Four years prior..
The island of Umbra was a breeding ground for sin, a dark market where anything and everything was for sale. Exotic artefacts, stolen treasures, forbidden substances, and worst of all, lives. That was the island where the 3C's were sent on a mission by their father, Dragon, with a clear goal to gather intelligence on the slave trading and disrupt the operations without blowing their cover. That's why to avoid any suspicion, they had stuck to the shadows, their cloaks drawn tight and steps careful.
Cole and Cyane had flanked Cyra like the overprotective older brothers they were, especially considering the island they were in. Both of them were constantly darting around to ensure that Cyra was within sight. But Cyra, on the other hand, was having trouble suppressing his curiosity. The sights, smells and chaos of the marketplace fascinated him, and his brothers' repeated warnings to stay close were met with absent nods as he caned his neck to take in everything around him.
Despite every precaution Cole and Cyane could take, they weren't able to navigate through the sudden commotion which erupted just nearby. Cheerful, malicious and greedy voices turned into shouts and then the sharp cracks of gunfire split the air. Chaos soon descended in an instant as people screamed and scattered, pushing and shoving to flee the area.
"Cyra, stay with us!" Cole barked, grabbing Cyra's arm as the crowd surged but the chaos was just too much. A rough shove from a panicked stranger was all it took for breaking Cole's iron yet gentle grip on Cyra and before anyone could react, the youngest of the three was swallowed by the wave of fleeing smelly bodies.
"Cyra!" Cole and Cyane shouted, rushing to catch up with their brother, but it was too late.
By the time the crowd finally calmed down, Cyra was in a completely different part of the market with his brothers nowhere to be seen. His heart raced, but not in fear, but curiosity as he took in his surroundings. The dimly lit alleyways were lined with stalls displaying all manner of strange objects. He was fascinated, momentarily or rather completely forgetting about his situation as he wandered closer to the stalls displaying armours, gleaming jewels and mysterious artifacts.
But the more he walked further inside, the more the aura of the place began to weigh on him. The cries of slaves echoed faintly in the background and the air felt thick with malice. He was so caught up with the overwhelming emotions and the cries, that he didn't notice the looming figure in his path until it was too late and he collided hard with him and fell unceremoniously on his butt.
"Ow!" Cyra groaned, rubbing his head. "Watch out–!" As he looked up, ready to scold whoever he had bumped into, his words caught in his throat.
Standing before him was a man whose presence seemed to suck the light even from broad daylight. He was tall and broad, with his bearded face twisted into a grin that didn't reach his eyes, and screamed dangerously. But it wasn't just the man's appearance that unnerved Cyra. It was the overwhelming aura of greed and darkness radiating from him, which was so much higher than everybody's combined on the island. It made Cyra's stomach churn.
"Well, what do we have here?" The man drawled out, his grin widening as his eyes scanned his entire being and his gaze lingering on the cloak which he was wearing.
There was no doubt that the man—later to be known as Marshall D. Teach, or Blackbeard, a man Cyra would meet once again later on in his life—had recognized exactly who he was. One of the deadly and notorious pirates from the disappearing crew of the 3C's. Teach had recognized him and later came to the realization that behind the mask of 'Red Maniac' Cyra was a child, protected by the other two members of the 3C's.
"A little kid, all on his own?" The man had crouched down, leaning closer, and feigning that he had never heard or seen any of Cyra's bounty posters. "What're you doing here kid?" The sickly, sweet and over-friendly voice which hid the predatory and oblivious intentions had Cyra's stiffen. His every instinct screaming at him to get away from the man.
Cyra didn't respond but the man didn't seem to care. He reached out a hand, not to help but to grab at the hood concealing Luffy's face.
"Let's see who you are.."
Luffy's reaction was immediate. He slapped away Teach's hands with surprising force and scrambled to his feet, his movements quick and defensive. But in his haste, his hood slipped just enough to reveal the scar under his left eye.
Teach's grin had widened as he took into every little detail which presented itself to him. The baby cheeks, the unruly black hair, the scar under the left eye and not to mention a shadow of a hat behind his neck. Teach knew that it wouldn't help him right now, not when the kid was already running away and Cyane and Cole were prone to be nearby. But he stashed the information in his mind for future purposes and he would be really glad when a new rookie's bounty poster would arrive, just after two weeks when the commanders went to celebrate Cyra's birthday, just after 'Red Maniac' Cyra vanished and 'Strawhat' Luffy came to be, with a strawhat, the same unruly black hair, baby cheeks and a scar under his left eye.
