Too Far Back

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece :v

After two years of back and forth with this piece, I finally finished the chapter. I can't promise anything anymore, but I really do want to finish this story. Prologue's a bit lengthy but just bare with me on this one. Real quick, the made-up devil fruit properties I mention has nothing to do with nothing. No significance, just extra info. Enjoy.

Chapter 5: No More Regrets

-xXx-

Prologue

"Wait, Straw-Hat-ya."

Well...that plan lasted for a good three seconds.

"Ah, it's Tra-guy again!" The captain somehow remembered their brief little chat from before, and with a shout towards the newcomer with the weird facial hair, the man shrank back in surprise. Oh, how he had forgotten how it was to be around this crew.

"Are you going to help us save Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji too?" The weird dog thing bounced up to a height less than his waist with eyes too full of excitement, but at least this one wasn't as loud.

"Hold on!"

For as long as Law could remember, that phrase always signified to do the opposite of what it meant. Some say it's human instinct: you hear stop, but your mind switches to go. You hear shoot, but you hesitate. Maybe that's just the rebel's way of going about it, but, they were pirates after all. Even with this in mind, for some reason, some stupid reason of his, he decided to stay. He decided to actually not move from his spot.

With those two words, it was like lightning cracked the sky, or maybe thunderstorms really were brewing, just not in the way one would think. The previous light-hearted mood was gone and there was no longer hope. No longer help. No salvation.

"Don't think I forgot; it was your fault in the first place that those idiots fell into the portal."

Oh. He stopped, his eyes glazed over the orange-haired navigator as she jabbed a finger accusingly towards him. It was genuine-she really blamed him, and although he wondered what he did wrong, despite not caring, the second thought that immediately crossed his mind was put simply: Why does this happen to me?

"What'd you mean, Nami-san?" Brook asked from afar, standing next to Chopper, you know, in case some of that demonic presence leaked onto on him. If they thought the Black Sorcery: Time Split was scary, this turn of events brought about a new fright.

"weren't you the one who pushed them in~" The summoned angel whispered.

"I heard Usopp!"

Nami ignored the sweating Traffy stubbornly, but turned towards the weird Trio plus one, and she guessed Usopp's spirit, who was probably awakened for a brief moment under the influence of all the scary talk, to share her troubles. Her arms folded over her chest, "Remember what Luffy said when he marched here?"

How could they forget.

"Don't take all my meat!" Franky called back with hands cupped over his mouth. After a measurable bow, the audience (Brook and Chopper) clapped for his excellent display of spot-on mimicry. No one was as good as Usopp, however.

Luffy squinted, just as lost as Law, "Oi! Someone keeps playing tricks on me! Where is it? Where's the meat?" He held a hand over his eyes while scouring the area for anyone brave enough to steal his nonexistent food. Or maybe he still just had his sights on the futuristic meat. That did sound appetizing.

"That's right." Nami broke the confusion with a gripping glare at the silent instigator (victim), "Traffy told Luffy we were time traveling."

What. How did meat and time travel relate back to him?

A shadow passed over Law's eyes while a bead of sweat dripped from his forehead, as if he wasn't sweating enough already. He had only told Straw Hat about the time travel so that he would get away from him. Stemming from that, the only reason he knew exactly what that crew was up to was for the sheer reason of that he happened to hear it on his way back from a trip to the sea. Just an accident. An unfortunate, devastating accident. A lot of things tend to happen coincidentally, don't they?

Upon mentioning the details, Law fell into his own vortex of despairing flashbacks. "...listen-"

"And what's with your timing? You were very convenient to appear right after they fell in." Nami wasn't finished yet. The whole rest of the crew was used to seeing Nami like this, more so when Brook asked for her panties or when Sanji so helplessly continued his perverted talk, and although Law, on more unfortunate coincidences, was more than enough acquaintances with the...interesting bunch, he had hit only the tip of the iceberg on the note of really living with this pirate crew.

He didn't blink, "I was taking a stroll."

"Who takes a stroll on a deserted island?" Nami shook her fist, slowly raising it as she would have no problem punching him. She's punched the others for less. And as they were positioned, she stood beside Robin, who often appears out of thin air, seemingly expressing a warm appreciation for the one-sided bickering.

And although pretty expressionless herself, Robin did feel a tad of sympathy for the unenlightened man, "Nami, we docked here two days ago because Luffy-san saw a big animal."

Nami froze; she couldn't believe Robin switched sides. Then again, maybe she could. Nami grinned nervously, waving her hand as a bead of sweat fell from her own forehead, "But he doesn't know that, Robin~."

There was no other way to describe it: Law was exasperated. I live here...for the time being, his thoughts wandered, as his eyes became covered by his own mental shadow. If they were to find out that he had been staying here, living leasurily… then by god they'd come back and visit.

"I have this."

A hefty yellow-colored fruit with large, chiseled swirls, and a dark pink stem was taken out of the inside coat pocket of the once-Warlord. The group gathered around him, curious, and unaware of his true intentions. Well, most of them were unaware. "I have no use for it anyway, so it doesn't matter to me. Use it as a starting point for what happened."

Even if the entire crew was deceived, you just couldn't fool the ladies, and Law had somewhat keen senses, so he had noted the sudden silence between him and the crew's navigator.

And as always, it was Luffy, with twinkling eyes and a dropped jaw, who was the first to exclaim, "Woah! Cool!"

"What is that?" Chopper followed, trying to lean over Luffy who was blocking his view.

