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ATTENTION

I will not be updating again after this. This is an unedited chapter, and extremely unpolished. It's kinda shit actually. I have posted the last three chapters because I wanted to show roughly what I had been working on before I acknowledged that it wasn't getting done. Refer to chapter 14's message (15 on the dropdown list) for my full account of why I haven't finished this and why I'm shelving it. Thank you for the support.


(16: unnamed wip)

"What are you doing?"

Luffy looked over his shoulder at Sabo, who raised his eyebrow at him. Two steps below where Luffy was sitting, Zoro napped heavily, wrapped in a musky smelling wool blanket, his white katana tucked under his chin. In his shaggy hair were small bits of string, tied into small braids. "Zoro's hair is long," Luffy chirped, "Too bad there aren't any flowers, they would look pretty!"

Sabo shook his head in exasperation, crouching down beside the pirate. Four days at sea and Luffy was already getting on everybody's nerves. Most of their makeshift crew still practically worshiped the ground he walked on after his spectacular beat-down of a Marine Admiral, but there were others who equally wanted to throttle the smaller man.

Nobody was quite sure which category Roronoa Zoro fit into. At the moment, however, he was simply exhausted. The fight had been rough, but his imprisonment had been rougher. After their escape, Zoro had just about collapsed, and that's when they noticed how pale, thin and dirty the swordsman was. Even after getting some decent meals and a bath, he was nowhere near his former strength.

"He won't appreciate it," Sabo mused out loud.

Luffy effortlessly ignored this. "Hey, your hair is even longer! Can I play with it?"

"No."

"You're no fun!"

Sabo rolled his eyes, "That's fine by me. Anyway, I need to check your shoulder."

Luffy huffed but pulled his hands from Zoro's head. Sabo could have sworn he saw the green-haired man lean towards the touch and rumble discontentedly, but he dismissed it from his mind as Luffy pulled off the shirt he was wearing, showing his bandaged torso.

With a quick flick of his claws, the wrappings fell away. The bruising had cleared up during the first day due to the rubber quality of his body, but his shoulder still had a hole in it. Without the actual bullet in him, the wounds were healing fast (a little too fast, if you asked him) and cleanly. It was fortunate, because while their stolen ship had adequate supplies, they had a distinct lack of medical professionals aboard. Sabo's first aid knowledge could only take them so far. He still wasn't anywhere near healthy though, because whatever attack he'd used on Kizaru had knocked him out for thirty hours, and he still could barely walk, let alone fight.

He examined the wound closely, double-checking for infection. Luffy didn't even flinch when Sabo's large hands pressed into his skin. When he found nothing, he took the rolls of bandages from under his arm and wrapped it again, careful to pad the wound itself, lest it start bleeding again. "Try not to move your arm too much, yeah?" Sabo said as he tied the last knot.

"I know, I know," Luffy whined, "You tell me every time."

"I tell you because you keep forgetting," he deadpanned.

"Now you really sound like Chopper!"

BOOM!

A blast rocked the boat. Everyone stumbled, grabbing onto the object closest to them. Luffy happened to grab Sabo, who grabbed the railing. Zoro jerked out of sleep, tumbling down the stairs and onto the deck.

"THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!" Ace's shout came over the sound of swishing waves and groaning wood. The door to the galley slammed opened and he emerged naked except for a pair of shorts barely hanging off his hips, expression pissed and tired. From the looks of it he had just woken up, and wasn't happy about it.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" someone shouted from the crow's nest. Convicts jumped to action, but the panic caused absolute chaos.

Zoro rose to his feet from where he'd been thrown, "IS IT THE MARINES?" There were some chuckles from other pirates, and he scowled darkly, "WHAT?" Ace pointed to his own head. Zoro scowled harder when he felt the tails in his hair. Luffy sniggered.

"NOW IS NOT THE TIME," Sabo hissed.

BOOM!

Everyone fell.

Over the next wave a huge ship came into sight, bright colors clashing against the gray skies. "THE FUCK IS THAT?!" Ace's screech added helpfully.

"IT'S BIG MOM!"