Indeed, that was when Marshall D. Teach knew 'Red Maniac' Cyra was none other than Monkey D. Luffy.
Teach just needed a little bit more proof to turn the tables in his favor, to make his plans a success and become the king of the pirates.
.
"Zehahahaha! Or should I say.. Cyra!"
The moment that name fell from Teach's lips, Luffy froze mid-air, his breath hitching sharply. The name reverberated through the forest like a gunshot, too loud, too familiar, and far too dangerous in the wrong hands. He landed hard on the ground, rolling instinctively before springing back to his feet. His wide eyes darted toward the source of that despicable laugh.
'That mother fucker! How does he know?!' Luffy's mind raced, trying his best to connect the dots. 'How many have he sold the information to 'til now?! The World Government?! Those P.P.P?!'
A cold knot twisted in his stomach. It wasn't fear of being captured by the World Government that gripped him—hell, they won't be even able to catch him—but it was the thought of his crew, his friends, his family for their association with him. Them being targeted for his deeds of stealing all those classified information with his brothers and, wreaking havoc and bringing chaos in the marine bases. His fists clenched at the very idea of the World Government descending upon them. He couldn't let them and other bastards who have grudges on him come after his crew, not now. Not until they get strong enough to tackle them.
In the clearing, the hulking figure of Blackbeard emerged, grotesque and looming. The swirling darkness at his feet pulsated unnaturally, like a living, breathing thing. His crooked grin stretched wide, jagged teeth gleaming in the dim light as his eyes locked with Luffy's flickering blood red ones. Luffy could feel the devil in the Yami Yami no mi, cackle in glee at the scenario he found Nika in, making him give a cold glare to the darkness, which was so disdainfully familiar. Luffy could feel how Blackbeard was taunting him, thinking that he would catch him. Oh, how he hates every particle of the being and the host of the yami yami no mi. How he hates and wants to crush them for even daring to hurt his loved ones and to be favoured by destiny.
"Cyra! Cyra! 'Red Maniac' Cyra!" Teach spat the name out mockingly, each repetition making Luffy's heart thunder in his chest as a sharp chill slithered down his spine at the realization that Teach knew and with him the others who were in his despicable crew, now knows the truth too. "Who would've ever thought that one of the infamous 3C's is just a freaky kid! But I wonder how the World Government will treat you once I hand you over! Zehahahaha!" He laughed maliciously, his eyes glinting with nothing but pure darkness and confidence as if he solely and purely believed that Cyra was nothing without Cyane and Cole.
Luffy's expression twisted, his blood red eyes narrowing as his haki flared involuntarily, sending tremors through the ground, thunder cackled in rage and the winds moaned with bloodlust.
"Maybe they'll make a freakshow out of your eyes or a Celestial Dragon would make you their pet or—"
"Shut your damn mouth, Blackbad!" Luffy's voice roared through the storm building above them, lighting falling down in response to his fury.
Teach's laugh faltered for a moment as he felt the air getting thicker and an unnatural force of nature leaking out from the kid, whose eyes finally settled into red and body emitting an unearthly glow, especially from his back. If he wasn't so hellbent on giving the world government the brat for Warlord position, then he would have auctioned the brat for a very high amount. Maybe double or triple the amount of Cyra's bounty. But he couldn't and wasn't that better? He laughed louder and darker at the thought.
"I'll fucking beat you til you wish to kill yourself!" Luffy gritted his teeth at the bastard before him, feeling the others begin to creep out slowly but surely, taking a position to aim and attack at him. He could feel his newly formed holy tattoo on his back begin to glow mystically, as if signalling how opposite he and Teach are, both by powers and thoughts.
"I go by Blackbeard, you bastard! Blackbeard, who'll be the king of the pirates! Now, either turn yourself over to the World Government on my behalf or get ready to be engulfed by darkness." His hand stretched out, fingers clawing at the air as the darkness at his feet began to writhe and come alive. "Black hole!"
Luffy felt the hair on his neck stand the moment the ground beneath his feet began to dissolve into an abyss of swirling black. Reacting instantly, Luffy leaped to the nearest tree only to get targeted by exploding apples and frighteningly accurate bullets as the members of Teach's crew rained chaos down upon him. He darted through the canopy, dodging bullets and detonations with a grace that belied his burning rage. The air around him crackled as his Haki predicted the trajectory of every attack and moved like a phantom through the onslaught.
