CHAPTER 1: LAFTEL

Wealth, fame, power. Once, there was a man who earned everything this world had to offer.

"Pirate King" Monkey D. Luffy.

He and his crew of dreamers sailed around the world, facing countless hardships and unimaginable struggles together. And eventually, the crew reached the edge of the world.

Laftel. Home of the legendary One Piece, the greatest treasure in history. And having reached the fabled island, it was Luffy's to claim.

It was of no comfort to the man in the shattered wooden capsule that had brought him to the island's shores. He faced the fog-shrouded land with no grand gestures or unbelievable joy. His journey came to an end the same way that it began: drifting in a barrel… alone.

Not since the time of the first King of the Pirates, Gold Roger, has anyone come this close to the One Piece, and yet this man cannot even remotely enjoy the moment of his dream coming true.

It means nothing without his crew. They died. He killed them. He could do nothing as he watched them fall one by one for his name's sake against the overwhelming forces of the world. The broken crew continued on, their reason to proceed weakening with every voice that left them, until in the end Luffy was left to use the most makeshift lifeboat imaginable to drift the rest of the way while his final crewmates perished for him. Even breathing is a trial for him now; he stands up not because he has the strength, but because he knows that he must. He would claim the ultimate treasure because it was what his nakama would want. It is the only thing left that he could do for them.

And so he faces the strange island, his eyes as devoid of life as the landscape that they reflect. A lack of breeze in the trees, a lack of trees for the lack of breeze, no sound of insects in the background; the rocky grey terrain is utterly silent, and even the fog around him seems unnaturally stagnant.

Luffy starts his trek, moving deeper into the island. Robin said the One Piece would be in the middle, she would have been so proud to be right. Nami would be having a field day with the island's strange rock formations and how the fog seemed to cover every inch of the island. Zoro would have probably already gotten lost despite that fact there was absolutely nothing to confuse him while Chopper and Usopp played in the fog. And Luffy would have joined them without a second thought.

But no. Luffy's closest companions were no more, forever beyond his reach and the hope of ever reaching their dreams. It is just him and the One Piece.

"Heso."

Luffy stops walking, wondering if this person who just came out of the fog is going to kill him. At this point it would be a blessing, he could pretend to put up a fight but… he just wants to see his nakama again. He is so tired.

The silhouette in the fog is short and about three meters in front of him, though that distance shrinks as it cautiously makes its way toward him. It speaks again, its voice as monotonous as the island around them. "Heso? You are here for the One Piece, I presume. The new Pirate King."

Luffy stares back blankly for a moment. Deciding not to correct them, he nods.

"Where is the rest of your crew?"

Whatever semblance of strength Luffy had forced up leaves him at the question, his legs giving out beneath him and his face contorting in anguish.

The person, a kid, doesn't give any reaction to his breakdown. Then, after a moment, they sigh out, "I see. Would you like to take a seat?" they ask, turning back to a nearby clearing.

Luffy sees himself follow them, though he does not feel it; it is as if he was watching someone control his body. The kid leads him to an out-of-place table and he takes a seat.

He is really starting to think he lost his mind when they pour him a cup of tea. When did that get there? Isn't there a story like this? Robin would know. She loved books. Or maybe Chopper? It was a children's book with animals and teacups and cards like that. Or Sanji! He liked reading stories like that even if he would never admit it.

And now, he never would admit it…

"Can you tell me about your crew?"

Luffy doesn't notice when he answers them. He doesn't know what time it is. He doesn't know where the sun is or how long he was there. He doesn't know who this kid is. He doesn't know anything.

His crew would know, his crew would know for him because they were so smart and so kind and so wonderful and he didn't know when he started talking and what it was about. All he knows is that he doesn't stop even when his untouched tea grows cold and his voice grows rough and dry.

He wonders when it got so quiet. Oh, he stopped talking. When did that happen?

"I think I can help you and your situation." The stranger hadn't spoken a word the whole time he was talking. And now that they break their silence, their voice is so light and crisp. So neutral.

Luffy shakes his head, there is nothing they can do to help him.

"I can give you a chance to try again."

Luffy's eyes squint slightly, the only evidence that he is listening.

"You can save your crew," they push on.

"…What are you talking about?" Luffy's voice is rough with use. He doesn't care. What are they saying? They better not be playing games.

"Behind me is the One Piece. It's yours if you choose to claim it; you can move on and complete your journey to become the Pirate King. Or you can come with me and try this again. I can send you back, back to the beginning of this story and you can try again."

Luffy can't believe his ears, there is no way…right?! "How…how can you do that?"