"Fuck," Sabo growled, before grabbing Luffy around the waist and hoisting him up.

"What are you doing!? I can fight her!" Luffy yelled in his ear.

"Not in your state!" Sabo shot back, "You can barely fight against me, let alone a Yonkou!"

"I'm not weak!"

BOOM!

A wave washed over the side, dislodging his grip on the deck. Sabo slammed into the railing on the ship, sudden exhaustion hitting him just as hard. His arm gave and Luffy was torn from his grip. "NO!" he roared as he watched the other pirate fall beneath the water.

"I GOT HIM!" Zoro launched himself off the rail, while someone stopped Ace from doing the same.


Water whipped around his body, buffeting him roughly. Zoro clenched his teeth tighter and kicked off the hull of their ship after Luffy's sinking body. The water was mostly clear, streams of bubbles swirling in the space between the two ships. Below them huge shadows of monsters began to take notice of the chaos.

His lungs burned and his body ached. Another explosion occurred overhead as Zoro's hand gripped the edge of Mugiwara's collar. The dark below them shifted, and he tugged the heavy body towards the surface.

The surface of the sea was angry when they broke air. Luffy spluttered and gasped, while Zoro nervously watched as Big Mom's ship came closer. A dark shape came rushing out of the water below, emerging in a spray of water between the two boats. The Sea King's massive head was turned towards their ship, a reptilian hiss escaping its huge fanged maw. There were shouts from the deck.

Zoro and Mugiwara were pushed by the current towards Big Mom's ship. "Dammit," Zoro growled.

"SABO, ACE!" Luffy yelled, but they were drowned out by the commotion.

Another Sea King came from the ocean, and it propelled them into the side of the Yonkou's ship. Zoro grunted in pain, grip tightening on Mugiwara as he tried to keep them above water. He started to hear shouting, and then there was a loud splash next to them that made them go under again.

The noise in his ears was deafening, and the last thing he saw above Mugiwara's head was the writhing of great serpents below them.


Luffy woke to Zoro's face being way too close to his own.

He let out a loud screech and ended up hitting his head on something solid behind him. Stars erupted in his vision, and he lifted his hand to his skull, pushing Zoro away with the other. The swordsman was dead asleep, but once a fist collided with his face he woke up pretty quickly.

"OW WHAT THE FUCK!" Zoro shouted, sitting up and clutching at his nose.

"ISN'T THAT WHAT I SHOULD BE ASKING!" Luffy shouted back.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!"

They both paused mid-rant to look at their surroundings. It was oddly … nice? They were in what looked like a lavish, completely pink bedroom. The thing that Luffy had hit his head on was the headboard to a huge topped bed.

"Okay, where the fuck are we?" Zoro looked a bit disturbed.

"… This looks weirdly familiar," Luffy noted, though his head was killing him.

"I don't even want to know."

Zoro got off the bed and looked around the edges of the room. He kicked one of the walls, but it didn't seem to budge. There were no doors or windows. "This is creepy," the swordsman noted.

"Yep," Luffy agreed. He slid off the bed and stretched his arms over his head. His shoulder twinged painfully, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it was a few days before. "Let's get out of here!"

"What are you–"

Luffy raised his right arm and with a tensing of his muscles he activated Gear Second. A rush of warmth came over him as his pulse jumped.

"JET PISTOL!"

And then there was a large hole in the wall. Zoro's jaw dropped as Luffy returned to normal. "Okay, I think I'm starting to believe you now…"

"Hm?" Luffy blinked at the swordsman.

"N-Nevermind."

They stepped through the hole into a brightly lit corridor. The place felt like a palace, if it weren't for the candy decorations on every wall. "I know where we are!" Luffy exclaimed, "This is Big Mom's ship!"

"…Fuck."

"We need to get back to Sabo and the others," Luffy frowned.

"How are we going to do that?!" Zoro scowled, "We've been taken prisoner by a Yonkou!"

"We'll just take over the ship then!" Luffy nodded.

"ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?!"

Before Luffy could answer, they heard voices from down the hall. Zoro tried to tug him in the opposite direction, but Luffy simply charged after them, leaving the swordsman to gape at him.