Suddenly, a monstrous force yanked him from his path. Luffy barely had time to react as he was dragged down from the treetop, branched snapping like twigs, ripping his shirt to shreds as his body hurtled towards the ground. He landed with a deafening crash with his back exposed to the cold, wet, dirty earth. But before he could even rise, a sickly man on horseback—one Zoro helped in Mocktown—charged towards him, with a double-sided scythe gleaming ominously in the rain. The rider's wicked grin froze as Luffy's Conqueror's Haki exploded outward, the pressure so immense that it crushed both the sickly man and his horse to crumple on the ground and lose themselves in the abyss of unconsciousness.
The suffocating weight of Luffy's controlled conqueror's Haki radiated through the forest, leaving anyone in a semi-close vicinity coughing, sweating and fighting to breathe. Even Teach's swirling darkness began to falter momentarily.
Luffy stood slowly, his shadow elongated by the flashes of lighting above. The back blazed brighter than the lightning that split the skies, as the holy marking pulsated as if feeding on his anger. "Teach.." Luffy growled, his voice low, dangerous. "You made two mistakes. First, thinking you could use me to get what you want. And second..." His iris glowed with a ring of blue as storm clouds churned above, winds howling violently. The cries of animals mourning their destroyed homes and the wails of the forest itself—as a good chunk of it was torn away from it mercilessly by Teach—seeped into his soul, fueling his rage. "...thinking I'd let you walk away alive after what you've done."
A streak of lightning struck a tree nearby, the sharp crack of thunder echoing his words. Rain hammered down harder, soaking the battlefield as Luffy moved with a phantom's grace, a ghost haunting the remnants of Teach's crew. His haki stretched out, sharp and precise, revealing two figures rushing towards Teach. His accomplices. Both men already stumbling with their steps faltering under the suffocating weight of Luffy's haki and the sudden, violent shift in the weather.
Good.
Without hesitation, Luffy launched himself at the two, his form blurring as he landed with bone-crushing force. His sandals slammed down on one man's head, knocking him out cold, while the larger, muscle-bound brute was sent sprawling into the mud. The ground beneath them fractured under the sheer pressure of his haki. Both lay prone, their bodies coated in mud and dirt—a fitting sight for those who followed a coward like Teach.
But Luffy didn't linger on them. His focus snapped back to the trembling figure of Teach. The predator in him awakened, his eyes narrowing as he closed the distance. A menacing grin spread across his face, dripping with malice. His steps were measured, each one increasing the pressure of his Haki, forcing Teach to collapse to the ground and whimper and whine in the muddy ground, begging for mercy with his voice shrill and pathetic.
Pathetic.
This was the thing who dared call himself a pirate? Who dreamed of becoming the Pirate King? Luffy's lip curled in disgust at the very sight, knowing very well that those words were nothing but bullshit and lies.
But unbeknownst to him, the two men he had taken down stirred, their bodies trembling as they prepared to retaliate. One frantically reloaded his gun, his hands slick with rain, while the other gathered his strength, crouching low for a powerful leap.
Blinded by rage, Luffy didn't sense the barrage of sea-stone bullets tearing through the rain, slicing through the storm like an executioner's blade. Nor did he notice the muscled man getting ready to tumble him into the ground.
No, Luffy didn't care. His only focus was on the horrible thing beneath him. His mind consumed with only one goal: to make Teach suffer. To make him regret every choice that had led him to this moment. His foot connected with Teach's side, sending the man sprawling deeper into the mud, and wailing in pain. Luffy wanted to make him feel as the worthless piece of shit he is for being a backstabbing asshole, for harming Thatchy, for making Ace feel the way he did, for being favored by destiny. For ever—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The seastone bullets hit Luffy's vital organs but instead of piercing through, they ricocheted off Luffy's rubbery skin, snapping back at a more deadly speed.
The sharpshooter, Van Auger, who had shot the bullets, barely had time to realize that the bullets didn't work on the devil fruit user as one bullet lodged in his eye, another in his neck and the last in his chest. His body jerked violently before crumpling to the ground, lifeless.
