they would know is Luffy catching them and start to whacking both of the pairs simultaneously, ignoring the screams and shrieks of pain. So it was really better to whack the other than get Luffy's whacking.
They were still in a good position, having to run at least for an hour before they started punching the metal rods and plates and then whacking each other till the other either falls down or collapses. There were no breaks, except water breaks!
Zoro and Sanji were in literal hell, considering the fact that after their normal training they were supposed to land at least one hit on Luffy in two hours or they would have to swim for three hours after dinner. Those two were experiencing literal hell considering the fact that even touching Luffpy looked like a far fetched dream. And not to mention that after all of those, they needed to spar with Luffy who would brutally without even controlling his insane strength make them eat dust.
"How the hell are they still going on?" Usopp wheezed out, clutching his throbbing body parts. His body, his muscles, even his bones and hair were shrieking in pain from today's exercise.
"They aren't called the monsters of the crew simply," Nami shuddered seeing Luffy kick Sanji in his head, making the said blonde land face first on the deck.
"How is he so strong when he is just a kid?" Vivi questioned hugging her arms in fear seeing the said kid captain not even take Zoro and Sanji seriously. The thought of Luffy even wanting to spar or train them personally was enough to scare her to death. With the insane strength, the kid was showing she was sure that it was Crocodile she needed to pity for.
"A kid?" Nami chuckled, holding Chopper in her arms who had eyes filled with confusion and curiosity. "He isn't a kid. He is 17 for God's sake!"
"What?!" Vivi'eyes widened at once.
"How much did you guess?" Usopp asked remembering them in the same position just a few days ago.
"Honestly, I thought he was 13," Vivi spoke, making Usopp and Nami chuckle.
"When I first saw him I guessed he was way too younger than that," Chopper looked at Luffy who was toying with Zoro and Sanji.
"How much?" Usopp asked with a cheeky grin on his face.
"10," Chopper spoke awkwardly, making Usopp and Nami burst off.
Chopper looked away feeling embarassed of his speculations. But he still felt sure that Luffy was younger than 17 somehow. Even Carque nodded at his words.
"I'm hungry!" Luffy's voice stopped the conversation between the four who were relaxing their aching muscles.
"Give me a break," Sanji groaned sitting up and caressing his wounds.
"Hey! It's not fair! I want another round!" Zoro argued with Luffy even if his muscles screamed bloody murder to his words.
"Are you insane or what?" Sanji asked trying to get on his legs.
"You wanna go, shitty cook?" Zoro glared half heartedly.
The incidents of Luffy falling in trouble had made them closer to not argue intensely like before but still they both couldn't let go of their habit, which led to the others to speculate that they secretly loved to bicker with each other.
"If you are so eager," Sanji glared back.
"You two stop it!" Nami growled getting on her legs.
"I'm hungry~!" Luffy whined stomping his legs like a little five year old throwing a tantrum.
"Go fish of something till I make actual food," Sanji grumbled half heartedly as he walked off.
"Lets go fish!" Luffy hoped to Chopper, Usopp and Carque gleefully.
"How the hell do you have so much energy?" Usopp grumbled under his breath before getting up to gather fishing rods.
"Don't we need bait for fishing?" Chopper asked when Usopp arrived with fishing rods and without anything as a bait.
"Don't you know who I am? I'm the great fisher Usopp! The one who can fish without any baits!" Usopp boaster with a nervois laugh, making Chopper's eyes sparkle instantly. But the truth was that he didn't want to remind Chopper in front of Luffy that they were running low on food. It had already been a week of leaving from Drum and the food which they had stocked was on its last leg. Sanji had absolutely forbidden everyone from mentioning it to Luffy knowing how the said teen would deliberately starve himself if he knew it.
"That's so cool!" Luffy grinned excitedly, knowing Usopp's lies well but still going with it.