He actually looks at them, really looks at them for the first time. They look like a girl, but he's not sure… they are pale, but not pale like snow… pale like… a cloudy day. Their hair is grey and straight, bangs covering their face, barely showing a nose and chapped lips. Behind them, it reaches all the way to their feet down to their feet. Overall they are…blank. He could usually get a good read out of people, but this person is more or less simply…there. No significant features of any kind to speak of. It takes him a minute to realize what they remind him of, but as Nami and Robin cross his mind again, he makes the connection: they are like a piece of unused paper.

"I am willing to make a contract with you. If you agree to the contract, then I will be able to send you back to the beginning of your tale in order for you to rewrite it. I can leave your mind intact, your memories and experiences, and your Devil Fruit powers. However, your physical attributes must revert to their original strength, and as a result your Haki will be temporarily unusable."

Luffy feels his heart swell with something he thought he had forgotten. Hope. "Yes! Please! Please send me back! If there is anything I can do to save them, I will!"

The kid inhales slowly, the only sign of life he has seen from them. "Are you sure? The One Piece is right there. The contract cannot be made unless you are willing to walk away from your dream."

"I DON'T CARE!" Luffy yells, tears now falling freely, "My dream means nothing if I can't have my crew by my side! I am no King of the Pirates if it means sacrificing my crew to get here!"

The kid's lips twist. Luffy has seen small smiles before, smiles from people that are not used to smiling. But this kid has the smallest one he has ever seen. "Very well." They pull out a single piece of paper from their white robes and a homemade pencil made entirely out of lead. "But there is one condition."

"Anything!" He doesn't care what it was, he would cut off both his arms and legs if that is what they want… though he still hopes they don't want that.

The kid takes another pause before stating their condition: "I will have to accompany you as part of our bargain."

"Okay."

"I….uh… really?" Their monotone voice breaks a little, clearly caught off-guard from Luffy's answer.

"Sure. Let's go."

"I-I didn't think you would be so, uh, approving with this."

"Yeah," Luffy gives his wide grin for the first time in… ah, who cares! "You're going to help me save my crew so that makes you nakama too."

The kid's neutral façade crumbles into confusion and bafflement bit by bit as Luffy speaks; the pirate almost laughs at the kid's utterly lost face. It was like a robot with a wrong math problem. Franky always said to stop making the computer he made divide by zero but the sad face it made was so funny!

"Come on! What are we waiting for!" Luffy exclaims; his spirit had been ignited again, and with it his lack of patience to get to the next adventure.

"Oh! Um, yes?" The kid's mysterious air is all gone, but they compose themselves back to neutral as they give Luffy the pencil and pushes the paper to him, "Just… please sign here…"

Luffy signs the paper in the neatest handwriting he had ever had to write.

"…What are you doing?"

Luffy knew that voice. It was the same tone that Sanji used whenever Luffy tried to cook. It sounded like a question, but it really meant stop.

"I'm writing my signature."

"No," they say firmly, "You are not." They point to Luffy's 'signature.' "That is the word 'me.'"

"Yeah?" he does not see what's wrong, "I'm me, duh."

The kid takes a deep breath, like Nami used to whenever she was about to punch him. "Give me the pencil and watch closely."

Let it be known that it was this day Monkey D. Luffy learned how to write his own name… after 3 pencils, 8 pages of paper, and 47 attempts.

Monkey D. Luffy.

He puts the pencil down. The kid takes a whole minute to calm themselves, and then they take the paper back and fold it neatly in half between their palms, then twice, then three times, until it was gone in their hands.

For a few moments, they sit and wait, Luffy's excitement slowly building as he sees the fog around them start to become heavier and heavier…and then he realizes that he forgot something.

"Oh, by the way, who are you?"

"Are you really asking that now?" they ask. And for the first time in however long, Luffy laughs, at first just at the mild but clear exasperation in their voice, but as the fog swallows them both, the reality of his choice sinks in, and he finds he can't stop nor does he want to.

Just like that, Laftel vanishes, the One Piece vanishes, and Luffy just keeps laughing and laughing as he and the stranger vanish too.

Don't worry, everyone, I'm coming back!

OOO

Luffy can feel himself waking up. He can't see but he feels it, his body waking up, his breathing changing. He can hear the sea crashing against his little boat and the cawing of a stray seagull or two, but he still doesn't open his eyes. He can't remember ever feeling this relaxed. He doesn't dare to open his eyes in case this is all a dream.

But something feels… off.

His body's pain is no longer there, the constant pain from past battles isn't even in the back of his mind. It's just…gone. His breathing doesn't bother him like it usually would. Whenever he breathes in, it feels as easy as it was when he went out to sea for the first time.

Wait, what is going on?

He opens his eyes at last and sits up—oh, he was laying down, and in a really pathetic boat.

…No, not just any pathetic boat, it's his pathetic boat.