"It's a Devil Fruit." Robin answered with a blatant, but knowledgeable bluntness.

"Don't change the subject!" Nami exploded, shooting Luffy, taking the place of Law, as he just so happened to be standing a good six inches away from her, a straight six feet under. Chopper turned around, puzzled and no less concerned as Luffy had disappeared, and Nami blew steam off her fist as if she didn't even notice. Where did Luffy go?

"Unless you don't want it." Law countered, making distinct eye-contact with the demon-navigator as if to challenge her directly, all while simultaneously reeling back the yellow devil fruit in a nonchalant manner. That got a frown out of the navigator.

Brook put a good distance between him and the fruit, as if breathing near it would affect his bones negatively. Oh...not that he had a nose to breathe with...or lungs. Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho- "It seems dangerous." He allowed Franky to take his spot graciously, and the cyborg-man lifted his sunglasses with a raised frown, poking the fruit quickly to see if it would retaliate.

Chopper, side-tracked, had found this big weird hole in the ground next to Nami. This island had a ton of unusual animals, hence the reason they decided to stop here, so he wanted to use this time for a purpose. Wanting to learn more about new things and different places he's never seen, he also wanted to venture down this road of new discoveries that seemed to pull together with his path of medicine every once and awhile.

Chopper figured this hole was made by a gofer, and since he's never seen a gofer, wanted to meet it in secret, for obvious reasons. If Luffy knew about it, he would want to eat it. After sighing, he peered over the edge, and when he saw a flicker of movement, it was only for a brief moment that he felt his fur stand on end with little excitement. A brief moment, however. The thing shot up and out of the ground, landing with an Eup!, and falling backwards with a loud yelp, Chopper felt as if it was he who was going to be eaten.

Luffy didn't bother to dust off, as he grabbed his straw hat, and pulled it up to reveal a cheeky smile tugging at his ears. He didn't really notice that he had almost decapitated Chopper, "Thanks, Tra-guy! I knew you were a nice guy!"

Law just wanted to leave, so he closed his eyes. He either hoped that this was just a bad dream or that since he couldn't see them, they couldn't see him.

Franky furrowed his eyebrows in interest, bringing a robot hand to his robot chin while pointing with the other, "What devil fruit is that?"

He didn't know why he truly believed it would work. Law opened his eyes again, "Hm? Oh, I don't know."

Luffy knelt inquisitively next to the fruit with a hand pulled to his mouth, studying it carefully, "Let's see...ah, it's a pineapple."

"We know!"

Nami huffed, hands on her hips now, "How can you not know, Traffy?"

It was then that he once again questioned why he chose to stay and help this group. Robin took the lead here, softly smiling towards the crew, "That's the Void-Void fruit. It's a Logia class that allows the user to imitate the properties of a black hole."

Robin pointed towards the pineapple while Brook gasped, his bones chattering,

"Sounds scary…"

"Wow, you know a lot, Robin!" Chopper looked like he was going to say something else, in regards to how a pineapple could be so scary, but Luffy cut him off with drool running down his chin.

"It looks tasty! Can I eat it?"

"You'll implode; your insides will most likely be scattered across the ground in a matter of seconds."

Nami and Chopper took a couple of steps back, wincing at Robin's continuous smile, "No thank you…"

"Huh? Inside? What is that? So I can eat it?" He had gotten a couple deadpanned looks for his remark, but with a finger shoved up his nose, they didn't really know what they expected out of him.

Brook suddenly gasped, "Oh, I don't have insides."

Law didn't say anything, but turned to leave after handing Robin the devil fruit, "If you're done here, I'm leaving."

Well, Law did turn to leave, Brook's Skull Joke! and clapping in the background giving him more unneeded reminders of what he was going to have to deal with if he stayed, but not even one step and he already felt a ball and chain attach to his leg.

"Already? Ahh, but you just got here!" Law looked down at the face of a man who...actually, his face was in the dirt from being dragged so he didn't really know what expression Straw Hat was pulling. Arms were wrapped tightly around his leg and although he somehow felt this would happen, all he could do was widen his eyes with the instinct of panic.

Franky pushed his blue hair back with a single wipe of his hand, and now the sea urchin hair looked like an Elvis cut, "Yow, c'mon Tra-guy, stop being such a stick-in-the-mud!"

Law stared at him, "No, I have important business." And with that, he shook off Straw Hat, who plopped to the ground.

Like the inner child he was, Luffy puffed his cheeks and began to pout, "Aw-"

"Luffy," Nami turned heads as she stepped forward with a shrug, "just let him go. If he wants to chicken out on the rescue mission, then let him. Only his pride is at stake; not that important, right?" And while sticking out her tongue and with a subtle wave of her hand, she turned to Law with a knowing grin.

Law tried to redeem himself, "I'm not, I-"

"Haha! Tra-guy's a chicken!"

But he couldn't, it was too late. The crew was howling, and Nami watched with a satisfied smirk, hands on her hips again as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Even Robin had a grin on her face. Brook called with a happy Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho, Franky eagerly yelled Superr~ while striking an all-familiar, signature pose, while Luffy and Chopper clapped together with rough cackling, one demonstrating a "Moo~" which was followed by a provoked hoof slap, "That's not a chicken!"

Well, if nothing else, it was almost like Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp were back with them. Law, on the other hand, didn't understand what was happening, and with darkened eyes and a gaped jaw, he didn't choose to look up either.

"They're all really childish…" Nami exhaled through her nose with a half-smile, watching the four happily chatting, each of them trading off spot-on imitations of Law while the others exchanged a heavy laugh in return.