His scream, brief but blood-curdling, was carried on the howling wind, cutting through the din of the storm. But that didn't stop the muscled man, instead it spurred him forward, his resolve hardening with a need for revenge.
Teach's eyes widened as he heard Augur's dying scream. Oh, well, he can find a replacement for him elsewhere but he can't lose the rest of his crew right now. "Everyone, retreat! Turn back! You can't fight Cyra! He's a fucking maniac!" Teach gritted his teeth in anger, trying to stand up. His mind raced, cursing his crew for their stupidity. Didn't they realize who they were up against? Didn't they know how powerful each member of the 3C's are?! Did they forget that this kid—this monster—has a billion berry bounty on him?!
Luffy didn't care for Teach's rambling a bit and prepared himself for the wrestler looking man who lunged at him. Ryou coated his fists as a reddish black sheen crackled with power as he moved like lightning to the man and struck him down with the punch that destroyed the man's intestines. The force caved in his stomach, leaving him coughing up blood. Luffy didn't stop there, even if the man tried to fight back. Blow after blow rained down on the man, his strength merciless, his Haki unforgiving. By the time he finished, Jesus Burgess was coughing up blood and choking on it. Luffy provided the man mercy by knocking him out unconscious, so that he doesn't have to fully experience his death unlike the sharp shooter.
Meanwhile, Blackbeard stood frozen, his fale pale as he watched his allies fall one by one. His heart pounded in his chest as terror began consuming him at the realization that he has no one to turn back to for help. The storm's light cast flickering shadows over his fallen comrades, the scene surreal and nightmarish.
This was Teach's biggest regret and mistake. He had gone after Cyra when he should have tried to bait one of his crew to get him. He shouldn't have gotten into his confrontation in the first place! But even so, he can't die here. Not yet. He has to become the king of pirates, with or without his crew.
Blackbeard got up, soaked and shaken to the core. He wanted to run but he couldn't stop staring at the single light source in the darkness. Not till the light stares back at him with an eerie mixture of red and blue, the colors swirling with an intensity that seemed alive and almost violet eyes.
'Shit! Shit! Shit! Cyra the Red Maniac is staring back! Shit! Shit! Shit!' Teach cursed. He had nothing left to lose but his devil fruit that he searched for his entire life. He needed to run and hence he did. But the harder he tried to run, the more he slipped and stumbled in the thick gooey mud and the more the lighting struck dangerously closer. His mind screamed at him to move faster, as the footsteps of Cyra echoed in the forest despite the raging storms and the cackling thunder, but his body betrayed him, tripping over a rock, only for him to fall face first into the ground.
Teach could feel the heat emanating off of Cyra, that demon, suffocating and inescapable. Teach rolled onto his back, his eyes wide with terror as he was faced with the demon's fists.
"OWW! SHIT!" Teach howled in pain but was quick to regain his senses to bargain for his life. "WAIT! What do you WANT?! I'll join you! I'll be loyal! I HAVE INFORMATION YOU NEED! Don't kill me please! I used to be with the Whitebeard's crew. We were like brothers! PLEASE HAVE MERCY!" Teach's words tumbled out in desperation, his voice breaking as if to show that he meant each and every word. And he truly hoped, prayed that this kid, this demon, was naive enough to believe him and let him go.
Luffy crouched down, his face inches from Teach's. The rain slid down his features, accentuating the sharpness of his glare before he grinned so inhumanly wide that Teach wasn't sure what was even in front of him in a humanoid hide. "Mercy? And you? You're not even worth the mercy of death!" Luffy spat the words. Teach's stomach dropped as Luffy raised his fist and his Conqueror's Haki slammed full force on him, making it harder and harder to breathe with each passing second. "But you don't get to leave, either. You're going to pay for every sin, every betrayal, and every life you've ever destroyed."
Teach's eyes widened in horror as Luffy raised his fist, haki crackling like a living entity around it. The world seemed to hold its breath. Lightning struck directly behind them, the flash casting Luffy's silhouette in stark relief against the storm.
The first punch landed, and the ground caved beneath Teach's body. The second shattered the boulder behind him, stones flying in every direction. Each subsequent strike was more brutal than the last, the rhythm of Luffy's blows matching the pounding of the rain and the cries of Teach, which only grew weaker with every hit, his body crumpling further into the mud.