After a few minutes of their fishing it was only Luffy who got actual fishes in his hook while Chopper and Usopp got nothing, which would have made them tired but the soothing presence of Luffy was not only keeping them going but also somehow making their fatigue from the training go away.
"How are you catching them?" Usopp asked bewildered at the amount of fish in Luffy's bucket.
"Dunno!" Luffy shrugged, while continuing to sing an offbeat song.
"Gu-!" Sanji stopped himself from announcing that food was ready when his eyes landed on the mist which was heading towards them. "Nami? Is that thing safe?" He questioned, his eyes going to the mist and then to the trio who were sitting on the railing of the Merry.
"Oh, don't worry, Sanji! It's nothing but steam." Nami answered taking a look at the steamy area where they were heading to.
"Steam? From the ocean?" Vivi questioned looking confusedly at the area.
"Yes, there's a hotspot there," Nami answered turning to the said blue haired girl.
"What's a hotspot?" Chopper questioned looking at Nami.
"It's what we call a place that spews magma. Underneath this is an underwater volcano." Nami answered Chopper who was looking at the mysterious area with bright eyes.
"A volcano can exist underwater?" Chopper asked curiously.
"Yes, in fact there are more volcanoes underwater than there are on land." Nami explained with a soft smile.
"Ooohhhh...!" Usopp drawled out.
"Who cares it's not like we can eat it," Luffy whined. He was feeling hungry after the training.
"In some thousands or ten thousands of years from now, the underwater volcano here will give birth to a new island." Nami explained further with a smile on her face.
"Oh Nami, you're soooo intelligent!" Sanji praised noddling his way to the said girl.
"This is an amazing place, isn't it..!" Vivi asked with amazed eyes.
"Yes, it is." Nami agreed with the other girl on the deck.
"In some ten thousand of years, huh... Wonder if humans can be alive by then?" Luffy questioned, making the ones on the deck look at him oddly. It was only Zoro who understood what Luffy exactly was meaning to ask.
"Not a chance," Usopp waved off the question, not noticing the sadness which came over Luffy's face only to get hidden by the steams which soon engulfed them.
"Agghh!" "Cough!" "Cough!" "It stinks of Sulphur!" "I can't see anything with all this steam!" "Bear with it, we'll sail past it soon enough."
A few seconds into the steamy area, and Usopp's fishing rod twitched showing that he had caught something big.
"It looks like a big haul!" Usopp spoke with joy as he started pulling his catch.
"Oh really?" Chopper asked, squinting his eyes through the fog to look at the thread.
"Its-"
"We caught an okama!" Luffy and Usopp gasped as the steam cleared to reveal the man who was wearing a swan outfit and makeup on his face.
"Oh my! How did I end up in a fishing hook?" The said okama who was dangling from the fishing hook questioned.
Sanji scurried away from the deck the moment the okama was pulled on the deck. He has no wish to entertain the said okama and hence he took refuge in his safe place going to prepare some drinks to pass his time.
"Please forgive this little swan, for wandering into your ship." The okama apologised bowing his head after he got pulled over by Usopp.
"To be rescued by pirates I've never met not heard of..." Bon Kurie said, his eyes going over to the black flag. "I shall never forget the debt I owe to you! Now then... I am a little peckish and a hot bowl of soup right now would be smashing, if you please."
"Oh hell no!" Zoro, Usopp and Nami exclaimed at once.
"I'm already starving here!" Luffy whined and as in clue his stomach grumbled making him pout and look away cutely. That little gesture was enough to make the Strawhats who had endured hellish training feel relaxed.
"Oh my! You are such a cute little thing," Bon Kurie stated looking at Luffy.
"Am not!" Luffy huffed, crossing his arms.
"And you too! You are just my type!" Bon Kurie flirted with Vivi with a wink and a weird expression on his face.
"Ughh..!" Vivi groaned with disgust looking away from the okama. 'What a weirdo!' She thought.
"I'd have drowned if not for you guys," Bon Kurie stated thanking Usopp once more.
