OK here we go again. I have to warn ya I have absolutely no idea where this is going. I have practically nothing planned past the first three chapters and this little project is going to be put on the back burners a lot unless I really have the drive to work on it. Not to worry though I will finish it eventually the problem is that I have no plans on when that will be. Don't be surprised if there is a long wait between updates. So just hang with me on this one.

This is kinda half AU and half canon. Everything is the same up to about Ch. 581-582 of the manga then after that is where the story will veer off. If anything interesting comes up in the future (which knowing Oda it will) I'll try to include it in my story as well but only if I can work it in. No promises.

I think that covers everything for now so…let's get this show on the road.

Disclaimer: One Piece does not belong to me. It belongs to the wonderful Oda-sama.

"talking"
'thinking'

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Chapter One
The First Stop
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To all Marine officers above the rank Commodore

Status Report- Impel Down Incident

- Investigation of Warden Magellan's actions during the mass escape of Impel Down still ongoing. Warden Magellan continues to fulfill duties under observation.

- After a thorough investigation of Vice Warden Hannyabal's action's during the mass escape of Impel Down the Marine court requests removal of rank and privileges pending suspension.

Status of Impel Down Escapees

Majority of escaped prisoners still remain at large, whereabouts unknown. Prisoner's from Level 6 still at large, whereabouts unknown.

Jinbei - Former Shichibukai, Level 6 escapee, Leader or Fishman Island, Last Known Location- Fishman Island

Crocodile- Former Shichibukai, Level 6 escapee, Former leader of the Baroque Works Agency, Mastermind behind the Alalbasta uprising, Last Known Location- Unknown

Emporio Ivankov- Commander in the Revolutionary Army, Level 6 escapee, Leader of the Kamabakka Kingdom, Last Known Location- West Blue

Buggy the Clown- Mastermind of Impel Down escape, Level 1 escapee, Former member of Gol D. Roger's crew, Last Known Location- Grand Line (may be traveling with Galdino AKA Mr. 3)

Monkey D. Luffy- Mastermind of Impel Down escape, Instigator of attack on Enies Lobby and Sabaody Archipelago, Last Known Location- Unknown (presumed dead)

NOTE: The Strawhat crew is to be dealt with at any cost and brought in to face the justice of the World Government. Caution should be used. 'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro (190,000,000), 'Black Leg' Sanji (95,000,000), 'Demon Child' Nico Robin (120,000,000), Sogeking (60,000,000), 'Cyborg' Franky (80,000,000), 'Humming' Brook (75,000,000), 'Burglar Cat' Nami (30,000,000), Chopper (pet- 1,000,000).

Fleet Admiral Sengoku sighed deeply sitting back in his chair. He reread the status report once more before adding his signature to it and placing it in his finished stack of paperwork. He had a meeting with the Admirals and Vice Admirals in a while but now found himself with a few free minutes. That was a rare thing these days what with the havoc being caused around the Grand Line and the surrounding Blues. The death of Whitebeard and the rise of Blackbeard seemed to have thrown the world into a state of chaos even though those event had been a year ago. Not to mention the Level 6 escapees that were still on the loose even though their bounties had been reinstated finally at the insistence of Sengoku.

The Fleet Admiral rose from his chair and paced to the open window looking out onto the harbor. He still seemed to be deep in thought. Monkey D. Luffy was the focus of his concerns now the young pirate had been in the middle of everything since he first came on the scene in the East Blue. The rookie that the government passed off as a minor annoyance and not any true threat proved both Marine and government officials wrong.

It was true that the Marines thought him dead and his crewmates had scattered to the winds. Sengoku knew better, if what Garp had said about his grandson was true, then they were about to be proven wrong again. The Fleet Admiral hoped that by raising the heat on the Strawhat crew it would bring the captain out of hiding, wherever that may be, even after a year of searching the Grand Line and beyond Marine forces had yet to find any trace of him. There had been rumors of him showing up all down the Grand Line but by the time the Marines would arrive he was gone. It was like chasing a ghost, if Sengoku believed in such things. Which he didn't, no, this pirate was no ghost. He was out there somewhere just waiting to make his move.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It was a warm sunny day out on the waves of the East Blue. The ocean was calm and there wasn't a cloud in sight. A lone ship cut through the water heading for a specific destination, on the bow stood a young man staring ahead searching for the first sight of land. The crew of the ship, which was composed of all women, went about their daily business. They were used to seeing the man with that faraway look in his eyes.

