Hiya guys, it's your boy Lorenzo! Time-travel stories based on One Piece have always been fascinating, especially when done right. That being said, I hope I'm doing this one right.

Chapter 1: The New Age

He could make out the sound of deep breathing until he recognized it as his own. His limbs were numb at the moment and all he could do was lurch forward, but several ropes held in place. His senses worked fine however, and he could make out several sounds around him that brought up back to reality. The sound of rocking waves and the cry of seagulls invaded his ears.

A sudden laugh broke the silence. He recognized it immediately. It was a voice like no other. Zoro's eyes stung a bit as he opened them to the bright sunlight of the world.

He was in the gated courtyard of the Shelltown Marine Base and just like last time, he was tied to the same wooden post. In front of him was the man that he dedicated his life to. Luffy's signature straw hat covered his eyes, but didn't hide the goofy grin that he wore. Zoro chuckled silently. "I didn't think it would actually work," he said to himself. "She really sent me back in time."

"It's your call. Resisting the Navy will make you an outlaw. Unless you want to die here?" his Captain said, seemingly ignoring Zoro's murmurs. It was the same line that began their adventures together a lifetime ago.

Zoro lifted his head, his vision fully restored, and stared straight into his Captain's. "Damn right, I'll accept! There's no way I'm gonna die here!" This earned a shout from Luffy.

"Yes! I have my first companion!"

But something was very off this time. Luffy had a sword strapped to his back. As far as he knew, Luffy was no swordsman. But before he could question him, another voice interrupted.

"L-Luffy…" it said, sounding shaky. "T-they're aiming their rifles! They're going to kill us!"

Zoro noticed the boy standing beside his captain… and frowned. There was no mistaking this boy was Coby, his hairstyle and round glasses easily giving that away.

But the Coby that Zoro knew had pink hair, not blue. And his haki felt different from the previous timeline as well.

As Zoro contemplated these thoughts, the Straw Hatted man answered the shivering Coby.

"Don't be stupid, stupid. I'm made of rubber!" he shouted with his signature laugh. The rifles fired, but Luffy intercepted all of them with his rubber body with a wide grin on his face and laughed once again as they all deflected off his body. "Coby, I'm not good with knots. Go untie Zoro while I kick their asses!"

Ok. Luffy definitely didn't say that last time.

As Captain Axe-Hand Morgan noticed his men were muttering worriedly as their bullets bounced off the Straw Hat man, he grew angry. "Silence!" he shouted, the murmurings among his men dying down. "Everyone who just whined, I want you to put your gun to your head, and fucking fire! I will not tolerate cowardice within my ranks!"

The marines looked at their commanding officer and wondered if they heard him right. "What the fuck are you all waiting for?! That was an order!"

"Listen Captain," one of the marines spoke up. "We may be your subordinates, but we're not throwing our lives away on your whims."

Alright. That didn't happen last time either.

The soldier who said that was promptly crushed by Morgan's axe, the impact making a sizable crater on the ground. As he removed his weaponized arm from the bloody corpse, he grunted.

"Anyone else want to defy me?" There was silence. "Good. I'm giving you all one more chance. Make yourselves useful and charge at them! If bullets don't work, then dismember them your swords!"

"Gum-Gum Whip!" Luffy shouted as he swept the charging mob to the ground with his foot. "How are the knots coming along, Coby? We need to set sail at some point!" he asked casually.

"Almost done, Luffy!" As Coby untied the last of the knots, Luffy tossed the sword he carried to the freed swordsman. Zoro slowly regained feeling in his muscles as he stretched.

"Just one sword?" he asked confusedly, in which Luffy shrugged.

"You told me that was your only sword."

Zoro examined the ornate weapon. It had a black sheath with golden decorative marks. A velvet, red fabric wrapped the black grip and accented the dangerous nature of the sword. But what really threw him off was the wicked nature it pulsated with.

"This thing is as malevolent as swords come…" Zoro said.

As the squad of marines lay groaning on the ground, the infuriated Captain Morgan glared at the trio. Coby hid behind Luffy who laughed.

"Look what you've done to my men, pirate scum…" he growled.

"Uhhh…. Sorry?" Luffy said with a cocky grin. "I didn't mean to hit them that hard…"

"I'm going to mangle you, brat," he said, emphasizing the word. Morgan unclipped his cloak and tossed it to the side.

Luffy cocked his fists, but Zoro held his hand out. "Let me take care of this, captain… I can't let him insult you like that and get away with it..."

Luffy grinned as he took a step back. His mind flashed back to the moment where Shanks saved him and Foosha Village from a gang of mountain bandits. "Just like Beckmann, huh?" he whispered.

Luffy couldn't turn down Zoro's request when he phrased it like that. He was slightly curious as to what his newest crewmate could do.

Zoro drew his mysterious sword and immediately felt the raw power flow through his veins. Visible, black mist flowed from the midnight black blade and disappeared into the air. Coby shivered faster and Luffy raised an eyebrow. Morgan hesitated as he took a step backwards.