"You can't swim?" Usopp asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yes for sure-"
"He's a fruit user," Luffy completed Bon Kurie's words for him, sensing the fruit powers coming from the okama. The said okama nodded his head.
"Really? Which one?" Usopp asked with amazed eyes, ignoring the fact that Luffy knew.
"Hmm? Well since I do have some time to kill until my crew comes looking for me. Allow me to treat you daisies to a show." Bon Kurie suggested standing up and targetting for the baby cheeks of the youngest in the crew.
Luffy stepped back dodging the smack from Bon instinctively.
"What're you-" Zoro shouted ready to take out his sword, after seeing the okama try to attack Luffy.
"Come on! I just wanted to show you a show!" Bon Kurie called out attempting once more to touch Luffy's baby cheeks only to be doged once more.
"You are attempting to attack our captain!" Zoro hissed out, a sword pointing to Bon already.
"Sorry! Sorry!" Bon Kurie raised his hands in surrender. "It's not fun to ruin the surprise but I will tell you."
Bon Kurie touched Usopp's cheeks lightly, having given up on that cute baby face of the captain of the ship (wasn't it really astonishing for a kid to be a captain?).
"If I touch someone's face then I can look like them," Bon Kurie spoke making a weird expression with Usopp's face and his sound.
"What the heck..!?" Zoro asked taking his swords back.
"There are two Usopp!" Luffy shouted in shock.
"Behold my ability!!" Bon Kurie happily stated, seeing everyone in shock.
"And if I touch my face with my left hand.. tada! Back to normal!" Bon Kurie exclaimed, his face turning back to his own. "This is the power of the Copy Copy fruit I ate."
"His voice.." Nami whispered under her breath.
"Even his body shape was identical..!" Usopp muttered with wide eyes.
"That's... So cool!" Luffy squealed vibrating with excitement.
"Of course, there really was no need for me to hit you!" Bon Kurie mumbled looking at Luffy who had evaded all his attempts to be touched. All he wanted was to touch those squishy baby cheeks.
"If I take my right hand," Bon Kurie spoke attempting to touch Luffy's face once more only for the teen to be pulled back by the swordsman and hence his hand colliding with Zoro's face and his own face changing to Zoro's.
"And touch someone's face," Bon Kurie touched Chopper and his face changed instantly once again. "Then as you can see I can copy their faces," His hands glided Nami's face. "As well as their bodies." Bon Kurie showed the body of the owner.
"Stop it!" Nami screamed hitting Bon Kurie with her fists angrily.
"Y-y-yes ma'am!" Bon chan cried with a bump on his head and tears in eyes as he held his wounds.
"You're amazing!" Luffy squealed with Chopper who was also excited to see more.
"Show us more!" Luffy, Usopp and Chopper pleaded at once to the user of Copy Copy fruit who was sitting back.
"I'm afraid that I can't risk to show you more right now-"
"Please!" Luffy pleaded unknowingly using his sparkling eyes on the okama, which absolutely made him throw his risks and give in.
"There he goes," Nami sighed, her belief on those puppy eyes strengthing more and more.
"F-for my next act I'll show you my memory ability," Bon-chan exclaimed with a big smile on his face, making the childish trio whoop in excitement. "A face I've touched once in the past, I do not forget!"
Vivi gasped with wide eyes when the okama started changing to the faces he had once touched. Her hands covered her shaky breathing as her eyes widened when she spotted her own father among one of the faces the okama show cased.
"How was it? My hidden talents?!" Bon Kurie asked performing his okama dance to the trio who were sitting on the deck and enjoying the show. "This isn't something I ordinarily show to others, you know!"
"Bravo! Bravo!" Luffy, Usopp and Chopper clapped their hands in amazement. The sore bodies of the latter two didn't even hurt when they started dancing and singing together with their entertainer.
"Hey! There's a ship coming this way. Could that be your ship?" Nami asked looking at the ship which was approaching them at a fast rate.