A tall black haired woman came up behind him, a confused look in her dark eyes. Her beautiful face frowned in worry. "Where are we going my love?" She asked in a sweet voice breaking the man's train of thought. He didn't reply right away but after a few seconds he turned his head slightly in her direction.

Dark eyes stared back at the woman. "We're going to find a nakama and the best place to start is this island." His answer was short and to the point. It seemed he was taking this very seriously. It wasn't that his nakama were weak but trouble just seemed to find them. He knew his crewmates could take care of themselves but he still wouldn't feel right until they were together again. That is if they still wanted to sail with him.

The woman frowned in confusion still but silently nodded behind the young man not liking the idea at all. 'Why should he want to find this person? Isn't my crew good enough for him?' Even after being with this man for all these months she couldn't understand his desire to find these crewmates of his.

The young man didn't notice the older woman's distressed look the only focus on his mind these last few weeks had been to find the ones he started this journey with. The people he called family. One person in particular wouldn't leave his mind and it was there he was starting.

A few minutes later the woman who was on lookout called down to him and the older black haired woman behind him to say that there was an island on the horizon. The young man tensed in anticipation and a small smile graced his lips as one thought entered his mind. 'Finally.'

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The bright sun shone down on the main street of the bustling little village. The people were busy buying and selling and just going about their business. That is until a young boy came running through the crowd out of breath and panicking. He ran as fast as he could toward the village security offices. The boy's mad dash made people look up to see what the fuss was about but seeing nothing unusual went back to their business.

An older man sat behind a desk behind a stack of paperwork. Scars of an old battle crisscrossed his face and continued under the standard uniform of the security forces of the island. He grumbled to himself about the work he still had to do, rubbing his scruffy moustache he sighed wishing he had something to take his mind off his work. Well as the saying goes be careful what you wish for. The door to his office burst open revealing a panting boy who leaned on the frame trying to catch his breath. The scarred old man jumped to his feet at the sudden entrance.

"Cabo, what are you doing here? What's going on?" The man demanded to know waiting impatiently for the boy to speak.

The youngster known as Cabo took a deep breath finally able to talk again. "Pirates! There are pirates heading for the island."

"What? What do you mean pirates?" It was surprising pirates hadn't been seen on the island for some time. Even the ones that hadn't gone running to the Grand Line after the news that Whitebeard had confirmed the existence of One Piece seemed to ignore their little island. Cabo had to jump aside as the old man dashed out the door and down the road catching the same attention the younger boy did but mere minutes ago.

He arrived at the docks to see an already sizable crowd gathered. The older man pushed his way forward to see the large ship getting closer. The crowd behind him prepared for a fight. They weren't about to let their island be taken over by pirates again. There seemed to be an air of anxiousness traveling through the group as the large ship gets closer.

The ship docked a short few minutes later but no one moved onboard for a few seconds then a body came flying from the deck of the ship and landed with a crash directly in front of the crowd of people. The young man stood up straight and most of the people assembled gasped at the young man. The old man could do nothing but gape at the familiar person in front of him. He had on baggy black shorts that came down to his knees and a blood red vest that opened to reveal a well toned body. His black hair was windblown and wild as the scarred old man remembered it and a straw hat hung loosely around his neck. The younger man smiled happily and raised a hand in greeting. "Hey pinwheel guy I…"

The boy didn't get any farther than that as a hand connected to his head sending his face slamming into the docks. "Monkey D. Luffy! What are you doing on this island?" Genzo asked panting for breath. He had punched the boy using all of his strength but it didn't look like it had fazed him when Luffy sat up picking splinters of wood out of his hair. Genzo scowled down at Luffy as the younger of the two stayed sitting on the dock.

