One Piece Fan Fiction ❯ Friend or Foe? ❯ Part 1: The Meeting ( Chapter 1 )

FRIEND OR FOE!? NEITHER! ENTER NEW RIVALS!

Luffy and his crew are currently sailing on their way to the New World itching for new adventures and more excitement than ever before. However, unknown to them, a new challenge lurks in their shadows behind them. At a certain island, a man is walking into a bar. He's about 5'11” with short brown hair and a medium build body wearing loose black pants and a black vest. On his back is a katana sword and around his waist on his back are two daggers with a middle sized sword on his left hip. As he steps into the bar, the volume begins to lower to a murmur as he steps closer to the bartender. As he approaches the bar, several people turn their gaze to him, intently and deeply wondering his true intentions. The man sits in a stool and slams down a gold coin as he hunches over and folds his arms on the bar table.

“What will it be?” The bartender is cleaning a glass while looking at the guy. He sets the glass down in front of him and pushes it in front of the man sitting in the stool. As the glass stops right in front of the guy, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper.

“Information. Have you seen this man?” He unravels the piece of paper to show a wanted poster. The people in the bar inch closer as if to peek their eyes into the conversation itself. The bartender looks down at the poster and smirks.

“Roronoa Zoro? Yeah, he was just here not too long ago. I believe he said he was heading out to meet up with his captain.” The man's eyes lit up quickly as he sits up straight. Everyone gasps in the room at the mention of Zoro's name.

“Do you know which way he was headed?”

“Not specifically. But I noticed the ship he got on heading east further down the grand line a while ago.” The man grabs the paper and stuffs it back into his pocket as he stands up and starts heading for the door.

“Thanks for the tip!” He bursts through the door and dashes towards the coast avoiding people on the street. When he arrives at the coast, there is a man lying down on the beach. He's about 6'2” with dark blood red hair braided in cornrows that ties back into a ponytail. His body is huge and very heavily layered with thick muscles and coated in dark skin. He's wearing black and yellow shorts with white and yellow sandals and a black tank top with a wheat stem in his mouth. As the man gets closer, the man on the beach looks up at him and smiles cheerfully.

“Kazu! You finished going through the town?” Kazu continues walking right past him and as he gets close to the water, he slowly gets into a sprinter's stance. The man on the beach goes from lying down with his hands on the back of his head to sitting up. “Man, are you ignoring me again? Look, if it's about me singing when you're sleeping I am sorry.” Kazu quickly dashes off and begins running on top of the water out to sea. The man extends his hand out towards the sea as if reaching for Kazu. “Hey, hey, hey! Kazu! Where are you going?” The man on the beach shrugs his shoulders as Kazu fades into the distance from view. As he lies back down on the beach and places his hands back on to the back of his head, about three people come up behind him and look at the man.

“Hey Captain, have you seen Vice Captain Kazu?” The captain nods his head and points out in the direction Kazu just left.

“Yeah, he just left heading that way.” The three people become utterly surprised.

“What? He left? Why didn't you go with him?” The captain shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly.

“He'll be alright. I'm not gonna worry about it.” The three men look at each other and then rush the Captain and grab him. The captain immediately begins trying to push them off but they hold on to him tightly.

“Come on! We're going after him.”

“Let me go! I want to relax! It's the beach!” They carry him off the beach and on to a pirate ship with a jolly roger that has an iron skull with iron spinal cords crossing behind the skull instead of normal bones with an insignia around the spinal cords. They immediately set sail out into the sea and begin following after Kazu. Meanwhile, far off in the ocean, the Strawhat pirates are living another day like any other. Sanji is in the kitchen cooking while Nami is in her room drawing out her maps and Robin is reading a book. Zoro is training up in the look-out tower and Brook is with him sipping some tea keeping an eye out for the next island. Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp are on the stern side fishing and Franky is below deck doing daily maintenance with the ship.

“Hey, Usopp you haven't caught anything yet?”

“No Luffy because YOU keep scaring the fish!”

“So it's a mystery.” Usopp taps Luffy's head with the side of his hand repeatedly.

“Hey. It's not a mystery.” Just then Chopper squeals.

“Hey! Guys I got a bite!” Luffy and Usopp quickly move over to be behind Chopper and watch him start pulling the rod in. Chopper transforms into his human beast form and the two help him tug. All three fall back onto the deck of the ship and see a nice sized fish in front of them. They quickly throw the fish in the aquarium tank and cheer by holding hands and jumping up and down while moving in a circle.

“Good job Chopper! Alright! My turn to catch something.” Usopp quickly grabs Luffy's fishing pole.

“Wait Luffy! Let me show you how the GREAT CAPTAIN USOPP fishes and catch the manliest fish EVER!” Luffy and Chopper's face lights up with excitement.

“Yeah! Go Usopp!” Usopp leans back as he balances his body on one leg and brings his hand with the fishing pole in it behind his back. He quickly turns his body and launches the fishing line out into the sea. The two watching `ooh' and `ahh' as they see the line fly outwards. Usopp smirks at his proud achievement of launching the fishing line out to sea but something catches his eye in the distance. He squints his eyes and looks out to sea.

“Hey, you guys, what is that?” The two look out in the distance with him but Chopper and Luffy stare intently not able to see anything. Chopper looks up at Usopp with a sorrowful guilt.

“I don't see anything Usopp.” Usopp pulls his goggles down and focuses them to zoom in on the tiny object he sees in the distance.

“Let's see…I wonder what that is?” Usopp focuses the lens and he begins to see a man running on top of the sea heading towards him. “Hey, hey, hey, hey! THERE'S A MAN RUNNING ON THE OCEAN HEADING STRAIGHT TOWARDS US!” Chopper goes into a high pitched scream with Usopp as Luffy turns to look at him questioningly.

“Usopp, you don't have to lie.”

“I'm not lying Luffy! Look for yourself!” Usopp thrusts a pair of binoculars into Luffy's face and Luffy immediately gets excited.

“Woohoo! I see him! He's running on the water! I wonder how he's doing that? Do you think he'll want to join us?”

“Come on Luffy, don't ask him to join us! I got the scared of people running on water disease.”

“Me too Luffy!” Luffy looks at Usopp and Chopper and frowns. Meanwhile, out in the distance, the man running on the water is Vice Captain Kazu. As he looks ahead, he can see the Strawhat ship in the distance which brings a smile to his face. He places his right hand on the dagger behind his back and unsheathes it quickly.

“Finally…it's Strawhat's ship! RORONOA ZORO! I'LL TEAR YOU APART!” Kazu jumps into the air towards the ship. As he comes down in the air he lands on the watch tower. “KAI FIGHTING STYLE….DANCE OF SHADOWS!” Kazu spins in the air and then cuts open the tower with his attack. As his attack pierces through the watch tower, Zoro senses the incoming attack and quickly grabs his sword and deflects it from going towards the deck of the ship. As the watch tower room is split in half. The ceiling begins to slide off from the lookout and hits the deck.

“YOHOHOHOHO! That was close! EVERYONE! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!” Brook shouts to everyone else on the ship as Zoro stares at the far side wall to see Kazu crouched on the edge of the tower looking dead at Zoro.

“You bastard! Who are you?” Kazu chuckles to himself as he smiles with an evil stare and clenched fists gripped around his daggers as he had drew the second one out and holds one in each hand.

“Roronoa Zoro…” Kazu then takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. When he opens his eyes his whole body is now relaxed and at ease and he smiles truthfully at Zoro. “Yo!” At the same time, Usopp has been running around the ship screaming.

“EVERYONE! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! PLEASE HELP US!” The door to Nami's room opens as she slowly steps out.

“What is going on out here?” She turns her head to look at Usopp running around in circles, Chopper cowering behind Luffy who is looking up at the watch tower. Then she looks over to Robin who is walking over to her. “Robin, what is Usopp screaming about?” Robin pulls some of her long hair back behind her ear as she smiles and points to the watch tower.