"Oh phooie, time to part ways already? What a pity..." Bon Kurie stated feeling sad as he stood on the railing, facing the winds and his ship.
"WHAAAAAAT?!" Luffy, Usopp and Chopper cried out, not willing to let go of their new friend and entertainer.
"Don't cry, my silly billies. Farewells are an inevitable thing if you sail the seas! But remember this!" Bon-chan called out dramatically. "The length of time spent together," His eyes gathered honest tears as he looked back at the new friends he had made. "Has no bearing on true friendship!"
"Let's meet again someday!" Luffy, Usopp and Chopper cried out together when the okama jumped off using his acrobatic skill to his own ship.
"Let us be off!" Bon Kurie ordered his crew.
"Yes sir, Mr. 2 Bon Kurie!" His crew replied enthusiastically.
"Mr. 2??!!" Everyone from the Strawhat crew shouted.
"That was.. Mr. 2 Bon Kurie!" Vivi shouted collapsing on the deck as her legs gave out.
"Vivi! You weren't aware of how he looked like?!" Luffy questioned tilting his head.
"I'm afraid not... I've never met Mr. 2 or Mr. 1 and his partner I also don't know about their abilities. But I have heard rumours about Mr. 2! That he looks and talks like a extremely flamboyant okama, and wears a swan coat that read 'Okama way' on the back!" Vivi sniffled covering her mouth.
"You really, really, really should've realised it sooner." Luffy, Usop and Zoro waved their hands at Vivi, hearing the precise details which Mr. 2 had on him.
"When he was showing off all the faces he memorized. I noticed that one of the people was my father." Vivi looked extremely shaken as she said those words, making Nami give her a gentle hug. "Just what on earth... How he been using my father's face for..?"
"...If a guy like him could transform into the King of Arabasta then there's a whole lot of damage he could do!" Nami blurted out to Vivi who was hugging her back with teary eyes.
"Seems we let a dangerous one skip past our fingers." Zoro commented with a sigh. Leave it on Luffy to make the enemy friends before the actual fight.
"He was an enemy...?" Chopper sweated out.
"Yes... He's quite troublesome enemy to face... If he realises that we were his enemies... then with that memory still, he'll be able to change into any of us... Making us unable to trust each other anymore." Nami gulped at the very thought of how the okama would be using them.
"But I can easily tell who is who," Luffy stated with a grin on his face.
"But we can't!" Usopp groaned. "It's good that he hasn't touched your face or Vivi's!"
"Yeah, thanks to Zoro for pulling that idiot back," Nami grumbled.
Zoro nodded. If the okama would have Luffy's face then only time would tell what he would have done with the young God's face. He really didn't want to think about that.
"Come on! It would have been fun to have two me!" Luffy chuckled, making the others look at Luffy with disbelief.
"Don't you realise how serious this is, Luffy?" Zoro questioned his captain and the God.
"But still I don't think it's a serious problem!" Luffy argued back. He liked Bon-chan. His words and their friendship which had kindled in the short time was genuine. And that was all that he needed to know for now.
"Luffy," Nami groaned at the kid like teenager as she helped Vivi who was too shocked to question their idiot captain.
"It's really not good! And it's serious!" Usopp chided acting as a reliable adult even if he was only few months older than Luffy and his legs were trembling a little at the thought of having enjoyed with top Baroque Work agent.
"Is it really not serious?" Chopper asked tugging Luffy's shorts, which made Luffy grin wide and pick the little reindeer in his arms.
"Nope!" Luffy grinned back to Chopper with his soft carefree smile.
"Hold on a second," Zoro thought out loud. "Even if Luffy probably won't have any real reason for thinking this way but I don't think he's wrong either. There's no need to panic." Zoro specifically gestured to Vivi as a confident smirk took over his face. "We should consider ourselves lucky for having met him just now. 'Cause now, we can now set up a counter measure."