"You filthy man, how dare you touch my Luffy-kun." Exclaimed a feminine voice from above the gathered crowd, looking up the people saw an extremely beautiful woman being lowered from the ship by a rather large snake. She had long flowing black hair that matched her dark eyes and was dressed in very fancy clothing.

Luffy stood up with a puzzled frown etched onto his face. "What was that for?" He was truly confused it was easily seen by Genzo and that was what kept him from hitting Luffy again.

"What do you think? I told you what would happen if you ever hurt her." Genzo told him with a deep frown.

Luffy looked up in surprise. "You mean Nami? What are you talking about? I didn't hurt her. Does that mean you've seen her, do you know where she is?" Luffy asked excitedly a big grin showing on his face. Hancock's eyes showed surprise it had been a long time since she had seen a grin that big on Luffy's face. Was this woman that important to him?

"As if I'd tell you that," Genzo scowled toward the boy. "You think you can just show back up here and I'd let you go off and hurt Nami again? Speaking of which why are you here?" He glanced questioningly at the young pirate and the unknown snake woman behind him. He was still not willing to forgive him so easily but the curiosity finally got to him.

Luffy looked at Genzo with determination on his face. "I'm here to find Nami and get her to come back." He said it so plainly that it took Genzo by surprise and he couldn't find anything to say against that. Luffy wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. He was going to convince Nami to sail with him again there was no question in his mind.

The scarred old man huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. Thinking about it for a minute he looked the boy over. He still had that indomitable spirit within him but something was different. There was a dark part of the boy that hadn't been there before. Behind his eyes there was maturity and a deep seated pain that could not be completely hidden. In short Genzo realized that the young pirate who was so carefree when he was last on the island had grown up and it had taken something dramatic for it to happen. He stood back and nodded over his shoulder toward the outskirts of the village. "You should ask Nojiko." Was all he said to the rubber man.

"Thanks." Luffy said then started to walk through the crowd. The villagers made way for him some still not believing the savior of the island had come back. Others sent glares and angry mutters at him as he walked by. Luffy ignored it all only focused on his destination. Hancock on the other hand glared back just as heatedly at anyone who dared say anything about Luffy. She followed the young man closely and looked disdainfully around the small village as they both passed through.

The village hadn't changed much since Luffy had walked its streets last. The rubber man glanced around as he headed toward the tangerine grove. Villagers walking the streets stopped what they were doing to look up at the young man. They weren't as hostile as the ones at the dock, more surprised than anything.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Arriving at the tangerine orchard Luffy looked around. The small house stood not far away and around it stood the many tangerine trees. He could remember only coming here once after he had saved Nami from Arlong. From what he could remember it hadn't changed any since that time. At first Luffy didn't see anyone around but then a blue haired woman walked out of the trees with a basketful of the round tasty fruit. She started up the path heading to the small house. He grinned and started to walk towards her.

Nojiko didn't see him at first as she was concentrating on not spilling her tangerines all over the ground. When she did finally look up to see the straw hat boy come walking up to the house she stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him with her mouth hanging open. The basket slipped from her hands and the orange fruit rolled across the dirt path. "Luffy?" She nearly shouted in astonishment finally getting her mouth to work again. Nojiko started to run toward the boy, the tangerines forgotten, and Luffy smiled and waved at her.

"You son of a bitch!" The blue haired girl unexpectantly slammed her fist into Luffy's face sending him tumbling backwards a few feet. Nojiko straitened up and began to stalk towards the boy again. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be dead."

Immediately Hancock was between the enraged tangerine farmer and her precious Luffy. Her head was thrown back so far she was looking up. An angry look came over her face. "How dare a peasant like you hit my Luffy-kun?"

Nojiko wasn't intimidated and instead directed her glare towards Hancock. She was somewhat surprised at the woman coming to Luffy's defense but didn't back down. "Who the hell are you and what do you mean your Luffy-kun?" Nojiko looked this woman over. She was tall and had dark black eyes that matched the long fine black hair flowing down her back. She was beautiful Nojiko couldn't deny that but she could tell the older woman was about as arrogant as they come. What was Luffy doing with a someone like that?