“Someone was running on the water towards us and leaped up to the watch tower and cut it.” She points at the watch tower and Nami slowly turns her head to look up and see the ceiling to the tower cut off and on the deck floor.

“WHAT IN THE WORLD?” She turns her attention immediately to Luffy who is still staring up at the watch tower. “Luffy, why aren't you doing anything?” Luffy remains silent and intently watches the lookout tower as Franky pops his head up from below deck and Sanji comes out of the kitchen.

“HEY! Nami-swan! Robin-chwan!” Sanji runs over to Nami and Robin while holding his hands together on his right cheek.

“What was that noise from earlier?” Franky turns his head to see the ceiling to the watch tower and immediately looks up at the watch tower. “DAMNIT ZORO! CONTROL YOURSELF UP THERE!” Back on the watch tower, Zoro is holding all three of his swords and is poised to fight but Vice Captain Kazu is still smiling with his two daggers drawn.

“You bastard, stop smiling and tell me who you are!” Kazu takes a deep breath and looks up at the sky. While still looking at the sky he drops from the top of the watch tower to the floor.

“Roronoa Zoro…DIE!” In the blink of an eye Kazu runs by Zoro and cuts him in his side. Zoro gasps at the wound and immediately spins around to a quarter turn.

“SANTOURYUU…” Kazu quickly turns his head to look at Zoro. “TATSUMAKI!” Just then the air spins around Kazu and blows him upwards. Kazu moves in the whirlwind and avoids the cutting gusts of wind and as he freefalls towards the room, takes one of his daggers and raises it above his head.

“SKY AXE!” Kazu swings his arm straight downward towards Zoro as he stands firm and places all three of his swords above his head to block it. After he blocks the attack, some of the slash hits the floor and scars the deck of the ship. Franky, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper avoid it as Nami screams from the force of the attack. Sanji immediately turns his head up to the watch tower and screams.

“Hey you Marimo bastard, STOP DAMAGING THE SHIP!” Nami hits Sanji over the head.

“It's not Zoro! Someone's up there doing this! Luffy! Stop standing there like an idiot and do something!” Luffy turns his head and looks at Nami.

“Don't worry about it. Zoro can handle it. Besides, whoever is up there is more interested in Zoro. Let him handle this.” Back in the watch tower, Zoro and Kazu are continually clashing their weapons together as the two look for an opening to strike a blow. Kazu dodges all of Zoro's swings as Zoro ends up blocking most of Kazu's.

“You're too slow Zoro! Too exhausted from training?”

“Be quiet. NITOURYUU IIYA….RASHOUMAN!” Suddenly Zoro flies across the floor and comes down hard with a quick draw slice from his two swords which Kazu blocks but the force of the swing still goes past the block and cuts both of Kazu's shoulders. Kazu laughs loudly with full deep chuckles that rumble from his stomach.

“Zoro…Zoro…I WILL DESTROY YOUR SWORDSMANSHIP!” Kazu turns his wrists and kicks Zoro in the stomach to knock him across the room in to the wall and before Zoro can recover he kicks him again through the wall and Zoro falls to the deck of the ship. Usopp and Luffy run over to Zoro immediately.

“Zoro! Are you okay?” Zoro coughs up blood as he breathes heavily while struggling to hold himself up.

“Stay back! I'm fine Luffy.” Brook cowers in the corner of the watch room but as he turns his head he notices a ship in the distance steadily approaching. He quickly runs over to the speaker system and grabs the microphone.

“LUFFY! THERE'S A SHIP APPROACHING FROM THE STERN! IT'S A PIRATE SHIP!” Kazu keeps his eyes on Zoro as everyone else turns their attention to the ship approaching. Usopp uses his goggles to zoom in on the ship. The ship is huge, roughly the same size as the Thousand Sunny, with two sails and giant oars attached to the side of the ship that have a red marking wrapping around them that matches the marking around the bones in the jolly roger. On top of each sail is a flag pole with their pirate flag attached which consists of a jolly roger with a metal skull and bones and some red marking that goes around the bones. Written across both of the sails that are black in red ink is `Steel Chest'. The ship itself is made up of dark colored wood that appears to look almost black with a red tint in the sunlight. Behind the sails is a door that leads to a huge room and above that room on the roof is the helm. At the back of the ship is a huge propeller system that uses the blades of a windmill that is in the water.

“Usopp, is Brook right?”

“Yeah! It's definitely a pirate ship!” Just then Kazu lands on the deck in front of Zoro. Zoro leaps up to his feet and swings his blades at Kazu but he dodges it and counters with a fist to Zoro's face to slam him down to the ground.

“Your blades are dull and your passion is dead…soon your heart will follow.” Over on the pirate ship that is steadily approaching, the Captain from the beach is standing on the bow of the ship with a toothpick in his mouth.

“Ahh…that was a good meal.”

“Captain! Strawhat pirates are dead ahead!” The captain turns his head and looks directly at the ship in front of him. He smiles and places his right hand on his chin and rubs his beard.

“Strawhat, huh? Interesting….You certainly know how to make things interesting Kazu.” His face then turns from a grin to a bleek frown with his eyes showing a worried gaze. “He's gonna be pissed at me for this though.” The captain turns his attention to his quarters as he gazes at the door to his room. “First things first, I better inform him first.” The captain turns his body around and begins walking to his room. “Hey! No one is to bother me or enter my room! I'll be right back!” They all respond a loud `yes sir'. The captain goes into his room and closes the door and walks over to his desk and pulls out a den den mushi that he has in his pocket. It rings four times and then a voice picks up on the other end.

“Hello? Garp here! Who is this?”

“Hey Garp. It's me. I've got something important to tell you.”

“Oh, Lt. Brenan! It's you. Where have you been?”

“That's not important. What is important is that I found him.”

“Found who?”

“Monkey D. Luffy.” The captain hangs up the line and puts the den den mushi back into his pocket as he steps out of his quarters. When he gets back on the deck, he walks straight to the bow of the ship and gazes forward towards the Strawhat pirates' ship. He takes the toothpick out of his mouth and keeping it in his hand, he places his hands into his pockets. His eyes shift and he releases a haki blast straight at the ship. As the blast passes over the ship, Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji feel the intensity of the haki that is released. Kazu stops dead in his tracks and looks straight at the ship. He turns his body away from Zoro as he slowly sheathes his daggers.

“He always manages to kill my fun.” As the ship starts to pull up alongside the Strawhat's ship the captain begins smiling and waving his hands as Kazu crosses his arms and stands still where he's at.

“Hey! Strawhat Luffy! I've been looking for you!”

“What? For me? Who are you?” Kazu unfolds his arms and starts walking over to where the ceiling of the watch tower is.

“Brenan D. Rox. You can call me Rox.” Rox turns his gaze from Luffy to Kazu. “That guy over there is my vice captain, Kai Kazu. I apologize for the damage he's done to your ship. He can be a bit aggressive.”

“SHUT UP! I'm not aggressive…I'm just angry.” Usopp, Nami, and Sanji then look at Kazu questioningly as Usopp waves his hand back and forth.

“Isn't that the same thing?” The captain nods his head agreeing with him.

“Definitely the same thing.” Suddenly the captain gets punched in the face by Kazu.

“Screw you! You have no idea how long I've waited to fight Zoro!” Kazu unsheathes his middle sized blade and holds it up to Rox neck. Rox smiles faintly as he uses his hands to push Kazu off of him.

“Now, now Kazu, just relax.” Kazu sheathes his sword and starts walking away.

“Whatever!” Kazu then turns his head to Zoro who is standing with his swords sheathed away. “Zoro! We will finish our fight!” Rox watches Kazu walk away slowly towards his room on the ship. When he gets to the room he opens the door and slams it hard behind him. Rox watches him and shakes his head. He folds his arms and turns his gaze to Luffy and his crew.