Robin agreed, holding a similar expression, "They always lighten the mood."

In the background, Luffy, who had a drawn-on goatee and sideburns, held his fingers to his forehead to imitate pointed eyebrows. Quiet stifled giggles were heard in the back as he gritted his teeth, his eyes turning serious, "I don't like bread."

Nami twisted to Traffy with a sigh after hearing the claps and bellowing laughter behind them, "Oh, Traffy, what's wrong; you don't like being called a chicken?"

That was a rhetorical question, but she let it linger for a while for effect. Afterward, she shook her head in a sense of disbelief, "Geez, you've been involved once before; I can't believe you forgot so easily just how stupid these guys are."

"Hey!" Luffy called back, a huffed frown on his face along with that markered on goatee and sideburns.

"That's mean!" Chopper gasped, the mustache under his nose muffling the last word.

There was a moment of pause, but Brook broke it by softly turning to the others, "She's not wrong."

With a flash of light, Franky grinned, demonstrating a super pose, "Did you just say Pervert? That's me!" And that moment of silence turned into a good minute of unspoken words with gazes deadlocked on the cyborg.

Now both Law and Nami shared exasperation, "They're idiots, but persistent; especially that one." She pointed at Luffy, who politely waved back. "I don't know why I have to remind you."

With a hand on her head, she turned to Robin for support, but Robin merely chuckled at the light-hearted bickering once again.

Law contemplated his options. He could always run, but they were on a smaller island. Water didn't really appreciate him much. And if he did that, he would be giving into their words no question. So, if he went willingly, it would be on his call, not there's. He guessed that would work, and since he already knew the location of another devil fruit, which just happened to be on the other side of this island, that would mean they would part ways faster.

He didn't dislike the crew, he just couldn't be pulled into their antics anymore. So, it was decided, "I know. Just after this leave me alone."

That was an answer they hoped for, but Luffy wasn't completely satisfied with the last part, "No."

"I'll help you find another devil fruit," Law ignored Straw Hat's reply, "but then I'm going home. I do have important business."

Chopper's face saddened, as he was going to miss Tra-guy if he left, "You always say you have important business." And that was true.

To break that sadness, Luffy thought of a great idea. Flexing his arm, he slapped his bicep with a wide grin, "Oh, you've got a home, Tra-guy? You should come live with us! Hehe, then we can fight big monsters everyday!"

Law began to sweat-

"Alright, deal." Nami eased his worries with a grin of her own… and she wasn't going to force the guy to live with them.
Again, nothing seemed wrong with that plan. "That seems fine to me." Robin turned to Luffy, who had taken the liberty of stretching his arms in the case that they just so happened to run into giant monsters. Which, at this point, was a guarantee. "Yosh! Now-"

"Hold it! I've got a few rules to tell you all before we split up!" Nami stopped them as they began to take off.

Franky pulled back, "What's that?"

She was glad he asked. Raising her hand, she ran the list in her head before counting them off aloud, "First off! No eating the devil fruits! Got it?"

Shooting an intentional glare at Luffy, she expected some remark from him, but Brook, Franky, Chopper, and Luffy included joined in a salute for a, "Yes, ma'am," without her having to say anything else. So, they seemed to understand pretty quickly.

Nami folded her hands over chest, holding up two fingers this time, "Then second, no using the devil fruits for any other purpose besides getting those three back."

The three nodded obediently while Chopper held his salute, "Roger!"

"And then last, if the fruit is gold, give it to me. If that's the case, then we'll have to search for another devil fruit afterward."

"Okay!"

Everyone blinked once. Then twice, "Huh?"

Brook walked ahead, "Why is that, Nami-san?"

Nami clenched her fist proudly, "I'm going to sell it."

"Also… can I see your panties?"

"Never!"

Franky raised his eyebrow, "Huh? What about rule two?" He interrogated, but cautioned stepping forward, as the skeleton pulled a Luffy and returned to the earth six feet under again.

Luffy gawked in realization, "Nami, you're cheating!"

"You're putting money before Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp!" Chopper spat dramatically to the side.

Nami held a hand cupped over her ear, motioning for them to speak up, "What was that? Are you going against my rules?"

"You're going against your rules!"

"Law-san, I advise that you contact us before you do anything with the devil fruit, if you do happen to find one first." Robin mentioned in a casual sense with Law beside her, both watching Nami chase the crew relentlessly in the background.

She knew, he frowned. Without looking directly at her, he reiterated his thoughts to her, "Like I said before, I have no use for another devil fruit. I'm not doing this for any of you, so don't think that I'm going to follow Straw-Hat-ya as my leader for this assignment."

With a sweep of his leg, Franky tripped Brook, who landed softly, but it was only when he landed five seconds later had he realized what had happened. Chopper called back with a sniffle, "We'll come back for you!" and left helplessly behind, while gaping in shock, Brook desperately clawed himself further, refusing to accept his fate as a sacrifice.

"Assignment?" Robin continued, eventually shifting her inscrutable gaze over to Law with that enigmatic smile.

Law turned away from her, pretending to shift his attention back to the Straw Hats, whom of which one seemed to be missing, as his face turned a tint red. "You know what I mean."

"Alright!" Nami finally clasped her hands together and waited for the crew to re-gather around her. As they were being slow, whether it was out of fear or not, it was hard for her not to punch them. "Don't forget the rules!" She pointed, and Luffy took off, "We can split off by ourselves to cover more ground…"

"Last one there is a-"

"except for Luffy!"