It worked. As that one thought cements itself, he almost passes out at the surge of emotion through his mind. Every last memory of losing his crew, every ounce of agony and despair, every tear that he had shed… gone. Not from his mind, but they hadn't happened yet. He was back at the beginning. His nakama were alive.

Euphoria floods his senses as he realizes it again: it worked. It worked!

"IT WORKED!" Luffy shouts at the top of his lungs, then collapses back into mad laughter. He laughs and laughs until he cries, then he laughs more. The only thing that makes him stop is that he soon finds himself running out of breath; he almost passes out before he gets his breathing under control and looks back down at his body.

It was the same young and scrawny form that had set out from Dawn Island…geez, I really was a kid when I set off, wasn't I? He smiles at the thought, a kid.

He is a kid, again. He is young and free and happy again. He had a mountain of training ahead of him to get back to where he was if he couldn't even handle laughing as much as he used to, but that's fine. It was a fresh start.

The boat is not that impressive, though. Did he really use this when he left? How did he not die?

Just as well, the Pirate King made his entrance with a boat that didn't even make out of the East Blue. Though now that he looks back on it, it really was a miracle that he got this far knowing so little. This time is going to be different though. He promises.

Also in the boat is… the kid.

They are laying down, apparently asleep. They are as young and as pale as before, but their appearance has changed. Their floor-length grey hair is now in a low ponytail, and they are wearing a white tank top, grey shorts, some flip-flops, and a big white jacket. A white bandana covers their head and eyes. Luffy also sees a thick book with a four-sided star on the cover laying beside them; he was far from an expert on books, but he had seen Robin holding one that looked like that enough times that he knows it's some kind of journal.

Luffy looks back at the stranger, staring at them for a second. He pokes them in the face. Nothing.

He pokes them again. They groan a bit. It works!

Poke.

Groan.

Poke.

Groan.

Poke.

Groan.

Poke.

Groan.

Poooooooooooooooke.

They finally get up and push him in the face. "CEASE!" they snap loudly.

Luffy just bounces right back, having the audacity to laugh at the kid. "You're the one who's asleep on a dingy boat."

"It is improper to poke someone awake," they retort, back to their matter-of-fact voice as they calm down.

Luffy shrugs, never one to care about the proper way to do things…except parties, of course. "By the way, why did you change your clothes?"

The kid looks at their new garments, tugging on them slightly as though only now noticing the change. "…they seemed… piratey," the kid mumbles, as if it is the most logical answer they can think of.

Luffy nods, understanding completely. You gotta look cool if you are going to be the best, after all. It only makes sense.

The kid's neutrality breaks again as they look around, grabbing the side of the boat and taking in the sight of the endless sea, the sun high in the sky above them.

"Hey, are you okay?" Luffy asks in concern. He really hopes they don't regret their deal because there's no way he's going back… forward. Whatever, time travel is weird.

They shake their head, "I… I have been trapped on that island for so… so long, and…and now…" They put a hand under their bandana. "I'm free," they whisper.

Luffy grins at that. If there was one thing he loved about being a pirate more than anything else, it was the freedom. To do what you want, to go on adventures and make friends, and being the King meant being the freest of them all. Even free to give everything up to do it all over again… and he wasn't complaining one bit.

"I…" They finally notice the… wetness coming from their eyes? Are they dying? They can't be dying, they just got here! Now their chest is hurting!"I… can't…"

Luffy puts a hand on their back—

"Ah!" Only for the kid to flinch away as though struck, letting out what was meant to be a scream but was really just a loud whisper.

Luffy pulls his hand back fast. They are so cold!

His hand! they think. It was… so hot!

Wait… Hot… he touched them… they can… feel again.

They can… feel…

They are experiencing feelings.

"Just take deep breaths," Luffy slowly moves towards them. He doesn't know why they are panicking and confused, but this was his new nakama; he would do whatever he could to make them feel better.

The kid follows his instructions, taking deep breaths and silently chastising themselves. They are acting irrationally and they know it.

They have to pull themselves together.

Luffy waits for them to calm down, then remembers that he never got an answer to his last question to them. "So, who are you?" he asks again.

The person sits back on the boat and faces their new companion. "It… it is hard to believe you willingly traveled back in time before inquiring who you were putting your faith into. That shows signs of irresponsibility."

"Hey, hey," Luffy waves his hand, he isn't irresponsible, he just knows what he wants and wants it now.

They elect to ignore him. "I am L. Oyal of Laftel and I consumed the Paper-Paper Fruit. I have the ability to control paper." Oyal puts their hands together and when they open them, sheets of paper flutter between them as though they had just opened a book.

Luffy's eyes sparkle, "WOOOOOOOOOW, that's so COOL! Can you make origami?"

"My power is not to be considered a toy… however, that is in my realm of possibilities."