“So who wants a barbeque?” Sanji and Nami immediately look at Rox with deep intrigue.

“Huh? Your friend comes over here and attacks us, damages the ship and you expect us to trust you enough to feed us? What are you, an idiot?” Nami nods her head in agreement to Sanji's words but they look up to see Luffy, Brook, Chopper and Usopp already dancing with Rox.

“BAR-BE-QUE! BAR-BE-QUE! BAR-BE-QUE!”

“Listen to others when they're speaking Luffy!” Zoro walks over to join the others as he takes a deep heavy sigh.

“Good grief.”

“Sanji! I want a barbeque!”

“Shut up idiot! What about the ship?” Rox slides in between Luffy and Sanji to interject into the conversation.

“I'll make the repairs after we eat. Don't worry about it.”

“You can repair a ship?”

“Of course! And if you're still uneasy about it, you can have your shipwright supervise the repairs.”

“You bet we will.” Luffy then raises his arms in the air.

“Enough of that! LET'S BARBEQUE EVERYONE!” Everyone responds with an `alright' to the idea and begin walking over to Rox's ship. Meanwhile, Kazu is lying on his bed as another person knocks on his door.

“What?”

“Sir, I just wanted you to know that Captain Rox is preparing to start the barbeque.”

“Fine. I'll be out later. Where's Lucas?”

“He's still asleep below deck sir.”

“Geez! Asleep again? That fool!” Kazu hops off the bed and slowly walks over to the door. After he opens the door, the soldier immediately steps back to give Kazu some room. “You're dismissed! Go back to your post!”

“Yes sir! My apologies!” The officer takes off running as Kazu watches him run off and take a deep sigh.

“Good grief. Got to do everything around here. No good Lucas! Lazy fool!” Kazu starts making his way below deck and as he gets to the bottom of the steps, he walks straight towards the back. When he gets to the back, he immediately sees a guy that is about 5'11” that is medium built with a muscular body, brown skin, and wavy black hair. His eyes are closed and he's induced in a deep sleep in which he snores profusely that echoes off the walls. He is wearing a shirt that only has one sleeve on his left arm and pants with one leg cut to shorts length. Around his wrists and ankles are prison chains that are linked together by a 10” chain. Kazu kicks the bed the man is laying on which stirs him out of his slumber. “Hey! Lucas! Wake up!”

“Hmm….? What time is it?” Before Kazu can utter a response, Lucas already falls back to sleep. Kazu hits him across the back of the head with a closed fist.

“WAKE UP ALREADY! The man you're looking for is on deck.” Lucas takes a big yawn and then opens one eye at Kazu.

“What you say….? Franky is here….?”

“Yeah. Didn't you say you were looking for him?” Lucas takes a big yawn and starts stretching his arms out. He slowly sits up and then stands to his feet.

“Take me to him.” Lucas yawns again as he starts walking to the deck. Kazu shakes his head and folds his arms across his chest as he starts walking behind him. As the two get to the stairs to go up to the deck they both can hear music playing and people cheering and laughing. Lucas turns his head to look at Kazu. “What's all the noise?”

“I dunno. I heard that Rox was planning to barbeque but…?” Kazu steps in front of Lucas as he slowly approaches the door and after placing his hand on it he slowly pushes it open. The bright light from the sun shines through the door as the two shields their eyes. When their eyes finally adjust to the light they can see Luffy and Chopper dancing on a table as Brook is playing music on his violin. Nami is clapping to the music as Usopp is cheering and singing and Sanji and Rox are cooking on the grill. Robin is at the table sitting while laughing at Luffy as Zoro is sitting on the deck against the rail with a big cup of sake. “WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?” Rox turns his head to see Kazu and Lucas and waves.

“Hey you two! Come get some of this food! It's AWESOME!” Kazu grits his teeth and slowly grinds them together as he stares at Rox.

“The hell are you doing now Rox?”

“Hey, hey, hey! This ain't my fault! Luffy's crew is doing this! I had absolutely nothing to do with this.”

“Really…?” Rox raises his hand in the air and places his other hand on his heart.

“On Davy Jones coffin, I swear!” Just then bright lights are shined on top of the ship as everyone slowly turns their head and sees Franky standing in a striking pose with his arms together above his head.

“I…AM…SUPER FRANKY!” Kazu turns his head to Rox as Rox looks at him in shock.

“Rox…isn't that the bright lights you stole from those rich people to do a concert on the ship?” Rox slowly shifts his eyes away from Kazu as he chuckles to himself.

“Maybe…?” Kazu then starts running towards Rox as Rox waves his hands in front of him.

“Wait, wait, wait! We can talk about this!”

“Die, stupid captain!” Rox then begins running away from Kazu as Kazu starts chasing him around the ship. As the two are running around Luffy cheers for Rox.

“Hey Rox, don't let him catch you!” Rox smiles and then jumps behind Luffy. Rox places his hand on Luffy's shoulder and smiles while looking at Kazu.

“He NEVER catches me. That's why I'm captain!” Rox begins laughing until suddenly Kazu then kicks him in the side of the head. Luffy bursts into a fit of laughs. Meanwhile, Franky has been dancing on top of the ship as Lucas slowly approaches him.

“Franky…it's been a long time.” Franky stops dancing to turn his head and sees Lucas. He lifts his shades in shock.

“What are you doing here? Lucas Lionheart!” Lucas smiles and walks over and puts his arm around Franky. “I thought Iceburg locked you up for life?”

“Oh he definitely did. But on the day of the big wave that hit Water 7 I was able to break free. The water flooded the prison and thanks to that I was able to break free through the sewer system. Once I got out I went looking for you but couldn't find anyone in the gang so I just went to the docks and slept until the storm passed. It wasn't until much later when I heard word that you had left and joined Strawhat's crew. So I took a ship and set out looking for you and eventually I came across these guys and decided to join them so I could sleep more.”

“You moron. Still as lazy as ever! By the way, I've been thoroughly impressed with this ship. Did you help them build it?”

“No, by the time I came across them the ship had already been made. I did help make some improvements to it though.”

“What's this thing called?”

“Didn't you see it earlier? It's written on the sails, Steel Chest.”

“I see…interesting name for the ship.”

“So what you been doing?”

“That's a long story.” As Franky and Lucas continue talking, on the deck, everyone is sitting at the table. Luffy by this point has become huge from eating so much food and is on the floor. Kazu takes a deep sigh.

“Geez you eat a lot Luffy.”

“It was delicious!” Sanji nodded his head as he looked over at Rox.

“Those were very interesting flavors. Didn't think you could mix those kinds of spices and sauces together but it's very good Rox.” Sanji takes a puff of his cigarette as he looks over at Rox. Rox smiles at Sanji.

“Thanks Sanji.” As Sanji places the cigarette back into his mouth, Robin turns her head to look at Rox.

“So how did you become captain Rox?” Robin glances over at Rox with a shallow smile, her eyes gleaming into Rox's as she rests the side of her head in her palm. Rox responds to this delicately, looking into her eyes for an unsaid truth or motive behind her inquisition. Rox closes his eyes reliving the memory of his past and can't help but chuckle silently to himself. Everyone else becoming silent in the moment, Rox turns his body to face everyone around him.

“It's funny you ask that question because I only became captain of this crew by chance.” Nami, Sanji, Usopp and Chopper look from one to the other. Kazu slowly gets up from the table and starts making his way over to the grill. He begins taking some meat and rubbing some sauce on it while also seasoning it. Usopp raises his hand to interject.

“What do you mean you became captain by chance?”