The storm bore witness to the carnage, the elements themselves seeming to tremble in the presence of Luffy's wrath. By the time he finally stopped, Teach was barely recognizable. His body was broken, his spirit shattered. He lay motionless, the only sign of life the faint, ragged rise and fall of his chest, which would soon be sniffed out in the dark, lonely night.
Luffy stood, his breath heavy but controlled. He looked down at Teach one last time, his eyes a cold, unfeeling void. The rain washed away the blood on his hands, but nothing could cleanse the weight of what had transpired.
"You wanted to dance with the devil," Luffy said, his voice carrying over the storm. "Now you'll learn what it means to live in hell."
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Teach to wallow in his defeat. The storm began to subside, the winds calming and the rain easing into a gentle drizzle. The forest, though scarred, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
.
Luffy trudged along the forest path with the crisp, chill air hitting against his bare skin. Draped casually over one shoulder was the Southbird—which had found its way to him—its feathers slick with rain but its head held high, surveying the surroundings with an air of haughty disinterest. His steps were unhurried yet each carried a hop and glee at the thing which he held in his hands. The slightly crumpled but still legible bounty posters. The winds had picked it for him after he had done with Teach, gleefully gifting him as if to quell his rage in that moment. The corners of the bounty posters fluttered, revealing the bold numbers scrawled across them and the unmistakable faces beneath.
As he walked, his eyes lingered on the posters. The faint glow of the moonlight illuminated his expression—a mix of childlike excitement and simmering pride. "Heh! Zoro and the others are gonna flip when they see this." Luffy murmured aloud as a grin spread across his face. "I can't wait to tell them how big our bounties are now!"
Distracted by his glee and excitement, Luffy barely noticed the groaning figures scattered along the path. The muffled sounds of pain and the occasional twitch of a hand caught his peripheral vision, but he paid them little mind. It was only when he stepped over a particularly battered form, one belonging to the very blonde haired man who had offered him drink and then mocked him, Luffy paused, noticing the swollen and barely recognizable face.
"Eh?" Luffy wondered out loud, tilting his head, as a flicker of confusion crossed his features. "What happened here?"
The Southbird cawed in response, but Luffy didn't linger for an answer. Just ahead, the faint glow of Mountblanc Cricket's house pierced the darkness, and with it came the muffled voices of his crewmates. He was about to dash towards the house, when the door creaked open and out stepped Zoro and Sanji.
"No shirt?" Zoro asked, raising a brow at Luffy's appearance, his voice carrying a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "And what the hell happened to you? The Southbird got the best of you?" He asked jokingly, as he scanned Luffy's frame with his sharp and perceptive eyes, noting the faint streaks of blood on his arms and chest. But it wasn't Luffy's own blood, Zoro knew that much, knowing how it tends to have a golden mix to it. So, what the hell even transpired in the forest?!
Sanji, however, was less composed and smarter than Zoro. His cigarette dangled precariously from his lips as his gaze flicked between Luffy's pale complexion and the silver necklace resting against his chest. Hanging from the chain was a beautiful red pendant, its surface catching the light with an almost ethereal glow and beside it dangled a translucent blue feather, its delicate edges shimmering like frost and blue fire.
But the beauty of the necklace and its pendants weren't what had Sanji's attention as he could clearly remember the very necklace being on Cyra's neck when he came to throw the letter on what to do to free Luffy next to them. "Oi, Luffy." Sanji uttered, his tone sharp as his cigarette finally fell to the ground. "You're not seriously trying to tell us you're not Cyra, are you?"
Luffy froze mid-step, his grin faltering. "Uh..."
Zoro's eyes widened slightly at Sanji's outburst, his gaze flicking back to the pendant. Recognition flashed across his face as he connected the dots, a rare look of frustration crossing his features. "That's—dammit, I've seen that before." He pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a long sigh before muttering, "Of course."
At Luffy's reaction, the things lay more clearly but Sanji wasn't done. He walked towards his Luffy, mindful to not raise his voice too loud but his irritation was clearly spilling over. "So, it's true, huh?! You're Cyra?! 'Red Maniac' Cyra?! The one with the 3C's and ridiculous strength! The one who fucking kidnaps himself for fun and made us worry!" Sanji would have grabbed Luffy by collar if he was wearing a shirt, but settled on glaring at him. "Why the hell didn't you tell us?!" How many more secrets was Luffy hiding?! How many more were as dangerous as Luffy being one of the 3C's!? Did his brothers know?! Heck, for all he knows—by seeing how overprotective the brothers are—that Ace and Sabo can also be a part of 3C's, disguised as Cole and Cyane! But that doesn't matter now! Did Luffy consider the crew as some backstabbing idiots, who would throw him to the World Government?! If not then why didn't he say?!