He screeched to a halt, "Why? I'll find the pineapple first!"

He had begun to pout again, and Nami faced him with an equal drive, "No; you're probably just as bad as Zoro, and we'd never see you again if you went off on your own. So Traffy, you can be his partner. Stick together, don't go off the island, and don't do anything too stupid. I'm talking to you, Luffy."

Tra-guy hadn't been really listening to what she had been saying prior, but the last part caught both his and Luffy's attention… and not in a good way. His eyes widened, "Wai-"

"Ahaha! Let's go get my crew, Tra-guy! It'll be fun!" Luffy had already taken Law by the arm, and with a spring in his step, whether he liked it or not, Luffy began dragging the hostage on the ground towards the forest.

With an unforgiving, deadpan stare, he locked eyes with the wicked navigator, "I never agreed to this." He relayed, while sitting cross-legged on the ground, yet disrupting the dirt as Luffy was pulling him along like a suitcase.

Nami smiled after him, "You never had to. I agreed to it for you."

"That's-"

"Have a fun trip!" She waved after him as Robin, with the devil fruit in hand, pulled up beside her. Oh, what a sight. Well, it was his fault that they had to go on a wild goose chase to find three guys who knew the exact opposite of standing still.

Franky swung around to face Luffy, who wasn't too far away, feeling a sudden obligation in his pride as a shipwright to state a challenge. "I'll be the first one to find a devil fruit!" He called after Luffy, hands cupped over his mouth.

What? He was gonna get it first! Luffy paused, dropping Law, who spit out in surprise, "Ah, Franky! I'm gonna find it!" Luffy held a fist up in state of their challenge, but forgot that it was that fist that had held up the prisoner. Yep, when he let go, he had dropped Law's head on a jutting rock.

Franky held up his sunglasses, a broad smirk lighting his face, "Alright, then! Let's have a race! Winner gets to be captain of the ship."

A glint of seriousness was shown in Luffy's eyes, but he had forgotten that when he had said, "Deal," and shook hands, what he was making a deal for.

Chopper didn't think Luffy was this dense, "You're already captain, stupid!"

"Remember to call everyone-" Nami had started, but broke off her words, narrowing her eyes as no one was no longer there. She could hear them in the background, however, with the, "Ahh! Usopp?" and "That's not him!" but that didn't mean they could hear her.

As they drew further away, the voices became quieter, "Usopp's cousin?"

"It's a monkey!"

"They're gone already." Robin pointed out, dropping her arms to her side.
With a hand to her head and a heavy sigh, Nami shrugged her shoulders, "This isn't a race, I don't know what they're doing."

"It depends on where in time you sent those three, Nami. Then it could be a race." Nami paused, glancing at Robin for a brief, hasty second before waving her hand in dismissal, jokingly. "Well, knowing our luck, we probably sent them into some battle or an all-out war."

Robin looked up at the sky once, as if it were to start raining soon, but instead, she turned her head back to the grass that lay before them and the forest in which their crew plus Law had entered, "Probably."

And with a final remark, both Robin and her began to head into the forest together. If they were to eventually save the stupid three from whatever mess they got themselves into, then they'd really need whatever god or being was out there to help them out with this one. "It was finally nice to get the Navy off our back too. Well, whatever battle it is, I just hope they didn't get sent to the future. Otherwise, I think they can handle it."

-End Prologue-

-xXx-

"Uh, I don't think we can handle this." Buggy gulped, and this time, he was serious.

The cloaked figure was suddenly revealed when, if almost on que, a gust of breeze blew the smoke towards the sea. With their similar appearance, the crew almost suspected the enemy white-haired captain and his sidekick female swordsman, but it was a different kind of surprise when instead, they got an indifferent player joining the scene. Crocodile stood still with narrowed eyes, almost as if he was waiting, even daring the Straw Hat team to lunge at him. And although he came intending no harm yet, the aggressive frown paired with the half-lit cigar that hung loosely from his cracked lips gave off a different, and not so friendly impression.

Sanji was the first to scowl at the sight of the ragged boulder-of-a-man, remembering only his beloved Vivi in the heat of the moment. "Crocodile, you bastard. I thought you bit the dust in Alabasta!"

"Wait, Sanji-kun; he's on our side!" Jimbei had cut in front of him almost instinctively, cautiously blocking both parties with his hand.

While Zoro drew his Kitetsu to his left side and Luffy's eyes glazed over Mr. 0 with no reaction at all, behind Sanji stood Buggy, who believed for a good minute that the end of his time had finally come. "Ah, what's with that! You scared me, coming out of the smoke with that big scary face! You're supposed to smile at your allies, dumbass!" Buggy whisked forward, curling up the sides of Crocodile's mouth to mock a smile, only to pull one of the greatest disappearing acts Marineford's ever seen. And this one was almost as great as Zoro and Sanji's when they fell into the portal.

Crocodile grunted and launched Buggy like a plane towards the visible sun on the other side of the island, all while biting on his cigar, "I didn't come to help, I just wanted to teach these Navy bastards what happens when they mess with me."

He was initially going to challenge the Old Man with Mr. 1, but ever since Straw Hat's crew popped out of thin air, Marineford's been in more chaos than was necessary, and Sengoku knew that most of all. Crocodile didn't want to admit it, but if he attacked now, then the whole sea would be on his back again. And that would just make the future difficult and more so, annoying.