“I mean just that. I left my village, my family, to get stronger. My mom is currently sick and suffering from a disease that requires her to be on constant medication and around the clock surveillance. My brother and I would take care of her while my father would be gone for the most part working on construction to earn wages to pay for the doctor fees and medicine. But our island was attacked by a group of pirates who tried to reign control on the island and steal any profitable goods that would pass through so I trained and became a fighter while also studying medicine as a physician's assistant. Once I had learned all I could from the doctors on our island, I set out to sea to become a stronger fighter and follow my beliefs to help any and all I can with my ability as well as to gain strength to protect my family. One day, while on a certain island, I sneaked onto my crew's ship as a stowaway because I was broke and didn't have any money for food.”

~Flashback~

Rox wakes up below deck of a ship as he hears a bell being rung continuously. As he wonders what the sound is, he sniffs the air and can smell a wonderful aroma of spices. His stomach rumbles with an echo as he grabs his stomach in anxiety.

“Man I'm hungry.” Rox slowly starts making his way upstairs to the mess hall. Once he arrives in the mess hall, he sees a ton of people coming in and gathering around the table. Rox runs over to the table closest to him and takes a seat and seconds later someone comes around holding a tray with plates of food on it. The guy places the plate in front of Rox but pauses for a second afterwards in his movements.

“I don't think I've seen you before…are you new?” Rox ignores him as he picks up the fork and starts eating. Just then someone sitting next to him gets tapped on the shoulder by the guy holding the trays. “Hey Vice Captain, have you seen this guy before?” The guy sitting next to Rox looks at him intently as he continues to eat. He shakes his head in disagreement.

“Naw, I haven't seen this guy before.” Just then Rox turns his head to the vice captain with a mouth full of food and still chewing.

“Could you pass the bread?” The vice captain nods his head and hands him the bowl of bread.

“Sure.” The waiter then snatches the bowl of bread from Rox and immediately slams his hands on the table.

“DON'T HAND FOOD TO THIS STRANGER! Besides, I think he's a stowaway.” The vice captain's face turns into a surprised look.

“You mean you don't know him either?” The waiter shakes his head as suddenly someone comes up behind Rox. The man stands tall at about 6'8” with no hair and slanted green eyes while picking his nose.

“Hey…who is this sitting in my seat?” Everyone gasps as they stare in shock with fear creeping into the room at what will take place next. Only one word can be said amongst the crew.

“Captain!” Everyone immediately sits up except Rox who reaches for his fourth plate but is stopped by the captain placing his hand on his wrist.

“Get out of my seat stowaway!” Rox turns his head and swallows hard as he stares into the captain's eyes.

“Sure…just let me finish eating!” Rox flicks his wrist to free his hand from the captain's grip and grabs the plate of food in front of him and downs it in one gulp. The crew begins to murmur and whisper amongst each other, all wondering the same question. But the captain voices everyone's thoughts.

“Who are you brat?” Rox finishes chewing his food and swallows as he pats his stomach contently feeling satisfied with the amount of food he's ate.

“My name is…Rox D. Brenan.” The captain looks at Rox with a smirk on his face as he grabs him by the collar and throws him into the middle of the room and two people instantly grab him.

“Throw him in the brig! Your name is Brigs Brenan to me.” The captain laughs as the other pirates begin taking him down below deck to the brig. The other pirates cheer and celebrate as they watch two of their comrades escort him away. Rox chuckles to himself as he willingly goes with them to not put up any kind of resistance. When the two pirates place him in the brig, they lock it up and stand by the door. A few minutes later, the vice captain and captain come down the hallway and stop in front of the door.

“Brenan…what are you doing on my ship? Have you come for my head?”

“No. It's only by chance I'm on this ship. I simply wanted to get out to sea and your ship just happened to be leaving the docks at the time I was there so I got aboard. I would have been fine staying below deck but I was starving.”

“I see…well aren't you the mischievous one. So what were you planning to do had you not get caught?”

“Just sneaked off and moved on to another ship. Where are you guys heading to by the way?” The captain folds his arms and turns around as he starts slowly walking away.

“Wouldn't you like to know?” He then starts laughing and pauses when he gets to the door to the deck. “I don't think you're a bad person but you're definitely not too bright. We don't have time to go out of our way to the closest island to delay our course. You sit tight there until we reach our destination and we'll let you go.” Rox nods his head and smiles.

“Fine with me I guess.” The captain and vice captain then leave the brig and head up to the deck. Rox then lies back on the floor of the ship and sprawls himself out and falls into a deep sleep.

“I was contained to the brig for nearly two months. It slowly became a home to me because I had grown accustomed to the smell of the wood when it got wet from the times it rained, or the echoes of the squeaky floorboards that you would hear when captain and vice captain came walking up to the door to talk to me. But most of all, I would occasionally look forward to the evening after sunset when the crew would bring out the band and play music and dance until they fell asleep from exhaustion. I never knew if they would hear me but I would sometimes sing with them from the brig. Making my own music in tune to theirs as a separate but also connected piece to their music puzzle. I would also occasionally break out of the brig to help out in certain situations. During one time I broke out to help clean up the ship and I simply just cleaned the brig and everything below deck. When the captain came in with the vice captain, he got so angry that he grabbed me by the neck and threw me back in the brig. There was another time when a storm broke out on the ship and nearly tore the mast apart. Several of the crew tried to repair it and keep it steady but the winds knocked some of them off the ship. As I heard the cries `man overboard', I broke out to help bring them back in but once everyone was safe back on the ship, they threw me back in to the brig. Continually I would help in whatever way I could, from cleaning, to rescue, to chores, to training sessions yet when my task was complete it was back to the brig like a child being sent to their room. I didn't mind it though because those guys are awesome and in a way became a family to me.” As Rox speaks he holds a glass in his hand that he is wiping clean with a rag while holding it fondly as if in the reflection of the glass he sees the images of his past. His smile caresses his face gently with the warmest of expressions and feelings that all can't help but feel drawn in, waiting for more to be said and felt. He holds up the glass and looks at it through the moonlight, expecting it for any specs of germs or bacteria. As he holds it up, he turns his gaze directly to Robin.

“My becoming a pirate captain of this crew though came by an unfortunate incident that still makes me wish I could turn back the clock.” Like lightning, Rox expression switches from a smile to anguish and regret as a scowl spreads throughout his face while his eyebrows tighten to a downward point and the hand holding the glass clenches tightly until it breaks the glass snapping everyone to an immediate attention and fixation on the sudden change. Nami and Luffy especially look at Rox with certain trepidation as they try to understand what darkness in Rox past could have spread such a cold embodiment within him. “I was asleep in the brig when I could hear pairs of footsteps moving towards me. I knew it wasn't the captain and vice captain because the pattern in their steps was different. The door flying open only confirmed it to reveal two guys with a sword raised above their heads. I immediately took them down hard and broke out of the brig. As I made my way to the steps, I could hear fatal screams of bloodlust and pain. I could feel death's cold fingers massaging the members of the crew. Waiting…waiting for them to finish exhaling their final breath to claim their soul. I pushed the door open to the deck and the first thing I saw was a crew mate named Tuff get shot down. Everywhere on the deck was a fight for survival and we were under siege from another pirate crew. Slowly, the picture of the situation became more clear to me and I could understand that not only was the crew outmatched but through each kill, becoming outnumbered as well. The only way to stop them was to destroy the enemy's ship, and I did. I destroyed it with one of my strongest attacks. However, it left me barren of energy and a deep hunger swarmed within my stomach. I made my way to the kitchen and fixed me some noodles to eat. As I started eating my bowl of food, I could hear cheers coming from the deck outside. I walked out to the deck to see what it was about. I poked my head around the crowd, my bowl still in hand, and gazed out to see the ship sinking down to the depths of the water below and the enemies surrendering. I continued eating my bowl of food and turned my attention to see the Vice Captain come out of the Captain's quarters with a serious wound and leaving a trail of blood across the floor. I gulped down the rest of the food while hearing an echo of people scream `vice captain'. We all went over to him and I immediately began checking his vitals and patching him up. He told us that the captain had been severely wounded and needed help. We all rushed to his room and when we got there we all gasped at the mess that became the captain. His left arm had been hacked off by repeated blows, most likely from defensively holding it up to block an attack. His left leg was also blown off at the knee but the most severe wound was his chest. It was covered in burns like he took a cannonball head on. I immediately began working on trying my best to bandage him up and stop the bleeding at the captain's refusal with me being out of the brig. It all was in vain though. He was dying and there was nothing I could do to stop that. However, after I finished patching him up he dismissed the crew except for me and the vice captain. I could only stand in silence and pinch my nails into my palms as if trying to wake up from this nightmare. It wasn't real. I didn't believe this moment to be real but a part of me knew it was. It was as real as when my mother called my brother and me inside to tell us she was sick. Though my mind wandered briefly to how well my mom was doing and if my brother was okay, a tap on my shoulder by one of the crew members brought me back to the nightmare before me. After they left the room, the captain gently placed his hand on my shoulder and looked me straight in the eye. I slowly bent down to eye level with him so he wouldn't have to strain to sit up and further prolong his pain.”