Luffy stood back on his feet a slightly red welt already forming on his cheek. 'Nojiko must be really angry if she can hurt me just by a hit.' Then the second part of what she said hit him. "What do you mean dead?" Luffy asked as he pushed past the pirate empress to face Nojiko again.

"We saw the papers Luffy and Nami told us when she came back. Everyone thought you had died." Nojiko told him seeming to calm down a little.

The black haired boy looked shocked to hear this but thinking on it for a few seconds he really shouldn't have. He had read the papers himself and the Marines did have a half true account of what had happened. Luffy stared at Nojiko while he seemed to be thinking. "Where's Nami?" He finally asked her in a purposeful voice.

The now composed Nojiko gave a sigh and pointed Luffy in a direction. "You just missed her. She went up to the cliff to visit your grave." With that she gave the rubber man a slight push forwards. Then she bent down to start gathering the spilled tangerines.

Hancock started to quietly follow after Luffy but the younger pirate turned to her sharply. "Stay here Hancock I have to do this alone." The woman started to protest but one look from Luffy and she closed her mouth with a snap. Nojiko also watched Luffy head in the direction she pointed from the corner of her eye while she continued to pick up the fallen fruit.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Luffy headed toward the cliff overlooking the sea that he very vaguely remembered coming to before. The trees around him rustled in the breeze and he smiled at the refreshing coolness compared to the warm sunshine outside the shade of the trees. He felt excitement at the thought of seeing Nami again. It had been a long time since he had seen any of the crew. "It's been a whole year. I wonder if she's changed any." Luffy asked himself as his grin got wider.

The trees started to thin and he walked out into the open. Looking around the first thing to catch his attention was the orange haired young woman who was standing in front of two graves with her back to him. He noticed that the larger of the crosses had a fresh tangerine placed in front of it along with an old tattered looking pinwheel. To the side was a smaller cross that had another fresh tangerine placed at the base but also a small red wildflower. 'Is that my grave?' Luffy couldn't help but think as he took a step forward not trying to hide his presence anymore but the young woman still didn't notice him. At first Luffy was puzzled, Nami was usually more perceptive than this. It was then that the straw hat wearing boy saw the girl's shoulders shake with a quiet sob. 'She's crying for me.' Luffy frowned deeper. He didn't like it when Nami cried and he liked it even less when he was the cause.

Nami hadn't moved from her spot since Luffy had arrived but silent tears continued to roll down her face. The rubber man watched her shoulders tremble with each sob and he felt his heart sink with it. He had no idea when he chose his course of action that it would affect his navigator this much. Luffy's excitement from earlier turned to nervousness, he had no clue what to say to her after so long. He opened his mouth a few times but closed it in silence every time. Finally he achieved vocalization. "So you made that for me Nami?" He could slap himself for how stupid that sounded. That was not what he wanted his greeting to be after a year apart.

At the sound of the all too familiar voice Nami gasped and her whole body stiffened. Her head jerked up but she refused to turn around fearful of what she would find or not find. Her tears slowed to a stop and she started to tremble all over. Taking a deep breath, teary brown eyes opened wide in astonishment and confusion, she gathered herself enough to turn around to face the voice she never thought she'd hear again. The red vest, straw hat, and his dark piercing stare is what greeted the orange haired woman upon landing her eyes on the man she had thought was dead. "L…Luffy?" It came out as a whisper barely making it past her lips. She was almost afraid that if said too loud it might make him disappear altogether. Suddenly Nami found it hard to breathe as Luffy took a step toward her.

Luffy offered a reassuring smile as his eyes met his navigators and for a moment he saw a flash of some emotion he had never seen in those deep brown eyes before. His smile slipped though as he watched Nami's eyes slide shut as her legs gave way beneath her and she passed out on the ground.

=O=O=

So tell me what ya think. Hate it? Love it? …Somewhere in-between? Ya gotta let me know if ya want me to continue. I don't know when I'll update this but reviews will encourage my work ethic ;)

The next chapter I can tell ya is a flashback focusing on Nami's homecoming