"Are you on our side now? Don't slow me down." Luffy butted into his thoughts, and Zoro gave his captain a side glance. The hostility was still there, but this wasn't the place and time to fight if they didn't have to, everyone knew that. However, this talk was getting irritating.

"I don't have a side. Get a move on; you're annoying and I don't want you interfering." His eyes darkened, "If you do, I'll kill you."

"I hate Warlords…" Buggy called from the back, where, no one knew. Luffy didn't nod towards Crocodile or dip his head in gratitude, but just continued to trudge forward along with his loyal nakama towards Ace's inevitable doom staged upon the cursed platform.

The battlefield was scattered. Lower ranking Marines and pirates swamped each other in shouts and blind fury, as the manpower was more-so equal in terms of standings. Marco and Jozu were holding their own but slipping gradually against the power that Aokiji and Kizaru brought to the table. Ivankov was near the water, more one-sidedly on the high defensive against the expressionless, towering bear-man, Kuma, who could shoot beams out of his mouth. Vista and Mihawk, of course, continued to display a graceful yet destructive art of the sword, growing in understanding of the other each time they crossed blades. From what could be seen, Whitebeard stood tall on his ship, his wise, aged yet proud eyes challenging his respected rival, the one and only Marine Fleet Admiral that stood on the opposite end with the same perception in his heart, rather than in his expression. Warlords dominated the area, their overwhelming power overtaking the poor pirates whose only fighting ability resting in their intense battle spirit to win back the family that they've lost. And although everything seemed to whisk by like that plane that just flew past, for Ace, time seemed to stand still when he watched his friends, his family, and his brother fight for him, undeserving, on this never-ending battlefield. Now, back to the Straw Hat nakama who, although believe that they're headed in the faithful direction, don't make it a few more steps without a sudden, yet foreseen, roadblock.

"I'm impressed you got out, Crocodile-man."A feathered man, more inhuman than not, sat bent on a broken rock, his crooked smile softly laminating his intentions more so than he believed, as his hands hung lifelessly over his knees.

"Doflamingo!" Jimbei took a step back, almost naturally rather than in mind, as the other three nearby did the same, but rather took a step forward, on instinct, drawing swords, cocking fists, and raising legs.

A loud sound came from the back and there, among some torn-out rubble, was Buggy, who had helplessly clawed himself out of some wall remains in which he was propelled into, "Another one!"

A thought came to the mind of Zoro, or well, it was more of a memory than a thought. This guy, who's got the roots of a killer and the face of a madman, stood in front of them, still alive, breathing, and still untouched. The world was cruel that way, where it gave power to the evil and took life itself from the innocent, or the way the world would see it, the unworthy. Ah, but this was a different timeline. Things can be mixed up a little differently with a little bit of work. Zoro readied all three swords once again, that demonic flare in his eyes showing itself among the ashes, rising once again, "This bastard again."

"A pink bird!"

You can guess who said that one.

Doflamingo's smile faded instantaneously, and now, his hands were off his knees and pulled to his side, eyes locked on Crocodile.

All this while, Sanji hadn't said a word to Doflamingo, but he didn't have to. Crocodile was a special case, but this guy was a cold-blooded piece of shit to the core. Instead, with a flash, he leaped forward, quickly spinning in a fiery flame with that Marimo's blue fire on standby in the rear. The kick was aimed to the head, but maybe that was too obvious. Mingo swept his arm up for a light-hearted block, but side-stepped the kick entirely.

With a heavy, but cheerful sigh, and the encouragement that he felt from Sanji's disappointed grunt in aggravation, Mingo chuckled, his smile once again tickling his ears, "Wooh, that was a close one."

Crocodile grunted, also in disappointment and aggravation towards the kick not hitting its mark. He looked over at the ugly bird-bastard, and even with all the noise and disorder encompassing them, for some reason, it seemed like only the two of them were standing there on the cracked cement.

Mingo raised his smirk and his eyes, "And now you're teaming up with Straw Hat, no less? Interesting, I thought you were a lone wolf."

"I don't team up with anyone." Crocodile retorted, and Luffy didn't seem to mind, as his ears were more pointed towards the platform then anywhere else. Zoro and Sanji sharply caught his eye as Crocodile stood his ground, towering and vexed to the point of combat, drops of sand beginning to melt like lava off his fur coat.

Pirates began to levitate off the ground, their distressed yells catching the attention of other surrounding members from both sides. What was going on? Luffy didn't stick around to find out, or rather, he didn't even know what was happening. Zoro and Sanji left the threat of a past, or rather, future problem to the hands of Crocodile, whom of which they didn't like much either. And with Jimbei at their side, the four of them, with eyes on the prize and no time for side quests, raced against the clock towards that platform that stood beyond the walls.

Doflamingo ignored the running pirates, his crooked smile fading only just enough to the point that you couldn't mistake the grin for a mask anymore. "Seeing that is enough to make a guy jealous, you know." He answered.

Crocodile watched the floating pirates without care and then scoffed towards Doflamingo once more. Wow, he hated this bastard, "Then don't look."

-xXx-

"Take him down!"

Sengoku was furious, and his patience was running thin. Where the hell did this kid come from? And how the hell were they, the Navy, by all standards, losing? The war wasn't over, but even a child could see that the pirates played the better hand, accidental though it may be. How disrespectful it would be to lose a battle you had instigated, let alone a battle fought on the grounds of your own headquarters. Like hell; he would not allow this sanction to fall so long as he still stood on his own two legs.