“I want you to become the new captain of my crew.” The vice captain dropped his head and slumped to the floor as he burrowed his head into his palms to hide the shame of his tears that dripped to the floor but he quickly regained his composure and stepped up to the bedside in front of Rox.

“Captain! This whole thing is my fault! You don't need to make HIM the captain. I'm sorry for being so weak and not being able to protect you but you can't die now! Our journey has only just begun!” Rox nods his head and places his hand on his chest.

“Besides I refuse to accept that level of responsibility! This is your crew and I can heal you! I'm a doctor and you'll get better in no time!” The captain smiled at the foolhardiness of his two most trusted people.

“It be alright you two. Everything will be fixed that is broken and the journey still lives, I just won't be there to see it.” Rox grabbed the bandages and began wrapping them around the captain's chest and picking out the metal pieces and dirt and other debris in the wounds to clean it as best as possible. Meanwhile, the vice captain stood silent and still as a tree as he tried his best to maintain a calm feature for his captain that he admired so much but his guilt getting the best of him revealed the tears he wanted to shed from his heart that was broken like his captain. The captain laughed until tears began to run down his cheeks. “Yer truly a depressing bunch. The reason it gonna be okay because Brigs Brenan here be all ye need. He be more than capable to sail the world in search of that treasure that we seek to reach. Take over the helm boy, it's where ye belong.” Rox then finishes the bandages and pulls out some leaves and dips them in a sap and layers them over top the bandages.

“I'm not capable to sail the world…and you can get better…I just know it! You have to!” As Rox sprawls himself across the captain, he lowers his head slowly to the captains stomach as he covers himself up with his arms and cries in deep heaves. The captain places his hand on Rox head gently while still smiling and turns his head to a window that shows the blue sky.

“It's not the world we sail for, you know? These people, including me, don't carry the heart like ye to chase freedom of the seas in hopes of riches or glory and fame. We chase for the prize of a once in a lifetime treasure my friend. Though ye be a stowaway amongst us, ye have helped us get this far and I know yer heart. I don't see nothing but a free spirit looking to run away from responsibility because of the fear that lives within ye. But ye are more than what ye believe to be. Ye be the only one amongst us all that carry the will and strength to get us through the new world to the end of the hunt.” Rox slowly brings his head up to look at the captain who is still smiling and looking out the window.

“What are you hunting?” The captain turns his head and gives a big grin as Rox and the vice captain look in shock at the genuine happiness that explodes from within the captain.

“The angel fruit…Say ye will lead my people to it. They will be endeavored to ye for all the time left in the world. Say ye will…” The captain moves his hand from Rox head and holds it in mid-air near out in front of Rox as it shakes while he struggles to hold it up. Rox immediately takes his hand into both of his and clasps his hands on the captain's.

“I will. I promise I'll get them to it.” The captain nodded his head and pointed to the vice captain who was standing beside Rox with tears streaming down his face.

“Don't blame ye self for this. Ye are strong and none of it be yer fault. What be important now is helping the crew to understand this be me final wish. Let them know that Brigs Brenan be the new captain. Aye sailor?” The vice captain nods his head as the captain smiled happily with a huge grin and passed away.

“As if the world felt the pain symbolically, a raging storm surfaced and brought down rain harder than I've ever seen before in my entire life. The vice captain and I couldn't move from where we were. We just stayed there in silence as if secretly hoping that it was all a dream and were just waiting for the captain to get back up. But he never did…he was gone…and he would never return to us. The vice captain fell to the floor of the room and wept. He screamed and heaved deep breaths so hard that each heave left bruises on his chest. I could only reflect. Reflect on the past of when I first arrived on the ship and how everyone was willing to be open and friendly with me even though I was a stowaway. I didn't see myself as a follower of their beliefs or much less saw my path within the same realm of these guys. I only respected them and kept to myself and yet their captain sees me as someone who would willingly entrust HIS people's LIVES with me! And yet I couldn't even save his… When the vice captain had shed enough tears, he walked over to the captain's bar and grabbed a small jar of sake and poured it in two glasses. We both drank sake until we were drunk and passed out. In the morning, we took the biggest jar of sake that the captain usually kept for himself and took it out to the crew and gave it to them after we broke the news to them. We all drank until we couldn't anymore and used the last bit to pour on our captain before we burned his body at sea.”

~End of Flashback~

Franky suddenly bursts through the door with Lucas in tears crying as Chopper and Luffy join him. Usopp wipes his face as Nami and Robin stare at Rox. Zoro is still sitting on the floor while Kazu is handing a plate of food to Zoro. Zoro bows his head and begins eating the food. Franky runs up to Rox and grabs his collar.

“What a story! I heard the whole thing outside. I didn't want to barge in and interrupt. But I'm not gonna cry, even though it was so touching!” Rox stares at Franky with a blank stare as he thinks to himself, “But he's crying right now…” Luffy then hugs Franky and nods his head in agreement.

“Yeah Franky! It really was a touching story!” Robin then raises her hand to interject.

“Excuse me captain, but I have a question. What exactly is the angel fruit that the former captain wanted?” Everyone's attention turned towards Rox as he was sipping his tea. He slowly places the cup of tea down on the table and looks straight at Robin.

“The vice captain explained to me that their crew actually weren't pirates. They were a bunch of treasure hunters. They would take on the greatest treasures exempting One Piece itself in the world and try to find them and map the history behind it. The crew was made up of normal citizens and average people. Only the vice captain and captain actually knew how to fight on the ocean. The rest were just normal people like historians, blacksmiths, and fishermen. It just so happened, by chance, that on the same island they departed from where I became their stowaway is where they gained a map that would lead them to the New World where the island supposedly exists that has the angel fruit. The angel fruit itself is the greatest treasure in the world today second only to One Piece. It is known basically for being the anti-devil fruit. As everyone knows, when one person eats a devil fruit, the person who eats it gains an unknown power and ends up being cursed with not being able to swim. Well the angel fruit is basically the cure for the curse of the devil fruit. Whoever eats it that is cursed will lose their power and become a regular human again that is able to swim again as well. But if someone who eats it that isn't cursed with a devil fruit eats it loses their body and becomes a ghost that is stuck to wander the world for all eternity.” Usopp takes a deep gulp as everyone stares in shock at what Rox said. Zoro finishes taking the last bite of his food and puts his fork down as he picks up his cup of water and gulps it down to wash the food away. Nami takes this time to interject a question.

“So you mean to tell me if Luffy was to eat that fruit he would no longer be a rubber man?”