Sensing the turmoil going within Sanji, Luffy nods, scratching the back of his head, his grin turning sheepish and slightly guilty. "Yeah.. I'm Cyra. But Sanji and Zoro cannot tell anyone for now, okay? The Word Government might come after you guys if they find out. Or if anyone finds out.I don't want them using my friends as bait."
Zoro shook his head, muttering something under his breath about how his captain was an endless source of headaches. Sanji, on the other hand, looked ready to explode again, but before he could say more, Luffy quickly held up the bounty posters.
"Anyway, look what I got!" Luffy chirped, his voice brimming with excitement. "Check out our new bounties!"
"75 million berries?" Zoro whistled as he looked at his own bounty poster but he smirked when he saw his captain's freaking 200 million beri bounty. The government was finally seeing Luffy as a threat.
Though, the sudden shift of topic left Sanji momentarily stunned and yet his frustration lingered. He grabbed Luffy's arm as he made to enter the house gleefully, announcing how he was going to show to everyone.
"You're seriously going in like that?!" Sanji gritted his teeth, motioning to Luffy's shirtless state. "Do you want everyone to figure out who you are?" Without waiting for an answer, he shrugged off his coat and draped it over Luffy's shoulders–his eyes widening as he caught on to something extraordinary— though he still made sure that the coat hid the pendant. "At least try to be subtle, idiot." The words fell out of his mouth automatically.
Luffy blinked, then beamed. "Thanks, Sanji!" With that, before Sanji could question him about anything, Luffy raced inside, leaving Sanji and Zoro standing on the porch. The sound of Luffy's excited voice carried through the open door, followed by the shrieks of Chopper, Usopp, and Nami.
"Where were you?!" Chopper demanded, his small form bouncing in indignation.
Usopp pointed dramatically at Luffy. "Bellamy came for the gold, and you weren't even here to help!"
In the background, Nami's voice rose in triumphant glee. "Serves him right! Finally, we got our revenge!"
Amid the commotion, someone muttered about needing to get to sleep soon if they wanted to catch the Knock-Up Stream in the morning.
Outside, Sanji lit another cigarette, his eyes fixed on the stars above. Zoro leaned against the doorframe, his gaze lingering on the forest from which Luffy had emerged.
"Cyra, huh?" Sanji muttered, breaking the silence. He exhaled a plume of smoke, his tone laced with dry amusement. "What else is left to find out about that guy? We're following one hell of a crazy captain."
Zoro didn't respond immediately, his thoughts wandering. He couldn't help but wonder how Sanji would react if he ever found out the full truth—that their captain wasn't just Cyra but something far greater. A god, no less. But Zoro kept that to himself, unwilling to burden the already frustrated cook with more revelations.
Sanji continued, his voice softer now. "I know you know more than the rest of us." He didn't look at Zoro, his eyes still fixed on the stars. "But I'm not jealous or anything."
Zoro snorted, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Could've fooled me."
Sanji ignored the jab, his expression turning uncharacteristically serious. "It's just.. Is he okay, Zoro? You've noticed it too, right? His skin is paler than usual. And his back—" Sanji wanted to question Luffy then and there when he was draping his coat over him and caught the glowing back but Luffy had already rushed inside. "—it was glowing. There was some kind of symbol on it. Looked like a sun.. maybe a moon too. I don't know what any of it means, but it's frustrating as hell not knowing if he's doing alright."
Zoro's smirk faded, replaced by a thoughtful frown. He pushed off the doorframe, his arms crossing over his chest as he considered Sanji's words. Finally, he said, "He's Luffy. If he wasn't okay, he'd tell us."
Sanji let out a bitter laugh. "Would he, though? Guy keeps more secrets than anyone I've ever met." He spoke, not forgetting about the time when Luffy had collapsed without any warning when they were on their way to Alabasta.
Before Zoro could respond, Luffy's voice called from inside, loud and cheerful as always. "Oi, Zoro! Sanji! Get in here! You gotta see this!"
Sanji stubbed out his cigarette, shaking his head as he turned toward the door. "Coming, Captain."