With a glance over to Ace, who hung lifelessly in shackles, Sengoku grit his teeth before settling his eyes on Garp. Both Ace and Garp held the same expression; no longer were they surprised-they were agitated, inflamed, incensed at the simple idea that this young boy had the nerve to come and join in a fight that had no concern of his. Sengoku couldn't rely on Garp, but he had to be careful in the instance that Ace attempted to struggle against fate. Although he had purposefully leaked false information regarding the advancement of Ace's execution, it looked as though they might have to truly act upon this word. Not only that, but the Final Phase would forcibly be put in motion.

Sengoku watched in bitterness as, at his call, a Vice Admiral had effectively knocked back Straw Hat's group with a large, spiked bat, sending them a ways from the wall in which they had so desperately attempted to reach. The new characters that had come out of the portal had shown a display of great strength, much to Sengoku's displeasure, specifically against Kizaru and Kuzan, although blocking was nothing special. He had to account for their hidden power as well as abilities that have yet to be shown, but with what he's seen so far, it was possible that these two magician pirates were nearly equivalent to that of a Navy Admiral. So, Whitebeard had managed to pull two Admirals to his side? How, not that now was the time to sit and be thinking logically. It would be tough; with them intertwined, he would have to rethink his strategy.

Sengoku's plan was disrupted, but his mind still stood strong. He didn't have a scratch on him, but yet he felt the need to take a step back. By thinking, he grew smarter, and by watching, he grew wiser. By acting, he retained and applied as in by leading, he learned more in himself. His Marines fought valiantly against the pirates, that he could say. As such, he would do as much as he, himself, could, utilizing all these experiences to give not only victory, but an overwhelming victory to the Marines who have placed their faith and trust in him. They still had the Admirals, wherever they were, they still had the Warlords, and all of those who stood to fight for the good cause, battered though they may be, they were alive! This wasn't optimism, no, this was undenying fact.

With the Pacifistas in their back pocket, they had a chance, and they would take that chance soon...and, yes, from recent agreements and a grudging contract, they even had... them. To say they were the secret weapon was an understatement, because as this realistic senile old man had thought, truthfully, this secret weapon of the Navy's might just end up taking them all to hell.

"Gomu-gomu no Stamp!"

Luffy, with a thin stream of blood running from his temple, blew over six Marines with a single swing of his leg, Zoro and Sanji in a close second as they covered the boy's left and right, Jimbei last, but probably the most important piece, as he guarded the rear.

"Slice 'em! You've got swords too! Go for his head!"

"I'd watch your own head first before you go worrying about mine."

Not even a blink of an eye and the swordsman had cut up the Navy captain with a sheer flick of his wrist. While preoccupied with that, the cook had instantaneously swept up from behind his crewmate, sharply deflecting an aimed arrow that had been intended for the neck of the swordsman.

"Keep your own head attached before you go acting all cool, moron Moss-head."

Sengoku was getting sidetracked. He needed to think of a way to exhilarate his soldiers, to spark their spirit once more and to push them beyond the limits that they've already surpassed. He had an idea, but it would cause disarray for the public as well. If he was going to act, he was going to have to do it soon.

All the while, through the decisions Sengoku faced due to the grit that Luffy and friends offered, Ace had to face his own turmoil: the possibility of losing his younger brother. Nevermind him, why was it that Luffy always found a way to encounter trouble wherever he went? Or maybe that was him. He didn't know anymore. His head felt as though it was already split open, yet when looking at that idiot, blindly charging his way through the crowd, he felt his heart beat faster out of panic, and it was only then that he recognized that he was still alive. Wasn't it enough that the Old Man, Marco, and the others were already risking their lives for him, but now Luffy was involved? Ace shook his head, clenching his teeth with his eyes shut tightly. He couldn't think straight.

"There's no end to them!"

Ace opened his eyes again, maybe for the last time, he didn't know. Luffy had brought two of his crewmates to help with the rescue, he recognized the green hair and twirly eyebrows from Alabasta, and from watching them closely for over thirty minutes, he could say with certainty that they were strong. They were really strong.

However…

"Luffy!"

They were being pushed back.

"Get it together!"

"You've got us, Luffy-kun!"

"Remember why you're here, idiot!"

Luffy was strong, but not as strong as the other two that had walked out of that zipped-open black hole. He wasn't as strong as the ice Admiral, Kizaru, or Akainu, and most Warlords had the upper-hand on him too. Sure, Luffy had perseverance like no other and was relentlessly stubborn, he would know, but you can't win a war with sheer will-power. And this idiot came here, knowing that? What would happen if the two crewmates protecting him were stuck with a bigger threat and he was left alone? Luffy was capable, but how capable could you be against a Fleet Admiral, three Navy Admirals, five Warlords, and the entire Navy? Not even the Old Man could last long by himself; that's why everyone else is here.

Ace watched in horror as his fears became reality; Luffy was being overwhelmed. He was tired, and with blood dripping on the left side of his face and both fists as well as body battered, it wasn't too hard to tell. Yet he still hooked both arms, swung both legs, and even used his head if he had too.

"Luffy…" Ace stuttered to himself. As long as Luffy could move, he would fight. For all of them-even half-dead, they would see this through to the end. This was his fault. If only he wasn't so sloppy and reckless. He already dragged the Old Man's crew along with the Subordinate crews into this; he wasn't letting Luffy and his friends suffer the same fate. He was sick of it all. No way would he let his stupid kid brother fall victim under his carelessness.

"Stay away, Luffy!"