“That's correct. But most people with devil fruit powers don't wish to seek out an angel fruit to be cured from their newfound power and even less believes in such a tale or of that possibility. But the captain was willing to die for his belief in its existence so I do as well.” Usopp then interjects a question.

“So why is this fruit so hard to find? I mean, the devil fruit are rare but overall they've been spread out all over the grand line. Wouldn't the angel fruit be the same?”

“If only God wasn't so cruel. Supposedly the angel fruit only appears once every hundred years on a tree that blossoms under certain conditions in the air as far as temperature, moisture, humidity, and air pressure. But if found, the fruit is so rare that it can be sold for whatever price you name.” Nami's eyes become dollar signs at the mere thought of holding an angel fruit in her hand as Usopp looks at her with fear.

“HEY! NAMI IS THINKING ABOUT GOING AFTER THAT FRUIT!” Chopper immediately jumps on to Nami and begins shaking her.

“Nami! Hey Nami! Come back to us! Please come back!” Rox stares at Nami in utter confusion as he thinks to himself. “What is up with this chick?” Just then Zoro slams his cup on the floor as everyone turns their attention to him.

“Well all that stuff aside, what I find hilarious is this guy being such a crybaby.” Zoro points at Kazu as everyone then remembers the story and starts laughing. Kazu looks at Zoro in shock as anger immediately begins to spread throughout his face. “I thought you were going to be the strongest swordsman? And yet you're crying over a guy you failed to protect? That's pathetic.” Suddenly Zoro has the words `moron' written across his forehead in big black ink. Usopp then laughs at Zoro along with Chopper, Luffy, Brook and Sanji. “What's so funny?” Usopp gets a mirror and shows the mark on his forehead as Sanji interjects a comment.

“How did you get that on your forehead idiot Marimo?” Zoro then stands up and gets in Sanji's face.

“You say something lover cook?” Sanji then gets back into Zoro's face as Kazu walks past them both flipping a marker into the air and catching it in his hand repeatedly while he walks past them.

“You idiot! As if I would cry over some weak captain that died unable to protect himself!” Just then Zoro turns his head to see Kazu with the marker as he grits his teeth in anger. “Besides, I was NEVER a vice captain.” Kazu sits back down in the chair he was sitting in before and props his feet up on the table and places his hands behind his head. “I was captain of the Ironclad pirates before I joined Rox.” Everyone stares in shock at Kazu as Luffy turns his head and smiles.

“That's amazing! You used to be a captain? No wonder you're so strong!” Luffy chuckles as Zoro wipes his head to get the mark off his forehead.

“So what happened to your crew? They die?”

“Unlike you Zoro, I can lead my crew anywhere and not get lost.” Zoro scoffed at Kazu at the statement as he sits back down on the floor to allow Kazu to talk.

“So, why would you, a captain, join Rox crew?”

~Flashback~

“The simple answer is because I respected his strength but that doesn't really answer your question. In order to understand why I respected his strength I have to tell you a story about a boy that was seven years old and witnessed the horrors of the celestial dragons.” A little black kid wearing gray shorts and a black hoodie with blue sleeves that are torn off at the elbows and black boots is walking through the streets as people walk around him going about their business. As he turns into an alleyway, he sees a group of kids sitting on a dumpster. One is taller than the rest and is wearing shades with a tank top shirt and green sweat pants with black and green stripped sneakers. As they get off the dumpster, the two others behind the tall one are mixed with a caramel skin. One is a girl with long curly hair that goes past her shoulders and she has on a shirt with the words `future star' on the front and jeans with blue sneakers. The other is a guy with hair tied in a ponytail and his eyes are green. He's wearing a blue shirt and black sweat pants with black shoes. The tall one approaches the kid standing at the entrance to the alley.

“Hey, is that you Kazu?” The boy lifts up his shades as the kid nods his head and lifts his hands up to the hood and pulls it down to reveal his face.

“Been a long time Jurai. Who are they?” Kazu points to the two kids behind the tall guy and he looks back at them to see the girl get behind the boy and the boy look with a serious face at Kazu. Jurai waves his hand and walks up to Kazu.

“Don't mind them. The girl is Tsurei and the guy is her brother Jackson.” At that moment Jurai wraps his arm around Kazu's shoulder and holds him close. As he does this, he puts the shades back over his eyes as Kazu looks at him.

“Alright, I'll ignore them then. So what's the plan?” Jurai's facial expression shifts from a grin at Kazu to a serious look. At that moment they hear gunshots fired not that far away. The sound makes Tsurei jump and the rest begin looking around. Jurai immediately gets off Kazu's shoulder and then heads out to the main street and peeks around the corner. Kazu and Jackson come up behind him and look too as Tsurei stands behind her brother holding his hand. As they look out into the street, they see a crowd of people standing on the sidewalk and in the middle of the road are four people holding up a caravan. The curtain that covers the inside of the caravan is cracked open and inside they see a person wearing a white suit with a glass bowl covering their head. In the person's hand is a gun still smoking and the direction it's aimed at is a body on the sidewalk where the only thing that can be seen is the person's feet. Jurai turns to the others.

“Come on, let's get closer.” Kazu and Jackson both nod their head and they all start moving on the sidewalk and get a little closer but stay a few feet away from the area of the caravan to stay out of sight from the crowd of people and the person with the gun. The person in the caravan puts the gun away and turns their attention to a person wearing a black suit on the street.

“Get me that person's daughter. Make sure she is cleaned up and given a proper training in maid duties as well. She will be perfect for my collection.” A woman wearing a white dress with blood all over the hem of her skirt covers her mouth as tears flow down her face and over her hand. She collapses to the ground and turns her head to a little girl wearing a blue dress that has short hair, tiny glass earrings and a pretty face. The little girl is crying in tears as she shakes the body on the ground. I knew it was dead. It was no longer a need to identify the gender or that it was once alive. His eyes still hold an expression of shock and bewilderment. I could only guess what the last words he heard would be. My attention went back to the man on the caravan as he smiled with a huge grin as the man in the black suit picked up the girl who by now was kicking and screaming to get free. She was punching the man's face as hard as she could but when the man didn't even flinch, she turned her head to the corpse on the ground.

“DADDY!” The woman in the white dress stretched her hand out as she cried hard, clutching her chest with her other hand as she heaved for breaths, mouthing words that she lacked the air to speak. I glanced at the others around them and everyone's face was downcast and looking away as if trying to not be a witness so if asked what they saw, they could honestly say `nothing'. I turned to look at Jurai and the others. Jackson was holding Tsurei in his arms as she was crying with her hands over her ears as if to block out the moment so it would never become another nightmare or memory that could haunt her both in her sleep and when she wakes up tomorrow. Jurai was keeping his eyes on the situation but his hands had balled into fists that were clenched so tight he broke the skin of the palms of his hands which leaked droplets of blood. I touched Jurai's shoulder and he flinched as he looked at me. Immediately he felt the tension and the pain in his hands and he looked at them to see the deep scratches and broken skin and stuffed them into his pockets as he went back to looking at the girl being carried off as the mother just cried. As people started to leave and walk away, the mother just stayed there, crying and looking at the corpse which used to be her living breathing husband and father of her child. At that moment Jurai turned around to us and ushered us back in the alley.

“Let's get out of here for now.” I looked at Jurai and immediately looked at him in shock.

“I thought we were going to steal some food from the celestial dragon's mansion?” Jurai looked at me with the most serious expression.