"This thing is much more sinister than any of the Kitetsu swords. I can't believe the bloodlust it radiates…" he thought as he brandished his sword at Morgan. Morgan, who regained his confidence momentary, gave a loud battle cry as he charged with his axe-hand raised.

Zoro only planned to send a small, blunt wind wave to incapacitate him, but a black wave with enormous width surged through Morgan instead. The ground shook from the impact and several of the unconscious marines were sent flying across the field as well.

"Like I thought. I'm not yet strong enough to control you completely…" Zoro said as he sheathed his sword. "I hope that didn't kill him."

Luffy dusted his hands together. "I guess that's that."

"Z-Zoro is scary!" Coby whimpered. "S-so scary!"

"And I don't think you did?" Luffy said quizzically.

"How can you tell?"

"Dunno. I just can... Kind of like a feeling thing. Now let's get food, I'm hungry!" Luffy said as he marched out of the marine base.

"Did he just use Observation Haki without noticing it?" Zoro thought. That was a worrying sign.

"Thank you so much for saving our town, Onii-san!" the little girl said as she tugged on Luffy's arm. Her name was Rika from what Zoro recalled.

"It was nothing!" Luffy shouted as he dug into a plate of food, Zoro joining in as well. Although he technically never really experienced it, he was supposedly tied to the post for 9 whole days.

Coby was brooding at the end of the table, visibly shook from recent events. The strength of his new friends was one thing, but actual marines oppressing a town? That was as unthinkable as pirates being heroes. But both of those perceptions were shattered today.

As Zoro ate, he thought back on recent events as well, but decided to leave it for later. A few things may be different in this timeline, but he didn't care that much. He would have all his friends back and that's what mattered for now. He needed a talk with her though.

"Hey Coby," he spoke up, startling the blue-haired boy in the process. He was a little curious about himself in this timeline.

"Huh?" he responded.

"Being stuck on a pole for 9 days straight might have affected my memory so I want to clarify a few things. First of all, how did I get captured?"

Rika answered him instead. "You killed all the wolves Morgan sent to our restaurant because we couldn't pay our taxes in time. Don't you remember?"

"And what about Helmeppo?" Zoro asked. This earned a confused look from Rika.

"Huh? Who's that?"

If Zoro was surprised, he didn't show it. Instead he simply dismissed it as a thought for later. "No one important, nevermind," he grunted. "Anyways, what did I do before coming to Shelltown, Coby?"

The boy raised an eyebrow. "You were an infamous bounty hunter, remember?" Zoro nodded. At least that part hadn't changed yet.

Coby continued after that. "They said you were hunting someone and followed them to Shelltown. I guess Morgan caught you after that."

Luffy decided to stay silent as he took in the information. Though he was actually too busy eating to talk, Zoro's situation kind of interested him nonetheless.

"Nuh-uh!" Rika shouted in response. "Zoro never got captured! When Morgan threatened to burn down our restaurant, Zoro offered to be tied to a post for 30 days so Morgan would let us go."

Zoro nodded again. And that part had stayed the same.

"When we came to thank you, you just brushed it off like you didn't care too much about it. You said you came here to wait for someone anyways," Rika said.

Zoro rubbed his forehead as he took it all in. Waiting for someone wasn't something that he'd do often. And there was no other reason for him to come to Shelltown. Bounties that he chased usually didn't travel that far out from his old hideout on Shimotsuki Village. That left only one explanation for his actions.

Somehow, the past version of himself actually KNEW Luffy was coming to pick him up and decided to let Morgan capture him. But the question was how.

The group was interrupted when several marines walked into the bar, gathering the attention of its patrons. Rika's mother also called for her who left for the kitchen.

"Hello, my name Lieutenant Ray and I am the second in command of this base after Morgan," he said as he bowed his head low, his subordinates did as well. "We are very grateful for your help in liberating the base, and would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

Luffy grinned. "Anytime."

Ray rose his head as his grin slowly faded away. "However, since you are pirates, I must ask that you all leave the island. Harbouring pirates is not something we can do despite everything you've done for us, but as thanks for your help we won't report you to headquarters."

Luffy nodded his head in acceptance, but his eyes turned to Coby whose face fell when Ray mistakenly associated him with the group.

"I guess I'll never be a marine…" he thought, but Luffy put his hand on his shoulder to reassure him.

"Coby here isn't with us..." Luffy said and Ray raised his eyebrow in confusion. "I… picked him up on an island…" Luffy said in a measured tone. "He wants to join the Marines..."

Ray caught the lilt in his voice, but sighed and simply nodded. They had done too much for the island for him to outright deny a request like that. "I see. We'll leave the recent past of his out of the application."

Luffy nodded a silent thank you to Ray as Zoro finished his drink. "We'll get going, I guess. Be a good marine, alright Coby? We're supposed to be rivals."

Coby met Luffy's eyes with determination. "Damn right I will!" he shouted into the sky, earning a chuckle from Ray.

"I guess this generation's recruits might not be so bad after all." Turning his attention back to Luffy and Zoro, he said, "We have a canoe for you ready to set sail. Please leave as soon as you can."

They both nodded and walked towards the door.