His plea rang out among most of Marineford. Whether out of curiosity or annoyance, many had ceased fighting to stare up at the desperate, chained man with wild eyes. Crocodile and Doflamingo halted mid-punch while Ivankov paused briefly, only to be singed once again by a blast from his former Revolutionary army friend. Mihawk and Vista tore their eyes from each other for the first time since they crossed swords, and even both bruised Admirals and the two tired Division commanders took a breather to hear what Ace had to say. The only one who didn't stop was Luffy. He continued forward, without a second's notice, his hands falling on the head of a surprised Marine, while his eyes switched constantly from enemy to Ace. With Marines cornering Luffy on all sides, Zoro and Sanji stood back to back with their captain, flinging away any who lunged within a fifteen feet radius of them. Jimbei was on the offensive, leading side by side next to Luffy who missed a round kick, in which he paid the price for, as he was sent to the ground with his opponent's next attack.

Ace couldn't stand it anymore, and with a desperate cry, he exclaimed, "I know that you know it! We're both pirates-we knew the risks, but we sailed on our terms anyway! We signed our lives away the moment we first took to the sea as free men!" He clenched his teeth as he felt the stares of his friends, his family, watching him with such sad expressions.

"I don't have regrets! I have my own adventure! I have my own friends!"

"Ace…" Marco frowned onward with lowered eyes, as his friend, his brother, sat so helplessly on the platform, yet shook the battlefield.

"I traveled by my rules, and the world didn't like that! I've already accepted my fate, and you have no right to interfere with that! Do you think I'd let someone as weak as you rescue me? That would be too embarrassing! You're already an idiot for coming here, so leave! Go back, Luffy! Why did you come here?" His words were doused in a vehement outrage, but he truly just didn't want to see his brother get killed. He hung his head, trembling quietly to himself, Please, Luffy, I beg you!

"I'm…"

Ace looked up, and there, standing amongst the rubble and fallen soldiers that surrounded him, was Luffy, who, with a fist in the air and fire in his eyes, answered his call.

"your brother!"

"His brother?"

Gasps filled the area and even Sengoku's eyes widened at this revealment. So, he didn't have to do it after all. They were all confused, but most of all, it was the Marines who had a harder time of processing it.

"There's two of them?" They looked at each other.

"That shouldn't be possible!"

Taking advantage of the disarray, Luffy powered through past the startled Marines, "Gomu-gomu no...Whip!"

"What are you doing? Don't let a rookie take control of this war!" Sengoku shot his hand forward and a giant Marine commander with a beard followed his signal, stomping ahead with a large green sword in tow.

"Outta the way!"

He brought the sword down with a clean swipe and a heavy grunt, but Zoro had managed to sidestep in front of Luffy, blocking the giant's strike with his own sword, Kitetsu. In turn, Luffy retook the lead, cocking his fist, "Gear third!"

With that, his fist grew to be as big as the giant's head in no time at all, and being as slow as the giant was for his size, all the commander could do now was watch. "Gomu-gomu no…" Luffy shot towards him, introducing his fist to the giant's face with a shout, "Rifle!"

The impact was heard by those nearby, and the giant was thrown backwards, unbalanced by the blow. After falling for five seconds, he landed near the wall unconscious, and had no chance of getting back up again.

Sengoku watched this all unfold with an indifferent presence about him. He was no longer outrightly infuriated, as now, composed and seeming unconcerned, he sought out with an open ear and eye for a chance or an opening on this battlefield. While glazing over his troops, Luffy met him eye-to-eye with a fearsome look that no doubt, was meant in provoking him to fire something else. The look was that of a boy who knew not of this world, and his naivety was to be shut down now. Sengoku met the boy with the same look, "Monkey D. Luffy-he's also a loose cannon! He grew up together with Ace as his step-brother, and he's the biological son of the revolutionary, Dragon!"

He said it, and now, more stopped.

An older Marine tipped his cap to reveal his distraught expression, "The revolutionary Dragon?"

"Are you serious?" Someone else gawked.

"Who's that?"

"Are you an idiot, Todd?"

A man with a scar on his arm looked about him, "The worst criminal in history?"

"Tch." Sanji blew a puff out of his cigarette, hands in his pocket, as he swung down a Marine that had attempted to attack him from behind. So that's how they found out, huh?

Zoro gazed beyond Luffy with impassive eyes, as Luffy continued to kick, punch, and bite his way through the army of Marines that blocked his path. One was to be judged based on their own actions, not on those of someone from the past, but this was interesting.

"I knew this was a bad idea!" Near the water, Mr. 3 held Buggy in his arms as Buggy sobbed a great deal next to him.

"His daddy's name rings a lot of warning bells!"

Helmeppo peered over the far concrete with a shiver in his voice, "Is that really true?" while Coby inwardly groaned for his ousted friend, "Luffy-san…"

"Knowing you're the son of the devil doesn't make me love you any less." Hancock held a hand to her cheek as she fantasized about him once again.

Jimbei, startled, held his position near Sanji, "That's new information."

All the while, Smoker sent his seething anger through a punch that a pirate just so happened to be in the way of, as his thoughts were finally coming together, "Now it all makes sense." He backfisted a shorter pirate while Tashigi held her own with both hands clutching her sword. Smoker looked on at Straw Hat in disdain, "That explains what happened in Loguetown. So that's why Dragon saved Straw Hat."