"HEY! DO YOU KNOW WHERE BIG MOM IS?"

The crew members blanched when they saw Luffy sprinting at them, and tried to attack him. The Pirate King sent most of them flying, except for one, which he grabbed and shook violently, "WHERE IS BIG MOM?"

Spluttering in fear, the man pointed upwards.

"With all your yelling she'll know we're coming, dumbass!" Zoro growled.

"I don't care!" Luffy smiled, "All the better."

Zoro eyed him warily, "You would fight a Yonkou head on?"

Luffy's grin widened, "I'll fight anyone who gets in my way."

They reached the upper deck in record time, at which left Zoro reeling at the sheer destructive force. He hadn't even needed to step in to help, simply trailing after him and cleaning up any stragglers or the ones who decided it would be a good idea to attack from behind. Once on deck they were surrounded by the high ranking members of Big Mom's crew.

"THOSE ARE MINE!" a loud booming voice shook the ship. Zoro's face paled as a huge looming figure stepped onto the deck, each step creating tremors through the wood. Big Mom, in all her disgusting glory, stood over them like a mountain.

Luffy looked up at her, arms crossed over his chest and a stern expression on his face. "I'm taking over this ship!" he shouted up at her.

There was a moment's pause before the Yonkou let out a bellowing laugh. The crew's laughter soon followed. From behind Luffy, Zoro's body stiffened and he gripped the hilt of his katana tighter.

"YOU WILL BE DINNER TONIGHT, MONKEY D. LUFFY."

"Ew, gross, no!"

"WE KNOW ABOUT YOUR FIGHT THROUGH IMPEL DOWN, BUTYOU CANNOT FIGHT AGAINST US. YOU CANNOT WIN AGAINST US. BETTER THAT YOU GIVE UP NOW AND DIE QUIETLY."

"You really think I'll do that?" Luffy chuckled darkly. A sudden pressure slammed down on the deck, and the crew passed out immediately. "I refuse to give up!"

Zoro watched in shock as they passed out in unison, slumping to the ground like ragdolls. A cold sweat broke out over his body, even if he wasn't enduring the brunt of the attack. Even Big Mom was struggling to stay upright, and her eyes had narrowed at the young pirate.

"YOU ARE NOT A MARINE. WHO ARE YOU?"

Luffy's grin became vicious, "I am the Pirate King."

The pressure increased, and Big Mom hit the ground with a thunderous crash.


Zoro stared on in awe. The sea around them had begun to slosh violently, the sky above them churning around the ship. Lightning arced through the dark clouds, and for a moment Zoro could definitely believe that this was the strongest man in the world. Swallowing, and finding his mouth dry, he looked around at the mass of unconscious bodies.

Pirate King?!

Fuck.

Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he squinted over the waves. Just on the horizon was another ship, but this one didn't look like a pirate or marine ship.

"Oi … Mugiwara, there's a ship over that way," he said slowly.

Luffy looked over at him, and the scary expression had cleared from his face totally. He looked over the waves before grinning widely. "I know who that is! It's the Revolutionaries!"

"What?!" Zoro blinked, "How can you tell?"

"I just can, shishishi!"

Right, of course he can, Zoro sighed.

It was at least a half hour before the ship pulled up beside theirs. A boarding crew attached walkways between them, and the crew took in the total wipeout of the Big Mom pirates with shock.

"Did you do this?" a tall man in a cloak stepped onto the deck and strode towards them. Zoro stood behind Luffy again, his eyes narrowed at the man. Luffy looked completely at ease.

"Yep!" he smiled.

Zoro could make out the man's wide grin beneath the hood. "So the rumors are true then – you really are the man from an alternate universe."

"And you're Dragon, the head of the Revolutionary Army," Luffy chuckled, "Nice to meet this world's version of you, old man."

The named Dragon gave a surprised gasp, and after a moment's hesitation he pulled back his hood. "You know then, don't you?"

Luffy's smile faded somewhat, "Aa."

"I must apologize then, I–"

"Oi, save it for the other me, why don't you? I already head that."

"…I see."

Zoro could only stare between them blankly.