“No, with him doing what he just did, he's gonna be at the mansion all day to enjoy his new pet and if we break in, we don't need him calling an Admiral to come after us for revenge. Too many risks for that, but don't worry. I got a stash of berries in the outskirts. We can munch on those.” As we moved away from the street and started heading out of the town, Tsurei was still shedding tears but her sobbing was dying like a fire with no air. Jackson just continued to hold her hand and comfort her as Jurai and I just looked onwards, putting the whole thing behind us. We walked in silence. No one spoke a word. I couldn't speak for others but for me, it was just another day. By the time we got outside the city, Jurai led us out to a huge field and in a bag hidden within a tree trunk that was hollowed out, was the berries. He opened the bag up and took a handful and passed the bag around. We all grabbed a handful and then put the bag back into the tree trunk. As we sat under the tree and began eating the berries, Jurai turned his head to me. “Hey Kazu? Didn't what you just saw bother you?” I honestly had to think about it for a minute. Everyone's attention on me, waiting, simply waiting for my response and wondering I guess in the back of their minds if I was some psychotic freak who didn't mind treating people as dolls or something.

“The earliest memory I can ever recall is when I was a kid, maybe four or five or a little younger. My mom took me to the ice cream shop for a treat after I came home with a good grade from school. We get to the shop and I'm looking at all the different flavors they have and right when I look at my mom and tell her I want vanilla, in walked in a celestial dragon. He was talking to one of his bodyguards. He was saying something about hearing the shop sold the best ice cream around. The shop owner asks him what he would like to have and the man looks around and says he wants the whole store. That he wants to make the owner a servant of his house to only make ice cream for him personally. The owner stands up to the celestial dragon and tells him that he has a family to take care of. At this point my mom was holding me in her arms and moving us away from the celestial dragon. She inched closer to the back of the store against the wall slowly as she exhaled each breath. Her heart was beating so fast that I felt it against my chest. The owner continued to debate with the celestial dragon but at some point his family came in the room and upon entering he immediately made the bodyguard kill them. I was in so much shock of not just the act but the sight of so much blood. Some of it even managed to splatter on me. My mother shielded me from the sight of the dead bodies but I peeked over her shoulder, wondering if they would ever move. My eyes focused on their eyes, their hands, searching for any inch of movement. But they never did. They just lied there on the cold floor breathlessly still. I started to open my mouth to say something but my mother immediately placed her hand over my mouth. These weren't strangers to us. The boy was my classmate and we often played together at school. The woman would occasionally come by the house to talk to my mom when dad wasn't around. We loved them and yet now they were gone. When the celestial dragon left, I screamed at my mom begging to know why she didn't do anything to stop them. But she told me, some things are beyond our reach to prevent and we can only be a silent witness and an aid to those left behind. From that day forward, I understood that the celestial dragons owned the world, and everything in it was as free to take as the berries in our hands. So of course it bothered me. But what can we do? The celestial dragons own the world with the Admirals as their police dogs. Not even Gol D. Roger could stop them.” Jurai pops some more berries into his mouth as Jackson and Tsurei look from one to the other. Jurai then stands up.

“I know someone who can stop them. I've heard stories about a guy that supposedly is taking on the world. Not just the marines and world government but also the celestial dragons. Everyone says he's the strongest guy out there.”

“Sounds like a crazy idiot to me.” Jackson turns his attention to Jurai.

“Would he be able to help me protect my sister?” I turn and look at Jackson as Jurai does the same.

“I believe so. I'm gonna look for him one day. One day I'm gonna set sail and go searching for him. Would you come with me?”

“Do you even know this guy's name?”

“No.”

“Naw man, I'll manage.”

“I'm gonna do it Kazu. I'm gonna change the world man. One day, the celestial dragons won't be able to do as they please anymore.”

“I didn't believe it was possible. No one had ever stood up to a celestial dragon, much less had the courage to. We were a bunch of kids who wanted to change the hierarchy of the political advantage of a group of descendants that resulted in the brainwashing of people who believed the world was their birthright. My friend Jurai did set off though in search of this man. After his voyage began, I taught myself how to use a sword and began learning how to fight. All the while, everyday, the celestial dragon continued to control everything in the city. It got to the point where he felt the need to tax people extra money since they had a celestial dragon living on the island. Those who couldn't pay and became broke ended up losing their homes and were sent off the island on a ship to go live somewhere else. It got to the point where my family couldn't stay on the island either because they couldn't afford to pay for themselves and me at the same time. So I volunteered to leave myself on the next ship that left the island. After the ship got to the next island, I continued my swordsmanship training and became a really good swordsman. I eventually got to the point of just going after pirates and collecting their bounties for spare cash. Eventually my name grew and people started to recognize my strength but then I started to hear the whispers and rumors of a swordsman who happened to cross swords with Mihawk and gained his respect. At this news, people also began to question which of us was better. So I decided to find out for myself. I sailed the seas looking for Zoro and any pirates I came across who challenged me or got in my way, I took them down and got their bounty as treasure. My followers said we should come up with a name and a jolly roger. So I made the decision to call my crew the Ironclad pirates.” Franky then shifts his weight while he's leaning against the wall and asks a question.

“So how did you actually run into Rox?” Kazu shakes his head as he closes his eyes, recalling the event step by step.

“The mere thought of how it happened pisses me off still to this day. Just like how he became captain by chance, I ran into him by chance as well.” Rox turns around and wraps his arm around Kazu.

“That's right! I was just lucky, that's all!” Rox holds up two fingers in front of everyone as Kazu balls up his fist and hits Rox in the back of the head.

“Shut up! And don't interrupt me!” Kazu clears his throat as he folds his arms and continues on. “As I was saying, it was all by chance. I had stopped at an island to get some supplies and drop off a pirate at the local marine base to collect the bounty. I had just finished collecting the bounty and was on my way to the local bar to gather some information.” Kazu and three men are walking down a street. One of the men has a black jacket with a jolly roger on the back of it and black pants. The second is wearing a long sleeve white shirt with a white bandana blue shades and blue jeans. The last one is wearing a kimono and wooden sandals with two guns tucked at the sides in the sash. As they walk up to the bar, Kazu places his hands out in front of the three guys behind him.

“You three wait out here. I'm just getting information and then we're off this stupid island. Zax, you and Kilbe can head back to the ship. Otaru, wait out here for me.” The man in the kimono and the man in the blue jeans nod their heads and starts walking away. The third man pats Kazu on the back and stands by the door. Kazu slowly makes his way inside the bar and as he walks in people begin to stare at him. As they stare, he walks confidently stepping in full stride with no hesitation to a stool near the far end of the bar. While everyone is staring, Kazu notices a man sitting in the corner of the room with his head lying against the wall asleep. He snores loudly as two people are sitting with him eating. Kazu shakes his head while thinking to himself, `nobody important'. Kazu sits down on the stool and as the bartender walks over to him, he slams two pieces of gold coins on the table and slides them over to the bartender.

“What'll be?” Kazu pulls out a wanted poster and places it on the table.

“Information. You seen this guy?” The bartender looks at the poster and shakes his head.

“Sorry. Haven't seen him.” Kazu bangs his fist on the table and points to a bottle on the top shelf as he reaches into his pocket.

“Then I'll have one of those.” Kazu pulls a gold coin out of his pocket and hands it over to the bartender as he reaches over and takes the coin.

“A fine choice.” He takes the other hand and grabs the bottle and hands it to Kazu. Kazu pulls out a pocket knife and then cuts the top of the bottle open and starts drinking. As he drinks, someone comes up beside him and then looks over his shoulder at the poster.

“Huh? Roronoa Zoro? You're after this guy? This guy beat the assassin Dez Bones! You really think you can defeat him?” The guy starts laughing as people start laughing with him. As everyone laughs, the guy in the corner opens his eyes and sees Kazu reach around his back and place his hand on a dagger. As his grip on the handle tightens, the guy sleeping in the back purposely falls to the ground and pulls the table down with him to cause a scene. Everyone turns to look at the guy and then start laughing even harder when they realize what happened. Kazu turns his head at the noise and takes his hand off the dagger as he goes back to drinking his bottle. He glances at the guy who is standing behind him. He's tall with wavy hair and a thick messy moustache in a thick yellow coat with black buttons and black pants. As Kazu turns his head back to the bar he starts lifting his bottle but before he can put it to his lips, the guy behind him slaps him on the back. Kazu turns his head to him as he grits his teeth and grips the bottle tight. The guy then lowers his head and places his lips close to Kazu's ear. “You're nothing but a third rate pirate at best. I bet you couldn't even collect a 10 million bounty let alone 120 million.” The guy bends back and begins laughing heartily and deep as people laugh with him. Kazu smirks as he takes the bottle and finishes the rest of it in one gulp. He turns around to face the guy as the guy takes a couple steps back.