They make a hand motion and one of the pages tears free and folds in on itself multiple times, becoming a little paper samurai. It is only logical that they should demonstrate their powers.

Luffy claps his hands, "Awesome! Make him dance!"

It is only logical to show the full extent of one's abilities. They comply, making the little samurai do a little jig.

Luffy gives a big laugh at the dancing paper samurai. "Neat! But, uh…how does that make us go back in time?"

Oyal unmakes the samurai and closes their hands, then picks up the journal as they explain. "With a Awakened Devil Fruit I am able to make the world around me into paper, or a contract if you will. I have had a long period of time to master my Devil Fruit, probably beyond what should be expected, but if I have someone willingly record their life into a contract then I have the ability to view their life in my pages."

They flip the pages for examples and sure enough, the whole journal shows Luffy's adventures in picture book format from the past few years, from the end to the beginning where it shows the same kid on the same boat as them but this time he is alone and naïvely blissful to what is to come.

"Oh, so you wrote down my past and changed it, huh?" Luffy nods. For once, it actually makes sense.

"Negative."

Never mind.

Oyal continues their lecture, "I can never change that past; erasing a sentence and rewriting it is more of a book power than a paper one. My powers cannot extend to the power of 'books' and book-like abilities, so I have been able to form contracts instead. Through the recording of your life through my contract, I have been able to turn your history into paper."

And on, and on and on…"Through the contract you signed, you agreed to give up… a seemingly undocumented number of years of your life to me, as seen with my journal, and in exchange, I was able to accompany you on your second term. Now to go into more detail as for when and where you were to land, I used a time-based algorithm to estimate the location. With the unique temporal properties of Laftel, my journals record the patterns of the stars for the past thousands of years, to the point that I can read and understand them flawlessly… on Laftel, at least."

They puts their hands together and makes a book again, but this time the pages show thousands of star graphs, "Without being able to escape that island I could only look at the same stars from my position. So it is not as much as I can change reality, but more I am able to reflect reality and vice versa as I only do so through mathematics. Changing history would require literature, which again is a more book-related element that my Fruit does not cover. Rather than a reality of its own, I was able to project into… You do not understand any of this at all, do you?" they ask, finally taking notice of Luffy's clueless face.

Luffy shakes his head. "Nope."

Oyal gives a small sigh. "There has to way to explain this to you…" They pick up their journal, flipping through a few pages until they find what they are looking for. "This will do… it is a mystery contract."

"Ooooooh! Why didn't you say so?" Really, they could have just said that at the beginning. Always making things so difficult.

Oyal closes their journal and tucks the thing in a very big pocket inside their oversized jacket, "… Um, for confirmation, you have held your part of the agreement. You got me off of that island so… thank you, Luffy." They are… sincere. They didn't think someone would actually give up the One Piece to take them up on their offer to help.

Luffy shakes his head. "You're helping me save my friends, so I should be thanking you."

His words gave them... another feeling? "My explanation is that it was only logical. A mutual benefit to the both of us." the kid look out to the sea. "Our contract read that I am to take you back here, so once we reach land you can drop me off. I won't be a bother to you any longer."

"Nah."

…Excuse me? they think. "… Please explain what you mean by 'Nah?'" they request aloud, going over the contract again in their head. "I have helped you get back to your past and, in favor, you saved me from that island. That was the deal."

"I already decided when you said you'd help me." Luffy stands up, rocking the boat a bit. "You are going to join my crew."

Oyal's jaw hangs a little, only a little. "You…you are mistaken. You can't simply decide that," they say quite factually.

"Yes, I can," he replies just as factually.

They refuse to accept this, "We shall see about that…" They open their journal to disprove his claim. The best way to disprove an argument is with evidence.

…

Yes, he can… as the evidence is to be seen. It would seem that was how he received most of his crew. Oyal now knows that he will not stop.

He is just like Him.

The kid sighs a bit, no point in arguing for the time being. They will have to leave at the last stop anyway. "Very well, My Captain it is."

"Great! From now on, you're my… witch."

"I am not a witch."

Luffy pouts. "You said you had a dream, right?"

"I… I have a goal," they say shakily. They hate being caught off-guard. "Stargazing becomes a… necessity for so long and I…" They pause, words seeming to fail them. "I have always wanted to map out the sky. I could only get so much from Laftel and even then, the time there works differently but now… I have the ability to do so."

"Ah, so a witch!"

Oyal gives a sigh, they will lose their breath at this rate. "It is not witchcraft. It is astronomy."

Luffy nods sagely. "Alright, then from now on you are my… star-magician!"

Even with a thousand years of patience, this teen is testing theirs. "I am an astronomer," they nearly grit out.

They had waited for this freedom for so long… but they already know they are going to regret going along with this.

OOO