"Please wait!" a bar patron spoke up, and Luffy turned to face him. "I own a shipyard at the South end of the island. I can't let the saviours of Shelltown leave in a dinghy of all things! Please take one of my ships free of charge!" he said with a formal bow.

Zoro actually chuckled. "You're aid is greatly appreciated, Mister." This was a much better start to their journey than last time.

When the group, lead by the marines, arrived at the ship dock they prepared to say their final goodbyes. Zoro, however, couldn't shake this continued sense of dread that followed him as they left the bar.

"Don't forget us, Zoro-aniki!" Rika shouted. "Make sure you'll visit in the future!" Her voice brought Zoro back to reality, in which he smiled in response. Luffy was "preparing" the ship's rigging, another worrying thing altogether and they were almost ready to set sail.

"Promise," he said as he looked towards his captain who flashed him a thumbs up. As he did, the riggings he tied came undone and the sails came crashing down to the deck.

"We need some help, mister," Luffy said nonchalantly.

Ray sighed as his men boarded the ship to fix… well everything.

After a very stressful hour, the duo were ready to set sail.

"Bye, everyone!" Luffy shouted.

Ray actually ordered all marines to salute the ship as it sailed off into the distance, in which both Luffy and Zoro laughed.

"GRAND LINE, HERE WE COME!"

As night came, Luffy rested in his room. Zoro decided to take the nightwatch. He needed to test something. Thankfully, Luffy was a heavy sleeper.

In a motion that was as fluid as it was quick, Zoro drew and unsheathed his new sword.

"One sword style: Great Dragon Shock."

A mountain in the distance split in two. That confirmed he didn't lose all his power travelling back in time. But at the same time, it was a long way before he got back to his New World level of strength. He swore that, by the time he had previously arrived on Raftel, he could split the Red Line in two.

He sighed as he sat cross-legged on the deck and closed his eyes. Zoro traced a line from his left shoulder to his hip with his finger. In another life, that was his baptism into the Grand Line and a memoir of the lengths he'd have to go to catch up with the world's very best. The diagonal gash Mihawk had given him was no longer there. He was truly back in his old body.

"Hana," he called out in his head. "Can you hear me?"

A little girl appeared across from him in his head. Her dark brown hair and wide grin made Zoro smile as he recognized her. She waved at him.

"Hiya, Onii-chan! Enjoying your new life?"

A frown grew across Zoro's face now. He was surrounded completely by darkness as Hana sat down across from him.

"This isn't the timeline I remember. Care to explain?" Zoro asked. Hana rolled her eyes.

"I told you I only ate the fruit 2 days ago. Not my fault I'm not good at it yet."

Zoro's stern look didn't leave her and Hana sighed, "Look, I'm not a devil-fruit master and I guess separating the 2 timelines completely was a little too much for me to handle. Parts of your old reality are mixing together with this one and that's creating some... complications in the multiversal matrix… if you catch my drift."

"That means Luffy and everyone else could get all their memories back from my reality, right?"

"Who knows?" Hana shrugged. "Luffy might. Blackbeard might not. Sakazuki might. Franky might not. Of course, the opposite scenarios could happen as well. It's hard to tell."

"What I get for letting a kid send me back in time…" Zoro grunted, in which Hana shot him a glare.

"One more thing, I can only talk with you for about 5 minutes every week. That's the limit of my powers for now." Hana looked at her watch. "And I guess that's the limit for this conversation as well. We've got 1 minute left. Anything else you want to ask?"

Zoro nodded, before lifting his mysterious sword for Hana to see. Hana's eyes widened, before snickering.

"I guess you really did end up in one of the better timelines. Well, see ya later!" Hana said as she flashed Zoro a peace sign.

Zoro opened his eyes to the darkness of night. They would arrive at Orangetown in a few days. Lieutenant Ray (now a fully-fledged Captain) actually had his men set the compass and the route for them. This wasn't the Grand Line yet, so as long as they didn't touch anything, the ship would sail straight into the island in a few days.

Maybe it was a blessing for Hana to send him back even if a few things were different than before. Zoro stared into the sky as he thought of his Nakama. This time, he'd protect all of them.

A/N: Although it might look Zoro-centric so far, that's not where I'm taking this story. This chapter is only meant to set up what's going to come in the future (or past, see what I did there?) As for why I would send only Zoro back in particular? Too many time-travel fics only send back Luffy, but I thought I'd switch things up a little with Zoro. He is the "guardian" of the crew, per se. It'll add a whole other dimension of character development possibilities if, you know, I don't blow it.

Now, some of you may point out that Axe-Hand Morgan is a Lieutenant, and according to Volume 1 sitting in front of my desk, it very well does say that he's a Lieutenant. However, I'm just going with what the Wiki says. On another note, Captain Morgan is a lot easier to say than Lieutenant Morgan. You guys are reading the chapter in your heads, so it shouldn't really matter, but still it sounds weird, doesn't it?

This is going to be one of my most fun and ambitious projects yet given anything can happen. Like Hana said, "When different realities mix together, there's definitely going to be some complications within the multiversal matrix," but you'll all find out more about her eventually.