“And who are you?”

“You're looking at the one and only Captain Louis Alejandro worth 80 million. And if you know what's good for you, you'll stay in that chair and fork over your gold coins that you have left in your pocket.” Kazu smiles as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of gold coins and drops them on the floor in front of him. Everyone grows silent at all the gold coins that fall to the floor.

“That's over ninety million in gold coins…Captain! If you can manage to walk through that door with them alive then they're yours.” The guy laughs and goes to one knee to pick up the gold coins. As he starts putting them in his hands, Kazu reaches around his back for the dagger and draws it quickly. In the same motion he leans forward and swings the blade aiming for the Captain's neck but the Captain gets kicked by the guy who fell out of the chair earlier and the gold coins go flying into the air above him. The guy who kicked the captain catches the coins and hands them to Kazu. Kazu puts them back into his pocket and then thrusts the dagger up to his neck. The guy holds his hands up immediately.

“Your welcome! Sheesh! Can I get a little appreciation?” Kazu puts the dagger back into the sheath behind his back and picks up the rest of his gold coins before he starts walking away.

“Stay away from me.” The guy follows behind him.

“Come on! Relax. Don't be so bent out of shape. Want to talk about it?” Kazu keeps walking and as he gets to the door, the guy places his hand on Kazu's shoulder. Kazu immediately grabs the dagger and swings it at the guy's neck. The guy steps back and then sees Kazu pulling out his sword on his back. He puts the dagger back in its sheath and begins pursuing him with his sword. “Hey, hey, hey, hey! Can't we talk about this?”

“Just die!” Kazu swings his sword and the force of the swing comes straight at the guy. The guy yells as he drops to the ground and dodges it. He covers his head and then rolls as Kazu continues swinging at him. The guy gets up off the floor and runs out of the bar and sprints down the street. As Kazu comes out, Otaru turns to look at him.

“Captain? Everything okay?” Kazu turns to look at him and shakes his head.

“Get back to the ship. I got a pirate to kill.” Otaru nods his head and then takes off in the other direction as Kazu continues his chase on the guy from the bar. As the two run through the town, the guy turns and starts heading to the coast, continually avoiding the swings from Kazu. When they arrive at the coast, the guy stops and Kazu stops chasing him. Kazu takes his sword and holds it lightly with the dull side on his shoulder.

“Ready to die?” The guy smiles as he folds his arms over his chest and stares at Kazu. “What's your name?”

“Rox D. Brenan.” Kazu takes his sword and brings it down to his waist and dashes in towards Rox but Rox releases a burst of haki and as it passes by Kazu he stops in mid-swing. Kazu takes a step back and looks directly at Rox who just smiles.

“You're strong…real strong.” Rox just grins with a huge smile on his face as Kazu slowly puts the sword away and back into the sheath. “You searching for One Piece?”

“No. I'm not interested in that.”

“Then what are you after?”

“I'm kind of like you. Even though you're more of a bounty hunter, I don't collect the money. I just fight strong guys.” Kazu chuckles at the comment as he folds his arms.

“Do you think Monkey D. Luffy is strong? Everything about him is rumors. No real facts but that's because he hasn't said anything himself that anyone can really quote him on so he isn't boastful but definitely an idiot.”

“All of that is irrelevant to me. I'm gonna destroy him when I meet him.”

“You're looking to fight Luffy?”

“Yeah.” Kazu places his right hand on his chin. He glances at Rox as he thinks about joining him but the mere thought of it makes him sick. His face changes with the image of bad thoughts going through his head and he shakes his head. Rox notices the expressions changing on Kazu's face. “You okay?” Kazu ignores the question and looks at Rox with a straight face.

“Rox, let me and my men join your crew. I know you will cross paths with Luffy and when you do, I want to be there to face Zoro. I have to know how good he really is.” Rox starts walking away from Kazu as Kazu looks at him. “You gonna give me an answer?” Rox continues walking.

“If you want to come then come on already. Now where did I leave my compass?” Kazu frowns at the fact of hearing he lost the compass.

“What do you mean you lost the compass?”

“I didn't say I lost it.”

“You don't know where it is either!”

“I do know! It's somewhere on this island…I think….probably….maybe…?” Kazu then hits him on the head with the side of his hand.

“Hey!” Kazu repeatedly hits him in the head as the two walk away from the shore of the island and back towards the city they came from.

~End of Flashback~

Kazu quickly draws his sword on his back and points the tip at Zoro as Zoro looks straight up the sword from the edge of his cup. Usopp, Chopper, and Sanji look at Kazu as Luffy's face doesn't change. Brook continues sipping tea with Robin as Nami stands up but Luffy grabs her wrist. As Nami turns her attention to Luffy she looks into his eyes and sits back down.

“For so long I've waited Zoro…so long I've waited for a fight that would actually push me to my limits. Once I crush you, I'll go after Vista from Whitebeard's crew.”

“That's if you manage to still be breathing afterwards.” Zoro finishes his cup of sake and throws the cup at Kazu. As the cup sails through the air towards Kazu's head, Kazu moves his head to the left to dodge the cup but while Kazu's eyes are on the cup, Zoro has stood up and drawn two of his swords and has them pointed at Kazu. When Kazu's eyes turn back to Zoro, he smirks and side steps out the way of the two swords that Zoro are aiming at his chest. Kazu blocks both of the swords with his sword and as the steel clashes together in between them everyone stares in shock at the fast movement that was done in the blink of an eye. As Usopp, Chopper, Brook, Nami, Franky and Robin stare in shock, Luffy just grins as Rox starts walking up to the two of them.

“That's enough you two! Kazu, you should go somewhere and cool off. You're way too tense.” Kazu and Zoro both have huge grins on their face as their eyes stare deep into each other's as if their minds have already checked out and left. They both step back and sheath their swords.

“I'm gonna enjoy tearing you apart.” Kazu says as he turns his back to Zoro.

“Heh. Keep talking. It'll be that much more pleasant when I silence you permanently.” Kazu and Zoro begin walking in different directions as they both exit the room. Usopp, Chopper, and Nami exhale once they have left the room. Luffy laughs to himself out loud.

“Hey, Rox! Those two sure are interesting don't you think?” Rox smiles to himself as he crosses his arms and gazes at Luffy with a serious look.

“Luffy…you full of food?” Luffy smiles with a wide huge grin.

“Yeah. Thanks a lot for the food. It was really good!” Rox smirks and places his left hand over his right fist and begins cracking his knuckles. As Luffy watches this his smile dissipates slowly.

“You've made quite the name for yourself these past couple of months. Now I don't care about One Piece and am not interested in being the Pirate King. All I want to do is fight the strongest people out there and you're top on my list. Tomorrow morning, we're gonna fight. We'll dock on an island and fight there to avoid damaging our ships. Get some sleep….” Rox walks slowly past Luffy and pats his shoulder as he walks past him. Luffy's expression changes to a serious one as he stares straight ahead. “….you'll need it.” As Rox walks away, Luffy's hands slowly curl into fists.

“Hey, why do you wanna fight? Are we enemies now?” Rox opens the door that Kazu left from and walks out and closes the door behind him leaving Luffy alone to his thoughts. As Luffy stays where he is, Robin gets up from the table. She begins walking towards the door. Sanji turns to look at her.