With mixed emotions from both the Warlords, pirates, and Navy alike, we now switch to the public, whom of which was merely watching from a television screen hosted by one of Buggy's special companions, unbeknownst to that companion of course. The bald pirate that held the transponder snail had forgotten about it, as now it was held in one hand absent-mindedly while the others around him held the fort for their Captain Buggy. However, even if Marineford had forgotten about the transponder snail, the public, on the contrary, did not.

Saobody was shocked, murmuring amongst themselves what this could mean for them, the citizens.

"This is huge news!" The blond news reporter gasped, motioning for his partner to get him a line, "Headquarters, get me headquarters! We've got to tell the world!"

"Kizaru! Kuzan! Man your posts!" Sengoku rang out among the chaos and both Admirals halted in their pursuit of Marco and Jozu, all four surprised, for the two pirates dropped their fists.

With Sakazuki nowhere to be found, and the plan gone to pieces, Sengoku had to rethink, and to do that, he had to pull his knights back. They wouldn't get anywhere if they happened to be worn down already.

Aokiji and Kizaru found themselves back near the platform, avoiding all of the unnecessary fire, and sitting back in their chairs as if the war hadn't even begun yet.

"What's the deal, Sengoku-san?" Kizaru was interested, and turned to Sengoku with an inquisitive brow.

And he was answered, "It's just one thing after another. If their objective is to free Ace, then let's make it as difficult as possible and have two Admirals take guard."

Kizaru brought a finger to his chin in a thin understanding, "Don't they have the upper-hand now? That would make it easier for them to win, no?"

This wasn't chance that Sengoku was taking, but he wasn't sure if he had a strategy either, "We'll find out."

"We can't let him leave this place in one piece!" The Marines, coming to a collective, unanimous agreement, charged for Luffy more rigorously now with a new reason to defeat the boy that wandered onto the battleground.

Garp was broken, feeling as though he was the one in shackled chains. "There was no reason to keep it a secret anyway." He admitted grudgingly, since they were just going to find out sooner or later. Somehow, Sengoku had a knack for digging up disclosed info like that. His eyes glittered with a sadness recognized by those who have lost a child-if only he had forced Luffy and Ace to be Marines instead of rebel pirates, if only, then he could have saved them. Now, here they were, one on the execution platform while the other was next in line at the rate this was playing out. And what could he do? He was their enemy, and to answer the question, he could do nothing. He squinted, as though he had been struck in the abdomen with a spear, Those idiots. "You brothers are matching fools."

Luffy felt the straps on his sandals loosen with each step he took towards the wall. He had felt more confident with Zoro, Sanji, and Jimbei at his side, but now Ace was spouting all this nonsense about the rules of the sea. Like he cared! Why should he give a damn about them? He was a pirate, and so was Ace! If Ace didn't want to be saved, then he would just drag him to the ship by his chains if he had to. Because that was fine by him!

"ACE!"

Ace slowly looked up from the cracked ground, his eyes wavering as they reached Luffy once again.
"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY!"

Ace flinched, but, well, what could he expect. What did he expect? This was Luffy they were talking about. If he had his mind on something to do, then even if all hell broke loose, he was going to do it. Damn it, Luffy!

"I'M GONNA GET YOU OUT OF HERE EVEN IF IT MEANS DEATH!"

A spontaneous uproar ensued from the pirate side, all cheering and howling for Ace's brother and his display of true, heartfelt brotherhood.

Sengoku was absolutely speechless with these outright declarations, a bead of sweat running down his face, and in spite of the boy's clear simplicity, he was generally flabbergasted, "He thinks he can take on the whole Navy?"

"That idiot!" Garp recoiled, his eyes dropping with the despair that he had been enticed in before.

So, while it was Sengoku's plan to fire up the Marines, it seemed as though the pirates were the ones who ended up benefitting from that call instead.

One of the Division commanders pumped a fist, "We got your back, Ace's brother!"

"We're Ace's family too!"

"We're gonna save him no matter what!"
Just as the Whitebeard pirates were impassioned, Whitebeard, himself, grinned at the boy's dynamism, "Marco, we can't let that kid die."

Rolling up with a bloodied left arm in which he clutched with his right, Marco smirked with a cracked grin, "Roger that."

Near the middle of Marineford stood the remainder of the Straw Hat crew in a straight line, Luffy in the front by a few feet with Jimbei, Zoro, and Sanji behind him. "And he's got us, so we'll make sure we get Ace back. No way I'm letting that happen again." Sanji tilted his head, the falling light from the sun dimming his shadow.

Zoro turned to him, in an accord for once, "Yeah. The sea's going to be different this time around."

Ace could only watch in exasperation. He wasn't sure what was going to happen, no one was, but there was one thing he did know for sure-Luffy wasn't going to die that easily. He had accepted his fate as just another dead pirate in this never-ending, unforgiving sea, but now he felt a little differently. He didn't want to die. He still had people he wanted to see, places he wanted to go… and if he couldn't even rely on his family, and his own brother, then who could he rely on? And so, with a bow of his head, and through grated teeth, he whispered silently, "Luffy."

-xXx-

I've got the skeleton for the next chapter, and have this entire awesome layout for the whole story, just actually gotta write the damn thing because man, this took a while. This one's got a more serious tone, but Chapter 6'll have that comedic nature exclusive to the Straw Hats (Ussop makes an appearance too).

Anyway, it's been two years, but feel free to review; I still look back on them for ideas, and constructive criticism, I'll gladly take. I'd like to again thank everyone for sticking around with me after all this time, and for favoriting, following, and reviewing: gives me that booster to complete these chapters :). ~Papa Sasuke