"Well, I met a guy with the power of the Open Open Fruit." Luffy said.
"Open Open?" Zoro asked. "What's that supposed to do? Just open things? It doesn't sound impressive."
"You know, now that you say that, it doesn't sound impressive." Luffy said with a smile laugh. "But trust me, if you know how to use it right, there isn't anything you can't open with it."
"So what does this have to do with your behavior earlier?" Zoro stated, hoping that Luffy would get to the point. "Right." Luffy said. "I did that because I met him before. Didn't like him then, still don't like him now."
"Funny. He didn't sound like he knew you." Zoro said.
"Not in this time he didn't." Luffy said.
"This...time?" Zoro said in confusion. Luffy sighed, not knowing how Zoro would take this.
"The Open Open Fruit can open anything you could think of." Luffy said. "And with enough training, can even open pathways into the past."
"What?!" Zoro said, wondering if he heard right. "The past?"
"Yeah." Luffy said. "I come from a different time." Luffy said. Zoro just stared at him for a long time.
"Okay." Zoro said. "So if you are from the future as you say, why come to the past?" he asked, hoping to finally get some answers. "I came back so that I could do what I failed to do last time." Luffy said with a said and grim look. "So I could...keep you all from getting killed." Silence filled the room as Zoro let that sink in.
"So...who killed us?" he asked.
"The Marines." Luffy said. Zoro looked ready to ask how it happened, but stopped himself when he noticed Luffy started trembling. "We were one island away from...reaching the end of the Grand Line. But we didn't count on the World Government's fear and insanity."
"It was more than just us getting killed, wasn't it?" Zoro asked.
"Yeah." Luffy said. "They killed you guys and others who joined our crew later on." he said as his voice started cracking. "They sent everything they had at us! They sacrificed so many of themselves, just to make sure that no one would reach the end. After the battle, the only one left was me!" he said in a loud whisper as he smashed his fists into his knees. "They captured me and threw me into Impel Down!"
"Impel Down?" Zoro asked. "The heck is that?" Luffy just kept trembling as the memories started flooding back.
"It's...a place you never wish to go. In my time, I sat there rotting away in that nightmare of place in nothing but cold silence!" Luffy said, tears starting to form in his eyes.
"You okay?" Zoro asked, noticing his captain looking ready to lose it. He placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder, hoping to calm him down and remind him he wasn't where ever it is he was talking about.
"No...because that wasn't the worst part of that place." Luffy said, calming down a little. "Being sent there as the only survivor of our crew hurt...but World Government didn't let that be the end!" He took a few deep breaths as the worst memories came back full force. "During my first year...every so often...someone would bring me a newspaper...with news of another death of one of our friends!"
"Wait what?!" Zoro asked. "If we're dead, why go after those who weren't in the crew?"
"Stupid reasons! Just because they knew us, the World Government labled them as 'evil' and killed them, claiming that it was just them rooting out all evil in the world!" Luffy said before lowering his head. "They went to all the places we either grew up on or visited during our travels...and killed so many people and friends...all for the sake of their messed up sense of justice!" Luffy just sniffled as Zoro let all that Luffy said sink in. It was quiet for some time until Zoro narrowed his eyes.
"If that's true, why didn't you say anything before?" he asked. Luffy wiped his eyes with his arm before looking at Zoro. "The guy who sent me back said there were three reasons why I shouldn't say it anyone but those that I trust completely." Luffy said. "One, anyone I told to after only meeting for a short while would probably think I'm crazy."
"He's got a point there." Zoro said as he folded his arms. "If you had told me that before we got here, I'd probably think it was one of Usopp's stories. And the second reason?"
"He said that in the wrong hands, his power could warp the world into chaos." Luffy said.
"It can't be that bad." Zoro said. "I mean, what could happen?"
"I asked him once." Luffy said. "He said that if someone like the Marines got ahold of that power, they could use it to change the past to make anyone disappear or reappear." At that bit of news, Zoro's eyes widened.
"That guy...can make people...disappear or reappear?!" he asked in disbelief. "Yeah...and that's the third reason he didn't want me to say it out loud." Luffy said. "He was afraid that people would ask him to change time so that a loved one could live or a despised person would vanish."
"I take it back. That's one powerful fruit." Zoro said.